Artists respond amid Wilkes-Barre mural controversy
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — 28/22 News is hearing from a representative of the street artists behind a controversial mural in Wilkes-Barre.
In a new statement, co-founder of Five Points Creates, Marie Flageul, says the work was done at the property owner's request, and that the building is not historic or protected.
Man shot in forehead during road rage incident, DA says
She defends the imagery, which is based on characters from the film Terminator, and says recent criticism misrepresents the artists' intentions and borders on defamation.
Flageul says she's open to speaking before city council on behalf of the artists, should things get that far.
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5 hours ago
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Opinion - How deep does loyalty run in Washington?
President Harry S. Truman is often credited for saying: 'If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.' He never said that, though. And he was once given a dog (Feller), but his wife, Bess, would not let him keep it at the White House. His physician became its keeper. There is a popular notion abroad in the land that politicians have few real friends, and that what friendships there are in the nation's capital are fleeting and unreliable. The very noisy, nasty feud that broke out last week between Elon Musk and President Trump only reinforced that stereotype. Musk may have once referred to his relationship with Trump as 'first buddy,' but it became clear with the breakup that this was no Butch and Sundance buddy flick. It was more like an Incredible Hulk-Terminator faceoff. What purportedly set Musk off was his belated discovery that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act didn't actually reduce the deficit, it increases it by $2.5 trillion over the next decade. His new mantra became, 'Kill the bill,' and he vowed to defeat anyone who voted for it, to form a new independent party, hinted at Trump's impeachment, and suggested that Trump appears in the files on convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. The first set of government files were partially released by Attorney General Pam Bondi on Feb. 27. Musk has subsequently deleted his X-posts on impeachment and Epstein, perhaps signaling a thaw. Trump responded in their exchange of vicious social media blasts by threatening to defund Musk's lucrative government space contracts and suggesting Musk had 'lost his mind.' He said what really set Musk off was the loss of government subsidies for electric vehicles like Tesla. Is their swift falling-out proof that there are no real friendships or loyalty forged in Washington? Probably not. Their case is atypical. It is more an example of two very rich, powerful, and highly competitive egos thrashing it out for attention and primacy. That's hardly sound grounding for the growth of genuine friendships, let alone lasting loyalty, whether in Washington or anywhere else. The Trump-Musk fissure does raise the issue of whether loyalty is less possible and more volatile in a political environment where winning is often described as everything. Think of the parade of officials who fell-out with the White House in Trump's first administration, like Michael Flynn, Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, James Mattis, H.R. McMaster, John Bolton, Nikki Haley and others. Or take former President Biden's crowd that either kept mum, covered-up, or remained in denial over his decline in mental acuity. Biden's former press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre is the most recent example, declaring her party switch to Independent with the publication of her book, 'Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines.' No party or president has a monopoly on the disillusioned who either resign or are fired. It happens frequently to those whose first loyalty is to the Constitution and not their president. This phenomenon is most visible at the White House or Cabinet levels where the stakes are the highest and the struggles for power are often the most vicious. Members of Congress come and go with election defeats, retirements and aspirations for higher office. But their former top staffers usually stay on and move to work for other members. When Hill staff wear out, they sometimes move on to jobs as lobbyists, with think tanks, or in academia, again, all the time widening their circle of close friends. Those who want to exploit their past glories and positions of power for fame and fortune as media stars or sensational book authors have very short half-lives, and their circle of former friends often shrinks. What does all this have to do with the Trump-Musk super feud? Not a whole lot. They go their separate ways, continuing to amass power, with any allusions to past friendships and loyalty losing any relevance. There's not much there that average citizens can identify with or even care about, other than for its pure entertainment value. Trump is the only president in a century who has not had a dog while in office. An August 2018 Newsweek story, 'Trump doesn't like dogs and dogs don't like him,' quotes his first ex-wife Ivana from her memoir, 'Donald was not a dog fan.' He certainly didn't take to her pet poodle, Chappie, and vice versa. We don't know how many actual friends he has, but one thing that remains constant over time is that the presidency is probably still the loneliest job in town. Don Wolfensberger is a 28-year congressional staff veteran culminating as chief-of-staff of the House Rules Committee in 1995. He is author of, 'Congress and the People: Deliberative Democracy on Trial' (2000), and, 'Changing Cultures in Congress: From Fair Play to Power Plays' (2018). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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9 hours ago
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3 girls, 16, viciously beat and tase 15-year-old after-school inside NYC subway station: DA
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Fox News
18 hours ago
- Fox News
California looters now face 'hard-charging' consequences after blue state abandoned soft-on-crime approach
Amid the continuing unrest and flash mob-style looting incidents in Los Angeles, California is making a significant pivot toward tougher criminal enforcement. Criminal defense attorney David Wohl told Fox News Digital that the legal consequences are no longer a slap on the wrist for looters following the reversal of Proposition 47, which notably did not criminalize theft under $950. "Now we have a very conservative, hard-charging DA in Los Angeles," Wohl said. "He's adding up what is stolen by each individual co-defendant, and if that's over $950, everybody's getting charged with felonies." In a city once known for turning a blind eye to petty theft and soft prosecution, looters who are taking advantage of protests over federal immigration operations now face stricter penalties. In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 47, a ballot initiative that reclassified several nonviolent felonies, including shoplifting, theft and drug possession, as misdemeanors if the value involved was $950 or less. Supporters argued the measure would reduce prison overcrowding and redirect state funds to additional programming. Critics argued that it contributed to a noticeable increase in retail theft and emboldened looters. In 2024, voters voiced their concerns and overwhelmingly chose a sharp course correction from the progressive reforms that Proposition 47 implemented and voted in favor of Proposition 36. Prop 36 restored the ability to file felony charges against repeat offenders, regardless of whether their latest crime falls under the $950 limit. It also enhances penalties for group theft and organized looting, which had previously fallen into legal gray zones under Prop 47. The shift stems from a growing rejection of the previous criminal justice model championed by former District Attorney George Gascon, who Wohl described as "more liberal than a lot of public defenders." Under Gascon's leadership, prosecution was often delayed or diminished, with an emphasis on giving offenders "second, third, fourth, fifth chances," Wohl said. William Jacobson, a law professor at Cornell University and founder of offered a sharp critique of California's criminal justice policies in light of the emergence of looters during the ongoing L.A. protests against immigration enforcement. "Looting and violence have always been illegal, even in California," Jacobson told Fox News Digital. "Unfortunately, California's lax enforcement of the criminal laws, including the former decriminalization of shoplifting, has created a culture of criminality that has played out in numerous riots over the years." "The current riots against immigration enforcement and violence targeting both ICE and the community are part of the California political ecosystem," he said. Several stores across downtown Los Angeles were hit by looters in the early morning hours as anti-ICE riots continued. On Monday night, looters took to the streets and ransacked a series of storefronts, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed with Fox News Digital. Apple and Adidas were among the stores hit by thieves, as well as several mom-and-pop shops. "What have they done to my business? I don't know," one local business owner shared with Fox News affiliate KKTV. "I have to go inside and see what's going on. I don't know what they have done with the business." WATCH: One video, taken by Brendan Gutenschwager, captured looters ransacking an Apple storefront on Monday night. The video captured a slew of individuals dashing up to the technology storefront and grabbing goods before dispersing as police arrived. The footage captured the store's glass windows spray-painted with "F--- ICE." Other photos showed ransackers disappearing into the night with stolen goods after a smash-and-grab in Compton, a city south of Los Angeles. It was unclear if the thieves were participating in the ongoing anti-ICE protests or if they were being opportunistic of the city's unrest. "Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities," Mayor Karen Bass said in a post to X. "You will be held accountable." On Tuesday and Wednesday, after continued protests, other businesses set out to protect their stores. Fox News Digital saw a T-Mobile store on the corner of 3rd Street and Broadway boarding up ahead of likely another night of protests in the city. While a security guard protected the property, a repairer worked on the CVS store on the corner of 7th and Spring streets in downtown Los Angeles after several nights of rioting. Attorney General Pam Bondi offered a blunt message to would-be robbers and looters in the deep-blue city on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday. "If you loot a business in California during this, we're charging you with robbery under the Hobbs Act. No longer are the days of non-prosecution for looting. It's a criminal act," she said. The administration is also determined to crack down on those who inflict harm on law enforcement. "We've all made over 190 arrests, [and] more [are] coming. If you hit a police officer, you assault a police officer, state or federal, we are coming after you."
