A group of young people experienced the fright of their lives on Thursday evening after a roller coaster in Texas suddenly stopped climbing.

As NBC News reported, the Iron Shark roller coaster at Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier came to a total stop in the middle of the ride, causing the riders to be stuck for hours at nearly 100 feet in the air.

Galveston firefighters arrived on the scene at roughly 5:30 PM to save the riders. The process took several hours, with the last rider being extricated at roughly 9:00 PM.

Video of the tedious rescue shows the critical moments of the successful rescue.

WATCH:

Eight roller coaster riders were stranded near the top of a Texas amusement park ride for more than three hours before firefighters could bring them down.

The Iron Shark coaster at Galveston’s Pleasure Pier malfunctioned during its climb, leaving passengers stuck nearly 100 feet… pic.twitter.com/Ubo9dQhWVU

— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 30, 2026

The Houston Independent School District announced in a statement obtained by NBC that the roller coaster passengers were students on a field trip.

It was organized by Energized for STEM Academy Middle School and STEM Academy High School, two HISD in-district charter schools.

Fire Chief Mike Varela Jr. revealed details of the heroic rescue at a news conference. He first noted that each rider was placed in a safety harness and guided into a truck basket, which then lowered them to the ground.

“Once they made it up there, you know, they were able to use their skills to calm everyone down and reassure them that the equipment being used would keep them safe,” he added.

Varela also said that the most critical moment was the transfer of the students from the roller coaster to the fire truck basket. This was due to sun exposure and concerns about dehydration.

The fire chief said the students were “shaken up,” but experienced “a sense of joy as well once their feet hit the ground.”

Terry Turney, chief operating officer of Pleasure Pier, released the following statement regarding the incident:

The ride experienced a malfunction at its initial ascent. However, as designed, it immediately stopped to keep everyone safe. Our focus immediately shifted to the safety of our eight guests.

Therefore, we contacted the fire department to assist, ensuring all guests were safely removed from the ride. A thorough inspection of the ride is currently underway.

We can’t thank the fire department enough for their quick response and assistance.

The post Roller Coaster Malfunction Leaves Eight Riders Stranded Nearly 100 FEET in the Air for Hours Before Heroic Firefighters Save the Day (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Trump kept his promise to seal the border when he resumed office in January 2025. Since then, illegal border crossings have been down over 99 percent.

The previous four years under Biden’s open border policy resulted in an estimated 15 million illegal aliens entering the country. This crisis has kept law enforcement agencies like the Texas DPS constantly working to arrest illegals and smugglers.

Texas DPS went on a high-speed chase with a human smuggler carrying six illegal aliens earlier this week in Maverick County.

After the DPS trooper used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle, which was a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the smuggler, Yoisdelvis Nunez Acosta, made an attempt to hide in the brush but was captured. He was reported to be from Cuba.

DPS troopers also found another vehicle involved in the smuggling operation acting as a scout vehicle. Alexander Rodriguez Acosta was driving a red RAM 1500 pickup truck. Both men were arrested for human smuggling.

Air support was also provided by DPS Aircraft Operations.

There were six illegal aliens in the vehicle from Mexico and Vietnam. Troopers handed over all six illegals to the Border Patrol.

Watch:

Vietnam Nationals Among Group in Maverick Co. Smuggling Attempt

5/25/26: A human smuggler driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee led @TxDPS Troopers on a high-speed pursuit on US-277 in Maverick County. DPS Aircraft Operations provided air support as Troopers safely ended the pursuit… pic.twitter.com/eDIvuAa36M

— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) May 27, 2026

TGP also reported this month of another human smuggler that was arrested by DPS troopers in a hotel parking lot. He attempted to flee on foot but was quickly caught. He was smuggling four illegals in his vehicle.

Watch:

On 5/10/26, a @TxDPS Trooper received information on a possible vehicle involved in human smuggling and located the suspect vehicle at a hotel parking lot in Del Rio.

As the trooper made… pic.twitter.com/xFHZ4Drfu1

— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) May 16, 2026

Article IV, Section 4 of the US Constitution gives the federal government the authority and responsibility to protect the country from an invasion.

“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.” Article IV, Section 4 of the US Constitution.

The rule of law has been restored under President Trump.

The post Texas DPS on High-Speed Chase Against Human Smuggler Transporting Six Illegal Aliens, Ends with PIT Maneuver (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Donald Trump on Friday amplified explosive allegations from FBI whistleblower George Hill, a former FBI agent assigned to the Bureau’s Washington, D.C., Field Office, reigniting questions about the federal government’s role in the events surrounding January 6, 2021.

Trump shared the allegations on Truth Social, drawing renewed attention to claims that have long been dismissed by the corporate media and Democrat allies despite mounting evidence that the American people have not been told the full truth about January 6.

According to Hill’s testimony, when Boston field office agents investigating a busload of rally attendees (most of whom never even entered restricted areas) asked for access to the massive trove of Capitol surveillance video, the Washington Field Office stonewalled them. They demanded exact timestamps and refused to turn over the full 11,000+ hours.

Why? Because the footage would reveal undercover agents (UCs) and confidential human sources (CHSs) inside the Capitol

Hill also revealed that over 5,000 FBI agents were pressured into fabricating charges against American citizens.

WATCH:

President Trump just DROPPED this bombshell:

FBI whistleblower says thousands of hours of Jan. 6 footage was hidden because federal “human sources” were in the crowd, and Deep State agents were ordered to make up charges against Jan. 6ers

Anyone who called it out from inside… pic.twitter.com/szwdzQnIjg

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 30, 2026

As The Gateway Pundit has documented for years across dozens of reports, federal operatives and informants were present and in some cases actively involved in the events of January 6th.

We’ve catalogued 20+ confirmed incidents involving feds, FBI assets, and state operatives leading or participating in the chaos. The numbers kept growing while the regime media and Big Tech screamed “mostly peaceful” and “insurrection.”

Now we have an FBI whistleblower confirming on the record why the American people were never allowed to see the full picture.

The post Trump Reposts 2023 FBI Whistleblower Testimony, Claiming the Bureau Concealed 11,000 Hours of January 6 Footage to Protect Undercover Operatives appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Bill Maher had Spencer Pratt on his podcast “Club Random” recently. While the interview has not yet been released, Maher praised the interview on Real Time with Bill Maher during a panel discussion with Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and MSNBC host Katy Tur.

Maher tells the panel, “I had Spencer Pratt on my podcast the other day.”

McCarthy asked, “What do you think?”

Maher responded, “You know what? I know I’m supposed to hate him. I DON’T!”

McCarthy replied, “He runs great ads.”

Maher continued, “Yeah, I mean, he’s a nice guy. What’s charming about him is he has no advisors. I confronted him on, like, this and this you’re going to have to think about. ‘No, I only care about the issues I care about.’”

“So, he’s very honest about that.”

“It’s funny because he’s running as a Republican and doing quite well. Everybody out here is like, ‘What do you think of Spencer Pratt?’”

“He’s on everybody’s mind. I was asking him about that.”

“He’s very un-Californian in that way for a guy who’s from California. But then I found out he’s actually very Californian because he sells crystals.”

Watch:

BILL MAHER: “I had Spencer Pratt on my podcast the other day.”

KEVIN MCCARTHY: “What do you think?”

MAHER: “You know what? I know I’m supposed to hate him. I DON’T!”

MCCARTHY: “He runs great ads.”

MAHER: “Yeah, I mean, he’s a nice guy. What’s charming about him is he has no… pic.twitter.com/rwso2PkylB

— The Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) May 30, 2026

The establishment is absolutely petrified of Reality star-turned-Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt. The thought of someone outside the appointed political class has all of the usual suspects panicking.

A new California Post shows just how much Pratt’s message is resonating with voters and why the current LA Mayor Karen Bass is in big trouble.

The California Post poll, conducted with McLaughlin & Associates, shows Pratt surging to a statistical tie with the incumbent mayor.

Per The New York Post: 

Pratt now leads the field with 30.1% support, compared with 29.5% for Bass, setting up a razor-thin race heading into next week’s primary.

Socialist councilwoman Nithya Raman sits in third place at 23.4%.

The post Bill Maher Hosts Spencer Pratt on His Show: “I know I’m supposed to hate him. I DON’T!” (Video) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Andre Roberts, a citizen of Guyana who illegally lived and worked in the United States for over two decades, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for falsely claiming to be a citizen on official employment forms and illegally possessing multiple firearms while unauthorized to even be here.

After serving his sentence, with credit for roughly eight months already spent in custody, Roberts will be immediately turned over to ICE and deported back to Guyana.

The illegal alien ran Iowa’s largest school district, serving 30,000 students, from July 2023 until his ICE arrest on September 26 of last year.

BREAKING: Former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, sentenced to 2 years in federal prison for falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and illegally firearm possession.

After he serves his sentence he will be turned over to ICE and likely deported to Guyana. pic.twitter.com/welDz9R8kQ

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 29, 2026

Before that, Roberts was superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District in Erie, Pennsylvania, the second largest in Erie County, overseeing thousands more American children.

Roberts entered the U.S. in 1999 on a student visa, which expired in 2004.

NBC News reports:

Roberts became the first Black educator to helm Des Moines Public Schools when he was hired in 2023 to lead the district of about 30,000 students.

After submitting a Social Security card and a driver’s license as verifying documents, Roberts stated he was a U.S. citizen in his application to the state board of educational examiners, which issued him a professional administrator license in 2023, the district said.

Before the sentencing, Roberts’ lawyers confirmed that was not true.

“Dr. Roberts made a fatal mistake when he completed an I-9 to work with Des Moines Public Schools … falsely affirming he was a United States citizen,” his lawyers wrote in a 173-page brief to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

When agents went to arrest him, Roberts attempted to flee.

Inside his vehicle, they found “a loaded handgun wrapped in a towel, a hunting knife and $3,000 cash,” according to the report.

“This suspect was arrested in possession of a loaded weapon in a vehicle provided by Des Moines Public Schools after fleeing federal law enforcement,” ICE ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Sam Olson said in a press release after the arrest. “This should be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats. How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”

His lawyers attempted to gain sympathy for the alien by saying he was “born into poverty in one of the world’s poorest nations” and didn’t have “a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding, yet he made an enormous impact in each community [where] he worked.”

During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger hammered Roberts for lying and deceiving to get himself into an “incredible position of trust.”

The post Former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Sentenced to Two Years for Falsely Claiming to be a Citizen and Illegal Firearm Possession, Will be Deported to Guyana After Serving Time appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.