The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Nathalie Graham ICE in the Airport: You know what a stressful travel day was missing? The threat of deportation by a bunch of goons. Due to the partial government shutdown that stopped funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in mid-February, TSA agents haven't been getting paid. They've been calling out of work. On Saturday, a third of TSA agents at our busiest airports didn't show up. Security wait times increased. As a means to put pressure on Democrats to fund DHS, Donald Trump said he'll deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to assist TSA operations. They were at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday. Trump said ICE thugs would “do security like no one has ever seen before." That includes “the immediate arrest of all illegal immigrants who have come into our Country.” DHS or Voting Rights: On Sunday, Trump said he wouldn't back a deal to fund DHS unless the Democrats vote for his SAVE America Act, the strict "federal elections overhaul bill" that would require voters to show ID and proof of citizenship to vote. The law would also make registering to vote harder by requiring people to go in-person to elections offices to prove their citizenship. Right now, you can register online or via mail. You don't have to be a genius to realize that making voting harder is the point. You Simply Have Gotta Hate These Guys:   ICE agents have arrived at airports to assist with staff shortages, a day after President Trump threatened he would do so unless congressional Democrats agreed to a GOP-backed funding deal to end a partial government shutdown. https://wapo.st/47Nq2PI[image or embed] — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) March 23, 2026 at 6:30 AM   One More:   this is your mission. our pedophile president needs you to put on a tactical vest and go to the newark airport at 6 am on monday. your order is to wander around like a confused oaf. when a mom drops her sandwich at jersey mike's and scares you, pull out your gun and start shooting. good luck soldier — leon (@leyawn.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 7:26 AM   ICE at Sea-Tac? According to the Port of Seattle, there hasn't been any sign that ICE will be coming to help out our local TSA agents. Sea-Tac Airport hasn't seen abnormal wait times since the partial shutdown, according to The Seattle Times. Plane Hits Firetruck, Pilot and Co-Pilot Die: An Air Canada regional jet crashed into a firetruck on the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The firetruck was responding to a call from  a different flight. The crash mangled the front of the plane, killing the pilot and co-pilot. No other casualties were reported. Forty-one passengers and crew members aboard the flight received treatment at local hospitals. Some had serious injuries.   My husband was on this flight this evening. His plane crashed. He’s ok. He helped others get off the plane. #AirCanada[image or embed] — Sarah Dorner (@sarahdorner.bsky.social) March 22, 2026 at 8:53 PM   Happy National Puppy Day: If you're into this sort of thing, you can watch puppies on this livestream from Canine Companions starting March 23 through March 27. It's No Longer Mueller Time: Because he's dead. Rober Mueller, the ex-FBI director who investigated claims that Russia interfered with the 2016 election, kicked the bucket on Friday. He was 81. Trump, a man of few morals, posted on Truth Social: "Good, I'm glad he's dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!" In Sonics News: Gov. Bob Ferguson is meeting for a little chat with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver again today. The NBA's board of governors is supposed to vote this week on starting the league’s expansion process. Seattle and Las Vegas are the two options on the table. Ferguson says he was a diehard Sonics fan, so he'll do whatever he can to prove Seattle should be the one to get a team. That may be true, but being in charge when the Sonics eventually return is also political gold. Fentanyl Overdoses Stay Down: In Washington, fatal fentanyl overdoses are still in decline. Don’t get it twisted, people are still dying—King County saw two opioid deaths a week last month—but the numbers are lower than average. Last year, nationwide fentanyl overdoses declined by 20 percent. Part of the reduction could be the widespread availability of anti-overdose meds like naloxone, or that because so many people have died the pool of fentanyl users is smaller, or that the current mix of drugs is less potent. Nobody is totally sure. Providers in Washington believe innovative public health programs are helping. But, federal limitations on Medicaid benefits and funding cuts for programs like one that provides clean syringes are threatening the clinics’ long-term viability. The Weather: Gray and 50 degrees. Anti-Woke Mad-Libs: Trump installed a statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The statue is a replica of one that Baltimore protestors tore down in 2020, a move meant to denounce Columbus’ personal history as a slave-trading colonialist. A Trump spokesperson said, “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he’s honored as such for generations to come." It's all real-life rage bait. A Five-Day Pause: Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He says the US will stop striking Iran’s power plants energy infrastructure for five days. Global markets liked this news. The US stock market climbed 1.4 percent. Oil prices dropped. Trump also hinted at the end of the war, saying the US and Iran have had “very good and productive conversations.” Iran officials say they never talked with Trump about any of this.   Trump: "We're doing a five day period. We'll see how that goes. If it goes well, we're gonna end up with settling this, otherwise we just keep bombing our little hearts out."[image or embed] — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) March 23, 2026 at 6:46 AM   A World Cup Bust? The World Cup will be in the US in less than three months. The event comes with the promise of riches—a big boost in tourism and economic activity in host cities. Except, things seem pretty quiet so far. In New York City, where FIFA has estimated a boon of tourism could bring in $3 billion, hotel bookings are down. According to The City, "advanced reservations for New York’s World Cup weeks are trending 2% below advance bookings for those same days in 2025"—a time when there were no special events. Perhaps the world's soccer fans have also been reading the news about how things here are not so great. A long read for your Monday: Remember when a flood wiped out Texas' Camp Mystic, killing 27 campers and staff? This Intelligencer article about the flood really packs a wallop.  ...read more read less