02 U.S. Politics

Blurb:

Vice President JD Vance has just announced that the Trump administration is launching a new federal task force aimed at cracking down on widespread Somali-led fraud targeting American taxpayers.

On Thursday, Vance said the Department of Justice (DOJ) will create a new associate attorney general position dedicated specifically to fraud enforcement.

The effort is building on what Vance described as an already aggressive response by federal authorities.

According to Vance, the DOJ has issued roughly 1,500 subpoenas and brought more than 100 indictments tied to fraud investigations so far.

Blurb:

If you are struggling to make ends meet, so much so you rely on government assistance, there should not be extra funds for you to wire out of the country. And if you do have extra funds, “you’re either getting too much or you’re part of” a “conspiracy.”

Sec. Scott Bessent says that the federal government will be banning people from wiring money outside the country if they rely on government assistance. He claims this has become a priority after Somali fraudsters were caught doing just that.

According to Bessent, the government’s “generosity has been taken advantage of.” Those funds were never meant to fund foreign nationals, and there are tons more Americans, including veterans and single mothers, who would benefit from those funds. It’s about time someone in power acknowledged this problem because it needed to end yesterday.

Blurb:

The U.S. labor market ended 2025 on a soft note, with job creation in December less than expected, according to a report Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 50,000 for the month, lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the Dow Jones estimate for 73,000.

At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, compared to the forecast for 4.5%.

The report presented a muddy view of the labor market, with companies reporting a low level of hiring but households showing employment gains.

In addition, revisions brought totals down for the prior months. The November total saw a slight downward revision of 8,000 to the payrolls number, while October’s loss was even more than originally reported, now at 173,000 compared to the prior estimate of 105,000.

Blurb:

Sean Spicer exposed Politico’s inadvertent publication of an internal Google document — detailing the news sources it routinely checks — with Breitbart News notably absent from the list.

On January 9, Sean Spicer, host of The Sean Spicer Show and former White House Press stated: “Ever wonder why @politico @playbookdc is so left leaning? Major blunder this morning when they accidentally linked a story to their internal google doc showing what sources they “go to” (and therefore don’t – no @BreitbartNews @DailyCaller @DailySignal @realDailyWire )”.

The screenshots show a comprehensive list of outlets Politico staff are instructed to check for aggregation, ranging from legacy outlets like the New York Times and CNN to newer entities like Semafor and Axios. However, not a single conservative-focused publication appears among the primary sources. The document even includes logins and passwords for paywalled sources but excludes any reference to Breitbart News.

Blurb:

On Saturday morning, around 45,000 homes and 90,000 people in southwest Berlin were without electricity after perpetrators set a fire on a power line supplying a gas power plant in the Lichterfelde district.

During the cold and snowy weather in Berlin, many households were without power and heating for days. According to BILD, the 97-year-old Ingeborg Esser was among those who had to sleep in a heated gym because her apartment was too cold.

In a letter published online on Sunday, the left-wing extremist “Vulkangruppe” (Volcano group) confessed to carrying out the attack in the name of saving the climate.

Blurb:

A Utah police department’s experiment with artificial intelligence took an unexpected turn after a software-generated report claimed an officer had transformed into a frog.

The incident occurred earlier this month in Heber City, where police have been testing AI tools designed to write reports based on body camera footage.

According to a KTSU report, the bizarre claim was not the result of science fiction or misconduct, but a simple background error.

“The body cam software and the AI report writing software picked up on the movie that was playing in the background, which happened to be ‘The Princess and the Frog,’” Sgt. Rick Keel told KTSU.

“That’s when we learned the importance of correcting these AI-generated reports,” Keel added.

Blurb:

President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolas Maduro was deposed as Venezuela’s leader. Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country’s oil products. Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!” “THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida.

Blurb:

Zohran Mamdani’s reign has begun, and that means promoting his socialist wants.

It also means trashing the idea of private property ownership, something he recently did when he visited a dilapidated, rent-controlled apartment building.


To be sure, that building was disgusting. I certainly wouldn’t want to live there, but there are consequences to placing price controls and mountains of regulations on landlords. Namely, it drains margins and makes it prohibitive to spend money on upkeep. There are also broader consequences when left-wing governance produces a city that is grossly unaffordable to live in, leaving the poorest with no choice but to reside in such abhorrent conditions, and property owners unable to provide anything better without going bankrupt.

Mamdani’s point was simple: Private landlords are evil and government-backed “affordable” housing is the way to go.

Blurb:

A federal judge in New York blocked the Trump administration from freezing $10 billion in funding for childcare and other social services in five Democrat-led states despite recent revelations of massive fraud perpetrated through fake money laundering daycare operations. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) explained that it was pausing the funding because it had “reason to believe” those states were funneling money to people living in the U.S. illegally.

Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said the five states — Minnesota, California, Colorado, Illinois, and New York — had met a legal threshold “to protect the status quo” for 14 days while arguments are made in court.

“Federal district court judge rules taxpayers must fund infinite refugee daycare scams,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller noted

“This is not a legitimate system. This is not democracy,” he declared. 

Blurb:

“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot. The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.”

Two people were shot in Portland, Oregon by Border Patrol agents on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security has said that those that were shot are alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang who tried to run a car into the officials.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told The Post Millennial: “At 2:19 PST, US Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon. The passenger of the vehicle and target is a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in Portland. The vehicle driver is believed to be a member of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. When agents identified themselves to the vehicle occupants, the driver weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents.

Blurb:

Is the United States about to invade Greenland?

If you listen to EU politicians and much of the U.S. legacy media, and actually take them seriously, then you might answer “yes.” President Donald Trump is going to unleash Delta Force to spirit away the prime minister before we nuke Nuuk (the capital of Greenland) and send in the Army to mop up survivors.

If you’ve followed this issue from the beginning and have tried to accurately understand how the president operates, then you should conclude that this brouhaha is all about negotiating. You also may think that the U.S. is just pursuing a long-term policy more vigorously, and that our allies in Europe really need to chill.

The issue of Greenland suddenly popped back up in the news recently, and I kid you not, because White House adviser Stephen Miller’s wife posted this on X.

This sent the European elite straight to their oft-used fainting couches, which they had to stay firmly emplaced on when Trump himself weighed in and said he still aims to acquire Greenland. This has been his goal since 2019 and has been, off and on, a U.S. strategic aim since the 19th century.

When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if Trump meant to use the military to acquire Greenland, she said that “utilizing the U.S. military is always an option.”

Blurb:

Fraud is not isolated nor an anomaly in Minnesota, but part of a longstanding pattern, state lawmakers will tell a congressional panel Wednesday, as they detail interactions with whistleblowers.

Members of the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee will testify to the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The Daily Signal reviewed their prepared opening remarks.

The congressional hearing comes two days after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was the 2024 Democrat vice presidential nominee, dropped his bid for a third term as governor, as he faced increased scrutiny over questions of widespread fraud in the state.

Blurb:

It’s becoming increasingly clear why Tim Walz dropped out of the Minnesota Governor’s race. The news about the massive fraud that took place in the state on his watch gets worse by the minute. As Townhall reported earlier, Walz’s malfeasance means actual disabled children, adults, and their families will suffer while the reputable care centers that serve them are forced to close.

The DOJ has not only opened up a criminal investigation into Walz, but now Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor has just dropped a damning bombshell into Walz’s lap. According to a report by the auditor, the Minnesota DHS — under Walz’s tenure — had almost zero internal controls and oversight as it awarded more than $400 million in grants.

To make matters worse, it appears DHS also fabricated records.

Blurb:

Events inside Iran are accelerating at a breathtaking pace as the freedom uprising enters a decisive phase. Brave Iranians have torched an Islamic City Council building, openly defying the clerical state as the regime reels from cascading losses abroad—its influence in Venezuela, Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza has collapsed, while at home the economy is in freefall, electricity and water are scarce, and the rial has lost roughly 60 percent of its value.

Islamic occupation is visibly cracking: police units in Ilam have joined protesters, IRGC-linked banks such as Bank Sepah have been attacked, and parts of the security apparatus are retreating. Despite reinforcements, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has lost effective control of Tehran, with Abdanan and Malekshahi reported fully liberated as chants of “Death to Ali Khamenei” echoed through the streets.

Blurb:

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has introduced a program offering financial rewards to individuals who provide information on fraud in Minnesota’s government benefits programs.

The announcement aims to encourage whistleblowers to share details that could assist ongoing investigations into the misuse of public funds. This initiative is part of broader efforts by the federal government to address financial irregularities in the state.

“We are going to offer whistleblower payments to anyone who wants to tell us the who, what, when, where and how this fraud has been done,” Bessent told Fox News.

The update comes as the administration has surged federal resources to the state to crack down on fraud and illegal immigration. Rewards are intended to cover information related to various aspects of the fraud, including participants, methods, and timelines.

Federal authorities have indicated that such incentives have proven effective in similar cases by prompting individuals to come forward with evidence that might otherwise remain undisclosed.

Blurb:

 

Eating real food is not quite that simple, and might even constitute “bowing to Big Meat,” depending on who you ask.

After Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his department dropped the new federal dietary guidelines — which have been historically referred to as the food pyramid — the recommendation of eating “real food,” including red meat and full-fat dairy, was seen as an attack by many in the dietary sphere.

‘Beef is responsible for 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein than beans.’

The new guidelines emphasized protein (from meat and vegetables), dairy, fruit, and some grains as part of a healthy diet. While some cleverly accused HHS of copying a popular “South Park” scene where scientists simply “flip the pyramid” to solve America’s health crisis, others decided to criticize the guidelines for promoting animal meat intake.

Blurb:

 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has ordered Members of Congress to provide at least seven days’ advance notice before visiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, following a growing pattern of Democratic lawmakers turning “oversight” visits into confrontational spectacles that have disrupted operations and endangered federal officers and detainees.

The policy became public late Saturday after three Minnesota Democrats were denied entry to an ICE processing center in Minneapolis, triggering accusations that DHS was unlawfully blocking congressional oversight.

Politico first reported the change, explaining that the restriction was quietly implemented earlier in the week and only surfaced after the lawmakers were turned away.

“That order… forces lawmakers to seek a week’s advance notice before conducting oversight visits to ICE facilities,” Politico reported, noting that the policy appeared to explain why three House Democrats were blocked from entering an ICE facility in Minnesota.

Blurb:

The term “freedom fighters” is so often abused that at times it’s hard to take it seriously. Plenty of goblins agitating for one form of totalitarian rule or another have claimed to be freedom fighters: Communists, Islamists, even your run-of-the-mill American leftist nutcases like the ones we’re seeing making fools of themselves in places like Minneapolis and Portland, right now.

However, the ongoing rebellion in Iran is the real deal. The Iranian people are in the streets, demanding their liberation from the cabal of Bronze-Age barbarians that have driven Iran to ruin, most especially from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These are for-real freedom fighters, and at the moment, it looks like they’re winning.

The son of the late Shah, who was deposed in 1979 in the Islamic Revolution that started Iran down this dark road, has emerged as a key figure supporting this resistance. On Saturday, Reza Pahlavi took to X to offer support to the rebels – and to promise to return to Iran.

Translated from Persian, the post reads:

Know that you are not alone. Your compatriots around the world are proudly shouting your voice, and you must surely see images of their numerous and widespread presence through your television screen. The world today stands beside your national revolution and admires your courage. In particular, President Trump, as the leader of the free world, has carefully observed your indescribable bravery and has announced that he is ready to help you.

Do not abandon the streets. My heart is with you. I know that I will soon be by your side.

Blurb:

Portland’s police chief cried over illegal-alien Tren de Aragua criminal cartel members being wounded, even though they were running sex slaves in his city; the Philly sheriff is a TDS head case who can’t explain what a “real” cop is; and finally,amid the suicidal empathy from the wokest places in the country, we get some real talk and sound advice from, of all places, the Chicago police chief.

It’s been open season on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol officers for months in the Chicago area. The local cops have refused to stop rioters from attacking federal immigration officers and infamously failed to come to their aid when they were surrounded by rioters in an ambush. That hands-off policy by local cops last fall resulted in federal cops having to shoot their way out of an ambush as rioters surrounded and blocked their vehicles. A woman who used her car as a weapon was shot five times and survived.

The Minneapolis “poet” who had been bird-dogging and blocking ICE agents all day last Wednesday and rammed her 4,000-pound vehicle into an ICE officer was shot and killed for her efforts.

 

Blurb:

Don’t you love how college students always seem to believe they’re in a position to make demands?

Student group demands ‘racism’ inquiry following resignation of univ. DEI chief

A branch of the Canadian Federation of Students is demanding an investigation into “racism” regarding the departure of Memorial University‘s diversity, equity, and inclusion chief.

Delores Mullings has been Memorial’s “inaugural vice-provost of EDI-AR” since 2021 (Canadians use “EDI” instead of “DEI”; “AR” stands for “anti-racism”). According to The Hamilton Spectator, Mullings complained of “a lack of understanding among senior administration about what equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism mean” and how they “should interact” with the EDI-AR office.

Mullings said her job left her “feeling lonely,” adding that “while I’m the one in the role, it doesn’t mean that I’m the only one that needs to be talking about equity issues.”

She also bemoaned that Memorial’s new president, who took office last August, “not once reached out to [her] to arrange a meeting.”

Blurb:

Independent journalist Cam Higby was reportedly stalked and threatened while covering the escalating protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

Blurb:

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem isn’t having it from Democrat lawmakers who wish to further inflame rising tensions in the wake of the shooting death of far-left agitator Renee Nicole Good last Wednesday in Minneapolis. A day after the shooting, Noem quietly updated DHS’s policy, which will now require Members of Congress to submit visit requests at least one week prior to the intended visit date.

The move by Noem comes after a December decision by U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, a Joe Biden appointee, that blocked a previous DHS directive requiring a one-week notice of congressional visits to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. It’s a bit nuanced, but it looks like Noem is able to sidestep Cobb’s order by using funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

In issuing the new/old guidance, Noem stated that she disagreed with Judge Cobb’s finding, but intended to use funds derived from the OBBBA that are not subject to limitations cited by the judge in her ruling. DHS will use the OBBBA-derived funds to “ensure adequate protection for Members of Congress, congressional staff, detainees, and ICE employees alike.”

Blurb:

Mohammad Movahedi Azad, Attorney General of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has pronounced that arrested protesters will now be executed. This announcement came after a scheduled televised address by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was cancelled.

Protesters are ‘enemies of Allah’: Iran warns of death penalty in crackdown

Blurb:

“Killer Agent Unmasked,” screamed a headline in The Drudge Report. I know, I know, hardly anyone sane reads the Drudge Report anymore. But its headline and accompanying stories did stake out the let’s-see-if-we-can-spark-the-George-Floyd-reboot territory. So did a supremely irresponsible opinion column in The Chicago Tribune, which argued that “every last American” should agree that the shooting death of Renée Nicole Good in Minneapolis a few days ago was “an abomination.”

Should they? Was it?

Soon-to-be ex-Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey certainly think so. Walz has been comparing ICE agents to the Gestapo for years. Frey abetted the “fiery but mostly peaceful” burning of Minneapolis in 2020 after George Floyd died of a drug overdose while resisting arrest, and Frey acted entirely according to form in denouncing ICE and Donald Trump in response to the shooting of Good by an ICE agent.

The destructive, anti-American left thought they were getting the band back together. Mobs in various cities have been protesting, harassing, and impeding the lawful activities of ICE. In Minneapolis, mobs are going from hotel to hotel in search of ICE agents, smashing windows, blaring horns, and screaming obscenities.

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President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his administration is moving to ban major investors from buying up single-family homes in the U.S. in an attempt to lower housing prices.

Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that former President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats have caused “record high inflation,” which has caused the “American Dream” to become “increasingly out of reach for far too many people.”

“For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream,” Trump wrote in the social media post. “I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it.”

“People live in homes, not corporations,” the president emphasized.

Blurb:

Angie Craig is a Minnesota congresswoman seeking the Dem nomination for an open Senate seat. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Craig’s ultraliberal primary opponent, has accused Craig of being too tough on immigration. Craig committed the unforgivable sin — in leftist eyes — of voting for the Laken Riley Act, and supporting a House resolution condemning antisemitism and expressing gratitude for ICE.

So Craig is clearly on a campaign to atone for her transgressions, and prove to the kind of far-left Dems who vote in Minnesota primaries that she is just as out there as the wackiest of them.

MS NOW’s The Weekend gave Craig an opportunity to do that, having her as a guest on Saturday’s show.

The first topic was the blatant stunt Craig pulled on January 7th, picking an argument on the House floor–with cameras conveniently rolling–with Republican congressman Tom Emmer on the subject of the ICE shooting of Renee Good. Craig repeatedly poked her finger toward Emmer’s chest, and a colleague eventually had to pull her away. She described herself to The Weekend hosts as “a pissed off congresswoman on the House floor.” Oh, the bravery of this woman warrior! Peggy Flanagan is a hopeless lefty, but she got one thing right, saying Craig “cravenly picked a fight” with Emmer.

Blurb:

Don’t believe your lying eyes.

That’s effectively what the hoax-peddling Washington Post told its readers when it ran what can only be surmised as the most dishonest piece of left-wing propaganda published (so far) this year.

Splattered across the top of the outlet’s homepage on Thursday was an ” analysis” titled, “Video shows ICE agent in Minneapolis fired at driver as vehicle veered past him.” (An earlier version of the article had the headline, “ICE agent was not in the vehicle’s path when he fired at driver, video shows.”)

Right from the get-go, it’s clear that make-pretend “reporters” Aaron Davis and Jonathan Baran aren’t trying to inform their audience of what actually happened but are instead seeking to advance the Democrat Party’s anti-ICE agenda.

Upon navigating the Orwellian article, readers are immediately bombarded with the presumption that the Trump administration’s central (and well-documented) claim — that the now-deceased woman disobeyed ICE and then hit an agent with her car — is false. In typical legacy media fashion, Davis and Baran play up such framing by asserting that their “frame-by-frame analysis” “raises questions” about the administration’s account of the incident.

Blurb:

Florida can now enforce a state law aimed at preventing children from attending what it defines as “sexually explicit” live performances, following a new ruling from a federal appeals court.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a lower court order that had blocked enforcement of the law for the past two years. In an order issued on December 15, the court said the state may enforce the 2023 law statewide, except against Hamburger Mary’s, the Orlando-based venue that challenged the law’s constitutionality.

The appeals court’s decision was influenced by a June ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that limited the use of universal injunctions, which previously allowed judges to block enforcement of laws for parties not directly involved in a case.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier praised the ruling in a post on X. “For two years, our law preventing children from attending sexually explicit drag shows was held up in court. Starting today, the law is in effect thanks to a win on appeal by our office. If you’re exposing children to lewd conduct, you’re on notice. We’re watching, Pensacola.”

Blurb:

After an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a female who drove her vehicle into him on Wednesday, anti-ICE sentiment has risen to a fever pitch, fueled by the legacy media and Democrat politicians. They have argued, essentially, that the shooting means America can no longer enforce its immigration laws. What the incident actually highlights is the need for a just and decisive crackdown on anti-ICE obstruction, a crackdown that parallels the Jan. 6 manhunt, not in its corrupt politicization, but in its scale and effectiveness.

The incident in Minneapolis marks nearly one year of the deportations Trump promised during his campaign. Despite a relentless legacy media air war on the removals, they maintain broad U.S. support, with 31 percent saying all illegal immigrants should be deported and 51 percent stating some should be deported. But even as the Trump administration ramped up deportation efforts, so did the sheer number of bad actors assaulting, impeding, harassing, and blocking ICE agents. The more serious attacks garnered the headlines: Antifa members allegedly launched an attack on an ICE facility; in Dallas an anti-ICE gunman opened fire on a law enforcement vehicle, killing two and injuring a third; the Department of Homeland Security reported roughly 100 vehicular attacks on agents in 2025.