The 85-Year-Old Widow Snagged by Trump’s Immigration Crackdown; The New York Times, April 25, 2026

 Catherine Porter, The New York Times; The 85-Year-Old Widow Snagged by Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

"Her story gives a glimpse into the opaque labyrinth of immigrant-detention sites operated by the Trump administration, where many like her see no lawyer, have no sense of where they are and understand little of why they are held or, in her case, later released. It also raises questions about how that system may be weaponized: A judge said in a ruling that she believed that Ms. Ross-Mahé’s stepson Tony Ross, who had been fighting with her over her late husband’s estate, instigated her arrest.

The New York Times could not independently confirm the details of her experience in detention, but it aligns with the accounts of others who have been detained in similar circumstances. Tony and his brother, Gary Ross, did not respond to requests for comment, nor did their lawyer.

The experience stunned Ms. Ross-Mahé, who previously considered herself a supporter of President Trump and so admired his policy to deport illegal immigrants that she thought it should be adopted in France.

“I didn’t think these things existed,” she said of the immigration facilities she was held in. “I thought that when we arrested them, we would treat them properly. It really shocked me.”

She added, “They treat them like dogs, not in a human way.”

Asked for comment, the Homeland Security Department said in a statement that “all detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.” It added that “ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens” and is “regularly audited and inspected by external agencies.”"

FCC plans end to school bus internet and library hotspot lending; USA TODAY, September 24, 2025

 Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY ; FCC plans end to school bus internet and library hotspot lending

"It could soon be harder for students to access the internet on school buses and for the public to borrow mobile internet hotspots from libraries.

In a Sept. 23 letter, a coalition of school and library advocacy groups urged the Federal Communications Commission to protect the programs that have allowed schools and libraries to lend out hotspot devices.

"One in five households in our country still do not have access to reliable home broadband. Hotspots are not a permanent fix, but they'll make sure students, jobseekers, veterans and seniors don't get left behind," American Library Association President Sam Helmick said in a statement provided to USA TODAY...

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement that the FCC's authority to fund the Wi-Fi initiatives had ended by the time the Biden FCC voted. He said the E-Rate wasn't meant to provide children with unsupervised access to the internet."

Trump Cuts Threaten Agency Running Meals on Wheels; The New York Times, April 24, 2025

Reed Abelson, The New York Times; Trump Cuts Threaten Agency Running Meals on Wheels

[Kip Currier: A dear nonagenarian friend of my family's, whom I'll shorthand by her first initial M, utilized Meals on Wheels for about a decade after her husband passed away. She lived on her own in a modest home in a peaceful forested area of Northwestern Pennsylvania. In addition to receiving healthy meals for the week, the volunteer who brought the meals once a week visited and chatted a bit with M. So, the program also provided a social interaction benefit. 

M passed away in early 2024. But during that decade on her own after she became a widow, Meals on Wheels helped M to be able to live independently. Just as the program has done for hundreds of thousands of other seniors.

How terribly short-sighted and unkind it is for this current administration to threaten such a valuable and compassionate program as Meals on Wheels: a volunteer brigade that has been helping older Americans to live with dignity in their Golden Years since 1954.

Call your state and federal representatives and tell them you want Meals on Wheels to continue:

Directory of U.S. House Representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives

Directory of U.S. Senators: https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm ]

[Excerpt]

"Every Monday, Maurine Gentis, a retired teacher, waits for a delivery from Meals on Wheels South Texas.

“The meals help stretch my budget,” Ms. Gentis, 77, said. Living alone and in a wheelchair, she appreciates having someone look in on her regularly. The same group, a nonprofit, delivers books from the library and dry food for her cat.

But Ms. Gentis is anxious about what lies ahead. The small government agency responsible for overseeing programs like Meals on Wheels is being dismantled as part of the Trump administration’s overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Roughly half its staff has been let go in recent layoffs and all of its 10 regional offices are closed, according to several employees who lost their jobs.

“I’m just kind of worried that the whole thing might go down the drain, too,” Ms. Gentis said.

In President Trump’s quest to end what he termed “illegal and immoral discrimination programs,” one of his executive orders promoted cracking down on federal efforts to improve accessibility and representation for those with disabilities, with agencies flagging words like “accessible” and “disability” as potentially problematic. Certain research studies are no longer being funded, and many government health employees specializing in disability issues have been fired.

The downsizing of the agency, the Administration for Community Living, is part of far-reaching cuts planned at the H.H.S. under the Trump administration’s proposed budget."