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US Monthly Headline News October 2025 - Page 2

During his remarks from the Senate floor today, Senator Chuck Schumer cut through the GOP's web of lies. Schumer stated, "They've been lying about that too."
Story by Lesley Abravanel

Besides thousands of leaked chat messages left behind by a group of young Republicans, members of the New York State branch also left unpaid bills from "extravagant gatherings" before the group disbanded in disgrace, according to Syracuse.com.

At two of those events, the NY State Young Republicans "ran up bills of more than $23,000 over a weekend at a Syracuse hotel – spending big on a three-course plated dinner with filet mignon and open bars — but then didn’t pay," according to records obtained by Syracuse.com.

According to the report, The Embassy Suites Hotel at Destiny USA hosted the group’s Teddy Roosevelt awards dinner last year, and made a "rare exception to its rule for customers to pay in advance of using its banquet facilities."

"But the hotel’s goodwill quickly evaporated as its managers spent four months trying to collect what it was owed," according to billing documents and 110 pages of internal emails reviewed by Syracuse.com.

Peter Giunta, the club president who stepped down last month offered the hotel's "increasingly urgent emails" with a "series of excuses," reports the website. Shortly after his resignation, Politico reported that his group owed $14,000 for a 2023 holiday party in Manhattan.

Giunta was publicly identified as having made antisemitic remarks, including jokes about gas chambers, in theleaked Telegram chats.

"The Young Republicans’ previously unreported debt in Syracuse followed on the heels of the Manhattan party and a trip by Giunta and club leaders to Nashville last year when he was campaigning for a position to lead the Young Republicans on a national level," reports Syracuse.com.
Brett Wilkins

Vermont state Sen. Sam Douglass is set to step down Monday after being exposed as a participant in a Young Republican group chat in which members—including at least one Trump administration official—exchanged hate-filled messages.

Douglass, a Republican, said in a statement Friday: “I must resign. I know that this decision will upset many, and delight others, but in this political climate I must keep my family safe.”

“If my governor asks me to do something, I will act, because I believe in what he’s trying to do,” the 27-year-old freshman lawmaker added, referring to Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott’s call for him to step down.

“I love my state, my people, and I am deeply sorry for the offense this caused and that our state was dragged into this,” Douglass added.

Douglass is the only known elected official involved in a leaked Telegram chat first reported by Politico on Tuesday in which members of Young Republican chapters in four states exchanged racist, anti-LGBTQ+, and misogynistic messages, including quips about an “epic” rape and killing people in Nazi gas chambers.
Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — The chairman and vice chairman of the Kansas Young Republicans took part in encrypted chats with political peers that were laced with violent, racist and antisemitic rhetoric and blended with references to white supremacy and suppression of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

On Tuesday, the chairman of the Kansas Republican Party said the Politico article disclosing the commentary prompted immediate deactivation of the Kansas Young Republicans organization.

Politico, a digital news company specializing in coverage of U.S. politics, reported Kansas Young Republicans chair Alex Dwyer and vice chair William Hendrix took part in the Telegram group chat.

In 2,900 pages of chat text, Hendrix praised the Missouri Young Republicans because leaders in that state didn’t like LGBTQ+ people. He repeatedly used racial slurs to refer to Black people, including words such as “n------” and “n------.” In a July conversation in the thread about African-Americans, he said, “Bro is at a chicken restaurant ordering his food. Would he like some watermelon and Kool-Aid with that?”

He was fired from a communications job in the office of Attorney General Kris Kobach as Politico prepared its report on Hendrix’s role in the chat.
Story by Victoria Churchill, U.S. Political Reporter In Washington, D.C. and Elina Shirazi

A controversial Trump nominee may not survive the week, as more leaked text messages have surfaced from another member of the New York Young Republicans. Paul Ingrassia has been nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel, but additional text messages released by Politico on Monday set off alarm bells for several top-ranking GOP Senators, who are now saying they oppose his nomination.

Ingrassia is accused of racist tirades in a group chat with Republican friends. Text messages released by Politico showed Ingrassia admitting he has a 'Nazi streak', it has been reported. The messages include calling for MLK day to be 'tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs', adding that there should be 'no moulignon holidays,' using an Italian slur for black people.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune asked the White House to withdraw Ingrassia's nomination, adding, 'he's not going to pass.' Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott told reporters Monday evening that he does 'not support' Ingrassia's nomination.
Story by Katie Hawkinson

A Grammy-winning Detroit megachurch pastor went viral this week after he criticized a congregant for only donating $1,235 to his church.

The viral clip shows Marvin Winans, a pastor at Perfecting Church, receiving the donation from a woman and her child at the Day of Giving service on Sunday. Winans, 67, is also a member of The Winans, a popular gospel quartet that has won five Grammy awards, according to the Perfecting Church website.

When the woman handed Winans her donation, he told her, “Now, that’s only $1,200.”

“You’re not listening to what I’m saying,” he continued. “If you have $1,000 plus $1,000.”

The woman said that she would “work on” the other $800, but Winans replied, “That ain’t what I asked you to do.”

The Independent has contacted Perfecting Church for comment.

The viral clip was pulled from the church’s livestream of the service. Now, social media users are slamming Winans for his response to the woman’s donation, according to the Atlanta Black Star.

“I would’ve took my money back so fast and would never set foot in that building again,” a Threads user commented.

Another user wrote: “And then wonder why ppl are leaving the church in droves — these mega pastors are literal thieves — aren’t millions of ppl unemployed right now?!”

This isn’t the first time Winans and his church have faced controversy. Two years ago, his church was sued by the city of Detroit over a construction project that first began in 2004. The city alleged the ongoing project had become a public nuisance and that the church hadn’t been issued a building permit since 2015, the Detroit Free Press reports.
BUYER'S REMORSE
The president receives poor feedback when his own voters are asked “first word that comes to mind” question.
Ewan Palmer

Several young voters who backed Donald Trump in the last election have explained why they now regret their choice.

When The New York Times asked the young voters for single words to describe life under Trump, “reckless,” “overpowering,” and “aggressive” came to mind.

They were frustrated with Trump’s failure to improve the U.S. economy, his overly strong stance on immigration, abandoning his “America First” agenda, and his handling of overseas conflicts.

In the latest edition of The NYT’s “America in Focus” project, Trump voters in their late 20s and early 30s who said they “somewhat disapproved” of or had mixed views about the president’s performance were asked about their reasons why.

When The Times asked these second-guessing Trump voters for the first word that came to mind when they think of the president, Mustafa, a 28-year-old from Georgia, replied, “The way that he’s been handling things recently, dictatorship.”

Trump’s support among young voters was cited as one of the key reasons for his sweeping 2024 victory. However, polls suggest that this demographic, generally associated with backing Democratic candidates, is already regretting its decision.
BAD BROMANCE
Even Fox was forced to admit the president’s obsession with Vladimir Putin was a little weird.
Tom Sanders

Fox News analyst Brit Hume claims President Donald Trump’s longstanding “man-crush” on Vladimir Putin is officially over, and the president no longer considers the Russian leader a “friend.”

“I think he’s soured on him now,” Hume told host Bret Baier on Wednesday night.
Claim that Tren de Aragua planned to attack officers was widely shared – only for FBI to later acknowledge it was mistaken, internal files show
By Sam Levin in Los Angeles

An unverified rumor that Venezuelan gang members were preparing to kill police officers spread like wildfire through US law enforcement agencies last year, internal records reveal, only for federal officials to later quietly acknowledge the claim was mistaken.

The intelligence report, which appears to have first been disseminated by a local New Mexico police department in July 2024, suggested that the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang had directed its members to “fire on or attack” law enforcement. The vague assertion quickly traveled among law enforcement agencies. It even made its way into a formal proclamation by Texas governor Greg Abbott, and was repeated by Republican Congress members as evidence of the dangers of Venezuelan immigrants and Democrats’ border policies.

Months later, however, the Federal Bureau of Investigation wrote in an internal report that claims of a TdA “directive to actively target US law enforcement” were inaccurate.

There has been no public acknowledgement of misstatements.

The documents were uncovered by Property of the People, a government transparency non-profit, which has made records requests related to US authorities’ discussions of TdA and shared files with the Guardian.

The records, TdA experts said, suggested that a wide range of powerful law enforcement agencies lacked a basic understanding about the gang and its operations.
Obama once joked about what a gaudy Trump White House would like – the president seems bent on proving him right
David Smith in Washington

When Barack Obama roasted Donald Trump at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the icing on the cake was a cartoon illustration of what the White House might look like if Trump ever became US president.

The name “Trump” was emblazoned across the top in giant capital letters, followed by “the White House” in lurid purple cursive, then “hotel casino golf course” and “presidential suite”. The parody imagined gold pillars, a giant crystal chandelier and two scantily clad women sitting at reception.
Trump said in July that the project “won’t interfere with the current building.”
By Gabe Gutierrez, Monica Alba, Peter Alexander and Dareh Gregorian

The entire East Wing of the White House will be demolished “within days,” according to two Trump administration officials.

The demolition is a significant expansion of the ballroom construction project from what President Donald Trump said this summer.

“It won’t interfere with the current building,” Trump said on July 31. “It’ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”

The New York Times first reported the extent of the demolition.

A White House official told NBC News the “entirety” of the East Wing would eventually be “modernized and rebuilt” while acknowledging the process is fluid.

“The scope and the size of the ballroom project have always been subject to vary as the process develops,” the official told NBC News.

Receiving a significant expansion during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency in 1942, the East Wing is connected to and part of the White House complex, and it has typically been used by the first lady and her staff.

Construction on the ballroom began last month. Trump has said it will hold up to 900 people, and last week he said the total price would be about $250 million, which he said he and private donors will pay for. However, on Wednesday, Trump said the ballroom's price is "about $300 million."
The sudden destruction of the White House's East Wing to make way for a massive gilded ballroom is a huge departure from previous remodels and renovations.
By Hayes Brown, MSNBC Opinion Writer/Editor

The scale, speed and lack of transparency we’re seeing from President Donald Trump’s determination to build a 90,000-square foot ballroom makes it by far the most absurd — and potentially unethical — “renovation” project any president has undertaken.

Former officials and historical experts were appalled at the images of demolition equipment ripping through the White House’s East Wing were first published by The Washington Post Monday. The outcry only grew Tuesday as the rapid renovation spread further, not merely taking down the facade outside the East Wing but tearing haphazardly into the building. A White House official confirmed Wednesday that the plan is now to raze the whole structure rather than tagging on the ballroom as an addition.

The White House’s press team posted a thread on X, formerly known as Twitter, to claim that the destruction was merely a continuation of a process that presidents have undertaken for more than a century. It’s true that there have been several major overhauls to the Executive Mansion in that time, many of which drew consternation over their scope, their disregard for history or their expense. But the project Trump has undertaken is on another level entirely.

Given his past as a real estate developer, his obsession with size and grandeur and his questionable taste in internal decor, Trump’s vision for a White House ballroom comes as little surprise. During the initial announcement in July, he claimed that the addition “won’t interfere with the current building. It won’t be. It’ll be near it but not touching it — and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of. It’s my favorite. It’s my favorite place. I love it.” (Trump reportedly calling the White House “a dump” during his first term, which he has denied, and spending a big chunk of his second term staying at the properties he owns, doesn’t exactly support the idea it’s his “favorite place.”)
Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested in a separate but related betting case.
By Aaron Katersky

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is among those charged in an illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia, while Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is among several people charged in a separate but related illegal gambling case, authorities announced on Thursday.

The poker games, which included basketball players to lend credibility to their authenticity, were allegedly rigged in favor of those running the games, using advanced technology, such as rigged shuffling machines and even X-ray technology to read cards facing down on the table, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said.

The profits from the alleged poker scheme ran up to $7 million "and counting," officials said. The investigation took place across two years, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Fox News' Nate Foy provides details on the arrests of individuals with sports ties and mafia ties as part of an FBI investigation into illegal sports betting in the NBA and an illegal poker scheme. Michele Tafoya and Donna Rotunno weigh in.
Story by Colin Kalmbacher

The Trump administration got a boost from an appellate court late Wednesday night in one of the ongoing legal showdowns over the federal use of state National Guard troops to police American cities.

In an order without a majority opinion, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit declined to rehear en banc the dispute between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump.

In late June, a three-judge panel said courts had an oversight role to play but must be "highly deferential" to executive authority in military matters — issuing a stay, pending appeal, of a lower court injunction in Trump's favor. The panel further found the 45th and 47th president "likely" acted "lawfully" when deploying the Golden State's troops in service of actions to protect federal property and agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from protesters.

In early July, one 9th Circuit judge, in a sua sponte — or "of one's own accord" — order, called for the entire court to reconsider the case. In turn, motions practice commenced in response to that request and, simultaneously, on a parallel track as Newsom and Trump continued the overarching appellate battle amid a flurry of amicus briefs.

On Wednesday afternoon, the appellate court finally held a hearing on the en banc request.

Now, without one line of reasoning, a majority of active judges have declined to take up the matter of the months-old stay pending appeal.

"A judge of this court sua sponte requested a vote on whether to rehear this case en banc," the one-page order reads. "A vote was taken, and the matter failed to receive a majority of the votes of the non-recused active judges in favor of en banc consideration. Rehearing en banc is DENIED."

There are two dissents attached to the order — one formal and one less than formal. One of the dissents is stylized as a "statement" while the other, penned by a lone judge, is stylized as a "dissent."

The statement by Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Marsha Berzon, a Bill Clinton appointee, was joined by 10 other judges — including three other senior judges. In the U.S. judiciary, senior judges are not allowed to vote on motions to rehear a case en banc; senior judges are allowed to perform other dispute-related work, like writing statements.
Story by Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin, Peter Charalambous, Steven Portnoy

Prosecutors who investigated New York Attorney General Letitia James for possible mortgage fraud found evidence that would appear to undercut some of the allegations in the indictment of James secured earlier this month -- including the degree to which James personally profited from her purchase of the property -- according to a memo summarizing the state of the case in September, sources told ABC News.

Prosecutors who led the monthslong investigation into James' conduct concluded that any financial benefit derived from her allegedly falsified mortgage would have amounted to approximately $800 in the year she purchased the home, sources said.

The government lawyers also expressed concern that the case could likely not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt because federal mortgage guidelines for a second home do not clearly define occupancy, a key element of the case, according to sources.  

Prosecutors detailed the findings to the previous U.S. attorney, Erik Siebert, in an internal Department of Justice memo summarizing the status of the case early last month, according to sources familiar with its contents. Siebert was ousted by President Donald Trump last month after refusing to seek charges against James amid what critics call Trump's campaign of retribution against his perceived political foes.

"I want him out," Trump said the day before Siebert was ousted, telling reporters that it was because Virginia's two Democratic senators supported his nomination. Of James, Trump said, "It looks to me like she is very guilty of something, but I really don’t know."

Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan -- who Trump appointed with the explicit mandate of bringing charges against James and others -- secured an indictment against James earlier this month on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

Last week Halligan abruptly fired the author of the memo, career prosecutor Elizabeth Yusi, in part due to her resistance to bringing the case against James, sources said.
Story by Joe Sommerlad

Dr Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, got himself into a desperate mathematical tangle attempting to defend President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on drug prices on Wednesday.

Appearing on NBC News’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, the former daytime TV personality was invited to watch a montage of Trump making wildly inflated promises on the percentage by which his administration planned to cut the cost of pharmaceuticals, which rose from 1,200 percent to 1,500 percent depending on which press event the president was speaking at.

“Cutting drug prices by 400 percent, anything over 100 percent, wouldn’t that effectively make them free? Is that a realistic goal from the president?” Welker asked Dr Oz.

Strictly speaking, cutting prices by 100 percent would make them free, and any reduction beyond that would put the seller in the nonsensical position of having to pay people to take their product.

Attempting to mount an explanation, the administrator said: “The president does the calculation by saying, ‘OK, if a drug was $100 and you reduce it to $50, it’s 100 percent cheaper because you’re taking $50 off and left with only $50, so the amount you took off the price is equal to the amount that’s left. They’re equal so it’s 100 percent.’”

In fact, reducing a $100 item to $50 would mean it is only 50 percent cheaper.

Pressing on without correcting Oz, the understandably baffled Welker pointed out that Trump has boasted about reducing drug prices by up to 1,500 percent.

“Well, if you take a drug that is $200 or $240 like we did last week and reduce it to $10, those are the numbers you’re talking about,” Oz answered, only intensifying the atmosphere of confusion.
Story by Nicole Charky-Chami

Shocked reactions flooded in on Wednesday after a major university announced a deal with the Trump administration in what a college professor called "another shakedown."

The University of Virginia made a deal with the Trump administration to cease investigations — at least for now — after facing threats of a federal investigation over accusations of civil rights violations.
Story by Robert Alexander

A senior federal judge has issued an unusual warning about the dangers of normalizing presidential use of military forces in U.S. cities, breaking with colleagues on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Newsom v. Trump, a dispute over President Donald Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard.

Legal experts say the ruling has far-reaching implications for presidential power, judicial oversight, and the historic boundary separating civilian law enforcement from military authority in the United States.

Why It Matters
The dispute over Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard has become a major test of presidential authority and judicial oversight.

At issue is whether a president can send troops into American cities without meeting strict legal conditions set by Congress—and whether courts will enforce those limits. In sharply worded dissents, two Ninth Circuit judges warned that normalizing military involvement in domestic law enforcement could erode the separation of powers and the nation’s long-standing resistance to using armed forces against its own citizens.

Their concern extends beyond a single administration: It questions how far future presidents may reach in claiming unilateral authority during civil unrest.
Story by Fatima Hussein

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the midst of a federal government shutdown, the U.S. government’s gross national debt surpassed $38 trillion Wednesday, a record number that highlights the accelerating accumulation of debt on America’s balance sheet.

It's also the fastest accumulation of a trillion dollars in debt outside of the COVID-19 pandemic — the U.S. hit $37 trillion in gross national debt in August this year.

The $38 trillion update is found in the latest Treasury Department report, which logs the nation’s daily finances.

Kent Smetters of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model, who served in President George W. Bush’s Treasury Department, told The Associated Press that a growing debt load over time leads ultimately to higher inflation, eroding Americans' purchasing power.

The Government Accountability Office outlines some of the impacts of rising government debt on Americans — including higher borrowing costs for things like mortgages and cars, lower wages from businesses having less money available to invest, and more expensive goods and services.
Story by Natalie O'Neill, Ben Kochman

The son of a legendary mafia capo, a newbie made man and a mobster who did time for an infamous Queens racial attack were among the 13 mobsters busted alongside NBA stars in a sweeping historic gambling bust, according to a new federal indictment.

Among the most prominent of the gangsters who were delt into the high-stakes scams is Angelo Ruggiero Jr, the son of the late Gambino captain Angelo “Quack Quack” Ruggiero Sr.

Ruggiero Jr’s father was close friends with notorious Gambino boss John Giotti, who helped plan the murder of Gambino leader Paul Castellano in 1985.

When Gotti became head of the crime family, he promoted Ruggiero, who later acted as a liaison for the family while Gotti stood trial for murder in 1992.

The gangster — who earned his ducky nickname because of his penchant for talking a lot and who did things like threaten to feed people to sharks — became infamous because the feds picked him up on wiretaps complaining about his mob bosses and used his comments in case against Castellano.

The younger Ruggiero, who is also a made man, now stands accused of receiving “proceeds” of the rigged poker games “on behalf of the  Gambino crime family.”

A second wiseguy arrested for his alleged role in the FBI’s gambling and poker probe is  Ernest “Ernie” Aiello — who made headlines for inquiring in court about how he can avoid mob ties and still eat at his favorite Italian bakery back in 2018.
Story by Paul Blumenthal

Two top House Democrats sent a letter to President Donald Trump warning him that his effort to order the Department of Justice to pay him $230 million in taxpayer funds as compensation for its investigations into him during the Biden administration is both unconstitutional and illegal.

The letter from Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, notes that the Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause prohibits the president from receiving any additional payment above his salary from the federal government and that the Federal Tort Claims Act further prohibits the payment of damages that Trump seeks.

“In remarks to the press this week, you described a blatantly illegal and unconstitutional effort to steal $230 million from the American people,” the letter states. “Your plan to have your obedient underlings at the Department of Justice (DOJ) instruct the U.S. Treasury to pay you, personally, hundreds of millions of dollars — especially at a time when most Americans are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, and afford health care — is an outrageous and shocking attempt to shake down the American people.”
Adam Lynch

The New York Times reports U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan may have left out important information in her indictment against New York AG Letitia James that might have derailed some charges.

“In the indictment, … Halligan accuses Ms. James of having misrepresented the purpose of the house when she purchased it in August 2020 for $137,000,” reports the Times. “The indictment says that while Ms. James indicated to her mortgage broker that she expected to use the house as a second home, she had instead used it as a “rental investment property, renting the property to a family.”

Only it does not look like she rented it at all.

The Times reports occupant Nakia Thompson — Letitia James’ grandniece — testified to a grand jury in Norfolk, VA. that she “had lived in the house for years (with her children) and that she did not pay rent,” according to a person familiar with her testimony.

Additionally, The Times reports prosecutors did not ask Nakia Thompson to testify again, and the grand jury that voted to indict Letitia James was not seated in Norfolk, where this information was revealed, but in Alexandria.
Story by Laura Mitchell

University of Virginia law professor Caleb Nelson, a former clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas, has criticized the Supreme Court for its expansion of President Donald Trump’s authority over federal agencies. He challenged the Court’s conservative majority and surprised many within legal circles. The Court’s conservative bloc has expanded presidential authority to remove leaders of independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Nelson wrote that he fears the Court is giving Trump “more power, I think, than any sensible person should want anyone to have, and more power than any member of the founding generation could have anticipated.”

SNAP benefits are at risk of being cut off for more than 40 million Americans starting this weekend as the government shutdown continues. MSNBC Reporter Alex Tabet takes a look at the impact this is having in New Mexico – the state with the largest proportion of SNAP recipients. Punchbowl News co-founder Jake Sherman and former Rep. Carlos Curbelo join Chris Jansing to dig into the latest updates from Capitol Hill.
ESPN

On Inside the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley react to the breaking news that Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested Thursday as part of a pair of investigations related to illegal gambling.
Story by JEFFREY COLLINS

ANDERSON, S.C. (AP) — A former South Carolina sheriff is expected to plead guilty Thursday to federal charges that he stole from his force's benevolence fund and took pain medication that was supposed to be destroyed as part of a pill take-back program.

Former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright signed a plea agreement last month with federal prosecutors on charges of conspiring to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and conspiring to commit wire fraud and obtaining controlled substances through misrepresentation. He was appearing Thursday morning at the federal courthouse in Anderson.

Wright will be at least the 12th sheriff in South Carolina to be convicted or to plead guilty to on-duty crimes in the past 15 years, for misconduct including extorting drug dealers, having inmates work at their homes, and hiring a woman and pressuring her to have sex.

Sheriffs run the law enforcement organizations in the state's 46 counties. South Carolina law gives the elected officials wide latitude over how their money is spent, what crimes their agencies concentrate on stopping and who gets hired and fired. They also provide little oversight beyond a vote by the people of each county every four years.

Beyond abusing power, there is little in common among the convicted sheriffs. They've been in small rural agencies and big, urban ones. There was a scheme to create false police reports to help clients of a friend's credit repair business. A sheriff took bribes to keep a restaurant owner's employees from being deported. One covered up an illegal arrest. And another punched a woman in the face and stole her cellphone.
Story by Mayukh B

A Houston family came through a major nightmare on Thursday morning when their 16-year-old was attacked by ICE. Reports say that he was choked, beaten, and racially abused by U.S. immigration agents on his way to school, but little did they know that he was American-born only. Sources reveal that the name of the boy is Arnoldo Bazan, and he said that he was travelling with his father, Arnulfo Bazan, on October 23, and suddenly their car was stopped by men dressed in plain clothes who came with an unmarked vehicle.

And, what he said next can be compared to a plot of a bad movie. “Their vests, they didn’t say ‘police’ (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), nothing. And that’s when me and my dad got scared because they started hitting our window, tried to open the door,”Arnoldo told reporters at a press conference. He further said, “Me and my dad went to fight-or-flight mode, and we just backed away.”
Threats rise to alarming heights amid immigration crackdown
Written By Mayukh B

Death threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are increasing as the agency carries out the administration’s tougher immigration policies. New Department of Homeland Security figures were released on Wednesday. It shows an 8,000% jump in death threats aimed at the officers.

The increase has rattled officers and DHS leaders alike. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that officers “risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst.” She even described the range of attacks the agency is seeing: “From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence,” she said, in part. McLaughlin also blamed “sanctuary politicians”

DHS laid out several recent, chilling examples. In Dallas, authorities say a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally, Eduardo Aguilar, posted a TikTok message offering $10,000 for the murder of an ICE agent. The post was written in Spanish and reported by DHS. It allegedly called for “10 dudes in Dallas with determination who aren’t afraid to [two skull emojis].”
Story by David Edwards

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) suggested that "forgotten" Americans should "overthrow" the government.

During a Wednesday interview with a podcaster named Shipwreck, Greene said the American people "have forgotten their power."

"I call them the forgotten American man and woman," she explained. "That is the largest group of Americans. And I think, in my opinion, that is the most powerful group of Americans."

"They could rein in their government like that. Not only could they rein it in, they could overthrow it," she remarked. "That's about 100 million Americans, right?"
Story by Associated Press

Federal authorities on Thursday announced indictments against 20 people, including 14 current or former Mississippi Delta law enforcement officers, that allege the officers took bribes to provide safe passage to people they believed were drug traffickers.

The yearslong investigation swept across multiple counties in the Mississippi Delta region of Mississippi and Tennessee.

Two Mississippi sheriffs, Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston and Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, were among those arrested.

Some bribes were as large as $20,000 and $37,000, authorities said at a news conference.

“It’s just a monumental betrayal of public trust,” US Attorney Clay Joyner said.

The indictments say law enforcement officers provided armed escort services on multiple occasions to an FBI agent posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel.

The indictments allege the officers understood they were helping to transport 55 pounds of cocaine through Mississippi Delta counties and into Memphis.

Some of the officers also provided escort services to protect the transportation of drug proceeds.
Story by Harry Cockburn

Just weeks after Jeffrey Epstein died in jail in 2019, banking giant JPMorgan Chase alerted the Trump administration to more than $1 billion in potentially suspicious transactions involving several high-profile U.S. business figures, as well as wire transfers to Russian banks.

The report, which JPMorgan filed – and which was released this week among hundreds of pages of previously sealed court records – flagged over 4,700 transactions, amid concerns they could potentially be related to human trafficking operations involving Epstein.

Among the names highlighted in JPMorgan’s suspicious activity report are: Leon Black, co-founder of private equity firm Apollo Global Management and former MoMA chairman; billionaire hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin; celebrity attorney Alan Dershowitz; and trusts linked to retail magnate Leslie Wexner.

Though each man appeared in connection with financial dealings tied to Epstein, what those transactions involved, and precisely how Epstein fits into the picture, remains unclear. None of them has been charged with crimes in connection with the disgraced financier.
Domestic violence is crime no matter what Trump thinks


During his remarks to the White House Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. several weeks ago, Donald Trump downplayed the seriousness of domestic violence by making jokes about it and implying that it shouldn't be considered a crime.

During his remarks at the White House this month, President Trump admitted that he is unable to speak without a teleprompter. Trump stated, "My teleprompter wasn't on."
By Cara Tabachnick

New York – Several of the 34 defendants arrested in a sweeping FBI crackdown on alleged illegal gambling rings appeared in Brooklyn court this week, as prosecutors began to reveal facets of the complex case that ensnared alleged members of crime families and NBA mainstays.

The attorney for Zhen Hu had one question for the judge before his client signed the $500,000 bond that would allow for his release from a detention facility in Brooklyn after his arrest last week. James Branden asked Thursday during Hu's bail hearing in federal court in the Eastern District of New York if his client could still "buy a lotto ticket from time to time?"

Hu is one of several defendants charged across two indictments who appeared in court throughout the week. One indictment relates to a sports betting ring involving former and current NBA players, including some who allegedly faked injuries. The other case revolves around illegal high-stakes poker games allegedly involving coaches and operated by organized crime figures. Three people, including former NBA player and coach Damon Jones, were arrested in connection with both schemes, the U.S. attorney's office said.
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