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Progressive House candidate indicted amid Chicago-area ICE protests

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Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive Democrat running for an open House seat in Illinois, faces federal charges after attending a protest at a U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement processing center outside Chicago.

Abughazaleh, a social media influencer who recently moved to the state, was charged with conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer and assaulting or impeding an officer as they engaged in official duties at the Broadview ICE detention center.

According to the indictment, Abughazaleh was among several protesters who in September allegedly surrounded a government vehicle, banged on the hood and windows and scratched the body of the car, including etching the word “PIG” into the vehicle. The indictment also alleges the protesters broke one of the vehicle’s side mirrors and a rear windshield wiper.

Video of the encounter that day, posted by Abughazaleh, showed her and protesters placing their hands on the vehicle as the agent continued to slowly drive forward into the line of protesters, with some banging on the car.

Abughazaleh is one of the more than a dozen Democratic candidates running for Congress to fill the seat now held by Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who announced earlier this year that she won’t seek reelection in 2026.

In a statement, Abughazaleh called the charges “political prosecution” and a “gross attempt to silence dissent.”

“This case is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up,” Abughazaleh said, adding that the charges are “unjust.”

Other political figures named in the indictment include Catherine Sharp, a chief of staff to a Chicago alderman and a candidate for Cook County Board; Michael Rabbitt, a Chicago Democratic ward committeeman; and Brian Straw, a member of the suburban Oak Park Village board.

Sharp’s attorney, Molly Armour, called the charges “ludicrous,” saying, “we are confident that a jury of Ms. Sharp’s peers will see them for exactly what they are: an effort by the Trump administration to frighten people out of participating in protest and exercising their First Amendment rights.”

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Advocates and politicians have protested regularly outside the Broadview detention center since President Donald Trump ordered ICE agents into the city to conduct mass arrests.

Abughazaleh has previously protested outside the center, including at least once prior when she was teargassed and thrown to the ground by an ICE agent.

Following the release of the indictment, Evanston mayor Daniel Biss — who is also running for the seat — called the charges “frivolous” and accused ICE of engaging in “violent and dangerous behavior at Broadview.”

“As someone who has protested at Broadview multiple times, I know these protests are nonviolent demonstrations against the kidnapping of our neighbors,” Biss said in a statement posted on X. “Now, the Trump Administration is targeting protestors, including political candidates, in an effort to silence dissent and scare residents into submission. It won’t work.”

Shia Kapos contributed to this report.

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‘The worst, ever’: MAGA rages about Bad Bunny’s halftime set

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President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement furiously denounced Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show, denigrating the Puerto Rican superstar and claiming he does not truly represent America.

Trump, who previously called Bad Bunny a “terrible choice” to head up the NFL’s largest annual broadcast, chimed in with complaints about the show’s first-ever mostly-Spanish performance: “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying,” he wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post.

At Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Bad Bunny delivered a 13-minute homage to his homeland, weaving through a sugarcane field studded with bodegas and a traditional casita. His show was lauded by fans as a vibrant celebration of Puerto Rican heritage — but Trump and MAGA faithfuls weren’t so convinced.

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the Puerto Rican-born singer better known as Bad Bunny, made his Super Bowl debut in 2020 alongside Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. But since the NFL announced him as the Super Bowl headliner in September, he became a focal point for conservative ire — thanks, in part, to his high-profile political activism.

An outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration crackdown, he declared “ICE out” onstage at last week’s Grammy Awards — where his album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” made history as the first all-Spanish record to snag the show’s coveted album of the year trophy — and left viewers wondering what message he might have for the millions of football fans tuning into his set.

But Bad Bunny did not directly call out any of the president’s policies or supporters during his Super Bowl show. The only English he spoke during Sunday’s show was him saying, “God bless America,” as he was marching off the field with a procession of Latin and South American flags — led by the U.S.’s flag. He then spiked a football that read: “together, we are America.”

His show also referenced the island’s long-struggling power grid.

In the hours after the performance, MAGA allies took issue with the show’s mostly-Spanish discography and Puerto Rican inspiration.

“Was a single word of English spoken during the Super Bowl Halftime Show?” Nick Adams, Trump’s pick to become ambassador to Malaysia, wrote on X. “Someone needs to tell Bad Bunny he’s in America. This is an abomination.”

Far-right influencer Laura Loomer railed against his set in a series of X posts, urging border czar Tom Homan to deploy an immigration raid on site.

“There’s nothing American about any of this,” she wrote. “This isn’t White enough for me. Cant even watch a Super Bowl anymore because immigrants have literally ruined everything.”

Meanwhile, MAGA-friendly influencer Jake Paul urged his X followers to “turn off this halftime,” decrying Bad Bunny as a “fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America.” Paul, who was recently seen with Vice President JD Vance at the Olympics in Milan, received swift blowback online, including from Paul’s own brother, Logan.

Many, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), pointed out that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens — and that Paul himself has been living there since 2021.

Other figures within the president’s orbit echoed their disapproval. Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino reacted to Bad Bunny’s performance in a podcast episode on Rumble titled “Kid Rock > Sad Bunny,” telling viewers the show “sucked.” Meanwhile, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, wrote on X that she and her family “aren’t watching him.”

Conservatives did rally behind alternative programming. Turning Point USA, the conservative organizing group founded by Charlie Kirk, aired a rival halftime show headlined by longtime Trump ally Kid Rock, drawing support from Republican officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who praised the event.

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Musk jumps back into political fray with big midterm donations

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Musk jumps back into political fray with big midterm donations

Billionaire Elon Musk is back in the political fray, giving Republicans a boost in the run up to the 2026 midterm elections. The Tesla CEO had injected hundreds of millions into the 2024 election but announced plans last spring to step back from political spending, a potential blow for the GOP ahead of the high-stakes…
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America’s Christian revival is a hoax

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America’s Christian revival is a hoax

Despite the increased visibility of Christian culture, church attendance in America continues to decline, indicating that the current trend is not a revival of Christianity, but rather a shift towards a more individualized and deinstitutionalized form of spirituality…
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