This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A former New Mexico judge and his wife, accused of harboring an alleged Tren de Aragua terror organization member who was in the United States illegally, have now been arrested.
A report at the Post Millennial said the investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations initially targeted Nancy Cano, but then also involved the former judge, who has been barred from the court system by the New Mexico state Supreme Court.
"Initially, we came back here to arrest his wife, and as we started conducting our interviews and started looking at evidence, we subsequently arrested Mr. Cano as well," explained Jason T. Stevens, special agent.
The former judge, Joel Cano, was in the courts in Dona Ana County before his abrupt resignation.
Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the two are accused of conspiracy and evidence tampering. Tren de Aragua is a violent Venezuelan gang that has been designated as a foreign terror group.
The report explained, "Cano rented out property to Cristhian Oretega-Lopez, an alleged gang member, at his wife's behest last year. They met Ortega-Lopez when he was hired by the couple to do homework for them, the criminal complaint reads."
Prosecutors also charged that Cano's daughter had firearms in the home and let Ortega-Lopez pose with them, and fire them.
Ortega-Lopez, who admitted to entering the United States illegally in 2023, was arrested, and the firearms were seized weeks ago.
Stevens explained several others were living at the residence at the time, and all three, "we believe, are alleged members of that (Tren de Aragua). Obviously, we continue just to focus on the totality of the investigation instead of just zeroing out on them."
ICE stated, "On April 24, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a search warrant and probable cause arrest at a residence in the 1200 block of North Reymond Street in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Homeland Security Investigations special agents working with federal law enforcement partners took Nancy Cano into custody as part of an ongoing HSI-led criminal investigation."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The gang of violent Venezuelans known as Tren de Aragua actually is worse than that sounds, according to a new report.
Because the gang has now been linked to the Venezuelan government.
It is the Washington Stand that reported according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation study, "Venezuela's socialist president Nicolás Maduro and his deputies are using criminals from the Tren de Aragua (TdA) transnational gang as 'proxies' to 'destabilize' foreign nations, including Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and the U.S."
The report said, "The FBI anticipates that TdA members the Venezuelan government has sent to the U.S. will, within the next six to 18 months, begin targeting and killing other Venezuelan nationals who have been opponents or critics of Maduro's administration."
President Donald Trump has several times charged that the Venezuelan government is weaponizing criminals in dangerous gangs and sending foreign terrorists into the U.S.
"These findings should shock Americans but not the law enforcement community," a Trump administration official who was not identified, told Fox News.
"They reflect the sentiments of numerous other intelligence assessments across multiple agencies."
That official explained Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro "is a Marxist dictator who hijacked a once-prosperous Venezuela and brought in nothing but total economic collapse and gang takeover. He crumbled Caracas, now overrun with drugs and violence, and wants to do the same across the United States by sending his most violent and dangerous criminals into our communities."
The Trump administration has worked to utilize several laws to crack down on the illegal access to the United States by gang members and to deport those who have arrived.
The fact that the Venezuelan government is "aiding and abetting" the terror gang was confirmed, in the report, by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
An official in the ODNI assessed that the links between the terrorists and the government there mirror "the behavior of the Taliban in Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern failed states like Syria and Libya that have welcomed terrorists with open arms."
While a National Intelligence Council report accessed by the AP claimed there's no link, one expert suggested that was incorrect, based on "leakers."
The "propaganda media conveniently did not include [more accurate intelligence] because it gets in the way of their biased narrative and attempt to deceive the American people," the expert said.
DNI Tulsi Gabbard explained, "The Office of the Director of National Intelligence fully supports the assessment that the foreign terrorist organization, Tren De Aragua, is acting with the support of the Maduro Regime, and thus subject to arrest, detention, and removal as alien enemies of the United States."
The State Department earlier this year designated TdA as a foreign terror organization.
Trump has said, "TdA is closely aligned with, and indeed has infiltrated, the Maduro regime, including its military and law enforcement apparatus. Venezuelan national and local authorities have ceded ever-greater control over their territories to transnational criminal organizations, including TdA. The result is a hybrid criminal state that is perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States, and which poses a substantial danger to the United States."
In just the past few days, several dozen TdA members and leaders have been charged under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Most of those defendants are in custody.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Leftist judges appointed by extremists in American politics like Joe Biden and Barack Obama have been part of a strategic warfare against President Donald Trump, according to a new analysis by the Federalist.
And the failure of the Supreme Court to rein in their actions means the credibility of the Supreme Court itself is collapsing.
Recent polling, in fact, showed more than half of Americans have an unfavorable view of the court.
The analysis explained: "Throughout Wednesday and Thursday alone, judges across multiple venues handed down decrees barring numerous executive actions taken by the president since returning to office. From DEI to election policy, these cases are but a few of the more than 170 lawsuits Democrats and left-wing political actors have filed to sabotage Trump and the 77 million Americans who voted for him."
This is the lawfare that the high court "seems to have no interest in stopping it," it said. "The nation's highest court has had ample opportunities to halt these lower court judges' destructive antics but has repeatedly declined to do so."
One missed opportunity was the March ruling in which the court, 5-4, refused to shut down a ruling from a Biden judge who demanded that the government hand out $2 billion in cash through USAID to various outsiders. The Trump administration had shut down those operations and canceled funding programs for their obvious bias and corruption.
Justice Samuel Alito pointed out the politics involved: "Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the Government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) 2 billion taxpayer dollars? The answer to that question should be an emphatic 'No,' but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise."
That decision, the analysis confirmed, "all but gave the green light to activist judges across the country to take similar actions on leftist-backed lawsuits filed in their respective jurisdictions."
Why would the court move in that direction? The analysis explained, "SCOTUS's inclination to tolerate judicial tyranny among the lower courts is perhaps unsurprising, however, given that a majority of the justices have indicated their own infatuation with overstepping the constitutional limits erected by America's founding document."
That resulted in a decision, "in the dead of night on Easter weekend, without explanation," when seven of the justices "essentially usurped the executive branch's authority over immigration by blocking Trump's deportation of Venezuelan gang members."
The result, the analysis pointed out, is that "the high court's antics are doing more damage to its reputation than leftists' smear campaigns ever could."
"By refusing to rein in the lower courts' lawlessness, the justices have authorized a judicial coup that is stymying the will of the 77 million Americans who voted for Trump."
A federal judge granted the President's Department of Justice a delay in the deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Wednesday, according to the Washington Examiner. Judge Paula Xinis has given the government another week to gather information, but her full opinion is under seal.
This astonishing move came just a day after Xinis chided the Trump administration for dragging its feet on turning over information about his deportation. The Department of Justice now has until April 30 to furnish the details about Abrego Garcia's deportation.
A legal battle ensued after reports surfaced that Abrego Garcia's return to El Salvador was a mistake. In 2019, an immigration judge gave illegal immigrant Abrego Garcia relief from deportation, though the case was deemed a "close call."
However, the details of that order are not fully known, though attorneys for Abrego Garcia believe that a clerical error led to deportation. Meanwhile, the case has become a cause célèbre for people on both sides of the immigration debate.
Abrego Garcia was previously identified as a member of the dangerous MS-13 gang. He was sent to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison as some stateside have sought to bring him back to the U.S.
Officials from agencies such as Homeland Security and the State Department have argued that Salvadoran authorities have no interest in returning him, including President Nayib Bukele. Still, his case is making its way through American courts.
Xinis, an Obama appointee, was not previously friendly to the Trump administration's requests until Wednesday. In fact, as Fox News reported, she was quite contentious in the proceedings just the day before. The judge has claimed that the administration is acting in "bad faith" and intentionally holding up the legal process.
"That ends now. For weeks, defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege, using them as a shield to obstruct discovery and evade compliance with this Court's orders," Xinis said in her eight-page order on Tuesday.
"Defendants have known, at least since last week, that this court requires specific legal and factual showings to support any claim of privilege. Yet they have continued to rely on boilerplate assertions," the judge previously said.
While the Trump administration is celebrating this small but significant victory, Democrats continue to use Abrego Garcia to advance their anti-Trump agenda. They have been falling all over themselves to make him into a hero of the left, but it could be a mistake.
According to a New York Post report, Abrego Garcia's criminal history suggests he may not be the saint the left is making him out to be. Besides being a suspected gang member, Abrego Garcia was also implicated in a domestic violence case against his wife and was caught up in a "human trafficking incident," but was ultimately let go.
Democrats are starting to realize that it may be a political miscalculation to go all in on advocacy for him. Some progressives are pointing out that this is a mere distraction from Trump's supposed other problems, while others realize this isn't the slam dunk they wanted.
"We need to step back and wait for someone to be deported who has a really compelling story that’s devastating that Average Joe’s upset about. That person hasn’t presented themselves yet, and Democrats are battling their better instincts and not just hop at the first sign of injustice," one Democratic operative told The Hill.
There are enough signals that Abrego Garcia is a problematic person to have in the country. While the courts sort out whether his deportation was appropriate, the issue is flushing out the Democrats who will defend suspected criminals at all costs.
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Wednesday barring schools from applying diversity, equity, and inclusion when administering discipline, Breitbart reported. The White House said this will make schools safer as outcomes will be based on student behavior.
The White House touted the changes in a preview of the order. "The Order requires new guidance to local and state educational agencies regarding school discipline, emphasizing compliance with Title VI protections against racial discrimination and preferencing," it said.
"It calls for appropriate action against educational agencies that fail to comply with Title VI by continuing to use racially preferential discipline practices," the document said. The order also demands further study to ensure "federal funds do not support racially preferential policies, including through nonprofit organizations, and proposing model discipline policies rooted in American values."
This order reverses former President Barack Obama's guidance on school discipline. The 2014 policy required schools to "equalize disciplinary rates by race" rather than focusing on the behavior of individual students.
According to the Federalist Society, Obama penned a "Dear Colleague" letter that used the threat of the federal government to urge schools to consider the "disparate impact" discipline has on racial minorities. It claimed that all disciplinary action should be color blind.
However, it then went on to recommend exactly the opposite in application. Schools were urged to examine the "disproportionate and unjustified effect on students of a particular race" before meting out any punishments.
Instead of behavior-based discipline, schools were forced to consider the racial makeup of the students getting caught. It claimed that "even if that policy is applied to students without regard to their race (i.e, there is no intentional discrimination), the policy might still violate federal law if it has a 'disparate impact,' i.e., a disproportionate and unjustified effect on students of a particular race."
Although it was never proven, some believed that this philosophy led to Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz falling through the cracks, Fox News reported in 2018. After committing vandalism as a middle school student, Cruz was never criminally charged and may have been put into a diversionary program called PROMISE.
However, the school district was cagey about his involvement in it after the shooting. "I was repeatedly told that the Parkland shooter was never in the Promise Program I was asking questions about. Now it turns out that in fact he was," then-Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio said.
Trump's Executive Order, signed on Wednesday, was a step toward righting the wrong that Obama began, and then-President Joe Biden continued. Trump's executive assistant, Will Scharf, said the policy hindered proper discipline in schools.
"Basically, they focused on [Critical Race Theory] and diversity ideology, instead of actually just enforcing the rules in classrooms to ensure a safe learning environment," Scharf said. Eliminating the "disparate impact theory" is in line with Trump's effort ban all DEI.
"This is a theory that underlies a lot of the modern DEI and CRT-driven diversity culture. The basic idea is instructing your department and agencies to no longer rely on disparate impact theory as they're regulating, as they're issuing guidance, as they're making rules," Scharf went on.
"We want to focus on results, we want to focus on actual fairness, we want to focus on merit, not things like disparate impact theory and the whole sort-of diversity, equity and inclusion cult," Scharf said. This order will go a long way to restoring sanity with a single pen stroke.
The left believes that any outcomes unfavorable to racial minorities must be because of racism, and then they enact racist policies ostensibly to counter the effects. Thankfully, Trump is eliminating this philosophy from every corner of American life.
Politico reported on Wednesday that sources said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) will announce on May 5 that she will not seek re-election in 2026.
Schakowsky, 80, plans to retire when her current term ends, the sources told Politico.
She said that she would discuss her plans on May 5, but did not say anything publicly about retiring.
When the Politico report came out, she again refused to announce a decision, asking those interested to wait until May 5 for the decision.
Reportedly, she has begun talking to colleagues about her plans to retire, however.
Schakowsky was a leader of progressives in the House. I guess she has decided not to hang around to see if Democrats can retake the majority in 2026.
Many of the oldest members of Congress from both parties are retiring, particularly given that this is the oldest Congress anyone can remember.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin also announced his retirement on Wednesday. Durbin is also 80.
Politico called the current state of affairs among Democrats in Congress a "reckoning," with a number of young challengers attempting to displace some of the older members there.
Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg is one of those young Progressives. He said he would use the committee's funds to back challengers to older Democrats, but exempted Schakowsky and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA).
Maybe they got passes because they are women? It's hard to say.
It could be that Pelosi is still wielding her considerable power over the party and told Hogg not to go after Schakowsky. Every power move has its limits, after all.
Schakowsky was a major part of drafting Obamacare, and Pelosi appointed her in 2010 to Obama's Bowles-Simpson reform committee.
She also supports J Street, a radical anti-Israel group. She recently voted with 77 other Democrats to embargo Israel.
In an unexpected twist, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly has opened up about her changing perception of former President Donald Trump, despite harsh words he directed at her in the past.
Kelly's complex relationship with Trump underscores a significant shift from earlier clashes to eventual support, as the Daily Mail reports.
The discourse surrounding Kelly's relationship with Trump dates back to 2015 when she moderated a Republican primary debate. It was during this debate that Trump publicly directed derogatory remarks at Kelly, notably suggesting that she "had blood coming out of her eyes" and other places. Initially, Kelly was not a supporter of Trump, finding these comments particularly "unpleasant," as she stated on the Stephen A. Smith Show.
Despite this contentious start, Kelly's perspective evolved over time. She shared during the podcast that she "checked" her personal emotions to focus on the professional aspect of Trump as a leader. According to Kelly, Trump's decisive governing style and policy positions played pivotal roles in this transformation. She praised him for his firm stance on issues such as border security and his opposition to what she termed "gender madness."
Kelly’s respect for Trump's administration extended to his efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from educational institutions. Her growing preference for his presidential policies ultimately led her to actively support his political endeavors once more, emphasizing her lack of "regrets" regarding this allegiance and voicing her hope for his continued success.
In the same podcast episode, Kelly also criticized the directions taken by the Catholic Church under Pope Francis's leadership concerning immigration. Kelly expressed concerns about the Church's involvement in aiding immigrants deemed to be in the United States illegally. She argued that these actions have caused complications for American citizens, voicing her dissatisfaction with the pope’s alleged leftward shift on this significant issue.
Kelly, a lifelong adherent to Catholicism, mentioned that the current trajectory of the Church's policies under Pope Francis has led some parishioners to scrutinize the purpose behind their Sunday donations. She asserted that the involvement of the Church in these matters was notable, especially amidst Pope Francis’s overall leadership.
During the same series of discussions, Kelly took the opportunity to weigh in on remarks made by former first lady Michelle Obama about marriage. Mrs. Obama suggested that difficult periods are an integral part of married life, even hinting at "a bad decade" being an accepted norm. Kelly, drawing from her personal experience, presented contrasting views on this stance.
Kelly shared insights from her own 17-year marriage, emphasizing that none of those years had been negative. Furthermore, she candidly remarked that Michelle Obama and her husband, Barack Obama, may have "married the wrong people," implying that perhaps there are different approaches to achieving a harmonious marriage.
These multiple reflections and analyses by Kelly on various high-profile issues illustrate her nuanced take on politics, religion, and personal life dynamics. Her comments have sparked conversation and debate, especially given her influential position in the media and the public sphere.
As a commentator well-versed in political affairs and social issues, Kelly has shifted from being a journalist caught in a media storm with Donald Trump into a commentator who, despite past personal grievances, now publicly aligns with some of his notable stances.
Furthermore, her critique of Pope Francis and his immigration policies reflects a broader concern among some conservatives about perceived liberal shifts within the Catholic Church. This critique underscores a more significant trend where key voices within religious institutions vocalize apprehension when traditional stances are portrayed as shifting or evolving.
Lastly, Kelly’s perspective on marriage, shared in reaction to Michelle Obama's comments, injects a personal element into her commentary by contrasting her own experiences with those of notable public figures. Her remarks resonate with individuals who value long-term relationships and look for perspectives that validate those commitments.
In sum, Kelly's public commentary touches on a wide-ranging array of topics spanning political, religious, and personal spheres, all connected by her willingness to share her evolving views candidly. As her reflections continue to unfold, they offer a deeper look into her perspective as a seasoned journalist and public figure navigating complex terrains with seasoned insights.
Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Jim McGovern has announced the sudden death of his daughter.
McGovern and members of his family said that 23-year-old Molly had previously been diagnosed with a rare cancer and that she died "unexpectedly" while traveling in Italy.
"She had just finished a semester abroad in Australia. She passed away unexpectedly in Italy while visiting a good friend and his family," the family said.
McGovern's daughter was a student at Northeastern University in Boston, where she studied political science and international affairs.
Molly McGovern volunteered for Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD) and had recently worked as a Sports Ambassador at TD Garden, home of her favorite sports team, the Boston Bruins.
“Her love for the Boston Bruins was fierce, but it was no match for the love she gave so freely to her family and friends. If you ever met Molly, you carried a piece of her light with you. She had that kind of effect on people,” her family said.
"Even as she faced a rare cancer diagnosis, she did so with relentless courage, optimism, and tenacity — refusing to let her illness slow her down," the family's statement said.
"Molly will always be the soul of our family. We are so proud of her, and so glad that so many people were touched by her incredible life. We love you, Molly. We miss you already," the communication concluded.
Members of both parties are offering their condolences in the wake of the tragedy.
Raskin wrote, "Everyone in our family adored Molly and we were all inspired by her love for animals, her passion for sports, and her ebullient compassion and care for friends, family, and strangers. We embrace the McGoverns and hold them tight during this hard, hard time.”
House Rules Committee chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said, "The loss of a child, no matter the age, is one of the greatest heartbreaks imaginable. Ranking Member McGovern and his entire family remain in my thoughts and prayers."
"In this difficult time of loss, may they find continued comfort, peace, and strength from their faith and from those around them," Foxx added.
McGovern is the ranking member on the House Rules Committee, where he has been the top Democrat since 2018.
This is the second time this month that a member of Congress has suffered the tragedy of losing a child. Republican Andy Biggs of Arizona announced last week that his daughter, Cosette, died from cancer.
Molly McGovern is survived by her father, her mother Lisa, and her brother Patrick.
Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed that the United States will walk away from Russia-Ukraine peace talks if the countries do not accept President Donald Trump's offer to end their three-year war.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the US to walk away from this process,” Vance told reporters during a trip to India. “We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy.”
Trump's "final offer" reportedly includes de jure recognition of Russian control over Crimea and de facto recognition of Russian control over most of the territory it has gained since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Ukraine would get some land back and unhindered access to the Dnieper River, as well as aid to rebuild, "robust" security guarantees from Europe, and potential European Union membership, in exchange for abandoning its aspirations to join NATO.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin for another round of talks Friday as Trump teased his proposal in an interview with TIME magazine.
"Crimea will stay with Russia,” Trump said, adding Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky "understands that."
Trump also suggested NATO membership must be taken off the table to achieve lasting peace. Trump has long said NATO's eastward expansion played a significant role in sparking the current conflict.
“I don’t think they’ll ever be able to join NATO. I think that’s been—from day one, I think that’s been, that’s I think what caused the war to start was when they started talking about joining NATO. If that weren’t brought up, there would have been a much better chance that it wouldn’t have started,” Trump said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has long refused to cede territory, including the Crimean Peninsula, which has been under Russian control for more than a decade.
Zelensky's unbending position has frustrated Trump, who has accused the Ukrainian leader of prolonging the war. Trump has repeatedly said Ukraine doesn't have major leverage.
“I just want to do it as fast as possible,” Trump said at the White House on Friday, adding a deal is "pretty close" to fruition.
While Trump is optimistic about a deal, his team clearly wants to keep the pressure on by letting everyone know that the U.S. could back out at any time.
Vance warned that Russia and Ukraine will both have to make territorial concessions to end the bloodshed.
Donald Trump is stepping up his troll game to a whole new level with "Trump 2028" merchandise -- a move that is certain to anger Democrats who accuse Trump of pushing the United States towards authoritarian rule.
Trump has declined to rule out seeking a third presidential term, raising concern among critics who say it would violate the Constitution.
The cheeky product description for the Trump Organization's new "Trump 2028" MAGA hat encourages Trump fans to "rewrite the rules."
"The future looks bright! Rewrite the rules with the Trump 2028 high crown hat. Fully embroidered with a snap closure in the back, this will become your new go-to hat," the description reads.
The 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two terms. The measure was enacted as a guardrail after President Franklin Roosevelt's tyrannical 12-year reign.
In a March interview with NBC News, Trump said he is "not joking" about running again and alluded to "methods" to bypass the two-term limit, but he didn't go into detail.
The president identified one pathway: switching roles with his current vice president J.D. Vance.
The 22nd Amendment reads, in part, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President [emphasis added] more than twice."
Pro-Trump House Republican Andy Ogles (TN) has introduced a measure to lift the two-term limit, but amending the Constitution would be exceedingly difficult in the polarized political climate. Indeed, there doesn't appear to be much demand even among Republican voters for Trump to seek another term.
Meanwhile, Trump appears to be getting a kick out of teasing his critics.
In a new TIME magazine interview published Friday, Trump again pointed to "loopholes" that would allow him to stay in power past 2028, but he said he has no interest in exploiting them... at least for now.
“I’d rather not discuss that now, but as you know, there are some loopholes that have been discussed that are well known,” the president said. “But I don’t believe in loopholes. I don’t believe in using loopholes.”
When asked about the Vance scenario, Trump demurred and started touting his recent physical exam, which described him as being in "excellent" health.
"I don’t know anything about, what, look, all I can say is this, I am being inundated with requests,” Trump said in the interview, published Friday. “I’m doing a good job. Great physical exam, and unlike every other president, I took the cognitive test, and I aced it 100% and I bet you guys couldn’t get 100% on that exam.”