House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has invited President Trump to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress on February 24th. “As our nation marks the Semiquincentennial Anniversary of American Independence, the United States stands stronger, freer, and more prosperous under your leadership and bold action. Together in 2025, your administration and the 119th Congress delivered one of the most consequential agendas in history, and Americans across this great country will experience the tangible results of commonsense governance,” a letter to Trump read. “We look forward to advancing the important work ahead of us in 2026, serving the American people, defending liberty, and preserving this grand experiment in self-governance. To that end, it is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, in the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives,” it continued. “It is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite President Trump to deliver the State of the Union on February 24, 2026,” Johnson wrote on X. “Since his return to office, @POTUS has not stopped working for the American people and delivering on his promises. The best is yet to come,” he added. It is my distinct honor and great privilege to invite President Trump to deliver the State of the Union on February 24, 2026. Since his return to office, @POTUS has not stopped working for the American people and delivering on his promises. The best is yet to come. pic.twitter.com/rTQF3DNw1S — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 7, 2026 More from the Associated Press: The address will give Trump the chance to shape the GOP’s message to voters going into a midterm election that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress, or if Democrats can win one or both chambers and gain the ability to better confront Trump’s legislative agenda during his final two years in office. Trump has addressed Congress once before in his second term, delivering a speech to a joint session in March. Watch President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress in March 2025:

Democrats have a newfound recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization and are condemning it. It’s the new talking point. Even AOC is pretending she cares about Jews, suddenly. Is this strange, as some are saying? Their comments are limited to Hamas, but they are the same as the pro-Palestine radicals they have supported until […] The post Democrats Suddenly Condemn Hamas/Palestine Radicals appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Philadelphia Democrat prosecutor Larry Krasner is far-left and dedicates himself to protecting illegal migrant criminals and helping them avoid serious convictions. He is anti-police and is now issuing a direct threat to Federal officers. It must be a felony to threaten federal officers conducting their official duties. Democrat Mantra: Get the F*** Out! Krasner vowed […] The post Philadelphia Prosecutor Issues a Direct Threat to ICE appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Trump, referencing recent remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whether he would ever order a mission to capture Putin. Trump responded, in part, “I don’t think it’s going to be necessary…I’ve always had a great relationship with him [Putin]. I’m very disappointed. I settled eight wars; I thought this was […] The post President Trump Answers the Question: Will You Capture Putin appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

In a striking press conference on Friday, Portland Police Chief Bob Day admitted that the Department of Homeland Security was correct about a shooting involving alleged Tren de Aragua gang members — before Day broke down in tears about having to share the truth with the public. Per DHS, two people were injured in a shooting on Thursday when a Border Patrol agent fired a defensive shot while conducting a targeted stop on a vehicle carrying two people allegedly affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang. “When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents,” DHS said in a statement. Police Chief Day admitted those involved in the shooting were indeed tied to TDA, a brutal Venezuela-based gang. “What I can say is there is an association with the two folks yesterday and TDA,” Day admitted. “I hesitated to even share this information initially because I’m very aware of the historic injustice of victim-blaming oftentimes portrayed by law enforcement, including this very agency.” “Historically, we have not been quick to disclose the potential criminal history of others, but I felt it was imperative because I was asked yesterday in the news conference what information we have,” he continued. “This is information we have. This in no way draws a through-line to the actions or the behaviors that occurred yesterday.” Then, breaking down in tears, Day addressed the “Latino community.” “It saddens — it saddens me that we even have to qualify these remarks,” he said. “Because I understand, or at least have attempted to understand through your voices, your concern, your fear, your anger — this information in no way meant to disparage or to condone or support or agree with any of the actions that occurred yesterday.” The police chief added that it’s “important that we stay committed to the rule of law, that we stay committed to the facts, that we stay … trustworthy and legitimate.” Portland Police Chief Bob Day deserves to be mocked. This is pathetic. pic.twitter.com/xFQM2Lqsqi — Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) January 10, 2026 Journalist Andy Ngo underscored on X the city and state leadership’s commitment to condemning federal authorities, instead of reiterating the facts involved in the case from the start. “The entire city and state leadership, all run by Democrats, organized an emergency press conference to condemn the federal agents, reject DHS’ statement and to express support with the violent suspects, who they called the ‘victims,'” Ngo said. “Local and national media also misled the public about the shooting. A mob showed up to try to attack the ICE facility, leading to six arrests.” Portland Police @ChiefBobDay cries at a press conference after having to affirm that @DHSgov was correct in stating that the illegal Venezuelan migrants accused of trying to run down Border Patrol have ties to Tren de Aragua. Chief Day admitted that he hesitated to share the… pic.twitter.com/wxdT53yWsD — Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) January 10, 2026 Related: LIVE UPDATES: Anti-ICE Protesters Harass Minneapolis Police On Wild Night Of Demonstrations

A man who says he was acting as security for now-captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro says the force demonstrated by American troops was unlike anything he had ever seen, and that the Venezuelan forces were no competition. Speaking in Spanish, the man says the Americans came in undetected by Maduro security and killed hundreds of men, despite the fact that they were badly outnumbered. “Those 20 men killed hundreds of their men, and none of those [American] soldiers were injured,” a man translating the Venezuelan insider said. “It was a massacre,” the insider detailed. “We were hundreds, but we had no chance. They were shooting with such precision and speed … it seemed like each soldier was firing 300 rounds per minute. We couldn’t do anything.” The man said the Americans were using technology that cemented the mismatch, including the use of what he described as “a very intense sound wave.” “Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside,” he said. “We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move.” An insider from Venezuela’s security forces says US troops were like nothing they’d ever seen — overwhelming firepower, advanced tech, total dominance. After Trump’s Fox News warning on taking on the cartels, Latin America is watching how powerful US forces truly are. ????” ⸻… pic.twitter.com/GKqlkDDcRw — Anttsinc (@anttsinc) January 9, 2026 The account from the perspective of Venezuelans has been highlighted by many, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, as a warning to anyone daring to engage the United States military. The details of the 88 minute raid on Venezuela have been outlined by American military officials, who say it was one of the most complex missions ever pulled off by the country. “Those twenty men, without a single casualty, killed hundreds of us,” he continued. “We had no way to compete with their technology, with their weapons. I swear, I’ve never seen anything like it. We couldn’t even stand up after that sonic weapon or whatever it was.” WATCH: How to Take Out a Dictator in 88 Minutes The insider said the rest of the world should think twice before messing with the United States. “I’m sending a warning to anyone who thinks they can fight the United States,” he said. “They have no idea what they’re capable of. After what I saw, I never want to be on the other side of that again. They’re not to be messed with.” The man said Mexico is already reevaluating its actions with the United States. “No one wants to go through what we went through,” he said. “Now everyone thinks twice. What happened here is going to change a lot of things, not just in Venezuela but throughout the region.” ?This account from a Venezuelan security guard loyal to Nicolás Maduro is absolutely chilling—and it explains a lot about why the tone across Latin America suddenly changed. Security Guard: On the day of the operation, we didn’t hear anything coming. We were on guard, but… pic.twitter.com/392mQuakYV — Mike Netter (@nettermike) January 10, 2026  

A federal judge dismissed a conservative nonprofit’s defamation lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center Wednesday, reversing a previous judge’s theory of the case. Critics say the SPLC routinely smears mainstream conservative and Christian groups by placing them on a “hate map” with chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. D.A. King, founder of the Dustin Inman Society, sued the center for defamation after it branded his Georgia-based organization—which opposes illegal immigration—an “anti-immigrant hate group.” Judge W. Keith Watkins of the Middle District of Alabama allowed the defamation case to move forward in 2023, but Judge Corey L. Maze of the Northern District of Alabama later took the case. After discovery—the legal process of acquiring documents to prove a case—Maze ruled Wednesday that most of King’s claims fell outside the statute of limitations, and that King further failed to prove the center acted with “actual malice” in re-publishing the “hate group” accusation. King died last year, but his estate is a plaintiff in the case. Harry Mihet, chief litigation counsel for Liberty Counsel and one of King’s attorneys, told The Daily Signal that Judge Maze took the wrong approach to the case. “I think the first judge who looked at this issue got it exactly right and the court currently got it exactly wrong,” Mihet told The Daily Signal in a phone call Thursday. “The first judge looked at this in careful detail and nothing’s changed since. Whether something is time barred is a matter of law, so that should not have been affected by the facts in discovery.” Watkins’ Ruling on the SPLC King sued in April 2022, meaning the SPLC’s initial “hate group” accusation in 2018 fell outside of Alabama’s statute of limitations. However, the center has repeated its accusation each year since, so Judge Watkins ruled as timely the accusation published in 2021. Watkins also found that, because the SPLC initially stated in 2011 that the Dustin Inman Society was not a “hate group” before reversing course, the center may have smeared the society despite knowing that it was not an “anti-immigrant hate group.” Defamation cases face high hurdles due to the Supreme Court’s precedents from New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) onward. Watkins found the SPLC’s specific claim that the society—which has legal immigrants on its board—”poses as an organization concerned about immigration issues, yet focuses on vilifying all immigrants” likely met the defamation standard of “actual malice,” where the defendant publishes a provably false statement while likely suspecting the statement was false. Since the SPLC uses this claim to support its “hate group” designation, republished every year, Watkins ruled the claim did not fall outside the statute of limitations. Maze’s Reversal Yet Judge Maze reversed the decision, holding that the initial 2018 “hate group” designation, and the subsequent “extremist profile” explaining it, fell outside the statute. Maze found only one claim timely—the 2021 “hate group” accusation—and he ruled that King failed to show the SPLC acted with “actual malice,” because he had no evidence that the SPLC staffer who made the 2021 decision, Keegan Hankes, had reason to doubt the truth of the accusation. Maze wrote that the SPLC’s claim that the society vilifies all immigrants “is non-actionable rhetorical hyperbole,” the kind of “loose, figurative language that no reasonable person would believe presented facts.”  260107.KING.Memorandum Opinion.EFS.Doc 134Download What Went Wrong? Mihet, King’s attorney, accused Judge Maze, a Republican and appointee of President Donald Trump, and his magistrate judge of defending the SPLC. “They really hamstrung our hands in discovery in terms of what we could ask and receive from the SPLC,” the attorney told The Daily Signal. “They protected the SPLC vehemently.” “Now he complains that we didn’t show him more evidence in discovery,” Mihet added. “It’s because he and his magistrate carefully circumscribed the scope of discovery.” Mihet said he aimed to reveal a pattern of the SPLC smearing conservatives, but the judge would not allow “this line of questioning.” Todd McMurtry, King’s lead attorney, told The Daily Signal he has not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling. “We will review the decision and evaluate next steps,” he said. The SPLC did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment. The post Leftist Group Dodges Accountability for ‘Hate Group’ Accusation After Judge Blocks Discovery appeared first on The Daily Signal.