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US military completes transfer of 5,700 detainees from Syria to Iraq

The U.S. military has completed the transfer of thousands of Islamic State group detainees from Syria to Iraq, where they are expected to stand trial in the future, the U.S. Central Command said Friday. CENTCOM said that the transfer that began on Jan. 21 saw U.S. forces transporting more than 5,700 adult male IS suspects from detention facilities in Syria to Iraqi custody. The prisoners were transferred to Iraq at the request of Baghdad — a move welcomed by the U.S.-led coalition that had for years fought against IS. “We appreciate Iraq’s leadership and recognition that transferring the detainees is essential to regional security,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. Iraq's National Center for International Judicial Cooperation said a total of 5,704 suspects from 61 countries who were affiliated with IS were transferred from prisons in Syria. The Center said most of the suspects were Syrian or Iraqi, though there were other foreign nationals from Europe as well as Australia, Canada and the United States, among other countries. Over the past three weeks, the U.S. military escorted the detainees from prisons in northeastern Syria run by the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, to Baghdad. The transfers have helped calm fears that the recent rounds of fighting in Syria between government forces and the SDF would allow the IS prisoners to flee from detention camps there and join militant sleeper cells that are still carrying out attacks in both Iraq and Syria. Iraq is looking to put on trial some of the thousands of the IS detainees who were held for years in Syria without charges or access to the judicial system. When IS declared a caliphate — a self-proclaimed territory under a traditional form of Islamic rule — in large parts of Syria and Iraq that the militant group seized in 2014, it attracted extremists from around the world. From the caliphate, the extremists plotted attacks around the world that left hundreds dead from Europe to Arab countries and Asia. “The successful execution of this orderly and secure transfer operation will help prevent an ISIS resurgence in Syria,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Lambert, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, that led the mission planning, coordination, and execution. He used an acronym to refer to the Islamic State group.

At Fort Bragg, Trump says Maduro raid showed 'full military might'

President Trump used a Fort Bragg appearance on Friday to praise U.S. Special Forces for last month's raid that removed Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. But his visit also felt at times more like a political rally than an official trip to fete the military. Trump even called Michael Whatley, a Republican Senate candidate in North Carolina, to the stage. Trump also told troops and their families that the operation against Maduro shows America’s true military might, and makes enemies fear the U.S.

Arizona Man Indicted On Murder Charges After Fatal State Helicopter Crash

A grand jury indicted an Arizona man on two counts of first degree felony murder and dozens of other charges stemming from a state helicopter crash that killed the pilot and a trooper during a shootout between the defendant and police, authorities said Friday. Terrell Storey, 50, fired on officers from multiple rooftops in a Flagstaff residential neighborhood over almost two hours on the night of Feb. 4, police said. He was captured about the same time as the helicopter crash and hospitalized for gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening. Trooper paramedic Hunter Bennett, 28, and pilot Robert Skankey, 61, were killed. The indictment does not specify whether Storey fired at the helicopter with the semiautomatic long rifle that police said he was using. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by federal authorities. Coconino County Attorney Ammon Barker said Friday that he anticipates Storey will be arraigned on Feb. 23 but declined further comment on the facts of the case. The indictment names as victims 25 law enforcement officers who responded to the scene and people who live in homes in the area. The indictment totals 60 criminal counts, including the two felony murder charges for the deaths of Bennett and Skankey. Other charges include aggravated assault, burglary disorderly conduct and endangerment. Storey remained hospitalized Friday, said Jon Paxton with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. He's being held on a $5 million bond and is represented by the Coconino County Public Defender’s Office. The Associated Press left a voicemail message for Public Defender Jennifer Stock. The confrontation that led to the helicopter crash began when officers responded to a domestic violence call, according to Flagstaff Police Chief Sean Connolly. As the officers spoke with the victim in the front yard, Storey shot at them from the back of the residence with a semiautomatic rifle, Connolly said. A protracted gunbattle ensued, with the suspect “hopping from roof to roof” in the neighborhood while shooting at officers, the chief said. The helicopter crew had been playing a common role, helping officers on the ground. Before crashing, the helicopter was making a pass back to the shootout scene when it slowed to almost a hover about 1,000 feet (300 meters) over a hilltop, according to public flight-path data. Skankey was a longtime resident of Kingman, Arizona, and had been hired by the Arizona Department of Public Safety in May 2021. He previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was married with four children. Bennett was an honors graduate of Arizona State University and the top graduate of his 2023 Arizona Law Enforcement Academy class. He transferred to an air rescue unit in 2024 and months later married his high school sweetheart, officials said. Barker said in a statement announcing the indictment that his office was “committed to pursuing this case with the diligence and care it requires.” “Our hearts remain with the families of Hunter Bennett and Robert Skankey, and with all the families impacted by this incident,” Barker said.

Journalist Don Lemon Pleads Not Guilty In MN Church ICE Protest Case

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon pleaded not guilty on Friday in a criminal case stemming from his coverage of a protest at a Minnesota church against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Lemon entered the courthouse in St. Paul on Friday afternoon wearing a suit and jacket. On his way in, he clapped his hands and waved to supporters, but did not respond to questions from reporters. Lemon, now an independent journalist, livestreamed a protest against Trump's deployment of thousands of armed immigration agents into Democratic-governed Minnesota's biggest cities. The protest disrupted a January 18 service at Cities Church in St. Paul. He was charged with conspiring to deprive others of their civil rights and violating a law that has been used to crack down on demonstrations at abortion clinics but also forbids obstructing access to houses of worship. Lemon's lawyer has called the case an attack on First Amendment free speech rights. Trump has frequently lashed out at the media, stripping journalists of access-granting credentials and suing some news outlets over their coverage of him. The president praised the Justice Department for bringing the charges against Lemon, calling the disruption of the church service a "horrible thing." Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a January 30 social media video that prosecutors will come after anyone who threatens the "sacred right" to worship freely and safely. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis and other U.S. cities in January to denounce an immigration crackdown in which federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens. Trump has since agreed to end his deportation surge in Minnesota, with many agents set to return to their home states over the next week. Organizers of the Cities Church protest told Lemon they chose the church because they believed a senior pastor there was working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a livestream archived on his YouTube channel, Lemon can be seen meeting with and interviewing the activists before they go to the church. He then records the disruption inside and interviews congregants, protesters and a pastor, who asks Lemon and the protesters to leave. Independent local journalist Georgia Fort was also arrested and charged with the same crimes. Fort has denied wrongdoing and said she was reporting on the protest, not participating. She is scheduled to enter a plea on February 17. Lemon spent 17 years at CNN, becoming one of its most recognizable personalities, and frequently criticizes Trump in his YouTube broadcasts. Lemon was fired by CNN in 2023 after making sexist on-air comments for which he later apologized.

Trump Takes A HUGE Stand Against Radical Greenie Elites

Josh opens the show by breaking down what he calls a historic move by the Trump administration to roll back several Obama-era EPA regulations. He explains why supporters see the decision as a major win and why it’s sparking intense backlash from critics on the Left. He’s then joined by E.J. Antoni, Chief Economist at The Heritage Foundation, to discuss the latest economic headlines and unpack the newest inflation numbers. Antoni offers insight into where the economy may be headed and what it means for Americans moving forward. Later, Jay Richards, Vice President of Social and Domestic Policy at The Heritage Foundation, joins Josh to react to this week’s religious liberty commission hearing and the controversy surrounding it.

Trump administration sues Harvard, accuses it of defying admissions probe

The Trump administration sued Harvard University on Friday, accusing it of failing to comply with a federal investigation and seeking documents to determine whether the university had illegally considered race in its admissions process. The move comes less than two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration was seeking $1 billion from Harvard to settle probes into school policies, after a news report that said Trump had dropped his demand for a payment from the Ivy League school. A Harvard spokesperson said the university is committed to following the law and has been responding to the government’s inquiries in good faith. “The university will continue to defend itself against these retaliatory actions which have been initiated simply because Harvard refused to surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights in response to unlawful government overreach," the spokesperson said. Trump's administration has been threatening to withhold federal funds from Harvard and several other universities over issues including pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war in Gaza, campus diversity and transgender policies. The Justice Department said on Friday in a press release that Harvard had "repeatedly slow-walked the pace of production and refused to produce pertinent data and documents," including admissions policies and correspondence related to banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs. In the complaint filed in Boston federal court, Justice Department lawyers said the documents requested will help assess whether Harvard is complying with a 2023 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court which said that race-conscious college admissions programs are unconstitutional. The Justice Department said it brought the lawsuit "solely to compel Harvard to produce documents relating to any consideration of race in admission" and "does not accuse Harvard of any discriminatory conduct, nor does it seek monetary damages or the revocation of federal funding." The administration last year attempted to cancel hundreds of grants awarded to Harvard researchers on the grounds the school failed to do enough to address harassment of Jewish students on its campus, prompting Harvard to sue. Trump's attempts to freeze federal funds for Harvard have faced legal resistance and the two sides have failed to reach a deal thus far.

DHS Heading Into Partial Shutdown Saturday

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was on track for a partial shutdown when its annual funding expires at midnight EST on Friday, after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a deal on immigration enforcement reforms. While some "non-essential" workers were expected to be put on leave, the Trump administration's intensive migrant deportation operations were likely to continue, along with most other domestic federal security programs. Republican President Donald Trump, in remarks to reporters on Thursday, attacked congressional Democrats' push for new constraints on immigration agents, underscoring a gulf between the two parties that could point to a prolonged shutdown. Asked on Friday whether he would personally be involved in DHS shutdown talks, told reporters at the White House: "I will," but gave no other details. "We're talking," he said. "We have to protect law enforcement," including ICE and CBP agents, he added. On Thursday, Trump accused Democrats of wanting to put agents "in a lot of danger." Democrats argue they want federal immigration agents to abide by the same rules guiding police forces across the country that are aimed at protecting the public from overzealous law enforcement activities. Even without an injection of new money through September 30, DHS's controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection operations have a separate funding stream of over $135 billion, the result of Republicans' "One Big Beautiful Bill" enacted July 4. Included in the DHS spending bill that is stuck in Congress, which has begun a 10-day recess, is funding for the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA, however, will have $7 billion available during the shutdown in its disaster relief fund, which experts say is roughly enough to last for two months. The shutdown beginning on Saturday comes on the heels of a record-long, 43-day government disruption late last year because of a battle in Congress over extending a federal health insurance subsidy. Democrats in Congress have refused to vote for a fiscal 2026 DHS funding bill until Republicans go along with a series of reforms to tighten controls over ICE and CBP. Late on Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, told reporters there had been some progress toward a deal on at least one of the Democrats' proposals: requiring ICE and CBP agents to remove the masks they wear while seeking migrants for arrest and deportation. Public outrage over those masks and other aggressive actions against protesters in Minneapolis -- including the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti -- and other U.S. cities prompted Democrats' call for reforms. Republicans had also hoped that a DHS announcement on Thursday that it was ending its deportation surge operation in Minneapolis would have persuaded Democrats to back the annual spending bill for DHS. They were wrong, as only one of the 47-member Senate Democratic caucus voted for the bill on Thursday. On Friday, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire told CNN in an interview that even with the ICE-CBP withdrawal from Minneapolis, there were no guarantees that DHS agents would not now move to other cities, as Trump has hinted, or stop searching people's homes without judicial warrants and detaining U.S. citizens. "That's what people are so upset about, and this needs to be fixed," said Shaheen, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

President Trump pardons 5 former NFL players

President Trump has pardoned five former NFL players. The players were convicted for crimes that include perjury, counterfeiting, and drug trafficking. The White House pardon adviser said the president is committed to “second chances.” Joe Klecko, Nate Newton. Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon were granted the clemency.

Are Politics Involved in the Nancy Guthrie Case?

Josh Hawley and Minnesota AG Keith Ellison Got Into A Sparing Match

Trump's low 2.4% inflation rate smashes expectations

Trump's Low 2.4% Inflation Rate Smashes Expectations As Mainstream Media Resists

Dems Divided Over Voter ID Laws Despite The Numbers

Bye, Bye Gallup Polls. Public Opinion Tracking In 2026

Bye, Bye Gallup Polls. Public Opinion Tracking In 2026 With Chris Wilson, CEO of Eyes Over.

Trump rolls back Obama's 'endangerment' rule

Trump Rolls Back Obama's 'Endangerment' Rule With Daniel Turner, Founder & Executive Director of Power the Future (PowertheFuture.com).

Obama Forced Expensive Inefficiency Onto Americans

The Importance Of Health & Wellness with Dr. Ashley Lucas

The Importance Of Health & Wellness With Dr. Ashley Lucas, Owner and Founder of PHD Weight Loss, Host of the Dr. Ashley Show | MyPHDWeightLoss.com | @PHDWeightLoss on Facebook + Insta | CALL 864-644-1900 AND SAY “STIGALL”

Second US aircraft carrier headed to Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran

The United States is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East as tensions with Iran continue to escalate, U.S. officials told news outlets Friday. The USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier — is being redirected from the Caribbean Sea to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group already stationed in the region. The move will position two U.S. carriers and their accompanying warships in the Middle East amid heightened geopolitical pressure. Officials say the redeployment is part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to increase military presence near Iran as President Donald Trump weighs possible military options and pushes for a deal over Tehran’s nuclear program. The Gerald R. Ford’s fighters and escort ships had been operating in the Caribbean. Its new orders underscore a rapid shift in U.S. naval focus as diplomatic talks with Iran continue alongside warnings from Washington about the consequences of failed negotiations.

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Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

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