On Sunday, President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, spoke out about a delay in federal funding for local law enforcement, placing the blame on Democratic lawmakers. This came in the context of a conversation about his department’s use of a $70 million luxury government jet for personal travel.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” guest host Kasie Hunt questioned Mullin on the safety of Americans and international visitors attending World Cup matches. In response, Mullin assured the public of their safety but pointed to political roadblocks, remarking, “The truth is, though, with the Democrats defunding ICE and CBP for 115 days and DHS for 76 days, it made things tough.”

He further explained the impact of these delays, highlighting how agreements with local law enforcement—necessary for managing security at such large events—were financially strained. “Our memorandums of understanding with local law enforcement were delayed,” Mullin noted. “They had a significant amount of expenses to cover because we can’t manage this without local partnerships.”

Mullin said yes, before adding, ‘the truth is, though, with the Democrats defunding ICE and CBP for 115 days and DHS for 76 days, it made it tough.’

‘Our MOUs that we had with our local law enforcement, the reimbursement was behind. So they had a tremendous amount of expenses coming out because we can’t do this without our local partnerships,’ Mullin revealed.

Hunt then questioned if Mullin, ‘would be ready to blame Democrats if something went wrong’ at the World Cup games.

‘No, I’m not blaming Democrats. I’m just saying the truth is we were unfunded for 76 days, and ICE and CBP, which CBP is leading five of these facilities, we were shut down for 115 days,’ he added.

‘When we are shut down, even though our men and women at Department of Homeland Security, which I have the greatest privilege in the world to lead, are willing to do their job for free, that’s great. The problem is that our local law enforcement that we have to partner with, that we have to give grants to, they weren’t able to be reimbursed,’ Mullin continued.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on CNN

The England team touch down at the Charles B Wheeler downtown airport Kansas City, to begin their World Cup campaign in the USA.FIFA World Cup 2026

‘Now, all of them can handle that, but they were willing to work too. We’re playing catch-up on getting the funding out. We’re ready, but I feel positive that we could have been even in a better position if we weren’t having to deal with the gamesmanship of the Democrat Party through this whole political theater of keeping the Department of Homeland shut down,’ he concluded.

Before his appointment to the top job at DHS, Mullin had a front row seat to all of the Senate fights to fund DHS as a US Senator. 

The US House of Representatives narrowly passed a $70 billion package to fund ICE and Border Patrol for the rest of Trump’s term on Tuesday, sending one of his signature priorities to his desk. 

The House passage of the bill followed a nail-biter vote in the Senate earlier this month, where the bill was almost upended by Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund,’ which some GOP senators pushed to strip from the package.

Later in the program, when discussing the upcoming midterm elections and the need to zero out non-citizen voting, Mullin dropped that he and his wife had flown back to Oklahoma, his home state, to vote early in the primary elections that will take place this coming Tuesday, June 16th.

‘My wife and I voted just actually yesterday. We flew back to Oklahoma just to be able to vote in our — in our primary coming up,’ Mullin revealed.

DHS confirmed that a $70 million jet was purchased by the department during the tenure of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Prior to the confirmation of new Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the jet remained ‘available to Cabinet members who need secure command and control and rapid long-range mobility.’

The passage of the comprehensive immigration package by Congress follows a record 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) earlier this year, when Democrats refused to support new money for ICE after the deaths of protesters in Minneapolis.

Republicans rejected their demands, instead choosing to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the fast-track ‘budget reconciliation’ process, which allows them to bypass Democratic opposition if they can keep their own members united.

The White House says the bill will provide $38 billion for ICE, $26 billion for the Border Patrol and another $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs.

It frontloads routine annual funding, ensuring a virtually uninterrupted flow of money as the Trump administration seeks to deport some one million people per year.

The funding comes on top of the nearly $140 billion that the Republican-controlled Congress gave ICE and Customs and Border Protection last year as part of Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill.

Democrats objected to giving the agencies more money without significant changes in the way they operate after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was removed from her post by President Trump after facing a litany of scandals

Democrats insisted agents remove masks, display ID badges during enforcement operations and obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property. Instead, the money comes with virtually no strings attached.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Republicans weren’t focused on the top priorities of the American people and have cut access to Medicaid and nutrition assistance through Trump’s earlier tax and spending cut bill.

‘Republicans have now come back for more, to give ICE and Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine another $70 billion blank check, with no oversight, no accountability and no guardrails,’ Jeffries said.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise countered that Democrats were not adequately supportive of law enforcement.

‘Make no mistake, if you’re voting yes, you’re not only voting to secure America’s border, you’re voting to fund law enforcement,’ Scalise said. ‘And if you vote no, you are voting to defund the police.’

The money will come at a pivotal time for DHS, which is under new leadership after Trump replaced Kristi Noem with new Secretary Mullin in March.

The Department of Buildings has introduced two innovative sidewalk shed designs aimed at transforming the dreary 360 miles of scaffolding that currently clutter the city’s streets.

While these designs are a visual improvement over the bulky steel-and-green structures that dominate the landscape, they are not the ultimate answer to the pervasive scaffolding issue.

Although prototypes were showcased last year, these new designs have now been physically installed outside the DOB headquarters at 280 Broadway. Leila Bozorg, the deputy mayor for housing and planning, expressed that the new designs will allow New Yorkers to enjoy views of the sky while still ensuring pedestrian safety from potential overhead hazards.

Two of the six proposed designs, known as the “rigid” and “flex” sheds, have been crafted by the architectural firm Arup. These are notably less oppressive than the traditional structures and offer an improvement over the Urban Umbrella style, which features tall, tree-like columns.

Both Arup and the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism have contributed to these modestly progressive designs, which the DOB hopes to finalize later this year pending City Council approval. Yet, despite the refreshing color palettes and partially transparent roofs made of artificial glass, these designs do not tackle the root issue — the infamous Local Law 11. This law mandates extensive facade repair and maintenance, necessitating these structures on a scale unmatched by any other city globally.

The 30-year-old law still stands, despite tweaks under former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration’s “Get Sheds Down” initiative. It slightly reduced the required frequency of periodic inspections and repairs — although final decisions at any particular building are still up to the DOB.

Nor do the new rules touch the law’s most pernicious provision — that scaffolds must extend 20 feet in either direction beyond the actual job site, thus ruining businesses and entrances that aren’t part of the work.

For a look at how much better our streets would look with many fewer sheds, city planners should have a look at Chicago and Philadelphia — both of which have many old and very large buildings but hardly any sidewalk eyesores of the kind New Yorkers hate.

New York’s shed laws were enacted in the name of protecting passers-by from falling debris. Yet, somehow, hospitals in Chicago and Philadelphia are not overwhelmed by victims of such rare accidents.
But neither city has laws which mainly were written to enrich scaffold rental companies — a scandal that’s Only in New York.

In a tragic bungee jumping incident in Brazil, a young woman tragically lost her life, leaving behind a chilling final post on social media. The demand for justice is growing as the public calls for the arrest of the individuals responsible for her untimely death.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, aged 21, was involved in this horrific event on Saturday at Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, Sao Paulo. Disturbing video footage, now widely circulating online, captures the heart-wrenching moment she was thrown from the bridge, resulting in her fatal fall.

Despite wearing a helmet and what appeared to be a harness, Maria was not secured to the bridge or attached to a bungee cord. Video evidence shows two workers carrying her—one holding her legs and the other her upper body—as she posed as if in flight, moments before they tossed her over the edge.

Following the incident, Brazil’s military police reported to local media that two men quickly fled the scene, leaving the group on the bridge in shock. This information was detailed in a report by O Globo.

Brazil’s military police told local media that two men fled from the scene shortly after the realization dawned on the stunned group stood atop the bridge, O Globo reported. 

In total, six people were arrested after the two who fled into a wooded area were located by helicopter. Three of those arrest at the scene were charged with homicide with implied malice, G1 reported. 

Just moments before she fell around 130 feet to her death, the young Jandira native had posted to her Instagram, showing off the jump wristbands and Skeleton bridge. 

Underneath a photo, Rodrigues de Freitas wrote: ‘Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge?’

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, posted photographs of her jump wristbands and the bridge just moments before she was thrown off the bridge on Saturday

In total, six people were arrested after the two who fled into a wooded area were located by helicopter. Three of those arrest at the scene were charged with homicide with implied malice

According to the friend, Rodrigues de Freitas was a ‘beautiful’ young woman ‘full of dreams’ and interrupted plans

Bystanders can be heard in the video frantically yelling out, ‘the rope, people, the rope,’ as she was released from the grip of the employees. 

Higor Diniz, who had been on the bridge at the time of the incident, told EPTV that after Rodrigues de Freitas plummeted to her death, onlookers began to panic. 

‘There were a lot of people there – not just a few. There were many people at the site. There were children there too, and they saw it happen,’ he told the outlet. 

‘Some of the children were only six years old. It was a very intense scene. People panicked. Some who were farther back grabbed their belongings and started leaving.’

According to the outlet, the suspects who were arrested were 42 years and 27 years old, while the third is a 32-year-old civilian firefighter. 

The military police told O Globo that the proper fixation of the equipment would not have been carried out, causing Rodrigues de Freitas to fall to her death.  

Emergency responders arrived and pronounced her dead at the scene. Her body was then recovered before being transported to the Legal Institute for further investigation.

Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy told the outlet that the company operating the daredevil activity on the bridge ‘didn’t even have authorization to be there.’

Video taken at the scene shows the young woman being taken to the edge by the staff before being thrown into the ravine

Bystanders can be heard frantically shouting in the background, ‘the rope, people, the rope’, in the seconds after she was released

‘They ended up organizing this event, and, this fatality happened today, in my perception, due to a failure to verify and supervise the placement of the rope on the victim’s jump,’ Levy said. 

The suspect’s legal teams told G1 that the workers were very experienced and this had been the company’s first fatality in years. 

According to the outlet, the three workers arrested were unable to offer a reason for the negligent error nor why final security checks weren’t conducted upon Rodrigues de Freitas’ turn to jump.

The graduate had recently earned her degree in Physical Education and Sports Management, and was seen on social media regularly sharing content on her passions, including physical activity, adventure and spending time in nature, O Globo reported. 

A family member wrote on Instagram: ‘Until now I don’t believe it, I love you so much I’ll never forget you from our jokes, [I’ll] always remember you. I love you so much princess.’

Another friend wrote in a post on Instagram, translated from Portuguese, that Rodrigues de Freitas’ death came as a ‘tragedy…due to a lack of attention and responsibility.’

According to the friend, Rodrigues de Freitas was a ‘beautiful’ young woman ‘full of dreams’ and interrupted plans. 

‘Her mother said her biggest fear was losing one of them just three days ago… When a mother and a family cry, we all cry together,’ they wrote. 

Panobianco Academia, the physical fitness center where Rodrigues de Freitas taught, said: ‘Maria Eduarda left her mark through the dedication, affection, joy and respect with which she treated everyone around her’

Panobianco Academia, the physical fitness center where Rodrigues de Freitas taught, said: ‘Today we said goodbye to a very special person to our Panobianco Silverstone family…Maria Eduarda left her mark through the dedication, affection, joy and respect with which she treated everyone around her.’

‘Your presence illuminated the environments and your memory will remain forever in our hearts,’ they continued. 

‘In this moment of deep sorrow, we join together in prayer and solidarity with family, friends, and colleagues, wishing strength and comfort to face this loss.

‘May the good memories, shared moments and the love left by her be a source of peace and comfort. Rest In Peace, Maria Eduarda.’

A later post said that the gym would be suspending its activities ‘as a sign of respect and mourning.’ 

A person who knew Rodrigues de Freitas said they remembered when she began at the academy, and that she had been ‘super forward with everyone.’

‘Then she became a teacher and paid attention to everyone,’ they said, and offered condolences to her friends and family.  

In September 2021, construction commenced on the highly anticipated Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Fast forward to just under five years later, and the Center is set to welcome the public on June 19th with a special open house event, free of charge.

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Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation, has described this center as a “permanent home for hope,” signifying its intended impact and legacy. Nestled on a sprawling 19-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side, the center is much more than just a museum. It offers a variety of facilities, including a basketball court, a playground, outdoor gathering areas, and a branch of the Chicago Public Library.

John Roberson is poised to take on the role of Incoming Executive Vice President at the Obama Presidential Center, overseeing its operations and ensuring it becomes a vibrant community hub.

The 19-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side is home not only to a museum but also a basketball court, playground, outdoor gathering spots and a branch of the Chicago Public Library.

John Roberson is the Incoming Executive Vice President of the Obama Presidential Cente.

“There have been so many people who’ve invested so much time and effort over years to bring this vision to fruition. And so, we now next week, on June 19th, we get to open the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago. Can you believe that?”

Roberson said he thinks Mr. and Mrs. Obama wanted a presidential center that was different from others.

READ MORE: ABC7 gets sneak peek at new Chicago Public Library branch on Obama Presidential Center campus