Wearing a plaid, button-down shirt and headphones, Jose Ibarra looked ahead and listened to an interpreter translate from English to Spanish as a friend of Laken Riley’s took the witness stand at the illegal alien’s trial for her murder.  “How would you describe your relationship with Laken?” a prosecuting attorney asked Lilly Steiner on Friday morning in an Athens, Georgia, courtroom.   “We were roommates, but the term ‘roommates’ is an overgeneralization of our relationship,” Steiner answered. “Our house was like a little family, and we called each other our family,” she testified, adding that the slain nursing student brought “a sense of joy to all of our lives that has been missing ever since.”  Lilly Steiner, roommate of Laken Riley, testifies Friday during the trial of Jose Ibarra, the illegal alien charged with brutally murdering her. (Screenshot of Fox News’ livestream) On the morning of Feb. 22, Riley left her home and went for a run along a wooded trail on the Athens campus of her alma mater, the University of Georgia, but never returned. The body of the Augusta University nursing student was found hours later, and authorities determined she had died from blunt force trauma and suffocation.   Ibarra, an illegal alien from Venezuela, is on trial for Riley’s murder.   “On Feb. 22, Jose Ibarra put on a black hat, a hoodie-style jacket, and some black, kitchen-style disposable gloves and he went hunting for females on the University of Georgia’s campus,” prosecuting attorney Sheila Ross said in her opening statement. “And in his hunt, he encountered 22-year-old Laken Riley on her morning jog. And when Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly.” In an email Friday to The Daily Signal, Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, blamed the crime on the Biden-Harris administration. “Laken Riley’s killer, Jose Ibarra, was able to perpetrate his vicious, shocking crimes because the Biden-Harris administration released him into the interior instead of swiftly removing him after he illegally crossed our Southwest border,” Green wrote, naming President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. “Sadly, stories like Laken’s have been repeated across this country since January 2021, thanks to [their] casual disregard for our immigration laws,” Green said.   Ibarra, 26, first crossed into America as an illegal immigrant in 2022, according to officials. Ibarra was arrested last year in New York on charges of child endangerment, but was released before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could ask local law enforcement to hold him.   Jose Ibarra sits Friday in a Georgia courtroom where he is on trial for the murder of Laken Riley. (Screenshot of Fox News’ livestream) Steiner, Riley’s roommate, explained to the court that she was among the first to recognize her friend might be in trouble that February morning.   Riley, Steiner, and their other roommates used the location-sharing application on their cellphones to continually have access to each other’s location. On that Thursday morning, Steiner checked to see where Riley was after waking up to find her friend not at home. The app showed that Riley was on a nearby trail she often ran on, but checking it a little over an hour later, Steiner saw that Riley’s location had not changed. Another hour later, Steiner and Sofia Magana, a third roommate, went to look for their friend on the running trail.   The young women, accompanied by Magana’s dog, found a single AirPod that they believed belonged to their roommate, but they didn’t find Riley. They called the police. Authorities found Riley’s visibly injured body in the woods early that afternoon.   “The evidence will show that Laken fought,” prosecutor Ross argued. “She fought for her life, she fought for her dignity.” “And in that fight, she caused this defendant to leave forensic evidence behind,” Ross added, pointing at Ibarra. Ross, representing the state of Georgia, said Ibarra’s DNA was found under Riley’s fingernails and one of his fingerprints was found on her iPhone.   One of Ibarra’s defense attorneys, Dustin Kirby, began his opening statement with condolences to Riley’s family. Kirby acknowledged that Riley was tragically killed, but insisted the evidence linking Ibarra to the nursing student’s murder is “circumstantial.” Kirby called into question the “proprietary software” used to test DNA found at the crime scene. He said prosecutors will point to a supposed hole in one of Ibarra’s gloves that left the fingerprint on Riley’s phone, but argued that the hole wouldn’t allow for such a mark. A third roommate of Riley’s, Connolly Huth, took the stand later Friday morning, telling the court she often accompanied Riley on her runs. Huth was in class the morning Riley went for a run and didn’t return home.   Huth testified that she received multiple calls from Riley’s sister before stepping out of class to call back and ask what was going on.   Learning that Riley couldn’t be reached, Huth told the court, she began to panic because Riley “would run for a long time, but I knew she had class that day and I knew that she wasn’t one to be late or off schedule.”   Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard is presiding at the murder trial. Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial, leaving his fate in the hands of Haggard.   The post Laken Riley’s Roommates Testify at Murder Trial of Illegal Alien Accused of Killing Georgia Nursing Student appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone called President-elect Donald Trump America's "second George Washington" during a short speech Thursday night introducing Trump during the America First Policy Institute Gala at the Mar-a-Lago Club.Stallone began by describing the first scene of his legendary movie "Rocky" with an image of Jesus coming into view — and then as the camera pans out, the audience sees writing below the image of Christ: Resurrection [Athletic Club]. "I found a church that had been converted to a boxing ring," Stallone recalled.'And I'll just say this, and I mean it: When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was gonna change the world.'As the camera pans down, the audience sees a pair of boxers going at it in a gritty ring in Philadelphia, just two days before Thanksgiving. The very first image of Rocky is when his opponent socks him in the jaw with a left hook. You can view that first scene here.“And at that moment, he was a chosen person, and that’s how I began the journey," Stallone continued. "Something was gonna happen. This man was gonna go through a metamorphosis and change lives — just like President Trump.”When the audience's applause subsided, Stallone added that "we’re in the presence of a really mythical character. I love mythology. And this individual does not exist on this planet. Nobody in the world could have pulled off what [Trump] pulled off, so I’m in awe.”The actor concluded by saying, “And I'll just say this, and I mean it: When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was gonna change the world. Because without him, you could imagine what the world would look like. Guess what? We got the second George Washington. Congratulations!"With that, Trump ascended to the stage and shook hands with Stallone. You can check out his speech here.Deadline reported that Stallone previously had stayed quiet about who he politically endorsed during the 2016, 2020, and 2024 election cycles. The outlet said Stallone indicated that he didn’t vote in presidential elections the prior two cycles. But Deadline noted that the actor told Variety in 2016 that he “love[s]” Trump and views him as a “great Dickensian character.” Deadline also said Stallone in 2018 was pictured in the Oval Office alongside Trump as he posthumously pardoned former world champion boxer Jack Johnson.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Congressional lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee held a joint subcommittee hearing Wednesday to discuss alleged secret government investigations into UFOs — now called unidentified anomalous phenomena — and the knowledge obtained from the inquiry. During the hearing, Michael Shellenberger, a publisher of the Twitter Files and co-founder of the "Public" newsletter on Substack, shared some shocking claims from a government whistleblower about an alleged special access program at the Defense Department called "Immaculate Constellation. " Shellenberger noted in his written testimony that existing and former government officials have notified members of Congress that notwithstanding suggestions to the contrary, the Pentagon has kept a "significant body of information about UAPs, including military intelligence databases that have evidence of their existence as physical craft," under wraps. One unnamed whistleblower submitted a report to Congress through the UAP whistleblower mechanisms established by the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, detailing the nature of the alleged Immaculate Constellation project. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) published that report this week. Shellenberger acknowledged that DOD spokesperson Susan Gough indicated last month the "Department of Defense has no record, present or historical" of Immaculate Constellation. However, the journalist said that a source subsequently notified him that Immaculate Constellation, apparently created after the New York Times reported in 2017 on a similar program called the Advance Aerospace Threat Identification Program, is "controlled by the White House and executed and administered by the DOD to avoid compliance with Title 10 of the United States Code." A former intelligence community official reportedly told Shellenberger's Public that Immaculate Constellation "is run out of SEC DEF," adding, "They don't want to acknowledge it's real." 'The F-22 pilot noted multiple metallic orbs — slightly smaller than a sedan — hovering in place.' The whistleblower report alleges at the outset that "elements of the U.S. Executive Branch have conspired to prevent the U.S. Legislative Branch from exercising its lawful powers of governance with respect to the UAP, [Technologies of Unknown Origin], and [Non-Human Intelligence] issues." While the allegation of a criminal conspiracy might itself be newsworthy, what is more interesting is the conclusion drawn in the report: The official disclosure of the existence of Non-Human Intelligences (NHIs) and their presence on Earth is a pivotal moment in human history. The nature of this information is of such incomparable relevance to the public good that it demands to be shared. Some may object and say that disclosure at this time poses too many risks. To them it must be said that we will never be able to predict how individuals, families, communities, and nations will react to revelations of such magnitude. Moving forward, we must guard against the lure of authoritarian solution justified by expediency and appeals to national security. The Good in humanity will always triumph through time, and it is in moments of crisis that our capacities for achieving the extraordinary are discovered. Be not afraid. According to the whistleblower, who Shellenberger has indicated "discovered this material accidentally," Immaculate Constellation collects high-quality imagery intelligence on UAPs in low earth orbit, the upper atmosphere, maritime environments, and at military aviation altitude and "acts as a nexus for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence on the activities, capabilities, and locations of anomalous aerospace threats that originate from foreign or unidentified sources." The report details multiple alleged UFO sightings, some of which were apparently captured by high-powered sensors and others that were documented by military personnel. There is, for instance, allegedly infrared and full-motion video daytime footage of roughly 12 "metallic orbs skimming the ocean surface at high speed before dispersing in multiple directions" and maneuvering with rapidity and agility "incompatible with known aerospace vehicles." The metallic orbs apparently flew in a tight "cuboid" formation, creating the illusion of a cube at a distance. The sensor platform reportedly lost sight of most of the UAPs when they ascended and accelerated. UAPs reported from 1991 to 2022 in one alleged Immaculate Constellation dataset varied in shape and size and included spheres, saucers, ovals, arrowheads, and irregular or organic shapes. The report catalogues various descriptions and properties recorded for each of the various vehicle types. The whistleblower indicated that Immaculate Constellation also has plenty of intelligence obtained from human sources as well. One account highlighted in the report claims that metallic orbs intercepted an F-22 fighter jet that was conducting a routine surveillance and control mission. "An F-22 fighter observed multiple UAP contacts at mission-altitude," said the report. "Moving to intercept, the F-22 pilot noted multiple metallic orbs — slightly smaller than a sedan — hovering in place. Upon vectoring towards the UAPs, a smaller formation of the metallic orbs accelerated at rapid speed towards the F-22, which was unable to establish radar locks on the presumed-hostile UAPs." The report noted that when the fighter jet attempted to flee, it was "intercepted and boxed in by approximately 3-6 UAPs. One UAP maneuvered in proximity (>12 meters) to the area directly starboard of the cockpit; there the UAP established a rigid spatial relationship with the F-22, maintaining its exact position and orientation parallel with the F-22's cockpit despite multiple evasive rolls and maneuvers." Ultimately, the orbs reportedly escorted the fighter jet out of the mission area. According to the whistleblower report, other countries are aware of UAP events and take them deadly seriously, especially since the unidentified objects have an apparent tendency to fly over sensitive military and intelligence facilities. Earlier this year, the DOD's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office released a report claiming no governmental evidence of extraterrestrial technology. "All investigative efforts, at all levels of classification, concluded that most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification," said the report. "Although not the focus of this report, it is worthwhile to note that all official foreign UAP investigatory efforts to date have reached the same general conclusions as USG investigations." The AARO report noted, "Although many UAP reports remain unsolved or unidentified, AARO assesses that if more and better quality data were available, most of these cases also could be identified and resolved as ordinary objects or phenomena." Shellenberger said that the American government "appears to know significantly more about UAPs than it is revealing. But even those who believe the U.S. government has revealed all that it knows should have no objection to congressional demands for greater transparency." Mace emphasized, "The American people have every right to know what is really happening." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

After leaving CNN and joining NewsNation, Chris Cuomo has come across as more of a moderate. “I actually saw Chris Cuomo give a very good description of why people vote for Donald Trump,” Allie Beth Stuckey tells Megyn Kelly. Cuomo has also been very pro-Israel and has even condemned COVID vaccines. “Do you think that people like [Cuomo] who leave CNN and then all of a sudden become more fair and balanced — was it CNN that was influencing them, and they were just kind of lying because they had to at the time? Or do you think that they are lying now just to try to get a bigger audience?” Allie asks. “100% it’s the latter,” says Kelly, who obviously knows a thing or two about mainstream media from her days at Fox. “Chris Cuomo is faking it because he wants an audience. Go back and look at any night on ‘The Chris Cuomo Show’ when it was on CNN. He's as left as they come,” says Kelly, adding that “he comes from a party and a family of leftists.” “Only now do his brother and Chris come out and try to flirt with the right because they both have careers that are in tatters,” she adds. “Chris Cuomo has about four viewers who watch him over on NewsNation, and he’s trying to increase his numbers because NewsNation is trying to be palatable to both the left and right.” “But trust me when I tell you, this guy can't stand Trump, and he can't stand Trump supporters,” Kelly asserts. To hear more proof that Cuomo is a radical leftist disguised as a moderate, watch the episode above. Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

I saw on X that an NBC news reporter described the “general vibe” around Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks as “WTF,” with the appointment of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as attorney general earning gasps of “Oh my God.” Can’t say I don’t share that last sentiment in at least some measure. Gaetz running the Justice Department is perhaps the biggest middle finger in the history of American presidential appointments and one far from certain to be approved by a GOP-controlled Senate. I prefer Trump’s way of doing something over our old way of doing nothing. Let the past die. On to the future. But when it comes to Gaetz, or any of Trump’s other appointments for that matter, here’s where I stand: Trump won one of the most remarkable political victories in the history of this country. Thus, to the victor go the spoils. I got into this business believing that there was a conservative movement for which I would help tip the scales against the system. But all I found instead was a grift that sold books and tickets to conferences without really intending to accomplish a damn thing. Case in point: Most notable conservative influencers came out earlier this week for Rick Scott as Senate majority leader, and he was cast aside on the very first vote. See? We’re terrible. We didn’t just lose the culture over the last 30 years by accident. For decades, we offered no systemic opposition to the American left. It’s frankly a miracle — and only by God’s grace — that we aren’t already like Western Europe, especially given the current state of our church, which is deep in its metrosexual phase. And the fact that Rick Scott is our best option only underscores the absence of a real conservative movement. We left a giant void, and Trump filled it. He’s the king now. To confront this reality, some of you might benefit from watching “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” It’s a story about a lifeless church where the women are catty and the men watch the clock, waiting for the game to start. Then God sends in a group of wayward kids, the Herdmans, to shake things up and bring purpose and passion back to the spiritual void. What I see now — and it took me a very long time to realize — is that Trump is the political version of the Herdmans. Ironically, among all the people you now know as Trump’s closest associates and promoters, I was actually offered the keys to that kingdom before most of them even became relevant. But I turned it down. I missed it. I also believed that nothing good could come from Nazareth. I thought I was guarding my integrity and a movement I wasn’t yet convinced didn't exist. But it doesn’t exist. That’s why Trump is back — and, it seems, stronger than ever before. When COVID and endless lawfare sent Trump packing in 2020, his exile and the Democrats' subsequent insanity were, in hindsight, the final chance for red states to establish the bona fides of a conservative movement to lead the way. Yet there was no red wave in 2022. Not even close. Because once and for all, hear me now: There is no conservative movement. We have just two and a half governors who stand out: Ron DeSantis, Kim Reynolds, and maybe Brian Kemp half the time. They led a base so uninspired that their children were being transitioned before their eyes and they faced job losses unless they took a mandated poisonous jab. Yet even with these issues, they couldn’t convince the country to oust the Democrats from Congress two years ago. The conservative movement is like a red-shirted crew member beaming down to a planet in the first five minutes of a “Star Trek” episode — it’s definitely not coming back. It’s dead, Jim. That’s what we are. We have one resistance movement, and that’s Trump. If he fails, I honestly don’t know where we go from here. So let’s see what the Herdmans can do. I have to say, I’m as optimistic now as I’ve been in a long time. That doesn’t mean I agree with everything immediately, but for the first time in years, I see an aggressive plan from the right. Yes, an actual plan being executed efficiently, in clear contrast to the country’s current direction. It won’t be what you’re used to, it will sometimes make you uncomfortable, and there will almost certainly be some cleanups in aisle 12 along the way. But doesn’t everything feel more alive than it did just a couple of weeks ago? I’ll take it. I prefer Trump’s way of doing something over our old way of doing nothing. Let the past die. On to the future.

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