Maryland Gov Wes Moore in hot seat after report questions claim about grandfather and KKK
Maryland’s Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, widely believed to have White House ambitions, is facing questions over the accuracy of a story about his family’s background involving being forced to flee the state of South Carolina due to threats from the Ku Klux Klan. “I am literally the grandson of someone who was run out of this country by the Ku Klux Klan, right?” Moore told Time magazine in 2023 in a conversation about how he “reconciles Patriotism” with the country’s “racist past.” “Right? So the fact that I can be both this grandson of someone who was run outta this country by the Ku Klux Klan, and also be the first Black governor in the history of the state of Maryland.” Moore has frequently referenced his grandfather, James Thomas, as the figure in this story, including during a 2020 appearance on the Yang Speaks podcast titled “Wes Moore on how the KKK ran his family into exile,” where he detailed how his grandfather was a minister in Winnsboro, South Carolina, who fled to Jamaica after being threatened by the klan. ANTI-ICE LEGISLATION HEADS TO DESK OF RISING STAR DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR, TESTING HIS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS However, a Washington Free Beacon report last week cast doubt on the specifics of that story. The report claims that historical records from the Protestant Episcopal Church and contemporary newspaper reports indicate that Thomas’s departure was not a secret, middle-of-the-night escape, but an orderly and public professional transfer after he was appointed to replace a deceased pastor in Jamaica. Additionally, archival data and the diocese’s own historical accounts suggest that the White community in Pineville, S.C., actually held Thomas’s church in high regard for its medical services, with no mention of racial animus or Klan interference during his tenure. WES MOORE WARNS NOEM ‘FEDERAL OCCUPATION’ OF NEW ICE COMPOUND NOW UNDER STATE INVESTIGATION Fox News Digital has not independently verified the claims in the report and Moore’s office pushed back in a statement to Fox News. “We’re not going to litigate a family’s century-old oral history with a partisan outlet,” Moore spokesperson Ammar Moussa told Fox News Digital, in reference to the Washington Free Beacon report. “The broader reality is not in dispute: intimidation and racial terror were pervasive in the Jim Crow South, and it rarely came with neat documentation. Even Bishop William Alexander Guerry — whom they cite to suggest there was no hostility — was later murdered amid intense backlash tied to his racial equality work. The Governor is focused on doing the job Marylanders elected him to do.” The report on Moore’s portrayal of his grandfather’s life story added fuel to the fire of scrutiny the rumored 2028 White House hopeful has already faced for previous stories about his record, including questions about his military record and an Oxford University thesis, both reported on by the Washington Free Beacon and both brought up by users on social media in recent days. “Wes Moore is being talked about as one of the top contenders in the 2028 Democratic primary and the guy has already told more lies about his life than Elizabeth Warren,” Greg Price, Trump White House rapid response manager for the first half of 2025, posted on X. “Moore is reaching Biden levels of fabulism,” National Review editor Ramesh Ponnuru posted on X. “Hoo boy,” Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume posted on X. “Read this, and the post it is in response to.” In September, Moore said he is “not running for president” in 2028 and is “excited” about serving a full term if he wins re-election in November, although many still believe he has presidential ambitions at some point in the future.
Grassley: Biden DOJ bypassed constitutional safeguards by subpoenaing senator phone records
Phone records of sitting members of Congress were secretly obtained in a way that blocked lawmakers from invoking constitutional protections, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, alleged Tuesday during a hearing. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who is leading the hearing, signaled that their panel planned to grill hearing witnesses, who included executives from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, about the disclosure of the phone data. Grassley noted in his opening remarks that the three companies received a total of 10 subpoenas for 20 current or former Republican Congress members related to Arctic Frost, the FBI probe that led to Smith bringing charges against President Donald Trump over the 2020 election. JACK SMITH DENIES POLITICS PLAYED ANY ROLE IN TRUMP PROSECUTIONS AT HOUSE HEARING Blackburn, in her opening remarks, called the disclosures an “invasion of privacy and violation of our constitutional rights.” Blackburn pointed to the speech or debate clause, which gives Congress members an added layer of protection from prosecution. “It’s critical that each of these carriers go on the record about the decisions they made and why — or why not — they enabled with Jack Smith’s weaponization of government,” Blackburn said. The hearing will offer the first public opportunity for Republican committee members, several of whom had a narrow set of their phone data turned over to Smith’s team, to seek answers from each of the phone carriers on how they handled the subpoenas upon receiving them. Grassley noted that a federal statute said phone carriers cannot be barred from giving notice to a Senate office about a subpoena unless the member is the target of an investigation. He also said Verizon, in particular, was under a contract that required it to notify the Senate Sergeant at Arms about subpoenas related to senators. The subpoenas were accompanied by court-authorized gag orders, which ordered the phone companies not to alert the senators to the records request. Blackburn, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, are among those on the committee who had their records subpoenaed as part of Arctic Frost. JACK SMITH TO TESTIFY NEXT WEEK AT A PUBLIC HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING While the phone companies come under scrutiny, Grassley also blamed Smith. Smith received the greenlight from DOJ’s Public Integrity Section to seek the senators’ records as part of his investigation, according to emails, but an official from the section also floated that the subpoenas could expose the DOJ to constitutional challenges. “Smith and his team irresponsibly steam0rolled ahead while intentionally hiding their activity from Members of Congress. … Smith’s deceitful conduct was a substantial intrusion into the core constitutional activity of constitutional officers,” Grassley said. Smith, meanwhile, has repeatedly defended the subpoenas, pointing out that they aligned with DOJ policies at the time.
Schumer, Jeffries trash Trump’s DHS proposal as ‘incomplete and insufficient’
The top two congressional Democrats have, for now, rejected President Donald Trump and Republicans’ offer to avert a shutdown as the deadline rapidly approaches. For several hours Monday night, both Republicans and Democrats were near-radio silent about the nature of the counter-offer from the White House. That was, in part, because some lawmakers had no idea what was in it. But the silence appeared to spell yet another positive step toward averting the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Until Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., trashed the offer Monday night. SENATE RACES TO AVERT THIRD SHUTDOWN AS DHS DEAL TAKES SHAPE “Republicans shared an outline of a counterproposal, which included neither details nor legislative text,” the duo said in a joint statement. “The initial GOP response is both incomplete and insufficient in terms of addressing the concerns Americans have about [Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s] lawless conduct,” they continued. “Democrats await additional detail and text.” While not the death knell for negotiations to fund DHS or to agree to a short-term funding extension, it does slow some of the optimistic momentum that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said was building over the weekend. REPUBLICANS WARN DEMOCRATS’ ICE REFORM PUSH IS COVER TO DEFUND BORDER ENFORCEMENT Democrats’ prime objective is reining in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. They finally turned over their legislative proposals to rein in DHS and ICE to Republicans on Saturday. The proposal they submitted included items that are a bridge too far for Republicans, including requiring ICE agents to get judicial warrants, unmask and have identification ready — some in the GOP warn doing so would lead to more agents being doxxed, when a person’s private information is made public, like their address. The White House’s counter-offer was in response to Democrats’ list of demands and has been kept under heavy lock and key. SHUTDOWN AVERTED FOR NOW, BUT SENATE WARNS DHS FIGHT COULD TRIGGER ANOTHER IN DAYS Before Schumer and Jeffries’ rebellion, Republicans were already mulling turning to another short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), for DHS. That’s because after the House passed the Trump-Schumer funding deal last week, lawmakers had only eight days to figure out how to fund the trickiest of all federal agencies. Now, the Friday deadline is quickly bearing down on Congress, and lawmakers are set to leave Washington, D.C., on Thursday for a weeklong recess. Many will head to Germany for the Munich Security Conference. Thune said that he would likely tee up another CR on Tuesday, and at the time was optimistic that negotiations were moving in a direction that could lead some Democrats to support the move. “We will have to vote on something, obviously, if there’s additional time that’s needed, and hopefully Democrats will be amenable to doing another — an extension,” Thune said.
Nancy Guthrie case: Why criminals are turning to cryptocurrency for ransoms
As the search for Nancy Guthrie stretches into a second week, her alleged captors are reportedly seeking a $6 million Bitcoin ransom, illustrating how cryptocurrency has reshaped the business of extortion. Guthrie, 84, the mother of NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from her home in Arizona, with investigators later confirming only limited details about a ransom demand. Bitcoin is a digital currency that operates without a central authority like a bank or government, allowing people to send money directly to one another over a network of computers. TIMELINE: NANCY GUTHRIE DISAPPEARS AS SHERIFF SAYS ‘EVERYBODY’S STILL A SUSPECT’ “Criminals increasingly request cryptocurrency in ransom and extortion cases because it is fast, global and does not rely on traditional banking rails that can delay or block payments,” explained Ari Redbord, global head of policy at TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence and crypto-forensics firm. “Cases like the alleged crypto ransom demand in the Nancy Guthrie case highlight how this dynamic is playing out in the real world,” added Redbord, a former federal prosecutor and senior U.S. Treasury official. NANCY GUTHRIE DISAPPEARANCE: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT ALLEGED RANSOM NOTE AND ITS DEMANDS It remains unclear whether payment of the $6 million would secure the 84-year-old’s release. What’s more, despite repeated public pleas from the Guthrie family, neither proof of life nor direct contact with her has been provided. Still, Redbord cautions that the same technology that makes cryptocurrency attractive to criminals can also expose them. “The moment a wallet address appears, investigators have something actionable. Funds can be tracked in real time, associations identified and networks mapped in ways that are impossible with bulk cash or informal value transfer systems,” Redbord said. He added that cryptocurrency has fundamentally altered the economics of ransom and extortion — often in ways perpetrators fail to fully appreciate. “Crypto has changed the economics and incentives behind ransom and extortion by increasing speed and reach, but it has also given law enforcement and national security teams unprecedented visibility,” he added. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the recovery of Guthrie or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance. If you have any information concerning this case, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or submit a tip online.
‘I Voted’ sticker helps convict noncitizen who cast ballot in 2024 as election security debate heats up
A Colombian woman living in Massachusetts was convicted on a series of federal identity theft and identity fraud charges, including voting illegally in the 2024 presidential election, the Justice Department said. Federal officials have pointed to the case as a rare, documented example of noncitizen voting prosecuted at the highest level, highlighting it amid renewed debate over voter identification, citizenship verification and election security ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Colombian national, Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, was convicted on federal charges of identity theft, passport fraud and illegal voting, including in the 2024 presidential election. She was captured on surveillance video displaying an “I Voted” sticker on Election Day, underscoring what Justice Department officials characterized as a flagrant disregard for U.S. laws. “Her actions were not a one-time mistake or accident,” the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Special Agent in Charge Shawn Rice said in a statement. WATCHDOG SOUNDS ALARM OVER POTENTIAL NONCITIZEN VOTING AND FOREIGN INFLUENCE AHEAD OF MIDTERMS Officials have highlighted Orovio-Hernandez’s case as an example of successful interagency cooperation and enforcement, as election security concerns have intensified in the run-up to the 2026 midterms. The verdict “sends a clear message: identity theft and fraud against federal benefit programs will not go undetected or unpunished,” said Amy Connelly, special agent in charge of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General in Boston. The Trump administration, for its part, has touted her conviction as an example of the pitfalls of weak voter identification standards or vetting procedures. Officials in several U.S. states have already moved to tighten their individual verification standards and procedures in hopes of cracking down on any fraudulent voting efforts and shoring up voter confidence. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS PENNSYLVANIA PROVISIONAL BALLOT RULING, IN A MAJOR LOSS FOR GOP The conviction comes amid renewed scrutiny of election administration nationwide, including a recent FBI raid at an election hub in Fulton County, Georgia, that authorized a broad seizure of election records, voting rolls and other data tied to the 2020 election, according to a copy of the warrant. Some Senate Democrats have cited concerns over the news that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present at the raid, though she stressed in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital that the ODNI’s Office of General Counsel “has found my actions to be consistent and well within my statutory authority as the Director of National Intelligence.” BEHIND-THE-SCENES BATTLES: LEGAL CHALLENGES THAT COULD IMPACT THE VOTE BEFORE ELECTION DAY BEGINS The Republican Party has sought to embrace a new, litigation-focused “election integrity” strategy in the months ahead of the 2024 general election, as party officials told Fox News Digital at the time. The effort saw dozens of lawsuits that sought to crack down on voter identification laws, tighten citizenship verification standards and add new requirements for mail-in ballots and provisional ballots accepted by certain states. It is unclear to what degree the party might seek to replicate this effort ahead of the midterm elections.
Five employees of Canadian mine found dead in Mexico, authorities say
Mexican authorities say they are working to identify five other bodies after 10 workers were kidnapped last month. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 2 mins info Published On 10 Feb 202610 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Five of 10 employees who were abducted from a Canadian-run mine in Mexico last month have been confirmed as dead, authorities said. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said on Monday that authorities have identified five bodies found at a property in El Verde, a rural locality in the state of Sinaloa, and are working to identify the remains of five other people. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “It is important to note that prosecutorial authorities have remained in contact with the victims’ relatives,” the office said in a statement. “In the cases where the bodies have already been identified, they will be transferred to the states of Zacatecas in two cases, as well as to Chihuahua, Sonora, and Guerrero,” it added. Authorities, who last week arrested four people in connection with the case, will continue gathering evidence to ensure the killings “do not go unpunished”, the office said without providing information on a possible motive. Vizsla Silver, the operator of the Panuco gold and silver mine located near Mazatlan, Sinaloa, said earlier on Monday that it had been informed by a number of families that their loved ones had been found dead. “We are devastated by this outcome and the tragic loss of life. Our deepest condolences are with our colleagues’ families, friends and co-workers, and the entire community of Concordia,” Michael Konnert, president and CEO of Vizsla Silver, said in a statement. “Our focus remains on the safe recovery of those who remain missing and on supporting all affected families and our people during this incredibly difficult time,” Konnert said. Advertisement Vizsla Silver, based in Vancouver, reported on January 28 that 10 of its workers had been taken from its project site and that it had informed authorities. Sinaloa has been rocked by escalating gang violence linked to a rivalry between factions affiliated with two cofounders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, both of whom are in custody in the United States. The western state in Mexico saw more than 1,680 homicides in 2025, making it the most violent year in more than a decade, according to a tally by the Mexican newspaper Milenio. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,447
These are the key developments from day 1,447 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 6 mins info Published On 10 Feb 202610 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here is where things stand on Tuesday, February 10: Fighting Russian overnight drone attacks on Ukraine, including in the eastern Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions, killed at least four people. A mother and her 10-year-old son were killed in the attacks, which also knocked out power to tens of thousands of people, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 11 ballistic missiles and 149 drones against Ukraine overnight. Of the drones launched, 116 were shot down or neutralised, and some missiles were intercepted and did not reach their targets, the Air Force said. Russian attacks have damaged production sites of Ukraine’s state-run oil and gas company Naftogaz in the Poltava and Sumy regions of the country, the company’s CEO, Sergii Koretskyi, said in a Facebook post. Koretskyi said it was the 20th attack on the company’s infrastructure since the start of this year. Russian forces are trying to press forward around the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s military said, hoping to conclude a months-long campaign to seize the strategic hub as Moscow seeks to capture the whole of the Donetsk region. The fall of Pokrovsk would mark Russia’s biggest battlefield victory since it seized the eastern city of Avdiivka in early 2024. Kyiv’s General Staff said its forces still hold the northern part of Pokrovsk, a city with a pre-war population of 60,000, and are also defending the smaller city of Myrnohrad nearby. Pokrovsk has been the site of fierce fighting since last year. Advertisement Weapons Ukraine is opening up exports of its domestically produced weapons, including combat drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as a way for Kyiv to earn money from wartime technology and generate badly needed funds for the country. Zelenskyy said that 10 “export centres” for Ukrainian weapons would be opened in 2026 across Europe. Ukraine and France have agreed to start “large-scale” joint weapons production, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on the Telegram messaging app, after hosting his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, in Kyiv. Fedorov did not specify what arms would be produced with France or when manufacturing would be launched. Politics and diplomacy An agreement on ending Russia’s war on Ukraine must also take into consideration security guarantees for Russia, Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Grushko told the Izvestia media outlet. These guarantees include the rejection of any deployment in Ukraine of troops from NATO states, he said. Russia remains open to cooperation with the United States, but is not hopeful about economic ties despite Washington’s ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Russia-based media outlet TV BRICS. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has claimed that suspects held for the shooting of one of the country’s most senior military intelligence officers in Moscow last week, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, have confessed that they were carrying out orders from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The FSB also claimed that Polish intelligence was involved in their recruitment. Neither Ukraine nor Poland has commented on the allegations. India plans to maintain multiple sources of energy supply and diversify them when needed, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said. The minister’s comments come after US President Donald Trump said last week that New Delhi had “committed to stop directly or indirectly” importing fuel from Russia. Germany has indicted a Ukrainian national in connection with allegations of a plot linked to Russian intelligence to detonate parcel packages in Europe, German prosecutors said in a statement. The suspect was arrested in Switzerland in May of last year and extradited to Germany in December. Moscow has previously denied involvement in the alleged plot. Sanctions The European Union has proposed extending its sanctions against Russia to include ports in Georgia and Indonesia that handle Russian oil, the first time the bloc would target ports in third countries that deal with Russia, the Reuters news agency reported, citing a proposal document. The proposal bars EU companies and individuals from conducting transactions with the ports. The EU also proposed adding two Kyrgyz banks – Keremet and OJSC Capital Bank of Central Asia – to its sanctions list for providing crypto asset services to Russia, as well as banks in Laos and Tajikistan, while removing two Chinese lenders. If approved, the listed banks would be barred from transactions with EU individuals and companies. The EU document proposes the inclusion in the sanctions list of 30 individuals and 64 companies, seeking a freeze on their assets and travel bans. These include Bashneft, a listed subsidiary of Russia’s oil behemoth Rosneft, as well as eight Russian refineries, among them two major Rosneft-controlled plants – Tuapse and Syzran. The proposal stops short of listing Rosneft or Lukoil, already hit by US sanctions. Advertisement Sport Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych said a helmet he has used in training at the Milano Cortina Games with images of compatriots killed during the war in Ukraine cannot be used in Olympic competition, after having been told by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that it violates a rule on political statements. Ukrainian Minister of Sports Matvii Bidnyi has decried actions by the IOC that Kyiv says indicate that the organisation may soon ease restrictions against Russian athletes, allowing them to once again represent their country in future Olympic Games. Bidnyi told The Associated Press news agency that any change would be “irresponsible” and appear to condone Russia’s invasion, as the war’s fourth anniversary approaches. Smoke billows following Russian double-tap Shahed drone attacks against a petrol station in Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region, on Monday [Maria Senovilla/EPA] Adblock test (Why?)
US kills two people in attack on boat in eastern Pacific, one survivor
The US military says one person survived the strike on the vessel and that the coastguard has been notified. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 2 mins info Published On 10 Feb 202610 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share The United States military has attacked a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people, and notifying the US coastguard that one person survived the strike. The US Southern Command, which oversees military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, said the “lethal kinetic strike” was carried out on Monday against a vessel, which it alleged was involved in drug trafficking without providing any evidence. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, US SOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor,” the military said. Last week, the US claimed responsibility for killing two people in an earlier attack in the eastern Pacific, bringing to three the number of attacks Washington has ordered on vessels since its forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a bloody nighttime raid on the capital, Caracas, in early January. According to monitors and tallies kept by media organisations, the US has now carried out some 37 attacks against 39 vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Ocean, killing at least 130 people, including the latest killings on Monday. SOUTHCOM did not provide details on the medical condition of the survivor from Monday’s attack, nor the chances of the person’s rescue by the US coastguard and the likelihood of their survival. The US appears undeterred in carrying out its deadly operations in international waters off Latin America, despite legal scholars, rights workers and regional leaders accusing the US of extrajudicial killing by acting as the judge, jury and executioner in cases of people suspected of drug trafficking. Advertisement Officials in the administration of US President Donald Trump have already come under scrutiny for reports that the first such attack, which took place in September 2025, included a follow-up strike that killed survivors who were clinging to the wreckage of a boat. Legal experts said the US military committed a crime if it killed the survivors of a shipwreck . SOUTHCOM released a 10-second video of the air strike on Monday. In the video, a small, motorised boat can be seen in the military’s crosshairs before it is hit, triggering an explosion seconds later. Some of the boat’s structure appears to remain intact after the explosion, although the vessel slows down. Adblock test (Why?)
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta inaugurates CT scan, neuro ICU, other advanced facilities at GB Pant Hospital
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta along with Health Minister Pankaj Singh inaugurated a number of advanced medical facilities at GB Pant Hospital on Monday. These facilities include a state-of-the-art 256-slice CT scanner and more advanced facilities
Sharad Pawar health update: NCP founder developed chest congestion, undergoing treatment
Rohit Pawar, grandnephew of Sharad Pawar, said the senior leader had a hectic schedule over the past few days. “Over the past ten to twelve days, Sharad Pawar has had a very hectic schedule. Due to physical exhaustion and mild breathing discomfort, he was admitted to Ruby Hall Clinic.”