Art created by artificial intelligence is an attempt to reduce a society’s sense of humanity, according to one Hollywood director.

This sort of treatment of art is “always a prelude to fascism,” the director also warned.

‘That is always the prelude to fascism.’

No ifs, ands, or bots

While accepting an honor from Variety at its 10 Directors to Watch and Creative Impact Awards, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro continued his recent onslaught against the use of artificial intelligence for art.

“Be kind, be involved, and believe in your art,” del Toro said, emphasizing that when art is minimalized, bad times are ahead.

“In a time where people tell you art is not important, that is always the prelude to fascism. Always. When they tell you it doesn’t matter, when they tell you a f**king app can do art, you say, ‘Well, if it’s that easy and if it’s that unimportant, why the f**k do they want it so bad?'”

The director answered his own question, warning that the reduction of art to a line of code removes a certain degree of humanity.

“The answer is because they think they can debase everything that makes us a little better, a little more human. And that, in my book and in my life, includes monsters.”

RELATED: Guillermo del Toro stops awards show music to drop ‘F**k AI’ bomb

Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Monster high

Del Toro’s tirade came on the heels of similar remarks last month at the 2025 Gotham Film Awards, where he made a point of announcing that his widely praised “Frankenstein” was “willfully made by humans for humans.”

After praising the movie’s “designers, builders, makeup, [and] wardrobe” teams, the director paused and added, “F**k AI.”

The 61-year-old — one of the most prominent Hollywood power players to speak out against the dangers of AI — also hinted at why he prefers to work in the horror/fantasy genre: “Sometimes the world gets so complicated, you can only explain it with the power of monsters.”

“We are in a time like that right now,” he added.

RELATED: The Oscars will leave TV — and may never come back

‘Death’ wish

Despite his anti-AI stance, del Toro is far from a techno-phobe.

In 2023, he praised Japanese video game auteur Hideo Kojima’s “paradoxical creation” and his ability to “break the barrier between cinema and games.”

Del Toro appears as the character Deadman in Kojima’s 2019 game “Death Stranding,” as well as its 2025 sequel.

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The Department of Homeland Security has publicly called out Hilton Hotels over what DHS says was an organized act of obstruction against immigration enforcement.

The agency posted screenshots showing the well-known hotel chain had “maliciously” canceled reservations for DHS officials at a Minneapolis-area location.

‘Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nation’s immigration laws?’

“NO ROOM AT THE INN!” reads a statement from DHS on social media.

“[Hilton Hotels] has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement. When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations. This is UNACCEPTABLE,” the agency continued.

“Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nation’s immigration laws?” the statement concluded.

One of the screenshots of the email responses included a statement from the hotel specifically citing the presence of ICE agents as the reason for the cancellation.

“We have noticed an influx of gov reservations made today that have been made for DHS, and we are not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property. If you are with DHS or immigration, let us know as we will have to cancel your reservation,” the email read, according to the screenshot.

In an email statement to Blaze News, a spokesperson for the hotel chain responded to the accusations.

“Hilton Hotels serve as welcoming places for all,” the statement reads.

“This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values,” the spokesperson added. “We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement, and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone.”

RELATED: Postal worker allegedly tried to help detainee escape from ICE — and was on duty at the time

Some on social media responded by saying they would cancel their Hilton reservations and avoid the chain.

Blaze News has also reached out for comment from the Hampton Inn in Lakeville.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested murderers, rapists, and other violent offenders over the first weekend of the new year, according to a press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.

The Department of Homeland Security recently announced “a historic 120% increase in manpower,” stating that it has added over 12,000 new ICE officers and agents following a successful recruitment campaign that received over 220,000 applications.

“With these new patriots on the team, we will be able to accomplish what many say was impossible and fulfill President Trump’s promise to make America safe again,” the DHS stated.

A DHS press release highlighted 15 “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens arrested by ICE over the first weekend of the new year.

‘Over the weekend, ICE arrested murderers, stalkers, rapists, and gang members.’

Jose Cano-Cruz, a Mexican national, was previously convicted of homicide and aggravated stalking in Muscogee County, Georgia.

RELATED: Leftist radicals doxx ICE agents with ‘WANTED’ flyers in Pennsylvania

Jose Cano-Cruz. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Waheed Allah Mohammad, an Afghan national, was convicted of attempted murder and first-degree assault in Monroe County, New York. A 2009 NPR report stated that the then 22-year-old admitted to stabbing his 19-year-old sister, whom he reportedly described as a “bad Muslim girl” for trying to leave her family to start a new life in New York City.

Waheed Allah Mohammad. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

ICE agents nabbed Carlos Danilo Barrera, a known Florencia 13 gang member from El Salvador. He was previously convicted of second-degree murder in Los Angeles, California.

Carlos Danilo Barrera. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Federal immigration officials detained Ruben Pulido-Cortes. The Mexican national was convicted of rape in Queens, New York.

Ruben Pulido-Cortes. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Leonel Rodriguez-Garcia, from Mexico, was also picked up by ICE agents over the weekend. He was convicted of kidnapping in Kern County, California.

Leonel Rodriguez-Garcia. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Uriel Segovia-Leon, a Mexican national, was convicted of battery resulting in serious bodily injury in Lake County, Indiana.

Uriel Segovia-Leon. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Federal agents arrested Duane Alando Spence from Jamaica. His criminal history includes a conviction for aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm in Miami, Florida.

Duane Alando Spence. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Patricio Hernandez-Gomez, a Mexican national, was convicted of first-degree unlawful imprisonment in Perry County, Kentucky. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

Patricio Hernandez-Gomez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

ICE arrested Mexican national Yessenia Monserrat Monje-Orozco. Her criminal history includes convictions for possession of prohibited ammo and a controlled substance, as well as vehicle theft in San Luis Obispo, California.

Yessenia Monserrat Monje-Orozco. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Thinh Troung Nguyen, a Vietnamese national, was previously convicted of armed robbery in Lexington, Oklahoma.

Thinh Troung Nguyen. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Federal agents arrested Esteban Reyes-Cortes, an illegal alien criminal from Mexico. He was convicted in Tallahassee, Florida, for battery and disorderly conduct and in Decatur, Georgia, for entering an automobile with intent to commit theft.

Esteban Reyes-Cortes. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Jose Antonio Poblete-Velasquez, from Chile, was convicted of burglary in Ventura, California. According to the Irvine Police Department, officers observed Poblete-Velasquez and an accomplice distract an elderly shopper at a grocery store to steal her wallet and phone. Police were surveilling the Chilean national following reports of a separate incident where credit cards from a stolen wallet were used to make several fraudulent purchases.

Jose Antonio Poblete-Velasquez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Immigration agents captured Luis Alberto Medel-Miranda, a Mexican national who was previously convicted for driving while impaired in Rockingham County, North Carolina.

Luis Alberto Medel-Miranda. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Kevin Ruiz-Gonzalez, an illegal alien from Honduras, was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon in Bronx, New York.

Kevin Ruiz-Gonzalez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

ICE also nabbed Harvy Gomez-Alaniz, from Nicaragua. He was previously convicted of evading arrest or detention in San Antonio, Texas.

RELATED: Making a list and checking it twice: ICE’s year-end roundup of the most heinous illegal alien invaders

Harvy Gomez-Alaniz. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

“The first year of the Trump administration marked record-breaking progress in removing criminal illegal aliens, and DHS will be doubling down on those accomplishments in 2026 with our more than 12,000 new officers and agents,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated. “Over the weekend, ICE arrested murderers, stalkers, rapists, and gang members.”

President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “unleashed ICE to get criminal illegal aliens off our streets and out of our country,” McLaughlin added.

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Hot on the heels of a highly publicized dinner with Donald and Melania Trump, Elon Musk will continue his work with the federal government through a new agreement that will affect the daily workflows of Department of War employees.

Last July, Musk’s xAI entered a $200 million contract with the Pentagon to adopt advanced AI capabilities for sectors like national defense. Now, both the DOW and xAI are shedding light on some of the details surrounding their partnership in other areas.

‘xAI will make available a family of government-optimized foundation models.’

In late December, the DOW announced its internal AI platform would be expanded to include xAI for “frontier-grade” capabilities.

“This initiative will soon embed xAI’s frontier AI systems, based on the Grok family of models, directly into GenAI.mil. Targeted for initial deployment in early 2026,” a press release stated.

This will enable the “secure handling” of “Controlled Unclassified Information” in the daily workflows of government employees, who will also gain access to “global insights” on X, which will allegedly provide a “decisive information advantage.”

However, there is no indication what those insights include.

RELATED: DOGE didn’t die — it moved to the states

Photo by Didem Mente/Anadolu via Getty Images

The xAI company announced in its own statement that it would be providing access to its AI models, “agentic tools, research platform, and API,” unlocking real-time insights.

The systems can be embedded into the daily work of the DOW’s some 3 million military and civilian employees, “from the Pentagon to the tactical edge.”

“xAI will make available a family of government-optimized foundation models to support classified operational workloads,” the press release added.

The DOW has also entered into contracts with other advanced technology companies like EdgeRunner AI and Palmer Luckey’s Anduril.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom ridicules Elon Musk over his trans-identifying son — and Musk responds

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The expanded partnership between the DOW and Musk came just days after xAI announced a new artificial voice generation application.

The Grok Voice Agent API operates essentially as a search engine optimizer that acts as a voice for a chatbot. The company released a series of sample voices, which “speak dozens of languages, call tools, and search realtime data.”

The product is currently being rolled out in Teslas to relay vehicle status, search directions, and control navigation.

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A Florida man wearing a lace bra, a G-string thong, and fake breasts was caught trespassing at a construction site, according to police. However, authorities said the bizarre situation escalated when a deputy discovered something alarming under his prosthetic silicone breasts.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd began his Monday morning briefing by stating: “Now occasionally I bring you stuff that you just can’t believe, that you’ll never get over, that may even scar you for life.”

‘Can you imagine? He’s mad at us for trying to find out why he’s wearing lace bras with guns and G-strings or G-somethings.’

According to the affidavit provided to Blaze News by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy encountered 39-year-old Matthew Zaccarino of Altamonte Springs at a construction zone around 1:19 a.m. Dec. 14.

The affidavit states Zaccarino’s vehicle was parked on private property with signs posted that read: “No Trespassing.”

A deputy made contact with Zaccarino, “who was standing next to the vehicle’s open passenger-side door and putting on female clothing (bra and panties),” the affidavit said.

Judd added, “We see this dude wearing a red lace bra, with prosthetic silicone breasts. Then we noticed he’s wearing a G-string — showing off the boys. You know what I mean?”

Judd said the deputy believed the situation was “highly unusual.”

Zaccarino told the deputy he was on his way to a “costume party,” according to Judd.

However, when the deputy pressed him about the costume party, Zaccarino couldn’t answer the question, Judd said.

The affidavit states that Zaccarino was “unable to provide a location, direction, or identify individuals who would be present” at the supposed party.

The affidavit also states the deputy issued several lawful commands for the suspect to stop moving, but he “refused to comply, removed his bra and silicone breast prosthesis, and began reaching inside the vehicle.”

At that time, the officer handcuffed the suspect.

Sheriff Judd stressed that these kinds of strange encounters can be extremely dangerous for officers.

RELATED: WATCH: Florida man says he ‘teleported’ into stolen BMW, blames ‘X-Men,’ thanks cop for rescuing him from ‘aliens’

According to the affidavit, the deputy was looking down at the bra and breast prosthesis and noticed a “loaded H&K 9mm firearm under the items” on the passenger-side floorboard near where Zaccarino was standing.

“Such loitering and prowling occurred under circumstances that warranted justifiable and reasonable alarm for the safety of people or property in the vicinity,” the deputy wrote in the affidavit.

Zaccarino then clammed up and refused to talk to law enforcement, according to Judd.

“Can you imagine? He’s mad at us for trying to find out why he’s wearing lace bras with guns and G-strings or G-somethings,” Judd stated.

“Oooh, it was ugly. It was so ugly,” Judd remarked.

Zaccarino was arrested and charged with armed trespass, resisting without violence, and loitering and prowling.

According to Polk County Sheriff’s Office jail records, Zaccarino was released on a $6,250 bond.

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When the White House unveiled the Presidential Walk of Fame, which features a portrait of former President Joe Biden replaced with the image of an autopen, one reporter was especially excited to see it.

“Every time I walk by it, I laugh to myself because I helped the president decide whether or not he should hang that photo of the autopen in Joe Biden’s spot,” Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese told BlazeTV host John Doyle at AmFest.

“I interviewed the president in August. I sat down with him for an hour in the Oval Office, and in the middle of the interview, he says, ‘Have you seen the work I’m doing in the Rose Garden?’ I’m like, ‘No, Mr. President, I haven’t,’” she continues.

That’s when the president decided to show her.

“I walk out to the Rose Garden with him, and he’s showing me everything, and we walk back inside and he has assistants on hand, and he says to them, you know, ‘Go show Reagan the portraits; get Reagan the portraits,’” she tells Doyle.

“So in walk his assistants, and they have these giant gold frames, and it’s George Washington, it’s Abraham Lincoln, it’s Ronald Reagan, who I told the president I’m named after. And I say, ‘Mr. President, are you going to hang Joe Biden’s portrait?’ And he was like, ‘All right, show her,’” she explains.

The president then had his assistants show her the photo of the autopen.

“He’s like, ‘I want to hang this photo in the place of Joe Biden’s portrait. Do you think I should do it?’ And I was like, ‘I think it would be very you, sir. I think you have to do it,’” she recalls.

“And he was like, ‘I think I will,’” she adds.

Want more from John Doyle?

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A Utah school board member announced she will not seek another term, citing pervasive corruption, and urged parents to immediately remove their children from the state’s public schools.

Christina Boggess was elected to the Utah State Board of Education in 2022 to represent District 8, which encompasses parts of Taylorsville, Kearns, and West Jordan. She announced on Friday that she plans to leave public office at the end of her term in January 2027.

‘Real change is not coming. The system is not broken — it is working exactly as the corrupt intend it to work.’

Boggess explained her reasoning behind the decision in a post on X.

“Today I declare, without apology or hesitation, that I will not seek re-election to the Utah State Board of Education. I am done lending my name, my vote, and my silence to a broken, corrupt, and morally bankrupt system that no longer serves the children or families of this state,” Boggess wrote.

She claimed there is “corruption” within the local board of education and the broader education system, adding that “nearly every decision is now driven by not-so-hidden agendas, political cowardice, financial kickbacks, and raw personal ambition — not by what is best for students.”

“I ran for this office to fight for you — your children, your values, your right to be heard. Instead, I have been forced to watch as even the loudest ‘conservative’ voices fold, trade their votes for favor and money, or abandon every promise they made on the campaign trail,” Boggess continued.

“The Republican Party platform means nothing inside those walls. The Word of the Lord means even less.”

RELATED: Universities treated free speech as expendable in 2025

Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

“Your concerns — about pornography in libraries, radical gender ideology in classrooms, the erosion of academic excellence, and the assault on parental rights — are mocked, ignored, or drowned out by the shrill demands of special interests and the timid silence of those who fear losing their seat more than losing their soul,” she added.

Boggess shared a final urgent message with parents.

“Get your children out of Utah’s government schools as quickly as possible,” she declared. “Real change is not coming. The system is not broken — it is working exactly as the corrupt intend it to work. Your children’s minds, hearts, and futures are not safe inside it.”

RELATED: School credit ‘recovery’ plans are apparently being misused for racial equity — and disadvantaging students even more

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Boggess had previously criticized the board for refusing to sign a letter from the Trump administration that stated it would not support diversity, equity, and inclusion programs or training, KUTV reported.

During an August meeting, Boggess shared a message highlighting her Christian faith and expressing concerns about the threats of communism in America.

“What God sees in comparison to the standard He sets, I think, should horrify everyone. And I don’t know what causes some to be so fearful to walk as Jesus did and lead the way He led,” Boggess stated during the meeting. “It is odd to me that even those with a clear biblical understanding that Satan is the father of lies, that governments are corrupt, and that Satan is the ruler of this world, will also assert that publicly questioning the government narrative, their practices, and universal truth is somehow un-Christian.”

Neither the school board nor the superintendent of public instruction responded to a request for comment.

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Protests have rocked Iran since late December, and some American leaders, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), have voiced support for the cause.

On an appearance on Fox News on Sunday night, Graham donned a black baseball cap that read: “Make Iran Great Again.”

‘I pray and hope that 2026 will be the year that we make Iran great again.’

As he put on the hat, Graham said, “I pray and hope that 2026 will be the year that we make Iran great again.”

Last Friday, President Trump warned Iranian leaders that there will be hell to pay if any protesters are killed: “If Iran [shoots] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

RELATED: Trump says if Iran ‘kills peaceful protesters,’ the US ‘will come to their rescue’

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Protests have reportedly broken out in more than 220 locations in 26 of the 31 provinces in Iran. According to the Associated Press, more than 20 people have been killed, and nearly 1,000 people have been arrested.

The protests began springing up in December 2025, supposedly in response to mounting economic pressures, including the collapse of the Iranian currency, a new policy that raised the price of gas, and inflation rates as high as 40%.

On Saturday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly warned that “rioters must be put in their place,” but the protests have shown little sign of slowing down in the first week of 2026.

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While almost all Republicans can agree that the United States needs to halt illegal immigration, more public figures have been raising the alarm about legal immigration through the “broken” visa system as well.

Early Monday morning, President Trump reposted on Truth Social a clip of an interview with Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) talking about immigration reform.

‘We need to restructure our legal immigration system to only allow people who love America, share American values, want to add value and assimilate to America, and don’t want any free stuff.’

The interviewer asked Fine what legal changes need to be made in Congress.

RELATED: Trump DOJ slams door on welfare for illegal aliens, ends Clinton-era loophole draining taxpayer dollars

Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“I think immediately we need to stop it all — all legal immigration of any kind, because clearly it’s out of control. People coming here on tourist visas protesting the country; people claiming that they’re refugees but then scamming the system and going on vacation to the countries they supposedly fled from; people coming and taking American jobs,” Fine said.

He continued, “We need to restructure our legal immigration system to only allow people who love America, share American values, want to add value and assimilate to America, and don’t want any free stuff.”

Fine then referred to Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy’s Pausing All Admissions Until Security Ensured Act, which was introduced in mid-November.

The bill seeks to freeze all legal immigration until certain conditions are met, effectively forcing an open-ended moratorium on legal immigration.

When the bill was introduced, Roy said, “The problem isn’t just illegal immigration; it’s also legal immigration. While the Biden administration opened our borders and allowed millions to flood into our country, they also rubber-stamped millions more arriving through convoluted legal schemes, completely overwhelming the system.”

A White House spokesperson declined to give further comment when contacted by Blaze News.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. is moving away from funneling foreign aid funds through non-governmental organizations after criticism of fraud and incompetence.

Rubio explained that the U.S. government has used NGOs to try to accomplish foreign policy goals but that many have become far too costly and inefficient. The first benefactor of the new policy is the government of Kenya, which will receive foreign aid funds directly instead.

‘That is the model that we are breaking. We are not doing this any more. We are not going to spend billions of dollars funding the NGO industrial complex while close and important partners like Kenya either have no role to play …’

“The United States has spent billions of dollars over the years in helping with health strategies all across the world,” explained Rubio in a speech last month.

“What we learned over time, especially after coming here, is that oftentimes — and I am oversimplifying it, but this is an accurate description — what would happen is we would go to a country and say, ‘We’re going to help you with your health care needs.’ Then we would drive over to Northern Virginia somewhere, find an NGO, one of these organizations, give them all the money, tell them: ‘Go to this country and do their health care program for them,'” he added.

“That NGO would then take some percentage of that money for their overhead and administrative costs, and by the time it got down to it … only a percentage of the overall money ever actually reached the patients and the people on the ground that we were trying to help because of these costs,” Rubio said.

“This makes no sense,” he said.

The compact reached with Kenya includes the Kenyan government’s agreement to increase spending on health care by $850 million over the next five years.

“So why are we hiring American and international NGOs to go into other countries and run health care systems that are parallel and sometimes in conflict with the health care systems of the host country?” Rubio continued.

RELATED: Flyer posted on Antifa-affiliated website appears to call for laser attacks on police helicopters

“If we’re trying to help countries, help the country. Don’t help the NGO to go in and find a new line of business,” he added. “So that is the model that we are breaking. We are not doing this any more. We are not going to spend billions of dollars funding the NGO industrial complex while close and important partners like Kenya either have no role to play or have very little influence over how health care money is being spent.”

He concluded, “Bottom line is if you want to help a country, work with that country.”

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Nicolas Maduro pled “not guilty” during his first appearance in a United States court on Monday.

Just days after being captured from his home in Caracas, Venezuela, Maduro appeared in a New York City court for the first time alongside his wife, Cilia Flores. During the hearing, Maduro maintained that he is a “decent man” who is innocent of the charges levied against him by the United States.

‘They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.’

“I am innocent,” Maduro said. “I am not guilty.”

Flores’ attorney also claimed that she sustained “significant injuries during her abduction” over the weekend, with journalists present in the courthouse reporting that she was seen wearing bandages on her head during the hearing.

RELATED: Maduro captured following ‘large scale strike’ in Venezuela, Trump says

Photo by Donald Trump’s Truth Social Account/Anadolu via Getty Images

Following his capture, the United States indicted Maduro in the Southern District of New York on charges of “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States.”

“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said of Maduro and his wife. “On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.”

The operation that captured both Maduro and Flores took place in the dead of night on Saturday, and they were both then transported to New York by American officials. The operation left Americans and Venezuelans with questions as to who would govern Venezuela while Maduro — whose presidency is not recognized by many countries, including the U.S. — faces legal battles in the United States.

RELATED: ‘We’re going to run it’: Trump reveals Venezuela’s fate following Maduro’s capture

Photo by JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images

Just hours after the capture, President Donald Trump told reporters that “we’re going to run” Venezuela.

“We can’t take a chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind,” Trump said Saturday. “We’ve had decades of that. We’re not going to let that happen.”

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A United States Postal Service worker in Florida late last month allegedly believed a kid on an electric scooter was making off with a package he had just delivered — and let’s just say the postal worker’s decision-making after that point was not the smartest.

Citing a Florida Highway Patrol report, the Pensacola News Journal said 41-year-old William White Jr. dropped off a package on Kingfisher Way in Escambia County on Dec. 27.

‘It’s not a normal porch pirate running up snatching packages that you just dropped off.’

The FHP report said a “child, whose family owns that residence, saw the package was meant for a different address,” the News Journal added.

With that, the child — a 10-year-old, according to WALA-TV — grabbed the package and put it on his electric scooter to deliver it to the correct address, the FHP said, according to the News Journal.

But when White saw the child with the package, he believed the kid was stealing it, the paper said.

“White then purposely drove the USPS vehicle towards the child and ran over the scooter,” the FHP report said, according to the News Journal. “The child was able to get into the nearby yard prior to the scooter being hit.”

White then grabbed the scooter from underneath the USPS vehicle, placed it on the truck, and then drove off after yelling at the child, the paper said, citing the FHP report.

One of the child’s family members followed White to confront him, leading to White throwing the scooter into a nearby yard on Blue Jay Way, the FHP said, according to the News Journal.

Troopers said the child suffered an ankle injury in the incident and was taken to the Studer Family Children’s Hospital in Pensacola, WEAR-TV reported.

RELATED: Atlanta police make arrest in connection with homeowner who cops say shot 2 teenage porch pirates

White was interviewed and arrested on New Year’s Eve after he returned to work, officials told WALA.

He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, petit theft, and criminal mischief, the News Journal said.

Jail records indicate White was released later on New Year’s Eve; his bond totaled $5,500, and his next court date is Jan. 23.

Florida Highway Patrol Captain Jason King told WEAR, “This isn’t just an oops crash with a 10-year-old. This is an intentional act by a United States postal worker trying to run over a 10-year-old.”

King added to WEAR that “it’s amazing what a small conversation would do in a situation instead of jumping straight to use of force. Putting your hands on somebody, or just really escalating way past where it should have been. It’s a 10-year-old on a scooter. It’s not a normal porch pirate running up snatching packages that you just dropped off.”

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​Florida, United states postal service, Usps, Porch pirate, 10-year-old, Delivery, Package, Electric scooter, Crime