'When public confidence erodes due to serious allegations of misconduct'

'So how elderly was he?'

The state of Oregon is investigating the shooting of two people by a Customs and Border Patrol agent in Portland on Thursday. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a Border Patrol officer opened fire on the pair, sitting in a vehicle, after one of them tried to “weaponize” the vehicle during a traffic stop. The agency says one of the two is associated with Tren de Aragua, a violent criminal gang with roots in Venezuela, and the other is a suspected member of the gang. The agency identified one of the suspects as Luis David Nico Moncada, a “criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and suspected Tren de Aragua gang member” and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, a “criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and is associated with Tren de Aragua.” CNN and some other outlets reported the pair as a “married couple.” However, the homeland security department said that they were “a gang member and his prostitute” and not an “innocent ‘married couple.’” REVOLTING LIES!The two criminal illegal aliens who attacked Border Patrol in Portland are a gang member and his prostitute NOT an innocent “married couple.”The driver of the vehicle, Luis David Nico Moncada is a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela and suspected Tren de… pic.twitter.com/XfwfBtoU75— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 9, 2026 DHS further said that Moncada “illegally entered the United States in 2022 but had been released into the country by the “Biden administration.” “Since then, he was arrested for DUI and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He has a final order of removal,” DHS stated on X. The agency said that the woman, Zambrano-Contreras, “illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 near El Paso, Texas, and was RELEASED into this country by the Biden administration.” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced that his department would be investigating the shooting. “We have been clear about our concerns with excessive use of force by federal agents in Portland and nationally,” Rayfield said in a statement according to Fox 12 Oregon. “We have also been clear about our intent to investigate circumstances involving federal agents to ensure they are accountable to acting within the scope of their official duties.” According to audio obtained by Fox 12 Oregon, “a Portland police dispatcher” reported to officers that “a caller told them ICE agents shot him and his wife.” At a news conference on Thursday, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson demanded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which was reportedly not involved in the incident, “halt all operations” in the city. The Portland shooting occured just a day after a ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minnesota whom the agency claimed was driving her car toward the agent. A video of the incident published online by Alpha News on Friday revealed a new vantage point from the agent’s perspective. BREAKING: Alpha News has obtained cellphone footage showing perspective of federal agent at center of ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/p2wks0zew0— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) January 9, 2026 Vice President JD Vance responded on X that the video showed the agent’s “life was endangered and he fired in self defense.” Watch this, as hard as it is. Many of you have been told this law enforcement officer wasn't hit by a car, wasn't being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman. The reality is that his life was endangered and he fired in self defense. https://t.co/IfXAAxi9Ql— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 9, 2026 The post Couple Shot by Federal Agents in Portland Connected to Venezuela Gang, DHS Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Protests have expanded rapidly across Iran in recent days, with dozens reportedly having been killed amid a crackdown by the Iranian regime. “Protesters demonstrated in at least 156 instances across 27 provinces on January 8, which almost doubles the number of protests recorded on January 7,” according to the Institute for the Study of War, a national security policy and education nonprofit. The anti-regime protests are in response to Iran’s failing economy and rampant inflation. The protests are the largest demonstrations against the regime in years, and President Donald Trump has threatened to take action against the regime if its crackdown on protests turned deadly. “In the past, they’ve started shooting the hell out of [protesters],” Trump said during a recent interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “So they played rough,” Trump continued, “and I said, if they do that, we’re going to hit them very hard.” .@POTUS on Iran: What they've done is, in the past, they started shooting the hell out of [protesters]… and I said if they do that, we're going to hit them very hard… So far, for the most part, they haven't… The enthusiasm to overturn that regime is incredible. pic.twitter.com/i7SBH349Ke— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 9, 2026 Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based NGO, reports that 45 people, including eight children, were killed during the first 12 days of anti-regime protests. Over 2,000 people have also been arrested, according to the human rights monitor. Now that there have been some casualties, “I think some response is required” from the Trump administration, Robert Greenway, director of the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation, tells The Daily Signal. While Trump has not indicated what kind of response he would consider against the regime, he has a wide range of economic and military actions he could take, according to Greenway, who served in Trump’s first administration on the National Security Council. Actions Trump Could Take Against Iranian Regime The U.S. could increase economic pressure on Iran and sanction regime members “engaged in gross human rights violations,” according to Greenway. The UN could also issue a formal condemnation of the regime, he added. The U.S. could also place additional restrictions on the “movement of Iranian officials abroad,” or sanction Iran’s assets held abroad, Greenway said. The Trump administration could increase disruption of tanker ships coming and going from Iran that carry oil and other assets, Greenway said. Trump could also ratchet up military pressure or even strike against the regime for killing protesters, Greenway says. This could include moving fighter jets, air defense assets, and offensive strike military equipment into the region. The U.S. could also increase its planning and coordination with Israel on “potential offensive strikes,” Greenway said, adding that it is very likely that any strike against Iran would involve coordination with Israel. The U.S. could use force against the regime “to strike those assets which are responsible for the munitions and the capabilities used to repress the population in the places where they have been killed,” he said. Finally, and perhaps “most important,” according to Greenway, is “providing independent access to information, both within and outside” of Iran. Iran experienced a near total digital blackout on Thursday, according to multiple reports accusing the regime of cutting off internet access in the nation amid growing protests. Warning Against Repeating History The Islamic Republic, which governs Iran on a legal code based on Sharia law, took power in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution. There have been multiple instances of large protests against the regime in recent decades, including during the Obama administration in 2009. President Barack Obama “continued to provide resources to the regime” during the 2009 protests, Greenway said–an action that ultimately dissuaded protests from continuing. The Obama administration gave Iran the “resources needed to repress” the Iranian people and “imposed no cost for repression,” he said. “But most importantly, it signaled to the people of Iran that they had no support, and they got no support, and without that, it became very, very difficult” to continue the protests, Greenway said. “They were strongly disincentivized.” Trump continues to speak publicly about the protests in Iran, sharing a large video of protests on his social media platform Truth Social early Friday morning. If the Iranian regime does collapse, Greenway says it is impossible to predict what would happen next but added that if Iran ultimately poses a reduced threat to the U.S. and U.S. allies in the region, that is a “good thing.” The post As Protests and Casualties Mount in Iran, What Are Trump’s Options for Action? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

We’ve had an avalanche of hot takes since Renee Good was shot in Minneapolis by federal agents. But there should be no “hot” takes. There should be cold reasoning—about how we got here and how we avoid things getting worse. “Hot” indicates anger, a lack of control, lack of thought. That’s what we saw from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. He should have expressed his regret at Good’s death—whatever the circumstances—and offered condolences to her family. Then, he should have asked citizens to stay calm and to wait for all the information to be known and evaluated before passing judgment. Ideally, he’d have expressed support for the beleaguered federal agents who are daily harassed, assaulted, and vilified for doing their jobs as instructed. But apparently that’s asking too much. Frey is an unparalleled political panderer. He instead gave an emotional, unhinged press conference, in which he blamed federal agents for a situation which he risibly claimed “they created themselves.” He told ICE to “get the f—k out” of Minneapolis. Then we had Gov. Tim Walz, who said, “we have someone dead in their car for no reason whatsoever.” He was right that the shooting was “preventable” and “unnecessary.” But he was wrong about why. Walz and many on the Left blame the government for any injury or damage caused during protests against federal law enforcement for trying to enforce the law. Instead, they should blame activists  trying to stop law enforcement  using physical means. “They want a show,” said Walz. By that, he means that the federal government wanted something like this to happen. If anything, the opposite is true. Those who oppose the Trump administration in everything it does, but particularly immigration, wanted something like this to happen. They needed a martyr, and they created circumstances to make one. America is fiercely divided between Left and Right. Between those who want laws enforced, and those who want them abolished or ignored. Between open borders and nationhood. Between socialism and free markets. On immigration, the Left does not believe any alien in the U.S. should be deported, for any reason. They believe enforcement of immigration laws passed by an elected Congress is an outrage. After decades of both parties turning a blind eye to millions of people living here illegally, and especially after four years of Biden positively encouraging illegal immigration, they are incensed to see President Trump doing what he promises—deporting illegal aliens. Impotent politically, they turned to the streets. They mobilized their army of omni-cause warriors: Antifa, anti-capitalists, Palestinian activists, gender ideologues, socialists, and law enforcement “abolitionists.” They tapped into the secretive millions of dark money that fund professional left-wing activism and protest. They created the conditions which produced Good’s death. There was a media rush to paint Renee Good as either a perfect mom peacefully protesting, or as a domestic terrorist. In truth, she was probably somewhere in the middle. A person who, motivated by passionate beliefs, crossed the line between First Amendment protest and—at best—actively impeded federal law enforcement, which is a felony. At worst, she tried to run over an officer, which is attempted murder. Being passionate about politics is as American as apple pie. But that passion cannot be allowed to spill over into harassment, intimidation, vandalism, or assault against law enforcement or other civilians. Politicians like Frey, Walz, and several members of Congress should know better. They should not let their blind hatred of Trump, or their militant support of illegal aliens, overcome their basic duty as elected officials to respect the law and those who enforce it. So long as we have firebrands advocating violent resistance, demonizing law enforcement agents, and refusing to keep the peace, Renee Good won’t be the last to be injured or killed  in a public clash between the government and its citizens this year. I wish I could say I believed that political temperature would cool down and calmer heads prevail. But I fear that the hot takes, and hot heads, are in the ascendant. The cooler, calmer, reasonable majority of Americans will be left to endure the noise and pick up the pieces. The post We Don’t Need Hot Takes on ICE Shootings, We Need Cold Reasoning appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Google's Founders Reduce Ties to California in Advance of Wealth Tax

After a Wisconsin teen failed to turn up to school for two weeks early last year, officers from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department were asked to conduct a welfare check on his family home. When they arrived at the residence on Feb. 28, 2025, officers made a horrific discovery.The teen, 18-year-old Nikita Casap, brutally murdered his mother, Tatiana Casap, and his stepfather, Donald Mayer, on Feb. 11, stuffed their bodies under blankets, and proceeded to live with their rotting corpses for weeks before fleeing the state.Casap's parricide was evidently a means to an even darker end: financing an assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.'As to why, specifically Trump, I think it's obvious.'Casap, whose family was visited by the FBI in November 2023 regarding unspecified internet IP activity, pleaded guilty on Thursday to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, each of which carry a mandatory life sentence.When asked by Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Ralph Ramirez whether he understood the implications of his guilty plea and whether he had in fact murdered his mother and stepfather, Casap said, "Yes, Your Honor," the New York Post reported.RELATED: 'Julia,' son of wealthy Democrat donor, identified as suspect in Vance home attack Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images In exchange for Casap's guilty plea, prosecutors dropped various other charges against the murderer, including two counts of hiding a corpse and theft of property over $10,000.Hours after the bodies of Casap's victims were discovered on Feb. 28, police in WaKeeney, Kansas, captured the teen, who had fled in his stepfather's SUV.Officers found Mayer's .357 magnum revolver and multiple boxes of .357 magnum and .38 special ammunition in the car along with the victims' phones and wallets, jewelry, various electronic devices, and a large amount of American and European currency.According to a federal search warrant, investigators found evidence indicating Casap was a nihilistic violent extremist — someone engaged "in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability."In a March 10 interview with WSCO, one of Casap's classmates recalled that the killer told him that he had been in contact with a Russian via Telegram and was planning to assassinate Trump.FBI agents found messages from Casap to a Telegram user with the handle "Angel of Death" discussing how to convert a drone into a long-range attack drone capable of avoiding detection and dropping an explosive, a Molotov cocktail, or poison. He also discussed how long he would have to hide before relocating to Ukraine.Investigators also found a three-page document entitled "Accelerate the Collapse" in which Casap discussed murdering Trump in order to trigger a political revolution and America's collapse to "save the white race" from "Jewish controlled" politicians."As to why, specifically Trump, I think it's obvious," Casap wrote. "By getting rid of the president and perhaps the vice president, that is guaranteed to bring in some chaos. And not only that, but it will further bring into the public the idea that assassinations and accelerating the collapse are possible things to do."The FBI apparently also found textual conversations indicating Casap was supportive of the teachings of the Order of the Nine Angles, a satanic pedophile cult known for anti-Semitism, hatred for Christianity, identitarianism, and admiration for Adolf Hitler and other loathsome historic figures.Waukesha County District Attorney Lesli Boese reportedly told reporters that she will implore the judge to deny Casap any chance at parole, noting that the killer is "a danger to the community."Casap is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5.Federal charges have not yet been filed; however, an FBI affidavit notes that there is cause to believe Casap committed numerous federal crimes, including conspiracy to assassinate the president and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction utilizing interstate or foreign commerce.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The political fallout from a fatal ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis has quickly spiraled into open warfare between city leaders, state officials, and federal authorities — and Mayor Jacob Frey (D), who most recently was seen butchering the Somalian language in support of those accused of fraud — had some choice words for ICE officers.“I do have a message for our community, for our city, and I have a message for ICE. To ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite,” Frey said.“We’ve dreaded this moment since the early stages of this ICE presence in Minneapolis. Not only is this a concern that we’ve had internally; we’ve been talking about it. They are not here to cause safety in this city,” he continued.“What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust. They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: that is bulls**t. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying,” he added.“Kristi Noem heard Jacob Frey being a douche and decided to respond to him for whatever reason, even though he obviously didn’t deserve a response,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere comments.“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Noem responded in a press conference. “It’s very clear that this individual was harassing and impeding law enforcement operations. Our officer followed his training, did exactly what he’s been taught to do in that situation, and took actions to defend himself.”However, Tim Walz disagreed, threatening to deploy the National Guard and firmly stating that "Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight.”“Your own party has been turning Minnesota into a nonstop heap of political debate and nonsense for years and years and years and years, going back to George Floyd. This is kind of what the state is now.”Minneapolis is even closing its public schools for an entire week in the wake of the shooting.“Look, nothing great here,” Stu says. “There’s no wonderful solution. There’s no wonderful outcome. We can’t be like, ‘Oh gosh, you know, everything was heroic and perfect.’ What we can say is something pretty obvious, like no one wants this to happen.”“I’m really sad that a person died. I didn’t want her to die. I’m really sad about it. But one little piece of advice that you can take into your own personal lives as you go out into the world: Don’t drive your car at cops,” he continues.“Like that’s the end of it, right? What would you think would happen to you if you went out to a parking lot as a police officer’s there, standing there, and you just drove your car at them? What the hell do you do think would happen? Every single person in the world, I think, would expect a police officer to fire on them,” he adds.Want more from Stu?To enjoy more of Stu's lethal wit, wisdom, and mockery, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement extremists have come out of the woodwork after the lethal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday, and Blaze News has exclusive footage of some of their unhinged demonstrations.The footage shows chaotic chants and epithets tossed by dozens of activists against agents outside of the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in the Minneapolis area. 'What have you done?! What have you done?! You terrorize our community! What do you know? Bunch of cowards!'The video was recorded by Blaze News on the ground among the protesters. "F**k you, you fascists pigs!" yells one protester. "You murderers!" yells another. "F**king cowards!" yells another female protester. "None of you served this country, but I have! I served this country for 10 years! What have you done?! What have you done?! You terrorize our community! What do you know? Bunch of cowards!" Federal agents have been using flash-bang grenades and chemical irritants to persuade protesters to back off. At one point, the group chants, "Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE!" Another man wearing a "Black Lives Matter" shirt leads a chant of "F**k ICE!" that turns into "Get the f**k out!"The woman killed by an ICE agent Wednesday was identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good from Colorado. New footage from the cell phone of the agent who shot Good was released Friday and showed their interaction before he fired into her vehicle. Two protesters were reportedly detained on Friday at the protests outside of the facility. The woman who was detained admitted that she had hit a federal vehicle with her hand in comments to CNN after she was released. RELATED: Trump team calls out 'depravity' of Jimmy Kimmel's response to lethal ICE shooting "They didn’t know who was in charge of what. They just kept calling other people," said the woman who identified herself only as Jessica. She added that she hit the vehicle "because they pissed me off. Just being here pisses me off."Concrete barriers were also installed outside of the facility to protect agents. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Trump has made several moves this week that will have globalists, climate activists, and other international grifters up in arms. On Wednesday, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum removing the United States from over 60 international organizations as part of a longer-term plan to put American interests first. 'America will no longer lend its credibility to racist organizations.'In an executive order signed in February 2025, President Trump ordered the secretary of state to review the United States' membership in many international groups to determine whether cooperation with those groups is in American interests. The memorandum said that the president had since reviewed the secretary's report and "determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support" for 66 organizations and has officially withdrawn the U.S. from them.These organizations include 35 "non-United Nations Organizations" and 31 United Nations organizations.RELATED: Trump administration saves billions in simple move globalists and climate activists alike will hate Photo by Alex Wong/Getty ImagesSome of the U.N. organizations that the United States removed itself from are the U.N. Economic and Social Council, the International Law Commission, the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations, the U.N. Democracy Fund, the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and the U.N. University.Also included in that list is the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, an organization that United States officials have called "racist."“America will no longer lend its credibility to racist organizations,” State Department principal spokesman Tommy Pigott told the New York Post.“Radical activists who embrace DEI ideology and seek to compel the United States to adopt policies mandating race-based wealth redistribution, in organizations such as the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, will no longer be entertained,” he added.According to an article on the United Nations' website, the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent seeks "slavery reparations" and fashions itself as a forum to "shape ... global reparations agendas." According to the Post, Trump administration officials have alleged that the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, a subsidiary of the United Nations Human Rights Office, runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment and Equal Protection clause with its focus on "victim-based social policies." Notably missing from the list is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, even though Trump's February executive order called for an investigation into it. Specifically, the executive order said, "The review will include an evaluation of how and if UNESCO supports United States interests. In particular, the review will include an analysis of any anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization."Trump and the Treasury Department also ordered the United States' "immediate" withdrawal from the Green Climate Fund on Thursday.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!