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 My son has narrated the last book I wrote. Please consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click HERE) World & Nation Federal judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from ICE custody The legal wrangling over Salvadoran national continues  A federal judge in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Thursday ordered Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia ordered released from ICE custody, capping — for now – an extraordinary, 10-month legal fight that has spanned two continents, multiple federal courts, and prompted dozens of hearings in the aftermath of his removal. The order from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis comes after she tried and failed for months to ascertain the Trump administration's plans to deport Abrego Garcia to a third country, after he was taken into ICE custody in late August. "Since Abrego Garcia’s return from wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority," Xinis said in an order Thursday. "For this reason, the Court will GRANT Abrego Garcia’s Petition for immediate release from ICE custody." The order comes after Xinis last month used an evidentiary hearing to drill into a more foundational question, of whether the government had in fact obtained a final "order of removal" to deport Abrego Garcia from the U.S. to a third country — which she concluded Thursday that they had not. Trump Plans Militarized Zone on California-Mexico Border  The Trump administration announced plans Wednesday to add another militarized zone to the southern border — this time in California — as part of a major shift that has thrust troops into border enforcement with Mexico like never before. The Department of the Interior said it would transfer jurisdiction along most of California's border with Mexico to the Navy to reinforce "the historic role public lands have played in safeguarding national sovereignty." The Interior Department described the newest national defense area in California as a high-traffic zone for unlawful crossings by immigrants. The move places long stretches of the border under the supervision of nearby military bases, empowering U.S. troops to detain people who enter the country illegally and sidestep a law prohibiting military involvement in civilian law enforcement.
Venezuela accuses US of 'piracy' after seizing massive oil tanker Government statement frames operation as assault on country's sovereignty and natural resources  Venezuela on Wednesday condemned the U.S. seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off its coast, calling it an "act of international piracy." "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denounces and repudiates what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy, publicly announced by the president of the United States, who confessed to the assault of an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea," the government said in an official communiqué. The statement, published by Correo del Orinoco, a state-run news outlet that regularly carries Venezuela’s official government announcements, framed the seizure as part of a broader campaign against the country’s sovereignty and natural resources. Attorney General Pam Bondi said a joint operation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker that was allegedly being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. NATO's Rutte: Prepare for Coming World War  NATO chief Mark Rutte on Thursday warned allies to prepare for another world war, saying Europe is "Russia’s next target." Speaking at a security event in Berlin, the secretary general painted a stark picture of the continent's future, saying Russia could be ready to use force against NATO "within five years" and urging Europeans to "shift to a wartime mindset." He said allies must prepare for conflict on the scale their "grandparents or great-grandparents endured," including mass mobilization and widespread destruction. Rutte argued that Moscow’s full-scale war on Ukraine, backed by Chinese technology and Iranian and North Korean arms, proves the Kremlin is rebuilding an "empire" and sees free European societies as a threat. North Carolina lawmaker accuses school officials of violating parental rights bill in fiery hearing Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools denied lawmakers' allegations and said it was in compliance with state law  A North Carolina school district faced pressure from Republican lawmakers on Wednesday at a heated oversight hearing, where legislators threw LGBTQ children's books and accused school officials of openly violating parts of a new parental rights law that requires parents be notified about gender identity changes and LGBTQ-themed curriculum for young children. Officials with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools appeared before the North Carolina House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform to testify about their compliance with the Parents’ Bill of Rights, Senate Bill 49. SB 49, passed in August 2023, bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through fourth grade in public schools, requires schools to notify parents about health services, well-being changes and any requested changes to a child’s name or pronouns, and gives parents the right to review materials and opt in or out of sex-related instruction. Alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson to make first in-person court appearance Tyler Robinson faces aggravated murder charge while media coalition pushes for access to sealed proceedings  The man accused of assassinating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is set to make his first in-person court appearance Thursday, nearly three months after he was taken into custody. The hearing marks the most significant step in the case so far and comes amid growing concerns from media outlets and from Kirk’s widow about the increasing secrecy surrounding the proceedings. Tyler Robinson, charged with aggravated murder and multiple related felonies in Kirk’s fatal shooting during a Sept. 10 event at Utah Valley University, has appeared via video or audio from jail in previous court hearings. Since then, much of the case has unfolded behind closed doors, prompting a coalition of media organizations, including Fox News, to demand greater transparency. Trump admin drops hammer on ‘ghost students,’ claws back $1B from alleged loan scammers Enhanced verification process targets AI bots and 'ghost students' using fake identities to obtain federal loans  The Department of Education thwarted more than $1 billion in student aid fraud under President Donald Trump's first year in office, including stopping suspected bots and "ghost students" from obtaining taxpayer-funded loans, Fox News Digital learned. Officials say the savings come from new "enhanced fraud controls" the department implemented in June to combat fraudsters from working to obtain financial assistance loans from colleges. College officials and cybersecurity experts in recent years have pointed to a new scam trend of "ghost students," which are fabricated or stolen identities created solely to enroll, trigger financial aid disbursements and then disappear. Ghost students are believed to be powered by AI bots or run by criminal networks using real Americans’ personal information. House OKs $900B Defense Bill That Puts Trump Imprint on Military  The House voted to pass a sweeping defense policy bill Wednesday that authorizes $900 billion in military programs, including a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of War buys weapons. The bill's passage on a 312-112 vote comes at a time of increasing friction between the Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump's administration over the management of the military. The annual National Defense Authorization Act typically gains bipartisan backing, and the White House has signaled "strong support" for the must-pass legislation, saying it is in line with Trump's national security agenda. Congress Would Target China With New Restrictions in Massive Defense Bill
Ukraine Hands Revised 20-Point Peace Plan Proposal to US: Report  Ukraine had handed the U.S. a revised 20-point peace plan to end the war with Russia, ABC News reported on Thursday, citing a Ukrainian official. The revised plan contains "some new ideas" regarding territories and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the report says.
Europeans finally waking up to Hamas-enabling UNRWA scam It looks like the days are numbered for the terrorist-infested UN Relief and Works Agency, as UNRWA loses support from major European nations that have long backed it. Cheers for Germany, Italy, Czechia and Hungary, joined by Bulgaria and Latvia last Friday in withholding support for the renewal of UNRWA’s charter. Austria, Romania and Lithuania joined in on a separate resolution. Close observers have always known that UNRWA — the special UN agency charged with caring for Palestinian refugees, and only Palestinian refugees — works hand-in-glove with Hamas in Gaza. But then it turned out that UNRWA directly employed Hamas fighters who joined in the Oct. 7, 2022, terror assault on Israel; the course of the war exposed many more, deep Hamas-UNRWA ties. President Trump is right to get tough on Maduro. What comes next is critical Administration's confrontational approach to Venezuela comes after Biden's failed appeasement policies By Michael R. Pompeo The Venezuelan narco-state poses a clear threat to America’s security and prosperity. Two decades of socialism have destroyed this once wealthy country, spreading instability and transnational crime across the Western Hemisphere. After four years of appeasement under President Joe Biden, we cannot afford to ignore the problem any longer. President Donald Trump is sending a clear and necessary message to the Maduro regime that its days of destabilizing the Western Hemisphere with impunity are over. Trump is putting drug traffickers around the world on notice. Let’s be clear: Venezuelan narco-terrorists and their drug shipments represent a threat to the American people. Trump has both the right and the responsibility to use military force to stop them. In many ways, Trump’s approach is a continuation of the tough policies we pursued during my tenure as secretary of state under the first Trump administration. We recognized the dangers that this narco-trafficking dictatorship, aligned with American enemies like Iran, Cuba, China and Russia, posed to our interests, and we were determined to do the necessary to protect the American people. |
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