ReportWire

Tag: Tennessee

  • Federal prosecutor admits ‘extraordinary’ timing in Abrego Garcia smuggling case charges

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    A federal prosecutor acknowledged Thursday that the decision to charge Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia two years after a routine traffic stop was “extraordinary,” while defending the human smuggling case as legally justified.

    Abrego Garcia, 31, has become a flashpoint in the national immigration debate since last March, when he was deported to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order in what Trump administration officials acknowledged was an “administrative error.” 

    The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration had to work to bring him back to the U.S.

    After returning in June, Abrego Garcia was taken into federal custody in Nashville and detained on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.

    He has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.

    Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, left, are accompanied by Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, right, of We Are Casa, as they leave the federal courthouse, Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

    A 2019 court order prevents Abrego Garcia from being deported to El Salvador after an immigration judge determined he faced danger from a gang that had threatened his family. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager and has been under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

    Abrego Garcia was accused in court records of repeated domestic violence against his wife, who alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse in protective order filings. She later withdrew the protective order request and has defended her husband publicly. 

    The Department of Homeland Security has also said he was living in the U.S. illegally and has alleged ties to MS-13, disputing portrayals of him as simply a “Maryland man.” His attorneys have denied the gang allegations.

    Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera footage from when Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding shows a calm exchange with officers. While officers discussed suspicions of smuggling among themselves — noting there were nine passengers in the vehicle — Abrego Garcia was issued only a warning.

    TENNESSEE BODYCAM OF ‘MARYLAND MAN’ TRAFFIC STOP SHOWS TROOPERS’ HANDS TIED DESPITE SMUGGLING CLUES

    A woman is seen holding a sign of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in front of the U.S. Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison earlier this year, in what Trump administration officials described as an 'administrative error.' Photo via Getty Images

    A woman holds a sign in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in front of the U.S. District Court in Nashville. (Getty Images )

    First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire, who was acting U.S. attorney in April 2025, testified Thursday that his decision to charge Abrego Garcia was based on the evidence.

    “I had previously prosecuted several human smuggling cases,” McGuire said, noting that after seeing video of the traffic stop, “I was immediately struck by how similar what was being depicted in the body cam was to those investigations.”

    McGuire said Abrego Garcia’s vehicle belonged to someone with “a human smuggling background” and added that the route was “suspicious.”

    “It was a large number of individuals traveling in one SUV with a driver who spoke for the group. No one had luggage… the car had Texas plates… the route was suspicious,” McGuire said.

    DEM JUDGE IN HOT SEAT AFTER DHS EXPOSES ‘WHOLE NEW LEVEL’ OF ACTIVISM, SHELTERING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

    Kilmar Abrego-Garcia arrives at the federal courthouse

    Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrived at the federal courthouse, Thursday, for a hearing on whether the charges against him should be dismissed. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

    During cross-examination, McGuire acknowledged that the timing of the charges, coming so long after the traffic stop, was “extraordinary.”

    He said he had not previously been aware of the traffic stop but reiterated that nobody in the Trump administration, including the White House or the Department of Justice, pressured him to seek the indictment.

    When asked about whether he might have felt pressure to prosecute the case, McGuire said, “I’m not going to do something that is wrong to keep my job.”

    DHS OFFICIAL RIPS KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA FOR ‘MAKING TIKTOKS’ WHILE AGENCY FACES GAG ORDER

    Kilmar Abrego-Garcia ICE Custody

    Kilmar Abrego Garcia, right, and his brother Cesar Abrego Garcia, center, arrive at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

    McGuire also said timing factored into charging Abrego Garcia since he was being held in El Salvador and he did not want the indictment to go public before all senior officials were briefed on the matter.

    “I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a controversial matter,” McGuire said.

    U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw did not make a ruling Thursday and said he would wait to receive post-hearing briefs from attorneys by March 5 before determining whether another hearing is necessary.

    Crenshaw previously found some evidence that the prosecution “may be vindictive” and that prior statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.”

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    Thursday’s court appearance came after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from re-arresting Abrego Garcia into federal immigration custody on Feb. 17.

    Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and Jake Gibson, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Related Article

    Judge orders migrant deported in 'error' free from ICE custody with criminal case looming

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Mississippi families face prolonged power outages with no way to follow boil-water advisories

    [ad_1]

    Across parts of the South, prolonged power outages are colliding with boil-water advisories, leaving some families without a way to make their water safe to drink.

    In Mississippi, more than 36,000 homes and businesses have now gone a second week without electricity after a historic winter storm brought heavy snow and ice to the region, damaging power lines and blocking access to some communities.

    The crisis has forced families to rely on bottled water and gas heaters as freezing temperatures persist.

    In the small town of Gravestown, volunteer firefighters have been going door to door for wellness checks, delivering water and basic supplies to residents who have been without power for days.

    It’s been a long wait for James and Heather Albertson. The couple huddles around a gas heater inside their home with their daughter and 4-year-old granddaughter to try and stay warm.

    A sustained cold snap has slowed repairs to damaged power lines and utility poles. Officials estimate it could take another 10 days to restore power in some areas.

    When asked whether they could hold out that long, Heather Albertson said, “We don’t have a choice.”

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency has sent 90 generators to Mississippi since last weekend’s storm. Subcontractors hired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are installing them at critical agencies and businesses, like long-term care facilities, hospitals, water districts and fire departments.

    The storm’s impact has stretched beyond the state. Nashville, Tennessee, experienced its largest power outage on record, with more 230,000 customers affected at its peak. Thousands remain in the dark, prompting city leaders to form a commission to investigate Nashville Electric Service.

    “They should be prepared for this,” said Nashville City Council member Emily Benedict. “This is not new to them. The public relies on them to be prepared for events like this.”

    In northern Mississippi, crews are working around the clock to restore electricity to 7,000 customers. Progress there has been slowed by downed trees and impassable roads.

    “Our crews are having to cut their way into some neighborhoods and some county roads to even be able to work on the power,” said Sarah Brooke Bishop, a spokesperson for the Northeast Mississippi Electric Power Association.

    In:

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Thousands advised to stay inside In Georgia, Tennessee

    [ad_1]

    Thousands of people in communities across parts of Georgia (including Dalton, Adrian, and Louisville) and Tennessee (including Chattanooga, Dunlap, and Tracy City) have been advised to stay indoors, after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recorded that fine particle pollution (PM2.5) had reached “unhealthy” levels, as of January 22, 2026, at 2.45 a.m., according to the AirNow Map.

    Why Does This Matter

    When local air quality readings are classified as “unhealthy,” the EPA warns that everyone in the affected area might begin to experience certain health effects, ranging from coughing and eye, throat, and nose irritation to chest tightness and shortness of breath. 

    Members of sensitive groups, which include children, the elderly, and people with existing heart and lung health conditions, may experience more serious health effects.

    What To Do When Air Is “Unhealthy”

    When air quality reaches “unhealthy” levels, the EPA advises everyone in the affected area to take more breaks during outdoor activities, reduce activity intensity, and move longer or more strenuous activities indoors when possible, until the air quality improves. 

    Local health agencies, such as New York City’s Department of Health, recommend wearing a properly fitted respirator (such as an N95 or KN95) to help reduce exposure when someone must remain outdoors for extended periods.

    Individuals in sensitive groups should be particularly cautious, as elevated PM2.5 levels can exacerbate or trigger heart and lung issues.

    The EPA also advises checking real‑time conditions and forecasts to plan activities for when air quality is better, and to keep medications and asthma action plans current for those with respiratory conditions

    How Air Pollution Affects Health

    According to the EPA, fine particulate matter—known as PM2.5—consists of “fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller.”

    Because of their small size, PM2.5 can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, which is why exposure to PM2.5 can trigger a range of health effects, including asthma, decreased lung function, and increased respiratory issues, and can contribute to serious outcomes for people with cardiovascular conditions. 

    What Causes ‘Unhealthy’ Air Quality

    PM2.5 comes from multiple sources, including direct emissions and the formation of particles in the atmosphere from gases. According to the EPA, common sources of increased PM2.5 include power plants, industrial activities, vehicles, wood burning, and wildfires.

    How the EPA Measures Air Quality

    The EPA uses the Air Quality Index (AQI) to measure and report the air quality across America. The AQI uses a scale and six categories to establish the health concern levels, with the higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern.

    The categories are:

    • Good (0–50): Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk
    • Moderate (51–100): Air quality is acceptable; some pollutants may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of unusually sensitive people
    • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101–150): Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects, but the general public is less likely to be affected
    • Unhealthy (151–200): Some members of the general public may experience health effects, and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious effects
    • Very Unhealthy (201–300): A health alert is issued as the risk of health effects is increased for everyone
    • Hazardous (301–500): A health warning of emergency conditions is issued as everyone is more likely to be affected. 

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Forecasters Warn of a ‘Major Winter Storm’ With Ice Threat From Texas to the Carolinas

    [ad_1]

    ATLANTA (AP) — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads with ice and knock down power lines across the South.

    Forecasters on Tuesday expressed fears that an ice storm arriving late this week and into the weekend could weigh down power lines, sending them crashing and causing widespread power outages. Temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas, meaning ice that forms on roads and sidewalks might stick around, forecasters say.

    The exact timing of the approaching storm — and where it is headed — remained uncertain on Tuesday. Forecasters say it can be challenging to predict precisely which areas could see rain and which ones could be punished with ice.


    Cold air clashing with rain to fuel a ‘major winter storm’

    An extremely cold arctic air mass is set to dive south from Canada, setting up a clash with the cold temperatures and rain that will be streaming eastward across the southern U.S.

    “This is extreme, even for this being the peak of winter,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson said of the cold temperatures.

    When the cold air meets the rain, the likely result will be “a major winter storm with very impactful weather, with all the moisture coming up from the Gulf and encountering all this particularly cold air that’s spilling in,” Jackson said.


    An atmospheric river could set up across the southern U.S.

    An atmospheric river of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and the Carolinas, forecasters said.

    “Global models are painting a concerning picture of what this weekend could look like, with an increasingly strong signal for ice storm potential across North Georgia and portions of central Georgia,” according to the National Weather Service’s Atlanta office.

    If significant accumulations of ice strike metro Atlanta, it could be a problem through the weekend since low temperatures early Monday are expected to be around 22 degrees (minus 5.6 Celsius) in Atlanta. The city’s high temperature on Monday is forecast to be around 35 degrees (1.7 Celsius).


    Highway and air travel could be tangled by the storm

    Travel is a major concern, as southern states have less equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, and extremely cold temperatures expected after the storm could prevent ice from melting for several days. In Michigan, more than 100 vehicles crashed into each other or slid off an interstate southwest of Grand Rapids on Monday.

    The storm is also expected to impact many of the nation’s major hub airports, including those in Dallas; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee; and Charlotte, North Carolina.


    Polar air from Canada to keep northern states in a deep freeze

    Unusually cold temperatures are already in place across much of the northern tier of the U.S., but the blast of arctic air expected later this week is “will be the coldest yet,” Jackson said.

    “There’s a large sprawling vortex of low pressure centered over Hudson Bay,” Jackson said of the sea in northern Canada that’s connected to the Arctic Ocean. “And this is dominating the weather over all of North America.”


    Texas could be a harbinger for other parts of the South

    Some of the storm’s earliest impacts could be in Texas on Friday, as the arctic air mass slides south through much of the state, National Weather Service forecaster Sam Shamburger said in a briefing on the storm.

    “At the same time, we’re expecting rain to move into much of the state,” Shamburger said.

    Low temperatures could fall into the 20s or even the teens in parts of Texas by Saturday, with the potential for a wintery mix of weather in the northern part of the state.

    Forecasters cautioned that significant uncertainty remains, particularly over how much ice or snow could fall across north and central Texas.

    “It’s going to be a very difficult forecast,” Shamburger said.

    Panjwani reported from Washington, D.C.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Blast of Winter Weather Hitting Midwest, East Coast and Could Bring Snow to Florida

    [ad_1]

    HOUSTON (AP) — A blast of winter weather was set to bring snowfall and subfreezing wind chills across the Midwest and East Coast on Saturday as well as near freezing temperatures in parts of the South, including in normally warm Florida.

    In northeastern Ohio, a snow squall — sudden bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds — was creating whiteout conditions, according to the National Weather Service. The snow squall conditions were moving into the Cleveland metro area on Saturday and expected to continue east into Pennsylvania and parts of eastern New York.

    “Expect visibilities of less than a quarter of a mile and rapid snow accumulation on roadways. Travel will be difficult and possibly dangerous in the heavy snow,” according to the National Weather Service.

    Below average temperatures were being forecast for the Central and Eastern U.S. this weekend into early next week, according to the National Weather Service.

    “The next few nights are forecast to be very cold for much of the Central and Eastern United States,” the Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, said Saturday. “Sub-zero wind chills are forecast from the Plains to the Midwest and Northeast, with the coldest wind chills expected in the Upper Midwest on Sunday night.”

    Snowfall was expected by Sunday night to blanket Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with some areas getting up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow.

    The cold weather wasn’t going to be limited to the northern parts of the U.S. as Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida were expected to have near freezing temperatures through at least the weekend.

    In Tallahassee, Florida, residents could see some snowfall on Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. But if there is snow, it won’t last long.

    “So here in Tallahassee, the likelihood of any snow accumulation is not zero, but it’s very low. I mean, the ground will be just too warm for anything to stick and accumulate,” said Kristian Oliver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Tallahassee.

    If there is snowfall in the Tallahassee area on Sunday, it would be the second time in as many years that Florida has experienced such winter weather.

    In January 2025, up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of the Florida Panhandle. This snowfall was part of a record breaking snowstorm that impacted the deep South in late January 2025, according to the National Weather Service. Areas that don’t normally see snowfall, including Houston, New Orleans and parts of Florida, were hit by last year’s winter storm.

    “On average w Associated Press e have an event like this maybe every few years. But having two, back to back, I’d say is pretty anomalous for the area,” Oliver said.

    Up to 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of snow could fall on Sunday in parts of central Georgia, areas located south of Atlanta.

    “Plan on slippery roads during the snow, as well as on Sunday night into Monday morning as remaining water/snow refreezes,” said the National Weather Service’s Atlanta office.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Tennessee Judge Grants Expanded Media Access to State-Run Executions

    [ad_1]

    A judge ruled Friday that Tennessee prison officials must grant expanded access to media members to view state-run executions, after a coalition of news organizations including The Associated Press sued on claims that state execution protocols unconstitutionally limit thorough and accurate reporting.

    Before Chancellor I’Ashea L. Myles’ order, reporters witnessing lethal injections were limited to a short time period during which they could view the execution process. The coalition’s lawsuit argued the protocols violate the public and press’s constitutional rights to witness the entirety of executions conducted by the Tennessee Department of Correction, “from the time the condemned enters the execution chamber until after the condemned is declared dead.”

    The lawsuit sought a judgment that the protocols are unconstitutional and an injunction to allow the press to see the full execution process. Myles’ order granted a temporary injunction allowing media members and other witnesses to see most of the execution process, with security procedures in place for those carrying out the procedures.

    The lawsuit, filed in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville, names as defendants Kenneth Nelsen, warden of Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville that houses Tennessee’s execution chamber, and Frank Strada, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction.

    The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent after hours Friday to a department spokesperson.

    During previous executions, media members began seeing what happens once the condemned person is already strapped to a gurney and hooked up to IV lines. They don’t know at which precise moment the injections begin and those administering the injections are in a separate room.

    The protocol says that after the syringes of saline and pentobarbital are administered, a team leader signals to the warden and a five-minute waiting period begins. After that period, the blinds are closed, the camera is turned off and then the doctor comes in to determine if the person is dead. If that is the case, the warden announces on the intercom system that the sentence was carried out and witnesses are directed to exit.

    Essentially, the process granted witnesses a 10 to 15 minute window where they could observe the process.

    Prison officials argued that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution does not grant the press a right of special access to information not regularly available to the public. They claimed that the restrictions are necessary because allowing the press to see the full execution would endanger prison security and people involved in the process.

    The judge’s order says members of the execution team shall wear a disposable protective suit covering the members’ regular work uniform, identification badge and hair. Team members also will be offered a mask “to further conceal his or her identity should they so choose to wear one,” the judge wrote.

    During executions involving lethal injection, curtains to the official witness room shall be opened to the execution chamber at 10 a.m., which, according to protocols, is when the inmate is secured with restraints on a gurney and the IV insertion process begins.

    The curtains must remain open until the pronouncement of death, the judge ruled.

    “This Court finds that a meaningful and full observation of executions allows the public to assess whether the state carries out death sentences in a lawful and humane manner and ensures that the execution process remains subject to democratic oversight,” the judge wrote.

    In addition to AP, the media coalition includes Gannett Co., Inc.; Nashville Public Media, Inc.; Nashville Public Radio; Scripps Media, Inc.; Six Rivers Media, LLC; and TEGNA INC.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Investors Make a Bold Move to Rescue Troubled Whiskey Brand Uncle Nearest as Owners Fight for Control

    [ad_1]

    The battle for Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is escalating, as a new investor group moves to buy out the company’s $108 million loan from Farm Credit Mid-America. The group, NextGen2780, hopes to escalate the sale of the troubled spirits brand and prevent further erosion of its value. 

    The Tennessee-based whiskey brand has been in receivership since fall 2025, after Farm Credit lost confidence in Uncle Nearest’s ability repay the loan. Since then, the founders Fawn and Keith Weaver have fought to regain control of the company. 

    The Weavers argue that the crisis stems not from leadership failures, but from alleged misconduct by former chief financial officer Michael Senzaki. In a recent civil lawsuit, they accuse Senxaki of forging stock transfers and diverging company funds, actions they say cost Uncle Nearest millions of dollars and destabilized the business. 

    Even under receivership, the company continues to falter. Sales have declined as distributors have backed out of deals and as bottles are pulled from shelves and bars, according to Black Enterprise.

    That steady loss underpins NexGen2780’s motives to intervene. Walter Miles, who represents the investor group, told the court that prolonged recievership risks further damaging the brand.

    “We respectfully note our concern that the extended duration of the receivership proceedings may be contributing to a gradual diminution of enterprise value,” he said. “Prolonged uncertainty can adversely affect brand equity, distributor and vendor relationships, employee retention, and overall market positioning.”

    With court oversight, Miles said Nexgen2780 could “help mitigate further value erosion while maximizing recovery for creditors and other stakeholders.” And while Fawn is the largest shareholder, who controls the majority of board votes, her input isn’t considered under receivership. 

    Thus, the proposed loan buyout could drastically shape the future of Uncle Nearest Whiskey, influencing who ultimately controls the brand and how its assets are handled. 

    As of 2025, Uncle Nearest was the second biggest Tennessee whiskey brand after Jack Daniels. The company is named after Nathan “Nearest” Green, an emancipated slave credited with teaching Jack Daniels how to distill whiskey. Uncle Nearest made the 2022 Inc. 5000 list and its whiskeys have claimed numerous awards from major spirits competitions.

    The early-rate deadline for the 2026 Inc. 5000 is Friday, January 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.

    [ad_2]

    Leila Sheridan

    Source link

  • Keeler: CU Buffs transfers wonder what 2025 under Deion Sanders would’ve looked like if they stayed: ‘They missed out’

    [ad_1]

    Noah Fenske had his luggage with him Saturday. It wasn’t Louis.

    “Just Under Armour,” the former CU Buffs offensive lineman texted me from his vacation in Nashville.

    While on the road with his fiancée, Fenske’s also been keeping an eye on an old CU teammate, Alex Harkey. Oregon’s starting right tackle? Yeah, he used to be a Buff.

    Harkey, a 6-foot-6, 327-pound redshirt senior, is prepping for a Friday night showdown with Indiana — and another former CU player, the Hoosiers’ Kahlil Benson — in one College Football Playoff semifinal. The Ducks’ bruiser helped Oregon put up 245 passing yards and convert four fourth-down conversions on The Best Defense Money Can Buy, blanking Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl.

    He’d transferred into CU as a 305-pounder out of Tyler (Texas) Junior College, a 3-star who was weighing offers from Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion. After appearing in 12 games, largely as a reserve guard, Harkey was one of the kids from CU’s 2022 recruiting class swept out in the great Deion Sanders roster purge during the spring of 2023.

    Fenske, who played in seven games with the Buffs in ’22, was Harkey’s roommate at CU. He got swept away, too. Under Armour was out, Louis Vuitton luggage was in.

    “(Harkey has) done incredible, man,” Fenske gushed. “Because when he first came in (to CU), he wasn’t what he is now. And just seeing his transformation from being a (backup) guard on a 1-11 team to being a first-round or second-round (NFL) draft pick …”

    Big Alex could play. So could wideout Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State). And cornerback Simeon Harris (Fresno State). And quarterback Owen McCown, once he’d had some more brisket. McCown, who played as a wafer-thin true freshman at CU in ’22, threw for 30 touchdowns at UTSA this past fall — including three in a 57-20 win over Florida International in the First Responder Bowl.

    “We just stay connected, support each other’s success,” Harris, who still belongs to a group chat of former Buffs, told me over the weekend. “You’ve got to expect the unexpected. That (purge) hit us all in the mouth.”

    CU fans talk a lot — a lot — about 1-11 in 2022. About rock bottom. About Coach Prime lighting the candle for the climb out of obscurity.

    [ad_2]

    Sean Keeler

    Source link

  • The Grammys Split the Country Album Category Into Traditional and Contemporary. It Might Be Great

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK (AP) — Flashback to February. It’s the 2025 Grammys, and Beyoncé has made history. Not only was she finally awarded the top prize of album of the year, but she also became the first Black woman to win best country album, for “Cowboy Carter.” Recent changes by the Recording Academy have made it even more monumental: She might be the last person to ever win the award.

    In June, the Academy announced that the Grammys’ country album title was splitting into two categories. A new award was created, traditional country album. The preexisting country album category has been redefined and is now contemporary country album, reflecting the genre’s ongoing sonic evolutions.

    Here’s everything you need to know about the change — and what it could signify in the future.


    From “Cowboy Carter” to now

    Charles L. Hughes, Rhodes College professor and author of “Country Soul,” says Beyoncé’s victory was a welcomed surprise, despite being obviously worthy. That’s because her album inspired a larger conversation about reclamation, standing in opposition to the music industry’s rigid power structures and “indicated how significant this historical question remains of whether or not Black folks have equal access to success in a genre of music that bears such strong Black influences and has from the very beginning,” Hughes said.

    He believes the decision to alter the country album categories was not in direct response to her win — “I think it is a more complicated story,” he says — but the timing might’ve been less than ideal, emboldening fans to view it as reactionary. He hopes the changes will open the category to more diversity of sounds and “whether this leads to a broader opening and opportunity for Black artists, especially Black women in country music,” he posits.

    Francesca T. Royster, a DePaul University professor and author of “Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions,” views Beyoncé’s victory as positively connected to this change. She wonders if artists — particularly artists of color, who never had their music recognized in country music categories, think of artists like “Millie Jackson or Candi Staton, Bobby Womack” — would now see their work recognized. “Having these two categories just allows for more experimentation and maybe less of a double standard,” she says, “in terms of artists who are often held to higher standards to conform to, or be recognizable as, meeting an idea about what country music is.”

    “It makes sense that the Grammy categories for country would become a little bit more expansive,” she says, “because I think the music is more expansive and the audience is also more expansive than it’s ever been.”


    Traditional vs. contemporary

    According to the Recording Academy’s rule book, the traditional country category is defined by “country recordings that adhere to the more traditional sound structures of the country genre, including rhythm and singing style, lyrical content, as well as traditional country instrumentation.”

    Those are: acoustic guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, piano, electric guitar and live drums. This is also where subgenres like outlaw country, Western and Western swing would fit.

    The contemporary country category description is a bit more conceptual. The rule book states that albums eligible in this category “utilize a stylistic intention, song structure, lyrical content, and/or musical presentation to create a sensibility that reflects the broad spectrum of contemporary country style and culture.”

    The hope is that those titles are “relevant to the legacy of country music’s culture, while also engaging in more contemporary music forms.”

    The questions Hughes poses: “Whose tradition are we talking about?” And how is “country music’s culture” defined?

    “It’s almost tautology. ‘Well, it’s traditional country if it sounds like traditional country,’” he says.

    In that reading, contemporary country could simply account for everything else.

    Royster says both categories seem to “speak to an aesthetic as well as political agenda, many agendas.” To her, the traditional category would appeal to artists who believe that “this is a past form that needs to … continue to be recognized and respected.” Similarly, the contemporary category is “linked to the culture of country but is also expansive.”

    “In both cases, there’s a kind of story behind the story.”

    Adding a new genre category is not unique to country music. Consider a sister genre, R&B. In 1999, the Recording Academy also introduced a traditional category to the R&B field to spotlight artists who chose to hybridize the genre as well as those who prefer nostalgic structures.

    It didn’t stay stagnant from there: In 2021, the Academy changed the best urban contemporary album category to best progressive R&B album, to spotlight those records that weave R&B with other genres.

    In the traditional category, it is Charley Crockett’s “Dollar a Day,” Lukas Nelson’s “American Romance,” Willie Nelson’s “Oh What a Beautiful World,” Margo Price’s “Hard Headed Woman,” and Zach Top’s “Ain’t In It For My Health.”

    Royster wonders if with this first year of nominees, “there’s less risk in terms of recognizing the kind of ‘country-ness’ of these artists.” Royster views the lineup as “artists (whose) country creds would still be recognized even if they’re also bringing in other elements. I would hope in the future there might be more room in the category.”

    For Hughes, the nominees further confuse the distinctions. Consider this example: Zach Top’s album borrows heavily from George Strait’s sound, which emerged in the ‘70s as a mesh of honky-tonk traditions and contemporary country. Hip-hop also emerged in the ’70s. They were simultaneous. “But I have a feeling we won’t be seeing a lot of hip-hop-inspired artists in the traditional category,” he says.

    But that doesn’t mean it might not evolve in the future. “If the Grammys fundamentally exist to give people recognition,” he says, “The more, the merrier.”


    What country musicians say

    “Anytime the pipe widens, more water gets through. And this was the pipe widening, baby,” Jelly Roll, who is nominated in the inaugural best contemporary country album category, told The Associated Press. “I love it. I’m happy. I’m a fan of both sides. It encourages me to maybe make a traditional country album one day, you know? So, this is cool.”

    Three-time Grammy award winner Brad Paisley has a similar stance: There’s a benefit to having more country music recognitions.

    “Awards are really tools to sort of get awareness for something that you made, you know?” he said. “They’re never the goal. It’s always more like, ‘Oh, cool, this might make more people listen to it.’ … If this means they got to make more little gold gramophone statues to give out, and two people get them versus one, great.”

    That said: Paisley’s not sure which category he would fall into, or if the division could color an artist’s creative decisions. “I’d almost have to think it through like, ‘No, no, we’re going for the Grammy on this. I better not do this on this record or something.’ But hopefully that doesn’t ever enter into it,” he says.

    Hopefully, it’s just a panel decided who belongs in which category, “and then two people get to go home happy versus one. And that’s good in my book,” he said.

    The 68th Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The show will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. For more coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Jelly Roll, country-rap superstar who found music while serving prison time, pardoned by Tennessee governor in front of Christmas Tree | Fortune

    [ad_1]

    Tennessee’s governor pardoned country star Jelly Roll on Thursday for his criminal past in the state, acknowledging the Nashville native’s long road back from drugs and prison through soul-searching, songwriting and advocacy for second chances.

    The rapper-turned-singer whose legal name is Jason Deford has spoken for years about his redemption arc before diverse audiences, from people serving time in correctional centers to concert crowds and even in testimony before Congress.

    Republican Gov. Bill Lee issued the pardon after friends and civic leaders of the Grammy-nominated musician joined in an outpouring of support.

    Jelly Roll’s convictions include robbery and drug felonies. He has said a pardon would make it easier for him to travel internationally for concert tours and to perform Christian missionary work without filling out burdensome paperwork.

    He was one of 33 people to receive pardons Thursday from Lee, who for years has issued clemency decisions around the Christmas season. Lee said Jelly Roll’s application underwent the same monthslong thorough review as other applicants. The state parole board gave a nonbinding, unanimous recommendation for Jelly Roll’s pardon in April.

    “His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for,” Lee told reporters.

    Jelly Roll and Lee meet at the governor’s mansion

    Lee said he never met Jelly Roll until Thursday, when the musician visited the governor’s mansion over the pardon news. The two hugged in front of a lit Christmas tree and a fireplace decorated with holiday garlands.

    Unlike recent high-profile federal pardons, which let people off the hook for prison, a Tennessee pardon serves as a statement of forgiveness for someone who has already completed a prison sentence. Pardons offer a path to restoring certain civil rights such as the right to vote, although there are some legal limitations, and the governor can specify the terms.

    Jelly Roll broke into country music with the 2023 album “Whitsitt Chapel” and crossover songs like “Need a Favor.” He has won multiple CMT Awards, a CMA Award and also picked up seven career Grammy nominations.

    Much of his music deals with overcoming adversity, like the song “Winning Streak” about someone’s first day sober. Or the direct-and-to-the-point, “I Am Not Okay.”

    “When I first started doing this, I was just telling my story of my broken self,” he told The Associated Press in an interview. “By the time I got through it, I realized that my story was the story of many. So now I’m not telling my story anymore. I’m getting to pull it right from the crevices of the people whose story’s never been told.”

    Jelly Roll: ‘‘I was a part of the problem’

    Before the parole board, Jelly Roll said he first fell in love with songwriting while in custody, calling music a therapeutic passion project that “would end up changing my life in ways that I never dreamed imaginable.”

    Outside of sold-out shows, he’s testified before the U.S. Senate about the dangers of fentanyl, describing his drug-dealing younger self as “the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about.”

    “I was a part of the problem,” he told lawmakers at the time. “I am here now standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution.”

    Jelly Roll’s most serious convictions include a robbery at 17 and drug charges at 23. In the first case, a female acquaintance helped Jelly Roll and two armed accomplices steal $350 from people in a home in 2002. Because the victims knew the female acquaintance, she and Jelly Roll were quickly arrested. Jelly Roll was unarmed, and was sentenced to one year in prison plus probation.

    In another run-in 2008, police found marijuana and crack cocaine in his car, leading to eight years of court-ordered supervision.

    Sheriff whose jail held Jelly Roll urged a pardon

    Friends and civic leaders cited his transformation in backing a pardon.

    Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, who runs Nashville’s jail, wrote that Jelly Roll had an awakening in one of the jails he managed. Live Nation Entertainment CEO and President Michael Rapino cited Jelly Roll’s donations from his performances to charities for at-risk youth.

    “I think he has a chance and is in the process of rehabilitating a generation, and that’s not just words,” Hall said in a phone interview Thursday. “I’m talking about what I see we need in our country, is people who accept responsibility, accept the fact that they make mistakes and accept the fact that they need help.”

    The parole board began considering Jelly Roll’s pardon application in October 2024, which marks the state’s five-year timeline for eligibility after his sentence expired. Prominent Nashville attorney David Raybin represented Jelly Roll in the pardon case.

    Lee’s office said no one was pardoned Thursday who had a homicide or a sex-related conviction, or for any crime committed as an adult against a minor.

    [ad_2]

    Jonathan Mattise, The Associated Press

    Source link

  • Jelly Roll pardoned by Tennessee governor for robbery, drug convictions

    [ad_1]

    Tennessee’s governor pardoned country star Jelly Roll on Thursday for his criminal past in the state, acknowledging the Nashville native’s long road back from drugs and prison through soul-searching, songwriting and advocacy for second chances.

    The rapper-turned-singer, whose legal name is Jason Deford, has spoken for years about his redemption arc before diverse audiences, from people serving time in correctional centers to concert crowds and even in testimony before Congress.

    Republican Gov. Bill Lee issued his pardon after friends and civic leaders of the Grammy-nominated musician joined in an outpouring of support.

    He has said a pardon would make it easier for him to travel internationally for concert tours and to perform Christian missionary work without requiring burdensome paperwork.

    Jelly Roll performs during iHeartRadio Hot 99.5’s Jingle Ball at Capital One Arena on Dec. 16, 2025, in Washington, D.C.

    Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for iHeartRadio


    He was one of 33 people to receive pardons Thursday from Lee, who for years has issued clemency decisions around the Christmas season. Lee said Jelly Roll’s application underwent the same monthslong thorough review as other applicants. The state parole board gave a nonbinding, unanimous recommendation for Jelly Roll’s pardon in April.

    “His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for,” Lee told reporters, adding he hopes to meet Jelly Roll for the first time soon.

    Beginning at the age of 14, Jelly Roll was in and out of jail for about a decade for convictions including aggravated robbery, shoplifting, drug possession and drug dealing.

    In January 2024, “CBS Sunday Morning” interviewed Jelly Roll inside the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility in Nashville, where he had once been an inmate. At the time, Jelly Roll had just been nominated for two Grammys.   

    “There was a time in my life where I truly thought … this was it,” he told “CBS Sunday Morning.” “And then coming here, you know, just after getting nominated for two Grammys, it just hits different…I didn’t think I’d get emotional, to be honest.

    He told “CBS Sunday Morning” he wrote hundreds of songs while in jail.

    Unlike recent high-profile federal pardons, which let people off the hook for prison, a pardon in Tennessee serves as a statement of forgiveness for someone who has already completed a prison sentence and been released. Pardons offer a path to get certain civil rights restored, such as the right to vote, although there are some limitations under state law, and the governor can specify the terms.

    Jelly Roll broke into country music with the 2023 album “Whitsitt Chapel” and crossover songs like “Need a Favor.” He has won multiple CMT Awards, a CMA Award and also picked up seven career Grammy nominations, three of them recently.

    Much of his work has become associated with overcoming adversity, like the song “Winning Streak” that tells the story of someone’s first day sober. Or the direct-and-to-the-point, “I Am Not Okay.”

    In making his case to the parole board, Jelly Roll said he first fell in love with songwriting while in custody, stating it began as a therapeutic passion project that “would end up changing my life in ways that I never dreamed imaginable.”

    Beyond his sold-out shows, he’s brought his story to the Senate, where he testified in January 2024 about the dangers of fentanyl, describing his drug-dealing younger self as “the uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about.”

    “I was a part of the problem,” he told lawmakers at the time. “I am here now standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution.”

    Jelly Roll’s most serious convictions include a robbery at age 17 and drug charges at 23. In the first case, a female acquaintance helped Jelly Roll and two armed accomplices steal $350 from people in a home in 2002. Because the victims knew the female acquaintance, she and Jelly Roll were arrested right away. Jelly Roll was unarmed, and was sentenced to one year in prison plus probation.

    In another run-in 2008, police found marijuana and crack cocaine in his car, leading to eight years of court-ordered supervision.

    Friends and civic leaders backed the pardon application, citing Jelly Roll’s transformation.

    Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, who runs Nashville’s jail, wrote that Jelly Roll had an awakening in one of the jails he managed. Live Nation Entertainment CEO and President Michael Rapino cited Jelly Roll’s donations from his performances to charities for at-risk youth.

    The parole board began considering Jelly Roll’s pardon application in October 2024, which marks the state’s five-year timeline for eligibility after his sentence expired. Prominent Nashville attorney David Raybin represents Jelly Roll in the pardon case.

    Lee’s office said no one was pardoned Thursday who had a homicide or a sex-related conviction, or for any crime committed as an adult against a minor.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Federal judge issues order to prohibit immigration officials from detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia

    [ad_1]

    A federal judge ordered Friday that U.S. immigration officials could not detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia, hours after his release from immigration detention.Abrego Garcia was appearing Friday morning for a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judge’s orders. His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again.Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said. She wrote that Abrego Garcia is likely to succeed on the merits of any further request for relief from ICE detention.“For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the Court’s narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration,” she wrote.Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. He was last taken into custody in August during a similar check-in.Abrego Garcia on Friday stopped at a news conference outside the building, escorted by a group of supporters chanting “We are all Kilmar!”“I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high,” Abrego Garcia said through a translator. “I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family.”He urged people to keep fighting.“I stand here today with my head held high and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this government has done upon me,” Abrego Garcia said. “Regardless of this administration, I believe this is a country of laws and I believe that this injustice will come to an end.”After Abrego Garcia spoke, he went through security at the field office, escorted by supporters.The agency freed him just before 5 p.m. on Thursday in response to a ruling from Xinis, who wrote federal authorities detained him after his return to the United States without any legal basis.Mistakenly deported and then returnedAbrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager to join his brother, who had become a U.S. citizen. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, where he faces danger from a gang that targeted his family.While he was allowed to live and work in the U.S. under ICE supervision, he was not given residency status. Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported and held in a notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record.Facing mounting public pressure and a court order, Trump’s Republican administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked a federal judge there to dismiss them.A lawsuit to block removal from the USThe 2019 settlement found he had a “well founded fear” of danger in El Salvador if he was deported there. So instead ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. Abrego Garcia has sued, claiming the Trump administration is illegally using the removal process to punish him for the public embarrassment caused by his deportation.In her order releasing Abrego Garcia, Xinis wrote that federal authorities “did not just stonewall” the court, “They affirmatively misled the tribunal.” Xinis also rejected the government’s argument that she lacked jurisdiction to intervene on a final removal order for Abrego Garcia, because she found no final order had been filed.ICE freed Abrego Garcia from Moshannon Valley Processing Center, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, on Thursday just before the deadline Xinis gave the government to provide an update on Abrego Garcia’s release.He returned home to Maryland a few hours later.Immigration check-inCheck-ins are how ICE keeps track of some people who are released by the government to pursue asylum or other immigration cases as they make their way through a backlogged court system. The appointments were once routine but many people have been detained at their check-ins since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said he’s prepared to defend his client against further deportation efforts.“The government still has plenty of tools in their toolbox, plenty of tricks up their sleeve,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said, adding he fully expects the government to again take steps to deport his client. “We’re going to be there to fight to make sure there is a fair trial.”The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Xinis’ order and vowed to appeal, calling the ruling “naked judicial activism” by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.“This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary.Sandoval-Moshenberg said the judge made it clear that the government can’t detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client “has endured more than anyone should ever have to.”Abrego Garcia has also applied for asylum in the U.S. in immigration court.Charges in TennesseeAbrego Garcia was hit with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling charges when the U.S. government brought him back from El Salvador. Prosecutors alleged he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.A Department of Homeland Security agent testified at an earlier hearing that he did not begin investigating the traffic stop until after the U.S. Supreme Court said in April that the Trump administration must work to bring back Abrego Garcia.

    BALTIMORE —

    A federal judge ordered Friday that U.S. immigration officials could not detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia, hours after his release from immigration detention.

    Abrego Garcia was appearing Friday morning for a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention on a judge’s orders. His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again.

    Officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said. She wrote that Abrego Garcia is likely to succeed on the merits of any further request for relief from ICE detention.

    “For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the Court’s narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration,” she wrote.

    Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. He was last taken into custody in August during a similar check-in.

    Abrego Garcia on Friday stopped at a news conference outside the building, escorted by a group of supporters chanting “We are all Kilmar!”

    “I stand before you a free man and I want you to remember me this way, with my head held up high,” Abrego Garcia said through a translator. “I come here today with so much hope and I thank God who has been with me since the start with my family.”

    He urged people to keep fighting.

    “I stand here today with my head held high and I will continue to fight and stand firm against all of the injustices this government has done upon me,” Abrego Garcia said. “Regardless of this administration, I believe this is a country of laws and I believe that this injustice will come to an end.”

    After Abrego Garcia spoke, he went through security at the field office, escorted by supporters.

    The agency freed him just before 5 p.m. on Thursday in response to a ruling from Xinis, who wrote federal authorities detained him after his return to the United States without any legal basis.

    Mistakenly deported and then returned

    Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen with an American wife and child who has lived in Maryland for years. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager to join his brother, who had become a U.S. citizen. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from being deported back to his home country, where he faces danger from a gang that targeted his family.

    While he was allowed to live and work in the U.S. under ICE supervision, he was not given residency status. Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported and held in a notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record.

    Facing mounting public pressure and a court order, Trump’s Republican administration brought him back to the U.S. in June, but only after issuing an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and asked a federal judge there to dismiss them.

    A lawsuit to block removal from the US

    The 2019 settlement found he had a “well founded fear” of danger in El Salvador if he was deported there. So instead ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. Abrego Garcia has sued, claiming the Trump administration is illegally using the removal process to punish him for the public embarrassment caused by his deportation.

    In her order releasing Abrego Garcia, Xinis wrote that federal authorities “did not just stonewall” the court, “They affirmatively misled the tribunal.” Xinis also rejected the government’s argument that she lacked jurisdiction to intervene on a final removal order for Abrego Garcia, because she found no final order had been filed.

    ICE freed Abrego Garcia from Moshannon Valley Processing Center, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, on Thursday just before the deadline Xinis gave the government to provide an update on Abrego Garcia’s release.

    He returned home to Maryland a few hours later.

    Immigration check-in

    Check-ins are how ICE keeps track of some people who are released by the government to pursue asylum or other immigration cases as they make their way through a backlogged court system. The appointments were once routine but many people have been detained at their check-ins since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

    Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said he’s prepared to defend his client against further deportation efforts.

    “The government still has plenty of tools in their toolbox, plenty of tricks up their sleeve,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said, adding he fully expects the government to again take steps to deport his client. “We’re going to be there to fight to make sure there is a fair trial.”

    The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized Xinis’ order and vowed to appeal, calling the ruling “naked judicial activism” by a judge appointed during the Obama administration.

    “This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary.

    Sandoval-Moshenberg said the judge made it clear that the government can’t detain someone indefinitely without legal authority and that his client “has endured more than anyone should ever have to.”

    Abrego Garcia has also applied for asylum in the U.S. in immigration court.

    Charges in Tennessee

    Abrego Garcia was hit with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling charges when the U.S. government brought him back from El Salvador. Prosecutors alleged he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally.

    The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. Body camera footage from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego Garcia. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. However, Abrego Garcia was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.

    A Department of Homeland Security agent testified at an earlier hearing that he did not begin investigating the traffic stop until after the U.S. Supreme Court said in April that the Trump administration must work to bring back Abrego Garcia.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • NASCAR settles federal antitrust case, gives all teams the permanent charters they wanted

    [ad_1]

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan and NASCAR chairman Jim France stood side-by-side on the steps of a federal courthouse as if they were old friends following a stunning settlement Thursday of a bruising antitrust case in which the Basketball Hall of Famer was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit accusing the top racing series in the United States of being a monopolistic bully.

    The duo was flanked by three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and Curtis Polk, the co-owners of 23XI Racing with Jordan, Front Row Motorsports owner Bob Jenkins and over a dozen lawyers as they celebrated the end to an eight-day trial that ultimately led NASCAR to cave and grant all its teams the permanent charters they wanted.

    “Like two competitors, obviously we tried to get as much done in each other’s favor,” Jordan said, towering over the 81-year-old France. “I’ve said this from Day 1: The only way this sport is going to grow is we have to find some synergy between the two entities. I think we’ve gotten to that point, unfortunately it took 16 months to get here, but I think level heads have gotten us to this point where we can actually work together and grow this sport. I am very proud about that and I think Jim feels the same.”

    France concurred.

    “I do feel the same and we can get back to focusing on what we really love, and that’s racing, and we spent a lot of time not really focused on that so much as we needed to be,” France said. “I feel like we made a very good decision here together and we have a big opportunity to continue growing the sport.”

    A charter is the equivalent of the franchise model used in other sports and in NASCAR it guarantees 36 teams a spot in every top-level Cup Series race and a fixed portion of the revenue stream. The system was implemented in 2016 and teams have argued for over two years that the charters needed to be made permanent — they had been revokable by NASCAR — and the revenue sharing had to change.

    NASCAR, founded and privately owned by the Florida-based France family, never considered making the charters permanent. Instead, after two-plus years of bitter negotiations, NASCAR in September 2024 presented a “take-it-or leave-it” final offer that gave teams until end of that day to sign the 112-page document.

    23XI and Front Row refused and sued, while 13 other organizations signed but testimony in court revealed many did so “with a gun to our head” because the threat of losing the charters would have put them out of business.

    Jordan testified early in the trial that as a new team owner to NASCAR — 23XI launched in 2021 — he felt he had the strength to challenge NASCAR. Eight days of testimony went badly for NASCAR, which when it began to present its case seemed focused more on mitigating damages than it did on proving it did not violate antitrust laws.

    Although terms of the settlement were not released — NASCAR was in the process of scheduling a Thursday afternoon call with all teams to discuss the revenue-sharing model moving forward — both Jordan and NASCAR said that charters will now be permanent for all teams. 23XI and Front Row will receive their combined six charters back for 2026.

    An economist previously testified that NASCAR owes 23XI and Front Row $364.7 million in damages, and that NASCAR shorted 36 chartered teams $1.06 billion from 2021-24.

    “Today’s a good day,” Jordan said from the front-row seat he’s occupied since the trial began Dec. 1 as he waited for the settlement announcement.

    U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell, who had presided over two days of failed settlement talks before the trial began, echoed the sentiment. Bell told the jury that sometimes parties at trial have to see how the evidence unfolds to come to the wisdom of a settlement.

    “I wish we could’ve done this a few months ago,” Bell said in court. “I believe this is great for NASCAR. Great for the future of NASCAR. Great for the entity of NASCAR. Great for the teams and ultimately great for the fans.”

    The settlement came after two days of testimony by France and the Wednesday night public release of a letter from Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris calling for NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps to be removed.

    The discovery process revealed internal NASCAR communications in which Phelps called Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress a “redneck” and other derogatory names; Bass Pro sponsors Childress’ teams, as well as some others, and Morris is an ardent NASCAR supporter.

    Childress gave fiery testimony earlier this week over his reluctance to sign the charter agreement because it was unfair to the teams, which have been bleeding money and begged NASCAR for concessions. Letters from Hall of Fame team owners Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick, Jack Roush and Roger Penske were introduced in which they pleaded with France for charters to become permanent; France testified he was not moved by the men he considers good friends.

    Hendrick and Penske, who were both scheduled to testify Friday, expressed gratitude that a settlement had been reached. Penske called it “tremendous news” and said it cleared the way to continue growing the series.

    “Millions of loyal NASCAR fans and thousands of hardworking people rely on our industry, and today’s resolution allows all of us to focus on what truly matters — the future of our sport,” Hendrick said. “This moment presents an important opportunity to strengthen our relationships and recommit ourselves to building a collaborative and prosperous future for all stakeholders. I’m incredibly optimistic about what’s ahead.”

    The settlement came abruptly on the ninth day of the trial. Bell opened expecting to hear motions but both sides asked for a private conference in chambers. When they emerged, Bell ordered an hourlong break for the two sides to confer. That turned into two hours, all parties returned to the courtroom and Kessler announced an agreement had been reached.

    “What all parties have always agreed on is a deep love for the sport and a desire to see it fulfill its full potential,” NASCAR and the plaintiffs said in a joint statement. “This is a landmark moment, one that ensures NASCAR’s foundation is stronger, its future is brighter and its possibilities are greater.”

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • NASCAR chairman refuses to budge on team charters in testimony during Michael Jordan’s lawsuit

    [ad_1]

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR Chairman Jim France testified Tuesday in Michael Jordan’s federal antitrust lawsuit against his family that he still has not changed his mind on granting teams permanent charters, and evidence showed he entered negotiations on a new revenue-sharing agreement determined to thwart teams’ efforts for a better deal from the stock car series.

    France was the final witness called by attorneys for Jordan’s 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports on the seventh day of the trial. Those race teams have accused NASCAR of being a monopolistic bully that engages in anticompetitive business practices.

    Also called Tuesday was Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress, who testified that he only signed the 2025 revenue-sharing agreement because refusing to do so would have put Richard Childress Racing out of business.

    NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps testified to the frustrating two-plus years of negotiations between the top motorsports series in the United States and its race teams. The plaintiffs introduced several documents detailing communication between NASCAR executives that showed France was stubbornly opposed to granting teams permanent charters throughout the process.

    The charter system is equivalent to the franchise model used in other sports. In NASCAR, a charter guarantees cars a spot in the 40-car field each week, as well as specified financial terms.

    Asked by plaintiffs’ attorney Jeffrey Kessler if he has changed his stance on making charters permanent, France said, “No, I have not.”

    Kessler later introduced a summary of notes from the first meeting of NASCAR executives on how they would approach negotiations with the teams over the new agreements. Steve O’Donnell, now the president of NASCAR, wrote in those notes, “Jim’s overarching comments — we are in a competition. We are going to win.”

    France’s position never changed, even though — as evidence showed — he received pleas from Hall of Fame team owners Joe Gibbs, Rick Hendrick, Jack Roush and Roger Penske. All four are close personal friends, France said on the stand Tuesday.

    France became chairman of the series his father founded in 1948 following the 2019 resignation of his nephew, Brian. NASCAR has always been privately owned by the Florida-based family, and Brian France negotiated the initial charter system that began in 2016 as a response to teams complaining they were bleeding money at an unsustainable rate.

    Jim France, who is 81, was soft-spoken on the stand and needed many questions repeated, and he said on numerous topics that he was either unable to recall, did not remember or was not sure — even in response to evidence introduced that the France Family Trust received $400 million in distributions from 2021 through 2024 and that NASCAR is valued at $5 billion.

    He wasn’t sure of the title his niece, Lesa France Kennedy, holds with NASCAR, or the ownership percentages between the two. Evidence showed Jim France owns 54% of NASCAR, while France Kennedy, the vice chair, owns 36%. France also testified he believes he is paid in “the $3.5 million range” as chairman.

    Richard Childress details his dissatisfaction

    Childress spoke to the pressure he felt to sign the charter agreement.

    “I would not have signed those charters if I was financially able to do what I do,” the six-time championship winning owner testified. “We are a blue-collar operation.”

    Childress has participated in NASCAR for 60 years and has a longtime personal relationship with the Frances. He testified that he pleaded with Jim France for the charters to be made permanent instead of renewable, and France refused.

    Childress testified he supports the charter system because before its implementation race teams “were worth 10 cents on the dollar at most. We didn’t have nothing.”

    He admitted that the charters added value to his team, but said the equity falls short of its financial potential if the charters were permanent. An economist testified that NASCAR owes 23XI and Front Row $364.7 million in damages, and that NASCAR shorted 36 chartered teams $1.06 billion from 2021-24.

    When Childress’ October declaration of his support for charters was introduced, Childress insisted NASCAR attorney Christopher Yates also show the jury language added to the statement in which Childress pushes for the charters to be permanent.

    Childress said he added those sentences to the declaration, which had been pre-written for him to sign.

    Phelps details negotiations with teams

    NASCAR commissioner Phelps noted that Jordan’s financial advisor would not compromise on key issues in the negotiations.

    Phelps, who was president of NASCAR during the negotiations, said Jordan right-hand man Curtis Polk was the lead representative for the teams and held firm in their demand for increased revenue, permanent charters, a voice in governance and one-third of any new revenue streams.

    The deal finally presented to the teams in September 2024 did not include permanent charters or a voice in governance, but NASCAR gave the teams a firm deadline to accept its final offer or forfeit their charters. 23XI Racing, owned by Jordan, Polk and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by Bob Jenkins, were the only two teams out of 15 organizations that refused to sign. They sued instead.

    Phelps, promoted to become NASCAR’s first commissioner earlier this year, testified that he worked hard to get the teams the best deal possible. But he said the teams’ initial request for $720 million in guaranteed revenue would have put NASCAR out of business.

    At the same time, Polk would not budge, either.

    “It was one of the most challenging and longest negotiations I’ve ever been part of,” said Phelps, who admitted he didn’t particularly enjoy negotiating with Polk, who was at the time the representative for the “Team Negotiating Council.”

    “The TNC never wavered off their four pillars. It was just the same thing, the same thing, and that was very frustrating,” Phelps said.

    Phelps testified at one point that NASCAR believed it had landed on a new charter agreement that satisfied the teams but it was contingent on NASCAR finalizing its new media rights deal.

    “I thought we’d just plug in the numbers,” said Phelps, who testified NASCAR was hoping to land a media deal worth $1.2 billion. When it became clear the media rights deal wouldn’t net that much money, Phelps said the teams asked to set a floor in negotiations.

    NASCAR ultimately got a media deal worth $1.05 billion — still an increase of $33 million a year from the previous deal — and Phelps said “every dollar” went to the race teams when it began this year.

    However, the ultimate revenue payout to teams is $431 million annually, the charters are not permanent and the teams did not get a voice in rules and regulations.

    Even so, Phelps testified he believed the charter agreement was “a fair deal.”

    Faster pace

    U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell has repeatedly admonished both sides to pick up the pace of the trial, and once France’s testimony concludes Wednesday, NASCAR will begin to present its defense.

    NASCAR has said it has a witness list of 16 people, but Yates informed Bell he can trim “four or five” names from it and is hopeful to wrap his defense by Friday.

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Economist says NASCAR owes $364.7M to teams in antitrust case

    [ad_1]

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — An economist testified in Michael Jordan’s federal antitrust trial against NASCAR that the racing series owes a combined $364.7 million in damages to the two teams suing it over a revenue-sharing dispute.

    Edward Snyder, a professor of economics who worked in the antitrust division of the Department of Justice and has testified in more than 30 cases, including “Deflategate” involving the NFL’s New England Patriots, testified on Monday. He gave three specific reasons NASCAR is a monopoly participating in anticompetitive business practices.

    Using a complex formula applied to profits, a reduction in market revenue, and lost revenue to 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports from 2021-24, Snyder came up with his amount of damages owed. Snyder applied a 45% of revenue sharing he alleged Formula 1 gives to its teams in his calculations; Snyder found that NASCAR’s revenue-sharing model when its charter system began in 2016 gave only 25% to the teams.

    The suit is about the 2025 charter agreement, which was presented to teams on a Friday in September 2024 with a same-day deadline to sign the 112-page document. The charter offer came after more than two years of bitter negotiations between NASCAR and its teams, who have called the agreement “a take-it-or-leave-it” ultimatum that they signed with “a gun to their head.”

    A charter is similar to the franchise model in other sports, but in NASCAR it guarantees 36 teams spots in the 40-car field, as well as specific revenue.

    Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin for 23XI, along with Front Row Motorsports and owner Bob Jenkins, were the only two teams out of 15 to refuse the new charter agreement.

    Snyder’s evaluations found NASCAR was in fact violating antitrust laws in that the privately owned racing series controls all bargaining because “teams don’t have anywhere else to sell their services.” Snyder said NASCAR controls “the tracks, the teams and the cars.”

    Snyder repeatedly cited exclusivity agreements NASCAR entered into with racetracks after the charter system began. The agreements prevent tracks that host NASCAR from holding events with rival racing series. Prior to the long-term agreements, NASCAR operated on one-year contracts with its host racetracks.

    The Florida-based France family founded NASCAR in 1948 and, along with Speedway Motorsports, owns almost all the tracks on the top Cup Series schedule. Snyder’s belief is that NASCAR entered into exclusivity agreements with tracks to stave off any threats of a breakaway startup series. In doing so, he said it eliminated teams’ ability to race stock cars anywhere else, forced them to accept revenue-sharing agreements that are below market value, and damaged their overall evaluations.

    Snyder did his calculations for both teams based on each having two charters — each purchased a third charter in late 2024 — and found 23XI is owed $215.8 million while Front Row is owed $148.9 million. Based on his calculations, Snyder determined NASCAR shorted 36 chartered teams $1.06 billion from 2021-24.

    Snyder noted NASCAR had $2.2 billion in assets, an equity value of $5 billion and an investment-grade credit rating — which Snyder believes positions the France family to be able to pivot and adjust to any threats of a rival series the way the PGA did in response to the LIV Golf league. The PGA, Snyder testified, “got creative” in bringing in new revenue to pay to its golfers to prevent their defections.

    Snyder also testified NASCAR had $250 million in annual earnings from 2021-24 and the France family took $400 million in distributions during that period.

    NASCAR contends Snyder’s estimations are wrong, that the 45% F1 model he used is not correct, and its own two experts “take serious issue” with Snyder’s findings. Defense attorney Lawrence Buterman asked Snyder his opinion on NASCAR’s upcoming expert witnesses and Snyder said they were two of the best economists in the world.

    Slow pace of trial

    Snyder testified for almost the entirety of Monday’s session — the sixth day of the trial — and will continue on Tuesday. The snail’s pace has agitated U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell, who heard arguments 30 minutes early Monday morning because he was annoyed that objections had been submitted at 2:55 a.m. and then 6:50 a.m.

    He needed an hour to get through the rulings, and testimony resumed 30 minutes behind schedule. When the day concluded, he asked the nine-person jury if they were willing to serve an hour longer each day the rest of the week in an effort to avoid a third full week of trial. He all said all motions must be filed by 10 p.m. each evening moving forward.

    Bell wants plaintiff attorney Jeffrey Kessler to conclude his case by the end of Tuesday, but Kessler told him he still plans to call NASCAR chairman Jim France, NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps and Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress, who was the subject of derogatory text messages amongst NASCAR leadership and has said he’s considering legal action.

    NASCAR has a list of 16 potential witnesses and Bell said he wanted the first one on the stand before Tuesday’s session concludes.

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • College football rankings start juggling act at 6-7, while top 5 remain the same

    [ad_1]

    The College Football Playoff rankings placed the spotlight on, where else this year, “6-7″ — flip-flopping Oregon and Ole Miss in those spots while keeping their top five teams the same in Tuesday night’s reveal.

    Oregon’s impressive victory over Southern California in one of last week’s few games between ranked teams accounted for the biggest change, moving the Ducks ahead of Mississippi, which didn’t play.

    The other meaningful shift was Miami’s move to No. 12, in a switch with Utah after the Utes gave up 472 yards rushing in a tight win over Kansas State.

    There are two more rankings to be revealed — next Tuesday, then Dec. 7 when the final top 25 will set the bracket for the 12-team playoff to start Dec. 19,

    Pitt’s return to the rankings — at No. 22 — after falling out for a week impacts the meaning of its key Atlantic Coast Conference game this week against the Hurricanes, who need a win and some help to make the conference title game but still have hopes of grabbing one of the playoff’s seven at-large berths.

    “Miami is a team that it really appears is starting to look like the Miami team that started 5-0,” said Hunter Yurachek, the chair of the selection committee.

    Following the Buckeyes for the fourth time in four rankings were fellow undefeated teams Indiana and Texas A&M. Georgia stayed at No. 4, followed by Texas Tech. After Oregon and Mississippi came Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama and BYU at No. 11 and first team out on this week’s proverbial bubble.

    Ohio State and Indiana will play in what should be a 1 vs. 2 Big Ten title game if both win rivalry showdowns on the road over Thanksgiving weekend. Ohio State’s task is more difficult — against Michigan, which moved up three spots to No. 15. Indiana plays Purdue.

    No. 10 Alabama plays at Auburn with a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game on the line. The Tide’s opponent would be Texas A&M if the Aggies win at No. 16 Texas.

    Notre Dame and Miami were compared this week

    After some confusion last week about the weight given to Miami’s opening-week win over Notre Dame, Yurachek said those teams were, indeed, close enough in the rankings this week to be compared head-to-head. But still, that victory was not enough to push the Hurricanes past Notre Dame.

    “We compare a number of things when looking at teams closely ranked together,” Yurachek said. “We’ve got some teams ranked between Miami and Notre Dame, such as Alabama and BYU, who we’re also comparing Miami to.”

    Could Kiffin’s job status impact Ole Miss?

    Among the factors the committee can consider is the availability of players and coaches, which has potential to bring Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s job status into play.

    Word from Oxford is that a decision will come on Kiffin’s potential move to LSU or Florida after this week’s game against Mississippi State. An Ole Miss team without one of the most sought-after coaches in the game wouldn’t seem as good as one with him.

    Still, Yurachek wouldn’t tip his hand on how that evaluation might go.

    “We’ll take care of that when it happens,” Yurachek said. “We don’t look ahead. The loss of player, loss of a key coach, is in the principles of how we rank teams, but we don’t have a data point for how we look at Ole Miss without their coach.”

    Ducks move to ‘where they need to be’

    After Oregon’s 42-27 win over USC, coach Dan Lanning said his team deserves credit for the schedule it plays — which included a tough conference game during a week in which many in the SEC were going against non-ranked, double-digit underdogs.

    The committee agreed.

    “We’ve been waiting for them to have that signature win to really put them where they need to be,” Yurachek said.

    Conference watch

    ACC — No. 18 Virginia and No. 21 SMU are the favorites to reach the title game, which means one of them has an inside edge to be in the playoff. The Hurricanes are likely in an at-large showdown with the likes of BYU, Vanderbilt and maybe Alabama.

    Big 12 — BYU is angling for another crack at Texas Tech in the title game. Hard to see the Cougars getting there, losing to the Red Raiders again and still making the playoff.

    Big Ten — Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon are locks. Michigan’s move up three to No. 15 gives the Wolverines a chance at an at-large bid (or maybe the conference title) with a win this week over the Buckeyes.

    SEC — Texas A&M, Georgia, Mississippi and Oklahoma should all be in. Alabama can’t really afford a third loss, but what if that loss comes in the SEC title game? The Tide makes it by beating Auburn. Vanderbilt would strengthen its case with a win at No. 19 Tennessee this week.

    Group of 5 — No. 24 Tulane of the American is still the only team from a non-power conference in the rankings. One problem. BetMGM Sportsbook has North Texas as the favorite to win the league title. That, in turn, could bring someone like James Madison back into the conversation.

    Projected first-round playoff matchups

    No. 12 Tulane at No. 5 Texas Tech: Could the Red Raiders, a deep-pocketed disruptor in the college football space, also turn into one of the sport’s powerhouses?

    No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Oregon: The Mario Cristobal Bowl — Hurricanes coach left Ducks suddenly in 2021 to return home.

    No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Mississippi: Kiffin, the old offensive coordinator at Alabama, is 0-4 vs. Tide with Ole Miss.

    No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma: Notre Dame’s first televised game was a 27-21 win over OU in 1952.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • New limits for a rent algorithm that prosecutors say let landlords drive up prices

    [ad_1]

    Landlords could no longer rely on rent-pricing software to quietly track each other’s moves and push rents higher using confidential data, under a settlement between RealPage Inc. and federal prosecutors to end what critics said was illegal “algorithmic collusion.”

    The deal announced Monday by the Department of Justice follows a yearlong federal antitrust lawsuit, launched during the Biden administration, against the Texas-based software company. RealPage would not have to pay any damages or admit any wrongdoing. The settlement must still be approved by a judge.

    RealPage software provides daily recommendations to help landlords and their employees nationwide price their available apartments. The landlords do not have to follow the suggestions, but critics argue that because the software has access to a vast trove of confidential data, it helps RealPage’s clients charge the highest possible rent.

    “RealPage was replacing competition with coordination, and renters paid the price,” said DOJ antitrust chief Gail Slater, who emphasized that the settlement avoided a costly, time-consuming trial.

    Under the terms of the proposed settlement, RealPage can no longer use that real-time data to determine price recommendations. Instead, the only nonpublic data that can be used to train the software’s algorithm must be at least one year old.

    Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel.


    Follow on

    “What does this mean for you and your family?” Slater said in a video statement. “It means more real competition in local housing markets. It means rents set by the market, not by a secret algorithm.”

    RealPage attorney Stephen Weissman said the company is pleased the DOJ worked with them to settle the matter.

    “There has been a great deal of misinformation about how RealPage’s software works and the value it provides for both housing providers and renters,” Weissman said in a statement. “We believe that RealPage’s historical use of aggregated and anonymized nonpublic data, which include rents that are typically lower than advertised rents, has led to lower rents, less vacancies, and more procompetitive effects.”

    However, the deal was slammed by some observers as a missed opportunity to clamp down on alleged algorithmic price-fixing throughout the economy.

    “This case really was the tip of the spear,” said Lee Hepner, senior legal counsel for the American Economic Liberties Project, whose group advocates for government action against business concentration.

    He said the settlement is rife with loopholes and he believes RealPages can keep influencing the rental market even if they can only use public, rather than private, data. He also decried how RealPages does not have to pay any damages, unlike many companies that have paid millions in penalties over their use of the software.

    Over the past few months, more than two dozen property management companies have reached various settlements over their use of RealPage, including Greystar, the nation’s largest landlord, which agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class action lawsuit, and $7 million to settle a separate lawsuit filed by nine states.

    The governors of California and New York signed laws last month to crack down on rent-setting software, and a growing list of cities, including Philadelphia and Seattle, have passed ordinances against the practice.

    Ten states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington — had joined the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit. Those states were not part of Monday’s settlement, meaning they can continue to pursue the case in court.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Democrats, Republicans go all in on final 2025 congressional ballot box showdown

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    With one week to go until Election Day in a hotly contested race for a GOP-controlled vacant House seat in a solidly red congressional district in Tennessee, both Republicans and Democrats are pouring resources into the race.

    Republican-aligned groups are spending millions of dollars to run ads in the Dec. 2 special election in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, to avoid the possibility of a major upset and protect the GOP’s current razor-thin 219-213 majority in the House.

    President Donald Trump carried the district — which is located in central and western Tennessee, stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, and includes parts of Nashville — by 22 points in last year’s presidential election.

    But Democrats, energized following the party’s sweeping victories earlier this month in high-profile ballot box showdowns from coast to coast, are also spending big bucks in the race.

    TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE WINS CROWDED GOP PRIMARY IN BATTLE FOR VACANT HOUSE SEAT

    Democratic congressional nominee Aftyn Behn, a Tennessee state representative, is running in a Dec. 2 special election for a vacant U.S. House seat. (Aftyn For Congress)

    “The stakes are exceptionally high, especially in the light of the results from the 2025 elections,” Vanderbilt University professor of political science John Greer told Fox News Digital. “Republicans are worried that this district, which is normally safe, could in fact swing to the Democrats.”

    Republican nominee Matt Van Epps is facing off against Democratic nominee Aftyn Behn in the race to succeed former GOP Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job.

    Democrats were laser focused on spotlighting the issue of affordability in this autumn’s elections, and Behn, a state representative, former healthcare community organizer and rising progressive star who some have dubbed the “AOC of Tennessee,” is keeping to that script.

    “Angry about high grocery prices? Worried about health care costs? Feeling burned by tariffs? Then Dec. 2 is your day to shake up Washington,” she says in her campaign’s final ad.

    By casting herself as the candidate who will put a check on Trump’s party in Congress, Behn sees a path to victory.

    While Democrats privately acknowledge that the path to victory is narrow, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, who campaigned with Behn earlier this month, argued that she has “an excellent shot to win.”

    Republican congressional nominee Matt Van Epps

    Republican congressional nominee Matt Van Epps casts his ballot at an early voting site in the special election for the 7th District, Nov. 12, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)

    Van Epps, a military combat veteran and former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of General Services who is backed by Trump, is showcasing his military career as part of his cost of living focus.

    “Matt Van Epps. Nine combat tours. True American hero,” the narrator in one of his ads says, before Van Epps adds, “Now, I’m on a new mission: to bring down prices, create good-paying jobs and lower healthcare costs for working families.”

    SCOOP: TRUMP-ALIGNED MAGA INC. JUMPS INTO HIGH STAKES BALLOT BOX CONGRESSIONAL SHOWDOWN

    While both candidates are running commercials, it’s the aligned super PACs and other outside groups that are flooding the airwaves and digital landscape.

    The Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. and the fiscally conservative powerhouse Club for Growth have each dished out seven figures to run ads in the race.

    “It’s going to be a hard race. They all are, but he’s [Van Epps] going to win that race because he’s more in line with Tennessee,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh told Fox News Digital. “I’m confident of him, and we’re going to help him do it.”

    Republican candidate for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District Matt Van Epps

    Matt Van Epps talks with attendees before a debate at CabaRay Showroom in Nashville, Sept. 5, 2025. (Nicole Hester/The Tennessean/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

    Also playing in the race is Conservatives for American Excellence, which is financed by GOP megadonors.

    While not spending as much, Democrat-aligned outside groups are supporting Behn. And last week, House Majority PAC, the top group that backs House Democratic candidates, announced it was pumping $1 million into the Tennessee showdown.

    Over the past week, Republicans have been targeting Behn over her past comments from a 2020 podcast.

    “I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it,” she said in the podcast.

    TENNESSEE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE CAUGHT SAYING ‘I HATE NASHVILLE’ AND ‘COUNTRY MUSIC’ IN RESURFACED CLIP

    The district is solidly red, but includes parts of the Democratic stronghold of Nashville, Tennessee’s capital and its most populous city, and a major national center for the country music industry. The district encompasses parts of north and west Nashville, including the downtown area which has long been a very popular tourist destination.

    “The Democrat running in a special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Aftyn Behn, is running on the message: ‘I hate this place, elect me!’ Tennessee deserves better,” the Republican National Committee argued in a social media post last week.

    Democratic congressional nominee Aftyn Behn

    State Rep. Aftyn Behn attends a campaign event on Nov. 13, 2025, in Nashville. (George Walker IV/AP Photo)

    Republicans are also taking aim at Behn over an op-ed titled, “Tennessee is a racist state, and so is its legislature,” that appeared in a 2019 edition of The Tennessean newspaper.

    The RNC, pointing in a social media post Wednesday to the six-year-old opinion piece, asked, “If Behn hates Tennessee so much, why is she trying to represent it?”

    Also resurfacing in recent days are anti-police comments Behn made on a now-deleted social media account.

    Behn campaign manager Kate Briefs, pushing back, said in a statement Monday,” The attacks from Washington Republicans are getting louder because their agenda is deeply unpopular—and because early vote returns show this race is a dead heat. They can’t talk about fixing healthcare, lowering costs, or protecting our hospitals because they have no plan. So instead, they’re throwing mud.”

    Behn’s campaign is pointing to what it says is “a surge of first-time and infrequent voters” turning out for early voting.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    But Greer, who is co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll, predicted that the special election in an off-election year “is likely to be pretty low and early voting is certainly an indication that it’s going to be pretty low.”

    “I still think the Democrats have an uphill climb,” Greer said. “But the fact that Republicans and Democrats are pouring money into the race, both sides see some evidence it could be close.”

    Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Bondi targets James Comey, Letitia James in legal battle: ‘Hold… accountable for unlawful conduct’

    [ad_1]

    Judge drops DOJ cases against James Comey, Letitia James

    Mark Meredith reports on Judge Cameron Currie’s ruling that Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed as interim U.S. attorney and order to drop charges against James Comey and Letitia James. Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley weighs in.

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded legal action Monday against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, speaking at an event in Memphis where she was highlighting the work of the city’s “Safe Task Force.”

    Bondi’s comments came after U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie dismissed the criminal indictments against Comey and James, and ruled that the prosecutor who brought the cases, Lindsey Halligan, had not been lawfully appointed.

    The judge agreed with Comey’s defense, which argued that Halligan’s appointment as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid, meaning the indictments were defective.

    COMEY AND JAMES CHALLENGE TRUMP APPOINTEE’S LEGITIMACY IN FEDERAL COURT HEARING

    “We’ll be taking all available legal action, including an immediate appeal, to hold Letitia James and James Comey accountable for their unlawful conduct,” Bondi told reporters.

    “I’m not worried about someone who has been charged with a very serious crime,” she continued. “His alleged actions were a betrayal of public trust,” Bondi added.

    Comey was indicted in September 2025 on charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional inquiry. This stemmed from his 2018 testimony about the origins of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

    DOJ DEFENDS TRUMP TRUTH SOCIAL POST AS COMEY SEEKS TO HAVE CASE DISMISSED

    President Donald Trump listens during remarks by Argentina’s President Javier Milei in the White House Cabinet Room.

    U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Argentina’s President Javier Milei (not pictured) speaks during a meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 14. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

    This was the probe into possible ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.

    Comey has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that his statements were “truthful to the best of my recollection” and calling the case “a political hit job, not a pursuit of justice.”

    Letitia James was separately indicted in October 2025 on mortgage and bank-fraud counts, accused of misrepresenting a Virginia home purchase as a secondary residence in 2020 to secure more favorable loan terms.

    Prosecutors allege she benefited by nearly $19,000 over the life of the loan.

    JAMES COMEY SEEKS TO DISMISS HIS CRIMINAL CASE, CITING ‘VINDICTIVE’ PROSECUTION

    Attorney General Pam Bondi

    Attorney General Pam Bondi is sworn in before a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)

    Defense teams for both Comey and James have argued that the prosecutions were flawed, citing procedural irregularities and Halligan’s disputed appointment.

    Halligan, a former Trump legal aide, was the only federal prosecutor to sign Comey’s indictment, acting as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

    On Monday in Memphis, Bondi acknowledged Halligan, defending her credentials and role.

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

    “We have made Lindsay Halligan a special US attorney so she is in court, she can fight in court just like she was, and we believe we will be successful on appeal,” Bondi said.

    “And I’ll tell you, Lindsay Halligan, I talked to all of our US attorneys, the majority of them around the country, and Lindsay Halligan is an excellent US attorney. And shame on them for not wanting her in office. Thank you,” she added.

    Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. 

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Donald Trump suffers two major legal setbacks within hours

    [ad_1]

    President Donald Trump faced two major legal setbacks on Monday as courts in New York and Tennessee moved to constrain key parts of his domestic enforcement agenda.

    Within hours, a federal judge upheld New York’s limits on courthouse immigration arrests, while a state judge in Nashville blocked the deployment of Tennessee National Guard troops to Memphis.

    Newsweek contacted the DOJ and the office of the governors of the states for comment via email outside of normal office hours on Tuesday.

    Why It Matters

    Within the span of a few hours on Monday, President Donald Trump’s domestic enforcement agenda was hit by two separate court rulings that underscored growing judicial resistance to the administration’s attempts to expand federal authority in states that push back.

    A federal judge in New York upheld a state law restricting civil immigration arrests at courthouses, while a Tennessee judge blocked the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis, finding the move likely violated state constitutional limits.

    Together, the decisions highlight the legal constraints confronting Trump as he seeks to intensify immigration operations and broaden the use of military force in U.S. cities over state objections.

    What To Know

    I. Judge Upholds New York Law Barring Immigration Arrests at Courthouses

    President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda encountered a significant legal setback on Monday after a federal judge rejected the administration’s attempt to strike down a New York law restricting civil immigration arrests in and around state courthouses.

    U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit challenging the 2020 Protect Our Courts Act (POCA) and related state executive orders.

    In a 41-page ruling, D’Agostino concluded that the federal government’s suit amounted to an improper effort “to commandeer New York’s resources to aid in federal immigration efforts” according to the decision.

    The court held that New York acted within its rights in limiting where federal agents may conduct civil immigration arrests.

    The Trump administration had argued that the state law violated the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and unlawfully restricted federal enforcement authority.

    Federal lawyers also sought to compel state and local law enforcement agencies to share information with federal immigration officials. D’Agostino rejected those claims, writing that New York was exercising “its permissible choice not to participate in federal civil immigration enforcement.”

    POCA, enacted in 2020 in response to a sharp rise in courthouse arrests under Trump’s first term, prohibits civil immigration arrests of individuals traveling to, attending, or leaving state court proceedings unless agents hold a judicial warrant.

    The measure was intended to limit disruptions to court operations and ensure that parties and witnesses could appear in court without fear of apprehension.

    In recent months, federal immigration agents had intensified courthouse operations in New York and other cities as part of the administration’s broader strategy to increase removals of undocumented immigrants.

    That posture led to renewed friction with states that maintain restrictions on local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

    Monday’s ruling marks a notable setback for the administration’s efforts to expand civil immigration arrests in sensitive locations.

    The case, United States v. New York, challenged both POCA and executive orders issued during former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration that limited state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

    D’Agostino dismissed the suit in its entirety.

    The ruling is likely to serve as a reference point for similar disputes arising in other states where federal immigration enforcement priorities clash with local laws or policies restricting cooperation with federal agencies.

    II. Nashville Judge Blocks Memphis National Guard Deployment

    Just hours after the New York ruling, the Trump administration suffered a second legal blow—this time in Tennessee, where a state court halted the deployment of National Guard troops to Memphis.

    Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal issued a temporary injunction blocking Republican Governor Bill Lee from continuing the activation of Tennessee National Guard personnel for participation in President Trump’s Memphis Safe Task Force.

    The deployment, requested by the administration under Title 32 authority, was intended to supplement federal and local law enforcement operations in response to high violent-crime rates in the city.

    In her order, Moskal found that the plaintiffs—including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, local commissioners, and several state lawmakers—had demonstrated sufficient immediate harm to justify halting the deployment.

    The judge wrote that the state’s militia law requires the Tennessee General Assembly to authorize National Guard activation for public-safety purposes and that crime conditions in Memphis did not constitute a “grave emergency” or “disaster” that would permit unilateral deployment by the governor.

    The order temporarily restrains Governor Lee and Major General Warner Ross III “from implementing and continuing the activation and deployment of Tennessee National Guard personnel” under the presidential memorandum.

    The injunction does not affect the presence of federal law enforcement officers already operating in the city.

    In a public statement, Mayor Harris called the ruling “a positive step toward ensuring the rule of law applies to everyone, including everyday Tennesseans and even the governor.”

    The state has five days to appeal the ruling.

    The lawsuit argues that deploying National Guard troops for routine law-enforcement functions violates both the Tennessee Constitution and state statutes, which strictly limit the circumstances under which the militia may be mobilized.

    The Memphis Safe Task Force, created by a September presidential memorandum, aims to increase law-enforcement presence and coordinate multi-agency operations across Memphis.

    Plaintiffs contend that the National Guard deployment exceeded both federal and state legal authority.

    The Tennessee ruling adds to a series of mounting legal challenges to the Trump administration’s domestic troop deployments, several of which are already moving through federal courts.

    What People Are Saying

    Kathy Hochul (Governor of New York) said: “Masked ICE agents shoved and injured journalists today at Federal Plaza. One reporter left on a stretcher. This abuse of law-abiding immigrants and the reporters telling their stories must end. What the hell are we doing here?”

    Bill Lee (Governor of Tennessee) who had approved the deployment of an undetermined number of Tennessee National Guard troops to Memphis, said: “I think [AG] General Skrmetti’s a brilliant lawyer who understands constitutional law, and I suspect he’s got the right answer on it.”

    What Happens Next

    Both rulings are likely to move quickly into appeals, with the Trump administration expected to challenge the New York decision in the Second Circuit and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee poised to seek an emergency stay and appellate review of the injunction blocking his National Guard deployment.

    New York’s courthouse-arrest restrictions will remain in effect during the federal appeal, while the Memphis deployment is paused unless a higher state court reverses the ruling.

    Together, the cases set up parallel legal battles over the limits of federal immigration enforcement and the circumstances under which state-controlled military forces can be used for domestic policing—disputes that could ultimately reach the Supreme Court.

    [ad_2]

    Source link