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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized 113 grams of fentanyl at the Paso Del Norte crossing in El Paso.
👥 Who’s Involved: A 40-year-old female with U.S. citizenship was arrested. CBP officers, along with Homeland Security Investigations agents, were involved.
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📍 Where & When: The incident occurred at the Paso Del Norte international crossing in El Paso on May 7.
💬 Key Quote: “This is an exceptionally dangerous practice and could be lethal if the packaging were to fail during transport,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio.
⚠️ Impact: The woman faces federal charges for attempting to smuggle drugs internally, highlighting the risks associated with such activities.
IN FULL:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Paso Del Norte international crossing in El Paso intercepted 113 grams of fentanyl concealed within a 40-year-old woman’s body on May 7. The woman, a pedestrian border crosser with U.S. citizenship, was found with the drugs hidden within her, a method deemed highly dangerous by officials.
CBP officers selected the woman for a secondary inspection just before 3 AM. During this examination, she confessed to having a foreign object concealed inside her body. Subsequently, she was taken to a medical facility, where medical staff confirmed and removed the internally concealed package filled with fentanyl. A follow-up examination revealed no further anomalies.
“This is an exceptionally dangerous practice and could be lethal if the packaging were to fail during transport,” stated CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio. He emphasized the risks associated with such smuggling methods, advising against engaging in any form of smuggling activity.
After the medical procedure, the woman was returned to the port of entry, where she was arrested and handed over to Homeland Security Investigations special agents. She now faces federal charges related to the failed smuggling attempt.
The incident underscores the ongoing attempts by gangs and criminal organisations to smuggle fentanyl into the United States. While President Trump’s border policies have reduced illegal migration by over 90 percent on the southern border, issues still remain with illegal smuggling.
Fentanyl, one of the deadliest drugs on the planet, can kill in small doses. One fentanyl shipment caught by CBP agents last year saw four million pills of fentanyl seized, enough to kill 250 million Americans.
Last month, Republicans introduced legislation that would charge fentanyl dealers with felony murder if their distribution of the drug results in deaths.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Transgenders in the U.S. military are being given between 30 and 60 days to self-separate after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to enforce a ban on their service.
👥 Who’s Involved: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, approximately 1,000 transgender service members, and the Supreme Court.
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📍 Where & When: U.S. military, with deadlines for self-separation being set by June 6 for active duty and July 7 for reservists, according to a Department of Defense (DOD) memo published on Thursday, May 9, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “After a SCOTUS victory for [President Trump], TRANS is out at the DOD,” Hegseth announced on X (formerly Twitter).
⚠️ Impact: The ruling affects military readiness policies and a broader effort to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion policies at the Department of Defense (DOD).
IN FULL:
The Department of Defense (DOD) has initiated a timeline for transgender service members to voluntarily separate from the military following a Supreme Court order clearing the way for a ban on their service in the U.S. military. A recent memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlines that approximately 1,000 service members who have identified as having gender dysphoria must begin the process of self-separation. Active duty members are required to exit by June 6, with reservists having until July 7 to comply.
This development follows the Supreme Court’s decision to stay a lower court ruling, effectively allowing the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops to proceed. The administration argues that this policy is essential for maintaining military readiness, unit cohesion, and avoiding the disproportionate costs associated with transgenders’ need for often lifelong medical care.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, stating: “The Secretary is encouraged by the Supreme Court’s order staying the lower court’s injunction, allowing the Department of Defense to carry out its policies associated with ‘Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.'”
Hegseth, in an announcement on X (formerly Twitter), declared, “After a SCOTUS victory for [President Trump], TRANS is out at the DOD.” He further noted that service members with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria could choose to separate voluntarily by the set deadlines, or face involuntary removal if they fail to do so.
The Trump administration’s policy, initially introduced via Executive Order in January, mandates updates to medical standards to prioritize readiness and lethality. It also seeks to eliminate the use of invented and identification-based pronouns within the Department of Defense.
The Pentagon’s move is part of a broader initiative to eliminate policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and gender ideology. Hegseth recently announced that nearly all DEI-related policies have been removed from the Department, alongside efforts to standardize fitness tests for men and women.
From January 2016 to May 2021, the Department of Defense reportedly spent around $15 million on transgender treatments for active-duty service members. This financial aspect has been a point of contention in discussions about military spending and readiness.
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