Southeast
CNN host clashes with Louisiana lawmaker supporting Ten Commandments bill: ‘Don’t make this about me!'
A CNN host locked horns with a Louisiana state representative over a new law requiring the biblical Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms.
Louisiana is the first state to require the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law Wednesday. Under the legislation, H.B. 71, a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” is required in all public classrooms, from kindergartens to state-funded universities.
Louisiana state representative Lauren Ventrella defended the display of the Ten Commandments as a historical document that has served as America’s very moral fiber during a Thursday episode of “CNN News Central,” but host Boris Sanchez was not convinced.
“When you talk about the moral fiber of our country, you realize that this country is an amalgamation of cultures right? And different faiths. And even within Christianity, people don‘t interpret those commandments the same way,” he said.
Louisiana state representative Lauren Ventrella debated with CNN host Boris Sanchez during a Thursday interview. (Screenshot/CNN)
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Ventrella argued that biblical imagery is part of American life, arguing that the Ten Commandments are displayed in the Supreme Court of the United States and that Moses is depicted on the wall of the House chamber in Congress. “This is part and ingrained in our nation, this is a historical document that’s important in Louisiana, because in Louisiana we believe in faith, family, and freedom, and that is why I voted in favor of this bill.”
“Sure, but you also recognize that the Constitution of this country, its founding document, doesn‘t include the word ‘God’ or ‘Jesus,’ or ‘Christianity’ and that‘s for a reason, because the Founding Fathers founded this country as a secular one, you don‘t see that?”
“Boris! I’d bet you CNN pays you a lot of money!” Ventrella said.
“What does this have to do with the network that I work for or what I’m getting paid? Don’t make this about that, answer the question! Why did the Founding Fathers not include God in the constitution if they wanted this country to be the way that you see it?”
After Ventrella asked to finish her statement, Sanchez demanded, “Answer the question and don’t make this about me!”
“We’ll make it about me!” Ventrella said. “I got a dollar bill in my wallet, ‘In God we trust ’ is written on that dollar. It is not forcing anybody to believe one viewpoint.” She then pivoted back to the bill and argued, “It‘s merely posting a historical reference on the wall for students to read and interpret it if they choose.”
Public displays of the Ten Commandments have been a hot-button issue in America for decades. Here Anna Dollar (2nd L) of Boone, NC, and Deanna Gosnell (R) of Avery, North Carolina, hold posters during a rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to support the Ten Commandments March 2, 2005 in Washington, DC. ((Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images))
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Ventrella objected to criticism of the bill, arguing that amid America’s ongoing internal strife, displaying the Ten Commandments gives children the option to see some “good principles.” She added, “I don’t understand why this is so preposterous and that litigation is being threatened, it doesn’t scare us in the state of Louisiana, we say bring it on!”
Sanchez went on to ask Ventrella what she would say to parents of students or teachers in classrooms where the Ten Commandments would be displayed who might not share her religious views. Ventrella advised, “Don’t look at it.”
Sanchez followed by asking her how she herself would feel if a text like the Five Pillars of Islam were displayed in such a way, “How would you feel if you walked into a classroom and something you didn‘t believe in was required to be on the wall?”
Ventrella rejected the hypothetical line of questioning, “we’re specifically talking about a limited text on, mind you, a piece of paper that‘s not much bigger than a legal sheet of paper. Some kids might even need a magnifying glass to read all of this. This is not so preposterous, that we‘re somehow sanctioning and forcing religion down people‘s throat. I‘ve heard the comments and it‘s just ridiculous.”
Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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Southeast
Accused US killer captured in Mexico after monthslong international manhunt for recycling bin murder
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A man accused of killing a Florida man and leaving his body inside a recycling bin has been arrested and extradited from Mexico, ending a months-long international manhunt, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officials announced.
Alfredo Carballo Gonzalez, 32, was taken into custody by Mexican authorities on Jan. 27 and extradited to Miami, where homicide detectives arrested him the following day, the sheriff’s office said Thursday. Carballo Gonzalez’s immigration status was not immediately shared. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for details.
The arrest caps an investigation into the killing of Daylon Fleitas Gonzalez, who disappeared in early August 2025 after meeting with Carballo Gonzalez in Medley, Florida.
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Murder suspect Alfredo Carballo Gonzalez, left, was arrested in Mexico and extradited to Miami-Dade after allegedly killing Daylon Fleitas Gonzalez and fleeing the country. His girlfriend, Ariely Alvarez Cabrera, was also charged in the case. (Miami-Dade County )
Detectives said the two met on Aug. 3 near Northwest 106th Street and 95th Avenue, where Carballo Gonzalez entered the victim’s truck and an alleged altercation occurred.
According to WTVJ, citing court docs, Fleitas was meeting with Carballo Gonzalez to receive $10,000 that Carballo Gonzalez owed him.
According to investigators, Carballo Gonzalez was then seen placing a recycling bin into the bed of the truck and driving away. A second vehicle followed and was later identified as being driven by Ariely Alvarez Cabrera, Carballo Gonzalez’s girlfriend.
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Alfredo Carballo Gonzalez allegedly killed Daylon Fleitas Gonzalez during a money dispute, then fled the country with his girlfriend, Ariely Alvarez Cabrera, and 5-month-old baby. (Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office)
Five days later, on Aug. 8, the department said that homicide detectives located the victim’s truck with multiple items of “evidentiary value” inside.
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During a canvass of the area, detectives found the recycling bin that had been transported in the truck, and Fleitas Gonzalez was found dead inside. Authorities allege that Carballo Gonzalez and Alvarez Cabrera fled with their 5-month-old baby.
A flyer following the alleged homicide by Alfredo Carballo Gonzalez. (Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Department)
Authorities did not say how or when Alvarez Cabrera and Carballo Gonzalez made their way to Mexico.
Jail records show Carballo Gonzalez is facing charges of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. Cabrera is also facing a charge of tampering with physical evidence, as well as a charge of accessory after the fact.
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Officials said that the baby was recovered safely and returned to Florida. Fox News Digital has reached out to Alvarez Cabrera’s attorney, Bijan Sebastian Parwaresch, for comment.
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Southeast
Illegal immigrant convicted in Laken Riley murder pushes for new trial as judge delays ruling
Laken Riley’s convicted killer seeks new trial
Jose Ibarra’s new legal team claims errors during the original proceedings justify a new trial. Judge Patrick Haggard, who presided over the original case and handed down the maximum sentence, will hear the motion in Georgia.
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The illegal immigrant convicted of murdering nursing student Laken Riley sought a new trial Friday, with a judge declining to rule after hearing arguments.
Jose Ibarra, who is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole, appeared in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, where Judge Patrick Haggard heard arguments from Ibarra’s post-conviction attorneys and declined to rule from the bench.
Haggard ordered both sides to submit supplementary briefs and responses by Monday, March 2, before he decides whether a new trial is warranted.
During the hearing, Haggard said a court-ordered mental evaluation reviewed by the court found Ibarra was competent at the time of the crime and during his 2024 trial, rejecting a central argument raised by the defense.
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Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Feb. 22, 2024. (Laken Riley/Facebook)
The defense called Dr. Ruth Ballard, an expert in forensic serology and forensic DNA, whose testimony focused on physical evidence collected during the investigation and previously presented to the jury. Defense attorneys sought to cast doubt on evidence linking Ibarra to Riley’s murder and suggested alternative explanations for her death.
Ballard testified that a pair of bloodstained gloves recovered near Ibarra’s home contained mostly Laken Riley’s DNA, along with DNA from at least one other unidentified individual, but did not contain Ibarra’s DNA. She also testified that no male DNA was found on Riley’s sexual assault evidence kit.
On cross-examination, Prosecutor Sheila Ross challenged the defense’s suggestion that Ibarra’s older brother, Diego, could have committed the crime. Ballard confirmed that Y-STR testing showed the DNA found under Riley’s fingernails belonged to either Jose Ibarra or his brother Argenis, and that TRULEO testing identified the DNA as Jose Ibarra’s, excluding both Argenis and Diego.
Ballard also agreed that a victim fighting off her attacker and scratching him would likely have the attacker’s DNA under her fingernails. She testified that her conclusions were limited to forensic serology and DNA analysis, and did not take into account trace evidence, fingerprint evidence, or video evidence.
Jose Ibarra, accused of killing a Georgia nursing student, listens through an interpreter during his trial at Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Ibarra was found guilty on all 10 counts in November 2024 for the Feb. 22, 2024, killing of Riley, 22, who was attacked while running on the University of Georgia campus. Prosecutors said Riley died during a violent struggle with Ibarra.
Riley was a student at Augusta University’s College of Nursing, which also maintains a campus in Athens, about 70 miles east of Atlanta.
Ibarra’s legal team has already obtained a mental evaluation as part of the appeals process, claiming he was not competent to stand trial. Friday’s hearing focused on whether alleged errors during the original proceedings justify a new trial.
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Allyson Phillips, left, mother of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student killed earlier this year, reacts as John Phillips, stepfather of Laken Riley, comforts her during Jose Ibarra’s trial at Athens-Clarke County Superior Court, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Federal immigration authorities previously said Ibarra entered the United States illegally in 2022 and was allowed to remain in the country while his immigration case was pending.
Riley’s murder became a central issue during President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, highlighting concerns about illegal immigration and violent crime. Last year, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, which requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of violent crimes or theft.
Ibarra is currently serving a life sentence without parole in a Georgia state prison.
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Fox News’ Samanatha Daigle contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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Southeast
Palestinian immigrant convicted of second murder-for-hire plot hatched from North Carolina cell
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A Palestinian immigrant was convicted by a federal jury in North Carolina of plotting to arrange the murders of three people by his fellow inmates after having pleaded guilty to having tried to murder others, authorities said Friday.
Nahro Sudoi Innab, 70, of Rocky Mount, N.C., was found guilty of three counts of making an interstate call in a murder-for-hire scheme, the Justice Department said.
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A Palestinian immigrant was arrested in a murder-for-hire plot in North Carolina. (United States Department of Justice and Google Maps)
“This Palestinian immigrant came here to take advantage of the American dream, but he has repeatedly tried to hire thugs to murder his perceived enemies,” said Ellis Boyle, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Innab was sitting in jail waiting to start his prison term in a separate murder-for-hire plot when he tried to pay off other inmates $10,000 to kill three men.
The intended victims were Rocky Mount small business owners, federal prosecutors said. A cooperating defendant informed the FBI of the plot and captured an audio recording of Innab’s murderous plan.
A sign at the U.S. Department of Justice is seen on June 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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“Even after being federally charged, arrested, and pleading guilty to a murder for hire plot, Nahro Innab continued his demented and dangerous plans,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
Barnacle said a coordinated law enforcement effort thwarted the multiple murder plots, adding that Innab will be “safely behind prison bars for years to come.”
The Department of Justice seal is seen on a lectern ahead of a press conference announcing efforts against computer hacking and extortion at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC on November 28, 2018. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Innab faces up to 30 years in prison for the new crimes.
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