What Gives Me Hope, Even Now

Also: Boulder suspect planned hate crime for a year. Senator invokes Jesus to justify Medicaid cuts. 18-year-old snatched on his way to volleyball practice. And lots of News That Doesn't Suck.

Mount Etna erupted this morning, sending a giant cloud of ash over 20,000 feet into the sky and streams of lava down the mountainside. Etna is Europe’s highest active volcano and the most active volcano of its type in the world; it has issued similar displays for thousands of years. It’s located on the east coast of Sicily. Officials say there’s little risk to built-up areas, but tourist visits to the mountain have been paused. (Photo by Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images)

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We are living through difficult times, and there's no way to soften that reality — but it's not all hard news here.

Two stories demand immediate focus.

First, the ongoing ICE operations removing people from their communities. I've realized through personal interactions that many informed people remain unaware of the terror ICE is inflicting. These stories aren't breaking through. I'm committed to keeping this visible and welcome your suggestions on spreading awareness. Would a dedicated newsletter explaining the deportation situation help?

Second, the flamethrower attack on Jewish community members in Boulder — the second violent attack on Jewish people peacefully gathered in the U.S. in recent weeks. While reporting this on Instagram over the weekend, I shared that I get a lot of unsubscriptions and hate when I report on the Jewish community. I asked those in the audience who could do so to please support this work. There were unsubscriptions — but the outpouring of support was so much greater and so moving it brought me to tears.

Your messages included:

"Jessica, it makes me incredibly sad to hear that people unsubscribe when you write about Jewish people.… We're your brothers and sisters."

"I appreciate your coverage. I pray for safety for all people — Jewish, Hispanic, Americans and non-Americans. I know there are a lot of us but it feels like we're alone."

"It's wild that so many people can't seem to understand that this conflict is far more complex than good versus bad."

And this advice: "You care too much for how others perceive your work. Please let go of some of it — for your own safety and wellbeing!”

There's much that feels terrible right now, but this community gives me hope. This isn't a like-minded echo chamber — we disagree on topics. But we share core values: truth, staying informed, caring for others, working toward positive change. This common ground reminds us what's possible when we choose connection over division.

Today we cover the stories above plus Ukraine’s “Pearl Harbor” attack on Russia, Joni Ernst’s bizarre comeback, the Senate numbers on the Big Beautiful Bill, plus some News That Doesn’t Suck.

Here Are Your Headlines:

• Hateful Attack: The suspect accused of setting people on fire at a march in support of Israeli hostages was charged with a federal hate crime today, plus various state charges including 16 counts of attempted murder. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at demonstrators in Boulder yesterday. Twelve people were injured.

  • What We Know: According to an FBI affidavit, Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” while carrying out the attack. He reportedly explained to investigators that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people,” while maintaining it has nothing to do with “the Jewish community.” He also referred to Palestine as “his” land. Court documents also allege he’d been planning the attack for a year, and that he used Molotov cocktails after being rejected from buying a gun due to not being a legal citizen.

  • The Victims: Four men and four women ages 52 to 88 were injured, one seriously. The 88-year-old is a Holocaust survivor.

  • Context: The attack happened just hours before the start of Shavuot, a Jewish holiday that commemorates Moses being given the Torah. The march was “not a protest,” according to organizer Run For Their Lives, but was instead a “peaceful walk to show solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release.” One participant told CBS News that similar silent marches have been held every week since the October 7 attack. Some 57 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. At least 35 of them are dead, according to the IDF. Except for US-Israeli Eden Alexander, no hostages have been freed in over 100 days.

  • Extra Dimension: Soliman is an Egyptian citizen who entered the US on a tourist visa in August 2022. After that expired in February 2023, he applied for asylum and was granted a work permit in March 2023. That had also expired by the time he committed the attack. Trump and senior administration officials have already used this fact to advance their anti-immigration agenda. Trump’s official statement, posted on Truth Social, blames “Biden’s ridiculous Open Border Policy, calls for Soliman to be forcibly removed from the country, cites the attack as “another example of why we must keep our borders SECURE,” and expresses sympathy for the victims. Notice anything missing? No mention of violence against Jews or antisemitism.

    • Fact Check: Research conclusively shows that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are far less likely to commit crimes than people born in the US.

• Conflicting Accounts: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported a “mass casualty influx” of Palestinians, including women and children. According to the ICRC, over 150 people were injured, many by gunfire or shrapnel, and at least 21 died, reportedly while trying to reach an aid distribution site. It’s currently unclear what caused these casualties, and there are multiple conflicting reports. Hospital officials and multiple eyewitnesses said Israeli troops were responsible; the Israeli army denies this — as does former Prime Minister and Netanyahu opponent Naftali Bennett. The IDF acknowledged firing toward individuals roughly 1,000 yards away from the aid site before it opened in a separate incident. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the contractor running the aid site in question, claims “there was no gunfire” at all, and that “all aid was distributed today without incident.”

  • Lies Travel Round the World: At least one video purportedly proving Israel was at fault for this incident has been proven fake, but has already been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. One of the CCTV clips provided by the GHF appears to include gunfire, which would undermine the group’s claim that no shooting occurred. And the BBC has been unable to verify drone footage provided by the IDF. 

  • Context: Part of the difficulty in verifying accounts from the Gaza Strip is due to Israel’s ban on international news organizations from entering the territory. And the Western press’ failure to report Hamas’ own acts of violence against Palestinian civilians, which they sometimes report on Hamas’ Telegram channel, called “Gaza Now in English.” All of this is complicated by the history of disinformation regarding the conflicts in this region.

  • Coverage: Would you like to know about media outlets that provide coverage from different perspectives in this region? Often the coverage is quite different from what we get in the US. Let us know in the comments.

• Elusive Ceasefire: Israel has accepted a US ceasefire proposal. The terms reportedly include stopping hostilities for at least 60 days, an exchange of some of the remaining hostages for prisoners, and further negotiations for a permanent end to the war. Hamas called the proposal “unfair” and demanded a permanent ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal, and guarantees for humanitarian aid. Israel insists that Hamas must be dismantled and disarmed before the war can end.

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• Who Holds the Cards: Ukraine stunned Russia and may have shifted the calculus around a ceasefire with a ferocious attack on Russian military bases that’s being called “Russia’s Pearl Harbor.” Ukraine smuggled over 100 drones deep into Russian territory — some as far as Siberia, thousands of miles from the border. According to Ukrainian officials, they hit four Russian airbases and took out one-third of Russia’s strategic bombers, including nuclear bombers, which could cost Russia several billion dollars. No casualties were reported. Experts said the plan, which reportedly took over 18 months to put together, was “quite amazing,” and “demonstrates that [Putin’s] forces are in fact very vulnerable." It shows Ukraine has the ability to inflict damage on Russia if Putin won’t negotiate. Today peace talks between the two sides ended with no ceasefire agreement; they did agree to exchange some prisoners of war. 

  • Loose Lips: Ukraine reportedly did not notify the Trump administration of the attack.

• Behind the Scenes: FBI Director Kash Patel seems to be making good on his promise to use “drastic measures” to remake the powerful intelligence agency. A new report by the New York Times, which spoke to more than 10 former and current officials, details widespread fear and confusion as agents are being fired, demoted, and forced to take polygraph tests in an effort to crack down on news leaks. It’s worth a read.

• ICE Update: An 18-year-old high school student who’s lived in the US since he was 5 was detained by ICE in Milford, Massachusetts while he was in a car full of kids heading to high school volleyball practice. Marcelo Gomes was driving his friends when three unmarked ICE vehicles pulled up behind his car and interrogated all the students. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement demanding to know where he’s being detained and how his “due process is being protected.” Gomes wasn’t even ICE’s target — they were after his father.

  • Show of Force: Masked and armed ICE agents shocked a San Diego community by raiding two restaurants and handcuffing all employees. “The first ten minutes, they don’t give any explanation,” the general manager of one targeted location said. “It was very, very uncomfortable.” Most victims were released, though multiple were detained. Crowds of people gathered, surrounding ICE vehicles and shouting in protest; agents reportedly used sirens and even a flash-bang grenade to disperse the protestors.

• Here We Go Again: The Senate is back in session and Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is top of the agenda. According to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), at least four Republicans want more spending cuts in return for their support. Others object to Medicaid cuts and the elimination of some green energy programs; read about more objections here. The GOP can afford to lose only three lawmakers, assuming Democrats unite in opposition.

  • Jesus Wept: Remember, we reported on Friday that at a town hall, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst dismissed constituents’ concerns about cuts to Medicaid and other health care programs by saying, “we all are going to die.” Over the weekend she issued a statement. An apology? Of course not. In a bizarre video, apparently filmed in a cemetery, Ernst mockingly reflects on her “incorrect assumption that everyone … understood that yes, we are all going to perish.” She goes on to express relief that she didn’t have to discuss the tooth fairy, before saying, “for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ.” That same Jesus Christ, mind, in the Bible heals an official’s son, Peter’s mother-in-law, “many who had various diseases,” a man with leprosy, a paralyzed servant, a man’s “shriveled hand,” a woman with a blood disorder, two blind men, a mute, an invalid… the list goes on. A member of the News Not Noise audience pointed out to me that by Ernst’s logic, “we don’t need to fund the Department of Defense.” Why stop there? Government could just get out of the business of protecting human life in any way shape or form. What’s the worst that could happen?

• Don’t Tell Trump: The mayor of Tulsa announced a $105 million reparations package yesterday for victims of the Tulsa race massacre. On this day in 1921, white rioters massacred hundreds of Black residents, destroyed 1,250 homes, and burned 35 city blocks, obliterating a prosperous neighborhood known as Black Wall Street and leaving thousands homeless. No reparations were ever made for this atrocity — until now, under the auspices of Tulsa’s first Black mayor. Road to Repair, as the program is called, will attempt to reduce lasting inequalities caused by the massacre. Areas to be addressed include housing assistance, blight removal, land acquisition, small business development, scholarships, cultural preservation, and more.

News That Doesn’t Suck