Obama judge FORBIDS deportation of illegal alien shot by ICE in the Bronx — unless court order is obtained



A man shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Thursday in the Bronx cannot be deported unless officials obtain a court order, a judge ruled Friday.

Protests erupted after the man, later identified as a 28-year-old Dominican national, was shot during a traffic stop in New York City.

'Our officers, using their training and believing that their life and the life of the partners and the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons.'

Oscar Belgal was shot after refusing to comply with lawful orders from ICE officers who were trying to arrest him, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He was hospitalized for treatment and later released.

U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken said in a two-page order that Belgal could not be deported without a court order while he challenged his detention.

He also said Belgal could not be transferred outside of the Southern or Eastern Districts of New York or the District of New Jersey without a court order.

Officers had tried to box in Belgal with their vehicles during the operation, but the man accelerated the car before one officer shot at him.

"Our officers, using their training and believing that their life and the life of the partners and the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons," senior ICE official Marcos Charles said.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) has been condemning ICE in numerous statements since the shooting.

"I am angry tonight," he wrote on social media. "Because today ICE shot a New Yorker. They shot a New Yorker while his five year old child was in the car. ICE makes this city less safe. We want them out. Now."

RELATED: Man shot by ICE in the Bronx — Mamdani demands Trump end all operations in NYC

DHS said the migrant had been previously arrested for assault, robbery, drug possession, and weapons possession. He also had been convicted of grand larceny.

Anti-ICE critics were outraged to learn that there was a 5-year-old boy in the vehicle during the shooting. He was unharmed.

"Regardless of whether or not someone has a criminal history, it is not lawful and it is not OK to shoot a father in an afternoon with his son in the back seat," said immigration attorney Harold Solis of Make the Road New York to reporters on Friday. "That is not how we resolve legal disputes in this country. We resolve them in buildings like these, in courtrooms."

Oetken was appointed to the court by former President Barack Obama.

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Liberal blogger found guilty of harassment over sexually explicit Shrek meme — but gets surprising sentence



A blogger known as "Rooster" was found guilty of harassment after he admitted to sending a sexually explicit image of the Shrek cartoon character to an Ohio politician.

Eight jurors in Lake County, Ohio, took only 30 minutes to find Donald "D.J." Byrnes guilty of telecommunications harassment for texting the image to state Sen. Jerry Cirino, a Republican.

'This wasn't a free speech issue; this was a harassment statute that I believed he was in violation of.'

The blogger faced up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for the offense, but a judge decided to sentence Byrnes to pay only $200 on top of court costs.

The offensive messages included a meme of the Shrek cartoon character holding his genitals and two messages taunting the powerful lawmaker after he dropped out of the race for Ohio Senate president.

"This wasn't a free speech issue; this was a harassment statute that I believed he was in violation of," Cirino said after the verdict.

Prosecutors had asked for a no-contact order against Byrnes as well, but the judge refused to grant the request.

Byrnes' defense in court rested on his free speech rights and the accusation that Cirino was using his political influence to retaliate against his enemy.

Cirino denied the allegations despite his donation of at least $2,500 to the judge who signed the arrest warrant for the blogger. A different judge presided over the actual case.

"I would never do that. I respect my position in the Senate way too much to ever let that happen," he said to WEWS-TV.

Cirino had also contacted one of the witnesses in the trial in what appeared to be an annoyed message, but he denied to WEWS that he was doing anything except expressing his surprise.

RELATED: Appeals court shuts down ban on drag shows at Texas A&M

Byrnes let out a laugh of surprise when he heard the jury's decision, WEWS reported.

The Rooster plans to file an appeal, according to WEWS.

"The First Amendment protects the right to criticize government officials, even in crude or vulgar terms," said Aaron Terr, the director of public policy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, on social media. "If a single electronic communication that annoys or alarms the recipient can amount to criminal harassment, that's bad news for a lot of social media users!"

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ABC News is getting ripped after apparently deleting story about Trump's sons without explanation



ABC News has yet to explain why it seemingly deleted a report accusing the president's sons of enriching themselves through investments in companies with government contracts.

The story, published Wednesday, claimed that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump had sizable investments in companies that received about $6 billion in active or promised contracts under the Trump administration.

'No note, no explanation , no comment.'

After the story was vehemently criticized for what appeared to be accounting misunderstandings and other errors, ABC News seemingly pulled the story. There was no correction, no explanation, no editor's note.

The link now says the page is unavailable.

Media analysts are now taking note.

"This is absolutely wild," Andrew Kaczynski of CNN responded.

"ABC News completely retracted this story like two days ago just totally nuked it. No note, no explanation, no comment," he continued.

"ABC News will have to comment on this. They'd be smarter to do it sooner, rather than later," journalist Dylan Byers replied.

Among those who reposted the story was Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California.

"The American people were fleeced. Accountability is coming," he posted on Wednesday.

Trump Jr. responded and mocked the governor.

"ABC deleted this article in less than 24 hours because it's false. Sounds about as long as your presidential campaign would last," he replied.

Blaze News' requests for comment from Disney, the parent company of ABC News, were not returned.

RELATED: Trump BANS 'FAKE NEWS' outlets from White House — and warns more bans are coming

ABC News was among the news outlets that joined a boycott on pool reporting at the White House after the president banned three other outlets a few weeks ago for what he said was biased reporting.

"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government," reads a joint statement from the group. "No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting."

A Trump judge later restored the outlets' credentials temporarily, though no final ruling in the case has been made.

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Trump announces new White House press secretary after Karoline Leavitt's departure



President Donald Trump announced on Friday the appointment of a media analyst and attorney to be the next White House press secretary.

The New York Times had first reported that Katie Zacharia had been tapped for the role, and sources confirmed the offer to Politico.

'She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!'

Zacharia, 42, is a graduate of Pepperdine who worked briefly at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is currently the senior communications adviser for the Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the Truth Social online platform.

"She was previously involved in my Campaigns, assisting in key Swing States, where we won 7 out of 7," said the president on Truth Social. "She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!"

She has been a frequent commentator on political issues at Fox News, Newsmax, CNN, and OANN.

The press secretary role has been open at the White House since Karoline Leavitt left at the end of August after giving birth to her second child.

Leavitt was the youngest press secretary in White House history. She turned 29 years old at the end of August. On Monday, Fox News announced that Leavitt was joining the network as a political commentator.

Zacharia has also worked as general counsel for a conservative advocacy nonprofit named Fix California, founded by Trump special envoy Richard Grenell.

RELATED: 3 moments that will make you miss Karoline Leavitt

She has been married to film producer Tyler Zacharia for 15 years and is a mother to four children.

Zacharia will also be the seventh woman in a row to be White House press secretary. The last male to hold the position was Sean Spicer in the first Trump administration.

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'Dead people don't collect disability benefits': Is pause on euthanizing the mentally ill in Canada just smoke and mirrors?



After announcing on Wednesday that it was pumping the brakes on making the mentally ill eligible for euthanasia in Canada, Carney's Liberal government killed Conservative legislation that would have made the pause permanent.

"If the government truly believed in preventing MAID for cases of mental illness, then they would have supported our bill," Conservative MP Tamara Jansen, the author of the defeated bill, said in a statement shared with Blaze News. "But when Canadians needed action, the Liberals chose politics."

'The cost savings associated with [euthanizing] the mentally ill could reach up to CAD $63.076 billion.'

Since Canada legalized euthanasia nationwide under ex-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016, the resultant Medical Assistance in Dying program has been grossly liberalized, becoming a leading cause of death in Canada and claiming the lives of ineligible victims.

The Liberal government, now headed by globalist Prime Minister Mark Carney, expanded the program in February 2024 to enable euthanizing people suffering solely from mental illness.

While the original plan was for the mentally ill to be eligible for extermination the following month, their eligibility date was pushed back to March 2027.

Sean Fraser, Canada's attorney general, announced on Wednesday that the government would once again hold off on offering MAID to the mentally ill.

"Serious concerns remain regarding the safe and consistent evaluation of marketing authorization applications for mental illness," stated Fraser. "Canada will therefore not proceed with the planned expansion when mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition."

RELATED: Canada kills 83-year-old Christian grandmother without consent, family claims — outrage ensues

Canadian Attorney General Sean Fraser. Arlyn McAdorey/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

Conservative MP Tamara Jansen had a bill ready to codify the government's rejection of MAID for the mentally ill and to affirm that "a mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition" that alone would satisfy the eligibility criteria for MAID.

The preamble of "The Right to Recover Act" stresses that "vulnerable Canadians should receive suicide prevention counseling rather than access to medical assistance in dying" and that "Canada’s medical assistance in dying regime risks normalizing assisted dying as a solution for those suffering from a mental disorder."

The bill was, however, defeated in a 187-141 vote in parliament on Wednesday. All but two Liberal members of parliament voted in opposition.

'They can still be killed by euthanasia in Canada if they have another medical condition.'

Fraser cited the bill's use of the term "mental disorder" as opposed to "mental illness" as the primary reason for why the Liberals voted in opposition.

"Mental disorder," he suggested, could be interpreted to include some of the neurologically degenerative diseases that presently can be provided as cause for MAID.

"Disagreement over terminology was not a reason to kill this necessary bill," said Jansen. "Conservatives were prepared to work through those concerns at committee. But with less than six months remaining before the current exclusion expires, Parliament does not have time to let technical disagreements stand in the way of action."

Nicole Scheidl, the executive director of Canadian Physicians for Life, also isn't buying the government's explanation for killing the bill.

Scheidl indicated to Blaze News that it was a way for the Liberals to "shoehorn" advanced consent for MAID into the alternative, yet-to-be produced bill that Fraser suggested will be introduced later in the parliamentary session "so that there's very limited time to debate."

"They want to shut down debate, and so they're going to hold that [mentally ill] population hostage to allow them to push through euthanasia for dementia," said Scheidl.

Fraser, whose office did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment, admitted this week that the government ultimately wants to "allow adults diagnosed with a disease such as Alzheimer’s at an early stage to make an advance request for MAID."

In the meantime, Canada can still kill the mentally ill, Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, told Blaze News.

"Right now under the law, someone who has a mental illness — even if that mental illness is driving them to suicidal ideation — they can still be killed by euthanasia in Canada if they have another medical condition," said Schadenberg. "So if someone, let's say, had a difficult condition of diabetes, it would be the diabetes they'd be approved for."

Schadenberg cited the case of 26-year-old Kiano Vafaeian, who was euthanized on Dec. 30, 2025. His family told Global News that while diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and partial vision loss, Vafaeian's primary struggle was with mental health issues.

"He said everything the doctors needed to hear in order to approve him," said his mother, Margaret Marsilla. "Was he actually feeling that way? I strongly believe not."

"A large number of Canadians have something that would qualify them for euthanasia," Scheidl told Blaze News. "So then if they're depressed on top of that, and they can't really think straight, and they're more inclined to choose that option, then there's nothing to protect them. There's nothing to stop it. The [MAID] assessments are not really effective at seeing if people are suicidal or depressed."

The same government that has made it easy for vulnerable people like Vafaeian to check out has boasted of the savings associated with the program.

Canada's Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer noted in an October 2020 report that 6,465 deaths under what was then a more restrictive MAID program would result in a total gross reduction in health care costs of $109.2 million in 2021.

"Their estimates were very, very low and their numbers were way off because they underestimated the number of deaths we would have," said Schadenberg.

In a study published in February 2025, researchers at Western University explored the "potential economic savings from expanding medical assistance in dying in Canada, where it is currently a leading cause of death, to include vulnerable groups that cost the government more than they contribute in taxes," including Indians, the homeless, the retired elderly, drug addicts, and the mentally ill.

"The cost savings associated with the mentally ill could reach up to CAD $63.076 billion," said the researchers, "while for the retired elderly population, the savings could be CAD $54.2 billion in the voluntary scenario or as high as CAD $1.2 trillion in a nonvoluntary scenario."

"Dead people don't cost money," Schadenberg told Blaze News. "Dead people don't collect pensions. Dead people don't collect disability benefits. And you've got a government, well, provincially and federally, that are running massive deficits. So a lot of incentive."

While the Canadian government has not officially rolled out a nonvoluntary MAID program, Scheidl noted that there is already plenty of "coercion that is happening under the umbrella of this regime."

"There are a lot of individuals who feel they have no choice," said Scheidl. "They are dealing with either caregivers who are completely burnt out and can't care for them [or] they have no other health care options. Hospice is denied to them. Palliative care is not available. Pain care is completely inadequate."

"We're wholly inadequate in our care for those who are suffering or at the end of life. But we're very, very good and very, very fast at delivering euthanasia."

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JD Vance headlines AmericaFest 2026 alongside BlazeTV’s Nick Freitas and John Doyle



AmericaFest is Turning Point USA’s flagship annual convention, and this December it returns for its sixth edition. Charlie Kirk launched it in 2021 as a place for patriots to gather and be encouraged and equipped through political speeches, activism training, music, and networking under one roof. Held at the Phoenix Convention Center, AmFest has grown into one of the largest and most influential gatherings on the political right.

Last December was the first AmFest held without its beloved founder, a weekend set aside to honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy and carry on the mission he started. His widow and TPUSA’s new CEO, Erika Kirk, has kept the event pointed at what her late husband cherished most: faith, freedom, and love of country. This year’s theme, “Restore the Culture,” carries that same charge.

Last year’s convention drew a massive crowd of 30,000 people, and this year promises to be another knockout. Vice President JD Vance closed that first AmFest without Charlie by asking the crowd: “If you miss Charlie Kirk, do you promise to fight [for] what he died for?” He returns this December as a headliner, alongside Erika Kirk, Donald Trump Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and many of the biggest names in the conservative world.

BlazeTV hosts Nick Freitas and John Doyle will be on the stage as well, bringing the same straight talk their audiences already know them for.

Nick Freitas is a Green Beret combat veteran and former Virginia delegate who built his platform on clear, unapologetic arguments for faith, family, and liberty. On BlazeTV’s “Making the Argument,” he takes on today’s biggest fights surrounding culture, policy, and the ideas underneath them and walks his audience through why they matter and how to combat them.

John Doyle hosts “The John Doyle Show,” a BlazeTV program designed to cut through the noise and speak the truth about where the country actually stands. Younger and blunter than a lot of the names on the AmFest program, he has made his name pushing back on sanitized history, soft official narratives, and leaders who talk about restoring America without meaning it.

AmericaFest 2026 runs December 17-20. The weekend is built to carry forward what Charlie started, keep the mission he set in motion, and mark the country he spent his life defending. Tune in to join the fight and catch Nick Freitas and John Doyle live from the AmericaFest stage.

J6 committee's star witness Cassidy Hutchinson may soon reap the whirlwind



The Jan. 6 Select Committee's star witness who milked her time in the limelight for a book deal may soon be visited by consequence for casting shade on President Donald Trump with seemingly tall tales.

Cassidy Hutchinson, the former assistant to previous Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, was reportedly referred by House Republicans earlier this year to the Justice Department for criminal charges.

'On information and belief, the Justice Department assigned its Civil Rights division to investigate Ms. Hutchinson for potential prosecution and has convened a grand jury.'

Sources told Punchbowl News' Laura Weiss this week that the DOJ is now pursuing a federal criminal indictment against Hutchinson.

Hutchinson, whom the president apparently suspected of being "a total phony and 'leaker,'" was accused in a December 2024 congressional report of committing "perjury when she lied under oath to the Select Committee" and of "secretly communicating" with the former vice chair of the J6 committee, ex-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), with regard to her testimony.

In 2022, Meadows' former staffer sat for six transcribed interviews and one publicized hearing with the J6 committee. Hutchinson evidently provided the committee with something in her fourth closed-door interview that they wanted to put on full blast.

RELATED: DOJ report details Biden admin's apparent conspiracy against parents who dared to defend their kids

Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Just days later, Hutchinson was put on the stand to tell the sensational tale of how Trump got into a scuffle with a Secret Service agent and attempted to wrest control of the presidential limousine after his Jan. 6, 2021, speech at the Ellipse.

She did not witness the alleged incident firsthand but claimed to have heard about it from Tony Ornato, Trump's former White House deputy chief of staff — a claim Ornato has denied.

Not only did the J6 committee entertain what even former special counsel Jack Smith regarded as "secondhand hearsay." They had Hutchinson testify without bothering to first interview other witnesses who may have provided contradictory testimony, including the two Secret Service agents featured in her story who weren't interviewed until months later, according to a March 2024 report from the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight.

The March 2024 report noted that the testimony of four White House employees that was redacted and suppressed "directly contradicts claims made by Cassidy Hutchinson and by the Select Committee in the Final Report."

The December 2024 congressional report, prepared at the direction of Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), asserted that "Hutchinson’s willingness to testify under oath to these demonstrably false claims proves her unreliability as a witness."

The Trump administration has not forgotten about Hutchinson.

Hutchinson's attorneys noted in an August court filing, "Prosecution (and further persecution) for her past testimony is not merely speculative. It is a present looming threat. On information and belief, the Justice Department assigned its Civil Rights division to investigate Ms. Hutchinson for potential prosecution and has convened a grand jury targeting Ms. Hutchinson for criminal indictment."

A federal grand jury was empaneled earlier this week to hear evidence about Hutchinson's testimony to Congress, sources familiar with the DOJ's probe told the New York Post.

The White House referred Blaze News to the DOJ for comment. Neither the DOJ nor Hutchinson's legal representatives immediately responded to Blaze News' requests for comment.

News of movement on a potential criminal indictment comes weeks after a federal judge dismissed the defamation lawsuit brought by former Hutchinson lawyer Stefan Passantino against a law professor who accused him of coaching Hutchinson "to lie" during her depositions before the J6 committee.

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El-Sayed basically confirms Jewish voters' worst fears about him during chippy debate



Democrat Abdul El-Sayed may have given Jewish voters even more pause about him during the Michigan senatorial debate Thursday night.

El-Sayed has struggled on the campaign trail lately. Black and Jewish voters who traditionally vote Democrat have expressed skepticism about El-Sayed, prompting former President Barack Obama to pledge to stump for him in Detroit.

'If they were undecided going into this debate, I think Jewish Democrats in Michigan just decided who they will vote for.'

The debate against Republican Mike Rogers on Thursday night likely did El-Sayed no favors with Michigan Jews.

For one thing, El-Sayed, who is Muslim, refused to say whether Israel or Iran poses a bigger threat to the United States. He attempted to pivot away from the question, calling it "a ridiculous hypothetical."

"Our ostensible ally in Israel has lobbied us to go to war with Iran. We have watched as Iran has responded by bombing all kinds of countries in the Middle East and then choking off the world's energy supply. So this is a situation in which I don't think we should be a part. I don't want to be pushed into war by Israel, and I don't want to be in a war with Iran. I want our money spent here to buy schools and health care and child care here. I don't understand why that is so inconceivable," he explained.

Moderator Rick Albin pressed him one more time to choose between Israel and Iran, but El-Sayed once again called it "a ridiculous hypothetical."

Midway through the debate, Michael LaRosa, former spokesperson for Jill Biden and special assistant to President Joe Biden, wrote on X, "If they were undecided going into this debate, I think Jewish Democrats in Michigan just decided who they will vote for."

RELATED: 'The panic is palpable': El-Sayed facing opposition from key Michigan Democrat groups weeks before election

Throughout the debate, Rogers used his time to remind listeners about El-Sayed's troubling ties to Islamic terrorist groups.

For instance, though she was never charged with any crime, El-Sayed's birth mother long worked for a group that was later designated a specially designated global terrorist organization and that may also have helped fund al-Qaeda.

After Rogers brought up the terrorism issue and then mentioned his own mother, El-Sayed seemed to anticipate where Rogers was headed and immediately interrupted: "You goin' after my mom?"

Rogers also accused El-Sayed of failing to condemn the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as well as the Hezbollah-inspired attack on Jewish schoolchildren in Michigan back in March. Rogers further claimed that El-Sayed has accepted money from groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

"I did condemn it, and you know it. Come on, my guy, like, don't make stuff up," the 41-year-old shot back.

Rogers continued: "He can’t condemn Hamas. He can’t condemn the Muslim Brotherhood. He says his home is Egypt. This is all starting to make sense."

In mentioning Egypt, Rogers was likely referring to a recently resurfaced video in which El-Sayed states that he carries "dual citizenship" and spent summers in a foreign country. The country was elsewhere identified as Egypt.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, El-Sayed's campaign said that he "is not a dual citizen by any verifiable metric and never has been," but that his grandfather had previously "pursued Egyptian citizenship on his behalf, for which he was eligible due to his parents being born in Egypt."

El-Sayed did respond to the attacks from Rogers, but usually by interrupting Rogers. When allotted response time, El-Sayed often looked into the camera and portrayed himself as the only candidate interested in "you," the people.

"He wanted to make this about him or me, but the question is about you. Can you afford your gas? Can you afford your groceries?" he said at one point.

After the debate ended, a reporter asked El-Sayed why he did not defend himself against the terrorism-related accusations. He replied by insinuating that the accusations were racist or Islamophobic: "I don't dignify those kinds of claims because, at the end of the day, again, this is about trying to point to somebody whose name is different to make all kinds of hearsay accusations that are just not worth the dignity of a response."

The Michigan GOP claimed Thursday night that Rogers had "dominate[d] the debate stage," while senior Michigan GOP communications adviser Greg Manz added: "Conman Abdul cares more about Palestine than Michigan, which should concern every Michigander, given that the same radical Islamists who fund him also fund the Muslim Brotherhood."

The El-Sayed campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

For now, El-Sayed maintains a slight lead over Rogers, according to Blaze News' Poll Watch. For the latest Michigan Senate seat updates — and to follow other important midterm races across the nation — check out Poll Watch, available to Blaze News, BlazeTV+, and Blaze Unlimited subscribers.

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