A popular Nashville steakhouse co-owned by Trump supporter Kid Rock was forced to shut down during a massive ICE operation that led to the arrest of nearly 200 illegal immigrants, many with violent criminal histories. The incident underscores the sweeping impact of immigration enforcement—even on conservative-aligned businesses. ICE Sweep Hits Downtown Nashville Kid Rock’s Big A* Honky Tonk Rock N’ Roll Steakhouse* temporarily closed its doors after employees received advance warning of a large-scale immigration raid. Staff members without legal documentation reportedly fled the premises, forcing the restaurant to halt operations on a normally busy night. The restaurant’s owner, Steve Smith, a vocal Trump ally, faced the unexpected consequence of federal action that many on the right have long supported. Despite political alignment with the Trump administration’s tough-on-immigration stance, Smith’s business was directly impacted by the reality of those policies. Kid Rock’s Nashville restaurant sent home staff in fear of ICE raid, report says https://t.co/H5aFu1flYP pic.twitter.com/HnPJFsKkUU — The Independent (@Independent) May 16, 2025 196 Arrested—Including Criminals, Gang Members, and Sex Offenders ICE confirmed 196 illegal immigrants were arrested during the coordinated sweep, which targeted individuals with serious criminal records. Of those detained, 95 had prior convictions—including MS-13 gang members, sex offenders, and drug traffickers. Officials stressed that the operation was not a random sweep but a focused mission to enhance public safety. Assisted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, ICE agents carried out arrests across several locations in Nashville. Homeland Security characterized the mission as part of a broader effort to eliminate violent threats from American communities. The arrests align with priorities laid out by the returning Trump administration, which has vowed to ramp up enforcement against criminal illegal immigrants. Service at high-profile MAGA supporter Kid Rock's Nashville restaurant came to an abrupt halt on a busy Saturday night after undocumented workers fled en masse to avoid rumored immigration raids favored by President Donald Trump, Nashville Scene reported. https://t.co/gGfNktXgYM — Raw Story (@RawStory) May 16, 2025 Political Backlash and Local Pushback The operation triggered political tension between federal and local authorities. Nashville’s Democrat mayor voiced opposition to the ICE raids—prompting a swift rebuke from Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), who defended the federal government’s actions. Ogles accused the mayor of “prioritizing politics over public safety.” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin reiterated the administration’s support for ICE, saying the agency will have the full backing of federal resources moving forward. Meanwhile, local business owners reported a sharp drop in customers in predominantly immigrant neighborhoods following the raids, highlighting the widespread economic fallout. While some advocacy groups decried the raids as heavy-handed, conservative voices emphasized the importance of removing dangerous individuals from American soil. The temporary closure of Kid Rock’s restaurant, even with its pro-Trump leadership, serves as a reminder that the rule of law applies across the board, and even allies are not immune to the effects of law enforcement. Sources: Kid Rock’s Nashville restaurant next target for Trump’s sweeping ICE raids | Daily Mail Online Kid Rock’s restaurant workers asked to go home to avoid rumored Ice raids | US immigration | The Guardian

'Been there done that'

A new preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that measured the impact of blocking Medicaid dollars from funding child sex-change procedures is causing Republicans to cast doubt on the CBO score. A preliminary estimate from the CBO obtained by The Daily Signal claims the savings from prohibiting Medicaid funds for those gender-transition procedures amount to only half of what Republicans previously expected. Republicans previously anticipated that prohibiting Medicaid funds for gender-transition procedures on minors would save taxpayers $1.4 billion over 10 years in the House’s budget reconciliation bill, but the CBO’s preliminary estimate expects the provision would save only $700 million. The CBO’s job is to analyze different pieces of legislation and provide Congress with a score that assesses how the proposal will impact federal spending, revenues, and deficits. While CBO scores are a necessary part of the legislative process, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told The Daily Signal in a phone interview that he doesn’t “put much confidence in them” because of previous inaccuracies. Norman explained that the CBO previously scored illegal immigrants coming into the country as a net positive for the deficit. “It doesn’t surprise me,” Norman said. “It doesn’t change anything. I don’t care if it’s $1 billion, which if you’re in the shape we’re in now, you take advantage of it.”  A preliminary score is the CBO’s early estimate of a bill’s impact on the public treasury. Those estimates are not official and are subject to change over time. As members of Congress continue to revise the reconciliation package over the weekend, the CBO will have to recalculate the impact of it. Before the Energy and Commerce Committee’s markup, Democrats obtained a preliminary CBO estimate for the panel’s budget reconciliation legislation, which claimed that “the committee’s recommendations would reduce the deficit by at least $912 billion over the 2025-2034 period.” When asked if the House could find more savings by expanding the prohibition on Medicaid dollars going to gender-transition procedures, Norman said, “I imagine so.”  The total cost of individual transgender interventions can cost upward of $75,000, according to the Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest proponents of the radical gender ideology. Cutting public funding for all transgender medical interventions is widely popular with Americans. The American Principles Project found that 66% of Americans oppose taxpayer funding for all gender-transition procedures, and even The Associated Press recently found that 53% of Americans opposed taxpayer funding for “gender-affirming care,” including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Cutting taxpayer dollars for child gender transitions saves money, and taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fund any gender transitions on minors, a senior legislative aide told The Daily Signal. But the greater benefits of the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act are moral, not fiscal, the aide explained. The post EXCLUSIVE: Estimate Claims Medicaid Ban on Child Sex Changes Saves Only Half What GOP Expected appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Democrat Governors Are Dropping Medicaid for Illegals While Criticizing Trump for...

The U.S. Secret Service reportedly paid a visit to former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey over an image he posted on social media that many took as a threat against the president. Secret Service agents escorted Comey to their Washington field office in Washington, D.C., on Friday for an interview, according to law enforcement sources who spoke to CNN. Comey was questioned about allegations that a message reading "8647" was a call for violence against President Donald Trump, the 47th president of the U.S. 'We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI director, and we take rhetoric like this very seriously.' Comey posted the image of a number of seashells arranged to spell "8647" on Thursday, but he later deleted the post and claimed that he did not intend to advocate for any political violence. The former FBI director appeared voluntarily for the interview and was not in custody, according to the CNN report. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi released a statement about the incident. “The Secret Service vigorously investigates anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees,” said Guglielmi to CNN. “We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI director, and we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem and current FBI Director Kash Patel issued statements saying that the Comey seashell threat would be investigated. RELATED: Secret Service reportedly investigated elementary school teacher's reply to assassination post after Trump won election Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images The president also lambasted Comey in a comment on Fox News."He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant? That meant assassination," said Trump to Bret Baier. "And it says it loud and clear," Trump added. "Now, he wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant, and he did it for a reason. And he was hit so hard because people like me, and they like what's happening with our country. Our country's become respected again. And he's calling for the assassination of the president." The term "86" has been in use for more than a century and could refer to the action of taking something off of a menu at a restaurant, but more recently it has also included killing something or someone. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Cellphone video caught the moment when a motorist hit a teenager in the parking lot of a South Carolina Dollar Tree store on Mother's Day, then plowed through the store wall — with the teen still on the hood of the car.Miraculously, the victim quickly emerged from the rubble and walked away, apparently as if the impact was nothing. You can view the cellphone video here.'Youth these days ... don't value life.'The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said a fight involving two adults and three juveniles began in the parking lot of the Dollar Tree on Sumter Highway in Bishopville, WIS-TV reported. Bishopville is a little less than an hour northeast of Columbia.Authorities said a 17-year-old hit a 15-year-old with a vehicle before crashing into the store, the station noted, adding that the driver reportedly rolled the car away from the store and crashed into an occupied vehicle in the parking lot. WIS said the 15-year-old hit by the car was not seriously hurt.Deputies said 19-year-old Celvin Hickman and 24-year-old Shamirah Blyther were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the brawl, the station reported, adding that Hickman also was charged with malicious injury to property.RELATED: Massive manhunt under way for suspect who allegedly rammed car into 2 children and 1 adult at church intentionally Image source: Lee County (S.C.) Sheriff's OfficeThe three juveniles also were arrested, the sheriff’s office told WIS.The 17-year-old accused of driving the car that crashed into the store was charged with attempted murder, disorderly conduct, and malicious injury to property, the station said, adding that authorities said the 17-year-old will be charged as an adult.Another 15-year-old also was charged with disorderly conduct and released to guardians, WIS said.Blaze News spoke with an employee of a business just down the street from where the calamity went down. The employee — who spoke to Blaze News on the condition of anonymity — said the harrowing incident has made people "look at Bishopville a little differently.""I did have one guy who said he's afraid to come back down here," the employee told Blaze News, adding that a lot of people shop in the area, which police consistently patrol."It's crazy that it happened right there," the employee added to Blaze News.Sheriff Daniel Simon in the aftermath told WIS that some "youth these days ... don't value life." Simon added to the station that the driver who hit the 15-year-old with the car "used the vehicle as a weapon. You might as well pull out a gun ... and pull the trigger."WIS said the store is closed for now and that there's about $10,000 in damages.RELATED: Parents released from jail after cops say 'large rat started eating' their 6-month-old girl, mom found child covered in blood - YouTube youtu.be Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The four men were apprehended not long after trying to dig up the mosaic, found in the vineyard of a home right next to Zile Castle, the site where Julius Caesar famously declared "Veni vidi vici." The post Smugglers In Turkey Caught Trying To Steal An Ancient Roman Mosaic Because They Livestreamed Their Excavation appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Animal bone tubes uncovered at Chavín de Huántar were found to contain a mix of nicotine and vilca residue, a combination that would have produced terrifying and profound visions for those who snorted it some 2,800 years ago. The post Archaeologists In Peru Discover Evidence Of Ritual Drug Use Among Ancient Elites Nearly 3,000 Years Ago appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Scott Jennings Reminds Democrats All They Have to Do Is Not Be Insane (WATCH)

Columbia's Majority Frustrated with Protesters, Demands Action as Concerns Grow It May Be Too Late