Category: US politics

Jake Haro has been sentenced to 25 years to life in California state prison for the murder of his seven-month-old son Emmanuel, a child the family originally claimed was kidnapped in August, setting off a sweeping missing person search.
Haro, 32, dabbed at tears in a Riverside County courthouse on Monday as the judge read out the sentence for the “senseless assault and murder” that claimed Emmanuel’s life.
“While no sentence can possible vindicate the loss of innocence and life at the hands of Mr. Haro, a man who was supposed to protect these precious and defenseless children against evil and harm, the sentence here is the most the court can do to ensure that as much justice is done as possible,” the judge said.
Emmanuel’s maternal grandmother, Mary Beushausen, told the court the baby’s death had “destroyed my whole family.” She faulted the justice system for giving Haro a “second chance” after a 2023 conviction for willful cruelty against his child from a previous marriage, which resu..

Scott Bessent didn’t miss his opportunity to take a dig at Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the Toronto Blue Jays after their heartbreaking World Series defeat during a Sunday morning appearance on CNN with Jake Tapper.
The U.S. Treasury Secretary pushed back when asked by Tapper about President Donald Trump’s plans to levy additional tariffs against Canada after, accusing Ontario officials of election interference.
.”He didn't put on a 10 percent tariff, he threatened to put on a 10 percent tariff,” Bessent said. “And Jake, this is unacceptable. I read the premier of Ontario spent $75 million sending propaganda across the U.S. border —”
Tapper cut him off and reminded him that the “propaganda” he was mentioning was just former footage of Ronald Reagan speaking about tariffs in his own words. Bessent ignored the comment and did not engage with Tapper's clarification.
“It's the equivalent of election interference,” Bessent continued. “Nobody likes foreign election interfer..

A Mississippi woman shot and killed one of the monkeys that escaped from an overturned truck last week because she reportedly feared for the safety of her children.
“I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” Jessica Bond Ferguson told The Associated Press. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that's when he fell.”
Ferguson, who has five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, grabbed her gun on Sunday when her eldest son told her he thought he had seen a monkey running in the yard outside their home near Heidelberg, Mississippi.
When she stepped outside, she spotted the monkey about 60 feet away from her. The Mississippi mom said she and other residents had been warned about the diseases that the escaped monkeys carried so she fired her gun.
open image in galleryA truck loaded with caged Rehsus monkeys crashed on Interstate 59, north of Heidelberg, on TuesdayThe Jasper County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a social ..

President Donald Trump said he’s instructing the Defense Department to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria, claiming the nation’s government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
Trump made the announcement Saturday on Truth Social, one day after he declared that Nigeria is a “country of particular concern.” The U.S. government uses this designation for nations determined to have committed “particularly severe violations of religious freedom,” according to the State Department’s website.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” the president wrote.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” he continued. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the ter..

President Donald Trump suggested that it is “probably illegal” to be “100% ANTI TRUMP” in a rant about late-night TV host Seth Meyers.
Trump shared the tirade via Truth Social on Saturday afternoon, after the TV personality mocked the president on Thursday’s episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers. Trump declared that Meyers “may be the WORST to perform, live or otherwise.”
“I watched his show the other night for the first time in years,” Trump wrote. “In it he talked endlessly about electric catapults on aircraft carriers which I complain about as not being as good as much less expensive steam catapults. On and on he went, a truly deranged lunatic.”
He continued: “Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this??? – NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!”
The Independent has contacted NBC for comment. When asked about the post, a White House official referred The Independent to Trump’s comments.
President Donald Trump suggested it's 'PR..

Stephen Miller holds secret calls with diplomats every day in order to push the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda across the globe, according to a new report.
In the meetings, which reportedly occur around 10 a.m., the White House homeland security adviser grills officials on visa and immigration issues, as well as pushing for negotiations with third countries to accept deportees from the U.S. who cannot be returned to their country of origin.
Miller has also lobbied for the revocation of individual visas for critics of Israel or MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk, according to sources cited by The Guardian.
The calls, reportedly dubbed the “Stephen Miller call,” is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to install “trusted people in the key positions,” in order to turn the state department into “an anti-immigration machine.”
“It is certainly true in the Trump administration that migration issues have become a key pillar of our foreign policy, and this may ..

Police on Friday were investigating a burglary at a home reported to belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that happened while the NBA's reigning MVP was playing a game the night before.
The Thunder referred questions to police in Nichols Hills, an enclave north of downtown Oklahoma City. Police would not confirm who lived in the house or say what might have been taken from it.
Officers responded to a report of a burglary at the home around 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, when the Thunder were playing at home against the Washington Wizards. Local news stations in Oklahoma City showed police at the home.
“The suspects fled the area prior to police arrival,” police said in a statement. “While no arrests have been made, there is no reason to believe the public is in any danger.”
The break-in mirrored a slew of burglaries at the homes of well-known professional athletes across the U.S. in recent months. The players have been targeted because of the high-end products b..

CBS stalwart Gayle King, who has fronted the broadcaster’s morning show for over a decade, is expected to step down from her anchor role on next year, according to a new report.
King, host of “CBS Mornings,” may switch to a different role in the news section, though this has not been confirmed, sources told Variety.
It comes following a major overhaul under CBS News’ new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, which has seen sweeping cuts, the loss of two streaming shows and roughly 100 layoffs, among other things. Among those to be let go were eight on-air correspondents and hosts, all of whom were women, and half of whom were people of color.
King’s existing contract with CBS is set to expire in May, per Variety, though it is possible she may stay with the broadcaster with a deal to produce her own programming.
King, who has fronted the broadcaster’s morning show for over a decade, is expected to step down from her anchor role on next yearThe outlet notes that former “CBS Evening News” anchor N..

Several passengers were injured onboard a JetBlue flight from Mexico to New Jersey, after the aircraft suffered a flight control issue and was forced to make an emergency landing.
The Airbus 320 was heading to Newark Liberty International Airport from Cancun International Airport when it was forced to divert to Tampa, Florida, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The flight landed in Florida at around 2:20 p.m. ET Thursday.
JetBlue said the aircraft experienced a drop in altitude and the “flight was met by medical personnel who evaluated customers and crew members, and those needing additional care were transported to a local hospital.”
The airline did not immediately say how many people were injured, though pilots told air traffic control that at least three people were injured with possible lacerations following the incident, ABC reported.
JetBlue said the aircraft (not pictured) experienced a drop in altitude and the flight was met by medical personnel who evaluated cu..