Trump says US military eliminated ‘infamous’ Tren de Aragua leader in lethal strike
President Donald Trump on Friday night announced the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) “delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike” to successfully execute Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Niño Guerrero, the “infamous” leader of Tren de Aragua (TdA). The U.S. Department of State previously offered up to a $5 million reward for the 43-year-old Venezuelan’s arrest or conviction. “Before I returned to office, Joe Biden opened our Southern Border to millions of Illegal Criminals, and allowed this foreign army to rape, maim, and murder American Citizens with total impunity,” Trump wrote in a statement on Truth Social. “During my Campaign, I pledged to expel these monsters from our Country, and bring Justice to the families of those they slaughtered, including the precious 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, 22-year-old Laken Reilly, and countless other beautiful souls.” DOJ INDICTS ALLEGED HIGH-RANKING TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBER ON TERRORISM CHARGES FOR THE FIRST TIME VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT USES TREN DE ARAGUA AS PROXIES TO UNDERMINE US PUBLIC SAFETY, FBI ASSESSMENT FINDS The president said with Friday’s action, the U.S. military “has brought retribution for them, their families, and their loved ones.” “Early in my Administration, I delivered on my promise to designate Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, deport thousands of evil criminals, and wage war against the Cartels, who have long been waging war against our Citizens, while weak leaders left America helpless and defensive,” Trump wrote. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well,” he continued. “As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drugs lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.” TdA, originally a prison gang in the Aragua state of Venezuela, has grown into a transnational criminal organization led by Flores, according to the State Department. The group has since been designated by the U.S. as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Authorities said Guerrero spent many years incarcerated at the Tocorón Prison in Aragua State of Venezuela and expanded the group’s influence by extorting prison inmates and bribing prison guards. The gang later assumed overall control of the Tocorón prison, gold mines in Bolivar State, drug corridors on the Caribbean coast and of some of the clandestine border crossings between Venezuela and Colombia.
California Dems accused of putting sanctuary law over migrant child welfare checks: ‘Real children’
California Democrats are facing accusations that the state’s sanctuary policies are leaving vulnerable migrant children unchecked after California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office warned that local police welfare visits on unaccompanied minors using information from federal authorities could violate state law. The warning from Bonta has become a flashpoint in a broader lawsuit brought by the City of El Cajon against California’s sanctuary state policies. City officials, like Mayor Bill Wells and City Councilman Steve Goble, argue that the state is putting law enforcement in an impossible position, such as forcing them to make a determination on whether to check on potentially vulnerable children flagged by federal immigration authorities and risk violating state law, or leave the vulnerable unaccompanied minors unchecked. Goble told Fox News Digital he was informed during a February 2025 meeting with San Diego-area Homeland Security officials that federal authorities had a list of unaccompanied migrant children, including 52 with addresses in El Cajon. He said federal officials asked whether local police could help “ensure these kids are safe” through welfare checks, prompting Goble to seek guidance from Bonta’s office before dispatching officers. I’M A MAYOR TRYING TO FOLLOW LAW BUT CALIFORNIA IS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR COPS “It’s kind of hard to imagine why they’re choosing this hill to die on,” Wells told Fox News Digital. “What they basically want to say is, ‘Because our narrative is so important, and protecting illegal aliens is so important, that, yeah, if a few kids get sex trafficked along the way — you know, you’re just making this up. You’re just using this as a way.’ I mean, these are real people. These are real children. I think it’s an incredibly insensitive argument.“ Goble had asked Bonta’s office in a March 2025 letter whether local police could conduct the checks using contact information provided by federal authorities, writing that the city wanted to ensure all children were safe “regardless of citizenship or resident status.” In the letter, Goble cited the inspector general’s concerns that unaccompanied minors are at heightened risk of trafficking, exploitation and forced labor, and wrote that “time is of the essence” in determining whether the children were safe. Meanwhile, Bonta’s office responded in a June 2025 letter, warning that local law enforcement pursuing wellness checks “alongside or based on information provided by federal immigration authorities” could implicate conduct prohibited by SB 54, known as the California Values Act. Bonta’s letter said these violations could include if officers confirmed location information provided by ICE, or reported the results of the check back to federal immigration authorities. But Goble told Fox News Digital that the city was not asking police to act as immigration agents, but primarily wanted to confirm whether the children are safe. CALIFORNIA TOWN WITH LARGE MIGRANT POPULATION MIGHT REVOKE SANCTUARY STATUS “All I care about is, is the kid safe?” Goble told Fox News Digital. “I don’t care the immigration status or citizen status of anybody else in the room.” The welfare-check dispute is one piece of a broader legal challenge El Cajon filed against Bonta on April 28, 2026, seeking relief from California’s sanctuary policies impacting how local law enforcement do their jobs, including SB 54, the TRUST Act and the TRUTH Act. In a May 20 motion for a preliminary injunction, the city asked the court to temporarily block Bonta from enforcing those laws against El Cajon while the case proceeds, arguing the policies are preempted by federal immigration law and put local police in the position of choosing between state restrictions and federal obligations. The May 20 injunction motion specifically cites the Goble-Bonta exchange as an example of how the city says California’s sanctuary laws prevent El Cajon officers from engaging in “basic public safety work.” The filing argues that the state’s legal framework forces officers to spend time navigating “legal hairsplitting” instead of responding quickly to public-safety concerns, including checks on children in the community. “Every time an El Cajon police officer steps out onto the street, they’re going to be breaking one of two laws,” Wells said to Fox News Digital. “They’re either going to be breaking federal law or they’re going to be breaking state law. And you cannot put police officers in that situation.” BLUE STATE COUNTY FACES BACKLASH AFTER FAILED VOTE TO SCRAP ‘SUPER SANCTUARY’ POLICY: ‘FRINGE DEMOCRATS’ El Cajon’s lawsuit is not limited to the welfare checks. The April 28 complaint broadly asks a San Diego County court to declare California’s sanctuary restrictions invalid and to stop Bonta from enforcing them against El Cajon police. Bonta’s office’s June 2025 response said it “share[s]” El Cajon’s concern for children who may be at risk of harm, but suggested county social service agencies may have a role when there is no evidence of criminal activity requiring law enforcement. Wells and Goble pushed back on that argument; however, arguing Bonta’s suggestion ignored San Diego County’s December 2024 vote restricting county resources from being used to assist federal immigration enforcement. “That means we’re not going to let our social service workers go do welfare checks on unaccompanied minors for the Department of Homeland Security,” Goble told Fox News Digital. “It’s another rock and a hard place.” EX-BIDEN OFFICIAL’S CAMPAIGN FACES HEAT AS MISSING CHILDREN SCANDAL RESURFACES: ‘VOTERS DESERVE BETTER’ Wells added that it was difficult to accept Bonta’s suggestion that county agencies could serve as a neutral fallback for welfare checks tied to information from federal authorities. “This is the same county we would be deferring to, to check on these kids,” Wells added. “They’re not neutral. They’ve been very, very clear.” Immigrant-rights advocates nationally have warned that ICE “welfare checks” on unaccompanied migrant children can function as immigration enforcement under the banner of child safety. The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights has called the Trump administration’s ICE “wellness checks” harmful enforcement “in disguise,” while other advocates have warned that DHS visits can discourage sponsors from coming forward or expose families to deportation fears. But Wells and
Trump’s name to be removed from Kennedy Center as appeals court denies board’s request for administrative stay
The Kennedy Center board on Friday asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block a judge’s order requiring references to President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the institution’s signage and official materials, as signage bearing Trump’s name remained visible on the building’s facade late Friday afternoon. Hours later, the appeals court denied the board’s request for an immediate administrative stay. In an emergency motion filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the board requested both a stay pending appeal and an immediate administrative stay, arguing that physical changes to the building should not occur before appellate judges review the dispute. The filing asks the court to issue an administrative stay by 7 p.m. Friday. A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit later denied the board’s request for an immediate administrative stay, declining to temporarily block enforcement of the district court’s order while the appeal proceeds. The appeals court ordered Beatty to respond to the broader stay-pending-appeal motion by June 22, with a reply due June 29. OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE WITH TIES TO ANTI-TRUMP CONSPIRACY THEORY HIT WITH MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT Fox News Digital observed Friday afternoon that Trump’s name remained mounted on the Kennedy Center facade as of 5:30 p.m. ET, with scaffolding erected around portions of the signage. Earlier Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper denied the board’s request to pause enforcement of his ruling while the appeal proceeds, finding that the defendants had not demonstrated either a likelihood of success on appeal or irreparable harm. The Kennedy Center board argued in its emergency filing that removing and potentially reinstalling signage would force it to incur costs that could not be recovered if it ultimately prevails on appeal. The board also argued that removing Trump’s name could impair fundraising efforts and create public confusion if the Center’s name changes again following a successful appeal. The motion further contends that the case raises significant questions regarding the board’s authority and whether Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, had standing to bring the lawsuit. The latest filing stems from Cooper’s May 29 ruling that Congress, not the Kennedy Center board, has authority over the institution’s name. The judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from physical signage, digital materials and official branding and directed the Center to comply within 14 days. BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS In a lengthy opinion, Cooper wrote that the Kennedy Center‘s governing statute “makes crystal clear” that the institution is to be named for President John F. Kennedy and cannot be formally renamed through unilateral board action. The judge concluded that Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and that only Congress can change it. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by Beatty, who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board. Following the May 29 decision, Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi said the board intended to appeal. EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-LED KENNEDY CENTER NEARLY DOUBLES FUNDRAISING FROM BIDEN ERA, SMASHING RECORD WITH $23M HAUL “We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration — a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi told Fox News Digital at the time. “With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place, and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.” Beatty praised the ruling, saying in a statement that the Kennedy Center “belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.” Trump’s name was added to the venue in December after a unanimous vote of the board. Signage bearing the president’s name was installed above the existing Kennedy Center lettering shortly afterward. The board sought emergency relief from the appeals court Friday to temporarily block Cooper’s order. By late Friday, the D.C. Circuit denied that request. The court has not yet ruled on the board’s broader request for a stay pending appeal and instead set a briefing schedule extending into late June. The White House and a representative for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this reporting.
Clinton judge indefinitely blocks Trump’s $1.776B anti-weaponization fund
A federal judge on Friday indefinitely blocked the Trump administration’s $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, even as another federal judge earlier this week declined to intervene after the Justice Department said the fund was no longer moving forward. The court disputes have heightened pressure on the administration to formally dismantle the fund. While Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the fund would not move forward, the settlement agreement and departmental directives that created the fund have not been formally rescinded. Critics argue this leaves open the possibility that the fund could still proceed in the future. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, a Clinton-appointed judge, extended a court order Friday preventing implementation of the fund, concluding that public assurances from administration officials were insufficient to eliminate concerns that it could later be revived. Brinkema noted how Trump, “says he’s disappointed that something is not going forward,” suggesting this was evidence that the fund may “rear its head” at some point in the future. JUDGE TEMPORARILY BLOCKS TRUMP DOJ’S NEARLY $2B ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND Over the weekend Trump shared on “Meet the Press” that he’d like to continue with the fund. “If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed,” Trump said. Brinkema gave the Justice Department a week to put in writing that the Anti-Weaponization Fund is being terminated and will not be reinstated. The ruling comes days after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rejected a separate request from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) seeking emergency intervention, saying he was willing to rely on Justice Department representations that the fund had effectively been abandoned. ACTING AG BLANCHE REVEALS FATE OF TRUMP’S ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND’ UNDER PRESSURE FROM HOUSE LAWMAKERS But Leon, a George W. Bush-appointed judge, simultaneously warned administration officials not to treat his decision as permission to revive the program. “I give the Justice Department this warning: Don’t play possum with me,” Leon said from the bench. Blanche announced during a hearing earlier this month that the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which was born out of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit settlement with the IRS, would not be proceeding. The fund was intended to compensate alleged victims of government “lawfare,” but its creation sparked immediate backlash from Democrats, who characterized it as a “slush fund” that could ultimately benefit Trump’s political allies and individuals charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES BACK ON ‘SLUSH FUND’ ATTACKS AGAINST ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND AND LAYS OUT WHO QUALIFIES Justice Department attorney Andrew Block argued before Leon that Blanche’s congressional testimony effectively mooted CREW’s challenge because the government had publicly committed not to move forward. Leon repeatedly questioned why Blanche has not formally rescinded a May 18 order that established procedures for the fund in the first place, a question Block could not answer. CREW attorney Nikhel Sus argued the settlement agreement that established the fund remains legally operative and contains upcoming deadlines requiring action. WAY HARDER THAN IT SHOULD BE: WHY CONGRESS MAY BALK ON $1.7B COMPENSATION FUND According to Sus, a five-member board overseeing the fund must be established by June 17, while funding transfers are scheduled by July 17. “On paper, the fund is still a legally operating entity,” Sus argued. However, Leon ultimately accepted the government’s assurances for now that the fund is moot, but he noted that he can sanction attorneys who make false representations to the court. He also indicated he will continue considering CREW’s request for a preliminary injunction and suggested he could intervene if evidence emerges that the administration is attempting to revive the fund.
Pratt concedes LA mayor race with scathing video teasing next move, bombshell info he holds: ‘Commie animals’
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt posted a fiery video on social media teasing his plans for “Phase III” of his effort to clean up the city and teasing information he has that could force one of the candidates still in the race to resign if elected. “I’m moving on to the next more interesting phase. Listen, I spent a lot of time slaying everybody. I’ve ridiculed everyone on the roster,” Pratt posted on Instagram after finishing third in the mayoral race earlier this month, following a strong election night performance that suggested he’d finish in the top two and move on was eventually erased by a surge in mail-in votes over the next week. “You think you can get rid of me that easily? I know a lot of dimwit jerks thought I was in this for a grift, that I was gonna roll up and leave town if I didn’t get into City Hall. Hey morons, I didn’t get in this for political power. I got in to expose this corrupt machine, and nothing has changed.” Now that he is not a candidate, Pratt says that he doesn’t have to “worry about offending CNN viewers” and doesn’t have a “campaign hamstringing me now.” SPENCER PRATT’S UNEXPECTED POLITICAL RISE FROM MTV VILLAIN TO KAREN BASS’ CHALLENGER “It’s war,” Pratt said. “It’s zero hour for Los Angeles. Angelenos are now stuck with two morons responsible for all their problems and they have to choose between dumb and dumber. That’s not a choice. That’s the machine protecting the machine. And now every problem that plagues Los Angeles because of these two corrupt communists is going to accelerate.” Pratt then floated a claim that a video recording in his possession could rock the political landscape in the city, but that he is waiting until the city makes its final choice in November between current Mayor Karen Bass and progressive councilwoman Nithya Raman. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION YANKS FUNDING FROM LA HOMELESS AGENCY AMID EXPLOSIVE FRAUD PROBE: ‘NECESSARY STEP’ “My goal hasn’t changed, I’ve been laser-focused on stopping these commie animals, and I will stop them if you think we uncovered a lot of fraud and evil in the campaign, just wait,” Pratt explained, “We have some recordings of one of your exalted candidates doing insane something that would make her resign in shame I was saving it for the general election go ahead and pick your demon certify your choice and then you get to see it.” Pratt asked Raman and Bass to “ask yourself” is it “possible one of your employees may have a recording of you doing or saying something they would force you to resign in disgrace?” Pratt then sarcastically told both candidates he hopes they “sleep well at night” over the next five months, unlike his mother and all the others who lost their homes in the devastating wildfires under Bass’ watch last year as well as the moms who are subjected to the homelessness and crime issues facing the city. Pratt painted a grim picture of what the city will look like in four years, regardless of which of the “corrupt communists” left in the race wins in the November election. “You have no idea how many major developers, hoteliers, business owners, entrepreneurs have been texting me saying they’re packing up and leaving town,” Pratt said. “More of your favorite restaurants will be shuttering. That means less tax revenue. That means the city has to cut services. More potholes, less firefighters, less police patrols, more criminals, more drug addicts terrorizing your communities. You have no idea how bad things are about to get for this city.” The video ends with a clip from the TV show Ozark, suggesting that if the political establishment wants to “stop him,” they are “gonna have to f—— kill me!” Fox News Digital reached out to the Bass and Raman campaigns for comment on the video, which racked up over 20,000 likes within 45 minutes of being posted.
Obama judge rules on effort to block America 250 events at WH and Lincoln Memorial
A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for UFC Freedom 250 to proceed at the White House and Lincoln Memorial this weekend, rejecting a last-minute court challenge just days before the high-profile event. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta, an Obama appointee, denied an emergency request by two Washington-area residents to halt the mixed martial arts showdown, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to sue in the first place and had not demonstrated a sufficient injury. The lawsuit challenged plans for “UFC Freedom 250,” a mixed martial arts event tied to celebrations surrounding the nation’s 250th anniversary. The event includes a June 12 news conference and fighter face-offs at the Lincoln Memorial and a June 14 fight card on the White House South Lawn. It is expected to bring thousands of viewers. The plaintiffs argued that the events violate National Park Service regulations governing special events, that the UFC staging ring, known as “The Claw,” erected on the South Lawn lacked congressional authorization, that federal officials failed to conduct environmental review required under the National Environmental Policy Act, and that the government’s actions exceeded its legal authority. TRUMP ADMIN OFFERS BLUNT ADVICE TO WHITE HOUSE UFC CRITICS AS 11TH-HOUR LAWSUIT LOOMS Mehta did not decide whether any of those claims were legally valid. Instead, he determined that the plaintiffs’ alleged injuries were largely aesthetic and emotional in nature and did not demonstrate the kind of concrete, personal harm required under Article III of the Constitution. The plaintiffs had described the massive UFC staging structure known as “The Claw” as visually offensive and argued that the “unauthorized, commercial exploitation of the national monuments caused harm.” Mehta rejected this notion, writing that “general emotional harm, no matter how deeply felt, cannot suffice for injury-in-fact for standing purposes.” Citing precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court, Mehta wrote that a threatened injury must be “certainly impending” to qualify as an injury in fact. He found that one plaintiff’s assertions that he might encounter the event while driving for work were too speculative, while the other plaintiff’s plans to attend protests near the sites did not fit within traditional aesthetic-injury cases. UFC ANNOUNCES CARD FOR WHITE HOUSE EVENT “[W]e can find nothing in the existing case law to suggest that a person who incidentally views something unpleasant has suffered an injury-in-fact for purposes of standing,” Mehta ruled. The ruling noted that President Donald Trump publicly proposed hosting a UFC event at the White House in 2025 and that preparations had been visible for weeks before the lawsuit was filed. According to the opinion, the plaintiffs waited until days before the event to seek emergency relief despite longstanding public knowledge that the event was planned. Mehta also emphasized the temporary nature of the disputed structures and activities. Construction associated with the event is scheduled to be dismantled shortly after the fight card concludes. The opinion cited nearly a year of planning, extensive coordination among federal agencies, the involvement of hundreds of workers and contractors, and an estimated $60 million investment by UFC and affiliated organizations. The ruling also referenced the expected attendance of thousands of spectators and the anticipated remote audience of millions.
‘You failed your son first’: Howard prof blames father’s values after Karmelo Anthony murdered his son
A Howard University professor tore into the victim-impact statement delivered by the father of slain Texas teen Austin Metcalf, arguing that the teen’s death “did not begin with the knife” wielded by Karmelo Anthony but instead that his father’s parenting style was to be blamed as well. Dr. Stacey Patton, a professor at Howard University’s School of Communications, penned an opinion piece titled “Dear Jeff Metcalf: Your Son Is Dead Because You Failed to Teach Him That Black Boys Have Boundaries” to Substack on Wednesday on Substack, where she insinuated Anthony was acting out of self-defense. “YOU failed to teach your boy that Black children have boundaries,” Patton wrote. “YOU failed teach humility, restraint, or the sacred fact that another person’s body is not your jurisdiction. YOU failed to teach him that another child’s space is not a challenge to be conquered. YOU failed to teach him that “community” does not mean white boys get to decide who belongs and who does not.” Patton’s piece was published a day after Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Metcalf. The case drew national after now 19-year-old Anthony stabbed 17-year-old Metcalf in the heart during a confrontation at a high school track meeting in April 2025. The case has become a flashpoint in broader debates about race, with Anthony’s supporters arguing he has been treated differently because he is Black, while critics have rejected efforts to make the murder of Metcalf, a white teenager, about race. GRIEVING TEXAS FATHER SPEAKS OUT AFTER SON WAS STABBED TO DEATH AT HIGH SCHOOL TRACK MEET “YOU obviously failed to teach your son that touching, confronting, crowding, testing, or policing another person can have consequences,” Patton wrote. “And YOU failed to teach him that the same world that cheers white boys for being bold and aggressive will not always be there to save them when they mistake somebody else’s restraint for permission.” She blasted Jeff for saying that Anthony had failed his parents in his decision to murder his son. “It is easier to stand in a courtroom and call Karmelo Anthony a failure than it is to admit that Austin’s death did not begin with the knife,” Patton wrote. “It began with every lesson that told your son that he had the right to approach, challenge, and cross a boundary. It began with every adult who smiled at white boy entitlement and called it leadership. It began with every cultural script that taught him Black boys are the ones to be feared, but never taught him that Black boys might also be afraid. AMERICA STILL CAN’T PUT DOWN THE RACE CARD. AND IT’S THE SHAME OF OUR NATION She also alleged that Jeff’s victim-impact statement was rooted in racism, homing in on Jeff saying that Anthony does “not belong” in the community because of what he did. “You don’t belong in this community” is not just a father’s grief spilling over,” Patton wrote. “It is a declaration of removal. And it is the language of somebody who believes he has the authority to decide who gets to stay, who must disappear, and whose presence contaminates the social order. Like father, like son.” “Your words landed on top of centuries of Black children being told they do not belong in white schools, neighborhoods, playgrounds, pools, churches, white juries, white imaginations, and white definitions of innocence,” Patton continues. “They landed on top of every Black boy this country has turned into a threat before he ever had a chance to be a child.” AUSTIN METCALF’S FAMILY HIT WITH DEATH THREATS AS KARMELO ANTHONY SUPPORTERS FACE VIOLENCE ALLEGATIONS She claimed that his son was not the only victim in this case and that Anthony’ family was also grieving. “Austin is dead. Your family is devastated,” Patton wrote. “That matters. Karmelo Anthony is alive but caged inside a racial imagination that had already convicted him. And that matters, too. Two families are shattered. And a whole country is using the tragedy to rehearse the same old script about Black guilt and white innocence.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Patton defended her opinion piece as a “critique of racial power” and said that she was not, “blaming a dead child, attacking a grieving father, excusing violence, and rejecting the legal system.” “My argument is simple: Black children are children,” Patton said. “They do not become monsters because white America needs one, and their humanity is not up for debate because a verdict has been rendered.” “Now, run along and feed your propaganda machine,” she added, declining to answer several of Fox News Digital’s questions. “I’m sure it’s hungry for another Black woman’s words to mutilate. That is my statement.” Fox News Digital reached out to Howard University and Metcalf’s family for comment. Patton’s Substack piece is the latest in a growing chorus of voices arguing that the murder case is rooted in race. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, questioned on her podcast whether Karmelo Anthony’s race played a role in his conviction. Crockett asked whether Anthony received a fair trial, spreading a false claim that all jurors were white and that could have impacted their ability to be impartial. “I’m not necessarily convinced — not that I could tell you the name of one person on this jury — that we had 12 impartial white folk out of Collin County sitting on a jury for this young black man,” Crockett said. Crocket also suggested black mothers have faced far greater agony on a day-to-day basis than the victim’s family. “Black women, especially black women who have black male children, live in fear and agony every single day,” she lamented. “A fear and agony that I promise you the Metcalfs probably had never spend a day living that way.”
EXCLUSIVE: ICE nabs multiple convicted killers in single day amid nationwide immigration sweep
FIRST ON FOX: Federal immigration agents arrested several convicted killers, a rapist and multiple drug traffickers in a single day Thursday, underscoring the Trump administration’s push to target what Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials call the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants living in the U.S. “Yesterday, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] arrested multiple murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers from our communities,” Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.,” she said. “Every day, our officers are putting their lives on the line to remove criminals from our communities.” According to DHS, Thursday’s arrests include: DHS ARRESTS 5 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF VIOLENT CRIMES INCLUDING MANSLAUGHTER, CHILD ASSAULT Roque Cinto-Mejia, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is convicted of manslaughter in Brooklyn, New York. Alejandro De Jesus-De La Cruz, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is convicted of voluntary manslaughter in San Bernardino, California. Francisco Antonio Morales-Acencio, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, is convicted of rape, assault and battery of a family member in Fairfax, Virginia. Heriberto Mendoza-Pineda, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Manuel Soto, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was twice convicted of drug possession and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in Boston, Massachusetts.
Top Trump agency purges over 20 suspected China-linked products from federal marketplace
The Small Business Administration (SBA), in collaboration with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), is removing nearly two dozen foreign products from its official catalog that supplies government agencies, citing fears that some of them may be misrepresenting their sourcing. Kelly Loeffler, SBA administrator, raised concerns that China-based companies were falsely marketing their products as “made in America” on the Advantage! platform — a listing service the government uses to connect vendors with agencies. “As part of our commitment to rebuilding American industry and supply chains, the Trump SBA believes that every taxpayer dollar spent by the federal government should go to support American businesses, workers and products,” Loeffler said. SBA’s crackdown furthers efforts by the Trump administration to double down on American manufacturing and aims to reduce the risk associated with purchasing or implementing compromised China-sourced goods. REPUBLICANS LOOK TO STOP CHINA’S ‘BACKDOOR’ TARIFF DODGING SCHEME The concerns first arose at the White House Small Business Summit where a New York-based small business, Sherrill Manufacturing, communicated suspicions to SBA that China-based companies were only partially assembling or finishing their products in the U.S. Sherrill, according to the SBA, is the only manufacturer of stainless steel flatware that is 100% made in America. “When foreign companies were caught falsely claiming ‘Made in America’ status in the federal procurement system, President Trump directed the SBA and GSA to take aggressive action,” Loeffler said. Even in his first term, Trump used executive orders to maximize the use of domestically sourced raw materials such as iron, aluminum and cement. He issued a similar executive order earlier this year. INTEL RIVAL SKYWATER PITCHES ITSELF AS ALL-AMERICAN FIRM AS TRUMP MULLS MORE EQUITY DEALS But sourcing protections for federal materials didn’t start with him. For security reasons, the Berry Amendment, implemented in 1941, requires the Department of War to purchase only American-sourced steel. Similarly, the Buy American Act (BAA), a Great Depression-era law that passed in 1933, requires federal agencies to prioritize American-made goods over certain value thresholds. Loeffler explained that companies like Sherrill Manufacturing can be put unknowingly at risk of violating those requirements if vendors aren’t honest about their sourcing. “The Trump Administration is sending a clear message that we will not tolerate foreign impostors that hijack Made in America labels, or those that undercut honest, generational, American small businesses like Sherrill Manufacturing,” Loeffler said. The company’s CEO, Matthew Roberts, praised the SBA’s work and thanked the Trump administration. “The factory where Sherrill Manufacturing and Liberty Tabletop produce their flatware has a manufacturing history dating back to supplying America’s armed forces during World War I,” Roberts said. 18 BRANDS STILL MAKING COOKWARE AND KITCHEN TOOLS IN THE U.S. — FROM SKILLETS TO SPATULAS “We deeply appreciate President Trump, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, and GSA Administrator Ed Forst, along with their offices, for their continued efforts to keep American manufacturing alive and restore pride in products made in the USA,” he added. SBA did not list which specific vendors have been removed from the Advantage! platform.
Progressive Talarico knifes Biden’s open border, tries moderating stance on key issues in Texas Senate race
The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas torched former President Joe Biden’s open borders policies as he races to clean-up past comments amid criticism he is too radical to be elected in Texas. James Talarico hardened his stance on border security and pitted himself against the former president during a podcast interview on “Cogdell Law Uncensored” earlier this week. The Democrat member of the Texas legislature has a far-left track record that includes calls to “tear down” Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), an agency which he has called “secret police,” and claiming the border should act as a “welcome mat” for illegal immigrants. He is now the Democratic nominee taking on Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton in the race for a Senate seat in Texas in November. JAMES TALARICO SAYS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS CONVINCED BORDER SECURITY WAS ‘RACIST’ “I called out Joe Biden for failing to secure our southern border and I got a lot of heat from my own party for doing that,” he told podcaster and attorney Dan Cogdell. “But I remember talking with my colleagues in the legislature who represent border communities and they told me about the utter chaos caused by President Biden’s policies.” Those calls and his more moderate immigration stance emerged only after Talarico launched his Senate bid in the most populated U.S. red state where the most illegal immigration happens. When asked repeatedly by Fox News Digital, Talarico’s campaign officials could not produce evidence to support the progressive candidate’s claims he was ever at odds with Biden on the issue of border security before his Senate campaign began and while Biden was still in office. Millions of illegal aliens poured undetected into the United States during the previous presidency, while Talarico occupied his seat in the Texas House legislature. Talarico said in the podcast: “The Democratic Party, we’re the ones that should be about making government work for people and our immigration system is a prime example of government not working for people. So I’m a border security Democrat. I believe we’ve gotta have a sane, orderly process to ensure that we know who’s coming into our country.” While he has accused ICE of “terrorizing our country,” called for Americans to “stand up and fight back” and in 2019 slammed Texas Republicans for passing an “anti-immigrant bill” that funded President Donald Trump’s border wall project, Talarico said on the podcast this week that public safety should be a priority. TEXAS DEM TALARICO’S ‘CULTURE OF VIOLENCE’ REMARKS RESURFACE AS HE DENIES DEFUND POLICE TIES “But I also think we need to keep out folks who want to do us harm, and public safety is the most important thing the government does,” he said. Under Trump, ICE has been tasked with zeroing in on the “worst of the worst” illegal aliens for arrest and deportation, especially those with violent criminal records. “James has never supported abolishing ICE and supports more border security — which is why he’s authored legislation to modernize our ports of entry and called for more Border Patrol agents,” Talarico’s press secretary JT Ennis told Fox News Digital. “Both parties have failed us on the issue of immigration, so James is running for Senate to keep our country safe by deporting criminals instead of hunting down moms, babies, and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades.” Speaking to Cogdell, Talarico also pitched himself as a defender of the Second Amendment while simultaneously calling for strict gun control methods. TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES SIDESTEP ISLAMIC TERRORISM CONCERNS FOLLOWING DEADLY AUSTIN ATTACK “I am a believer in the Second Amendment. I don’t pick and choose between the Bill of Rights. I believe in the Second Amendment just as much as I believe in the First,” he said. “We have a right to bear arms, to protect ourselves, our families. We have a right to own weapons for sport or for hunting, but like any freedom in the Bill of Rights, it’s not absolute.” “We’ve gotta keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. We’ve gotta make sure that we’ve got safe storage laws and background checks so that we’re keeping everybody safe,” the candidate qualified. He positioned himself during the conversation as a moderate Democrat, chastising people on the political left who are “trying to take away people’s guns” and people on the political right who “don’t want to see any regulations.” MS NOW ANALYST ADMITS TALARICO ‘NOT A MODERATE,’ HAS PROGRESSIVE VIEWS LIKE CROCKETT But only a few months ago, Talarico said he favored “red flag laws,” which allow judges to order Americans to be stripped of their firearms if they think a person is a danger to themselves or others. Talarico also once accused Republicans of loving guns more than children. “You can’t be the party of freedom and control women’s bodies,” he said at a 2024 event with the Travis County Democratic Party. “You can’t be the party of family and love your guns more than our kids. You can’t be the party of faith and worship at the feet of Donald Trump.” Ennis said that the candidate has “always believed, like the vast majority of Texans, that we must protect the Second Amendment while also enacting popular, common sense measures like universal background checks that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.” MARK HALPERIN: IS DEMOCRAT JAMES TALARICO THE REAL DEAL — OR BETO 2.0 HEADED FOR A TEXAS FLOP? Talarico also distanced himself from child sex change surgeries, sometimes called “gender affirming care,” and said he does not support them despite often earning criticism for his comments regarding children who identify as the opposite of their biological sex. “I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors,” he told Cogdell, claiming “the people that are in power” are trying to distract from “corruption in our government.” “So they’re gonna use a tried and true playbook to get out of this,” he said. “Distraction and division. That is how corrupt public officials stay