American

Minneapolis — Federal authorities have arrested 16 people in Minnesota on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers amid protests tied to U.S. immigration enforcement operations, including a Somali American woman who went viral for describing her identity as “bananas and rice,” officials said. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests Wednesday as federal agents stepped up enforcement efforts in Minneapolis following days of unrest. The Justice Department said the individuals were charged…

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal authorities arrested 16 people in Minnesota, including a Somali American woman who went viral for describing her identity as “bananas and rice,” as part of a widening crackdown after protests tied to U.S. immigration enforcement operations, officials said Wednesday. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests, saying the defendants face federal charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal law enforcement officers. The enforcement push comes amid escalating clashes between demonstrators…

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Alex Honnold on Tuesday became the first person to free solo climb Taipei 101, scaling the 508-meter, 101-story skyscraper without ropes, a harness or a safety net in a live-streamed feat that drew hundreds of spectators on the streets below and millions more on Netflix. The 40-year-old American climber, famed for his 2017 ropeless ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite, moved deliberately up the building’s southeast face for about an hour and a half before topping out and rappelling to the ground, where he…

Claudette Colvin, civil rights pioneer who refused to give up her bus seat before Rosa Parks, dies at 86 Claudette Colvin, the Alabama teenager whose refusal to give up her seat on a segregated bus helped lay the legal groundwork for dismantling Jim Crow transit laws, has died at 86. She died under hospice care in Texas, a spokesperson for her family and the Claudette Colvin Foundation confirmed. Colvin was 15 on March 2, 1955, when she defied a bus driver’s order to surrender her seat to a white woman in Montgomery, nine…

Democrats condemn Trump’s remarks about Somali Americans as ‘xenophobic,’ warn rhetoric aids extremists Senior Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday condemned President Donald Trump’s strongly derogatory comments about Somali Americans and Somalia, calling the remarks “xenophobic and unacceptable” and warning they could endanger U.S. interests. In a joint statement, Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, Rep. Sara Jacobs, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Sen. Cory Booker said Trump’s rhetoric targeted Somali Americans, including immigrants and refugees,…

U.S. man from Minnesota pleads guilty to ties with ISIS affiliate in Somalia WASHINGTON — A naturalized U.S. citizen from Minnesota pleaded guilty Monday to charges stemming from his links to an Islamic State affiliate operating in Somalia, authorities said, in a case that underscores persistent efforts by foreign extremist groups to recruit supporters among diaspora communities in the West. Abdisatar Ahmed Hassan, 23, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank in St. Paul. Prosecutors say Hassan tried twice…

PORTLAND, Oregon (AX) — In a historic turn of events, Senator Kayse Jama has ascended to the role of Majority Leader in the Oregon State Senate. This remarkable achievement marks the first time a Somali-American and Black Muslim has held such a position in the state. Representing the 24th District and chosen by fellow Democrats who dominate the legislative body, Jama’s appointment is a landmark in the ongoing push for inclusive representation for both immigrant communities and communities of color.Jama secured this…

A South Korean prosecutors' office representative revealed that Ramsey Khalid Ismael, better recognized as Johnny Somali in online circles, is set to be tried and temporarily prohibited from departing the nation. SEOUL, South Korea — In recent developments, an American livestreamer infamous for his audacious antics abroad is facing serious charges from South Korean authorities, who have accused him of stirring up chaos in a local convenience store, announced on Wednesday by the prosecutors. Widely known by his alias,…

Back in January 2012, German-American journalist Michael Scott Moore found himself in dire straits when he was kidnapped in Galkayo, Somalia. That's quite a ways, roughly 400 miles, northeast of the capital, Mogadishu, huh? It's a wild world we live in. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Fast forward to today, two Somali fellows—prosecutor lingo for pirates—got slapped with 30-year prison sentences. Who are these dudes, you ask? Well, they played starring roles in the dramatic 2012 abduction of Moore, and he…

Mogadishu (AX) — Internet personality Ramsey Khalid Ismael, infamously recognized by his online moniker "Johnny Somali," finds himself the center of controversy in Japan and South Korea. His offensive antics have not only triggered public outcry and legal repercussions but have also riled up the Somali diaspora. They believe his actions have unjustly stained their community's name. Though Ismael sports the nickname "Johnny Somali," he lacks Somali roots—he has openly expressed that he is of Ethiopian descent. At just…