Author name: Robert Walsh

‘Bullsh*t’: Musk Blasts EU After 0 Million Fine, Trump Officials Rally Behind Him
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‘Bullsh*t’: Musk Blasts EU After $140 Million Fine, Trump Officials Rally Behind Him

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Elon Musk and multiple Trump administration officials sharply criticized the European Union after the European Commission announced a $140 million fine against X on Friday.

The commission said the penalty was issued for “non-compliance with transparency obligations” under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Musk responded throughout the weekend on the platform, calling the action an attack on sovereignty and free speech.

“The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” Musk wrote on X on Saturday.

He added the hashtag “AbolishTheEU.”

The European Commission said the fine stemmed from what it described as “deceptive” design of the platform’s blue checkmark system, a “lack of transparency of its advertising repository,” and X’s “failure to provide access to public data for researchers.”

The commission’s announcement was posted directly on X.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reacted to the fine by calling it an “abomination” and urged President Donald Trump to impose sanctions “until this travesty is reversed.”

Musk replied that “The ‘EU’ imposed this crazy fine not just on X, but also on me personally, which is even more insane!”

He added, “Therefore, it would seem appropriate to apply our response not just to the EU, but also to the individuals who took this action against me.”

In another post, he called the penalty “bullsh*t.”

Musk also wrote, “I love Europe, but not the bureaucratic monster that is the EU.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the fine “isn’t just an attack on X, it’s an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments.”

Before the fine was issued, Vice President JD Vance said, “The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage.”

The DSA, adopted in 2022, was designed to regulate online platforms, restrict illegal or harmful content, and address the spread of disinformation.

Its enforcement has drawn criticism from the Trump administration as U.S. officials have emphasized global free speech protections and argued that the law imposes burdens on American companies.

At a Friday briefing, Thomas Reigner, spokesperson for Tech Sovereignty, Defense, Space and Research at the commission, rejected the suggestion that the fine was connected to content regulation.

“Today’s decision has nothing to do with content moderation,” Reigner said.

“It’s about transparency provisions for citizens here in the European Union.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed concerns raised by other U.S. officials.

“The Digital Services Act is designed to stifle free speech and American tech companies,” Lutnick wrote on X.

“We have made our position clear to our counterparts in Europe.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., added, “Foreign bureaucrats have zero right to tell Americans what they can and can’t say.”

Federal Communication Commission Chair Brendan Carr criticized the commission’s decision as well.

“Once again, Europe is fining a successful U.S. tech company for being a successful U.S. tech company,” Carr said.

“Europe is taxing Americans to subsidize a continent held back by Europe’s own suffocating regulations.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also weighed in, saying, “America is done looking the other way while foreign governments seek to censor our people and bully our companies.”

The European Commission elaborated on its position in a press release, stating, “X’s use of the ‘blue checkmark’ for ‘verified accounts’ deceives users. On X, anyone can pay to obtain the ‘verified’ status without the company meaningfully verifying who is behind the account, making it difficult for users to judge the authenticity of accounts and content they engage with. This deception exposes users to scams, including impersonation frauds, as well as other forms of manipulation by malicious actors.”

The commission also said, “X’s advertisement repository fails to meet the transparency and accessibility requirements of the DSA. Accessible and searchable ad repositories are critical for researchers and civil society to detect scams, hybrid threat campaigns, coordinated information operations and fake advertisements.”

CDC Panel Votes to End Mandatory Hepatitis B Shots for Newborns After Risks Reevaluated
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CDC Panel Votes to End Mandatory Hepatitis B Shots for Newborns After Risks Reevaluated

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8–3 on Friday to end the longstanding practice of administering hepatitis B vaccines to newborns in the United States.

The recommendation would reverse a policy in place since 1991, under which infants receive three doses beginning at birth, followed by shots between 1 and 3 months and again between 6 and 15 months.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that can lead to serious liver damage.

It can be transmitted from mother to child during delivery.

Federal health data shows that all expectant mothers are screened for hepatitis B upon admission for childbirth.

The National Institutes of Health reports that the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B among pregnant women in the United States is between 0.7% and 0.9%, which amounts to approximately 17,000 cases each year out of roughly 3.7 million annual births.

Department of Health and Human Services guidelines outline when additional testing or caution is required during delivery, including cases where women were not previously tested, have a recent history of injection drug use, have had multiple recent sexual partners, have a hepatitis B–positive sexual partner, have had recent evaluations for sexually transmitted diseases, or show clinical signs of hepatitis.

Supporters of ending universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth said infants can receive the vaccine immediately if the mother tests positive at delivery.

Opponents of the change stated their concerns during the meeting. Dr. Cody Meissner, a professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine and the only current member who has served on ACIP in previous years, said, “Do no harm is a moral imperative. We are doing harm by changing this wording.”

Committee members debated multiple issues connected to the recommendation, including concerns raised about the total number of vaccines children receive in their first months of life.

By 18 months of age, a child may receive 26 vaccine doses under current schedules, not including influenza or COVID vaccinations.

Other members discussed earlier efforts to reduce hepatitis B transmission by vaccinating all newborns, an approach similar to current strategies for human papillomavirus vaccination.

The committee noted that the original risk-based approach used in the 1980s for hepatitis B had limited success.

Questions were also raised regarding vaccine costs.

Public pricing varies, with CDC contracts for programs such as Vaccines for Children estimating prices between $13 and $25 per dose.

Private-sector prices typically range between $40 and $110 per dose without insurance.

Averaging these figures places an estimated cost at around $30 per dose.

Under the three-dose infant schedule, the estimated cost of vaccinating the approximately 17,000 infants at risk for hepatitis B transmission would total about $1.5 million, whereas vaccinating all 3.7 million newborns would exceed $333 million annually.

The meeting also included discussion on how mandatory vaccination policies are evaluated within the public health system and how safety concerns are addressed.

Some panelists objected to how critics of the previous policy were characterized during the debate.

With the vote concluded, the committee’s recommendation will now be sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for final review and action.

Ex-Top Venezuelan General Warns America What the Socialist Regime is Really Doing
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Ex-Top Venezuelan General Warns America What the Socialist Regime is Really Doing

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A former senior Venezuelan military official who once operated at the highest levels of the Chávez government has issued a warning to the United States, stating that Venezuela’s socialist regime has weaponized narcotics against Americans for years.

Retired three-star General Hugo Carvajal Barrios, formerly one of the most influential figures within the Caracas government, is now serving time in a U.S. federal prison after voluntarily pleading guilty to a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

From his jail cell, he has written a letter addressed to President Donald Trump and the American public outlining his account of the regime’s activities.

The letter comes as debate continues in the United States regarding actions taken by President Trump against Venezuelan narco-terrorist networks.

Among the critics is Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales, however, said she supports Trump’s approach and cited Barrios’ claims as justification.

Gonzales referenced Paul’s recent comments.

She said the senator is “going out and giving these little, like, press junkets where he’s telling people, like, ‘Well, these guys weren’t armed. You need to prove that they’re armed first.’”

She responded to that argument by saying, “You know what they’re armed with, Rand? Drugs that they’re bringing into our country to kill Americans with. That’s what they’re armed with.”

Barrios opened his letter with a statement on why he chose to speak publicly.

“I see the need to address the American people about the reality of what the Venezuelan regime truly is — and why President Trump’s policies are not only correct, but absolutely necessary to the United States’ national security,” he wrote.

He described the transformation of the government he once served.

“I personally witnessed how Hugo Chavez’s government became a criminal organization that is now run by Nicolas Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, and other senior regime officials. The purpose of this organization, now known as the Cartel of the Suns, is to weaponize drugs against the United States,” Barrios said.

He said the distribution of narcotics into U.S. communities was intentional.

“The drugs that reached your cities through new routes were not accidents of corruption nor just the work of independent traffickers; they were deliberate policies coordinated by the Venezuelan regime against the United States,” he wrote.

Barrios detailed an international network that he said works with the Venezuelan government.

He claimed the operation has “been successfully executed with help from FARC, ELN, Cuban operatives, and Hezbollah.”

According to Barrios, “The regime has provided weapons, passports, and impunity for these terrorist organizations to operate freely from Venezuela against the United States. The regime I served is not merely hostile — it is at war with you, using drugs, gangs, espionage, and even your own democratic processes as weapons.”

Barrios concluded his message by expressing support for Trump’s actions.

“I absolutely support President Trump’s policy towards Venezuela, because it is in self-defense and he is acting based on the truth,” he said.

Gonzales discussed Barrios’ motivations for speaking from prison.

“He’s already been sentenced. He’s serving time in federal prison. And he’s like, ‘I just want to make this right within my soul.’ So I’m going to explain all of this to you,” she said.

She said the former general’s letter adds context to the administration’s position.

“It probably makes a whole hell of a lot of sense why the Trump administration is going so hard on Venezuela regardless of whether they’re armed with guns. … Innocent Americans are dying, and they don’t have to, because of the Venezuelan government.”

“We need to do something about that,” she added.

Massive Election Integrity Update: Harmeet Dhillon Details What She Found So Far
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Massive Election Integrity Update: Harmeet Dhillon Details What She Found So Far

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Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon delivered an update on the Department of Justice’s review of voter rolls across the country, outlining the scope of ongoing federal enforcement actions and the results gathered so far.

Dhillon said the DOJ’s focus is ensuring that states comply with federal law requiring accurate and up-to-date voter records.

“Hi, I’m Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, and I’m here to share an important update about one of my many important duties here at the DOJ, which is enforcing our federal election laws,” she said.

Dhillon explained that the department contacted every state earlier this year.

“Here are some facts and figures for you. In the last eight months, the DOJ has reached out to all 50 states asking them to share their voter rolls with us so that we can help them comply with the Help America Vote Act, which requires states to maintain clean voter rolls.”

Dhillon said that four states provided their data voluntarily.

She noted that North Carolina was sued early in the process and is now reviewing records.

“We sued North Carolina early on, and they are checking the voter records of 100,000 voters who were improperly enrolled on their voter rolls, and they’re going to fix their problem voluntarily,” she said.

According to Dhillon, the DOJ is close to securing cooperation from additional jurisdictions.

“We have an agreement in place almost with another dozen states, and I expect very soon, we’ll be looking at their voter data and comparing it with our records and helping them clean up those voter rolls,” she said.

Litigation remains active in several states.

“Now we have 15 lawsuits pending against 14 states. That’s right, California got sued twice, and we are in litigation with them. They’re refusing to provide their records, even though many of these states voluntarily provide their voter rolls to nonprofit groups like Eric and and even other groups,” she said.

Dhillon added that the department intends to review the remaining states after resolving the current cases.

She also detailed the findings collected so far.

“So we’re engaged with nearly 30 states. Here’s what we found. So far, we’ve checked 47.5 million voter records. We’ve found 260,000 plus dead people enrolled in the state’s voter rolls, which is pretty concerning. They’re going to be removed with the help of the DOJ, and finally, that there are several 1000 non citizens who are enrolled to vote in federal elections,” Dhillon said.

Dhillon noted that the DOJ is working with local authorities where criminal conduct is identified.

“This is very concerning, and the DOJ is partnering with local law enforcement where appropriate to prosecute people who have unlawfully voted in our elections,” she said.

She emphasized that maintaining accurate voter rolls protects the value of individual ballots.

“Even one person voting who shouldn’t have voted is one too many, because every citizen is entitled to one person one vote, assumption that their vote is being counted equally and only with other American citizens.”

Dhillon closed by reaffirming the department’s commitment to completing the review under the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“We will not rest at this DOJ, with the leadership of the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, until we complete this project and provide confidence to all American voters that the roles are clean and the elections are free and fair. Thanks so much.”

WATCH:

Pentagon Advisor Sean Parnell Says Unclassified Afghanistan Report Coming Early With Major Revelations
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Pentagon Advisor Sean Parnell Says Unclassified Afghanistan Report Coming Early With Major Revelations

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Chief Pentagon spokesman and Senior Advisor to the Department of War Sean Parnell said Wednesday that his investigation into the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal is progressing ahead of schedule and will result in a “completely unclassified” report for the public, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

Parnell delivered the update during an interview with The Gateway Pundit at the Pentagon, outlining new details about the review announced in May by Secretary Pete Hegseth.

WASHINGTON – January 14 2025: Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense nominee, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Department of War Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson had stated on Tuesday that the investigation was expected to be completed by next summer.

However, Parnell said he aims to release the final report earlier than that. “Finished, out, published, completely unclassified,” he said, emphasizing his goal to make all possible information available to the public.

Parnell said he has assembled a team of civilian and military personnel with representatives from the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy.

He described the group as consisting of individuals with direct experience in Afghanistan and a thorough understanding of Pentagon operations. “The ultimate goal is to declassify everything for the American people,” he said.

“There’s really no reason for it to have the classification level that it does.”

The investigation includes an examination of intelligence and command decisions surrounding the Kabul airport bombing at Abbey Gate on August 26, 2021, which killed 13 U.S. service members.

As previously reported, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, and CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie were aware of the threat hours before the attack.

Parnell said the review will outline what military leaders knew about the bomber and how decisions were made. “Nobody’s immune,” he said.

“You’re going to see a whole hell of a lot more information come out.”

He added that the families of the fallen will learn “a hell of a lot” about the events leading up to the attack. Parnell said he aims to present a fact-based account without allowing personal opinions to influence the investigation’s findings.

Parnell also discussed a separate investigation involving Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, who faces potential recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings after joining lawmakers urging service members to defy lawful orders.

Parnell said the Department of War expects the Navy Secretary to decide on charges by December 10. Kelly recently claimed, “President Trump is threatening to kill me.”

August 24, 2020; Washington, D.C., USA; (Editors Note: Screen grab from Republican National Convention video stream) Sean Parnell, congressional candidate for Pennsylvania s 17th district speaks from Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C Charlotte Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Republican National Convention via USA TODAY NETWORK

Parnell called the remark “ridiculous” and pointed to what he described as increasingly violent political rhetoric from Democrats.

Parnell said that while public skepticism about accountability is understandable, “the Trump administration is different” and intends to hold officials to the same standards as service members.

“Accountability is important,” he said. “The American people need to know that their government officials are held to the same standard as them.”

Tim Walz is Big Mad Because People Are Driving By His House to Call Him Retarded
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Tim Walz is Big Mad Because People Are Driving By His House to Call Him Retarded

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday that individuals have driven past his residence and shouted insults at him after President Donald Trump used the same term in a recent Truth Social post.

Walz made the remarks during a budget meeting while discussing concerns about the reaction to the November comments.

Trump wrote on Nov. 27 that Walz was “seriously retarded” for failing to stop alleged Somali crime in Minnesota after a welfare fraud scandal surfaced. Walz told attendees at the meeting that he had not seen Republicans condemn the language used by the president.

“I’d never seen this before. People driving by my house and using the R-word in front of people. This is shameful. And I have yet to see an elected official, a Republican elected official, say, ‘You’re right. That’s shameful. He should not say it.’ So, look, I’m worried,” Walz said.

“We know how these things go. They start with taunts, they turn to violence. So, deeply concerned.”

Walz also highlighted what he described as the state’s financial position.

“The good news here in Minnesota is a budget that works. Smart budgeting over the last few years that led us to a solid position,” he said.

“We will tackle crime, whether it’s drug crime, whether it’s fraud crime, and we will do it based on the individual who commits it, not a generalization to a group of people.”

The governor addressed the fraud scandal in a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” where he redirected blame amid reports that more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds had been stolen through various state programs.

Walz said during the interview that Minnesota’s Somali community should not be targeted in public commentary about the cases.

“I will note, it’s not just Somalis. Minnesota is a generous state. Minnesota is a prosperous state, a well-run state,” Walz said.

“We’re AAA-bond rated. But that attracts criminals.”

Reports have shown that individuals involved in the federal fraud cases include members of Minnesota’s Somali community.

City Journal reported on Nov. 20 that some of the stolen funds were routed to the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, citing counterterrorism sources.

The group is affiliated with Al Qaeda and has been responsible for attacks that killed Americans. Authorities prevented an attempted 9/11-style plot by an Al-Shabaab operative, who was later convicted in November 2024.

The scale of fraud has drawn criticism from government employees.

A coalition of Minnesota Department of Human Services workers said in a Saturday post on X that the governor “is 100% responsible for massive fraud” in the state.

The group alleged that Walz “systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports.”

The governor has continued to defend the state’s broader financial management while facing questions about oversight failures in multiple programs.

Further legislative discussions are expected as state agencies respond to findings from federal and local investigations and as lawmakers evaluate the effectiveness of current monitoring systems.

GOP Presses Maryland for Explanation After ICE-Arrested Superintendent Found Registered
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GOP Presses Maryland for Explanation After ICE-Arrested Superintendent Found Registered

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Maryland’s voter registration system is facing renewed scrutiny after House Republicans learned that Ian Andre Roberts — an illegal immigrant and former superintendent of the Des Moines, Iowa, public school system — was registered to vote in Maryland despite lacking U.S. citizenship, as reported by Fox News.

Roberts, originally from Guyana, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in September and later found to have a lengthy criminal history dating back to the 1990s.

House Committee on House Administration Chair Bryan Steil of Wisconsin and Vice Chair Laurel Lee of Florida sent a letter Thursday to Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis, demanding answers about how Roberts became registered.

The committee, which has oversight authority regarding federal election law, outlined 10 specific inquiries related to Maryland’s voter-roll vetting procedures and the prevalence of noncitizens appearing on the rolls.

“The Committee is concerned about the integrity and accuracy of Maryland’s citizenship verification processes, and therefore the state’s voter rolls,” Steil and Lee wrote.

Among their questions: “Is Roberts still a registered voter in Maryland?“

“Has Mr. Roberts ever voted in Maryland? If yes, what election(s) did he participate in?” and “How does the State Board of Elections fulfill their obligations under 52 U.S.C. §20507 to conduct a general program to remove ineligible voters from the rolls?”

Roberts worked for Baltimore City Schools from 2001 to 2010 in several positions, including teacher and principal.

Despite leaving Maryland more than a decade ago, he remained registered to vote in the state. It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal or state elections.

Public revelations about his voter registration intensified in November, when a Maryland county board of elections released heavily redacted voter documents that concealed how Roberts answered the citizenship question — prompting challenges from conservative groups.

Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE) pressed for full disclosure, and the county later released unredacted documents showing Roberts had falsely stated he was a U.S. citizen.

“When election officials attempt to hide eligibility records, the public loses the ability to verify that the law is being followed,” RITE CEO Justin Riemer said.

“Once the records were produced, we saw just how weak Maryland’s safeguards really are.”

Maryland is facing additional pressure from federal authorities. Earlier in December, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sued Maryland and five other states for failing to produce statewide voter registration lists upon request.

Republican state delegate Matt Morgan, chair of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, said Roberts’ case proves a recurring problem.

“For years, we’ve heard dismissals that non-citizens voting ‘never happens,’ yet Ian Andra Roberts’ story is irrefutable proof to the contrary,” Morgan said.

The Maryland State Board of Elections told Fox News Digital that the redaction issue had been corrected and that the board follows state and federal disclosure requirements.

Administrator Wendy Honesty-Bey said the board complied after legal review determined that some information could not be withheld.

Roberts’ arrest in September revealed additional concerns. DHS said he attempted to flee law enforcement and was carrying $3,000 in cash, a Glock 9 mm pistol, and a hunting knife.

He was charged Oct. 2 with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.

His criminal record includes charges for narcotics possession with intent to sell in New York in 1996, a 1998 vehicle charge in Queens, a 2012 reckless driving conviction in Maryland, weapons charges in 2020, and a 2022 conviction for unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in Pennsylvania.

Following his arrest, the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his license, and the district that hired him is suing the executive search firm involved in his recruitment.

Roberts’ attorney previously said he is reviewing all allegations to determine their accuracy.

Climate ‘Doomsday’ Study Falls Apart as Nature Issues Full Retraction
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Climate ‘Doomsday’ Study Falls Apart as Nature Issues Full Retraction

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The scientific journal Nature has retracted a 2024 climate study after researchers and outside economists identified significant data flaws that affected the report’s findings on long-term economic damage from climate change.

The decision was announced Wednesday and follows months of discussion among experts who questioned the study’s projections.

The original study, published in April 2024, concluded that climate change would cause substantially more economic harm by the end of the century than earlier estimates suggested.

Its findings were widely cited, covered extensively in global media, and incorporated into risk-management modeling used by central banks.

The study projected a potential 62 percent decline in global economic output by the year 2100 if carbon emissions continued without major reductions.

Economists reviewing the study later found irregularities in the dataset for Uzbekistan.

That data point, they said, substantially altered the overall results.

When Uzbekistan was removed from the dataset, the economists determined that the long-term economic damage estimates aligned much more closely with previous research.

Under those revised conditions, global output would decline by an estimated 23 percent by 2100, not the 62 percent predicted in the original publication.

On Wednesday, Nature issued a statement acknowledging the error and formally retracting the study.

“The authors acknowledge that these changes are too substantial for a correction, leading to the retraction of the paper,” the journal stated.

The authors are currently revising their work using corrected data and intend to submit an updated manuscript for peer review.

The retraction has renewed discussion among researchers over the reliability of long-range climate-economic modeling.

Lint Barrage, chair of energy and climate economics at The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), noted that the study’s flaws raise broader concerns about expectations within the climate research community.

“It can feel sometimes, depending on the audience, that there’s an expectation of finding large [climate damage] estimates,” she said.

“If your goal is to try to make the case for climate change, you have crossed the line from scientist to activist, and why would the public trust you?”

The debate over climate-damage projections has also gained attention in policy circles.

Prior to the COP30 climate summit, Bill Gates remarked in October that public communication around climate risks should move away from “doomsday” framing, saying the facts do not always align with the most extreme predictions.

The authors of the retracted paper said they intend to resubmit a revised analysis once the corrected data is incorporated and reviewed.

Police Find Explosives, Decomposed Remains After Daylong Connecticut Standoff
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Police Find Explosives, Decomposed Remains After Daylong Connecticut Standoff

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A decomposed body and multiple explosive devices were discovered inside a Stamford, Connecticut home Tuesday following an hours-long armed standoff with a man who fired repeatedly at police officers attempting to carry out an eviction order, according to authorities, as reported by The New York Post.

Stamford Police said the confrontation began Tuesday morning when a state marshal arrived at a residence on Oaklawn Avenue to enforce a court-ordered eviction.

The marshal called 911 after the occupant, identified as 63-year-old Jed Parkington, refused to leave and barricaded himself inside the home.

Police said Parkington opened fire several times throughout the day, striking police vehicles and prompting officers to return fire. No officers were injured during the exchange.

After repeated attempts by hostage negotiators to communicate with him, Parkington was later found dead inside the home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

As officers cleared the residence, they located a decomposed body on the second floor, Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw said in a statement.

Authorities have not yet identified the deceased individual, and the cause of death remains under investigation.

Explosive devices—described by police as pipe bombs, grenades, and Molotov cocktails—were also found inside the home.

“This was an extremely dangerous incident that tragically resulted in the loss of two lives,” Shaw said.

He credited local, state, and federal agencies for their coordinated response and noted the efforts of hostage negotiators who attempted contact with Parkington for several hours.

The Stamford Police bomb squad removed the explosive materials before detectives began examining the rest of the residence.

City of Anderson police, SWAT and investigators work the scene outside Renaissance Academy 805 East Whitner Street Anderson, S.C. Thursday, April 17, 2025. The shooting took place in a school owned park across the street from the school building.

The state inspector general’s office has launched an investigation into the officers’ use of deadly force during the standoff, which is standard procedure in Connecticut following incidents involving police gunfire.

Court records show the property had been foreclosed on earlier this year.

A bank ordered residents to vacate in April after mortgage payments were no longer being made.

A judge issued a formal eviction order last month, noting that residents had been given an opportunity to resume payments before the removal was finalized.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez Strongly Backs Trump Administration Strikes on Narco-Terrorist Vessels
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Rep. Carlos Gimenez Strongly Backs Trump Administration Strikes on Narco-Terrorist Vessels

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Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., offered an unequivocal endorsement of the Trump administration’s expanded military operations targeting narcotics-trafficking vessels, telling Newsmax on Wednesday that he supports the actions “150%” and believes they are necessary to protect American lives.

Gimenez, who serves on both the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, made the remarks during an interview on “Wake Up America.”

He said he has “zero problem” with the administration’s decision to destroy suspected drug-smuggling boats operating near Venezuela, describing the traffickers as “narco-terrorists” whose shipments fuel an epidemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.

“I support them 150%,” Gimenez said. “That boatload has more potential to kill more Americans than a boatload full of explosives.”

During the interview, Gimenez said fentanyl and cocaine trafficking constitutes an ongoing war being waged against the United States.

He argued that the federal government has not treated the threat with the seriousness it deserves and that decisive military action is long overdue.

With more than half a million overdose deaths in recent years, he said it is time for Washington to “take the war to them.”

Gimenez also criticized Democrats who have attacked Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over recent strikes, including allegations that Hegseth committed a war crime by authorizing a second strike after an initial hit left a suspected smuggling vessel burning at sea.

Gimenez rejected the allegations as politically motivated.

“It’s OK if [then-] President [Barack] Obama did it, but now they’re calling this a war crime?” he said. “It’s a double standard.”

Gimenez compared current criticism of Hegseth to the relative silence from Democrats during the Obama-era drone operations, which at times targeted American citizens who had joined terrorist groups overseas.

He argued that if those actions were not met with similar condemnation, the current criticism lacks credibility.

According to Gimenez, Hegseth was fulfilling his responsibility to neutralize a narcotics shipment capable of inflicting more deaths on Americans than terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS or al-Qaida.

He added that military leaders must have the authority to complete their missions when confronting armed traffickers operating under unstable foreign regimes.

“I’m not going to second-guess an admiral destroying a boat full of narco-terrorists,” Gimenez said. “The number one job of government is to protect its people.”


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