Fake ICE agents on the rise and the status of a U.S.-Iran peace deal: Morning Rundown

In today’s newsletter: A Noticias Telemundo investigation reveals a marked increase in the number of people posing as federal agents. Iran warns an agreement to end the war with the United States is not imminent. And the race to prevent a massive chemical tank explosion in California.

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Fake ICE Agents Terrorize Immigrants Amid Trump Crackdown

In January of last year, a group of armed attackers entered a home shared by immigrants in North Carolina. A hooded man broke down a bedroom door, shouting “ICE! ICE!” remembers an immigrant.

“I raised my hand and he asked, ‘Where’s the money?’ That’s when I realized it was a theft. It wasn’t ICE,” said the Mexican immigrant, who did not give his name.

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The incident is part of a growing trend of people posing as immigration officials. Although neither the federal government nor local authorities release specific reports on these crimes, an analysis by Noticias Telemundo, based on court records, police reports and news articles, suggests that their numbers have increased over the past year.

The investigation documented at least 31 cases of identity theft in 2025 alone. The recorded incidents appear to be becoming increasingly violent and include intimidation, theft and sexual assault, as well as so-called “immigration operations” carried out by armed militias.

Here’s what else Noticias Telemundo learned.

Staff choice: Part of a school district’s “no-tech” experiment

Parents across the country are pressuring schools to reduce screen time in the classroom, asking a tough question: What will that look like in 2026? I recently visited a rural district in North Carolina that was experimenting with ditching technology two days a week. Several eighth graders told me they liked that it allowed them to talk more to their classmates and that they had fewer headaches from looking at screens. I also obtained exclusive results of an investigation into the progress of the trial. Although there were big benefits and support from teachers, the survey revealed practical limitations and failures that accompanies a great disruption like this.

— Tyler Kingkadebusiness journalist

Iran says no deal ‘imminent’ after Trump raises then lowers hopes

Iran has warned that an agreement to end the war with the United States was not imminentafter Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that a deal with Tehran was still possible. President Donald Trump was “in no hurry” and would not rush into “a bad deal,” Rubio said during an official visit to New Delhi, the Indian capital.

“Either we’ll get a good deal or we’ll have to approach it another way,” Rubio said. “We would prefer to have a good deal.”

The United States has “a pretty strong case on the table,” Rubio added. “Like I said, we thought we’d have some news last night, maybe today.”

The United States will give diplomacy every chance to succeed “before exploring alternatives,” he said, without elaborating.

Iranian officials were less optimistic Monday.

“It is true that we have reached conclusions on many issues under discussion, but no one can claim that this means that an agreement is about to be signed,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.

Read the full story here.

Meanwhile, as the United States wages war against Iran, it burns through its stockpiles of advanced weapons. Their replacement will require a powerful metal, tungsten, whose production and refining is dominated by China. He leads the The United States will desperately look for it elsewhere.

▶️ Log in to Here is the special Supreme Court edition of the Scoopwhere senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett digs deeper into major cases.

Potential crack on California chemical tank could ease pressure as crews race to prevent explosion

A potential crack could release pressure inside a toxic chemical tank in Southern California, officials said yesterday, a development they hope could help avert a devastating steam explosion.

Acting Orange County Fire Chief TJ McGovern told NBC News that crews are working to confirm the development, which could mean the potential for a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) is “off the table.”

“There is always the potential for an explosion,” he said, but not a BLEVE, which he described as “very, very dangerous, much worse than an explosion.”

Orange County shelters are filling with distraught residents as 50,000 people are under evacuation orders, while crews dumped water on the reservoir in an effort to cool its internal temperature.

Learn more about the threat of disaster here.

Jewish Democrats grapple with an evolving party and Israel’s entrenched leadership

At the recent Jewish Democratic Council of America summit in Washington, prominent pro-Israel Democrats said it was possible to disagree with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government without turning against the nation.

A sea change in how Democratic voters view Israel has shaped the primaries so far. But some party members warn that legitimately criticizing Israel means turning a blind eye when some criticism veers into anti-Semitism, thereby turning away Jewish voters.

“You can be a patriot and a lover of a country and at the same time believe that those who govern it have the wrong idea. That’s how I feel about America – that’s simultaneously, in many ways, how I feel about Israel,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told NBC News.

“I am concerned when freedom of expression is combined with anti-Semitism and hatred,” he added.

Here’s what else came up during the conference.

Pope Leo warns AI fuels conflict, urges world to ‘slow down’ progress

Pope Leo XIV called for stricter regulation and a slower pace of AI progress in his first encyclical, a radical and long-awaited manifesto.

The American-born pope warned that AI should not be “concentrated in the hands of just a few people.” He called for “disarming AI,” which “does not mean rejecting technology, but preventing it from dominating humanity.” Leo said that “simply regulating it is not enough.”

In another first, Leo also apologized for the role that the Holy See itself played in legitimizing slavery and for failing to condemn him for centuries.

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Read all about it

• Pope Leo XIV called for stricter regulation and a slower pace of AI progress in his first encyclical, a radical and long-awaited manifesto. In another first, Leo also apologized for the role that the Holy See itself played in legitimizing slavery and for failing to condemn him for centuries.
• A woman paragliding over the Austrian Alps survived a horrific mid-air collision after a a small plane flew over his glider.

• At least 19 people were injured in a stampede during an annual motorcycle rally in South Carolina, according to local authorities.

• Kyle Busch, NASCAR legend was honored during the weekend races from Indianapolis to Charlotte Motor Speedway following his death.

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kayla Hayempour. If you are a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can register here.