01 Trending

US senator says margaritas in photo with wrongly deported man planted by El Salvador – as it happened | US news– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Speaking to reporters at Dulles airport in Washington on Friday afternoon, the senator Chris Van Hollen just accused the government of El Salvador of creating the hoax he called “Margarita-gate”, by placing a pair of cocktail glasses on the table between himself and Kilmar Ábrego García as they met the night before, to make it look as though they were enjoying drinks.

Those photographs were posted on X by El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, along with a caption that downplayed the seriousness of the situation by falsely claiming that the senator and the wrongly deported man had been “sipping margaritas” as they met on Thursday evening.

But the senator said that the drinks were placed there during the meeting by someone from the Salvadoran government before the photographs were taken and that neither he nor Ábrego García had touched them. Van Hollen pointed out that there was visual evidence for this in the photographs: the rims of both glasses were covered in salt or sugar, but it was clear from the images that neither glass had been drunk from, since the rims were undisturbed.

House Oversight Chairman DENIES Democrats’ Request for Taxpayer-Funded El Salvador Trip: “Pay For It Yourself”– wltreport.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

House Oversight Chairman James Comer has denied a request from two Democrat Representatives who sought approval of funds to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador.

Reps. Robert Garcia and Maxwell Frost had asked to receive funds from the Congressional budget (that’s taxpayer money) to fly down to El Salvador and meet with alleged MS-13 gang member and wife-beater Abrego Garcia.

Comer bluntly shut down the request, telling the Democrat Congressmen that he will “not approve a single dime of taxpayer funds” to be used for such a purpose. He noted that Democrat Sen. Van Hollen already visited Abrego Garcia.

“If you also wish to meet with him, you can spend your own money,” he stated.

Trump slams ‘weak’ judges as deportation row intensifies– economictimes.indiatimes.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

The clash over President Donald Trump‘s bid to exercise unprecedented powers in deporting migrants deepened Sunday as he again bashed the judiciary, while a top Democrat warned the country was “closer and closer” to a constitutional crisis.

The latest events followed a dramatic intervention by the Supreme Court in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday to temporarily block Trump‘s use of an obscure law to deport Venezuelan migrants without due process.

Trump lashed out Sunday on his Truth Social platform, not specifically naming the high court but slamming the “WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten!”

Samuel Alito, one of two conservative high-court justices to vote against the halt, called the emergency ruling by the court’s majority “legally questionable.”

“Literally in the middle of the night, the Court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief… without hearing from the opposing party,” Alito wrote in his dissent.

 

AI finds new ways to observe the most extreme events in the universe– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Extreme cosmic events such as colliding black holes or the explosions of stars can cause ripples in spacetime, so-called gravitational waves. Their discovery opened a new window into the universe. To observe them, ultra-precise detectors are required. Designing them remains a major scientific challenge for humans.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have been working on how an artificial intelligence system could explore an unimaginably vast space of possible designs to find entirely new solutions. The results were recently published in the journal Physical Review X.

More than a century ago, Einstein theoretically predicted gravitational waves. They could only be directly detected in 2016 because the development of the necessary detectors was extremely complex. Dr. Mario Krenn, head of the research group ›Artificial Scientist Lab‹ at MPL, in collaboration with the team of LIGO (“Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory”), who built those detectors successfully, has designed an AI-based algorithm called ›Urania‹ to design novel interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Interferometry describes a measurement method which uses the interference of waves, i.e. their superposition when they meet. Detector design requires optimizing both layout and parameters. The scientists have converted this challenge into a continuous optimization problem and solved it using methods inspired by modern machine learning. They have found many new experimental designs which outperform the best known next-generation detectors. These results have the potential to improve the range of detectable signals by more than an order of magnitude.

U.S. pastor Josh Sullivan, abducted at gunpoint in South Africa, rescued in shootout, authorities say– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Josh Sullivan, a U.S. pastor abducted at gunpoint while delivering a sermon in his church in South Africa Thursday evening has been rescued in a shootout that left three suspected dead, authorities say.

According to a statement issued by the “Hawks” — a specialized police unit that investigates serious crimes — Sullivan, 45, was abducted at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell Township outside the coastal city of Gqeberha and was being held in a safehouse in that city.

The Hawks say numerous police agencies acting on tips went to the house Tuesday and saw a vehicle. Suspects in the vehicle tried to flee, opening fire on the officers as they did and “the officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout” in which the three suspects were killed.

Sullivan was found in the vehicle “miraculously unharmed,” the statement says, adding that he was “immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition.

Muslim Gunmen Massacre at Least 40 Christians in Nigeria on Palm Sunday, 113 Killed Since March– www.cbn.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

At least 40 people were killed in a brutal attack on a Christian farming community in north-central Nigeria late Sunday night, according to President Bola Tinubu. The attackers, who were reported as being Muslim gunmen, struck on Palm Sunday in the Zike community, located in Bassa, Plateau State.

Open Doors reports this latest attack brings the death toll to around 113 people who have been killed in an ongoing spate of attacks in Plateau State since the end of March. The watchdog group reports Muslim Fulani militants have attacked at least eight communities, destroying more than 300 homes and displacing 3,000 people.

In the last few weeks, the militants killed 3 Christians who were in the middle of farming their land, 11 Christians who had gathered for a funeral – including a pregnant woman and a ten-year-old girl – and at least five Christian women who had gathered for fellowship.

In the Palm Sunday attack, Andy Yakubu, a resident of Zike, said homes were looted and set ablaze during the onslaught, and the death toll could exceed 50. At the last count, an Open Doors contact reported, “43 people were killed, several houses were burnt down with people inside.”

Hamas says it has lost contact with US-Israeli hostage in Gaza– www.bbc.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Hamas says it has “lost contact” with the group of fighters holding an Israeli-American hostage captive in Gaza following an Israeli strike on their location.

The 21-year-old soldier, Edan Alexander, has appeared in videos released by the group in recent days.

Israel had asked for him to be released on day one of a new 45-day ceasefire proposal put forward last week which has been rejected by Hamas.

Hamas on Tuesday did not indicate when contact had been lost and has not produced any evidence for their claim. Israel regularly asserts it avoids hitting locations where it believes hostages are being held.

“We announce that we have lost contact with the group holding soldier Edan Alexander following a direct strike on their location,” Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said in a statement.

“We are still trying to reach them at this moment,” he added.

Activist ‘Minister’ Backing Karmelo Anthony Has Dark, Violent Past– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Dominique Alexander, a self-described minister and activist with a violent history, has thrown his weight behind Karmelo Anthony, the young teen accused of fatally stabbing fellow teen Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet.

Alexander recently celebrated Anthony’s release on bond via an X post, stating, “Karmelo Anthony is SAFE at home,” framing it as a community victory. However, Alexander’s extensive criminal history raises questions about his credibility as an advocate.

In 2009, Alexander was arrested for causing serious bodily injury to a 2-year-old child, resulting in a subdural hemorrhage and retinal hemorrhages, injuries doctors attributed to abusive head trauma, according to the Dallas Observer.

Alexander admitted to shaking the child but claimed the injuries were accidental. He faced a first-degree felony charge but avoided significant jail time through plea deals and probation.

In 2016, he was sentenced to five years for probation violations, though he served only eight days, according to The Dallas Express.

Alleged Murderer Karmelo Anthony Enters Grifter Hall of Fame After What He Did With Donations – RedState– redstate.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

In a sign of just how depraved society has become, the case immediately became a racial issue despite Anthony, who is black, being the one who allegedly murdered Metcalf. Donations poured into Anthony’s GoFundMe campaign for his “legal defense,” and posts like this were made calling for “justice,” not for the boy who was killed, but for the alleged killer.

Karmelo Anthony on house arrest in lavish $900,000 home in gated community: report | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

“They’re not poor people. That’s for sure,” one resident said.

The Texas teen accused of stabbing Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet earlier in the month is reportedly holed up in a $900,000 home with his family that they are renting for an estimated $3,500 per month.

According to the Daily Mail, 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony and his family are renting the Frisco home that lies within an exclusive gated community. Anthony was released on a $250,000 bond after it was reduced from $1 million, and is under house arrest. He has to wear an ankle monitor as part of the terms of his release.

The Daily Mail went to the home, seeing a white Suburban, a black Acura, and another sedan in the driveway. One resident of the neighborhood said the family had just purchased a new car. “He got a new car. If you look at the license plate, it’s got a paper tag and it says it expires June 4,” the resident said.

Residents were unaware that the Anthonys lived in the neighborhood until Karmelo Anthony came home from jail on Monday. The “Richwoods” gated community is located within walking distance of Centennial High School, which Anthony attends.

One resident and mother of the neighborhood told the outlet of Anthony being in the neighborhood, “Not good. Not good. I don’t think he should be out. I don’t understand why he had a knife? My kids were in track. Your tents, for you school, you don’t sit under another school’s tent. That is NOT done because everyone leaves their stuff there while they’re out on events.”

U.S. senator to travel to El Salvador if Trump won’t return wrongfully deported man – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen is vowing to travel to El Salvador to negotiate the release of a wrongly deported man after the Trump administration ignored a Supreme Court ruling to facilitate his return to the U.S.

In a letter sent to the El Salvadorian Ambassador on April 13 before Trump’s tête-à-tête with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Van Hollen requested a meeting with Bukele during his U.S. visit to discuss “the illegal detention of [his] constituent, Kilmar Abrego Garcia,” after the Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to unanimously uphold U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis’s ruling that he was wrongly deported and that the U.S. government was responsible for bringing him home.

(It’s unclear if Van Hollen ever got to meet with Bukele.)

Democrats line up to visit El Salvador — seeking to bring back a foreign gangbanger– www.americanthinker.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Democrats have finally found a cause they can rally around, and they are falling over themselves to make themselves part of it:

According to Axios:

 

Two members of House Democratic leadership are trying to send an official congressional delegation to the El Salvadorian prison where the Trump administration is sending deportees, Axios has learned.

 

Why it matters: Dozens of House Democrats have privately expressed interest in participating in such a trip to protest the Trump administration’s deportation policies, sources tell Axios.

 

    • But while lawmakers could travel to the Central American country informally, a Republican committee chair’s approval is needed to send an official congressional delegation, or CODEL.

 

    • A CODEL would provide the members with crucial oversight powers and security resources.

BREAKING: Wife of ‘Maryland Man’ Abrego Garcia filed domestic violence protective order against him in 2021 | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

The wife of Kilmar Garcia, a man who was deported from Maryland to his native El Salvador in March 14, has spoken out publicly to ask that he be returned to the US and their family. A GoFundMe crowdsourcing campaign has raised over $165,000. What Jenniefer Vasquez did not mention, however, is that she petitioned for a domestic violence protective order against him in 2021.

Revealing the information about the protective order in a post, Andy Ngo said “The wife of deported suspected gang terrorist Kilmar Abrego Garcia either lied to the court when she petitioned for a domestic violence protective order against him or she is lying now on the GoFundMe claiming he is an excellent husband as over $162K has poured in.” The case detail shows that it was brought by Vasquez against Garcia in May 2021 for domestic violence. The case has since been closed. Garcia has been referred to by many media outlets as a “Maryland man” or “Maryland dad.”

Per The Chesepeake Today, “Jennifer Vasquez filed for a protective order due to domestic violence from her husband on May 13, 2021, and a final order was issued on June 17, 2021, by Prince George’s County District Court Judge LaKeecia Allen. Judge Allen was elevated to the Circuit Court on Aug. 1, 2024, by Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Judge Allen previously served as a prosecutor in the Prince George’s State’s Attorney’s Office.”

In a press conference, Vasquez said “I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive.” She spoke directly to Garcia, saying “stay strong. God has not forgotten about you.” She said she was “pleading with the Trump administration and the Bukele administration to stop playing political games with the life of Kilmar.” Their children, she said, miss their father. “I hope that the strength of faith and the resilience within us will keep us standing after all the punches we continue to receive. Our ability to fight back against these governments are testimonies to the fight and strength that God has given us.”

Dem Lawmakers Planning Trip to El Salvador in Effort to Bring Back Illegal Alien Gang Member › American Greatness– amgreatness.com

pgnewser April 21, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Democrat lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate are reportedly planning trips to El Salvador to seek the release of an alleged MS-13 gang member and bring him back to the United States where he lived illegally from 2012 until March 2025.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was among the hundreds of illegal immigrants—a large percentage of them MS-13 and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang members—deported to El Salvador last month under the Alien Enemies Act.

On Monday, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) reportedly sent a letter to El Salvador’s ambassador to the United States asking for a meeting with the President Nayib Bukele while he was in Washington D.C.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Armando Bukele told reporters during a meeting with President Donald Trump later in the day that he “of course” would not “smuggle” Kilmar Abrego Garcia back into the United States.

Americans divided on Elon Musk’s influence, trustworthiness, according to UMass Amherst poll – WCVB

pgnewser April 15, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

More than half of Americans believe that billionaire businessman Elon Musk has too much influence over the federal government under President Donald Trump, according to the findings of a new national poll. The survey also found a sharp division along party and ideological lines.

Fifty-six percent of Americans believe that Musk has too much influence, while only 6% believe he has too little influence, according to the findings of the latest UMass Amherst National Poll.

Similarly, 56% believe both technology companies and Wall Street have too much influence over the government. Fifty-nine percent reported holding the same belief about health insurance companies.

Chinese port volume drops by 9.7% as Trump tariffs hammer exports | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser April 15, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

Over the course of April 7-13, cargo handled by China has dropped by 9.7 percent.

Cargo going through ports in China has dropped by 9.7 percent in the second week of April, indicating that tariffs implemented by the Trump administration have been hammering the country’s exports to the US.

Over the course of April 7-13, cargo traffic dropped by 9.7 percent to 244 million tons, according to the Wall Street Journal. The week prior, when President Donald Trump implemented his reciprocal tariffs, there was only a drop of 0.88 percent.

Container throughput dropped by 6.1 percent, the Journal reported, reversing an increase of 1.9 percent the week prior. The outlet reports that there has been a steady increase in port volumes since January 2025, and the last couple weeks have seen that reverse.

Trump Administration Will Freeze $2 Billion After Harvard Refuses Demands – The New York Times– news.google.com

pgnewser April 15, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

The Trump administration acted quickly on Monday to punish Harvard University after it refused to comply with a list of demands from the federal government that the school said were unlawful.

On Monday afternoon, Harvard became the first university to refuse to comply with the administration’s requirements, setting up a showdown between the federal government and the nation’s wealthiest university. By the evening, federal officials said they would freeze $2.2 billion in multiyear grants to Harvard, along with a $60 million contract.

Other universities have pushed back against the administration’s interference in higher education. But Harvard’s response, which called the Trump administration’s demands illegal, marked a major shift in tone for the nation’s most influential school, which has been criticized in recent weeks for capitulating to Trump administration pressure.

Fed Chair Change Imminent as Trump Tariffs Create Economic Strain – BeInCrypto

pgnewser April 15, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

The Trump administration is gearing up for significant economic shifts, with its proposed tariffs said to be setting the stage for a potential overhaul of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) leadership.

Like Gary Gensler’s ouster at the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), reports indicate that Fed chair Jerome Powell may face a similar fate with discussions starting long before his term ends.

Jerome Powell’s Exit Planned As Trump Tariffs Spell Economic Hardship

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the Trump administration’s plans to interview candidates to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

China Halts Critical Rare Earth Exports as Trade War Intensifies – The New York Times

pgnewser April 15, 2025 0

Source Link
Excerpt:

China has suspended exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets, threatening to choke off supplies of components central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world.

Shipments of the magnets, essential for assembling everything from cars and drones to robots and missiles, have been halted at many Chinese ports while the Chinese government drafts a new regulatory system. Once in place, the new system could permanently prevent supplies from reaching certain companies, including American military contractors.

The official crackdown is part of China’s retaliation for President Trump’s sharp increase in tariffs that started on April 2.