CIA Issues China–COVID Statement

Mexico Accepted 4 Deportation Flights on Friday, White House SaysMexico has accepted four deportation flights of illegal immigrants from the United States in one day, the White House said on Saturday.

“Yesterday, Mexico accepted a record 4 deportation flights in 1 day!” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a Jan. 25 post on social media platform X. “This comes in addition to unrestricted returns at the land border, the deportation of non-Mexicans, & reinstatement of Remain-in-Mexico. Mexico has also mobilized 30K National Guard.”

Leavitt’s comments followed some media reports that Mexico had refused a deportation flight access to its airspace on Friday, though other deportation flights to Guatemala had continued as scheduled. The Trump administration subsequently said that the delay was due to an administrative issue, and Mexico’s foreign ministry said in a Jan. 24 statement that the country had a “very great relationship” with the United States and cooperated on immigration issues. “When it comes to repatriations, we will always accept the arrival of Mexicans to our territory with open arms,” the ministry said. (More)

DOJ Drops Charges Against Texas Surgeon Who Blew Whistle on Transgender Procedures on MinorsFederal prosecutors have dismissed their case against a Texas surgeon accused of obtaining private information on patients who were not under his care to blow the whistle on transgender operations on minors. Dr. Eithan Haim, 34, allegedly exposed information on transgender-related treatment on minors from a Texas hospital. The manner in which he obtained the records resulted in federal charges against him in U.S. district court in Houston.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote on social media platform X that after his phone call with Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership on Friday, the department was moving to dismiss the charges. Hawley called Haim “the brave whistleblower who exposed illegal gender transition surgeries on minors in Texas … He should be thanked, not prosecuted,” Hawley wrote.

U.S. District Judge David Hittner granted the joint motion to drop the charges, with prejudice, which means the federal government cannot pursue the same charges against Haim in the future. (More)

Paraguay President Reacts to Trump’s Panama Canal CommentsOur colleague Jan Jekielek sat down with the President of Paraguay Santiago Peña to discuss his hopes for the future of the U.S.-Paraguay relations under the Trump administration and what he thinks about the uproar surrounding Trump’s recent comments about the Panama Canal and the Gulf of Mexico.

His response: Many people fail to understand Trump’s strategy. “[Trump] wants to know that the US is being treated fairly, that that asset that was built almost a century ago with the resources of the US…remains a viable source of prosperity and growth for the Americas and the region—and not a tool for the expansion of the Chinese trade,” he said.

“He’s not against Mexico. He’s not against Canada. He’s in favor of Americans, of U.S. citizens. Put them first. And I think this is a great way of thinking,” he said. (Watch the full episode.)

How did you enjoy today’s Morning Brief? Tell us what you think here.