The Joe Biden-appointed judge who halted the Trump administration’s deportation of about 350,000 Haitians has a background as a private Democrat financial supporter, though with a sometimes-unpredictable judicial record. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, of the District of Columbia, on Monday determined President Donald Trump’s termination of temporary protective status, or TPS, for certain Haitian immigrants “shall be null, void, and of no legal effect” until the case was complete. Here are six things to know about Reyes. 1. ‘Transgender’ Military Service Ruling In March 2025, Reyes blocked a Trump administration executive order that expelled certain transgender military service members. The Trump administration argued the order barring transgender individuals “turns on gender dysphoria—a medical condition—and does not discriminate against trans-identifying persons as a class.”  Reyes countered that the order was a ban on transgender people. She added in her opinion that “leaders have used concern for military readiness to deny marginalized persons the privilege of serving.”   2. Litigating Against Trump In a 2018 case that predated her time as a judge, Reyes was on the legal team representing 19 people who crossed the southern border without going through a port of entry. A federal judge in the case said the Trump administration could not automatically deport anyone for not using a port of entry. The individuals were represented by the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. Reyes, then with the firm of Williams and Connolly, told Courthouse News that the ruling was a “huge win for refugees.” “The ruling is a victory for refugees who want to live safely with their families,” Reyes said. “We’re grateful that the court carefully considered all the issues and issued a detailed, as you’ve seen, 77-page opinion.” 3. Democrat Donor Federal Election Commission records show that Reyes was a consistent donor to Democrat candidates and liberal political organizations while in private practice.   In 2020, she gave $2,800 to the Joe Biden presidential campaign, and $5,600 to the Biden Victory Fund, which were legally separate entities. In 2019, FEC records show she made six separate $500 donations to the Kamala Harris Democrat primary campaign. In 2016, she made a $2,700 donation to the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. She also contributed $2,500 to President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012. As first reported by The Federalist last year, she gave more than $1,700 to Defeat by Tweet, which is “a Democratic-aligned super PAC that allows liberal donors to sign up to contribute as little as a penny to liberal groups in battleground states each time Trump made a post a Twitter, the social media platform now known as X.   She also made numerous donations of less than $100 to the Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue, as well as small donations to Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. 4. ‘Much-Needed Diversity’ Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., suggested that President Joe Biden nominate Reyes for the D.C. district court. A Norton press release said, “Reyes will be the first Hispanic woman and first openly LGBTQ person ever to serve on that court.” “Ana Reyes has the intelligence, temperament, and integrity to be an excellent federal judge,” Norton said in February 2023 after the Senate confirmed Reyes by a vote of 51-47. “She will also bring much-needed diversity to the federal bench. I look forward to her service.” 5. Applying the Rules to Biden DOJ Reyes was not reliably in the Biden administration’s corner after ascending to the court. In April 2024, the judge did not allow the Justice Department to ignore subpoenas by the House Judiciary Committee investigating whether prosecutors gave special treatment to President Biden’s son Hunter. The committee tried to compel two DOJ tax lawyers, Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, to face a deposition about Hunter Biden. The department resisted. Reyes noted the Justice Department prosecuted former Trump aide Peter Navarro for not responding to a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol. “The rules apply to you all too,” Reyes told Justice Department lawyers. 6. Sentencing for Trump Tax Leaker In January 2024, Reyes sentenced former Internal Revenue Service consultant Charles Littlejohn to five years in prison for leaking Trump’s tax returns, along with the returns of thousands of other wealthy people. Reyes called the leak of Trump’s tax information, “an attack on our constitutional democracy.” “When you target the sitting president of the United States, you’re targeting the office and when you’re targeting the office of the president of the United States, you’re targeting democracy — you’re targeting our constitutional system of government,” Reyes said in the sentencing. The post 6 Things to Know About Judge Who Blocked Trump Deportation of Haitian Immigrants appeared first on The Daily Signal.

On Jan. 3 the United States launched Operation Absolute Resolve capturing wanted drug kingpin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Perhaps in response, on Jan. 15 the Chinese government revealed footage of the People’s Liberation Army conducting a mock decapitation strike training exercise. Such a threat by Beijing should be taken seriously, but how likely is it? The PLA’s video raises serious questions about the People’s Republic of China’s willingness to conduct a decapitation strike against Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. As seen in recent years, China has clearly demonstrated its intentions to annex Taiwan. To do so, the Chinese Communist Party has been trying to politically convince Taiwan to acquiesce but is failing. Critically, a decapitation strike alone against Taiwan would not ensure the PRC achieves its goal. Operation Absolute Resolve did not change the Venezuelan government but only removed Maduro from power. His government still holds power in Venezuela. Likewise, even if Taiwan lost Lai, the current government would continue under Vice President Hsiao Bi-Khim. Unlike Venezuela’s Maduro, many of the Taiwanese people support the Taiwanese government and prefer it over the PRC. It’s worth recalling a clear majority of the Taiwanese people identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese and most of them are against unification with China. Therefore, removing Lai is highly unlikely to turn the citizens against the Taiwanese government and in favor of PRC. Instead, China may attempt to blockade Taiwan in order to compel them to join the PRC. China could also order a large heavily coordinated amphibious invasion. These larger operations, which would likely open with mass missile strikes, would likely include early targeted attacks on Taiwan’s leadership. If Beijing were to attempt a decapitation strike, it would almost certainly elicit a robust response from the U.S. and its allies. The 2025 National Security Strategy stated the U.S.’s will pursue “deterring conflict over Taiwan” and will attempt to keep the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait. At the low end of that response would likely be strong and enduring sanctions isolating the PRC at a time it remains economically vulnerable to overseas supply of critical resources. Better understanding these vulnerabilities was one focal point of The Heritage Foundation’s recent project TIDALWAVE. A PRC attempt to launch a decapitation strike could even lead to a war between China and the U.S. that would be a global disaster. By some estimates such a conflict could result in the loss of around 100,000 PLA personnel and cost $2-3 trillion dollars to China’s economy alone. This cost, however, is not enough to dissuade the Communist regime alone. But does the Chinese military even have the capability to execute a successful decapitation strike against Taiwan? Absolute Resolve was conducted smoothly due to the skills and planning of the United States’ military. These skills and capabilities were refined in combat operations such as Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002, Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in 2015, and Operation Enduring Sentinel 2021. Maduro’s capture involved high levels of coordination of over 150 aircraft. The operation was conducted against a vastly underprepared Venezuelan military that relied on Cuban soldiers to help protect Maduro. This gave the U.S. a substantial advantage that China does not have relative to Taiwan. However, it is unlikely China would be able to successfully extract the Taiwanese president with such ease. In recent years China has practiced various military drills throughout China and the South China Sea, including decapitation strikes. Despite these many drills, the PLA lacks combat field experience in modern warfare. For example, the Sea Dragons, the Chinese navy’s special forces, have only had field experience in antipiracy operations and majority of their personnel have never been deployed. Additionally, many of the PLA’s special operations teams are still reliant on military conscripts, who have less training and experience, rather than a professionalized army. Meanwhile, Taiwan lives under the constant threat of an attack and has prepared for this. This includes highly advanced early warning systems such as “RADARs, satellites, airborne early warning aircraft, drones, and naval vessels.” Additionally, Taiwan’s 202nd Military Command, which focuses on protecting the president and residents of Taiwan, includes battalions specifically for protecting the presidential office and Lai’s residency. In recent years, the 202nd has increased its counter-decapitation capabilities, including equipping a Taipei artillery unit with Stinger anti-air missiles. Weapons that greatly complicated Russia’s combat close air support in the early phases of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.   Furthermore, Taiwan’s military studies the PLA’s military drills and operations in order to formulate plans to counter various types of attacks, including decapitation strikes. This makes it considerably more difficult for an inexperienced PLA to conduct a successful strike against Lai. A kill order using long range missiles is more achievable but highly escalatory and could lead to the very pressure, sanctions, or U.S. involvement it wishes to avoid with no guarantee of success. In sum, due to the inherent risks and uncertainty of success, a PRC decapitation strike against Taiwan in the near-term is unlikely. However, that does not mean Taiwan is safe, and Beijing’s recent threats should be taken seriously as they are intended to distract and sow division in Taipei. As such, the United States and its allies must remain vigilant to respond effectively to any provocation across the Taiwan Strait. The post What Maduro’s Capture Says About a Similar Raid by China on Taiwan appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Tuesday that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement does not need a judicial warrant to arrest an illegal immigrant who already has an administrative warrant and decides to hide from the law in a private residence. “When ICE goes to execute a warrant, it’s an administrative warrant, and it’s issued by an immigration judge. That is sufficient legal authority to go and apprehend them,” Johnson said. “They have violated the law, they have crossed over a border illegally, and they’re here without any right to be here.” Johnson issued the remarks after Democrats accused ICE of violating the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects people from “unreasonable searches and seizures.” From Johnson’s perspective, however, requiring judicial warrants would be “unimplementable,” and those advocating for it “don’t want any immigration enforcement.” “Now the controversy has erupted, because if someone is going to be apprehended, and they run behind a closed door, what is immigration enforcement supposed to do at that point?” Johnson asked. “There are some logic and reason that has to be applied here,” Johnson added. “[Democrats] want to have a judicial warrant on top of the immigration judge’s warrant, and we can’t do that.” Johnson also said that there is an urgency to avoid any effort that slows down deportation operations, as he stated that former President Joe Biden’s open border policies allowed “20 million illegals” to come “across the border just in the last 4 years.” “Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant to apprehend people who we know are illegal. How much time would that take? We don’t have enough judges; we don’t have enough time,” the speaker added. “It would take decades, probably, to do that.” The post Johnson Refutes Judicial Warrant Claim for Deportation Efforts appeared first on The Daily Signal.

BREAKING: Getting Hairy in Hormuz: US Shoots Down Iranian Drone, Iran Confronts US Tanker

NY Times Defends Activist Behind Church Disruption

When a grand jury on January 29 indicted former CNN host Don Lemon for allegedly participating in the disruption of a Minneapolis-area church service, the corporate media responded with unanimous outrage. But for all of their handwringing, not a single journalist has acknowledged even once on any of the big three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) that Lemon’s arrest was, in fact, the result of a grand jury indictment. MRC analysts examined all coverage of Lemon’s arrest on the big three broadcast networks’ flagship morning (Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and Today) and evening shows (ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News), from the morning of January 30 through the morning of February 3, 2026. Across the seven different reports about the incident, totaling just over 14 minutes, not once was it mentioned that Lemon’s arrest was not a reckless act by an out of control Justice Department, but rather the result of a grand jury indictment. All three networks covered the event once on their evening newscasts on January 30, and a second time the following morning — for a total of 163 (ABC), 351 (CBS), and 334 seconds of coverage, respectively. CBS Mornings also ran a report just hours after the arrest on January 30. While none of the networks mentioned the grand jury indictment, all three did cover other aspects of the Justice Department’s attempts to attain an arrest warrant — specifically, the fact that a magistrate judge had refused to issue such a warrant, and the subsequent denial of a warrant by an appellate court. CBS covered these details three separate times; NBC reported on them twice, and ABC just once. NBC’s framing of the arrest was by far the most slanted in Lemon’s favor. Correspondent Liz Kreutz suggested no less than eight times that Lemon had been arrested for “reporting,” or “covering” the protest, rather than for his participation in the disruption of a church service.  In a report that aired on both the evening of January 30 and the following morning, Kreutz implied that the arrest was little more than an attempt to silence a journalist who was critical of the Trump administration: [Lemon] repeatedly identifies himself as a journalist… But the DOJ is grouping Lemon, who has been critical of the Trump administration — and another independent journalist who was also arrested — with the protest organizers. Obviously these networks know how the Department of Justice ended up charging Lemon. And in fact, on several occasions reporters vaguely alluded to “the indictment.” Yet not once did they reveal what indictment they were referring to, or through what process it had been issued. This suggests that the broadcast journalists, like basically everyone else covering this story, are fully aware that the grand jury indictment is the most damning piece of evidence against Lemon. And judging by the tone of the rest of their reporting on this incident, it’s clear they’re attempting to paint him as obviously innocent well before his trial even get underway.

The star-studded Grammys featured some jokes from “comedian” Trevor Noah, who took aim at rapper Nicki Minaj and her support of President Trump.“Nicki Minaj is not here,” Noah said, to thunderous applause from the audience. “She is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues.”Noah then broke into a Trump impression, mocking, “Actually Nicki, I have the biggest ass ... everybody’s saying it Nicki.”While the crowd may have laughed, Minaj didn’t find it funny.“Trevor refuses to come out the closet when everyone in the industry knows his boyfriend. Allegedly,” Minaj wrote in a post accompanied by photos of Jay Z on X.“Your favorite artist has been practicing rituals in a satanic cult where they take babies from other countries & mutilate them & kill them as a form of a blood sacrifice to their God. You see, when your master is satan, you must constantly shed blood. However, the JIG IS UP,” she wrote in another post.But she wasn’t finished.“Are y’all understanding that these ppl have been sacrificing children as a way of gaining & maintaining power?” she wrote in yet another post, adding, “If you ever vote DemonCrat again, you’re just as soulless as they are & will perish. Maybe it’s time for me to do some story times — since I was trying to not say what I know — yet they continue to attempt bullying.”“I’m glad she actually fired back because I thought Trevor Noah was just not funny,” BlazeTV contributor Shemeka Michelle tells BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock on “Fearless.”“They just want to keep you pigeonholed to the Democrat Party. And anytime they feel like you’ve stepped away, then they want to ridicule and shame you. As someone who has seen a little bit of Nicki Minaj’s career over the years, it’s very telling that now they have an issue with her being fully clothed and supporting Donald Trump more than they did when she was naked and just saying all types of foolishness,” Michelle says.“It really, it speaks volumes about the black community in general and about those who are so-called elite or in charge. Now all of a sudden, they want to bring Nicki Minaj down because of her allegiance to Donald Trump. It says a lot,” she continues.As for Noah himself, Michelle believes Minaj’s allegations may have some merit.“He doesn’t really strike me as this masculine man,” Michelle says, adding, “So I’m not surprised at all.”Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture, faith, sports, and comedy with Jason Whitlock, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A Detroit judge described as "progressive" has been federally charged after she, her dad, and two other defendants allegedly schemed to steal money from vulnerable adults.On Friday, Judge Andrea Bradley-Baskin, 46, of the 36th District Court in Detroit was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and making a false statement to federal law enforcement in connection with the scheme, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Michigan.'Regardless of a person’s position in society, no one is above the law.'Bradley-Baskin coordinated with her 72-year-old father, who is also an attorney, and two others involved with "wards" identified by probate courts as needing guardians or conservators to help with managing their "personal and financial affairs," the press release claimed. The four then "conspired to systematically embezzle" money belonging to the wards or their estates, it continued.In one case, Bradley-Baskin is accused of taking $70,000 in ward funds and using it to invest in a local bar. She also allegedly used money from a ward's estate to lease a new Ford Expedition SUV, prosecutors claim.RELATED: Democrat darling charged: Dana Nessel ally accused of stealing $50,000 from brain-damaged old woman vladans/Getty Images"We respect the authority that covers a black robe. This state judge and her cronies allegedly abused that high honor for personal gain by preying on the needy protected by the court. This would be a grievous abuse of our public trust," said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr."Regardless of a person’s position in society, no one is above the law. These four defendants allegedly conspired to steal from some of our most vulnerable citizens — looting bank accounts, exploiting legal authority, and profiting off those who relied on them for care and protection," said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.Bradley-Baskin was elected to serve on Michigan's 36th District Court in 2024. As of Tuesday morning, she remains listed on the court's website.Though technically a nonpartisan race, she has had support from Democrat-leaning organizations. Blue Voter Guide described Bradley-Baskin as having "progressive values." The Detroit Bar Association, which remains steadfastly committed to "diversity and inclusion," reportedly gave her an "outstanding" rating.A message left for Bradley-Baskin at a court phone number listed for her was not returned. The DBA did not respond to a request for comment.Just recently, former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer Traci Kornak, an ally of far-left Attorney General Dana Nessel, was charged in Kent County in connection with similar allegations. Kornak is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a brain-damaged elderly woman in assisted living who has since passed away.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Chinese spy was caught trying to steal Google's trade secrets while communicating back home to the People's Republic of China.The FBI announced a first-of-its-kind conviction with Google software engineer Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, who was taking technology for the benefit of China.'A calculated breach of trust involving some of the most advanced AI technology in the world.'The 38-year-old was initially indicted in March 2024 and eventually charged with seven counts of stealing trade secrets and seven counts of economic espionage.The Department of Justice announced that between May 2022 and April 2023, Ding stole more than 2,000 pages of confidential information from Google, including trade secrets surrounding its AI model. He later uploaded them to his personal Google Cloud account and then downloaded those to his personal computer.At the same time, the spy was secretly affiliated with two Chinese technology companies and was in discussions to become the chief technology officer at another. In early 2023, he was even in the process of founding his own tech company focused on AI and served as CEO, federal authorities said.Some of the spy's crimes were also revealed in his statements to potential investors.RELATED: Another secret Chinese biolab found on US soil? Ding told investors he could build an AI supercomputer by copying and modifying Google's existing tech. Ding downloaded the industry information to his computer just two weeks before he resigned from Google.A jury found that Ding had stolen information on hardware and software for Google's data center that trains large AI models, as well as detailed specs about the infrastructure and functionality of Google's Tensor Processing Unit chips and graphics processing unit systems."In today's high-stakes race to dominate the field of artificial intelligence, Linwei Ding betrayed both the U.S. and his employer by stealing trade secrets about Google's AI technology on behalf of China's government," FBI Assistant Director of Counterintelligence and Espionage Roman Rozhavsky said. Rozhavsky called the case the "first-ever conviction" on AI-related economic espionage and said it demonstrates the bureau's "unwavering dedication to protecting American businesses" from China.RELATED: Why the FBI ditched Chevy Suburbans for BMW SUVs Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg described the case as "a calculated breach of trust involving some of the most advanced AI technology in the world at a critical moment in AI development.""Ding abused his privileged access to steal AI trade secrets while pursuing [Chinese] government-aligned ventures. His duplicity put U.S. technological leadership and competitiveness at risk," Eisenberg added.Ding faces 10 years in prison for each of his seven counts of theft of trade secrets and 15 years in prison for each count of economic espionage, totaling upwards of 175 years.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Allie Beth Stuckey, the host of BlazeTV’s “Relatable” podcast, joined “The Glenn Beck Program” on Tuesday morning to discuss the hit piece Hillary Clinton wrote about Stuckey last week.Clinton mentioned Stuckey several times in a Thursday op-ed in the Atlantic, arguing that “Christian influencers” like Stuckey have promoted a distorted view of Christianity that has waged a “war on empathy.” Clinton positioned herself as an authority on Jesus’ teachings, despite admitting that she has “never been one to wear my faith on my sleeve.”'Sometimes people need to see that there’s another side of the story that demands your heart too.'The former secretary of state’s hit piece mentioned Stuckey’s book, “Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion,” and mocked the concept that empathy could ever be “toxic,” calling Stuckey’s position “appalling.”Stuckey told Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck on Tuesday’s podcast that Clinton’s article was a “badge of honor” that had effectively backfired, noting that it had boosted sales for the 2024 book.Beck called Clinton’s hit piece on Stuckey “a good endorsement.” Stuckey stated that while Clinton’s op-ed failed to detail how Stuckey had defined toxic empathy in her book, she believes that “the left actually understands the concept.”“They talk about things like toxic masculinity, and what they’ll say is that not all masculinity is toxic, but this form of masculinity is toxic. And yet when I talk about toxic empathy, they pretend that I say that all compassion is toxic and bad, and that’s not what I’m saying at all,” Stuckey told Beck.RELATED: Hillary Clinton baselessly attacks Allie Beth Stuckey in desperate op-ed — accuses MAGA Christians of 'war on empathy' Photo by Kimberly White/Getty ImagesStuckey explained that empathy becomes toxic when it leads a person to affirm sin, validate lies, or support destructive policies. “Your empathy becomes toxic when you feel so deeply for one particular person, a purported victim, that you are blinded to both reality and morality. You are so focused on this person that you forget that there are other people on the other side of the moral equation,” Stuckey stated.She contended that toxic empathy is to blame for the support of destructive policies.“If you concentrate on feelings, then reason shuts down,” Beck said. “You have all of these people that, I think, they’re actually thinking they’re doing the right thing, but they’ve shut down the thinking process so deeply that they’re just trapped.”RELATED: ‘They’re scared’ — Allie Beth Stuckey fires back at Hillary Clinton’s hit piece on the biblical movement she helped ignite Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images“How do you reverse this?” Beck asked Stuckey.“We need to tell the story on the other side of every issue,” Stuckey responded. “Sometimes people need to see that there’s another side of the story that demands your heart too.”Stuckey gave the example of the legacy media’s narrative about a woman who wishes to have an abortion but feels forced to carry her pregnancy to term because of pro-life legislation.“I tell the story from the baby’s perspective. This is what would have happened to this baby had there not been this pro-life law in Texas. She would have been poisoned; she would have been dismembered; she would have been tossed aside like toxic waste,” Stuckey said.“When you allow people to zoom out and show them there are other people on the other side of this political issue that you’re talking about, sometimes that expands their understanding to the point that they can be persuaded by facts,” she added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!