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Bondi pushes back on First Amendment claims after Don Lemon, others arrested over church disruption

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Bondi pushes back on First Amendment claims after Don Lemon, others arrested over church disruption

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Attorney General Pam Bondi pushed back Saturday against First Amendment criticisms after the Trump administration arrested journalist Don Lemon and other anti-ICE agitators accused of storming a Minnesota church, warning that attacks on houses of worship will not be tolerated.

“When we say God bless America, we mean it. We’re going to protect America, and if you do that in any house of worship in this country, we’re going to find you. We’re going to indict you, and I’m going to prosecute you,” she said on “My View with Lara Trump.”

Her remarks come amid criticism that the arrests violated the agitators’ First Amendment rights, something she dismissed by pointing to Title 18’s Church Arson Prevention Act of 1996 as evidence to the contrary.

“You also have a First Amendment right to worship freely and safely. On a Sunday morning, all of those parishioners, so many of them thought they were going to be involved in a mass shooting. They didn’t know what was happening,” she said. 

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DON LEMON RELEASED FROM CUSTODY AFTER LA COURT APPEARANCE

Attorney General Pam Bondi conducts a news conference at the Department of Justice on Dec. 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“People have the right to go to church, to synagogue, to a mosque, wherever you worship and feel safe while you are there, and under the Donald Trump administration, we’re going to make that possible for them.”

Bondi described the incident as a coordinated operation that unfolded as families arrived for worship, with the agitators caravanning to the church, entering and sitting in the pews alongside those there to worship.

“These parishioners are coming in, and they didn’t realize they had already been infiltrated. They had part of these attackers walking in with them, sitting next to them in the pews. They’re there to worship God,” she said.

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According to Bondi, the group stormed the church from multiple directions, shouting chants in unison as the service was underway, leaving congregants scrambling for safety. 

DON LEMON REMAINS DEFIANT, DARES TRUMP DOJ TO ‘MAKE ME INTO THE NEW JIMMY KIMMEL’ AS POTENTIAL CHARGES LOOM

Anti-ICE agitators stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, disrupting services last month. (Validated UGC, Black Lives Matter Minnesota via The Associated Press)

She said parents were temporarily blocked from reaching their children at Sunday school, while others were prevented from exiting the building as panic spread through the sanctuary.

“Some of the lucky women ran out the side door, falling on the ice, legs up in the air. One woman hurt her arm so badly she had to go to the hospital,” she recounted.

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“Parishioners were blocked from exiting the church. Don Lemon, on video, blocked one of them. Screaming, yelling at the pastor. That’s illegal in this country.”

Lemon, a former CNN anchor, was charged in Los Angeles Friday afternoon on allegations of conspiring to violate someone’s constitutional rights and alleged FACE Act violations.

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Now an independent journalist, Lemon said he had been attending the demonstration as a reporter, not as a protester. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Lemon remarked, “I’m just here photographing, I’m not part of the group.… I’m a journalist.”

Lemon and his defenders argue that the arrest violated his First Amendment rights.

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Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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Kansas

2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament: Kansas Regional Opponents, Schedule Released

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2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament: Kansas Regional Opponents, Schedule Released


For the first time in program history, Kansas baseball has been chosen to host an NCAA Regional as part of the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Jayhawks are one of 16 teams to be selected as hosts, as announced by the NCAA on Sunday.

KU, who is ranked as the No. 15 seed in the country overall, is one of just two Big 12 teams to earn the honor along with the West Virginia Mountaineers – whom the Jayhawks dominated in the Big 12 Tournament Championship on Saturday by a score of 9-0 to capture the program’s second Big 12 Tournament title in school history and the first since 2006. This is also just the seventh time that KU has reached the NCAA Tournament in program history.

As host, KU is the No. 1 seed in a four-team regional played at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence that includes No. 2 seed Arkansas, No. 3 seed Missouri State, and No. 4 seed Northeastern. There will be a maximum of seven games played between the four teams from May 29 to June 1 in a double-elimination format.

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The Jayhawks will first face off in Game 1 of the regional against Northeastern at 12 p.m. CT on Friday, May 29, with the game airing live on ESPN+. Arkansas and Missouri State will then follow in Game 2 at approximately 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

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The loser of Game 1 will play the loser of Game 2 at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 30. The winners of Game 1 and Game 2 will then meet at 5 p.m. CT later that day.

The winner of the Lawrence Regional will move on to play in the NCAA Super Regionals next weekend against the winner of the Georgia Tech Regional (Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, The Citadel, UIC) in a three-game series for the right to play in the College World Series.

Full details about tickets, parking, and other information can be found at KUathletics.com.

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Michigan

West Michigan honors the fallen on Memorial Day

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West Michigan honors the fallen on Memorial Day


As we look back and remember all those who died for our country on this Memorial Day, we’re also remembering the ones who made it back home. We found it fitting to share some of their stories from our recent trip to Washington D.C. with Mid-Michigan Honor Flight as our nation celebrates 250 years.

This is Mission 25.



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Minnesota

Minnesota scientists are unraveling the mystery behind the state's walleye strains

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Minnesota scientists are unraveling the mystery behind the state's walleye strains


Working in a darkened laboratory, Laurel Sacco dips a cup into a large tank of water and scoops up dozens of young walleye. She pours one into a petri dish and examines it under a microscope. The fry has been harvested from Pine River near the headwaters of the Mississippi River where the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has historically s…



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