Southern California authorities have arrested two people in separate fire-starting incidents amid the deadly, days-long wildfire that has burned down Los Angeles County neighborhoods, killed at least 24 people, and forced thousands to evacuate.

Police from different agencies said two of those arrested have been charged with arson, while investigators lacked enough probable cause to charge a third man originally handcuffed on suspicion of arson. That suspect was charged with a separate felony.

None of those in custody have been accused of starting the major fires in the area or been otherwise tied to them.

Police in Azusa said they arrested a homeless man late Friday after a witness reported the transient for starting a brush fire in Pioneer Park.

Authorities said they took Jose Carranza-Escobar into custody around 11:35 p.m. The suspect admitted to police he ignited the fire, and was booked into jail on arson charges, authorities said.

Fire crews quickly extinguished the blaze, police said.

“People who live along the foothills are at a higher alert state right now and everybody’s watching to prevent individuals who take pleasure in causing damage with fire,” Azusa Police Captain Robert Landeros told Newsweek.

He said the department has extra officers on patrol to watch for the incendiary behavior and encourages residents to phone police about any suspicious behavior they see.

State park authorities said a woman was charged with arson Wednesday after she was accused of starting a brush fire near Leo Carrillo State Park in Los Angeles County.

Suspect Gloria Lynn Mandich, 60, is being kept behind bars in Ventura County, police said.

“If it is determined that there is a manmade or intentional setting of any of the fires in this situation, the people who committed this arson will be arrested. They will be prosecuted. They will be punished to the full extent of the law,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochmann said last week.

A man held down by citizens Thursday near Woodland Hills was also suspected of igniting a fire, but police later cleared him of starting a small blaze.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Dominic Choi said Friday police didn’t have enough evidence to hold or charge the man, who wasn’t named.

“After the interview and additional investigative steps, looking at some additional evidence that was present, they made the determination that there was not enough probable cause to arrest this person on arson or suspicion of arson,” Chief Choi said.

Police said that fire was stopped after spreading about 1,000 acres. No structures were lost in the flames.

But the man was charged with a felony probation violation.

At least 24 people have been killed and more than 150,000 evacuated in the Los Angeles fires, the first of which began Tuesday morning near the Palisades in northern Los Angeles County.

What started the still-raging blaze is under investigation, but fire officials say a mix of dry conditions and high winds helped whip the flames across the most populous county in the nation.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday nearly 30 people have been taken into custody for either looting or violating evacuation orders since the fires started.

Sheriff Robert Luna said one burglary suspect was posing as a firefighter when he was nabbed by officers.

“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter. And I asked him if he was OK because he was sitting down. I didn’t realize we had him in handcuffs,” the sheriff said during a press briefing.

Thousands of Romanians gathered on Friday outside the parliament building in Bucharest, which also houses the country’s Constitutional Court, to protest the court’s annulment of the November presidential election.

Outsider populist Calin Georgescu was the runaway leader in the election, but the court nullified the entire vote over allegations of Russian interference.

Georgescu, invariably described as a “far-right populist” by international media, shocked the Romanian political establishment by roaring into first place in pre-election polling. His success was all the more remarkable because his campaign spent very little money on advertising; in fact, he claimed he spent nothing at all.

Georgescu built an enormous following on social media, running as an admirer of American President-elect Donald Trump, a skeptic of funding for Ukraine, an economic nationalist, a Christian conservative, and a very spirited critic of left-wing billionaire George Soros. Polls showed him drawing heavy support from religious conservatives and people frustrated with the bottomless corruption of Romanian government.

One of the major criticisms raised against Georgescu was that he spoke admiringly of Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a man who loves his country,” although he insisted he did not agree with Putin’s agenda.

Georgescu was dismissed as a fringe candidate by Romanian media until he suddenly burst into the lead in polls, then won the first round of the presidential election with 23 percent of the vote. Political analysts confidently predicted he would be crushed in the second round, as lower-ranked candidates dropped out and the anti-Georgescu vote consolidated around a single champion — but suddenly, he was leading in the second round by a seemingly unsurmountable margin.

A week before the second-round vote was to be held, declassified Romanian intelligence documents were released that accused Georgescu of benefiting from 25,000 phony TikTok accounts created by a Russian disinformation campaign. The documents also claimed Russia disrupted the Romanian election system with a massive cyberattack.

Romania’s top prosecutor announced these allegations would be investigated as “electoral crimes” and then, two days before the vote, the Constitutional Court nullified the entire election. Enraged Georgescu supporters flooded the streets, complaining about a stolen election and rigged system. They returned to their protests on Friday, waving Romanian flags and chanting: “We voted, you stole from us … Give us back the second round.”

Demonstrators also argued the administration of President Klaus Iohannis was illegitimate because it should have ended on December 22 following the election. Some of the marchers called for Iohannis to be arrested and denounced members of his government as “traitors.”

Georgescu himself did not attend the protest, although he sent a video message to his supporters and asked the Constitutional Court to “urgently review the decision that has thrown Romania into chaos.”

Georgescu did not join the marchers because he was on his way to “the heart of Europe, to the highest courts,” as he put it, to file legal challenges against “great European institutions” that supported nullifying the election. He was most likely talking about the European Court of Human Rights, which is located in Strasbourg, France.

The protest coincided with Georgescu’s lawyers filing a formal request for the top court to reverse its annulment decision. A similar request was filed by fellow populist candidate George Simion, who notched a disappointing fourth-place finish in the election after the meteoric rise of Georgescu.

“We have been living in a dictatorship since December 6. We are here to defend democracy,” Simion told reporters when he joined the protests in Bucharest.

“I am with the Romanians, not with a person. We do not support Mr. Georgescu. I wonder why Mrs. Lasconi is not here,” he said, referring to former journalist and mayor Elena Lasconi, who finished second in the nullified election.

Lasconi has criticized the election nullification, saying the court “trampled on democracy” with an “illegal and immoral” ruling. She said on Wednesday she will run again, despite heavy pressure from the current government coalition for her to drop out and clear a path for whoever their consensus candidate might be. The coalition is currently having trouble coming up with someone to run.

Several journalists said they were harassed by the protesters and pelted with trash, prompting a response from the police, who said “acts of aggression and intimidation” would be investigated and punished.

A new election in Romania has been scheduled for May 4, with a runoff vote on May 18 if necessary. Current polls suggest a majority of Romanians disagree with the annulment of the November election, and there is every chance Georgescu could win the new vote. Georgescu has urged Romanians to sign a petition demanding not a new election from scratch, but the aborted second-round runoff that would have seen him facing Lasconi, the second-place finisher in November.

Days after fawning over what tech magnate Elon Musk’s deep pockets could do for the MAGA movement, Steve Bannon went berserk on the world’s richest man and vowed to limit his White House influence.

Bannon, 71, who hosts the “War Room” podcast and has a penchant for plotting all-out brass-knuckled political warfare, suggested Musk “should go back to South Africa” and decried his stance on H1-B visas.

“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon, told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera last week, per excerpts translated by his former employer Breitbart. “He will not have a blue pass to the White House, he will not have full access to the White House, he will be like any other person.”

“He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down,” he went on. “Before, because he put money in, I was prepared to tolerate it. I’m not prepared to tolerate it anymore.”

Last month, just before Christmas, a war erupted within the MAGA movement between the tech bros and immigration hardliners over H1-B visas, which permit foreign workers to come to the US for specialty occupations.

Musk, 53, a US citizen who emigrated from South Africa, emerged as a fierce defender of H1-B visas. President-elect Donald Trump, 78, eventually backed Musk’s stance and the tech billionaire. But Bannon hasn’t let the H1-B visa flap go.

“This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon told the outlet.

Bannon also unleashed on other big-name billionaire Trump backers.

“Peter Thiel, David Sacks, Elon Musk, are all white South Africans,” he added. “He should go back to South Africa. Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”

Billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel, is German-American but lived in South Africa and Namibia as a child.

He had worked with Musk on PayPal, had been a top backer of Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Ohio Senate bid in 2022.

Musk has espoused increasingly conservative viewpoints in the public eye since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the GOP primaries, he backed alternatives to Trump, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). However, after the July 13 assassination attempt, Musk began going all in on the president-elect.

Since Trump’s election victory, Musk has spent a large chunk of his time hunkered down at Mar-a-Lago. Trump has tapped him to helm the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which isn’t actually a government department.

Democrats have attempted to poke at both Musk’s and Trump’s egos and pit the two against each other. Last month, when Musk whipped up public opposition to a government funding bill in Congress, Democrats branded him “President Musk,” though Trump has so far declined to take the bait.

Bannon complained that Musk’s “sole objective is to become a trillionaire.” Bannon has previously called for more taxes on the wealthy and warned about a French Revolution-style uprising in the US over the growing disparities between the mega-rich and the poor.

“[Musk] will do anything to make sure that any one of his companies is protected or has a better deal or he makes more money,” Bannon further groused. “His aggregation of wealth, and then — through wealth — power: that’s what he’s focused on.”

Bannon also took a jab at Musk for appearing to concur with a post on X that suggested Americans are too “retarded” to do the jobs that companies use foreigners via the H1-B visa system. Musk later deleted that post.

“He went out of his way to mock our movement as racist and retards, and he lost,” Bannon complained. “We blew him out of the water.”

Before Musk got behind Trump, Bannon had lashed out at the Tesla and SpaceX for not being critical of China. Musk has waded heavily into US and European politics, but largely eschewed mention of China, where he has factories and a massive Tesla sales business.

Just last week, however, Bannon argued that despite their differences, Musk joining the MAGA movement could be an important boon and took note of the billionaire’s efforts to wade into European politics.

“I support his participation because the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Bannon told Bloomberg. “Musk just spent a quarter of a billion dollars to elect Trump.”

“If he puts the same amount of money into all of Europe that he put behind Trump, he will flip every nation to a populist agenda. There’s not a centrist left-wing government in Europe that will be able to withstand that onslaught.”

After the initial crush of personnel announcements for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, now the nominations process officially begins.

Senate hearings are scheduled this coming week for several of Trump’s picks for the Cabinet. Many have met with senators individually. Now, they will go before the committees overseeing the agencies that Trump wants them to run.

Here’s a look at the schedule for Senate hearings set so far, in Eastern time:

Tuesday

9 a.m.: Doug Collins, Department of Veterans Affairs

The former Georgia congressman is up first, before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Collins is a Baptist minister, former U.S. Navy chaplain and Air Force Reserve colonel. The VA provides health care to former members of the U.S. armed forces.

9:30 a.m.: Pete Hegseth, Department of Defense

The former “Fox & Friends” weekend host and Army National Guard combat veteran goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee after weeks of meetings during which some senators have questioned his fitness for the role amid allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. The Pentagon chief’s authority over the U.S. military is second only to that of the president’s.

10 a.m.: Doug Burgum, Interior Department

The former governor of North Dakota and businessman appears before members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, who will consider his nomination as interior secretary, the chief steward of U.S. public lands. Burgum, who endorsed Trump after ending his own 2024 presidential bid and campaigned for Trump, has also been tapped to lead the National Energy Council. Trump has said the council will seek to establish U.S. “energy dominance” around the world.

Wednesday

9 a.m.: Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Department

The South Dakota governor will appear before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The rancher and former congresswoman is in line to head one of the government’s biggest agencies, integral to Trump’s pledge to secure the border and carry out a massive deportation operation.

9:30 a.m.: Pam Bondi, Justice Department

The former Florida attorney general makes the first of two scheduled appearances before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She was Trump’s pick for attorney general hours after his first choice, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration. Gaetz was facing questions about a federal sex trafficking investigation and a House Ethics Committee inquiry into allegations that he paid for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl.

Bondi is a longtime fixture in Trump’s orbit. The attorney general will be one of the most closely watched Cabinet members, given the concern among Democrats that Trump will look to bend the Justice Department to his will.

10 a.m.: Sean Duffy, Transportation Department

The former Wisconsin congressman who was also a co-host on Fox Business will be questioned by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The department oversees pipelines, railroads, cars, trucks, airlines and mass transit systems, as well as funding for highways.

10 a.m.: John Ratcliffe, CIA

Ratcliffe, director of national intelligence for the final months of Trump’s first term, goes before Senate Intelligence Committee. The former Texas congressman is in line to lead the nation’s premier spy agency, responsible for foreign covert operations and collecting data on U.S. adversaries.

10 a.m.: Marco Rubio, State Department

The Florida senator has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is considering his nomination to be secretary of state. As head of the State Department, job, Rubio would oversee the U.S. foreign service, advise Trump on diplomatic appointments and conduct negotiations with foreign leaders on behalf of the administration.

10 a.m.: Chris Wright, Energy Department

The fossil fuel executive, who has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change, appears before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The secretary oversees energy generation and use in the United States as well as the nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile. Wright would also join Burgum on the National Energy Council.

1 p.m.: Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget

Vought, OMB director during Trump’s first term, goes before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that the Republican nominee tried to distance himself from during the campaign. The budget director oversee the building of the president’s budget and review of proposed regulations.

Thursday

10 a.m.: Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development Department

The former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in Trump’s first term appears at a hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. Turner is a professional mentor, pastor and former Texas House member. HUD is charged with addressing the nation’s housing needs and fair housing laws, and oversees housing for the poorest Americans.

10 a.m.: Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency

The former New York congressman appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The agency is tasked with matters pertaining to environmental protection, conducting assessments, research, education and maintaining and enforcing national standards.

10:15 a.m.: Bondi, Day 2 before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

10:30 a.m.: Scott Bessent, Treasury Department

The billionaire money manager from South Carolina takes questions from members of the Senate Finance Committee. Bessent would be the first openly LGBTQ Senate-confirmed Cabinet member in a Republican administration. The treasury chief helps formulate financial, economic, and tax policy, and manage the public debt.

Dates not yet confirmed

Hearings are not yet scheduled for all of Trump’s choices, including some of the most contentious:

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Department

Tulsi Gabbard, Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services Department

Howard Lutnick, Commerce Department

Linda McMahon, Education Department

Kash Patel, FBI

Brooke Rollins, Agriculture Department

Elise Stefanik, U.N. ambassador

As Los Angeles battles its worst fire in history, fire department’s highly-paid diversity head is facing an inferno of backlash after a bizarre comment surfaced in which she appears defend DEI hiring by blaming victims.

In a video defending the department’s DEI hiring practices, Deputy Chief Kristine Larson — who heads the Equity and Human Resources Bureau — addressed accusations that female firefighters aren’t strong enough carry a man out of a burning building.

Her response: “He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.”

LAFD Assistant Chief Kristine Larson: “Am I able to carry your husband out of a fire? He got himself in the wrong place.”pic.twitter.com/bJyeST6qxi

— Mr. Nobody (@MmisterNobody) January 12, 2025

The video went viral on social media after the fire department was caught off-guard and ill-prepared when an outbreak of wildfires began to tear through the Pacific Palisades — one of the oldest and wealthiest neighborhoods in the city — last week.

The Palisades Fire, the most devastating fire in California history, has already incinerated 26,000 acres, including some of the most expensive real estate in the country.

Early cost estimates for all the wildfires in Southern California are $135 billion to $150 billion — which would top the damage from any hurricane to hit the US except Katrina.

Critics argue that LAFD had been too preoccupied with DEI vanity projects to properly staff and equip its firefighters — projects that Larson was paid $307K to manage in 2023, according to salary database Transparent California.

“Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Kristine Larson says when people’s houses are burning down, they want a firefighter to show up who looks like them. Hot take: People just want someone to show up who will stop their house from burning down,” wrote conservative influencer Collin Rugg in an X post containing the infamous video.

“It sounds like parody. People are dying and losing their homes, right now, because of people like this,” commented one user.

Meanwhile, another image has gone viral showing Larson standing next to two other women: Training and Support Bureau Commander Jaime Brown and Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who is openly lesbian.

These are the only women on the 14-member senior leadership team, but they have become emblematic of LAFD’s diversity push.

“This is the leadership team at the Los Angeles Fire Department,” an X account called “Libs of TikTok” wrote alongside the image in a post shared more than 10,000 times.

The wave of DEI hires and diversity projects came after years of alleged harassment and discrimination within the department.

In 2017, six black members of the Fire Prevention Bureau sued the department for discrimination after they allegedly faced racially motivated retaliation for alleging rampant corner-cutting and lax oversight.

In 2021, a group of firefighters and social justice advocates called for the resignation of Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas over “rampant sexism, racism, harassment and abuse” — in the words of one veteran firefighter — especially against women, reported the LA Times.

Kristin Crowly was promoted to fire chief the following year — the first woman to hold the top spot.

A Change.org petition demanding the resignation of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has surpassed 100,000 signatures as wildfires continue to devastate Southern California.

Started by a user identified as “Frustrated Californian,” the petition accuses Bass of “gross mismanagement” and a lack of leadership during the crisis.

The petition points to Bass’ diplomatic trip to Ghana, which left her out of the country when the fires erupted. It also criticizes the city’s preparation and resource allocation, including water shortages and underfunding of emergency services.

“Families have been displaced, homes destroyed, and livelihoods shattered—yet Mayor Bass has been absent from the front lines,” the petition reads.

LAFD budget cuts at the center of controversy

Calls for Mayor Bass’ resignation intensify as Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley says budget cuts hindered the department’s wildfire response.

“My message is the fire department needs to be properly funded,” Crowley told FOX LA. “It’s not.”

In the 2025 fiscal year, the Los Angeles Fire Department saw a $17.6 million budget reduction. Crowley noted that call volumes have doubled since 2010, while the city has fewer fire stations and firefighters.

Bass defended the budget cuts during a Thursday press conference, saying they did not affect the city’s response. Crowley disagreed: “Yes, it was cut, and it did impact our ability to provide service.”

What is the scope of the devastation of the wildfires?

The Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Lidia fires have burned over 30,000 acres, killed at least 11 people, and destroyed more than 10,000 homes. Hurricane-strength winds and dry conditions exacerbated the disaster, forcing over 180,000 residents to evacuate.

Water shortages across the city have hindered firefighting efforts, leading Gov. Gavin Newsom to launch an investigation into the Department of Water and Power.

Mayor Bass defends leadership amid calls to resign

Bass returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday after her trip to Ghana and defended her leadership during the crisis. “Although I wasn’t physically here, I was in touch with many of the individuals standing here throughout the entire time,” Bass said.

She emphasized her commitment to saving lives and homes, promising a comprehensive review of the city’s response once the fires are contained.

“LA has to be strong, united,” Bass said Thursday. “We will reject those who seek to divide us and seek to misinform.”

Backlash from public figures

The petition has garnered support from both frustrated residents and high-profile figures. Actress Sara Foster and Elon Musk publicly called for Bass to resign, with Musk labeling her “utterly incompetent” on X.

We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank god drug…

— Sara Foster (@saramfoster) January 9, 2025

Actor James Woods criticized Bass and Newsom, blaming poor fire management rather than climate change for the crisis.

Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar voiced frustration on Instagram over evacuation gridlock and a lack of preparedness, highlighting growing public backlash.

What’s next for Los Angeles?

The wildfires have become a defining crisis for Mayor Bass’ tenure. With mounting pressure from critics and ongoing calls for her resignation, Bass faces an uphill battle to restore trust and lead the city’s recovery.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has stressed the need for increased funding and resources to ensure the city is better prepared for future disasters.

Bass has pledged a “deep dive” into the city’s response once the fires are contained, but for many Angelenos, the damage is already done.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has arrested nearly 30 people in areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires, as concerns of looting remain.

At a news conference on Sunday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said 25 people have been arrested in the Eaton Fire area and four people in the Palisades Fire area. In response to the increase in arrests, Luna has requested additional assistance from the National Guard.

Luna said a man suspected of burglary was wearing firefighter gear when he was arrested in the Malibu area.

“I saw a gentleman who looked like a firefighter, and I asked if he was okay because he was sitting down, and I didn’t realize we had him in handcuffs,” Luna said. “We were turning him over to the LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman and was not. He just got caught burglarizing a home.”

Sunday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed an additional 1,000 service members would be deployed to the Los Angeles area.

“The men and women of the California National Guard have been on the ground since day one – not only fighting fires, but also assisting with public safety efforts in communities devastated by these fires. We thank them for their efforts to keep our communities safe,” Newsom wrote in a statement.

About 400 members from the National Guard are currently in the region, Luna said. He added they are committed to providing security in evacuated areas to deter individuals from taking advantage of the homes and properties of people who have been affected. Members have been assisting the sheriff’s department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and several other local police departments.

“I’m hoping that you’ll see additional National Guard personnel arriving today. I will be meeting with one of their very high-ranking executives later today,” Luna said.

Luna made it clear that local and state attorneys are “eager” to prosecute anyone who is benefitting from residents during burglaries or online scams.

A curfew was issued on Thursday within the city of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Malibu, and all unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, in evacuation order and warning zones. The curfew is in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to prevent looting and theft.

Any person found in violation of the curfew could face a misdemeanor charge that is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.

Attorney Alina Habba has irked some conservatives for her gushing greeting to internet personality Andrew Tate on a Friday podcast.

Habba defended President-elect Donald Trump through multiple trials in 2024 and has been tapped to serve as a White House counselor in the Trump administration.

Tate, who made millions selling violent pornography, has been indicted on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

“Nice to meet you! I’m a big fan!” Habba said told Tate on “The Benny Show,” according to a video posted to X.

That alone angered commentator John Cardillo.

“Andrew Tate has probably posted over 100 videos in which he glorifies beating women into submission and exploiting them for sex. The next Counselor to POTUS is swooning over him telling him she’s a fan,” he posted on X, adding foul language.

The admiration was mutual, according to the video.

“Well, nice to meet you! I’m a fan!” Tate responded. “You’re the one saving Trump. You’re doing more important work than me.”

Habba then said she sympathizes with Tate.

“America. America. Not just Trump. And I agree with everything you just said. And I think that your anger is the same that President Trump has for our country. And the time is now for us to stop being wimps,” she said.

Nothing to see here—just Alina Habba, Donald Trump’s attorney and counselor to the president, openly expressing support for Andrew Tate, a man accused of rape and human trafficking, and claiming to be a ‘big fan.’

Absolutely disgusting! pic.twitter.com/xsUuq1zf3G

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 10, 2025

“I think that’s exactly the right sentiment. And I also have to say that I sympathize with you because I think you go through a lot of the same ‘show me the person, I’ll find the crime’ that President Trump has gone through,” she added.

Moments after the video clip ended, Habba spoke about Trump’s sentencing in his conviction for falsifying business records, according to Mediaite.

“President Trump just got sentenced in what literally will be one of the most tragic stories in American history and democracy and the justice system that I used to be proud of being part of,” she said, before veering back into happy talk about Tate.

“But I agree with everything you say. And I have your back out here in the States. And when I saw that you were going to be on, I said to Benny, ‘I have to meet Andrew Tate!’” she said.

“There is literally only one person with the same amount of anger and fire. That’s probably me and President Trump. But it’s because you love what’s right and you’re being under siege. And I see it and just keep fighting,” Habba continued.

“I mean, I’m here for it! You know, there is no time anymore for weakness. We are being destroyed and we need strong, powerful voices like yours. And. Yeah, I got your back over here,” she commented.

Cardillo posted a video on X outlining how Tate expresses himself concerning women. David Chase posted one as well showing Tate glorifying his attitude toward women and sex. Be advised that both videos use vulgar language and discuss violence toward women.

However, one poster on X tried to give Habba an out.

It’s possible she’s unaware.

— ▫️ ✗-Delta (@TheXDelta) January 10, 2025

Tate was arrested in Romania two years ago over alleged human trafficking, sexual assault, and organized crime, according to Mediaite. He was arrested again last year over alleged rape and sex trafficking.

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance said Sunday on Fox News that the incoming administration’s plan for Jan. 6 pardons will depend on whether the imprisoned protesters were violent.

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecuted over 1,200 individuals from nearly all 50 states in connection with the attack on the Capitol. On “Fox News Sunday,” host Shannon Bream questioned Vance on where the “line” will be drawn when it comes to pardoning those punished for the riot.

“I think it’s very simple. Look, if you protested peacefully on January the 6th and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance said.

“If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. There’s a little bit of a gray area there, but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law,” Vance added. “There are a lot of people we think, in the wake of January the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that.”

Video footage from the day shows a mix of people involved in the incident, with some getting into altercations with Capitol police, while others could be seen walking peacefully through the building.

Watch:

WATCH: @JDVance lays out President-elect Trump’s pardon process for January 6th participants. Tune in tomorrow for the rest of Shannon’s exclusive interview with Vice President-elect JD Vance. pic.twitter.com/RvqXrL6rO3

— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) January 11, 2025

In March 2024, a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel found that some Jan. 6 defendants had their sentences wrongly lengthened, siding with Jan. 6 defendant Larry Brock, who had been sentenced in 2023 to two years in prison for obstructing an official proceeding.

While Biden’s DOJ attempted to argue that a sentence enhancement for those who disrupt judicial proceedings should also apply to those who disrupted Congress’ certification of the 2020 presidential election, the panel pushed back, saying the judges couldn’t simply label their crimes as “interference with the administration of justice.”

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly discussed his thoughts regarding the pardons, telling NBC’s Kristen Welker in December how he plans to look at “individual cases” for those who were charged in the Jan. 6 attack.

Prior to his most recent discussion, Trump told CNN’s Kaitlin Collins in May 2023 that he would plan to pardon a “large portion” of those federally charged, noting how he would look at the cases when asked about pardoning four Proud Boys members who were charged.

Police confirmed to KTLA that officers detained two people at Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Brentwood during curfew hours on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Police Department said a call came into the West L.A. station around 4:40 a.m., reporting a potential burglary on the Vice President’s property.

Officers responded to the residence located on Bundy Drive, north of Sunset Drive, and found two individuals on the property.

Some reports said the subjects were two men dressed all in black, but that detail has yet to be confirmed by police.

LAPD said officers detained the two people who were breaking curfew, but have since released them as they found no evidence that they were committing a crime.

Details are extremely limited, police did not immediately say what the two people were doing on the Vice President’s property or whether the incident would be further investigated.

National Guard members and local enforcement from the LAPD, Santa Monica Police and Airport Police Departments reminded residents that they will continue to patrol fire zones from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., ready to arrest anyone for trespassing, looting or any other type of violation.

Brentwood, as well as communities in the San Fernando Valley, were growing areas of concern as the Palisades Fire began climbing inland over the mountains on Friday and Saturday.

The Palisades Fire, already one of the most destructive natural disasters in Los Angeles history, erupted on Tuesday, Jan. 7. As of Saturday evening, it had claimed 5 lives, burned 23,654 acres and was 11% contained. More than 5,000 structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

An FBI background check for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, was transmitted late Friday to the leading members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the report, just days ahead of his Tuesday confirmation hearing.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the panel’s chairman, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member, are the only senators who have the report, the two sources said.

The 25-member committee does not necessarily need to review Hegseth’s background check to proceed with the nomination hearing, but two committee sources familiar with the process said it was “unprecedented” that the report took this long to get to the panel’s top members.

Democrats on the committee that NBC News spoke with have been frustrated by the delay, and suggest the FBI report may not be thorough, particularly for a Cabinet pick that has been entangled in controversy. One person who worked closely with Hegseth in the past and another who was contacted by Congress regarding Hegseth told NBC News they are concerned the FBI has not reached out to them.

Since Trump announced his intent to nominate Hegseth, the military veteran and former Fox News host has been mired in a slew of controversies and negative allegations.

“I don’t think that I’m going to be allowed to look at the FBI investigation before the hearing,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told NBC News on Friday. “I also think it probably is not comprehensive. … An FBI investigation is not the be-all and end-all, but even that we’re not being allowed to look at it.”

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said the FBI background check should address Hegseth’s “significant personal issues” but said “the biggest problem I have is he just doesn’t seem prepared in any way to do this job.”

Kelly, like other Democrats on the Armed Services Committee interviewed by NBC News, said he would prefer to see the report before the hearing, especially after Hegseth’s team told most Democrats that he would only be available to meet after the hearing.

Three Democratic aides told NBC News the response they received from Hegseth’s team was that they’d see them on Jan. 15, the day after the hearing is scheduled.

Hegseth’s team reached out to a few committee Democrats in the days leading up to Christmas and Hanukkah, but at that point hadn’t submitted the necessary paperwork or scheduled a meeting with Reed, the panel’s top Democrat, according to multiple Democratic aides.

Reed met with Hegseth on Wednesday in his office for less than 25 minutes, and said in a statement after that the meeting “did not relieve my concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s lack of qualifications and raised more questions than answers.”

A Trump transition official called the complaints “partisan blustering designed to slow down the confirmation process at a time when it’s incredibly critical that President Trump has his national security team in place on Day One.”

“Mr. Hegseth and his team have been proactively reaching out to all SASC Democrats (and in fact all Senate Democrats) for weeks,” the official said. “We even reached out to several SASC Democrats well before Thanksgiving, and I would note that those offices either didn’t respond or declined to meet with Mr. Hegseth throughout December.”

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, declined a meeting with Hegseth, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

“Senator Hirono has not met with any of the President-elect’s nominees. She wants to hear from them publicly, on the record,” said a Hirono spokesperson.

According to an aide to a senator who sits on multiple high-profile committees, Hegseth is the only nominee who has declined an invitation to meet with them. “It’s the art of the jam,” this aide told NBC News.

But the transition official pushed back: “Despite a poor response rate and multiple communications attacking the nominee before these Senators have even met with him, Mr. Hegseth is doing his level best to meet with as many Democrat Senators as he can before and after his hearing.”

Aside from Reed, Democrats on the panel will have to wait until after the hearing, and in some cases, after Trump’s inauguration, to meet with Hegseth, according to multiple Democrats who revealed their plans.

“I can’t think of any other secretary of defense nominee who has not made themselves available to all members on the committee of jurisdiction,” said a longtime Democratic aide on the panel with a high degree of familiarity of the confirmation process, spanning several administrations.

“And we have not had a SecDef nominee where people are concerned about the FBI background check in at least two decades. This is standard stuff,” the aide added. “I would have been shocked to hear someone ask the question, ‘Do we have [Mark] Esper’s background check? Or [Lloyd] Austin? Or Ash Carter?’”

Hegseth’s attorney Tim Parlatore told NBC News that their understanding is that the FBI’s background check concluded earlier this week. He said that Hegseth’s team had not been given anything to review by the FBI and that they didn’t expect to get a copy before the hearing.

There has been intense media scrutiny of why Hegseth was forced to step down from leading two military organizations, Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America. A Dec. 1 story in the New Yorker detailed allegations of Hegseth’s repeated intoxication at work events and other inappropriate behavior, in addition to financial mismanagement. Hegseth has denied these allegations.

But key leaders who had worked at the organizations said that as of this week and as recently as Friday afternoon, the FBI had not contacted them to participate in a Hegseth background check.

In the case of Vets for Freedom, Republican megadonor Paul Singer, one of the top financial backers of the group, had ordered a financial audit, a forensic accounting, at the organization in 2009 after it ran out of money under Hegseth’s leadership, according to a former Vets for Freedom employee. The audit took months, revealed roughly half a million dollars in debt, and copies were given to, among others, Singer and two Vets for Freedom advisers, political adviser Dan Senor and political commentator Margaret Hoover.

After the audit, Singer asked Brian Wise, head of another group aiding Blue and Gold Star families, Military Families United, to take over Vets for Freedom and incorporate it into his group, the former employee said. Hegseth has not responded publicly to the audit.

There was no immediate response to an email sent to Elliott Investment Management, the firm Singer founded and where Senor is a partner. Wise said he had not been contacted by the FBI and declined to answer any questions about Hegseth’s nomination.

Senate Armed Services Democrats have raised concerns about Hegseth’s stewardship of these veterans’ groups. These Democrats have requested internal reports from these two military groups but have not received them, a Senate aide said.

“Your record of gross mismanagement of organizations you previously led raises alarm about your ability to manage a department with a budget of almost $850 billion,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote Hegseth in a letter this week, “which accounts for over half of requested discretionary federal spending.”

Still, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who had concerns over Hegseth’s past — specifically his drinking — told NBC News on Thursday there are no known “no” votes from Republicans on the committee.

“There are certainly some people that haven’t said yay or nay,” Cramer added. “But I think he’s going to be OK.”

At least 16 people have died in the Los Angeles-area wildfires, the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner said in an evening update on Jan. 11.

Five deaths were caused by the fire in the Pacific Palisades area and the other 11 were caused by the Eaton Fire, burning in and around Pasadena and Altadena.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that at least 13 people have also been reported missing.

“Are those related or not? Maybe, maybe not,” Luna said Saturday. “We hope to find everybody safe; we want to bring closure to the family.”

The death toll is expected to rise as cadaver dogs conduct house-to-house inspections.

A high number of injuries sustained by residents and firefighters have also been reported.

On Saturday night, light breezes were fanning the northeast expansion of the Palisades Fire into the Mandeville Canyon area, where new evacuations were ordered. Mandeville Canyon is home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities.

The National Weather Service warned that strong Santa Ana winds—the nemesis of firefighters—could soon return.

The Palisades Fire has grown beyond 23,600 acres and is just 11 percent contained.

Speaking at a Jan. 11 press briefing, Todd Hopkins, incident commander with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said preliminary estimates indicate approximately 5,300 structures have been destroyed in the Palisades fire area, including 426 homes. Other damaged structures may include vehicles, sheds, and other outbuildings, he noted.

More than 105,000 residents in the Palisades Fire evacuation zone have been evacuated, as of Jan. 11.

The Palisades Fire is one of several separate blazes that fire authorities are still fighting to contain.

Speaking at the Saturday press conference, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said the fire in Eaton Canyon is now more than 14,000 acres, and is just 15 percent contained. Marrone said some 2,832 fire personnel are currently engaged in fighting the blaze.

Marrone said high winds will continue to challenge firefighting efforts for the next several days.

“These winds, combined with dry air and dry vegetation, will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles County high,” Marrone said.

Luna said 153,000 residents in the areas of the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Kenneth, and Lidia fires are under mandatory evacuation orders, and around 166,000 are in evacuation warning areas. Luna said around 57,000 structures are also at risk at this time.

The sheriff reiterated that residents must leave their homes if a mandatory evacuation order is issued. Those under an evacuation warning are advised to be prepared to leave quickly if a mandatory order comes down.

“Every miraculous story of a rescue or tragedies that we’re encountering, the majority are people who did not heed the warning to leave or the order to leave,” Luna said.

Authorities are also enforcing a curfew to prevent looting in the evacuation areas. Curfew violations may be punished with a $1,000 fine or jail time.

Luna reported that authorities have made 22 arrests so far, including 19 in Eaton and three in the Palisades neighborhoods. He said most of these individuals are suspected of burglary, looting, or trespassing, and others have been identified for possession of narcotics and identify theft attempts. One arrested suspect was on active parole and has been charged with possessing a concealed firearm.

“We’ve directed our deputies that, under these circumstances, if you get arrested for a curfew violation, you are not going to be cited and released,” Luna said.

Federal resources have been deployed to assist in fighting the California wildfires.

President Joe Biden canceled a planned visit to Italy this week to monitor the ongoing wildfires. He has issued a major federal disaster declaration, freeing up federal funds to assist in the firefighting efforts.

On Jan. 10, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh announced some 500 active-duty U.S. Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, are preparing to assist with route clearance, aid distribution, search and rescue efforts, airlift support, and other general assistance requests related to the fires.

Singh said another 10 U.S. Navy helicopters are also being fitted with water delivery buckets for aerial firefighting efforts. Eight C-130 cargo planes equipped with aerial firefighting systems have also been activated to assist in the wildfire response.

Luna said around 400 National Guard members have been deployed in the Los Angeles area to augment law enforcement agencies, amid the fires.

Marrone said he has called on California’s Office of Emergency Services to supply an additional 250 engine companies from across the state—around 1,000 additional firefighting personnel total—to assist with the Los Angeles fires. Marrone said firefighting personnel from the surrounding states, as well as from Mexico and Canada, have also arrived to provide additional manpower.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the various fires, including the possibility the fires were started as an intentional act.

Luna said his office is coordinating with Los Angeles city and county fire officials, the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in the ongoing investigation. Luna asked anyone who might have evidence the fires were started intentionally, be it an overheard conversation or social media post, to pass such information to the investigating authorities.

“If this is a criminal act, if—I’m not saying it’s going to be—if it is, we need to hold whoever did this or groups responsible, but we’re not there yet. This could have been caused by other causes, but everything is absolutely on the table,” he said.

Over 900 prison inmates are among the more than 7,500 emergency personnel fighting the raging wildfires that are devastating portions of Los Angeles, California, state corrections officials said.

“As of today, 939 Fire Camp firefighters have been working around the clock cutting fire lines and removing fuel from behind structures to slow fire spread, including 110 support staff.,” California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) told NPR on Friday.

Though California has been utilizing incarcerated firefighters — and other laborers — for over 100 years, the practice is controversial and has been banned in Colorado, Vermont, Nebraska, Utah, Alabama, Oregon and Tennessee in recent years, according to Jurist News.

Inmates in states that allow it, including California, are often paid little to no money for hours of strenuous work, though the U.S. Constitution’s Thirteenth Amendment makes it clear that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude” is legal, “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.”

According to the CDRC, inmates are part of the fire brigade program voluntarily, and are paid just $5.80 to $10.24 per day, with additional pay being supplied during emergencies.

Californians had the option to do away with prison labor when voting on Proposition 6 in November, “which would have amended the state constitution to bar state prisons from forcing inmates to work,” Jurist stated, noting that prisoners who refuse to work may legally face disciplinary consequences.

The ballot measure was rejected by a margin of 53.8 to 46.2 percent, the outlet reported.

CDRC said that its inmates do not face disciplinary action for refusing to participate in a fire camp, and that those who do join receive safety and first-aid training.

Bianca Tylek, the executive director of criminal justice reform organization Worth Rises, told NPR that while some inmates do want to take part in the firefighting program, “it comes at a pretty steep cost.”

Incarcerated firefighters are at a higher risk for serious injuries, four times more likely to sustain cuts and broken bones, and over eight times more likely to suffer from injuries related to smoke inhalation, than professional firefighters working on the same blazes, a 2018 Time investigation found.

According to Tylek, getting voters to change their minds on prison labor “is an ongoing effort.”

The multiple wildfires are also still ongoing since the first one started in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Tuesday, and have since claimed the lives of at least 11 civilians.

A Bronx man with a history of arrests and mental illness has been charged with murder for fatally stabbing a 14-year-old in an unprovoked attack — prompting NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to decry “the systems that … continue to fail us.”

Waldo Mejia is also facing manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon charges in the Friday morning slaying of Caleb Rijos, who was walking to school on East 138th Street, when Mejia, 29, allegedly stabbed him twice in the chest, cops said.

As he lay dying, Caleb called his father.

“You know, he called his father and told his father that he couldn’t breathe and that he was scared, and his father heard him dying,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark told reporters at a Saturday news conference. “It’s unfathomable to think about the level of this tragedy.”

Rijos was taken to Lincoln Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, cops said.

Tisch blamed the system.

“Today, a 14-year old-boy is dead. A family is devastated, a city is in mourning, and the systems that we have in place to deal with repeat offenders and individuals with severe mental health issues continue to fail us,” Tisch said.

There have been 63 stabbings and slashings in the city as of Jan. 5, compared to 78 incidents in the same period in 2024, police data shows.

Detectives captured an image of Rijos’ suspected killer from surveillance video, and were led to Mejia after combing the neighborhood for other crimes, Tisch said.

They found a case in which a resident near the crime scene reported their doorbell camera had been stabbed with a kitchen knife on Nov. 27, the commissioner said.

They identified Mejia because he had been charged in the crime and released on his own recognizance the next day in the non-bail eligible case, she said.

Detectives showed the arresting officer in the doorbell camera case photos of the suspect in the stabbing and she recognized the stabber as Mejia, Tisch said.

“They obtained footage from the same ring camera he’d stabbed weeks prior, and saw him leaving his residence a few minutes before Friday’s stabbing,” she said.

The commissioner slammed the revolving-door criminal justice system in the Big Apple for Rijos’ murder.

“The status quo is just not working for New Yorkers,” Tisch said during the news conference. “We do not have a system that puts the rights and needs of victims first. And my message to New Yorkers is something has to give.

“A brutal, unprovoked killing of a 14-year-old child by a career criminal or recidivist over and over again, with [a severe] history of mental health interactions with the NYPD. How many times [does] the mayor have to keep talking about this before something changes? I’m hopeful something will change. Let this be a call to action,” Tisch added.

Mejia is also believed to be responsible for a Jan. 5 stabbing in the Third Avenue and East 138th Street subway station in Mott Haven, during which a 38-year-old man was slashed in the left arm while standing on the steps, police said.

Mejia has at least four prior criminal cases, police sources said.

He is due in court on Jan. 21 for the November incident, according to public records.

He was also arrested in The Bronx in April 2019 on burglary and arson charges after he intentionally set the lobby of his ex-girlfriend’s building on fire, according to authorities. He pleaded down to reckless endangerment in the case, and was granted a conditional discharge, officials said.

In May 2017, Mejia was arrested on criminal possession of weapons charges when he was found with a nine-millimeter pistol loaded with nine rounds, including one in the chamber when cops caught up with him, Tisch said.

And in January 2015, police caught him with a gravity knife, police sources said.

The outcome of the weapons cases wasn’t immediately clear.

On top of his lengthy criminal record, Tisch said Mejia has “a documented history of mental health interaction with the NYPD.”

ISIS could unleash a new wave of terror by springing fighters from camps like the one holding Shamima Begum, a top general who helped defeat the death cult has revealed.

General Mazloum Abdi, who leads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – a Kurdish-led US-backed militia, sounded the alarm over the resurgent terror group.

Speaking to The Sun in an interview with documentarian and ex-soldier Alan Duncan, Abdi said there are currently 10,000 male fighters in prisons ready to bring devastation back to the Middle East.

And the camps are known to include Brits, such as the infamous jihadi bride Shamima Begum.

US intelligence ranks 2,000 deranged ISIS fighters in the camps as “highly dangerous”.

The total figure of ISIS fighters and their families held in the prisons, al-Hol and al-Roj is 60,000.

General Abdi revealed SDF believe that ISIS forces – which were bravely driven back by his troops – are currently organising a prisonbreak of fighters still held in Syria.

He also warned the threat of ISIS continues in the West.

General Abdi said: “The threat of jihadist groups – not just ISIS – will exist until the fundamentals they were founded on are destroyed.

“We must continue our struggle.”

He also called on the West to do more to bring these fighters to justice – and to support trials and convictions for the atrocities they committed in the Middle East.

It comes as Syria attempts to piece itself back together after the ousting of ruthless dictator Bashar al-Assad – with the country now being run by Islamist ex-al-Qadea group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The HTS led a disparate alliance of rebels who stormed Damascus and led cowardly Assad to jump on his jet and flee into the embrace of Vladimir Putin.

But fears are now growing over the country’s future regime and whether it will be the modernising influence it is promising to be – or fall back onto its jihadist roots.

And there is potential for groups like ISIS to surge in thepower vacuum.

But it is feared ISIS-driven radicalisation is fermenting – and they could be ready to spawn a new bloodthirsty generation of the once-defeated terror group.

General Abdi told The Sun: “The threat of ISIS in detention centres and camps is increasing and there is an increase in the movement of ISIS in general.

“There is a need to intensify efforts to continue to fight against ISIS if we don’t want to see a resurgence.”

And he made the chilling revelation about the death cult’s plan for a breakout.

The general explained: “Our intelligence reports indicate that ISIS is still wanting or organising some kind of a breakout of their inmates from the detention centres.”

He revealed there was recently an attack by ISIS on detention centres to try and free jihadi fighters.

ISIS fanatics have also moved to scoop up weapons and other military equipment left behind by the fleeing Assad troops.

The general explained there have also been escapes where known jihadis have then gone on to join the HTS and the Syrian National Army (SNA) – another opposition group backed by Turkey.

He warned these groups could attempt their own breakout of the camps – and absorb the ISIS fighters held there into their own ranks.

General Abdi said: “What happened recently is they opened most of the gates of the prisons and all the detention centres and released all the prisoners.

“They want to do the same in this area. When they speak about detention centres in areas under SDF control, they don’t say they are ISIS fighters, they say they are detainees.

“They are trying to say there is no difference between ISIS fighters and other detainees. This is exactly what they want to do.

“But in our areas, we don’t have any other detainees – the ones we have are designed to hold ISIS fighters.

“This is documented by the (US-led) coalition forces. ”

Western politicians are once again discussing what should happen to citizens who left their home countries to join ISIS in the 2010s.

Begum – who left London as a teenager to join the vile cult – is the poster child of this bitter political row.

Donald Trump’s counter-terrorism chief, Sebastian Gorka, this week called for Brit fighters to be returned home.

He said any country that wants to be a “serious ally” to the US should repatriate ISIS fighters.

General Abdi told The Sun he believes Western fighters should be sent home once they have been brought to justice.

But he also wants to be able to try them in an internationally recognised court to get justice for the victims they brutalised and tortured in Syria.

The general explained there had been a lack of support from the West in working out this process.

US officials have also sounded the alarm over the resurgence of ISIS – and during the fall of the Assad regime launched airstrikes on the group.

The continental US suffered an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on New Year’s Day killing 14 people when a pick-up truck flying the cult’s black flag was ploughed through crowds in New Orleans.

The SDF is one of many factions left in Syria after the fall of Assad – forming to battle ISIS while being backed by the US & UK.

They have found themselves however under attack from Turkey.

Ankara views them as an extension of the Kurdish guerilla movement the PKK – who the US and UK have also branded a terrorist group.

General Abdi called on the White House to help mediate between the groups – and to secure their future and the safety of the 2.5 million Kurds and other minorities in Syria.

He said: “We recognise there is a new situation in Syria – and we are working in a new reality.

“Syria must be a united country and our stance is that Syria must not be divided – all minorities’ rights must be protected.”

General Abdi also highlighted Kurdish women being brutalised by groups such as the SNA – including a video showing a group being forced to shout “Allahu Akbar” by militants as they were kidnapped.

He said: “They were behaving like ISIS – we don’t know where these women are, but we want to work on our side to get them released.”

The fate of any Kurdish victims held captive will be a key part of any talks between the SDF and the HTS & SNA.

Two Kurdish journalists – Nazim Dastan and Cihan Bilgin – were also killed in an airstrike by Turkey-backed forces.

General Abdi says the US is helping them enter talks with the HTS, SNA and Turkey to “resolve their problems” for the sake of Syria.

But he warned the West need to put more pressure of them to stop the attacks so there can be peace.

“A response is required now in these difficult times,” said Abdi.

He added that they are under attack “every day” from these groups.

Documentarian Duncan formerly served with the Queen’s Own Highlanders and Royal Irish Regiment.

He then fought alongside the Kurdish Peshmergas as a sniper in the battle against ISIS.

And after the war was over, he decided to use his camera as his new weapon in exposing the depravity of the jihadi cult’s crimes.

His most famous story was the rescue of Naveen Rasho – a Yazidi woman who was held as a slave by ISIS in Syria.

One of Naveen’s captors – an ISIS bride known as Nadine K – has since been jailed in Germany for her role in the genocide.

His full documentary on Naveen’s ordeal can viewed on Vimeo.

Former French European Commissioner Thierry Breton has essentially openly confessed that the West stole the Romanian election and stands ready to do it again in Germany if deemed necessary.

“We did it in Romania, and we will do it in Germany if necessary,” a translation from the French of Breton’s recent appearance in European media said. Early last month a top Romanian court simply annulled the first round of the country’s presidential election in order to create what amounted to a ‘do over’ election.

The publication Romania Journal highlighted Breton’s words as follows: “If, on the other hand, the Tesla and X boss breaks the law, especially in Germany, by supporting the ‘extremist’ AfD party, the former European Commissioner believes that it will be necessary for the authorities to act as in Romania, where the presidential elections were canceled, writes the website of the French television BFMTV, which recalls Călin Georgescu’s TikTok campaign.

The video in French. Thierry Breton explains they stole Romania election and will do the same to Germany if they estimate necessary. He made a kind of lapsus something like “we won’t tolerate interferences”. Interferences = free elections (not exact words but meaning is faithful) pic.twitter.com/E4v26rtslO

— Richard Coeur de Lion (@Richard_C_D_L) January 10, 2025

The court had decided “to annul the entire electoral process for the election of the President of Romania… to ensure the correctness and legality of the electoral process” – in the controversial ruling which was completely unprecedented.

The ‘problem’ was that Calin Georgescu, the widely dubbed ‘far-right’ contender, came out on top in a first round of voting in a ‘shock’ outcome which left political opponents claiming Russian election interference.

Apparently the ‘smoking gun’ is related to mere social media posts on platforms like TikTok. “The Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision — which is final — came after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence on Wednesday that alleged Russia ran a sprawling campaign comprising thousands of social media accounts to promote Calin Georgescu across platforms like TikTok and Telegram,” The Associated Press noted.

Here’s more from Breton’s words:

Now we are equipped, and we have to enforce this law to protect our democracies in Europe.

For now, let’s keep calm and enforce our laws in Europe, when there is a risk that they will be bypassed and if they are not enforced, they can lead to interference.

We did it in Romania, and if necessary, we will have to do it in Germany as well.

Elon Musk responded by saying this is what a tyrant sounds like…

The astounding absurdity of @ThierryBreton as tyrant of Europe https://t.co/fdLp8rbF0M

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 11, 2025

The segment had discussed Musk and European officials’ allegations of his supposed interference in Europe’s internal affairs.

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental element in Europe,” Breton had claimed in the news segment. “If they don’t, there are fines and the possibility of a ban. We are equipped to enforce these laws to protect our democracies in Europe.”

“Let’s stay calm and enforce the laws in Europe, when they risk being circumvented and if not enforced, could lead to interference,” he had added.

Special Counsel Jack Smith – who oversaw two historic prosecutions against President-elect Donald Trump – has resigned from the Justice Department, according to court documents.

The move by the embattled prosecutor — effective Friday — was expected ahead of the end of outgoing President Joe Biden’s term.

“The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on January 10,” DOJ officials wrote in court papers filed Saturday in Florida.

Smith brought two criminal cases against Trump for attempting to subvert the 2020 election results and for mishandling classified documents – both of which were dropped after Trump’s election victory.

Neither had reached trial.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed the cases against him were part of an effort to damage his political campaign.

Smith’s exit comes after a US appeals court on Thursday declined to block the DOJ from releasing his investigative report into 2020 election — accusations Trump has repeatedly denied.

The report, if released, is expected to detail the 2020 election probe.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed Smith, decided not to publicly release the portion of the report focused on classified documents while legal proceedings against Trump’s two former co-defendants remain ongoing.

Trump has slammed Smith as “deranged” and said in November he would quickly can the prosecutor if he could.

“I would fire him within two seconds.”

“He’ll be one of the first things addressed,” Trump said days before winning the White House.

The president-elect has yet to comment on Smith’s resignation, but he posted an image of himself at the 2024 Republican National Convention with the words, “Make America Great Once Again” on Truth Social around the time the news broke.

Greenland’s leader Múte Egede said he is prepared to enter into negotiations with President-elect Trump about the future of the mineral-rich arctic territory — but warned his people had no interest in becoming Americans.

At a press conference Friday in Denmark, which exercises nominal sovereignty over Greenland, Egede said he accepted that Greenland was “a place that the Americans see as part of their world” and that while he has not spoken with Trump, he was open to “discussions about what unites us.”

“We are ready to talk,” he said. “Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions.”

Egede was joined at the press conference by his Danish counterpart Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Greenland had been a colony of Denmark since the 18th century and became a self-governing Danish territory in 1953.

In 2009 the island won the right to secure independence if they ever voted to do so — something Egede supports.

“We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house … This is something everyone should respect,” he said.

“Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.”

Greenland’s strategic importance has increased exponentially in recent years with ice-bound arctic waterways melting and world powers scrambling for new real estate between the United States and Russia.

The territory and its surrounding waters are rich in critical natural resources.

Under its current status, Denmark retains responsibility for the island’s defense.

In recent days the country sent private messages to Team Trump expressing their willingness to talk about how American security needs could be met without transferring formal sovereignty, Axios reported.

Denmark sent private messages in recent days to President-elect Trump’s team expressing willingness to discuss boosting security in Greenland or increasing the U.S. military presence on the island, Axios reported.

Greenland (pop. 56,000) is largely autonomous, but Denmark maintains responsibility for defense.

Trump has repeatedly declared that controlling Greenland — the world’s largest island — is necessary for U.S. national security vis-a-vis Russia and China. His son Don Jr. visited Greenland this week bearing MAGA hats.

The Danish government wants to convince Trump, including through the messages passed to his advisers this week, that his security concerns can be addressed without claiming Greenland for the U.S.

One European diplomat told Axios that Denmark is widely seen as one of the closest allies of the U.S. within the EU, and no one could have imagined it would be the first country with which Trump would pick a fight.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Múte Egede met on Friday in Copenhagen to discuss the situation.

In a press conference after the meeting Frederiksen said she asked for a meeting with Trump. Egede said he is also ready to talk to the president-elect.

“Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic,” Egede, an advocate for independence, said at the press conference.

The sources said the Danish government wants to avoid a public clash with the new U.S. administration, and asked members of the Trump team for clarification regarding what exactly the president-elect meant in his comments earlier this week.

In the messages passed to the Trump team, the Danish government made clear Greenland was not for sale but expressed readiness to discuss any other U.S. request regarding the island, the sources said.

The U.S. already has a military base on Greenland and an agreement with Denmark dating to 1951 on defending the island, under which an increase of U.S. forces could easily be discussed.

Danish officials have already said they are looking into further measures to increase investment in military infrastructure and capabilities in Greenland, in consultation with the Greenlandic government.

Greenland played a key role in NATO and U.S. defenses during the Cold War as part of an early warning system to detect Soviet submarines, or potentially missiles.

President-elect Donald Trump indicated that he plans to push 100 — or around 100 — executive orders after assuming office, senators and reports have indicated, with the number varying slightly.

Trump, who will take office later this month on Jan. 20, met with Senate Republicans on Wednesday.

During a Thursday morning appearance on “Fox & Friends” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said that Trump indicated that there are almost 100 executive orders to address issues like border security and U.S. energy.

“He threw that out — 100 — there could be like 100 EOs, yeah. I believe him.” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., noted to The Hill.

Senators were provided previews regarding some of what they were informed would be 100 executive orders, two sources noted to Axios. Stephen Miller, who Trump has tapped to serve in his new administration, discussed plans for using executive authority to tackle border and immigration beginning day one, the outlet reported.

The Associated Press claimed that Trump is readying more than 100 executive orders beginning day one, and had informed GOP senators during the meeting.

“There will be a substantial number,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., noted according to the outlet.

Signing scads of executive orders would enable Trump to unilaterally push his agenda after returning to the Oval Office, but GOP lawmakers also plan to work with him to enact his legislative priorities as well.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have both declared their intent to push the president-elect’s agenda.

“Biden is doing everything possible to make the TRANSITION as difficult as as possible, from Lawfare such as has never been seen before, to costly and ridiculous Executive Orders on the Green New Scam and other money wasting Hoaxes. Fear not, these “Orders” will all be terminated shortly, and we will become a Nation of Common Sense and Strength. MAGA!!!” Trump declared in a post on Truth Social earlier this week.