A newly-elected mayor in Germany is fighting for her life after a stabbing attack outside her home. Iris Stalzer, 57, was elected as mayor of Herdecke on September 28th. “She is a member of the center-left Social Democrats, the junior party in Germany’s conservative-led national government,” the Associated Press noted. Stalzer was found with life-threatening injuries and airlifted to a hospital. Police took her teenage adopted son and daughter away for questioning. BREAKING: Mayor of Herdecke in western Germany, Iris Stalzer is in critical condition after being stabbed by several men in a broad daylight attack outside her home pic.twitter.com/if0DRVPI30 — Megatron (@Megatron_ron) October 7, 2025 Daily Mail shared further details: She was discovered inside her apartment by her 15-year-old adopted son, according to German outlet Bild, with life-threatening injuries and several stabbing wounds on her stomach and back. Police have reportedly arrested the boy, who told officers that his mother was attacked outside their home by ‘several men on the street’, the outlet said. It added that he was taken away from the scene in handcuffs for questioning, wearing an evidence-preserving overall. The teenager reportedly called 911 alongside his 17-year-old adopted sister at 12.40pm, who was present in the apartment when authorities arrived, the newspaper said. She was also questioned in the hours following the attack, according to Der Spiegel, which reported that she had been involved in a previous case of domestic violence in the Stalzer household in the summer of this year. The politician’s daughter had used a knife against the 57-year-old, the report said. Stalzer was taken to hospital by helicopter where she is receiving emergency treatment and is said to be in critical condition. Prosecutors and police said in a joint statement their inquiry was looking into every possibility and said: ‘Close family involvement cannot be ruled out at the present time.’ Stalzer won a runoff vote to secure the election and is scheduled to take office in the small town on November 1st. “We have received a message about an abominable act from Herdecke. It must now be swiftly clarified. We are anxious about the life of the designated mayor Iris Stalzer and hope for her complete recovery. My thoughts are with her family and her relatives,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz commented (translated). Uns erreicht eine Nachricht über eine abscheuliche Tat aus Herdecke. Sie muss jetzt schnell aufgeklärt werden. Wir bangen um das Leben der designierten Bürgermeisterin Iris Stalzer und hoffen auf vollständige Genesung. Meine Gedanken sind bei ihrer Familie und ihren Angehörigen. — Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) October 7, 2025 More from CNN: The city administration in Herdecke said it was in “shock and disbelief,” without providing further details of the attack, which was reported by German tabloid Bild and local public broadcaster WDR. Authorities have not confirmed a motive. In a later update, police said the investigation is “looking into all possibilities,” and that a family connection to the crime has not been ruled out. There has been a string of attacks on German politicians in recent years. The country was rocked by the 2019 murder of Walter Lübcke, a local government official who supported the pro-refugee policies of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Lübcke was shot dead by a neo-Nazi while smoking a cigarette on the terrace of his house. His attacker is now serving a life sentence. Additional coverage below:

Due to staffing shortages, the Hollywood Burbank Airport went hours on Monday with no air traffic controllers. According to KABC, there were no air traffic controllers in the Burbank tower from 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday. As a result, Southern California TRACON, an approach and departure team out of San Diego, remotely handled the operations. “As Secretary Duffy said, there have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations,” the FAA said, according to Collin Rugg. NEW: As of 4:15 pm, air traffic controllers at Burbank Airport in California headed home and there are no air traffic controllers inside the tower. The FAA has since released a statement in response to the staffing issues. "As Secretary Duffy said, there have been increased… pic.twitter.com/Au0n2kJX58 — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 7, 2025 “Operations are continuing at Hollywood Burbank Airport,” Hollywood Burbank stated. “Please check with your airline – before arriving at the airport – for updates on possible delays or cancellations,” it added. Operations are continuing at Hollywood Burbank Airport. Please check with your airline – before arriving at the airport – for updates on possible delays or cancellations. — Hollywood Burbank (@fly_BUR) October 7, 2025 KABC shared more: The latest shutdown is unfolding at a time when both the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration are already facing staffing shortages, including a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers. If the system can’t handle the number of flights that are scheduled, the FAA will slow down landings and take offs and passengers will see more delays and cancellations. Air traffic controllers will receive one more paycheck, which is essentially half of a paycheck since the shutdown began in the middle of a pay period. They will get the pay for what they worked before the shutdown next Tuesday. They will eventually be paid again once the shutdown ends. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy responded to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attempt to blame the unfolding air traffic controller dilemma on President Trump. “The reason we are shut down is because YOUR party can’t get its priorities straight. Democrats prioritize things like free healthcare to illegal immigrants over making sure our hard-working air traffic controllers at Burbank airport get paid,” Duffy said. .@CAGovernor you are unbelievable. The reason we are shut down is because YOUR party can’t get its priorities straight. Democrats prioritize things like free healthcare to illegal immigrants over making sure our hard-working air traffic controllers at Burbank airport get paid. pic.twitter.com/K6wjvnIb27 — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) October 7, 2025 NBC Los Angeles updated: However, on Tuesday, air traffic controllers were scheduled to return to work and full staffing of the control tower at Hollywood Burbank Airport. Flight operations were expected to return to normal with flights starting at 7 a.m., according to the operations employee on duty. Early Tuesday morning, all of the flights leaving Burbank were on time and all of the flights coming into the San Fernando Valley airport were on time. From 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m., the FAA said there were no air traffic controllers in Burbank. The shortages were expected due to sick calls, last-minute day-off requests and staffing issues, air traffic controllers at the airport told NBCLA. The airport has a system in place to hand off air traffic control duties to another agency in the event of a shortage, they said. Southern California TRACON (SCT) serves most airports in Southern California, one of the busiest air spaces in the country. The agency’s air space includes an area from about 20 miles north of Burbank to the U.S.-Mexico border and from the San Bernardino area west to Santa Catalina Island.

Attorney General Pam Bondi: “I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump

In August 2024, special counsel Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment in his case indicting former President Trump for his actions seeking to subvert the 2020 election, retaining the same charges but striking some elements of the case to fit better with the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. He was determined to get Trump, and use semantics to do it. […] The post The Hellscape We Avoided: Jack Smith Spied to Bring Conspiracy Charges appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Country star Zach Bryan is facing some serious backlash online following the release of his anti-ICE song, “Bad News.” The lyrics specifically target Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with lyrics that say, “ICE is gonna come, bust down your door / Try to build a house no one builds no more / But I’ve got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone.” “I’ve got some bad news / The fading of the red, white and blue,” the song goes on. The song’s messaging has inspired country fans to come out in force to blast Bryan for his anti-ICE stance. “Who’s ready for the Zach Bryan-Dixie Chicks tour? Prob a huge Bud Light sponsorship for this one,” country star John Rich joked on X, mocking both the Chicks’ infamous 2003 feud with President George W. Bush and Bud Light’s controversial tie-up with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney. Who’s ready for the Zach Bryan-Dixie Chicks tour? Prob a huge Bud Light sponsorship for this one.https://t.co/6XrEVTsRV0 — John Rich?? (@johnrich) October 6, 2025 “Nashville is full of guys like this,” Rich wrote in a follow-up. Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout “’Cocky motherf****** ain’t they. And ICE is gonna come, bust down your door. The fading of the red, white, and blue.’ He just drew over 112,000 fans to what became the largest concert in U.S. history last week. Now, that will never happen again. When will they learn?” conservative podcast host Benny Johnson wrote.  “We were just invaded by over 10 million illegal aliens and who does Zach Bryan cheer for? The illegals,” another commenter wrote. “I smell a boycott brewing.” “Dear Zach Bryan, F*** you. Sincerely, American Patriots,” another popular comment said. “ICE agents risk their lives daily. Violent leftists throw bricks at them, attack them, spit at them, even shoot at them. And this is the song he released. Career over.” The song release comes after a recent episode of “Law & Order: SVU” portrayed ICE agents as villains who target innocent immigrants to deport for no apparent reason. Rapper Bad Bunny, who was just tapped to play the halftime show at the Super Bowl in February, has avoided touring in the United States due to a perceived threat that ICE could pose to his fans. “…There was the issue of — like, f***ing ICE could be outside (my concert). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” he said. Meanwhile, ICE has been hard at work enforcing the federal immigration laws and has been villainized for its trouble.  Attacks on ICE agents and their families have skyrocketed nearly 1,000% in just eight months — and many are pointing the finger at Democrats and the media for painting them as villains.