Morning Brief: Trump-Zelensky Sit Down, Pope Francis Funeral & ICE Ride-Along

President Donald Trump sits down one-on-one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome and ramps up pressure on Putin. Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the funeral of Pope Francis. And 100 days into Trump’s term, we ride along with ICE agents in Boston as they arrest criminal illegals.

It’s Monday, April 28, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. For the first time, Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:

 

Of course, Morning Wire is still available wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d prefer to listen on the go, you can do so here:

 

 

Vatican City Peace Talks, Canadian Elections

(Photo by Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Getty Images)

Topline: President Trump traveled to Vatican City on Saturday for the first foreign trip of his new term, honoring Pope Francis and meeting face-to-face with Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.

Before Pope Francis’s funeral began, Trump and Zelensky huddled with Britain’s Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in St. Peter’s Basilica.  This was their first encounter since Zelensky’s contentious visit to the White House back in February, but this time there were no advisers, translators or video cameras. Zelensky called it a “very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic,” adding that he and Trump discussed a “full and unconditional ceasefire” and “reliable and lasting peace.”

Trump certainly seemed more pleased with Zelensky than before, writing on Truth Social that it was time for a high-level summit to “finish it off” — in his words, “most of the major points are agreed to.” Following that meeting, Trump also issued new warnings to Vladimir Putin. For months, Trump has been taking a more diplomatic approach with his Russian counterpart, but over the weekend the president took a rare public shot at Putin, writing on social media: “There [is] no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!” 

Last week, the White House threatened to abandon the peace talks if the two sides didn’t show more willingness to negotiate, and that seemed to get things moving. On Friday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow for a three-hour meeting with Putin, which the Kremlin described as “constructive and quite useful” — in their words, the two sides had “narrowed differences.”

That same day, as a sign of their desire to make a deal, Ukraine reportedly sent the White House a new peace proposal that included a major concession — it would not demand all of its land back. In exchange, the Ukrainians are calling for guarantees of a U.S.-backed “European security contingent” to help preserve the peace. Ukraine also wants financial reparations paid for by frozen Russian assets in U.S. and European control.

Meanwhile: A snap election will determine the political future of Canada, and bilateral relations with the United States have been the leading issue. Former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned after his poll numbers cratered – many felt his public sparring with Trump was the final nail in his coffin. Now, after two months in which Trump has threatened massive tariffs on Canada, and even floats the idea of acquiring the nation as the 51st U.S. state, the election has hinged on which party will stand up to Trump most effectively — to that point, 39% of Canadians say Trump was their top concern, that’s second behind only the cost of living. In the winter, it looked like Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative party would cruise to victory, but acting Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal party has surged in the polls on a promise to fight Trump. 

 

 

Pope Francis Laid To Rest

Topline: The world bid farewell to Pope Francis on Saturday. With world leaders, faithful Catholics, and mourners gathering in St. Peter’s Square to honor his legacy.

The atmosphere was one of reverence and profound emotion. An estimated 250,000 people filled the square and surrounding streets, with millions more watching worldwide to pay their respects. The funeral was a blend of ancient tradition and the simplicity Pope Francis championed. During his papacy, Francis chose to live in a simple guest house rather than the papal palace. He also lived without the internet, reading only one Italian newspaper a day, and vowed to give up television 30 years ago – he kept that vow until his death. His open wooden coffin, a departure from the elaborate triple-casket tradition, lay at ground level in St. Peter’s Basilica during three days of public viewing so he could be with the people rather than above them. He also chose to be buried in his old black shoes rather than the traditional elegant red shoes.

Saturday’s Mass was led by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, whose homily called Francis “a pope among the people,” highlighting his warmth as the first pope from Latin America. He was also the first Jesuit pope. After the service, the coffin was carried in a modest procession to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Francis was laid to rest.

The funeral was a significant diplomatic gathering, with 170 foreign dignitaries present, including dozens of heads of state. Among them were President Trump and first lady Melania Trump, Ukrainian President Zelensky, French President Macron, and Argentine President Javier Milei, representing Francis’ native country. European royalty, including Britain’s Prince William, Spain’s King Felipe VI, and Queen Letizia, also attended. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi was seated prominently in the front row and praised Francis as a “symbol of human fraternity.” 

The College of Cardinals will begin the process of electing a new pope next month in a conclave held inside the Sistine Chapel. A conclave typically begins 15 to 20 days after the death of the previous pope, and only cardinals under the age of 80 can vote. There are currently 135 eligible cardinals, and their first meeting is scheduled for sometime between May 6 and May 11. A strict oath of secrecy is sworn by the cardinal electors, and they are not allowed to communicate with the outside world. When they’ve reached a two-thirds majority vote, they send a signal to the world with white smoke rising from the chapel.

A Look Into Immigration Enforcement

Topline: Since President Trump took office nearly 100 days ago, migrant encounters at the southern border have dropped dramatically, by as much as 95%.

Daily Wire reporter Kassy Akiva recently wrapped up a six-hour ride-along with national ICE Director Todd Lyons, where she joined agents from several other federal agencies, including the FBI, to arrest criminal illegal aliens in the Boston area. Director Lyons said while his team in Boston is highly effective, there are challenges in operating in a sanctuary jurisdiction – local governments essentially provide no help and often release criminal aliens on the street without giving ICE any warning.

“While ICE had five targets to arrest during our raid, only two were captured,” Akiva told Morning Wire. “While ICE surveils these criminals for days to determine the best way to approach them, sometimes things don’t go as planned. However, the two criminal aliens arrested while I was along for the operation are what Lyons describes as “the worst of the worst.” The first, a 55-year-old from El Salvador, Miguel Chauvez,  is a convicted pedophile. The second, a 68-year-old, Jose Lazaro Ayalla, who was charged with a DUI and a hit and run that left a 17-year-old boy critically injured.”

 



How Trump Sealed The Border In His First 100 Days

The United States endured a never-before-seen surge in illegal immigration under President Joe Biden, watching as hordes of migrants charged border barriers and towns across the country were reshaped virtually overnight by mass migration.

The issue, perhaps more than any other, propelled President Donald Trump to victory in the 2024 election. Trump pledged to end the “invasion on our southern border” throughout his campaign. And in the first 100 days of his second administration, the president has slashed border crossings to a fraction of what they were just months ago.

Through a combination of policy changes, arrests and deportations, sanctions, and coordination with foreign governments, Trump says his  administration has facilitated a dramatic 99.9 percent drop in border encounters.

Customs and Border Protection data recorded over 11 million illegal alien encounters nationwide under the Biden administration — roughly 9 million of which took place at the southern border. By May of Biden’s last year in office, federal data showed that 1.7 million illegal alien “gotaways” entered the country.

Illegal immigration was so dramatic under Biden that the foreign-born population surged to a new high of 53 million. Two-thirds of the growth of the foreign-born population during the Biden presidency is estimated to be due to illegal immigration. There are approximately 18.6 million illegal aliens currently present in the United States, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

But the situation on the southern border changed drastically after Trump’s inauguration.

“From Jan. 21 through Jan. 31, the number of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border dropped 85% from the same period in 2024,” the White House pointed out in a press release, citing ABC News.

The Trump administration recorded a 93 percent drop in illegal border crossings in the eleven days after Trump’s inauguration. The decline proved to be even more precipitous by March, when Vice President JD Vance visited the southern border and boasted of a 98 percent reduction in border crossings.

The rapid drop in border crossings came after Trump announced and implemented sweeping changes to immigration policy. Upon taking office, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, ordering the Secretary of Defense to deploy troops to the border and for border wall construction to resume.

By early March, roughly 9,000 active-duty soldiers were at the southern border.

One of Trump’s most consequential policy changes was the reinstatement of the Remain in Mexico policy, which requires migrants to stay in Mexico while their asylum claims are processed.

It’s a departure from the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policy, which allowed asylum seekers to enter the United States and live and work in the country while their claims are processed. Some migrants freed into the country under Biden were given court dates in 2035.

Trump also immediately suspended the Refugee Admissions Program and halted flights of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, and Ecuador, which the Biden administration used to streamline more than 300,000 migrants into the interior of the United States.

In March, the Trump administration repurposed an online application that the Biden administration used to bring hundreds of thousands of migrants into the interior of the country. Formerly called CBP One, the Biden administration used the app to let migrants remotely schedule asylum appointments. It has since been renamed CBP Home, and allows migrants to alert the government of their “intent to depart” the United States.

Trump’s Department of Homeland Security even launched an international advertising campaign warning would-be illegal aliens not to attempt to enter the United States.

“If you are a criminal alien considering entering America illegally: Don’t even think about it. If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says in the ads, which have been broadcast on television, radio, social media, and even through targeted text messages.

The effects of Trump’s immigration policies weren’t just seen at the southern border. They’ve even been noticed by Latin American countries like Colombia, which watched as caravans of migrants traveled through it on their way to the United States.

Colombia recorded a 61 percent decline in migratory flow through the country to the Darién Gap, a treacherous stretch of jungle that migrants cross through on their way to the United States in the first month of Trump’s administration. Colombia attributed the decline to “the change in U.S. immigration policy” under Trump.

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