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While many were celebrating the 252nd anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, liberal demonstrators tried to usurp the moment to protest the administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

Rather than dump tea into the harbor, the protesters from Boston Indivisible tossed ice into the harbor, symbolizing their opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

‘This is a symbolic measure saying we want ICE to leave our communities alone.’

The group claimed that about 1,000 people joined their protest on Tuesday evening. They tried to equate the colonists’ struggle against government oppression with the plight of illegal aliens who ignore immigration law.

“This is not left or right. This is not progressive or conservative. It’s being American,” said Martha Laposata of the group.

Group members said that they used environmentally safe ice that was approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

“Anybody who understands the nature of our country should be doing something. This is not the time to sit home and watch TV,” said Mary Sweeney.

Video from the event showed protesters chanting, “No Kings! No Tariffs! No ICE!” as they tossed the ice into the harbor.

RELATED: VIDEO: Leotarded liberals protest ICE facility with ’80s-themed aerobics class

“This is a symbolic measure saying we want ICE to leave our communities alone,” said Alex Rikleen, a candidate for the U.S. Senate who lists his pronouns in his profile.

The protesters said they hoped the demonstration would encourage others to speak out against the mass deportation policies implemented by President Donald Trump.

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A 101-year-old World War II veteran delivered a passionate speech about his love for America and President Donald Trump’s leadership during an event at Mar-a-Lago this week.

On Tuesday, America’s Future hosted the Second Annual Champions for America Celebration Gala to honor and recognize individuals “whose lives reflect courage, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to faith, freedom, and service.”

‘This was a reminder of who we are.’

Navy veteran and Bronze Star of Valor recipient William “Bill” Dillon, who served from 1942 to 1947, shared powerful remarks with the audience.

“There’s nobody in the godd**n world who cares more for this nation than this guy that you’re looking at,” Dillon stated. “And I think Trump is not only the president of the United States; he is the president of the world.”

Dillon complimented Trump for his “fantastic job” negotiating on behalf of the country.

“I’m 101, going on 102. Godd**mit, put a uniform on me — I’ll go tomorrow!” Dillon declared.

RELATED: The families behind our veterans deserve more than once-a-year thanks

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Matt Van Swol, a former nuclear scientist at the Department of Energy, stated that he had the honor of meeting Dillon at the event.

“Bill said that he has lived under 22 American presidents and that President Trump is his favorite. … Truly a special person,” Van Swol said.

“A World War II veteran, Bronze Star of Valor recipient, submariner, and aerospace pioneer, Bill delivered an energetic, passionate speech that reminded everyone what real courage looks like. From serving aboard the USS Sailfish to helping build America’s early space program, his life reflects sacrifice, resolve, and love of country,” America’s Future said, referring to Dillon. “This was a reminder of who we are.”

RELATED: Stories Behind the Stars: On a mission to honor every American who died in WWII

Bill Dillon. Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Associated Television International

America’s Future highlighted remarks from actor Isaiah Washington, human biologist Gary Brecka, author Angela Stanton-King, and General Charlie Flynn.

The organization referred to the event as an “unforgettable evening.”

“Tonight, America’s Future gathered to honor courage, faith, and conviction. Bringing together voices and leaders who refuse to stay silent when the stakes are high. From powerful remarks to heartfelt moments of recognition, this was a night that reminded us what America stands for and why the fight for her future matters,” the organization wrote.

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​News, Mar-a-lago, Donald trump, Trump, Trump administration, Trump admin, Bill dillon, William dillon, America’s future, World war ii veteran, Wwii, Veteran, Politics 

Members of what’s been dubbed a “trantifa” group called Turtle Island Liberation Front have been arrested for allegedly plotting a horrific New Year’s Eve terror attack in the Los Angeles area.

“After an intense investigation, the Department of Justice, working with our FBI, prevented what would have been a massive and horrific terror plot in the Central District of California (Orange County and Los Angeles),” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X.

“The Turtle Island Liberation Front — a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group — was preparing to conduct a series of bombings against multiple targets in California beginning New Year’s Eve. The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles,” she reported.

The Turtle Island Liberation Front allegedly calls for decolonization, tribal sovereignty, and “the working class to rise up and fight back against capitalism.”

“Now, just in case you were wondering what that term meant, it’s the term that lifted billions of people out of extreme poverty over the past couple of decades. So, why wouldn’t we want to bomb people to stop it?” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere jokes on “Stu Does America.”

Found among the possessions of those allegedly plotting the attacks were “free Palestine” flyers.

“What a surprise,” Burguiere jokes again. “This is stunning. ‘Free Palestine’ flyers at the campsite where the suspects were working with the bomb-making materials. And, of course, they found a bunch of this stuff.”

In a photo taken as evidence and shared by the U.S. Justice Department, handwritten signs read, “Death to America,” “Long live Turtle Island,” and “Death to ICE.”

Despite this very clear message of “death,” the mainstream media is claiming that these terrorists did not want anyone to be hurt.

“It’s important to note … that in this complaint, nowhere do they allege that any of these individuals wanted anybody to be harmed as a result of these pipe bombs specifically,” a host of the “Start Here” podcast on ABC News said cheerfully.

The hosts went on to point out that Turtle Island’s plan was to have follow-up attacks after the bombings, which “included plans to target ICE agents and vehicles with pipe bombs.”

“Strikes me that if someone’s plan was to target ICE agents,” Burguiere comments, “perhaps that means they did want to hurt people.”

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A prominent professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was fatally shot in his Brookline home, the Associated Press reported.

Nuno Loureiro was Jewish and a vocal pro-Israel nuclear scientist, the Jerusalem Post said; but the paper added that it could not confirm speculations by Jewish organizations that Loureiro was targeted for his political affiliations.

‘And a shooting in a state where it’s so hard to even have a gun?’

The shooting occurred on the heels of a deadly shooting Saturday at another prestigious school in the region — Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Police there also have yet to find a suspect. Brookline is about 90 minutes northeast of Providence. The FBI told the AP it knows of no connection between the two crimes.

Loureiro — a married 47-year-old from Portugal — was shot Monday night and died Tuesday at a local hospital, the AP noted. WBZ-TV said in its video report that Loureiro was shot several times in the foyer of his home; a neighbor said he lived in a first-floor apartment.

A reporter suggested to the neighbor on camera that the crime is atypical for Brookline, and the neighbor replied that it was a “surprise … and a shooting in a state where it’s so hard to even have a gun?” The neighbor also said fellow neighbors noted a nearby car was “parked in the wrong direction” and “seemed to be waiting.”

RELATED: Critics lambaste MIT’s vice president for equity and inclusion over ‘race baiting’ social media post

Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive, the AP said, and the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said no suspects were in custody as of Wednesday morning.

More from the AP:

Loureiro joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of its largest laboratories. The center has around 250 researchers working across seven buildings and focuses on advancing clean energy technology and other research.

The professor grew up in Viseu in central Portugal, studied in Lisbon, and earned a doctorate in London, according to the university. Before moving to MIT, he worked at a nuclear fusion research institute in Lisbon.

“He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague, and leader and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner,” Dennis Whyte, an engineering professor who previously led MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, told a campus publication, according to the AP.

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​Brookline, Brown university, Fatally shot, Jewish, Massachusetts institute of technology, No suspects, Nuno loureiro, Politics, Pro-israel, Professor, Crime 

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an ugly meltdown on Wednesday while being questioned by a Georgia state Senate special committee on the topic of her failed prosecution of President Donald Trump.

‘Y’all want to come in and be daddy.’

The presentation of evidence in the hearing highlighting how much money Willis’ office paid her former lover Nathan Wade apparently struck a nerve.

Quick background

On Nov. 1, 2021, Willis hired Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor for an investigation into possible interference in the state’s 2020 general election even though Wade had reportedly never prosecuted a felony case during his time as a prosecutor in Cobb County.

Wade — who had allegedly been romantically involved with Willis for several months prior to accepting the job and filed for divorce against his wife, Jocelyn Wade, the day after securing it — was paid over $650,000 in legal fees before withdrawing from the case in March 2024.

Bank records submitted in Wade’s divorce proceedings revealed that Willis, who authorized Wade’s compensation, went on luxurious trips with Wade while the Trump investigation was ongoing. Wade apparently paid for some of their travel expenses.

RELATED: Trump triumphs as judge dismisses racketeering charges over 2020 election: ‘We are going to keep winning!’

Photo by Dennis Byron-Pool/Getty Images

Willis was disqualified from the case in December 2024 due to the scandalous affair.

Last month, Willis’ replacement, Peter Skandalakis, dropped the case, and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ordered the case against Trump and the co-defendants “dismissed in its entirety.”

Unlike Trump, Willis’ problems in Georgia were far from over.

Last year, the Georgia Senate established a special committee to investigate allegations of misconduct against Willis. The Special Committee on Investigations, whose investigation was renewed in January, brought the leftist district attorney in for questioning on Wednesday.

The hearing

In the combative hearing — over the course of which Willis repeatedly tried to pose and answer her own questions and routinely spoke out of turn — state Sen. Greg Dolezal (R) pressed the district attorney about her working relationship with Wade.

When confronted with documents indicating how much her office paid her ex-lover, Willis said, “I don’t review those documents. So you’re asking me to look at documents that I haven’t for the first time.”

Willis then launched into a full-throated defense of Wade and his compensation, stating, “What I can tell you is that I allowed Mr. Wade to bill 160 hours a week and then Mr. Wade would be the first one in the office making sure that my staff arrived. He corrected their behavior.”

“He got there before them. He left after him [sic]. He taught them how to do this case, and he was a leader to that team and a public servant,” continued Willis. “And for that, him, like me, has been threatened thousands of times.”

Evidently desperate to change the topic and keen to exercise a well-used reflex, Willis cried racism, telling lawmakers, “You want something to investigate as a legislature? Investigate how many times they’ve called me the N-word.”

At one stage, the diversion-happy district attorney told the lawmakers, “I know y’all want to come in and be daddy and create QAnon committees that will judge prosecutors.”

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​Fani willis, Willis, Nathan wade, Georgia, Senate, Investigation, Affair, Leftist, Fulton county, Politics 

Federal authorities arrested five individuals in connection with an alleged planned New Year’s Eve terror plot. A criminal complaint revealed that two of the suspects claim to identify as transgender.

The Department of Justice held a press conference about the alleged thwarted terror attack on Monday.

‘This case is another reminder about the dangers that radicalized Antifa-like groups pose to public safety and the rule of law.’

Bill Essayli, the first assistant for the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, explained that, on Friday, his office and the FBI arrested several members of a “far-left, anti-government domestic terror cell who self-identify as the Turtle Island Liberation Front.”

The suspects were also members of a more radical offshoot of the group called the Order of the Black Lotus, according to Essayli. He highlighted the arrests of the four individuals from the Los Angeles area, stating that they have been charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. He noted that his office plans to file additional charges.

The arrested individuals were accused of attempting to construct and detonate improvised explosive devices in the Mojave Desert in preparation for alleged planned attacks on New Year’s Eve at five locations across Los Angeles, California.

Essayli claimed that the arrested individuals were planning to bomb multiple U.S. companies. They also allegedly planned follow-up attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

RELATED: FBI stops radical pro-Palestinian New Year’s Eve terror plot: Report

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Authorities uncovered posters associated with the TILF that included threatening language, including “Death to America” and “Death to ICE.”

“This case is another reminder about the dangers that radicalized Antifa-like groups pose to public safety and the rule of law,” Essayli said.

One of the four, 32-year-old Zachary Page, reportedly identifies as transgender and requested that authorities send him to a women’s jail, the New York Post reported.

Agents with the FBI’s New Orleans field office arrested a fifth individual tied to the TILF who was allegedly planning a separate attack in Louisiana.

An unsealed criminal complaint revealed that the suspect, 29-year-old Micah James Legnon, is a Marine veteran who claims to identify as transgender, the Post reported.

RELATED: The Zizians’ violent spiral: A trans group tied to killings across America

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Legnon, a man who uses “she/her” pronouns, went by “Kateri TheWitch” and “DarkWitch She/Her” in online chat groups and allegedly posted threats against ICE on social media.

“S**t time to recreate Waco tx with these f**kers. F**k ice,” Legnon allegedly wrote, referring to the 1993 Waco massacre that resulted in the deaths of four federal agents and over 70 civilians.

Legnon is currently in custody and facing charges of making threats over interstate commerce.

Journalist Andy Ngo, who was the first to identify Legnon, stated that the suspect’s “social media is filled with posts calling for the m—rder of people he labels as ‘fascists.’”

An attorney for Page declined a request for comment from the Intercept. Court documents did not list an attorney for Legnon.

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​News, Turtle island liberation front, Tilf, Order of the black lotus, Bill essayli, California, Los angeles, La, Department of justice, Doj, Justice department, Immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, New year’s eve, Terror plot, Terrorism, Transgender, Trans ideology, Trans violence, Transgender crime, Politics 

The name Shedeur Sanders name may be on the tip of every football fanatic’s tongue, but BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock isn’t impressed with the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback.

According to Whitlock, Sanders is simply a “fifth-round pick who doesn’t have the strongest arm” and has “the worst leadership skills I’ve ever seen in professional sports.”

“The things that they’re avoiding about Shedeur — his inability to read a defense, his inability to process what’s going on on the field as quickly as quarterbacks need to. This is obvious. He held the ball in college because he can’t process quickly,” Whitlock says, pointing out that it’s painful to listen to him answer questions that he “clearly doesn’t comprehend.”

“Some reporter tried to throw him a softball of, ‘Hey, what do you think of Stefanski and how aggressive he was? Do you like that as a quarterback and as a member of the team?’ And the reporter is trying to get Shedeur to say, ‘Yes, I like that Stefanski believes in me and us and this offense and that we can be super aggressive. I like that,’” he explains.

“That’s all the reporter was trying to get Shedeur to say. Shedeur heard it as the reporter trying to bait him into attacking Stefanski,” he adds.

“I mean, first, that’s a rude question to ask,” Sanders replied to the reporter while taking questions.

When the reporter pressed him further and said, “Do you like the aggression, do you like the call?” Sanders responded firmly, “I like being out there playing.”

“We not going to be here and ever point fingers at no coach or do anything like that. You know, that’s extremely disrespectful and that’s not even in my place. So I’m thankful for being out there, honestly, and I’m thankful that he trusts us as a offense to be able to go out there and be able to execute,” Sanders continued.

“Did we execute? No, we didn’t. But, you know, I’m just thankful that we have that trust,” he added.

“‘I’m never going to point a finger,’” Whitlock mocks. “The man’s not asking you to point fingers. He’s so defensive, so unsure of himself.”

“Remember,” he says, “money is supposed to fix all this.”

“Oh, if they just had access to money, all the education rates and everything would go through the roof. No. If you’re not instilled with the right values, if your father thinks that, ‘Hey, my swagger and my arrogance and my gold chains and my braggadocio,’ if that’s what he’s preaching and demonstrating in the home … that’s how you end up with a kid that grew up in a 30,000-square-foot mansion … who can’t process,” he continues.

“And everybody is blaming Kevin Stefanski, that ‘Oh, he’s got it in for Shedeur.’ He doesn’t know how to communicate with Shedeur, because Shedeur doesn’t know how to communicate properly,” he adds.

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A North Carolina county government has chosen to disband its public library board after the group refused to take down a book that advocated for the transgender agenda.

The controversy involved the “Call Me Max” book that tells the story of a girl asking teachers to refer to her by her chosen identity rather than the biological reality.

‘Planting this lie in a child’s mind at a young age can lead them down a harmful path of social and medical transitioning. Public libraries should never expose children to books that cause them to question their gender or include other inappropriate sexual content.’

The board in Randolph County had reviewed the book and found that it fit within the county’s guidelines in October. Dozens of people attended that hearing to voice their opinion about the book.

The nine-member library board was then disbanded by the Randolph County Board of Commissioners by a vote of 3-2.

The North Carolina Values Coalition had previously described the picture book as an attempt to “groom children towards transgenderism at very young ages” and actively opposed its inclusion.

The group applauded the decision to dissolve the board.

“‘Call Me Max,’ recommended for 5- [to] 9-year-olds, teaches children that their parents may be wrong about their gender and that their gender is actually whatever they feel it is,” read the statement from their spokesperson to Blaze News.

“Planting this lie in a child’s mind at a young age can lead them down a harmful path of social and medical transitioning,” the statement continued. “Public libraries should never expose children to books that cause them to question their gender or include other inappropriate sexual content.”

The author of the book, a transgender-identifying individual named Kyle Lukoff, said that the actions of the county board were alarming.

RELATED: Trans reporter tries to defend Chelsea Clinton and proves she’s pushing ‘porn’ for children

“Policies can be helpful, but this is ultimately a question of power,” Lukoff said. “If there are people in power who believe trans people don’t belong in their communities or the world at large, they will twist those policies to make it a reality.”

While disbanding a public library board is unusual, it is within the power of the county organization.

Voters of Randolph County supported President Donald Trump by an overwhelming margin — nearly four to one.

The commissioners have not indicated when they will reconstitute the library board.

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​Transgender agenda, Call me max book, Randolph county north carolina, Trans books public libraries, Politics 

A former NFL sideline reporter may be running for office after a few years of getting familiar with the political field.

The news comes after much criticism of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), including the former sports reporter describing him as a non-serious politician who has allowed fraud to run rampant in his state.

‘Tim Walz is not serious. He adores Ilhan Omar.’

After 11 years working on the beloved “Sunday Night Football” broadcast, sideline reporter Michele Tafoya left the program in 2022. Immediately following the Super Bowl — Tafoya’s last NFL gig — the California native was announced as the campaign co-chair for Republican gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls.

Now, Tafoya is reportedly eyeing a possible Senate run in Minnesota, where a retiring Democrat will open up a seat in the Democrat-majority state.

As reported by OutKick, Tafoya met with members of the National Republican Senatorial Committee last week, which has reportedly been recruiting her in hopes of launching a Senate campaign.

The seat in question will be vacated by Democrat Sen. Tina Smith for the 2026 midterm elections.

RELATED: Whitlock: Michele Tafoya risked everything to start her own Freedom Convoy

— (@)

A run by Tafoya would put her in a tough Republican primary field that includes former NBA player Royce White, former Navy officer Tom Weiler, and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze.

Tafoya, however, has not been shy about criticizing Minnesota Democrats, particularly Gov. Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar. She recently asked Walz in an X post to “please deal with the horrendous fraud [he] allowed” in Minnesota, along with other posts about Omar’s activities.

Tafoya said on X in September that “Tim Walz is not serious. He adores Ilhan Omar.”

She added, “He signed legislation for abortions at 9 months, tampons in boys[‘] bathrooms, and making Minnesota a sanctuary for kids who want to get life-altering gender surgeries without parental consent.”

RELATED: Whoopi Goldberg declares ‘white people’ are the ones who need to ‘step up’ and make skin color a non-issue in America

— (@)

Tafoya made headlines in late 2021 after appearing on left-wing squawk box “The View,” where she dared to question the protests of then-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the national anthem.

Kaepernick had compared the NFL Draft to a slave auction in a documentary at that time.

“I’ve been covering the NFL for 25 years,” Tafoya had said, per OutKick. “Nobody forces these guys to play. I thought comparing it to the slave trade was a little rough. These guys enter willingly, they are the most well cared for people. Yes, they play a hard sport. And every one of them — black, white, Latino, whoever’s playing the sport — will tell you how much they love it, and they’re willing to do it, and they make a d**n good living.”

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​Fearless, Minnesota, Tim walz, Football, Nfl, Senate, Senator, Midterms, Sports 

Because today’s auto industry feels thoroughly international — Americans can buy nearly any car made anywhere, and American vehicles are common sights overseas — it’s easy to forget how deeply regional car markets still are.

That’s the topic of the latest episode of “The Drive,” a podcast I host with executive analyst at iSeeCars.com and Forbes Autos contributor Karl Brauer. This week, our guest is longtime Detroit News auto columnist and syndicated cartoonist Henry Payne.

Japan’s streets — especially in dense cities like Tokyo — are filled with vehicles most Americans rarely see: kei cars, a government-defined class of tiny, boxy, ultra-efficient runabouts.

In a conversation that jumps from Japan’s Mobility Show to the battle over unionization at Volkswagen’s U.S. plant in Chattanooga, we keep returning to the same theme: Cars are global, but markets are local—and policy is increasingly the hidden hand behind what gets built, where, and for how much.

The power of US demand

Payne joins us fresh from the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, an experience he says he found “surreal.”

“My grandfather fought on Okinawa in WWII, and here I am two generations later, and I am going to Japan as a guest of Honda,” he says.

Despite all that’s changed since then, Payne says the show was a reminder of how regional cars still are.

Japan’s streets — especially in dense cities like Tokyo — are filled with vehicles most Americans rarely see: kei cars, a government-defined class of tiny, boxy, ultra-efficient runabouts. They’re built around small displacement engines, tight dimensions, and the reality that Japan imports most of its energy. They make sense there.

In the U.S. they generally wouldn’t — despite recent rumblings from Trump to the contrary.

That contrast matters because it underlines a second point: The United States is not just a big market — it’s a market that props up entire global product plans. Payne notes that Honda sells far more of its output in the United States than it does in Japan, and other Japanese brands lean even harder on American buyers. The U.S. consumer is simply a different customer: higher buying power, more space, more appetite for variety, and more willingness (or necessity) to buy larger vehicles.

In other words, when automakers build out multiple trims and performance variants off the same platform — base model, sport model, track model, special edition — that’s usually because of U.S. demand.

Auto industry math still comes down to very specific local realities: what people can afford, where they live, what infrastructure exists, and what regulators demand.

Flex or flounder

If Japan shows how regional car markets still are, Chattanooga shows what happens when the most powerful market of all — the United States — starts limiting its own flexibility.

Payne’s argument is that transplant automakers (foreign brands building cars in the U.S.) have long enjoyed a competitive advantage: non-union shops.

It’s important to note that the advantage is not in labor prices — “You’ll find that the pay scales of the non-union automakers in these right-to-work states are pretty competitive with UAW,” Payne says — but in the ability to adapt to changing markets.

Unions add a layer of management that makes it more difficult to shift production, change processes, and retool lines.

Nonetheless, Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant last year became the first foreign-owned factory to unionize. This was the UAW’s third attempt to unionize the plant — and the first time that VW didn’t put up a fight. Why not?

In a word, Payne says, the EV mandate. Because it so much harder to make a profit on EVs, VW relies on various subsidies and tax breaks — incentives turned out to be politically sensitive.

Volkswagen wasn’t legally required to accept unionization — but the politics had shifted. With the UAW closely aligned with Democrats and billions in EV incentives flowing from Washington, Payne notes that VW received a letter from 33 Democratic senators urging it to stay neutral, citing “a lot of money on the line.” The leverage wasn’t statutory; it was political.

Thanks to President Trump, the EV tax credits ended in September, removing much of VW’s incentive to unionize. Of course, by then it was too late.

RELATED: ‘A uniquely American industry’: SEMA CEO urges EPA to scrap emissions regs

SEMA CEO Mike Spagnola. Bill Clark/Getty Images

‘The Henry Ford of his time’

The conversation ends with a more personal detour: Payne’s long-running fascination with Tesla — which he sees less as an “EV brand” and more as a rare disruptor in a mature, brutally difficult industry.

In fact, Payne calls Elon Musk “the Henry Ford of his time” and the Tesla Model 3 (he’s on his third) “the most fascinating car I’ve ever owned.”

“It’s good to have a disruptor,” Payne continues, likening Musk to Donald Trump and the latter’s effect on Washington, D.C. “It’s good to have Elon Musk come into the automotive industry … and say, ‘Why are we selling cars through dealers instead of through stores like Apple sells iPhones? Why aren’t we updating cars constantly like phones and making them better on the road?’”

And if you’re wondering why your next car costs what it costs — or why automakers seem to change direction every six months — this episode offers a blunt answer: The industry is being pulled by forces that don’t always align, and the tug-of-war is happening everywhere at once.

Listen to the full episode of “The Drive with Lauren and Karl” (featuring Henry Payne) below.

​Drive with lauren fix and karl brauer, Honda, Tesla, Uaw, Lifestyle, Auto industry, Ev mandate, Align cars 

In Maryland, a new commission to study slavery reparations will soon be established after a months-long legislative fight.

On Tuesday, the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s veto of a bill that would establish a commission to study slavery reparations.

Fox News reported that the Senate voted 31-14 to override the veto, and the House of Delegates approved the override 93-35. Democrats enjoy a sizable majority in both chambers.

‘It’s immoral and it’s fiscally ruinous to this state and it sends a message to the generations out there now in Maryland that if you’re concerned about fairness, dignity, opportunity in this state — to flee Maryland.’

Moore, a black Democrat, originally vetoed the bill in May, arguing for “action” rather than establishing another study.

In his veto letter to Senate President Bill Ferguson, Moore said, “Now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.”

RELATED: ‘Beachhead of criminality’: Trump admin urges Walz to resign in light of ‘ghost students’ fraud scheme

Photo by Jonathan Newton/for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Delegate Matthew Morgan (R-St. Mary’s County) warned that the bill was only going to enable “race-bait handouts”:

“This bill betrays the original intention, the unifying event of the civil rights movement. It’s immoral and it’s fiscally ruinous to this state and it sends a message to the generations out there now in Maryland that if you’re concerned about fairness, dignity, opportunity in this state — to flee Maryland,” Morgan said on the House floor Tuesday.

The recently approved bill will establish a commission that will study possible forms of reparations to black Americans for the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination.

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland celebrated the override of the governor’s veto in a statement posted to Instagram: “This landmark action establishes a rigorous and comprehensive plan for reparations and marks Maryland’s first-ever step toward reparations. At a time of growing attacks on diversity and equity, today’s action reaffirms our shared commitment to truth-telling, accountability, and meaningful progress for Black Marylanders.”

A preliminary report is required by January 1, 2027; a final report is due by November 1, 2027.

The commission will expire in the summer of 2028.

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​Politics, Reparations, Governor wes moore, Wes moore, Black americans, African americans, Maryland, Legislative black caucus of maryland, Slavery, Bill ferguson, Matthew morgan 

In a Sunday interview with WCCO-TV, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) accused U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of pulling over her son on Saturday and pressing him for proof of citizenship. Others who have trouble with the truth, namely Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and the liberal media, were quick to make hay of Omar’s allegation.

“Congresswoman Omar’s son was pulled over by ICE while he was following the law, on his way home from Target,” Walz said in a post on X. “This isn’t a targeted operation to find violent criminals, it’s racial profiling.”

‘It is shameful that Congresswoman Omar would level accusations to demonize ICE as part of a PR stunt.’

The Department of Homeland Security stopped the narrative in its tracks, noting that the Democrat ethno-nationalist’s sob story appears to be yet another tall tale.

DHS noted on Tuesday that “ICE has absolutely ZERO record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son.”

“With no evidence, it is shameful that Congresswoman Omar would level accusations to demonize ICE as part of a PR stunt,” continued the agency. “Allegations that ICE engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE.”

“What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S. — NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity. Under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, DHS law enforcement uses ‘reasonable suspicion’ to make arrests,” added the DHS.

RELATED: Ilhan Omar compares Stephen Miller’s immigration rhetoric to Nazism

Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Clinging to the congresswoman’s narrative, Omar’s office said in response to the DHS on Tuesday, “The congresswoman’s son and others were pulled over by ICE, racially profiled, and forced to prove their citizenship with a passport.”

“ICE has long operated as a rogue agency beyond reform,” continued the statement from Omar’s office. “It’s no surprise that an agency known for disappearing people also can’t keep its records straight.”

The response from Omar’s office may amount to a rock thrown from a glass house.

In the wake of border czar Tom Homan’s confirmation that the Trump administration is investigating Omar for alleged immigration fraud — possibly in connection to Omar’s marriage to her alleged brother — former Democratic congressional candidate AJ Kern told Alpha News that public records appear to indicate Omar has trouble keeping the record straight about when she was born.

While Omar has repeatedly indicated that she became a citizen at the age of 17 — a claim she even made to the Guardian this week — Kern noted that Omar “was actually 18 in the year 2000, when her father became eligible to apply for citizenship.”

Citing official documents, Kern suggested that Omar “actually wasn’t a minor when her father could apply for naturalization,” adding that “it kind of blows a hole in her story that she obtained naturalization or citizenship when she was 17.”

Emails reviewed by Alpha News show that Omar’s staff contacted the Legislative Reference Library on May 17, 2019, requesting they change the Somali-born ethno-nationalist’s date of birth from Oct. 4, 1981, to Oct. 4, 1982.

Blaze News has reached out to Omar’s office for comment.

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​Somali, Minnesota, Ilhan omar, Leftist, Liar, Tall story, Liberal media, Us immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Dhs, Politics 

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed a bill legalizing “medical assistance in dying” for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months to live or less — making Illinois the 12th U.S. state to allow assisted suicide.

The legislation was narrowly approved by the Illinois Senate in October after the Illinois House passed it in May.

“First, do no harm,” Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck comments. “I’m having a hard time with that. Doctors, maybe you can tell me how you get around this. First, do no harm. That is a very important concept that our doctors are to buy in to and that we all believe.”

“This is the 12th state in the country that is allowing assisted suicide. And there are about 25 others that are standing in line for it. What a surprise: Illinois is the first of this batch of them coming in to say, ‘I want to kill people.’ It is a culture of death, and that’s what we are battling,” he says.

“When you look at what people are saying about global warming, what is the solution? Fewer people. How do you do that? Well, culture of death takes care of that, right? When you look at, you know, just about anything now — health care, abortion: culture of death. Islam: culture of death. Marxism, honestly, it is a culture of death,” he continues.

However, supporters of this culture of death like Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) argue for it as a humane option — and a rare one.

“Western world, you’re being played. This is not compassion. I’m going to be real clear with you. This is preparation for when the system can no longer afford to fulfill its promises. That’s what this is. … They are preparing you so you look at this as compassion,” Glenn explains.

“And so when it gets worse and worse up until the very end, you don’t recognize it. I mean, they’re beginning to, a little bit in Canada, to see what’s coming their way. And why is it happening? Because they can no longer afford socialized medicine,” he says.

“Can America afford to fulfill its promises that it’s made for generations on all of this socialized everything? No,” he states.

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​Camera phone, Video, Upload, Sharing, Video phone, Free, Youtube.com, The glenn beck program, Glenn beck, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Blaze originals, Culture of death, Marxism, Jb pritzker, Maid, Medical assistance in dying, Illinois maid, Suicide, Legalizing suicide 

President Trump’s secretary of war is making it a point to set the record straight for those servicemen and -women who adhered to their convictions and refused the Biden COVID shots.

In a memorandum dated December 6, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered Pentagon leadership to identify service members wrongfully discharged because of their refusal to take the jab and give them their due.

Sean Parnell said that nearly 8,700 service members were ‘involuntarily separated’ from the military because of their refusal to take the jab.

Specifically, many service members were given a general discharge rather than a fully honorable discharge.

“It is unconscionable that thousands of former Service members who held true to their personal and religious convictions were not just separated, but separated with General (Under Honorable Conditions), rather than Honorable, discharge characterizations,” Hegseth wrote.

RELATED: Activist judges overruled: Trump judges greenlight Hegseth’s ban on military ‘dudes in dresses’

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that nearly 8,700 service members were “involuntarily separated” from the military because of their refusal to take the jab.

Of those, Parnell continued, “more than 3,000 received less than honorable discharge characterizations.”

“The department is committed to ensuring that everyone who should have received a fully honorable discharge receives one and continues to right wrongs and restore confidence in and honor to our fighting force,” Parnell said.

In his first week back in office, Trump signed an executive order to reinstate service members who left or were removed from duty on account of the “unfair, overbroad, and unnecessary” COVID vaccine mandates. Hegseth then began implementing that directive in February.

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​Politics, Trump administration, Pete hegseth, Secretary of war hegseth, Secretary of war, Military, Pentagon, Covid, Covid vaccine, Vaccine mandates, Biden, Sean parnell 

The overturn of Roe v. Wade was considered a generational victory for the anti-abortion movement, and yet the murder of preborn image-bearers of God has not only continued over the past three years but has substantially increased.

When brick-and-mortar abortion facilities shut their doors in conservative states that passed new abortion regulations, the abortion landscape quickly adapted to the shifting legal environment. More men and women who want to murder their preborn babies are turning to abortion pills and other methods of self-induced abortion.

The increased use of abortion pills, especially those provided through telehealth, accounts for much of the recent rise in abortion numbers.

The convenience, anonymity, and lower price point of abortion pills have made the substances more popular than ever. Many progressive states are even seeing their brick-and-mortar abortion facilities close because of the market disruption presented by abortion pills.

These realities were confirmed once more by the latest abortion numbers report from the Society of Family Planning, which tracks all of the abortions occurring in the American health care system.

The organization found that self-induced abortion led to a new record for monthly abortion numbers since Roe was overturned.

— (@)

Americans are currently murdering 98,800 preborn babies every month, as the first six months of 2025 would indicate, an increase from 96,300 preborn babies per month as of 2024.

This marks the third consecutive annual increase for monthly abortion numbers since the overturn of Roe.

In annual terms, we are on track to murder nearly 1.19 million preborn babies in 2025, an increase from 1.14 million preborn babies in 2024. That was an increase from 1.06 million preborn babies in 2023, the first full year after Roe was overturned.

This data does not even count abortions occurring outside the formal health care system, if such a term could even be used to describe the legalized murder of preborn image-bearers of God. The report also does not consider abortion pills provided by local activist networks or overseas supply chains, nor preborn babies destroyed through the IVF process and abortifacient birth control.

In any case, the increased use of abortion pills, especially those provided through telehealth, accounts for much of the recent rise in abortion numbers.

RELATED: How pro-life leaders betray the one truth they can’t afford to compromise

— (@)

When a woman seeks a telehealth abortion, she schedules a virtual appointment with a third-party abortion provider and soon thereafter receives abortion pills in the mail. These abortions accounted for 27% of preborn babies murdered in the second quarter of 2025, a rapid increase from 5% of abortions in the second quarter of 2022.

Many telehealth abortions are solicited by women in conservative states and are, therefore, protected by shield laws. In other words, since progressive states like California and New York passed shield laws protecting abortion providers from civil and criminal penalties imposed by conservative states, they have legal cover to send abortion pills into states like Texas or Oklahoma.

In the first six months of 2025, there were almost 15,000 abortions per month provided under shield laws, and 55% of those abortions were provided in conservative states with some form of abortion regulations.

That means abortion pills provided by means of telehealth accounted for almost 50,000 abortions in conservative states in the first six months of 2025.

RELATED: Stevie Nicks just said the quiet part out loud about abortion — and it’s horrifying

— (@)

The increased abortion numbers in America are often discussed on the progressive left, yet they have only recently become a serious discussion in the anti-abortion movement. There are two primary takeaways from this heartbreaking abortion data.

The first is that abortion in our nation is far from over.

When a man and woman decide to have an abortion, they are making the choice to murder an image-bearer of God equal in value to a person who has already been born. The murder of even one such image-bearer of God is completely unacceptable. But the mass murder of preborn babies, protected by law in all 50 states, is an unspeakable abomination.

God judges nations that commit child sacrifice. There are countless examples of nations throughout human history that have murdered their children in ritual fashion and reaped divine judgment as a result. The uniquely strong Christian history of America only heightens our guilt, because unlike many ancient civilizations, we are fully aware of the hatred that the one true and living God has revealed for child sacrifice — yet we persist in such wickedness anyway.

Christians cannot tolerate the mass murder of preborn image-bearers of God.

This is not the time for Christians to assume that the overturn of Roe means that the battle against abortion has essentially ended. This is the time for Christians to let our love for God and our preborn neighbors move us to spend more effort than ever abolishing abortion.

The second takeaway is that abortion in conservative states is far from over.

While many conservative states passed new abortion regulations after Roe was overturned, those laws have massive loopholes that allow for abortion pills. They may ban third-party abortion providers from assisting women with abortions, but they explicitly protect the act of a woman having a self-induced abortion, ensuring that telehealth abortions enabled by shield laws continue with no reliable deterrents.

These policies are often based in compassion for women who are truly victims of abortion. But in the vast majority of cases, women are willful participants or even initiators in the murder of their preborn babies.

The loopholes granting immunity to women who have abortions must be closed in favor of equal protection legislation that criminalizes the act of abortion as murder for all parties willfully involved.

Many pro-life groups in conservative states have nevertheless opposed equal protection legislation, which would simply extend the existing state murder laws to protect life from fertilization. These organizations, no matter their intentions, are safeguarding self-induced abortions in conservative states that would otherwise have the ability to pass equal protection.

Christians cannot tolerate the mass murder of preborn image-bearers of God. Rather than simply assuming after the overturn of Roe v. Wade that a substantial victory has been won, we must awaken from our apathy and seek to abolish abortion once and for all.

​God, Child sacrifice, Abortion pills, Christianity, Christian, Abortion 

“The future of AI will either be ruled by American values or by China.”

That warning came last month from Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It may sound abstract. It is not.

The question is no longer whether China seeks technological supremacy. It is how far it is willing to go — and how much Americans are willing to tolerate.

The Chinese Communist Party already appalled the world with its industrial-scale harvesting of organs from living human beings. Now it is pursuing something even more invasive: the exploitation of the human brain itself to power artificial intelligence and enforce political control.

This year, President Trump’s team prepared a national plan to secure American dominance in AI. At the same time, Guthrie and his colleagues — Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.) — have been pressing government agencies and private firms with urgent questions about China’s activities and the risks to U.S. national security.

The evidence is alarming.

The CCP has harvested brain-wave data from some of the world’s highest-performing athletes, including a Formula 1 driver and elite alpine skiers. It has built systems to collect brain-wave data from Chinese schoolchildren at scale. Now concerns are mounting that it may be harvesting the brain-wave data of unsuspecting Americans through wearable headband devices sold openly on Amazon.

These devices represent a primitive form of brain-computer interfaces.

BCIs are an American innovation with legitimate and profound medical promise. Brain-computer interfaces allows paralyzed individuals to control prosthetics, smartphones, and computers using their thoughts. Physicians use BCIs to address cognitive impairments affecting memory, learning, and focus. Researchers see potential applications for treating depression, epilepsy, autism, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease.

Elon Musk’s company Neuralink helped pioneer BCI development to restore autonomy to patients with severe neurological conditions. Musk has also argued that such technology could help humans keep pace as artificial intelligence grows more powerful.

The CCP’s motives are different — and far less virtuous.

Beijing views BCIs not as a therapeutic tool, but as a strategic weapon. By collecting and analyzing human brain-wave data, Chinese researchers have made advances in mind-reading and behavioral control designed to enforce obedience to the Communist Party. The regime is now exploring the use of this data to develop what it calls “super soldiers” — or humanoid combat robots integrated with human cognitive input.

Disturbingly, some of this progress has been enabled by elite American research institutions.

“China is working on pairing humanoid robotics with BCI,” said Sam Koppelman, publisher of the investigative research firm Hunterbrook. His team conducted a six-month investigation into BrainCo, a company founded at Harvard, funded by a People’s Liberation Army-linked entity, and later relocated to China.

In response, Guthrie, Bilirakis, and Joyce formally urged the Justice Department to investigate “potential national security risks posed by BrainCo.”

Their concerns followed Guthrie’s probe into DeepSeek, another AI company that his committee said maintains a “close relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.”

“DeepSeek admits to sending Americans’ personal information to servers in China, where it is undoubtedly accessed by officials connected to the Chinese Communist Party,” Guthrie said in a joint statement with Bilirakis.

According to Koppelman, China now prioritizes what it openly calls “cognitive warfare.”

RELATED: China is arming itself with minerals America refuses to mine

kritsapong jieantaratip via iStock/Getty Images

“This technology, as it develops, will be able to do things like read your brain,” he explained on a podcast. “They’re going to hack the human brain. That’s the idea.”

Hunterbrook reports that BrainCo and DeepSeek are among the CCP’s so-called “Six Little Dragons” of high-tech development.

BrainCo’s consumer-facing products include wearable EEG headbands marketed for meditation and focus. Its OxyZen and FocusCalm devices promise to help users “train your brain for better focus and a calmer mind.”

But critics warn the process may work in reverse — using American brain-wave data to train China’s planned army of super soldiers.

BrainCo disputes the allegations. Its FocusCalm website features a pop-up statement denying military ties and threatening legal action against critics.

The Trump administration is now weighing how to respond to what increasingly resembles a nightmarish penetration of American high-tech research and consumer markets. This month, the administration formally defined AI dominance as a “core, vital national interest.”

The question is no longer whether China seeks technological supremacy. It is how far it is willing to go — and how much Americans are willing to tolerate.

If the CCP can harvest our data, map our thoughts, and manipulate cognition itself, what will it do next?

​Opinion & analysis, Donald trump, National artificial intelligence strategy, Artificial intelligence, National security, America first, Big tech, China, Brainco, Neuralink, Elon musk, Technology, Super soldiers, Chinese communist party, Justice department, Medical devices, Brain-computer interfaces, Mind control, Brain waves 

A female accused of inserting razor blades into loaves of bread at two Walmart stores in Biloxi, Mississippi, was arrested Tuesday, WJTV-TV reported.

Camille Benson, 33, of Texas, was charged with attempted mayhem, the station said, adding that her bond was set at $100,000.

‘Time to start baking my own bread.’

Customers reported finding the razor blades at a Walmart Supercenter and a Walmart Neighborhood Market, Lt. Candace Young, a public information officer for the Biloxi Police Department, told WJTV.

Walmart employees told police a customer first reported finding a razor blade in a loaf purchased from the Walmart Supercenter on Dec. 5, the station said, adding that a customer who bought a loaf at the Walmart Neighborhood Market reported finding a razor blade on Dec. 8.

Law enforcement officials said that after another customer complained to the Walmart Supercenter on Sunday, employees inspected merchandise and found several more loaves had been tampered with, WJTV reported.

RELATED: Mom finds razor blades affixed on slide at child park moments before her 3-year-old daughter was going to slide down

The police department was notified on Monday, the station said, and asked all those who purchased bread from those Walmart locations to inspect the loaves and report any findings.

“The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority,” Walmart said in a statement, according to WJTV. “We have removed and thoroughly inspected all potentially affected products at impacted stores in Biloxi. We appreciate law enforcement for their swift action and will continue cooperating with them as they investigate.”

Police don’t believe any other stores have been targeted, the station added.

Walmart also said if customers purchase a product that has been tampered with, they should immediately throw it out and visit their local Walmart for a full refund, WJTV noted.

More than 3,000 comments have been left under WJTV’s Facebook post about the arrest, and observers didn’t hold back:

“She doesn’t look like she is playing with a full deck,” one commenter wrote.”Now give her the bread she put razors in,” another user suggested.”The devil is really busy!” another commenter declared.”Bread will now be packaged in boxes with pull tabs,” another user predicted. “Wait till its price triples.””Time to start baking my own bread,” another commenter stated.

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​Mississippi, Biloxi, Walmart stores, Razor blades, Loaves of bread, Arrest, Jailed, Attempted mayhem charge, Crime 

Minnesota appears to be a magnet for fraudsters, particularly from Somalia.

While the problem has hardly been a secret — scores of bad actors have been charged and/or convicted in connection with various fraud schemes in the state — the Trump administration has recently taken a special interest, exploring just how bad the graft has gotten on Democratic-Farmer-Labor Gov. Tim Walz’s watch.

Much of the focus has so far been on the alleged fraud committed by members of the Somali community in relation to coronavirus pandemic relief funding. However, Education Secretary Linda McMahon hammered Walz in a letter on Monday over student aid fraud in the Gopher State, calling on him to resign.

‘Minnesota’s political elite has turned a blind eye and even helped facilitate the laundering of money.’

“At the beginning of this year, the U.S. Department of Education became aware that fraudulent college applicants, especially concentrated in Minnesota, were gaming the federal postsecondary education system to collect money that was intended for young Americans to help them afford college,” wrote McMahon.

The education secretary referred to these fraudsters as “ghost students” because “they were not ID-verified and often did not live in the United States, or they simply did not exist.”

According to McMahon, 1,834 so-called ghost students were found to have received $12.5 million in taxpayer-funded grants and loans in Walz’s state.

In June, the Education Department flagged Riverland Community College and Century College in White Bear Lake as two of the institutions in Minnesota that were impacted by the fraud scheme.

RELATED: Tim Walz tries gaslighting Americans again — this time about Trump’s ‘garbage’ remark

Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

The Rochester Post Bulletin reported in April that Riverland had apparently averaged more than 100 potentially fraudulent applications per year for the previous two financial aid periods.

A history instructor at Century College reportedly told state lawmakers earlier this year that he discovered in 2023 that 15% of his students were “basically an organized crime ring.”

Minnesota State College Southeast was similarly impacted, having discovered that the spike in its 2025 spring enrollment numbers was driven by 84 ghost students. While some of the apparent fraudsters at these and other institutions were locals, most were reportedly from other countries.

Ghost students will reportedly engage remotely and do the bare minimum of classwork until financial aid funds are doled out around 10 days into the semester. Once their payday arrives, they usually vanish.

“They collected checks from the federal government, shared a small portion of the money with the college, and pocketed the rest — without attending the college at all,” said McMahon. “Our new fraud prevention system has now blocked more than $1 billion in attempted financial aid theft by fraudsters, including coordinated international fraud rings and AI bots pretending to be students.”

The education secretary stressed that Walz’s “careless lack of oversight and abuse of the welfare system has attracted fraudsters from around the world, especially from Somalia, to establish a beachhead of criminality in our country.”

McMahon further suggested that Walz has done “nothing as governor to stop this criminal behavior” such that scammers have “gotten rich off federal housing, education, food stamp, and small business programs — even defrauding assistance for elder care and autistic children.”

After suggesting that “Minnesota’s political elite has turned a blind eye and even helped facilitate the laundering of money that was meant to help America’s least fortunate,” McMahon accused Walz of benefiting from the sordid state of play and implored him to resign.

Republican Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.) said that McMahon’s assessment of Walz’s “catastrophic failures” was “spot on,” adding that “it’s time for Walz to take accountability and make way for real leadership to clean up this mess.”

Walz plans to seek a third term next year.

Former health care executive and Army veteran Kendall Qualls won the non-binding Minnesota GOP gubernatorial straw poll on Saturday, winning three more votes from delegates than Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

While a September poll found that Walz had a significant edge over Qualls, it appears Minnesotans are fast losing faith in their governor and his ability to curb fraud in the state.

A recent KSTP-TV/SurveyUSA poll of 578 registered voters found that 69% believe Walz needs to do more to stop fraud in Minnesota. According to the poll, Walz’s disapproval rating is 48%.

“It’s pretty obvious,” Walz said during a press conference on Friday. “Fraud happened. We need to take accountability — ultimately me.”

“I take responsibility for everything,” added the governor.

Blaze News has reached out to the governor’s office for comment.

McMahon’s letter comes just weeks after Small Business Administration Sec. Kelly Loeffler announced an investigation “into the network of Somali organizations and executives implicated” in the $1 billion Minnesota COVID fraud scandal, particularly those who received SBA PPP loans.

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​Minnesota, Governor walz, Tim walz, Walz, Somali, Fraud, Fraudster, Linda mcmahon, Financial aid, Somalian, Education department, Education, Ghost students, Politics 

Conservatives are riled up after Vanity Fair released a hit piece on the Trump administration on Tuesday morning. Published in two parts, the article combines months of candid interviews with Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles, who is quoted saying many brow-raising things about President Trump and fellow Cabinet members.

One particular section of the article is going viral on X. It quotes Wiles claiming Trump has “an alcoholic’s personality,” JD Vance has “been a conspiracy theorist for a decade,” Elon Musk is an “avowed ketamine user,” Russell Vought is a “right-wing absolute zealot,” and Pam Bondi “completely whiffed” in her handling of the Epstein files.

In response to Vanity Fair’s hit piece, Wiles posted the following response.

— (@)

BlazeTV host Liz Wheeler confesses she’s not sure why everyone is freaking out about this article.

“This article does not bump my adrenaline or my cortisol up even a notch. … In a sense, this article is a nothingburger because it just doesn’t matter … because the mainstream media are liars,” she says.

And that includes Vanity Fair. In this very article, author Chris Whipple called January 6 a “bloody … assault on the Capitol” that left “nine people” dead.

“What an absolute lie this is,” says Liz.

“One person died on January 6, and that was Ashli Babbitt, who was shot by a Capitol police officer. The others died of natural causes, drug overdoses, suicides in the days and weeks following,” she corrects.

“January 6 protesters killed no one, and yet Vanity Fair would have you believe that this was a bloody, murderous mob. … That’s just factually wrong, and Vanity Fair knows this.”

The fact that Vanity Fair pushes such propaganda should be enough cause for us to dismiss this article. Further, even if Wiles engaged in office gossip, it doesn’t change the Trump administration’s “operational capacity or success.”

However, there is one section of the article Liz says is interesting and perhaps worth paying attention to, and that is the part where Wiles addresses Attorney General Pam Bondi.

In part two of the article, Whipple notes Wiles’ reaction to the Epstein files, specifically regarding Bondi’s spectacle of passing out “secret” Epstein info binders to certain right-wing political commentators, including Liz — binders that contained nothing of import or interest.

The article quotes Wiles saying, “I think [Pam Bondi] completely whiffed on appreciating that that was a very targeted group that cared about this. First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn’t on her desk.”

Later in the article, Whipple quotes Wiles again: “Whether [Epstein] was an American CIA asset, a Mossad asset, whether all these rich, important men went to that nasty island and did unforgivable things to young girls — I mean, I kind of knew it, but it’s never anything I paid a bit of attention to.”

Liz has long speculated about President Trump’s dismissive attitude about Bondi’s infuriating binders and the Epstein files in general. It seems he’s “underestimated” how much his base cared about the Epstein issue and perhaps Wiles is why.

“Behind the scenes, I know there was some discussion about why President Trump misread his base and particularly who might have been misinforming him about how the base thought about the Epstein files, and at the time, I had some people telling me behind the scenes that is was Susie Wiles,” says Liz, noting that she “never made a big deal about it” because she didn’t have confirmation.

“Well now, this [article] seems to somewhat confirm it — not because of necessarily any malicious motive. But if, in fact, Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that she underestimated the potency of the Epstein scandal, and it was not something she ever paid attention to, then that somewhat explains President Trump’s dismissal of the entire Epstein scandal,” she adds.

“It sounds to me like Susie Wiles was in his ear telling him that, you know, ‘This will just pass; just let it go.”’

To hear more of Liz’s commentary and analysis, watch the full episode above.

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​The liz wheeler show, Liz wheeler, Blazetv, Blaze media, Vanity fair, Hit piece, Trump administration, Susie wiles, Pam bondi, Epstein files, Donald trump, Epstein 

The Texas attorney general says television companies have become unwelcome visitors in consumers’ homes.

Ken Paxton announced five separate lawsuits, including two against Chinese companies, alleging that the television companies are secretly spying on Texans by recording what they watch at home.

‘This conduct is invasive, deceptive, and unlawful.’

The Texas AG said in a press release that the method through which the companies were conducting their spying is called Automated Content Recognition technology. Labeling it an “uninvited” and “invisible” digital invader, Paxton said that the software is capable of capturing screenshots of a user’s TV display every 500 milliseconds.

Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense, and TCL each have individual lawsuits against them.

This effectively monitors viewing activity in real time, without the user’s knowledge, the state of Texas alleged.

The consumer data is then allegedly sold to target ads across platforms for profit. This puts sensitive information such as passwords, bank information, and other personal information at risk, the press release added.

RELATED: ‘Worse than Orwell could ever imagine’: How smartphones became government weapons

— (@)

Each lawsuit states that Texans never agreed to be part of each company’s “Watchware” and that these televisions are “watching you back.”

Furthermore, the lawsuits state that the “mass surveillance of consumers” violates Texas law, specifically the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which prohibits “false, misleading, or deceptive acts or practices.”

Each company “chose data extraction and advertising dollars over honesty and respect for consumer privacy. That’s illegal,” the lawsuits read.

Samsung, LG, and Sony predominantly manufacture their TVs in Mexico, with other parts are made in countries like Vietnam, South Korea, or Japan.

TCL and Hisense are both Chinese companies that operate and manufacture in China.

RELATED: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange predicted the surveillance state we currently live in

Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“Companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans’ devices inside their own homes,” Paxton said in an official statement. “This conduct is invasive, deceptive, and unlawful. The fundamental right to privacy will be protected in Texas because owning a television does not mean surrendering your personal information to Big Tech or foreign adversaries.”

LG and Hisense have publicly stated to outlets like Newsweek and Texas Scorecard that they would not comment on pending legal matters.

Sony told Blaze News that it “does not comment on pending legal matters.”

Blaze News also reached out to Samsung and TCL for comment on the lawsuit. Neither provided a response by the time of this publication.

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​Return, Tv, Smart tv, Consumer data, China, Communism, Spyware, Consumer data collection, Samsung, Tech