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Two days later, White House press secretary Karoline Leavittcriticized Bad Bunny for "trying to demonize law enforcement."Later in the week,Leavitt said President Donald Trump"would much rather prefer aKid Rock performance over Bad Bunny," referring to theTurning Point USAcounter-halftime show.

With only days to Sunday's Super Bowl, all eyes are on the 31-year-old reggaeton artist and not just for his music.

"He probably won't even have the most political halftime show on immigration," says Sam Sanders,host of KCRW's "The Sam Sanders Show." In 2020, when JLo and Shakira co-headlined, they had "kids in mock-up cages to shine a light onDonald Trump's immigration policy during his first term. Bad Bunny has already said enough to be political."

"The halftime show is secondary at this point," he adds.

TheNFL partnered with Jay-Z and Roc Nationto produce the Apple Music Halftime Show in 2019, and ever since,The Weeknd,Usher,Rihanna,Kendrick Lamar, and others have been tapped to headline.

"There's been this narrative that makes it seem as if so many of the halftime shows since then have been problems because they're too political," Sanders says. But the ratings haven't wavered;Lamar's 2025 halftime show performancebecame the most-watched of all time with 133.5 million viewers.

And if viewers knew where to look − beyond actor Samuel L. Jackson appearing as Uncle Sam or backup dancers dressed in white, red, and blue lining up to create the illusion of the American flag − Lamar's halftime set spoke to the Black experience, racial injustice and referenced Gil Scott-Heron's famous 1971 "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" spoken word poem.

It was a nod to how art and music have been used to move culture forward and spark social movements, all while still entertaining.

"Historically, music and art are political," says Darlene Lopez, Founder and Managing Director ofEvoke Creative. "But I do feel it's a bit unfair how much expectation is had on Black and brown artists to make a political statement."

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Does Bad Bunny owe fans a grand political statement at the Super Bowl?

Bad Bunny's political stance on issues affecting Puerto Rico, specifically, and the Latino community has been firm since the start.

During Trump's first term, two back-to-back hurricanes, including Hurricane Maria, ravaged the island in 2017, and the "Turista" artist criticized the president for his response and lack of aid to Puerto Rico. He's spoken up against transphobia and opposed colonialism and gentrification in Puerto Rico, and in 2019, he stopped hisEuropean tour to return home to protestwhenPuerto Ricans were demanding Governor Ricardo Rosselló's resignation.

For Bad Bunny, every album, every tour and every day is a new opportunity to reach new career heights.

In November 2025, the Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar kicked off his 24-date DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour with back-to-back nights in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Then, in December, her performed more shows in Mexico City before kicking off the new year in Santiago, Chile, and then making a quit pit stop back in the states to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in February.

Scroll through to see some of the best moments from Benito's world tour, which is sponsored in part by Hennessy. In this photo, Bad Bunny performs during the world tour opener at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Nov. 21, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs during his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour at the Atanasio Girardot Stadium in Medellin, Colombia, on Jan. 23, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny is set to hit the Super Bowl halftime show stage in the San Francisco Bay Area in two weeks.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Fans of Bad Bunny await his concert on Jan. 23, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A vendor shows Bad Bunny-themed t-shirts outside the Atanasio Girardot Stadium before the artist's concert in Medellin, Colombia on Jan. 23, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs during his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour in Colombia.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A street vendor sells Bad Bunny merchandise outside the Atanasio Girardot Stadium.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A fan wears a Bad Bunny-themed outfit.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs during his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour in Colombia.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> During the first act of the night on Dec. 11 in Mexico City, Bad Bunny welcomed Lorén Aldarondo Torres, the lead singer for the band Chuwi for a performance of "WELTiTA."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny and J Balvin found their way back to the "Oasis" of friendship recently. The Latin music superstars, who'd been rumored to be feuding, reconciled during a surprise reunion at Bad Bunny's Mexico City concert on Dec. 21, as seen in social media footage of the pair's performance.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> For the Dec. 11 date, Bad Bunny brought out Colombian singer Feid for the exclusive song of the night "Perro Negro."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> During Bad Bunny's fourth night in Mexico City on Dec. 15, 2025, the Puerto Rican star invited Mexican music group Grupo Frontera as his special guest to perform "un x100to."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs onstage with Grupo Frontera in Mexico City on Dec. 15, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs on stage during Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour at Estadio GNP Seguros on Dec. 11, 2025, in Mexico City, Mexico.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> As he shared Puerto Rico with the world this summer, Bad Bunny's La Casita stage − designed after a traditional home − became one of the hottest celeb destinations of the season.

Week after week, the casita welcomed A-listers, from NBA legend LeBron James to "Mad Men" actor Jon Hamm. Bad Bunny's "Caught Stealing" costar Austin Butler also attended, and singer Becky G, actress Penélope Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem, fellow Boricua Ricky Martin and Mexican pop star Belinda were a few of the many spotted in the VIP section at the shows.

And for the world tour shows, it's no different. Mexican actor Diego Boneta was spotted at the HENNESSY CLúB stationed at GNP Seguros Stadium, an elevated pre-show interactive experience featuring signature cocktails and immersive brand moments.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Manifest" and "Jurassic World Rebirth" actress Luna Blaise was also spotted at the Hennessy activation.

The Mexico City experience brought together creators, tastemakers, media and fans to honor the vibrant spirit of the city while spotlighting Hennessy's ongoing partnership with Bad Bunny and the brand's commitment to championing Latin culture around the world.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Diego Boneta attends Bad Bunny's "DtMF" concert in Mexico City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs on stage during Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour world tour at Estadio GNP Seguros on Dec. 11, 2025, in Mexico City, Mexico.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Audience reacts as Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs during a concert of his "DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS World Tour" in Mexico City on Dec. 10, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs onstage with Grupo Frontera on Dec. 15, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> TikTok creator Zack Lugo attends Bad Bunny's "DtMF" concert in Mexico City with Hennessy.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Audience use their phones as Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs during a concert of his "DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS World Tour" in Mexico City on Dec. 10, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs on stage at Estadio GNP Seguros on Dec. 10, 2025, in Mexico City, Mexico.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs on stage at Estadio GNP Seguros on Dec. 10, 2025, in Mexico City, Mexico.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny is projected on a screen as he performs in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Dec. 5, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny's tour kickoff on Nov. 21, 2025, began with a visualizer showing two boys hearing the news that he didn't want to leave Puerto Rico, a nod to his groundbreaking "No Me Quiero Ir de Aqui" residency.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny's shows will unfold in three acts, with the beginning act taking place on the main stage. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The second act continues in La Casita, where Bad Bunny treats the concert like one big house party. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> To close out the night on Nov. 21, 2025, Bad Bunny delivered a heartfelt moment with "DtMF" and projected fan photos on the towering LED screen.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> With Bad Bunny's latest tour, which began with his Puerto Rico residency, he is set to make history as the first Latin act to headline stadiums globally, including Europe, Australia and Latin America.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny's roster of A-list celebs attending his shows has also proved his music transcends language, borders and cultures − and that whoever isn't caught up on his game is losing out on one of the most influential artists of our time.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" pays tribute to Bad Bunny's Boricua roots and sees the singer incorporate traditional genres such as Plena, salsa, and jibaro into his signature Latin urbano sound.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> As Bad Bunny continues to make history with his world tour, he also continues to dominate global streaming lists of 2025. For the fourth time, Bad Bunny was named Spotify's Global Top Artist.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> In statistics shared exclusively with USA TODAY, Spotify revealed that if a single person attempted to listen to all the Bad Bunny streams from 2025 back-to-back, it would take 124,620 years or over 1,200 centuries of non-stop music. He has a loyal band of 27 million listeners and every day his music is streamed over 60 million times on the app.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Luna Blaise attends Bad Bunny's "DtMF" concert in Mexico City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> TikTok creator Zack Lugo attends Bad Bunny's "DtMF" concert in Mexico City with Hennessy.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs on stage during Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs onstage with Grupo Frontera.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs onstage with Grupo Frontera.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs onstage with Grupo Frontera on Dec. 15, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Best moments from Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour

ForBad Bunny, every album, every tour and every day is a new opportunity to reach new career heights.In November 2025, the Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar kicked off his 24-dateDeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tourwith back-to-back nights in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Then, in December, her performed more shows in Mexico City before kicking off the new year in Santiago, Chile, and then making a quit pit stop back in the states to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in February.Scroll through to see some of the best moments from Benito's world tour, which is sponsored in part by Hennessy. In this photo, Bad Bunny performs during the world tour opener at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Nov. 21, 2025.

"There's an expectation of Bad Bunny also because he's shown time and time again that that's important to him and his brand," adds Lopez. "He has managed to make music that you could shake your butt to that was also addressing blackouts in Puerto Rico" with "El Apagón" from 2022's "Un Verano Sin Ti," she says.

Petra Rivera-Rideau, a professor at Wellesley College and academic expert on reggaetón, says that Bad Bunny's commitment is "always to Puerto Rico."

"He speaks up about those things because he's a concerned citizen, not because he feels, as a celebrity, that he has an obligation to do so," she says.

'An artist's job is to perform their craft'

ForVanessa Díaz, a Loyola Marymount University professor and cocreator of theBad Bunny Syllabus Project, the answer to whether the four-timeSpotify Global Top Artist, or any other celebrity with a massive platform, owes the public anything beyond their art is twofold.

"I don't think that any artist owes anyone anything," says Díaz. "What the artist owes them is being their true selves, and if that is a grand political statement, then it is, and if it's not, then it's not. An artist's job is to perform and share their craft in a way that feels true to their artist self, and Bad Bunny always does that."

Authenticity to Bad Bunny has meant speaking up for Puerto Rico and "very specifically focused on performing in Spanish, in Puerto Rican Spanish, and not accommodating an English market in that way," Díaz adds. "We cannot underestimate how political it is."

Bad Bunny accepts the album of the year award for "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" onstage during the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny poses with the album of the year, best música urbana album and best global music performance awards during the 68th Grammy Awards.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs onstage during the first show of his 30-date (which ended up being 31 in total) concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 11, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny thanked his fans for "letting me sing in my home in front of my friends, my family and my people" on what was the final night of his residency in September 2025. "Thank you for that," he said. "I love you, thank you for being a part of this."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> On top of his Puerto Rico residency, Bad Bunny was also juggling life as a Hollywood actor attending the premiere of "Caught Stealing" on Aug. 26, 2025, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny starred alongside Austin Butler in the movie.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Earlier in summer 2025, Bad Bunny was spotted at Netflix's "Happy Gilmore 2" premiere on July 21, 2025, in New York City, which he starred alongside Adam Sandler.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny at the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025. Bad Bunny gave a playful Puerto Rican twist to the Black dandy theme with a crisp espresso brown suit. He paired the custom-made Prada ensemble with a brimmed hat resembling a pava, a traditional straw hat made from leaves of the Puerto Rican hat palm.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> In February 2025, Bad Bunny attended "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs during his Most Wanted Tour at the Kaseya Center in Miami on May 24, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny attends the Dior Homme Menswear spring/summer 2025 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs at the Crypto.com Arena during his Most Wanted tour in Los Angeles, March 13, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />  Cardi B, Chencho Corleone, Ivy Queen and reggaeton duo Jowell y Randy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> declaring Oct. 1 as the official Bad Bunny Day. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> two new wax figures at Orlando and New York's Madame Tussauds on April 19, 2022. The figure at Madame Tussauds New York is wearing the iconic all-silver look from the Grammy-winner's 2020 Super Bowl performance alongside Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and J Balvin, complete with the same silver jacket he wore. The wax figure in Orlando is wearing an outfit originally from his WWE Royal Rumble performance and is featured in his "Booker T" music video. For the figure, Bad Bunny donated his trenchcoat, vest, trousers, and pants. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny is set to portray the title role in "El Muerto," making history as Marvel's first Latino lead in a live-action film. He calls the film the "perfect role" for him.

Before suiting up as the super-powered wrestler, the Puerto Rican rapper will make his big-screen acting debut in the neon-drenched "Bullet Train" (in theaters July 29), doing battle with Brad Pitt. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> April 2021 at WWE's WrestleMania 37. In this photo, taken Jan. 29, 2022, Bad Bunny jumped into the ring again during the Royal Rumble match at The Dome at America's Center. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 22nd Latin Grammy Awards. That night he took home the award for best rap/hip hop song for "Booker T" and best urban music album for "El Último Tour del Mundo." " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Bad Bunny makes history at the Grammys. The Puerto Rican star's career in photos.

Bad Bunny accepts the album of the year award for "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" onstage during the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles

For Sanders, this halftime showdisplays the NFL's global ambitionsand it's almost a disservice to only focus on the political.

"If we let the conversation just be about American politics and Bad Bunny, we're missing the point," he says. "This is a moment in which America needs to realize that we aren't the only people in the room. The NFL wants to talk to the entire world, and Bad Bunny already does."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Will Bad Bunny make a political statement at the Super Bowl?

The recall wasannounced by the Food & Drug Administrationafter it emerged that more than 6,000 units had been repackaged by Beacon Promotions Inc. without advisories that they may contain milk, soy and peanuts.

It was first issued on January 26, and on Wednesday, the FDA classified the recall as Class II, meaning consuming the product could cause "temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences."

However, the recall only affects consumers who may beallergic or sensitive to soy, peanuts or milk; the candies themselves are safe to eat, and those without allergies will not be affected by their consumption.

The M&M's in question were distributed in packaging that was labelled for promotional purposes,according to the FDA,and could contain any of the following promotional labels or packages:

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Next Up; Smith Pro; Jaxport, Jacksonville Port Authority; Climax Molybdenum, A Freeport-McMoRan Company; University of Maryland, School of Public Policy; Liberty University Environmental Health & Safety; Subaru; Trinity Cyb3r; Candy Treats; JSE, Jordan & Skala Engineers; Dropbox DocSend; PP, Prosperity Promotions; Northwest Indian College Foundation; FES Branding Solutions; Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies; merry maids Annual 26 Conference; BW, Best Western; Morgan Stanley; tufin; Compliments of Pioneer; A.D. Morgan, Construction Manager, Design Builder, General Contractor; Adobe; Xfinity; Fundermax Interiors; White Cup; Acadia Commercial; Aviagen; ORG Expo; and Make Your Mark.

The recalled repackaged M&M's Peanut candies can be identified by the "Make Your Mark" label with lot code M1823200 and a "best by" date of April 30, 2026.

Regular M&M's candies being recalled all have the lot code L450ARCLV03 with a "best by" date of December 1, 2025; the lot code L502FLHKP01 with a "best by" date of January 1, 2026; the lot code L523CMHKP01 with a "best by" date of June 30, 2026; or the lot code L537GMHKP01 with a "best by" date of September 1, 2026.

They were distributed in the following 20 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Anyone who has the products in question and is allergic to or sensitive to nuts, soy, or milk should throw them away. Those who are not allergic or sensitive can safely consume them.

HPG Brands, the parent company of Beacon Promotions Inc., did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how the labelling mix-up had occurred.

But Vargas said that within days of the family's being detained and sent to the prisonlike facility in South Texas — where guards patrol the halls and the lights never turn off — her daughter began to unravel.

After years without accidents, Maria started wetting her pants and her bed. She cried through the night, asking when she and her parents would return to their apartment in New York. She begged to start breastfeeding again.

Vargas, who was deported to Colombia with her family in November after having spent nearly two months at Dilley, said she never imagined the United States could act so callously.

"How are they going to do this to a child?" Vargas told NBC News, speaking in Spanish. "How could this happen here?"

Accounts from detained families, their lawyers and court filings describe the federal detention center in Dilley as a place where hundreds of children languish as they're served contaminated food, receive little education and struggle to obtain basic medical care.

The center was thrust into the national spotlight last month after Immigration and Customs Enforcementtook Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy, to the facility following his father's arrest in Minneapolis — an encounter captured in a photograph showing the boy in a blue bunny hat as he was taken into federal custody.

The image ricocheted across the country, igniting outrage from lawmakers and the public. To many Americans, it was a sudden introduction to the harsh realities of ICE'sincreasing reliance on family detention. But to Vargas and the lawyers who have spent months tracking conditions at Dilley, Liam's fearful expression — andhis father's accountof the child falling ill while detained — captured something painfully familiar.

"Liam is all the kids there," said Becky Wolozin, a senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law, which monitors conditions at the facility under a long-standing federal court settlement. "Just like Liam, we've had families tell us how their children have been horribly sick and throwing up repeatedly, refusing to eat and becoming despondent and listless."

Those concerns have taken on new urgency in recent days after health officials confirmedtwo measles cases among people detainedat Dilley. Advocates and medical experts warn that a highly contagious disease spreading inside a crowded facility housing young children — some already medically vulnerable — poses an acute public-health risk.

Lawyers representing families at Dilley say they have struggled to get clear answers from the Department of Homeland Security about the outbreak, including any steps being taken to limit its spread or verify whether children are vaccinated.

DHS didn't answer questions from NBC News about conditions at Dilley. It has defended its use of family detention, saying in statements and legal filings that detainees are provided basic necessities and that officials work to ensure children and adults are safe.

Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, whichhas a contractto run the facility that's expected to bring in $180 million annually, referred questions about Dilley to DHS and said in a statement that "the health and safety of those entrusted to our care" is the company's top priority.

Since April, when the federal governmentresumed large-scale family detentionas part of the Trump administration's vow to dramatically escalate immigration arrests and deportations, an estimated 1,800 children had passed through Dilley as of December, according to figures provided by court-appointed monitors. About 345 children were being held there with parents that month, Wolozin said. Some families remain for a few weeks; others have been detained for more than six months.

Family detention was common during the Obama administration, and it expanded in President Donald Trump's first term, before being largely halted under President Joe Biden. Unlike earlier iterations of family detention, many of the children now held at Dilley are U.S. residents, apprehended not at the border but at their homes, outside schools, in courthouses and during routine immigration check-ins.

The Trump administration has argued the practice allows parents and children to remain together while removal proceedings are pending. But advocates and human rights groups say detaining children is harmful and never warranted, noting that families with pending immigration cases have historically been allowed to remain together outside detention, including through the use of ankle monitors.

The overwhelming majority of parents detained with children are sent to Dilley, a sprawling complex set amid scrubland an hour south of San Antonio, far from the communities where the families had been living.

As immigration lawyers began sounding the alarm about conditions at the facility, the Trump administrationfiled a motion last springtooverturn a decades-old legal settlementrequiring basic rights for immigrant children in federal custody — safeguards that advocates say DHS is already violating. The protections, known as the Flores Settlement Agreement,trace back to a 1985 class-action lawsuitagainst the federal government alleging that immigrant children were being held in unsafe conditions.

Interviews with immigration lawyers, Liam's father and the Vargas family and dozens of sworn declarations from detained familiesfiled as part of the recent Flores litigationdescribe a facility that functions far more like a prison than a child care center: constant surveillance, rigid schedules, overnight bed checks. Parents report that many children stop eating, lose weight and become withdrawn.

Families describe sleeping in crowded, dorm-style rooms with little privacy and filthy shared bathrooms. Outdoor areas are largely concrete and tightly supervised, parents say, and there are few toys or activities to occupy children indoors.

"It is a prison where we are keeping children as young as 1 year old," said Elora Mukherjee, a professor at Columbia Law School and director of its Immigrants' Rights Clinic, who has represented several detained families. "We're keeping children there who are currently breastfeeding. It's unconscionable."

Food is a recurring source of distress. Court filings describe meals that are greasy, heavily seasoned or inappropriate for preschoolers and infants. Several parents said they found worms or mold. Some children survive largely on crackers and juice. One mother said she resorted to sucking pasta sauce off noodles for her child, hoping he would eat.

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"My younger son does not eat the food here, he is hungry all the time," another mother wrote in a sworn declaration submitted to federal court. "He will only accept breastmilk and it is not enough for him. He is growing. He is two and a half, and he needs to eat."

Parents of children too young to grasp what was happening said they struggled to keep up a facade of normality. Adrián Alexander Conejo Arias, Liam's father,told Noticias Telemundohepassed the time by retelling storiesfrom episodes of "Bluey," the popular children's show about a family of blue heeler dogs, and recounting happy memories. He could do little else "except hug him and tell him everything would be OK," Conejo said.

Education is an afterthought at Dilley, parents and lawyers say. Children get no more than an hour of daily instruction, and overcrowding means some are turned away. The work consists largely of worksheets and coloring pages, parents say. Older children say they're bored, falling behind and missing their teachers and classmates.

"Inside the classroom, there are two women laughing in English and watching YouTube," a 14-year-old detainee wrote in a sworn declaration. "I was in 9th grade before I came here. If I had to go back to my country now, I'd have to repeat the grade because of all the school I've lost."

Medical care also is often cursory, families report, even when children show signs of serious illness or injury. In several cases described in court declarations, children — including some with developmental delays or chronic conditions — regressed while they were detained, losing language skills, wetting themselves or engaging in self-harm. Some parents said their complaints were dismissed until their children's conditions worsened significantly.

Eric Lee, an immigration attorney who has represented families at Dilley, described a child suffering from appendicitis who collapsed in pain after having been denied meaningful medical attention. The child passed out in a hallway vomiting and writhing, Lee said, only to be offered Tylenol.

The psychological toll can be just as severe. During a recent visit, Lee said, a 5-year-old girl described a recurring nightmare: A large animal chases her, but she can't outrun it because she's trapped in a cage.

She and her siblings "wake up crying for their mom every night because they're worried they're going to get separated from her," Lee said.

Lawyers representing detainees argue that prolonged confinement in harsh conditions — coupled with repeated warnings about family separation — is meant to coerce parents into abandoning pending asylum claims that could allow them to remain in the U.S.

DHS tells detained families, "Well, if you want this to stop, agree to give up your case," said Javier Hidalgo, legal director for RAICES, which provides legal support for immigrant families in Texas, including at Dilley. "We've heard that time and time again."

Kelly Vargas said she and her husband felt that pressure from the moment they arrived at Dilley with their daughter, Maria.

The family came to the U.S. in 2022 after having fled Colombia and settled in New York, where they checked in regularly with immigration officials. They had applied for special visas for human trafficking victims,saying they were subjected to forced laborand death threats while they were traveling through Mexico.

After they were arrested during a September check-in and sent to Dilley, Vargas said, officers repeatedly pressured her and her husband to drop their visa applications.

"He told us that if we didn't deport ourselves, they were going to take our daughter from us," she said. "Our daughter would be left in the custody of the state, where not even our lawyers would know where she was."

At first, Vargas said, she and her husband resisted, determined to fight for the life they had built in New York, where he worked in construction during the day and she worked as a waitress and cleaner overnight. They initially told Maria they were on vacation in Texas, but the girl knew better. She would drop to her knees and beg to go home to see her cat, Milo. At times, Vargas said, she screamed so intensely that even staff members appeared shaken.

"Get me out of here," she would cry. "I want to leave."

Maria's health quickly declined, Vargas said. She developed a persistent cough and struggled to eat, losing weight as the days passed. Then, Vargas said, a staff member who was cleaning accidentally struck her daughter in the eye with a mop, drawing blood.

Despite her daughter's continued complaints of blurred vision, sensitivity to light and hearing problems, Vargas said, doctors dismissed her concerns and delayed further evaluation.

With her daughter ailing, Vargas said, she and her husband finally agreed to leave.

They were deported to Colombia in November.

Healing from the ordeal has taken longer, Vargas said. Maria still has vision problems and headaches. The sweet girl who loved her teacher and played with Barbies is now fearful and withdrawn, talking often about her weeks in Texas and the workers who watched over her.

Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.

"It's the bad men," she says.

Feb 6 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a challenge to a move by President Donald Trump's administration to ban diversity, equity and ​inclusion programs at federal agencies and businesses with government contracts.

A three-judge panel of the ‌Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an injunction that would have blocked Trump's administration from implementing executive ‌orders he signed shortly after taking office last year aimed at eliminating DEI programming in the government and private sector.

The court in March 2025 at the administration's urging put on hold that preliminary injunction, which had been issued by Baltimore-based U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson, while it weighed the government's appeal.

Democracy ⁠Forward, a liberal legal group that ‌represented the plaintiffs, said it is reviewing the ruling. The White House had no immediate comment.

Abelson's ruling came in a lawsuit by the city of ‍Baltimore, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and the American Association of University Professors.

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They challenged provisions of Trump's executive orders that directed federal agencies to eliminate DEI programs, certify government contractors and grant ​recipients do not operate them, and work with the Justice Department to take measures to ‌deter DEI programs and investigate companies with such policies.

Abelson had concluded Trump's directives likely violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment free speech protections and impose vague standards that fail to comply with the Fifth Amendment's due process requirements.

But U.S. Circuit Judge Albert Diaz, writing for Friday's panel, said Trump's directives could not be challenged head-on, saying they could instead be challenged based on how agencies ⁠apply them to specific grant recipients.

"President Trump has decided ​that equity isn't a priority in his administration and ​so has directed his subordinates to terminate funding that supports equity-related projects to the maximum extent allowed by law," Diaz wrote. "Whether that's sound policy or not isn't ‍our call."

Diaz, an appointee of ⁠Democratic President Barack Obama, in a separate concurring opinion said he had reached his conclusion "reluctantly," saying the evidence suggested a "sinister story" that resulted in important programs being terminated by ⁠keyword.

"For those disappointed by the outcome, I say this: Follow the law," Diaz wrote. "Continue your critical work. Keep the ‌faith. And depend on the Constitution, which remains a beacon amid the tumult."

(Reporting by ‌Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alistair Bell)

"When I woke up that morning [of the Oscar nominations] and received a few text messages with that news, I was beside myself," she told Yahoo. "I continue to have these 'Pinch me' moments as someone lucky and privileged enough to be part of this ongoing journey."

The Ryan Coogler film, whichoverperformed at the box officewhile earning near-universal critical acclaim, has taken on a life far beyond its initial release. What began as a grueling production has evolved into a shared experience that feels more meaningful than the trophies it's bound to continue picking up.

"It's such an amazing feeling to be part of something that's so loved and recognized," Steinfeld said. "This is one of the most special things I've ever been a part of. This journey continues, and I'm so proud of everyone involved."

That pride is rooted in howSinnerswas made, not just how it's been received. Production unfolded in New Orleans during hurricane season, with night shoots stretching into their third week and weather that refused to cooperate. The conditions were demanding — and at times, disorienting.

"There were moments where we'd look at each other and think,What are we doing? Are we on the right path? Is this going to work?" Steinfeld admitted. "But then you'd look around and see who was involved, see the level of passion and commitment, and know it was something special."

That trust, forged under pressure, carried the cast through the toughest stretches of filming and continues to anchor them now. There's aSinnersgroup chat that remains active as awards season unfolds. Omar Benson Miller cracks the most jokes, according to Steinfeld, who added that the group chat isn't going anywhere once trophies are handed out.

Awards season itself, she acknowledged, brings its own intensity. The schedule is relentless. The rooms are crowded. Staying grounded, she said, requires intention.

"It can be incredibly overwhelming and overstimulating," Steinfeld explained. "It's so easy to get somewhere and start counting down the time — your feet are killing you, the dress is too tight — but I really try to be present."

That awareness hit her recently at the Golden Globes, after hours of waiting and finally settling into her seat. "You feel like you've landed," she said. "It's surreal. It's such an honor to be in that room."

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When the noise gets loud, Steinfeld leans on the same instinct that helped her through hurricane-season night shoots: staying close to her people. "Knowing we're in our little bubble together helps," she said. "That leaning on each other from making the film continues through all of these moments."

That sense of community extends beyond awards season and into Super Bowl Sunday, which Steinfeld approaches with the same mix of enthusiasm and intentionality. A self-described host who loves to cook and commit to a theme, she sees the day less as a game to watch than an atmosphere to build. Sunday's plans are still coming together. Steinfeld said she's "just getting settled" and still figuring out what Super Bowl Sunday will look like with her husband, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

"I do love to host. I love to cook. I love a good theme," she said. "Creating a menu, creating the energy — that's my favorite part."

While the specifics are still TBD, Steinfeld is clear about what matters most when she opens her home. "The people," she said without hesitation. "If you have a good group of people, you're set. It doesn't matter what food is on the table or what music is playing."

Food, she admitted, still ranks high. "If it's not great," she laughed, "you've lost me."

As for where her attention will land once kickoff happens: the game, commercials or the Super Bowl halftime performer, Bad Bunny? "All of the above," she said. She does acknowledge having a rooting interest this year, thanks to "our dear friend Sam." Steinfeld and Allen's dear friend is Sam Darnold,quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.

That blend of high stakes and lightness is part of what makes Super Bowl Sunday such a cultural gravitational force — and it's also why Steinfeld's latest project fits so naturally into the moment. This year, she appears in aState Farm Super Bowl spot, a production she described as both massive in scale and unexpectedly fun.

"First of all, just the people involved," she said. "Working with Keegan-Michael Key and Danny McBride made for some of the most fun few days I've ever had on set."

What surprised her most was the sheer scale of the production. "They left no stone unturned," she said. "They didn't hold back in any aspect. It brought together the most amazing team, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera."

It's a different kind of spotlight from awards season — louder, faster and instantly visible to millions — but one Steinfeld clearly embraces. (Shedid a spot last year, too.) "I'm excited for everyone to see it."

Right now, Steinfeld finds herself at a rare intersection: a Super Bowl moment, major career momentum and the anticipationof welcoming her first child. It's a season moving quickly, one she's focused on experiencing as fully as possible.