THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AND HAMAS ARE PARTNERS IN TERRORISM

Fatah shares Hamas’s goal to destroy Israel

Much of the international community has clung to the fiction that Hamas and Fatah are different—that Hamas is irredeemably extremist, while Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, is flawed but pragmatic. 

 

By Moshe Phillips 

 

JNS

Jam 19, 2026

 

 

Senior Fatah leader Abbas Zaki

 

Abbas Zaki, a senior Fatah leader and member of its Central Committee, the Palestinian Authority’s ruling political party, said recently that “Israel is doomed to perish.”

This is not an isolated incident; when examined closely, there’s little difference between the future that Fatah and Hamas want. And that is a future where Israel does not exist.

Zaki said this is as part of a Jan. 9 interview with Arabi 21, an Arabic news website based in the United Kingdom: “In the end, the winner is the one who remains on the land … and those who will remain are the ones with the idea, the idea that says there is no escaping the fact that this land will be liberated, and that the land of peace cannot be based on revenge. Israel is doomed to perish.”

There is no ambiguity here. No mistranslation. No context that softens the meaning. This is not the rhetoric of a partner for peace or the language of a movement committed to a peaceful future. It is a declaration of intent—one that mirrors, almost perfectly, the genocidal aims openly proclaimed by Hamas.

But there’s more. Zaki is not a marginal figure in Fatah. Twenty years ago, he served as the top representative to Lebanon for the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which at the time was one of the terror group’s most visible and important foreign-affairs posts. He went on to a position in Beijing. Fatah is the dominant faction of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority.

Nor was this anywhere near the first time Zaki spoke honestly about his desire to see Israelis and Jews slaughtered. In 2014, he said, “These Israelis have no religion and no principles, they are an advanced instrument of evil,” and “I believe that God will gather them so we can kill them.”

And just days after Hamas led the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, The Times of Israel reported: “In an interview with the Lebanese channel, Fatah’s Abbas Zaki thanked the armed wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, responsible for the Oct. 7 onslaught.”

For years, much of the international community has clung to the comforting fiction that Hamas and Fatah are fundamentally different—that Hamas is irredeemably extremist while Fatah, which dominates the P.A., is merely flawed but pragmatic. Zaki’s words expose that illusion. It is really hard to tell what separates Hamas and Fatah.

As uncomfortable as it may be for New York Times pundits and leaders of groups like J Street, who have spent decades heavily invested in the “peace process,” the truth is this: Hamas and Fatah share more in common than what separates them, and chief among their shared goals is the elimination of the Jewish state.

The P.A. and Hamas are partners in terrorism. The past moments of tension between the two terrorist groups reflected either internal disputes unrelated to Israel or arguments over tactics regarding Israel, not differences in their overall goals.

In July 2024, Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a unity government together after the Israel-Hamas war ends, and they issued a joint statement about their commitment to future meetings. The unity pact their representatives signed in Beijing (of all places) made their true motives very clear. Mahmoud Abbas, head of the P.A., has not made any official new statements since Beijing, saying that he will no longer abide by his July 2024 pledge that he would work with Hamas.

That unity agreement should have been a diplomatic earthquake. Instead, it was met with shrugs, rationalizations and willful blindness. Western governments that bankroll the P.A. continue to pretend that Fatah is a moderating force, even as it openly aligns itself with Hamas—the very organization responsible for mass murder, hostage-taking and the deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7.

Consider that the 90-year-old Abbas has also long been given a free pass from the United Nations and others regarding the P.A.’s harboring and protecting of terrorists. The P.A. has one of the largest per-capita security forces in the world (more than 60,000 men), largely armed and trained by the United States. Yet instead of using those forces to arrest and extradite terrorists—as the Oslo Accords require—Abbas and friends pay salaries to terrorists and their families, and shelter fugitive terrorists so Israel can’t capture them.

This is not a failure of capacity. It is a failure of will—and, more accurately, a reflection of intent. The P.A. does not arrest terrorists because it does not see them as criminals. It sees them as assets.

That truth became even clearer with the cosmetic rebranding of the notorious “pay-for-slay” system that has rewarded Palestinian Arab terrorism for decades. We were told this system had been reformed. We were told it is now humanitarian, not ideological. This, too, was a lie.

The only way to truly end “pay-for-slay” is for the P.A. to announce that anybody who has engaged in violence against Israel is disqualified from any P.A. payments. That would demonstrate that the entity sincerely rejects terrorism. Anything less is a sham, which is designed to pull the wool over the eyes of the international community.

Zaki said the quiet part out loud: Israel is “doomed to perish.” Hamas has been saying the same thing for years. The difference is no longer substantive, only stylistic.

It is long past time for the international community to stop rewarding duplicity. Diplomatic recognition of the P.A., financial aid without conditions and the pretense that Abbas represents a peaceful alternative have all failed. They have not moderated P.A. leadership; they have emboldened it.

If words still matter, then Zaki’s utterances must have consequences. Governments that genuinely oppose terrorism and support Israel’s right to exist should immediately suspend diplomatic recognition of the P.A.; cut off funding that enables terrorism; and demand real, verifiable rejection of violence, not empty promises.

The future cannot be built on fantasies. And it certainly cannot be built with partners who openly proclaim that Israel “is doomed to perish.”

OUR ASSHOLE IN CHIF WANTS TO RUN A GOOD REPUBLICAN SENATOR OUT OF OFFICE

Trump knifes Sen. Bill Cassidy by unexpectedly backing potential primary foe

By Ryan King

 

New York Post

Jan 18, 2026

 

 

President Trump encouraged Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) to jump into the race for the Senate, against incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy.

 

WASHINGTON — President Trump preemptively endorsed a potential GOP primary foe of incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, a trained gastroenterologist who has been apprehensive about some of the administration’s vaccine and medical policies.

The president encouraged Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) to jump into the race for the Senate, hailing the mother of two as a “TOTAL WINNER” and “wonderful person.”

“I am hearing that Julia is considering launching her Campaign for the United States Senate in Louisiana, a place I love and WON BIG, six times,” Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday.

“Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!”

Cassidy (R-La.) launched his re-election bid last year and affirmed his commitment to running Saturday despite the president’s stamp of approval for Letlow.

 

Sen. Bill Cassidy has the backing of Senate GOP leadership.

 

 “I’m proudly running for re-election as a principled conservative who gets things done for the people of Louisiana. If Congresswoman Letlow decides to run I am confident I will win,” he posted on X after Trump’s preemptive endorsement. 

 

Cassidy, who chairs the influential Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, had spent months angling to avoid having Trump defect to a primary challenger.

Last year, he begrudgingly voted for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Health and Human Services secretary. Cassidy has since sidestepped questions about whether he regrets his vote, given some of his differences with the Kennedy scion on vaccines.

Despite working to mend fences and have a constructive working relationship with Trump, Cassidy previously rankled the president by calling on him to drop out of the 2024 election in the wake of his indictment in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.

Cassidy was also one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The Louisiana senator and colleagues Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are the only three of that cohort still in the Senate.

 

Rep. Julia Letlow has been toying with a Senate run for months. 

 

During Trump’s second term, however, Cassidy has backed the president on key votes such as war powers resolutions and measures to rein in his use of tariffs.

Last week, Cassidy pushed for the Food and Drug Administration to restore safeguards on the use of mifepristone, part of a two-drug regimen for medical abortions.

Prior to Trump’s surprise endorsement Saturday, Cassidy appeared to be on a glidepath to winning a third term in the Senate. Trump refrained from bashing him directly in his nod for Letlow.

Cassidy enjoys the backing of GOP leadership in the Senate and the Republicans’ official Senate campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He also has a roughly $11 million war chest.

Meanwhile, Letlow has been coy about whether she will enter the race, as rumors spread for months that she was mulling it.

“I’m honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and trust. My mission is clear: to ensure the nation our children inherit is safer and stronger,” Letlow posted on X in response to Trump’s advocacy.

“This United States Senate seat belongs to the people of Louisiana, because we deserve conservative leadership that will not waver.”

WILL TRUMP INVOKE THE INSURRECTION ACT?

Act Now?

"The more contradiction you carry, the more reality resists you. Because you’re fracturing the signal with every step." — SightBringer on "X"

 

By James Howard Kunstler

 

Clusterfuck Nation 

Jan 16, 2026

 

 

Ice under siege in Minneapolis

 

Don’t be too surprised if sometime later this day, Friday, the president invokes the Insurrection Act to tranquilize the city of Minneapolis, since aerial spraying of Olanzapine is probably out of the question. Where, oh where, are the mythologized “nice,” and “above-average” people of Minnesota, once praised in song and sketch on those long-ago Saturday nights of The Prairie Home Companion?

They have been replaced by a mutant army of psychotic Transtifa wendigos on the payroll of Arabella Advisors (now operating as Sunflower Services), or the Tides Foundation, or some other Soros-connected money-laundry. And many have come from other states, possibly even other nations (or planets), to join the Cluster-B viragos native to the city in the crusade to defend “Joe Biden’s” legion of illegally imported Democratic Party voters.

This acute agitation in the streets against federal officers is obviously and brazenly abetted by those in charge: Governor Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey, and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Walz is a huckleberry for the ages. Did you catch his smarmy sob-story act the day before yesterday, weeping for his “communities” and “neighbors-of-color,” “who continue to stand up for freedom with empathy, blah blah.” Who does this fraudster think he is kidding with his act?

Perhaps the erstwhile normies of his own sadly-deranged state, those Norwegian bachelor farmers, red-cheeked farm girls, and spelling bee champs of the Great Plains, sulking in a state of permanent cringe out in St. Cloud, Red Lake, and Sleepy Eye. It’s a wonder that these folks didn’t form a mob of their own and converge on the Governor’s mansion in St. Paul with pitchforks, torches, and thirty-odd feet of good organic sisal rope. Apparently, they are overwhelmed by the programmed mischief underway. Minneapolis has transformed itself into something unrecognizable, Somalia-on-the-Mississippi, a place not worthy of their affection or worth defending.

So, it will be up to Mr. Trump to put an end to this effrontery. And let’s hope that includes federal marshals coming to arrest and remove Messrs. Walz, Frey, and Ellison, pending some due process to determine their deliberate malfeasance in this massive obstruction of justice. Then imagine the squealing of Hakeem Jeffries and Empathy Champeen of the World Chuck Schumer: “Our Democracy! Our Democracy!” Not to put too fine a point on it, but fuck you, Hakeem and Chuck, and the donkeys you rode in on. The non-psychotic citizens of this land have had enough fakery and enough of your party’s treasonous, violent revolt in the defense of fakery.

Their “democracy” is nothing more than a gigantic engine of grift, meticulously assembled over the decades in Minnesota (and, you can be sure, all over the rest of the USA), and now it has been found out. The accountants are coming for accountability. They’re going to discover exactly how it was assembled and who assembled it, and how the taxpayers’ money flowed in around and through this infernal machine and a lot of people will be going to jail. Your empathy ghost-dances will not avail to stop it.

And, by the way, this accounting will happen whether or not Mr. Trump actually invokes the Insurrection Act. After a mild Friday, next week’s temperatures in the Twin Cities are due to plunge into the single digits and below, and stay down there for the rest of month —a likely discouragement to the paid rioters. Will the Soros network just buy them all plane tickets for more temperate parts of the country and open up a new front of agitation? I’d bet on that. In fact, I’d specify Portland, OR, and Seattle, where the game-board is still out like a welcome mat, and the local cops are all trained-up to stand by and do nothing, and the vacant store-fronts are stocked with snacks and water bottles for the useful mentally ill. Let the games resume there! The elected officials of those cities and states could stand a little jail time, too, as a “learing” experience, you gotta think.

In the meantime, prepare for more startling global developments, including the collapse of the mullah’s regime in Iran. Despite the bluster emanating from Teheran, that country is at the mercy of forces greater than just folks yelling in the streets. They are running out of water and their money, the Rial, has run out of purchasing mojo. Iran’s economy has tanked. Everybody there knows it’s the result of nearly fifty years of gross mismanagement. Try governing a country with no economy. Mr. Trump’s military will probably not have to lift a finger. And, then, perhaps astounding changes follow.

Like, for instance, Iran’s oil goes offline for China, just as Venezuela’s oil did a week or so ago. Money stops flowing to Jihadis around the world. Let the Persians be Persians again. Deep reverberations anon. . . Ukraine. . . Greenland. . . .

THE HARRIS COUNTY JAIL IN HOUSTON LEADS THE COUNTRY IN HOLDING UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS FOR ICE TO DEPORT

As immigrant arrests rise, here’s what to know about ICE operations in Texas

The Trump administration is going all in on accelerating mass deportation efforts. Here’s how ICE operations look in Texas, home to an estimated 2 million undocumented immigrants. 

 

 

by Colleen DeGuzman

 

The Texas Tribune

Jan 19, 2026

 

 

                          

ICE agents arrested Episcopal priest James Eliud Ngahu Mwangi, a Kenyan immigrant, in Huntsville on October 24, 2025 for overstaying his B1 Visa. Mwangi was employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

 

As the Trump Administration intensifies its sweeping immigration crackdown, outrage across the country is building — especially after recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

An ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, on Jan. 7 when she attempted to drive away as agents tried to get her out of her vehicle. Two days later during a vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon, a Border Patrol agent shot and wounded two Venezuelans. One of them, Luis David Nino-Moncada, recently pleaded not guilty of aggravated assault against a federal officer and damaging federal property.

Soon after, protests erupted across the country in both blue states such as California and New York and red states like Texas — which saw large demonstrations in Houston, Austin, Dallas and other cities.

Trump, who made mass deportations a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, reiterated his administration’s commitment to the policy in a press release on Wednesday, linking higher deportations to lower housing costs, higher wages and lower crime.

During his second term, Trump has shifted the government’s focus from border enforcement to arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants from the nation’s interior. Daily ICE arrests in Texas have jumped from an average of 85 per day during the final 18 months of the Biden Administration to 176 per day in the first six months under Trump, according to a Tribune analysis.

Undocumented immigrants in Texas have reported staying home as much as possible to avoid being targeted by immigration officers or police.

Meanwhile, ICE facilities in Texas and elsewhere have been targeted: In September, a 29-year-old man fired on an immigration enforcement office in Dallas, killing two detainees and wounding another. Just a few months earlier, a group of nearly a dozen people attacked a detention center in Alvaro with tactical gear and weapons, injuring a local law enforcement officer.

Here’s what to know about how ICE is operating in Texas and what rights people have when approached by an agent.

How is ICE arresting people in Texas?

The most high-profile operations are street raids, where ICE agents, often accompanied by state troopers and local police, target a particular area or business and arrest groups of undocumented immigrants.

Some of the biggest raids have taken place in and around Houston: In May, ICE said it deported more than 500 people and arrested more than 400 suspected undocumented immigrants in and around the city in roughly one week. In October, ICE carried out another massive operation in Houston over the course of 10 days, in which they said they arrested more than 1,500 undocumented immigrants.

ICE has focused mainly on the state’s large urban areas, but earlier this year, according to Border Report, the head of the South Texas Builders Association said agents have been raiding construction sites along the border.

But the most common way ICE agents track down undocumented immigrants is through the local criminal justice system. Immigration agents can request that jails hold an undocumented person who has been jailed, then turn them over to ICE for deportation. The Harris County Jail leads the country for such immigration holds, also known as ICE detainers, according to a Tribune analysis.

ICE is also increasingly targeting immigrants when they arrive for court hearings or routine immigration appointments; ICE agents have arrested people at federal buildings in El Paso, immigration courts in San Antonio and probation offices in Dallas.

How and why does ICE work with local police departments?

Early in Trump’s second administration, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to support federal immigration enforcement operations in tracking down and deporting undocumented immigrants.

Some sheriffs in Texas have signed agreements to work closely with ICE to enforce immigration laws. A new state law passed in last year’s legislative session requires sheriffs in all counties with a jail to enter into such agreements, also known as the 287(g) program, this year. Since Trump returned to the White House, more than half of ICE arrests in Texas have come from local jails, according to the Tribune analysis.

Even in Democrat-run Texas cities like Austin and San Antonio, where local leaders in the past have stated their police won’t cooperate with immigration officers, the state requires local police departments to support ICE operations — a policy adopted by other states like Florida and Louisiana.

According to KUT, the Austin Police Department on Thursday announced that officers have “general orders” to work alongside federal immigration officers to execute immigration warrants. In March, Houston police were instructed to call federal immigration authorities if they come across a person who has deportation orders in the national crime database.

Are any places off limits to ICE agents?

The Trump administration, early in his second term, rescinded federal policies that limited arrests of immigrants in sensitive locations such as schools, churches and hospitals.

But to enter private spaces such as homes and businesses, immigration agents and police still need a warrant signed by a judge to enter.

If ICE agents approach you in public, what are your rights?

Anyone confronted by an ICE agent has the right to remain silent and if the person is detained, they have the right to an attorney. If an agent doesn’t have a signed warrant, people have the right to refuse them entry into their home and the right to refuse searches, regardless of their citizenship status. Agents have the right to pat a person down to check for weapons.

The American Civil Liberties Union advises people to stay calm and not resist or obstruct the agents. They also advise people not to lie to agents or give them fake documents.

They recommend that people memorize phone numbers of their family members and friends, and their lawyer. If they take medication, have a plan for another person to give those medications to agents if they are arrested.

STOCKTON WORKING HARD TO MAINTAIN IT'S REPUTATION

By Bob Walsh

 

There was a shooting today at the big flea market on the 2500 block of South El Dorado St. in Stockton today.  The permanent building houses a lot of businesses, including three or four jewelry stores.  There was an attempt to rob one of them, leaving three people on the ground, two of those dead.  Right now the cops have no identified suspects or getaway vehicle.

In a similar vein the Sheriff's Office released two incredibly bad photos of cars that are believed to be connected to the mass shooting at a child's birthday party a month ago in Stockton.  One was silver.  One was white.  Neither are large and both were probably made in this century.  Other than that, not much.  Still no identified suspects or motive that anybody is willing to cop to, except probably gang related.

WHY SO MANY AMERICANS HATE ICE ..... 24,644 PEOPLE ARE IN ICE DETENTION WHO HAVE NO CRIMINAL RECORD

Wife of Army reservist detained by ICE during routine check-in at immigration office just HOURS after getting married

She has never committed a crime but she was shipped off to an ICE detention center where she has languished for the past 44 days

 

By Eliot Force

 

Daily Mail

Jan 18, 2026

 

 

Velasquez got married to Chris Busby, 28, an Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot who has been desperately trying to free her from ICE detention for the past month and a half

 

A US Army Reserve Black Hawk pilot from Texas has been desperately trying to get his Venezuelan wife out of immigration detention for the past month and a half.

Chris Busby, 28, went to an Austin courthouse with his wife, Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, 25, to get their marriage certificate on December 3. 

Just two days later, Velasquez went to a Houston ICE office for a routine check-in related to her asylum status, something she has done every year since she arrived in the US in 2021, according to her husband. 

Although the asylum meetings usually occurred just once per year, Velasquez had been summoned for the second time in just four months. 

Her husband told the Daily Mail that she had gone to a check-in in September that lasted 30 minutes, and there were no issues.  

But she never emerged from the second meeting just three months later, where she was held until 2am before getting shipped off to an ICE detention center where she has languished for the past 44 days.

Busby told the Daily Mail that before the check-in, he was less nervous than his wife because of the prior check-ins, though they both knew there was a possibility she would be detained due to ICE's aggressive enforcement tactics over the past year. 

He also had a measure of trust in the government, having served in the Army for 11 years after joining when he was 17. Now, Busby said, he feels betrayed. 

 

 

Velasquez is one of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants who have arrived in the US over the past few years. The Trump administration successfully revoked Biden-era Temporary Protected Status from Venezuelan immigrants in October

 

'I really can't feel betrayed by ICE. I've never worked for them, but I have worked for the military,' he said. 

'I know we have things in place to help us, and I feel like there's some people in the military who are choosing not to press that button to help.'

Busby also said that through his service, he has seen what the US is capable of when acting positively, but the Trump administration and its supporters are 'really biased' and 'they have no compassion for brown people who come to this country.'

After nearly a month of trying to free his wife, Busby posted a video to his Facebook account discussing the ordeal and trying to draw public attention to his plight. 

In the video, he says: 'This year they decided to detain her, although she's here on a legal status, has no criminal history and is currently in the process - legally since 2021 - of trying to get her citizenship.'

Busby added that he hired 'the best lawyer' to help in the case. The lawyer set up a hearing to have Velasquez released on bond while her case progresses, but the judge ruled that he did not have jurisdiction. 

'Judges aren't even in control anymore,' he said in the video.

Busby described his wife as 'the nicest person ever,' and emphasized that she 'has never done anything illegal.' 

 

Busby said that despite being in the Army for 11 years, he has been treated badly by staff at the detention center whenever he goes to visit his wife

Velasquez has never committed a crime, her husband said. That would make her one of 24,644 people in ICE detention who have no criminal record

 

According to the most recent data released by ICE, just 29 percent of people currently detained by the agency have prior criminal convictions. An additional 28 percent have pending criminal charges, and the remaining have no criminal history.

Over the past year, there has been a 2,500 percent surge in the agency's non-criminal detainees, which stood at 945 on January 26, 2025. 

As of January 7, 2026, 24,644 people without criminal history are being held by ICE in detention facilities. 

Velasquez is among that group, according to her husband, who said the conditions at the detention center where she is being held are 'horrible' and that he is only allowed to visit once per week. 

There is 'barely edible food, it’s freezing cold and the clothes they get barely protect them,' Busby said in his video.

'Even though everyone is getting sick, no one in there cares. I went to go visit her a couple times, and although I’ve been in the Army for 11 years, the way they treated me and other visitors was straight disrespectful.

'I can’t honestly imagine how she’s truly being treated,' the husband said.

Busby also told the Daily Mail that his wife is barely able to sleep because of the freezing temperatures at the detention center, and meals take place at unusual hours.

 

Busby has been making posts on social media trying to draw public attention to his efforts to get his wife released

Stephanie Kenny-Velasquez, 25, was detained by ICE during a routine asylum check-in, just two days after getting her marriage certificate to a Texas man

 

Breakfast, he said, is scheduled at 4am, then lunch at 10am and dinner at 4pm. He added that despite the food being borderline inedible, people held in detention are only allowed a limited amount of food from the commissary.  

Busby said his wife had dreams of becoming a real estate agent and was studying hard to make that happen. 

He also said that she had a test for her realtor license scheduled for the Monday after ICE detained her, but now if she is released, she will likely have to start the process over again.

In a second Facebook video, Busby said that he knew he wanted to marry Velasquez after their first date. 

He explained that the two had gotten married secretly and were planning on having a wedding party after saving up money, as he has been investing anything he makes back into his new window tinting company. 

Velasquez is one of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have arrived in the US over the past few years, as they fled political and economic instability in their home country. 

Many of those immigrants were given Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 2023 under the Biden administration, but that was effectively revoked in October by the Supreme Court. 

In a 6-3 decision that matched the justices' party-affiliation, the nation's highest court granted an emergency request filed by the Trump administration, which sought to block a judge's ruling that said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem failed to follow the correct process in revoking TPS from Venezuelans. 

 

Busby said his wife 'did absolutely nothing wrong, besides wanting to live in a country where she thought there was freedom for all'

 

Busby told the Daily Mail that he has tried several avenues to get his wife released from custody. 

Other than the attempted bond hearing, which was denied, he has filed for the military's Parole in Place program, which provides legal protections to spouses without citizenship.

He also tried a habeas corpus hearing, which forced the government to prove it had lawful grounds for imprisonment.

Busby said that during that hearing, the prosecuting attorney admitted he had not reviewed Vasquez's file and deemed her a 'flight risk' solely based on the fact that she had been married for less than a month. He has appealed that ruling.

In the caption of his Facebook video, Busby wrote: 'Honestly, I’ve cried everyday since she’s been in there because no matter how much money or how strong I am, there’s literally nothing I or anyone else can do.

'This whole process has been devastating to us and all of our entire family. If you’re religious, please pray for Stephanie and hope that we can get her home. 

'She did absolutely nothing wrong, besides wanting to live in a country where she thought there was freedom for all.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to ICE for comment. 

TRUMP CALLED A 'GANGSTER PIRATE' BY MEMBER OF BRIOTISH PARLIAMENT AND ANOTHER CALLED HIM 'OUTRIGHT BATSHIT CRAZY'

Starmer has spoken to Donald Trump on the phone about his 'gangster' threats of a trade war over Greenland and told him it's 'wrong' after Europe warned of a 'dangerous downward spiral' in Nato

 

By Tom Midlane and James Tapsfield 

 

Daily Mail

Jan 18, 2026

 

 

Donald Trump has shocked NATO allies by warning that opponents of an American takeover of the Danish territory will be hit with punitive tariffs from February 1

 

Sir Keir Starmer has told Donald Trump that 'applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is wrong' in a telephone call this afternoon, Downing Street has said.

It comes after the US President said he would charge the UK a 10% tariff 'on any and all goods' sent to the US from February 1, increased to 25% from June 1, until a deal is reached for Washington to purchase Greenland from Denmark.

Mr Trump said the same would apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland.

Sir Keir held a flurry of calls on Sunday afternoon, including with the US President, No10 said.

Starmer also spoke to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Chief Mark Rutte.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: 'In all his calls, the Prime Minister reiterated his position on Greenland.

'He said that security in the High North is a priority for all Nato allies in order to protect Euro-Atlantic interests.

'He also said that applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is wrong.'

 

Sir Keir Starmer reportedly told Donald Trump that 'applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is wrong' in a telephone call this afternoon, Downing Street has said

People attend a protest on January 17, 2026 in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland against President Trump's demand that the Arctic island be ceded to the United States

 

The Prime Minister joined European allies warning of a 'dangerous downward spiral' in Nato today after the US President threatened a trade war over Greenland.

A joint statement from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK said they stood 'firmly behind' the 'principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity'.

The President has shocked the military alliance by warning that opponents of an American takeover of the Danish territory will be hit with punitive tariffs from February 1.

In a bombshell post on his social media site, Mr Trump said levies will start at 10 per cent - and potentially rise to 25 per cent if they have not capitulated by June. 

Mr Trump also appeared to take issue with a Danish-led military exercise conducted with allies in Greenland this week, saying the countries had 'journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown'.

The UK sent a single military officer for the Arctic endurance exercise.

In a joint response this afternoon, the European powers stressed that the exercise was preplanned - and reiterated their solidarity to Denmark and Greenland. 

They said: 'As members of Nato, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise Arctic Endurance conducted with Allies, responds to this necessity. It poses no threat to anyone.

'We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind.

'Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.'

Meanwhile Danish PM Mette Frederiksen described Mr Trump's threats over Greenland threats as 'fundamentally unacceptable', Danish newspaper Berlinske reported. 

'It is fundamentally unacceptable to threaten a good ally like Denmark,' she told national broadcaster TV 2. 

'It is serious, and I think the threats are unacceptable.' 

Mr Trump's intervention has sparked fresh fears he is intent on ripping apart the Western pact that has maintained world peace for the past eight decades.

 

Danish soldiers in uniform disembark at the harbor in Nuuk, Greenland on January 18, 2026

The Danish Defense, the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark, is strengthening its military presence in Greenland and is set to expand joint exercises with NATO allies as part of a broader effort to increase alliance responsibility for security in the Arctic and North Atlantic

 

Sir Keir has delivered some of his strongest criticism of Mr Trump, after expending huge effort trying to maintain warm ties with the President

 

A man attending an NBA game at London's O2 Arena yelled 'leave Greenland alone!' as actress Vanessa Williams sang the American national anthem before the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic tipped off on Sunday.

The remark drew a round of applause from the crowd as President Trump continues his saber rattling over the island. 

British MPs also joined the backlash, with calls for the mooted trip by King Charles to Washington in the Spring to be cancelled. 'The civilised world can deal with Trump no longer. He is a gangster pirate,' senior Tory Simon Hoare said. 

Running the gauntlet of broadcast studios for the government this morning, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stressed that support for Greenland's sovereignty was 'non-negotiable'.

'We believe it is wrong, we believe it is deeply unhelpful,' she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg of Mr Trump's tariff threat. 

But pressed on the issue of the state visit she merely referred to the 'depth' of the Transatlantic relationship. 

Economists have raised concerns that the UK will be back on 'recession watch' if the US goes ahead with tariffs. 

Senior MEPs have warned that the EU-US trade deal will be frozen in reprisals, with the spectre of a full-blown global trade war again looming. 

Sir Keir delivered some of his strongest criticism of Mr Trump last night, having expended huge effort trying to maintain warm ties with the President.

The PM said: 'Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes.

 

A hackler shouted 'Leave Greenland alone!' as Vanessa Williams (pictured) sang the US national anthem ahead of the NBA London Game 2026 at the O2 arena in London on Sunday

 

MPs also joined the backlash against Mr Trump's Greenland plans, with calls for the mooted trip by King Charles to Washington in the spring to be cancelled

Sir Keir said the UK Government would be 'pursuing' America over the threat of tariffs and called Mr Trump's plan 'completely wrong'

Senior Tory Simon Hoare said Mr Trump was behaving like a 'gangster pirate' 

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said the State Visit should be dropped if the tariffs go ahead

In a bombshell post on his social media site, Mr Trump said levies will start at 10 per cent - and potentially rise to 25 per cent if they have not capitulated by June

 

'We have also made clear that Arctic security matters for the whole of Nato, and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic.

'Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is completely wrong. We will, of course, be pursuing this directly with the US administration.'

Emmanuel Macron also reacted furiously to the news, promising consultation with EU leaders. The French President said: 'No intimidation nor threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations.

'Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context. Europeans will respond to them in a united and co-ordinated manner if they were to be confirmed. We know how to uphold European sovereignty.'

Nigel Farage gave a more limited rebuke to the US President, posting on X: 'We don't always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don't. These tariffs will hurt us.' 

The Reform leader had been due to appear on the airwaves this morning but was replaced by Richard Tice after being struck down with a heavy cold. 

Mr Tice told the BBC that Mr Trump was worried about China getting a foothold in the Arctic. 'He's correct in that, but the approach in the way you work with your closest allies... is completely wrong,' he said.

He added: 'On this the President has got it wrong.'

 

Yesterday, hundreds of people in Greenland's capital braved near-freezing temperatures to march in a rally in support of their own self-governance

Running the gauntlet of broadcast studios for the government this morning, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stressed that support for Greenland's sovereignty was 'non-negotiable'

Earlier this month former Trump press secretary Katie Miller, who is married to White House deputy chief of staff for policy Steven Miller, posted a map of Greenland covered by the American flag on social media 

 

Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said he did not believe Mr Trump would follow through on invading Greenland.

'To invade the sovereign territory of a Nato ally would mean the end of Nato... it would dissolve that alliance overnight,' he told the BBC.

However, Mr Hunt acknowledged that it would be 'squeaky bum time' to see whether Europe could hold out. 

Tory peer Lord Hannan said: 'This is demented. Outright batsh** crazy. Where are the adults in the room? Why will no one rein him in?' 

John Bolton, Mr Trump's former national security adviser, said: 'Donald Trump's extraordinary tariff threat against the UK and other countries for things they have said or done regarding Greenland is without doubt his most dangerous and destructive assertion during the five years of his presidency.

'To say it is without precedent radically understates how foolish and contrary to fundamental American interests it is. Its ramifications for the special relationship and Nato alliance – indeed for the credibility and trust the United States has spent decades trying to establish – is incalculable.'

The UK already pays a 10 per cent tariff on some goods imported by the US, after Mr Trump introduced a wave of taxes on countries around the world on his 'Liberation Day' last April.

Mr Trump's announcement is the latest twist in the White House's new foreign policy strategy – dubbed the 'Donroe Doctrine' after the earlier Monroe Doctrine – in which it seeks to dominate the western hemisphere and prevent foreign control of vital assets.

The UK has deployed just one military officer, at Denmark's request, to Greenland to join a reconnaissance group ahead of an exercise named Arctic Endurance.

 

Nigel Farage gave a more limited rebuke to the US President

The Labour chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs committee, Emily Thornberry, insisted the UK 'will not be intimidated'  

Manfred Weber, President of the powerful EPP bloc in the European Parliament, warned that the EU-US trade deal will be frozen in reprisals

Mr Trump has insisted the US needs to acquire Greenland for national security reasons and has not ruled out using military force. He has claimed it is vital for his planned missile defence shield known as the Golden Dome.

However, critics claim his interest is linked to Greenland's untapped mineral wealth rather than defence. The island possesses at least 25 of the 34 raw materials considered 'critical' by the EU.

A meeting at the White House last Wednesday, led by Vice President JD Vance with representatives from Denmark and Greenland, ended in an impasse.

Yesterday, thousands of protesters took to the streets in Denmark and in Greenland's capital Nuuk, chanting 'Greenland is not for sale' amid anger over the threats. 

Mr Trump is known to be a huge admirer of the Royal Family. Sir Keir wooed him with an unprecedented second state visit to the UK last year, when he was feted with great pomp and ceremony.

The King has been expected to visit the US in April, while a trip by the Prince of Wales has also been pencilled in.   

HIS ANTI-ISRAEL ASS SHOULD BE KICKED OFF OF THE TEAM ..... THAT FINE OF $11,593 IS JUST POCKET CHANGE

Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair Fined $11,593 for ‘Stop the Genocide’ Eye Black Message

 

VINnews 

Jan 18, 2026

 

 

HOUSTON — Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has been fined $11,593 by the NFL for wearing eye black with the message “stop the genocide” during the team’s wild-card playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 12, 2026.

The fine, confirmed by a source to ESPN, stems from a violation of the league’s uniform and equipment rules, which prohibit players from displaying personal messages on eye black without prior approval. Al-Shaair, who is Muslim, wore the eye black visibly during the game and in a postgame interview on “SportsCenter.” The Texans dominated the Steelers 30-6, with Al-Shaair contributing six tackles and a tackle for loss.

 

 

 

The message referenced the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Al-Shaair has previously supported Palestinian causes, including through the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative, where he advocated for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

In comments to the Houston Chronicle during the 2024 season, Al-Shaair expressed his views on the issue.

“I feel like it’s something that’s trying to be almost silenced,” he said. “On either side, people losing their life is not right. In no way, shape or form am I validating anything that happened, but to consistently say that because of [Oct. 7] innocent people [in Gaza] should now die, it’s crazy.”

He added: “[Other people] try to make a disconnect and dehumanize people over there. And it’s like, they’re human beings. Being a Muslim, we see everybody the same; Black, white, Spanish, whatever you are; you can be orange, like, we’re all human beings.”

This incident marks another example of the NFL enforcing its policy on political or personal messages in equipment. Last season, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was fined $11,255 for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat during a postgame interview in support of then-candidate Donald Trump.

The fine comes hours before the Texans’ divisional-round matchup against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. The winner advances to the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos, who defeated the Buffalo Bills in overtime but lost quarterback Bo Nix to a fractured right ankle for the remainder of the postseason.

The game has also sparked discussion on coaching performances in 2025. On “NFL GameDay Morning,” analysts debated who had the better coaching job: Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans or Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

Ryans guided Houston to a playoff berth despite an 0-3 start, building on consecutive 10-7 seasons and establishing consistent success since taking over in 2023.

Vrabel, in his first season with New England after being hired in January 2025, engineered a dramatic turnaround from a poor prior campaign to a 14-3 record, an AFC East title, and the No. 2 seed in the conference.

The divisional clash pits two strong coaches against each other, with the Texans boasting one of the league’s top defenses and the Patriots featuring a high-powered offense led by quarterback Drake Maye. 

ADDENDUM: A VINnews reader's comment on this report is spot on:

"I cannot understand why Americans of African descent only protest the war in Gaza, and are silent about atrocities of Africans in Sudan, Nigeria, and the past atrocities in Rwanda? In addition, as it has been pointed out by others on this site, they and their fellow Palestine supporters, have said bupkis about the genocide of their fellow Muslims in Iran. They have one standard for Jews, and another for non-Jews." 

HAMAS HAS ITS OWN PLANS FOR GAZA

Hamas rebuilds Gaza leadership from Sinwar circle

As Donald Trump announces Gaza's "Peace Board," the terrorist organization is rebuilding. From prisoners freed in the Shalit deal to the "brigade commander" who replaced Mohammed Deif, as well as three veteran battalion commanders who evaded assassination attempts.

 

by Shachar Kleiman 

 

Israel Hayom

Jan 18, 2026

 

 

Ali al-Amodi has become the de facto head of the Hamas Gaza Bureau and is considered the central figure in the Strip.

 

 

Amid the storm surrounding the establishment of the "peace board," Israel has killed a senior Hamas terrorist named Mohammed al-Houli, also known as Abu Fouad, who served as chief of central camp operations and participated in preparations for the October 7 massacre. 

Abu Fouad joins a series of terrorists eliminated during the ceasefire against the backdrop of Hamas violations. Still, many senior figures remain in the organization's Gaza leadership, with accounts still to be settled. These individuals are responsible for attempted force buildup, ongoing violations, refusal to disarm, and a three-month delay in returning all deceased hostages.

The most senior figure eliminated in the past three months was Raad Saad. The founder of Hamas' Nukhba units and naval force, who served for decades as one of the military wing's senior commanders, had climbed to the No. 2 position in the wing after two years of war. Saad, who was killed on December 13 while traveling in his vehicle with bodyguards, oversaw weapons production and was responsible for assembling explosive devices deployed against IDF forces.

In early December, East Rafah Battalion commander Abu Ahmed al-Bawab and his deputy Ismail Abu Labda were killed. Both had spent extended time in an underground tunnel after the ceasefire took effect in October. On November 22, Alaa al-Hadidi was eliminated – a senior figure responsible for supply and equipment in the military wing's production apparatus. Two days earlier, Abdullah Abu Shamala, who served as head of Hamas' naval apparatus, was killed.

New power structure

At the top of the Gaza pyramid, associates of Yahya Sinwar have reemerged, taking the places of other senior figures who were eliminated.

The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported earlier this month that Ali al-Amodi, one of the prisoners released in the 2011 Shalit deal who headed the "propaganda" apparatus in Gaza and used to accompany Sinwar, has become the de facto head of the Gaza Bureau. The report also stated he is considered the central figure in the Strip.

Sources indicated that no elections were held for the Gaza Bureau, but a "consultation" took place. In that process, Tawfiq Abu Naim was reportedly appointed as a bureau member. As we reported in October in the "Israel This Week" supplement, the prevailing assessment was that Abu Naim, like other senior figures, was called to serve in key Hamas positions amid the growing gap in the leadership's top ranks. Previously, Abu Naim commanded the terror organization's policing mechanisms. Like al-Amodi, he is a Shalit deal release and among Sinwar's associates.

Speaks Hebrew, dyed his hair, and got a haircut to escape

At the top of the military wing still stands Izz al-Din al-Haddad. A former Fatah member who became Hamas' only brigade commander in the wing not eliminated in the war.

According to foreign reports, al-Haddad, as Gaza City brigade commander, was among the few who knew the date of the October 7 attack. Like others, he was involved in planning and executing the mass massacre. After Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, and Mohammed Sinwar were killed, he was appointed head of the wing. Following the manhunt for him, he even dyed his hair and got a haircut to obscure his identity. Returned hostages reported that al-Haddad speaks Hebrew.

Intelligence Staff head Mohammed Odeh has also survived in the military wing. According to Arab reports, he was appointed commander of the northern Strip brigade in place of Ahmed Ghandour, who was killed. A terrorist named Mohanad Rajab was appointed Gaza City brigade commander. Besides him, three "veteran" battalion commanders survived the war: Imad Aslim and Haitham Hawajari from the Gaza brigade, and Hussein Fayyad from Beit Hanoun.

Alongside the surviving senior figures, Hamas still controls policing mechanisms and a military wing. According to data published, the three policing mechanisms have at least 20,000 members. However, most of the rocket array has been destroyed, and most trained terrorists in the military wing have been killed. Additionally, Israel estimates Hamas has been forced to appoint field commanders at lower levels after dozens of battalion commanders and company commanders were killed in the war.

The organization's leadership abroad

Simultaneously, there is, of course, Hamas' "political bureau" abroad, the one attacked in Doha on September 9. Most of its members reside in Qatar and Turkey, with the rest in other countries such as Iran and Algeria. In total, this involves several dozen senior and junior bureau members living there.

At the top of this bureau serves a five-member leadership council: Khalil al-Hayya, Khaled Mashaal, Mohammed Darwish, Zaher Jabarin, and Nizar Awadallah. Al-Hayya serves as Gaza regional head, and Zaher Jabarin serves as West Bank regional head. Mashaal is responsible for the diaspora abroad, and Mohammed Darwish is responsible for the organization's Shura Council. Awadallah also serves on the Gaza bureau.

For the position of bureau head, which remained vacant after Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh were killed, al-Hayya and Mashaal are now competing primarily. As part of the election process, a deputy is also expected to be appointed following Saleh Arouri's killing in 2024.