Forecasters say over half the U.S. population could be affected by snow, ice or bitter cold as a winter storm sweeps across the county. On Friday, schools in Chicago and other cities canceled classes due to extreme cold. Then the storm is forecast to bring snow, sleet, and ice from Texas to New England. Forecasters warn the damage could rival a hurricane, especially in areas hit by ice. More than 1,000 flights were delayed or canceled Friday, with more expected Saturday. People are stocking up on water, food and generators as they prepare for the storm.
Federal immigration agents in Minnesota are accused of using a 5-year-old boy as "bait" to arrest his father. School officials claim agents told the boy to knock on a door to lure out his mother. The Department of Homeland Security denies this, calling it a "horrific smear." The father and son are now at a family detention center in Texas. School officials say other adults offered to care for the boy, but agents refused. The family's lawyer is exploring legal options. The Trump administration's policy on detained parents states ICE should not take custody of children, but exceptions exist.
Police have arrested about 100 clergy who were demonstrating against immigration enforcement at Minnesota’s largest airport. Several thousand also gathered in downtown Minneapolis despite Arctic temperatures to protest the Trump administration’s crackdown. The protests are part of a broader movement against President Donald Trump’s increased immigration enforcement across the state. Labor unions, progressive organizations and clergy have urged Minnesotans to stay away from work, school and even shops. Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Jeff Lea says the clergy were issued misdemeanor citations and then released. The high temperature in Minneapolis on Friday was minus 9 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 degrees Celsius).
Federal agents have taken a 5-year-old boy and his father from Minnesota to a detention facility in Texas. School officials and the family's lawyer say this is part of the immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities. The school superintendent in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights says federal agents took Liam Conejo Ramos from a running car in the family’s driveway. She says his father is pursuing asylum in the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security says the operation targeted the father, not the child. A department official says the father asked for the child to stay with him. Liam is the district's fourth student who has been detained recently.
The former Des Moines superintendent has plead guilty in federal court to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and illegally possessing firearms. Ian Roberts is originally from Guyana and initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. He plead guilty Thursday to both counts after entering into an agreement with prosecutors that was released Wednesday. The charges could lead to 20 years in prison. He also could be deported. Roberts was targeted by federal immigration agents and arrested in September. Authorities found a loaded handgun and cash in his vehicle. Roberts was an educator and administrator for two decades in districts across the U.S.
An acquittal in the first Texas trial over the hesitant police response to the Robb Elementary school mass shooting leaves prosecutors facing decisions about the case against Uvalde’s former schools police chief. Legal experts say that prosecutors will likely consider changes to how they present evidence and witness testimony. And they will have to decide whether to take the next case to trial. They will likely face pressure from victims' families to press ahead. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell declined immediate comment Thursday.
A former Uvalde schools police officer who was among the first to respond to the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school has been acquitted of criminal charges that he failed his duty to confront the gunman. Adrian Gonzales had faced 29 charges of child abandonment and endangerment and up to two years in prison. A jury acquitted him Wednesday. Prosecutors had alleged at trial that Gonzales abandoned his training and could have stopped the gunman outside Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. Gonzales’ lawyers insisted he never saw the gunman before he entered the school. The trial was a rare prosecution of an officer for allegedly failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives.
Maine is seeing an increase in immigration enforcement activity this week. The state's secretary of state has responded by declining to issue more undercover license plates for federal immigration officers. ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde told FOX News that it had made 50 arrests by Tuesday as part of “Operation Catch of the Day” and has about 1,400 targets in the state. The actions have centered on Portland and Lewiston, the two largest cities in the state. The cities have thousands of residents of African descent, including many from Somalia.
Indiana and Miami are playing for the national title Monday night, and if that has you scratching your head thinking “Who?” or “What?” then you are not alone. Even though a new world of paying players and rapid-fire transfers from school to school has shuffled the deck in college sports, nobody thought it would get mixed up this much. And even though both schools have been trending upward of late, both were listed as 100-1 long shots to win the championship at some point this season. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers head into the game being played on Miami's home field at Hard Rock Stadium as 8 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.