Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Year: 2026

Trump defends Minneapolis federal enforcement, says crime plunged after ‘thousands of criminals’ removed

Trump defends Minneapolis federal enforcement, says crime plunged after ‘thousands of criminals’ removed

President Donald Trump is defending federal law enforcement efforts in Minneapolis, saying crime has fallen sharply after what he described as the removal of “thousands of criminals” from the city. In an interview with NBC News’ Tom Llamas that aired Sunday, Trump said crime in Minneapolis is down as much as 30%, attributing the decline to tougher enforcement. “The crime numbers in Minnesota, in Minneapolis in particular, are down 25, 30% because we’ve removed thousands of criminals from the area,” Trump said. “These are hardened criminals… Most of them came in through an open border, and we’ve done a great job.” Operation Metro Surge has sent thousands of immigration agents to Minneapolis and St. Paul, leading to thousands of arrests while also sparking resident resistance and public outrage. BIDEN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN MINNESOTA, SAYS IT GOES AGAINST AMERICAN VALUES Trump pointed to other major cities where he said his administration has delivered dramatic results when it comes to crime. “Look at Washington, D.C.,” Trump said. “It’s like a safe city. You can walk to the White House. You don’t have to take an armored vehicle.” The president also cited New Orleans, and Memphis, Tennessee, as examples. “Look at what happened in Louisiana,” Trump said. “I got a call from the governor, ‘Please do something with New Orleans.’ We went there four weeks ago, crime is down 71%.” MINNESOTA DHS WHISTLEBLOWER DETAILS ‘SMEAR CAMPAIGN’ AFTER REPORTING FRAUD CONCERNS TO STATE “[In] Memphis, Tennessee, crime is down 80% after five weeks.” Trump said the trend reflects the success of his administration’s tough-on-crime approach. “Crime, historically in this country, it’s down [to] the lowest level it’s ever been,” Trump said. “… We’ve had less murders than we have had in decades. And you know why? Because we’re tough on crime.” Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said murders in major U.S. cities plunged to their lowest level since at least 1900 as federal arrests, gang takedowns and deportations surged under Trump’s promise to “restore law and order.” PIRRO CREDITS ‘ENHANCED FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP’ FOR DC’S FIRST HOMICIDE-FREE STRETCH IN DECADES Trump also told NBC News that he made the decision to pull hundreds of federal law enforcement agents from Minneapolis following the fatal shootings of two city residents last month, saying the Department of Homeland Security could “use a little bit of a softer touch.” On Wednesday, White House border czar Tom Homan announced that roughly 700 federal agents would be leaving the Twin Cities, with the goal of a “complete drawdown.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch, Ashley Oliver and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

SCOOP: Trump ally Kid Rock jumps into key governor’s race with high-profile endorsement

SCOOP: Trump ally Kid Rock jumps into key governor’s race with high-profile endorsement

EXCLUSIVE — Detroit native and cultural icon Kid Rock is taking sides in the race for Michigan governor. The famed musician and entertainer with a working-class persona who is known for his conservative political views is endorsing Republican Rep. John James in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Michigan governor’s office and a Democrat-controlled open U.S. Senate seat are top targets for the GOP to flip in November’s midterm elections. “As our next Governor of Michigan, I know you will bring many victories to our GREAT STATE!” Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, said in a statement shared first with Fox News Digital on Sunday. BATTLE FOR THE SENATE: WHERE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP SEATS James, who’s in his second term representing a swing congressional district in suburban Detroit, said in a statement, “Kid Rock is a good friend. We share our love for Detroit, the state of Michigan and the United States of America!” “I’m honored to have the endorsement of this unapologetic freedom-loving patriot and I look forward to working with him and every other Michigander to make Michigan great again!” added James, a West Point graduate and veteran of the Iraq War, and a businessman who was the 2018 and 2020 Republican Senate nominee in the Great Lakes battleground state. Kid Rock’s backing of James comes a couple of hours before the singer and songwriter headlines Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” during the Super Bowl. HOW TO WATCH THE TURNING POINT USA ALTERNATE HALFTIME SHOW Turning Point USA, which was co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, is hosting its own alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday. The event comes as conservatives criticize the NFL’s choice to feature Latin music star Bad Bunny as the halftime performer. Kid Rock is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, backing him in all three of his presidential campaigns. He performed his song “American Bad Ass” at the 2024 Republican National Convention with altered lyrics to showcase his support for Trump. Trump, whose sway over the GOP remains immense and whose endorsements in Republican primaries are highly coveted and extremely influential, to date has not weighed in on Michigan’s gubernatorial race. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND ANALYSIS FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL A release from James’s campaign highlighted that “John James has stood with President Trump consistently since 2018, and every subsequent election, maintaining a clear and steady alignment when others backed his opponents, ran against him, or stayed silent.” The James campaign also emphasized that “Kid Rock and John James share deep Detroit roots and a common view of Michigan as a state defined by hard work, manufacturing, culture, and natural beauty — from the Great Lakes to the communities that power the Midwest economy.” James is the clear polling front-runner in a very crowded field of Republicans vying for the GOP nomination in the August primary. Among the other Republicans in the race are former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former state House of Representatives Speaker Mike Leonard, and businessman Perry Johnson, a longshot candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination who is making his second bid for governor. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the clear front-runner among three candidates for the Democratic nomination. Former three-term Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan of Detroit is campaigning for governor as an independent. The race in Michigan is rated a toss-up by three top nonpartisan political handicappers: the Cook Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

The world’s top nuclear powers have no arsenal limits, here are the countries with nukes

The world’s top nuclear powers have no arsenal limits, here are the countries with nukes

For the first time in decades, the world’s two largest nuclear superpowers are no longer bound by any treaty limiting their arsenals. The last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, known as New START, expired Thursday. WORLD ENTERS UNCHARTED ERA AS US-RUSSIA NUCLEAR TREATY EXPIRES, OPENING DOOR TO FASTEST ARMS RACE IN DECADES The lapse removed limits on how many nuclear weapons Washington and Moscow could deploy on missiles, bombers and submarines, and ended the requirement that both sides notify one another whenever nuclear weapons were moved. The scale of what’s now unconstrained is vast.  Globally, there are more than 12,200 nuclear weapons spread across nine nuclear-armed nations, according to a recent analysis. The United States and Russia alone account for roughly 10,636 of those weapons. NO LIMITS, NO INSPECTIONS: US AND RUSSIA FACE POST–NEW START ERA AS TRUMP PUSHES NEW NUCLEAR DEAL While the exact size of each country’s arsenal is closely guarded, below is a breakdown of estimated nuclear stockpiles, based on data from the Federation of American Scientists.  Ahead of the New START agreement’s expiration, President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Rather than extend ‘NEW START’ (a badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future.” He has previously argued that China should be included in any new agreement with Russia, pointing to Beijing’s growing nuclear arsenal, the world’s third largest after the U.S. and Russia.

Thai PM Anutin’s party takes early lead in general election race

Thai PM Anutin’s party takes early lead in general election race

With 30 percent of polling stations reporting results, Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party has a commanding lead. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info By News Agencies Published On 8 Feb 20268 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Thailand’s ruling Bhumjaithai Party has taken an early lead in general elections, according to a preliminary vote count. With around 30 percent of polling stations reporting results, the party, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnviraku, took a commanding lead over the progressive People’s Party, showed partial results released by the country’s election commission. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The populist Pheu Thai Party, backed by the billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was jailed last year, was in third place, the results showed. People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut appeared to concede defeat as the results came in, telling reporters, “We acknowledge that we did not come first.” “We stand by our principle of respecting the party that finishes first and its right to form the government,” said Ruengpanyawut. Nevertheless, the three-way battle is unlikely to see any single party win a clear majority, meaning parties will likely have to resort to coalition-building to form the next government. Bhumjaithai, seen as the preferred choice of the royalist-military establishment, centred its campaign on economic stimulus and national security, tapping into nationalist fervour stoked by deadly border clashes with neighbouring Cambodia. Its leader, caretaker premier Anutin, stepped in as prime minister last September, after his predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was forced out of office for an ethics violation. Threatened with a no-confidence vote, Anutin dissolved the National Assembly or parliament in December to call a snap election. Advertisement The rival People’s Party, which many had expected to win a plurality of seats, had promised to curb the influence of the military and the courts, as well as break up economic monopolies. Pheu Thai campaigned on economic revival and populist pledges like cash handouts. Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Bangkok, said there was a sentiment of “political fatigue” in the run-up to elections, but voters turning out Sunday were still hopeful about the prospect for change. Constitutional referendum Thai voters were also ‌asked during the vote to decide if a new constitution should replace a 2017 charter, a military-backed document that critics say concentrates power in undemocratic institutions, including a powerful Senate that is chosen through an indirect selection process with limited public participation. The election commission’s early count showed voters backing constitutional change ‌by a margin of nearly two to one. Thailand has had 20 constitutions since the end of absolute monarchy in ⁠1932, with most of the changes following military coups. If voters back the drafting of a new national charter, the new government and lawmakers can start the amendment process in parliament with two more referendums required to adopt a new constitution. “I believe that the party that wins in the next election will have an outsized influence on the direction of constitutional reform, whether we move away from the junta-drafted constitution or not,” said Napon Jatusripitak of the Bangkok-based Thailand Future think tank. Adblock test (Why?)

Who is Leqaa Kordia, the Columbia protester still in ICE detention?

Who is Leqaa Kordia, the Columbia protester still in ICE detention?

Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman detained in the United States by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency since March, has been rushed to a hospital after a medical episode, according to media reports. Kordia is being held in Texas after being detained as part of US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestine protests on college campuses across the country. Her legal team said she was targeted for her protest against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza near Columbia University in New York in 2024, but the federal government said she was arrested for allegedly overstaying her student visa. Since her hospitalisation on Friday, Kordia’s legal team and family said they have not been able to speak with her and do not know her whereabouts. Here is everything we know about Kordia and why she continues to remain in detention: Who is Kordia? Kordia grew up in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah before coming to the US in 2016. She arrived on a visitor’s visa, staying with her mother, a US citizen, in Paterson, New Jersey, home to one of the largest Arab communities in the country. She later transitioned from a tourist visa to a student visa, according to her habeas corpus petition. After her mother applied for Kordia to remain in the US as the relative of a citizen, her green card application was approved in 2021. However, she received incorrect advice from a teacher that led to her student visa expiring in 2022, according to her lawyers. Before her arrest, Kordia worked as a server at a Middle Eastern restaurant on Palestine Way in New Jersey and helped to care for her autistic half-brother. Advertisement Kordia was moved to protest against Israel’s war due to personal loss. Since the start of the war in October 2023, Kordia said, more than 200 of her relatives have been killed. Israel has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded more than 170,000 in a war that human rights groups, a United Nations commission and a growing number of scholars said amounts to genocide. Since a “ceasefire” began in October, Israel has killed more than 500 Palestinians and continues to impose curbs on the entry of aid into Gaza. If deported, Kordia would be handed over to the Israeli government. Pro-Palestinian protesters take over Butler Library on the campus of Columbia University on May 7, 2025 [Ryan Murphy/Reuters] Why was Kordia arrested? She was first arrested in April 2024 during a protest outside the gates of Columbia University, but the case was soon dropped. On March 13, 2025, Kordia showed up at the ICE headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, for what she believed to be routine immigration questions. She was detained there, “thrown into an unmarked van and sent 1,500 miles [more than 2,400km] away”, Kordia wrote in the USA Today newspaper last month. Kordia was neither a student at Columbia University nor a part of political circles. “Though I was not a student, I felt compelled to participate. After all, Israel, with the backing of the United States, has laid waste to Gaza, forcibly displacing my family, killing nearly 200 of my relatives,” she wrote in USA Today. Today, Kordia is the only person who remains in detention from the Columbia campus demonstrations. She has been held at Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. A leader of the protests, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student with Algerian citizenship and a US green card, and others have been released. Khalil, however, is still in a legal battle to remain in the US with his American wife and child. Last month, an appeals court panel dismissed a lawsuit Khalil filed challenging his detention and deportation order. The judges concluded that the federal court that ordered Khalil’s release last year lacked jurisdiction over the matter. Lawyers for Leqaa Kordia, second from right, say she’s been targeted by US immigration enforcement because she participated in pro-Palestinian protests [File: Craig Ruttle/AP Photo] What are the charges against Kordia? The US government has called Kordia’s money transfers to relatives in the Middle East evidence of possible ties to “terrorists”. Kordia’s lawyers have continuously argued for her release, saying she was targeted by federal officials for her participation in pro-Palestinian protests. Advertisement The federal government has maintained that the case against Kordia is of overstaying a student visa. “Her arrest had nothing to do with her radical activities,” the Department of Homeland Security said in April. “Kordia was arrested for immigration violations due to having overstayed her F-1 student visa, which had been terminated on January 26, 2022, for lack of attendance.” Writing in USA Today last month, Kordia said she does not consider herself either a leader or an activist. “I am a devout Muslim who is deeply committed to my faith and community. I’m a Palestinian woman who enjoys playing the oud, making pottery and hiking,” Kordia wrote. “Speaking out against what rights groups and experts have called a genocide is my moral duty and – I thought – a constitutionally protected right for all in this country. Except, it seems, when that speech defends Palestinian life.” An immigration judge has called for Kordia’s release twice. However, it has been repeatedly blocked through a series of procedural and administrative moves. “[The] Trump administration has exploited rarely used procedural loopholes to keep me confined, a practice now being challenged in federal district courts across the country, with many finding the practice unconstitutional,” Kordia wrote. Demonstrators march after the arrest of Palestinian student protester Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia University on March 10, 2025 [Jeenah Moon/Reuters] How has Kordia lived in ICE detention? Since Kordia was moved to the ICE detention facility in Alvarado in March, she has been facing a range of issues, from sleeping on a bare mattress on the floor to being denied religious accommodations, including halal meals. “Inside the ICE facility where I’m being held, conditions are filthy, overcrowded and inhumane,” Kordia wrote in her piece for USA Today. “For months,

Iran FM says Tehran ready for deal with US with peaceful nuclear enrichment

Iran FM says Tehran ready for deal with US with peaceful nuclear enrichment

NewsFeed In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran is ready to reach a deal with the US that allows for peaceful nuclear enrichment, following talks in Oman. He rejects the notion that Washington should be able to dictate what range missiles Iran produces. Published On 8 Feb 20268 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)