PolitiBrawl’s Matt Miller asked Minnesota taxpayers who they blame for the massive multi billion dollar fraud that was uncovered in their state.
Click To Watch Video
Click To Watch Video
Toppled Venezuelan despot Nicolás Maduro, 63, appeared in shackles and orange prison garb in Manhattan court Monday for his arraignment, declaring “I am here kidnapped... I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela” and pleading not guilty to narco-terrorism, drug, and weapons offenses that could carry the death penalty, while insisting “I am innocent... I am a decent man. I am still president of my country.”
Wife Cilia Flores also arraigned, injured during capture: Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, 69, appeared alongside him in jail-issued clothing with bandages on her eyelid and temple from injuries her lawyer said she sustained during her “abduction” from Venezuela, identifying herself as “the first lady of the Republic of Venezuela” and telling the judge she is “completely innocent” when asked about her plea.
Dramatic courtroom confrontation and bizarre moments: During proceedings before 92-year-old Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a Venezuelan detractor yelled “Jamas!” (Spanish for “never,” pronounced like “Hamas”) from the gallery while Maduro proclaimed innocence, and as the ousted tyrant was leaving, protester Pedro Rojas heckled him in Spanish, prompting Maduro to turn and say “I am a man of God” and “I am a prisoner of war.”
Protesters clash outside courthouse: Several hundred protesters gathered outside the courthouse before proceedings began, with the NYPD separating pro-Maduro demonstrators from a slightly larger group of Venezuelans and Cubans celebrating his arrest using metal barricades, with one anti-Maduro protester screaming at the pro-Maduro crowd “Eighty percent of you guys don’t even understand what I’m saying. You don’t speak Spanish!”
Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister, was formally inaugurated Monday as the nation’s interim president while former leader Nicolas Maduro appeared in New York federal court on narco-terrorism charges.
Family connection: Rodriguez, 56, a longtime Maduro confidant, was sworn in by her brother Jorge Rodriguez who serves as National Assembly president, during a ceremony that also saw 283 Venezuelan lawmakers elected last May take their oaths of office.
Maduro’s legal troubles: The leadership transition occurred as the former strongman made his U.S. court appearance pleading not guilty of federal narco-terrorism charges, marking a dramatic shift in Venezuela’s political landscape following years of international pressure and sanctions.
A Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville, Minnesota, is facing federal scrutiny after allegedly refusing accommodations to immigration enforcement personnel and canceling Department of Homeland Security reservations.
Email evidence released: ICE shared correspondence on social media appearing to show hotel staff informing DHS-associated guests the property wouldn’t allow ICE or immigration agents to stay, stating “we have noticed an influx of GOV reservations” and warning “we are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property,” with follow-up messages canceling bookings after online research linked names to immigration work.
DHS condemnation: Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused Hilton of launching “a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement,” questioning “Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nation’s immigration laws?”
Timing with federal operation: The controversy emerged as CBS News reported the Trump administration deployed approximately 2,000 ICE deportation and Homeland Security Investigations agents to Minnesota as part of an expanded federal crackdown tied to a widening fraud scandal in the state.
ICE’s official X account publicly challenged Hilton asking why their Minneapolis team canceled federal law enforcement reservations, while Hilton did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
A 26-year-old man with documented mental health issues was taken into custody following an attempted break-in at Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati residence, where he used a hammer to smash windows in the middle of the night.
Attack details: William DeFoor was apprehended after Secret Service personnel heard disturbances near midnight and found DeFoor had broken windows trying to force his way into Vance’s property, additionally vandalizing a Secret Service vehicle while approaching the house.
Troubled background: Records indicate DeFoor previously received a two-year mental health treatment order this past April following a vandalism conviction for inflicting $2,000-plus damage on an interior design business, while earlier trespassing accusations were dropped in 2023 after judicial determination he lacked mental capacity to participate in his own defense.
Family protection requested: The vice president expressed gratitude for law enforcement’s rapid intervention while asking news organizations to refrain from showing photos of his damaged residence, emphasizing his desire to shield his children.
DeFoor is charged with obstructing official business, criminal damaging, trespassing, and vandalism, with an initial court hearing set for Tuesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment