What to Know
Saigon Sentinel · Section
What to know about the stories in the news right now — fact-grounded explainers of current events for immigrants and everyday Americans, and what they mean for you and your wallet.
- Houston
What is a U visa and why could it help witnesses in the ICE shooting case avoid deportation?
Three men who were in a vehicle when ICE shot and killed a man in Houston are seeking a special visa category to both avoid deportation and remain in the country as witnesses — a legal process few know about but one that…
- US
Trump's 1.8 Billion Dollar Tax Settlement with IRS Blocked by Court: What Happened?
A federal judge just blocked a settlement between President Trump and the IRS, ruling that he used presidential power to settle a lawsuit that he himself brought — involving nearly 1.8 billion dollars in taxpayer money.
- Gulf Coast
From a Town of 20,000 to the Center of the AI Race: Who Pays, Who Benefits?
Meta just raised its investment in an artificial intelligence data center in a rural Louisiana parish to over 50 billion USD. Here is what you need to know about the project, who is benefiting, and why it differs from wh…
- US
Who Will Replace Lindsey Graham in the Senate, and How Does the Process Work?
The sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham raises a question few Americans have ever considered: what happens when a Senate seat suddenly becomes vacant? Here is a step-by-step guide to the temporary appointment process …
- Politics
Why Trump has not signed the bipartisan housing bill, and what it means for home prices
Congress passed the largest housing bill in many decades with overwhelming majorities, but Trump canceled the signing ceremony at the last minute to pressure the Senate on a separate election bill — leaving the housing l…
- Politics
What does a Patriot production license for Ukraine mean?
The U.S. has just reversed decades of policy, agreeing to let Ukraine manufacture its own Patriot interceptor missiles — the most important air defense weapon against Russian ballistic missiles. This is something everyon…
- Politics
How does ICE investigate online critics? What you need to know
An internal ICE division is sending warnings to social media users who criticize immigration employees — even as independent ICE oversight bodies have been nearly completely stripped of their staff.
- US
Why did the White House say Smithsonian museum leadership is 'not trustworthy'?
On Independence Day, July 4th, the White House Domestic Policy Council publicly released a report, published late in the day, accusing the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution - particularly the National Museum of A…
- Politics
Left-wing candidates win consecutive races, Democratic Party faces difficult choice
From New York to Denver, candidates identifying as democratic socialists have successively defeated longtime Democratic members in primary elections — raising questions about the party's direction ahead of the upcoming n…
This section is brand new — we just added “What to Know,” so there are only a handful of explainers for now. More are on the way.