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DHS secretary vows to chase voter fraud after Trump revives debunked election claims. See how the day unfolded. 25%
By Globe Staff0%
7/17/2026, 4:03:49 AM
Topics: US Politics, Elections, Homeland Security, Immigration, Law Enforcement, International Relations, World Cup
Keywords: Trump Administration
BS Summary: This article contains 32 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Framing Effect, and Appeal to Authority, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 8.6% saturation with 202 hits. Analysis detected 1,737 faulty-reasoning hits from 2,340 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 37.5% and a BS Rank of 25% (12,922 of 17,192 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 75.20% of the article peer group.
DHS secretary vows to chase voter fraud after Trump revives debunked election claims.
See how the day unfolded.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin pledged to aggressively pursue voter fraud cases at the White House complex on Friday after President Trump revived debunked election theories in his primetime speech on Thursday night.
Mullin said during Friday’s press conference that he hadn’t heard about allegations of violent behavior against a federal officer who shot and killed a Colombian man in Maine earlier this week.
The ICE agent, David Brouillette, once threatened to kill his former wife, the woman wrote in a newly filed protective order request.
Follow along live.
Trump is set to attend the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, but he’s being diplomatic on which team he hopes wins.
At a FIFA reception at Trump Tower on Friday alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Trump noted the final match would be between “two amazing teams.”
He did, however, single out Argentina star Lionel Messi for his play, calling out the pass he made for Argentina’s winning goal against England and a hat trick that Messi pulled off early in the tournament.
Trump called the 2026 World Cup “one of the all time greatest sporting events in history,” adding that the tournament galvanized more than just the sporting world.
“So good luck to Spain and Argentina on Sunday and may the best team win,” Trump said.
Trump says he called FIFA chief to ‘lodge a complaint’ over red card — 6:13 p.m.
After forward Folarin Balogun received a red card ban against Belgium, Trump said he was “forced” to call FIFA Chief Gianni Infantino and “just make a recommendation.”
Speaking at a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in Manhattan, the president recalled, “I said, ‘I’d like to wage a complaint.’”
Trump said he “had no idea what was going to happen” but that it worked out “so much better” because “there’s no controversy.”
“They won the game and our team had all of its players,” Trump added of Belgium’s 4-1 win to reach the World Cup’s quarterfinals.
The president then noted of Infantino: “You made another great decision” but “I know you’ll never get credit.”
US and Iran escalate strikes across Mideast; bridges and a water plant hit — 4:08 p.m.
The United States and Iran escalated their attacks across the Middle East on Friday, trading strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified.
The U.S. expanded its attacks against Iran by hitting more bridges and energy sites and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, following through on President Trump’s threats to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the waterway vital to world energy supplies.
In response, Iran launched missiles into U.S.-allied nations in the Mideast, including Qatar, a mediator in the war, and Kuwait, where one of the desert nation’s water desalination plants was damaged.
Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over wildfire smoke — 3:59 p.m.
The president said he was “holding Canada responsible” for the U.S. “being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air.”
In a post on his social media site, Trump called the situation “totally unacceptable” and said that summer smoke from fires in Canada is “becoming a yearly occurrence.”
He said he’d call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, and added that the “cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”
The Trump administration has imposed import tariffs on some Canadian products, though the Supreme Court declared many such levies unconstitutional.
Unmentioned was the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday, but the White House says administration officials are monitoring the wildfire situation.
Trump urges Darline Graham to run for full Senate term as funeral scheduled for Lindsey Graham — 3:33 p.m.
President Trump said Friday that Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, has his support to run for a full term to replace her brother in the U.S.
Senate.
He wrote on social media that she “has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
“RUN, DARLINE, RUN!”
Trump added.
Court temporarily reinstates Pentagon’s escort policy for journalists — 3:21 p.m.
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Pentagon could temporarily require escorts for all journalists who visit the building while The New York Times challenges the policy in court.
The decision reverses a June order that halted the escort requirement during the litigation.
In its ruling, two of three judges on a panel of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wrote that the Pentagon’s escort requirement was “neutrally and evenhandedly applied” and lacked any “demonstrated distinctive harmful impact” on the Times.
The third judge said he would have allowed the pause on the policy to stay in place.
A Times spokesperson said in a statement, “While the Times is disappointed with this interim decision, we appreciate that the court has expedited the appeal and look forward to litigating it on the merits.”
13 US troops injured in latest Iran fighting — 2:35 p.m.
The number of service members injured in the Iran war has gone up by 13 troops since Monday, according to the Pentagon’s official casualty count.
According to data in the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the 13 injured troops include 10 Army soldiers and three Navy sailors.
No additional information was available, including the date or location of their injuries.
The new injuries come during a week of renewed and intense fighting between Iran and the U.S., with both sides launching strikes for several consecutive days.
Capt.
Tim Hawkins, spokesman for U.S.
Central Command, declined to offer any details about the injuries or what U.S. bases and assets have been hit in the renewed wave of fighting.
The total U.S. casualty count for the conflict now stands at 14 dead and 427 wounded.
Central Command has previously said the majority of the wounded suffered traumatic brain injuries.
DHS secretary says ICE hitting arrest records ‘every single day’ — 12:12 p.m.
Mullin said the department is ramping up enforcement and hitting records for the number of arrests.
“Our arrests are up.
We’re hitting single day records every single day,” Mullin said.
Mullin also said the agency deported 442,637 people in 2025 and so far this year has deported 403,294.
“We’re trying to perfect our ability to work with local law enforcement, state law enforcement,” he said.
ICE and DHS do not release regular data related to deportations, arrests and detention, leading to criticism that there’s no way to verify their work.
Unlike his predecessor Kristi Noem, Mullin has attempted to keep a lower profile for immigration enforcement operations.
But the recent shooting deaths of two people who were killed by ICE officers during operations has brought the department back into the spotlight.
Trump’s envoy greeted by protests in Venice on latest stop of super yacht diplomacy tour — 12:08 p.m.
The billionaire U.S. ambassador to Italy was met by protests when he arrived in Venice on Friday aboard his luxury yacht as part of a coastal diplomacy tour marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Hospitality mogul Tilman Fertitta’s arrival represents an unwelcome display of American wealth and influence for many Italians at a time when they see the Trump administration as upending the post-World War II international order.
The so-called Coastal Diplomacy 250 tour of 13 Italian coastal regions on a super yacht is intended to celebrate “our shared history, our economic partnership, and the cultural bonds that make the U.S.-Italy relationship so special,” Fertitta said in a social media post.
In Venice, many of the same groups that protested the wedding last year of Jeff Bezos to Lauren Sanchez are mobilizing against Fertitta’s arrival aboard the 117-meter (384-foot) luxury yacht, Boardwalk, which features two helipads, a pair of swimming pools and a fully equipped spa and gym.
Mullin won’t comment on ICE shootings and says arrests are up — 12:04 p.m.
The Homeland Security secretary said during a news conference that he hadn’t heard about allegations of violent behavior against a deportation officer who shot and killed a Colombian man in Maine earlier this week.
Relatives of the officer told The Associated Press he struggled with serious mental health issues, had a history of violent behavior and never should have been given a badge and gun.
Mullin said the shooting was being investigated and he’d allow the investigation to go forward.
“We understand that it’s being investigated, and we’ll allow the investigation to go through.
That’s all I’m going to say about that,” said Mullin.
He wouldn’t comment on whether the officer was on leave but said that was standard practice in the aftermath of any shooting.
DHS secretary pledges to aggressively chase voter fraud cases — 11:45 a.m.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said if anyone votes illegally in the upcoming midterm elections, “we will hunt you down, we will find you and we will prosecute you.”
In a White House briefing doubling down on Trump’s primetime election claims, Mullin also threatened fines, penalties or prison time for state election officials who refuse to hand over sensitive voter data to DHS.
He said states that don’t elect to use DHS’s recently updated tool for identifying noncitizen voters, will become “a priority” for investigations.
The comments come as a federal judge has blocked the use of DHS’s updated system, citing voter privacy and the fact that it can result in the wrongful purging of eligible voters.
Rubio set for Asia trip — 11:23 a.m.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to the Philippines next week to attend meetings with foreign ministers at a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
The State Department says Rubio is going to meet with his counterparts and senior officials from governments in the region as he pushes for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Rubio is scheduled to leave for Manila on Sunday and head back to the U.S. on Thursday.
ICE has seen a surge in new hires — 11:22 a.m.
In January, Homeland Security said it had hired 12,000 new officers and agents since the hiring surge began and said thousands of those new officers were already out on the streets assisting with investigations.
The number includes both deportation officers and agents for Homeland Security Investigations, a separate agency that falls under ICE.
ICE has said the majority of new hires are police and military veterans.
But evidence has been mounting that applicants with questionable histories were either not fully vetted before they were brought on or were hired in spite of their past, an investigation by The Associated Press earlier this year found.
Former intelligence official calls Trump’s address ‘dangerous’ — 11:20 a.m.
Sue Gordon, principal deputy director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term, called the president’s address “a dangerous speech about an incredibly important topic.”
She said the intelligence community throughout Trump’s first term was alarmed about foreign interference in elections, but Trump scoffed at them, angered at the investigation of his campaign’s relationship with Russia.
“He had an entire term to deal with it and I don’t know how you can believe how the same community that told him about it, that was excoriated about it” wouldn’t warn him in 2020, Gordon said on CNN.
Conservative commentator John Solomon, who joined the White House staff last month and was seated in the East Room for Trump’s speech, later told MS NOW “the intelligence community has zero evidence that someone has flipped — that a foreign power flipped — a vote in 2020, ‘22 or ’24.”
But, he added, “We’re not through all the documents.”
To air or not to air?
Nation’s TV networks struggle to find the right balance for Trump speech — 11:16 a.m.
As President Trump threatened sanctions for those who didn’t cover his address live Thursday night, the nation’s broadcast and cable news operations wrestled with the thorniest of questions: To air or not to air?
Networks and their news operations, broadcast and cable alike, spent the hours leading up to Trump’s address debating how to cover it — and struggling to balance delivering the news with handing over their airwaves to potential falsehoods about the 2020 elections.
In the end, a patchwork quilt of coverage was largely united by one common strategy: real-time fact-checking as much as was possible even while the president was still speaking.
The dilemma took place against a backdrop of deep tension between the media and a president working to exert control over it by whatever means he can.
Even in his speech itself, Trump excoriated networks that chose not to carry it live.
Takeaways from Trump’s address claiming election vulnerabilities — 4:41 a.m.
President Trump said his address Thursday night was about building public confidence in U.S. elections, but he spent much of his speech undermining them.
A broken election system is one of Trump’s most common refrains, dating to early 2016.
“Great damage has been done to our country,” the president said.
“Our elections were left vulnerable to being rigged and stolen, and the trust of the American people was lost.
This cannot be allowed to continue.”
Why American elections are so complicated — and secure — 12:02 a.m.
In a speech to the nation Thursday evening, President Trump said Americans deserve secure elections, and he claimed to be using federal authority to prevent them from being “stolen.”
In fact, one of the strongest security features of US elections is the fact that they aren’t conducted at the federal level.
America votes in more than 10,000 different election jurisdictions, each with different rules set by state and sometimes local governments.
That structure makes the nation’s elections extraordinarily complicated — and also safe from widespread fraud.
And when misconduct does happen — rarely — security protocols frequently catch it.
Analysis
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