Blue cities are obstructing ICE and sheltering illegal immigrants, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) announces a federal probe into Nashville’s Democrat mayor, and the upcoming EU-U.S. Forum aims to address Europe’s free speech crackdown. Plus, the Government Accountability Office faces GOP backlash, and Elon Musk steps back from DOGE.

It’s Thursday, May 29, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.

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Sanctuary Vs Safety

Topline: As Illegal immigrant gangs grow across the United States, several blue city leaders are standing in the way of ICE.

Trump border czar Tom Homan has been leading ICE raids in cities across the country targeting criminal illegals. But some so-called “sanctuary” city officials are working to hinder the crackdown.

Congressman Andy Ogles (R-TN), who sits on the Homeland Security Committee, announced this week that he’s launched an investigation into the office of Nashville Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell amid claims that city officials are actively obstructing ICE. Mayor O’Connell issued an executive order requiring civil servants in Nashville to report communications with federal immigration officials to the mayor’s office and has condemned ICE raids for causing “deep community harm.”

“MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, they’re all over the country,” Ogles told The Daily Wire. “They’re in Nashville. They’re in our small cities like Columbia and Tullahoma … this is a message to cities and mayors across the country. If you impede federal law enforcement in their duties, in their directive to follow President Trump, to say, it’s time that we start deporting these folks, we’re going to be looking into your city, and where appropriate, we’re going to hold you accountable.”

Ogles also noted that Nashville is a “through city” that is centrally located (within a 6-hour drive of many of America’s major population centers) and could be used as a waystation for human trafficking and the drug trade if the cartels are allowed to establish a foothold. “The violent gangs in Central and South America, they want strongholds in Nashville. And I’m not going to stand for it.”

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Free Speech Under Siege

Topline: As Europe cracks down on free speech, the Trump administration ramps up pressure on European leaders.

The EU-U.S. Forum is taking place this week in Hungary – the goal of the summit is to challenge the leftist ideas put forward by the European Union and unite Western leaders to fight back against the EU’s harmful policies. A major focus of the summit will be “Europe’s Free Speech Problem.”

This week, a number of senior State Department officials are heading to Ireland and Paris to push both countries to respect the speech rights of their citizens. A senior State Department official told The Daily Wire that the trip is part of the department’s effort to fight back against violations of basic natural rights in Europe, especially freedom of speech, religion, and the right to privacy.

“What happens in one country will impact the U.S.,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told The Daily Wire. “Ultimately, when they start putting restrictions on their free speech, then other outlets, whether it be a social media platform, whether it be technology platforms such as Apple or Google or things of that nature, when free speech is suppressed, then ultimately what’s gonna happen is so many of those same policies will be put in place in the United States.”

GAO Undermines MAGA

Topline: Republicans have grown frustrated with the independent agency known as the “Congressional watchdog.” They say the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has too often let politics dictate its findings rather than the facts.

According to its website, the GAO is an independent, non-partisan agency that works for Congress. It typically looks at how federal funds are spent and how executive agencies implement certain policies, and it makes reports to inform lawmakers. Recently, Republicans say that the GAO has been infected by politics. This lack of trust comes as the GAO has conducted probes into dozens of Trump administration spending freezes.

Last week, the GAO said that the Department of Transportation violated the Impoundment Control Act to freeze a Biden-era electric vehicle charging program. That earned a rebuke from Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget. He wrote on X that the GAO is “going to call everything an impoundment because they want to grind our work to manage taxpayer dollars effectively to a halt.”

Congressional Republicans are also unhappy with the GAO. Last week, Congress voted to strip a Clean Air Act waiver from California, which would have authorized the state to effectively ban new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Before the vote, the GAO said that Congress couldn’t use the Congressional Review Act to pull the waiver – that set Republicans in the Senate off.

“For the first time ever, the Government Accountability Office has decided to insert itself into the process and affirmatively declare that an agency rule submitted to Congress as a rule is not a rule,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said. “It’s an extraordinary deviation from precedent for an agency that should be defending Congress’ power instead of constraining it.”

Meanwhile, Elon Musk thanked President Trump on Wednesday as his official government role in the administration comes to an end. It’s been a rough ride for the world’s wealthiest man, from the attacks on his companies to the frustrations of government bureaucracy. This week, Musk seemed somewhat bitter about the political process, especially surrounding the passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”

“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk wrote on social media. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”