A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the Justice Department established probable cause to charge former CNN host Don Lemon and four others over the anti-ICE church storming in Minneapolis last weekend. The appeals court, however, declined to force a lower court judge to sign arrest warrants. The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth District was unsealed on Saturday after the Justice Department asked the appeals court to force a lower district court in Minnesota to sign the five arrest warrants. The ruling did not make the names of the five defendants public, but CBS News reported that its sources confirmed one of the defendants is Lemon. The Justice Department vowed on Friday to pursue charges against Lemon “to the ends of the Earth.” While Friday’s ruling supported the Trump administration’s pursuit of charging Lemon on paper, it did not solve the Justice Department’s request. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon responded to the ruling, writing on X, “Stay tuned ?.” The Justice Department could now seek a grand jury indictment or represent the charges to a magistrate judge.” Lemon joined a large group of anti-ICE protesters who stormed Cities Church in Minneapolis last Sunday during the worship service because one of the church’s pastors is believed to be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Three of the anti-ICE agitators who organized the church storming have been arrested by the FBI, including Black Lives Matter activist Nekima Levy Armstrong. Lemon’s attorney argued that he is protected under the First Amendment since he was with the anti-ICE agitators to cover the church storming as an independent journalist. The Justice Department, however, argues that Lemon was coordinating with leaders of the anti-ICE group before the church storming. “Freedom of the press extends to a lot of different areas,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier this week. “It does not extend to somebody just trespassing and being embedded with a group of rioters and being part of the group that storms inside of a church.” Magistrate Judge Doug Micko refused to sign the arrest warrant for Lemon, saying that federal prosecutors failed to present enough evidence to justify his arrest. The Trump administration is pursuing charges against Lemon and others who participated in the storming of Cities Church through the FACE Act, which penalizes people for interfering with Americans who are exercising their right to religious freedom. The FACE act was used by the Biden administration to go after pro-lifers who were accused of blocking access to abortion clinics. News of the appeals court ruling broke as Minneapolis erupts into chaos again after an armed man was shot and killed by federal agents on Saturday morning. Video showed federal officers attempting to detain a man on the street during what the Department of Homeland Security said was a “targeted operation” for an illegal immigrant “wanted for violent assault.” The man was armed with a loaded “semi-automatic handgun” and was shot and killed by a federal agent who was fearing for his life and the lives of his fellow agents, according to Homeland Security.

If you have a dog, you likely remember the first time you laid eyes on them. That special bond between a pet and their best human friend is hard to explain unless you’ve been there. Lots of kids dream of having a dog of their own. It could be their one wish for Christmas or something they talk about nonstop for years. When the moment finally comes, it brings up a ton of emotions. Sarah Stage shared a video on Instagram from her son Logan’s 8th birthday. The sweet little boy opened a box with a new stuffed puppy inside. He lovingly pulled the toy from the package and hugged it. He had no idea what was about to happen. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sarah Stage (@sarahstage) His Parents Had a New Puppy Waiting In the clip, Logan finds a collar with the name Teddi on it. His dad, Kris, asks whether the collar would be better for a new puppy than for a toy. His parents then presented Logan with a second box containing Teddi. The sweet little boy was so overcome with gratitude and excitement that he began sobbing. But the best part might have been his big brother, James, coming to comfort and love his little bro. “We knew he would be happy, but we didn’t anticipate that level of emotion. It was incredibly moving for all of us,” Sarah told People. The video amassed 97 million views. People could hardly get over how sweet Logan and his new puppy look together. “He’s crying, the brother is crying and I’m crying… we’re all crying now,” someone wrote. “It’s heartwarming to see a child express their emotions so freely, and a brother stepping in to comfort him,” another person noticed. This person paid the family a beautiful compliment. “Parenting at its finest. Your older son allowed the moment for his little brother to have the full experience. He was emotional and happy and continued to support him through it all,” they wrote. “They will both make great men one day. Thank you for showing boys how to be good men.” This story’s featured image can be found here.

'Get your fucking guns'

'I don't really see how that's relevant'

'Hey, I'm dying and I love you'

DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot an armed man in Minneapolis on Saturday who the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said looked like was about to “massacre law enforcement.” The incident happened just 17 days after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Good, who had hit the agent with her vehicle, in the same city. DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation that the most recent shooting occurred when agents were carrying out a “targeted operation” and it appeared the now-deceased man was about to inflict “maximum damage” against law enforcement officers. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a Saturday press conference that the deceased was a 37-year-old white male who lived in the city. “At 9:05 AM CT, as DHS law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted operation in Minneapolis against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault, an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun, seen here,” McLaughlin wrote in her statement. DHS shared with the DCNF a photograph of a gun with two magazines. ICE and Border Patrol are both agencies of DHS. “The officers attempted to disarm the suspect but the armed suspect violently resisted. More details on the armed struggle are forthcoming,” the assistant secretary continued. “Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene.” “The suspect also had 2 magazines and no ID—this looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” McLaughlin added. “About 200 rioters arrived at the scene and began to obstruct and assault law enforcement on the scene, crowd control measures were deployed for the safety of the public and law enforcement.This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.” “This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police? Why weren’t they allowed to protect ICE Officers? The Mayor and the Governor called them off? It is stated that many of these Police were… pic.twitter.com/D2MnY9tDiA— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 24, 2026 President Donald Trump accused Democrat lawmakers of “inciting Insurrection” in a Truth Social post Satuday. “The Mayor [Jacob Frey] and the Governor [Tim Walz] are inciting Insurrection, with their pompous, dangerous, and arrogant rhetoric! Instead, these sanctimonious political fools should be looking for the Billions of Dollars that has been stolen from the people of Minnesota, and the United States of America,” the president wrote. “LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR JOB! 12,000 Illegal Alien Criminals, many of them violent, have been arrested and taken out of Minnesota. If they were still there, you would see something far worse than you are witnessing today!” he added. “Border Patrol agents are trained extremely well to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and innocent third parties. When a supposed ‘peaceful’ protester brings a weapon (such as a loaded handgun) and brandishes it, there are going to severe consequences and repercussions,” the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), a labor union that represents Border Patrol agents wrote in a Saturday afternoon X post in response to the shooting. “We have pleaded with and warned the media and the politicians that their irresponsible, hate-filled and false rhetoric is going to get people unnecessarily hurt, or worse, killed when they portray our agents and officers as the aggressors,” the union’s post added. “They have encouraged these reckless confrontations and attacks on our agents and officers who are performing their lawful duties and enforcing the laws that Congress has put on the books.” “The fake and dishonest media and the shameless politicians should be held accountable for willfully misleading the public and enticing these protesters and agitators. We have full confidence that when more facts are revealed, our agents and officers will be shown to have utilized justifiable force in eliminating the threat,” the NBPC’s post continued. I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening. The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 24, 2026 “I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wrote in a post to X, shortly after reports of the shooting broke. “The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.” In a Saturday afternoon X post, Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar called the shooting, “Another murder by immigration enforcement in my district.” “I am absolutely horrified that federal agents are targeting and executing our residents instead of protecting them,” the congresswoman, who represents the entirety of Minneapolis, claimed. “ICE and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] must leave Minnesota immediately. [DHS Secretary] Kristi Noem must be impeached. Enough.” The City of Minneapolis referred the DCNF to the initial statement it had posted to X acknowledging it was “aware of reports of” a shooting, when asked for comment. Originally posted by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The Daily Signal added to this article Trump’s Truth Social post. The post Suspect Who Looked Ready to ‘Massacre Law Enforcement’ Shot Dead in Minneapolis, DHS Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A Florida group seeking to boost youth knowledge of the U.S. Constitution is marking its 10th anniversary on the same year that America turns 250 years old.  The U.S. Constitution Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit educational and scholarship organization promoting understanding of the Constitution, was founded in 2016 to provide classes and offer scholarships and awards to students in Nassau County, Florida, in the city of Fernandina Beach. Since the foundation began, the organization has dispensed almost $400,000 in scholarships and awards. Beyond just prize winners, some 400 students graduated from the University of US program over the last decade, said the foundation’s board member Kris Cortes. “As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary this year, it is fitting to consider what are some things we can do as a country to increase the probability that our republic continues on for at least another 250 years,” Cortes told The Daily Signal. “I would submit that increasing our citizenry’s knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the U.S.  Constitution, our Founding Fathers, and our American heritage could certainly help.”  The group will be holidng U.S. Constitution Bowl on April 16. It’s similar to the old “College Bowl” format, where student teams in a quiz format hit a buzzer with their answer. The event is a competition with teams of four students from four county public high schools, and one team for homeschool students. The students answer questions about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Supreme Court.  The four first place team members in the Constitution Bowl each receive $2,000 scholarships, with second place and third place team members receiving $1,000 and $250 scholarships, respectively.  This year, the program has about 100 students participating, up from about 70 the prior year. When it began a decade ago, fewer than 30 students were involved, Cortes said.  The foundation is composed of volunteers but has drawn some big-name speakers, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, former Heritage Foundation President Kay James, and former Attorney General Edwin Meese. Yale Law professor Akhil Amar, a national left-leaning commentator, was also among the speakers.  The foundation was started to address concerns over constitutional literacy. An Annenberg Public Policy Center survey last year found almost one-third of adults could not identify three branches of government. A Pew Research Center survey in 2023 showed that only 44% of adults knew that U.S. senators serve six-year terms.  “There should be a more concentrated effort for these future adults,” Cortes said. She added, “Young people are cynical about trust in government. Participation in voting is much less among young people.” Cortes and her family moved from the Chicago area to Nassau County, Florida in 2020. Her daughter, Christina, wrote a winning essay about gerrymandering four years ago. Her son Dominic is participating in the University of U.S. and the Constitution Bowl this year. Cortes said she would like to see the template used elsewhere.  “We hope that programs like ours which strive to bring the Constitution to life, will inspire young people to become more engaged in public policy and participate in civic life as educated voters,” Cortes said. The University of US is the flagship program of the foundation. Juniors and seniors who pass the final exam get a certificate of graduation, and will be eligible to compete for five scholarships in the essay competition.  Students from the four Nassau County public high schools, as well as homeschooled students, attended classes with the “university” that include “Amendments to the Constitution,” and the “Federalist Papers.” Teachers led the classes in full costume, portraying Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, authors of the Federalist Papers.  Cortes recalled sitting in a University of US session that her daughter was participating. “It was fabulous. So I started to volunteer and attending the adult speaker forums, which are wonderful,” she said. “I was then asked to join the board a couple of years ago. “ “If we look at the history of republics that have survived over long periods of time, there are common aspects that lead to success,” she added. “And for America, I agree with something that Sam Adams once said: ‘If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security.’” The post As America Turns 250, Volunteers Fight Cynicism With Constitution Education appeared first on The Daily Signal.