New documents in Kilmar Abrego Garcia case and Trump’s Golden Dome ambitions: Morning Rundown

New documents from the Trump administration seek to bolster its assertion that Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13. Why a multi-state E. coli outbreak in November went unreported by the FDA. And a dog helps lead a missing toddler in Arizona to safety.

Here’s what to know today.

New documents detail government’s case that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was a gang member

The Trump administration has released a series of documents that revealed new details in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after weeks of pressure to prove its contention that he was a member of the MS-13 gang, leading to his deportation last month to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador. A government lawyer previously called his deportation an “administrative error,” and the Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” his release from the prison. 

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The Department of Justice shared the records, not previously made public, detailing Abrego Garcia’s 2019 arrest. He had no criminal history at the time, which the documents also state, and his attorneys have denied that he is a gang member.

Among the information in the documents: 

→ Officers with the Prince George’s County Police Department said in a document titled “gang field interview sheet” that Abrego Garcia was wearing “a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie with rolls of money covering the eyes, ears and mouth of the presidents” on the bills. The officers said such insignia was “indicative of Hispanic gang culture.”

→ The officers also said they consulted with a reliable confidential source who said Abrego Garcia was part of MS-13. In another document from the DOJ’s Executive Office of Immigration Review, a court wrote that the allegation that he is a gang member “appears to be trustworthy.” 

→ A document from the Department of Homeland Security said Abrego Garcia was one of two men who had been previously detained for a murder investigation. Abrego Garcia denied being connected to a murder investigation, the documents state, and was never charged.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration yesterday filed an appeal of U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis’ order directing the government to “take all available steps to facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return “as soon as possible.” Also, El Salvador Vice President Félix Ulloa met with Sen. Chris Van Hollen and rejected the Maryland senator’s requests to meet in-person with Abrego Garcia and facilitate a phone call between Abrego Garcia and his family.

Separately, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt in what he called a “willful disregard” to halt deportation flights to El Salvador.

Read the full story here.

Pentagon to brief Trump on options for U.S. version of ‘Iron Dome’

President Donald Trump is expected to receive a briefing within days on a variety of options for him to fulfill his pledge to protect the U.S. with something modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, according to U.S. officials and experts familiar with the initiative. An executive order calls on the Pentagon to come up with an initial blueprint for an “Iron Dome for America,” often referred to as a Golden Dome, by mid-April. The forthcoming plans are what will be briefed to him in the coming days. The order also requires that some elements of the initiative be operational by the end of next year. 

Sources familiar with the plans expect Trump will be shown “Goldilocks options”: small, medium and large, each with its own timeline and price tag. The most modest plan could be assembled rather quickly and cost about $10 billion. The largest would cost several hundred billion dollars, sources said.

Trump’s Golden Dome would most likely be a patchwork of systems that would need to stop a wide variety of threats. While some elements would involve simply repurposing existing parts of the U.S. arsenal, one expert said that an effective long-term solution “probably won’t really come into being until he’s out of office. Read the full story here.

More politics news:

• A federal judge blocked a Trump executive order that punished the law firm Susman Godfrey, which successfully sued Fox News for promoting false claims of election fraud.
• The Trump administration plans to eliminate the IRS’ direct file program, the Biden-era program that allowed for filing tax returns with the agency for free.
• Markets tumbled as warnings from two AI chipmakers expressed worries about higher costs and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Trump’s tariffs could fuel inflation.
• Trump’s tariffs are also expected to drive up auto insurance costs. And the U.S. wine industry has taken a huge hit because of Canada’s boycotts.
• Rep. Elise Stefanik is exploring a bid for governor of New York, sources said, weeks after Trump withdrew her nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
• Federal budget cuts and the potential elimination of the Education Department pose an existential threat for historically Black colleges and universities.
• While top Trump administration officials said they’ve been in contact with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro after the attack on his residence, Shapiro said he has not heard from Trump himself.

A deadly E. coli outbreak hit 15 states but wasn’t publicized

An E. coli outbreak linked to Romaine lettuce ripped across 15 states last November, sickening dozens of people. One person died. But chances are, you haven’t heard about it. 

The FDA indicated in February that it had closed the investigation without publicly detailing what happened or which companies were responsible for growing and processing the contaminated lettuce. According to an internal report, the companies weren’t named because there was no contaminated lettuce left by the time investigators uncovered where the pathogen was coming from. Meanwhile, much of the staff responsible for distributing information to the public about foodborne illnesses was terminated amid sweeping efforts to shrink the federal government.

Federal officials are not required by law to reveal detailed information about all known outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, but it had shifted in recent years toward greater transparency, a former FDA employee said. The full scale of the outbreak only came to light in response to public records requests filed by victims’ attorneys.

National reporter Suzy Khimm spoke to those affected by the outbreak, including the family of a 15-year-old boy in St. Louis County, Missouri, where the local health department found 115 confirmed or probable E. coli cases linked to food served by a local catering company, as well as the family of a 9-year-old boy who nearly died from the infection. Read the full story here.

Read All About It

• Electricity has been restored to some people in Puerto Rico amid an islandwide power outage months after a New Year’s Eve blackout.
• “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” actor Michelle Trachtenberg, who was found dead in her New York City apartment in February, died from complications with diabetes, officials said.
• The heaviest invertebrate in the world, a colossal squid, has been captured on video for the first time. 
• A gay couple have alleged discrimination after a Sheraton wedding venue in Mexico quoted them thousands of dollars more for their event and offered others better rates for hypothetical opposite-sex weddings.
• An experimental daily pill from Eli Lilly lowered blood sugar levels and induced weight loss in people with Type 2 diabetes, the drugmaker announced.

Staff Pick: Talk about a good boy

When a 2-year-old toddler went missing in Arizona, dozens of deputies and search-and-rescue crews set out to look for him. But it was Buford, a 6-year-old Anatolian Pyrenees, who helped bring the kid to safety, said owner Scotty Dunton. We spoke to Dunton about the details of the rescue — from the mileslong trek the dog and toddler made together, to the hero’s return that awaited Buford. — Jamie Knodel, news editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Talking Shop is an NBC Select series in which our staff talks to interesting people about their most interesting buys. We recently spoke with Fly By Jing founder Jing Gao about her favorite Salmon Skin Chip crisps, black peppers, rice cooker and much more. Plus, take a look at the best camcorders for vlogging or capturing small moments. 

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