Unicorn Riot

06/24/2026

Federal Case Unravels, Four Felony Charges on Minnesota Activist Are Turned Into One Misdemeanor

On June 23, 2026, in Minneapolis, Isa Lopez had five federal charges with a possibility of eight years in prison reduced to one misdemeanor and was sentenced to time served and a $25 administration fine.

Lopez was originally charged with two counts of assault on a federal officer and one count of obstruction during a civil disorder after she responded along with 200 other community members to a contentious federal raid on Lake St. on June 3, 2025, six months before Operation Metro Surge.

A few days after the raid, federal agents arrested Lopez following an interview with Georgia Fort in downtown St. Paul and charged her with another assault for allegedly hitting a federal agent during the arrest.

Lopez's case was continuously delayed and several trials were cancelled. Her sentencing marks a blow in the first federal case of the new wave of federal prosecutions against protesters in Minneapolis.

Since her arrest and charges, Lopez was the recipient of waves of community support. Some of her supporters spoke today outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis.

For more on Isa's case, visit our website - full story coming soon.

06/23/2026

NEW: The Pentagon has recently imposed a series of restrictions on critical press covering the war in Iran. Political analyst Hassan El Biali examines why its happening now and how it could be leading to much worse consequences that initially believed.

Since initiating the war in Iran, Trump's Pentagon has imposed a series of unprecedented restrictions banning critical press.

06/23/2026

Unsealed court docs spotlight U.S. District Magistrate Judge John Docherty scolding federal prosecutors in Minnesota for failing to meet even the most basic legal probable cause requirements while filing for search warrants of activists and press in the Cities Church case.

Unsealed court filings showed that a federal judge blasted prosecutors of the Righteous 39 case for not meeting the basic legal standards.

06/22/2026

NEW: Terror Charges, and the Criminalization of Pro-Palestine Activism in the Czech Republic [Short Doc]

Despite a group claiming responsibility for a fire at a defense manufacturing facility connected to Elbit Systems, 11 pro-Palestine activists have been detained in a political "witchhunt."

Eleven pro-Palestine activists have been detained in Czechia in a political "witchhunt" after a fire at a defense manufacturing facility despite a separate group claiming responsibility for the act.

06/21/2026

Defending Wii'i Gdwiisa: 'Stop T.H.E.M.' and the Fight Against Uranium -- In May, an autonomous group of organizers called for people to gather in northern Arizona at the foot of Wii'i Gdwiisa, or Red Butte. There, they shared insight and knowledge about the revitalized uranium industry in the region and why they're demanding it be stopped.

Full story at our website - link in comments.

06/20/2026

A new federal indictment has charged 15 Minnesotans in an eight-count felony conspiracy for their activism during Operation Metro Surge. The indictment calls many of the defendants “anarchists” and “antifascists,” both descriptors newly named as “terror groups” in the latest White House counterterrorism strategy.

A new federal indictment has charged 15 Minnesotans in an eight-count felony conspiracy for their activism during Operation Metro Surge.

06/19/2026

NEW: Protesters Rally Against Uranium Mine, Blockade Truck

A spontaneous blockade in northern Arizona stopped a truck used to haul uranium ore from Pinyon Plain Mine. Protesters chanted, some vandalized the rig with anti-uranium messages and others measured the radioactivity of the trailer. Full story at our website.

06/18/2026

NEW: Recently in the northern Arizona desert, an autonomous group called for people to gather and learn about the newly-revitalized uranium industry taking hold in the area. Unicorn Riot was there to document the movement and learn about what's at stake. See our full report with two exclusive videos in link.

Organizers in northern Arizona shared insight and knowledge about the revitalized uranium industry in the region and why they're demanding it be stopped.

06/18/2026

NEW: Unsealed court filings show that a Minnesota judge over the Cities Church case admonished prosecutors for failing to mention the Privacy Protection Act and blasted them for not meeting the basic legal standards. The 1980 law generally requires the government to use subpoenas rather than search warrants when seeking journalists’ work product or other newsgathering materials.

Press-freedom advocates argue that the failed warrant applications reflect broader problems with the Justice Department’s latest culture war against journalists and protesters.

Unsealed court filings showed that a federal judge blasted prosecutors of the Righteous 39 case for not meeting the basic legal standards.