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The Playbook Podcast

April 15, 2025: Where is Kilmar Abrego Garcia?

The Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

News, Daily News, Politics, Government

3.9699 Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On its face, the Oval Office meeting yesterday between President Donald Trump and President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador centered around the illegal deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the Maryland resident who is still locked away in a Salvadoran mega-prison despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that the administration “facilitate” his release. But below that surface-level issue is a standoff over the rule of law: whether the administration still feels bound to operate in good faith and comply with court rulings that go against its political agenda. Senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney joins host Steven Overly to unpack the details of the situation and what he expects to see when the case returns to a lower court today. Plus, Harvard is the latest Ivy League school on targeted for defunding by the administration.

Transcript

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0:00.0

presented by BP.

0:06.0

Good morning, everyone. I'm Stephen Overley. It's Tuesday, April 15th, and for once, my taxes are already done.

0:14.8

But all you adrenaline junkies still have a few hours to get on it. In the meantime, here's what's driving the day.

0:22.8

Harvard is grappling with the financial fallout of standing up to President Trump.

0:27.4

On Monday night, the administration froze $2.2 billion worth of federal grants earmarked for Harvard.

0:34.7

Just hours after the school rejected demands to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters

0:40.1

and eliminate diversity in admissions, among other changes. Harvard President Alan Garber said the

0:47.0

university would not, quote, surrender its independence or its constitutional rights. Princeton,

0:59.6

Columbia, and UPenn have also been hit with funding cuts, but Harvard may have the most on the line, with a staggering $9 billion in federal funding under review.

1:06.4

Meanwhile, former President Joe Biden is stepping back into the spotlight.

1:12.2

Later today, Biden will headline a national gathering of disability advocates in Chicago. And my political colleague,

1:17.7

Elena Schneider, reports he'll talk about the need to protect social security amid what he

1:22.8

alleges are Republican attempts to attack it. But this afternoon, all eyes will be on a Maryland courtroom,

1:30.1

where Trump administration lawyers are expected to be grilled over their decision not to bring

1:35.0

a Salvadoran man back to the U.S. after he was wrongly deported. Kilmar Obrega-Garcia has become a

1:41.5

diplomatic liability for both Trump and El Salvador's president,

1:46.2

Naïbe Bucle. On Monday, both men said they don't have the authority to relocate him,

1:52.5

and the court is growing impatient.

1:55.6

Joining me to discuss the latest in the case is Politico's senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney.

2:01.8

Kyle, good morning, sir.

2:03.5

Good morning. Good to be with you.

2:05.3

There's a big hearing today in this case over the Maryland man who's been wrongly deported

...

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