A harrowing scene unfolded in a Las Cruces, New Mexico park late Friday evening, as gunshots rang out at what authorities described as an unauthorized car show.
According to the Associated Press, the mass shooting incident at Young Park left three dead and 15 injured, with victims ranging in age from 16 to 36.
Reporting from the Daily Mail indicates that the violence erupted between two groups of attendees at the unsanctioned event, who were said to have had existing tensions.
Heated words among those involved escalated into gunfire, with at least 50-60 shots fired, based on forensic evidence recovered at the scene.
Upwards of 200 individuals could be seen fleeing from the shooters, seeking cover anywhere they could, though ultimately, three were fatally wounded and 15 others sustained wounds of one degree or another.
Authorities later reported that those killed included a 16-year-old boy and two adult males, aged 18 and 18, respectively.
Though identities of the deceased victims were not immediately released, it has since been revealed that the youngest of those killed in the melee was Andrew “AJ” Madrid, a sophomore baseball player on the Centennial High School junior varsity squad, as the Las Cruces Sun News reported.
Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story discussed the dangers of the sort of unauthorized car show gatherings that took place on Friday and their conduciveness to violent encounters.
“What tends to occur, is a lot of illegal behavior with the vehicles, there were firearms throughout the event that were used and people with firearms out willy nilly,” Story noted.
Suggesting that staffing issues may have exacerbated the severity of the outcome on Friday, Story added, “I had no units available for most of the night prior to the shooting, logistically, I got what I got, I wish it would have been different, but it wasn't for a lack of trying.”
Story was resolute in his quest for answers in the case, however, declaring, “This horrendous, senseless act is a stark reminder of the blatant disregard people in New Mexico have for the rule of law and order,” adding that with regard to the perpetrators, “We will hold them accountable to the criminal justice system.”
Las Cruces Mayor Pro Tem Johana Bencomo weighed in as well, stating, “This was a heinous act of violence that will leave our city mourning. As with all acts of gun violence in our city, my heart is broken for the victims and families impacted.”
KFOX 14 reported on Sunday that one adult and one juvenile had been arrested by Las Cruces police for their suspected involvement in Friday's shooting.
Tomas Rivas, 20, and an unnamed 17-year-old boy are now in custody and have been charged with three counts of open murder with more potential charges pending, and hopefully their apprehension will lead to the justice and accountability the victims in this case deserve.
Despite a continued judicial effort to stop him, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act last week, and it's already paying dividends.
According to the New York Post, a gangbanger wanted for human trafficking was lucky enough this week to win the title of being the first illegal migrant detained under the Trump-invoked law.
Franklin Jose Jimenez-Bracho, described as a "known Tren de Aragua gang member," was apprehended this week by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents alongside Florida police officers.
According to the outlet, Bracho is wanted for "human trafficking, smuggling and is also the subject of a pending investigation."
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and their federal and state counterparts have been working overtime to get the bad guys off of the streets, and thanks to Trump invoking the centuries-old act, more dangerous thugs are being removed by the day.
Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons revealed the importance of "arresting and deporting members of Tren de Aragua" during a recent press conference.
Dozens of TdA gang members have been arrested over the past week alone, with many more expected to be cuffed and processed, and ultimately deported to El Salvador, where they'll spend plenty of time in prison.
"They’re out there. They’re sophisticated and they hide their crimes, but today I’m here to let everyone know we are more sophisticated," Lyones said during the presser.
He added, "We have more resources than ever to find them and get rid of them from the United States."
The Post noted:
The Trump administration already deported roughly 250 alleged migrant gangbangers to El Salvador’s brutal mega prison Saturday in defiance of US District Judge James Boasberg’s order to turn the planes around.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) commented on the arrest, bragging that Florida "leads the way."
FDLE and Florida Highway Patrol Troopers, in participation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Homeland Security Task Force Orlando, today arrested a known Tren de Aragua gang member—the first arrest conducted in the nation under the Alien Enemies Act according to HSI.… pic.twitter.com/1uEhj5BGgJ
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 20, 2025
"Good. Get them all out. Never to return," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Keep it going, great job."
A Minnesota State senator has resigned after he was charged with soliciting sex from a minor.
Republican Justin Eichorn, 40, was facing pressure from his own party to quit after his arrest in a sting operation this week.
"I am resigning my seat in the Minnesota Senate for District 6 effective immediately," he wrote in a letter to Governor Tim Walz (D). "I must focus on personal matters at this time. It has been an honor to serve in the Minnesota Senate."
The married father of four was caught trying to buy sex from an undercover police detective who he thought was a 17-year-old girl.
Eichorn was facing state charges initially, but they were dismissed after the feds brought charges for attempted coercion or enticement of a minor, a felony.
Eichorn had little choice but to resign, with Republicans threatening to join Democrats to expel him if he didn't step aside.
"There is no question that these charges merit expulsion. We owe it to the public to hold our members to the highest standards, and this violation of the public trust is so severe we must act. It is my hope that this quick resolution gives Senator Eichorn time to focus on his family," a statement from Republican Leader Mark Johnson on Wednesday night said.
In a criminal complaint this week, the DOJ said Eichorn responded to a fake advertisement selling commercial sex. The 40-year-old inquired about availability and the pricing for different sex acts, including how much it would cost for sex without a condom.
“I saw your post and (sic) chance you are still available tonight?” he wrote in one message. “What’s a guy gota do to get with the hottest girl online tonight," he wrote in another.
He continued to arrange a meet-up despite being told that he was chatting with a 17-year-old girl.
When he showed up to the designated location on Monday, police arrested him and found cash and condoms in his car.
His resignation could impact the balance of power in Minnesota's closely divided legislature, with Democrats now enjoying a two-vote majority in the Senate.
There will be a special election to fill his seat next month.
Eichhorn had his first court appearance on Thursday, where he pled not guilty.
He is barred from unsupervised contact with children and will be required to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitor.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Government schools, teachers' unions, and others with financial interests in high taxes for public schools long have opposed homeschooling.
When parents school their children at home, schools, and therefore teachers, have fewer students and get less tax money.
When homeschooling surges, as it has since the catastrophic public school response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the move of students out of public institutions actually could threaten their future.
So in Illinois, state lawmakers are reviewing a scheme from Democrats that would threaten homeschooling parents with jail sentences if they don't perform exactly as the public schools demand.
A report in the Federalist outlines the scheme.
The Democrats are demanding homeschool parents report themselves to local public school "officials," or face fines, charges, and jail.
"Parents also would be required to provide public school officials with a 'portfolio' of their children's work at any time, at any interval and frequency, until that portfolio meets the public school's satisfaction. The bill dubbed the 'Homeschool Act,' requires parents to report themselves in writing to local school officials starting in 2026. Parents who do not will be considered truant. They face Class C misdemeanor charges, which are punishable by up to 30 days in jail. They also face fines and lengthy hearings forcing them to comply with the Act. Under this proposal, parents also face investigations by state child welfare officials," the report said.
The sponsor, Chicago Democrat Terra Howard, tried to make the attack on parents sound positive.
"I would argue that it is actually a really good thing for the good homeschool parents," Howard said, in the report.
The Federalist pointed out, "The thinking from bill sponsors, of course, is that parents are inadequate to teach their own offspring how to read, write, and prepare them for adulthood. It is time to bring in the professionals, aka the government, to 'protect' these children from mom and dad."
However, the report noted that at least two-thirds of Illinois eighth-graders are not proficient in reading or math. Only 16% of black eighth-graders in the state are proficient at reading, and "only 8% of black Illinois eighth-graders do math at grade level," the report said.
That's the result of public school dominance.
Further, the state disallows education savings accounts, school vouchers, and tax credit scholarships for those who want to pursue educational opportunities.
The state's extremism is evident, because, until 2021, public schools there used "face-down restraints" to punish students. Parents, the report said, were "kept in the dark."
And there have been more than 400 investigations into sexual assault involving district teachers and staff … every school year since 2018, the Federalist documented.
In a concerning incident that has drawn widespread attention, Gina LaPlaca, the mayor of Lumberton Township, New Jersey, was taken into custody for allegedly driving under the influence on March 17. The occurrence unfolded as LaPlaca was reportedly on her way home from picking up her 2-year-old son from daycare during the St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
LaPlaca, who was arrested for alleged drunk driving, was found with an open alcohol container and her young son in the car, bringing significant scrutiny to her role as a community leader.
The arrest happened just a week after LaPlaca stepped down from her position as a business administrator in Neptune Township, pointing to a "changing political environment" as her reason for resignation. LaPlaca has a diverse career history, with notable roles in both public and private spheres, including serving as the director of state affairs at Verizon and as a regional director for Anheuser-Busch.
Gina LaPlaca's political journey began in 2020 when she was first chosen for the Lumberton Township Committee. Her leadership was further solidified when she was selected as mayor by the committee's five-member panel in 2021. She managed to retain this position in subsequent years owing to her dedication to public service.
On St. Patrick’s Day, however, LaPlaca's responsibilities came under question when police stopped her vehicle. Reportedly, a video emerged showing her car veering on the road and narrowly missing a collision with a utility pole.
When officers approached LaPlaca's vehicle, they discovered her two-year-old strapped safely in a car seat. The situation became more troubling when an open container of alcohol was found inside the car, raising serious concerns about the safety of the child and the judgment of the mayor.
LaPlaca is said to have confessed to consuming alcohol while driving, subsequently failing a field sobriety test administered by the officers. This series of events led to her being formally charged with multiple offenses, including driving under the influence, reckless endangerment, and child endangerment.
Following her arrest, the mayor was released from custody with a summons directing her to appear in court on April 28. This upcoming legal obligation underscores the gravity of the charges against her, especially considering her status as a public official.
LaPlaca's resignation from her administrative job in Neptune Township coincided closely with these developments, although the reasons cited involved political dynamics rather than personal conduct. Her husband, Jason Carty, has defended her character and contributions to the community, emphasizing not to let the incident overshadow her achievements.
Beyond her mayoral duties, LaPlaca holds the position of chairwoman for the Lumberton Democrats, showcasing her active involvement in local politics. She shares a life with her husband and their son, while also being a stepmother to a teenager from her husband's prior relationship.
The impact of her arrest is likely to ripple through her career and personal life, prompting discussions on accountability and ethics within leadership roles. Public officials are often held to higher standards due to their influence and responsibilities, making any misconduct particularly significant.
Reactions from the community have been mixed, with some residents expressing disappointment and others extending support. The incident has sparked conversations on political conduct and its implications for the safety and trust of constituents.
Jason Carty, in his statement, emphasized LaPlaca's dedication to her community and urged people to consider the broader context of her service. Despite the current controversy, some have noted her past efforts to advance community interests as significant and impactful.
As LaPlaca awaits her court appearance, questions about her future in public service will likely persist. The court's judgment and the community's response could shape her continuing role in local governance. Balancing personal accountability with professional achievements remains a complex narrative for any public figure entangled in legal troubles.
In the meantime, the priority remains the welfare of her family, especially ensuring safe and responsible care for her young son. The court's decision will determine the legal repercussions of this incident, but the influence on her public persona may depend heavily on forthcoming actions and community engagement.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested a man with a gun hours before President Trump gave a speech to a joint session of Congress, raising fresh concerns about the president's safety.
As reported by Just The News, a gun with 13 rounds was found in a person's backpack as the suspect entered the Capitol complex on March 4.
The incident, which unfolded after 9 a.m., was recorded in a police incident report.
"The Suspect was detained by A/O, while R/O conducted a physical search of the backpack," the report said. "R/O discovered a handgun with a 15 round capacity magazine loaded with 13 rounds of ammunition. The Suspect was placed under arrest and transported to Headquarters for processing," the report said.
The report added that the gun had a valid registration. House Republicans say the incident is under investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police Inspector General's office.
"The Speaker's Office is aware of the incident — and will work with the relevant House Committees to obtain much-needed answers," House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) office said in a written statement to Just the News. "These allegations represent another serious security breach and they will be thoroughly investigated and appropriately addressed."
Capitol Police dismissed a claim from Trump operative Roger Stone that a person with a gun made it inside the
House chamber where Trump delivered his remarks after 9 p.m. that evening.
"We have no indication that any of this is true or accurate," U.S. Capitol Police told Newsweek.
Concerns about Trump's safety were heightened after he survived two assassination attempts while campaigning for re-election in 2024. The first would-be assassin came within an inch of shooting Trump in the head at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
There have been a number of recent incidents involving armed suspects at the Capitol. A man was arrested on Election Day reeking of fuel and carrying a torch and flare gun. In January, a man attempted to set his car on fire as Trump visited the Capitol to meet with Republicans and pay his respects to Jimmy Carter.
Firearms and explosives are prohibited on Capitol grounds.
Risks to the Capitol have not come exclusively from members of the public: the Capitol Police officer who killed January 6th protester Ashli Babbitt, Michael Byrd, had been cited for a number of firearm safety issues, including leaving his pistol in a public bathroom.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Cuba, Vietnam, Russia, CIA, Joe Biden all come up
Fulfilling another of his campaign commitments, President Donald Trump on Tuesday released a huge number of documents relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
They now are on the National Archives website.
There are about 2,182 PDF documents with more than 63,000 pages, including typewritten reports and handwritten notes.
There is a claim from a top CIA agent who said the "deep state" was responsible, the allegation the Secret Service was warned three months before the murder of the plot, and the documents still contained redactions and ambiguities.
A report confirms former U.S. Army Capt., and CIA informant, John Garrett Underhill Jr. "The day after the assassination, Gary Underhill left Washington in a hurry. Late in the evening he showed up at the home of a friend in New Jersey He was very agitated. … A small clique within the CIA was responsible for the assassination, he confided, and he was afraid for his life and probably would have to leave the country. Less than six months later Underhill was found shot to death in his Washington apartment. The coroner ruled it a suicide."
The Daily Mail reported, "Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of 'The Kennedy Half-Century,' said he had a team that started going through the documents but it may be some time before their full significance becomes clear. 'We have a lot of work to do for a long time to come, and people just have to accept that,' he said."
Here are some of the observations made by those who already have started digging into the files:
Willie Frank Peterson, whose sentence was commuted by then-President Joe Biden, is facing new weapons and drug charges, Fox News reported. The 52-year-old was previously sentenced to six years and three months behind bars for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Peterson began serving his sentence on Sept. 13, 2023 but was released on Jan. 17, thanks to Biden's grant of clemency. If not for the former president's generosity, Peterson would still be behind bars.
However, just two months after walking free, Peterson was picked up by the Dothan Police Department in Dothan, Alabama. He's facing several drug charges, including one count of possession of marijuana and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and three gun charges.
This is Willie Frank Peterson. He was just arrested for possessing cocaine, hydrocodone, marijuana, and two counts of illegally possessing a firearm.
Biden’s autopen commuted his sentence just 2 months ago.
He’s now back in prison. pic.twitter.com/WpuLAfgYfd
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 20, 2025
In the waning days of his historically horrible presidency, Biden was generous and flinging open prison doors for criminals. On the day Peterson was freed, he was just one of 2,500 inmates to be released from jail.
"Today’s clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes," Biden said. He claimed that they were mostly nonviolent offenders being let back into society.
"With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history," he touted. Indeed, Biden granted thousands of pardons, including to his convicted three-time felon son Hunter Biden, despite his promises that he wouldn't.
"The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son," he said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
"I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision," Joe Biden said. While America understands the love of a father, there are new questions about the validity of some of those same moves he effortlessly made for strangers.
Peterson's arrest demonstrates that letting people out of prison will only lead to more crime. However, President Donald Trump has raised new questions about Biden's pardons and clemencies because he used an autopen to sign off on the historic number of them.
Although it's a standard device used to make signing off on preapproved documents easier for presidents, Trump noted in his Truth Social post on Sunday that it was troubling considering Biden's mental state. "In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them, but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!" Trump charged.
"The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime," he added. While it's unlikely to void the pardon and clemency documents, it's still worth exploring whether Biden was capable of this action.
Presidents have the privilege of granting clemency and pardons for any reason or no reason at all. However, there are consequences to doing that, as evidenced by Peterson's rearrest, and it's essential to make sure it was something Biden really wanted done.
A dozen people were killed in a small plane crash off the coast of Honduras Monday night, with a popular musician and congressman among the dead passengers.
The flight, operated by Honduran airline Lanhsa Airlines, crashed into the Caribbean Sea shortly after takeoff from Roatan Island.
The Jetstream aircraft was destined for the port of La Ceiba on the mainland when something went awry, sending the plane into the ocean just half a mile from the island.
According to investigators, a "mechanical failure" was behind the tragedy, which left five survivors out of the 17 passengers and crew.
The plane "made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water,” civil aviation official Carlos Padilla said.
The tragedy was witnessed by fishermen, who aided in the desperate rescue effort. A dramatic video showed a woman being carried on a stretcher onto a rocky shore.
“The plane almost fell on us. I was fishing,” fisherman Aldair Aleman told the Honduran news outlet El Heraldo.
“We set out to the crash site. When we got closer, we saw the dead bodies first,” Aleman said. “When we got even closer to the plane, we heard people calling for help, to be rescued."
“We chose to rescue the ones who were still alive,” he added. “Even though we found the dead ones first and the dead were a priority, those with a chance to survive were a higher priority.”
The victims include Aurelio Martínez Suazo, a former Honduran congressman and musician from the Afro-indigenous Garifuna ethnic group. Considered an icon in the Garifuna community, his death has left a shock throughout Central America.
“We’re devastated,” his nephew Ángel Aparicio Fernández Martínez, said Tuesday. “He was the family’s pillar.”
“He was the greatest model from Honduras of Garifuna music on a worldwide stage,” his nephew said.
The State Department confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen. While Suazo has dual U.S. citizenship, the State Department did not identify the American victim.
"We extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected," a State Department spokesman said.
"We can confirm the death of a US citizen in the plane crash. Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones during this difficult time, we have no further comment at this time."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
'Hopefully they'll pay attention to us now they see the horrors of the country we live in'
A grisly discovery of charred bones, shoes and clothing in western Mexico has sparked protests across the nation as authorities investigate what appears to be an "extermination center" and training ground for a drug cartel.
CBS News reports that demonstrations recently took place in the western state of Jalisco, where the remains were found, and in cities across the country, including the capital Mexico City, Tijuana, Veracruz and San Luis Potosi.
Mexican families searching for the remains of loved ones gone missing made the discovery March 5 on a Jalisco ranch, a location thought to be where forced drug-cartel recruits had been held.
The Guerreros Buscadores collective – a group dedicated to locating missing people – described the site as an "extermination center" with "clandestine crematoriums," CBS reported.
Besides the Jalisco evidence, demonstrators are drawing attention to other incidents of cartel-related violence in Mexico.
In the Mexican capital, demonstrators placed candles and rows of shoes in tribute to the missing.
"I came to speak out for my son and for all the disappeared," said Aurora Corona, 58, whose son vanished in March last year in Mexico's northeastern Nuevo Leon state.
There are more than 124,000 people officially registered as missing in Mexico, mostly since 2006.
"Hopefully they'll pay attention to us now they see the horrors of the country we live in," Corona said tearfully.
According to the CBS report, the United Nations Human Rights Office on Friday described the finding in Jalisco as a "deeply disturbing reminder of the trauma of disappearances linked to organized crime across the country."
Last month President Trump officially designated drug cartels as terrorist organizations. March 4, before a joint session of Congress, Trump said, "Two weeks ago, I officially designated [Tren de Aragua], along with MS-13 and the bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartels, as foreign terrorist organizations.
"They are now officially in the same category as ISIS, and that's not good for them. Countless thousands of these terrorists were welcomed into the U.S. by the Biden administration. But now, every last one will be rounded up and forcibly removed from our country, or, if they're too dangerous, put in jails, standing trial in this country, because we don't want them to come back ever."