Heavily redacted voting records for school superintendent nabbed by ICE spark outrage
A legal fight is brewing over a Maryland county board of elections’ heavy redactions to the voter registration records of an illegal immigrant who served as superintendent of Iowa’s largest school system until he was arrested by federal authorities this year, Fox News Digital has learned. “This was shocking,” Justin Riemer, CEO and president of the conservative legal group Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections, told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview on Friday. “When I saw the news reporting, and they showed screenshots of the registration applications with all this information redacted, I was just shocked.” Riemer was reacting to Prince George’s County’s Board of Elections’ recent release of voter registration documents belonging to illegal alien Ian Andre Roberts, which included blacking out Roberts’ sex, whether he checked the citizenship box, his date of birth and other information. The election attorney is representing Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections and conservative research group the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) in their efforts to receive the voter registration documents with fewer redactions. Roberts, who is originally from Guyana and first entered the U.S. in 1994, was working as the superintendent of the Des Moines public school district when Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him in September. Roberts was not legally permitted to work in the country after an employment authorization card expired in 2020, Fox News Digital previously reported. SCHOOL CHIEF TO SUSPECT: ICE ARREST OF DES MOINES SUPERINTENDENT EXPOSES FAKE DEGREES, DRUG CONVICTIONS The arrest of an illegal immigrant working in such a high-profile position shocked conservatives and others. Additional details surrounding his lengthy rap sheet surfaced as journalists and other investigators looked into his history. It was soon discovered that he was listed as a registered Democrat voter in Maryland, where he previously lived and that he had a conviction for reckless driving in 2012, the Department of Homeland Security reported in October. The Maryland State Board of Elections previously said Roberts did not vote in elections. “I’m an election law expert, not an immigration expert, but it doesn’t take one to see just how … broken the system has been,” Riemer told Fox Digital. “He has multiple criminal charges. He has worked in multiple school districts where, if they were doing the proper citizenship and work authorization checks, this should have been caught. It’s really just unbelievable how this guy has managed to jump around the country, working in school districts where he’s around children.” FORMER DES MOINES SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT TAKEN INTO DOJ CUSTODY ON FEDERAL FIREARMS, IMMIGRATION CHARGES As concern mounted surrounding Roberts, the American Accountability Foundation filed a public records request with Prince George’s County to obtain his voter registration application. The county’s board of elections complied with the request, but redacted key information, sparking what could turn into a legal showdown. “The American Accountability Foundation called the county out on it and said, ‘… you’re not allowed to redact this information,’” Riemer said, adding that it’s understandable for the county to redact information such as an individual’s Social Security number or driver’s license number, but not a person’s gender or whether they answered in the affirmative that they are a U.S. citizen. RITE published copies of the redacted documents, which show 18 black boxes blocking out information across just two pages’ worth of documents. Riemer explained the request was made under the National Voter Registration Act – a federal law that simplified voter registration processes when an eligible individual renews their driver’s license – which includes a provision allowing public access to such records. Riemer sent a letter to the Prince George’s County Board of Elections on Tuesday demanding the county turn over the records to his clients with fewer redactions as allowed by law. The election attorney, who previously served as chief counsel to the Republican National Committee, gave the county board until Dec. 1 while noting legal action could be in the future if the election board fails to comply. LAWMAKER REVEALS HOW DES MOINES SCHOOLS CHIEF REGISTERED TO VOTE DESPITE ILLEGAL STATUS “Please provide my clients with the records no later than Monday, December 1, 2025. If you redact or withhold any portion of the requested records beyond the limited exceptions above, we will immediately follow up with a written notice of your violation of 52 U.S.C. § 20507(i). If you do not remedy such violation within 90 days, my clients will sue you in Maryland federal district court and collect reasonable attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses and other costs,” Riemer’s letter to the county board of elections stated. Riemer said he has not yet heard from the board of elections, and speculated that the county board is in the midst of speaking with the state board of elections and the state attorney general’s office about next steps. “If they noticed that Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections was part of this effort to get this information, they should have, because we sued Maryland last year for violating the National Voter Registration Act for restricting public access to registration records just like they’re doing here and won that lawsuit in March. And so they just continuously are doing these practices is that are not transparent, they’re not what federal law requires, it’s not what the public deserves,” he added. Fox News Digital reached out to the Prince George’s County Board of Elections for comment on the letter and redactions on Friday afternoon but did not immediately receive a reply. DEMOCRATS SILENT ON ILLEGAL ALIEN REGISTERED TO VOTE IN BLUE STATE Riemer said that the case is one of many that show concern over non-citizens being on voter roles is not “political theater” as Democrats have claimed amid conservatives rallying around stronger voter integrity laws nationwide. “We know it happens in the thousands. Oregon, for example, reported registering a couple thousand non-citizens through their DMV,” he said. Roberts was taken into the U.S. Marshals’ custody following his September arrest and is set to be prosecuted, DHS said in October. The federal agency
Trump trade official says $2K tariff payments won’t fuel inflation as revenues climb
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday that potential one-time payments of $2,000 from tariff revenues would not fuel inflation and could provide welcome relief to families. “This is real money that’s coming in, and we get to decide what to do with it,” Greer told “Fox & Friends Weekend.” “The $2,000, that’s one option,” Greer said, adding that President Donald Trump is “eager to discuss and explore more” proposals. TRUMP CALLS TARIFF OPPONENTS ‘FOOLS,’ PROMISES $2K DIVIDEND PAYMENTS FOR AMERICANS Greer dismissed concerns that the move would stoke rising prices, noting that “this is not some kind of ongoing new welfare program or something that would exacerbate inflation.” He added that he expects American families to welcome the checks. “But I don’t think it would change the overall macroeconomic picture,” Greer said. Trump vowed earlier this month that revenue generated from duties could fund a $2,000 dividend for low- and middle-income Americans. TRUMP SAYS TARIFF-FUNDED DIVIDEND PAYMENTS FOR AMERICANS WILL BEGIN NEXT YEAR The president first floated the idea on Nov. 9 and has since suggested that any remaining funds could be used to help pay down the nation’s soaring $38 trillion debt. Last week, Trump said Americans could see payment checks as soon as next year. “We’ve taken in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff money. We’re going to be issuing dividends probably by the middle of next year, maybe a little bit later than that,” Trump told reporters at the White House. TRUMP SAYS TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND $2K CHECKS FOR AMERICANS, LOWER NATION’S $38T DEBT Since Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, tariff revenues have climbed sharply from $23.9 billion in May to $28 billion in June and $29 billion in July. Total duty revenue reached $215.2 billion in fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Treasury Department’s “Customs and Certain Excise Taxes” report. So far in fiscal year 2026, which began on Oct. 1, the U.S. has collected $40.4 billion, according to the latest numbers published by the Treasury Department. The proposal comes at a pivotal moment, with tariff receipts climbing and the Supreme Court reviewing the legality of Trump’s trade measures, a case that could determine the future of his broader trade agenda.
Obama wanted shutdown pain to be felt by Americans, while Trump kept focus on Washington, experts argue
President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama are polar opposites in many ways, but, as with anyone who has sat behind the Resolute Desk, they do share some similarities. One thing both have in common is overseeing government shutdowns — one under Obama and two under Trump. And even in that sparse similarity, both men operated differently, particularly in the most recent, 43-day closure. While both congressional battles were centered on Obamacare, Obama put his shutdown at the center of attention, while Trump kept it at more of an arm’s length. HOW CLOSED-DOOR NEGOTIATIONS AND A GUARANTEE ENDED LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ON RECORD Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, told Fox News Digital that a major difference in the Obama and Trump administrations’ approaches to their respective shutdowns was that in 2013, Obama wanted the pain of shutdown to be felt by Americans, while Trump kept the focus centered on Washington, D.C. “During the Obama shutdown, it was more to make it extremely visible, shut down beloved functions — even if you didn’t have to — that affect average Americans,” she said. Boccia at the time worked for the conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation and recalled the barricades that were swiftly erected around Washington, D.C.’s many national parks. Those barricades, both concrete and human, spilled out beyond the nation’s capital and were placed around the hundreds of national parks across America as a stark reminder that the government was closed. Boccia noted that a direct comparison of the two shutdowns would be difficult given the differing lengths, but that the Trump administration, at least early on, sought to inflict direct pain on congressional Democrats and the federal government. GOP UNITY SHATTERED BY CONTROVERSIAL MEASURE IN GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BILL That was carried out largely by the Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who ordered mass firings of furloughed workers and withheld or canceled billions in federal funding to blue cities and states. “It’s not that this wasn’t a shutdown, it’s just that the choices the administration made were an attempt to focus the impacts of the shutdown this round on the government itself,” Brittany Madni, executive vice president of the Economic Policy Innovation Center, told Fox News Digital. “This was showmanship from President Obama,” Madni continued. “And if you look at what happened over the last 40 something days, it was the exact same playbook by congressional Democrats.” Madni argued that discussions and debate during the 2013 shutdown were centered largely in Washington, D.C. The latest closure saw some of that, but it also saw Trump continuing to work on trade deals, particularly during his high-profile visit to Asia, which was a point of contention for Democrats on the Hill. “He was doing his job,” Madni said. “He was doing his job. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats, quite simply, were not.” Still, there was a shared thread in both shutdowns: Obamacare. In 2013, congressional Republicans wanted to dismantle Obama’s signature piece of legislation. Fast-forward, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led his caucus to push extensions to enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Boccia said that played a large part in why Obama was at the vanguard during his shutdown. “He was front and center in the media talking about the shutdown, and because it was over his legacy achievement,” she said. SENATE REACHES TEMPORARY TRUCE TO END RECORD SHUTDOWN, BUT JANUARY BATTLE LOOMS It was because his key legislative achievement was under fire that Obama took such a central role in the shutdown, Boccia argued, but for Trump, who tried during his first administration to gut and replace Obamacare, it wasn’t a priority. “The fact that it was over the Obamacare COVID credits, I think, made the president less necessary and perhaps interested in being the face of the shutdown,” she said. “It was really a congressional battle.” Madni disagreed that the latest shutdown wasn’t a direct bid by congressional Democrats to go after one of his legislative achievements. Before the climactic failed vote in the Senate in late September that ushered in the longest shutdown in history, Democrats offered a counter-proposal that would have stripped several provisions from Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which has so far been the crowning legislative achievement of his second term. “It’s really important that everyone remembers the subsidy request was one request in a laundry list of radical, incredibly expensive ideas that added up to $1.5 trillion,” Madni said. “Another item in that list was dismantling key portions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” “If this was really about the subsidies, then the Democrats would have been willing at any point during the last 43 days to adjust their asks and just make it about subsidies,” she continued. “Not once did they.”
Trump admin disputes claim that Ukraine peace plan was Russia ‘wish list’
President Donald Trump‘s administration is rejecting claims that its most recent plan for a peace deal in Ukraine was really a Russian “wish list.” Confusion arose regarding the deal after lawmakers on Capitol Hill claimed they were told by White House officials that the deal was a proposal from the Russian side. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since pushed back on that claim, however. “[Rubio] made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said at a press conference. “It is not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received, and as an intermediary, we have made arrangements to share it — and we did not release it. It was leaked.” According to The Associated Press, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said that Rubio told him and his colleagues that it “was not the administration’s plan” but a “wish list of the Russians.” Rubio responded to this narrative with a post on social media, writing that the peace proposal “was authored by the U.S.” US AND RUSSIA DRAFT PEACE PLAN FOR UKRAINE REQUIRING MAJOR CONCESSIONS FROM KYIV “It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations. It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine,” he added. Rounds released another statement through his press office after Rubio’s response. “I appreciate Secretary Rubio briefing us earlier today on their efforts to bring about peace by relying on input from both Russia and Ukraine to arrive at a final deal,” Rounds wrote. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. WITKOFF MEETS UKRAINE OFFICIALS IN NEW YORK AHEAD OF EMERGENCY UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING: ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE’ Rubio traveled to Geneva on Sunday to meet with Ukrainian officials alongside Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, where they are expected to hash out Kyiv’s misgivings regarding the deal. Trump himself lashed out at Ukraine over the peace talks in a Sunday statement. “UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. While the current agreement has not been made public, a leaked draft has been reported to include terms that would halt the fighting in Ukraine while giving Russia concessions like control over Ukrainian territory that the Russian military does not yet control, as well as barring Ukraine from membership in NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not reject the plan outright in an address last week, but he insisted on fair treatment while pledging to “work calmly” with Washington and other partners in what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history.” Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump caps week of surprises — signing release of Epstein files, embracing unlikely allies at White House
President Donald Trump kicked off the week meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and closed the week meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. He also signed legislation ordering the Justice Department to release files related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s a look at what happened this week. Trump announced Wednesday evening that he put his stamp of approval on a bill instructing the Justice Department to release files related to Epstein — after Congress passed the measure Tuesday. TRUMP SAYS WHETHER HE WOULD SIGN EPSTEIN FILES BILL “I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!” Trump wrote in a lengthy message on the Truth Social platform. “As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage. “At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress. Do not forget — The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him.” Trump’s ties to Epstein had faced increased attention after Trump’s Justice Department and FBI announced in July it would not unseal investigation materials related to Epstein, and that the agencies’ investigation into the case had closed. TRUMP CALLS ON HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO VOTE TO RELEASE EPSTEIN FILES: ‘WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE’ However, Trump announced Nov. 16 that he backed releasing the documents, claiming that he had “nothing to hide.” Ultimately, the House voted Tuesday to release the files by a 421–1 margin, following pressure for months from the measure’s ringleaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and other Democrats. The Senate passed the measure by unanimous consent later Tuesday. BIDEN’S SAUDI FIST BUMP DREW HEAT IN 2022 — TRUMP JUST ROLLED OUT THE RED CARPET Mamdani visited Trump at the White House Friday, and the two appeared chummy and ready to launch a fresh start in their relationship. The two said they discussed addressing affordability issues and improving conditions in New York. Trump said the two had more in common than he anticipated, and that he would be “cheering” for Mamdani as he leads the city. “I expect to be helping him, not hurting him — a big help,” Trump said. EPSTEIN REFERENCED TRUMP IN PRIVATE EMAILS TO GHISLAINE MAXWELL AND OTHERS, NEW RECORDS SHOW Trump also brushed off Mamdani’s comment labeling him a despot in his victory speech following the Nov. 4 election, with the president claiming Friday he’s encountered worse and that he believes Mamdani will change his tune as the two work together. “I’ve been called much worse than a ‘despot,’ so it’s not, it’s not that insulting,” Trump said. “I think he’ll change his mind after we get to working together.” Trump also met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House Tuesday, an occasion that included a red carpet rolled across the South Lawn, military honor guard, and an Air Force flyover to elevate the formal state-level welcome. During bin Salman’s visit, the U.S. announced that it would sell F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia, and that it would now be a “major non-NATO ally” to facilitate military cooperation between the two countries. “President Trump approved a major defense sale package, including future F-35 deliveries, which strengthens the U.S. defense industrial base and ensures Saudi Arabia continues to buy American,” the White House said in a statement. Trump’s reception of bin Salman is a departure from the Biden administration, who said in 2019 during his presidential campaign that he would make Saudi Arabia “the pariah that they are” because of the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in 2021 that bin Salman gave the green light on the operation that took Khashoggi’s life. Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, was brutally murdered in Istanbul at the Saudi consulate in 2018. But Trump defended bin Salman Tuesday, and accused a reporter who asked about U.S. intelligence reports linking the prince to Khashoggi’s death of embarrassing bin Salman. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” Trump said Tuesday. “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.” Even so, bin Salman has dismissed the reports as false. When asked Tuesday about Khashoggi, bin Salman said it’s “painful” to hear of the death of anyone for “no real purpose,” and “we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
Trump administration expands efforts to stop Christian violence in Nigeria with aid threat
President Donald Trump’s administration is picking up steam in addressing violence against Christians in Nigeria this week, after Trump lashed out at the nation’s government for having “done nothing” to stop the killings. “I’m really angry about it,” the president told Fox News Radio on Friday. “What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.” War Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu last week amid threats from Trump to cut off aid to Nigeria if it “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” Nigerian officials have pushed back on the accusation. “Hegseth emphasized the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians and conveyed the Department’s desire to work by, with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States,” the Pentagon said in a statement. TRUMP THREATENS TO HALT ALL US AID, CONDUCT ‘VICIOUS’ MILITARY ATTACK IN NIGERIA OVER CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION Jonathan Pratt, who leads the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, also testified before Congress on Thursday and said any Pentagon involvement would be part of a broader strategy. “This would span from security to policing to economic,” he said. “We want to look at all of these tools and have a comprehensive strategy to get the best result possible.” GUNMEN ATTACK CHURCH IN NIGERIA, KILLING TWO AND KIDNAPPING OTHERS Recent incidents in Nigeria have included the mass abduction of over 300 children and 12 teachers from a Catholic school on Friday, as well as a shooting at another church that left two people dead. The gunmen also abducted several congregants from the church. The primary threat comes from the Islamist radical group Boko Haram, as well as its splinter Islamic State of West Africa Province. The groups target primarily Christians, though Muslims of other sects also face attacks. On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz held an event highlighting the ongoing violence in Nigeria. During the event, Waltz called the killings of Christians in Nigeria a “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.” He was joined by rap superstar Nicki Minaj, who called for religious freedom for all. Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump says Dems who told military to defy illegal orders committed ‘sedition at the highest level’
President Donald Trump on Saturday purported that Democrats who urged the military to defy illegal orders engaged in “sedition at the highest level” and “should be in jail right now.” This comes after one of the lawmakers who appeared in the video calling on troops to ignore unlawful orders, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, was targeted with a bomb threat just days after the clip and Trump’s subsequent statements suggesting the Democrats be executed. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump argued that the “traitors” who appeared in the video “should be in jail right now, not roaming the fake news networks trying to explain what they said was OK.” “It wasn’t, and never will be!” he claimed. “It was sedition at the highest level, and sedition is a major crime. There can be no other interpretation of what they said!” SEN. SLOTKIN’S HOME TARGETED WITH BOMB THREAT DAYS AFTER SHE TOLD TROOPS TO DEFY ‘ILLEGAL’ ORDERS Trump initially responded to the video message by saying, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He also shared a post from another account that said, “Hang them George Washington would.” The White House and the president himself later attempted to walk back his comments, saying he did not wish to execute the Democrat lawmakers. In another post on Saturday, Trump alleged that “many great legal scholars” agree with his position that “the Democrat traitors that told the military to disobey my orders, as president, have committed a crime of serious proportion!” Slotkin, who previously worked at the CIA and Defense Department, shared the video on Tuesday of herself and other Democrat lawmakers who formerly served in the military and intelligence community encouraging troops and members of the intelligence community to ignore illegal orders from officials. “This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” the lawmakers said. “Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats coming to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.” SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘DANGEROUS RHETORIC’ Other lawmakers in the video included Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, as well as Reps. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Jason Crow of Colorado. Trump administration officials and other Republicans criticized the video, which affirms that refusing unlawful orders is a standard part of military protocol. Slotkin’s office said on Friday that police responded to her Michigan home following a bomb threat, but that she was not home at the time. U.S. Capitol Police told her that she would have security at all hours of the day. “We’ve got law enforcement out in front of my house,” she told MS Now. “It changes things immediately. And leadership climate is set from the top. And if the president is saying you should be hanged, then we shouldn’t be surprised when folks on the ground are going to follow suit and say even worse.” The lawmakers in the video have vowed not to back down despite the threats. “What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty,” they said in a joint statement on Thursday. “In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated,” the statement added.
Texas National Guard to return from Illinois ahead of Thanksgiving, Gov Abbott says
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that Texas National Guard troops will return home before Thanksgiving after they were deployed to Illinois last month to support federal immigration agents. “They’ve already been ordered to return before Thanksgiving,” Abbott told Nexstar. Hundreds of Texas National Guard troops were sent to Illinois on Oct. 7 after Abbott authorized their deployment to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and buildings amid protests against federal raids targeting illegal immigrants in Chicago and other Illinois cities. PRITZKER SAYS TRUMP ORDERING 400 MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD TO ILLINOIS, OREGON AND OTHER LOCATIONS Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blasted Abbott’s deployment, calling it an “invasion” and urging the Texas governor to withdraw the troops. It is unusual for a governor to deploy the National Guard to another state without an invitation from that state’s governor. Democrat officials have argued that such a deployment is unconstitutional and violates state sovereignty. A legal battle over the deployment of the troops to Chicago prompted a federal court to rule that the troops could not be activated, but could remain in the state. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has not yet issued its ruling. TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS REMOVED FROM 60-DAY ILLINOIS DEPLOYMENT FOR FAILING ‘MISSION REQUIREMENTS’ Due to the court ruling, the Texas National Guard never performed active duties beyond securing their base at a U.S. Army Reserve training center.
President says Chicagoans are ‘chanting bring in Trump’ after violent downtown riot leaves 8 shot, 1 dead
President Donald Trump on Saturday said Chicagoans are asking to “bring in Trump” amid a recent crime wave in the Democrat-run city. At least eight teens were shot, one fatally, and multiple police officers were attacked Friday after a riot broke out in the Chicago Loop, the city’s downtown central business district. “Massive crime and rioting in the Chicago Loop area. Multiple Police Officers attacked and badly injured. 300 people rioting, 6 victims shot, one critical and one DEAD,” Trump wrote Saturday in a Truth Social post. “In the meantime, Governor Pritzker and the Low IQ Mayor of Chicago are refusing Federal Government help for a situation that could be quickly remedied,” he added. “The people are chanting, BRING IN TRUMP!!!” CHICAGO RESTAURANT OWNER SLAMS CITY LEADERSHIP OVER CRIME: ‘WE WANT LAW AND ORDER’ The riot, which followed a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, broke out near State and Randolph streets at about 10 p.m. Friday, FOX 32 Chicago reported. City Alderman Brian Hopkins of Chicago’s 2nd Ward said 300 juveniles were rioting and attacking officers with mace and stun guns. At least one officer was hospitalized with injuries, he confirmed. At least six children were shot, including a 13-year-old, two 14-year-olds, a 15-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old. Less than an hour later, a 14-year-old boy was shot and later died at a hospital. An 18-year-old man was also wounded. TRUMP SAYS ‘INCOMPETENT’ ILLINOIS GOVERNOR, ‘NO BETTER’ CHICAGO MAYOR SHOULD CALL HIM FOR HELP WITH CRIME The violent weekend came days after a man with a lengthy criminal history was accused of ruthlessly setting a woman on fire while riding on a Chicago train. Lawrence Reed, 50, who officials said “had no business being on the streets,” is charged with committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson later called the train attack an “isolated incident.” Records show Reed has been arrested at least a dozen times since 2017, with charges including felony aggravated arson and multiple instances of battery. Despite prosecutors’ request to keep him detained, a blue city judge released him back into the community with an ankle monitor.
Minneapolis police chief issues apology for linking Somali youth to local crime
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara apologized to the Somali community for a comment he made connecting “East African kids” to crime. “The Somali community here in Minneapolis has been welcoming and has shown love towards me, and I appreciate it,” O’Hara said at a news conference on Thursday. “Over the last three years we have been working together to try and address some of the real serious problems that we have in our community.” “We have to be honest at times with the problems that we’re having in our community, and we need our community to help us fix those problems together because it’s real and it’s serious. At the same time, if people have taken anything that I have said out of context in a way that’s caused harm, I apologize, and I’m sorry for that because that’s not my intention at all,” O’Hara added. In an interview with WCCO earlier this month, O’Hara was speaking about a deadly Halloween shooting as well as juvenile crime plaguing the city when he made the comment. Alpha News reported that the Dinkytown area, where the shooting took place, has seen a series of crimes including assaults, robberies, shootings and auto thefts. TRUMP TERMINATES DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR SOMALI NATIONALS LIVING IN MINNESOTA ‘EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY’ During the interview, he stated that the young people committing the crimes were not “poor kids from Minneapolis,” but rather kids that come from out of town who take “mommy’s Mercedes-Benz to Dinkytown, and they don’t know where they are.” “Groups of kids, groups of East African kids that are coming from surrounding communities and not just one community, kind of all over the place,” O’Hara told WCCO. After the interview, a petition on Change.org demanded an apology from O’Hara, saying that the East African community of Minneapolis “has already been carrying the weight of unfair scrutiny for years” and that the chief’s comment would “deepen that burden.” The Minneapolis Somali community has faced scrutiny on a national level in recent days after a bombshell report revealed a series of alleged financial schemes that ended with terrorists getting taxpayer dollars. Ryan Thorpe and Christopher F. Rufo of the Manhattan Institute found that Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked terrorist organization in Somalia, was receiving funds that could be traced back to Minnesota. “Every scrap of economic activity, in the Twin Cities, in America, throughout Western Europe, anywhere Somalis are concentrated, every cent that is sent back to Somalia benefits Al-Shabaab in some way,” a former official who worked on the Minneapolis Joint Terrorism Task Force told Thorpe and Rufo. Following the report, President Donald Trump announced he was ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in Minnesota. The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a country for TPS if nationals cannot return safely or if the country “is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately.” Countries currently under TPS are Burma, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Lebanon, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen. “Minnesota, under Governor Waltz, is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity. I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately the Temporary Protected Status (TPS program) for Somalis in Minnesota. Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Rufo, one of the authors of the bombshell report, said Trump’s announcement was a “great start” but that there is still more work to do. “Canceling TPS for Minnesota Somalis is a great start. Next: review all asylum, refugee, and citizenship applications for any hint of fraud or technical error; then initiate denaturalizations and mass deportations up to the furthest limits of the law. They have to go home,” Rufo wrote on X. MINNESOTA TAXPAYER DOLLARS FUNNELED TO AL-SHABAAB TERROR GROUP, REPORT ALLEGES House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn, who praised Trump’s decision, wrote a letter on Friday to U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel Rosen demanding an investigation. The letter was also signed by Emmer’s fellow Minnesota Republicans, Rep. Pete Stauber, Rep. Michelle Fischbach, and Rep. Brad Finstad. “It is alleged that Minnesota’s Somali community, the largest in the nation, has been sending millions back to Somalia via the hawala network, an informal money trafficking network which is notorious for funds ending up in terrorist networks, and in this instance, Al-Shabaab,” the letter reads. The lawmakers cited the various cases involving members of the Somali community, including the Feeding our Future fraud scheme, fraud in the Housing Stabilization Services program, Child Care Assistance program and Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program. “It is bad enough that these individuals are defrauding our state, taking services and funds away from children and the most vulnerable, but now there is a good reason to believe that Minnesota taxpayer dollars are going straight into terrorists’ hands. These new allegations present not only a serious betrayal of taxpayer trust, but also a grave threat to our national security,” the letter states. Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz’s office for comment.