Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Friday that his administration is building a Forward Operating Base in the Del Rio sector to house Texas National Guard soldiers who have been deployed to stem the illegal immigration crisis that has been unleashed under President Joe Biden. Abbott said at a press conference that the new Texas Military Department base camp will assist in the state’s efforts to secure the border. The governor’s office said that the Texas Military Department acquired 80 acres of land in Eagle Pass to build the base that will regularly house up to 1‚800 soldiers and will have the capacity to house up to 2‚300 soldiers if needed. Soldiers will have their own rooms in addition to amenities that include a dining facility‚ a recreation center‚ laundry facilities‚ WiFi access‚ chaplaincy programs‚ and various health services. “In the coming weeks‚ we will also be expanding operations north and south of Eagle Pass‚ putting up additional barriers to fortify our border‚” said Adjutant General of Texas Major General Thomas Suelzer. “We are also adding three more fan boats and expanding our drone program radar truck capabilities.” Abbott said that the base was “going to dramatically improve conditions for our soldiers” because they were currently “scattered across this entire region in cramped quarters‚ away from fellow soldiers‚ and sometimes traveling long distances to do their job.” Texas‚ since launching Operation Lone Star‚ has spent billions of dollars trying to secure its border with Mexico. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “The multi-agency effort has led to over 500‚000 illegal immigrant apprehensions and more than 39‚500 criminal arrests‚ with more than 35‚600 felony charges‚” the governor’s office said. “In the fight against the fentanyl crisis‚ Texas law enforcement has seized over 467 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.” Related: Kemp Shreds Democrats Over Biden’s Border Crisis: ‘Controlled Every Branch’ And Did Nothing To Fix It

 Former President Donald Trump’s attorney Alina Habba slammed Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday‚ following a stunning judgement against Trump in a controversial civil fraud case brought by James. Engoron ordered Trump to pay more than $350 million‚ barred him from doing business in New York for three years‚ and fined his sons‚ Don Trump Jr. and Eric Trump‚ more than $4 million each. “I think the biggest message I can give the American people tonight is that he’s not going to get away with it‚” Habba said of Engoron on Fox News. “Letitia James is not going to get away with it; the Biden administration is not going to get away with it.” Now that the trial was over and she felt “free to speak‚” Habba made it clear that the legal team will “come at them‚” “come hard‚” and “will literally fight until the truth comes out.” “They will not get away with it‚” the attorney continued. “President Trump has done nothing wrong. All he has done is win a campaign‚ and that is scaring them because they know when he goes back in November 2024. He is going to clean house‚ and that is truly the problem. It’s not about Mar-a-Lago’s worth.” Trump was accused by James of making misleading financial statements to banks to secure better terms on loans. The defense team stood by the evaluations and highlighted that all the loans were repaid and there were no victims of the supposed financial fraud. Habba has some harsh words for James‚ whom she said was in the courtroom “with her shoes off” and sipping Starbucks. “Miss James had her shoes off in court‚” Habba said. “She had a Starbucks coffee in her hand‚ she wasn’t doing work‚ she wasn’t sitting at the council table‚ she was in the back with her shoes off and a coffee.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “At the end of the day‚ we’re sitting there looking at this‚ going‚ ‘This is the state of our country.’ AGs are so comfortable in court that they know that they don’t even have to do the job‚ they don’t have to do the work‚ they’re going to let their people do it‚ they’re going to sit there and they’re going to win‚” the attorney continued. Habba added that the verdict will be appealed. “We will win in the appellate division‚” she said. “I have zero concerns about that.” WATCH: Related: ‘It Is A Lie!’: Fani Willis Explodes On Witness Stand‚ Judge Has To Step In

The Russian government arrested hundreds of people on Friday who had gathered at various tributes across the country for deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny‚ a frequent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin‚ was in prison after being convicted on charges of “extremism” and sentenced to 19 years. Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said that Navalny felt sick after going on a walk‚ and soon after‚ lost consciousness and died. Reuters reported that at least 340 people were arrested in dozens of cities across the country after they lit candles‚ sang hymns‚ and visited with each other. OVD-Info‚ which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia‚ said that the true number of those arrested could be far higher. “In each police department there may be more detainees than in the published lists‚” OVD-Info said. “We publish only the names of those people about whom we have reliable knowledge and whose names we can publish.” Hundreds of mourners across Russia turned out to pay their respects to Alexei Navalny. His supporters have been warned by authorities not to join public protests over his death.https://t.co/NAIMdevnxW pic.twitter.com/h4Hvjl0V5i — Sky News (@SkyNews) February 17‚ 2024 The Moscow Times reported that the Russian government also arrested a priest in St. Petersburg after he announced that he would hold a memorial for Navalny. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The Russian priest is now behind bars pic.twitter.com/q4CgArWYnF — Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 17‚ 2024 Navalny had been sentenced to prison in 2021 after returning to Moscow from Germany‚ where he was undergoing treatment for poisoning from a nerve agent that was blamed on the Kremlin. The Kremlin has denied any responsibility for his poisoning‚ but United States intelligence officials have said they believe Russia was responsible. Navalny frequently faced criminal charges during his career in Russian politics‚ which he said were motivated because of his opposition to Putin. Navalny founded the Anti-Corruption Foundation‚ which was dissolved in Russia in 2021‚ to expose corruption by high-ranking Russian officials and challenge the United Russia Party’s control over the country’s political system. Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report. 

The Government Accountability Office said on Friday that the federal government is on an “unsustainable fiscal path‚” and that it could not determine whether the federal government’s consolidated financial statements are reliable.  Accounting problems with the Defense Department‚ Education Department‚ and other agencies have all contributed to the financial problems‚ according to the GAO. The office was unable to properly evaluate the financial reliability of the federal government as the national debt continues to balloon and deficit spending remains high.  “Congress and the Administration need reliable and complete financial information‚ within each agency and across the government as a whole‚ to govern effectively and efficiently‚” said Gene Dodaro‚ the comptroller general of the United States and head of the GAO. “Also‚ the federal government continues to operate on an unsustainable fiscal path‚ jeopardizing the country’s long-term position to face domestic and international challenges. The creation of a long-term fiscal plan is needed to strengthen our readiness to confront any challenges that may occur‚” Dodaro added.  According to GAO‚ the Defense Department is partially at fault due to “financial management problems‚” while the Education Department was plagued by data problems for estimating costs of its loan programs. Additionally‚ problems remain with the Small Business Administration’s COVID-era relief programs and several government agencies made over $236 billion in “improper payments.” The Pentagon has repeatedly  been criticized over its handling of taxpayer money‚ failing to pass its annual financial audit for the sixth consecutive year in November. The Pentagon‚ which has $3.8 trillion in assets alongside $4 trillion in liabilities‚ only had seven of 30 sub-audits rated clean by auditors. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP On Thursday‚ the GAO released a report on the nation’s fiscal health that highlighted the federal government’s massive deficit spending. The report urged Congress to come up with a plan to address the spending and fiscal path of the United States.  The report found that debt would reach 200% of the GDP by 2050 unless changes were made to revenue and spending policies. It also said that funding for Social Security and Medicare was expected to be depleted within ten years unless financing gaps were addressed.  The United States’ debt now exceeds $34 trillion‚ a marker it crossed in January just months after hitting $33 trillion. 

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley attacked former President Donald Trump during an interview late this week over recent remarks that he made about Russia and over his this week’s bombshell ruling that he must pay more than $350 million in a civil business fraud case. Haley‚ who is polling nearly 60 points behind Trump in the latest RealClearPolitics average‚ made the remarks during a Friday interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source.” Collins started by asking Haley if she blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny earlier this week. “Absolutely. I mean‚ all you have to do is look at his track record. I mean‚ this is a man who’s known to kill his political opponents‚” Haley said‚ later adding: “And honestly‚ that’s what was so disturbing about what Donald Trump said in his rally in Conway‚ South Carolina‚ a week ago‚ was that he said that he would side with Putin and not defend NATO allies if they weren’t pulling their weight.” “That means Donald Trump is siding with a thug‚ who kills his political opponents‚” she said. “He’s siding with someone‚ who has made no bones about wanting to destroy America. He’s siding with someone who arrests American journalists and holds them hostage. And he’s siding with a dictator instead of siding with our allies who stood with us at 9/11. It’s the problem.” Collins later asked Haley about the ruling by a judge in New York on Friday that Trump must pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and is barred from running any business in the state for three years. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “I mean‚ my biggest issue is‚ I don’t want the RNC to become his legal defense fund. I don’t want the RNC to become his piggy bank for his personal court cases‚” Haley said. “We’ve already seen him spend $50 million worth of campaign contributions towards his personal court cases. Now‚ we see him trying to get control of the RNC so that he can continue not to have to pay his own legal fees.” “The problem is that doesn’t help us win any seats in the House‚ in the Senate or anything else‚ if the RNC is all focused on his legal fees. The RNC’s practically broke now as it is. And so‚ this is a bigger issue for the Republican Party‚” she continued. “But what I am most concerned about is now he’s gone and taken someone‚ from North Carolina. He’s made the co-chair‚ his daughter-in-law. He’s made his campaign manager‚ the Director of Operations. He’s trying to control the RNC after the fact that he tried to get me out of the race so that he could be the presumptive nominee.” WATCH:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced this week that he has ordered the Florida Department of Education to look into teachers who are abusing the state’s book challenging process to create false narratives in the media. DeSantis said that some leftist teachers are trying to generate false narratives in the media by claiming that extremely popular books and classics are under review by the state‚ even though they are not‚ noting that the some have even challenged the Bible and dictionaries. “This is fraudulent. But what it is‚ is it’s trying to obscure the reason why parents have been concerned with the things that people saw‚ which are clearly not appropriate‚” DeSantis said in speaking about pornographic materials that were inside schools. “And they’re basically trying to just confuse the issue to act like somehow that classic works are somehow not welcome. Nothing could be further from the truth. We want to ensure that students have very rigorous and robust education.” “So now what we’ve seen is you have seen activists that will go and just challenge almost anything. That’s not appropriate to be happening. Hijacking this process is not something that we want to encourage in any way‚” he continued‚ adding that some are doing it “just to try to create a narrative‚ to try to act like‚ ‘oh my gosh‚ these books are under review.’ And then the media will take that‚ run with it and try to act like that there’s some debate on whether Florida law requires this or not‚ which there’s not. So this is all theater. This is all performative‚ and it really has no place in our school system.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP DeSantis said that the state will take action against teachers that are abusing the process to score political points. WATCH: NEW: Gov. Ron DeSantis mocks book ban "hoax‚" slams "activists" for frivolously challenging books to promote a "narrative" "This is fraudulent […] It's trying to obscure the reason parents have been concerned." "This is all theater‚ this is all performative." pic.twitter.com/0hKRcNV9et — Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) February 15‚ 2024

Entrepreneur and media personality Kevin O’Leary blasted a New York judge’s controversial ruling this week that former President Donald Trump must pay $350 million in damages in his civil business fraud trial. Judge Arthur Engoron ordered the former president and the Trump Organization to pay more than $350 million in damages and banned Trump from being able to hold any high-level positions in any company in the state of New York for three years. Similar punishments and smaller fines were also imposed on both of his sons. O’Leary slammed the ruling in an interview with The New York Post‚ saying that it threatens the entire real estate industry. “That fact that he was found guilty‚ you might as well find guilty every real estate developer on Earth‚” O’Leary told the Post. “I don’t understand where someone got hurt … What developer doesn’t ask for the highest price valued for any building they built?” O’Leary said that the ruling was “not healthy for the country” and that he wants it to be appealed and overturned “because it’s wrong for everybody that participates.” “If this judgment sticks. Every developer must be jailed. They must be found guilty. They must be put out of business. You can’t do this to one another. It’s not about Trump‚” he continued. “It’s appalling. It’s unjust. I would go as far to say it’s un-American.” O’Leary said that New York was a “loser” as a result of the ruling because it could businesses in the state could decide to leave. “We’re just stunned. You have no idea‚” he added. “The shock wave sent through the real estate industry. Insane.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Other former top executives at the Trump Organization were also banned from “serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years.” The New York Times noted‚ however‚ that one of the judge’s rulings might be hard to get tossed: extending the court’s Independent Monitor oversight at the company for three years to watch for alleged suspicious activity. The report noted that the monitor‚ Barbara Jones‚ has already cost the organization millions of dollars. New York Democrat Attorney General Letitia James claimed that Trump victimized lenders by inflating his net worth to obtain more favorable terms from them. The ruling comes after writer E. Jean Carroll was awarded $83 million from Trump earlier this year in a defamation case. The former president‚ who is on the verge of officially wrapping up the Republican Party’s presidential nomination‚ also faces four criminal cases‚ including a federal case over his handling of classified material‚ a federal case over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election‚ a case in Fulton County over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election‚ and a case from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office over his alleged hush money payments to an adult film star. Related: Trump Fires Back After Judge Orders Him To Pay $350+ Million

The Oregon Zoo has been keeping animal lovers up to date on its new baby rhino. Most recently‚ it shared the baby’s gender and gave a glimpse at his first adventure in the sun. On Feb. 6‚ 2024‚ the zoo excitedly announced that the now two-month-old calf is a boy! He was born to an 11-year-old first-time mom named Jozi on December 4 and weighed in at 100 pounds. However‚ he’s an impressive 225 pounds today. “We’re giving Jozi and her calf plenty of space to bond. So we weren’t sure if the calf was a boy or a girl until the vet team paid him a visit — though we had our guesses‚” said rhino supervisor Chad Harmon told KPIC 4. “This not-so-little guy is growing fast and Jozi continues to be a great mom.” To celebrate his milestones‚ the yet-to-be-named baby took his first steps outside. Until recently‚ the weather was too cold for the little guy. But February brought warm weather and new experiences. “He poked his little head out and walked around for a few minutes‚” Chad continued. “Then he went back into the barn with Mom and took a nap.” The baby rhino will continue to take short trips outdoors in the coming days. But he and Jozi will remain off-exhibit and spend most of their time in the zoo’s maternity den until spring. Critically Endangered Baby Rhino Brings Hopes to Species Jozi and her calf belong to the eastern subspecies of black rhinoceros‚ which are on the critically endangered list. The western subspecies of black rhino went extinct in 2011. Instagram “These rhinos represent a species that’s among the most endangered on the planet‚” said Oregon Zoo’s Kelly Gomez. “Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade have wiped out 96% of the world’s black rhino population. In South Africa alone‚ we’re losing almost a rhino a day. Hopefully‚ their story can help inspire a new chapter in the conservation of this incredible species.”   Jozi and her calf are incredibly important to saving the species. U.K. naturalist Steve Backshall says that only a few thousand are living in the wild today. The population continues to lose “almost a rhino a day.” Instagram “Everyone is really excited about it‚” Chad shared. “The most satisfying thing for me is to see Jozi taking such great care of her baby. These first few days are especially critical. So we’re being very cautious and giving them as much quiet time as possible.”  You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Adorable Baby Rhino Sets Foot Outside For The First Time At Oregon Zoo. appeared first on InspireMore.

'We have so many unmet needs‚ bottled water is definitely one of them'

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