What is Alligator Alcatraz?

Today, we're looking at the protests in Kenya and conflicting reports from Kenya's government and civil society groups that are tracking security violence against civilians. We're also covering the earliest known information about the so-called Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center, which is set to be built in Florida. How do Indigenous leaders feel about it? What have environmental groups said? We'll wrap up with the latest on the One Big Beautiful Bill, including an open letter to Congress from Feeding America and its celebrity supporters. All in under 15 minutes!

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok @thefridaybrief and sign up for The Friday Brief newsletter on thefridaybrief.com.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome
• 0:14 What is happening with protests in Kenya?
• 1:52 What is Alligator Alcatraz in Florida?
• 3:27 Will the One Big Beautiful Bill end your healthcare?
• 5:27 Excerpt of Feeding America's Open Letter to Congress
• 7:16 Until next time!

Transcript

Welcome to The Friday Brief, a news podcast by Girl Friday. I’m Phoenix Ricks, the CEO of Girl Friday and your host. This is your brief for June 27, 2025. 

There are deadly protests happening in Kenya. People are demonstrating against the government, which they believe is corrupt. The BBC reported that Kenya's interior minister said police did not use excessive force this week. However, he acknowledged that 10 people were killed. The interior minister added that the protests were "terrorism disguised as dissent" and said they were an "unconstitutional attempt" to force a change in government. He went on to thank security officials for "remarkable restraint amid extreme provocation" and said they helped "foil an attempted coup." He said hundreds were wounded during these protests, including hundreds of police officers. 

The tallies are different for human rights groups. Amnesty International says 16 people were killed, and another human rights group said on Wednesday that three police officers were injured. I’m sure as the dust settles, we’ll have a more accurate count. Still, it does seem that civil society groups are not aligned with the Interior Minister’s perception of these protests. The BBC reported that the Law Society of Kenya said security officers displayed "unnecessary aggression and brute force" that resulted in a "senseless loss of life." 

Now, turning to Florida, where other senseless plans are underway. Alligator Alcatraz has been trending on social media. What exactly is happening in Florida? Well, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration is building an immigration detention center in the Everglades on an old airstrip. Why would Florida put a detention center in the middle of the Everglades? Is that safe? Would anyone ever be in danger because they are surrounded by alligators and pythons on all sides? State officials seem to be okay with that, and the AP says “the Florida Division of Emergency Management did not respond to requests for comment." 

The AP also says that Indigenous leaders, who can trace their heritage back thousands of years in the Everglades region, have condemned these plans, and ABC added that an environmental group for the Everglades has raised serious concerns about the environmental risks posed by construction. Just like with the Oak Flat site in Arizona, which may soon become a mine, our elected officials are ignoring Indigenous communities and environmental scientists and advocates. Not to mention the obvious. It seems cruel and unusual to house people, who may not even be guilty of a crime, in a facility in the middle of the Everglades. 

In more Republican news, yesterday, Donald Trump held an event at the White House to drum up support for the One Big Beautiful Bill, his controversial budget plan. ABC reported that guests at this event included delivery drivers, a barber, Border Patrol agents, and law enforcement officers. Addressing the crowd, Trump said, “We're cutting $1.7 trillion in this bill, and you're not going to feel any of it. And your Medicaid is left alone. It's left the same. Your Medicare and your Social Security are strengthened.” It appears that the White House was attempting to convey that this bill would not harm the working class. 

But that’s not what most analysts, who have reviewed the bill, are saying. If Republicans want tax cuts, they’ve got to have spending cuts. Thus far, it appears that those spending cuts will impact Medicaid, which NPR reports helps more than 75 million Americans with health insurance. Medicaid is extremely popular with voters in both parties and across socioeconomic lines. NPR reports that Republicans are attempting to mitigate fallout by including work requirements in the bill. There’s a problem, though. Most people on Medicaid already work, and if they don’t, it's because they are children, have a disability that prevents them from working, or are elderly. These are some of the very reasons those social services exist in the first place. Now, I’ve just presented some widely circulated data from media outlets that I trust. But I know this administration doesn’t believe it has the best relationship with the media, so perhaps, if you’re a supporter of this administration, hearing that data didn’t impact your perception of the One Big Beautiful Bill. 

So, now, I’m going to read an excerpt from an open letter to Congress from Feeding America, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit that aims to simply end hunger in America. “Ongoing high grocery costs mean food is out of reach for so many families, and many of our neighbors simply do not have enough to eat. They don’t know where their next meal is coming from or if that meal will be enough to nourish and sustain them. Millions of people in this country, including an estimated 15.5 million children and 7.2 million seniors, rely on programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid to make ends meet. These programs make it possible for them to live more healthily and with dignity, in turn helping communities across America to thrive. Congress is now considering a bill that would make some of the largest cuts to SNAP and Medicaid in U.S. history.” 

The letter goes on to say that these cuts could result in the elimination of 9.5 billion meals per year that would have been provided through SNAP. The letter was signed by numerous celebrities, including some of my personal favorites, like Kristen Chenoweth, Danielle Brooks, and David Arquette. If you’re calling your Senators today to fight for SNAP and Medicaid, you can share the talking points from Feeding America's open letter. You can find it on feedingamerica.org. 

Thank you for listening to The Friday Brief. We are now on daily, so make sure you and your friends don’t miss an episode! Check out thefridaybrief.com, and follow The Friday Brief on Instagram and TikTok. Until next time, I’m Phoenix Ricks signing off from Washington, DC. Let’s work together for a world of good.