First Thing: Democrats express ‘grave concerns’ over secretive ICE deportation flights

Good morning. A group of 40 House Democrats have described “grave concerns” over the Trump administration’s secretive program of deportation flights and demanded that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) address allegations of mistreatment and inhumane conditions on ICE charter jets. In a letter shared with the Guardian and addressed to the FAA administrator, Bryan Bedford, the lawmakers describe the “urgent need for transparency” over ICE’s expanded use of commercial airliners to transfer detained immigrants and criticise its “inappropriate and dangerous” efforts to conceal these operations. The letter follows a Guardian investigation that found the administration was transporting immigrants in irregular ways that often violated their constitutional rights. Trump says ceasefire with Iran on ‘life support’ after rejecting peace proposals ‘I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support,’ the president said. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/AFP/ Donald Trump has described the month-long ceasefire with Iran as being on “life support” and said he is considering restarting US navy military escorts of ships through the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to break the Iranian blockade. The US president rejected Iran’s counterproposals, sent this weekend, and denied he was under any domestic pressure to reach a deal. …