Faith Smith

Rep. Tony Gonzales drops reelection bid as House opens inquiry into affair Party leaders pushed for the Texas Republican to withdraw from a primary runoff as questions mounted about his relationship with an aide who later died.

Gonzales admitted to an affair with an aide after the Ethics Committee announced their inquiry, and the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct reported it had “substantial reason to believe” he had a sexual relationship with a subordinate in an apparent violation of House rules.
@19thnews.org

Kristi Noem is out as head of Homeland Security President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he was replacing the embattled Homeland Security secretary with Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.

The firing came after Noem’s combative testimony before [Congress] where she faced criticism and tough questioning. Noem and the dept have come under scrutiny over the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement and Noem’s use of official resources.
@gracepanetta.bsky.social @19thnews.org

Child marriage comes with a price tag: $175 billion A new report highlights the cost of inaction and provides suggestions to end the practice in the United States, where child marriage is still legal in most states.

“We rarely talk about child marriage in economic terms but we should. In addition to lost productivity & higher health expenditures, child marriage forecloses the ingenuity & ideas each girl might have brought to the world- an incalculable squandering” Hillary Clinton & Sheryl Sandberg @19thnews.org

It's project management and people skills come in handy. I'm sure you crushed it!

Florence ICE detainee dead after untreated tooth infection, official says An ICE detainee, who had been at a Florence detention center for four months, died Monday following an untreated tooth infection.

An ICE detainee in Arizona has died of a TOOTH INFECTION after it went untreated for weeks, a local official says. He was a Haitian asylum seeker imprisoned in Florence, Arizona. @emilybregel.bsky.social reports.
tucson.com/news/local/b...

Talarico defeats Crockett in Democratic Senate primary in Texas Crockett and Talarico were generally aligned on policy, and both rose to prominence in large part through social media.

“This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track,” Rep. Crockett said. “With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win. I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect Dems up and down the ballot.” @19thnews.org

For Black women with Tourette syndrome, long-standing invisibility meets viral attention Their journey to diagnosis is often marked by doubt and confusion, which have not abated as a controversy from an awards show ceremony continues to unfold.

A lot of ink has been spilled about what happened at the BAFTA’s this year. Instead of continuing to litigate that, I dug into racial and gendered disparities in Tourette syndrome and the experiences of Black women with the condition. My latest @19thnews 19thnews.org/2026/03/blac...

In January, we went inside the Dilley detention center. Children shared letters describing the anguish of being ripped from their lives: propub.li/4cUHm8L

After publishing that story, we learned about Edison, a 13-year-old from Chicago detained for 2+ months. Listen to Edison in his own words 👇

Happening Now: The Hill Presents Primary Night Coverage With Election Data Experts DDHQ YouTube video by The Hill

happy election day! 🤠 excited to be joining the team at @decisiondeskhq.bsky.social & @thehill.com tonight for live analysis here: www.youtube.com/live/t7855-q...

Americans Stranded in the Middle East Aren’t Getting Help from the State Department “Please do not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation,” a State department hotline said when NOTUS called Tuesday afternoon.

NEWS: Americans were told to evacuate the Middle East — but the State Dept is not helping them do it.

We called the State hotline. First thing you hear is an automated message: "Do not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation."

Idaho considers an 'apocalyptic' choice for disabled people and families Difficult budget decisions in a number of states are threatening vital programs for disabled people at home and caregivers in the workforce.

States have started proposing steep reductions in disability services to cope with Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Idaho is the first to suggest scrapping home care altogether — An action with a high human cost. My latest @19thnews.org.

A large group of people, mostly men, standing in the rubble of a collapsed building. A headline reads: "Strike on Girls’ School Kills 115, Iranian State Media Says" Photo by Mehr News Agency

At least 115 people, most of them likely children, were killed in a strike on a girls’ elementary school in Iran on Saturday, health officials and state media said. It was not immediately clear which country hit the school. Our reporters are trying to confirm details of the attack. trib.al/HxXybV9

Los Angeles Father Dies Under ICE Custody — 9th Death This Year ~ L.A. TACO This is a developing story.

lataco.com/los-angeles-...

One of the mothers I interviewed for this story was frustrated that she couldn't find many resources to help her navigate these conversations with her 3-year-old son.

So, we also created a guide to taking with your kids about ICE, based on tips from child development experts:

The people standing between students and ICE? Teachers. With immigration enforcement keeping kids from class, educators are going beyond the curriculum — driving students to school, delivering groceries and even paying rent to support vulnerable families.

ICE agents have followed school personnel delivering groceries and laptops for virtual learning, waving at them as if saying, “Hey, I see where you’re delivering groceries to,’” Nelson said. “Kind of like, ‘I now know where this family lives.’” @nadrakn.bsky.social for @19thnews.org

The people standing between students and ICE? Teachers. With immigration enforcement keeping kids from class, educators are going beyond the curriculum — driving students to school, delivering groceries and even paying rent to support vulnerable families.

With immigration enforcement keeping kids from class, educators are going beyond the curriculum — driving students to school, delivering groceries and even paying rent to support vulnerable families. https://bit.ly/4aRukq9

'My children are here’: How journalist Georgia Fort’s arrest impacted her daughters As the Trump administration tries to stop individuals from documenting immigration enforcement, parents are trying to figure out how to explain constitutional rights to their children.

The decisions made by federal law enforcement in the lead-up to journalist Georgia Fort’s arrest — while her 7, 8 and 17yo daughters were home — reveals how the Department of Justice ignored its own best practices related to “safeguarding children of arrested parents.”
19thnews.org/2026/02/jour...

Epstein Files Are Missing Records About Woman Who Made Claim Against Trump

A woman who has accused both Trump and Epstein of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor decades earlier gave four interviews to the FBI. Summaries of three of those interviews were not released with the Epstein files. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/u...

Join The 19th for conversation, cocktails and community! Join The 19th for conversation, cocktails and community!

Join @19thnews.org at our SXSW kick off party!! RSVP to save your spot to the get-together inspired by our Menopause newsletter.
www.eventbrite.com/e/join-the-1...

Lisa Rubin explains how journalists have figured out the DOJ has withheld documents containing accusations of sexual assault against Donald Trump from their Epstein files releases

The boys’ club: How Epstein’s influence shaped the exclusion of women in STEM In one email, an AI researcher suggested it’s “hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you.”

“Hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you or why you don’t own a kelly bag,” he wrote. To which Epstein responded: “It’s the tail of distribution , no really smart women – none.”

@jkutzie.bsky.social reports for @19thnews.org.

MS NOW EXCLUSIVE: First grade girl recounts searching for father after ICE detained him In an MS NOW Exclusive, Antonia Hylton sits down with Annabella, a New Jersey first grader whose life was uprooted when her father, Adonay Rodriguez, stepped outside to pick up a food order and was de...

ICE tackles and arrests New Jersey father outside his home, leaving his 6-year-old first-grade daughter at home alone.

She goes out looking for him.

"I got my boots and changed my clothes. I wanted to find some help to find my dad..."

www.ms.now/the-weekend-...

The boys’ club: How Epstein’s influence shaped the exclusion of women in STEM In one email, an AI researcher suggested it’s “hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you.”

The emails are a reminder the profession still operates under the gaze of men. And in a field where funding is scarce — and climbing the career ladder is often only possible through a combination of luck, mentorship and networking — the files reveal the ways sexism & misogyny still hold women back.

apropos of nothing

DoJ cases against protesters keep collapsing as officers’ lies are exposed in court String of embarrassing defeats for prosecutors as experts condemn DoJ effort to cast people as ‘violent perpetrators’

"In Chicago, of 92 people arrested for assaulting or impeding officers last fall, 74 cases have resulted in no charges; in 13 cases, charges were filed and dismissed; and five charged cases were still pending. . . there have been no convictions.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

A movie still from Heated Rivalry show Kip and Scott kissing on the ice.

We're all hoping for something like this in the gold medal celebration on ice, right?

Alysa Liu: "THAT'S WHAT I'M FUCKING TALKING ABOUT" 🗣️

BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide.

This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.

Chlorine Dioxide, Raw Camel Milk: The FDA No Longer Warns Against These and Other Ineffective Autism Treatments The FDA has taken down a webpage warning about therapies and products making “false claims” of treating autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy ...

NEW: The FDA has removed a webpage warning about dangerous therapies claiming to treat autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under RFK Jr. to discredit long-established science.

By @megomatz.bsky.social

2-Month-Old Baby Juan Nicolás & His Mother Were ‘Abandoned Across the Border’ Hours After He Was Hospitalized With Bronchitis, Castro Says “His life is in danger,” Congressman Castro said Tuesday about the baby.

UPDATE: Congressman @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social has confirmed that Juan Nicolás and his mother were deported despite the 2-month-old’s recent hospitalization for bronchitis.

“They were abandoned across the border in Mexico.”

thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/17/2...