Democrat Rep. Pleads Not Guilty to Assaulting Immigration Officers

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Democrat Rep. Pleads Not Guilty to Assaulting Immigration Officers

(Headline USA) Rep. LaMonica McIver pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center during a congressional oversight visit at the facility.

McIver, a Democrat, was charged by interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba following the May 9 visit to Newark’s Delaney Hall. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses the privately owned, 1,000-bed facility as a detention center.

This month she was indicted on three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. Two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. The third is a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of one year in prison.

The judge set a Nov. 10 trial date.

Among those at McIver’s side Wednesday were her family and elected officials, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was outside the detention center with McIver and other legislators on May 9.

Baraka was also arrested on a trespassing charge that was later dropped and is suing Habba over what he called a malicious prosecution.

A nearly two-minute clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link fence just before the arrest of the mayor on the street side of the fence. She and uniformed officials go through the gate and she joins others shouting “surround the mayor.” The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point her left elbow and then her right elbow struck a police officer.

McIver, 39, first came to Congress in September in a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. left a vacancy in the 10th District. She was then elected to a full term in November.

A Newark native, she was president of the Newark City Council from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the city’s public schools before that.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Task Force Shuts Down Illegal Cock Fighting, Gambling Operation in Alabama

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Task Force Shuts Down Illegal Cock Fighting, Gambling Operation in Alabama

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) A Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force has shut down an illegal cock fighting and gambling ring in Alabama primarily involving illegal border crossers.

The task force is comprised of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, IRS and ATF, supported by the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and U.S. attorneys in Gulf states.

In this case, the task force conducted a joint investigation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Federal agents executed search warrants “related to the prohibition of animal fighting ventures, presence of illegal aliens, and the prohibition of illegal gambling.” Their efforts led to the arrest of 60 people, the majority of which (55) were in the country illegally, according to the charges.

“This illegal cockfighting operation wasn’t just about animal cruelty – it was tied to a broader network of serious crimes, including illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and violent offenses,” Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama Steven Schrank said. “These criminal enterprises endanger our communities, and HSI remains steadfast in its mission to disrupt and dismantle them. This operation underscores our commitment to public safety and the strength of our law enforcement partnerships.”

Cockfighting, when people breed roosters to attack each other to make a profit through gambling, is illegal in all 50 states. It’s a felony in 42 states and the District of Columbia; possessing birds for fighting is illegal in 39 states and the District of Columbia; participating as a spectator is illegal in 43 states and the District of Columbia, the ASPCA notes.

Cockfighting involves breeding, feeding, training and injecting roosters with steroids and vitamins to make them more aggressive. When just a few months old, their wattles and ear lobes are cut off; just before a fight, their feathers are plucked off their lower bodies, the ASPCA notes.

“Once in the ring, roosters often wear knives or artificial gaffs (long, dagger-like attachments) that are sharp enough to puncture a lung, pierce an eye or break bones in order to inflict maximum injury,” the ASPCA explains. “Fights may be held in abandoned factories, backyards or even basements and can last anywhere from a few seconds to 15 minutes.”

In addition to engaging in animal cruelty, those involved in cockfighting are also often involved in other crimes, including gambling and illicit drugs. “Illegal weapons have also been found at cockfights because of the large amounts of cash present, and law enforcement raids across the country have established that cockfights are well attended by gang members, further encouraging violence and illegal drug use,” the ASPCA says.

It encourages members of the public to call law enforcement if they suspect a cock fight is operating near them.

During the Alabama operation, authorities seized more than $100,000 in bulk currency and two firearms.

Each of the U.S. citizens arrested face federal indictments for their role in organizing the criminal enterprise; four illegal foreign nationals were charged with felony illegal reentry after previously being deported.

The case is being prosecuted in the Northern District of Alabama.

Dan Bongino Tells Murdered Fireman’s Wife that July 13 Butler Gunman Acted Alone

Ken Silva
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Dan Bongino Tells Murdered Fireman’s Wife that July 13 Butler Gunman Acted Alone

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Helen Comperatore, whose husband, Corey, was murdered at the July 13, 2024, Trump shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, made a rare media appearance Tuesday on Dr. Drew Pinsky’s show, where she revealed that she’s finally been briefed by the FBI for the first time.

Comperatore told Dr. Drew that she recently spoke with FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who told her that alleged would-be assassin Thomas Crooks acted alone when he shot at Donald Trump—killing Corey Comperatore and seriously wounding at least two others in the process.

“Dan Bongino spoke to me for a long time. It was the first time in 11 months that I heard anything from anybody. It’s hard to let your husband die like that and never hear a single word from anybody,” Helen said.

“They’re going to come out in a couple weeks to the public and basically … It’s the shooter and nothing else,” she said.

Helen’s remarks echo what Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel have been saying publicly in recent weeks. Patel said on a Fox News interview that there’s not much more to know about what happened at Butler.

Bongino also defended the Biden FBI’s investigation, including the decision to hose down the AGR rooftop and to release Crooks’s body for cremation before Congress or anyone else could examine it. Bongino told Helen he couldn’t speak about the Secret Service’s action—even though Bongino is a former Secret Service agent who was blasted the agency for Butler just about every day on his radio show last year.

“Bongino said everything was done correctly. They cleaned that for a purpose, but they did everything correctly,” Helen said. “He did not speak about the Secret Service. He said that was something he could not speak on.”

According to Helen, the FBI is going to release a report on its Butler investigation in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the widowed mother is planning a motorcycle rally to be held on July 12 in Russelton, Pennsylvania to honor her late husband. More information on participating or donating for the event can be found here.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

MTG Sparks Controversy with JFK/Israel Conspiracy Theory

Jose Nino
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MTG Sparks Controversy with JFK/Israel Conspiracy Theory

(José Niño, Headline USA) In a provocative social media post published on Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, suggested that JFK’s death was linked to his stance against Israel’s nuclear weapons program.

Greene wrote on X, “There was once a great President that the American people loved. He opposed Israel’s nuclear program. And then he was assassinated.” While she did not explicitly name Kennedy, he is the only U.S. president killed since Israel’s founding, making the reference unmistakable.

The remarks came amid a heated exchange with conservative commentator Mark Levin, who had criticized Greene for her opposition to recent U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Greene’s post questioned whether she and former President Donald Trump should fear for their lives after Trump publicly rebuked Israel for continuing to attack Iran following a reported ceasefire. “Should I feel that my life is in danger now too?” Greene asked, before adding, “What about President Trump who strongly rebuked Israel this morning for continuing to attack Iran?”

Greene, first elected to Congress in 2020 and re-elected in 2022 and 2024, represents Georgia’s 14th district.

During her time in Congress, Greene has positioned herself as a relative foreign policy dove within the Republican Party. As Headline USA has previously reported, she is a vocal critic of U.S. military interventions abroad, particularly in the Middle East, and has consistently opposed involvement in the Israel-Hamas and Israel-Iran conflicts, arguing that American resources should be focused on domestic priorities such as housing and healthcare. “We do not want to be involved or required to pay for any of it,” she recently wrote.

Greene’s comments hinting at JFK being assassinated for opposing Israel’s nuclear program likely refer to theory put forward by Michael Collins Piper, a late American political writer who gained notoriety for his book “Final Judgment: The Missing Link in the JFK Assassination Conspiracy,” first published in 1993.

Piper’s theory, detailed in “Final Judgment,” proposed that Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad, was the central orchestrating force behind President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. According to Piper, Kennedy’s murder resulted from his policies that threatened what he perceived as vital Israeli interests, particularly regarding nuclear weapons development and Middle East policy.

Additionally, Jefferson Morley’s biography on former CIA counterintelligence official James Jesus Angleton suggests that Israel was stealing enriched uranium from a Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC) facility in Apollo, Pennsylvania in the late 50s and early 60s, around the time of Kennedy’s death.

Former CIA officer John Hadden, who worked under Angleton, implicated his ex-boss in the uranium theft. Angleton also suppressed the JFK assassination, keeping a file on Lee Harvey Oswald hidden for years after the fact.

“The fact that [Israel] stole [uranium] from us didn’t worry [Angleton] in the least,” Hadden said. “I suspect that in his inmost heart he would’ve given it to them if they asked for it.”

Ken Silva contributed to this report.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

Harvey Epstein Beating Anthony Weiner in NYC Council Race

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Harvey Epstein Beating Anthony Weiner in NYC Council Race

(Headline USA) Disgraced former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner is so unpopular that he’s losing badly in the Democratic primary for a New York City Council seat to a man who shares the same name as two of the most notorious sex criminals in world history.

Initial returns Tuesday showed Weiner running in a distant fourth place in the five-person race for a council district in Manhattan.

Weiner had entered the race in the hopes of restarting his political career after it was derailed by sexting scandals. He was eventually sent to prison for sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl.

Among those running ahead of him is Harvey Epstein, a state lawmaker whose name inspired a “Saturday Night Live” bit over its unfortunate closeness to convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. Also vying for the seat are Sarah Batchu, the leader of a local non-profit, and Andrea Gordillo, who chairs the local community board.

Weiner had been a strong Democratic voice in Congress before his political star plummeted in 2011 after he sent a lewd picture of himself to a college student on Twitter. He resigned from Congress, tried a comeback by running for New York City mayor, then got caught up in another sexting scandal. In 2017, prosecutors said he had illicit online contact with a high school student. Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor.

During the campaign, Weiner did not shy away from his past scandal, but told The Associated Press in an interview that he struggled with how best to address what he had done when talking to voters.

The winner of the City Council race will be determined in a ranked choice tabulation that begins on July 1. The candidates with the least support will be eliminated in rounds and votes cast for them will be redistributed to the remaining candidates, based on voter preference.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

House Democrats, Republicans Spar over Implementing DOGE Cuts

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House Democrats, Republicans Spar over Implementing DOGE Cuts

(, The Center Square) House Republicans and Democrats sparred on Tuesday over codifying cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said Congress needs to “lock in” DOGE’s $180 billion in cuts across the federal government at a House Oversight and Government Reform’s DOGE subcommittee.

“We need to make sure we lock in those savings, it should be the first installment we pay on our nation’s $37 trillion debt,” Greene said.

Greene also pointed to a $9 billion recessions package passed in the House which would make cuts to several international organizations, nongovernmental organizations as well as public media including NPR and PBS.

“Nine billion is just the tip of the iceberg of the waste DOGE has identified and of the spending that the administration has paused or shut off,” Greene added.

Witnesses before the panel highlighted some of DOGE’s cuts and said Congress needs to take control in order to make the DOGE cuts permanent.

Matthew Dickerson, a witness before the committee and director of budget policy at the Economic Policy Innovation Center, called for Congress to enact a 10% reduction across the federal workforce. He said this reduction would reduce discretionary spending on salaries by as much as $608 billion.

“The most straightforward way to control waste, fraud and abuse is by controlling agency budgets in the annual appropriations process,” Dickerson said.

David Burton, a senior fellow in economic policy at the Heritage Foundation, affirmed the importance of the appropriations process.

“Most of the personnel reductions, grant reductions and other reforms initiated by DOGE will not result in actual savings unless Congress takes action through appropriations bills,” Burton said.

Democrats on the committee disagreed with the sentiment of cementing DOGE cuts and pointed to several errors the agency has made in the past few months.

“While we came to the table at the beginning of the whole process in good faith, with real ideas, bipartisan ideas that folks have actually been working on for years and desire to actually fix and modernize the federal government, what we’ve seen from DOGE is the exact opposite,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., said.

Democrats cited proposed cuts to healthcare services for veterans within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, called for a subpoena of Elon Musk to investigate DOGE’s actions, which failed to pass.

Greene reaffirmed a commitment to implementing cuts proposed by DOGE and compared the government to “an overgrown, out of control animal.”

“We as lawmakers should pass new DOGE cuts every single day and make cutting waste, fraud and abuse our top priority,” Greene said.

“Instead of growing the government, we should be slashing the government. The government is far too big, it’s like an overgrown, out of control animal, and the American people are beginning to hate it,” she added.

In Major Upset, Cuomo Concedes Primary to Mamdani

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In Major Upset, Cuomo Concedes Primary to Mamdani

(, The Center Square) Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has conceded the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor to progressive underdog Zohran Mamdani. The 33-year-old Mamdani currently serves as a member of  the New York General Assembly representing Queens.

Mamdani ran on a platform that focused on making life more affordable for New Yorkers, though his Muslim faith, views on Israel and Palestine, and age often overshadowed local politics throughout the campaign.

Among the young assemblyman’s chief concerns are affordable housing, free public transit, and child care. His grassroots campaign even led him to walk from one end of Manhattan to the other in record heat Monday to get the word out.

The campaign also participated in cross-endorsement with City Comptroller Brad Lander who made headlines after being detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers when escorting a man from immigration court. Lander and Mamdani asked voters to rank themselves and the other in first and second place respectively without ranking Cuomo at all.

“Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won,” said Cuomo, who had amassed the support of Democratic heavyweights including former President Bill Clinton, despite his own struggle to move past the sexual harassment scandals that prompted him to resign from his role as governor.

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, received support from progressive leaders Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont well as young upstarts like activist David Hogg of Leaders We Deserve.

Cuomo’s campaign released the following statement:

“I called Assemblyman Mamdani to congratulate him on tonight’s victory. I also thank my team, which did a great job during this campaign. I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November.”

The New York City primaries feature ranked choice voting, which means that the final tally won’t be complete for days. Throughout this process, voters whose first choices were eliminated have their votes redistributed to the next candidate they ranked until a winner is determined with a majority over 50%. Mamdani’s lead in both first and second choice ballots, however, was sufficient to predict the final outcome just hours after polls closed.

Mamdani, and Cuomo if he chooses to run a campaign as an independent, will go on to face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in the general election. Adams has been beset by scandal since federal charges of bribery, fraud, and illegal campaign contributions were levied at him in 2024. Those charges were later dropped at the instruction of President Donald Trump shortly after he took office.

If elected, Mamdani will be the first Indian-American and first Muslim to serve in the role.

DHS Approves Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” for Illegal Aliens

Jose Nino
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DHS Approves Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” for Illegal Aliens

(José Niño, Headline USA) Florida’s latest immigration crackdown is taking a wild turn, as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved a $450 million Everglades detention facility guarded by the Everglades’ fiercest wildlife.

According to a report by The Hill, this detention center, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by state officials, will be built at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Everglades. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who assumed office in February 2025 after serving as Governor Ron DeSantis’s chief of staff, initially proposed converting the “virtually abandoned Miami-Dade Collier Training Facility” into a detention center on Monday.

The facility will be located on a 30-square-mile area completely surrounded by the Everglades, with Uthmeier stating it “presents an efficient, low cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter.” The attorney general emphasized the natural security barrier, noting that if detainees escape, “there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons.”

The remote location sits approximately 36 miles from Miami’s business center and just 6 miles from Everglades National Park.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the facilities would be “in large part be funded by” the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Shelter and Services Program, which Congress originally created to support communities receiving migrants and asylum-seekers released from federal custody.

Noem declared, “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens.”

The facility is expected to cost approximately $450 million annually to operate, though Florida can request federal reimbursement, per a report by BBC.

Construction has recently started, with Uthmeier announcing that federal approval came after meeting with Border Czar Tom Homan. According to WPTV, detention center will consist of “heavy-duty tent facilities” and “trailer facilities” designed to house up to 1,000 detainees initially, with plans to expand capacity to 5,000 beds across multiple Florida facilities by early July.

Dead Democrat Makes an Endorsement for Congress… From the Grave?

Luis Cornelio
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Dead Democrat Makes an Endorsement for Congress… From the Grave?

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Gerry Connolly, R-Va., on Tuesday endorsed his former chief of staff for the Democratic nomination to replace him in Congress. There’s just one problem: Connolly passed away last month. 

The endorsement, posted from Connolly’s campaign account, urged voters in Virginia’s 11th congressional district to support James Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County supervisor and Connolly’s chief of staff from 2009 to 2019. 

The special election will be held on Sept. 9, while the primaries are set for June 28.

“Let’s honor that legacy and vote for bold leadership that’ll fight for us every day,” the post read, alongside a photo of Connolly and Walkinshaw. 

Connolly died on May 21 after a battle with esophageal cancer. Just weeks earlier, he had announced he would not seek re-election and stepped down as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.

“His absence will leave a hole in our hearts, but we are proud that his life’s work will endure for future generations,” Connolly’s family said at the time. And indeed, his legacy continued—at least online. 

Some users on X found the post strange, given Connolly has been dead for several weeks. But the late congressman actually endorsed Walkinshaw before his death, on May 7, roughly two weeks prior. 

“This is not a moment for on-the-job training. We need a strong representative, experienced in addressing national issues that affect our community, who can stand up to Trump and lead from day one,” Connolly said. “I believe James Walkinshaw is that leader.” 

RFK Jr. Wants ‘Every American’ Wearing Trackers w/in Four Years

Luis Cornelio
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RFK Jr. Wants ‘Every American’ Wearing Trackers w/in Four Years

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. left some social media users scratching their heads when he said he wants all Americans to wear devices that track their health metrics.  

Testifying Tuesday before the House Energy Committee, Kennedy was asked by Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, if he backed Americans wearing such devices. 

“Absolutely,” Kennedy said. “In fact, we’re about to launch one of the biggest advertising campaigns in HHS history to encourage Americans to use wearables.” 

Some interpreted his remarks as endorsing government-mandated, collective health-tracking devices. 

Kennedy pitched the devices as a way for people to “take control” of their health and make appropriate changes when needed. 

“They can take responsibility,” he added. “They can see, as you know, what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, and a number of other metrics. … They can begin to make good judgments about their diet, about their physical activity, about the way that they live their lives.” 

Kennedy ultimately branded wearables as “key” to President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. “My vision is that every American is wearing wearables within four years,” he continued. 

On X, critics warned Kennedy’s comments sounded like a pitch for government-issued trackers that collect personal data, though he never said HHS would distribute the devices itself. 

Some of the gadgets include smartwatches and fitness trackers, which feature technology capable of monitoring blood pressure or running electrocardiograms. 

It’s unclear how many Americans would embrace life-logging government tech or whether Trump would back such a proposal in the first place. 

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