Good morning, good afternoon, good evening.
It’s Sunday, September 28th, and this is The Record🗞️.
Today’s show is a doozy - it’s about violence, power, and who gets to belong in America.From mass shootings in three U.S. cities, to Trump sending troops into Portland, to the arrest of Des Moines’ schools chief by ICE, and Russia launching one of its most sustained assaults on Ukraine—This isn’t just chaos. This is the news.
And I’m not letting it get buried under neutrality.So here we go.
đź“° Headline Rundown
🗞️ 1: Deadly Mass Shootings in North Carolina, Texas, and New Orleans What’s happening: Three separate shootings in less than 12 hours left at least six people dead and 16 more wounded. In North Carolina, a gunman opened fire from a boat into a crowd at a waterfront bar in Southport. In Texas, a shooter at the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino killed two and injured five more. And in New Orleans, shots rang out on Bourbon Street, killing a woman and injuring three others.What to know: These shootings weren’t connected, but together they mark mass shooting number 320 of the year. The North Carolina suspect has been detained after Coast Guard crews caught him pulling his boat out of the water. In Texas, authorities are still searching for the shooter. In New Orleans, police haven’t yet named a suspect or motive.My take: This isn’t random. This is America. Three different cities, three different settings—a bar, a casino, a tourist street—and the throughline is access to guns and the normalization of mass death. We’re living in a country where one Saturday night can map three tragedies onto three communities. The system doesn’t call that a crisis, but it is.
🗞️ 2: Trump Deploys National Guard to PortlandWhat’s happening: President Trump is sending troops to Portland, Oregon, saying he’s protecting Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities that are “under siege” by Antifa and “other domestic terrorists.” This comes just weeks after he officially labeled Antifa a “major terrorist organization.”What to know: Portland has long been a sanctuary city, refusing to help enforce federal immigration laws. The Trump administration is threatening to withhold $350 million in grants for sticking to that stance. The city has pushed back—joining lawsuits, issuing zoning violation notices against ICE, and considering making sanctuary status permanent in local law.My take: This isn’t about safety. This is about control. Trump is using the National Guard like his personal police force—punishing cities that resist his immigration agenda. And if the term “war-ravaged” is being used to describe Portland, you know the rhetoric is detached from reality. What’s happening isn’t war. It’s democracy being tested by force.
🗞️ 3: Des Moines Superintendent Arrested by ICE What’s happening: Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, was arrested Friday by immigration agents who claim he’s in the country illegally and under a 2024 removal order. He was stopped while driving a school-issued car and reportedly tried to flee before being caught with help from state police. The school board placed him on paid leave the next day.What to know: Roberts leads a district of 30,000 students. His arrest shocked parents, teachers, and local officials, who say they still don’t have all the facts. ICE claims he had no authorization to work in the U.S. and that his removal order was final.My take: Think about the message this sends: the head of an entire school system taken off the streets like a fugitive. Whether you agree with immigration enforcement or not, this isn’t just about one man’s status—it’s about optics. It says that no one is too respected, too established, or too necessary to escape ICE’s grip. It’s a chilling reminder of how quickly the ground can shift under someone’s feet.
🗞️ 4: Russia Launches Massive Attack on Kyiv What’s happening: Russia fired nearly 600 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine overnight in one of the most sustained assaults of the war so far. At least four people are confirmed dead, dozens more injured. The bombardment lasted more than 12 hours and stretched across seven regions.What to know: Poland, Ukraine’s neighbor, closed parts of its airspace and scrambled fighter jets until the danger passed. Moscow claims the strikes targeted military-industrial enterprises. President Zelensky called the attack “vile” and urged the world to increase sanctions, saying Russia “wants to continue fighting and killing.”My take: These attacks aren’t about one factory or one military site—they’re about breaking resilience, stretching people to their limit, and proving that Moscow won’t stop. But Kyiv is still standing. And every time it does, it proves that the war isn’t just about weapons, it’s about endurance. The longer this goes on, the higher the cost for ordinary people.
🧠Gut Check Three American cities scarred by bullets. Troops ordered into Portland to protect an agency that separates families. A school district leader hauled away by immigration agents. Hundreds of drones raining down on Kyiv.Different stories, same theme: unchecked power and the human cost.The question isn’t whether the system is broken. It’s who it’s breaking—over and over again.
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