Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner commended Planned Parenthood for helping him get tested for sexually transmitted diseases as he grapples with scandals over his alleged adultery and debauchery.
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Eight activists convicted of terrorism-related charges and rioting for their role in a noise demonstration outside an ICE facility, at which a local police officer was shot, face up to life in prison when they go before a federal judge in Fort Worth, Texas, for sentencing on Tuesday.Another, the last of the nine convicted in March, will be sentenced on July 1.The Trump administration has hailed the case as a watershed in its campaign to dismantle “antifa” as a domestic terrorist threat. But as they await sentencing, the defendants are seeking to overturn the convictions based on the claim that the government suppressed evidence showing that the officer drew first, and based on potential juror misconduct.Defendants have also argued that they should be acquitted or granted new trials because the evidence shows they went to the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility on July 4 last year to set off fireworks and cheer up the detainees. They argue there was no riot and no violence, with the exception of one or two individuals who committed vandalism at their own initiative — and the exchange of gunfire when the police showed up.“They weren’t doing anything wrong," Amber Lowrey, the sister of one of the defendants, told Raw Story. "They’re just human beings. Some of them knew each other, and some didn’t. They did similar volunteer work. People say, ‘It won’t happen to me, because I’m not involved with groups like that.’ Oh, but it will!"The first to respond to the scene when detention officers called to report a disturbance with fireworks on July 4, 2025 was Lt. Thomas Gross with the Alvarado Police Department. Gross’ dash camera, which was reviewed by Raw Story, shows him accelerating down the lane towards the facility. As he approaches the entrance, two figures in black can be seen running past the guardhouse, which is defaced with graffiti reading, “F--- ICE.”“Hey, stop!” Gross yelled.His body-worn camera video shows that he jumped out of his car and pursued the individuals on foot.Almost immediately, gunfire erupted and a bullet grazed Gross’ neck.“F---!” he said as his body landed on the wet pavement. “I’m hit.” Additional footage shows Gross seated in the back of a police vehicle as other officers arrive on the scene. “I’m hit — my back,” Gross says as another officer renders first aid.Later, as Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene and searched defendant Meagan Morris’ car, they discovered a rifle and ammunition.“This is like a straight coordinated terror attack on Prairieland,” one of the officers commented.One of the first of the protesters to be arrested was Nathan Baumann, one of the men Gross had seen running past the guardhouse.“If there’s anything y’all need, like, listen, I’m all for peaceful protest — if you want me to point out people’s vehicles to you, anybody doing dumb s---, I got you, sir,” Baumann said as an officer adjusted his handcuffs and detained him in the back seat of a cruiser.The charges against defendants linked to the noise demonstration initially focused on the shooting, although the shooter remained at large.Benjamin Song, a former Marine who provided firearms training to left-wing activists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, would not be apprehended for another 11 days.The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10 — more than two months later — brought the government’s case into focus.Later that month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order naming “antifa” as a domestic terrorist organization, followed by National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-7, which described “antifascism” as an “umbrella” for “recurrent motivations and indicia uniting” a “pattern of violent and terrorist activities.” The memo runs down a laundry list of characteristics commonly associated with the left, including “support for the overthrow of the United States government” and “extremism on migration, race and gender.”The Prairieland defendants, who were protesting federal immigration policies and two of whom are transgender, appeared to present the Trump administration with an embodiment of the new threat straight out of central casting.When a new indictment was returned in October 2025, it described the defendants as members of an “antifa cell” and “militant enterprise.”As evidence that the defendants were planning violent action at the ICE facility, the government highlighted a statement by Song in a Signal planning chat: “Cops are not trained or equipped for more than one rifle so it tends to make them back off.”Last week, when the White House announced an indictment against 15 “antifa” defendants in Minneapolis for conspiracy to obstruct immigration enforcement, it cited the Prairieland case as part of its “relentless campaign to eradicate Antifa’s domestic terrorism threat.”The indictment against the Minneapolis 'antifa' defendants reflects a precedent set by the Prairieland case, Xavier T.
U.S. lifts oil sanctions on Iran, Trump visits Pennsylvania to tout economic wins, judge blocks DOJ subpoenas targeting Minnesota officials.
Trump's "get things done and worry about the fallout later" approach has resulted in a series of failures, such as the Reflecting Pool renovation and the Iran deal, which have left the American public questioning his competence, accountability and judgement.
The Western Hemisphere is turning right. The post THE RIGHT THING: Trump Ally Abelardo De La Espriella Elected New President of Colombia – Incumbent Gustavo Petro Contests Results appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
US president threatened Iran over strait of Hormuz in sweary outburst. Plus, Starmer to step down as UK’s PM two years after historic landslideDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning. Iran’s foreign minister has declared “progress” after the first day of talks between high-ranking officials from Washington and Tehran ended in Switzerland, despite a tense opening marked by Donald Trump’s threats to restart attacks.Abbas Araghchi said Pakistani and Qatari mediation “has delivered major progress to end [the] Lebanon war”. Iran has been adamant that Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon must end as part of any deal. The Israelis are not directly participating in the talks.What has been agreed? A joint statement from mediators Qatar and Pakistan said the US and Iran agreed a roadmap towards a final deal within 60 days. Technical talks between lower-ranked officials will continue for the rest of the week. In a development that is critical to unlocking progress, the US Treasury was also preparing to issue a 60-day waiver lifting sanctions on oil, petrochemicals and derivatives.What threat did Trump issue to the Iranians? Over the weekend, Iran said it had reinstated its blockade in the strait of Hormuz in protest at the continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon. The US president responded on social media, saying: “You close it and you won’t have a country. You won’t even make it back to your fucking country.”What impact has the war had on support within Iran for the government? Saeed Shah reports that the war has triggered a rare moment of solidarity in a country that was reeling from the killing of thousands of protesters by the authorities at the start of the year.Why has Starmer stood down? After months of internal party pressure and plunging poll numbers, his downfall has been triggered by key political misjudgments including appointing the Jeffery Epstein-linked Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite a failed security vetting. Policy reversals have led to his MPs viewing him as weak, a sentiment reinforced by devastating losses in the May elections that underscored his deep unpopularity with voters. Continue reading...
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer steps down, Vance and senior Iranian officials meet in Switzerland for high-stakes nuclear talks, Trump's Iran ceasefire faces new questions as Congress returns.