A guest on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” attempted to claim on Sunday’s broadcast that despite reports of pre-dawn raids and the confiscation of electronics, German citizens really do enjoy free speech — until they say something that law enforcement interprets as “hate speech.”
Dr. Matthäus Fink sat down with host Sharyn Alfonsi to discuss the topic, and he explained how the recent raids had played out.
“What’s the typical reaction when the police show up at somebody’s door and they say, ‘Hey, we believe you wrote this on the internet’?” Alfonsi asked.
Fink said that the initial reaction was typically disbelief — mainly because they believed they were entitled to freedom of speech: “They say — in Germany we say, ‘Das wird man ja wohl noch sagen dürfen.’ So we are here with crimes of talking, posting on internet, and the people are surprised that this is really illegal to post these kind of words.”
“They don’t think it was illegal. And they say, ‘No, that’s my free speech.’ And we say, ‘No, you have free speech as well, but it is also has its limits,'” Fink continued.
Fink also revealed during the interview that in addition to posting swastika images or any other Nazi symbols — and even denying the Holocaust – it was also illegal to insult another person in public.
“And it’s a crime to insult them online as well?” Alfonsi asked.
“The fine could be even higher if you insult someone in the internet,” Fink replied, explaining, “Because in internet, it stays there. If we are talking face to face, you insult me, I insult you, okay. Finish. But if you’re in the internet, if I insult you or a politician …”
The interview comes just days after Vice President JD Vance spoke in Munich about the dangers posed by European nations like Germany when they policed the free speech of and even outright censored their people.
“Democracy restson the sacred principle that the voiceof the people matters. There’s no room for firewalls,” Vance said. “You eitheruphold the principal or you don’t.”
It also comes just a few hours after “Face the Nation” host claimed — during an interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio — that the Holocaust had been caused by the fact that “free speech was weaponized.”
Rubio quickly shut Brennan down, explaining that censorship had been one of the hallmarks of the Nazi regime.
CBS News host Margaret Brennan claimed during an interview over the weekend that the Holocaust was caused because free speech was “weaponized.”
The left-wing host made the highly controversial remarks during an interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio while talking about Vice President JD Vance’s speech in Europe last week where he criticized the continent’s leaders for abandoning certain values, like free speech.
“What did all of this accomplish, other than irritating our allies?” Brennan asked.
“Why would our allies or anybody be irritated by free speech and by someone giving their opinion?” Rubio responded. “We are, after all, democracies. The Munich – Munich Security Conference is largely a conference of democracies, in which one of the things that we cherish and value is the ability to speak freely and provide your opinions.”
Rubio said that a lot of things that Vance said “needed to be said” and that it was perplexing that anyone “would be upset about it.”
“People are allowed – you know, you don’t have to agree on someone’s speech,” he said. “I happen to agree with a lot of what he said, but you don’t have to agree with someone’s speech to at least appreciate the fact they have a right to say it and that you should listen to it and see whether those criticisms are valid.”
Brennan responded: “Well, he was standing in a country where free speech was weaponized to conduct a genocide.”
“And he met with the head of a political party that has far-right views and some historic ties to extreme groups,” she claimed. “The context of that was changing the tone of it. And you know that, that the censorship was specifically about the right.”
Rubio fired back: “Well, I have to disagree with you. I have to disagree with you.”
“Free speech was not used to conduct a genocide,” he noted. “The genocide was conducted by an authoritarian Nazi regime that happened to also be genocidal because they hated Jews and they hated minorities and they hated those that they – they had a list of people they hated, but primarily the Jews.”
“There was no free speech in Nazi Germany. There was none,” he continued. “There was also no opposition in Nazi Germany. They were a sole and only party that governed that country. So that’s not an accurate reflection of history.”
WATCH:
This is the first time I’ve heard the theory that the Holocaust wasn’t conducted with gas chambers but with free speech zones. pic.twitter.com/mpWm6UH2F4
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) said over the weekend that America’s ballooning national debt was becoming a serious threat to U.S. national security.
Mullin made the remarks during a Sunday interview on ABC News’ “This Week” with Jonathan Karl when asked about Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cutting wasteful spending in other agencies and departments.
“We hate that anybody’s losing their job, but at the same time, we know that the debt that we have in this country is not manageable, and it’s becoming a national security risk, and we’re spending nearly a trillion dollars a year just in servicing the debt,” Mullin said. “That is scary. We’re spending more on interest payments than we are in our Defense Department now.”
“Anybody will tell you that is a road for disaster,” he continued. “So any time you take over a situation like Elon Musk has had many opportunities and many experiences with taking over businesses, you had to start cutting some of the fat.”
“And unfortunately, the number one expense we have in the United States government right now is payroll, and when you start cutting departments, some people’s jobs are lost,” he added. “And it hurts us because we don’t want anybody to lose their job. But at the same time, we have to get it under control because if we don’t get our debt underneath control, it becomes a national security — can you imagine if we get downgraded?”
He said that if the U.S. gets its credit rating downgraded and the dollar starts losing its value that it could lead to disastrous economic outcomes for the country.
“Our buying power, the ability to invest into the country, the ability to invest in our military starts shrinking, and then we start losing the strength part when we start wanting to be at the negotiating table from peace through strength,” he continued.
WATCH:
When asked about Elon Musk’s efforts to layoff federal employees, GOP Sen. Mullin tells @JonKarl the move is necessary to control debt.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) said over the weekend that President Donald Trump was ready to start increasing pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to force him to end his war in Ukraine.
Mullin made the remarks during a Sunday interview with ABC News’ “This Week” with Jonathan Karl when asked about an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that said Trump was the one who “wants a deal more,” implying that he was not arguing from a position of strength.
“Is President Trump poised to actually really turn the screws on Putin?” Karl asked.
“Absolutely because Putin knows the one person that can truly change the war is the United States,” Mullin responded. “If we went all in for Ukraine, if we went all in with the resources we have, from air superiority to – to the weapons that we can deploy to Ukraine, Putin knows at that point he would be in an extremely negative position.”
“I think that being the opportunity for President Trump to talk to Putin and say, listen, we want to end the war,” he continued. “We don’t want to have to engage more. But we’re not going to allow you to move forward. So, let’s negotiate a peace deal here or you’re going to force our hand to be farther involved. That’s what peace through strength is. It’s negotiating peace, but using strength as a backup. If you make us do something, we will do it.”
“We did this in Syria when President Trump was in office in 2017,” he noted. “You saw that Putin went ahead and engaged with – with – with Syria. They used chemical weapons. And immediately what President Trump did is he bombed the airport and took over the air space that Russia was [in] control over, and he controlled the air space for the remainder of his presidency. So we had the ability to do it and Putin knows that.”
WATCH:
GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin says Pres. Trump has the capability to apply pressure to Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin to negotiate a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said over the weekend that he will not accept any deal made between the United States and Russia about his country unless he is part of the negotiations and agrees with the deal.
Zelensky made the remarks during a Sunday interview with NBC News’ “Meet The Press” with host Kristen Welker when asked about President Donald Trump’s remarks about Ukraine last week.
“He did not say yes when he was asked if he sees Ukraine as an equal member in the peace process,” Welker said. “He did say later that Ukraine would have a seat at the table.”
“Have you been given any assurances that Ukraine will have an equal seat at the negotiating table?” she asked.
“I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine,” He responded. “Never. And our people, never. And our adults, and children, and everybody, it can’t be so.”
“The war in Ukraine is against us, and it is our human losses,” he continued. “And we are thankful for all the support, unity between USA – in USA around Ukraine support, bipartisan unity, bipartisan support, we’re thankful for all of this.”
“But there is not any leader in the world who can really make a deal with
Putin without us about us,” he added. “Of course, the United States can have a lot of decisions, economical partnership, and et cetera. We’re not happy with it, but they can have with Russians. But not about this war without us. And that’s why I think that what we need, very closely to work and quicker.”
He said that the U.S. was the country’s largest strategic partner and that they were ready to share their plan with the U.S. to bring the war to a close.
WATCH:
NOW – Zelensky: “I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine. Never.”pic.twitter.com/mPTfLgJzO8
Daily Wire host Michael Knowles debated 25 LGBT activists on gay marriage, transgenderism, and pride parades on the latest episode of “Surrounded.”
The show features Knowles, a conservative author and podcast host, surrounded by 25 people who disagree with him — in this case, LGBT activists. After Knowles asserts a claim, the activists race to debate him until they are either voted out by their peers or their time expires.
Knowles’ first assertion, that gay marriages does not exist, was met with an activist claiming the ancient Mayan civilization recognized gay marriage. However, when Knowles asked the activist to explain, they were at a loss and asked fellow activists to look it up on Google.
“What was their view of gender?” Knowles asked. “What did the Mayans think? You brought it up, you seemed so confident in this. What did the Mayans think about marriage and gender?”
“What — what, we can talk about differences in the way that they are recognized,” the activist stumbled.
“Can we? I don’t know that you know the difference,” Knowles pressed. “You said that there was a difference, but you haven’t explained how there was a difference. … Do you have an answer?”
“People can look up right now … on Google,” the activist responded, gesturing toward fellow activists.
Knowles laughed and summed up his point. “What people usually do, is they say, ‘Well look, I’m sure that there were all different types of marriage throughout history all over the world.’ And what I’m telling you is, there actually hasn’t been.”
Further backing his assertion, Knowles explained that children have the right to both a mother and a father. “Children do very poorly when they are raised by two men or two women,” Knowles said.
“What about the right of a kid to have his natural mother and father?” he posed. “When the rubber meets the road in gay marriage … it’s the ability to adopt children and in some cases, acquire children by going to the ‘baby store’ and purchasing the eggs of one woman and renting the womb of another woman, and raising children, depriving them intentionally of their natural mothers, and that’s very wrong. And that does infringe on the rights of kids.”
Knowles also claimed that the ideology of transgenderism should be eradicated totally from public life, a claim he’s previously articulated. Knowles explained the harms of the ideology, specifically for girls and women who are having their spaces invaded and opportunities taken from them by males.
Citing a recent United Nations report, Knowles explained that girls and women have lost out on nearly 900 medals at the expense of male athletes who identify as transgender.
One activist, a man who claims to be a woman, claimed the men who won awards over females in girls and women’s sports “deserved them.”
.@michaeljknowles: Men identifying as trans women took 900 sports trophies from real women in recent years
Noting the activist’s prior claim that trans athletes were actually not taking awards from females, Knowles rebutted, “Okay, it’s not happening, and they deserved them. Okay, that is the logic I hear from the pro-trans crowd.”
Later in the episode, Knowles claimed that transgenderism is a social contagion, referencing how fast the ideology is spreading, specifically among youths. Disagreeing with Knowles, a male who believes he’s a female told Knowles that his symptoms of psychological despair and confusion are “gone” since undergoing hormone therapy.
Knowles pointedly asked when the activist received the medical treatment, to which he revealed it was only one year ago.
“I’m telling you it’s going to come back,” Knowles told the activist, explaining that data show there can be a brief reprieve from symptoms after medical intervention, before mental health declines.
“You’re wrong,” the activist responded. “You can’t predict the future, babe.”
“Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky few,” Knowles said. “I’m saying statistically, you probably won’t be.”
“I think you might be really angry at me for telling you the truth.”@michaeljknowles calmly dismantles the myth that cross-sex mimicry brings true happiness in front of a clearly struggling trans activist.
“You’re talking over me because you don’t want to hear this, but I’m telling you that the largest data set, the largest study every conducted to follow the long-term outcomes of transgender-identifying people, found that not only did their suicide rates and depression not improve, their anxiety actually went up.”
One activist told Knowles that his “energy” exposes that he actually wants to “erase LGBT people and our history.”
“All I’ve been doing is coming here and citing historical examples and citing a lot of scientific studies and telling you explicitly that I’m talking about an ideology that is not conducive to the flourishing of anyone, and for the good of everyone, including you guys, I would like to see a restoration of sensibility. And every time I say something like that, you say, ‘Nah man, I just kinda feel the vibes that you hate us and want to erase us all.’ And I don’t know where you’re getting that from.”
The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles has a heated exchange with an LGBTQ+ person who claims “we are here in this room today because of black trans women,” and asks if Michael would like to see the “thong” he is wearing under his clothes. “I don’t need you to show me that.”
The White House is calling out what it says is “another hoax” after the media and at least one Democrat in Congress perpetuated allegations that the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was releasing classified information.
It started on Friday with the left-leaning HuffPost reporting that DOGE, which is led by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, was posting to its new website classified information about the size and staff at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
An unnamed Defense Intelligence Agency employee claimed DOGE posted “secret” data, resulting in people “scrambling to check if their info has been accessed.” Anonymous Senate aides claimed NRO’s headcount and budget were classified over concerns about foreign adversaries taking advantage of it.
Upon initial publication, HuffPo’s report quoted an NRO spokesperson deferring questions about the data to DOGE. HuffPo’s story also said the White House did not immediately return a request for comment. It was updated later, after publication, with a White House denial.
Other news outlets picked up on the report. The Daily Beast re-aggregated it. ABC News also pursued the story, citing its own intelligence community sources who asserted that what DOGE did likely represented a significant breach. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) also pushed the notion.
“Yesterday, the DOGE guys post classified information on their website, and they had to realize, oh, we didn’t realize that agency was a classified agency. You shouldn’t let people run rampage through offices that have classified information,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
But, as former House investigator and journalist Jerry Dunleavy pointed out in a series of posts on X, the NRO headcount information is publicly available on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website and DOGE says on its site that workforce data comes from OPM.
“DOGE even says under “Sources” that it’s pulling its data from OPM’s publicly available data set as of March 2024,” he said. “OPM posted then NRO has 1,097 employees. DOGE posts now NRO has 1,097 employees. So… is the claim here that OPM has been publicly posting classified info for years?”
An email from White House Principal Deputy Communications Director Alex Pfeiffer said the “controversy” is really just DOGE reformatting data that is already publicly available and denying that there was a “breach” of sensitive information.
“DOGE is sharing OPM data from under the Biden administration,” Pfeiffer said in a statement. “The headcount for this agency is publicly available on OPM’s website. These attacks are just another hoax meant to undermine the great work the Trump Administration is doing.”
Border Czar Tom Homan doubled down on his call for the Department of Justice to get involved in response to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) advising illegal aliens how to avoid federal immigration authorities.
Homan made the remarks during a Sunday interview on “State of the Union” when asked about his comments from last week.
“Are you suggesting that she should be prosecuted?” host Dana Bash asked.
“I’m asking the Department of Justice, who are the prosecutors and decide who they prosecute and what the standards of that prosecution is,” he said. “I simply said, at what point is that impeding? Because you can call it ‘know your rights’ all you want, we all know the bottom line is. The bottom line is how they evade law enforcement. Don’t open your door. Don’t answer questions.”
“We’re talking about people here in the country illegally with a criminal conviction who had due process, at great taxpayer expense, and were ordered deported by a federal judge, but became a fugitive,” he continued. “And we’re talking about don’t open your door to ICE, you don’t have to answer questions. I think it’s more about how they evade law enforcement not to get arrested, even though there’s a federal warrant for your arrest, how they evade that, rather than know your rights.”
“They have the right to know their rights,” he added. “The Constitution said they have the right to certain rights. But I hope to God we’re not educating people are going to be the next murder of a college student. I have said it before, if we would have had access to the man who murdered Laken Riley in New York, he would never made it to Georgia to kill a woman.”
Homan mocked Ocasio-Cortez for claiming that he was only “vaguely” familiar of America’s immigration laws.
“I have done this since 1984. I forgot more about the immigration law than AOC will ever know,” he said. “Matter of fact, at a hearing couple years ago, I had explained to her that entering the country illegally was actually a crime. So I’m not going to play that game with her. I simply made a statement. When you sit down with people who are wanted by us, criminal aliens that been ordered to be deported from the United States government and ignore that order, if you and I ignore that order, we’d be sitting in prison.”
“But they ignore their order from a federal judge, they’re hiding in a home, and she’s telling them not to open the door,” he said. “Now, I’m not saying that’s illegal. What I’m saying is, I asked the attorney general, at what point is it impeding and what point is it not impeding?”
WATCH:
“I have done this since 1984. I forgot more about the immigration law than AOC will ever know.”
Trump border czar Tom Homan doubles down on his criticism after previously suggesting Rep. @AOC was “going to be in trouble” for a webinar advising immigrants of their rights when… pic.twitter.com/ebcPeKDIrd
Border Czar Tom Homan pushed back over the weekend against suggestions that there was a corrupt deal between President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Eric Adams that led to Adams allowing local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials in removing illegal aliens from the city.
Homan made the remarks during a Sunday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” when asked if federal corruption charges against Adams were dropped in-exchange for Adams’ compliance with executing Trump’s immigration agenda.
“No, I think that’s ridiculous,” Homan responded. “Me and Mayor Adams met a couple months ago. I think it was probably eight, nine weeks ago we met. And we had the same discussion. And we talked about getting a presence in Rikers Island. We talked about how we can collaborate on public safety threats and finding the missing children that were — that can be found after they release the sponsors.”
“We had that a couple months ago, long before this other discussion,” he continued. “So I don’t think it had anything to do with it. Matter of fact, the meeting went very well. It was the same meeting we had a few weeks ago. The reason we had the follow-up meeting because there was no action being done.”
Homan pushed back against claims that he was unsatisfied with the previous meeting that he’d had with Adams.
“No, I didn’t come out of that meeting unsatisfied,” he said. “After several weeks, I was taken back that we hadn’t gotten the action yet about getting to Rikers Island.”
“So we rescheduled the meeting to talk about, OK, well, we talked about how — what things we need to put in place how we can make this happen,” he continued. “And that’s what the meeting Thursday was about. And we came out Thursday with a plan in how we can get in Rikers Island in the Criminal Intelligence Division, so we can understand who’s in there, who’s foreign-born in Rikers Island that’s a significant public safety threat.”
“We also talked about how we can collaborate on the missing children, many of them are going to be in New York City,” he added. “And that’s what we talked about. I really don’t think it had anything to do with whatever’s going on in Justice Department. We never talked about that. It’s kind of out of my lane.”
“No, I think that’s ridiculous… I don’t think it had anything to do with it.”
White House border czar Tom Homan denies allegations of a quid pro quo between New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Trump administration, after Adams agreed to give ICE access to Rikers Island… pic.twitter.com/tXMvcymLwg
President Donald Trump attended NASCAR’s Daytona 500 race on Sunday.
The 67th rendition of the famous auto-racing event is taking place at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. One of Trump’s aides, Dan Scavino, posted a video to X showing a look from inside Air Force One during a flyover above the venue.
Trump, who previously attended the Daytona 500 as president during his first term in 2020, later could be seen arriving in a motorcade. “The Beast” even took a lap around the Daytona International Speedway.
“Today, I look forward to joining tens of thousands of American Patriots in Daytona Beach, Florida, for the ‘Great American Race’ — the legendary Daytona 500 — and the official start to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series,” Trump said in a statement. “This iconic race showcases the fastest, most fearless drivers in motorsports, who represent our Nation’s love of tradition, competition, and automotive innovation. The Daytona 500 brings together people from all walks of life — from lifelong racing fans to first-time spectators — they all join in celebrating a shared passion for speed, adrenaline, and the thrill of the race. From the roar of the engines on the track to the echo of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ soaring through the stands, the Daytona 500 is a timeless tribute to the speed, strength, and unyielding spirit that make America great. That spirit is what will fuel America’s Golden Age, and if we harness it, the future is truly ours.”
“Since the very beginning, NASCAR has carried forth a proud tradition of honoring our heroic Service members for their unwavering courage. While fans from around the world gather today at Daytona International Speedway, we extend our unending gratitude to the selfless men and women in uniform who risk their lives to keep us safe. When the engines start or the checkered flag waves, and all 500 thrilling miles in between, our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Guardians stand ready to defend cherished traditions like this—and for that, we are truly thankful,” Trump added. “Melania and I send our best wishes for a safe and successful race. May God bless our Armed Forces, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.”
Last weekend, Trump attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. The Daily Wire reported how Trump took a swipe at Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and had endorsed now-former Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election, with a post to Truth Social that noted how fans booed the singer when she was shown on TV.
“The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift. She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!” he wrote on social media, adding video clips of her getting booed and another shot of the crowd cheering the American flag.
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has “cracked the code” on how to break the “deep state” with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Johnson told Mark Levin, host of “Life, Liberty, and Levin” on Fox News in an interview that aired Saturday night, that he met with Musk for an hour at the DOGE leader’s office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building last week.
The speaker noted that Musk has been working out of the old Secretary of War Suite and “we laughed about how appropriate that is because he’s declared war on the deep state and the bureaucracy.”
Johnson added, “You have Democrats now out having rallies to stop him. What is he doing? He’s identifying and allowing us to cut out fraud, waste, and abuse. How could they be against that? It’s irrational. It’s going to work against them.”
Later in the interview, Levin got Johnson to agree that Democrats are being hypocritical for opposing Musk’s work to transform the government via DOGE after they embraced another wealthy billionaire, George Soros, who has influenced policy.
Johnson also talked about how Musk is helping Congress perform its constitutional duty to keep the Executive Branch in check by providing a level of transparency that has been lacking in recent decades.
“The oversight job has been hindered because the deep state and the bureaucracy has not turned over the data. They wouldn’t give us the information we were seeking. We didn’t know all this because it was hidden,” Johnson said.
“Now Elon has cracked the code. He is on the inside of the belly of the beast, Mark,” the speaker added. “And he is unveiling and revealing all these things that we knew intuitively were happening but we didn’t have the evidence.”
Johnson concluded his comments by emphasizing, “This is a game changer. It is truly revolutionary and we’re going to restore ultimately through this process the federal government to the original intent of the Founders.”
The speaker added, “And that’s what has the the Big Government socialist liberals and Democrat Party apoplectic because they’re afraid of what the final result of this is going to be and it’s very exciting for the people.”
His bond was originally set at $800,000, but it was recently dropped to $100 for each charge, for a total of $200, with the conditions that Morson wear a GPS monitor, remain under house arrest and not contact the family of the victim or potential witnesses, CBS Austin first reported.
Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock told Fox News Digital that Morson's punishment was "not enough."
"For a man accused of murder to have his bond reduced so low that he’s able to walk free is a slap in the face to Austinites who could potentially become the next victim. The revolving door of violent criminals constantly released back onto the streets of Austin is exactly why we have seen violent crime increase," Bullock said.
He added: "The District Attorney, County Attorney, and Judges here have clearly demonstrated they are not interested in looking after the safety of Austinites nor working with law enforcement. All they are interested in is their own political agenda. We’ve seen criminals released on bond who, while free, kill someone. The real question is when will enough be enough?"
Bullock said this is not the first time Travis County judges and magistrates have drastically reduced bond for a person accused of murder or sexual assault.
"This is not exclusive to just one judge. This has happened across multiple different courts," Bullock said. "We’ve had some where they may not reoffend, but then we’ve had others who do reoffend. People that get out on bond and they murder someone else when they’re already accused of a violent crime."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also commented on Morson's release and called the move "outrageous."
"This is outrageous. It's why I made bail reform an Emergency Item," Abbott wrote in a post on X.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also backed Abbott and said he is ready to play "hardball" to keep violent offenders from being released on bail during a special session last week to pass a bail reform package.
On Wednesday, the bills cleared the first of many obstacles to becoming law. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee passed the bail reform package by a vote of 6-0.
"I’m grateful that Gov. Abbott declared bail reform an emergency item for the current legislative session. Too many innocent people, both citizens and law enforcement officers, have become targets of criminals due to irresponsible bail amounts that allow violent criminals to go free," Bullock said. "We are a nation of law and order, but activist judges and prosecutors that are interested in their own agenda rather than the law are eroding that principle."
Crime victims' advocates in Texas have been trying to get tougher bail legislation on the books for years, especially in certain cases involving egregious crimes. In years past, many criminal offenders in Harris County were released on low bond or no bond at all, with some going on to reoffend, sometimes violently, according to Rania Mankarious, the CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office but did not immediately receive a response.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
William Byron won the Dayton 500, which was a marathon on Sunday night, after rain delays and yellow caution flags ultimately led to some overtime laps.
And those two overtime laps were an absolute thrill that saw multiple spin-outs and crashes that allowed Byron to win the Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year.
Six of the last eight Daytona 500 races have ended in overtime.
The Trump administration has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, hoping to get permission to fire the head of the federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers.
The emergency appeal, obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday, could likely be the start of a steady stream of court filings by lawyers of President Donald Trump and his administration aimed at reversing lower court rulings that have delayed his priorities for his second term in office.
The appeal seeks to prevent Hampton Dellinger from resuming his role as the head of the Office of Special Counsel.
A lower court judge previously temporarily reinstated Dellinger to his position, which he was appointed to by former President Joe Biden. Now, the Department of Justice is calling on the high court to lift the judge’s order.
Dellinger has argued that by law, he can only be dismissed from his position for job performance problems, which were not cited in an email dismissing him from his post.
The Trump administration’s petition came hours after an appeals court refused to lift the order on procedural grounds, which was filed last Wednesday and is expected to expire on Feb. 26.
The case is not expected to be placed on the docket until the Supreme Court returns after the Presidents' Day holiday weekend. Once filed, the earliest the justices will be able to act will be Tuesday.
Dellinger sued the Trump administration in D.C. federal court last Monday following his firing on Feb. 7.
The Trump administration has been met with a wave of lawsuits since Inauguration Day, and legal experts say many of them will likely end up in the Supreme Court's hands.
"President Trump is certainly being aggressive in terms of flexing executive power and not at all surprised that these are being challenged," John Malcolm, vice president of the Institute for Constitutional Government at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital last week.
Trump kicked off his second term with a flurry of executive orders and directives that have since been targeted by a flood of legal challenges.
Since Trump's first day back in the Oval Office, more than 40 lawsuits have been filed over the administration's actions, including the president's birthright citizenship order, immigration policies, federal funding freezes, federal employee buyouts, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and legal action against FBI and DOJ employees.
In one of the most recent developments, a Rhode Island federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze federal funds, claiming the administration did not adhere to a previous order to do so. The Trump administration appealed the order to the First Circuit shortly thereafter, which was ultimately denied.
Many of these lawsuits have been filed in historically left-leaning federal court jurisdictions, including D.C. federal court. Various challenges have already been appealed to the appellate courts, including the Ninth and First Circuits, which notably hand down more progressive rulings. The Ninth Circuit, in particular, has a higher reversal rate than other circuit courts.
Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin is walking back his bullying accusations against his former teammate, Richie Incognito, which caused quite the scandal in 2013.
"I never believed for a second I was being bullied," Martin told ESPN. "It’s a story that I’ve been trying to fix for 10 years."
Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins in 2013 after reports that he bullied Martin to the point where the latter stormed out of the team’s cafeteria as a result of what was said.
Martin, a second-round pick by the Dolphins in 2012, was in his second NFL season when the bullying controversy surrounded him and Incognito.
The Dolphins later announced that Incognito was suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team."
The league eventually got involved, retaining lawyer Ted Wells to investigate the incident, which found that Incognito, Mike Pouncey and John Jerry had all been engaging in bullying toward Martin.
The NFL’s report on the matter also said that Martin checked himself into a hospital and his mother needed to be flown across the country to be with him during that time.
But now, Martin is blaming his parents for the situation becoming as widely known as it is today.
"I had a situation with my teammates that I wasn’t super happy about," Martin told ESPN. "But my mother had her own read on the situation.
"I hadn’t even told my coaches, hadn’t told anyone. And suddenly it’s on ESPN, right?" he continued. "I didn’t believe any of the stances I was taking, right, where I’m this victim. I wasn’t a victim, right? And again, it’s been a point of consternation.
"My mother maybe in her mind – I can’t read her mind – she thought she was doing the right thing."
Incognito, who missed the second half of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 campaign due to the scandal, responded after seeing Martin’s new words on the matter.
"He couldn’t cut it in the NFL so he quit and his mom blamed me," he said, bluntly on X. "Legacy media pushed this narrative long and far. Too bad it was all a lie! They lied to protect his money. He quit…the team had every right to claw back that money. His mom started the bullying narrative with @espn @AdamSchefter so that @MiamiDolphins wouldn’t go after his signing bonus!"
While Martin’s mother, Jane, did not speak with ESPN for the interview, his father, Gus, did say his piece.
"His mom and I did strongly intervene," he said. "To make sure he was protected."
Gus Martin also played an alleged voice from Incognito, which was left for his son at the time. The man on the phone who is allegedly Incognito threatens Jonathan Martin, using graphic language including racial slurs.
"Hey, what’s up, you half-n----- piece of s---," Incognito allegedly says. "I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. I’ll s--- in your f---ing mouth. I’m going to slap your f---ing mouth, I’m going to slap your real mother across the face. F--- you, you’re still a rookie. I’ll kill you."
Martin would eventually get traded to the San Francisco 49ers during the offseason after the bullying allegations were brought to light. However, he only played 15 games there before retiring after going to Carolina Panthers training camp the year after.
Meanwhile, Incognito signed with the Buffalo Bills after his suspension was lifted by the league. He spent three seasons in upstate New York before joining the then-Oakland Raiders.
During an appearance on "HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" in 2019, Incognito denied ever bullying his former teammate, blaming Martin’s "mental health issues and his demons" for being out of the league.
Incognito added, "I fit the bill. Hey, racist, homophobic, whatnot. What I’m saying was, we were close, personal friends. It wasn’t factored into, ‘Hey, this is guy talk, these are two alpha males talking to each other.’ Was some bad s--t said? Absolutely. But was this a case of bullying? Absolutely not."
A curious, energetic, smart, outgoing and thoughtful little boy.
That’s how family, friends and teachers say they will remember 5-year-old Thomas Cooper who tragically died inside a hyperbaric chamber at a medical facility in Troy, Michigan, last month.
The descriptions form part of a heartfelt obituary written about Cooper ahead of a memorial visitation held on Thursday, about two weeks after he died.
Cooper was receiving treatment inside a chamber, a pressurized container containing 100% oxygen, when it suddenly exploded at The Oxford Center at 165 Kirts Blvd.
Police and fire officials said he was dead inside the chamber when they arrived on the scene, while his mother Annie, who was also inside the room, suffered injuries to her arm.
Cooper, who was in preschool, was always on the move and loved looking out for his younger brother, who was his best friend, according to the obituary.
"His favorite thing to do was play Minecraft on his Nintendo Switch, as he loved to show his Mommy and Daddy the things he could create," the tribute reads.
"His favorite activities were running, jumping, rolling and stomping … He wanted to grow up to be a chef because that meant he could ‘cook with Mommy and Daddy and stay with them forever.’"
The boy was receiving treatment for sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder at the Oxford Center, James Harrington, an attorney for the family told NBC Washington.
The chambers are used to provide Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and a typical chamber can hold one person. It requires the patient to lie down in the tube-shaped device that looks like an MRI machine and breathe the oxygen. A hyperbaric chamber contains up to three times the amount of oxygen than a normal room.
Harrington said the boy’s parents were hopeful the services would improve his quality of life.
"This wasn’t some type of lifesaving measure that was absolutely needed," Harrington told the outlet. "It was just a mother who was trying to help her son with some conditions that he had and was promised that with these conditions and this treatment, that they would be able to help."
"Annie was trying to help her child as any parent would — as good parents do."
Harrington, who is a managing partner of Fieger Law in Southfield, Michigan, said the boy had received multiple sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy at the center before tragedy struck.
It’s unclear what caused the chamber to explode. The family intends on filing a lawsuit to prevent a similar incident from taking place again, Harrington said, adding that the boy’s parents are "absolutely devastated."
The obituary also mentions that Cooper loved to make art and was constantly curious about the world around him and liked to know how things worked.
"At night, he liked to listen to audiobooks as he tried to go to sleep, with some of his favorites being Yoto Daily, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach," the obituary reads.
As well as being used to tackle sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the devices are also used to treat a variety of other health problems, including carbon monoxide poisoning, diabetic foot ulcers, anemia, infection of the skin and bone and vision loss.
Such devices require FDA clearance to ensure that they are approved to be used as intended and are safe and effective.
HBOY is also well known for treating scuba and deep-sea divers affected by the rapid change in pressure around them, according to the FDA.
In a statement to the Detroit Free Press immediately after the incident, The Oxford Center spokesperson Andrew Kistner wrote that the cause of the explosion is unknown.
"As law enforcement officials have shared, at our location in Troy, Michigan this morning, a fire started inside of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The child being treated in that chamber did not survive and the child’s mother was injured," the statement reads.
"The safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority. Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We… will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place."
The location is temporarily closed while authorities investigate the deadly incident, NBC Washington reported. No charges have been filed, per the outlet citing police.
In May 2009, an explosion of a pressurized oxygen chamber killed a 4-year-old and his 62-year-old grandmother. Authorities said a blast dislodged a tube attached to the hyperbaric chamber, which resulted in an explosion and flash fire, according to CBS.
A San Diego migrant shelter is closing its doors and laying off more than 100 employees because of funding and policy changes under the Trump administration.
The Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which has operated a regional migrant shelter for over six years, announced it will close its facility and lay off 115 employees due to "changes in federal funding and policy."
"Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is working to meet the evolving needs of the community in response to recent and anticipated federal policy changes," the organization previously said.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) said they have not received new asylum-seeking families or individuals since the CBP One phone app went down on Jan. 20.
The app, which ultimately allowed immigrants to be paroled into the U.S., was created during the first Trump administration to assist with scheduling cargo inspections.
It expanded in 2023 to allow migrants to make an appointment at a port of entry to be allowed in, initially due to an exception from the Title 42 public health order. Since May, they had the potential to be paroled into the U.S. as part of the Biden administration’s expansion of "lawful pathways."
As of the end of December, more than 936,500 individuals had made appointments to be paroled through the app, according to Customs and Border Protection.
"With migrants no longer able to use the CBP One application, the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) Migrant Shelter Services, operated by JFS, has not received new asylum-seeking families and individuals released from short term federal custody into our care. Due to these changes in federal funding and policy, the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services will be paused until there is better understanding of future community needs," the statement continued.
The organization added that they were "focusing its immigration efforts on providing pro bono legal services and community support resources."
"We’ve been preparing for these changes in federal policies and enforcement," said CEO Michael Hopkins. "While there are no longer individuals or families seeking asylum released from short-term federal immigration custody to our Shelter Services, we are seeing increased needs for immigration legal assistance and other social service supports to vulnerable San Diegans. We’re also continuing to collaborate with our community partners to explore new ways to offer assistance."
The organization received $22,077,365 in taxpayer-funded FEMA money in Fiscal Year 2024 despite claiming they received no funds, according to grant records on the FEMA website.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Jewish Family Service of San Diego and FEMA but did not immediately receive a statement.
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Muhsin Hendricks, known as the world's first openly gay imam, was shot and killed in South Africa over the weekend, as authorities investigate whether the murder was a hate crime.
In a statement obtained by the BBC, police said that Hendricks was killed Saturday morning while traveling near the city of Gqeberha in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province. His car was reportedly ambushed.
"Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle," authorities said.
Hendricks founded the Inner Circle, a safe haven for gay Muslims, shortly after coming out as an openly gay imam in 1996. He was previously married to a woman before divorcing her the same year that he came out.
"The Inner Circle is the longest standing, largest and most influential human rights organization in the world that deals with Islam, gender and sexual diversity from an Islamic theological perspective," the organization's website reads. "The Inner Circle works internationally and supports international affiliate organizations to do similar work, within an Islamic framework."
In a statement, the Cape Town Ulama Board – an organization of Sunni leaders – condemned the murder but said its views do "not align with the views of the deceased."
"We maintain that Islamic teachings firmly condemn violence, murder or such actions that undermine the rule of law and destabilize society," the statement read. "Thus, the Cape Town Ulama Board urges our communities to allow the law to investigate the incident, and by following due process, we hope to maintain peace and order."
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) said in a statement that they believe the killing "may be a hate crime."
"He supported and mentored so many people in South Africa and around the world in their journey to reconcile with their faith, and his life has been a testament to the healing that solidarity across communities can bring in everyone’s lives," ILGA Executive Director Julia Ehrt said. "Our condolences go out to all who have been touched by his presence in all these years."
In 2022, Hendricks raised concerns about a fatwa condemning homosexuality issued by the Muslim Judicial Council. The ruling found that homosexuality is incompatible with Islam, and said that gay Muslims "have taken themselves out of the fold of Islam."
"While it did not come as a complete shock, it has left me sore considering that it was released when we just had Pride Month," Hendricks said at the time. "The phrase homosexual was only coined in the 18th century and the Qu’ran has been around way longer before that, so how can there be scriptures condemning same-sex relationships?"
Authorities are actively investigating the incident. No additional details are known at this time.
Blake Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds stepped out publicly for the first time in more than two months as they waded deeper into a legal back-and-forth with her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.
Lively, 37, and Reynolds were on hand at The Crane Club in New York City to celebrate Chris Rock's 60th birthday, and they posed for a photo with legendary comedian Chevy Chase in images shared on Instagram Sunday.
The following night, Lively and Reynolds, 48, made their first red carpet appearance in months for the "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary show at Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center.
The Hollywood power couple has remained relatively low profile since Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, 41, in December. Her legal team last week initiated discovery to subpoena his phone records, only for Baldoni's lawyers to accuse the "Gossip Girl" actress of acting as the "FBI" in requesting the "broad, invasive, and atypical" subpoena in a motion filed Friday.
"Jay and I went The Crane Club downtown to join the celebrations for @chrisrock 's 60th Birthday, hosted by @guyoseary," Chase captioned the snap with Lively and Reynolds. "So much talent! Such funny and nice guys! Made me miss my dear friend, Richard Pryor. He should’ve been there."
Chase shared photos with Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Steven Spielberg, Bill Murray, David Spade and a number of the "Saturday Night Live" cast members in town for the show's 50th anniversary special.
"Blake Lively?! Ryan Reynolds? Fire your social media person," another fan wrote. "This shows you support the Hollywood Bullies. The ones trying to crush the small guy."
Another fan simply wrote, "So many legends! I wouldn’t know where to look!"
While Lively and Reynolds haven't been spotted together since Dec. 3, their court battle with Baldoni continues on. Their legal team last week subpoenaed Baldoni's phone records and others involved in the courtroom showdown over an alleged plot to ruin the actress' reputation. Lively accused Baldoni of setting out on a smear campaign after allegedly sexually harassing the "Gossip Girl" star on the set of "It Ends With Us."
On Friday, his legal team filed its own motion for a discovery dispute concerning a "flagrantly overbroad" subpoena served by Lively and Reynolds, in documents obtained by Fox News Digital. Baldoni's lawyers claimed the "Lively Parties" are seeking information over a period of multiple years dating back to Dec. 2022.
"It is hard to overstate how broad, invasive, and atypical these Subpoenas truly are," the motion stated. "This is civil litigation, not a criminal prosecution, and the Lively Parties are not the FBI. Yet the Subpoenas seek not only the complete call and text history of each of the targets over a period of several years (no matter the sender, recipient, or subject matter) but also, over the same period, real-time location information and data logs reflecting, among other things, web browsing history."
Baldoni's lawyers claim the information sought by the subpoena is "wildly disproportionate to the needs of the case and unnecessarily invades the privacy of untold numbers of third parties, including family, friends, business partners, and—quite literally—any other person with whom any of the targets have communicated with over a period of years."
Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more made by Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department on Dec. 20 and later in federal court on Dec. 31.
The same day Lively filed her federal suit, Baldoni filed a $250 million suit against the New York Times for a December article about the alleged smear campaign Baldoni attempted to run against his co-star.
Weeks later, Baldoni then named Lively and Reynolds in a separate $400 million defamation lawsuit in which he accused the Hollywood power couple of attempting to hijack "It Ends With Us" and create their own narrative.
The Philadelphia Eagles were clearly a confident team heading into Super Bowl LIX, despite the Kansas City Chiefs going against them looking for their third straight Lombardi Trophy.
Saquon Barkley’s pre-game speech, which was filmed leading up to the "Big Game," proved that confidence was high for one of the team’s most important players.
Barkley, along with other senior members of the Eagles, gave a team speech in which he delivered a fiery assessment of the matchup ahead.
"As I watch film throughout the whole week, my confidence grows even more, and I hope you guys are feeling the same thing. These guys can’t f--- with us. They really can’t."
The Eagles were riding high from a blowout victory over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship to earn their spot in the Super Bowl.
But all week talk about potential NFL history for the Chiefs was discussed, and no matter how good a team may be, it could be a daunting task to face a team that has won back-to-back NFL titles.
However, Barkley was frank with how he felt about the Chiefs’ comfortability in this game.
"I don’t care how many times they’ve been here," Barkley continued. "I don’t care how many times they’ve won it. They haven’t seen a team like this."
Barkley’s words were proven true as the Chiefs looked like the team not ready for the moment while the Eagles blew them out, 40-22, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans to win the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was named Super Bowl LIX MVP, also gave a speech that was recorded as well. He said that going to the Super Bowl two seasons ago was a life-changing moment.
"I put on a good show, but I left that motherf---er empty," Hurts said, referencing the close loss the Eagles had against Kansas City in the end.
"Ask yourself how you want to be remembered," Hurts said to his teammates.
In the end, this Eagles team will be remembered not only as the squad that halted NFL history, but also as one of the best teams ever assembled to win it all.
And while the play on the field is the main grab, the mindset was clearly set by the team’s stars to get them prepared for what was to come on game day.
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