A Democratic judge from New Mexico has resigned after an illegal alien with ties to a Venezuelan gang was arrested at the judge's home.
Christhian Ortega-Lopez, 23, is an alleged member of Tren De Aragua, which the Trump administration considers a terrorist organization. Ortega-Lopez was charged with illegal gun possession after an arrest February at the home of Dona Ana County, New Mexico, Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy.
The judge announced his resignation in a letter dated March 3, which listed his last day as March 21, Albuquerque Journal reported.
“Working with each of you has been a very rewarding experience for which I will remain eternally grateful,” Cano wrote to his colleagues.
Prosecutors shared details of Judge Cano's unusual relationship with Ortega-Lopez, who posed with the judge, a former cop, in photos shared on social media. Judge Cano even let Ortega-Lopez list Cano's address while fighting deportation.
Photos and videos obtained by New Mexico prosecutors also show Ortega-Lopez displaying Tren De Aragua tattoos and shooting firearms that he obtained from the judge's daughter, April Cano.
Additionally, according to Breitbart, Ortega-Lopez's cell phone "showed graphic images of multiple decapitated and mutilated bodies."
The Venezuelan national met the Cano family after he entered the United States illegally as part of the Biden-era alien influx in Eagle Pass, Texas. Ortega-Lopez was "paroled" into the U.S. due to overcrowding, after which he moved to El Paso, where he lived with five roommates.
While working construction jobs, he met Nancy Cano, who offered to let him live in a casita behind her house in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
In April 2024, Ortega-Lopez applied for relief from deportation, listing the Cano residence in his paperwork. Around this time, he met April Cano, who "possessed a large number of firearms” and “allowed him to hold and sometimes shoot various firearms," according to prosecutors.
On February 28, 2025, federal authorities executed a search warrant at the home of Joel and Nancy Cano, and Ortega-Lopez was arrested along with several roommates. He was charged with being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The judge's strangely hospitable relationship with Ortega-Lopez came up during a March detention hearing. U.S. Magistrate Judge Damian Martinez said, of Cano, "I don’t think he would just let anybody live in his property.”
As of now, Ortega-Lopez is in custody without bond. Prosecutors argue that Ortega-Lopez is a flight risk and a danger to the community because of his alleged gang ties.
Cano was first elected in 2010 as magistrate judge and ran unopposed in three bids for re-election.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a meeting with President Donald Trump this week and it reportedly didn't go very well for her, thanks to an awkward mistake by her interpreter.
According to Politico, interpreter Valentina Maiolini-Rothbacher was ultimately cut off by the Italian prime minister after Trump had asked for a translation regarding a questioned PM Meloni had asked him.
The interpreter struggled with the response -- so bad that the prime minister stepped in and was forced to provide her own translation.
The embarrassed interpreter later told an Italian newspaper that the mistake was the "worst thing that can happen to an interpreter, a terrible setback."
The United States president had asked Maiolini-Rothbacher "for a translation of Meloni’s response to a question from an Italian journalist about his position on Ukraine and military spending," and the result was a disaster for the interpreter.
While struggling to provide a translation, she paused several times and was forced to look at her notes.
That's when Meloni jumped in to interpret her own response regarding NATO funding and defense.
"President Meloni was right to interrupt me, it was a very important meeting and every word carried great weight," Maiolini-Rothbacher said. "She wanted to be perfectly understood by Donald Trump."
‘Wait, I will do it’ - Meloni interrupts White House interpreter to translate for herself during Trump meeting pic.twitter.com/cGNyQMKMrL
— Viory Video (@vioryvideo) April 18, 2025
Politico noted:
Maiolini-Rothbacher said in the interview that although she had not been to the White House before, she is an experienced interpreter and has worked at high-level meetings including the G20. She has worked as an interpreter since 1991, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She has not spoken with Meloni since the meeting, she said, adding that she went straight to the airport from the White House after the session. According to Corriere della Sera, she is currently by the sea in the Santa Marinella area.
Users across social media reacted to the situation, with some praising the Italian PM for stepping in.
"Her translator wasn't at 100% today. It happens right? But, Meloni being the absolute boss she is didn't even bat an eye. She stepped in immediately & translated what she said herself for @realDonaldTrump. Queen Energy y'all!," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Meloni’s translator has almost destroyed everything she wanted to achieve in Washington. Her body language is easy to understand."
Many asked why the PM even needed a translator on hand given how she handled the situation so well.
President Donald Trump had plenty of legal issues leading up to his election, and while he managed to navigate most of those just fine, he faces a new challenge of judicial activism regarding his bold and decisive border policies.
One of those issues deals with U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who attempted to halt the Trump administration's deportation flights last month, specifically the flights bringing violent and dangerous illegal migrants to El Salvador for imprisonment.
According to The Hill, after Boasberg called for contempt proceedings against the president and his administration, a divided appeals court shot down that notion this week, scoring a win for Trump and his lawyers.
Judge Boasberg is one of several federal judges, all of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents, who have attempted to interfere with Trump's executive powers to manage the southern border crisis as he sees fit.
The federal appeals court released its decision this week, essentially saying the Trump administration has a right to the appeals process before legal actions can be taken.
The Hill reported:
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit indicated its order is intended to provide “sufficient opportunity” for the court to consider the government’s appeal and “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion.”
Judge Boasberg, last week, had found grounds for contempt, slamming the Trump administration's refusal to turn the deportation flights around "a willful disregard" of the federal court's order.
Not surprisingly, the federal appeals court in charge of the decision split down party lines. The Hill noted:
The three-judge D.C. Circuit panel split 2-1. The two Trump appointees, Judges Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao, ruled for the administration. Judge Cornelia Pillard, an appointee of former President Obama, dissented.
Judge Pillard wrote, "In the absence of an appealable order or any clear and indisputable right to relief that would support mandamus, there is no ground for an administrative stay."
Judge Boasberg has been on Trump's radar -- and not a good one -- ever since he intervened in the president's decision to utilize the rare and nearly-forgotten Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport certain illegal aliens.
Users across social media weighed in on the ongoing situation, with some calling for Boasberg's impeachment as a result of his seeming activism.
Appeals judges have BLOCKED Judge Boasberg's effort to hold President Trump in contempt of court for not "undeporting" MS-13 gang members.
Now, Congress should impeach this partisan dummy and investigate his bank account. pic.twitter.com/BWMbWuEOk4
— George (@BehizyTweets) April 18, 2025
"This man belongs as far away from the bench as possible. There is no room for activists in the judiciary," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "He should not serve as a judge."
The American people strongly approve of President Trump's handling of immigration, despite the efforts of his opponents to generate outrage over his deportation agenda.
According to CNBC's All-America Economic Survey, Trump has +12 approval with regard to the southern border and +7 on deporting illegal aliens. On the other hand, the poll found Trump's approval sagging on the economy.
“It is the lowest economic approval in any CNBC poll while President Trump has been in office, and his first net negative showing on the economy,” CNBC’s senior economics reporter Steve Liesman said.
Frustration with the consequences of President Biden's open border helped propel Trump back to the White House last fall. Since returning to power, Trump has quickly secured the border, with crossings plummeting 94%.
Meanwhile, Trump's sweeping deportation agenda has faced a concerted pushback from liberal judges, elected Democrats, and the leftist media -- but Trump is winning in the court of public opinion.
At the same time, 49% of Americans believe the economy will get worse, while 37% see a brighter future ahead, CNBC found.
Overall, Trump is 12 points underwater on the economy, with 43% approving versus 55% disapproving. His overall approval stands at 44%, with 51% disapproving.
The data suggests that Trump's immigration crackdown -- and Democrats' foolish response -- could buoy his approval rating as anxiety builds over his historic tariffs.
Trump's opponents have rallied to defend illegal aliens like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran and alleged MS-13 member widely portrayed as a benign "Maryland man" in the media. The case has been dominating headlines after a difficult news cycle for Trump centered on his "Liberation Day" tariffs.
A Democrat lawmaker from Maryland even traveled to Garcia's native El Salvador to fight for his release from an infamous prison.
“I just landed in San Salvador a little while ago, and I look forward to meeting with the team at the U.S. embassy to discuss the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) wrote on X. “I also hope to meet with Salvadoran officials and with Kilmar himself. He was illegally abducted and needs to come home.”
The Trump administration shared damning evidence this week implicating Garcia in domestic abuse and substantiating his alleged MS-13 ties.
Trump and his allies have seized on Democrats' knee-jerk response to the case to highlight their open border agenda and its deadly consequences, inviting the mother of Maryland woman Rachel Morin, who was murdered by an illegal alien from El Salvador, to speak at the White House.
As she continues to face rumors of divorce, Michelle Obama's own brother, Craig Robinson, is sharing his past doubts about Barack Obama.
In an episode of their new podcast IMO, Robinson recalled his first impression of the future president, and it wasn't good.
"And I've told this story many times about when you first started dating Barack. So Mich starts to date Barack, and we don't know who this guy is, we're just like, 'Barack? Who's got a name like Barack?' And I'm thinking it's gonna last a month like most of your relationships," Robinson said.
"That’s not true. I’ve had many a long-term boyfriend,” Obama replied.
The Obamas met at the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin. They married in 1992 and had two daughters. Michelle Obama has admitted to feeling conflicted about putting her personal ambitions on hold to raise a family.
"Something had to give and it was my aspirations and dreams. I made that concession, not because he said, 'You have to quit your job.' It felt like, 'I can't do all of this. So I have to tone down my aspirations. I have to dial it back," she confessed in her 2020 documentary Becoming.
The former First Lady has also been open about using marriage counseling to work through rough patches.
Her husband recently acknowledged that their marriage was in a "deficit" after years spent in public life.
Rumors of divorce began swirling in January after Michelle skipped two high-profile events, Jimmy Carter's funeral and President Trump's inauguration.
After weeks of dodging the speculation, Michelle Obama dismissed the chatter in a podcast appearance with actress Sophia Bush.
“And that’s the thing that we as women struggle with — disappointing people,” she said.
“So much so that people, they couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”
In the same interview, Obama said she felt liberated to put herself first and "make some big girl decisions."
"Now is the time for me to start asking myself these hard questions of, ‘Who do I truly want to be every day?’ And that changes," she said.
"So, who do I want to have a lunch with? How long do I want to stay in a place? Do I want to travel? If a girlfriend calls and says, ‘Let’s go here,’ I can say, ‘Yes, I can.’ And I’m trying to do that more and more."
The White House is ending the privileged press access that left-leaning news wires like the Associated Press have traditionally received.
The AP, Reuters, and Bloomberg will no longer get a guaranteed slot in the daily press pool that covers White House business, the New York Post reported. The wire services now have to compete with print publications for access on a rotating basis.
The press pool travels with the president and covers events where space is limited, such the Oval Office and Air Force One. Trump is known to engage with pool reporters in long, discursive Q&A sessions.
The makeup of the press pool has traditionally been dictated by the White House Correspondents' Association, which represents journalists, but the Trump administration has been taking that over, with press Secretary Karoline Leavitt deciding which organizations get pool access each day.
Wire services like the AP and Reuters provide syndicated news copy to news outlets around the globe. Their widely disseminated coverage often comes with a liberal spin.
For example, the AP has described the illegal immigrant at the center of a current international controversy, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, as a "Maryland man" despite the fact that he entered the United States illegally from his native El Salvador.
The AP, Reuters, and Bloomberg have traditionally had guaranteed access to White House events, but the Trump administration is changing that. In lieu of a reserved space for the three wire services, the White House is adding a second slot for print journalists, and the wire services will be treated like other print media.
The move is an apparent workaround to a court ruling that ordered the White House to unblock the AP, which has been barred from the pool since February for refusing to change its style guide to reflect Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
US District Judge Trevor McFadden's ruling that the AP "cannot be treated worse than its peer wire services” gave the White House some flexibility.
The administration's moves have been condemned by legacy media as an attack on press freedom, but the White House has said the shakeup will make the White House more accessible to a wider variety of sources.
“The makeup of the pool is far more reflective of the media habits of the American people in 2025,” a senior White House official told The New York Post.
“The White House press policy continues to be grounded in fairness for all outlets that wish to cover the White House.”
The White House Correspondents' Association cried foul, saying the latest changes are meant to "retaliate against news organizations for coverage the White House doesn’t like.”
The AP said, "The administration’s actions continue to disregard the fundamental American freedom to speak without government control or retaliation. This is a grave disservice to the American people.”
A longtime liberal justice on the Supreme Court of Oklahoma has officially been replaced.
Governor Kevin Stitt (R) handpicked Travis Jett to fill the vacancy left by Justice Yvonne Kauger, who lost a retention election in November.
This is Stitt's fourth Supreme Court appointment, the most of any Republican governor in the state's history.
In Oklahoma, Supreme Court justices are nominated by a judicial commission and appointed by the governor. Justices must then face voters at the end of each of their terms.
Kauger, who was appointed in 1984 by Democrat George Nigh, was voted out last year, becoming the first Supreme Court justice to ever lose retention in the state.
Jett has ties to Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a conservative advocacy group that has called for overhauling the judicial nomination process.
The group has cited research showing that Oklahoma's Supreme Court is much more liberal than the state's voters, who tend to lean conservative.
The Judicial Nominating Commission sent three candidates for Stitt to choose from, including two judges, Donna Dirickson and Jon Parsley. Jett, a private practice lawyer, has never served as a judge before.
“I am humbled and honored by the governor’s trust,” said Jett. “It will be the privilege of a lifetime to serve on our state’s Supreme Court. I will approach my service with thoughtfulness, impartiality, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.”
The governor's office pointed to Jett's experience as a litigator, with clients including a former governor, the State Board of Education, publicly traded corporations, privately held companies, family farms, and more.
“Travis Jett is a man of integrity, wisdom, and deep respect for the rule of law,” said Governor Stitt. “He brings an impressive legal mind, a servant’s heart, and a wealth of legal experience to our Supreme Court. I am confident he will uphold our Constitution and apply the law fairly and faithfully for Oklahomans."
State Supreme Courts have grabbed more attention in recent years as America's cultural divide has deepened, making Supreme Court elections in some states expensive and overtly partisan affairs.
Jett received praise from Retired Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Steven Taylor, who said he would be "fair and impartial."
"Travis Jett will be a great Justice. Oklahoma can comfortably place total confidence in him to be fair and impartial. He is a leader, experienced and academically gifted. He now makes the life-changing transition from advocating for his clients to serving as a Justice; where he will faithfully uphold the Rule of Law and zealously protect the independence of the Judiciary."
President Trump clarified that electronics are not exempt from his new tariffs, as he redoubled his promise to end "unfair" trade policies once and for all.
The president confirmed that America's trading partners are not "off the hook" after his administration seemed to back away from targeting products like smartphones imported largely from China.
Trump's reversal caused the stock market to rally Monday as confidence in tech stocks rebounded. Companies like Apple are largely reliant on supply chains based in Asia, especially China.
The White House had initially announced Friday that products such as laptops, computer chips, and smartphones would not be subject to his sweeping "reciprocal tariffs."
The initial reports sowed some confusion, given that electronics make up a large share of trade between the U.S. and China.
Over the weekend, Trump aides went on TV to explain that the exemption is temporary, a message later amplified by Trump on his social media platform.
"NOBODY is getting 'off the hook' for the unfair Trade Balances, and Non Monetary Tariff Barriers, that other Countries have used against us, especially not China which, by far, treats us the worst! There was no Tariff 'exception' announced on Friday. These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff 'bucket,'" Trump said.
Trump has also paused most of his reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, although he is still levying steep tariffs of 10% on all imports and 145% on Chinese goods.
America depends on semiconductor chips from China, which has raised national security concerns. Trump said electronics will be subject to a separate tariff as his administration launches an investigation.
"We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations," Trump wrote in his post.
"What has been exposed is that we need to make products in the United States, and that we will not be held hostage by other Countries, especially hostile trading Nations like China, which will do everything within its power to disrespect the American People. We also cannot let them continue to abuse us on Trade, like they have for decades, THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!"
"The Golden Age of America, which includes the upcoming Tax and Regulation Cuts, a substantial amount of which was just approved by the House and Senate, will mean more and better paying Jobs, making products in our Nation, and treating other Countries, in particular China, the same way they have treated us."
Americans dodged a bullet with the next Senate election, as it was revealed this week that a radical, progressive lawmaker is not making a run for the upper chamber as earlier speculated.
According to The Hill, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar announced that she will not seek a Senate seat and, instead, will run for reelection to her House seat.
Omar was seen as a possible frontrunner to fill the seat that will be left open by Sen. Tina Smith, who is set to retire from office after this cycle.
A prominent member of the progressive "squad" in the House, Omar formally announced that she would seek reelection to her seat representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.
Omar, known for her dramatics, released a statement announcing her reelection bid and as a result, confirming that she's not interested in a Senate seat at this time.
"At a time when our rights are under attack, it is more important than ever to fight back against the chaos, corruption, and callousness of the Trump Administration," Omar's statement read.
It added, "I am excited to announce I am running for reelection for Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District to keep standing up for our rights in the face of authoritarianism."
Rep. Ilhan Omar passes on Senate run in Minnesota, seeking reelection https://t.co/FyxnmK1LLX
— The Hill (@thehill) April 11, 2025
The Hill noted:
Omar, part of the progressive “squad” in the House who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, had been mulling a potential Senate bid. Other notable members of the party who have announced bids include Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and former state Sen. Melisa López Franzen.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has already passed on a Senate bid, but Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) could also jump into the race.
Some of the potential Republicans running for the future Senate vacancy "include former Senate candidate Royce White, who lost to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in November, and retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze," according to the outlet.
Users across social media weighed in on Omar's announcement.
"She knows she'd lose a senate race," one X user speculated.
Another X user wrote, "She wouldn't have a snowball's chance in a state-wide election."
It'll be interesting to see who, on the Democrat's side of the aisle, will drop their name in the hat.
President Donald Trump continues fighting multiple legal battles, mostly against activist federal judges who are working overtime to stop the president from exercising his executive authority.
According to Breitbart, that was evidenced once again this week as an Obama-appointed federal judge "blocked the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants with temporary protected status (TPS) after it was revoked."
The ruling is the latest in efforts to wage "lawfare" against Trump and his administration on the deportation front, and on his broader immigration policies.
It came in the wake of the Trump administration's removal of TPS from nearly 500,000 immigrants, which was granted under former President Joe Biden.
Trump's order to remove the temporary status from the half-million immigrants also came with a warning from the Department of Homeland Security. DHS warned that those affected had 30 days to "self-deport" or face the prospect of federal authorities hunting them down and doing it for them.
"DHS has determined that a 30-day wind-down period provides affected parties sufficient notice while also preserving DHS’s ability to enforce the law promptly against those CHNV parolees lacking a lawful basis to remain in the United States," the DHS notice read.
It added, "Accordingly, DHS is opting not to increase the wind-down period to more than 30 days."
It didn't take long for a Democrat-appointed federal judge to step in and temporarily quash the order.
Breitbart reported:
Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of the District of Massachusetts ruled Thursday that she would issue a stay on the order, which was set to cancel the TPS for approximately 532,000 migrants on April 24, the Associated Press reported.
"The nub of the problem here is that the secretary, in cutting short the parole period afforded to these individuals, has to have a reasoned decision," the judge said in her ruling.
She added, "There was a deal and now that deal has been undercut."
Users across social media, on both sides, had plenty to say about the judge's ruling.
"O'bummer appointed activist judge," one X user pointed out.
Another X user wrote, "Ah yes Indira Talwani another foreigner judge acting like the president."