Trump’s Rogan Problem is Back & Sparked MS-13 Meltdown, Luigi Mangioni Updates, & Today’s News
PDS Published 04/30/2025
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If the Trump administration wasn’t openly defying the Supreme Court already, it is now.
With Donald Trump openly admitting in an interview with ABC News that he could bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador, but won’t.
And that’s despite the Supreme Court ruling weeks ago that the White House must “facilitate” the man’s return after they deported him even though a judge previously ruled that he couldn’t be sent back to El Salvador because he faced a credible fear of persecution. []
But with that, where I’ll actually start this whole thing is with Joe Rogan.
Right, because right before being asked about Abrego Garcia, Trump was asked about these recent comments by Rogan on the subject of due process:
“The other side is making a very legitimate argument about the right to due process if you get processed and shipped out of the country and put in a prison in El Salvador.” (1:44:44-1:44:52)
“I think due process exists for a reason and the reason is it is horrific for someone to be accused of something they didn't do be imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit and then live in a cell.” (1:45:12-1:45:22)
“It is the foundation of freedom like we have to make sure that these people are actually guilty otherwise we become monster.” (1:45:39-1:45:47)
And so in the interview yesterday, you actually had Terry Moran (More-ran - LISTEN) quoting parts of this segment back to Trump, and asking:
“Is Joe Rogan Right?”
“ Oh, I agree with that 100%. Yeah, we want to be careful—and we are careful.” (0:20-1:06)
And with that, Trump went on to defend his immigration policy, blame the Biden administration, and repeat his unsupported claim that Venezuelan jails are being emptied into the U.S.
With the interviewer then steering the conversation toward the issue of Abrego Garcia – which, of course, is a topic that seemingly flies in the face of Trump’s claim that he agrees with Rogan about due process, or that his administration is being careful.
Right, just to lay out all the facts.
It’s true that Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally in 2013.
And in 2019, he was arrested, with that also being the year the judge said he couldn’t be deported to El Salvador.
And notably, during his deportation proceedings, the government presented what it said was evidence of his membership in the gang known as MS-13.
With one judge later saying:
“The ‘evidence’ against Abrego Garcia consisted of nothing more than his Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie, and a vague, uncorroborated allegation from a confidential informant claiming he belonged to MS-13’s ‘Western’ clique in New York — a place he has never lived.” []
And with that, Trump has also argued that Abrego Garcia’s tattooed hands are evidence of his gang ties – a claim he repeated in the interview.
But notably, one: the MS-13 supposedly tattooed on his knuckles? That’s been digitally added on top of the original photo.
And two: the other tattoos? The ones that do appear to be real? Experts have questioned whether they are truly MS-13 symbols, and in general, they say tattoos aren’t a reliable indicator of gang membership.
And with that, Abrego Garcia has never been charged with or convicted of being a member of a gang. []
So we’ve also seen Trump naming Abrego Garcia a wife-beater, highlighting a civil protective order filed by his wife in 2021, in which she describes being hit by her husband.
Though, she ultimately decided not to pursue the order and has since said she only filed the order out of caution after surviving a previous relationship with domestic violence. []
But of course, whatever the case may be, as Rogan kinda said, the whole point of due process is if you’re gonna put someone in jail, whether for being in a gang or hitting your wife, you have to prove it.
And that’s the point the interviewer also made, which ultimately led to Trump conceding he was leaving Abrego Garcia in El Salvador by choice:
“This is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland.”
“I’m not saying he’s a good guy. The order from the Supreme Court stands, sir.”
“He came into our country illegally."
“You could get him back, there's a phone on the desk.”
“I could.”
“You could pick it up, and with all the power of the presidency, you could call up the president of El Salvador and say send him back, right now.”
“And if he were the gentleman that you say he was, I would do that, but he’s not”
“But the court said you have to facilitate that – his release.”
“I'm not the one making this decision.”
“You're the president.”
“We have lawyers that don’t want to do this.”
“But the buck stops in this office.”
“No, no, no. I follow the law. You want me to follow the law? If I were a president that just wanted to do anything, I’d probably keep him right where he is.”
“The Supreme Court says what the law is.” (20:15-20:48).
And so Trump’s words there’s seemingly contradict comments by administration officials who said they lacked the authority to get Abrego Garcia back –
And that’d they be complying with the Supreme Court’s order simply letting him into the United States if he were ever to make it here somehow.
Though, notably, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also just said that If he were to be brought back to the United States of America, they would just immediately deport him again.
Although, kind of at odds with that, you also now have The New York Times reporting that the Trump administration sent a diplomatic note to officials in El Salvador to ask about releasing Abrego Garcia, and that they said no.
Though, notably, according to the Times, “It remained unclear whether the diplomatic effort was a genuine bid by the White House to address the plight of the immigrant.”
And with that, some legal experts suggested that it could just be about giving the appearance of complying with the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Notably, with one saying the note might have satisfied the Supreme Court’s demands, but adding:
“...as usual the president is his own worst enemy in court.”
“When you have the president publicly saying there are things he can do but is choosing not to do, I think any federal judge or Supreme Court justice worth their salt may eventually order him to do those things.”
“I think if the president had just kept his mouth shut, the government’s case would have been a lot stronger.” []
So we’ll have to see if all of this ultimately has any impact on the situation or the conversations that end up taking place in a court room.
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Donald Trump’s White House is accused of tearing a family apart, scattering them across three different countries, and possibly preventing them from ever seeing each other again.
Right, so the family consists of the mother, Yorely Bernal Inciarte [Yor-el-ee bear-nahl in-see-art-eh], the father, Maiker [My-ker] Espinoza Escalona, and their two-year-old daughter. [Image]
With the Venezuelan trio entering the U.S. last year, reportedly surrendering to authorities in May, and claiming asylum.
This because, according to Escalona's sister:
“My brother is a 25-year-old guy, a dreamer, like all Venezuelans. He loves cutting hair. He finished high school, he took courses in barbering and set up his barbershop in Venezuela. But things got a bit tough in Venezuela, so he emigrated to have a better life.” [Image and Quote]
But instead of getting processed and released into the country while they waited for a court date, like they’d planned,
The parents were reportedly put in separate Texas detention centers, and their daughter was placed in government custody. [Quote, find “phone”]
So after several months apart, the mother’s attorney tells ABC they decided to give up on asylum and request deportation so they could reunite with their daughter. [Quote, find “reunite”]
But when Inciarte stepped foot on the plane back to Venezuela, she says her daughter wasn’t there as she had hoped, recalling:
“I started yelling at the officers asking where my baby was. [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers ignored me.” [Quote same link]
As it turns out, according to DHS, the child is in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and has been placed with a foster family. [Quote same link]
And as for Escalona, he was reportedly transferred to Guantanamo Bay, then sent to El Salvador’s infamous maximum-security megaprison. [image]
So Inciarte, who was deported to Venezuela, only found out where her partner was when she recognized him in a social media video posted by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele [Pronounce]. [Image]
With her telling ABC, “I was in shock. I couldn't stop crying and yelling.” [Quote]
And her mother adding in tears:
“They were shaving his head. They had him dressed in all white and he was on his knees.” [Quote]
Now in the way of an explanation, DHS stated, without releasing or even referring to any evidence:
“The child's father, Maiker Espinoza-Escalona is a lieutenant of Tren De Aragua who oversees homicides, drug sales, kidnappings, extortion, sex trafficking and operates a torture house. The child's mother, Yorely Escarleth Bernal Inciarte oversees recruitment of young women for drug smuggling and prostitution.” [Quote]
But the entire family denies the allegations, with Inciarte saying:
“If it's true, release the evidence. Release the proof that we are Tren de Aragua. They took a child away from their mother and they're telling lies about us.” [Quote]
As well as her mother saying that Espinoza is a tattoo artist, and she thinks the DHS assumed he and his partner were gang members because of their tattoos, explaining:
“My daughter has a tattoo of the year I was born and the year her dad was born. She also has the name of her son and some flowers on her chest.” [Quote]
Now from Venezuelan documents the family showed to ABC, the couple don’t appear to have any criminal records. [Quote, find “criminal records”]
And a review of county and federal records by the outlet found no cases associated with Escalona. [Quote same link, find “no cases”]
But even if the U.S. government does have evidence he or his partner are gang members, the ACLU argues it would need to test those claims in court before just deporting him to a foreign megaprison.
So a top official in the Venezuelan government has accused the U.S. of "kidnapping" their two-year-old child. [Quote]
And as Escalona's sister put it, the American dream has turned into “the American horror.” [Quote]
Which, when you pair this with the other recent deportations, the absurdity of it becomes glaring.
Right, on the one hand, you’ve got U.S. citizen children being deported to Honduras with their mothers, and on the other hand, this undocumented child’s being kept in the U.S. while her mother’s deported.
And then of course there’s Kilmar Abrego Garcia, speaking of which, we’ve got some more news relating to his case … [Image]
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Starting with the fact the prosecutors in New York are denying allegations that they are listening in on his calls with his lawyer.
That accusation came last week from attorney Karen Agnifilo (Ag-niff-uh-lo), who said the Manhattan DA’s office told her they had inadvertently been eavesdropping on a recorded call between her and Mangione, and that recording was later sent to Agnifilo. []
But yesterday, prosecutors submitted a letter shutting this down, writing:
“To be sure, no one at [the New York County District Attorney’s Office] or the Government ‘eavesdropped’ on the defendant on a live basis. Rather, consistent with well-known practice in federal and state jails, many of the defendant’s calls are recorded, with notice of the recording provided to him and the person on the other side of any calls.”[]
The letter then adding that recordings of those calls were sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center and the government because the conversations took place on recorded lines instead of ones designated for attorney calls.
And on top of that, the number Agnifilo used was not identified as a counsel number.
But still, prosecutors claim that “In any event, no member of the federal prosecution team has listened to any recording of any attorney call.
Explaining that a paralegal reviewing recordings did encounter it, but stopped listening immediately upon recognizing the conversation was between a defendant and their lawyer. []
And all this comes as on Friday, Mangione pleaded guilty to a murder charge that could land him the death penalty.
Right, for a quick refresher, he is accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The case was already a political flashpoint, and the addition of the death penalty here is just making that so much bigger.
With NPR explaining that:[]
“It's the first death penalty case the Department of Justice is tying to President Trump's Day One executive order restoring the executions of people on federal death row, and committing to pursue the death penalty for all severe crimes that demand its use.”
With Attorney General Pam Bondi specifically saying she directed federal prosecutors to:
“seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”[]
And with this, you had the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center telling NPR that referencing “Trump’s Agenda”:
"in combination with the unusual timing in this case, suggests that the death penalty is being used here to achieve some sort of political purpose.”
But I would love to know your thoughts on this conversation here, especially regarding the death penalty, do you think there are political motivations there?
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Is the gaming industry going through a revolution right now?
That’s what some are saying after the latest round of layoffs and game cancelations at a AAA studio while indie studios are putting out absolute bangers.
Take a look at Electronic Arts, which is one of the biggest game publishers out there.
Just yesterday we got news that they canceled a new Titanfall game from their subsidiary Respawn.
That’s a pretty big deal because Titanfall was one of Respawn’s most hyped franchises alongside Star Wars Jedi.
(The studio says they are just going to focus on that)
Either way, they’re now laying off about 100 people.
Which is actually just a fraction of the total amount EA is laying off, with about 300-400 people reportedly losing their jobs all across EA.[]
The writing has kind of been on the wall and came after two of EA’s major titles -- EA Sports FC and Apex Legends -- heavily underperformed recently.
Not to mention that Dragon Age: Veilguard got caught up in culture wars alongside gameplay critiques that gutted its sales.
It should be noted that most of the layoffs seem to be related to non-developmental roles at EA.
So things like marketing teams and customer support.
Gamers have largely taken the news as a chance to put EA back in its role as the industry’s punching bag.
Some feel that they constantly are just chasing a dollar with things like making a new FIFA game every year.
And others think that’s translated to things like:
“EA and Respawn is just another example of a company taking a beloved franchise and chasing the “newest” game mode. Every game NEEDS a BR… and now every games NEEDS an extraction shooter. Titanfall’s multiplayer was unique and now most likely will never see it again.” []
The entire situation has actually highlighted a growing frustration within the gaming community: that the massive studios like EA just aren’t putting out products that are worth it anymore.
Especially when you consider that they keep making games more and more expensive -- such as Nintendo revealing that Switch 2 games will be $80.
That price tag obviously takes a ton into account -- such as the growing cost of salaries and development as inflation continues.
But one big thing that more and more people are pointing out is that these massive companies just might be bloated.
In contrast to this many are highlighting the work of Sandfall Interactive -- the developers of the new game Expedition 33.
It’s made by a studio with like 30-ish developers working on a title that promised to be AAA-sized.
Which is an important facet of this. Plenty of Indie games do amazing but also their scope is usually much more subdued so of course they don’t cost a fortune to make.
Like Balatro: 11/10 game… but it’s also far more narrow in its scope than a game trying to be the next big narrative story experience that costs a ton to produce. [broll]
Then Expedition 33 launched last week and holy shit it’s been a massive success -- despite being a turn-based RPG which is normally a genre that is pretty niche.
To say it’s “universally praised” is an understatement, and what adds insult to injury for the big AAA studios is the fact that this game cost just $50.
Actually it’s $45 on sale right now, so almost literally half the price of where game-pricing seems to be heading.[]
Which led to people saying:
“The fact that it was made in 5 years by 30 people is perhaps the biggest gut punch to the AAA industry I've seen in a minute. Incredible that massive studios with infinite money just can't stay out of their own way when making games.” []
As well as:
“I genuinely don't see how these massive AAA publishers and studios can retain their size and employee counts in the future.
They spend 10x the money with 10x the people taking 10x the time to develop while competing with agile independent studios spending less and making more.” []
It’s even joked that the game’s only flaw is that it's made by a French studio.
And these indie games have sold extremely well.
Expedition 33 has now sold well over a million copies and is considered by many to not only one of the best games made recently, but possibly one of the best ever.
(Take that with a grain of salt. I have not finished the game but so far it’s been awesome. I am a slut for turn-based JPRG-style games though so it’s definitely my kind of game.
But it has a 97 user score on metacritic… which is unheard of).
For many its success is just another example that maybe the era of AAA games is coming to an end.
Right, we already mentioned Balatro being a massive success.
But other huge titles lately have also come from new players in the space, such as Black Myth Wukong.
So it’s easy to see how people think we might be seeing some fundamental shifts in the gaming industry.
The big question is whether the giants will ever collapse?
This reminds me of 2012-ish YouTube days when everyone started merging into bigger groups only to then shatter and split up into smaller teams.
Which is being mirrored in the Twitch world as orgs like OTK form and then downsize and are now trying to restructure themselves to better reflect the space.
And even Expedition 33 echoes this kind of. A bunch of the lead people are former Ubisoft devs who left the company only to bring out this game.
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It probably doesn’t surprise you to learn that concerts have a substantial carbon footprint.
But a new study from the nonprofit REVERB just highlighted how much of that footprint comes from the fans themselves.
Right, it found that fan travel creates 38 times more emissions than the travel from the artist, crew members, and gear transportation combined. []
This even though 91% of the concertgoers surveyed said they are concerned about climate change, and 94% said they believe venues, artists, and fans should take action to limit their carbon footprint.
For the study, over 35,000 fans at 400 shows in 170 North American cities were surveyed.
And Billie Eilish was actually a supporting partner of it, with her telling Rolling Stone:
“Artists, venues, and fans all need to work together to improve our environment. I have the greatest fans in the world, and I hope this study will be a helpful resource for those looking to learn more about transportation options that cut down on pollution and build a better future for live music.”
Right, because the study tried to focus on the fact that even though most fans are not choosing climate-friendly travel options, they do want to.
The average concert goer travels 144 miles round trip for shows in a personal vehicle.
But only 65% actually prefer this option, and while only 9% use public transport to get to shows, one third want to do that.
So people like Billie think it is on the artists to help fans achieve this, setting up shuttles in some cities, emailing fans what public transit routes are available, and even partnering with Google Maps to spell this out for fans.[]
With the cofounder of REVERB saying he hopes this study will at least spark a call to action for fans and the touring industry at large, because it does highlight an interest in changing how things work.
Because it is worth noting that the music industry, and concerts specifically, do stand to take major hits as a result of climate change.
A lot of concerts happen in the summer to take advantage of outdoor venues, but each summer we just keep seeing headlines about record-breaking and sometimes dangerous heat waves, with Rolling Stone explaining:[]
“Seemingly everywhere, cities are seeing record high temperatures amid hotter summers, and hurricane season is arriving earlier due to warming ocean waters, resulting in a new level of complication during the concert industry’s busiest season.”
“Shows are being canceled or postponed, delayed and moved up, insurance is growing increasingly expensive, and artists and festivals are scheduling concerts to work around heat and rain.”
And it is worth noting that while most serious discussions are trying to improve the climate impacts of touring, no one is suggesting the concert industry come to a halt or anything like that. []
Instead, many are just pointing to artists like Billie Eilish and Coldplay who have taken specific efforts to make touring more eco-friendly and seeing how that can become the industry standard.
But I would love to know your thoughts about this, especially if you are a concert lover, if you have thought about this element before.
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At least, that’s according to the Pakistani (Pahk-i-stahn-ee) information minister, who claimed his country possessed “credible intelligence” that India intended to carry out military action against Pakistan in the next 24 to 36 hours. []
With a key thing being that if you’re watching today’s show soon after upload? He said that about 24 hours ago.
And this after a jam-packed week of even higher-than-normal tensions that began when gunmen shot and killed at least 26 tourists at a resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir –
With least three survivors telling The Associated Press that the gunmen singled out Hindu men and shot them from close range.
And with that, to give some background, Kashmir? It’s a territory claimed by both India and Pakistan but each country only actually has control over about half.
And notably, in the Indian part? Militants have been fighting back since 1989.
With many Muslims living there reportedly behind the idea of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. []
And with that, India claims the insurgency is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, which Pakistan, of course, denies .
But either way, tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict over the decades.
Though, notably, in the past few years, things have been RELATIVELY calm – relatively being the key word.
Right, in 2021, both sides renewed a ceasefire agreement – and while we’ve still seen militants sporadically targeting Indian workers, Hindu pilgrims, and soldiers, the ceasefire? It’s generally held.
That is, until now.
Right, the attack last week? It was the deadliest one in years, and it kicked off a tit-for-tat diplomatic spat that now risks escalating into full-blown conflict – notably, one between two nuclear powers.
Right, both countries have cancelled visas and ordered citizens to return home – separating families with mixed citizenship.
India also closed the main border crossing between the two countries – while Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines, as well as suspended all trade with India.
The Indian government also said it would be suspending its participation in a decades-old agreement ensuring Pakistan receives water from the Indus River System –
And that’s something that could absolutely devastate the country’s agriculture and economy. []
Which is why Pakistan is not only preparing to take international legal action over the matter…
It’s also warning that any attempt to stop or divert flow of water would be considered an “act of war” and met with “full force across the complete spectrum” of Pakistan’s national power. []
And with that, we’ve already seen both sides trading fire along the so-called “Line of Control” – which is the de facto border between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir.
Plus, the Indian navy? It reportedly carried out test missile strikes to “demonstrate” its “readiness” for a “long range precision offensive strike.” []
And finally, Pakistan, it reportedly shot down an Indian drone it said had been used for “espionage” – as well as detained an Indian border guard who reportedly strayed across the Line of Control.
And with all that, you had the Pakistani defense minister saying in an interview on Monday that a military incursion by India was "imminent."
With that soon being followed by the post from the country’s information minister, who not only said an attack was coming, but that “any such military adventurism by India would be responded to assuredly and decisively.” []
Now, there was no immediate comment from Indian officials.
However, Indian government officials have reportedly said Modi has “given complete operational freedom to the armed forces to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam massacre.” []
And that tracks with what Indian Prime Minister Modi himself has said when vowed to “identify, track and punish” not only every terrorist but also “their handlers and their backers” – who, as we know, India claims is the Pakistani government.
And with that, some experts claim Modi’s tough talk puts him in a position of having little choice but to follow through.
With one professor at a major Indian university explaining:
“India has signaled a certain posture vis-a-vis Pakistan to domestic audiences in ways that makes it difficult for them not to carry out a strike in the face of a terrorist attack.” []
So with that, we’ll have to wait and see if that’s true, and if so, what that strike might look like.
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For your daily dose of good news, Paul Kitterman can finally take a shower.
Right, let me explain.
Paul is a 58-year-old father in Surrey, England who says he started feeling a soreness in his back one day a few years ago. [Screenshot, 00:28]
And the next day, he says it didn’t go away, so he took off work, but it only got worse.
With him breaking into a hot sweat, going to the hospital, and collapsing on the floor.
When he woke up, he couldn’t feel his legs.
Right, the doctors reportedly told him that not only had he gone through sepsis and pneumonia, they had found an abscess on his spine. [Quote, find “sepsis”]
So they put him in an induced coma for a week and surgically removed it, but it was too late. [Quote, find “coma”]
The abscess had already crushed his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down. [Same quote]
So after 6 months of recovery and rehab, Paul went home to his new life.
Which turned out to be a less than satisfactory one.
Because, you see, he lives in a three-bedroom home with his wife, his son and his mother in law, but all the bedrooms are upstairs, and he’s in a wheelchair. [B roll, 00:05]
So for the past three-and-a-half years, he’s had to sleep on a hospital bed in his dining room with only a curtain for privacy, while the rest of his family sleeps upstairs. [Image]
[Clip, 02:23 - 02:36] Caption: “It’s hard being at home. We just don’t have the room. There’s no shower facilities here for me, and there’s no toilet facilities really.”
That is … until now.
Because while Paul was in recovery, his wife Sasha reached out to a charity organization called Band of Builders. [Image]
Right, they get donors and volunteer builders to come together for fellow construction-industry workers struggling with illness or injury. [Same image]
And eventually, they agreed to take Paul’s case.
With at least 25 people from around the country volunteering, and a long list of companies donating power tools and materials. [Quote, find “Power tools”]
As well as friends and family raising over 25,000 dollars for the project. [Quote, find “25,000”]
Then, they got to work. [Image]
And in just under three weeks, the team built an extension to Paul’s home, complete with his own ground floor bedroom and bathroom. [Same image, then Image]
With him recently wheeling himself inside for the first time and marveling at the new space that would give him privacy and dignity for the first time in over three years. [B roll, 01:10]
With him telling SWNS, “The first night was the best sleep and the best shower ever.” [Quote]
And adding to Roofing Today:
“I’ve had a great night’s sleep every night since the project was completed, and it’s all down to the incredible, selfless tradespeople who gave their time for free to help change our lives.” [Quote]
Then adding again to SWNS, “It’s overwhelming to realize that people would do this for me.” [Quote]
And it’s not just his quality of life, but his finances, that’ll benefit.
Because he estimates that the project has a market value of nearly 200,000 dollars. [Quote, find “200,000”]
[Clip, 10:12 - 10:23] Caption: “Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and I *inaudible* to get on further projects as we go forward. So thank you. Well done.” *Applause*
