[FoxNews] Garza has for years faced harsh criticism from police advocacy groups and victims’ families
A Texas-based career criminal with a lengthy rap sheet is behind bars in Travis County after he was charged with murdering a father of five outside a 7-Eleven in Austin, reviving scrutiny of Travis County District Attorney José Garza and what critics call his controversial prosecutorial record and "soft on crime" approach.
Caleb Anthony Jenkins, described by police as a career criminal, was charged with murder in connection with a shooting last year that left a 25-year-old father dead outside a 7-Eleven. According to Austin police, Jenkins allegedly shot the victim and drove off.
But critics argue the killing may have been preventable. Garza’s office previously dismissed or declined to prosecute three separate gun charges against Jenkins in incidents dating back to 2022. He was also arrested in 2023 on a domestic violence charge and failed to appear in court, as Fox News reported. Most recently, he was re-arrested and released after his bond was raised.
Taken together, the developments have intensified public criticism of Garza, the Democratic district attorney backed by liberal mega-donor George Soros,
Garza, who was elected Travis County DA without prior experience as a prosecutor,
…but he’s fresh-faced, no doubt personable, and very, very dedicated to The Cause…
has faced criticism from police advocacy groups and victims’ families since taking office. They have accused him of deliberately slow-walking certain cases and embracing lenient sentencing policies.
The criticism has sparked national attention in years past. In 2023, the family of 25-year-old Doug Cantor, who was shot and killed in the 2021 Sixth Street mass shooting in downtown Austin, criticized Garza for slow-walking the trial of the gunman.
Family members told Fox News Digital in an interview at the time that they believed Garza had put the case on the "back burner."
"It's very clear that his focus and attention is not on this case," Nick Kantor told Fox News Digital in an interview reflecting on the two-year anniversary of his brother’s death — and the way Garza, who has been widely criticized for soft-on-crime policies, has handled the case.
Current and former local law enforcement officers have criticized Garza's actions and his alleged "war on cops," after the Soros-backed district attorney campaigned on indicting police officers and "reimagining" policing in Austin.
Soros contributed $652,000 to the Texas Justice & Public Safety PAC in the months leading up to the 2020 Travis County DA election, according to campaign finance records.
That same PAC spent almost $1 million on digital and mail advertisements to help Garza’s campaign, as Fox News reported.
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
[JUSTTHENEWS] Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, Attorney General Rob Bonta hoped to earn his anti-fossil fuel credentials when he filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil in 2024, alleging the company was engaging in deceptive practices related to its ''advanced recycling'' program.
He probably didn't expect that the company would fight back the way it has.
For years, oil companies have been the target of vitriol and lawfare, especially in California. When California's gasoline prices spiked in the summer of 2022, Gov. Gavin Governor Hair Gel Newsom ...mayor of San Franciscoas it transformed itself into Poopville, currently governor of Californiaas it transforms itself into Cinderland... claimed refineries were ''price gouging,'' even though his own energy officials disputed the claim. Newsom signed legislation requiring the refineries to be transparent so that the alleged price gouging could be revealed, but in fact no evidence of gouging was ever found.
In most cases, oil companies stay defensive when regulations and litigation target them with accusations of wrongdoing, but Exxon didn't take Bonta's lawsuit lying down. Instead, the company filed a defamation suit against Bonta and some environmental groups.
GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE
Bonta had sought to get the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that the statements Exxon claims were defamatory were made in the course of his duties as attorney general, and that should grant him immunity from lawsuits. A federal judge earlier this month disagreed and ruled that Exxon could proceed with its case against Bonta.
In 2024, Energy Transfer Partners successfully sued Greenpeace, and a North Dakota jury found the group at fault for harming the pipeline company's reputation by publishing false statements during the 2016 protests over the North Dakota Access pipeline. North Dakota Judge James Gion set a settlement amount at $345 million, which was reduced from the jury's original amount, and the News Agency that Dare Not be Named reports that he intends to make Greenpeace pay up. The organization warns that if it's forced to pay, it will have to cease operations. It intends to appeal the decision.
Whether or not Exxon was inspired by Energy Transfer Partners' success, the lawsuit against Bonta represents a rare case of Big Oil going on the offensive. ''I think the oil companies are sick and tired of getting beat around all the time,'' said John Shu, a legal scholar who served in both Bush administrations.
Connections to climate advocacy groups
In his lawsuit against Exxon, Bonta alleges that the oil giant misled the public on the efficacy of its ability to solve the ''plastic waste and pollution crisis'' with an advanced recycling process. Advanced recycling aims to turn plastic polymers back into their original molecules so they can be processed and used again as plastics or other products, such as jet fuel.
As is the case with lawsuits seeking damages related to climate change, Bonta's lawsuit is connected to well-funded anti-fossil fuel activist groups. In 2024, the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), which is funded by the Rockefeller Family Fund, published a report alleging that ''Big Oil'' deceived the public for decades and caused what it calls the ''plastic waste crisis.'' Bonta's lawsuit cites the activists' report and uses similar language.
Around the same time Bonta was filing his lawsuit, Inside Climate News, another Rockefeller-funded activist publication, was partnering with media outlets to attack plastic recycling as a false solution to plastic waste.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/27/2026 4:49 Comments ||
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#2
California will be green because all the energy companies will have left. It’s going to be much more expensive to live there if these activists keep winning elections.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/27/2026 6:30 Comments ||
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#3
I'm not sure I have any sympathy for the oil companies, but I have less for California.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/27/2026 8:33 Comments ||
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#4
Battery powered golf carts and e-bikes are being seen a lot more often these days on California city streets. Can't wait for the horse drawn carriages.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/27/2026 12:01 Comments ||
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[FOX] Denver Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston announced an executive order Thursday directing city authorities to detain an ICE agent considered to have used excessive force against or who "assaults or shoots or kills" civilians in the Mile High City.
The announcement comes weeks after Philadelphia’s top prosecutor made headlines by likening ICE agents to Adolf Hitler’s Geheime Staatspolizei and warning of similar repercussions that have yet to be put into practice, as Johnston’s now have.
"To protect Denver, our first responders will always provide life-saving aid to anyone who is injured, no matter who injured them," Johnston said on the steps of the city government’s plaza downtown.
All the Sanctuary crowd want at this point is bloodshed and insurrection.
#2
What's the history of mayors and local cops vs. feds in the past?
Eisenhower called in paratroopers to integrate Southern schools at bayonet point. What else was there?
There was a fed-on-fed incident when DOGE attempted to enter an office with a warrant from the president and was refused entry by the head of security who physically barred the way himself. I could not think of a more "you do not control us, we control ourselves" moment.
[FoxNews] LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho awarded contract to tech company AllHere despite alleged close ties with former salesperson Debra Kerr
The federal investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent, whose home and school office were raided Wednesday, may be tied to a failed multimillion-dollar AI school contract involving a potential conflict of interest.
Alberto Carvalho previously awarded a $6 million contract, paying $3 million up front, to education technology company AllHere.
A former salesperson employed by the firm also had her Miami property raided the same day as Carvalho, according to public records cited by the Los Angeles Times. The woman, Debra Kerr, reportedly had close ties to Carvalho during his tenure leading Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Spokesperson Jim Marshall confirmed to local media Miami Herald that "we searched a residence in Southwest Ranches today as part of this matter and have since cleared the scene."
In 2023, Carvalho secured a contract with AllHere to develop an AI chatbot called "Ed," designed to help address student issues such as absenteeism.
It ultimately collapsed in 2024 after its founder, Joanna Smith-Griffi, was accused of embezzling funds amid data privacy risks and whistleblower concerns. She was later charged with securities fraud, wire fraud and identity theft.
Kerr further claimed in AllHere's bankruptcy court filings that the company owed her commissions for helping secure its deal with LAUSD, according to education-focused outlet The 74.
While federal officials confirmed that search warrants were conducted Wednesday, they declined to reveal the nature of the investigation, noting that the warrants remain under seal.
However, sources told the LA Times that the investigation fell under the broad category of financial issues, and that the raid focused on Carvalho rather than the California school district.
LAUSD released a statement saying the district is fully cooperating with federal officials.
"The LAUSD Board of Education understands that today’s news has raised questions across our school communities," it said.
"The Board’s priority remains ensuring that our students, families, and employees experience a safe and welcoming learning environment. Teaching and learning continue across our schools. Los Angeles Unified continues to stay focused on our responsibility to serve students and our families."
The superintendent has led the nation’s second-largest school district since 2022, overseeing the education of roughly 400,000 students. He was also unanimously reappointed to the position in September 2025.
Before moving to California, he spent 14 years leading Miami‑Dade County Public Schools, the nation’s fourth-largest school district.
Wednesday’s raids mark the latest controversy to engulf Carvalho.
In 2020, he helped secure a $1.57 million donation from a company that had a pending contract with the district, the Miami Herald reported.
The funds reportedly went to an education nonprofit he founded, and the company’s online learning program, which was ultimately plagued with problems, was quickly scrapped.
In June 2021, the school’s inspector general determined that the donation, intended to benefit teachers, did not violate any policies but created the "appearance of impropriety," the outlet said. The foundation was subsequently urged to return the funds, which reportedly had been distributed to teachers as $100 gift certificates.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/27/2026 11:45 Comments ||
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#2
FBI agents raid Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s California home and office
- He admits on camera to being an illegal in America for 40 years - $77 million taxpayers dollars missing - Student attendance records falsified - Additional… pic.twitter.com/idIUcW5HaM
- Additional search in Florida from his prior role as Miami-Dade superintendent
- The $76.7 million in voter missing approved Prop. 28 funds were meant for hiring new arts and music teachers. It’s gone
- After being an illegal for 40 years he now supports student participation in protesting ICE
[RedState] During Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Trump announced that Vice President JD Vance will be leading a "whole of government" effort to clean up fraud, especially in blue states led by Democrats like Minnesota.
Then on Wednesday, the vice president and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke at a press conference about that effort.
VP Vance began by saying there will be a pause in federal payments to MN for Medicaid, as a wedge to pressure the state to take fraud seriously:
He explained that "the providers on the ground in Minnesota have already been paid.[by the state]. What we are doing is we are stopping the federal payments that will go to the state government, until the state government takes its obligations seriously to stop the fraud that's being perpetrated against the American taxpayer."
The vice president didn't mince words, stating that Americans being taken advantage of in this way is over. "That is stopping today. We're taking a whole-of-government approach in the Trump administration to take this fraud seriously," he said:
Dr. Oz gave another example of the types of fraud they're seeing, involving false claims for autistic children:
He shared that they have notified MN Governor Tim Walz (D) in a letter that they will only release the money "after they propose and act on a comprehensive corrective action plan" within the next 60 days:
Failure to do so would cause "$1 billion in deferred payments" in 2026, he said, adding that "this is a problem with the leadership of Minnesota, and other states that do not take Medicaid preservation seriously."
Oz called it "the largest anti-fraud effort" that CMS has ever undertaken:
[RedState] On Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel made the bombshell revelation that the Federal Bureau of Investigation spied on both him and now-White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in 2022 and 2023. Former President Joe Biden occupied the Oval Office at the time, and Patel and Wiles were both private citizens.
It was all part of the mission by Biden, his crusading Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Garland’s attack dog, former Special Counsel Jack Smith, to “get” Trump at any cost.
Ten agents were reportedly fired in the aftermath of the discovery, and more could soon be on their way out as well.
Wiles reportedly told associates, “I am in shock." I would be too.
Now, the story gets worse. Turns out they didn’t just get her phone records, they reportedly listened in on her calls — including one when she was talking to her lawyer.
Everyone's buried the lede here.
It's not just that the FBI subpoenaed Kash and Susie's phone records. The FBI surreptitiously recorded a phone call between Wiles AND HER LAWYER! Even worse, the lawyer KNEW the FBI recorded the conversation, and didn't tell Wiles! https://t.co/8uEFAoMjYLpic.twitter.com/nTkZ4gKvw3
#3
Ok, so I'll ask the pregnant question. Were those law enforcement personnel conducting the electronic surveillance actually law enforcement.... or Klingons ?
Embeds, contractors, or both ?
Again, Bongino left for a reason. Was it the disgusting amount of internal agency dirt and lawless double dealing ?
[THECONSERVATIVETREEHOUSE] The president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Borge Brende, said he was stepping down on Thursday, a few weeks after the forum launched an independent investigation into his relationship with late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Want Some Candy, Little Girl? Epstein ...A high class pimp financier who was alleged to maintain a stable of underage whoressex slaves who were paid big bucks to entertain the rich and/or famous. He was really surprised when he commited suiciede in jail... Brende, who became president of the WEF in 2017, announced his decision in a statement following disclosures from the U.S. Justice Department that showed the Norwegian had three business dinners with Epstein and had also communicated with the disgraced financier via email and text message.
''After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning 8-1/2 years, has been profoundly rewarding,'' said Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister.
[—] In their own statement, Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink, co-chairs of the Geneva-based WEF, said an independent review conducted by outside counsel into Brende's ties with Epstein had concluded and had found no additional concerns beyond what has already been disclosed.
Brende told Norwegian business daily Dagens Naeringsliv that while the review had not uncovered any previously unknown issues relating to Epstein, the case risked drawing attention away from the forum's work. He said he regretted he had not been more open about the dinners and subsequent communications he had with Epstein.
#2
I don’t think that he will be the last WEF person to fall.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/27/2026 6:24 Comments ||
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#3
What is in Steve Bannon's closet?
And he took over Breitbart News.
Fishy Fishy Fishy.
In a 2018 email, Brende thanked Epstein for "a very interesting dinner" and called him "a brilliant host." Epstein replied that "both Bannon Leon and I were very impressed with you," referencing former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and billionaire Leon Black. Brende said he was "completely unaware of Epstein's past and criminal activities."
[RedState] The fight for election integrity is still going on, and the Department of Justice is showing it's willing to get down in the trenches. The push for election integrity investigations will likely ramp up over the summer as well, with the midterm elections coming in November, and a lot is riding on the outcome of these elections.
On Thursday, the DoJ Civil Rights Division announced new federal lawsuits against five states that have not provided their entire voter registries.
Justice Department Sues Five Additional States for Failure to Produce Voter Rolls
Today, the Justice Department’s @CivilRights Division announced it has filed federal lawsuits against five states — Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New Jersey — for failure to produce… pic.twitter.com/tnDLyS8znd
...for failure to produce their full voter registration lists upon request. This brings the Justice Department’s nationwide total to 29 states and the District of Columbia.
"Accurate, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American people deserve," said @AGPamBondi. "This latest series of litigation underscores that the Department of Justice is fulfilling its duty to ensure transparency, voter roll maintenance, and secure elections across the country."
This, as noted, brings the total number of states currently facing some legal pressure to hand over their voter registries to 29.
#2
I hope they pick a jail that is reportedly 'strict', not necessarily in CONUS but in a friendly foreign American country. Hint. Hint.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
02/27/2026 6:32 Comments ||
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#3
Harmeet is one of tge most effective at getting results in Trump World.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/27/2026 6:33 Comments ||
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#4
Not that anyone in DoJ is attentive enough, but obstructing and delaying this act should be the basis for the federal government to go to SCOTUS and ask that any federal election returns in this November's election be voided.
[SDUT] WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group’s request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a $400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s project. He said the privately funded group based its challenge on a “ragtag group of theories” under the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution, and would have a better chance of success if it amended the lawsuit.
“Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President’s constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, Plaintiff didn’t bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds,” the judge wrote.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/27/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1793 views]
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#1
"$400 million"?
I understood it started out ask a $200 Million dollars project (with private funding), what I don't understand is how did the project expand to $400 million dollars? There's no explanation AFAIK even after a quick search.
#2
The project is being privately funded, including a check from President Trump’s personal account. If those who are paying accept the additional costs, we have no need to worry.
#3
Did anyone really think there wouldn’t be issues with a project on this old of a structure? I’ve watched an episode or two of Fixer Uppers. Bad plumbing, asbestos, you name it. I bet FDR was approving some pretty janky electrical.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/27/2026 6:21 Comments ||
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#4
My hope is that the National Trust for Historic Preservation has marked the point where the Dems jumped the performance art shark.
But reality tells me there are whole bunches on the way.
[BREITBART] Rapper Cardi B, who previously said she was ''starting not to like America,'' called the United States ''ghetto'' and ''dusty,'' and declared ''this is why some of y'all states be getting hurricane ...as in blow me down!... s'' after Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... 's 2024 election victory, is now urging voters in Texas — a Gulf Coast state that has been struck by major hurricanes — to back Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democrat U.S. Senate primary as early voting enters its final days.
On Wednesday, Cardi B posted a video to her Instagram Story saying:
''Listen up y'all. Early primary voting is happening right now in Texas, and we need Jasmine Crockett to win. She is running for US Senate. And if you want somebody that's gonna fight for your right, if you want somebody to fight for your community, if you want somebody that's gonna go up there and represent you and represent your issues, please vote for my sister, Jasmine Crockett, because one thing about it: she's gonna fight her best. She's gonna fight whoever she has to so your voice and your problems could be heard. Vote right now. This counts so much. Vote right now.''
Crockett shared the video on X, writing:
'' Okurrr Y'all heard my good sis!!! She's on a SOLD OUT tour and still took a minute to tap in. We've got 2 days of Early Voting left. Let's gooooo!!! #JasmineForUS #TexasTough''
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Houston city officials are moving forward with plans to build a $16 million 'superhub' for the homeless population, but residents are skeptical.
The Houston City Council approved the initiative in October, despite pushback from residents who said the community was not involved in the decision-making process and that they were concerned about their safety.
The superhub has been approved for development at 419 Emancipation Avenue in the city's East Downtown neighborhood near Shell Stadium.
The now-empty warehouse was purchased by an organization called Star of Hope in 1977 and served as a homeless shelter from 2004 to 2017, until the property's current owner, 419 Hope Partners, purchased it in 2017.
The property was then leased by the federal government as a shelter for migrant children until last year.
At a press conference last October, when residents spoke about the issue, Cassie Batson said she was 'irate.'
'We love it here. We have worked hard to invest in the community to clean up the area. We want to live here forever, and this has come as a major shock to me,' Batson added.
Batson added in an interview with local ABC affiliate, KTRK, that she was concerned for her safety after the city council approved the measure.
'I think this is just going to draw more people loitering out on the streets,' she added.
Elizabeth Spivey added that she believed it was a 'misuse of funds' to allocate millions to the initiative.
The negative attention surrounding the superhub generated the attention of Houston-based independent investigative media firm, Dolcefino Media.
'We are fighting for a neighborhood that quite frankly could be ruined if council members vote yes,' Wayne Dolcefino said in a video message.
He also accused Mayor John Whitmire's administration of breaking its promise of transparency to residents of East Downtown.
Scott Singleton, another resident near the superhub location, accused city officials of failing to notify the community before plans were enacted in an interview with local NBC affiliate, Click 2 Houston.
#5
It seems exactly the opposite approach to what you need. Concentration makes providing services more efficient--I get that--but it also creates an environment in which pretty much all of the influences are bad. If the odds are nearly 100% that one of the dozen+ guys in the same wing with you is a violent nut or an addicted thief, you're going to have to be aggressive yourself or become a victim. That doesn't endear you to the rest of society.
Some of the homeless there's not much you can do for short of locking them up, but if you want to help the others you have to dilute the influence of the street.
The short-term homeless, the ones who'll benefit from a little help, would flee this sort of place like the plague it would become.
A dedicated facility for mothers with young children can be helpful. But you restrict who can come in.
Posted by: James the lesser ||
02/27/2026 12:31 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...mayor of San Franciscoas it transformed itself into Poopville, currently governor of Californiaas it transforms itself into Cinderland...
...A 
...as in 
