Midwest
‘Gen Z’ Dem candidate charged with interfering with ICE posted video of herself in mob blocking unmarked SUV
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An Illinois Democratic congressional candidate posted video to social media that appears to depict events described in a federal indictment accusing her of impeding Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The 26-year-old Kat Abughazaleh, a self-styled “Gen Z influencer,” has called the charges a “political prosecution” and said she was exercising her First Amendment rights, not breaking the law.
“I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice,” she wrote on X. “This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win.”
DHS RIPS ‘DISHONEST, DESPERATE’ GEN Z CANDIDATE WHO RAGED AGAINST KRISTI NOEM’S ‘CRIMES’ AT ANTI-ICE PROTEST
Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh holds a megaphone outside the Broadview ICE processing center Sept. 26, 2025. (Reuters/Jim Vondruska)
During a protest outside ICE’s Broadview Service Staging Area in suburban Chicago on Sept. 26, federal prosecutors allege that she joined a mob that swarmed a law enforcement vehicle, blocking it with their bodies before someone etched the word “PIG” into the vehicle and others ripped off a mirror and windshield wiper.
WATCH: Illinois Democrat posts video of ICE protest that led to her federal indictment
According to the indictment, Abughazaleh is accused of taking part in the blockade at around 7:45 a.m. that same day.
“ABUGHAZALEH joined the crowd at the front of the Government Vehicle, and with her hands on the hood braced her body and hands against the vehicle while remaining directly in the path of the vehicle, hindering and impeding Agent A and the vehicle from proceeding to the [staging area],” the indictment reads.
The video appears to show just that, with Abughazaleh at the head of the crowd, leaning into the front of the unmarked vehicle, a black SUV with flashing lights.
Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh protests at an ICE processing center Sept. 26, 2025, near Chicago. (Reuters/Jim Vondruska)
Abughazaleh bills herself as a radical progressive Democrat whose platform includes a wealth tax on rich Americans, a $25 minimum wage and “an immediate pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and other undocumented immigrants.” Her hobbies include knitting and playing video games, according to her website.
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE THROWN TO GROUND DURING CHAOTIC ANTI-ICE PROTEST
Read the indictment:
She has also vehemently opposed the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants. In a televised interview earlier this month, she told former White House press secretary Jen Psaki that she thinks Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “should be tried at the Hague” — a reference to the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court.
Abughazaleh faces two counts under a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday: conspiracy to prevent a law enforcement officer from discharging his duties and forcibly impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer. Five other people at the protest were also charged.
A protester wearing an American flag face covering stands opposite Cook County sheriffs outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Ill., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Two of them are also involved in local politics: Michael Rabbitt, a Democratic committee person in Chicago’s 45th Ward, and Catherine Sharp, a candidate for the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
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The Gen Z candidate is running for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District seat to replace outgoing 81-year-old Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who is retiring after holding the office since 1999.
Fox News’ Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
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A volunteer firefighter is facing arson charges after he allegedly set a fire in a Lee County wildlife preserve, scorching hundreds of acres.
According to authorities, 21-year-old Trent Schaefer, a volunteer firefighter in Ohio, Illinois, was charged with one count of arson in connection to a fire that occurred in the Green River State Wildlife Management Area Friday.
On that date, temperatures had soared into the 60s, winds were whipping at more than 30 miles per hour, and humidity plunged below 30%, leading the National Weather Service to issue warnings on the danger of wildfires in Illinois.
It is alleged that Schaefer was seen by witnesses getting out of a vehicle and igniting multiple small fires within the nature preserve, which then coalesced into a larger blaze.
Those witnesses were able to restrain the suspect until Lee County sheriff’s deputies arrested him.
Image taken by Lee County Sheriff’s Office
By the time firefighters arrived on scene the blaze had already spread, and multiple departments were called in to assist with the fire, including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control by the late afternoon, but not before it burned more than 700 acres, according to authorities.
Schaefer is also a suspect in several other arsons around Lee County, but he has not been charged in any other fires at this time.
Illinois State Police are assisting with the investigation, and no further information was immediately available.
WATCH: Barges keep moving on icy Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky
Days of extremely cold weather during the first several weeks of 2026 left the Ohio River covered in sections of ice.
U.S. Coast Guard officials are investigating March 1 after a mariner died while working on a barge in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
An incident involving the mariner occurred the afternoon of Feb. 27 at mile marker 597 of the Ohio River, said Lt. Cmdr. Steve Leighty, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Ohio Valley Sector. Leighty declined to provide further details about the mariner and the circumstances of their death, citing the ongoing investigation.
Officials with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office are also investigating the incident, Leighty said.
Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@usatodayco.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter
Nebraska men’s basketball faces a critical week that will determine its Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournament seeding.
The Huskers play at UCLA on Tuesday night and finish the regular season next Sunday at home vs. Iowa.
The Huskers are currently tied for second place in the Big Ten with Michigan State. Both teams have four conference losses. They are one game in the loss column ahead of Illinois and Purdue, with five losses. Wisconsin has six losses.
The top four teams earn the coveted triple bye for the Big Ten Tournament. Regular-season champion Michigan has one spot locked up.
Here are the remaining schedules of the contenders for the triple bye, with conference record in parentheses:
Nebraska (14-4)
* Tuesday: at UCLA
* Sunday: vs. Iowa
Michigan State (13-4)
* Sunday: at Indiana
* Thursday: vs. Rutgers
* Sunday, March 8: at Michigan
Illinois (13-5)
* Tuesday: vs. Oregon
* Sunday, March 8: at Maryland
Purdue (12-5)
* Sunday: at Ohio State
* Wednesday: at Northwestern
* Saturday: vs. Wisconsin
Wisconsin (12-6)
* Wednesday: vs. Maryland
* Saturday: at Purdue
Maintaining an NCAA seed no worse than 3 should benefit the Huskers, who wouldn’t have to play, theoretically, the No. 1 seed until the Elite Eight game.
It’s a ton to play for in the final week of a historic regular season for Nebraska. But that’s what March is all about.
Nebraska at UCLA
When: Tuesday, 10 p.m. CT
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles
Records: Nebraska, 25-4, 14-4 in Big Ten; UCLA, 19-10, 11-7 in Big Ten
TV: FS1
Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.
UCLA rankings
* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 40
* USA Today Coaches Poll: Not ranked
* Kenpom.com: 41
* ESPN Power Index: 34
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 41
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, UCLA is a 9-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament. The next Bracketology will be released Tuesday.
Nebraska rankings
* Associated Press Top 25: 12
* NCAA Net Ratings: 12
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 15
* Top 25 and 1: 8
* Team Rankings.com: 11
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 3-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska-UCLA analysis
The Bruins are coming off a strange week. They crushed visiting rival USC, 81-62, on Tuesday, then lost at Minnesota, 78-73, on Saturday.
UCLA is 16-1 at home, its only loss to Indiana, 98-97, in double overtime on Jan. 31.
The game will be a homecoming for Huskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel, who played at UCLA in 2023-24, his freshman season. Buyuktuncel has started 27 games and averages 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season for the Huskers and frequently earns praise from coach Fred Hoiberg.
Nebraska thoroughly dispatched USC on Saturday, 82-67, an impressive performance on the road against a Trojans team desperate for a statement win to help — or save — their NCAA hopes.
Pryce Sandfort scored 32 points — one short of his career high — as the Huskers won their 14th conference game, a school record. Nebraska is 7-2 on the road in conference games.
This should be a great matchup — UCLA a strong team playing at home vs. a Nebraska team playing well and full of confidence. This feels like a one-possession game.
Iowa at Nebraska
When: Sunday, March 8, 4 p.m. CT
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena
Records: Nebraska, 25-4, 14-4 in Big Ten; Iowa, 20-9, 10-8 in Big Ten
TV: Fox
Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.
Iowa rankings
* Associated Press Top 25: 33
* NCAA Net Ratings: 28
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 30
* Kenpom.com: 24
* ESPN Power Index: 35
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 31
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Iowa is an 8-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska rankings
* Associated Press Top 25: 12
* NCAA Net Ratings: 12
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 15
* Top 25 and 1: 8
* Team Rankings.com: 11
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 3-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska-Iowa analysis
The Hawkeyes are coming off a puzzling, 71-69 loss at Penn State on Saturday. Iowa led 67-62 with 3:49 to play, and then scored only one more basket. Iowa plays host to Michigan on Thursday.
Nebraska will get a final curtain call at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where the Huskers are 15-2.
Nebraska should have revenge on its mind after losing at Iowa, 57-52, on Feb. 17, in Sandfort’s return to Iowa City, where he played for two seasons.
Whatever Nebraska nerves were a factor at Iowa shouldn’t be in play at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska shot only 21 percent from distance in Iowa City. Sandfort scored 13 points, his lowest total since Jan. 10, when he scored 12 at Indiana.
Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points. That won’t happen in this game. Neither will Nebraska’s ice-cold shooting from distance, especially if the game could determine the triple bye for the Huskers.
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