Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported mistakenly from the U.S. to El Salvador in March, says he was brutally beaten and subjected to psychological torture while held in one of the Central American country's most notorious prisons.

A document filed Wednesday in federal district court in Maryland says Garcia was "subjected to severe mistreatment" when he arrived at CECOT, a mega-prison located in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The court document says Abrego Garcia's treatment included "severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture."

Abrego Garcia's lawyers shared the details about his treatment in CECOT in order to argue to a judge that he should not be deported to El Salvador, or any other country that could end up sending him there, "without prior notice and opportunity to be heard."

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A fast-moving wildfire in central California became the largest in the state this year after exploding in size overnight as hot temperatures and dry conditions increased the wildfire risk ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.

The Madre Fire broke out on the afternoon of July 2 in a remote area of central California near Highway 166, according to Cal Fire. The fire rapidly spread to over 35,000 acres overnight as it burned through grasslands in a section of the Los Padres National Park.

By 5 p.m. PT on July 3, the fire grew to more than 52,000 acres and was only 5% contained, according to Cal Fire data. Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for small communities near Highway 166 as the fire moved toward the Carrizo Plain National Monument, about 69 miles southeast of San Luis Obispo, California.

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Israel has escalated its offensive in Gaza before imminent talks about a ceasefire, with warships and artillery launching one of the deadliest and most intense bombardments in the devastated Palestinian territory for many months.

Medics and officials in Gaza reported that about 90 people were killed overnight and on Thursday, including many women and children. On Tuesday night and Wednesday the toll was higher, they said. Casualties included Marwan al-Sultan, a cardiologist and director of the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza, who died in an airstrike that also killed his wife and five children.

In all, about 300 people may have been killed this week and thousands more injured, according to the officials.

Despite the new wave of violence in Gaza, hopes of a ceasefire have risen after Donald Trump’s announcement on Tuesday that Israel had accepted the terms of a potential deal with Hamas. The deal would involve a 60-day initial pause in hostilities, a part withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of some of the hostages still held by Hamas.

Israel’s security cabinet was scheduled to meet on Thursday night to decide whether to move swiftly towards an agreement with Hamas or order further military escalation.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, is due to fly on Sunday to Washington for talks with Trump and senior US officials. They are expected to discuss a ceasefire, the recent war between Israel and Iran, and possibilities for ambitious regional agreements.

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Michael Madsen, a prolific actor whose career was punctuated by a longstanding collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, has died at 67.

Madsen died Thursday, July 3, following a cardiac arrest, manager Ron Smith confirmed to USA TODAY.

Madsen, who appeared in some of Tarantino's biggest films, including "Reservoir Dogs," "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," was known for playing a tough guy on screen and enjoyed success in the movie business for over four decades, racking up some 300 credits.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is placing staffers who signed a letter of dissent against the Trump administration’s actions and policies on leave.

The EPA says it has placed 144 staffers on administrative leave as it investigates the letter. It’s not entirely clear whether they will face further punishment after the probe.

“The Environmental Protection Agency has a zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the administration’s agenda as voted for by the great people of this country last November,” EPA spokesperson Brigit Hirsch said in a written statement.

In a letter made public on Monday, current and former EPA staffers said that the administration’s policies “undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment.”

They expressed concerns about five issues in particular, saying that the administration is undermining public trust, ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters, reversing EPA’s progress in America’s most vulnerable communities, dismantling the Office of Research and Development and promoting a culture of fear.

“Your decisions and actions will reverberate for generations to come. EPA under your leadership will not protect communities from hazardous chemicals and unsafe drinking water, but instead will increase risks to public health and safety,” the staffers wrote to Administrator Lee Zeldin.

In response, the EPA said Monday that it would “continue to work with states, tribes, and communities to advance the agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.”

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The fight is over: Republicans’ sweeping bill to cut taxes and slash benefit programs like Medicaid has passed out of Congress and is on its way to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law during a July 4 ceremony at the White House.

The 218-214 House vote came after a full day of negotiations July 2, an overnight debate and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, delivering the longest House speech on record. Trump met at the White House with skeptical GOP lawmakers, worked the phones and cheered the members on during votes on social media.

It’s a major victory for Trump and Republican leadership in Congress, which captured a trifecta during the 2024 elections and has used that political muscle to force what they've dubbed their "One Big, Beautiful Bill" through both chambers at a rapid-fire pace, despite deep reservations within their own party and unanimous opposition from Democrats who see it as a ticket to winning back congressional majorities in 2026.

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