Mike Collins launches campaign to flip key swing state Senate seat



Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia formally threw his hat into the race with hopes of flipping a Senate seat in the key swing state.

Collins announced his Senate bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia on Monday, pledging to "deliver on President Trump's America first agenda."

'Put the people of Georgia back in the driver's seat.'

"We need a senator who works for Georgia, not the California crazies or the New York nut jobs," Collins said in his campaign announcement. "I don't know who Jon Ossoff really works for, but it sure as heck isn't Georgia."

"It's time to send a trucker to the U.S. Senate to steamroll the radical left, deliver on President Trump's America first agenda, and put the people of Georgia back in the driver's seat," Collins added.

As Collins noted, he previously started a trucking company in the early 1990s with his wife that grew to employ over 100 Georgians, according to his congressional website.

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A key accomplishment Collins noted was his landmark legislation known as the Laken Riley Act, which became the first bill Trump signed into law during his second term. The bill was named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old student who was murdered by an illegal alien in February 2024 on the University of Georgia campus right in Collins' district.

The law now requires illegal migrants who are charged with theft-related and violent crimes, like the one who later murdered Riley, to be detained as a preventative measure.

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Although Collins is just months into his second term in the House, he is taking the charge to challenge Ossoff, who has served in the Senate since 2021. Collins is now the second Republican to enter the race to unseat Ossoff, joining his Republican colleague Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia.

Both Republican candidates have touted themselves as MAGA firebrands, but neither Trump nor the National Republican Senatorial Committee has issued a formal endorsement.

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Justice for Laken Riley at risk? Shocking court decision could give vicious killer a new trial.



The illegal alien gangster convicted in the vicious slaying of beloved nursing student Laken Riley may get a new trial after a shocking ruling from the same judge who found him guilty.

On Thursday, Judge Patrick Haggard ruled that Jose Ibarra must undergo a mental health evaluation. Ibarra's appeals attorneys had claimed in court documents filed last month that Ibarra has a "congenital deficiency" and a diminished "mental capacity" that could have affected his ability to make decisions during Riley's murder and the subsequent trial.

'This court has found it appropriate for an evaluation to be conducted at the public expense.'

Ibarra is "suffering from congenital deficiency which could render the client incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial," the lawyers wrote, according to the New York Post.

They added that Ibarra "lacks the mental capacity to understand the nature and object and proceedings and [counsel] believes that this was in existence at the time of the offense and at the time of the trial."

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Last fall, Ibarra waived his right to a jury and instead opted for a bench trial. On November 20, Judge Haggard found Ibarra guilty of malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, obstruction of a 911 call, tampering with evidence, and peeping Tom. The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Ibarra's appeals attorneys argued that his alleged mental deficiencies may have impacted the decision to opt for a bench trial instead of a jury trial, noting that his trial attorneys did not have his mental health evaluated. They even claimed a "language barrier" may have exacerbated these alleged concerns.

Prosecutor Sheila Ross responded to the motion about a mental health evaluation by noting that nothing presented at trial indicated that Ibarra suffered from mental incompetence.

"There were no challenges or concerns about Defendant’s competency to stand trial during the pretrial and trial proceedings. Moreover, there is nothing in the trial record that would suggest that Defendant was not competent during his trial," Ross wrote in a June 25 motion obtained by Blaze News.

She also dismissed the "language barrier" allegation, pointing to the "court-certified interpreter who is fluent in both Spanish and English" who assisted Ibarra at pretrial and trial proceedings. However, Ross ultimately did not oppose an evaluation, leaving the decision up to Judge Haggard.

"The mental competence of [Ibarra] has been called into question, and this court has found it appropriate for an evaluation to be conducted at the public expense," Haggard wrote in his latest ruling.

Haggard demanded that Ibarra be given a "prompt evaluation" by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities either at a Georgia Department of Corrections facility or at a hospital, Fox News reported.

Whether any evaluation has yet been scheduled is unclear. Should authorities determine that Ibarra was mentally unfit, he may be granted a "trial redo," the Post indicated.

The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia declined a request for comment from Blaze News, citing ongoing litigation.

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On February 22, 2024, Ibarra attacked Riley, 22, in broad daylight while she was jogging near the campus of the University of Georgia. He ambushed her and attempted to rape her. After she fought back, he brutally bashed her skull with a rock, according to prosecutors. His DNA was discovered under Riley's fingernails.

Ibarra, 27, and two of his brothers stole into the United States from Venezuela during the border crisis of the Biden administration. Days before his conviction in November, sources within Biden's Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Ibarra is a member of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

At least one of Ibarra's brothers is a suspected TDA associate as well. Both brothers have had run-ins with the law since breaking into the U.S., pled guilty to possessing a fraudulent document, and are slated for deportation as part of Operation Take Back America under President Donald Trump.

Jose Ibarra was also arrested for other alleged crimes in New York City prior to moving to Georgia.

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Brothers of Laken Riley's murderer to be deported



Two brothers of Jose Ibarra, the illegal alien who murdered Laken Riley, are both going back to Venezuela as part of Operation Take Back America under President Donald Trump.

The other Ibarra brothers — 29-year-old Diego aka "Gocho" and 25-year-old Argenis aka "Meny" — both crossed the border illegally on multiple occasions during the Biden administration and have pled guilty to possessing a fraudulent document, according to a DOJ press release.

While in custody ... Diego apparently tinkered with the fire sprinkler system at the facility, causing 'severe water damage.' He was later allegedly found with two 'improvised weapons.'

The two counts of possession of a fraudulent document for which Diego is currently serving a whopping 48 months in prison seem to be the least harmful of a series of alleged offenses he has committed since he reportedly first stepped foot on American soil in 2023.

On April 3, 2023, Diego was removed from the U.S. and sent to Mexico after he was caught crossing the border illegally near Eagle Pass, Texas, the press release said. Just a few weeks later, on April 30, Diego was allegedly among a group of four Venezuelans caught illegally scaling a border fence in El Paso.

When a Border Patrol agent attempted to detain him, Diego allegedly grabbed the agent's radio and threw it and even attempted to bite the agent. He also "admitted to illegally crossing the border, resisting arrest and attempting to avoid apprehension at any cost," the DOJ said.

Diego then claimed asylum, expressing fear about returning to Venezuela, and was placed in the Alternatives to Detention program and released on the condition that he wear an ankle bracelet and report to an asylum hearing in New York City.

It appears he did not follow either of those instructions. The DOJ claimed that Diego "cut off" his ankle bracelet at some point since it last pinged near Littleton, Colorado, on May 25, 2023.

Diego also apparently never appeared at the New York hearing and instead moved to Athens, Georgia, where he lived with brother Jose and had several encounters with police and multiple arrests:

     
  • On September 24, 2023, he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a license.
  • Two days later, the cops responded to a call about "a domestic incident involving Diego Ibarra and his girlfriend," the press release said.
  • On October 27, 2023, he was arrested for alleged shoplifting.
  • On December 8, 2023, he was arrested for alleged shoplifting again as well as an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court in connection with the DUI arrest.
  • While in custody with the U.S. Marshals at the Butts County Detention Center, Diego apparently tinkered with the fire sprinkler system at the facility, causing "severe water damage." He was later allegedly found with two "improvised weapons": a sharpened sprinkler head as well as a pen covered with Saran wrap.

Cops nabbed Diego once again shortly after Laken Riley, a nursing student, was found brutally murdered while jogging on the University of Georgia campus on February 22, 2024. An officer from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department approached Diego the following day because he matched the description of the suspect. Diego then furnished the officer with a fake green card and was taken into custody, according to the press release.

Like murderous brother Jose, Diego is believed to be affiliated with the violent Tren de Aragua gang. Diego has TDA tattoos and has taken photos flashing gang signs and wearing apparel associated with TDA, the press release said.

Diego will serve out his 48-month sentence, which is "above the federal sentencing guideline range," the DOJ noted. He will then be transferred to the custody of ICE and sent back to Venezuela.

Jose and Diego's younger brother, Argenis, has fewer allegations against him. According to the DOJ, he also attempted to enter the U.S. illegally on April 3, 2023, and was subsequently sent back to Mexico. Like Diego, he also apparently crossed the border again in El Paso on April 30, 2023. Though apprehended by Border Patrol, Argenis was released because the processing facility "lacked space."

Argenis twice filed employment-related documents in the fall of 2023, but the documents were rejected on both occasions.

Argenis and co-defendant Rosbeli "La Gorda" Flores-Bello, 29 — who shared an apartment with Diego and Jose in Athens, Georgia — later admitted to possessing fraudulent green cards, the DOJ said. They were sentenced to time served and immediately placed in ICE custody for deportation to Venezuela.

All three associates of Jose Ibarra, who is serving a life sentence, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. Self on March 19.

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'Trump delivered a master class'

Success of Trump's address makes Democrats' desperate damage control all the more humiliating



Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan delivered her party's rebuttal to President Donald Trump's congressional address. Unfortunately for Democrats, Trump's optimistic and inspiring speech eclipsed Slotkin's damage control.

To Slotkin's credit, she pulled out all the stops. She addressed the economy, recent DOGE cuts, tariffs, and foreign policy. Even still, her message was overshadowed by Trump's address, which garnered an overwhelmingly positive reception.

Democrats pouted and protested during Tuesday night's address, even during apolitical and heartwarming moments.

The vast majority of Americans approved of Trump's speech, according to a CBS poll surveying viewers. Nearly 70% of Americans also said they felt hopeful watching the speech, and over half said they felt proud.

Meanwhile, some legacy media omitted covering Slotkin's address altogether, including Politico Playbook and Punchbowl's morning newsletter. This is just further evidence that Trump's speech was another bright spot for Republicans and MAGA supporters across the country, and Democrats felt it.

Democrats REFUSE to stand and clap for a little kid fighting brain cancer: pic.twitter.com/0RdZfqDpTX
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 5, 2025
 

Democrats pouted and protested during Tuesday night's address, even during apolitical and heartwarming moments.

'They refused to clap for the families of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley, Corey Comperatore, or the capture of the terrorist mastermind behind Abbey Gate.'

In a touching exchange, Trump made DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old boy with cancer, an honorary member of the Secret Service, fulfilling Daniel's lifelong dream of working in law enforcement. Yet in true leftist fashion, Democrats like MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace politicized the moment by bringing up January 6.

“I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer, but I hope he never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump's supporters," Wallace said. “And if he does, I hope he isn't one of the six who loses his life to suicide. And I hope he isn't one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy."

Democrats also refused to celebrate Americans whose lives have been lost over the last four years.

"Democrats couldn’t even stand for the incredible Americans President Trump recognized," Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said. "They refused to clap for the families of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley, Corey Comperatore, or the capture of the terrorist mastermind behind Abbey Gate. That’s the sad state of Congressional Democrats today."

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Top 13 Moments From Trump’s 2025 Address To Congress

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Democrats Refused To Stand Up For The Mothers Of Laken Riley And Jocelyn Nungaray

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.33.40 PM-e1741149338374-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-11.33.40%5Cu202fPM-e1741149338374-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]Democrats in the room refused to stand and show respect for the victims' families, opting instead to ignore their suffering.

A Year Late, Laken Riley Finally Gets The Honor She Deserved

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-10.53.38 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot-2025-03-04-at-10.53.38%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]A year late, Laken Riley's family finally got to hear a president honor their beloved daughter and sister in an address to the country.