The Department of Agriculture officials have confirmed a second case of New World screwworm in Texas, just days after the first US cattle detection from a natural incursion since 1982.

The Details: The second case was identified in a 1-month-old calf in Zavala County, about 5.6 miles from the first infected calf found near La Pryor, Texas, roughly 50 miles from the Mexican border. Officials said samples collected from nearby areas have so far tested negative. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said there is no threat of mass infestation or to the food supply. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the parasite does not spread through meat, poultry or dairy products. 

The Threat: The New World screwworm is a parasitic blowfly whose larvae feed on living tissue. According to the CDC, female flies lay eggs in wounds or body openings, where the larvae hatch and burrow into flesh. Infestations can cause serious injuries and are often fatal for livestock. The pest was eradicated from the United States decades ago through a sterile-fly program, but officials warn that a larger outbreak could have significant economic consequences for ranchers and cattle producers.

How The Media Covered It: Media coverage was largely similar across the political spectrum, focusing on the cases and the potential threat to livestock. However, Forbes (Center bias) framed the story around possible economic impacts, including higher beef prices, and highlighted claims that DOGE-related funding cuts reduced monitoring efforts in Central America. Breitbart (Right) used dramatic language in its headline, describing the situation as a "disaster." Its coverage focused more on the government response, emphasizing Gov. Greg Abbott's disaster declaration, Canada's livestock restrictions and criticism from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller of the USDA's containment strategy.

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A federal judge has struck down several Trump administration immigration policies that paused the processing of asylum and immigration applications for people from 39 countries.

The Details: U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr., appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) acted without statutory authority when it paused adjudications for immigrants from dozens of African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries. He wrote that the policies left applicants in "indeterminate legal limbo" and ordered the government to resume processing the affected cases.

The restrictions barred applicants from receiving final decisions on asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship. McConnell said the hold arose "solely by the happenstance of their birth," criticizing USCIS for citing national security concerns.

For Context: The Trump administration implemented the measures after an Afghan immigrant was charged in the November shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. The man, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has pleaded not guilty. Immigration advocacy groups and labor unions pushed back against the policies in court, arguing they unlawfully shut down legal immigration pathways. The administration defended the restrictions as necessary for national security.

Reactions: Advocacy groups like Democracy Forward, the legal nonprofit that represented the immigration organizations that brought the lawsuit, praised the decision. "This ruling reaffirms a basic principle: The federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from, " organization President Skye Perryman told The New York Times (Lean Left bias). 

A Trump administration official denounced the decision in a statement to CNN. DHS General Counsel James Percival said: "The Left has been running the same gambit with so-called 'animus' claims since 2017. It is sabotage dressed in legal clothing," Percival said. "It goes like this: (1) the admin is racist, (2) therefore a policy I don't like is motivated by race, (3) therefore it is invalid. They have used it on virtually every Trump era Department of Homeland Security policy."

How The Media Covered It: Notably, many right-leaning outlets did not provide prominent coverage of the ruling. CNN (Lean Left bias) emphasized the judge's criticism of the policies, highlighting excerpts from the 135-page opinion and the impact on immigrants whose applications were frozen. In contrast, Breitbart (Right) focused on the Trump administration's national security rationale for the policies and highlighted the case involving the Afghan national that prompted the restrictions.

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