Sierra Leone declares emergency over mpox outbreak
The West African country has confirmed two cases of mpox in recent days. Sierra Leone has declared a public health emergency after two cases of mpox were reported. The West African country’s health minister announced the move on Monday after the second case of the deadly viral disease was confirmed. “The confirmation of two cases of mpox in the country has prompted immediate action as mandated by the Public Health Act,” Health Minister Austin Demby told reporters in the capital, Freetown. “On behalf of the government of Sierra Leone, I am declaring a public health emergency.” Last week, Sierra Leone reported its first confirmed case of mpox since the African Union’s health watchdog declared a public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak on the continent last year. A second case was confirmed after a 21-year-old man showed symptoms on January 6, the National Public Health Agency said on social media. Neither case had known recent contact with infected animals or other sick individuals, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation said. Only the first case involved recent travel, limited to the airport town of Lungi in the northern Port Loko District between December 26 and January 6. Both patients are receiving treatment at a hospital in Freetown. Advertisement The public health emergency “allows us to act immediately to mobilise the resources needed to contain the disease, prevent further spread and provide care to those affected”, the minister said. Demby also announced increased border surveillance and testing, as well as the launch of a national awareness campaign. He added that Sierra Leone’s medical system was ready to respond to cases, pointing to experience gained during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks. “We urge all citizens to remain calm, stay informed and report any suspected cases promptly to healthcare authorities,” Demby said. Mpox is caused by a virus from the same family as smallpox, manifesting in a high fever and skin lesions, called vesicles. Also known as monkeypox, it was first identified by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys occurred. Until recently, most human cases were seen in people in Central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals. In 2022, the virus was confirmed for the first time to spread via sex, as outbreaks were triggered in more than 70 countries across the world that had not reported mpox previously. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has borne the brunt of the epidemic, with a vast majority of the roughly 43,000 suspected cases and 1,000 deaths in Africa this year. A decade ago, Sierra Leone was the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak that ravaged West Africa in an epidemic killing some 4,000 people, including nearly 7 percent of the country’s health workers, between 2014 and 2016. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Firefighter village sprouts on Malibu beach
A huge village has sprung up on the golden sands of a beach in Malibu, housing thousands of firefighters. Firefighters from all over North America eat, sleep and recuperate on Zuma Beach when they aren’t battling the wildfires across Los Angeles. About 5,000 first responders mingle among the trailers and tents. The camp comes to life before dawn, as thousands line up for breakfast. The standards of dozens of firefighting battalions mark the presence of crews from across California and the western United States, as well as a contingent of newly arrived Mexicans. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for many, a chance to load up on calories before their shift. The food is prepared by a team of inmates from California’s prisons, brought in to help in one of the biggest disaster responses the state has ever seen. Correctional Officer Terry Cook, who supervises inmates at the base, said he occasionally sees a familiar face among the regular firefighters, someone who got themselves back on the straight and narrow after serving their sentence. Advertisement “I’ve run into inmates that were at my camp two years ago, and I see them in line here, and I shake their hands, and I say ‘congratulations,’” he said. Two huge fires in Los Angeles have scorched 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) since erupting in fierce winds last Tuesday. At least 24 people have died in the blazes, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and forced 92,000 people from their homes, including the well-to-do Pacific Palisades, just a few miles from the firefighters’ camp. After breakfast, teams prepare their vehicles and arm themselves with snacks, sandwiches, drinks and sweets. With the threat of dangerous winds across a swath of the region, some units are charged with pouncing on new outbreaks, while others are tasked with tamping down the original blaze. Orders in hand, each team sets off, fanning out along streets into Pacific Palisades, or up into the untamed brush of Topanga Canyon. For some, it is their first time in the field as part of this firefighting effort; for others, it is one more day in an already long week. As he readies to climb into Mandeville Canyon, Jake Dean says he has never seen a fire as destructive as this in his 26 years as a firefighter. “After the first day, many people that I’ve known for a long time in base camp barely recognised me,” he said. “My phone didn’t recognise me to turn on, I was so tired and dirty.” But with huge air operations eating into the fire on all fronts, Dean can feel the work paying dividends. “Today will be not so bad,” he said. “We’ll pace ourselves and drink lots of water and be ready for a long haul of work here and the next fire.” Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Like Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, devotees also throng THIS shrine in South India, know reason, significance, rituals
This festival serves not only as a sacred occasion for worship but also as a time for spiritual awakening, as devotees undergo a series of rigorous rituals and austerities in preparation for the day.
DOJ releases Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on investigation into Trump election interference case
The Justice Department made public Volume I of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report on his now-closed investigations into President-elect Donald Trump, days before he is set to be sworn into office. Attorney General Merrick Garland released the first volume, which focuses on the election case against Trump, of Smith’s report on Tuesday at midnight after back-and-forth in the federal court system. An opening letter from Smith to Garland said that it is “laughable” that Trump believes the Biden administration, or other political actors, influenced or directed his decisions as a prosecutor, stating that he was guided by the Principles of Federal Prosecution. “Trump’s cases represented ones ‘in which the offense [was] the most flagrant, the public harm the greatest, and the proof the most certain,’” Smith said, referencing the principles. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH FROM RELEASING FINAL REPORT In the lengthy report, Smith said his office fully stands behind the decision to bring criminal charges against Trump because he “resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power” after he lost the 2020 election. Smith said in his conclusion that the parties were determining whether any material in the “superseding indictment was subject to presidential immunity” when it became clear that Trump had won the 2024 election. The department then determined the case must be dismissed before he takes office because of how it interprets the Constitution. “The Department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a President is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Office stands fully behind,” the report stated. In an early Tuesday morning post on Truth Social, Trump called Smith “desperate” and “deranged” for releasing his “fake findings” in the middle of the night. APPEALS COURT WILL NOT BLOCK PARTIAL RELEASE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TRUMP REPORT Garland appointed former Justice Department official Jack Smith as special counsel in November 2022. Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter. Smith was also tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021. Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty. FLASHBACK: ATTORNEY GENERAL GARLAND NAMES SPECIAL COUNSEL TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP ON MAR-A-LAGO DOCUMENTS, JAN. 6 The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request. FLASHBACK: TRUMP SAYS HE ‘WON’T PARTAKE’ IN SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION, SLAMS AS ‘WORST POLITICIZATION OF JUSTICE’ This month, though, Cannon temporarily blocked the release of Smith’s final report. A federal appeals court reversed her ruling, allowing the Justice Department to make Smith’s report public. In the classified records probe, Smith charged Trump with 37 federal counts including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty. FLASHBACK: FBI SAID IT HAD ‘PROBABLE CAUSE’ TO BELIEVE ADDITIONAL CLASSIFIED DOCS REMAINED AT MAR-A-LAGO, AFFIDAVIT SAYS Trump was also charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of the investigation: an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. In the 2020 election case, Smith charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; violation of an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Trump pleaded not guilty. The cases brought by Smith against Trump never made it to trial in either jurisdiction. Despite efforts by Trump attorneys to prevent the report’s release, Attorney General Merrick Garland had maintained that he would make at least one volume of Smith’s report public. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Republic Day 2025: Is it 76th or 77th Republic Day? Know here
The Republic Day parade will cover the distance from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate and will showcase various contingents from the Indian Armed Forces and paramilitary forces.
Weiss Report: Hunter’s drug use can’t explain away not paying taxes on money earned by ‘last name’
Special Counsel David Weiss’ final report on his years-long investigation into Hunter Biden determined the first son’s drug abuse could not explain away not paying taxes on millions of dollars of income earned off of his “last name and connections.” “As a well-educated lawyer and businessman, Mr. Biden consciously and willfully chose not to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over a four-year period. From 2016 to 2020, Mr. Biden received more than $7 million in total gross income, including approximately $1.5 million in 2016, $2.3 million in 2017, $2.1 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019 and $188,000 from January through October 15, 2020,” Weiss wrote in his final report, which was released Monday. “Mr. Biden made this money by using his last name and connections to secure lucrative business opportunities, such as a board seat at a Ukrainian industrial conglomerate, Burisma Holdings Limited, and a joint venture with individuals associated with a Chinese energy conglomerate. He negotiated and executed contracts and agreements that paid him millions of dollars for limited work,” Weiss continued. Hunter Biden, 54, had a busy year in court last year, when he was convicted of two separate federal cases prosecuted by Weiss. He kicked off his first trial in Delaware in June, when he faced three felony firearm offenses involving his drug use, before pleading guilty in a separate felony tax case in September. DOJ RELEASES SPECIAL COUNSEL DAVID WEISS’ REPORT ON HUNTER BIDEN Hunter Biden’s September trial revolved around charges of three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses regarding the failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. As jury selection was about to kick off in Los Angeles federal court for the case, however, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea. Weiss continued in his report that Hunter Biden “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” and that he “willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes.” Weiss added that the first son’s previous drug abuse could not explain his failure to pay the taxes. HUNTER BIDEN: A LOOK AT HOW THE SAGA SPANNING OVER SIX YEARS UNFOLDED “These are not ‘inconsequential’ or ‘technical’ tax code violations,” Weiss wrote. “Nor can Mr. Biden’s conduct be explained away by his drug use-most glaringly, Mr. Biden filed his false 2018 return, in which he deliberately underreported his income to lower his tax liability, in February 2020, approximately eight months after he had regained his sobriety. Therefore, the prosecution of Mr. Biden was warranted given the nature and seriousness of his tax crimes.” Hunter has a well-documented history of drug abuse, which was most notably documented in his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things.” The book walked readers through his previous addiction to crack cocaine, before getting sober in 2019. The memoir featured extensively in his separate firearms case in June, when a jury found him guilty of three felony charges related to his purchase of a gun while addicted to substances. BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE “The evidence demonstrated that as Mr. Biden held high-paying positions earning him millions of dollars, he chose to keep funding his extravagant lifestyle instead of paying his taxes. He then chose to lie to his accountants in claiming false business deductions when, in fact, he knew they were personal expenses. He did this on his own, and his tax return preparers relied on him, because, among other reasons, only he understood the true nature of his deductions and he failed to give them records that might have revealed that the deductions were bogus,” Weiss continued. The tax case charges carried up to 17 years behind bars, but the first son would likely have faced a much shorter sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. His sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 16, but he was pardoned by his father, President Biden, earlier that month. BIDEN WON’T PARDON HUNTER, WHITE HOUSE REAFFIRMS, BUT CRITICS AREN’T SO SURE Hunter Biden’s blanket pardon encompassed a decade-period applying to any offenses he “has committed or may have committed” on a federal level. Weiss’ report also took issue with the president’s pardoning of Hunter Biden, specifically with how President Biden characterized prosecutions of Hunter Biden as “selective” and “unfair.” HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL “This statement is gratuitous and wrong,” Weiss wrote in his report. “Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations.” “Politicians who attack the decisions of career prosecutors as politically motivated when they disagree with the outcome of a case undermine the public’s confidence in our criminal justice system,” Weiss wrote in another section of the report. “The President’s statements unfairly impugn the integrity not only of Department of Justice personnel, but all of the public servants making these difficult decisions in good faith.” The DOJ sent Weiss’ report to Congress Monday evening, officially bringing the years-long investigation into the first son to a close. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Sen. Liz Warren lays out more than 100 questions she wants Pete Hegseth to answer during confirmation hearing
Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense Secretary, laying out a bevy of accusations and about 100 questions that she expects him to answer at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, penned the 33-page letter last week to Hegseth. It describes why she thinks he is “unfit” to serve, referring to him at one point in the letter as “an insider threat” due to a tattoo Hegseth has that Warren claims is tied to “right-wing extremism.” “Your confirmation as Secretary of Defense would be detrimental to our national security and disrespect a diverse array of servicemembers who are willing to sacrifice for our country,” Warren writes in the letter. “I am deeply concerned by the many ways in which your behavior and rhetoric indicates that you are unfit to lead the Department of Defense.” ARE PETE HEGSETH’S TATTOOS SYMBOLS OF ‘CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM?’ The letter starts off with accusations against Hegseth that include claims of financial mismanagement during his work operating two nonprofits, and accusations of heavy drinking and sexual assault. The Massachusetts Democrat accused Hegseth of “gross mismanagement” in running up debt and using business funds at the nonprofits he ran for personal expenses. She cited past colleagues of Hegseth’s who claimed to be privy to what took place. Warren also claimed in her letter that some of Hegseth’s past colleagues had shared he may potentially have a drinking problem, citing “at least 11 separate incidents in which [Hegseth has] been described as drinking excessively or inappropriately in public.” Warren asks in the letter if Hegseth would resign if he were to be caught drinking again. NEW GOP SENATOR TEARS INTO DEMS ‘SEEKING TO DELAY’ PETE HEGSETH DOD CONFIRMATION Warren also went after Hegseth’s policy positions in the letter, several of which were made during media appearances and in books. Warren slammed Hegseth for previous comments about women in the military, including remarks he made that only men should be allowed in combat roles. Warren questioned Hegseth about other aspects of women in the military as well, including whether he thinks single women in the military should have access to birth control. Hegseth, an advocate for getting rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the military, was slammed by Warren in her letter for calling for the firing of “any general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI woke s–t,” during a podcast interview in November. Warren added that in addition to potentially firing Defense Department officials promoting DEI, she also detailed fears about Hegseth’s willingness to help aid Trump in going after his political opponents. In one of Warren’s questions, she requested that Hegseth share his thoughts on the 2020 election and whether he believes Trump won, or lost fairly. At one point in the letter, Warren highlighted that Hegseth had been removed from President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 because of concerns he was “an insider threat” following reports that his tattoo with the words “Deus Vult,” was allegedly a “Christian expression associated with right-wing extremism.” AMERICAN HEROES MAKE POWERFUL MOVE AHEAD OF HEARING FOR TRUMP’S PENTAGON PICK Other sections seek to harp on Hegseth’s alleged unwillingness to work with allies, including those within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which Warren suggested Hegseth will not adequately support considering his “skepticism” over aiding Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Warren devoted an entire line of questioning to whether Hegseth will “undermine” veterans’ benefits, and questioned what Hegseth might do to the Department of Defense Education Activity, the part of the agency that educates troops’ children. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Trump Transition spokesperson Bran Hughes said that Hegseth “looks forward to answering Senators’ questions and detailing his many qualifications at his hearing tomorrow.” “Senator Warren’s letter to Pete Hegseth is exactly what the American voters rejected on November 5,” Hughes said. “Instead of focusing on ‘woke’ policies that have weakened our national defense, the voters gave a mandate to rebuild our military, and that’s exactly what a reform-minded Secretary of Defense like Pete Hegseth will do. Senator Warren’s letter proves why ideologically driven college professors have no place driving their social agenda at the Department of Defense.” Efforts to reach Warren for comment for purposes of this story were unsuccessful.
‘Lone actors’ are greatest safety threat during Trump’s inauguration: Capitol Police chief
“Lone actors” pose the greatest threat to safety during the upcoming presidential inauguration events, according to U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. He referenced two incidents last week on Capitol Hill where people sought to “disrupt” congressional proceedings with potentially violent tactics. An estimated 250,000 ticketed guests will attend the formal inauguration on Jan. 20, according to law enforcement. That will be supplemented by another 25,000, who law enforcement expect will attend various demonstrations going on around the Capitol on Inauguration Day. The inauguration and its accompanying events have been designated a “National Special Security Event,” the highest federal protective status an event can receive, authorities said. “The biggest threat, I think, for all of us remains the lone actor,” Manger said Monday. “Just in the past week, while President Carter was lying in state, we had two lone actors show up at the Capitol: one trying to bring in knives and a machete; another one who was trying – what I believe – to disrupt the proceedings by setting their car on fire down in the peace circle area.” “Capitol Police were able to interdict these folks before they had a chance to do any harm. But that threat of the lone actor remains the biggest justification for us being at this heightened state of alert throughout the next week.” TRAVEL TIPS FOR ATTENDING PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP’S INAUGURATION AS EXPERTS WEIGH IN Manger’s remarks came during a Monday press conference with federal and local law enforcement officials, including leaders from the Metropolitan Police Department, the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police, during which they discussed their preparation for the inauguration. Representing the FBI was the assistant director in charge of the agency’s Washington field office, David Sundberg, who said the FBI was “not currently tracking any specific or credible threats to the inaugural ceremony or to the Capitol complex.” The upcoming week of events will be secured similarly to the two high-profile National Special Security Events from last week, the presidential election certification and the late President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, authorities indicated. However, the inauguration will get a little extra support from roughly 4,000 local law enforcement officers who have volunteered to help and an estimated 7,800 National Guard soldiers who will deploy to the nation’s capital. In total, according to the Secret Service’s special agent in charge of the agency’s Washington field office, Matt McCool, a total of about 25,000 law enforcement officers will be on duty. ABBOTT ORDERS FLAGS AT FULL-STAFF FOR TRUMP’S INAUGURATION DESPITE ONE MONTH ORDER TO HONOR CARTER The inauguration will get extra concrete barriers and more than 30 miles of anti-scale fencing, which is more than has been used for any National Special Security Event in the past. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith said that the district is expecting to see 12 different First Amendment demonstrations during the inauguration. Smith said that while the “MPD will ensure your right to peacefully protest,” they “will not tolerate any violence.” “I want to reiterate – as I always have – that violence, destruction and unlawful behavior will not be tolerated,” Smith said Monday. “Offenders will face swift and decisive consequences.” When asked by a reporter what the biggest difference was between this inauguration and the last in 2021, McCool said there is a “slightly more robust security plan.” “We’ve learned,” McCool said. “This is our fifth NSSE this year in the Washington field office. We’ve done 83 NSSEs, each one we take a look at, and if there’s areas where we need to improve, we do it. But what I can tell you is that we are 100% confident in the plan that we have put in place for this inauguration that the public and our protectees will be safe.”
Schumer gathers key committee Dems to talk looming Hegseth confirmation hearing
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is meeting with Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Democrats on Monday evening to discuss the confirmation hearing for controversial Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth — just hours before its set to take place. A Senate Democratic source confirmed the last-minute meeting to Fox News Digital. Schumer and other Democrats have made their opposition to the former Fox News host clear in the days leading up to the hearing, which is the first to take place of all President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees. MEET LEADER JOHN THUNE’S ALL-STAR CABINET AS REPUBLICANS TAKE OVER SENATE MAJORITY The meeting, first reported by Axios, comes after the New York Democrat urged his fellow caucus members to grill Trump’s nominees in their upcoming hearings and force them to go on record about controversial Trump agenda items, per a Senate Democratic source. The source added that Democrats are planning to lay the groundwork to say that they warned about Trump’s Cabinet picks early on. SCHUMER DIRECTS DEMS TO PUT PRESSURE ON TRUMP NOMINEES AHEAD OF CONFIRMATION HEARINGS In floor remarks on Monday, Schumer said, “Unfortunately, Mr. Hegseth’s background is deeply troubling, to put it generously. We have all read the reports about his radical views, his alleged excessive drinking, the allegations about sexual assault, and his failures in the financial stewardship of multiple organizations.” Hegseth has denied all allegations, including those suggesting financial mismanagement, sexual assault and alcohol consumption. The Secretary of Defense nominee’s spokesperson did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. SENATE GOP TEES UP CONFIRMATION HEARING BLITZ IN EFFORT TO MEET AMBITIOUS TRUMP TARGETS Democrats on SASC include Ranking Member Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Angus King, I-Maine, Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. TULSI GABBARD CHANGES TUNE ON CONTROVERSIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOL FOLLOWING GOP LOBBYING Reed and Hegseth met last week for a notably brief discussion. Afterward, the SASC ranking member said in a statement, “Today’s meeting did not relieve my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers.” “As with any nominee for this critical position, Mr. Hegseth must undergo the same high-level of scrutiny as prior Secretary of Defense nominees,” he added.
GOP revives illegal immigrant detention bill named after 12-year-old murder victim: ‘Justice for Jocelyn’
FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate are reviving a push to require that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) beds be filled before illegal immigrants are released from custody – a bill named after 12-year-old murder victim Jocelyn Nungaray. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, are re-introducing the “Justice for Jocelyn Act.” The bill would require that every ICE detention bed be filled before any releases of illegal immigrants into the interior. Even if they are filled, the bill would require DHS to exhaust all additional measures before releasing migrants into the interior, including enrolling them in continuous GPS monitoring via ankle bracelets or similar devices. CRUZ VOWS TO MAKE ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION PUSH AT GOP CONVENTION AFTER CHILD MURDERED: ‘SPEAKING FOR JOCELYN’ The bill is named for Nungaray, who was killed last year. Two illegal immigrants face capital murder charges and are accused of luring her under a bridge, tying her up and killing her before throwing her body into a river. Officials confirmed they were in the country illegally. One arrived in March and the other in May. Both were released on an order of recognizance pending their immigration court hearings. “Last year, I began the fight for justice for 12-year-old Jocelyn. The aliens responsible for her murder crossed the southern border illegally and should have been detained by ICE,” Cruz told Fox News Digital. “Democrats’ reckless open-border policies prevented ICE and Border Patrol agents from acting, left thousands of detention center beds empty, and allowed these criminals to go free. Congress should act with urgency to ensure no other American family ever has to endure what Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, has been forced to face,” he said. “Standing alongside Alexis in this fight for justice has been an immense privilege, and I will not stop fighting until our communities are safe and justice is served.” “I am proud to join my Texas colleague in the Senate, Senator Ted Cruz, in reintroducing the Justice for Jocelyn Act,” Nehls said in a statement. “Jocelyn Nungaray’s death was entirely preventable. The Justice for Jocelyn Act would improve the detention and tracking of illegal aliens released into the United States and would put the safety of the American people first.” DA TO SEEK DEATH PENALTY AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ACCUSED IN NUNGARAY MURDER CASE “Congress, meaning the House and Senate, must immediately pass this legislation and get it to President Trump’s desk as soon as possible,” he said. The bill is one of a number of bills being introduced in Congress that focuses on cracking down on illegal immigration. Last week, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require the detention of illegal immigrants charged with theft-related crimes. It has also advanced in the Senate. SENATE DEMS TO JOIN REPUBLICANS TO ADVANCE ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BILL NAMED AFTER LAKEN RILEY On Monday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, re-introduced “Sarah’s Law,” which would require the detention by ICE of illegal immigrants charged with killing another person. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The incoming Trump administration is expected to launch a “historic” mass deportation operation when it enters office next week, and it will have the backing of Republicans in the House and Senate.