‘Offensive’ Latino, Puerto Rico jokes at Trump MSG rally launch wave of criticism

(PORTLAND, Ore.) — Ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington were set on fire early Monday, police in both states said.

It is unclear if the two arson incidents, which occurred near the Oregon-Washington border, are connected.

In the first reported incident, a ballot box in Portland, Oregon, was set on fire with an incendiary device, police said.

Portland police responded to reports of a fire at a ballot box around 3:30 a.m. local time on Monday. Security at the Multnomah County Elections Division responded and extinguished the fire, officials said.

“Officers determined an incendiary device was placed inside the ballot box and used to ignite the fire,” the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement.

The bureau’s explosive disposal unit cleared the device, police said.

Fire suppressant prevented further damage and protected “virtually all the ballots,” though three were damaged, the Multnomah County Elections Division said in a press release.

Elections officials will contact the three impacted voters so they can receive replacement ballots, the division said.

“We have multiple systems and security measures in place to ensure your ballot is safe,” Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said in a statement.

No other ballot boxes or official drop sites in Multnomah County were affected, the division said.

The Portland Fire Investigations Unit is investigating.

About a half hour later, around 4 a.m. local time, officers in Vancouver, Washington, responded to a report of a ballot box that was smoking and on fire, police said.

“Officers arrived and located a suspicious device next to the box,” which was on fire, the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement.

The fire was extinguished, and members of the Metro Explosive Disposal Unit safely collected the device, police said.

The extent of damage to ballots remains unclear.

The FBI is investigating the incident, police said.

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(Delphi, IND.) — Delphi, Indiana, murder suspect Richard Allen allegedly confessed to the crime in multiple jail phone calls to his wife, which were played for the jury on Thursday.

In one call, Allen told his wife, Kathy, “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.”

“No, you didn’t,” she said. Allen replied, “Yes, I did.”

“Why would you say that?” Kathy said. “I know you didn’t. There’s something wrong.”

In another call, Allen told his wife, “I think maybe I’ve lost my mind. … I need you to know I did this.”

She replied, “No, you haven’t. You’re unwell.”

Allen is accused of killing Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams 13, on a hiking trail in February 2017. He’s pleaded not guilty to murder.

In a separate call, Allen said to his wife, “If I get the electric chair or the death penalty, will you be there for me? I killed Abby and Libby.”

In another call, Allen said, “I did it, Kathy. I did it. Do you still love me?”

She replied, “Yes, I do. But you didn’t do it.”

“I don’t want to upset you. I’m sorry,” Allen told his wife. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’ve lost my mind.”

“I feel like I’m already in hell,” he told her later in the call. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Allen also allegedly confessed to corrections officers and a prison psychologist, according to their testimonies. But Allen’s mental state while in custody has come into question.

A psychologist testified this week that Allen could be classified as having serious mental illness. Allen was in solitary confinement for 13 months, which she said can be detrimental to a person’s mental health.

The psychologist said she believed Allen suffered from “situational psychosis” in jail. She said Allen would have episodes of psychosis and then it would go into remission.

Allen’s strange behavior in custody included hitting his head on the wall, washing his face in the toilet, refusing food, eating paper, smearing feces in his cell and putting feces on his face for two hours, according to testimony from corrections officers.

On the day of the murders, Libby and Abby saw a man behind them on the bridge, and Libby started recording on her phone, prosecutors said. The man — known as “bridge guy,” from the video of his voice released to the public — pulled out a gun and ordered the girls to go “down the hill,” prosecutors said.

Indiana State Police trooper Brian Harshman, who said he listened to 700 of Allen’s calls and monitored his texts and video chats, testified Thursday that after listening to the calls, he believes Allen is the voice on Libby’s “bridge guy” video.

The psychologist testified that Allen told her he ordered the girls “down the hill” and intended to rape them, but then he saw something — either a person or a van — and was startled.

Harshman told the jurors he believed Allen was startled by a van belonging to resident Brad Weber. Weber, who lives near the crime scene, owns a 2000 Ford Econoline van. Harshman said the time it would’ve taken Weber to drive home from work fits with the timing of the murders.

Defense attorney Brad Rozzi said police never investigated how many vans were registered in the county at the time of the murders. Rozzi also noted that numerous people were suspected of being the man in the “bridge guy” video, including Weber.

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(NEW YORK) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with incoming border czar Thomas Homan to discuss their plans to remove what he says were violent undocumented immigrants.

Thursday’s closed-door meeting was the latest correspondence between the incoming Trump administration and Adams, who is facing federal bribery and fraud charges.

The mayor spoke about his meeting at a news conference, where he began by admonishing reporters for having “preconceived notions” and “distorted views” about his immigration policies.”

While Adams said the city is going to “protect the rights, of immigrants who are hard-working and giving back to the city in a positive way,” the mayor repeatedly said that he and Homan agreed that they do not share the same courtesy for immigrants who he says commits violent crimes.

“We will not be a safe haven for those who commit violent acts. We don’t do it for those who are citizens and we are not going to do it for undocumented citizens,” Adams said.

Homan, who served as the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration, has vowed a “shock and awe” action against undocumented immigrants on day one. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants once he takes office and has threatened local leaders who have opposed his proposal.

States and municipalities can’t outright act as immigration enforcement for the federal government without an agreement, according to federal law.

Sixty counties and police districts, many of them in Florida, have entered into 287(g) agreements with Immigration Customs and Enforcement, in which local law enforcement can conduct immigration policies on behalf of the federal government such as executing warrants and detaining undocumented immigrants, Elora Mukherjee, the director of Columbia Law School’s immigration clinic, told ABC News last month.

The mayor said his legal team is speaking with the ICE’s legal team about ways to work together. Adams said he is considering using executive orders but didn’t give any specifics.

He also mentioned South American gang activity in the city and Long Island when asked about more specifics on violent crime involving undocumented immigrants, but didn’t go into further detail.

Adams was mum when asked by a reporter if he and Homan discussed proposals to deport undocumented immigrants who didn’t commit any crime in the city.

“From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts against innocent New Yorkers, migrants and asylum seekers,” the mayor said.

Adams has had several conversations with the Trump team since the election, which has raised questions from critics about the discussions and the mayor’s ongoing criminal case.

He became the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted when federal prosecutors charged him in September with bribery, fraud and accepting unsolicited donations from a foreign donor.

An investigation dating back to Adams’ time as Brooklyn borough president alleged the mayor had traded political favors with Turkish businessmen and officials in exchange for lavish gifts, hotel stays and flights.

The five-count indictment also alleges that Adams was involved with a foreign straw donor scheme that helped him get matching funds for his 2021 mayoral campaign.

Adams pleaded not guilty, brushed aside calls for his resignation and denied any wrongdoing. He has also dodged questions about whether he has sought a pardon by Trump.

The trial is slated for April and prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing.

Many of the mayor’s critics, including City Comptroller Brad Lander who will run against Adams in the Democratic primary, chastised the mayor for meeting with Homan.

“Eric Adams is so focused on cozying up to Trump that he is willing to deny people due process and put the safety of families at risk. This open-armed embrace of Trump’s xenophobic policies is a betrayal of everyone who calls New York City home,” he said in a statement.

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