I had the opportunity this week to participate in a House Oversight Committee roundtable to talk about the Biden-Harris border crisis and what I saw during my recent trip to Mexico’s southern border.

The main topic was about the ongoing efforts of the Trump administration to find the migrant children who were lost track of under Biden’s Health and Human Services.

You can watch my opening statement here.

You can watch the full roundtable here.

The recent migrant caravan that left Mexico’s southern border is yet another reminder the conditions in Latin America is still conducive for people to try their luck to one day reach the United States.

Stay tuned as I will have a story coming soon that gives an inside look into what immigration enforcement look like under DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

I as…

Read more

TAPACHULA, Mexico — It was past 7:00 A.M. on Saturday and “The Hand of God” migrant caravan, which was mostly Central and South Americans, had still not left Parque Bicentenario despite plans for leaving two hours prior.

It turns out the delay was due to having to wait for stores to open so participants could buy a can of spray paint to complete their banner. After spraying “The Hand of God Caravan” and Philippians 4:13, (“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”), around 300 migrants set off just before 8:00 A.M. to leave Mexico’s southern border.

The caravan was escorted by local police, to avoid accidents on the road, with the Mexican National Guard and immigration officers following close behind.

Tapachula has long been a waypoint for migrants who want to pass through Mexico on their way to the United States. Situated on the Mexico-Guatemala border, the city is the first stop for people to get Mexican immigration visas so they can have the ability to travel through the rest of the country.

During the Biden-Harris administration, Tapachula was inundated with migrants, originating from all over the world, who were wanting to take advantage of the United States’ open border policies. Today, the second Trump administration has pressured the Mexican government to keep migrants away from the U.S.-Mexico border, with Tapachula being one of the cities officials try to keep them in. One way to keep them there is not approving any visas, leading to many being stuck by the border for months.

Caravans have formed this year, as they have in the past, to work around the slow process to get visas and to have a better chance at reaching their final destination without being kidnapped, robbed, or murdered. These days, the primary motivation to leave Tapachula is to seek better job opportunities while their visa applications are processed.

This past Saturday’s caravan participants acknowledged it would be extremely difficult to enter the United States so long as President Trump’s policies are in effect. That said, those who spoke to MostlyPeaceful.Media said they are willing to work and wait in other parts of Mexico until a new president with different immigration policies is in office.

In the meantime, they are happy to see Democrats working to stop or stifle Trump’s plan for mass deportations, such as preventing the funding for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The political fight in Congress over the budget for DHS resulted in a government shutdown, then a partial shutdown for just the agency after Democrats wanted more restrictions on immigration enforcement.

Senate Republicans had to go around Senate Democrats to get past the 60-vote threshold and were able to provide funding to DHS for the rest of Trump’s term without any of the restrictions demanded by the opposition.

WATCH:

“Most of my friends think it is better to stay in Mexico and work until [Trump] leaves. Once he leaves, we will all head north. Why not?” explained Giovanni Sánchez, who is from Guatemala City, adding that many would like to go to the U.S. now but, “To be deported and try again? All of that is expensive.”

“[Democrats] are doing everything possible to get rid of that? To give more support to migrants? That would be good,” Sánchez said about Democrats wanting to defund DHS. “I have heard of shelters in the United States that help us.”

Sánchez described himself as a jack of all trades handyman.

“I will not go hungry. It is better to work and not steal,” he said.

The night before the caravan left, another man from Guatemala told MP.M he was deported from the U.S. in 2021 after serving a three-year prison sentence for assaulting someone with a bat.

“But that is okay, they should remove it,” he said about DHS funding. “But why does Trump screw over our people?…You know what bothers me? We come struggling…We reached the goal and for him to come and deport us?”

“We directly hold together that country of the United States,” a masked Honduran man told MP.M as we walked with the rest of the caravan. “Maybe we will organize and work in the border awhile and see if [Trump] leaves and then cross.”

The Honduran, who has been previously deported from the United States, was more skeptical of Democrats campaigning to defund DHS as he believed it is a tactic to simply get votes from children whose parents are illegally present.

Share

Isaías Monroy, also from Guatemala and is traveling with his wife, said he thinks Trump has been “terrible” but hopes “God touches his heart and that we arrive in this caravan together for the American Dream.”

Monroy said he would like to work in the U.S. as a mechanic and in heavy transportation, but he would be content with staying in Mexico if he is able to open up a shop.

“Why not? Nobody discriminates here. There is food and water. Mexico has it all, right? They are not racist,” Monroy stated.

“[Americans] need to help us out. We need to unite in order to get Trump out. Because the truth is he is destroying a lot of Latinos” Sánchez said, noting he has had encounters with Mexicans who do not want the migrants in Tapachula.

Local media reported “The Hand of God Caravan” had walked 25 miles to the town of Huixtla by the second day. So far, the high temperatures and afternoon storms are the crowd’s biggest hurdles.

As with previous caravans, it is unlikely this recent group will stay together for very long. The caravan will either be broken up by Mexican immigration authorities, people will be able to make their way to their desired destination individually, or others will quit the trip and go back to Tapachula. It is expected this will not be the last time a large group of migrants try their luck walking to northern Mexico, even with the odds stacked against them.

Read more

TAPACHULA, Mexico — Friday night’s strong rainfall and thunder did not deter hundreds of Haitians from watching their country’s soccer team face off against Brazil in a public watch party hosted at Miguel Hidalgo Park.

The previous night at the same public watch party, Haitians and other migrants were with Mexicans cheering on Mexico’s national team when they won their match against South Korea.

Tapachula is on Mexico’s border with Guatemala and has historically been the main city for migrants to pass through on their way to the United States. As I reported back in 2024, the Biden-Harris border crisis resulted in the town being overwhelmed by the number of migrants trying to take advantage of the Democrats’ open border policies. With President Donald Trump securing the U.S.-Mexico border on his first day back in office, tens of thousands of migrants across Mexico were now stuck.

Some decided to go back to their home countries or try to make Mexico their new home. Others decided to wait another four years in the hope a different U.S. president reverses Trump’s policies. This includes Tapachula and it’s why so many Haitians, for example, were watching their home team playing at the World Cup in Mexico.

So what am I doing at Mexico’s southern border again? Truth be told, I never expected to be back in Tapachula. That changed after I saw the news when two migrant caravans left the city earlier this year, mainly citing lack of job opportunities and no immigration visas being issued by Mexican officials. Another caravan is slated to leave early Saturday morning.

What made the caravans’ mission interesting is they publicly declared they were not trying to reach the U.S., only other cities in northern Mexico. A lot has changed since my previous trip. I figured this would be a good opportunity to see what has changed with Trump’s policies and talk with migrants who want to continue their journey, even with the odds stacked against them.

We will see what happens once the caravan steps off. So stay tuned!

Share

Well that did not last long.

After working with the Department of Homeland Security to shut down violent protests at Delaney Hall, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced on Thursday his city’s police department will be drawing down their presence at the holding facility.

“It is not the responsibility of the Newark Police Division to secure a private facility. We made clear to the GEO Group, who has its own private security firm, that securing their facility is their responsibility, not the City’s,” Baraka explained. “Our intention was never to protect Delaney Hall or HSI but to bring calm.”

Subscribe now

Newark police will still be in the area, but mainly focusing on traffic management, not crowd control. Baraka cited the lack of violent clashes the past few days as another justification for the drawdown.

Baraka’s statement comes after he lifted the curfew he put in place for only one night. Dozens of arrests were made after a small crowd refused to the leave after the curfew’s start time. Newark police and New Jersey State Police were heavily criticized by leftists for their tactics in arresting curfew violators. Open border advocates have also gone after Governor New Jersey Mikie Sherrill (D) for “cooperating” with DHS on crowd control.

Not only was the curfew lifted, but protesters were able to go past the checkpoints established to prevent crowds from being in front of Delaney Hall. Not even journalists were allowed past the checkpoints when they were still in place.

This retreat from the city, which is what this is, will only embolden protesters and rioters…

Read more

A lot has been said with how the Department of Homeland Security handled the nearly week-long riots outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. Unsurprisingly, Democrats and open border advocates say the federal agents were “brutal” against “peaceful” protesters (They were not and they were not peaceful).

Some Republicans and Trump supporters have said that by “allowing” the riots to drag on for a week makes the Trump administration look weak, especially in light of branches of Antifa being designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

I do agree to a certain extent with the Right’s criticisms, but not entirely. What many seem to forget…

Read more

NEWARK, N.J. — Saturday night saw another round of violence from anti-ICE rioters outside of Delaney Hall after the crowd tried to breach a set of temporary barricades. New Jersey State Police and Newark Police, who were not in riot gear, struggled to keep the bike rack barricades intact.

Interestingly, officers did not use pepper spray to make the rioters let go. Eventually, riot police responded from the other side of the road, but the crowd was able to successfully tear down the barricades, forcing the first set of officers to fall back.

Subscribe now

What followed was a slow push from law enforcement to make the rioters go down the road away from the ICE facility. Police used tear gas and flash bangs, but the crowd tried their best to throw up barricades to halt the advance.

The advance by police continued until rioters set random items, such as traffic cones and pieces of wood, on fire in the middle of the street. The flame grew in size thanks to people pouring lighter fluid on it.

While state and local police were successful in stopping the rioting outside Delaney Hall, they made a critical mistake…

Read more

The confrontations between Homeland Security and anti-ICE rioters outside of Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey did not stop on Friday night. While the day started out slowly, it was partially due to New Jersey State Police setting up roadblocks and making protesters park further away.

That calm, if you could call it that, did not last after state troopers gave a dispersal order to the crowd. The anti-ICE protesters rushed to move their vast amount of supplies closer to Delaney Hall.

State police then moved in to clear the crowd away from blocking Delaney Hall’s driveway to allow vehicles to leave and enter, resulting in clashes. Police used tear gas, pepper balls, and mounted troopers to push them back. DHS personnel, who had been in a standoff all day with the crowd, helped to dislodge the mob.

WATCH:

But right as the police had the anti-ICE rioters on the run, they suddenly left.

I was doing a live hit with Katie Pavlich on NewsNation when the state police started to withdraw. Katie asked me why they were doing that.

“That’s a good question!” I replied…

Read more

It is fitting that Riot Season 2026 started yesterday, May 25th, on the sixth anniversary of the George Floyd incident. It was an inflection point not only for me perosnally and professionally, but for the entire country.

Fast forward to today, the Left is mobilizing once again in opposition to President Trump’s deportation efforts. Riot season last year started during the first weekend in June.

This Memorial Day Weekend saw clashes between rioters and DHS personnel in Newark, New Jersey at Delaney Hall. This is not the first time open border advocates have targeted the facility and it is fair to say it will not be the last.

So I am now offering a 20% discount on paid memberships: CLICK HERE

The sale runs until midnight this Friday!

If you want to make a single contribution to my reporting, you can click here.

As always, I am very appreciative for you support! This summer could get busy. I look forward to being out in the field.

Share

Featured image and videography by Erik Herrera

MÉRIDA, Yucatan — The origin of guayaberas is subject to debate, but it is commonly accepted the shirt’s distinctive style originated in Cuba after field workers wanted extra pockets to help carry items. This is why the Cuban version has four pockets.

The Mexican style usually gets rid of most or all of the four pockets and incorporates a wide variety of embroidery. Both versions have vertical pleats, called “alforzas” in Spanish, and are meant to be worn untucked.

My first introduction to Mexican guayaberas was in Tapachula, Chiapas while on assignment about the long-reaching effects of the Biden-Harris border crisis in 2023. We stopped by a small store for souvenirs when a navy blue, short sleeve shirt with colorful embroidery caught my eye.

After purchasing, I left the store sporting my new shirt. It did not take long for me to look for more guayaberas upon returning to the United States. What I love about these shirts is they are made from linen or cotton and have a unique style that is not usually found in most of the United States. They can be very elaborate or more simplified, whatever the occasion calls for.

From the White House to field assignments to on-camera interviews, I have found a reason to wear guayaberas as many times as possible. You will often see the shirts being worn at weddings or formal events in hot climates. It is common for workers across Mexico to wear it as a uniform in restaurants or hotels, a nod to the reasoning for its creation.

At a White House roundtable with President Donald Trump

While these shirts have seen a rise in popularity in recent years (Bad Bunny sparked interest in his fans due to wearing Puerto Rican-made guayaberas during concerts on the island) the demand has resulted in the garments being made at large-scale in Asian countries, such as China, and sold by companies like Temu and Shein. This means Mexican-based companies are not only competing against each other, but also other countries who can make more at a faster pace and sell at very cheap prices.

WATCH:

Making an authentic guayabera is no easy task. It takes an experienced worker anywhere from four hours to make a basic guayabera to three weeks for ones incorporating complex designs. A lot of time is lost if a mistake is made during production.

The state of Yucatan is considered the guayabera capital of Mexico. This means the guayabera business is a critical industry for the region. Yucatan Senator Jorge Carlos Ramírez Marín says up to 70 percent of residents in some municipalities are dedicated to making the button-down. It is here where makers and sellers are starting to raise awareness of, what they call, inferior products.

I interviewed Samuel May, of Mayakim, and the Rodriguez Avila sisters, Claudia and Cristina, who operate Guayaberas Presuel.

Samuel explained Mayakim has been in business for over 10 years and employs 16 people, “We can say there are 16 families that are supported through us.”

Presuel S.A. was started by Claudia and Cristina’s parents, originally from Veracruz, who relocated to Merida once the business took off. Presuel S.A. has been at its location near the center of Mérida for 65 years.

“There is really no comparison between the Chinese quality and our quality. So if you want or don’t appreciate the value of a quality guayabera, you can buy your Chinese guayabera. But if you want a good piece that will last many years, then you will invest in a good guayabera,” Claudia said.

“What makes this competition so difficult is the pricing they offer. I don’t really understand how they can handle prices that are so low,” Samuel said about the Asian companies’ copies.

“I believe we have been very careful since we started. It’s not about selling them at an expensive price to earn a lot, but it’s also not about selling them very cheap where we can’t earn anything,” he added.

These concerns have caused the National Chamber of the Clothing Industry (Cámara Nacional de la Industria del Vestido), CANAIVE, to start a campaign to protect Mexico’s famous shirt.

CANAIVE explained the demand creates 14,200 jobs and makes up six percent of Yucatan’s Gross Domestic Product. The trade organization wants to have Mexican guayaberas have an internationally recognized certification so people can distinguish what is authentic and what is a copy.

Guayabera sellers are betting their higher quality products will win over customers, who are more conscientious of where their clothing comes from. It is a matter of getting the word out, especially to the large market within the United States.

Foreign copies of other Mexican-made products have caused outrage and quick government action. When Adidas announced the “Oaxaca Slip-On” last year, based on the huarache sandal, the state of Oaxaca and President Claudia Sheinbaum accused the company of cultural appropriation and violating “collective intellectual property.” Adidas and the designer, who is half Mexican, issued an apology and pledged to work with Oaxacan artisans.

This is the part I admit to owning a couple of these non-Mexican made shirts for field assignments where the risk of getting extremely dirty or heavily damage is high. This is so if it becomes unwearable from field conditions, I can go online and easily replace it.

Not so with my Mexican guayaberas. I have too much respect for them and replacements would require another trip back in most cases. They are too nice for riots!

Cristina said tourists are slowly becoming more aware of imitations and do their research before visiting the city: “There are many people from the United States who have bought from us, and they come by recommendation…There have been times I was asked, ‘They’re not Chinese?' and I say, ‘No.’”

“What makes guayaberas special? They use [them] for weddings, for baptisms, for communion,” Samuel said. “It is what it is. It’s elegant and formal.”

The passion Mexicans have for making guayaberas the correct way is evident. It is that same passion that will be needed to ensure this art form is maintained for future generations.

Share

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEWS:

Read more

Yesterday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing about Fairfax County’s sanctuary policies that protect illegal immigrants gave way to some humorous interactions between Republicans and the Democrat witnesses, despite the serious subject.

The most amusing part to watch was when Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) grilled Soros-backed Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano about his campaign website stating, before it was recently changed, someone’s immigration status will be taken into account during criminal proceedings.

Subscribe now

When Jordan tried to get an explanation from Descano, he basically admitted it was just a campaign promise that did not translate into policy once he was in office. However, it does appear his promise is indeed policy, but watch the hilarious way Descano claims that is not the case:

Read more

Up to a thousand Mexicans in the state of Guerrero have been recently displaced from their homes due to ongoing cartel violence, with reports saying the attacks have been perpetuated by Los Ardillos.

The violence is nothing new for the mountain regions in the state, but the fighting intensified in recent days, forcing many of the local population to quickly leave. Videos show women, children, and the elderly walking through the night with backpacks in an attempt to reach safety.

Some of the displaced Mexicans have recorded videos pleading for help, even asking for President Donald Trump to intervene since, according to them, Mexican security forces are not doing nearly enough. Towns affected by the recent violence include Tula, Xicotlán, and Acahuehuetlán. Residents who have fled said the cartels are using drones to drop explosives, setting fire to homes, and killing livestock.

The women in the video below covered their faces to avoid retaliation from Los Ardillos,

“We want support from the United States government because President Claudia Sheinbaum is not listening to us. She does not want to send us support…The children are suffering. We have no food. Please help share this video. We want it to reach the United States. Please, Claudia Sheinbaum still is not listening to us. Donald Trump, help us. Send helicopters to save us,” the women said.

To emphasize their point, the group gets on their knees and continued to ask Trump for assistance.

Starting out as a group dedicated to heroin trafficking, Los Ardillos has expanded to other illicit trades such as extortion and kidnappings. Los Ardillos primarily operates in Guerrero. The cartel has clashed with the indigenous community in the mountains in order to control land for poppy production and mining operations.

Share

The man who was arrested is Chidozie Wilson Okeke, an illegal alien from Nigeria who has previous arrests for assault and criminal drug possession. Okeke had overstayed his tourist visa for over two years.

“Okeke remained non-compliant during the medical evaluation throwing himself to the floor and screaming. The medical staff cleared him. During the medical evaluation, a significant crowd of anti-ICE agitators gathered at the hospital and became violent. The protestors damaged several ICE vehicles and assaulted ICE officers, resulting in minor injuries to the officers,” the Department of Homeland Security told me.

Videos taken from the scene shows the crowd getting violent as New York City police officers held them back while federal agents moved Okeke into a vehicle. Okeke could be seen acting as dead weight to make it harder to move him, further enraging the rioters. Officers made several arrests in response to the clashes.

It should come as to no surprise that local politicians have blamed the chaos on DHS and ICE, not the rioters.

Brooklyn Council Member Sandy Nurse released a statement where she complained the New York police were coordinating with ICE (by conducting crowd control).

“Thank you to the New Yorkers who dropped everything and showed up to demand ICE out of our neighborhood,” Nurse said.

The City Council Progressive Caucus, which Nurse co-chairs, said in its statement the NYPD’s role in the “violent suppression of a local mobilization against an ICE kidnapping” was unacceptable. In true far-leftist fashion, the caucus called for all charges to be dropped against the arrestees and for the officers who did crowd control to be disciplined.

“ICE is not welcome in our communities. New Yorkers won’t stand by while it parachutes in to wreak havoc and instigate violence. The allegations that NYPD was supporting ICE are deeply serious. We must pass NY4All to end our state’s complicity in this terror campaign,” said New York Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, a democratic socialist.

This is a classic example of how the Left has been operating when it comes to immigration enforcement. It did not matter that the person who was arrested was in the country illegally and had a criminal history, all they saw were ICE agents doing their due diligence and it caused them to react with violence.

Then after the unrest, the local politicians provided cover for the rioters and blamed law enforcement. It seems it never occurs to Democrats that local police would not be needed to intervene if an unruly mob had not gathered with the intent to interfere and attack federal agents.

Share

White House/Daniel Torok

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s scheduled Friday appearance for an event at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts brought out a small crowd of protesters.

In the aftermath of the attempted assassination on Trump and members of his administration at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, there has been chatter online on whether it was “staged.”

The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, is accused of running past a security checkpoint with a shotgun and handgun in order to gain access to the room Trump was in. According to the manifesto he published moments before his foiled attack, Allen allegedly wrote, “Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial.”

Allen further mocked how light security at the hotel appeared despite Trump’s announced arrival to the venue.

All the protesters I spoke to said they, at a minimum, have doubts about what federal officials have said about the shocking incident. One protester said she believes the assassination attempt at Butler was staged. Another said the WHCD suspect "did not seem crazy to me...he seemed pushed over the edge, in terms of what is happening to our country.”

“It seems like Hollywood fluff,” the last interviewee told me.

WATCH:

Watch the full interviews:

Read more

The United States announced on Wednesday the Department of Justice is charging Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, along with other current and former officials, with corruption and drug trafficking conspiracy due to allegedly working with the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most powerful cartels in Mexico, even as it is in the middle of a civil war between two rival factions. The DOJ is accusing the governor and officials of mainly working with the Chapitos faction, which has been run by the sons of El Chapo since their father was brought to the United States to face trial.

The news of the charges spread rapidly throughout Mexico. The charges further say the Chapitos tampered with the election that Rocha Moya won in exchange for protection and bribes.

President Claudia Sheinbaum gave her response to the U.S. charges during her morning press conference on Thursday.

“I have always said this clearly, and we have acted accordingly. We will not protect anyone who has committed a crime,” Sheinbaum said. “However—if there is no clear evidence, it is evident that the objective of these accusations by the Department of Justice is political.”

“It must be absolutely clear: under no circumstances will we allow interference or intrusion by a foreign government in decisions that belong exclusively to the people of Mexico,” she continued.

For his part, Rocha Moya is denying all accusations and will be addressing them “with full force, at the appropriate time.”

Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it had received extradition requests from the United States on Wednesday.

Other officials being charged with corruption include the mayor of Culiacán, the capital and largest city in Sinaloa. Like Rocha Moya, Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil is flatly denying he has broken any laws.

The U.S. bringing these charges against Sinaloa politicians certainly puts Sheinbaum between a rock and a hard place. Rocha Moya and Juan de Dios Gámez belong to her party, Morena. Rocha Moya is very close…

Read more

As previously mentioned, I was back in Los Angeles to work with my friend and YouTuber James Klug to show how the crisis of abused dogs extends beyond Skid Row. The two of us went out with Starts With One Today in south LA and found multiple dogs in horrific conditions. As of yesterday, many are still there.

Subscribe now

The video shows the lengths rescuers have to go through with the “owners” in order to remove the dogs so they can get urgent medical treatment.

Our team also went to Skid Row for an update since the problem has gained more media attention. We got a deeper dive into how Starts With One Today gets tips on abused animals.

Once again, I am aware it is tough to see something like this, but it very important to know what is happening beyond Skid Row.

WATCH:

Share

Many of you first became aware of me either through my coverage of the BLM/Antifa riots in 2020 or during the Biden-Harris border crisis, but it was far from my first time covering a chaotic event.

I had covered the protests at the Republican and Democratic conventions in 2016, but it was mainly filled with hippies who set up tents. Nothing crazy.

Then comes August 2017. A friend of mine at the time asked if I wanted to cover this rally Richard Spencer was hosting at a statue in Charlottesville. I had a car and he did not. Since it was during the weekend, I said, “Sure, why not?”

Once we arrived, to say I was unprepared for the day ahead is an understatement. No helmet, no gas mask, no vest, and shorts instead of pants. Walking through the crowd of counter-protesters and Antifa, I was expecting to see a police line to separate the two sides to prevent fighting. Instead, I found myself in “no man’s land” between the groups. No police.

Because the park the “Unite the Right” was being held at had stairs, it created a minor buffer for people to come down, fight, and then fall back. Again and again, the two sides clashed. One man on the alt-right side picked up a metal newspaper stand and chucked it, hitting no one. Another was bleeding from the head after being pulled from the Antifa crowd. For my part, I was hit a few times by thrown sticks and paint bombs, along with pepper spray.

Upon entering the park, riot police, who had been on a nearby street standing and watching the violence unfold, were pushing the rally goers out and into the street where counter-protesters were waiting. This led to more violence, unsurprisingly.

I was not present for the car ramming that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer. What most people do not realize is that the crash happened much later after the majority of the “Unite the Right” crowd marched away. We thought the day was over and were eating lunch at a nearby restaurant when the news broke.

It was this event that started it all for me. Despite conventional wisdom, it was then and there I wanted to continue reporting on hectic protests and riots. Not just for the adrenaline rush, but because it was important to document as much as possible since Charlottesville turned into a major story afterwards.

WATCH:

This is why the recent news of the Southern Poverty Law Center allegedly having at least one person on their payroll, who was involved with the “Unite the Right” rally, is interesting. SPLC defenders are saying the organization was simply paying informants, but the indictment says SPLC’s man on the inside was an organizer and helped with transportation for the event.

If that is indeed the case, it should be determined whether any of their funds were used or made it easier to make the rally happen.

At the end of the day, I don’t think it will matter if SPLC’s money was used for the rally, but I could be wrong. The Left’s reaction and weaponization of President Trump’s “fine people on both sides” of the statue debate (not the riot) set the tone for the rest of his term. Heck, it is still used as an example by the Left against Trump nearly seven years later. Not to mention, I am sure people acted independent of the SPLC.

The fault for the violence mainly falls on state and local leaders who clearly did not prepare for the day. No roads were blocked off for the crowds, thus allowing a car to go into a march, and police stood by for a long time before doing anything. Much like the 2020 riots, a lot could have been prevented had the people in charge acted like they had a pair.

Share

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — I returned to southern California this past weekend to do a follow-up report on the animal abuse crisis in LA County with my friend and YouTuber James Klug.

In the time since my first report in February, the rampant abuse on Skid Row has gotten a lot of national and local media attention. The problems are no longer being seen just by local animal activists.

While it is great more people are being made aware of the crisis on Skid Row, it is unfortunately not the only place in the metro area where blatant animal abuse and neglect are taking place. We went to other locations far from downtown. It was not hard to find these cases.

It is without exaggeration that there were a few times where our safety was not a guarantee because these abusers view the dogs as objects to make money off of or think they are taking “good” care of the dogs. They do not like it when people come to end their income stream, no matter how vile it is or if the dog clearly needs urgent medical attention.

The report will be on James’ YouTube channel and should be out later this week. I will be sharing the video here on Substack as well, so stay tuned.

Supporting members are getting an exclusive teaser of what we saw this weekend:

Read more

Chris and DeYaana Ostroushko appeared on “Pushing The Limits” to give their first interview about the scuffle between them, their daughter, and reporter Savanah Hernandez during an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota.

Savanah, who is a good friend of mine, videoed herself being harassed and then attacked by the Ostroushkos, which ultimately resulted in the much heavier Chris shoving her to the ground while her back was turned.

During the interview with liberal host Brian Shapiro, Chris and DeYaana maintained that Savanah made physical contact first with their daughter, who was blowing a whistle right into Savanah’s ear.

Chris said he and his family are not violent people, “In fact, we tend to shy away from it.” He said he was simply protecting his family since, according to him, Savanah was the one who started the fight.

"I just wanted her to leave,” he claimed.

Chris said the past few days since the fight have been “hell” due to their personal information being shared on the internet. His wife confirmed he lost his job because of his actions in the video.

“This situation was, you know, a family really trying to protect each other,” DeYanna added.

Interview starts at 1:02:13

Brian doubted the severity of the injuries Savanah sustained, in particular the ones caused by Chris, because she got up right away and smiled. Savanah said she has been experiencing head, neck, and back pain from the hard shove.

As someone who has been hurt in high-stress situations…

Read more

I’ll post questions and updates about my assignments, podcast interviews, and news of the day. I have some ideas in the works that I am really excited about. I’ll be posting them soon in the chat for feedback since you have a stake in what I am able to do.

Join chat

How to get started

1. Get the Substack app by clicking this link or the button below. New chat threads won’t be sent sent via email, so turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens. You can also access chat on the web.

Get app

2. Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.

3. That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.