The Woods, the West Hollywood cannabis shop co-owned by actor Woody Harrelson and comedian Bill Maher, was burglarized in the wee hours of Saturday morning, per <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14731641/woody-harrelson-bill-mahers-cannabis-dispensary-burglarized-west-hollywood.html">the Daily Mail</a>.
Catalyst Cannabis Co. CEO Elliot Lewis shared footage to Instagram of the smash-and-grab burglary taking place.
“Our heart go out to Samba and Woody and their entire crew,” Lewis wrote in the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/catalyst_ceo/reel/DJz5es4Nd1t/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post caption</a>. “Back to back robberies shots fired just another weekend in LA. Does nobody care about the people trying to build something up and they seem to only care about those trying to destroy. Make it make sense. Please bring back some common sense.”
He also added the R.E.M. song “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” in the background.
The video showed five individuals clad in hoodies and masks breaking in at 4:30 a.m. and grabbing merchandise from the store&#8217;s counters and shelves, which the outlet noted had the total retail value of around $2,000 to $3,000.
“They went in and they just randomly took stuff off the shelves,” The Woods co-owner Michael Berman told ABC 7 LA. “While there was a lot of mess from the broken glass, nobody was hurt. They got merchandise, but they didn&#8217;t actually damage too much inside.”
The co-owner <a href="https://abc7.com/post/west-hollywood-marijuana-shop-owned-bill-maher-woody-harrelson-ransacked-thieves/16475192/">said</a> the same group of thieves, who are known as “The Jack Boys,” tried to rob another dispensary in Santa Monica on Sunday, but abandoned the task when a security guard fired warning shots. Berman mentioned that he believed one of the burglars was a child.
There was a previous break-in attempt in November, the outlet noted.
The Woods is advertised as an “oasis where a lush consumption lounge and environmentally elegant design converge, creating a tranquil space to savor California&#8217;s finest organic, sun-grown cannabis offerings.”
Harrelson has long been an advocate for the legalization of marijuana. Although he quit smoking marijuana in 2016, he later returned to using it after <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/woody-harrelson-jerry-maguire-willie-nelson-back-smoking-marijuana-190721408.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHad-ke6OB-aLl4yHefMeCFEo_4IBe4TVCZ-RtSidcso0xWRLI8kL9WwYMGcuAZaBW9jBTFZGMlRRTuYD4jFWgITejZU94vbGONf6Ovf4ywOxk-uuH18Q_7eChQkgo-MHweBNX_t_hl9ob7N8Ru7H6D6tyAYvhIFfAnxoARx6-WD">playing a game of poker</a> with Willie Nelson.

‘The Woods’ Opening Day

Woody Harrelson And Bill Maher’s LA Weed Shop Hit By Burglars

Woody Harrelson And Bill Maher's LA Weed Shop Hit By Burglars

Bill Maher

burglary

Crime

Los Angeles

Marijuana

U.S.

Woody Harrelson

President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan &#8220;Take It Down Act&#8221; into law on Monday, surrounded by First Lady Melania Trump and lawmakers who helped advance the bill.
The &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/can-you-help-me-why-the-take-it-down-act-is-a-lifeline-for-victims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Take It Down Act</a>&#8221; makes publishing non-consensual intimate imagery, real or AI-generated, a federal crime. It requires social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X, and Facebook to remove content that features explicit images or videos of minors, known as “child sexual abuse material,” or CSAM, or “revenge porn,” within 48 hours of the content being flagged.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the Rose Garden for the signing of the Take It Down Act. 🌹🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/lHYAVO5xTS">pic.twitter.com/lHYAVO5xTS</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1924546236234744254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
Mrs. Trump has been a fierce advocate for the &#8220;Take It Down Act,&#8221; encouraging lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to push the legislation forward. FLOTUS opened the signing with remarks about the bipartisan effort to protect Americans, especially children, before introducing President Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> gives remarks prior to the signing of the &#8216;Take It Down Act&#8217; to protect children from online exploitation: &#8220;This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or… <a href="https://t.co/EJFVHppTi1">pic.twitter.com/EJFVHppTi1</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1924546390560068037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
Republican South Carolina Rep. Brandon Guffey, who was thanked by President Trump on Monday, worked with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) on the legislation. Cruz and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, were the sponsors of the bill.
Tragically, Guffey&#8217;s 17-year-old son Gavin Guffey took his own life three years ago after he was the victim of an online sexual extortion scam &#8212; <a href="https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2025/PSA250306">a growing trend</a> the FBI has recently warned parents about.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I have posted before about the passing of TAKE IT DOWN and the roundtable with FLOTUS. On Friday, I received an invite to go to the White House for the signing on the bill and as I made plans, I found out that the other members of the original “Porch Caucus” will be in DC Monday… <a href="https://t.co/Qr4518YEKu">pic.twitter.com/Qr4518YEKu</a>
— Brandon Guffey (@brandonguffeysc) <a href="https://twitter.com/brandonguffeysc/status/1922142423880204581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
Guffey told The Daily Wire on Monday that the law &#8220;will save so many teens from feeling the shame that my son faced.&#8221;
&#8220;In addition to having the tool to have the images taken down within 48 hours, the person posting can also face up to 3 years in prison,&#8221; the lawmaker continued. &#8220;With the evolution of criminals using AI and morphed images/videos, this will be the first bill to my knowledge to address Artificial Intelligence.&#8221;
&#8220;I’m so thankful for all of the coalitions behind this and the advocacy of the FLOTUS,&#8221; Guffey added. &#8220;The bravery of young teens such as <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/05/take-it-down-act-signing-explicit-images/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elliston and Francesca</a> can’t be commended enough.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_905661" style="width: 867px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-905661" class="wp-image-905661 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123-857x576.jpg" alt="South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey, holds a picture of his son Gavin Guffey, 17, who died by suicide after being entrapped in a sexual extortion scam on Instagram, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled &quot;Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,&quot; in Dirksen building on Wednesday, January 31, 2024." width="857" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123-857x576.jpg 857w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123-300x202.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123-768x516.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-1968507123.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 857px) 100vw, 857px" />Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images</div>
Guffey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/the-sextortion-crisis-claiming-the-lives-of-teen-boys-4-12-25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Wire</a> last month that he wants social media companies to have protections stripped from them over their lack of action concerning CSAM material.
“I think the number one thing that we have to do is to remove Section 230, or revisit Section 230, which was written in 1996,” he told The Daily Wire. “It gives these companies — who are the richest companies since the inception of man — it absolves them from being sued. So we can sue them, but things get thrown out before discovery because they just say, ‘We’re not responsible for anything online because this is a public forum.’”
Guffey is currently suing Meta, the parent company of Instagram, over his son’s death. “I filed a suit directly on my own, not demanding money, but demanding change.”
Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-country-star-john-rich-teamed-up-with-kristi-noem-to-combat-child-sextortion?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Country+Star+John+Rich+Teamed+Up+With+Kristi+Noem+To+Combat+Child+Sextortion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Homeland Security</a> is currently taking on the uptick in sexual extortion, or &#8220;sextortion,&#8221; cases against minors with its initiative <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Know2Protect</a>. Recently, country star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-country-star-john-rich-teamed-up-with-kristi-noem-to-combat-child-sextortion?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=How+Country+Star+John+Rich+Teamed+Up+With+Kristi+Noem+To+Combat+Child+Sextortion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Rich</a> teamed up with the department to educate parents and teens about the issue.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dozens-of-teen-boys-take-their-own-lives-as-online-sextortion-cases-spike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dozens Of Teen Boys Take Their Own Lives As Online Sextortion Cases Spike</a>

Easter Egg Roll 2025

Trump Signs Bill To Protect Young People From Sextortion And Revenge Porn

Child Abuse

Donald Trump

Melania Trump

Politics

Authorities have identified the deceased suspect in a vehicle explosion outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, over the weekend, which they are treating as an act of domestic terrorism.
The suspect is Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, of nearby Twentynine Palms, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli <a href="https://x.com/USAttyEssayli/status/1924155038236365096" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> in a Sunday post on X.
&#8220;Bartkus is believed to be the individual who is deceased at the scene. Investigators are working to positively identify the remains,&#8221; Essayli said. &#8220;An anti pro-life manifesto believed to be authored by the suspect has been located and is being examined by the FBI.&#8221;
He continued: &#8220;We are happy to report that no embryos at the IVF center were damaged by the explosion. This case is being treated as an intentional act of domestic terrorism. The investigation is ongoing.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Palm Springs Explosion Update:
We can now confirm the identity of the suspect is Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, of 29 Palms.
Bartkus is believed to be the individual who is deceased at the scene. Investigators are working to positively identify the remains.
An anti pro-life…
— U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyEssayli/status/1924155038236365096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A vehicle exploded on Saturday in a parking lot outside of the American Reproductive Centers (ARC) facility, ARC said in post on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanReproductiveCenters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>. The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-05-18/palm-springs-clinic-bombing-authorities-probe-suspect-motive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that there was &#8220;extensive damage&#8221; to the ARC clinic and vitro fertilization lab at the location, as well as blown-out windows in buildings blocks away.
While several people were <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/person-of-interest-in-palm-springs-ivf-clinic-explosion-is-dead-officials-say/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> injured in the blast, ARC said no members of its team were harmed. ARC further shared that all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials remained &#8220;fully secure and undamaged&#8221; in the lab.
In a post on X, the FBI&#8217;s Los Angeles field office said the vehicle in the explosion was a silver Ford Fusion sedan with the plate 8HWS848. The bureau also <a href="https://x.com/FBILosAngeles/status/1924160131798839439" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a photo of the suspect and requested the public share with it any information or upload any relevant video and images.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The FBI has identified Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, of 29 Palms as the primary suspect in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PalmSprings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PalmSprings</a> vehicle explosion. The vehicle was a silver Ford Fusion sedan, plate 8HWS848. Please call 1800 CALLFBI with information or upload relevant video/images at <a href="https://t.co/CnxyRN1YIv">https://t.co/CnxyRN1YIv</a> <a href="https://t.co/dYAG26xCYY">pic.twitter.com/dYAG26xCYY</a>
— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBILosAngeles/status/1924160131798839439?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A search warrant was executed at a location in Twentynine Palms in connection to the explosion, Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI&#8217;s Los Angeles field office, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/palm-springs-explosion-riverside-county-southern-california/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a press conference. He also stressed that officials did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community despite some residents being evacuated in the area.
Davis additionally mentioned that Bartkus &#8220;had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack&#8221; against the fertility clinic. He noted later: &#8220;We believe he was attempting to livestream it and, yes, that is also part of our investigation.&#8221;
ARC said it &#8220;will be fully operational on Monday morning, and our team is here to answer any concerns you may have,&#8221; adding, &#8220;We appreciate the incredible support from our patients and local community, as well as the swift action of Palm Springs Police, Fire, and emergency responders.&#8221;

Explosion Near Fertility Clinic In Palm Springs, CA Leaves One Dead

Suspected Fertility Clinic Bomber Had ‘Anti Pro-Life Manifesto,’ Authorities Say

California

Department of Justice

Explosion

Terrorism

Ten prisoners, including four charged with murder, escaped from the New Orleans jail on Friday after the city elected as sheriff a progressive activist who had never worn a badge.
Orleans Parish became a trial run in a plan by left-wing billionaires to extend George Soros&#8217; campaign of installing anti-police prosecutors even further, into electing anti-law-and-order sheriffs. Susan Hutson was elected in December 2021, with <a href="https://www.wwno.org/politics/2021-12-10/a-susan-hutson-win-could-give-new-orleans-and-the-u-s-its-1st-progressive-sheriff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Orleans Public Radio</a> saying at the time that “a Susan Hutson win could give New Orleans — and the U.S. — its 1st progressive sheriff.”
Hutson had never served as a law enforcement officer, but rather worked as an “independent police monitor” who criticized police, New Orleans Public Radio said. The outlet stated she would “reform the criminal justice system with a left-wing ideology.” The primary role of the sheriff in Orleans Parish is to run the jail.
Hutson squeaked into office after the incumbent, another black Democrat, got 48% in the primary compared to her 35%, which led to a runoff since the incumbent did not get 50%. In the runoff, the dynamic flipped with the assistance of big-money out-of-state groups, including PAC for Justice, which wants to divert the jail budget to “social programs.”
During the initial election, Hutson “struggled to pull in money, only taking in $131,000 from donors, but during the runoff, <a href="https://www.flipthebench2020.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PAC for Justice</a> received a $200,000 donation from a national group named FWD.us, which has also donated funds to end non-unanimous jury trials,” New Orleans Public Radio said. FWD.us was co-founded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. PAC for Justice&#8217;s other <a href="https://eap.ethics.la.gov/CFSearch/LA-108137.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donors</a>, almost all out-of-state, also included groups that were, in turn, funded by Soros.
“Hutson said if elected, she would also support promoting women to deputies to diversify the workplace, helping to buck the national trend of the white male sheriff,” the outlet added.
Sean Kennedy of Virginians for Safe Communities, which opposes lenient prosecutors, told The Daily Wire that Hutson “was an anti-police activist lawyer who never wore a badge but won anyway with $160,000 from Soros PACs and another $200,000 from Mark Zuckerberg — neither of which (last time I checked) are from New Orleans.”
“George Soros and his allies have expanded their attempted takeover of the criminal justice system. On top of the $50 million Soros spent on prosecutors, he is now spending millions more to buy local sheriff races and install radical incompetents like he did in New Orleans, Phoenix, and on Cape Cod,” he added.
Hutson lashed out on Friday about how having four accused murderers on the loose would affect her own election.
&#8220;Why did it happen just right now, right in the middle, as we&#8217;re getting ready to start this sheriff&#8217;s race?&#8221; she said at a press conference on the escape, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/11-men-escape-new-orleans-jail-considered-armed/story?id=121879077" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>. &#8220;This is very suspicious. We know that they had help. We&#8217;re showing you they had help. This was coordinated. There&#8217;s much more than meets the eye.&#8221;
The remark suggested that she believes that rather than the escape happening due to her incompetence, it was orchestrated by jail guards who wanted to see her replaced as sheriff.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/documents-reveal-how-george-soros-controls-prosecutors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Soros takeover of the legal system</a> is one of the most remarkable political phenomena of the last decade. The billionaire financier, an expert in arbitrage, discovered that rather than influencing state legislators to change laws, it is cheaper and easier to elect prosecutors who will simply nullify laws they don’t like by refusing to prosecute them.
Mainstream Democrat and Republican prosecutors believe it is a violation of the separation of the branches of government to ignore laws. But Soros also discovered that by targeting cities where residents “vote blue no matter who,” it is possible to replace Democrat incumbents with leftists who don&#8217;t share those ethical concerns by injecting unheard-of amounts of cash into primary elections, which were historically cheap, low-turnout affairs.
Instead of donating to a candidate&#8217;s campaign, the Soros machine essentially runs it for the candidate, through &#8220;independent expenditures&#8221; such as ads and mailers that it designs, pays for, and runs on its own.
Putting national cash into local races for sheriff represents a significant advancement of the project, one that would place anti-police activists in charge of a region’s public safety.
Ten inmates left the jail through a hole behind a toilet at 1:01 a.m., while only one employee—a civilian rather than law enforcement—was assigned to watch their pod, and while that person left to get food, officials said. At 8:30 a.m., they were discovered missing.
&#8220;These folks that were able to get out did so because of defective locks on the cells,&#8221; Hutson said, while also saying, “We have the indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from inside our department.”

10 inmates escape the Orleans Parish jail May 16 / WDSU

New Orleans Elected America’s ‘First Progressive Sheriff’ To Run Its Jail. Then 10 Inmates Escaped.

George Soros

Law Enforcement

Louisiana

New Orleans

Ten prison inmates, at least four of them charged with murder or attempted murder, have escaped from prison in New Orleans, Louisiana.
On Friday morning at roughly 9:30 a.m., it was discovered that the men were missing from Orleans Parish Justice Center.
“Photos released by the sheriff&#8217;s office show the inside of a cell where the escape is believed to have happened. A large hole was cut behind a toilet with phrases such as ‘We Innocent’ and ‘Too Easy LOL’ written above it,” NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/louisiana-orleans-inmates-escape-rcna207232">reported</a>.
Sheriff Susan Hutson revealed the inmates had the help of people “inside of our department.”
“Someone clearly dropped the ball and there’s no excuse for this,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill wrote. “I’m in communication with Troop NOLA and @LAStatePolice Superintendent Colonel Hodges. It’s all hands on deck. The first priority in any escape must be the immediate capture of the inmates and coordination with state and local law enforcement — but that effort cannot come at the expense of timely notification to the public, which is also critical to keeping communities safe. My office will do whatever it takes to determine how this happened and make sure that it won’t happen again. I am calling for a full investigation &#8211; This is beyond unacceptable, and once these offenders are back in custody, there must be real accountability.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Someone clearly dropped the ball and there’s no excuse for this. I’m in communication with Troop NOLA and <a href="https://twitter.com/LAStatePolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAStatePolice</a> Superintendent Colonel Hodges. It’s all hands on deck. The first priority in any escape must be the immediate capture of the inmates and coordination with… <a href="https://t.co/APXD9Gj7UE">pic.twitter.com/APXD9Gj7UE</a>
&mdash; Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGLizMurrill/status/1923441108731953641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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According to Deputy Chief of Field Operations Bureau Christopher Goodly, the men should be considered armed and dangerous.
Not only have four of the escapees been charged with murder or attempted murder, others have been charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, armed robbery with a firearm, armed false imprisonment, or battery and drug offenses.
One man has been caught. Kendall Myles was discovered hiding under a car in the Hotel Monteleone parking garage in the French Quarter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Troop NOLA Troopers located escapee Kendall Myles in the French Quarter this morning. After a brief foot pursuit, he was apprehended on Royal Street. Troopers continue working with partners to locate the remaining escapees and ensure public safety. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/troopnola?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#troopnola</a> <a href="https://t.co/ef5FM55YRS">pic.twitter.com/ef5FM55YRS</a>
&mdash; LA State Police (@LAStatePolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAStatePolice/status/1923423245044257185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Thank you to Troop NOLA for their diligence and speed in apprehending the first escapee,” Gov. Jeff Landry posted on X. “To the other 10: YOU ARE NEXT! @OrleansParishSO and @SheriffHutson must be working in total conjunction with Troop NOLA. There is no time to waste!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Thank you to Troop NOLA for their diligence and speed in apprehending the first escapee. 
To the other 10: YOU ARE NEXT! <a href="https://twitter.com/OrleansParishSO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OrleansParishSO</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SheriffHutson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SheriffHutson</a> must be working in total conjunction with Troop NOLA. There is no time to waste! <a href="https://t.co/4YZzcSlWDa">https://t.co/4YZzcSlWDa</a>
&mdash; Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAGovJeffLandry/status/1923423965554327670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

escape from prison cell

10 Inmates, Some Charged With Murder, Escape From Louisiana Jail

escape

Prison

The 27-year-old New Jersey man who was convicted in February of stabbing and partially blinding famed novelist Salman Rushdie was hit with the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison on Friday.
Hadi Matar was convicted of second-degree attempted murder for the August 2022 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-famed-author-salman-rushdie-target-of-iran-death-sentence-stabbed-on-stage-in-new-york?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=BREAKING%3A+Famed+Author+Salman+Rushdie%2C+Target+Of+Iran+Death+Sentence%2C+Stabbed+On+Stage+In+New+York" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stabbing attack</a> that also injured the event&#8217;s moderator, Henry Reese, the co-founder of Pittsburgh&#8217;s City of Asylum, which helps exiled writers, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/assailant-who-stabbed-author-salman-rushdie-sentenced-25-years-2025-05-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Rushdie — who sparked the ire of the Iranian regime with his 1988 novel, &#8220;The Satanic Verses&#8221; — was stabbed by Matar between 10 and 15 times in the head, neck, torso, and left hand at a New York arts institute. After the book was published, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, calling for Rushdie&#8217;s assassination.
Video captured Matar rushing the stage where Rushdie spoke during a writers&#8217; event focused on protecting exiled writers. During the trial, a trauma surgeon testified that without immediate medical intervention, Rushdie would have died, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/salman-rushdie-stabbing-sentencing-attempted-murder-hadi-matar/story?id=121844226" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The jury took just two hours to reach a verdict. Matar was also sentenced to seven years for second-degree assault in the stabbing of Reese, but that sentence will run concurrently with the longer one.
Before the trial began in Chautauqua County Court, Matar rejected a plea deal. Shortly after the jury reached its verdict, his defense attorney, Nathaniel Barone, said Matar plans to appeal the conviction. Matar has also been charged by the federal government with an act of terrorism. He will face those charges at a separate trial in Buffalo, according to Reuters.
Rushdie was born into a non-practicing Muslim family in British India, and now identifies as an atheist. “The Satanic Verses,&#8221; which was labeled as blasphemous by hardline Islamists, refers to verses of the Quran that Rushdie claimed had been removed. Rushdie said that his book is not blasphemous against Islam, adding, “I doubt very much Khomeini or anyone else in Iran has read this book or anything more than selected extracts taken out of context.”
After the sentencing hearing, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said that the stabbing attack still haunts the 77-year-old author.
&#8220;He&#8217;s traumatized. He has nightmares about what he experienced,&#8221; Schmidt said. &#8220;Obviously this is a major setback for an individual that was starting to emerge in his very later years of life into society after going into hiding after the fatwa.&#8221;

Hadi Matar

Sentence Is In For American Who Stabbed Novelist Salman Rushdie

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Iran

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Salman Rushdie

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President Donald Trump said Friday that former FBI Director James Comey knew what he was doing when he posted a picture on social media that was interpreted by many as a threat against his life.
Trump was responding to a picture Comey posted on Instagram showing seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers “86” and “47” with the caption &#8220;cool shell formation on my walk.&#8221; Trump officials have initiated investigations into Comey, as &#8220;86&#8221; can be used as slang for killing someone, and Trump is the 47th president. Comey deleted the post, saying that he did not mean to imply that Trump should be killed and that he assumed the shells were a &#8220;political message.&#8221;
&#8220;He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you’re the FBI director and you don’t know what that meant… that meant assassination,&#8221; Trump told Fox News in an interview. &#8220;And it says it loud and clear. Now he wasn’t very confident but he was confident enough to know what that meant.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on former FBI Director James Comey&#8217;s &#8220;86 47&#8221; threat: &#8220;He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant &#8230; That meant &#8216;assassination.'&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/LfOHKfSOFa">pic.twitter.com/LfOHKfSOFa</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1923352571009278218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“He did it for a reason and he was hit so hard because people like me and they like what’s happening with our country,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;Our country’s become respected again and all this. And he’s calling for the assassination of the president.”
When Fox News host Bret Baier asked what he would like to see happen to Comey, Trump said he would leave it up to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“I think it&#8217;s a terrible thing,” Trump said. “If he had a clean history, he doesn’t, he’s a dirty cop, he’s a dirty cop. And if he had a clean history, I could understand if there’s a leniency, but I’m going to let them make that decision.”
Comey removed the post after backlash, saying he was unaware of the association of &#8220;86&#8221; with violence.
“I posted a picture earlier of some shells I saw on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey said. “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/director-of-national-intel-says-comey-should-be-thrown-jail-86-trump-post?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Tulsi+Gabbard+Says+Comey+Should+Be+Thrown+In+Jail+For+‘86′+Trump+Post" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Thursday that she believed that Comey should be put in jail for the post, saying that he was essentially issuing a call for Trump to be assassinated.
Trump survived two assassination attempts while campaigning last year, including one where a bullet struck him in the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s First Year In The Oval Office

‘That Meant Assassination’: Trump Says Comey Knew ‘Exactly’ What ’86’ Post Implied

Executive

James Comey

Political Violence

A liberal billionaire with a long history of funding left-wing organizations has been accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a former employee, according to a new lawsuit.
Hansjorg Wyss, the 89-year-old Swiss billionaire who has dumped heaps of cash behind liberal organizations in the United States, stands <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/hansjorg-wyss-halter-ranch-lawsuit-20327267.php">accused</a> of harassing a former employee of a winery in Paso Robles, California, that he owns.
Madison Busby, a former project manager at Halter Ranch Winery, alleges that Wyss groped her, exposed himself to her, and told her stories about his sexual activities, including “his many sexual affairs outside his marriage.” The lawsuit goes on to claim that Wyss, who critics say <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-aims-to-close-loopholes-to-ensure-u-s-elections-are-free-from-foreign-influence">supplied</a> a left-wing dark money organization with hundreds of millions of dollars and poured <a href="https://freebeacon.com/issues/memo-reveals-100-million-effort-by-clinton-foundation-donor/">another $100 million</a> into an effort to bolster the Democrat Party&#8217;s electoral chances, even suggested that Busby and her husband engage in group sex with him and another woman.
Then, Busby says, the leftist billionaire retaliated against her after she rejected his sexual advances. Busby’s lawyer says that Wyss’ harassment of his client caused her emotional distress and financial damage in the form of lost wages.
“Madison has suffered severe emotional distress from the harassment which took place over the course of many years, and also from lost wages and then future damages,” Busby’s attorney John Ly said. “She’s been harmed immensely.” The complaint alleges that Wyss even admitted to Busby in 2022 that “if you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win.”
Halter Ranch denies the claims of the lawsuit against its owner. “The allegations in the complaint are not true and we intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround their time at the winery and their departure,” the winery said in response to the complaint.
Busby and her husband Bryce Mullins lived in a house on the Halter Ranch property, the complaint says, adding that Wyss would stay at the house with them when he was in town. But when the couple got married and had a baby, they moved into a smaller house on the property that wasn’t large enough for Wyss to stay with them on his trips. Then Wyss charged the couple $1,650 a month in rent instead of the usual $300 per month, the lawsuit says.
Then when Busby voluntarily resigned and filed her complaint against Wyss, Mullins’ employment at Halter Ranch was allegedly terminated.
Mullins filed a claim of his own, alleging that Wyss failed to honor an agreement that would have provided Mullins with equity in Halter Ranch that eventually would have been worth $30 million.

Hansjorg Wyss with Bloomberg

Left-Wing Mega-Donor Accused Of Sexually Harassing Employee

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A 15-year-old illegal immigrant in Aurora, Colorado, received probation and community service as part of a plea deal with prosecutors after he killed 24-year-old Kaitlyn Weaver last July by plowing a Jeep into the side of her vehicle.
After initially promising to pursue the maximum sentence of two years in a correctional facility for the illegal immigrant, Weaver&#8217;s father, John Weaver, said that the Arapahoe District Attorney&#8217;s Office changed course after different leadership took over a few months later, CBS News Colorado <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-prosecutor-offers-unlicensed-undocumented-teen-probation-deadly-crash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;The DA&#8217;s office said this would be a &#8216;no plea deal&#8217; case, so they were not going to offer anything; any concession,&#8221; Weaver said.
Kaitlyn, who worked at a drug rehab center in Aurora, was <a href="https://x.com/Bubblebathgirl/status/1922666291401265323" target="_blank" rel="noopener">driving home</a> and talking over speaker phone with her boyfriend when the illegal immigrant teenager slammed into the side of her car, driving around 90 mph in a residential area, according to authorities. Footage from a Ring doorbell camera captured the crash, showing the illegal immigrant&#8217;s jeep speeding down the road before the massive collision. Kaitlyn was &#8220;effectively killed instantly,&#8221; her father said. John Weaver and his wife Michelle made the decision to remove Kaitlyn from life support two days later.
The juvenile also had other minors in his vehicle when he crashed into the 24-year-old woman. The Jeep, which the teenager was driving illegally, was uninsured, and his mother said that he took it without her permission. The teen was charged with vehicular homicide.
Under the new Democratic District Attorney, Amy Padden, the illegal immigrant was offered two years of probation if he pleaded guilty, according to Weaver. Arapahoe County Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley said the plea deal was handled by an experienced prosecutor and was not influenced by the new district attorney. The deal was upheld by a judge after hearing from the Weaver family, Brackley added.
&#8220;Why the change? If he had taken a firearm and recklessly just shot it and killed someone, this would be a different case. They would be pushing it completely differently,&#8221; Weaver said. &#8220;There&#8217;s no deterrence.&#8221;
&#8220;Immigration and the criminal justice system and all these things landed together one day in Aurora, and now I sit here today without a daughter,&#8221; Weaver added.
Brackley defended the plea deal, saying that before any plea deal is negotiated prosecutors consider &#8220;the impact on the victims and the community,&#8221; &#8220;the characteristics of the defendant such as age, culpability, and level of remorse,&#8221; and the &#8220;goals of sentencing, including deterrence, rehabilitating the offender, treating similarly situated offenders equitably, and holding each offender accountable.&#8221;
&#8220;The negotiated sentence acknowledges the seriousness of this preventable tragedy,&#8221; the assistant district attorney stated.

Police officers

Illegal Immigrant Teen Gets Off Easy After Killing Colorado Woman In High-Speed Crash

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President Donald Trump travels to the Middle East, where he inks massive arms and investment deals, Sean Combs’ sex trafficking trial brings shocking testimony, and the Left is outraged as Trump welcomes Afrikaner refugees.
It’s Wednesday, May 14, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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<h2>Trump Secures Massive Saudi Investment</h2>
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Topline: President Trump secures a $600 billion investment in the U.S. from Saudi Arabia.
President Trump and an entourage of his top officials were in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, where the president secured a $600 billion investment in the United States and the largest arms deal in history. Trump arrived in Qatar on Wednesday morning and plans to visit the United Arab Emirates while negotiating economic deals and signaling a new approach to American foreign policy in the Middle East.
“Far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it&#8217;s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins,” Trump said. “It is God&#8217;s job to sit in judgment — my job to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace.&#8221;
Trump also celebrated a recent ceasefire with the Houthis, who agreed to suspend attacks on American shipping in the Red Sea after months of intense aerial bombardment by U.S. military forces. The president announced the cessation of sanctions on Syria, to give the new government, which ousted the Russian- and Iranian-backed Bashar al-Assad last December, “a chance at greatness.&#8221; Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is a former Al-Qaeda fighter who fought against American forces in Iraq. He has been Syria&#8217;s president since January and has attempted to rebrand himself as a moderate figure focused more on Syrian interests than jihad.
“In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace. That’s what we want to see,” Trump said.
However, Trump’s rhetoric was not entirely dovish – he issued a stern warning to Iran, a longtime regional adversary of the United States that has come perilously close to developing nuclear weapons. “Iran CAN have a much brighter future — but we will NEVER allow them to threaten America and our allies with terrorism or a nuclear attack. The choice is theirs to make.”
<h2>Did Diddy Do It?</h2>
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Topline: Eight months after his arrest, the federal trial of music mogul Sean &#8220;Diddy&#8221; Combs kicked off this week in Manhattan. The charges Combs faces — including sex trafficking, coercion, and racketeering — have sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry.
The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs began on Monday. Prosecutors painted a dark picture, alleging that Combs used his fame, wealth, and multimedia empire to orchestrate a decades-long scheme involving sex trafficking and violence. They claim he lured women with promises of romance or career opportunities, only to force them into “freak offs” — drug-fueled sexual performances involving male prostitutes, some recorded to blackmail victims into silence. They also claim it was particularly during these “freak offs” where women, including his former girlfriend, R&amp;B singer Cassie Ventura, were abused and manipulated.
Combs has been charged with five felony counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of transportation for prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison, with a minimum of 15 years for the sex trafficking charges alone.
On Tuesday, Ventura took the stand and said Combs “too frequently… mashed in [her] head, dragged [her] along the floor, kicked [her], stomped on [her] head.&#8221; She also said he characterized these drug and alcohol-fueled “freak-offs” as part of her “job” and that they increased in frequency over the course of their relationship. She said that in the final years she was with Combs, these sex sessions became “all-consuming” and she spent most of her time engaging in the freak-offs or recovering from them while enduring abuse from Combs.
The jury also heard from Daniel Phillip, a former male escort. He gave graphic testimony about being paid to have sex with Ventura at the Gramercy Park Hotel in 2012 while Combs watched from the corner, masturbating and directing the encounters. He also recounted a disturbing incident where Combs allegedly forced him to urinate into Ventura’s mouth. Phillip also said he witnessed Combs’ physical abuse when he threw a liquor bottle at Ventura, dragged her into a bedroom, and slapped her as she screamed, “I’m sorry!” Phillip said he was “terrified” to intervene, citing Combs’ power and nearby bodyguards.
Combs’ defense admitted their client is a “complicated man” with flaws, including a history of drug use and domestic violence, but stressed that domestic abuse is not a federal crime and insisted this isn’t a racketeering or trafficking case. Teny Geragos, one of Combs’ attorneys who is the daughter of celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, told jurors, “This is about Sean Combs’ private sex life,” emphasizing that the women involved, including Ventura, were “strong, capable, and in love with him,” making consensual choices.
<h2>Afrikaner Refugees Arrive In The United States</h2>
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Topline: The first group of white Afrikaners who were granted refugee status by the Trump administration arrived in the United States this week, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/12/trump-afrikaners-refugees-immigration-00342029?utm_source=chatgpt.com">sparking outrage</a> on the Left.
Afrikaners are a South African ethnic group. Fifty-nine Afrikaner men, women, and children arrived in America this week, many of them farmers. They were vetted and granted refugee status very quickly, within a matter of months – the refugee vetting process ordinarily takes years. President Trump, who has been outspokenly opposed to the treatment of white South Africans by their government, signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/addressing-egregious-actions-of-the-republic-of-south-africa/">executive order</a> in February to end aid to South Africa over its discriminatory racial policies, specifically pertaining to white farmers. The order notes that South Africa has taken “aggressive positions” toward the U.S. and her allies, including Israel, and also notes the recently enacted Expropriation Act, which the order said enables the South African government “to seize” Afrikaners&#8217; agricultural property without compensation.”
The State Department said Afrikaners face unjust racial discrimination in South Africa, and added that no one should be subject to “violent attacks because of their ethnicity.” One refugee said that she was attacked on her farm four different times. She said that Afrikaners are being blamed and targeted for the past apartheid in South Africa. Hundreds of people have been killed on farms in just the last four years or so. Not all of those people were white, but many were.
“What’s happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said. “This is persecution based on a protected characteristic, in this case, race. This is race-based persecution. The refugee program is not intended as a solution for global poverty.”
The Left has argued that Trump is favoring these refugees because they’re white – they’ve cited the president’s moves to halt most of the refugee programs established under Joe Biden from nations like Afghanistan, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Trump argues that those programs did not vet refugees properly, especially from those nations that are considered high-risk.

MorningWire-0428 V2

Morning Brief: Trump Lands Huge Saudi Investment & Diddy Faces The Music

Middle East

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Reality star Kim Kardashian, 44, testified at the trial for individuals accused of being involved in a 2016 robbery in Paris.
The social media influencer took the stand and described her experience of being held at gunpoint in her hotel room, saying, &#8220;I absolutely did think I was gonna die,&#8221; per <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ce81drd3m6gt">BBC News</a>. Kardashian also described what happened, saying she was wearing nothing but a robe when she was tied up by the assailants.
She said her robe opened when one of the men was handling her, “exposing everything” on her body.
&#8220;They threw me on the bed and the smaller one started to tie my hands,&#8221; she said during the testimony. &#8220;I started to freak out.&#8221;
&#8220;I was sure that I was going to be raped,” Kardashian testified before adding that at that point, her legs were tied together.
The celebrity said she kept repeating, &#8220;I have babies and I need to get home to my babies,&#8221; to the men. Kardashian said she believes one told her to “shut up” at one point, the outlet noted.
&#8220;Then they tied me up and I was hysterical. When he was about to tape my mouth, he leaned toward me and said in English &#8216;shh&#8217; and &#8216;you’ll be OK.'&#8221;
She recalled continuing to fear for her life and being worried for the safety of her mother Kris Jenner and her sister Kourtney, who were with her on the trip, but not in the room at the time of the burglary.
&#8220;At that point, I was sure that&#8217;s when they were going to shoot me,&#8221; Kardashian said, according to the BBC. &#8220;So I said a prayer for my family and my mom and my sister and best friend.&#8221;
She said she believed she &#8220;would be shot dead on the bed and [Kourtney] would see that and have that memory forever.&#8221;
Kardashian added that after the men made away with jewelry worth nearly $9 million, they left her tied up on the bathroom floor. She didn’t try to escape for a while until she knew they were truly gone.
The social media influencer said she used to feel safe in Paris, but now travels with four to six bodyguards everywhere she goes.
The men on trial are part of a group that’s referred to as the &#8220;Grandpa robbers&#8221; by French media due to how old they were at the time, per <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/kim-kardashian-testify-grandpa-robbers-paris-trial-9m-jewelry-heist-rcna206243">NBC News</a>.
One of the suspects, Yunice Abbas, 71, has publicly admitted to being involved in the robbery. He is also co-author of the 2021 book “I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian,” a title which he later said he didn’t choose.
Most of Kardashian’s stolen jewelry was never recovered, the outlet noted. 
The men were arrested three months after the robbery occurred, but the legal process has been plagued by delays and due to the age of the accused, not all of them are physically able to stand trial. One suspect died before the case went to court.

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian Testifies During Paris Robbery Trial She Thought She ‘Was Going To Die’

Kim Kardashian Testifies During Paris Robbery Trial She Thought She 'Was Going To Die'

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Each year, migrants send tens of billions of dollars out of the United States — often landing in cartel coffers.
That may be good for migrants and drug lords, but it&#8217;s bad for the American economy. That&#8217;s why Congress is considering a new tax on money flowing out of the country. Advocates say the tax would penalize illegal immigration, impose new costs on criminal networks, and increase government revenue, all without impacting Americans&#8217; wallets.
Remittance outflows from the United States — when migrants send money back to their countries of origin — have steadily increased in recent years. <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/global-remittances-guide">Data</a> from the Migration Policy Institute reveal that just over $66 billion was sent out of the American economy in 2020. That number climbed to $73.7 billion in 2021 and $81.6 billion in 2022. By 2023, remittance outflows hit nearly $86 billion.
Now, a five percent remittance tax, which is included in President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill-gets-no-tax-on-tips-and-overtime">big, beautiful bill</a>,&#8221; could penalize illegal immigration, punish cartels, and create a new revenue stream for the American government.
Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) Media Director Ira Mehlman told The Daily Wire that a tax on remittances would recoup some of the money that is, in effect, exported out of the American economy.
“Many illegal aliens are working off-the-books, and therefore, no payroll taxes have been collected. Taxing the money as it leaves the country would be a way to recoup some of that revenue loss,” Mehlman said. “Even in cases where the money earned is being taxed, large-scale transfers of money to other countries have a negative impact on the American economy. Remittances essentially export money from our economy.”
“That is money that is not being spent locally, generating revenues such as sales tax, or creating new jobs in local economies,” he added.
But migrants transferring money to family members in their home countries aren’t the only ones sending money out of the American economy. Mehlman warned that cartels are known to launder drug money back to Mexico, allowing the transnational criminal enterprises to fund their smuggling operations.
He cited one Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/mexico-drugs-remittances/">investigation</a> that found that the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels recruited Mexican citizens and illegal aliens in the United States to launder the illicit funds, and that cartel drug money could make up 10 percent of all remittances to Mexico. The increase in total remittances, the investigation says, has allowed the laundered funds to blend in and fly under the radar.
“Placing a fee on remittances is crucial because the more money that is smuggled back into Mexico, the stronger the cartels become,” Mehlman told The Daily Wire.
So far, Oklahoma is the only state that has implemented a remittance fee. The state charges a 1% fee on wire transfers out of the country. State residents who pay their income tax are reimbursed for any fees they incur by wiring money through a tax credit. But those who do not pay taxes, including many illegal aliens, receive no such reimbursement, allowing the state to pull in <a href="https://cis.org/North/Oklahoma-Again-Reports-Increase-Taxes-Wired-Remittances">over $10 million</a> a year.
Congressman Kevin Hern (R-OK) <a href="https://hern.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=638">introduced</a> a federal bill modeled after his state’s legislation during the 2022 legislative session. He <a href="https://hern.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=886">reintroduced</a> his bill in 2023, with the support of then-Senator JD Vance, who introduced an accompanying bill in the upper chamber. The legislation would have imposed a 5% charge on outgoing wire transfers, and directed the proceeds to be used for border security measures. The bill similarly offered tax credits for those who paid the fee, allowing taxpayers to receive reimbursement.
Hern, who serves as the Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, told The Daily Wire that the legislative effort was an attempt to employ “every avenue available to target cartel activity and keep our people safe.”
“The cash flow from illegal immigrants in the States to their cartel partners in Mexico, Venezuela, and other countries is massive,” Hern said to The Daily Wire. It’s a two-fold win: remittance fees will help slow down the flow of those dollars to the cartels and will also create a new revenue source we can use to build the wall and secure our border.”
If Trump&#8217;s budget bill is passed as written, anyone sending money out of the country would have to pay a 5% tax. The only untaxed remittances would be those sent through a qualified transfer provider, which would be required to prove to the United States government that it authenticates the citizenship status of senders. American citizens who incur a tax on remittance payments would receive a refund in the form of a tax credit, just as Oklahomans do under current state law.
A remittance tax has also garnered the support of the America First Policy Institute, which <a href="https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/state-legislative-priority-international-wire-transfer-fees2">says </a>that the measure “deters illegal immigration and trafficking networks.”
“Imposing a fee on outgoing wire transfers makes it less desirable for illegal aliens or smuggling and trafficking networks to remain in the state,” the group wrote in a policy brief. The organization also touted a fee on remittances as an effective tool to recoup lost tax revenue.
“In many instances, the wages illegal aliens receive working unlawfully in the country is untaxed income which financially harms states. Illegal aliens also may consume other state benefits like education for their children and medical care without paying into the system,” America First Policy Institute asserted. “This fee partially recoups some of the lost state revenue caused by illegal immigration in the state.”
Mehlman explained that the policy would be most effective at discouraging illegal immigration if it is paired with a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-one-simple-trick-that-could-lead-illegal-immigrants-to-self-deport?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=27&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+One+Simple+Trick+That+Could+Lead+Illegal+Immigrants+To+Self-Deport">national E-Verify mandate</a>, which would seek to prevent illegal aliens from gaining employment in the United States.
“The biggest incentive to illegal immigration is the ability to work here at a higher wage and send money home to family members,” he explained.
“The problem has been powerful business lobbies that have fought mandatory E-Verify because illegal immigration has become a source of subsidized labor for them — they get a low-wage worker, similarly skilled American workers lose out on jobs and wages, and everyone else bears the true costs of having large numbers of illegal aliens in our society.”

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