Two of the anti-ICE protesters who stormed a Saint Paul church on Jan. 18 were ordered to be released from custody, according to a statement from the Racial Justice Network.

Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Allen were arrested for their alleged involvement in an activist protest at the Cities Church after identifying a pastor as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

‘Despite aggressive attempts by federal prosecutors to delay and derail the process, the courts stood firm in defense of constitutional rights, due process, and the rule of law.’

Levy Armstong is a civil rights attorney and activist, while Allen is a member of the St. Paul School Board. Both were arrested on Thursday along with a male.

The group claimed that they had been peacefully protesting against ICE and excoriated the Justice Dept. for seeking their prosecution.

“Despite aggressive attempts by federal prosecutors to delay and derail the process, the courts stood firm in defense of constitutional rights, due process, and the rule of law,” their statement reads. “A second judge affirmed the original ruling issued on January 22, confirming that the activists must be released, a decisive rejection of prosecutorial overreach and political intimidation.”

They also posted a video of the arrest of Levy Armstrong.

Critics of the protest have been outraged after a magistrate refused charges against former CNN anchor Don Lemon, despite his being at the protest. He has defended his actions by claiming to have been there as a journalist.

“Once the protest started in the church, we did an act of journalism, which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church, and members of the organization,” Lemon said later. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”

Further outrage ensued when it was discovered that the wife of the magistrate who refused the charges against Lemon is reportedly an assistant attorney general at Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office.

RELATED: Anti-ICE radical who took credit for the invasion of Minnesota church ARRESTED by feds

“Our fight is far from over,” the statement from the Racial Justice Network continued.

“We will continue to organize, mobilize, and litigate until all charges are dropped against all detainees and meaningful accountability is imposed for this blatant abuse of power,” they added. “All power to the people. Justice will not be silenced.”

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Newly released bodycam and surveillance videos show a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy fighting an armed shoplifting suspect last fall and then fatally shooting the suspect as he runs away with a gun, authorities said.

The incident took place at a Walmart in southwest Miami-Dade on the morning of Nov. 6, WFOR-TV reported.

‘We are grateful at this time. The circumstances could have gotten so much worse.’

Deputies were notified that a male allegedly was shoplifting inside the store, the station said, adding that surveillance video shows the suspect walking through the aisles before exiting the building, the station said, citing the sheriff’s office.

Authorities said a deputy tried to stop the male as he left the store, WFOR said, citing the sheriff’s office.

The male in question later was identified as 36-year-old Kennedy Graham, the station said.

More from WFOR:

Body camera video shows Graham running from the deputy as a struggle breaks out. In the footage, the deputy can be heard yelling, “Don’t resist, don’t resist,” as the two wrestle on the ground.

Deputies say the officer called for backup while trying to detain Graham.

Investigators say the video was slowed down to show Graham was armed during the encounter. Store surveillance video shows the deputy pinning Graham to the ground and holding him by the neck with his legs as Graham continued to fight back.

At one point, Graham dropped the gun, then picked it up again and ran, investigators said. The deputy is then seen pointing his weapon and firing.

RELATED: Wild video: Florida cop clings to hood of moving car, shoots through windshield on busy downtown street in broad daylight

Graham was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the station said, adding that no one else was hurt.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz back in November defended the deputy’s actions, WFOR said: “I will say this, this individual had an extensive criminal past. We are grateful at this time. The circumstances could have gotten so much worse.”

Investigators also displayed the weapon they say Graham was carrying at the time of the shooting, the station said, which added that the deputy involved has not been identified. WTVJ-TV reported that Graham’s gun was loaded.

“We recognize that incidents of this nature raise questions and concerns within our community, and I believe the public has the right to see critical incidents involving law enforcement,” the sheriff’s office said in a Thursday statement, according to WFOR.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is still investigating the incident, which is standard practice in police shootings, WTVJ added.

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​Fatal shooting, Miami-dade sheriff’s office, Walmart, Armed shoplifting suspect, New video, Bodycam video, Surveillance video, Repeat offender, Crime 

Matthew McConaughey doesn’t want participation trophies, and he doesn’t want success to be watered down.

The iconic actor recently gave a speech only he could deliver, forgoing giving traditional advice in favor of providing his own spiritual leanings that work for him.

‘I think in the West, because we want everyone to feel really great, participation trophies!’

The movie star was asked about how he critiques his performances on screen and how he gauges success.

“I know if I’m bogeying or if I’m birdieing. … I’ve seen myself on screen [and thought], ‘You’re kind of bulls***ting there,'” McConaughey told host Jay Shetty on his podcast.

Faking the grade

From there, McConaughey trashed the idea of expanded grade-point averages through extra credit.

“I’m not into extra credit. I don’t like 4.2 GPAs. That tells me, like, what happened? Are we, then, we’re not giving the right test? If 4.0 was the pinnacle, you know, that means not many people should be getting it, if anybody,” he explained.

The Texan said that with higher scores, institutions have either over-leveraged the original task or broadened the scope of scoring and therefore cheapened the credit.

“I think in the West, because we want everyone to feel really great, participation trophies! 4.2 GPA. Well, I feel better,” he said sarcastically.

It was from there that McConaughey began to explain where he seeks validation from, which was the true shining light of the discussion.

RELATED: Matthew McConaughey calls for ‘gun responsibility’ not gun control, goes on to demand gun control

Heavenly helpers

Aside from his wife and kids, McConaughey revealed he has a trio of people in heaven that he looks to for reactions — and God’s reaction through them.

“I have a council in the sky. Three people that are extremely important to me in my life: my dad, Penny Allen, and John Cheney.”

While the 56-year-old explained that Cheney is his old friend, it was not clear who Allen is.

“I see them, wink at them, talk with them, listen to them … run ideas by them, run decisions by them, and then I look up and see what their reaction is. And it’s been a very trusted council for me.”

This is a way to put “souls that are no longer with us” in “a heaven sense,” he explained. “They’re a conduit from God to me, and I have no expectations of them.”

In God he trusts

It doesn’t always go well for McConaughey, though. Sometimes his dad is “dancing in his underwear with a Miller Lite and a piece of lemon meringue pie,” he laughed, but sometimes “they’re not dancing,” and he has to figure out why.

RELATED: Matt Damon: Netflix dumbs down movies for attention-impaired phone addicts

Photo by PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

The Uvalde, Texas, native said it is very important to him to not have a picture of God in his mind, as he does not want to minimize his meaning.

In the end though, this all leads to McConaughey seeking his own validation, he admitted.

“I try to measure how I counsel and referee myself off of some of the people I just brought up to you,” he told the host.

“That’s where I prove it.”

McConaughey added that he does not look too far outside his own circle, because those he knows are who he trusts.

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Newly inaugurated New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing some criticism for saying he would not declare a snow day for children during a bitter winter snowstorm.

Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the entire state of New York on Friday, but the mayor said that students would be required to have online learning rather than a free day.

‘F**k him my kid will not be remote learning he will be building a snow man and some sleigh riding.’

“I know to the disappointment of any student that’s watching this right now, Monday is either going to be a remote learning day or it’s going to be an in-person school day,” Mamdani said Friday.

“It’s not going to be a traditional snow day. That is a determination we’ve made,” he added.

Forecasts say the city could be hit with as much as 18 inches of snow through the weekend, along with very cold temperatures.

Critics online responded with disapproval of the decision.

“I like this mayor but I do not like this! Give the kids a snow day!” said Cristóbal Alex of MSNBC.

“Snow days are an American pastime/tradition of happiness. So out of principle, he despises it and has to do the opposite,” read another response.

“Mamdani had an equity-focused agenda, but this is not equitable. Don’t forget too, the research has shown that students didn’t learn as much during virtual learning. This is just a wasted day that counts,” said another user.

“F**k him my kid will not be remote learning he will be building a snow man and some sleigh riding,” replied another critic.

“Mamdani is such an a**hole. No snow days?” read another.

RELATED: ‘Tax them to the white meat!’ Mamdani’s new ‘equity officer’ posted now-deleted X posts against white women.

“The forecasts don’t always get it right, but what is being predicted right now, whether it’s a foot of snow or even a little bit more, would be one of the biggest snowfalls that our city has seen in years,” continued Mamdani.

“Either late tomorrow evening or early Sunday morning, we are going to see snow start to begin to fall across our city,” he added. “It will fall and fall and then fall some more.”

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A Republican congressman from Texas pre-empted criticism from Democrats on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in his district after Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) announced that she would visit to oversee operations.

Crockett said the Dilley Detention Center near San Antonio was in her crosshairs after reports indicated that a 5-year-old was being sent to the facility after being used as “bait” by ICE agents.

‘Democrats are doing everything they can to spin the truth against law enforcement.’

The Department of Homeland Security has vehemently denied the claims and said that the boy had been protected by agents after his father fled from an immigration enforcement operation. An attorney for the family said the boy’s father had a pending asylum claim, but Vice President JD Vance contradicted that claim and said he was an illegal alien.

Democrats have used the media framing of the issue to hammer away at the administration.

“I am aware of reports that this precious 5-year old, Liam Ramos, who was kidnapped by ICE as he returned home from preschool in Minneapolis may be in San Antonio, Texas,” wrote Crockett Friday on her social media account.

“I will be visiting the Dilley Detention Center in San Antonio next week to conduct oversight and will demand answers on the whereabouts and well-being of Liam. If it were up to me, we’d be at the Dilley Detention Center RIGHT NOW getting answers. But let’s be clear about what’s really happening here: The Trump Administration is illegally blocking Members of Congress from conducting lawful oversight,” she added.

“We have an absolute right — under federal law and the Constitution — to enter detention facilities, unannounced, to ensure the safety and well-being of people in government custody,” Crockett continued. “I am outraged. My heart aches for Liam’s family. We will get answers.”

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas posted a video of the facility to undermine any possible suggestion from Crockett that Ramos might be maltreated.

“In the coming days, you’ll see a lot of grandstanding by politicians at the Dilley ICE Center in my district, #TX23. It’s all for show,” he wrote on social media.

“I’ve been there & seen the state-of-the-art facilities & protocols that @ICEgov follows,” he added. “Our ICE agents & CBP personnel are doing their jobs, & yet again, Democrats are doing everything they can to spin the truth against law enforcement.”

RELATED: Trump admin blasts Ilhan Omar over ‘vile lie’ accusing ICE of using autistic child as bait

Among those on the left who have pounced on the story is failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

“Enforcing the law is one thing. Terrorizing a population, using children as pawns, is another. My heart aches for Liam Ramos and his family,” she wrote.

Clinton and her husband could face contempt of Congress charges after refusing a subpoena related to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

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Director James Cameron says he prefers to live in New Zealand because of how “sane” it is compared to the United States.

The “Avatar” series director explained during a recent interview that he particularly preferred the New Zealand style of governance during COVID-19, which is when he decided to move there.

‘Fortunately, they already had a 98% vaccination rate.’

Buying the farm

Cameron told host Graham Bensinger that he fell in love with the scenery and people of New Zealand while visiting in 1994 and made a promise to himself that he would live there someday. Cameron bought a farm there in 2011 and found himself spending a lot of time in the country in the years to come.

“We came back for Christmas and then COVID hit, and we didn’t get back down there. So then I had to move mountains to get our production unit back up and running in New Zealand, and we just decided at that point in time that it was time to make the move as a family,” Cameron explained.

Fauci fan

From there, the filmmaker began boasting about New Zealand’s lockdowns for COVID-19, praising the country’s enforcement.

“New Zealand was — they had eliminated the virus completely. They actually eliminated the virus twice,” Cameron claimed. “The third time when it showed up in a mutated form, it broke through. But fortunately they already had a 98% vaccination rate.”

At the time, New Zealand was under the rule of socialist Jacinda Ardern, who ran the government with her Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. The country used a four-level alert system for COVID and spent a whole month under forced confinement except for “essential movement.”

Legislation included allowing police to use any “reasonable means including force” to ensure compliance, with punishments up to six months in prison.

“This is why I love New Zealand,” Cameron continued.

RELATED: Christian children’s movie ‘David’ beats out ‘Spongebob’ and Sydney Sweeney in box-office shock

Cuckoo for Kiwis

The Canadian-born director then began expressing his disdain for what he felt is Americans’ sub-optimal vaccination rates.

“People [in New Zealand] are for the most part sane as opposed to the United States, where you had a 62% vaccination rate, and that’s going down, going the wrong direction. Are you kidding me?! Where would you rather live?” he asked Bensinger.

The host stumbled, initially not realizing Cameron was looking for an answer. “Oh! Right,” he replied before Cameron jumped in.

“A place that actually believes in science and is sane and where people can work together cohesively to a common goal, or a place where everybody’s at each other’s throats extremely polarized, turning its back on science, and basically would be in utter disarray if another pandemic appears.”

Yes-man

Bensinger spoke up after those comments from Cameron though.

“I mean, the United States is a fantastic place to live.”

“Is it?” Cameron challenged.

Seemingly not wanting his podcast to spiral out of control, Bensinger added, “but New Zealand is just stunningly beautiful.”

“I’m not there for the scenery. I’m there for the sanity,” Cameron reaffirmed.

RELATED: James Cameron explains how a ‘Terminator-style apocalypse’ could happen

Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP via Getty Images

Carbon coper

The interview then shifted to Cameron’s farm and his veganism, with the 71-year-old explaining that he grows organic, farm-to-table vegetables for local businesses.

“I don’t personally have a problem with GMO per se,” Cameron said about his growing techniques. “Other than when you start to couple it with these chemical pesticides and herbicides into an integrated system, it’s actually opening the door to a lot of chemistry that shouldn’t be in our … bodies,” he said unironically.

Defending his veganism, Cameron concluded that if everyone was “100% plant-based,” not only would humanity live with a much smaller “carbon footprint,” but the environment and wildlife would be in much better shape.

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