The Pakistani Muslim ringleader of a grooming gang targeting young girls in the United Kingdom has been released from prison eight years early. 
Shabir Ahmed was sentenced to 22 years in prison after his 2012 conviction for multiple rape and sexual offenses against girls as young as 13. Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer requested that the British government look into deporting Ahmed immediately. 
Sara Rowbotham, a former National Health Service worker who helped uncover Ahmed’s crimes, said his release comes far too soon. 
“He was able to coerce, manipulate, and organize a highly manipulative group of men, and when in court he was volatile in court and towards the judge. There have been no indications that his views have changed,&#8221; Rowbotham said.
“The de-investment in probation services means that any monitoring of him and his behavior is likely to be really weak. Who is going to make sure he and maybe others do not seek revenge?” she added.
Ahmed <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/deporting-shabir-ahmed-test-whether-055853319.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIfT9OGeVAKKbHJR4Tc3o4i4IUGV_jwsWj6OEQ8pCpV9PPLtJmCmTCXD4cqtQ1RwqCeiHtlpYZfcCj9KieR8wHDmrBZ3JmV40xfO9AUcSvmmtUin-czVIwgJGFLU1WUxtldZKbbACfYT06DHFrn6jaTYSiXXdyPTtPvvGasDDKHL">reportedly</a> gave his victims alcohol and drugs and gang-raped them in rooms with other men primarily from Pakistani Muslim backgrounds. Most of the victims were white girls from working class families, The Telegraph reported.
Gerald Clifton, the judge overseeing Ahmed’s case, said his victims were treated “as though they were worthless and beyond any respect” because they were not Pakistani Muslims. Ahmed’s defense focused on labeling the children “prostitutes” and argued that Judge Clifton was “racist.” More than 60 men were convicted in relation to Ahmed’s grooming gang in Rochdale, England. 
The Home Office, the U.K. government’s lead department for policing, border security, and immigration, called Ahmed’s crimes “appalling” and said he would be supervised 24/7 while wearing an electronically monitored GPS tag. 
“His every movement will be tracked, and forced to wear an electronic tag. He will rightly be on the sex offenders register for life, ordered to stay away from his victims and banned from contacting any child or young person,” <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gyx0vldrlo">said</a> a spokeswoman familiar with the matter. 
A letter sent to one of Ahmed’s victims revealed that the government does not currently have plans to deport Ahmed back to Pakistan due to the 1971 Immigration Act. The act says immigrants who arrived in Britain before 1973 and lived in the country for more than five years cannot be deported. 
A victim, who did not want to be publicly named, told the BBC that she was “scared for my safety and my kids’ safety.” She added, “The main ringleader is getting out of prison, who is well known in Rochdale, Oldham, and Middleton, so even if he&#8217;s not in that area, he still knows people and has a chance to talk to people from that area and that makes me unsafe.”

Screenshot 2026-07-02 at 11.25.38 AM

Muslim Rape Gang Ringleader Released From Prison

Muslim

Pakistan

Prison

Rape

U.K.

Karmelo Anthony was transferred to a state prison in Navasota, Texas, just one day after he was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf.
Anthony was booked at the Collin County, Texas, Jail on Tuesday, mere hours after his conviction. By Wednesday, he was transferred to the Wallace Pack Unit, according to CBS 11 journalist J.D. Miles. Anthony&#8217;s prison mugshot shows that his head has been shaved as he officially starts his lengthy stay in state prison.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Breaking: Karmelo Anthony has been transferred to the Pack Unit in Navasota by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Here is his prison mug shot. <a href="https://t.co/cm14aycoHI">pic.twitter.com/cm14aycoHI</a>
— J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) <a href="https://x.com/jdmiles11/status/2064837796754231391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
The 19-year-old was sentenced on Tuesday to 35 years behind bars for Metcalf&#8217;s murder, and shortly after sentencing, his jail booking photo was released to the public:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New mugshot of Karmelo Anthony in the Collin County Jail as he spends the first night of his 35 year sentence for murder. He will like be transported to prison in the coming days. <a href="https://t.co/yENKRyD6AP">pic.twitter.com/yENKRyD6AP</a>
— J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) <a href="https://x.com/jdmiles11/status/2064531082783945151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
The <a href="https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/unit_directory/p1.html">Wallace Pack Unit</a>, where Anthony is now held, has over 1,400 male prisoners and is a minimum-to-medium security facility.
Anthony fatally stabbed Metcalf, who was white, at a track event in April 2025 in Frisco, Texas. The case quickly generated national attention, both due to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/family-of-karmelo-anthony-hosted-the-most-disgusting-press-conference-ive-ever-seen?author=Matt+Walsh&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Family+Of+Karmelo+Anthony+Hosted+The+Most+Disgusting+Press+Conference+I%E2%80%99ve+Ever+Seen">a narrative peddled by the Anthony family</a> and the glaring lack of coverage from the legacy media, which routinely highlights and escalates white-on-black incidents.
The high-profile trial started on June 1 with jury selection and wrapped in a matter of nine days. Video footage and witness testimony — even from defense witnesses — generally indicated that Anthony provoked the situation with Metcalf and deadly force was not needed, contradicting the self-defense argument from Anthony’s team.
Anthony broke down in tears when the verdict was read and was visibly shaking; he also broke down when his 35-year sentence was announced. It’s unclear if Anthony cried during any other part of the trial. 
Jeff Metcalf, the slain teen&#8217;s father, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/slain-teens-dad-unloads-on-karmelo-anthony-in-courtroom-cant-even-look-me-in-the-eyes">read a powerful victim impact statement</a> after Anthony&#8217;s sentencing. He told Anthony he forgives him, but does not forgive his actions.
“A piece of me died with my son, and I’m expected to keep living,” he said. “You’re free to make choices all you want, but you’re not free from those consequences. You will face those consequences starting today.”
“People think that grief is sadness but it’s not. It’s rage! Pure unfiltered rage,” the father reportedly shouted while slamming his hands on the table in front of him. “You failed your parents, you failed yourself and you failed society, you don’t belong in this community.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fck-austin-karmelo-anthony-supporters-harass-threaten-friends-of-slain-teen-outside-courthouse?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘F*ck+Austin%21’%3A+Karmelo+Anthony+Supporters+Harass%2C+Threaten+Friends+Of+Slain+Teen+Outside+Courthouse">‘F*ck Austin!’: Karmelo Anthony Supporters Harass, Threaten Friends Of Slain Teen Outside Courthouse</a>

ANTHONY TRIAL DAY 7_2026_0609

SEE IT: Murderer Karmelo Anthony Has New Look As He’s Officially Thrown Behind Prison Bars

Prison Mugshot Released Of Murderer Karmelo Anthony

Karmelo Anthony

Mugshot

Murder

Texas

<div>The Department of Justice (DOJ) informed the state of Washington today that it is investigating whether the state&#8217;s prison policies violate the Constitution.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The DOJ is launching a federal investigation into Washington State&#8217;s practice of housing men in women&#8217;s prisons, the Daily Wire can first report. It will investigate if these policies violate the constitutional rights of incarcerated women housed at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) in Gig Harbor, Washington.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) gives violent male convicts who self-identify as transgender full access to the women’s prisons, including cells, bathrooms, and showers.</div>
<div></div>
<div>“Under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow women incarcerated in jails or prisons to be subject to unconstitutional risks of harm from male inmates,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “The constitutional rights of women cannot be sacrificed at the altar of appeasing unsupported and dangerous ideologies.”</div>
<div></div>
<div>The DOJ investigation comes on the heels of an April 2026 <a href="https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/assets/uploads/files/AFPI_WDOC_Complaint_04.27.26.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> filed by The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) that argues forcing women to share a prison with violent men violates the fundamental constitutional rights of women to be safe while incarcerated. The lawsuit describes two women who were allegedly assaulted by Christopher Williams, a man who self-identifies as female. The lawsuit calls Williams a “six-foot-four, ‘biologically intact’ male” and “convicted child sex offender” with a history of violence against women.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/women-sue-prison-system-for-allowing-violent-trans-male-to-terrorize-inmates?author=Megan+Brock&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Women+Terrorized+By+%E2%80%98Trans%E2%80%99+Male+Inmate+Launch+Massive+Lawsuit+Against+Prison+System" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uncovered</a> a document through a public records request showing the former Superintendent of a male prison where Williams had been incarcerated recommended against his transfer to WCCW due to his history of violence against women.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The DOJ will investigate allegations of &#8220;cruel and unusual punishment&#8221; against female prisoners, including claims of sexual violence being perpetrated against women by male inmates at WCCW.</div>
<div></div>
<div>&#8220;The Justice Department will investigate allegations of deprivation of female prisoners’ Eighth Amendment protections from cruel and unusual punishment, including Washington’s response to allegations of sexual assaults, rape, voyeurism, and sexual intimidation based on WCCW’s housing of male prisoners in the exclusively female facility,&#8221; a DOJ press release states.</div>
<div></div>
<div>Washington DOC has some of the nation&#8217;s most radical transgender policies and provides tax-funded sex change surgeries to inmates who claim to be transgender. A Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taxpayers-pay-millions-to-surgeon-who-performs-transgender-surgeries-in-prisons?author=Megan+Brock&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=23&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Just+How+Much+Of+Your+Money+Funds+Trans+Surgeries+In+Prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a> showed the state of Washington gave millions of taxpayer dollars to a controversial “gender-affirming” surgeon who performs surgeries on prison inmates.</div>
<div></div>
<div>The DOJ has launched a nationwide initiative examining men being housed in Women’s Prisons and is encouraging individuals with &#8220;relevant information&#8221; on this issue to contact the DOJ, according to the press release.</div>

Inmate Burnet County Jail

EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Investigating Prison System That Forces Women To Share Cells With Violent Men

Transgender

Washington

Governor Gavin Newsom’s $189 million initiative to modernize California’s correctional system has <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/opinion/gavin-newsom-delivers-porn-to-death-row-inmates">come under fire</a> following a bombshell investigation revealing that taxpayer-funded digital tablets are being used by death row inmates to access pornography and groom minors.
While the Newsom administration heralded the distribution of free tablets to every inmate in the state as a step toward “digital equity” and “rehabilitation,” serial killers and rapists inside the system say the devices have effectively become personal sex machines, City-Journal <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/death-row-porn-tablets-california">reported</a>.
The program, designed to provide “justice-impacted” individuals with access to educational content and family contact, has reportedly been hijacked by the state&#8217;s most dangerous offenders. In interviews with dozens of death row inmates, a disturbing pattern of lurid behavior has emerged, ranging from the exchange of lewd photos to live pornographic video chats.
Newsom&#8217;s office denied the claims, saying, &#8220;This is flat-out FALSE. This MAGA nonprofit provides ZERO evidence for its outrageous claims. Their &#8216;sources&#8217;? Convicted murderers and a random guy who doesn’t even live in California.&#8221;
The governors office claimed that &#8220;prison tablets DO NOT provide open internet access,&#8221; adding that the devices &#8220;are monitored, recorded, searchable, and investigated.&#8221;
Among those utilizing the technology is Robert Maury, the notorious &#8220;Tipster Killer&#8221; convicted of raping and strangling multiple women. Maury admitted in an interview that he has used his device to &#8220;flirt&#8221; and receive topless photos from women on the outside. He also detailed a common loophole where inmates use the video chat feature to have someone on the outside broadcast pornography onto a television, which the inmate then watches through the tablet’s camera.
“If you try hard enough, there is always a way around the system,” Maury said, noting that younger inmates who grew up with the internet are particularly adept at evading the state’s “bullsh*t” restrictions.
The abuse isn&#8217;t limited to viewing. Samuel Amador, another condemned serial killer, admitted to rotating between watching pornographic clips and family videos on his state-issued device. Even more alarming, Jamar Tucker — convicted of a triple homicide — revealed he uses the tablets to receive videos of women in thongs for sexual pleasure.
The most harrowing consequence of the program involves Nathaniel Ray Diaz, a convicted child predator. Prosecutors allege Diaz used his prison-issued tablet to contact and exploit a 12-year-old girl, allegedly forcing her to send explicit images and engaging in &#8220;thousands of calls&#8221; from inside Avenal State Prison.
Douglas Eckenrod, a former high-ranking California corrections official, warned that the Diaz case is just the &#8220;tip of the iceberg.&#8221; He expressed grave concerns that the lack of oversight on the 90,000 devices currently in circulation has created a &#8220;pathway&#8221; for predators to groom children.
&#8220;I would bet my pension that there’s a vast amount of childhood pornography on the tablets,&#8221; Eckenrod said.
The former high-ranking corrections official stated, &#8220;I would bet my pension that there’s a vast amount of childhood pornography on the tablets. There are probably several thousand [children] that are currently being groomed.&#8221;
Despite the mounting evidence of sexual misconduct and child exploitation, the Newsom administration is moving &#8220;full-speed ahead.&#8221; The current contract allows for extensions that could see taxpayer spending on the devices reach $315 million. While the Department of Corrections maintains the tablets are &#8220;tightly controlled,&#8221; the men on death row say the reality is a click away.

Gavin Newsom

Bombshell Investigation Finds Death Row Inmates Hack Prison Tablets For Taxpayer-Funded Porn

Child pornography

Pornography

Incarcerated women are suing a state prison system that allows violent “transgender” men to be housed in female prisons.
The Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) gives violent male convicts who self-identify as transgender full access to women’s prisons, including cells, bathrooms, and showers. The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) argues these actions are discriminatory and unsafe. By forcing women to share a prison with violent men, Washington DOC is violating the fundamental constitutional rights of women to be safe while incarcerated, according to a <a href="https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/assets/uploads/files/AFPI_WDOC_Complaint_04.27.26.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> filed on April 27.
“Washington’s housing policy subjects women to cruel and unusual punishment by disregarding the biological differences that justify sex-separated facilities in the first place,” Leigh Ann O’Neill, an AFPI attorney representing the plaintiffs, told The Daily Wire. “I am proud to support this action on behalf of the female inmates.”
The lawsuit highlights public data showing that over 50% of males in federal prisons who self-identified as transgender between May 2024 and January 2025 were sex offenders. Placing male sex offenders in women&#8217;s prisons has resulted in physical and sexual assaults against women.
&#8220;The housing of these male inmates with females — including as bunkmates in the same cell — has led to multiple instances of violence and sexual abuse against the female inmates, persistent harassment, and the routine intimidation of female inmates in violation of their fundamental constitutional rights to serve their sentences in safety and without further punishment,&#8221; states the lawsuit. &#8220;[Washington] DOC&#8217;s Transgender Inmate Policy exposes female inmates to a population statistically more likely of having committed a sexual offense, and only females can become pregnant as a result of these offenses.&#8221;
The plaintiffs, the Foundation Against Intolerance &amp; Racism, Inc., and Faith Booher-Smith, are suing the Washington DOC and Tim Lang in his official capacity as Secretary of the Department of Corrections.
&gt;<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1087979 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-21-1024x385.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="385" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-21-1024x385.jpeg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-21-300x113.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-21-768x289.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-21-1536x578.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/Screenshot-21.jpeg 1715w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Booher-Smith, an incarcerated woman housed at Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW), alleges she was physically assaulted in August 2025 by Christopher Williams, a man who self-identifies as female.
“Williams approached her silently from behind and struck her on the side of her face with his fist, then grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground before kicking her repeatedly with such force that she sustained visible injuries, including, facial bruising, a laceration in her mouth, and swelling to her jaw and eye,” states the lawsuit.
Williams is described in the lawsuit as a “six-foot-four, ‘biologically intact’ male” and “convicted child sex offender” that allegedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/male-sex-offender-claims-to-be-trans-accused-of-harassment-in-womens-prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assaulted</a> and harassed his former cell mate, Mozzy Clark.
“As Ms. Clark has alleged, Williams sexually assaulted her for months during the time she was forced to share a cell with him,” states the lawsuit. “Williams masturbated in front of her, groped her while she slept, and repeatedly threatened her with rape.”
Clark brought allegations against Williams in a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wawd.343153/gov.uscourts.wawd.343153.1.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> she filed against the Washington DOC in December 2024.
Claiming he did not feel safe “being classified as male,” Williams repeatedly asked to be transferred to WCCW, public <a href="https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Doc2-copy.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">records</a> show. A Washington DOC Housing Assignment Review committee denied his request in November 2019, recommending instead that he was transferred to a single cell in a male prison due to his “past violence towards women,” public records <a href="https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Doc1-copy-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a>.
When Williams requested to be transferred to WCCW in the summer of 2021, Eric Jackson, the former Superintendent of a male prison where Williams had been incarcerated, recommended against his transfer to WCCW due to his history of violence against women.
“Due to Williams&#8217; serious infraction history and the most recent conviction where Williams assaulted and inflicted serious life-threatening injuries to a female victim, would not recommend placement at WCCW,” a document from August 2021 exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire states.
Despite these recommendations, the Washington DOC moved Williams to WCCW in the fall of 2021 in alignment with its transgender housing policies. Within months of his arrival to WCCW, Williams allegedly assaulted Clark.
Williams is serving a sentence for first-degree assault and has an <a href="https://doc.wa.gov/sentencing-frequently-asked-questions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earned release</a> date of 2038, according to previous <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2025/05/08/exclusive-male-transgender-inmate-who-allegedly-terrorized-female-cellmate-long-history-prison-violence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reporting</a>. He is currently being housed in a male prison, according to the Washington DOC <a href="https://vinelink.vineapps.com/person-detail/offender/355377" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>.
The Washington DOC published its <a href="https://oco.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2021%20OCO%20Trans%20Report%20FINAL%20with%20DOC%20Response.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first transgender policy</a> allowing inmates to be <a href="https://doc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/data/files/490700.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">housed according</a> to their gender identity, rather than biology, in February 2020.
&#8220;Nothing in the Policy even prohibits a male who is sexually attracted to females — let alone a male convicted of raping females —  from ultimately sharing an unsupervised cell with a female inmate, so long as he claims to &#8216;identify&#8217; as a woman,&#8221; states the lawsuit.
&#8220;Male inmates known to Plaintiffs who are attracted to females and who make no effort to conform to a female &#8216;gender identity&#8217; are permitted to be housed at WCCW, share a cell with female inmates, enter the bathrooms and other intimate spaces designated for females, and even have sexual relations with female inmates.&#8221;
“Women are uniquely exposed to risks — including the possibility of pregnancy — that male inmates do not face. That disparity underscores a fundamental violation of the women’s equal protection rights,&#8221; O’Neill told The Daily Wire.
Washington DOC has some of the most radical transgender policies in the country. It further expanded its gender ideology policies in October 2023 after reaching a <a href="https://disabilityrightswa.org/drw-reaches-agreement-with-doc-to-improve-care-for-transgender-people-with-disabilities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">settlement</a> with <a href="https://disabilityrightswa.org/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Disability Rights Washington</a> (DRW), a federally funded <a href="https://taggs.hhs.gov/Detail/RecipDetail?arg_EntityId=ZOXBFfA5zdfgkqJp4FjugQ%3D%3D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nonprofit</a> that claimed the prison system was <a href="https://disabilityrightswa.org/drw-reaches-agreement-with-doc-to-improve-care-for-transgender-people-with-disabilities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">violating</a> the rights of transgender inmates by failing to provide medical sex-change procedures. The Washington DOC now provides inmates with cross-sex clothing, surgery, and sex-change medical interventions as part of the settlement.
The AFPI legal team says this special treatment of men is further evidence of discrimination against women, who have to pay for personal items and accommodations that are provided to trans-identifying male inmates at no cost.
“[Washington] DOC routinely categorizes medically necessary care for female inmates as ‘elective’ or ‘non-urgent,’ resulting in delay or denial of treatment. At the same time, sex-rejecting procedures for trans-identifying male inmates are approved and prioritized under standards that are no more urgent—and in many cases less urgent or entirely unnecessary—than the care denied to female 
inmates,” states the lawsuit.
The Washington DOC told The Daily Wire it does not comment on pending litigation.

People’s March In Washington D.C. Ahead Of Donald Trump’s Inauguration

Women Terrorized By ‘Trans’ Male Inmate Launch Massive Lawsuit Against Prison System

Women

We now know that the Biden administration was literally partnering with abortion activists to track and imprison pro-lifers.
When I see President Trump and Pope Leo going at it, I think to myself, if we&#8217;re going to talk about presidents who are legitimately attacking Catholics, we should really be talking about Barack Obama, who went after the Little Sisters of the Poor and decided that he was going to mainstream every sin he could find.
We should talk about Joe Biden, who apparently was using the DOJ to go after pro-lifers, which is insane.
According to Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-biden-partnered-with-abortion-activists-to-track-and-imprison-pro-lifers">reporting</a>, President Biden&#8217;s administration relied on information gathered from radical pro-abortion groups to track, prosecute, and snoop on peaceful pro-life protesters who were later arrested by the FBI.
A DOJ report titled “The Biden Administration&#8217;s Weaponization of the FACE Act” examined more than 700,000 records.
The FACE Act is a bill that was designed to prevent people from obstructing entry to abortion clinics. The FACE Act also said that you weren&#8217;t allowed to invade churches during services. That came up in the context of Don Lemon and his friends invading and disturbing a church service in order to protest ICE.
The dossiers that the DOJ examined contained information about pro-life activists who had not yet been charged with any federal crimes, but were deemed threats by abortion groups because of their activism.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/">Become a DailyWire+ member and help us break the stories that matter.</a>
We&#8217;ve seen this kind of pattern emerge in all of the reporting from the Biden administration, over and over and over. They were using left-wing cutout groups to do their dirty work, whether it was the Biden administration State Department contracting out to other services to promote boycotts of right-wing news outlets, or whether it was the Biden administration outsourcing its investigative pursuits to anti-life, pro-choice organizations to target pro-lifers.
The Biden administration liked to do such things.
According to the Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-biden-partnered-with-abortion-activists-to-track-and-imprison-pro-lifers">reporting</a>, the weaponization can be traced to former Attorney General Merrick Garland&#8217;s resurrection of the National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers the month after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
That task force was operating out of the department&#8217;s civil rights division under the direction of Sanjay Patel, who was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-fires-4-prosecutors-face-act-biden-administration/">reportedly fired</a> on Monday. Patel was on texting terms with the National Abortion Federation security team and was regularly communicating with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Feminist Majority Foundation, according to the DOJ. Members of the Biden DOJ were coordinating openly with various abortion groups and leaders in the abortion movement.
This was all part of these non-governmental organizations working hand-in-glove with the federal government under Joe Biden. Daily Wire reporting looked into the sentences that were sought by the Biden DOJ against pro-life activists, and what they found is that the Biden DOJ asked for a longer, average sentence for pro-life defendants compared to pro-abortion defendants. Actual sentences shook out to an average of 14 months for pro-life defendants, versus three months for pro-choice defendants.
This is astonishing. It demonstrates the full-scale animus that the Biden administration had for the pro-life movement.
This is nothing new. If you go back to the Clinton administration, the attempt to target political adversaries using the DOJ is perfectly obvious.
I&#8217;ve said over and over that the Left likes to say that Donald Trump broke all the rules, that he&#8217;s the one who killed the American political system.
The reality is that the American political system was already dead, and Trump stumbled upon it. Barack Obama used the IRS to go after pro-life groups, conservative groups, and Tea Party groups. Joe Biden&#8217;s DOJ targeted pro-lifers.
There&#8217;s nothing new here. Democrats have been doing this for a very, very long time.
Imagine the scandal if, for example, the Trump administration were coordinating with pro-life groups to go after abortion advocates. Can you imagine the scandal? Can you imagine the front page coverage?
One of the questions here is how people who were involved in this were allowed to stay at the DOJ for so long. Sanjay Patel was still working for the DOJ all the way until Monday, which is crazy and demonstrates the truth of President Trump&#8217;s statement that there is, in fact, a deep state.
There are lifelong appointees of various administrations who are still working inside the current administration — working against the president’s priorities. That&#8217;s very real. It just goes to show you that the attempt to cleanse the administration of holdovers is an ongoing pursuit.
The Democratic Party is perfectly willing to use the auspices of government to go after religious people. They&#8217;ve been doing it over and over and over again. It’s one of the reasons I said to my family that we ought to leave California. My great fear is that states like California will effectively quasi-criminalize religious practice by essentially saying that any 501C3 that receives tax-exempt status from the state government must buy into the left-wing social agenda.
If the Democrats were able to take over the Supreme Court, they would get away with that. They would be able to use anti-discrimination law as a guise for cracking down on First Amendment religiously protected activity. That is the direction that Democrats would love to move. And if left to their own devices, they absolutely would be able to do it.
If the Democrats had won in 2024, Kamala Harris would have attempted to stack the Supreme Court and state governments everywhere would be pursuing anti-religious activity just like this.
The Biden administration was, in my opinion, the worst administration in modern American history, worse even than Obama — because Obama didn&#8217;t say the quiet part out loud.
Biden said the quiet part out loud.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN

How The Biden Administration Targeted Pro-Lifers

Abortion

Ben Shapiro

Biden Administration

FACE Act

Joe Biden

Merrick Garland

Opinion

Pro-Life Movement

Billboard in Times Square Calls For Release Of Epstein Files

A Potential Lead In The Epstein Files. This Is Weird.

Epstein Files

Jail

Jeffrey Epstein

Matt Walsh

New York City

When President Trump addresses the nation tonight, Jimmy Lai’s daughter, Claire Lai, will sit in the chamber as a reminder that the Chinese Communist Party is still punishing dissidents who dared to believe in freedom. Earlier this month, we learned of the <a href="http://google.com/search?q=jimmy+lai+sentence&amp;sca_esv=190a96a9d156750b&amp;rlz=1CAGZLV_enUS889&amp;tbm=nws&amp;sxsrf=ANbL-n4Gq5fmGsUjNbcnkqRKkx3Ey-n_Pw:1771015882615&amp;ei=yo6PafujJYSlqtsPu-XyiQc&amp;start=10&amp;sa=N&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj7sMykrNeSAxWEkmoFHbuyPHEQ8NMDegQIBhAW&amp;biw=1536&amp;bih=695&amp;dpr=1.25">near-life sentence</a> handed down to the Hong Kong democracy advocate. But Lai is not merely a symbol of Beijing’s repression. He is a British citizen. And if it takes an American president to elevate his cause before the world, it raises an uncomfortable question for Prime Minister Keir Starmer: what, exactly, is British citizenship worth?
Jimmy Lai’s life reads like a true rags-to-riches story. Born in mainland China, a 12-year-old Lai traveled by boat to what at the time was British Hong Kong with no money to his name. Finding work in the garment industry, Lai climbed his way up from the factory floor to achieve billionaire status. He could have rested on his laurels and gone quietly into retirement, but that is not who Jimmy Lai is.
Lai recognizes that his rise is thanks to the rights and freedoms Hong Kongers grew accustomed to, thanks to years as a British colony. Promising decades of autonomy and freedom under the handover, the CCP gradually whittled down the freedoms enjoyed in the city. Jimmy Lai refused to take these encroachments lying down, engaging in memorials of the Tiananmen Square Massacre and publishing pro-democracy content in the Apple Daily, the newspaper he founded. Therefore, it was no shock that Lai incurred the wrath of the CCP in the form of the National Security Law (NSL), under which he was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/10/hong-kong-media-tycoon-jimmy-lai-arrested-over-alleged-foreign-collusion#:~:text=%E2%80%9CToday%27s%20police%20action%20upends%20those,in%20protest%20against%20his%20arrest." target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> in 2020 for allegedly colluding with foreign forces.
Enter Keir Starmer, the British prime minister. While Starmer’s government has voiced opposition to Lai’s imprisonment, it has thus far been unsuccessful in securing Lai&#8217;s release. So why is the conviction of a Chinese citizen the business of Starmer or Great Britain in general? After all, a spokesman for the Chinese government <a href="https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/5598459-jimmy-lai-should-be-severely-punished-by-law-spokesman">denounced</a> criticism of Lai’s conviction as interference in an internal affair. However, there are several reasons why this issue matters to the British Government.
First, Hong Kong is not just a former British colony — it is a city in which Britain has treaty obligations. As a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the UK is responsible for ensuring that China fulfills its promise to allow autonomy in Hong Kong. For Jimmy Lai specifically, he is a British passport holder and therefore a British citizen. Keir Starmer is as responsible for Jimmy Lai’s safety as he is for any other British citizen unjustly detained abroad.
Jimmy Lai is not the only British citizen being held in a foreign prison. Estimates are that there are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/24/its-about-political-will-is-the-foreign-office-failing-britons-detained-abroad">thousands of Brits</a> detained or arrested in foreign countries. Jagtar Singh Johal has been imprisoned in India since 2017 after he confessed to involvement in a murder after police tortured a confession out of him. Every day that Jimmy Lai, Jagtar Singh Johal, and many others sit in prison is a day that Starmer is failing his citizenry.
What can Starmer do to help people like Jimmy Lai? For starters, he can stop treating the Chinese government like a friendly nation. The Jimmy Lai conviction is one of many examples where Starmer has been soft on China. His recent visit to Beijing <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2j04lk83zo">focused</a> on trade and tourism, but Starmer claims that he <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15543421/Keir-Starmer-accused-monumental-diplomatic-failure-China-jails.html">raised</a> the issue of Lai’s release when he was in China. This casual approach isn’t going to cut it. Unjust imprisonment is not some tertiary issue in diplomacy. What good are reduced tariffs on whiskey if British citizens aren’t safe when they travel to China?
If Keir Starmer wants to free Jimmy Lai and the other dissidents in Hong Kong, he needs to get tough on the Chinese government. First, trade negotiations need to stop until Lai is released from prison. The UK is failing its obligations to Hong Kong; now is the time to change course. Second, Starmer needs to shut down the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/world/europe/chinese-embassy-london-starmer.html">Chinese mega-embassy</a> project in London. Not only does the mega-embassy put critical communication cables at risk, but its construction will also allow the CCP to expand the transnational repression of other Hong Kong democracy advocates living in London. If Britain can’t protect its citizens abroad, the very least it can do is protect them on British territory.
Keir Starmer’s tenure at 10 Downing Street has been a disaster for a <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-epstein-files-threaten-to-topple-keir-starmers-labour-government/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">variety of reasons</a>, but his handling of the Jimmy Lai arrest only adds fuel to the fire. While Starmer’s days as PM might be limited, he can right this wrong if he acts quickly. By securing Jimmy Lai&#8217;s freedom, Keir Starmer will establish Britain’s diplomatic influence and potentially serve as a deterrent to other regimes hoping to illegally detain British citizens.
* * *
<a href="https://www.joinyv.org/talent/matthew-cookson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Cookson</a> is an alumnus of the Young Voices Contributor Program and was a Middle East History and Policy Fellow with Young Voices. He also works in the supply chain for a U.S. Defense Contractor. His commentary has appeared in the Mises Institute, Real Clear Politics, the National Interest, Providence Magazine, China Source, and the Idaho Freedom Foundation. You can follow him on X @<a href="https://x.com/MattCookson95" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MattCookson95</a> and Substack @<a href="https://substack.com/@thewaythecookiecrumbles?utm_source=user-menu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thewaythecookiecrumbles</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Activists In L.A. Rally Outside Chinese Consulate For Imprisoned Hong Kong Media Entrepreneur Jimmy Lai

As Jimmy Lai’s Daughter Attends Trump’s Address, Britain Faces An Uncomfortable Question

China

Donald Trump

England

Great Britain

Hong Kong

Jimmy Lai

Keir Starmer

State of the Union

United Kingdom

The following is an edited transcript excerpt from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mks-ep-1907?elementPosition=3&amp;row=6&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">The Michael Knowles Show</a>.
* * *
There is an interesting development in the Epstein case and it comes from CBS News.
The official accounts about who did or did not enter Epstein&#8217;s jail cell on the night of his death have been contradicted a myriad of times. 
If you’ll recall, we were first told there were cameras on Epstein’s jail cell and on his floor, but that they weren’t working, so there was no footage to release. Later, officials released closed-circuit footage from the night of his death and claimed it was uninterrupted. Shortly afterward, we were told that a minute of the video was missing. That missing minute was eventually restored, and we were assured the footage was original — despite clear signs it had been edited using video software.
So what&#8217;s the latest? Well, newly released video logs appear to contradict official accounts.
This is from <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/epstein-files-jail-cell-death-video-logs/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&amp;linkId=903657594">CBS News</a>:
<blockquote>Newly released Department of Justice documents show that investigators reviewing surveillance footage from the night of Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s death observed an orange-colored shape moving up a staircase toward the isolated, locked tier where his cell was located at approximately 10:39 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2019.</blockquote>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Questions swirl as video logs show person may have entered Epstein jail tier the night he died" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EN1TmI5F1hs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Credit: CBS Mornings/YouTube.com
I love the way they&#8217;re describing it: &#8220;An orange-colored shape.&#8221;
 So some people, probably on the Left, are imagining that this is just Trump himself. Yes, a vaguely mango-colored, you know, blond-haired, had a very nice Brioni suit on with a slightly too-long red tie.
Or no, that would be the live version of what we on the Right all imagine.
What is probably meant is that the person is wearing an orange jumpsuit, or maybe carrying something orange.
This isn&#8217;t particularly new information. I was covering Epstein months and months ago when some of this footage came out, and we noticed the strange figures that were moving around. Okay, now we can zoom in, and we see this weird orange figure. 
CBS <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/epstein-files-jail-cell-death-video-logs/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&amp;linkId=903657594">goes on</a>:
<blockquote>Thomas told investigators he discovered Epstein in his cell shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Aug.10 and that he &#8220;ripped&#8221; Epstein down from the hanging position.
Investigators asked what happened to the noose. 
&#8220;I don&#8217;t recall taking the noose off. I really don&#8217;t,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;I don&#8217;t recall taking the thing from around his neck.&#8221;</blockquote>
That&#8217;s a little weird, right?
I guess what you could say is it&#8217;s always shocking to see a dead body, but it was especially shocking here. This is one of the most wanted, talked-about criminals in all of America, in all of the world and you find him dead in his cell, and maybe, who knows, your hormones are spiking. You have a surge of adrenaline, you&#8217;re shocked, you&#8217;re sick, and you forget. Maybe he just forgot.
It gets weirder.
<blockquote>Noel, who remained standing at the cell entrance, told investigators she saw Thomas lower Epstein to the floor but did not see a noose around his neck.</blockquote>
Hold on. 
So now it&#8217;s not just the guy who discovers Epstein and takes him down. It&#8217;s also the observer standing a little bit further back. 
<blockquote>The noose Epstein allegedly used has never been definitively identified. According to the inspector general&#8217;s report, a noose collected at the scene was later determined not to be the ligature used in Epstein&#8217;s death.</blockquote>
The guy who took him down never saw the noose.
The lady watching him take him down never saw a noose.
And investigators never even found the noose.
Add on at least one medical examiner saying that the breaks in his neck were more consistent with strangulation than with hanging.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1907-new-video-someone-entered-epstein-s-cell-the-night-he-died?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Michael Knowles Show</a></h3>
Everyone is focusing on the aspects of his life — Epstein had a connection to Russia; he had a connection to Israel; he had a connection to the CIA, and so on.
Some of the accounts actually contradict each other. Was he a super spy? Was he just a sex-freak rich guy? Was he really trafficking women? Was he really trading secrets? Was he really dealing with the Arabs and the Israelis, or was it the Russians or the Americans, or was it the British?
You’ve got to put that aside for a second. We now have every theory covered. Yes, we’ve connected him to every country on earth, every intelligence agency, every vice. And that’s not getting us anywhere.
If you want to get to the heart of the Epstein story, the first thing you have to ascertain is the end of the story, not how the story begins.
Not a lot of people want to focus on how a guy who dropped out of college ended up becoming a math teacher, who was hired by Bill Barr’s father at The Dalton School, but then became some kind of trader at Bear Stearns? How? He then went on to become the money manager for Les Wexner, where he said he would only have clients who were investing over $1 billion.
And then he worked with intelligence agencies.
And then he helped this sheikh in Arabia.
And then he — 
Don’t look at the beginning of the story. That is going to lead you down a billion different trails, especially with a guy who seemed to be connected to every powerful person on earth.
I think you have to start at the end of the story. 
And curious, isn’t it, that the shadiest part, the part that has been most covered up, that has been most contradicted, is not found at the beginning of the story. No one is asking, &#8220;Did Epstein work at Bear Stearns?&#8221; &#8220;Did Epstein know Ghislaine Maxwell?&#8221; &#8220;Did Epstein pal around with Bill?&#8221; It’s none of that.
The part that has been most assiduously covered up is the end of the story.
How did he die?
Who killed him?
Why don’t we have the noose?
That’s it. I don’t think we’re going to get an answer on it. And that&#8217;s been my consistent position from the beginning. Either Epstein is who they say he is, in which case we know everything about him, or he’s something more, in which case we know everything we’re ever going to know, because they’re not going to let it out. 
But if we could ascertain who killed him, that would help us to answer: why was he killed? That would help us to answer what purpose he primarily served in world politics. That would help us to answer who, chiefly, he was working for.
That would help us to answer what the Epstein operation was really about.
But the only way you’re going to get those big answers is by going backward. You’re not going to get it by going forward.
Now we’re getting some little, little tasty hints — but nothing definitive.
And if you want me to put some money on the table, I don’t think we’re going to get much more than that.

Two Prison Guards Charged With Falsifying Records In Jeffrey Epstein’s Death

Who Was The Orange Figure That Appeared In Epstein’s Cellblock?

Who Was The Orange Figure That Appeared In Epstein's Cellblock?

CBS News

Michael Knowles

A 26-year-old woman is fighting for her life after a man with more than 70 arrests doused her in gasoline and set her ablaze in an unprovoked attack on a Chicago train.
The victim has been <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/11/23/us-news/bethany-magee-26-identified-as-chicago-woman-set-on-fire-on-cta-train-by-serial-thug-with-72-arrests/">identified</a> as Bethany MaGee, who reportedly remains in critical condition. Lawrence Reed, 50, has been <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/us-attorneys-office-chicago-charges-man-federal-terrorism-offense-allegedly-setting?">charged</a> with a federal terrorism offense in connection to the attack and is facing life in prison.
Video shows the suspect dousing MaGee in gasoline and chasing her on the train car before setting her ablaze on November 17. Reed, who&#8217;s been arrested 72 times, allegedly shouted &#8220;burn alive b****&#8221; and “burn b****” during the attack.
&#8220;According to a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Reed and the victim were passengers on a CTA train traveling through a subway in downtown Chicago at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Nov. 17, 2025,&#8221; a Department of Justice press release says. &#8220;Reed approached the victim, who was seated with her back towards him, took the cap off a bottle of liquid and poured the liquid all over the victim’s head and body, the complaint states.  The victim ran but Reed caught up with her, at which point he ignited the bottle and it fell out of his hand onto the floor, the complaint states. Reed picked up the bottle that was now on fire, approached the victim and used the bottle to light her on fire, the complaint states.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1005105" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1005105" class="wp-image-1005105 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-866x576.png" alt="" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-866x576.png 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-300x200.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-768x511.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-1536x1022.png 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM-1200x800.png 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Screenshot-2025-11-24-at-2.13.33-PM.png 1680w" sizes=" (max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />Chicago Transit Authority surveillance footage</div>
The disturbing unprovoked attack is reminiscent of the attack on Ukrainian refugee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-looking-into-brutal-charlotte-murder-by-repeat-offender?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Looking+Into+Brutal%C2%A0Charlotte+Murder+By+Repeat+Offender">Iryna Zarutska</a>, 23, who was targeted by a career criminal while riding a train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Zarutska, like MaGee, was targeted without ever interacting with her attacker. Both suspects have lengthy rap sheets. Zarutska, who tragically died from her injuries, was attacked back in August.
Reed&#8217;s criminal history includes eight felony and seven misdemeanor convictions, <a href="https://www.click2houston.com/news/national/2025/11/21/federal-judge-orders-man-held-on-federal-terrorism-charge-in-chicago-train-attack/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">according</a> to the Associated Press. Reed&#8217;s arrests concern arson, assault and battery, and other offenses.
At the time of his most recent attack, Reed was ordered to wear electronic monitoring due an aggravated battery charge accusing him of hitting a social worker. Cook County prosecutors wanted to keep Reed behind bars until his trial, but the judge released him.
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>.
Notably, Reed <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/blue-line-fire-attack-woman-burned-family-speaks/">pleaded guilty</a> to smashing windows on a Blue Line train at O&#8217;Hare International Airport in 2020, but the Chicago Transit Authority never banned him from the transit system.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reacted to the crime on Sunday, posting to X, &#8220;It is devastating that a career criminal with 72 PRIOR ARRESTS is now accused of attacking 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on Chicago’s L train, and setting her on fire.&#8221;
&#8220;This would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars,&#8221; Duffy added. &#8220;Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the streets. Chicago’s carelessness is putting the American people at risk. No one should ever have to fear for their life on the subway.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It is devastating that a career criminal with 72 PRIOR ARRESTS is now accused of attacking 26-year-old Bethany MaGee on Chicago’s L train, and setting her on fire.
This would never have happened if this thug had been behind bars. Yet Chicago lets repeat offenders roam the… <a href="https://t.co/1vaHyCd8sp">https://t.co/1vaHyCd8sp</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1992612289694900422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/still-no-response-from-jb-pritzker-after-insane-stretch-of-deadly-violence-in-chicago?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Still+No+Response+From+JB+Pritzker+After+Insane+Stretch+Of+Deadly+Violence+In+Chicago">The Daily Wire</a>, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, has not commented on the attack.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, called the attack an &#8220;isolated incident&#8221; and largely blamed it on a supposed lack of funding for &#8220;mental health&#8221; in the city.
&#8220;He was clearly seriously mentally disturbed, and was a danger to himself and to others,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;The system that we had failed to intervene, and now we have a woman who is fighting for her life.&#8221;
&#8220;There are a number of people who are suffering severely from trauma and mental illness and it&#8217;s becoming increasingly more dangerous,&#8221; the mayor added, while urging more mental health funding.
MaGee&#8217;s family released a statement earlier this week, thanking the public for their prayers.
&#8220;We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and well-wishes as our daughter receives care for injuries sustained earlier this week,&#8221; the statement <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/blue-line-fire-attack-woman-burned-family-speaks/">said</a>. &#8220;We are also grateful for the excellent care and support of the burn team at Stroger Hospital.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/still-no-response-from-jb-pritzker-after-insane-stretch-of-deadly-violence-in-chicago?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Still+No+Response+From+JB+Pritzker+After+Insane+Stretch+Of+Deadly+Violence+In+Chicago">Still No Response From JB Pritzker After Insane Stretch Of Deadly Violence In Chicago</a>

Bethany MaGee

Woman Set On Fire By Convict With 72 Priors On Chicago Train

Chicago

Crime

Iryna Zarutska

U.S.

On the morning of January 19, 2021, decorated Navy Lt. Commander Thomas E. Caldwell was resting peacefully on his Virginia family farm when FBI agents executed a pre-dawn SWAT raid.
They accused him of being a leader of the Oath Keepers, of storming the Capitol, and of hunting down members of Congress.
He says every single claim was false. Tom was never a member of the Oath Keepers. He never entered the Capitol. He never planned an attack. And yet, thanks to Biden&#8217;s DOJ, Tom spent over 50 days in solitary confinement and endured years of prosecution.
Now pardoned, he&#8217;s finally free to speak. Here&#8217;s an excerpt from his new book, &#8220;<a href="https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-mouths-of-the-wicked">The Mouths of the Wicked</a>.&#8221; — The Editors
* * *
January 19, 2021
“Honey! Get up! The FBI is at the door!”
I will never forget those words or the urgency in Sharon’s voice as she shook me awake that dreadful morning. Bundled under blankets and still foggy from two sleeping pills, I struggled to free myself from the CPAP machine.
Trying to make sense of it all, I leaned on the dresser, mind racing as an intense, other-worldly light flooded in from the great room of our home. Disembodied voices routed the night’s peace and bellowed my name.
My wobbly legs took me to the front door and the tumult beyond.
“FBI! Come out with your hands up!”
The horror show was all about creating an incident. But why? Who cares why! I was going to end up on the short end of the stick if I didn’t handle this correctly and with cooperation. Head spinning, I flashed back to all the times the news reported people being fatally shot after authorities “thought they had a gun in their hand.”
I set my trusty cane beside the door. It would be a sad tale for my wife to have to tell at the funeral of her disabled veteran husband that he was gunned down by the FBI who mistook a walking stick for a firearm.
Slowly I opened the front door to the blinding glare of searchlights. A scant two feet from the window frame of our house, I could make out the manhole-sized disc of a battering ram flowering from the end of a reinforced steel arm, jutting from total darkness. Oh my God, they’re going to smash a hole in our cottage! I let my left arm trail the storm door behind me to ensure it would close slowly, without a slam that could send these possibly trigger-happy jackanapes into a shooting frenzy.
Stepping forward, I raised my hands as far as they would go, considering their limited mobility resulting from shoulder surgeries and the reattachment of arm to torso with a brass rod. I needed to lift them high enough to appease the invisible screamers without reaching the point of initiating the bolt of pain that would cause me to reflexively pull it back to my body. A sudden movement like that could be fatal in the cloud of red dots from rifle lasers swarming me. This wasn’t the first time a firearm had been pointed at me, but I assure you, this was the first time my life was placed in jeopardy by people from the country I love and served.
<div id="attachment_998997" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-mouths-of-the-wicked"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-998997" class="wp-image-998997 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/book-cover-caldwell-384x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Puffin Publishers LLC/Thomas Caldwell" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/book-cover-caldwell-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/book-cover-caldwell-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/book-cover-caldwell-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/book-cover-caldwell-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/book-cover-caldwell-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/book-cover-caldwell.jpg 1365w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" /></a>Credit: Puffin Publishers LLC/Thomas Caldwell</div>
Virginia’s winter was on frigid-blast, the porch an iceberg, and the biting west wind slashed my body. Barefoot, clothed only in underwear and nightshirt, I moved forward to the edge, squinting desperately against the artificial sun in my face, trying to find the first of three steps I knew were there somewhere. Trying not to take a well-intentioned but possibly leg-breaking step into the abyss.
I stepped down blindly, relying upon muscle memory born of doing this a thousand times in broad daylight. Until my foot actually reached step number one, I didn’t know if I would be stable enough to make the climb down on my own. Guided by what I now know was divine intervention, I made each halting step until I felt the ouch of the gravel boundary between deep ruts and frosty grass. The wet lawn was only slightly less chilly than the concrete. I walked slowly, aware of shadowy figures at the edge of my field of vision. Beams of red light stabbed from the dark — rifle and pistol lasers — all merely a trigger pull away from dispatching this 66-year-old retired veteran.
The first of many “what’s going on?” inquiries crossed my lips as the designated vet-wrangler snatched me, powerful arms and hands jutting from an inky veil. With purposeful out-sized strides, he yanked me across the slippery grass, shoving my face hard into the cold metal of a car hood. What I was concerned about now was the abrupt leg-weakening shove at the waist — a bending motion not pleasant for someone like me with a spine immobilized by a jumbled mass of metal spacers and screws.
Amid the clinking of metal on metal, I addressed the faceless being through gritted teeth, informing him that my left arm could no longer naturally rotate in such a way as to reach my back due to reconstructive shoulder surgery—no matter how much he kept twisting it. He was at the point of a spontaneous displacement of the metal screw holding my arm to my body. Thankfully, cold metal cuffs were slapped on my wrists in the front instead. Then it was right back to a face plant on the car hood.
All this outrage was conducted with creatures of the dark still yowling orders in the frigid pre-dawn air. They had me in their snare. What more could they want?
In the midst of a cacophony from hell, I labored to lift my head and, to my utter horror, saw my wife standing in the searchlight’s brutal blaze. Time stopped, as did my heart.
<div id="attachment_999097" style="width: 465px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-999097" class="size-full wp-image-999097" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Caldwells.jpg" alt="Courtesy: Thomas Caldwell. https://saveourfarmva.com/ " width="455" height="575" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Caldwells.jpg 455w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Caldwells-237x300.jpg 237w" sizes=" (max-width: 455px) 100vw, 455px" />Courtesy: Thomas Caldwell.</div>
For there stood Sharon, barefoot, arms straight out from her sides, clad only in one of my super-sized white T-shirts made nearly transparent in the harsh glare of the spotlights. I could see her shivering as her stance proved she carried no weapon and posed no threat. That did not stop the authoritative commands shouted at her with crude epithets tossed in for good measure.
I couldn’t believe my eyes or my ears as she lifted her arms to reveal a single white sock in each hand and softly asked if she could put them on her feet.
As the screamers moved closer to her, to my heart-stopping terror, I saw the devil’s red fireflies dancing all over her face and body. The monsters had drawn down fully automatic weapons of death on my Angel!
My heart cried, “They didn’t kill me, so now they want to kill my wife!”
Sharon stood there, innocently holding a pair of socks and holding my heart—my whole world—in her hands. Her stance was nearly identical to that of Jesus, hung on the cross by hateful elitists who knew not what they were doing. She did not seem to understand the gravity of this bile-laced situation.
My memory flashed back to the murder at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, the day an FBI sniper shot and killed Vicki Weaver as she stood on her porch, holding her infant in her arms.
This scene played out for an eternity and still haunts me every day.
“Father, God!” I begged, “God in Heaven, Father, please don’t let them kill my wife! Abba, Father! Please don’t let them murder my wife!
* * *
This excerpt is published by permission from the author and Puffin Publishers LLC. “<a href="https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-mouths-of-the-wicked">The Mouths of the Wicked</a>” by Thomas E. Caldwell (November, 2025/<a href="http://puffinpublishers.com/">PuffinPublishers.com</a>)
<a href="https://saveourfarmva.com/">Thomas E. Caldwell</a> is an author and proud veteran of the United States Navy. A decorated retired Navy Lieutenant Commander, he honorably served our Nation around the world for nearly two decades, principally within the Navy&#8217;s Intelligence Community. He is the author of countless strategic and tactical intelligence assessments and possesses a deep understanding and unique perspective of global and domestic threats to our Nation. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

US-CRIME-shooting-SUSPECT

The Morning The FBI Came For Me

Books

Capitol Riot

January 6

U.S. Capitol

U.S. Navy

Just over a week after President Trump brokered a deal that brought home the last of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists — and laid out a plan for lasting peace between Israel and Gaza — the latest reports indicate that Hamas militants have taken to publicly executing Palestinian civilians. So of course, CNN wanted to talk about — and to — former Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
For those who don&#8217;t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television — and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week&#8217;s worth of network and cable news media spin — The Daily Wire has compiled a short summary of what you may have missed.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-commutes-sentence-of-former-gop-rep-george-santos">Trump announced</a> on Friday that he was commuting the remainder of the 7-year sentence that Santos was serving after he pled guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire-fraud charges in relation to his 2022 congressional campaign. Prior to that he&#8217;d been ousted by Congress after serving less than a year of his first term: Lawmakers <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/01/gop-rep-george-santos-faces-expulsion-vote-in-house.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> 311-114 to oust Santos in December 2023 after a GOP-led House Ethics Committee report accused Santos of stealing campaign donors’ money to spend on Botox, OnlyFans, and other items.
Trump swiped at Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in the Truth Social post announcing the commutation, saying, &#8220;I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal came up again. As everyone remembers, “Da Nang” stated for almost twenty years that he was a proud Vietnam Veteran, having endured the worst of the War, watching the Wounded and Dead as he raced up the hills and down the valleys, blood streaming from his face &#8230; This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!&#8221;
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
So on Sunday, despite the continued bloodshed in Gaza and the ongoing Democrat-driven government shutdown, much of the conversation on CNN was focused squarely on Santos.
Anchor Dana Bash started with Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), asking whether she took issue with Trump&#8217;s decision to commute the sentence of the disgraced congressman.
&#8220;[Santos] did plead guilty to defrauding his donors and constituents of hundreds of thousands of dollars, money he will no longer be required to pay back because of this commutation. Is this acceptable to you?&#8221; Bash asked.
&#8220;Look, I will let Congressman Santos speak for himself,&#8221; Britt replied. &#8220;What I appreciate is President Trump&#8217;s commitment to the American people.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BASH: “[Santos] did plead guilty to defrauding his donors and constituents of hundreds of thousands of dollars, money he will no longer be required to pay back because of this commutation. Is this acceptable to you?”
BRITT: “Look, I will let Congressman Santos speak for… <a href="https://t.co/3SvurPWDHk">pic.twitter.com/3SvurPWDHk</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979939429633380426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bash then took the question to Santos directly, asking him whether he planned to make restitution.
&#8220;You were ordered by the court to pay $370,000 in restitution to the people you defrauded… Will you work to try to do that?&#8221; she asked.
&#8220;I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me. So I don&#8217;t know what that is,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;If it&#8217;s required of me by the law, yes. If it&#8217;s not, then no.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BASH: “You were ordered by the court to pay $370,000 in restitution to the people you defrauded… Will you work to try to do that?”
SANTOS: “I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me. So I don&#8217;t know what that is… If it&#8217;s required of me by the law, yes. If it&#8217;s… <a href="https://t.co/EVBHKzKGTg">pic.twitter.com/EVBHKzKGTg</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979942437411057676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bash then pivoted to note that some were critical of Trump&#8217;s decision to commute his sentence, and Santos pushed back, essentially arguing that there would be people criticizing Trump no matter what he did.
&#8220;I&#8217;m pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics,&#8221; Santos said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
George Santos shrugs off criticism of Trump commuting his prison sentence: “I&#8217;m pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics.” <a href="https://t.co/YxjwjV5F6u">pic.twitter.com/YxjwjV5F6u</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943369892679734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I&#8217;m very grateful to President Trump, Dana, and I sit here quite literally, I don&#8217;t know how much more humbled I can get before people believe I&#8217;m humble or remorseful, but I can just do the best in my actions moving forward,&#8221; Santos added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
George Santos responds to former Republican colleagues who say he shouldn’t have been freed from prison: “I&#8217;m very grateful to President Trump, Dana, and I sit here quite literally, I don&#8217;t know how much more humbled I can get before people believe I&#8217;m humble or remorseful, but I… <a href="https://t.co/1TyrdeeDXl">pic.twitter.com/1TyrdeeDXl</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943593436479708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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He went on to say that he&#8217;d already thought of a way that he could potentially begin to give back, saying, &#8220;I told this to the president, that I&#8217;d love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way, in real human ways, in a way that we effect it, that it helps society, it helps these individuals rebuild their lives and we have a better system with less incarcerated people … If I can be a part of helping that, I think that would be a great road to follow in the future.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Santos: “I told this to the president, that I&#8217;d love to be involved with prison reform, and not in a partisan way, in real human ways, in a way that we effect it, that it helps society, it helps these individuals rebuild their lives and we have a better system with less… <a href="https://t.co/6qXkS9c3z3">pic.twitter.com/6qXkS9c3z3</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979943752346353792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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And it didn&#8217;t end there: Santos was also the topic of a panel discussion to round out &#8220;State of the Union.&#8221;
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said she wasn&#8217;t in favor of Trump&#8217;s decision, but that she planned to withhold judgment and give Santos a chance to prove he&#8217;d changed.
&#8220;I will give him the benefit of the doubt, and I hope he is a changed person who&#8217;s going to focus on his second chance on doing good. I do not agree with the commutation. I think it was a wrong decision, primarily because this is somebody who stole millions of dollars from his donors. He defrauded the public and his voters … I wish him well. I hope he does good, and I hope he sticks to his word that he&#8217;s a renewed person.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis on Trump commuting George Santos’ prison sentence:
“I will give him the benefit of the doubt, and I hope he is a changed person who&#8217;s going to focus on his second chance on doing good. I do not agree with the commutation. I… <a href="https://t.co/I77ZfKoMw7">pic.twitter.com/I77ZfKoMw7</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979948410368061661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And then Paul Begala tried to make it about Trump &#8230;
&#8220;This is a story about a con man, a liar, a grifter, somebody, a felon, disgraced his high office, and also about George Santos,&#8221; he quipped.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Paul Begala: “This is a story about a con man, a liar, a grifter, somebody, a felon, disgraced his high office, and also about George Santos.”
GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Brad Todd, and Faiz Shakir join Dana Bash to react to President Trump’s controversial decision to commute… <a href="https://t.co/W7SQ50hJpp">pic.twitter.com/W7SQ50hJpp</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1979949001135763632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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