Americans no longer go to church on Sunday — instead, they gather around the television and turn on the National Football League — which couldn’t be making its devotion to blatant corruption and devotion to identity politics clearer.

And BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock believes that this is all born out of the same belief system as the Somali day-care fraud in Minnesota.

“I’m going to connect what’s going on in the National Football League to what’s going on in Minnesota with Somalians and child day care and all this corruption we’re seeing,” Whitlock explains on “Fearless.”

And that he does, as according to Whitlock, there are two major competing ideas in America.

“There is the Trump movement and Make America Great Again competing against Barack Obama and his movement, hope and change. That’s the dichotomy we have going on in America,” Whitlock says.

“If you talk to the everyday people that believe in the MAGA movement, again, they long for a more biblically based world and culture. It’s not saying they’re perfect Christians. It’s not saying that they’re not filled with sin and flaws like everyone else. But they want a return to traditional values and a code of ethics and some morality to be a part of American society,” he continues.

On the flip side, those who follow Obama’s “hope and change” are “far more secular” and believe that we need to do something new and different because “America’s founding was corrupt, it was immoral, it had slavery.”

“And the NFL ... has chosen a clear side. The NFL is pro change. The NFL does not want to look back. It wants to look forward. It wants to make America anew,” Whitlock explains, pointing out that the NFL even has a new slogan: “Inspire change.”

“The National Football League is America’s religion right now. People used to gather up on Sundays in churches all across America. Now we spend a lot less time in churches, and we spend a lot more time in the church of football on Sundays,” he says.

“The National Football League is our national religion,” he adds.

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A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Macklin Good last week in Minneapolis.

It is abundantly clear, thanks in part to the multiple videos taken of the Jan. 7 incident, that: Good was blocking traffic with her vehicle in an apparent effort to interrupt a federal law enforcement operation; federal agents repeatedly ordered Good to exit her vehicle while her romantic partner issued derisive comments nearby; Good ignored the lawful orders and accelerated toward an ICE agent; and the ICE agent opened fire in self-defense as Good drove into him.

'Each one is a micro-intifada which can spread and inspire others until we may finally shake off this noxious ruling order all together [sic].'

Despite all the evidence to contrary, Democrats and the liberal media have worked overtime to portray Good as a blameless victim of a callous federal agent. This task will likely be more difficult in light of new findings concerning the radical nature of Good's anti-ICE group and its embrace of a "micro-intifada" stratagem.

Local sources recently informed the New York Post that Good was an anti-ICE "warrior" involved in an "ICE Watch" group dedicated to tracking and disrupting immigration enforcement operations as well as other law enforcement initiatives. The group also has a history of doxxing federal immigration agents on social media, providing illegal aliens with tips on how to evade arrest, and pushing leftist calls for revolution.

Neighbors told the Post that Good regularly attended the local chapter's meetings and received "thorough training" from the radical group.

Homeland Security sources not only confirmed Good's association with the group to Fox News but indicated that she had followed ICE agents to multiple locations before her fatal encounter last week.

RELATED: 'You don't want this smoke': Philly DA and sheriff threaten ICE officers — DHS just laughs

Photo by Jason Alpert-Wisnia/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

The specific group to which Good apparently belonged shared various pieces of leftist agitprop and radical literature to Instagram, including a "de-arrest primer," reported the Post.

The subversive instruction manual, which was apparently published in 2024, advocates for "pulling and pushing an officer off of an arrestee and/or breaking their grip on an arrestee"; helping arrestees escape by carrying handcuff keys to protests and opening the doors of law enforcement vehicles; and "totally surrounding the officers who have the arrestee or otherwise blocking them and/or their vehicle."

"A hostile crowd at protest that's shown its willingness to act often makes officers think twice," says the manual.

The manual also features an image of masked radicals interfering with a fellow traveler's arrest. The image is captioned, "Each de-arrest is a 'shaking off' which is to say each one is a micro-intifada which can spread and inspire others until we may finally shake off this noxious ruling order all together [sic]."

Good's anti-ICE group makes repeated references in other posts to engaging in an intifada, an Arabic term meaning uprising that is often associated with violent radicalism.

In a Sept. 10 post, for instance, the group shared a graphic advocating for the globalization of the intifada, stating, "We call to resist colonial and imperialist oppression in all its forms, transcending borders in our unified struggle for our collective liberation."

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Video from inside a Long Island home showed the massive infestation of domesticated rats that led to the homeowner's arrest.

Video shows the wounded rats running all over the debris and garbage left inside the home as volunteers work to rescue the rodents and try to get veterinary treatment for the animals.

'A lot of them have huge wounds. ... Their eyes are coming out. They have big abscesses. We have a few that are going septic.'

"It's a disaster inside," said Frankie Floridia, the president of Strong Island Animal Rescue. "It's very hard to breathe. You need masks. You need gloves. It's just a bad situation."

The home on Whitewood Drive has been condemned after the owner was cited for sanitation violations.

"A lot of them are injured. A lot of them have huge wounds," said Kristin Stephens, a veterinarian tech who is volunteering at the home. "Their eyes are coming out. They have big abscesses. We have a few that are going septic."

The volunteers are separating the captured rats into different containers for male, female, and the sick. They have collected about 150 rats, and they believe more than 100 to 200 rats are inside the walls. They estimate that between 500 and 1,000 rats lived at the home.

"It's a very sad situation, but we're doing the best we can with what we have," Floridia added.

The homeowner was accused of taking care of her 3-year-old grandson in the home with rat urine and feces. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Stephens appeared to get emotional when she said the team found rat poison in the basement of the home.

"We have seen a couple that have had blood coming from their nose and that kind of thing, which is what happens when you poison rats," she said.

She went on to say the rats are being treated for mites. She also said the infestation could have been easily avoided by the homeowner.

RELATED: Elderly woman running dog rescue charged with dozens of felonies in largest animal cruelty case in Ohio history

"Everybody knows rodents reproduce very, very quickly," Stephens said. "So, I personally feel that if they were just separated — you know, you keep the males with the males and the females with the females — none of this could have occurred."

Neighbors living next to the home told WABC-TV that they didn't smell anything or see anything that let them know the infestation was inside.

The volunteers are asking for donations to help pay for the rats' care and also for Good Samaritans to provide foster care for the rats.

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The Democratic Socialists of America may have Democrat in their name and operate as part of the Democratic Party, but they hate the team they play on.

DSA members see the Democratic Party as a cuckoo sees other birds: a means of achieving an end. Just as a cuckoo mother lays her eggs in other species’ nests so that her offspring will be fed and nurtured until her chicks are strong enough to kill the hosts, so the DSA has a parasitic relationship with the Democratic Party.

A video from the watchdog organization Canary Mission describes it like this: “DSA candidates run as Democrats in safe blue districts. They slip through low turnout primaries, and once inside, they use the Democratic label as camouflage while advancing an extremist anti-American agenda far beyond the party's mainstream. ... Once in office, DSA candidates take orders from DSA’s internal enforcers and working groups. City halls and state houses start running as socialist machines controlled by the organization, not the Democratic Party and certainly not voters.”

This kind of hostile takeover is happening right now in New York City, where Muslim democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is now the mayor.

On this episode of “The Liz Wheeler Show,” Liz exposes three key figures inside the Mamdani administration who are currently working to ensure that the rotten fate of the Big Apple spreads like a cancer across the nation.

Mamdani’s recent appointment of NYC tenant rights activist Cea Weaver as the director of NYC’s Office to Protect Tenants is evidence that a total socialist takeover isn’t fear-driven speculation from the right wing, but the certified plan.

A resurfaced clip from a 2021 DSA event that’s recently gone viral captures Weaver discussing a push for shifts in housing policy: “I think the reality is that for centuries we’ve really treated property as an individualized good and not a collective good, and ... in transitioning to treating it as a collective good and towards a model of shared equity will require that we think about it differently. And it will mean that families, especially white families but some POC families who are homeowners as well, are going to have a different relationship to property than the one that we currently have.”

“That is, in essence, Zohran Mamdani walking down the street and seizing private property, implementing racially biased, racially discriminatory policies that prevent white people specifically from having the same relationship with property (also known as ownership of property) that they have had in the past,” Liz translates.

“[Cea Weaver] will use her position of power to destroy private property, to take it away, despite the fact that her mom, by the way ... owns a $1.6 million house in Tennessee,” she laughs.

But Weaver is just the tip of the iceberg. “[Mamdani] has saturated New York City with DSA members — DSA members who want to orient themselves towards insurrection, who want to overthrow the empire, who believe that you’re not just pushing socialism, you are tearing down a nation built on capitalism,” Liz continues.

One of those people is Alex Vitale — a key adviser on Mamdani’s transition team, specifically for the Committee on Community Safety. Vitale, a Brooklyn College sociology professor and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project, is the author of a book titled “The End of Policing,” in which he argues for the “abolition of police.”

“He has pushed to abolish the New York City Police Department’s gang database. ... And he’s very open about this,” Liz says.

Another deeply concerning member of Mamdani’s administration is a man named Gustavo Gordillo — the co-chair of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. He was a key architect of the chapter’s electoral strategy that helped propel Mamdani’s successful 2025 mayoral campaign, and he now serves on the transition team’s economic development and workforce development committee, advising on policies tied to Mamdani’s economic agenda.

Liz plays a video clip of Gordillo from a 2025 DSA rally spewing the following anti-American vitriol: “They make figures like Hamas and, quote, unquote, terrorists into effective enemies. I think all of us in the working-class movement need to spend more time villainizing too. There are actual terrorists in the United States, but they are not Mahmoud Khalil, nor are they the students and working-class people protesting Israel’s genocide. And it is definitely not the Palestinian people. The terror comes from the capitalists and their pawns. ... The terror comes from their fascist government and their ICE squads.”

“These are the people in the Mamdani administration,” Liz says.

“Remember: Sometimes the most detrimental impacts are from policies that are imposed on us by people whose names we’re not even familiar with.”

To hear more of Liz’s analysis, watch the video above.

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The man who famously carried off the lectern owned by Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California during the Jan. 6 rioting is running for election in Florida.

Adam Johnson was sentenced to 75 days for his role in the rioting at the U.S. Capitol in 2021, but he has filed to campaign for a seat on the Manatee County Commission near Tampa Bay.

He filed for office on the 5-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 rioting.

Johnson's website describes him as a father of five sons and a businessman.

"Adam Johnson is a Conservative, America First candidate who's tired of watching MAGA principles get ignored at the local level," his website states. "While politicians in Manatee County talk about serving the people, they're cutting deals with insiders and letting corruption run wild."

Johnson is known as "the lectern guy" on his social media accounts. He filed for office on the five-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 rioting.

The incumbent for the at-large seat is not running again, and four other Republicans are vying to win the position. The county is considered solidly Republican leaning.

RELATED: J6 lies exposed: Did ‘Lectern Guy’ steal Nancy Pelosi's podium?

Johnson pleaded guilty to one charge of entering a restricted building. In addition to serving 75 days in prison, he underwent one year of supervised release and paid a $5,000 fine. He also served 200 hours of community service.

"Adam can't be bought. He can't be bullied. And he won't back down from exposing corruption wherever he finds it," Johnson's website says.

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The actor best known for portraying a burglar on the popular "Home Alone" movie from the '90s was cited for allegedly soliciting a prostitute at a California hotel.

Documents obtained by TMZ say that Daniel Stern was cited on Dec. 10 in the city of Camarillo, but the 68-year-old was not arrested.

Stern could face a fine of $1,000 for the misdemeanor.

The actor had a separate emergency in Ventura County in October when he was rushed to the hospital over a medical emergency.

TMZ reported that the actor did not respond to a request for a comment.

If charged for the misdemeanor, Stern could face a fine of $1,000 as well as six months in prison if he's convicted.

The actor played the bandit Marv Murchins alongside Joe Pesci in the "Home Alone" franchise. He has largely left his acting career in recent months and put his efforts into becoming a sculptor.

While Stern has not been vocal about his political beliefs, he previously noted with relish how he took advantage of Donald Trump long before he was elected president. He said that Trump and his then-wife Ivana Trump had walked into a bar and seen Stern with a movie crew.

Trump had a small cameo in the second "Home Alone" movie.

RELATED: Blaze News investigates: Online predators are using AI to force children into sextortion scams

Stern with Jay Leno from 1995. Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

"Donald spotted us and proclaimed so everyone could hear that he would be picking up the tab at our table," Stern recalled.

He said that he ordered as much alcohol as he could and even invited strangers to drink with them in order to run up the tab. He believes the final tab ended up being more than $7K.

"We still feel really good about that," he added.

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The media is either playing dumb when it comes to the Department of Health and Human Services’ recent changes to the federal dietary guidelines — or the media is actually just dumb.

“Kennedy’s nutrition guidelines raise questions,” one article from Axios is headlined.

“They are so disingenuous with, I mean, literally everything. ... I do believe that they’re dumb, but it makes them look so dumb that they can’t understand just basics, just the basics,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales says on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

As for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Gonzales explains, “He’s just taking the classic food pyramid and turning it upside down.”

“It’s what we needed to do this whole time. It prioritizes eating real, whole foods, way more protein and healthy fats and vegetables and fruits. It’s OK to eat healthy fats and limit carbs and grains, especially the ultra-processed ones. That should not be confusing to, I don’t know, anyone who’s been paying attention. Like, eat real food,” she says.

“That’s three words. Three words. None of them are complex. Eat real food. Each have one syllable actually. So it’s three words, three syllables. ... What they should have been confused with is the old pyramid that we were given because like, oh, we should actually eat what, 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta a day. I mean, that’s always been absolutely absurd,” she adds.

While the left often calls RFK Jr. a “crazy conspiracy crackpot nut job” who is neither a scientist nor a doctor, Gonzales points out that “he’s a 71-year-old with a six pack.”

“Something tells me I should trust that guy with my diet. I’m going to trust him on what to eat, especially considering that this country has been getting fatter and sicker for years under the previous guidance,” she adds.

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A Minnesota city politician is facing brutal backlash for supporting efforts to help illegal aliens in her city evade federal immigration enforcement.

St. Paul City Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim posted a video on social media calling on residents to resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations by delivering groceries to illegal aliens and tracking ICE agents.

'Today I'm kicking off one of our first mutual aid grocery runs in my neighborhood.'

Kim posted the call to her Instagram account after noting the surge of federal agents into her city. Copies of the video were widely circulated on social media.

"It's not even noon, and ICE has already kidnapped five of my neighbors. I've responded to one where we believe a whole family was taken with children," she said.

"There are more federal agents in Minnesota than we have of the St. Paul and Minneapolis police combined. And yet, there are neighbors that are showing up in incredible ways like standing in front of known targeted businesses helping escort workers home," Kim continued.

"Today I'm kicking off one of our first mutual aid grocery runs in my neighborhood — an easy way for folks to get involved, but it's because the workers have been pulled over time and time again attempting to make deliveries to families that are too afraid to even go grocery shopping," she added.

She went on to say she was disturbed by federal agents who were seen at city-owned properties and implied that her office was tracking their locations.

"If you see this, please record it to the best of your ability and submit to the Ward Five office," she said.

Kim faced fierce criticism online for the post.

"Who wants to tell her hiding indoors won't stop ICE from enforcing the law?" one critic responded.

"Bending over backwards to serve those invading America. Traitorous. Send this idiot back with them," another detractor said.

"Where do I apply?? Would it be illegal if I told ICE all the addresses I delivered to??" another account said.

RELATED: 'I don't care if I lose my job': Worker at Hilton hotel posts anti-ICE video on social media — then faces the consequences

A Blaze News request for comment from Kim's office on whether taxpayer funds were used for the project was not immediately answered.

Kim had called for the immediate arrest of the federal agent who fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good after she blocked federal operations with her vehicle and then drove straight toward the agent.

The St. Paul City Council website indicates that all the members of the council are women. In 2023, it became the first major U.S. city to have an all-female council.

According to her website, Kim has been endorsed by the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the DFL Environmental Caucus, radical Attorney General Keith Ellison, and the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, among other Democrat-affiliated groups.

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After the death of Renee Nicole Good — the woman shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7 after she struck him with her car during a large-scale immigration operation — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), who publicly condemned the shooting as unnecessary, intentionally fanned the flames by issuing a warning order to prepare the National Guard for deployment.

The Constitution, specifically the Supremacy Clause, forbids state military forces from impeding, obstructing, or interfering with federal military or law enforcement officials carrying out federal duties, as federal law and authority are supreme over conflicting state actions.

Walz, says Glenn Beck, undoubtedly knows such a violation of this clause would mean serious consequences, so his words were clearly meant to accomplish a different purpose.

That purpose, he says, is to send a "signal” to “the Democrats' own revolutionary guard.”

“Those are the people who have been so duped or … hate America because America is the worst place in the world … they're on a mission to stop the federal government any way they possibly can,” Glenn explains.

In other words, Walz was stoking a “civil war.”

The following day, he went a step farther. At a press conference on January 8, Walz said, “When things looked really bleak, it was Minnesota First that held that line for the nation on that July 3, 1863, and I think now we may be in that moment, that the nation's looking to us to hold the line on democracy, to hold the line on decency, to hold the line on accountability, and more than that, to rise up as neighbors and simply say, ‘We can look out for one another.”’

“What he's doing here right now is just, it's the most selfish thing I've ever seen. He is only protecting himself,” says Glenn, predicting that it’s a matter of time before Walz is behind bars for his almost certain complicity in the massive, mostly Somali-perpetrated fraud schemes uncovered in Minnesota.

“The guy is guilty,” he says frankly.

It’s this guilt — not anything related to Renee Good — that is fueling Walz’s recent statements, Glenn says.

“He, first of all, stole your money, gave it to people who were shipping it out of the country. He and his administration enabled and assisted in all of this, then turned a blind eye when everybody realized … something wrong is happening. They did nothing. Why? Because if they did something in the Somali community, it guaranteed that they would not be re-elected,” Glenn says.

“It was all about getting elected.”

Then when the fraud schemes started to catch up with him, prompting the massive influx of ICE officers into Minnesota, followed by protests and obstructions and eventually Good’s death, Walz saw an opportunity to take the spotlight off his own crimes by inciting radicals to resist federal agents, framing it as defending democracy and neighbors.

“He is calling for a civil war and making himself the white knight on the white horse, saying, ‘I'm just here to protect you’ ... even though he's the guy who enabled people to come into your house and steal all of your stuff,” scoffs Glenn. “He’s saying, ‘I'm here to protect you from the bad guys who are trying to put me in jail."’

“He's willing to have people killed. He is willing to see a civil war. For what reason? To keep him out of jail. I don't think I've ever seen anything this selfish in my life.”

To hear more of his analysis, watch the video above.

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A nude Louisiana woman trespassed into a pond on her neighbor's property to go skinny-dipping in an attempt to be a "mermaid," according to police. The female suspect reportedly refused to comply with officers' commands, prompting police to deploy a taser.

The Union Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Wednesday statement that officers were dispatched to a residence in the Linville community of Marion in November regarding a trespassing complaint.

'Sutton was taken to the ground, where she continued to resist detention and began kicking and punching the deputy.'

The caller told police that the neighbor was screaming while standing in a driveway. The caller claimed to have warned the suspect to stay off the property.

"Upon the patrol deputy’s arrival at the location, the suspect was located swimming, nude, in a pond on the caller’s property," police said.

Police identified the suspect as 41-year-old Erin Elizabeth Sutton of Marion.

Sutton initially refused to exit the pond or speak with the deputy, telling police she was "trying to be a mermaid," according to the statement.

After repeated commands, Sutton eventually exited the pond. Due to the cold conditions, EMS was called to evaluate Sutton.

A deputy gave Sutton a blanket and attempted to escort her inside a residence to warm up, when the suspect suddenly charged toward the officer, according to police.

"After several commands, Sutton refused to comply, and the deputy deployed a taser, which had no effect," the statement read.

Police added, "Sutton was taken to the ground, where she continued to resist detention and began kicking and punching the deputy."

RELATED: Florida man wearing bra, fake breasts, G-string gets busted — but what cops found moments later raised more alarms: Police

After Sutton was restrained, EMS transported her to a local hospital for medical treatment. Police said Sutton "threatened to kill deputies and paramedics" while being transported to the hospital.

Because Sutton required medical treatment at the scene, deputies obtained arrest warrants at a later date. A Third Judicial District Court judge signed off on the warrants.

Sutton on Tuesday turned herself in to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Sutton was arrested on three felony counts of resisting an officer with force or violence, two felony counts of public intimidation, two felony counts of battery on a police officer, a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace/drunkenness, and a criminal trespassing misdemeanor charge.

Sutton's bond was set at $62,000. The sheriff's office on Monday told Blaze News that Sutton was still behind bars.

Fox News reported that it was not immediately clear if Sutton has retained legal representation.

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Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona says he filed a lawsuit against Department of War Sec. Pete Hegseth on Monday.

Hegseth has accused Kelly of committing sedition by suggesting that members of the U.S. military should refuse to comply with orders from the administration. Kelly has said that he intended only for members to refuse unlawful orders.

'I filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of Defense because there are few things as important as standing up for the rights of the very Americans who fought to defend our freedoms.'

Hegseth had ordered Kelly's military retirement pay to be cut and censured the senator, who is a retired U.S. Navy officer.

"Pete Hegseth is coming after what I earned through my twenty-five years of military service, in violation of my rights as an American, as a retired veteran, and as a United States Senator whose job is to hold him — and this or any administration — accountable," said Kelly in a statement on social media. "His unconstitutional crusade against me sends a chilling message to every retired member of the military: if you speak out and say something that the President or Secretary of Defense doesn’t like, you will be censured, threatened with demotion, or even prosecuted."

He went on to accuse Hegseth of trying to intimidate other critics of the administration by targeting Kelly.

Kelly concluded, "Today, I filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of Defense because there are few things as important as standing up for the rights of the very Americans who fought to defend our freedoms."

The lawsuit lists Hegseth, the Defense Department, and the U.S. Navy as defendants.

President Donald Trump had also accused Kelly of committing sedition by his comments.

"It was sedition at the highest level, and sedition is a major crime. There can be no other interpretation of what they said!" the president wrote on social media.

RELATED: Pete Hegseth orders investigation into 'catastrophic' withdrawal from Afghanistan under Biden

Hegseth had said that Kelly might face additional punishment over his comments.

"Captain Kelly’s status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action," Hegseth said. "These actions are based on Captain Kelly's public statements from June through December 2025 in which he characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders."

A Blaze News request for comment to the Department of War was not immediately answered.

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The Trump administration has intensified its efforts to enhance vetting of foreign nationals entering the U.S., resulting in a record number of visa revocations.

The Department of State announced that in 2025, it revoked over 100,000 foreign visas, including 8,000 student visas and 2,500 specialized worker visas. That figure is more than double the number of visas that were revoked in 2024 — 40,000 — under former President Joe Biden's leadership.

'The Trump administration will continue to put America first and protect our nation from foreign nationals who pose a risk to public safety or national security.'

Foreign nationals whose visas were canceled included those who had encounters with U.S. law enforcement for criminal activity, the State Department reported.

"We will continue to deport these thugs to keep America safe," the department stated.

The majority of those revoked by the State Department were for business and tourist travelers who overstayed their visas, Fox News Digital reported.

Some students and specialized workers who had their visas revoked also reportedly lost their legal status.

RELATED: Trump admin to vet all visa holders — revoke and deport threats to America

Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Half of the specialized workers whose visas were revoked had previously been arrested for drunk driving; 30% for assault, battery, or confinement charges; and 20% for theft, child abuse, substance abuse and distribution, and fraud and embezzlement charges.

A department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that nearly 500 students lost their visas for charges related to drug possession and distribution.

The State Department announced in August plans to review all of the more than 55 million current visa holders to uncover potential ineligibility, such as overstays, criminal activity, public safety threats, and ties to terrorism.

RELATED: Trump strips 4,000 student visas over first 100 days — 90% flagged for 'serious' crimes

Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

"The Trump administration will continue to put America first and protect our nation from foreign nationals who pose a risk to public safety or national security," State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Piggott told Fox News Digital.

During a press conference last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the administration's increased efforts to revoke and deport foreign nationals.

"Who you allow to visit your country should reflect the national interest. We said that from the very beginning," Rubio told reporters.

"There are some times we'll deny people visas because of activities they've undertaken overseas," he continued. "Other times it's people that have visas but are in the United States doing things that run counter to our national interests. And the law gives us the right — and, in fact, I would argue, the obligation — to remove people like that from our country."

— (@)

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While fraud rings in Minnesota's Somali community have been under federal investigation for years, it was investigative journalist and BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo’s reporting that brought the billion-dollar scandals to national attention. Back in November 2025, Rufo published a report titled “The Largest Funder of Al-Shabaab Is the Minnesota Taxpayer,” in which he and co-author Ryan Thorpe alleged that billions of taxpayer funds were being stolen through schemes in Minneapolis’ Somali community and that millions of those funds were being funneled to the Al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia.

Rufo's reporting sparked massive federal action, including revoking Temporary Protected Status for Somalis, surging Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, freezing child-care funds, and ramping up prosecutions. Most notably, it led Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to visit Minnesota in January 2026 and launch major FinCEN probes into hawala businesses, IRS audits, and enhanced transfer reporting.

In this exclusive BlazeTV interview with Rufo, Bessent shares what his team’s investigations have revealed about Minnesota’s Somali fraud operations and what steps the Treasury is taking to ensure it stops.

Bessent says his team’s investigations confirmed that the fraud schemes were “bigger than anyone thought” and that money — either excess government-issued funds or stolen funds — are indeed being sent illegally out of the country.

One positive result of the investigations into Minnesota’s fraud rings, however, is that they will provide a “model” for future investigations in the other 49 states.

“Just because of the population sizes — California, Illinois, New York — that what's going on [in Minnesota] is a microcosm of what's going on there. And it's like someone on the panel said today: Benefits have been turned into businesses. It is a cottage industry of teaching people how to form multiple LLCs, how to game the system, how to move money around,” says Bessent, pledging to “follow the money” and explore “recoveries” for cheated Americans.

Rufo calls these predominantly Somali-orchestrated fraud rings Minnesota’s “open secret.” Fraudsters were successful largely because they knew that the cultural standard of “Minnesota nice” and politicians’ “fear of being called racist” would result in the turning of blind eyes everywhere.

“What do you think the right attitude should be as you look at these frauds moving forward?” he asks.

“Clearly the governor's office does not want to do investigations. So we just want the facts. We want to see where they lead, and we want to put the bad guys in jail,” says Bessent.

Further Minnesota’s soft-on-crime policies that “incentivize” criminality need to be addressed. “You could steal hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars, and under the Minnesota laws, you might not even get jail time. You might get a series of paroles,” Bessent adds.

“We have the ability to bring in IRS enforcement, and they don't monkey around. So the incentive is going to be to stop this.”

Rufo then posed the question that conservatives nationwide are eagerly awaiting an answer to: Will we finally see any big names face justice?

“From [Gov. Tim Walz] on down appears to be at a minimum to have turned a blind eye. There are rumors circulating around this building right now that in fact some have been complicit in these schemes. Is that something your office is looking into?” he asks.

“That's part of following the money. There are evidently some disturbing tapes of AG Ellison in meetings with people who donated to him calling for political favors to stop the investigations. So we'll see,” says Bessent.

“And Chris, I can guarantee you when the bear trap snaps, we're going to get these folks.”

To hear the rest of Rufo’s exclusive interview with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, watch the video above.

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Deadly flash floods swept the Lone Star State's Hill Country region on July 4, killing at least 135 people, including 27 people at Camp Mystic.

Among those who perished at the Christian camp outside Hunt, Texas, was Chloe Childress, an 18-year-old counselor remembered by her family for her "contagious joy, countless friends, unending faith, and unimaginable energy."

While Wendie and Matthew Childress were dealing with the sudden loss of their daughter, a Florida woman was allegedly impersonating the bereaved parents online in an attempt to make a quick buck.

'This is bottom feeding.'

Maitlin White, a 28-year-old with ties to Crestview, Florida, has been charged with two felony counts of online impersonation. White allegedly pretended to be Matthew Childress and created SpotFund and GoFundMe pages where she solicited public donations to support the fallen teen's family.

"Using a young woman’s tragic death to scam people is despicable," wrote Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen.

RELATED: The insane little story that failed to warn America about the depth of Somali fraud

Maitlin White. Courtesy of the Office of Harris County Constable Pct 1 Alan Rosen.

Dane Schiller, a spokesman with the constable's office, told MySA that Childress' family reported the accounts, which first appeared on the crowdfunding platforms on July 8.

"Right out the gate, they [the family] called it to our attention and said, 'We have nothing to do with this,'" said Schiller.

Rosen announced on July 11 that his office had launched an investigation into a case where a scammer was pretending to be Matthew Childress. While the fraudulent pages were promptly shut down, Rosen indicated the GoFundMe donation page had already brought in approximately $1,500.

After shutting down the pages, authorities reportedly tracked banking and online records back to White, who Schiller indicated admitted to the fraud scheme on a phone call with officials.

"This is bottom feeding, seeking to exploit people’s emotions and abuse the memory of a young woman who died in such a horrific tragedy all to make a quick and illegal buck," stated Rosen. "Such cruelty to the family, as well as our entire community will not be tolerated."

GoFundMe said in a statement obtained by KRIV-TV that it has "zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and bad actors who seek to take advantage of the generosity of others," adding that they "acted quickly to remove the fundraiser back in July, refund donors, and ban the account from future fundraising on GoFundMe."

The crowdfunding platform indicated that the alleged fraudster was unable to access the funds.

White, who is reportedly not yet in custody, is hardly the only person who allegedly exploited the tragic flood.

For instance, a number of liberals tried to put a political spin on the deaths of American children, in one case insinuating that the parents of the dead were racists.

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The mother of a 4-year-old girl said a male substitute teacher slapped her daughter in the face twice inside a pre-K classroom at a Texas elementary school last week, KPRC-TV reported.

“Messed with the wrong mama, that’s all I gotta say," Marissa Braughton told the station. "I will not back down until this is figured out and until this is done."

'No child — especially my baby girl — should have to go through this.'

The Spring Independent School District is investigating the allegation, KPRC added. Spring is a little over 30 minutes north of Houston.

Braughton told the station the incident occurred Tuesday afternoon at Smith Elementary School and that her daughter was screaming and crying when she picked her up.

“I get down to her level. I’m like, 'Baby, what’s wrong? Tell Mama what happened.' And she immediately is like, 'The teacher hit me.' I said, 'The teacher hit you?' And she said, 'Yes, the boy teacher, the substitute teacher.' I said, 'The boy teacher?' And she’s like, 'Yes, Mama. He hit me twice. And I heard my neck make a sound,'" Braughton added to KPRC.

Braughton told the station she reported what her daughter told her to the school's assistant principal and that she was informed that it would be looked into the next day. Braughton added to KPRC that she also filed a police report.

But the mother believes more should be happening, the station said. “Why haven’t we talked to these students yet? We’re about to go into the weekend where these kids might forget what they saw. They’re 4-year-olds."

KPRC said it received the following statement from the school district:

Spring ISD was made aware of an allegation involving a substitute teacher and a student at Smith Elementary School on Tuesday evening. Campus and district administrators immediately began an investigation. The substitute teacher has been removed from the classroom pending the outcome of the investigation.

The safety and well-being of students remains our top priority. Due to the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share additional details at this time.

RELATED: High school teacher with 40-year career barred from campus after slapping student in the face

“Every school district takes these types of allegations very seriously,” Spring ISD AFT union lawyer Chris Tritico told the station, while adding that federal law limits what school districts can publicly disclose.

“That does not mean they’re not doing anything," he noted to KPRC. "It just means they can’t tell them that they’ve interviewed these students, who they are, and what they’ve told them."

Tritico also told the station that state law mandates that school districts "investigate these things immediately. Within 24 hours of the allegation, whether they’ve done anything or not, they have to report it to the State Board for Educator Certification and the [Child Protective Services]. That report was made, and the state agencies are conducting their investigations."

KPRC asked Tritico what parents can do in situations like this.

“God bless her for wanting to take care of her child and being concerned,” he replied to the station. “But just because they can’t do it in the timeline the parent wants doesn’t mean it’s not being done."

Regardless, Braughton told KPRC her daughter is traumatized and she’ll remain resolute in her fight.

“She’s 4 years old," she added to the station. "No child — especially my baby girl — should have to go through this."

Braughton also told KPRC that she removed her daughter from the school and is homeschooling her.

The district confirmed to the station that the substitute teacher has been removed — but whether the teacher can return will depend on the investigation's outcome.

KPRC reported that in a letter sent to parents Friday — three days after the alleged incident — the school district said the substitute teacher "made inappropriate use of force on a student."

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A Minnesota Republican state representative confirmed to Blaze News that articles of impeachment are being drawn up for Gov. Tim Walz and will be released soon, possibly Tuesday.

The failed Democratic vice presidential candidate has been assailed for months over accusations that he obstructed law enforcement efforts to stop a massive Somali fraud scandal that could have cost the government billions.

'Tim Walz should resign, and if he doesn't resign, he's probably going to leave the office in cuffs.'

"We are going public with them. I believe this week, possibly even tomorrow," said state Rep. Ben Davis, who is also a pastor.

Davis said that Republicans have been telling Walz directly to intervene against the fraud and that he refused.

"Fraud is happening. Fraud is going on. You need to put tighter levers on this. And he's done just the opposite," he said.

Walz previously announced that he would not be seeking a third term in office and cited the fraud accusations while continuing to deny involvement.

"As I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can't give a political campaign my all," he said in a statement Jan. 5.

"Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences," the governor added. "So I've decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work."

Davis said impeachment would need a majority in the state House to go forward and then approval of two-thirds of the state Senate to convict Walz.

Republicans have been hammering away at the Democrat to resign or be impeached.

"Governor Walz needs to step down. Saying he will stay on to investigate is like O.J. Simpson saying he will investigate the murder of his ex-wife," said Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee.

RELATED: Tim Walz tries to dunk on Trump and gets pantsed on social media

"I'm not going to be Minnesota Nice. I'm going to be Minnesota real," said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) in a recent podcast. "Tim Walz should resign, and if he doesn't resign, he's probably going to leave the office in cuffs."

"We're not going to be taken for chumps," said Republican Congressman Brad Finstad of Minnesota. "Think of what our parents and our grandparents sacrificed to give us the life that we have. And what are we giving our kids and grandkids? We're giving them fraud. We're giving them $38 trillion in debt. We're giving them more government, not less government."

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A former apartment manager in Washington state has reportedly confessed to forging multiple ballots and casting them in the 2024 general election.

The case relates to 52-year-old Esperanza Contreras. Contreras used to live in Pasco, Washington, where she worked as an apartment manager, before moving to Hermiston, Oregon, and registering to vote there.

'Voter fraud undermines the integrity of the electoral process and erodes public confidence in the fairness of elections.'

However, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in Washington, a ballot for the 2024 general election was also sent to Contreras' old address in Pasco. That ballot "was also filled out, sent to the Auditor's Office, and counted in the election," the sheriff's office said.

What's more, three other ballots sent to former tenants of the same apartment building where Contreras was manager were also discovered to have what the sheriff's office called "suspicious characteristics." While three of those ballots were eventually counted in the election, one was rejected on account of a "mismatched signature."

"Contreras was interviewed by detectives at which time she admitted to voting all four ballots and forging the signatures," the sheriff's office statement continued.

Contreras was arrested and charged with 12 felonies related to voter fraud and identity theft.

RELATED: Noncitizen Kansas mayor accused of voter fraud has cast dozens of ballots since 2000, documents show

adamkaz/Getty Images

"Voter fraud undermines the integrity of the electoral process and erodes public confidence in the fairness of elections. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office takes violations of election law seriously and remains committed to thoroughly investigating and pursuing election-related violations," the statement added.

According to the Tri-City Herald, Contreras told police she believed she was helping the former tenants.

No 2024 race in Franklin County was decided by four votes, the outlet noted.

Donald Trump won Franklin County, defeating Kamala Harris by more than 7,000 votes. The state of Washington in general, however, voted overwhelmingly for Harris over Trump, 57.6% to 39.3%.

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Over the weekend, violent anti-government protests exploded across Iran, even reaching into Tehran and other large cities. While unrest was sparked weeks ago due to the economic crisis, protests have since swelled into calls to overthrow the regime. Chants like "Death to Khamenei” reverberated through the streets; clashes with security forces left many injured or dead; fire consumed regime buildings; Iranian flags were destroyed and replaced with the pre-1979 Lion and Sun flag; women marched through the streets without their hijabs while smoking cigarettes.

“It felt to me like [Iran] might fall,” says Glenn Beck.

“I completely agree with you,” says Glenn’s head writer and researcher, Jason Buttrill. “I was like, we might see the regime go down tonight.”

The large-scale anti-government movements that took place in 2009 and 2022/2023 are “nothing, compared” to the ones currently ripping through the nation, he says, recalling a video of an elderly woman with blood gushing from her mouth defiantly marching through the streets with her fist held high.

“I cannot believe Time magazine or whoever else wasn't there to take that photo, because it's the photo of the year,” he says of the fiery matriarch.

Glenn prays that this widespread movement that has already reached over 170 cities might reignite the golden years of Iran when the country looked more like Paris in its prime. Before Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was driven into exile and his monarchy replaced by an Islamic Republic, Iran “was very enlightened,” says Glenn. “It was very smart, very well educated, very free. … It was a very Western country.”

This “hell” that the Iranian people have been living in since 1979 could come to an end if the current protests continue to gain momentum. The former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has emerged as a prominent symbolic figure in the uprising, urging Iranians to join the movement, seize city centers, hoist the pre-1979 Lion and Sun flag, and push for strikes.

Protesters in many cities have even been chanting slogans like "Long live the Shah.”

“He was their battle cry,” says Jason.

Glenn is encouraged but certainly not ready to celebrate yet. While some signs indicate that the protest movement is going well, others spell doom — the biggest one being the deliberately implemented nationwide internet blackout orchestrated by the Iranian government to hide the scale of violence and human rights violations, disrupt protest organization and momentum, and prevent the rest of the world from witnessing the events.

“That’s really frightening,” says Glenn.

For now, it’s uncertain whether we are about to see “a free Iran” or genocide-level violence that pressures the U.S. to intervene.

“Spend a lot of time praying for peace and praying for the people of Iran,” Glenn says. “The Persian people are amazing, and if they could get that culture back and they could be free, the source of good that Iran would be in the world would be remarkable.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the video above.

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U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, the Massachusetts-based Obama judge who blocked the Trump administration from cutting federal funds to Planned Parenthood last month, issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday preventing the Department of Homeland Security from revoking the legal status of tens of thousands of foreigners.

The Trump administration announced last month that it was terminating all categorical family reunification parole programs and corresponding work authorization for aliens from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras as well as for their immediate family members, effective Dec. 15.

Per the announcement, the "temporary parole period of aliens who have been paroled into the United States under the FRP programs, and whose initial period of parole has not already expired by January 14, 2026 will terminate on that date."

'We aren't in the clear.'

There are two circumstances under which foreign nationals' parole status would not immediately be revoked: if they have pending applications to register permanent residence or adjust status, or if DHS Secretary Kristi Noem determines otherwise on a case-by-case basis.

The DHS indicated that those set to be stripped of status — well over 10,000 noncitizens — who stay in the U.S. beyond their parole termination date with no lawful basis to remain would likely be removed.

According to the notice in the Federal Register, the FRP programs failed to achieve the goals set by past administrations and are at odds with President Donald Trump's current priorities and foreign policy objectives.

RELATED: 'You don't want this smoke': Philly DA and sheriff threaten ICE officers — DHS just laughs

Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images

Not only did the programs fail to sufficiently discourage or reduce unlawful migration, the programs "increased administrative strain across multiple [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] directorates and [Customs and Border Protection] ports of entry," said the notice.

"The desire to reunite families does not overcome the government's responsibility to prevent fraud and abuse and to uphold national security and public safety," the DHS said in a release.

"The FRP programs had security gaps caused by insufficient vetting that malicious and fraudulent actors could exploit to enter the United States, which posed an unacceptable level of risk to the United States," continued the release. "DHS is prioritizing the safety, security, and financial and economic well-being of Americans."

The Trump administration touted the move as a "necessary return to common-sense policies" and a matter of "prioritizing the safety, security, and financial and economic well-being of Americans."

On Dec. 29, plaintiffs in the class-action case Svitlana Doe v. Noem — represented by the liberal migrant advocacy groups Justice Action Center and Human Rights First — requested a restraining order and a preliminary injunction, claiming the DHS "fell well short of satisfying their most basic obligations under the [Administrative Procedures Act], due process, the parole statute, and its own regulations."

The plaintiffs' primary contention in the emergency motion appears to have been that the DHS allegedly failed to properly notify the so-called "future green card holders" of the programs' termination.

The government argued in response that the court lacked jurisdiction over claims challenging parole termination; that the termination of parole wasn't arbitrary and capricious as alleged; that Noem was within her statutory authority to make the change; and that the notice given complied with the law.

Indira Talwani, the daughter of immigrants from India and Germany, gave the migrant activists exactly what they wanted — a 14-day stay of the administration's termination of FRP grants of parole — and certified a new subclass of migrants, namely those FRP beneficiaries whose parole was terminated.

While the government previously indicated that individual notice would be provided to each parolee through their USCIS online accounts, Talwani expressed doubt about whether the parolees were ultimately provided with written notice of the termination and claimed that the publication of the announcement in the Federal Register "does not satisfy this requirement."

"The court finds that Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on their argument that the Defendants failed to provide proper notice of DHS's decision to revoke grants of parole under the FRP program in contravention of DHS’s own regulation, the Administrative Procedure Act ... and the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution," wrote the Obama judge.

Karen Tumlin, director of Justice Action Center, celebrated Talwani's ruling, stating, "We join families across the country in breathing a huge sigh of relief. While we aren't in the clear, this immediate pause on de-legalizing individuals who came here with Family Reunification Parole means that people will not be forced to separate from their loved ones next week."

Tumlin added that it's "cruel and completely unnecessary for the Trump administration to try to yank the rug out from under them."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Blaze News, "Yet another lawless and activist order from a federal judge who continually desires to usurp President Trump’s authority to determine who can enter and remain in this country. Family reunification parole was a failed Biden-era policy, subject to shocking abuse."

"The safety of our nation comes before reunifying illegal alien families," said McLaughlin. "Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we will safeguard this nation and end any exploitation of our nation’s immigration laws. We expect a higher court to vindicate us."

Despite drawing out the process, Talwani has acknowledged that the Trump administration can end the program.

The Supreme Court lifted her previous injunction in Svitlana Doe v. Noem on May 30, clearing the DHS to proceed with terminating humanitarian parole.

Editor's note: This article has been edited after publication to include comment from the DHS.

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In the latest escalation between the Trump administration and the Federal Reserve, the Department of Justice has issued grand jury subpoenas against the Fed, according to Chairman Jerome Powell.

On Sunday, the official Federal Reserve X account posted a video of Powell explaining the subpoenas and claiming that the DOJ was "threatening a criminal indictment related to my testimony before the Senate Banking Committee last June."

'The cost overruns are what they are.'

"That testimony concerned in part a multiyear project to renovate historic Federal Reserve office buildings," Powell added.

In the video, Powell shows no sign of capitulating to President Trump's calls to lower interest rates, dismissing these calls as merely the "preferences of the president": "This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions, or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation."

RELATED: 'My new Fed Chairman': Trump hints at major changes coming to Federal Reserve amid great economic report

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"I have served at the Federal Reserve under four administrations, Republicans and Democrats alike. In every case, I have carried out my duties without political fear or favor, focused solely on our mandate of price stability and maximum employment," Powell said. "Public service sometimes requires standing firm in the face of threats. I will continue to do the job the Senate confirmed me to do, with integrity and a commitment to serving the American people."

Powell said that the subpoenas were served last Friday.

During his testimony in June, Powell was asked about the cost of the renovations around the 36-minute mark of the hearing. He began by saying, "We do take seriously our responsibility as stewards of the public's money," but concluded, "The cost overruns are what they are."

He also denied several of what he said were media inaccuracies, including reports of "special elevators," new marble, "roof terrace gardens," and "beehives."

In a rare confrontation with Powell, President Trump, wearing a hard hat, visited the construction site in late July to challenge him on the "overruns." Powell said he was "unaware" of the new numbers Trump presented to him.

Days before the July confrontation between Powell and Trump, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) sent a criminal referral for Powell to the Department of Justice.

On Sunday evening, Luna responded to the news of the grand jury subpoenas, repeating her allegations against Powell: "It’s good to see my criminal referral working in real time. You CANNOT lie to Congress. That is called PERJURY."

No criminal charges have been brought against Powell at the time of writing.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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