Tiffany Henyard, the mayor of Dolton, Illinois, was caught on video getting into an all-out brawl on Tuesday during a board meeting after a local activist called her a “b****.”

USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong, a 22-year department veteran, decided to stay in her position after the White House terminated her Friday. She claimed the administration had not followed proper protocols. Ms. Fong had to be escorted out by security agents. She should be humiliated as she is clearly no longer wanted. In an email […] The post USDA Inspector General Was Fired & Wouldn’t Leave appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Security officers escorted U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General Phyllis Fong out of her office this week after she refused to leave following her termination by President Donald Trump. Reuters reported that the incident happened on Monday after Fong, who served in the department for 22 years, told colleagues that she intended to stay after being fired. She reportedly claimed that the administration did not follow the proper protocols in firing her, the report said. In an email, she claimed that the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency “has taken the position that these termination notices do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time.” Trump fired 18 inspectors general across the U.S. government last week, which triggered opponents who claimed that he did not follow the law in doing so because he did not give Congress advance notice. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, defended Trump’s decision over the weekend. “Time and time again, the Supreme Court has said that Congress can’t impose restrictions on the president’s power to remove officers,” Cotton said. “In President Trump’s first term, he removed the Director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau despite limitations on the President’s constitutional power to remove officers, that was litigated at the Supreme Court and the president won.” “So ultimately, these inspectors general serve at the pleasure of the President,” he added. “He wants new people in there. He wants people who focused on getting out waste and fraud and abuse and reforming these agencies, he has a right to have to get in there who he wants.”

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed into law the “Laken Riley Act,” a bill that requires federal officials to arrest non-citizens accused of violent and theft-related crimes in the United States. The immigration legislation was passed through the GOP-led House and Senate with bipartisan support. It is the first bill that Trump has signed into law during his nascent second term in the White House. Under the law, the Homeland Security Department is directed to detain non-citizens charged with, convicted of, or who admit to certain theft-related or violent offenses. It also authorizes states to sue over immigration actions. ? Trump signs the Laken Riley Act, his first bill signed into law as the 47th President. pic.twitter.com/dZECmVaY34 — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) January 29, 2025 Laken Riley was a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed last year. An illegal immigrant from Venezuela, Jose Ibarra, was convicted of murdering Riley and sentenced to life in prison. Amid the ensuing national outcry, it was revealed that Ibarra had been previously arrested for other offenses, but he was released in New York before federal authorities could issue a detainer. “To Laken’s family, we will keep Laken’s memory alive in our hearts forever,” Trump said at a signing ceremony at the White House. “Everyone’s hearts. With today’s action, her name will also live forever in the laws of our country. And this is a very important law. This is something that has brought Democrats and Republicans together — that’s not easy to do. Laken did it. Laken did it. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley.” "Laken's name will live forever in the laws of our country. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley."@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/87v2cox691 — Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) January 29, 2025 Border czar Tom Homan, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, GOP lawmakers, and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) were in attendance, as were members of Riley’s family. The Daily Wire’s Mary Margaret Olohan recorded video of Riley’s mother weeping as she delivered remarks, thanking Trump and the lawmakers who sponsored the bill. Laken Riley’s mother weeps as she thanks President Trump for keeping his promises and honoring the memory of her daughter: pic.twitter.com/HhxPIpmhzq — Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 29, 2025 On the campaign trail last year, Trump met with family and friends of Riley. He also posted on social media when Ibarra was convicted in November on 10 charges, including murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault with intent to rape Riley. “JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY!,” Trump exclaimed, adding that it was “time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!” The “Laken Riley Act” initially focused solely on theft-related crimes for the detention requirement, in addition to empowering states to sue over alleged immigration infractions. Both chambers of Congress ultimately passed the bill with GOP amendments that added violent offenses, including assault of a police officer, to the detention section. Although the legislation received bipartisan support, Democrat opponents warned that non-citizens simply accused of crimes might not get due process if it became law and that it would be a boon to private prisons.

New York Magazine recently devoted their cover to a snapshot from one of President Donald Trump’s inauguration parties — but some people who were there accuse the outlet of intentionally cropping out black party attendees and then claiming in the article that the party was mostly “white.” The magazine’s headline included the bold text, “The Cruel Kids’ Table,” and featured attendees dressed in gowns and tuxedos from a party called the “Power 30 Awards” on the eve of the inauguration.  The article’s author Brock Colyar wrote, “almost everyone is white,” followed by his take on the party. “The men look like Pete Hegseth, in bow ties and black suits, with clean-shaven faces. The women are almost all out of their league.” In another quote from the story, a woman who attended a different inauguration party allegedly said: “Have you noticed the entire room is white?” Conservative commentator Christopher Barnard posted the full photo which accompanied the story inside the magazine on X, noting how it had been strategically cropped. “New York Magazine literally cropped all the black people out of this cover photo and then complained that ‘the entire room is white,’” he wrote on X. New York Magazine literally cropped all the black people out of this cover photo and then complained that “the entire room is white” https://t.co/gCatY1lZzG pic.twitter.com/VhoaiJhqg1 — Christopher Barnard (@ChrisBarnardDL) January 27, 2025 Co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council CJ Pearson also took to X and showed the full version of the cropped cover photo. “This is insane. I hosted this event and @NYMag intentionally left me out of their story because it would have undermined their narrative that MAGA is some racist cult,” Pearson wrote. “They also didn’t include the fact that @WakaFlocka and @Gervontaa were also there.” “You don’t hate the liberal media enough,” he concluded. Other black conservatives who attended the event included former Georgia State Representative Vernon Jones, Turning Point USA contributor Rob Smith, and PragerU’s Xaviaer DuRousseau. Colyar mentioned DuRousseau in the article without revealing that he was black. Pearson, Jones, and Smith were not mentioned at all, per Mediaite. “I was at this party as were MANY other Conservative media influencers who are Black, Latino, Asian, etc,” Smith posted on X. “NYMag used a whites only photo to push the media narrative that diverse Republicans don’t exist and weren’t welcome. You don’t hate the media enough.” New York Magazine provided the New York Post with a comment on the photo cropping drama. A spokesperson said, “The magazine’s most recent cover story explores the new class of conservatives taking Washington by storm, through the lens of inauguration weekend. The cover was cropped to the center of a picture that was published in full online, and we believe both the cover and story provide an accurate impression of the weekend.”

An actor featured in Disney’s latest Marvel animated series says his “biggest fear” about the project was that it would be “annoying and woke.” Voice actor Hudson Thames, who stars in the upcoming Disney series “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” said in a recently published interview with Collider that he was worried that the series would follow the woke trajectory of so many other recent Disney projects. After reviewing the script, he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was “awesome.” “My biggest fear was that it was gonna be annoying and woke, and it wasn’t,” Thames told the outlet. “I was like, ‘Yes, this is great, it’s so well written,’ like, it feels real. I’m the oldest of five boys, so I feel like I kind of know what’s happening in their lives and in high school, and it felt like it was doing that justice.” Thames also played Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the Marvel animated series “What If…?” in 2021. This departure from overtly woke storylines comes after several instances of the Marvel Cinematic Universe coming under fire for being too leftist. This resulted in some major box office flops and an overall reputation for being woke. Disney investor Nelson Peltz slammed the company for its turn to “woke” themes with its Marvel superhero films. Peltz spoke with The Financial Times in March 2024, mentioning films like the female-led “The Marvels” and “Black Panther.” “People go to watch a movie or a show to be entertained,” Peltz told the outlet. “They don’t go to get a message.” “Why do I have to have a Marvel that’s all women?” he added. “Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that? Why can’t I have Marvels that are both?” These attributes went beyond just the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. The “Star Wars” spinoff series “The Acolyte” was also trashed for pushing a leftist agenda, including overt LGBTQ themes, and was rewarded with bad ratings and a cancelation after just one season. The lead actress blamed the cancelation on“hyper-conservative” bigots. But it was more likely that the majority of viewers didn’t want the leftist propaganda. Could Disney have gotten the message that woke doesn’t sell? That remains to be seen, but for now it appears that “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” is at least politically neutral, according to the lead actor. Showrunner Jeff Trammell previously discussed what fans can expect in the narrative. “You know, I want to give a cliché, ‘expect the unexpected’ answer but, honestly, I think you can expect Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He’s hanging around New York; it’s not a huge intergalactic adventure.”  “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” became available on Disney+ starting January 29.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) grilled Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his alleged support for baby onesies that touted the wearer’s unvaccinated status. Sanders, officially an independent, joined with Democrats in the Senate Finance Committee as they used Wednesday’s hearing to highlight and attack some of Kennedy’s more controversial past statements — particularly regarding vaccines — while disregarding his more recent positions on the issues. WATCH: Sanders began his line of inquiry with an observation, saying to Kennedy, “I think the gist of what you are trying to say today is you’re really pro-vaccine, you want to ask questions.” Kennedy has said on numerous occasions that he does not oppose vaccines per se, but he does not support vaccines being recommended or mandated without first being studied for both safety and efficacy. “You have started a group called the Children’s Health Defense. You’re the originator,” Sanders said then, pivoting to his first query. “Right now, as I understand it, on their website they are selling what’s called onesies. These are little things, clothing for babies. One of them is styled, ‘UNVAXXED, UNAFRAID.’ Next one — and they’re sold for 26 bucks apiece, by the way — next one is ‘NO VAX, NO PROBLEM.'” “Now you’re coming before this committee and you say you are pro-vaccine, just want to ask some questions. And yet your organization is making money selling a child’s product to parents for 26 bucks, which casts fundamental doubt on you on the usefulness of vaccines,” Sanders said. “Can you tell us now that you will, now that you are pro-vaccine, that you’re going to have your organization take these products off the market?” “Senator, I have no power over that organization. I’m not a part of it,” Kennedy said, pointing out the fact that he’d already resigned from the board at said organization. “That was just a few months ago!” Sanders interrupted, insisting that Kennedy must still have some influence over what the organization sold or did not sell. “You founded that, you certainly have power. … Are you supportive of this?” “I’ve had nothing to do with —” Kennedy objected again. “Are you supportive of these onesies!?” Sanders demanded to know. Kennedy did not budge, repeating, “I’m supportive of vaccines.” “Are you supportive of these — this clothing, which is militantly anti-vaccine?” Sanders demanded again. “I am supportive of vaccines. I want good science and I want to protect —” Kennedy tried again, but Sanders interrupted once more, substituting his own assertion. “But you will not tell the organization you founded not to continue selling that product,” Sanders said.

Detroit Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan refused to apologize to leftist immigrant rights groups for using the term “illegal” to describe the migrants in his city who entered the U.S. illegally. Last week, Duggan used the term “illegal” when discussing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Detroit. Nine immigrant rights groups in Michigan condemned the mayor on Wednesday, saying in a press release that the “use of the I-word” is “dehumanizing,” The Detroit News reported. “The Mayor’s use of the I-word is inappropriate, dehumanizing, and an insult to Detroit’s longstanding immigrant communities,” the groups said in their joint statement. Duggan, who recently launched a campaign for governor, responded to the criticism, saying that the groups are condemning him over “political correctness.” He added, “During my term as Mayor, Detroit has been a welcoming city, where we support the success of immigrants. But when Detroit police make a criminal arrest and DPD gets federal notification that the person in custody is in the country illegally, we should not and do not shield you from federal enforcement.” “Groups who oppose this position are criticizing me today over the political correctness of my statements, but I do not apologize for providing a clear explanation of Detroit’s position,” Duggan continued. “It is a position we have followed consistently through the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations.” The groups that signed the press release included the African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs, American Citizens for Justice, the Caribbean Community Services Center, MI Poder, One Michigan for Immigrant Rights, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, and 1 Michigan for the Global Majority, according to The Detroit News. At a press conference last Thursday, Duggan emphasized that Detroit is “not a sanctuary city” as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up arrests and deportations of criminal illegal immigrants. “If you are in this country illegally, we should not be shielding you from ICE and federal enforcement, and the city of Detroit does not,” the mayor said, according to the Detroit Free Press. He added that Detroit police “have always cooperated with ICE.” Federal agents ramped up immigration raids last week, targeting sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. This week, newly minted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was on the ground in New York City as federal agents arrested violent illegal immigrants. ICE agents were also on the ground in Detroit over the weekend, Fox 2 reported. Duggan, a longtime Democrat mayor, announced in early December that he is running for Michigan governor in the 2026 election as an independent. He said Michigan is being “held back”  by “political fighting” and “nonsense.”

Laken Riley’s mother Allyson Phillips wept as she thanked President Donald Trump for keeping his promises and honoring the memory of her daughter with the passage of the “Laken Riley Act.” During a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday, Trump signed into law the bipartisan bill, written after Laken, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was killed in February of 2024 by an illegal alien. The bill requires federal officials to arrest non-citizens accused of violent and theft-related crimes in the United States, as previously reported. Phillips and President Trump shared an embrace before she took to the podium and spoke emotionally about the passage of the act and her daughter’s legacy. Laken Riley’s mother weeps as she thanks President Trump for keeping his promises and honoring the memory of her daughter: pic.twitter.com/HhxPIpmhzq — Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) January 29, 2025 “Our family will forever be grateful for the prayers of the people across our nation and for helping to get this legislation into law,” Phillips’ said. “We also want to thank President Trump for the promises he made to us. He said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Laken.” She then began to break down, tearing up as she described the president as a “man of his word” and said, “We trust that he will fight for the American people.” “Most importantly, I want to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because, without his sacrifices, Laken’s story would’ve ended on that horrific day that she was taken from us,” Allyson said through tears. “But because of Him, we can continue living knowing that we will see Laken again.” “There is no amount of change that will ever bring back our precious Laken,” she added while trying to hold back tears. “Our hope, moving forward, is that her life saves lives.” “We are so thankful that her passion for helping others and her legacy for doing good in the name of Jesus Christ will carry on,” Phillips continued. “Thank you.” The immigration legislation was passed through both the GOP-led House and Senate with bipartisan support. It is the first bill that Trump has signed into law during his nascent second term in the White House. Under the law, federal officials are directed to detain non-citizens charged with, convicted of, or who admit to theft-related or violent offenses. It also authorizes states to sue over federal immigration actions. During the signing, Trump promised the family that “we will keep Laken’s memory alive in our hearts forever.” “Everyone’s hearts,” he added. “With today’s action, her name will also live forever in the laws of our country. And this is a very important law. This is something that has brought Democrats and Republicans together — that’s not easy to do. Laken did it. Laken did it. America will never, ever forget Laken Hope Riley.” Daniel Chaitin contributed to this piece. Related: House Passes Revamped Laken Riley Act, Sends Bill To Trump