Author name: RVM News

Rashida Tlaib Crushed by Facts and Community Notes Over BLM Whopper [WATCH]
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Rashida Tlaib Crushed by Facts and Community Notes Over BLM Whopper [WATCH]

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Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan renewed a disputed account of the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, prompting a fresh wave of criticism and a Community Note on X pointing users back to the findings of a federal investigation conducted during the Obama administration, as reported by Red State.

Tlaib posted about Brown on Friday, August 15, 2026, marking the 12th anniversary of his death.

In the post, she described Brown as having been “murdered by a police officer” and tied the case to broader claims involving racial inequality, policing and mass incarceration.

“Mike Brown should still be with us today. But 12 years ago this week, he was murdered by a police officer in Ferguson. Our fight for justice and an end to white supremacy, police violence, and mass incarceration continues. Black Lives Matter.”

Tlaib also included a photograph of Brown in a graduation cap and gown with her post.

The problem for Tlaib is that the federal government reached a different conclusion after conducting an extensive investigation into the August 9, 2014, shooting.

The Justice Department announced in March 2015 that its independent federal investigation did not find sufficient evidence to bring federal civil rights charges against Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.

Federal investigators reviewed physical, ballistic, forensic, and crime-scene evidence, along with medical and autopsy reports, recordings, witness accounts, and other information.

Investigators also interviewed more than 100 people and canvassed hundreds of residences.

The Justice Department’s report specifically examined whether Wilson had violated federal civil rights law.

Prosecutors concluded that the evidence did not establish a federal criminal civil rights violation and therefore did not support an indictment.

The federal investigation also addressed accounts surrounding the confrontation between Brown and Wilson.

Its findings included evidence that contradicted portions of the early “hands up, don’t shoot” account that became a rallying cry during the protests that followed Brown’s death.

That history became central to the reaction to Tlaib’s post nearly a dozen years later.

X’s Community Notes added context challenging the description of Brown’s death as a murder, directing attention to the federal investigation and its findings.

The response illustrated how a claim that once circulated widely can look considerably different when compared with the government’s subsequent review of the evidence.

Radio personality Anthony Cumia also responded to Tlaib’s post, focusing on her decision to use Brown’s graduation photograph.

“Always with the graduation picture.
Why not post this one?…”

Another X user, Western Lensman, connected the renewed discussion to media coverage from the Ferguson protests.

“Tlaib still pushing this fantasy Michael Brown narrative, and the subsequent Community Note brought to mind one of the most revealing moments in modern media history. This is CNN.”

The Ferguson shooting became a major national flashpoint in 2014. Brown’s death sparked demonstrations in Ferguson and contributed to a broader national debate about policing, race, and the criminal justice system.

The Justice Department separately investigated the Ferguson Police Department and later found a pattern or practice of conduct that violated constitutional protections.

That investigation was distinct from the federal criminal civil rights inquiry into Wilson’s actions during the shooting.

That distinction is important because the Justice Department’s findings did not amount to a declaration that every aspect of policing in Ferguson was lawful.

Instead, the department conducted separate investigations and reached separate conclusions.

It found constitutional violations within the Ferguson Police Department while concluding that the evidence did not establish a federal civil rights offense by Wilson in Brown’s shooting.

Tlaib’s post nevertheless revived the political argument over Brown’s death, with critics pointing to the federal findings as evidence that describing the shooting as an established murder ignores the conclusions reached after an extensive investigation.

The debate also highlights the lasting impact of the Ferguson case. More than a decade after Brown’s death, the events remain a political reference point, particularly in arguments over policing and racial justice.

Tlaib’s decision to revisit the case on its 12th anniversary shows that the political arguments surrounding Ferguson have not disappeared.

But the federal record remains available for anyone willing to look past the slogans and examine what investigators actually concluded.

In 2015, the Obama Justice Department said the evidence did not support federal charges against Wilson. In 2026, Tlaib continues to characterize Brown’s death differently.

That disagreement, now amplified by X’s Community Notes, has once again put the competing narratives surrounding Ferguson in the spotlight.

California School Sued After Students Receive Qurans and Hijab Encouragement During Mosque Trip [WATCH]
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California School Sued After Students Receive Qurans and Hijab Encouragement During Mosque Trip [WATCH]

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A group of parents and former students is suing a California school district over a fall 2025 field trip to a mosque that allegedly included students receiving Qurans and being encouraged to wear hijabs, as reported by The Post Millennial.

The legal action involves Palo Alto High School and stems from a trip organized through the school’s Social Justice Pathway program.

The parents allege that the school presented Islam as connected to social justice work and failed to maintain appropriate religious neutrality during the outing.

The lawsuit also raises concerns about student privacy. According to the parents, photographs were taken during the trip and later posted online without parental consent.

The group bringing the lawsuit is represented by Community Members for Religious Neutrality in Public. The lawsuit names the Palo Alto High School principal and the school district as defendants.

The district has pushed back on the allegations, at least in terms of what it has been able to independently verify so far.

Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Jason Glass said in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle that district officials learned about the lawsuit through media reports and had not yet been formally served.

Glass said he had reviewed the complaint but that the district could not independently verify the allegations made in it.

The parents are seeking an admission from the district that it failed to properly supervise students and violated the privacy rights of students and their parents.

The lawsuit also alleges that students were “exposed” to Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Billoo has previously attracted attention over public comments, including statements condemning Zionists.

She rejected the lawsuit and described the legal action as “misguided,” while maintaining that participation in the mosque visit was voluntary.

“Public schools and the government have an obligation to remain neutral toward religion, but what neutrality does not mean is shielding students entirely,” Billoo said.

“The job of educators is to teach students and expose them to different worldviews. That’s what happened here.”

“One of the most important ways we combat hate is to learn about each other,” Billoo added.

“I am concerned that this group of parents not only wants to counteract that for their own children… but is attempting to intimidate schools and school districts from doing necessary work of educating the next generation.”

The dispute places competing claims about religious neutrality and public education at the center of the lawsuit.

The parents argue that the field trip crossed a line by encouraging students to participate in practices associated with Islam while presenting the religion through the school’s social justice curriculum.

Billoo, meanwhile, argues that exposing students to different religious and cultural perspectives is part of the educational mission of public schools and that students were not required to participate.

The district’s superintendent has not confirmed the parents’ allegations, emphasizing that officials could not independently verify the claims contained in the complaint.

The district also said it had learned of the lawsuit through media reports and had not yet been formally served.

The case now puts the details of the 2025 field trip, including what students were given, what activities they were encouraged to participate in, how photographs were handled and how the visit fit within the Social Justice Pathway program, under legal scrutiny.

The lawsuit will ultimately have to address whether the school district maintained religious neutrality, properly supervised students, and protected student and parental privacy during the outing.

For the parents involved, those questions are at the heart of their legal challenge to Palo Alto High School and the school district.

President Trump Orders Pete Hegseth to Scale Back U.S.-South Korea Military Exercises [WATCH]
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President Trump Orders Pete Hegseth to Scale Back U.S.-South Korea Military Exercises [WATCH]

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President Donald Trump has instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce U.S. participation in joint military exercises with South Korea, saying the drills are costly to American taxpayers and send what he considers an inappropriate signal to North Korea, as reported by Townhall.

Trump announced the decision Sunday, August 16, in a post on Truth Social. He said the exercises had already been scheduled and could not be canceled at this point, but he directed Hegseth to reduce their size.

Trump Shuts Down CNN’s Kaitlan Collins After Iran Question and Boots Press From Room

The president also argued that American taxpayers carry much of the financial burden associated with the exercises. His comments come as the administration continues to emphasize reducing what Trump views as unnecessary costs and reassessing long-standing U.S. military commitments.

Trump said the exercises also send a signal that is “totally inappropriate and hostile” toward North Korea. He pointed to what he described as his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as another reason for changing the scale of the exercises.

“Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful. Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises! While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, “No thanks!”

Trump also connected his decision to a separate conversation with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung concerning the administration’s efforts to denuclearize Iran.

According to Trump, the South Korean president declined a request to participate in those efforts. Trump characterized the exchange as unrelated to the military exercises but included it in the same post announcing the reduction.

The president’s order does not call for an end to the military exercises altogether. Instead, Trump said the exercises would be substantially reduced because canceling them outright was no longer practical.

Joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea have long served as a major component of the two countries’ military cooperation.

The drills are intended to maintain readiness and coordination between American and South Korean forces on the Korean Peninsula.

Trump’s latest announcement represents another adjustment to the U.S. military posture overseas under his administration.

Rather than simply continuing established exercises because they have been conducted for years, the president is directing his defense secretary to reconsider their size and cost.

The White House announcement also places renewed attention on Trump’s relationship with Kim Jong Un.

Trump has previously pursued direct engagement with the North Korean leader, making the Korean Peninsula one of the areas where his administration has sought a different approach from previous presidents.

For South Korea, the United States remains a key military ally, and American forces have maintained a presence on the peninsula for decades.

The administration’s decision to scale back the upcoming exercises therefore represents a change in the scope of planned U.S.-South Korean military activity, even though Trump did not announce an end to the exercises themselves.

The instruction to Hegseth comes as Trump continues pressing allied nations to shoulder more responsibility for shared security arrangements and as his administration evaluates the costs associated with U.S. military commitments abroad.

For now, the exercises are expected to proceed in reduced form rather than being canceled. Trump made clear that the immediate change is intended to limit their scope while maintaining the broader U.S.-South Korean military relationship.

Minnesota Election Chief Threatens Journalists as Voter Vouching Sting Exposes Stunning Loophole [WATCH]
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Minnesota Election Chief Threatens Journalists as Voter Vouching Sting Exposes Stunning Loophole [WATCH]

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Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon lashed out at James O’Keefe and Cam Higby after the pair used concealed cameras to examine the state’s voter vouching system.

Instead of squarely confronting concerns raised by their footage, Simon announced that law enforcement was reviewing their conduct.

The controversy centers on a Minnesota law allowing a registered voter to affirm that another person lives in the same precinct.

That individual may then register at the polling place without producing the standard documentation normally used to prove residence.

O’Keefe described the rule this way: “Under Minnesota’s Statutes § 201.061, a registered voter can sign an affidavit affirming that they know another individual resides in the same precinct, allowing that person to register at the polls without presenting standard proof of residence. One registered voter can vouch for up to eight people,” O’Keefe said.

That generous allowance was precisely what O’Keefe and Higby set out to test inside Minneapolis polling locations.

“We wanted to find out what this actually looks like inside a polling place and how far election workers would let us take it,” he said.

O’Keefe wore a thobe while Higby appeared in a black burka, with the pair presenting themselves as voters while secretly recording their conversations.

O’Keefe also used an exaggerated Middle Eastern accent during exchanges with election workers.

“I have a question about the vouching program, yeah? Vouching? I can vouch for them but they are not registered,” O’Keefe asked the poll workers.

His questioning then moved directly toward how many additional people one voter could bring into the process.

“Ahhh good. Can I bring five more” O’Keefe asked the poll workers.

After learning the stated limit, he replied, “Up to eight? Okay, that’s a good thing,” O’Keefe said.

One poll worker explained the procedure in remarkably plain terms.

“If you’re all in the same precinct and you are already registered, you can vouch for them as ID. Eight people,” a poll worker told James O’Keefe.

The explanation became even more striking when the worker clarified the role of the person providing the voucher.

“You’re the ID,” the election worker told O’Keefe, a statement that quickly became central to the dispute over whether Minnesota’s rules contain adequate safeguards.

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Simon did not respond by promising an audit, legislative review, or public examination of whether the system could be exploited.

Instead, the Democrat secretary accused the investigators of misconduct, challenged their credibility, and raised the prospect of legal consequences.

In his statement, Simon said O’Keefe and Higby had visited multiple Minneapolis polling places while impersonating Minnesota voters.

He also accused them of using costumes, imitating foreign accents, making false claims about their registration, and publishing what he called a heavily edited video.

“Poll workers immediately reported these visits to local election officials and law enforcement is reviewing the situation,” Simon said.

That declaration turned an undercover investigation into a potential law enforcement matter, while leaving the public debate over vouching largely unanswered.

Simon further declared, “The misconduct by this group is outrageous and totally unacceptable. We have zero tolerance for lying, lawbreaking, and disruptions at our polling places.”

Strong words came quickly from the state’s top election official, but direct answers about possible abuse of vouching were considerably harder to find.

He also defended election workers and said polling locations should remain calm.

“Voters deserve better, as do the tens of thousands of our neighbors and friends who serve as poll workers. Our aim, as always, is to ensure that our polling places are islands of calm. Minnesota laws are there to ensure that outcome.”

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O’Keefe and Higby responded to Simon’s warning, with O’Keefe defending the reporting and emphasizing what election officials told him during the recorded encounters.

His central point remained that workers said a registered voter could serve as identification for as many as eight other people.

Minnesota officials may object to the costumes, accents, and hidden cameras, but theatrics do not erase the underlying policy question.

If one person can effectively become the identification for eight others, citizens are entitled to ask what prevents organized abuse and how election officials verify the claims.

Simon’s response appears focused on the messengers rather than the mechanism they examined.

For voters already skeptical of election bureaucracy, threatening investigators while defending an unusually permissive registration practice is not likely to inspire the confidence Minnesota officials insist the system deserves.

Socialist Lawmaker Says ‘Biological Need’ Gives Shoplifters a Free Pass [WATCH]
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Socialist Lawmaker Says ‘Biological Need’ Gives Shoplifters a Free Pass [WATCH]

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Brooklyn socialist Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher has offered New Yorkers a remarkable new theory of retail law.

Stealing basic goods should apparently be excused when the thief claims a “biological need,” a standard that sounds more like activist theater than responsible government.

Gallagher presented her argument Thursday outside Manhattan Criminal Court while appearing with leftist politicians and criminal justice advocates from Court Watch NYC.

The organization said it monitored 360 arraignments across four days and found that more than half involved misdemeanor offenses.

The Greenpoint lawmaker characterized many of the cases as crimes rooted in poverty, pointing to people accused of taking soap and toothpaste.

“And that means if you’re stealing those things, you need them,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher portrayed the issue as a contest between struggling residents and wealthy corporations such as CVS and Walgreens.

She argued that the greater offense was the city’s wealth disparity, claiming people could face jail simply because of their “biological need.”

That framing conveniently skips past the neighborhood businesses, employees, and honest customers who absorb the cost of theft.

Corporations do not magically swallow losses forever, since higher prices, reduced hours, locked merchandise, and closed locations usually follow.

Gallagher, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, also promoted “treatment” instead of jail as the proper response.

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Yet first-time shoplifting defendants rarely receive jail sentences, while years of weak enforcement have encouraged retailers to place everyday products behind plastic barriers.

The assembled activists also urged socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani to fulfill his campaign pledge to end broken windows policing.

That approach targets quality-of-life offenses such as graffiti and fare evasion before public disorder becomes something much uglier.

Shoppers at Food Universal supermarket in the Bronx were not impressed by Gallagher’s ideological spin.

“It’s foolish to think one should not be punished for stealing. It is a crime,” said Rev. Susan Webb, 68.

Academic adviser Jeanette Mack, 49, said politicians are enabling shoplifters rather than helping them.

“People are going to feel entitled because they know they can walk in and walk out and nothing will happen,” she said.

Mack, a single mother who once worked four jobs, said she never considered stealing.

She also worried that relaxed enforcement could force her local supermarket to close, leaving residents to travel farther and spend more money on gasoline.

Food Universal manager Edwin Pichado said Gallagher appeared detached from the financial reality facing neighborhood stores.

“We cannot run a business like that,” he said, noting that businesses must cover rent, workers, utilities, and inventory.

Pichado warned that thieves will return when they discover there are no consequences, and they will spread the word to others.

That is how an isolated theft problem becomes what he called a “free for all.”

The latest NYPD figures cited in the report showed retail theft down 14.7 percent through August 9 compared with the same period last year.

Petit larceny was also down 5.4 percent, progress that could quickly disappear if politicians formally turn theft into an excused activity.

Gallagher has generated controversy since entering the Assembly in January 2021.

She once used GoFundMe to raise money for emergency surgery for her cat, while also collecting dozens of traffic and parking tickets despite advancing an anti car agenda in Albany.

In 2024, Gallagher attended an anti Israel phone bank sponsored by the New Jersey chapter of American Muslims for Palestine.

Leaders connected to that organization have faced criticism over antisemitic rhetoric, while Virginia authorities have investigated possible financial links to terrorism.

Councilwoman Vickie Paladino accused Gallagher of deliberately enabling conduct that devastates retailers.

“People like Emily Gallagher try to obfuscate reality because they want to enable this very activity,” Paladino wrote, while former Queens Councilman Robert Holden called Gallagher “a major dope.”

Councilwoman Joann Ariola said businesses already struggling to keep their doors open could be pushed toward closure by politicians excusing thievery.

Gallagher did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment, leaving taxpayers and shopkeepers to contemplate another dose of socialist logic.

Newsom and Whitmer Congratulate Themselves in Painfully Cringeworthy Pandemic Victory Lap [WATCH]
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Newsom and Whitmer Congratulate Themselves in Painfully Cringeworthy Pandemic Victory Lap [WATCH]

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California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have apparently decided that the public needs a fresh round of pandemic nostalgia, complete with mutual praise and remarkably little humility.

Their new video looks less like an honest reckoning and more like an audition for a future Democrat ticket.

Together, the two governors revisit how they managed their states during the COVID pandemic, a chapter millions of Americans remember through closed classrooms, shuttered businesses, arbitrary restrictions, and elite exceptions.

Newsom and Whitmer, by contrast, seem eager to congratulate each other for making the hard calls.

The exchange begins with Newsom raising the former federal health official who became the face of pandemic policy.

He asks, “What did you make of Fauci and all that?”

Whitmer responds, “I feel bad for him, ya know?…people were trying to do the right thing with the information we had…”

Her defense leans heavily on good intentions, the familiar refuge of officials who imposed sweeping rules and now prefer not to dwell on the wreckage.

That is a convenient framing. Families were not dealing with an academic exercise; they were living under orders that disrupted work, education, worship, health care, and ordinary human contact.

Whitmer also acknowledges the fury over school closures, saying, “Everyone was so pissed off that I pulled kids out of school.”

That anger did not materialize from nowhere, and parents did not need a government lecture to understand what prolonged isolation was doing to their children.

She follows with another broad defense: “We were doing what we thought was the right thing to do at the time.”

WATCH:

The phrase may explain their thinking, but it does not erase the consequences or settle whether those choices were justified.

The video is especially rich coming from Newsom, whose pandemic image remains tied to his notorious French Laundry dinner while Californians endured restrictions.

Nothing says shared sacrifice quite like powerful officials enjoying privileges unavailable to the people expected to obey them.

Whitmer brings her own baggage to this effort, including restrictions remembered for preventing shoppers from buying seeds to grow food.

Those policies became symbols of an approach that often looked less like careful public health and more like bureaucratic control for its own sake.

Now, with years of distance and future elections looming, both governors have every incentive to polish the old record.

The video gives them a friendly setting where each can validate the other without facing sustained questions from parents, business owners, workers, or students.

That political context makes the pairing hard to ignore.

Whitmer has said she is not running for president in 2028, but such a declaration would not prevent her from joining someone else as a running mate.

Newsom has spent years cultivating a national profile, while Whitmer remains a prominent Democrat from a crucial Midwestern state.

A polished conversation between them naturally invites speculation about whether viewers are watching simple partisan backslapping or an early ticket preview.

Whatever the electoral purpose, the larger project is obvious.

They are trying to recast controversial pandemic mandates as courageous leadership, with the passage of time serving as a substitute for accountability.

Americans are entitled to remember the record without assistance from a glossy political production.

They remember children kept from classrooms, livelihoods placed at risk, rules that shifted without warning, and politicians whose own conduct did not always match the sacrifices demanded from everyone else.

Newsom and Whitmer may believe a warm conversation can soften those memories, but voters have long memories when government power reaches into their homes and families.

Their mutual victory lap is not likely to impress people who paid the price for decisions the governors still insist were right.

Massachusetts Dem Mayor Busted in Alleged $1.5 Million COVID Relief Cash Grab [WATCH]
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Massachusetts Dem Mayor Busted in Alleged $1.5 Million COVID Relief Cash Grab [WATCH]

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Federal agents armed with a bullhorn and battering ram descended on the home of Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña as authorities accused him of treating pandemic relief funds like his own private bank account.

The Massachusetts Democrat allegedly diverted roughly $1.5 million from a federal program created to rescue struggling businesses.

DePeña, 61, was arrested Aug. 14 on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges following the dramatic FBI operation.

The case centers on money obtained through a Small Business Administration disaster loan program during the COVID pandemic.

“The FBI arrested Mayor Brian DePeña for allegedly cashing in on a public health crisis and blatantly defrauding a government program meant to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic,” FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks said in a press release.

According to federal prosecutors, the matter began with what appeared to be a legitimate request for help. In 2020, DePeña obtained a $150,000 disaster loan for Tenares Tire Services, Inc., his tire and automobile service business in Lawrence.

The federal program was supposed to provide emergency assistance to companies battered by government restrictions and economic turmoil during the pandemic.

It was not designed to become a convenient pile of campaign cash or a rescue fund for unrelated real estate debts.

Authorities allege DePeña faced mounting financial pressure the following year.

His mayoral campaign needed money, he owed back taxes, and several Lawrence properties were tied to expensive loans carrying high interest rates.

Rather than tightening the belt like ordinary Americans were forced to do, DePeña allegedly pursued repeated increases to the federal loan.

Prosecutors say the original $150,000 amount eventually swelled to approximately $1.5 million.

The government alleges that much of that money never served its intended purpose at the tire business.

Instead, more than $880,000 allegedly went toward paying mortgages with high interest rates on other properties and businesses connected to DePeña.

Another $90,000 was allegedly steered into DePeña’s mayoral campaign before the 2021 election, according to federal officials.

DePeña won that contest, giving voters little reason at the time to suspect their new mayor’s campaign may have benefited from pandemic relief money.

DePeña later secured another term in November 2025.

The allegations now raise obvious questions about whether federal funds intended for battered businesses helped fuel his political rise while taxpayers were left holding the bag.

The mayor, who holds citizenship in both the United States and Dominican Republic, appeared in Boston federal court on Aug. 14.

A judge released him under several conditions, including surrendering his passport, reporting to probation officials, and remaining in Massachusetts.

DePeña is also barred from applying for additional loans without approval from the court.

Considering the accusations surrounding his previous borrowing, federal supervision of any future loan applications appears to be more than a minor administrative detail.

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Outside the courthouse, attorney Carlos Apostle rejected the idea that DePeña would step down as mayor.

“No, he’s done a great job in Lawrence,” the lawyer said, offering a defense that may not satisfy residents reading through the federal affidavit.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley accused DePeña of betraying the trust placed in him by Lawrence residents.

She said the arrest demonstrated that federal prosecutors would pursue suspected fraud “even [by] public officials,” an important message in a state where political machines are hardly unfamiliar.

Docks said that “When elected officials misuse federal funds for personal gain, they’re breaking the trust of their constituents” and violating federal law.

He also warned, “You’ll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” making clear that public office provides no shield from accountability.

If convicted, DePeña could face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and up to 10 years for money laundering.

The charges could also bring substantial fines and supervised release, while neither DePeña nor his attorney responded to requests for further comment.

Hateful Lunatic Storms NYC Synagogue, Punches Congregant and Headbutts Guard [WATCH]
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Hateful Lunatic Storms NYC Synagogue, Punches Congregant and Headbutts Guard [WATCH]

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A raging intruder stormed into a Manhattan synagogue during Friday evening Shabbat services, allegedly punching a congregant and attacking a security guard in what police described as an antisemitic assault.

The disturbing outburst shattered the peace inside one of New York City’s prominent Jewish houses of worship.

Police identified the suspect as Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx. Authorities said Montes entered Central Synagogue at Lexington Avenue and East 55th Street before walking toward the front of the sanctuary at approximately 6 p.m.

Law enforcement sources said Montes began behaving erratically and causing a disruption as worshippers gathered for services.

Security personnel quickly intervened and attempted to escort him from the building before the situation spiraled further out of control.

Before he was removed, Montes allegedly punched a 63 year old congregant in the face, according to sources.

Police said he then headbutted and spat at a security guard who had stepped forward to protect the congregation.

The destruction did not stop with the alleged physical attacks.

Montes also allegedly smashed two religious candles valued at $20,000, turning a sacred gathering into a chaotic crime scene as frightened worshippers watched.

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An NYPD sergeant assigned to a paid security detail at the synagogue took Montes into custody.

The immediate police presence likely prevented the ugly episode from becoming even more dangerous inside a crowded house of worship.

Livestream footage from the service captured the frightening scene as it unfolded.

Montes can be seen near the front of the synagogue, apparently consumed by rage and shouting wildly while congregants remain gathered in the sanctuary.

An object outside the camera’s view is then heard crashing and breaking, prompting a collective cry from the congregation.

Moments later, security personnel escort Montes down the aisle as he screams and forcefully thrusts his fists into the air.

Authorities charged Montes with two counts of assault as a hate crime and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime.

Those charges reflect the alleged antisemitic nature of an attack carried out during Jewish religious services.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch addressed the incident shortly after the suspect was detained.

“I have spoken with the rabbi of the synagogue, and I’m relieved that no one was seriously injured,” Tisch said in a statement.

“There are no known additional threats at this time, and additional NYPD resources have been deployed to the synagogue,” added Tisch, who attended Central Synagogue during her childhood.

The commissioner also confirmed that the injured people received attention at the scene.

Tisch said “those who were hurt were evaluated at the scene and are doing well.”

Her personal connection to the congregation added another layer to an already painful attack on New Yorkers simply trying to practice their faith.

“I understand the sanctity of this space and its meaning for congregants. Central Synagogue is where I grew up,” the commissioner wrote.

“In joy and in sorrow, it has always been a place of comfort and peace. What happened there tonight is deeply painful. A place of worship should never be a crime scene.”

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Gov. Kathy Hochul called the assault “appalling” and said she is “grateful the suspect is in custody and that no one was seriously injured.”

She also defended the basic right of Jewish residents to worship without intimidation or violence.

“Jewish New Yorkers have every right to worship openly, proudly, and without fear,” Hochul wrote on X.

That principle should hardly require explanation, yet another alleged antisemitic attack has forced public officials to repeat it.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was “horrified by the assault at Central Synagogue.”

He added, “I can only imagine the pain and fear an attack like this, during Shabbat services, causes for the congregation and for Jewish New Yorkers across our city.”

“Every New Yorker must be able to observe their religion without fear of violence. This despicable act has no place in our city, and our administration will do everything in our power to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe.”

Attorney General Letitia James said her “heart is with the Central Synagogue community this evening.”

She joined other officials in condemning the assault as police continued handling the hate crime case against Montes.

“The assault during services at Central Synagogue today is appalling and unacceptable,” James said on X.

“No one should feel threatened in their place of worship.”

DFW Airport Scraps Islamic Foot Washing Plan After Abbott Drops the Hammer [WATCH]
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DFW Airport Scraps Islamic Foot Washing Plan After Abbott Drops the Hammer [WATCH]

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Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has reportedly abandoned a proposal to install Islamic ablution washing stations after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott raised constitutional objections and threatened a review of state funding.

Fox News reported that the airport scrapped the plan following the governor’s forceful pushback.

The reversal marks a swift retreat from an idea that would have created dedicated facilities for Islamic washing rituals at one of the nation’s busiest airports.

What appeared to be moving through the airport bureaucracy suddenly hit serious turbulence once Abbott started asking questions.

Abbott directed officials to review state grants supporting airports in Texas after learning about the proposal at DFW.

His message was straightforward: Government facilities cannot provide favorable treatment to one faith while expecting taxpayers of every belief to foot the bill.

The governor declared, “DFW plans to install Islamic wudu washing facilities are illegal. I’ve directed a review of all state grants to both airports for possible revocation, and referred DFW & IAH to USDOT for investigation.”

That warning placed more than public relations pressure on airport officials.

Abbott raised the possibility that state grants could be revoked, turning what bureaucrats may have viewed as a routine facilities proposal into a costly constitutional and financial headache.

Abbott also referred DFW and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston to the United States Department of Transportation for investigation.

The move ensured that the dispute would not remain confined to airport meeting rooms and internal planning documents.

The governor’s legal position rested on the principle that publicly operated airports cannot favor one religious practice over competing beliefs.

Addressing the proposed facilities, Abbott stated bluntly, “That is illegal.”

He further argued, “Both the federal and state constitutions prohibit government from facilitating this sort of discrimination.”

That concern goes to the heart of the controversy, since an airport controlled by government authorities has obligations that a privately operated religious institution does not.

DFW officials told Fox News that the airport had been evaluating an internal proposal involving ablution stations near Terminal D.

The facilities were being considered for an area before the security checkpoint at the airport’s international terminal.

The airport described the project as a proposal still moving through an evaluation process rather than a completed initiative.

Its statement said, “DFW was in the process of evaluating an internal proposal to add a set of ablution washing stations” before the idea was dropped.

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Officials said proposed airport projects are examined according to operational benefits, customer service effects, potential risks, and costs.

In this case, however, the constitutional questions and the threat to state funding quickly became impossible for airport leadership to ignore.

Airports routinely accommodate travelers with different personal and religious needs, but dedicated government facilities for one ritual raise a different question.

Abbott’s objection focused on whether public property and public resources were being used to provide special treatment based on religion.

That distinction matters in a pluralistic state as large and diverse as Texas.

Equal treatment does not require government agencies to construct specialized facilities for every religious custom, especially when ordinary airport amenities remain available to the public.

The episode also shows what can happen when elected officials apply scrutiny before an internal proposal quietly becomes permanent.

Without Abbott’s intervention, travelers and taxpayers might have learned about the project only after construction plans were approved and public money was committed.

For Texas conservatives, the result is a reminder that government agencies still answer to constitutional limits and the people who finance them.

Airport authorities may prefer bureaucratic language about customer service, but taxpayers are entitled to demand neutrality rather than selective religious accommodation.

DFW has now grounded the proposal before it could leave the terminal, and Abbott’s pressure appears to have delivered the decisive shove.

Other public authorities considering similar projects may want to read the Constitution before preparing their next round of specialized construction plans.

Abdul El-Sayed Has the Blood of Thousands of Cats and Dogs On His Hands [WATCH]
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Abdul El-Sayed Has the Blood of Thousands of Cats and Dogs On His Hands [WATCH]

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Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed is facing renewed scrutiny over a grim chapter from his tenure leading the Detroit Health Department.

Records reported by the Daily Mail show that thousands of dogs and cats were euthanized while the Democrat served as executive director and health officer.

According to those records, Detroit Animal Care and Control put down nearly 4,680 dogs and cats between 2015 and 2017.

The staggering toll lands awkwardly for a candidate who has leaned heavily on his medical and public health credentials.

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The 2015 numbers were especially ugly.

The facility killed 1,988 dogs and 272 cats, accounting for more than a quarter of all dogs euthanized in the county that year.

El Sayed later claimed in a 2017 profile that his team had “rebuilt the animal control system,” but the numbers told a far less flattering story.

The live release rate stood at roughly 20 percent in 2015 before improving during later years.

Those statistics were accompanied by disturbing allegations from former employee Brittany Roberts.

Her 2015 whistleblower lawsuit described the city shelter as a “dog slaughterhouse,” a phrase that hardly resembles the sort of bureaucratic success story politicians enjoy placing in campaign biographies.

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Roberts alleged that animals were packed into overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, sometimes surrounded by feces, blood, and vomit.

She also claimed dogs were not consistently scanned for microchips before being euthanized and that injured or sick animals received inadequate treatment.

One particularly troubling case involved a dog named Coco. The animal was mistakenly killed even though it was only supposed to remain quarantined for a mandatory rabies observation after biting another animal.

El Sayed acknowledged “systematic failure” during a protest over conditions at the facility.

Yet his response to mounting media attention reportedly included an effort to persuade a local journalist to stop covering demonstrations because the cameras were hurting employee morale.

FOX 2 reporter Hannah Saunders publicly addressed that pressure in a Facebook post.

She wrote that El Sayed asked her to avoid covering additional protests at Detroit Animal Control, an extraordinary request from a public official confronting serious questions about a city operation.

Saunders said El Sayed sent her a text reading, “Could you please avoid it? It’s already reeling and cameras are killing the team’s morale.”

Apparently the cameras were considered a bigger morale problem than the conditions residents and employees were raising alarms about.

El Sayed also claimed the FOX 2 reporter did “not cover things objectively.”

That familiar complaint did little to answer the central questions about dead animals, missing euthanasia information, alleged neglect, and the management decisions made under his authority.

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Public anger was not limited to one employee or one television reporter.

The Facebook group Citizens for Change for Detroit Dogs & Cats featured repeated demands for new leadership throughout 2015, along with photographs and accounts that members said documented neglect and deplorable shelter conditions.

Detroit eventually settled Roberts’ lawsuit for $63,000 without admitting the full scope of her allegations.

A settlement does not establish every claim as fact, but it hardly erases the serious concerns surrounding the facility during El Sayed’s leadership.

When the Daily Mail sought comment, El Sayed defended his tenure and portrayed the changes as a major humane care turnaround for Michigan.

His campaign also admitted that Detroit Animal Control had been operating under “outdated, inhumane procedures” that threatened public safety before he arrived.

The campaign declared, “Under his leadership, Detroit reversed its save rate entirely, placing nearly 80 percent of animals into loving homes because of Abdul’s implemented changes,” pointing to later improvements as proof that his reforms worked.

Still, the campaign did not explain why the euthanasia figures for 2016 were not publicly disclosed.

El Sayed may prefer voters to focus on the eventual improvement, but thousands of dead dogs and cats remain part of the record.

For a far-left candidate selling government competence and medical expertise, the Detroit shelter controversy is a brutal reminder that lofty promises cannot bury grim results.


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