Salem News Channel

Three inmates who escaped from a jail east of Atlanta, including one who was being held on a murder charge, have been apprehended in Florida, a member of a federal fugitive task force confirmed. Eric Heinze, assistant chief inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, declined to share further details ahead of a news conference planned in Atlanta later Tuesday. The inmates’ escape from DeKalb County Jail was discovered early Monday during a routine security check, the county sheriff’s office said. “We take this breach very seriously and are working diligently to ensure these individuals are safely returned to custody as quickly as possible,” DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox said in a statement before the inmates were recaptured. Authorities have not shared details about how the escape was carried out. The jail is in Decatur, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of downtown Atlanta. The inmates range in age from 24 to 31, with the youngest one charged with murder and armed robbery. The other two inmates face charges that include armed robbery and arson. The sheriff’s office had warned that the men might be armed and were considered dangerous after their escape. The inmate accused of murder and armed robbery, Stevenson Charles, 24, has had several run-ins with law officers in Georgia and Florida. He had been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of kidnapping and bank robbery, a federal agent wrote in a Monday affidavit regarding the recent jail escape. After being sentenced, the agent wrote, Charles was turned over to DeKalb County authorities on Dec. 5 to face the murder charge, details of which were not immediately available. A federal criminal complaint charging him with the escape does not list an attorney who could be contacted to comment on his behalf, and it wasn’t clear whether he has one at this early stage of the case. In one of multiple cases involving Charles in South Florida, he is accused of meeting a man through the Grindr online dating application and then pulling a gun on him when they met in person at a Miami residence in 2022. Charles then drove the man to various Miami area banks, withdrawing money from the victim’s accounts, court records show.

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Three inmates who escaped from a jail east of Atlanta, including a murder suspect, commandeered a terrified Lyft driver's car to reach south Florida before she was rescued and they were captured, according to details revealed in court records. The driver told FBI agents that the men used a fake name to order the ride, put a rope around her neck from behind her, dragged her into the backseat and threatened to kill her, according to a court affidavit filed late Tuesday and obtained by The Associated Press. The inmates were able to “compromise” a portion of a cell inside the DeKalb County Jail to make their escape, said DeKalb County Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins. He didn't provide more specifics because jailers don't want other inmates to know the facility's weaknesses. “We repaired the area that was compromised, and we’re looking at other areas that are similar to that to fortify them to make sure that they are not compromised in the same manner,” Atkins said at a Tuesday news conference. DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox described the jail as an “aging facility that’s deteriorating right before our eyes.” The jail is in Decatur, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of downtown Atlanta. The escape was discovered early Monday during a routine security check, authorities said. After jailers realized the three were gone, investigators listened to recordings of conversations they'd had on recorded phone lines. They learned that one of the inmates had contacted people on the outside who helped them evade capture after the escape, U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown said. The inmates were picked up by an unnamed man and taken to one of their girlfriends’ homes, Brown said. Then, a Lyft ride was ordered using a fake, female name. Officers tracked the car as it traveled to south Florida with the aid of license plate readers, devices that can alert law enforcement to the locations of wanted vehicles. When they caught up with the car and tried to stop it, one of the inmates jumped out and ran but was arrested along with a second inmate, according to a court affidavit. Investigators also learned that the men used the Lyft driver's credit card for a short-term rental of a home in Miramar, Florida, where officers apprehended the third inmate and rescued the driver, court records state. The driver told investigators that she was held in the car for six to 10 hours as they tried to gain access to her phone and online banking records. After trying to escape once, she endured “increased threats of being shot, raped, and tortured,” an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit. “As you can imagine, the Lyft driver is very traumatized by this,” Brown said. All three inmates were charged with kidnapping as well as the escape, according to criminal complaints. The court documents did not yet list the names of any lawyers who might be able to speak on their behalf. The inmates range in age from 24 to 31, with the youngest one charged with murder and armed robbery. The other two inmates face charges that include armed robbery and arson. The sheriff’s office had warned that the men might be armed and were considered dangerous after their escape. The inmate accused of murder and armed robbery, Stevenson Charles, 24, has had several run-ins with law officers in Georgia and Florida. He had been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of kidnapping and bank robbery, a federal agent wrote in a Monday affidavit regarding the recent jail escape. After being sentenced, the agent wrote, Charles was turned over to DeKalb County authorities on Dec. 5 to face the murder charge, details of which were not immediately available. A federal criminal complaint charging him with the escape does not list an attorney who could be contacted to comment on his behalf, and it wasn’t clear whether he has one at this early stage of the case. In one of multiple cases involving Charles in South Florida, he is accused of meeting a man through the Grindr online dating application and then pulling a gun on him when they met in person at a Miami residence in 2022. Charles then drove the man to various Miami area banks, withdrawing money from the victim’s accounts, court records show.

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On today’s show, Josh breaks down the escalating saber-rattling out of Venezuela—why this flashpoint matters, why Americans need to pay attention, and why the president isn’t seeking war but is making the right strategic call. Josh also digs into the surge of strong economic news and explains why the president’s tone will shape how voters feel about the economy as we close out 2025. Finally, Josh unloads on the chaos coming out of The Heritage Foundation, calling out its leader’s decision to defend Tucker Carlson and what that fiasco reveals about the identity crisis gripping the Right.

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The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion after yet another drawing passed without a big winner. The numbers drawn Monday night were 3, 18, 36, 41, 54 and the Powerball 7. There have been 46 straight drawings without a big winner since early September. The next drawing will be Christmas Eve on Wednesday. The prize is expected to be the 4th-largest in U.S. lottery history. Powerball tickets cost $2. The game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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This holiday season, many U.S. drivers are getting the gift of lower gas prices. According to data from motor club AAA, December has been the cheapest month for prices at the pump this year. The national average for unleaded gasoline has stayed below the $3 mark since Dec. 2, falling to its lowest level of about $2.85 a gallon on Monday. Relief at the pump is welcome for consumers who have been feeling higher prices in other parts of their budgets — as worries about the costs of goods ranging from groceries to holiday gifts rise amid ongoing inflation and U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports.

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Veterans from across Lackawanna County in Pennsylvania are speaking out after a 'Hometown Hero' banner of former President Joe Biden.

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98 mayors across the state send letter to Minnesota lawmakers demanding accountability.

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Lawmakers across the United States are weighing whether to adopt new federal tax breaks that cover tips, overtime, and certain business expenses. The Trump administration is urging states to implement the cuts at the state level, but approaches vary. In some states, the tax breaks automatically apply unless legislatures opt out, while others require legislative approval before they take effect. So far, Michigan is the first state to opt in, extending the federal tax breaks for tips and overtime to its residents. Other states are expected to make decisions in the coming months as legislative sessions get underway.

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A transgender employee at the National Security Agency has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging a presidential executive order that requires the federal government to recognize only two sexes. Filed in federal court in Maryland, the lawsuit argues that the policy violates federal civil rights law and creates a hostile work environment for the employee, an NSA data scientist. The plaintiff is seeking to block enforcement of the executive order and is also pursuing financial damages.

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A small Mexican Navy plane crashed near Galveston yesterday afternoon, killing five people on board. The aircraft was transporting a young medical patient along with seven other passengers, including several Navy officers. Half of those on board were members of the Mexican Navy. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.

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The Congresswoman from Minnesota/LilSomalia needs to be investigated at the very least.

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Is The Spiritual Revival Still Here?

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Is Trump a good speaker? 

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Gas Prices Continue to Drop

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President Donald Trump has named Louisiana’s governor, Jeff Landry, as a special envoy to Greenland. It follows Trump's calls for Greenland to become part of the United States, even though it belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark. Landry’s appointment quickly drew fresh fire from the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland. They said in a joint statement that, quote, “You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security… Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the U.S. shall not take over Greenland." Speaking via video link to Denmark's TV2, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he would summon the U.S. ambassador to Denmark. "We thought that we now had a U.S. ambassador in Denmark, with whom we would have a relationship throughout the Kingdom. I think we have already developed a good working relationship, and it is also my impression that the ambassador has that opinion. Out of nowhere, there is now a special U.S. presidential representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking over Greenland. This is, of course, completely unacceptable." Trump has cited Greenland’s strategic importance and rare earth mineral resources as why he wants it, and Landry publicly supports the idea of U.S. control. Landry thanked Trump in a social media post, calling it a “volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.” Greenland is a former Danish colony that has the right to declare independence from the Kingdom of Denmark, but heavily relies on fishing and Danish subsidies. The U.S. already operates a ballistic missile defense system site there and has voiced interest in expanding its military presence. That includes placing radars to monitor the waters nearby, a gateway for Russian navy vessels and nuclear submarines. In October, Denmark tried to answer U.S. criticism that it has neglected Greenland's defense capabilities, which Denmark agrees it has, by pledging billions in military spending for its presence there and plans to buy 16 new F-35 jets.

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The White House announced plans Monday to build a new, large warship that President Donald Trump is calling a “battleship” as part of a larger vision to create a "Golden Fleet," according to people familiar with the plans. Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, who is now a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and familiar with the discussions, said the announcement will include a new, large “surface combatant class” of ship and as many as 25 support ships. The announcement will come just a month after the Navy scrapped its plans to build a new, small warship, citing growing delays and cost overruns, deciding instead to go with a modified version of a Coast Guard cutter that was being produced until recently. Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan for what is being billed by the White House as a “major announcement.” Trump plans to discuss a shipbuilding initiative, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. It’s being unveiled at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort while he vacations in Florida and as U.S. forces take part in operations in the Caribbean that Trump says are aimed at stemming the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. and beyond and mounting pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Montgomery said that while he supports the idea to build more support ships, he was critical of the plan to build a new battleship-like warship. Historically, the term battleship has referred to a very specific type of ship — a large, heavily armored vessel armed with massive guns designed to bombard other ships or targets ashore. This type of ship was at the height of prominence during World War II, and the largest of the U.S. battleships, the Iowa-class, were roughly 60,000 tons. After World War II, the battleship's role in modern fleets diminished rapidly in favor of aircraft carriers and long-range missiles. The U.S. Navy did modernize four Iowa-class battleships in the 1980s by adding cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles, along with modern radars, but by the 1990s all four were decommissioned. Trump has long held strong opinions on specific aspects of the Navy’s fleet, sometimes with a view toward keeping older technology instead of modernizing. During his first term, he unsuccessfully called for the return to steam-powered catapults to launch jets from the Navy’s newest aircraft carriers instead of the more modern electromagnetic system. He has also complained to Phelan about the look of the Navy’s destroyers and decried Navy ships being covered in rust. Phelan told senators at his confirmation hearing that Trump "has texted me numerous times very late at night, sometimes after one (o’clock) in the morning” about “rusty ships or ships in a yard, asking me what am I doing about it.” On a visit to a shipyard that was working on the now-canceled Constellation-class frigate in 2020, Trump said he personally changed the design of the ship. “I looked at it, I said, ‘That’s a terrible-looking ship, let’s make it beautiful,’” Trump said at the time.

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3 Year Extension of Obamacare? 

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Hundreds of Alabama funeralgoers mourned a Brown University sophomore killed in a recent campus attack. Friends and family members gathered at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham to honor the memory of 19-year-old Ella Cook. Cook and another student were killed Dec. 13 when a gunman opened fire during a study session. Authorities believe a former graduate student carried out the attack. He was later found dead in New Hampshire. Cook was described as smart, confident, and kind. Cook was an accomplished pianist who was studying French, math and economics at Brown, where she also served as vice president of the college Republicans.

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Three inmates — including one who was being held on a murder charge — have escaped from a county jail just east of Atlanta, authorities said. The breakout happened early Monday morning at the DeKalb County Jail and was discovered during a routine security check, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said. “We take this breach very seriously and are working diligently to ensure these individuals are safely returned to custody as quickly as possible,” DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox said in a statement. There were no immediate details about how the escape was carried out. The men might be armed and are considered dangerous, the sheriff's office warned. “The public is urged to exercise extreme caution and should not approach them,” the sheriff’s office said. The inmates range in age from 24 to 31, with the youngest one charged with murder and armed robbery. The other two inmates face charges that include armed robbery and arson. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit is working with patrol officers and other law enforcement agencies in the search. The jail is in Decatur, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of downtown Atlanta.

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