LGBTQIA+ roundup May 2026: Vatican published gay men's testimonies for the first time in history and called conversion therapy "devastating" — weeks after SCOTUS struck down conversion therapy bans 8-1. Gay immigrant Allan Marrero freed after 150 days chained across 6 ICE facilities; no criminal history. Smith College probed by Trump ED for admitting trans women. 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ candidates received death threats in 2026.
#LGBTQIA #Vatican #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle
The Washington Pretzel

ICE omnibus May 9: ICE tackled wrong Bronx teen, split his head open, 7 stitches. Ohio man deported to Laos after 45 years and never missing a check-in. ICE unpaid medical contractors since Oct 2025; detainee attempted suicide after solitary for requesting care. 11th Circuit grants bond hearings. 33 DC warrantless violations found. 287(g) up 13x. CoreCivic +25%. CA Senate 38-0 caps commissary markups.
#ICE #Immigration #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle
The Washington Pretzel | US PoliTickle

Gas update May 2026: national average $4.54/gallon — up 52% since the Iran war began. Pre-war: $2.98. Strait of Hormuz closure = largest oil supply disruption in market history. California: $6.06. Ohio up $2.06. On groceries: USDA revised food forecast to 3.1% for 2026, nearly double January. Beef up 12.1% year-on-year. Purdue: war could add 3-6% to grocery inflation over 18 months. PCE inflation hit 3.5% annual rate.
#GasPrices #Groceries #IranWar #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle

LGBTQIA+ roundup May 7: Trevor Project — 1 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide in 2025; 41% considered it; anti-LGBTQ+ politics are a significant driver; affirming communities cut the attempt rate by two thirds; 15% faced conversion therapy. Botswana formally repealed its colonial-era anti-gay law in March 2026; same-sex couple challenging marriage ban in July. Denver launched Prism, an LGBTQIA+-affirming mental health IOP.
#LGBTQIA #TrevorProject #Botswana #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle

ICE secretly gagged Florida police: consult us before answering any FOIA or Sunshine Law request about immigration enforcement. Florida has among the strongest open records laws in US — ICE is overriding them. Miami-Dade surged from 100 to 971 ICE-certified officers in under 4 months. Records request blocked with $48,394 estimate. Former ICE chief: no operational reason for this secrecy.
#ICE #Florida #FOIA #OpenRecords #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle
The Washington Pretzel | US PoliTickle

ICE detained the Gámez-Cuéllar mariachi brothers — Antonio (18), Caleb (14), Joshua (12) — at a routine check-in in February. They fled cartel violence and entered through asylum. National outrage secured their release. Two weeks later Kacey Musgraves invited them to open three sold-out Gruene Hall shows. The last one is Cinco de Mayo. Antonio is the top mariachi trumpet player in Texas.
#KaceyMusgraves #ICE #MariachiBrothers #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle
The Washington Pretzel

Cuban national Denny Adan Gonzalez, 33, died in ICE custody April 28 at Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. Suspected suicide; official cause under investigation. Found unresponsive at 10:25 pm by CoreCivic staff; pronounced dead at 11:11 pm. He had been reporting voluntarily to ICE in Charlotte until September 2025. ICE custody deaths in 2026: 47. A 20-year high.
#ICE #CoreCivic #ICEDeaths #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle
The Washington Pretzel | US PoliTickle

Economy roundup Apr 27 💀 Consumer sentiment 49.8 — all-time low, worse than every recession since 1952. Meta, Microsoft, Oracle cutting for AI — not bad business. 43% of young grads underemployed. Legal immigration gutted; last US population decline was 1918. Federal workforce 12% smaller. 53% of workers stressed; half use substances; ICE fear cited.
#Economy #AI #Jobs #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle
The Washington Pretzel | US PoliTickle

LGBTQ roundup Apr 26 🏳️‍🌈 Anti-gay pastor Shelton (called Heartstopper "grooming") pleaded guilty to child sex crimes. EU court struck Hungary's LGBTQ media ban — 1st Article 2 violation ever. 2,000 re-raised the Stonewall Pride flag Trump removed. Trans golfer Davidson suing USGA. Boston LGBTQ migrant group got death threats over $7,500 grant. UK LGBTQ nightclub arson arrest. Gay hate crime suspect caught on fare evasion stop.
#LGBTQ #Stonewall #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle

Suspect Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from California. Armed with shotgun, handgun, and knives. One officer saved by vest. AG says he targeted Trump admin officials. Arraigned Monday. 🚨
#WHCD #ColeThomasAllen #WhiteHouseCorrespondentsDinner #BreakingNews #Trump #SecretService #TheWashingtonPretzel #USPoliTickle