Good morning and happy Evacuation Day! Today, Suffolk County, Massachusetts residents commemorate the evacuation of British forces from Boston during the American Revolution. In other holiday news, congratulations and condolences to anyone working in an Irish pub today. Best of luck extracting good tips from all those hammered 24-year-old Chads as they hype up that great-great-grandpa who was tooootally Irish and pretend to like Guinness.

In keeping with tradition, Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin (their prime minister) visited President Trump in the Oval Office last week for a chat about trade, golf, and... Rosie O'Donnell.

IMMIGRATION

⚖️ Trump invokes 1798 law to push deportations

One day you’re using a 1798 law signed by President John Adams to deport Venezuelan gang members. The next day you’re winning a golf tournament held at the course you own. Welcome to a casual weekend in the life of Donald Trump. On Saturday, the president invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II.

What’s the law say? Congress passed the Alien Enemies Act in 1798 to allow the deportation of foreign nationals during times of war to avoid a situation in which hordes of people loyal to the enemy live in the United States. It's since been used just three times: during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. Typically, deportations must go before a court. This law allows the government to skip that process

We’re not at war though, right? Right. But the Venezuelans we’re dealing with here are members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which the Trump administration previously designated a “Foreign Terrorist Organization.” Trump’s proclamation says he believes they’re “undertaking hostile actions and conducting irregular warfare against the territory” of the U.S. — potentially at the direction of Venezuela’s government.

So what happened? Using the law in this way is untested in court. So a federal district judge quickly blocked Trump's use of it, saying his description of an invasion doesn't match the law's meaning of war. But it was too late. Hundreds of Tren de Aragua members were already in the air. The judge ordered the planes to turn around, but the White House said the court had “no lawful basis” to make that order and refused.

• The U.S. flew these baddies to a prison in El Salvador, where they’ll be kept for a fee. As El Salvador’s President Bukele noted, the fee is low for the U.S., but high for El Salvador.

Critics claim this is an abuse of power by the Trump administration and that ignoring a federal court order is “unprecedented” and “beyond the pale.” But the White House isn’t backing down and says U.S. courts don’t have jurisdiction in foreign policy disputes. Lawsuits are already flying on this and more should be expected.

Related: Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem announced the construction of seven new miles of border wall in Arizona. Trump asked the Supreme Court to allow him to end birthright citizenship. And immigration agents arrested a Syrian student activist at Columbia University.

GOVERNMENT

🪓 He can't eliminate agencies without congressional input, but he can sign an executive order whittling them down "to the maximum extent" allowed by law. President Trump did just that on Friday. Targeted agencies include the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Minority Business Development Agency. The White House said the order will reduce "government overreach" and "unnecessary" spending. Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service plans to cut 10,000 jobs and work with DOGE to address "big problems" at the agency.

📱 The clock is still ticking on TikTok as the April 5 sell-or-shutdown deadline nears. Vice President JD Vance and national security advisor Mike Waltz are leading the search for an American company to buy the app and software giant Oracle might be the big winner. But the deal in the works might not give Oracle complete control over TikTok's underlying Chinese tech. And that might not be enough to satisfy the 2024 law banning it.

🚪 Secretary of State Marco Rubio kicked South Africa's ambassador out of the United States. Rubio accused Ebrahim Rasool of being a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates Donald Trump after the guy gave a speech calling Trump a white supremacist. Perhaps insulting his host country's leader wasn't the most diplomatic move for a, you know, diplomat.

WORLD

🔱 U.S. attacks rebels in Yemen to defend global shipping lanes

Remember the utter shock we all felt in March 2021… when that ship got stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal? Traffic in one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors ground to a halt like the interstate at 5:00 p.m. on a Monday. Well, Houthi rebels in nearby Yemen have caused a similar problem by launching missiles at passing ships. So the U.S. military used what President Trump called “overwhelming lethal force” to stop them.

According to the Pentagon, the Houthis have attacked U.S. warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023. Motivated by Israel’s war in Gaza, the attacks largely stopped in January when a ceasefire was signed. But the Houthis on Wednesday strangely decided to announce that the attacks would soon resume in response to Israel cutting off aid to Gaza (instead of, you know, just attacking?).

• About 30% of the world’s container shipping runs through the Red Sea. That number dropped by 50% after the Houthi’s first round of attacks began in late 2023.

At least 31 people were killed by U.S. Navy airstrikes. National security advisor Mike Waltz called this an “overwhelming response” that targeted “multiple Houthi leaders and took them out.” Another official said this was just the beginning as President Trump warned the Houthis’ backers in Iran’s government that “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!"

• The Houthis claimed most of the victims were women and children. But that information might not be valid considering the source has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and others.

• The Biden administration launched similar attacks last year.

POLITICS

📉 Senate passes budget over Democratic opposition

An hour before the midnight deadline, 10 Senate Democrats joined Republicans to help pass a Trump-backed budget and avoid a government shutdown. President Trump quickly signed the bill, which funds the government through the end of the 2025 fiscal year in September. It keeps funding levels mostly the same with a slight boost to military spending and a slight cut to non-defense programs.

• Some House Democrats weren't happy with their Senate pals for going along with it, however. Progressive icon Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC) vaguely threatened to challenge Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in the 2026 primary.

On a political note, the Democratic Party’s favorability rating is in the toilet. A new CNN poll has Dems boasting their lowest rating ever with just 29% of Americans approving of the party. To add insult to injury, just 63% of Democrats are happy with their own party.

• Republicans are doing better among the general public, but not by much. The GOP has a 36% approval rating overall even as 79% of Republicans say they’re fully on board.

On a sad note, husband, grandfather, and twelve-term Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) passed away on Thursday at the age of 77 after a long battle with lung cancer. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) scheduled a special election to replace him for July 15. Following Sylvester Turner (D-TX), Grijalva was the second Democratic representative to pass away this month.

• On a grim political note, the two deaths give Republicans some breathing room in a closely divided House. That makes it more likely that Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) resigns to take her place as Trump's U.N. Ambassador sooner rather than later.

On a stupid note, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) traded his Tesla for a gas-powered Chevy Tahoe that gets 15 miles per gallon. After a fight with Elon Musk in which Musk called Kelly a "traitor," the astronaut-turned-politician said he didn't want to drive a car "built and design by an asshole." Why didn't he keep his eco street cred and go with a Rivian? We may never know.

On a downright bizarre note, former Gambino mobster John Alite was sworn in as a city councilman in Englishtown, New Jersey. He spent 14 years in prison for convictions including six murders and said he hopes the post will help to "redeem my whole life."

TRIVIA

What exactly does a federal agency do when its main job only rolls around once every ten years? Well, if that agency is the U.S. Census Bureau, it uses the magic of statistics to update population estimates every year. And, big news, its thrilling 2024 data just dropped. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 estimates, what are the top five most populous metropolitan areas?

Hint: A metropolitan statistical area includes a major city’s suburbs and outlying areas. Number one is exactly what you expect it to be.

BRIEFS

● Canada has a new prime minister. Banker and Liberal Party man Mark Carney was sworn in on Friday to become Canada’s 24th P.M. His first order of business? Schedule a new election that could make him the shortest-tenured leader in Canada’s history.

● Ukrainian forces have all but pulled out of Russia's Kursk region, losing a key negotiating hand as talks to end the war heat up. Ukraine's surprise attack stunned the world last year and gave them control of nearly 500 square miles of Russian territory.

● The two NASA astronauts stuck on the International Space Station are heading home this week on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Their week-long trip turned into a nine-month nightmare after Boeing’s Starliner capsule broke down.

● Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is among those who lost their homes to the wildfires that raged across Oklahoma and Texas on Friday amid dry conditions and hurricane-force winds. Meanwhile, a deadly tornado outbreak ripped through the Deep South.

QUOTE

ANSWER

1. New York (19,940,274)

2. Los Angeles (12,927,614)

3. Chicago (9,408,576)

4. Dallas (8,344,032)

5. Houston (7,796,182)

Rounding out the top ten are Miami, Washington, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. If we look at only the core cities instead of the larger metros, Dallas drops off while Houston jumps to #4 and Phoenix jumps in at #5.