No New Trial for Karmelo Anthony, Judge Rules

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No New Trial for Karmelo Anthony, Judge Rules

A Texas judge denied a new trial for Karmelo Anthony on Saturday in the stabbing death of a 17-year-old athlete at a high school track meet, a killing that drew national attention due to its racial overtones.

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the April 2025 killing of Austin Metcalf.

Judge Michael Chitty denied the retrial motion in a half-page order following a two-day hearing this week near Dallas, citing a review of the evidence and arguments. He did not elaborate.

Russell Wilson, Anthony’s attorney, said the defense would appeal.

“Our commitment to our client has not changed,” Wilson said. “We will continue to advocate vigorously on his behalf through every lawful avenue available.”

At the center of Anthony’s retrial request was an off-the-record agreement between prosecutors and his trial defense team to keep damaging character evidence about both teenagers out of the proceeding. Both sides agreed to hold back evidence that risked further inflaming a case already boiling with racial tensions and death threats.

The case attracted widespread attention in part because Anthony is black and Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told jurors that the case had nothing to do with race.

Worries that prosecutors would renege on the agreement as Anthony prepared to testify, his attorneys say, came after a heated argument between lawyers on both sides and changed their defense strategy at the eleventh hour. Anthony ultimately decided not to testify.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye defended the trial as fair this week.

“We respect, and expected, the court’s decision denying the motion for a new trial,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said after the denial was announced. “The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing.”

Anthony’s attorneys also demanded a retrial because they said trial judge John Roach’s courtroom rules were so strict that they limited the public’s access to the proceedings. And in asking for Roach’s recusal, they noted that he gave a posttrial interview with a Dallas TV station in which he expressed agreement with the jury’s decision.

“Whatever they say, they got it right,” Roach said.

Roach said his rules were necessary for a fair trial, and prosecutors insisted he did nothing wrong.

Jurors rejected Anthony’s claims that he was defending himself during a confrontation with Metcalf in the bleachers of the track meet.

Anthony and Metcalf were athletes for different high schools in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, where several teams were competing on the rainy spring day when the meet took place.

Anthony sat under the tent that belonged to Metcalf’s team, and Metcalf and others repeatedly told him to leave, witnesses testified. That led to an escalating confrontation.

Prosecutors said Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses identified Anthony as the aggressor.

At one point Anthony reached inside a bag and said: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

Witnesses said Metcalf pushed Anthony, who pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.

Wildfire Approaches Reno, Nevada, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate Their Neighborhoods

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Wildfire Approaches Reno, Nevada, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate Their Neighborhoods

(Headline USA) The fast-growing Hawk Fire spread from the Sierra foothills toward the center of Reno early Sunday, growing to more than 10,500 acres. Nearly 14,000 homes were ordered evacuated, and the “GO NOW” zone reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus.

Washoe County, Nevada emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees, but said they couldn’t bring their pets — small animals and large animals were to be left at two other locations.

Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County, and mobilized the Nevada National Guard to support aerial firefighting with two helicopter crews as well as 60 troops to help police safeguard evacuated neighborhoods.

The fire was so small Saturday morning that it wasn’t even a concern, said Tyler Duvall, who went camping over the weekend. By the next day, his house was in the evacuation zone and he couldn’t get back.

“The wind really blew it up,” Duvall said, adding that he knows of some homes that burned about a mile from his place.

Strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation are fueling its growth, according to Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue in Reno.

“Approximately 400 personnel are currently working on the incident, with resources coming together from local, state and federal agencies, including ground crews and air resources,” the Truckee Meadows statement said.

The fire zone is surrounded by neighborhoods, and nearly 10,000 homes and businesses were without power in Washoe County on Sunday. Portions of U.S. Route 395, a major north-south highway, were closed due to the fire. Reno has a population of more than 280,000 residents.

Casinos in Reno offered discounts on hotel rooms to evacuees.

“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement posted on social media late Saturday night. “Structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building. Evacuating before the fire arrives also allows our firefighters to focus their efforts on battling the blaze.”

Retired police officer and firefighter Ted Melden has seen his share of Mother Nature’s fury since moving to Reno with his wife earlier this month from Chapin, South Carolina. 

So far, he’s experienced a hailstorm with flash flooding, two different power outages and, now, the second wildfire incident in the region in two weeks.

“Just another natural disaster,” Melden said.

In the two years he lived in South Carolina, Melden said Hurricane Helene knocked over trees in his yard, while a tornado did some damage in his neighborhood.

For now, Melden hasn’t been ordered to leave his home, but he has his bags packed just in case.

“This thing kicked off yesterday, and it just went,” Melden said in describing the wildfire’s fast movement. “I’m hoping they’ll get a good handle on it. You just have to roll with the flow and be ready. Always be prepared and have a full tank of gas.”

The University of Nevada’s Reno campus was just outside the evacuation zone Sunday morning. The university had an enrollment of about 24,000 students in fall 2025. University officials said they have established an emergency response plan should conditions change.

The Reno-Tahoe International Airport also was outside the evacuation zone. Commercial flights at the airport were unaffected Sunday. The smaller Reno-Stead Airport was closed to general aviation traffic due to the Hawk Fire, but remained open to firefighting aircraft.

Authorities also were keeping watch on a county detention facility that was several blocks from the outer edge of the evacuation warning area.

“We have those inmates in mind and we are making sure that we have plans in place in case we may have to evacuate the facility,” Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.

Earlier this month, three wildfires fueled by hot, dry and windy conditions north of Reno forced more than 13,000 residents from their homes, according to the Nevada National Guard.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

 

US and Canada Fall Deeper into a Trade War

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US and Canada Fall Deeper into a Trade War

(Headline USA) The United States and Canada, historic allies along an undefended border, fell deeper into a trade war Saturday marked by angry recriminations and new tariffs that are expected to raise prices for products in both countries.

Each side blamed the other for the collapse of negotiations in Washington late Friday, leading the U.S. to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods and Canada setting Sept. 8 as the start of its retaliatory penalties.

President Donald Trump’s import taxes will hit about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors. Prime Minister Carney said Ottawa would respond with targeted tariff protection for industries exposed to the new U.S. duties, including some steel products. He also mentioned the dairy, appliance, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics sectors.

No further talks were planned. Whatever the eventual outcome, a loss of trust seems one of the earliest casualties.

Carney accused Washington of using “economic integration as a weapon” and said “its signature was written in pencil.” Resorting to the language of battle, he said his country had been “attacked” by the new American tariffs. “You’re at war when you get attacked,” he said, adding that Canada had the reserves, resilience and plan to respond.

But to Trump’s chief trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, the U.S. was compelled to act after a year of retaliation by its longtime partner.

“We’ve said enough, and so we’ve taken countermeasures. Our interest is in protecting American workers and protecting American supply chains,” the U.S. trade representative told “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

Carney said Canada had been willing to drop remaining retaliatory tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos if the U.S. substantially lowered its own, and to encourage provinces to restore U.S. alcohol sales. But he said Washington’s final demands went too far. “They asked too much and offered too little,” Carney said.

Greer said the Republican administration was offering to cut tariffs on steel, autos and lumber, “things that are sensitive for them. And they’ve always had the best deal, and they still would have an even better deal, but they didn’t want that.”

As a result, he said, “We’re moving forward with measures that respond to Canadian retaliation.”

Carney said the U.S. added last-minute terms that would have reduced tariff relief for Canadian-made vehicles, restricted Canada’s ability to strike trade deals with other countries and weakened protections for language, culture and sovereignty.

He said such demands were “unacceptable.”

The breakdown in negotiations marked a sharp reversal from two days earlier, when officials from the two countries sounded as if they were headed toward a compromise.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who leads Canada’s most populous province, praised 

Carney for rejecting the deal, saying it would have hurt Ontario’s auto, steel and manufacturing sectors. Ford urged Canada to use “every tool in our toolbox” to fight the U.S. tariffs.

The moves also call into question the future of a North American trade agreement covering the United States, Canada and Mexico that is crucial to industry in all three countries.

Carney said the breakdown was “certainly not good news” for the review of that agreement and that the failed negotiations had given Canada “a new perspective” on what Washington wants from the broader economic relationship.

The political impact will likely be even bigger than the economic fallout. The countries sold each other $880 billion worth of goods and services last year.

The tariffs were initially supposed to kick in at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Trump extended the deadline for three days to allow talks to continue, but the countries could not reach an agreement in time.

The U.S. and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other over sore spots such as Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canada’s protected dairy market.

Somehow, they still managed to remain friends, allies and trading partners. Canadian soldiers fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan after 9/11. The 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border is undefended, and nearly 330,000 people and $2 billion worth of goods cross it every day; 800,000 Canadians live in the United States.

Trump’s approach to dealing with Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States and made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into America’s 51st state.

Carney said Canada had recognized that “America has changed” and that the two countries would “not return to our old relationship.”

The Canadian public is fed up. A petition to expel U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, a Trump ally, has collected nearly 248,000 signatures since July 21. It accuses the former Republican congressman from Michigan of having “normalized’’ Trump’s talk of annexing Canada, among other things.

The two countries had good reasons to find a compromise.

Nearly 72% of Canada’s goods exports last year went to the United States. The Trump administration might be wary of imposing new tariffs — paid by U.S. importers who try to pass along the cost to consumers via higher prices — before the November midterm elections. American voters are already frustrated with the high cost of living.

“Both sides will be under immense pressure in the coming days to still find an off-ramp,” said Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official.

Joshua Bolten, CEO of the Business Roundtable, which represents leaders of major U.S. companies, warned the tariffs and retaliation risk “raising costs for American businesses and families” and disrupting vital supply chains, and urged both governments to resume negotiations.

Trump has made tariffs the centerpiece of his second-term economic agenda. Last year, he imposed double-digit import taxes on almost every country, justifying them by declaring the long-standing U.S. trade deficit a national emergency. The Supreme Court in February ruled that he had overstepped his authority. The justices struck down the trade penalties and set the stage for the federal government to pay refunds to importers.

So Trump has looked for other legal authority to justify tariffs.

After the Supreme Court struck down much of Trump’s earlier tariff program in February, the administration turned to other legal authorities. For Canada, Trump invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a rarely used Depression-era provision allowing tariffs of up to 50% against countries deemed to discriminate against U.S. businesses.

The provision is part of the Smoot-Hawley tariff law, widely blamed by economists and historians for worsening the Great Depression by restricting global trade. Section 338 has never previously been used to impose tariffs.

The rift comes as the United States, Mexico and Canada are trying to renew a trade agreement that Trump negotiated in his first term and once praised as a triumph. 

The United States has begun formal talks with Mexico over revamping the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known as USMCA. But talks with Canada have not begun and escalating trade conflict casts doubt on whether they will.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Buc-ee’s Chain Draws Outcry in Ohio for Launching Fight Over a Mini.mart’s Beaver Logo

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Buc-ee’s Chain Draws Outcry in Ohio for Launching Fight Over a Mini.mart’s Beaver Logo

(Headline USA) A lip-licking alligator, a smiling moose and a hat-wearing bear are among the many cartoon animals to have found themselves in the crosshairs of Buc-ee’s, the popular Texas convenience store chain that has a penchant for protecting its buck-toothed beaver.

But now Buc-ee’s has set off a Buckeye backlash across Ohio and beyond after taking on a beaver in the city of Beavercreek.

It’s yet another Buc-ee’s Ltd. trademark infringement lawsuit. Supporters of Beaver’s Mini Mart have attacked Buc-ee’s online and boycotted the stores, and the mini mart’s home city passed a resolution making the beaver an official part of its history. British comedian John Oliver has even weighed in on the kerfuffle.

On an episode of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” the comedian detailed Buc-ee’s aggressive history of trademark lawsuits targeting various woodland creatures and launched a website hawking merchandise bearing a knockoff “Buc-off” logo and a squirrel mascot named Mr. Nutterbutter. On X, #boycottbucees trended.

Buc-ee’s sued Beaver’s Mini Mart in late July, four months after the chain known for its extensive food offerings and massive restrooms opened its first Ohio store less than a half-hour’s drive away.

Buc-ee’s argues the shop’s beaver logo too closely resembles the convenience store giant’s branded Buc-ee (“Bucky”) beaver. The Texas-based company asked for a jury trial in federal court in Ohio.

Beaver’s Mini Mart occupies a long, low building with a shingle roof at a suburban intersection. In contrast, the new 74,000-square-foot (6,875-square-meter) Buc-ee’s off Interstate 70 near Dayton has more than 100 gas pumps, 24 electric vehicle chargers and 700 parking spaces. A second Ohio store has been approved to open in 2028.

While preparing to enter the state in February, Buc-ee’s sued the northern Ohio holding company for Mickey Mart gas stations, arguing its Mickey the Moose logo could be confused with Buc-ee. (The company’s response: “A moose is not a beaver.”)

The Buc-ee’s beaver logo features the face of a beaver with prominent buck teeth wearing a red ball cap against a yellow backdrop. The Beaver’s Mini Mart mascot is a full beaver, unclothed, waving and smiling against a white background.

Customers have been critical of Buc-ee’s decision to target the much smaller store.

“I love Buc-ee’s, but I don’t plan on going back until they start making better business decisions,” Austin Collins, 32, a project manager from Fairborn, said outside Beaver’s, where he was making his first visit to protest the lawsuit.

He called targeting a beaver-named business in Beavercreek “a little spiteful.” License plates from three states were visible in the parking lot.

Buc-ee’s has defended the lawsuit as protective of its valuable trademark. In a statement on its website, the company said it first learned of Beaver’s Mini Mart when its owner, Vic Boparai, filed a trade name registration on Oct. 23.

The small business, incorporated in 2017, changed its name from Hanes Road Carryout to Beaver’s Mini Mart in January 2025, according to the paperwork. That was about four months after Buc-ee’s broke ground near Dayton. Recognizing a conflict, the company said it repeatedly attempted to reach Boparai without success, so it was forced to sue.

Boparai has since issued a statement of his own, though without addressing the company’s concerns nor the merits of the lawsuit.

“We want to say thank you to the community and the entire country for supporting us and our business,” he said. “We are overwhelmed by your support for our business and other small businesses everywhere.”

The Associated Press has been unable to reach Boparai at Beaver’s Mini Mart or by calling the store.

Beavercreek City Council responded to the dust-up by passing a resolution Aug. 10 making the beaver a permanent and official part of its 200-plus-year history. Bucky the Beaver, mascot of the Beavercreek Local Schools, visited the meeting ahead of the unanimous vote.

On social media, images lampooning the fight are rampant. One showed the Ohio State University football mascot, Brutus Buckeye, tackling Buc-ee the beaver.

Support has taken other forms, too. One was a GoFundMe campaign aimed at assuring that costs associated with the lawsuit don’t put Beaver’s Mini Mart out of business, as has happened to other establishments Buc-ee’s sued. It had raised at least $69,000.

The mini mart gave permission to The Original Goodie Shop bakery in Upper Arlington to use its logo on a signature cookie, with $1 from each one sold going to support Beaver’s legal fees. Cake, Hope & Love, a Beavercreek bakery, also is offering cookies adorned with buck-toothed beavers that urge shopping local.

Other Dayton-area businesses — including a Lego store and a root beer shop — temporarily altered their logos to include beavers in a show of solidarity. Dozens of businesses in Beavercreek already incorporate the city name or word beaver in their names.

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who attended and praised the grand opening of the Dayton-area Buc-ee’s store in April, described the lawsuit as “absurd.”

“It is Beavercreek, for heaven’s sake,” the governor told reporters.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

Vast Majority of Americans Want Public Healthcare Prices

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Vast Majority of Americans Want Public Healthcare Prices

(Andrew Rice, The Center Square) The vast majority of Americans want hospitals and healthcare providers to publicly disclose prices before patients receive care, according to a new poll.

The Center Square Voters Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, found 88% of American voters said it was at least “somewhat important” for patients to have access to healthcare prices.

The Voters Voice Poll, conducted Aug. 12-16, surveyed 2,533 registered voters via opt-in online panel and text-to-web cell phone messages. The respondents were comprised of 930 Republicans, 930 Democrats and 673 Independents.  Among independent voters, 330 respondents were classified as true independents, which are individuals who do not lean toward either major party when given the choice.

Pollster Mike Noble, CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, said requiring prices to be listed for healthcare is a “no-brainer” issue for voters.

“The big difference is the voters don’t have a mega team lobbying arm in Washington,” Noble said.

Only 8% of voters said price transparency for healthcare is either not too important or not at all important. About 5% of voters said it was not too important to disclose prices and 2% of voters said it was not at all important.

Across demographic groups, voters 65 years old or older and voters with post-graduate or college degrees were most likely to say it is important for healthcare prices to be disclosed publicly. About 91% of voters 65 years old or older said it was at least somewhat important to disclose healthcare prices.

In July, lawmakers in the United States Senate advanced the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, legislation that would mandate hospitals and insurance providers to publicly report negotiated rates, costs and cash prices for ambulatory services, surgery centers, imaging labs and clinical labs.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, a sponsor of the bill, touted its effect on lowering healthcare costs for Americans. He said the legislation would reduce family healthcare costs by $1,000 per month.

“Once and for all, we’ll force transparency and competition into healthcare,” Marshall said. “It’s going to force healthcare providers to show you the price tag up front, not an estimate.”

Black voters were among the least enthusiastic for price transparency. A large majority of about 81% of Black voters said price transparency was important in healthcare, but that’s the lowest across demographic lines of those surveyed.

Nine percent of Black voters said they were “not sure” about requiring disclosure of healthcare prices.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the lone vote against advancing the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act out of committee. He said the legislation does not address fixed prices in the healthcare landscape and would not meaningfully lower costs for patients on Medicare and Medicaid.

“There’s only a very small amount of this market that cares about this and these people don’t have insurance,” Paul said. “When you mandate transparency on prices that are fixed, [it] doesn’t change the situation.”

Noble said passing legislation to mandate price transparency will require political will in Congress.

“Healthcare price transparency is a near consensus issue,” Noble said. “Price disclosure is close to universal. But again, is the political will there? Especially against the special interests.”

Pelosi’s Attacks Against Would-be Successor Backfire

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Pelosi’s Attacks Against Would-be Successor Backfire

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Soon-to-be former Rep. Nancy Pelosi accused one of the two candidates seeking to replace her in Congress of launching a misogynistic attack against her preferred successor. But Pelosi’s accusations quickly backfired, with critics calling them “absurd.”

Specifically, Pelosi targeted California state Sen. Scott Wiener after he launched an AI chatbot mocking Pelosi’s endorsed candidate, San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan. Both candidates are vying for the seat after advancing from an open primary earlier this year.

According to the New York Post, Wiener’s chatbot mocked Chan’s repeated opposition to housing proposals. The chatbot was billed as “the world’s first AI trained to say no to anything you ask.”

Critics, including Pelosi, accused Wiener of using AI in a sexist and misogynistic manner.

Wiener ultimately took the chatbot down, but the controversy continued to draw criticism from Chan’s backer.

Pelosi called the use of AI to impersonate Chan’s voice a “gross misuse of technology,” and claimed it “reflects a disturbing willingness to erase women’s agency,” according to the Post.

Wiener’s supporters, however, dismissed the criticism as “fake outrage.”

San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung said that it “feels like there’s a lot of fake outrage about this chatbot.”

“I suppose you know that’s part of the political game – to put as favorable a slant as you want to for your own purposes for each campaign,” she added.

Susie Tompkins Buell, whom the Post described as a “famed women advocate,” called Pelosi’s criticism “totally absurd.”

Buell described Weiner as “the most non-sexist, non-racist person. I don’t know who would even say that. But if it was (Pelosi), it was careless and not appropriate and not true.”

Buell also questioned Pelosi’s aggressive approach to try to get her backed candidate across the finish line.

“Nobody can give a good answer of why she’s doing this,” Buell said. “It’s just a mystery to so many people. Whatever it is, it is rooted in pettiness.”

Federal Judge Vacates Trump Policy that Suspended Processing of Immigration Visas from 75 countries

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Federal Judge Vacates Trump Policy that Suspended Processing of Immigration Visas from 75 countries

(Headline USA) A federal judge in New York has vacated a Trump administration policy that suspended the processing of visas from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration deemed likely to require public assistance in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, set aside the policy Friday as “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his authority by issuing the policy, which “runs afoul” of the Immigration and Nationality Act by mandating “the refusal of visas to eligible applicants without any basis in law,” the judge ruled.

Vargas said the policy also undermines the congressional requirement that puts consular officers at the forefront of any visa decision.

“Congress imbued these officers with exclusive authority and discretion to determine if an immigrant is eligible for a visa based upon review of specific and detailed criteria set forth in the statute,” she wrote. “The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme.”

The policy was challenged by two nonprofit organizations along with 11 individuals, including six whose family members had been refused visas. The remaining five are outside the country and had filed “employment-based petitions” to come to the United States.

“We welcome this ruling because, at its heart, this case is about keeping families together,” said Anna Gallagher, the executive director of CLINIC, a national nonprofit that provides training, resources, and support to a network of immigration legal service providers and was one of the plaintiffs.

“Catholic social teaching calls us to uphold the dignity of every person and recognize the family as the foundation of society,” she said in a statement. “This decision affirms both those values and the rule of law, allowing families to once again move forward toward reunification.”

Another plaintiff is African Communities Together, a Harlem-based nonprofit. One of its leaders called the ruling “a tremendous victory for the rule of law.”

“This unlawful and racist ban caused immeasurable harm, cruelly keeping families and loved ones apart,” Diana Konate, deputy executive director for policy and advocacy, said in a statement. “Today, we are elated to tell our community members: this ban is no more.”

President Donald Trump has imposed a growing list of immigration and travel bans mostly for people from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The State Department said Saturday that the Trump administration is “protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” and that it would not comment on pending litigation.

At the time the policy was issued, the State Department said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the 75 countries in accordance with a broader order in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges.” Relying on Council of Economic Advisers data, the State Department said that more than 30 percent of households with immigrants from these countries received some form of public assistance.

A separate notice sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates said that non-immigrant visa applicants also should be “fully vetted and screened” for the possibility that they might seek public benefits in the United States.

The cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, noted several times that the applicant must prove they won’t apply for public benefits while in the U.S., and that consular officers who suspect the applicant might apply should require them to fill out a form proving their financial bona fides.

The ruling is the latest example of the courts upending Trump’s immigration agenda. In June, a federal judge struck down a Trump administration policy that made it harder for immigrants from dozens of countries to enter and stay in America — affecting elements like asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications. That judge said the policy threw countless immigrants’ lives “into indeterminate legal limbo,” and accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

What to Know about Alex Jones’ Texas Court Win and More than $1 Billion in Damages He Still Faces

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What to Know about Alex Jones’ Texas Court Win and More than $1 Billion in Damages He Still Faces

(Headline USA) Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is still under orders to pay more than $1 billion over his false claims surrounding the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre despite a Texas court reducing some of the money awarded to families.

For the bombastic Infowars founder, the ruling that saves him more than $40 million was still a legal victory amid multiple punishing financial judgments that forced him and his company, Free Speech Systems, to file for bankruptcy.

Sandy Hook families have yet to collect any money from Jones, who has left his Infowars platform amid numerous ongoing legal battles but is still broadcasting on other websites.

He still faces a defamation judgment of $1.25 billion in a Connecticut lawsuit and the nearly $6 million that remains in the Texas case.

What to know about Jones, Infowars and his legal cases:

Several relatives of the 20 first graders and six educators killed at Sandy Hook sued Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems, in Connecticut and Texas for defamation and inflicting emotional distress for saying the shooting was staged by “crisis actors” to win more gun control.

Victims’ relatives testified that followers of Jones subjected them to death and rape threats, in-person harassment and abusive comments on social media.

Jones argued there was no proof that linked him to the others’ actions. He did concede under oath that the shooting did happen.

The Connecticut case produced a judgment against Jones of more than $1.4 billion in damages, which was reduced by about $150 million during appeals. In Texas, Jones was hit with nearly $50 million in damages.

On Friday, a state appeals court threw out most of the Texas award because it vastly exceeded the state’s legal cap on punitive damages. The ruling reduced that portion from more than $40 million to $1.5 million, leaving about $6 million intact.

The Texas court ruling did not throw out the finding of defamation against Jones. He still called it a major victory for free speech and vowed to continue his appeals.

“I got lawyers who are good constitutional lawyers, and they are not backing down,” Jones said.

The Texas ruling has no impact on the bigger Connecticut case, where Jones was found liable for $1.25 billion. That judgment still stands, and Jones’ appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court last year was denied.

“The families care not at all about this irrelevant ruling which affects only two of the 19 claims they all share. Jones still faces over a billion dollars of liability, so this changes absolutely nothing. All it does is highlight the absurdity of Texas law,” said Mark Bankston, an attorney for the families in the Texas case.

Jones pushed many conspiracy theories over the last three decades, including that the U.S. government was behind or failed to stop the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attacks.

As the outlandish nature of his false claims grew, so did his presence across radio stations, his Infowars website and social media.

After getting fired from an Austin radio station in the mid-1990s, he began broadcasting from home on his Infowars website. He bought the domain name for $9.

In 2004, he had two employees and a tiny office. By 2010, Jones had over 60 employees. By 2024, he had four studios in Austin and a warehouse for the products he sells.

Jones filed for bankruptcy in 2022 as the judgments against him mounted. The liquidation of assets forced him to surrender his Infowars platform.

He still broadcasts on new websites, social media and streaming platforms, and he continues to sell merchandise, including dietary supplements and clothing that bring in millions of dollars a year.

Sandy Hook families have been prevented from collecting any money from Jones while he pursues lengthy appeals in state and federal courts.

The satirical website The Onion has moved to take over Jones’ Infowars platforms and turn his bullhorn of conspiracy theories into parody sites.

Jones took Infowars off the air in April. A proposed licensing deal that would give The Onion temporary authority to use Infowars’ trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property has been put on hold during Jones’ appeals.

Still, The Onion has set up its own Infowars webpage on its website, running videos of shows parodying Jones. The webpage replaced the “o” in Infowars with an onion and sells products under that logo including T-shirts, tote bags and coffee mugs, with some proceeds going to the Sandy Hook families.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press. 

ICE Arrests in Southeastern US Ongoing, More than 1,200 in Georgia, Mississippi

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ICE Arrests in Southeastern US Ongoing, More than 1,200 in Georgia, Mississippi

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests are ongoing nationwide, including in the southeastern states of Georgia and Mississippi.

In this month alone, ICE officers have arrested more than 1,200 in the two states.

Arrests were made through multiagency partnerships and ongoing investigations. Dozens of local law enforcement agencies, primarily led by sheriffs, have signed ICE 287(g) agreements. In Georgia and Mississippi, the majority have signed Task Force Model agreements.

This is significant, ICE argues, because the TFM enables local law enforcement to make and assist with arrests. With new U.S. attorneys and a renewed collaboration among multiple law enforcement agencies, border crimes are being prosecuted, they argue.

The arrests were also made without incident as ICE officers have been facing a 1,300% increase of vehicle attacks and death threats are up 8,000%, The Center Square reported.

In Georgia, 1,226 criminal foreign nationals were arrested in “Operation Safe Community – Atlanta.” Nearly all arrested were men with extensive criminal histories. They include a range of sex crimes, crimes against children, aggravated assault, assault and battery, drug crimes, lewd and lascivious acts, burglary, weapons crimes, among others.

Among those arrested, 720 had either been convicted of or charged with crimes in the United States. Five of them were arrested at the address of a trucking company known for employing illegal foreign nationals, ICE said.

The arrests came after more than 100 287(g) agreements have been signed with law enforcement in Georgia. As of August 21, the majority are TFM agreements, according to the data.

Congress created the 287(g) program through the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996, which authorizes ICE to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration functions only under ICE’s direction and supervision. Under previous administrations, only one 287(g) partnership was used.

The Trump administration is advocating for law enforcement to participate in three: a Jail Enforcement Model (JEM), a Task Force Model (TFM) and Warrant Service Officer (WSO) model.

The TFM authorizes local law enforcement officers under the oversight of ICE to enforce limited immigration authority during routine police duties “such as identifying an alien at a DUI checkpoint and sharing information directly with ICE,” ICE explains. The local law enforcement officers work with ICE on apprehension, transportation, detention and other actions, The Center Square reported.

In Mississippi, more than 60 287(g) agreements have been signed as of August 21, nearly all are for the TFM.

Local, state and federal law enforcement officers working with ICE Homeland Security Investigations arrested 70 people in a child exploitation-targeted investigation this month.

In Operation Muddy Waters, they targeted child exploitation offenders and previously convicted sex offenders across the state. They also identified cross border and interstate crime.

Those arrested were charged with child exploitation, solicitation of children, possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material, and violations involving previously convicted sex offenders, ICE said.

As a result of the operation, multiple new child exploitation investigations have been launched, “including those involving individuals who allegedly traveled across state lines to engage in sexual activity with kids, suspects allegedly involved in the livestreaming of child sexual exploitation, and individuals accused of downloading, sharing or soliciting child sexual abuse material,” ICE said.

The operation also resulted in the arrest of “criminal illegal aliens unlawfully present in the United States who allegedly traveled across state lines to engage in sex with children, as well as individuals holding positions of public trust suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material.”

Examples of those arrested include a Honduran man illegally in the country who authorities say traveled from Tennessee to Mississippi for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a child; a Bangladesh national illegally living in Alabama who established communication with a 14-year-old boy via social media; multiple Mexican nationals and registered sex offenders with criminal histories; as well as U.S. citizens.

The multi-agency effort was conducted after new U.S. attorneys are prosecuting border crimes in Mississippi, The Center Square reported. Under previous administrations, they weren’t, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi Scott Leary has argued.

Anyone with information related to child exploitation or border crimes is encouraged to call 866-DHS-2-ICE.

Trump Pauses Tariff on Imported Beef with Pushback from Ranchers, Some America First Advocates

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Pauses Tariff on Imported Beef with Pushback from Ranchers, Some America First Advocates

(Morgan Sweeney, The Center Square) The Trump administration is temporarily lifting the tariff on beef to help lower prices for Americans at the grocery store.

“For the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported with no out-of-quota tariff,” President Donald Trump wrote on social media Friday. “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25% below current market prices.”

Until now, different countries have had different quotas imposed on them for beef imports. Beef within that quota is generally tariffed at 4.4 cents per kilogram. After the quota is met, beef from that country is tariffed at 26.4%. The president is waiving the out-of-quota rate for 300,000 metric tons of beef imports, according to the post, though no additional details were provided on which countries or companies were involved in the deal.

The move has spurred adverse reactions from cattle ranchers and lawmakers from more rural states. Critics have said it likely won’t reduce prices much anyway, since as the New York Times reported, more than 80% of the beef consumed in the U.S. is produced on American soil, and it’s an historically smaller herd that’s more directly contributing to higher prices.

Direct-to-consumer meat delivery company Good Ranchers, which sells only American beef, responded to the news on X, formerly Twitter.

“We understand why beef prices are a problem right now. Ground beef is averaging $6.89 a pound, up 57% since 2021, and that’s real pressure on American families,” the company wrote. “But flooding the market with 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef with no tariff for 90 days is not a solution for American ranchers. It’s a short-term price fix that puts more downward pressure on the cattle producers who are already struggling to stay viable.”

“We will continue to source 100% American. That is not changing,” the post concluded.

A February report from the American Farm Bureau Federation noted that the American cattle herd is at a 75-year-low, numbers National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall alluded to in a statement issued Friday.

“Cattle farmers and ranchers are responding to strong market signals and historically high demand, and we are already working to rebuild after years of ongoing drought, high input costs and other challenges that have reduced U.S. cattle numbers,” Woodall said. “Today’s announcement and other market interventions throw cold water on the prospect of herd expansion and sacrifices long-term stability for short term messaging.”

Others, like conservative commentator and health and wellness podcaster Alex Clark, have questioned how the president’s decision reflects an America First ethos, as well as suggesting other potential reforms that would help bring down the cost of American beef.

“If President Trump wants to lower beef prices for Americans in a truly America First AND MAHA way then THIS should be the game plan,” she wrote on X.

She promoted expanding local processing and direct sales through Congress passing Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act, requiring country-of-origin labeling and several other measures.

The White House has said the president will sign an executive order temporarily lifting the beef tariff in the coming weeks.

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