Nick Reiner, 32, was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the brutal slaying of his parents, acclaimed director Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner.
Los Angeles officials gave an update Tuesday afternoon on the investigation, announcing as the press conference began, &#8220;charges are being filed as we speak.&#8221;
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman spoke first, laying out some of the details of the charges filed against the couple&#8217;s embattled son, Nick Reiner, 32.
Reiner was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with special circumstances attached because there were multiple murders and because he allegedly attacked with a deadly weapon — a knife. The maximum sentence, should Reiner be convicted on those charges, is life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty — but Hochman said that no decision had yet been made with regard to whether or not his office would pursue the death penalty.
For the time being, he said that his office had requested that Nick Reiner be held without bail.
&#8220;Charges are not evidence,&#8221; Hochman cautioned then, reminding the public that Reiner had to be allowed his day in court and that prosecutors would be held to the long-enduring &#8220;beyond a reasonable doubt” standard when they presented their case to 12 jurors.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible c-link--underline" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Reiner, he said, was still going through the standard medical clearances necessary to be brought to court, where he would be arraigned and enter a plea.
Hochman also reminded the public that &#8220;cases involving family members are some of the most heart-wrenching cases&#8221; because of how brutal they can be. Noting that the Reiners were &#8220;icons&#8221; — both locally and nationally — he added, &#8220;Their loss is beyond tragic. We will commit ourselves to bringing their murderer to justice.&#8221;
&#8220;Please do not rely on rank speculation, rumor, or hearsay to believe that you know anything about this case,&#8221; Hochman said, reminding the public to make sure that they get their information from &#8220;trusted sources&#8221; and wait for the evidence to be presented in court.
&#8220;This case is heartbreaking and deeply personal, not only for the Reiner family and their loved ones, but to our entire city,&#8221; Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said.
An autopsy of the Reiners is still pending, and McDonnell noted that as far as an official time of death was concerned, &#8220;We don’t have specificity yet, we’re waiting on the coroner to determine as best they can.&#8221;
Several reporters were given the opportunity to ask questions as the briefing wrapped up, but most of them could not yet be answered because officials were not willing to undercut an ongoing investigation.

Director Rob Reiner & Son Nick Visit AOL Build

Nick Reiner Charged With First Degree Murder In Brutal Slaying, Death Penalty Is On The Table

Courts

LAPD

Los Angeles

Murder

Nick Reiner

Police

Rob Reiner

U.S.

Violent Crime

AUSTRALIA-ATTACK-BONDI

The Massacre In Australia Is Proof That Diversity Is Not Our Strength

Anti-Semitism

Australia

Immigration

Islamic Jihad

Leftists

mass migration

Matt Walsh

Muslim Immigration

Opinion

Shooting

Back in September, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/zohran-mamdani-social-workers-nypd-mayors-race-interview/">stated</a> that his administration, should he succeed, intended to dedicate $1 billion to the overhaul of public safety, which would include the hiring of many more social workers.
Following his election win, Mayor-elect Mamdani then <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdanis-top-incoming-aide-chief-architect-radical-proposal-overhauling-nypd">announced</a> that the “chief architect” behind the proposal, 34-year-old California native Elle Bisgaard-Church, was joining his staff, leading many to speculate that the controversial proposal now has real momentum.
While it remains to be seen how Mamdani and his administration will actually handle policing in New York City, it appears a substantial increase in the hiring of social workers is on the way. For many Americans, the idea that this new approach to policing will reduce crime — especially violent crime — is absurd. But for the far-left, it is not just about implementing an alternative solution to policing, it is about growing the ranks of credentialed supporters of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion — or ADEI — in public institutions, especially schools.
This isn’t the first time in recent years that tax dollars will be used to increase the number of social workers. From 2021 to 2024, the Biden administration’s Department of Education <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/granted-social-work/">distributed</a> over $100 million in grants to universities to recruit and train more school social workers. Twenty-two of the universities that received funding currently weave ADEI into all levels of their degree coursework.
But the integration of ADEI into social work goes beyond a few outliers, it is a core principle of the accrediting organization and schools of social work. In fact, over 55% of the almost 900 accredited schools currently list ADEI as part of their program objectives and philosophy. It is through these accreditor competencies, biased application <a href="https://form.jotform.com/80024346548152">screenings</a>, required <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/granted-social-work/">courses</a>, and student <a href="https://socialwork.asu.edu/sites/g/files/litvpz286/files/2025-07/Fall%202025%2C%20First%20Semester%2C%20SWG%20541%20%281%20of%202%29%2C%20MSW%20Generalist%20Learning%20Contract%20and%20Evaluation%20Sonia%20-%20Form%20Preview.pdf">evaluations</a> that schools of social work have become a tool for advancing left-wing orthodoxy into society and K-12 education.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the accrediting agency, not only weaves ADEI throughout eight of the nine student <a href="https://www.cswe.org/getmedia/bb5d8afe-7680-42dc-a332-a6e6103f4998/2022-Educational-Policy-and-Accreditation-Standards-(EPAS).pdf">competencies</a>, but it also includes ADEI as a core element in the organization’s educational policies and standards for which universities are evaluated. Rutgers University’s School of Social Work goes a step further by adding a tenth competency aimed at developing a student’s “<a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/2025-04/2022_Enhanced%20MAP_Competencies%202024_April.pdf">Liberatory Consciousness”</a> — the ability to “understand and identify how white supremacy, racism, and other forms of stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and oppression” impact people and communities. Additionally, CSWE’s standards state that social work programs must “recognize the pervasive impact of White supremacy and privilege and prepare students to have the knowledge, awareness, and skills necessary to engage in anti-racist practices.”
However, long before entering their respective social work programs, many applicants are screened for their commitment to anti-racism and DEI through essays, personal statements, and question sets. For example, Metropolitan State University of Denver’s (CO) program <a href="https://www.msudenver.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2026-MSW-Personal-Statement-Prompts.pdf">states</a> it seeks students who are committed to “ADEI work,” and requires an essay that prompts them to discuss any experiences and specific roles they have had engaging with ADEI. A University of Alaska Anchorage <a href="https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/college-of-health/departments/school-of-social-work/msw/_documents/2026-27-MSW-admissions-booklet.pdf">document</a> titled “Program and Admissions Information” declares that the purpose of the writing sample is to evaluate an applicant&#8217;s understanding and commitment to “social justice, diversity, and anti-racism.”
Just as <a href="https://defendinged.org/investigations/corrupted/">Colleges of Education</a> prepare future K-12 teachers to advance social justice and DEI in the classroom, so do social work programs.
In fact, the School Social Work Association of America’s (SSWAA) “<a href="https://www.sswaa.org/racial-equity-and-social-justice">Racial Equity &amp; Social Justice Resources</a>” page states that “school social workers are well positioned to be transformational leaders in promoting equity, inclusivity and supportive school environments.” The site also links to the organization’s “<a href="https://www.sswaa.org/_files/ugd/486e55_0be666d8efd241aba23af719e33856fc.pdf">Solidarity Statement with Black Lives Matter</a>.”
<div id="attachment_1015125" style="width: 785px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1015125" class="size-large wp-image-1015125" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-775x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Wisconsin Department of Public Education" width="775" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-775x576.jpg 775w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-300x223.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-768x571.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers-1536x1141.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Wisconsin-social-workers.jpg 1911w" sizes=" (max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px" />Credit: Wisconsin Department of Public Education</div>
For years, there has been a concerted effort to increase the number of social workers inside K-12 schools. According to Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction <a href="https://dpi.wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/sspw/pdf/17-24_SSW_Trend_Data.pdf">data</a>, from 2017 to 2024, licensed and employed school social workers in the Badger State increased from 620 to 840. Overall, the percentage of schools with at least one social worker increased from 27% to 39%, while the per student to social worker ratio dropped to 1,014 to 1. The target <a href="https://www.sswaa.org/national-census">goal</a> of SSWAA is 250 to 1, or roughly 200,000 school social workers.
There is no doubt that too many young Americans have real mental health issues that need to be addressed. But inserting social workers, trained to be champions of anti-racism and DEI, into every school as a remedy is nonsense.
It is well past time for state and federal legislatures to rein in university social work programs and their accreditor.
* * *
Rhyen Staley is Director of Research for Defending Education. He holds a master’s degree in elementary education and has over a decade of classroom experience in both public and private schools.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25">Christmas Sale &#8211; Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>

US-POLITICS-VOTE-NEW YORK-MAYOR

Mamdani And The Expanding Army Of DEI-Trained Social Workers

American Universities

College

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Education

social worker

Zohran Mamdani

A person of interest detained over the shooting at Brown University that left two dead and nine injured has been released as law enforcement continues to hunt for the gunman, officials said late Sunday. 
That announcement came one day after a gunman wearing all black stormed an engineering building and opened fire on a group of students studying for finals. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said that evidence pointed law enforcement in a different direction. 
“There was some degree of evidence that pointed to this individual, but that evidence needed to be corroborated and confirmed,” he said at a press conference on Sunday. “That evidence now points in a different direction. So what that means is that this person of interest needs to be, and should be released.”
Neronha added that it was unfortunate that specific information about the person of interest had been leaked to the media. 
“I think what is really unfortunate [is] that this person&#8217;s name was leaked to the public. It&#8217;s hard to put that back in the bottle, OK? So we&#8217;re going to proceed very carefully here,” he said. “ There is too much at stake for the victims of this horrific crime and their families to take chances with respect to this investigation.”
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=christmas&amp;utm_content=christmassale25" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
When the person of interest was initially detained by law enforcement, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said that authorities were not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack. Perez said Sunday that the person of interest was not the individual captured on video that was released by the police department. Law enforcement is still looking for the person shown in the video.
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Video of person of interest in Brown shooting: <a href="https://t.co/fjufQ3MTdC">pic.twitter.com/fjufQ3MTdC</a>
— Providence Police (@ProvidenceRIPD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProvidenceRIPD/status/2000054325825961988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At the same press conference, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said the investigation was ongoing but that they did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the community.  
“We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community, and we want to reiterate what we said earlier, which remains true, which is ever since the initial call, now a day and a half ago, we have not received any credible or specific threats to the Providence community,” he said. 
Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee said he spoke with FBI Director Kash Patel before the press conference to inform him that the person of interest would be released. He said Patel told him federal resources would continue to be provided while the search was ongoing.

Shooting At Brown University In Providence Leaves Multiple People Dead And Injured

Person Of Interest Released As Police Intensify Manhunt For Brown University Shooter

Brown University

kash patel

Mass Shooting

Rhode Island

The top cop in the nation&#8217;s capital said on Monday that she will step down at the end of the month, as her department faces continued pressure to address violent crime.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said that her final day will be on December 31. Smith, who has served as the district&#8217;s police chief for less than three years, told <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/12/08/dc-police-chief-resigns-stepping-down-pamela-smith">Axios</a> that her decision to resign was not in response to President Donald Trump&#8217;s moves to clean up crime in D.C., but she did not give a specific reason for her abrupt departure.
&#8220;There comes a time when you just know it&#8217;s time,&#8221; she said.
The Metropolitan Police Department has been at the center of controversy over high crime rates in D.C., as the city&#8217;s homicide rate reached 27.3 per 100,000 residents in 2024, giving the U.S. capital the fourth-highest homicide rate of any city in the country.
The police department is also being investigated by the Justice Department over allegations that it has been manipulating crime data to hide how dangerous the city has become under Democratic leadership. Smith addressed those accusations on Monday, telling Axios that she would &#8220;never&#8221; order D.C. police to alter crime stats. A D.C. police commander was suspended and placed under investigation for allegedly altering the crime data, and Smith did not say if anyone else at the department is being investigated over the issue.
50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at <a class="c-link" href="http://dailywire.com/cyberweek" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://DailyWire.com/cyberweek" data-sk="tooltip_parent">DailyWire.com/cyberweek</a>.
As questions swirl around the Metropolitan Police Department&#8217;s crime reporting, D.C. officials, including Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, are pointing at crime data to show that the city is at a 30-year low in violent crime and is not in a &#8220;crime emergency&#8221; as the Trump administration claims.
Trump ripped D.C. leaders over the reports of manipulated crime data and argued that violence in D.C. was &#8220;totally out of control.&#8221; The president then deployed federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to D.C., a move that infuriated Democrats on Capitol Hill and many district residents.
Smith has been criticized by leftist D.C. residents who believe that the Metropolitan Police Department is cooperating with ICE agents on immigration raids and arrests. Smith said on Monday that her department has not worked with ICE since Trump surged federal law enforcement agents to the city.
&#8220;We are not aligned with ICE. We do not, and have not since the crime emergency, worked alongside ICE,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;[Social media] videos lend one aspect of what you see. If they show up, they show up. They&#8217;re federal officers.&#8221;
Smith has also been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/08/22/dc-police-chief-trump-takeover/">slammed</a> by some of her own officers, who have questioned her leadership, especially during the Trump administration&#8217;s takeover of the department. After Trump declared a &#8220;crime emergency&#8221; and took over the Metropolitan Police Department in August, D.C. leaders sued the administration, and Trump officials worked out a deal to keep Smith at the helm of the department, but mandating that she cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies.

Pamela Smith

Capital’s Top Cop Quits Following Months Of Controversy Over D.C. Law Enforcement

Crime

Donald Trump

Washington D.C.

Over two dozen Republican senators are backing an effort from Texas Senator John Cornyn to toughen the punishment for criminals who violently attack enforcement officers, The Daily Wire has learned. 
On Thursday, Cornyn will introduce the “Back the Blue Act” to increase the penalties for murdering or attempting to murder law enforcement while also expanding self-defense rights for police officers. The proposal has significant support from fellow Republicans, with over 31 signing on to co-sponsor.
“Our law enforcement officers bravely risk their lives daily to protect our communities, and anyone who targets them should be met with the full force of the law, including the death penalty,” he told The Daily Wire. “America was built on the principles of law and order, and this legislation sends a clear message that targeted attacks on law enforcement will not be tolerated, dangerous criminals will be held accountable, and our men and women in blue have our full and unwavering support.”
The legislation would create a new federal crime for killing or attempting to kill a federal judge, a federal law enforcement officer, or other federally funded public safety officer. If an officer dies, the murderer would be subject to the death penalty and a mandatory 30 years in prison, according to Cornyn’s office. The proposal would make attempted murder or murder an aggravating factor when considering the death penalty as well. 
Penalties for assaulting federal law enforcement would also increase, as would the punishment for fleeing across state lines to avoid prosecution for attacking law enforcement.  The proposal would also impose time limits on when a federal court can review the state-level conviction of someone who murdered a police officer in the line of duty. 
Law enforcement officers would also be given the ability to carry their firearms into federal facilities and other areas where gun possession is typically restricted, according to Cornyn’s office. 
50% off DailyWire+ annual memberships will not return for another year, so don’t miss this deal! Join now at <a href="http://dailywire.com/cyberweek" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/cyberweek</a>.
The legislation is backed by major law enforcement organizations like the Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, and the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the NYPD.
Cornyn’s proposal of the bill comes as he faces a contentious GOP primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Sen. John Cornyn

‘Back The Blue’: Senators Demand Death Penalty For Cop Killers

Death Penalty

John Cornyn

Law Enforcement

Texas

<div>
Aftyn Behn, the Democrat hopeful for Congress in Tennessee, deleted a radical social media post calling on all white people to get behind abolishing prisons.
“On this Juneteenth, we need less white folks posting Canva graphics and more adopting prison abolition as a political foundation,” Behn, a white woman, said in a deleted post just over a year ago, that is now archived on the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240619153246/https:/twitter.com/AftynBehn/status/1803450863240757499" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wayback Machine</a>. The post also recommended four books that &#8220;enhanced&#8221; her &#8220;political education.&#8221;
</div>
<div>
Behn is running against Republican Matt Van Epps in a deep red district to replace Mark Green, a congressman who resigned earlier this year. Democrats have spent a hefty amount of money and resources to try and drive turnout among Democrats, hoping to pull an upset in a low-turnout contest.
</div>
The deleted post was not Behn&#8217;s only time advocating for the radical policy, which has been embraced by many advocates of so-called &#8220;social justice.&#8221; In an August 2024 article in <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2024/08/01/candidate-profiles-tennessee-senate-and-house-primary/74623149007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Tennessean</a>, Behn disclosed the same stance on prisons.
<div>
“No, I do not agree with these ‘tough-on-crime’ policies,” she told the publication at the time. &#8220;As a legislator who believes in prison abolition, I am committed to addressing the root causes of crime rather than implementing punitive measures that often perpetuate a cycle of harm.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1006417" style="width: 980px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1006417" class="size-full wp-image-1006417" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/5927db9b04c5ef7c0d4dbea3edbfe74b0a21f59c594fb19a2ef28888837d0e2a.jpg" alt="" width="970" height="406" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/5927db9b04c5ef7c0d4dbea3edbfe74b0a21f59c594fb19a2ef28888837d0e2a.jpg 970w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/5927db9b04c5ef7c0d4dbea3edbfe74b0a21f59c594fb19a2ef28888837d0e2a-300x126.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/5927db9b04c5ef7c0d4dbea3edbfe74b0a21f59c594fb19a2ef28888837d0e2a-768x321.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px" />Screenshot of Behn&#8217;s deleted post / Daily Wire</div>
Behn’s campaign did not respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment. The Democrat has taken other controversial stances on crime, including being one of the handful of lawmakers who voted against the death penalty for those convicted of raping a minor, according to <a href="https://www.wkrn.com/news/tennessee-politics/death-penalty-for-child-rapists-clears-final-legislative-hurdle-heads-to-governors-desk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WKRN</a>. Behn raised concerns that if a child was aware that the consequence of the crime for the abuser was the death penalty, it might prevent the minor from reporting the crime.
“You can read testimonies again and again across this state, but the state intervening to kill a human being does nothing to deter the crime,” Behn said on the state House floor in April 2024 while debating the legislation with Republican Rep. William Lamberth.
</div>
The Democrat has also faced scrutiny over a 2020 post in which she praised people who support burning down police stations.
“Good morning, especially to the 54% of Americans that believe burning down a police station is justified,” Behn posted.
Behn declined to respond, saying instead, “I’m not gonna engage in cable news talking points.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reported on her past comments on abortion as well, saying she would be willing to get arrested for her advocacy on the issue.
“We’ll continue to figure out how to get abortion pills to people. So the organizing does not stop just because Roe is overturned,” Behn said in a May 2022 conversation with the Tennessee Holler.
Another podcast clip from 2020 of her went viral, in which she said that she hates Nashville.
“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it,” she said.
Despite her radical positions, she has won the support of prominent Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.
President Donald Trump has also waded into the race, endorsing Van Epps.
<div>
“I am asking all America First Patriots in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, who haven’t voted yet, to please GET OUT AND VOTE for MAGA Warrior Matt Van Epps, tomorrow, November 26th, the last day to vote early in person. You can win this Election for Matt! PLEASE VOTE FOR MATT VAN EPPS, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump posted on Tuesday night.
Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at <a href="http://dailywire.com/blackfriday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dailywire.com/blackfriday</a>.
</div>

Aftyn Behn

Tennessee Democrat Aftyn Behn Also Wants To Abolish Prisons

Congress

Elections

Nashville

Politics

When it comes to immigration enforcement by the Trump administration, especially for people living in the Midwest, there’s been one decision that’s stood out. And it’s clearly been a deliberate decision, for whatever reason. For the most part, the government has left illegal alien Muslim populations alone, in places like Dearborn, Michigan, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Admittedly, there’s not much hard data on this. But intuitively, you can tell. You can go online and find hundreds of videos of ICE raids in Los Angeles or Texas. But you won’t find many videos coming from Little Mogadishu, which, by some conservative estimates, is home to tens of thousands of illegal aliens. And there’s another way to tell that immigration enforcement has been soft in these areas: They haven’t been rioting. They haven’t been surrounding ICE agents chanting, “Allahu Akbar,” like they’re re-enacting “Black Hawk Down.” Instead, Muslims in these communities have mostly been targeting white conservative activists and journalists, who dare to venture into the no-go zone that they’ve established. They’re not afraid of immigration enforcement. They’re emboldened, like conquerors.
Whatever the administration’s strategy has been here, it does appear to be changing, at least to an extent. Last week, as you may remember, I called for hate crimes charges to be brought against a man who punched a white conservative activist in Dearborn. Within hours, Harmeet Dhillon, who runs the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said she would begin an investigation. Then, shortly after that, the president announced a major change — one that we’ve been calling for, again and again, for several months. He ended “temporary protected status” for Somalis in the United States.
This is a designation that’s been in place for more than three decades. It shields Somalis, in many cases, from being deported back to Somalia, on the theory that the country is so dysfunctional that it would be inhumane to send them back. To be clear, in most other cases, “temporary protected status” is awarded after some terrible natural disaster, like a devastating earthquake or mudslide. The idea is that we don’t want to send people back to an unstable environment like that, where everything is flooded or on fire. But in Somalia’s case, there was no devastating earthquake or mudslide or anything like that. There’s just a lot of Somalis attempting to govern themselves. And that’s been such a disaster that, for more than 30 years, it’s been the official policy of the U.S. government that we shouldn’t send Somalis back to their own country. Somali governance is equivalent to a 9.0 earthquake — it’s just as catastrophic. Essentially, we’ve said we can’t send Somalis back to Somalia because there are so many Somalis there. It would be cruel to force Somalis to live with Somalis. So instead, we should force Americans to live with them. 
Of course, the appropriate response in this scenario is to keep Somalis as far away from the United States as possible. We don’t want them establishing an enclave in this country, because inevitably, it will be just as dysfunctional as the country they fled. But for many years now, it’s been the policy of the United States to pretend otherwise — and to give Somalis yet another host country to destroy.
The fact that the Trump administration is changing this policy, after so many years, is a clear signal that they’re thinking about going into Muslim communities (particularly Somali communities) and enforcing immigration law, as well as civil rights law. This is a crackdown that’s long overdue. And it’s more urgent than ever, because at this point, law enforcement is now working on behalf of the foreign criminals in cities like Minneapolis. The leaders of major police departments are now far more worried about offending their Muslim overlords than actually enforcing the law.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1696-the-matt-walsh-show?contentProgram=The%20Matt%20Walsh%20Show&amp;contentType=ShowEpisode&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;location=Home%20Tab&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Home%20Featured%20Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-976065" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Matt-watch-now-1.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Earlier, I covered how conservatives can be physically attacked by Muslims in Dearborn, right in front of the police, and the police will do nothing. But the situation is even worse in Minneapolis, where the chief of police, Brian O’Hara, just apologized to the Somali community for pointing out that they’re committing a lot of crimes. This may be the first documented case of a police chief begging for forgiveness, simply for observing the fact that crime is taking place in his city.
So <a href="https://alphanews.org/mpd-chief-cites-east-african-kids-from-out-of-town-in-ongoing-dinkytown-youth-crime-problems/">here’s what</a> Chief Brian O’Hara said, in an interview with a local radio station. This was the observation that outraged the Somali community, as reported by Alpha News.
&#8220;Chief O’Hara said in the interview, &#8216;Groups of kids, groups of East African kids that are coming from surrounding communities and not just one community, kind of all over the place,” are coming to the area armed and ready for a fight. &#8230; “They aren’t the poor kids from Minneapolis that are our residents, these are kids coming down in mommy’s Mercedes-Benz to Dinkytown.&#8221;
What he’s saying is obviously true. No one disputes that it’s accurate. Somalis, from East Africa, are invading communities in Minneapolis and committing serious crimes.
But Somalis in Minneapolis decided that this statement simply could not stand. That’s because large Somali communities in the United States are effectively a criminal enterprise, like a mafia. There’s widespread awareness in these communities about the fraud and robberies they commit. And they understand that, in order to minimize any undesired attention, they need to band together and shut down any suggestion — from anywhere — that they’re engaging in criminal activity. There’s a code of silence that they obey themselves and enforce on everyone else. After all, the easiest way to conceal a criminal enterprise is to make sure no one is allowed to talk about it.
It’s been known for a long time that Somalis operate like this. And it’s also been widely understood that politicians in Minneapolis are going along with it. The mayor, as we all know, isn’t ashamed to pander to Somalis and BLM, and so on. He’s certainly never critiqued Somalis, nor would he dream of doing so.
That said, even with this background in mind, the police chief just took things to another level. He didn’t simply pander to Somalis or turn a blind eye to their crimes. He actually went on camera and apologized for making a factually accurate statement about criminal activity in Minneapolis. Accompanied by a translator, the police chief apologized for doing his job, for informing the public about criminal activity, and for enforcing the law against Somalis. 
If any video justifies a federal takeover of law enforcement in Minneapolis, it’s this one. 
<h3>Watch:</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: MPD Police Chief O’Hara asks for forgiveness for exposing the reality of Somali criminal activity in Minneapolis <a href="https://t.co/SFkWW2ZSXy">pic.twitter.com/SFkWW2ZSXy</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1991678468959129940?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @EndWokeness/X.com
He says we have to be honest about what’s happening. And then in the same breath, he apologizes for being honest about what’s happening. It looks like a hostage video, because that’s exactly what it is.
After seeing this, is there anyone who seriously believes that any law enforcement official in Minnesota, from the attorney general on down, has any interest in arresting and prosecuting Somalis when they commit crimes? The guy looks absolutely petrified. And all he did was make a factually accurate statement. He didn&#8217;t even arrest anyone.
But if somehow you think law and order still exist in Minneapolis, maybe this video will be the wake-up call you need. 
This is a sheriff in Minnesota. 
<h3>Watch:</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
At the 24 second mark he says, “that’s why we are different from foreigners,” referring to native, Minnesotan officers.
Read that again. He refers to the natives as the foreigners. It’s an invasion. <a href="https://t.co/BOy7SqsgfE">https://t.co/BOy7SqsgfE</a>
— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) <a href="https://twitter.com/WallStreetMav/status/1992419966575161478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @WallStreetMav/X.com
According to the translation, the Minnesota sheriff refers to white police officers as “foreigners.” He says he’s working for Somalis and understands Somalis better than those foreign officers ever could. (Disclaimer: I have no idea how accurate the translation is. But that&#8217;s not my problem, because every single public official in the state should be speaking English.)
What’s important to understand about clips like this is that, as unacceptable as they obviously are, the actual problem is much, much worse. What these clips signify is that the Somali takeover of Minnesota is now so pervasive that they’re not even pretending to hide it anymore. If sheriffs and the chief of police are willing to pledge their allegiance to Somalia on-camera, then there’s no chance whatsoever that Somalis are actually being prosecuted for committing serious crimes. Maybe the DOJ will catch some fraudsters here and there, but the vast majority of these crimes are going completely unpunished. And everyone knows it.
But just in case there was any doubt, a few days ago, Ryan Thorpe and Chris Rufo <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/minnesota-welfare-fraud-somalia-al-shabaab?utm_source=virtuous&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=cjdaily">published an article</a> in City Journal highlighting the extent of the rampant fraud in Minneapolis. It&#8217;s so over-the-top and brazen that it almost sounds fake.
&#8220;Autism claims to Medicaid in Minnesota have skyrocketed in recent years — from $3 million in 2018 to $54 million in 2019, $77 million in 2020, $183 million 2021, $279 million in 2022, and $399 million in 2023. Meantime, the number of autism providers in the state spiked from 41 to 328 over the same period, with many in the Somali community establishing their own autism treatment centers, citing the need for “culturally appropriate programming.” By the time the fraud scheme was exposed, one in 16 Somali four-year-olds in the state had reportedly been diagnosed with autism — a rate more than triple the state average.&#8221;
Yes, claims for autism treatment in Minnesota — treatment that was mostly administered by Somalis, and which was then reimbursed by federal taxpayers — spiked from $3 million to $399 million, in the span of just five years. And this is just one of their scams. They&#8217;re scamming everything they can get their hands on, from COVID food programs to SNAP to the paycheck protection program. And we all know that, even when the DOJ catches a handful of Somalis who are involved, there&#8217;s no way to actually recover the money. The few Somalis who are eventually sentenced to prison, in all likelihood, won&#8217;t be there for very long.
(By the way, there&#8217;s also a very good, comprehensive analysis of Somali fraud in Minnesota, written by Armin Rosen in the publication &#8220;County Highway.&#8221; It&#8217;s one of the better explanations of how Minnesota officials are concealing all of this fraud.)
But the City Journal article highlights another important dimension of the story, which needs to be addressed — which is that Somalis in Minnesota are sending a lot of this stolen money back home. They&#8217;re taking the money you pay to the IRS, and they&#8217;re shipping it to Somalia. In some cases, they&#8217;re literally putting the cash in suitcases and flying it overseas. These are called &#8220;remittances.&#8221; And, as we discussed last week, millions of dollars in &#8220;remittances&#8221; are apparently <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/minnesota-welfare-fraud-somalia-al-shabaab?utm_source=virtuous&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=cjdaily">going to</a> Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda.
&#8220;The Somali fraud rings have sent huge sums in remittances, or money transfers, from Minnesota to Somalia. According to reports, an estimated 40 percent of households in Somalia get remittances from abroad. In 2023 alone, the Somali diaspora sent back $1.7 billion — more than the Somali government’s budget for that year. &#8230; Significant funds were being sent from America to Al-Shabaab networks in Somalia. Whether the money was intended for Al-Shabaab or not, they were taking a cut.&#8221;
One obvious step to address this problem — which the Trump administration should take immediately — is to raise the tax on remittances to 10,000%, at least for remittances going to Somalia. Currently, the tax is something like 1%. It&#8217;s absurdly low. And especially since we&#8217;re clearly being robbed, to the tune of billions of dollars, that needs to change. We need an emergency tax on remittances, immediately.
We also need to ramp up deportations and denaturalization proceedings. That&#8217;s going to trigger a legal battle, but it&#8217;s one we need to fight. The attorney general of Minnesota, Keith Ellison, is <a href="https://x.com/keithellison/status/1992301392225038837?s=20">already vowing</a> to take the Trump administration to court in order to keep as many Somalis in this country as possible.
&#8220;Trump’s announcement of termination of Somali TPS holders in Minnesota is legally problematic — while a president does have a lot of authority to designate and revoke TPS, he cannot legally wield that power to discriminate against an ethnic group or to target a state, like MN. This ain’t over.&#8221;
Yes, it&#8217;s &#8220;legally problematic&#8221; to end an extraordinary carve-out, which we&#8217;ve awarded to Somalis for no reason whatsoever, for more than 30 years. This is what always happens when you give any concessions or &#8220;favors&#8221; to anyone, including foreign nations. Instantaneously, it becomes an entitlement. They&#8217;ll sue you if you try to end it. Their lawyers will claim that you&#8217;ve violated the Constitution.
But if you ask Somalis themselves, ironically enough, they&#8217;ll drop the pretense. At this point, Somalis are basically daring us to deport them. This was Ilhan Omar&#8217;s <a href="https://x.com/IlhanMN/status/1992056830575435815?s=20">response</a> after Trump terminated Somalia&#8217;s temporary protected status.
&#8220;I am a citizen and so are the majority of Somalis in America. Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate. We are here to stay.&#8221;
Notice she doesn&#8217;t even refer to her own people as Americans. She admits that they&#8217;re &#8220;Somalis in America.&#8221; They&#8217;re foreign invaders in our country. They&#8217;ve taken over local law enforcement. They&#8217;ve taken over the state attorney general&#8217;s office. They&#8217;re attacking conservatives in the street.
And now, the moment the Trump administration suggests that laws might actually be enforced in Little Mogadishu, they&#8217;re saying &#8220;come get us.&#8221; 
For once, we should give Ilhan Omar and her Somali countrymen exactly what they&#8217;re asking for.

Rally at the capitol to raise awareness of the human rights violations in Somalia

The Somali Takeover Of Minneapolis Is Worse Than We Thought

Corruption

Ilhan Omar

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Muslims

Somalis

Welfare

Five years ago, as a state assemblyman, New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani called to defund the police. Today, he supports funding the department, but not expanding its ranks, putting himself at odds with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s repeated warnings.
&#8220;The reason I made the decision to retain commissioner Tisch is because of the importance of outcomes,” stated the 34-year-old New York City mayor-elect on Sunday&#8217;s &#8220;Meet the Press.&#8221; &#8220;The fact that she has been able to deliver on rooting out corruption while lowering crime is something to be celebrated, and I think the commissioner and I have been very clear that what brings us together is a shared importance of public safety &#8212; I think we can do that with the officers we have.&#8221;
Tisch, however, argues the very outcomes Mamdani retained her for happened &#8220;against all odds.&#8221;
&#8220;The crime reductions we saw last year were achieved against all odds and are entirely attributable to the hard work and the grit of New York&#8217;s finest,&#8221; she said in a January press conference. &#8220;The deck has been completely stacked against our cops.&#8221;
Tisch points to low staffing levels and a justice system that &#8220;prioritizes offenders over victims,&#8221; making officers’ jobs far more difficult. Her plan to sustain the city’s gains emphasizes hiring more police and confronting what she calls &#8220;surging recidivism,&#8221; which is when repeat offenders cycle through the system.
Alongside Mayor Eric Adams in November, Tisch supported a plan to fund 5,000 additional New York Police Department officers with a goal of reaching a 40,000-member force by fiscal year 2029.
Mamdani insists the force should stay at 35,000.
Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at <a href="http://dailywire.com/blackfriday">dailywire.com/blackfriday</a>.
&#8220;I’ve said over the course of the campaign that I think the number we’ve had budgeted of 35,000 officers is a sufficient number,&#8221; he said. &#8220;What we have to do, however, is to allow those officers to focus on policing.&#8221;
Mamdani noted the New York Police Department responds to 200,000 mental health calls a year. He plans to build a Department of Community Safety and &#8220;task it with the mental health crisis, the homelessness crisis, and allow officers to focus on serious crimes&#8230;&#8221;
Tisch argues that lasting progress requires fixing legislation. &#8220;The key driving factor is the revolving door of our criminal justice system, created in large part by legislative changes that took effect in 2020.&#8221;
Tisch has repeatedly spotlighted high-profile cases of recidivism, including a career criminal who allegedly robbed a Queens deli at gunpoint before shooting a New York Police Department officer and an innocent bystander. The suspect had 17 prior arrests, many occurring while on lifetime parole.
&#8220;Imagine how disheartening it is for our cops to be out there arresting the same people for the same crimes in the same neighborhoods day after day,&#8221; the commissioner said.
The Trump administration backs Mamdani’s decision to keep Jessica Tisch as New York City’s police commissioner.
Trump’s National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett recently said, &#8220;We are really reassured that [Mamdani has] kept the police commissioner. In previous administrations in New York, we have seen law and order really go South.&#8221;

NYPD

NYPD Commissioner Wants More Police, Mamdani Says Current Number ‘Sufficient’

New York City

New York Police Department (NYPD)

The Houston Police Officers&#8217; Union is aiming to recruit NYPD officers disaffected by Tuesday&#8217;s election of Democratic socialist Zohran <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mamdani-time-new-york-city-turns-to-muslim-socialist-zohran-mamdani-as-next-mayor?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=MAMDANI+TIME%3A+New+York+City+Turns+To+Muslim+Socialist+Zohran+Mamdani+As+Next+Mayor">Mamdani</a> as New York City mayor.
The police union released an ad on Tuesday, asking officers flat out: &#8220;NYPD, are you disgusted with the election of Zohran Mamdani?&#8221;
Mamdani, 34, has pledged to replace police officers with mental health professionals to respond to certain crisis situations across the Big Apple. He previously called to &#8220;defund the police,&#8221; but has attempted to <a href="https://x.com/america/status/1979180171539141060" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backtrack</a> on the problematic stance during his mayoral campaign.
His critics have said that crime will only surge under his leadership.
Mamdani has also pledged to champion the sanctuary city policy that&#8217;s hamstrung local police and prevented them from handing illegal immigrant criminals over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We believe socialism is going to be bad for law enforcement in New York City. There is opportunity here in Houston for officers to come, make a great life for themselves, the cost of living is a lot less and you can actually do police work and be supported by our mayor and our city council,&#8221; Houston Police Union President Doug Griffith <a href="https://x.com/Brooketaylortv/status/1986076753131897341" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
‼️‼️ ATTENTION NEW YORK CITY COPS ‼️‼️ <a href="https://t.co/zPyDTH7x9M">pic.twitter.com/zPyDTH7x9M</a>
— Houston Police Officers&#8217; Union (@HPOUTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/HPOUTX/status/1985911791642104003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
In their appeal, Texas&#8217;s largest police union offered &#8220;competitive pay&#8221; and other benefits, while also promising a &#8220;supportive mayor and city council.&#8221;
Mamdani, an assemblyman from Queens, defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after receiving more than 1,000,000 votes. The Republican on the ballot, Curtis Sliwa, lagged far behind the two candidates.

‘Are You Disgusted?’ Texas Police Union Recruits NYPD Officers After Mamdani’s Win

Texas Police Union Runs Ad To Recruit NYPD Officers Following Mamdani's Win 

In a dramatic courtroom rebuke of politicized policing in Britain, journalist and activist Tommy Robinson won a decisive legal victory this week when Judge Sam Goozee ruled that law enforcement officials unlawfully targeted him because of his political beliefs. Robinson credited Elon Musk for financing his defense, declaring that “free speech won.” He <a href="https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/1985663828378464466">added</a> that without Musk’s intervention, “I’d probably be in jail.”
The case stemmed from Robinson’s July 2024 arrest at the Channel Tunnel in Folkestone, where he was charged under the Terrorism Act after refusing to give police the passcode to his phone. Officers claimed suspicion after observing him driving a friend’s Bentley to Spain. Robinson countered that the phone contained confidential sources and the identities of victims tied to his reporting.
Judge Goozee dismissed the charge outright, ruling that the stop and subsequent prosecution were politically motivated. “I cannot put out of my mind that it was actually what you stood for and your beliefs that acted as the principal reason for the stop,” Goozee <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2025/11/tommy-robinson-cleared-of-terror-charge">said</a> from the bench. The verdict underscored that political belief is recognized as a protected characteristic under the U.K.’s Equality Act, making discrimination on that basis illegal.
The judge eviscerated the police testimony, finding it riddled with inconsistencies and evasions. Officers admitted destroying key notes, contradicting each other on major details, and issuing confused or deceptive statements. Goozee <a href="https://www.rebelnews.com/tommy_robinson_reports">described</a> police witnesses as unreliable and lacking credibility. The ruling affirms that Robinson was not suspected of terrorism; instead, the police appeared to have used counterterrorism powers as a pretext to harass a high-profile critic of the establishment.
Video statements released by Robinson afterward showed him both grateful and angry. “I should be happy, but I’m not,” he said. “It shouldn’t take an American billionaire to defend British free speech.” His comments echoed a recurring theme: that the British state, aided by a complicit media, has sought for years to silence dissent by blurring the lines between journalism and extremism.
Robinson highlighted how major British outlets sat through the trial and failed to report that the police admitted wrongdoing. “They all knew the evidence was corrupt and unlawful,” he said. “They just hoped I’d get another bent judge.” His frustration grew from the financial and emotional toll of years of legal battles — cases costing tens of thousands of pounds, only to end with him repeatedly exonerated.
Musk, now openly positioning himself as a defender of free expression worldwide, became a central player in turning the tide. His support for Robinson’s case has reignited debate over the role of private citizens in defending rights the state itself seeks to erode.
For many observers, the verdict represents far more than one man’s acquittal. It stands as an indictment of Britain’s weaponized bureaucracy and its two-tier justice system — one that has pursued a single journalist with ferocity while ignoring the crimes he has exposed. As Robinson put it, “I was arrested and prosecuted under counterterrorism legislation for being Tommy Robinson.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I WAS TARGETED BECAUSE OF MY POLITICAL BELIEFS!!
Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> for fighting in my corner, you&#8217;re an absolute legend!!! <a href="https://t.co/vx405cCP6d">pic.twitter.com/vx405cCP6d</a>
— Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) <a href="https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/1985661754131530134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WOW!!!
I am so humbled, and I can&#8217;t thank all of you enough for your support and engagement.
And not forgetting the main man himself <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> who gave me back my voice and saved freedom of speech in the west.
I am eternally grateful to all of you. <a href="https://t.co/37EYpaJZzB">pic.twitter.com/37EYpaJZzB</a>
— Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) <a href="https://twitter.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/1985336721546821743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Tommy Robinson Appears In Court Charged Under Terrorism Act

Tommy Robinson Acquitted – Bogus Terror Charge Crushed In Court

Elon Musk

Great Britain

Tommy Robinson

World

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) — The deadliest police operation in Brazil&#8217;s history killed at least 132 people, public defenders said on Wednesday, as Rio de Janeiro residents lined a street with dozens of corpses found overnight, a week ahead of global climate events in the city.
State police said the raids targeting a major drug gang the day before had been planned exhaustively for more than two months, designed to drive suspects into a forested hillside where a special operations unit was waiting in ambush.
&#8220;The elevated lethality of the operation was expected but not desired,&#8221; Victor Santos, head of security for Rio state, told a news conference. Rio police officials confirmed 119 deaths so far, including four police officers. Police said they had arrested 113 suspects in the operation and seized 118 firearms.
Santos said there was no connection to global events Rio will host next week related to the United Nations COP30 climate summit, including the C40 global summit of mayors tackling climate change and British Prince William&#8217;s Earthshot Prize.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was surprised to learn Rio police had launched an &#8220;extremely bloody, violent&#8221; operation without notifying or involving the federal government, Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski told journalists.
The minister said he planned to meet with Rio&#8217;s governor and could increase the number of federal security officials there.
Lula, who returned to Brasilia late on Tuesday from a trip to Malaysia, met with Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and cabinet members on Wednesday to discuss the matter, his office said.
Rio has hosted several global events over the past decade, including the 2016 Olympics, the 2024 G20 summit and the BRICS summit in July, without violence on the scale seen on Tuesday.
The city&#8217;s most deadly police raid before Tuesday was a 2021 raid that left 28 people dead in the Jacarezinho neighborhood. In 1992, 111 were killed when Sao Paulo police stormed the Carandiru Penitentiary to put down a prison rebellion.
Residents of the Penha neighborhood in Rio gathered dozens of corpses from the surrounding forest overnight and lined up more than 70 of the bodies in the middle of a main street.
Several civil society groups and public security experts criticized the heavy casualties of the military-style raid. The United Nations Human Rights office said it adds to a trend of extremely lethal police raids in Brazil&#8217;s marginalized communities.
&#8220;We remind authorities of their obligations under international human rights law, and urge prompt and effective investigations,&#8221; the agency said in a statement.
Rio Governor Claudio Castro said he was certain those killed in the operation were criminals firing guns from the forest.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think anyone would be walking in the forest on the day of the conflict,&#8221; he told reporters, calling the raids an effort to combat &#8220;narcoterrorism.&#8221;
&#8220;The only real victims were the police officers,&#8221; he said.
The Rio state government said the operation was its largest ever to target the Comando Vermelho gang, which controls the drug trade in several favelas &#8211; poor and densely populated settlements woven through the city&#8217;s hilly oceanside terrain.
(Reporting by Janaina Quinet and Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Additional reporting by Oliver Griffin, Isabel Teles, Luciana Magalhaes, Eduardo Simoes and Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo, and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia; Editing by Brad Haynes and Rosalba O&#8217;Brien)

Police operation against drug trafficking at the favela do Penha in Rio de Janeiro

Over 130 People Killed In Massive Rio Drug Raid, Corpses Line Street

Brazil

Drugs

Menu