Laken Riley’s killer’s free flight from NY to where nursing student lived adds fire to Trump’s pledge
Federal officials declined to provide more information to Fox News Digital about a “humanitarian flight” that Laken Riley’s convicted killer, Jose Ibarra, was granted from New York City to Atlanta in September 2023.
In a Georgia courtroom on Monday, during Ibarra’s trial, prosecutors displayed a photo of a Delta Air Lines ticket from New York to Atlanta, dated Sept. 28, 2023, for Ibarra, the Venezuelan illegal immigrant accused of attacking and killing Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, on the University of Georgia campus in Athens in February.
FBI Special Agent Jamie Hipkiss said a photo of the boarding pass was pulled from a WhatsApp account associated with Ibarra.
Ibarra’s former roommate, Rosbeli Flores-Bello, testified on Monday that she and Ibarra — both Venezuelan nationals who connected in Queens, New York, in 2023 after meeting through a mother-in-law — went to the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan in September of that year to request a “humanitarian flight” to Atlanta. Ibarra’s brother, Diego, promised they would find work in Athens, Georgia.
LAKEN RILEY MURDER: JUDGE SENTENCES COLLEGE STUDENT KILLER AFTER FAMILY ADDRESSES ‘MONSTER’ IN COURT
The Roosevelt, which is located not far from New York’s iconic Grand Central Station, was transformed into an immigration processing hub or “reticketing center” in May 2023. The New York City official government website defines “reticketing” as “a service provided to individuals who are new arrivals to the United States and are seeking asylum.”
President-elect Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan has vowed to put an end to this practice. Homan served in Trump’s first administration as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office told Fox News Digital that “[w]hat happened to Laken Riley is a gut-wrenching tragedy, and we are hopeful her suspected killer is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Cities should never have had to carry the cost and burden of this national humanitarian crisis.”
“Mayor Adams has been abundantly clear that we need to fix our broken immigration system. Cities should never have had to carry the cost and burden of this national humanitarian crisis,” press secretary Kayla Mamelak Altus said in a statement.
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“More than 223,000 migrants have come through New York City’s intake system since the spring of 2022, and our reticketing system is one tool in our very limited toolbox as a city that helps migrants take the next step out of our shelter system,” Altus continued. “We continue to call on Democrats and Republicans to finally come together to pass meaningful immigration reform for the first time in four decades.”
Reticketing centers, the New York City website says, help “arrange further travel outside of NYC from” the Roosevelt Hotel, among other locations.
“If you have just arrived in NYC and need reticketing services, you should first visit the Arrival Center at the Roosevelt Hotel, located at 45 East 45th Street in Manhattan,” the website states. “At the Arrival Center, you will undergo an intake process in your preferred language, during which you can express your desire to be reticketed. Eligibility will be confirmed by staff.”
The FBI told Fox News Digital that the agency “has nothing further to provide beyond the testimony given in court.”
A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said “the FBI is involved in this,” referring to the plane ticket, and referred Fox News Digital to the Bureau. “We don’t have any information,” the spokesperson said.
The White House did not respond to questions about Ibarra’s conviction generally or his humanitarian flight. Delta Air Lines did not provide any further information about the flight.
LAKEN RILEY’S ALLEGED KILLER JOSE IBARRA FLEW FROM ‘GROUND ZERO’ OF MIGRANT CRISIS TO GEORGIA
Jose Ibarra is charged with 10 counts in connection with Riley’s February murder.
The murder suspect entered the United States through El Paso, Texas, in 2022 and was freed on border parole. He initially lived in New York City, where he was arrested for endangering a child prior to his move to Athens.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED IN LAKEN RILEY MURDER ‘FAST-TRACKING’ TO LIFE IN PRISON: ATTORNEY
Ibarra, 26; and his brothers, Diego Ibarra, 29; and Argenis Ibarra, 24, lived together in an apartment complex in Athens, Georgia, less than half a mile from the scene where Riley was found dead. All three men were questioned and taken into custody after Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was murdered while she was jogging around the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22.
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Diego Ibarra — who briefly worked on UGA’s campus in a dining hall — is charged with green card fraud after displaying a fake ID with two different birth dates to police, and Argenis is being held on an immigration detainer.
Court documents released Wednesday revealed that Diego Ibarra has ties to the violent Venezuela-based organized crime gang Tren de Aragua.
Federal authorities say that the gang, also known as TdA, has become known for its violent turf wars as it has expanded into other countries in South and Central America. The gang has established itself in multiple states, according to the Justice Department.
Veteran journalist’s election warning comes back to haunt ‘Never Trumpers’
Veteran political analyst and best-selling author Mark Halperin told “The Brian Kilmeade Show” that he warned liberals and “Never Trump” Republicans that Trump was likely to defeat VP Kamala Harris. Halperin reacted to the mainstream media, including MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brezezinski, preparing to cover a second Trump presidency.
CNN, MSNBC COULD RETURN TO RESISTANCE TV AFTER BEING RELIABLE ANTI-TRUMP NETWORKS DURING FIRST TERM
MARK HALPERIN:
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The MSNBC morning show hosts triggered outrage inside the liberal network after revealing to their audience that they had traveled to Mar-a-Lago to talk with President-elect Trump.
“Cowardice,” one MSNBC employee reacted to Fox News Digital. “Doing exactly what [anti-Trump historian] Tim Snyder warns on our air not to do: obey in advance. It’s disgusting but frankly unsurprising.”
The source said MSNBC’s rank and file are now “largely disdainful” of the network’s morning stars, saying it “feels like they are just opportunistic.”
Others have taken to social media to voice their objections. MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin called it “disgusting” on Bluesky, the X-like social media site growing in popularity with progressives. MSNBC host Katie Phang offered an indirect swipe, posting on X, “Normalizing Trump is a bad idea. Period.”
You can tell a lot about people by how they handle presidential election results
You can tell a lot about people and their worldview by how they handle disappointment, especially the results of this past presidential election that saw President-elect Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.
Videos on social media of emotionally distraught everyday citizens upset over Trump’s victory quickly went viral. From screaming “No! No! No!” or “How dare you!” to “This can’t be real!” and “Why?! Why?! Why?!” there has been no shortage of unhinged reaction.
The hysterical outbursts beg the question: what’s triggering such irrationality? The chasm was wide between candidates. To be sure, political blows can be a letdown but meltdowns of the magnitude we’re seeing point to a much deeper issue – and a profound cultural problem.
The common denominator present in these titanic tantrums is that those having them have quite obviously placed all their hope in the hands of Big Brother. In other words, government, not God, is their savior. Politics is their religion – and they’re devout. For the radical activist, their dogma is not divinely inspired but legislatively drafted and crafted.
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP’S VICTORY SENDS HOLLYWOOD INTO TAILSPIN
In this limited worldview, temporal elections hold seemingly eternal consequences. With that much on the line, it’s no wonder a loss is so devastating as to evoke such frenzy and rage.
It remains to be seen how many will see the election as a wakeup call to shake free from the shackles of dangerous and dysfunctional policies promoted by the Left. A few have already boldly and introspectively spoken out. Reps. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Tom Suozzi of New York are two of them.
A day after the election, Suozzi told The New York Times, “The Democrats have to stop pandering to the far left. I don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports. Democrats aren’t saying that, and they should be.”
Moulton agreed.
BLUE STATE DEMOCRATS ISSUE SCATHING REFLECTION ON ELECTION LOSS: ‘WE’RE OUT OF TOUCH’
“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face,” he reflected. “I have two little girls. I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.”
That “fear” is driven by those pursuing the promise of secular salvation. They believe the right government policies will save us and solve all our problems. This wager leaves no room for dissent and threatens to cancel anyone who disagrees.
From abortion fanaticism to championing policies that celebrate sexual confusion that Moulton and Suozzi are criticizing, radicals practice their political ideology with a religious zeal and fervor.
As an evangelical Christian leader, I often quote the words of my late friend Chuck Colson. He famously observed, “Salvation will never arrive on Air Force One.” He was right. As a former White House aide who traded away his integrity for political expediency in the Watergate scandal, Chuck knew better than anyone the vacuousness of temporal political victories.
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I might know Chuck’s words are true, but that doesn’t mean I’ve always followed his advice. Over the years, I’ve sometimes put an inordinate amount of hope in the outcome of cultural battles.
I never regret rolling up my sleeves to engage. In fact, I believe it’s my biblical obligation to advocate for morally and ethically sound policies. But when I wake up in a bit of a panic when an election or vote doesn’t go my way, I know I need to readjust my priorities and perspective.
Critics of my worldview often accuse people like me of bringing faith into an otherwise secular discussion. Ironically, though, the agnostics and atheists I know spend a lot of time talking about God, too.
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I think the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal explained why when he observed, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator.”
All of us are on a journey searching for purpose and meaning. In the end, we’ll only find what we’re looking for when we put our faith and ultimate hope in Jesus Christ.
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Bill Maher ends the year with heartfelt plea to American families
“Real Time” host Bill Maher closed his last show of the year by urging the country to enjoy the holidays without politics spoiling them.
“Can we please not let politics f— up the holidays?” Maher began his monologue Friday night. “Half the country is moping. Half can’t stop bloating. Enough. It’s f—ing Christmas and you will act like it!”
Maher lambasted the FEMA worker who directed staff not to help Floridians with pro-Trump signs outside their homes after Hurricane Milton as well as the Ohio sheriff who wrote on social media, “If you support the Democratic Party, I will not help you.”
“This s— has got to stop on both sides,” Maher reacted. “This is America. I want to be judged by the content of my character, not what’s on my lawn.”
FOX NEWS MEDIA LIGHTS ‘ALL-AMERICAN CHRISTMAS TREE’ IN NYC, KICKING OFF HOLIDAY SEASON
“If we’re going to remain a viable society, there must be some things that transcend politics, like disaster relief and law enforcement… and f—ing Christmas!” he exclaimed. “I get it that for the Democrats, this was a brutal loss, but the plan to deal with it has to be something better than stay in a snit and take advantage of this magical time of year to cut people off.”
“The Huffington Post has articles like, ‘My husband [and his family] voted for Trump, so I’m canceling Thanksgiving and Christmas’… Family isn’t like gender. You can’t fix it by cutting off members,” Maher quipped.
BILL MAHER SAYS ‘MY HEAD’S NOT EXPLODING’ OVER TRUMP PICKING RFK JR. FOR HHS: ‘WE DO NEED SHAKING UP’
The HBO host went on to slam Yale University chief psychiatry resident Dr. Amanda Calhoun, who raised eyebrows when she told MSNBC’s Joy Reid it was OK to cut off relatives who voted for President-elect Donald Trump and to not be with them for the holidays.
“Oh, how pure. It’s like not letting certain people sit with you on the bus,” Maher reacted while showing a photo of civil rights icon Rosa Parks. “Think about that, a mental health professional advising people to isolate during the holidays. And don’t forget to drink too much and put on weight.”
“You know who I really wouldn’t want to have Thanksgiving dinner with? This overly educated i.e. extremely stupid, Ivory Tower academic, but I would because if we ever want this nation to heal, this is what we have to do, force ourselves to reach out and find out why someone feels the way they do, and make the choices they make without prejudging them a monster. And they must do the same for you,” Maher continued.
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Maher went on to “guarantee” that Trump will have a “good Christmas” “knowing that embittered liberals spent what should be a day of joy all by themselves drinking cage-free eggnog and crying in their ‘We’re not going back’ T-shirts.”
“Don’t let him do it. Don’t let Trump live in your brain like RFK’s worm,” Maher jokingly said. “Don’t let him make you hate your family more than you do already… Look, we had an election. Trump will get the White House again, but this time, he’s not going to get my mind.”
Latest twist in trans volleyball player controversy shaking the nation
San Jose State’s volleyball team is currently guaranteed to face a team in the upcoming Mountain West Tournament that has already forfeited to it during the regular season.
San Jose State has had six of its conference wins this season awarded via forfeit amid a national controversy over a trans athlete on the team. With those wins, the team finished with a 12-6 conference record and has earned a first-round bye in the upcoming tournament.
Now, they are guaranteed to play the semifinal. And the opponent they are set to face in that match is guaranteed to be one of the four teams that refused to play them in the regular season. Utah State and Boise State are set to play in the quarterfinal match that will determine who faces the Spartans in the next round.
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Boise State was so unwilling to play San Jose State during the regular season that it forfeited two scheduled matches against the Spartans, taking a pair of conference losses on its record. Meanwhile, Utah State, which only forfeited one game, has joined a lawsuit against The Mountain West over the presence of Fleming as it seeks to have that loss restored.
On the other side of the bracket, Colorado State holds the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Colorado State played both games against San Jose State this year, as the teams split the series. Fresno State and San Diego States, two other teams that played the Spartans amid the controversy this year, will face off in the quarterfinal for the right to face Colorado State.
But there is bound to be uncertainty in San Jose State’s semifinal, regardless of what team advances to that round, under the current setup.
SJSU WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL’S 1ST OPPONENT DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TRASN PLAYER, SUGGESTS MATCH WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED
Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser, who is engaged in two lawsuits over the presence of her trans teammate Blaire Fleming, previously told Fox News Digital that her team doesn’t even know if their upcoming tournament opponents will face them.
“We’re just mostly wondering, are teams even gonna play us, period, if we go there? Because of just everything that’s happened this season,” Slusser said. “It seems like every few days it looks like it’ll be a fine day and everything’s normal and then something else happens. So, I truly do think everyone’s just kind of taking things day by day and taking the punches as they come.”
A Mountain West spokesperson previously told Fox News digital that the conference is preparing for San Jose State, and all of its opponents to compete, but also has a plan in place in the event of forfeits. That plan includes a willingness to recognize the winner of the conference final if their theoretical opponent in that game were to forfeit, the spokesperson said.
“If we get to a championship game, and it’s San Jose State vs. whoever, if that institution forfeits the game, then San Jose State wins that match, and then they are tournament champions. And they would be the automatic qualifier out of the Mountain West,” the spokesperson said.
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However, that plan could change pending a ruling by a federal judge in Colorado after an emergency hearing on Thursday. Judge Kato Crews presided over a hearing after plaintiffs, including Utah State, contested that Fleming shouldn’t be allowed to compete in the tournament.
Crews, who was appointed by President Biden in January, dedicated the first 45 minutes of the hearing to a debate between the plaintiffs and defendants over what pronouns to use when describing Fleming and whether Fleming’s name should be used during the hearing for the sake of privacy. The judge eventually decided to use she/her pronouns when referring to Fleming but told everyone else they could use whatever pronouns they wished.
Crews concluded the hearing by saying he will deliver a ruling on the case in a “timely fashion.” The tournament is set to begin next Wednesday.
San Jose State has repeatedly defended the presence of Fleming on the team.
“Our athletes all comply with NCAA and Mountain West Conference policies and are eligible to play under the rules of those organizations. Our volleyball team members have earned the right to compete, and we are deeply disappointed for them and with them that they are being denied those opportunities through cancellations and forfeits. We are also proud of how they have persevered through these challenges on the court,” a statement provided to Fox News Digital by a university spokesperson said.
Matthew McConaughey and model wife go pantless for ‘provocative’ tequila ad
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves have once again made headlines with their pantless ad campaign for their organic tequila brand, Pantalones.
In May, the 55-year-old actor and the 41-year-old model, who co-founded Pantalones in October 2023, announced that moving forward, they would be going pants-free in all the ads for their brand. Since then, the husband and wife duo have been featured in ads playing pickleball and croquet, mowing the lawn and sunbathing sans pants with the bottom halves of their bodies blurred.
In their latest ad, they recreated McConaughey and Kate Hudson’s famous poster for their 2003 romantic comedy “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Camila wore a copy of Hudson’s yellow silk dress while McConaughey wore a suit jacket and dress shirt but went bottomless in their “How to Lose Your Pants in 10 Ways” ad.
Doug Eldridge, the founder of Achilles PR, described the couple’s no-pants campaign as “incredibly effective.”
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, WIFE CAMILA PLAY PICKLEBALL PANTLESS
“First of all, it’s a subtle wink to the audience,” Eldridge told FOX Business. “‘Pantalones’ means ‘pants’ in Spanish, so the fact that they’re going pantless is a witty move right out of the gates.”
He continued, “Second, nudity, when tastefully done, is always a provocative concept, but when it features a former People Magazine ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ in the campaign, it takes it to a whole other level.”
“But there’s also another layer to this: McConaughey has never taken himself seriously, much less too seriously,” Eldridge added. “In fact, male and female fans alike view him as one of the most universally likable, grounded, and relatable celebrities in Hollywood. To me, this is somewhat similar to the Mint Mobile ads with Ryan Reynolds, where he breaks the third wall and mocks himself, while promoting the affordable cell phone service.
“All the variables are there: heartthrob, humor, humility. The days of self-important celebrities are quickly coming to a close.”
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A part of the campaign, Pantalones also includes recipes for specially named tequila cocktails with cheeky references to each ad. For the “How to Lose Your Pants in 10 Ways” ad, the Pantalones website featured recipes for ten drinks with names inspired by the hit movie. The “Love Fern” is named after the potted plant that Hudson’s character Andie Anderson gives McConaughey’s Benjamin Barry to represent their love.
Another cocktail, “You’re So Vain,” refers to the Carly Simon song that Andie and Ben sing while confronting each other in a karaoke scene. The “Yellow Dress” was named after Andie’s golden-hued gown, which became one of the rom-com’s genre’s most iconic costumes.
Eldridge told FOX Business that McConaughey and Alves’ decision to spoof the poster for one of the Oscar winner’s most memorable movies was a “brilliant move.”
“Prior to McConaughey’s pivot to more serious roles (‘Interstellar’ and ‘Dallas Buyers Club’), he was the beefcake king of the rom-com genre,” the expert said. “While his role in ‘Dazed and Confused’ was really his break-out moment, this movie was arguably the vehicle that accelerated his appeal, especially among female fans.”
“That said, by starring with his wife in this ad campaign, they are clearly targeting both male and female consumers, which is significant,” Eldridge continued. “By contrast, when MMA star Connor McGregor launched his whiskey line, it was almost singularly focused on attracting male, twenty-something, meat-eating, MMA-watching consumers.”
“McCounaughey is smart to take this tack when promoting his brand; it’s in-line with his sense of humor and self-deprecation, while giving a not-so-subtle wink to his enduring sex appeal.”
While the couple’s pants-free Pantalones ads have been very effective in getting media coverage, Eldridge said that they also “absolutely” help drive sales.
“Brands never want to be the ‘best kept secret that nobody’s heard of.’ Marketing and public relations are two distinct but complementary variables in the brand-building equation,” he explained. “That said, the order of variables remains consistent: exposure garners eyeballs; eyeballs create interest; interest drives engagement; engagement determines investment (sales).”
“Despite the ‘aw shucks’ demeanor, McConaughey is an incredibly talented actor, a magnanimous personality, and a savvy, self-aware businessman,” Eldridge added. “He took a measured approach to this campaign, and it will undoubtedly pay off on the balance sheet.”
After McConaughey and Alves released their first pants-free ad, a representative for Pantalones told Fox News Digital that the couple came up with the idea for the campaign themselves.
In a press release, the pair explained why they decided to forgo pants while promoting their tequila.
“We’re precious about our tequila, not our pants,” their statement reads. “With the explosion in popularity of tequila, there’s a level of snootiness that’s crept into the category. People now talk about tequila the way they talk about wine.”
“While we’re all for being passionate about tequila, we wanted to remind people that, above all, it’s meant to be fun,” it continued. “That’s where the name Pantalones came from, and that’s why you won’t see us wearing any.”
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Eldridge shared his opinion on whether the Pantalones pantless ads are effective in debunking the “snootiness” of wine and liquor marketing campaigns.
“To some degree, yes,” he told FOX Business. “The spirits industry can be fickle, when you get outside of household names like Jim Beam and Jack Daniels.”
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Though McConaughey and Alves have said that their pantless ads will continue indefinitely, Eldridge pointed out that the campaign’s efficacy will likely have an expiration date.
“This type of marketing campaign — at least when it’s being executed by McConaughey —is incredibly effective, but just like milk in the back of the fridge, it has a shelf life,” he told FOX Business.
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“For context, look at Budweiser’s ‘Wassup’ campaign, circa 2000,” Eldridge continued. “It became a cultural phenomenon, which far surpassed a standard ad campaign, and it lingered in the zeitgeist for years after the ads were eventually phased out.”
“So too is the case for Miller Lite’s iconic ‘Tastes Great. Less Filling’ campaign,” he added. “When Miller launched the first light beer in 1973, they leaned into this slogan. Twenty years later, they came out with a robust ad campaign, which permanently endeared itself to light beer drinkers across the country.”
“Point being, even the most iconic slogans and campaigns eventually must be retired. If history is any indicator, McCounaughey will ride this campaign (bareback) all the way to the bank!”