When Williamson County GOP Chairwoman Michelle Evans encountered a biological male in the women’s bathroom at the Texas State Capital in 2023, she was there for a legislative debate on gender reassignment surgery for minors.

“So you and other women were just trying to do your business, get in, get out, you know, wash your hands, get a paper towel, and go,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales comments, adding, “And there was a man that was at the sink washing his hands.”

“He came in to use the facilities, and we quietly let him do his business, but while he was in the stall, I was telling people like, ‘Just so you know, there’s a man in here,’” Evans tells Gonzales, pointing out that she even held the bathroom door open for the man because she wanted him to see her on his way out.

“And I said, ‘Next time, use the bathroom across the hall. It’s for men,’” she recalls. “And then I get back into the House gallery. A friend says, ‘Did you see? They posted on Facebook there was a man in the women’s restroom.’ And I was like, ‘I was in there, send me the photo.’ I tweeted it out, and then they, the Texas Department of Public Safety Capital Police, seized my phone at the behest of Travis County DA Jose Garza.”

“Throughout this entire time, you have been embattled in just trying to fight off making sure that you don’t get criminal charges placed on you for simply sharing a photo that someone else took of a man in a woman’s bathroom,” Gonzales says.

“Right. Fully clothed, face away from the camera. I’ve never named him. I’ve never shown his face,” Evans explains.

Then on December 9, Evans received an initial opinion back from a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that said, “OK, we’re going to greenlight this investigation, it doesn’t violate her constitutional right to free speech.”

While it wasn’t what she wanted to hear, Evans tells Gonzales that she “was happy to get something back because it was just so quiet and it loomed over my head” — and now she’s gaining support from all over the country and world.

Even the Global Government Affairs’ X account posted: “X is proud to support the legal case of Michelle Evans. ... The First Amendment protects Ms. Evans’ speech, yet in a 2-1 vote, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a misguided and dangerous opinion allowing the criminal investigation to go forward.”

“X is therefore assisting Ms. Evans in pursuing an appeal before all 17 judges of the Fifth Circuit. We look forward to the full Fifth Circuit correcting this wrong and preserving free speech, which is the foundation of American democracy,” the post continued.

“It’s like a rocket to the moon at this point,” Evans says, adding, “The story has new legs now and people are kind of understanding that this is happening in Texas.”

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As Minnesota reels from the day care fraud scandal, the Feeding Our Future scam, a separate scheme that sparked broader investigations into the state's oversight failures, continues to unfold in the courts.

The $250 million COVID-era con, which involved defrauding a taxpayer-subsidized child nutrition program, has already resulted in 78 individuals facing charges and 57 convictions, with additional charges pending.

Much like the alleged day care scheme, in which care center owners allegedly received kickbacks from the government for children they never served, many of those working with the purported nonprofit organization Feeding Our Future were charged with billing for food that was never provided to children. Many of those involved in both of these scandals are Somali.

'To be clear, this is not an isolated scheme.'

In September 2022, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota announced the first wave of federal criminal charges against dozens of individuals tied to Feeding Our Future for their alleged role in scamming the Federal Child Nutrition Program, which provides free meals to children in need.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture operates the program, distributing federal taxpayer dollars on a per-meal basis to the Minnesota Department of Education, which oversees the program locally. The MDE then provides reimbursement funds to sponsoring agencies such as Feeding Our Future that support sites that distribute meals directly to those in need.

The first 47 defendants were accused of using government funds to enrich themselves while falsely claiming the money was used to feed over 30,000 children daily.

As part of the conspiracy, defendants allegedly formed numerous shell companies to receive and launder the taxpayer proceeds, submitting fraudulent documentation, including meal count sheets, food invoices, and attendance rosters with fake names. The Department of Justice reported that one of the fabricated rosters listed names created by a random-name-generating website. Some defendants allegedly used an Excel formula to populate random ages between 7 and 17, since the sites could be reimbursed only for meals provided to children.

The scheme allowed Feeding Our Future, which was founded in 2016 and claimed to have opened over 250 sites, to receive more than $18 million in administrative fees alone. The DOJ also claimed that some of the nonprofit's employees accepted bribes and kickbacks, many in the form of cash disguised as "consulting fees," from individuals and companies.

Instead of feeding children, the defendants allegedly used these funds to purchase luxury vehicles, travel internationally, and buy property in Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky, Kenya, and Turkey.

The defendants' charges included conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery.

RELATED: Fraud thrived under Democrats’ no-questions-asked rule

Photo by Brianna Soukup/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

The most prominent defendant to face charges is Feeding Our Future founder and executive director Aimee Bock.

When the MDE attempted to conduct oversight of the nonprofit's sites and reimbursement claims, Bock and her organization responded by filing a lawsuit against the agency in November 2020, alleging that the MDE had discriminated against the nonprofit based on race, national origin, color, and religion. Feeding Our Future asserted that the MDE's "administrative and procedural hurdles" were preventing low-income and minority children from accessing federally funded food programs.

Former FBI Director Christopher Wray described the scandal as an "egregious plot to steal public funds meant to care for children in need."

By October 2022, the first guilty pleas in the case began to emerge, with four defendants admitting they knowingly and willfully conspired to commit the fraud. By February 2024, the DOJ had filed nearly two dozen additional indictments and secured at least 10 convictions, through guilty pleas and jury verdicts.

Further charges emerged in June 2024 when five of the defendants were accused of attempting to bribe a juror.

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 36, along with four other defendants, conspired to pay Juror 52 $120,000 in exchange for returning a not-guilty verdict.

According to the DOJ, the defendants targeted this particular juror because she was the youngest and a person of color. Their selection process included researching her online and obtaining her home address and information on her family's background. One defendant was accused of following the juror home after she left the courthouse and placing a GPS tracker on her vehicle to collect information about her daily habits.

They allegedly sought to pay Juror 52 $200,000 in cash if she returned a not-guilty verdict on all counts for all defendants. Additionally, they planned to provide her with a list of "arguments to convince other jurors," which apparently included persuading them that the prosecution was motivated by racial animus.

While all of the defendants were charged with conspiracy to bribe a juror, bribery of a juror, and corruptly influencing a juror, Farah faced an additional charge of obstruction of justice after he allegedly performed a factory reset on his phone to delete evidence of the bribe attempt.

Farah, the co-owner and operator of a for-profit restaurant that participated in the fraud scheme, was described by the DOJ as playing a leading role in the scam, personally pocketing over $8 million. Farah sent some of the stolen taxpayer funds he collected overseas, including laundering money through China and purchasing real estate in Kenya. The DOJ stated that the overseas assets cannot be recovered.

After Farah's passport was seized and he was informed that he was the target of a federal investigation, he applied for a new passport in downtown Minneapolis, claiming it had been lost. Farah successfully obtained a new passport and attempted to flee the country by purchasing a one-way ticket to Kenya. Law enforcement took him into custody before he could leave.

He was ultimately convicted of numerous counts, including wire fraud, federal programs bribery, money laundering, and false statements in a passport application. He was sentenced in August to 28 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

All of the defendants involved in the bribery scheme pleaded guilty.

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

Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

A federal jury in March found mastermind Bock and co-defendant Salim Said guilty for their roles in the scheme. Jurors determined that the co-conspirators formed dozens of shell companies to enroll as food program sites. Said, the co-owner of Safari Restaurant, from April 2020 through November 2021, claimed to have served more than 3.9 million meals to children through the restaurant's food site and another 2.2 million meals to other food sites.

Bock was convicted on multiple counts, including wire fraud and bribery. Said was convicted of wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering, among other crimes.

Some of the actors accused of defrauding the Federal Child Nutrition Program were also tied to a scam impacting the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Autism Program.

The DOJ filed charges on September 24 against 28-year-old Asha Farhan Hassan, claiming she participated in a $14 million autism fraud scheme. Hassan was previously charged in connection with the Feeding Our Future scandal.

According to the DOJ, Hassan registered Smart Therapy LLC in November 2019 and falsely listed herself as the sole owner. She enrolled the business as a provider agency in the EIDBI Autism Program, claiming to provide Applied Behavior Analysis therapy to autistic children. She also enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future, claiming that her company served up to 1,200 meals per day to children.

Hassan allegedly hired unqualified individuals, often 18- or 19-year-old relatives with no formal training, to treat autism. To facilitate her government kickback scheme, she approached Somali parents to recruit their children to receive treatment, the DOJ said. If the child did not have an autism diagnosis, her team worked to qualify the child for subsidized services.

Parents reportedly received monthly cash payments ranging from $300 to $1,500 for participating in the scheme. These payments were allegedly hidden in fraudulent Medicaid billing. Several families reportedly went to other autism centers that offered to pay larger kickbacks than Hassan's Smart Therapy.

Hassan pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud last month.

"From Feeding Our Future to Housing Stabilization Services and now Autism Services, these massive fraud schemes form a web that has stolen billions of dollars in taxpayer money," acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson stated. "Each case we bring exposes another strand of this network. The challenge is immense, but our work continues."

The DOJ continues to file charges against those allegedly involved in these fraudulent schemes. In November, the department indicted its 78th defendant tied to Feeding Our Future.

The Feeding Our Future scandal exposed only a fraction of the pervasive fraud schemes plaguing Minnesota's government, driven by lax oversight under the leadership from members of the left-leaning Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. This initial discovery has since led to the uncovering of even more potentially stolen taxpayer dollars, such as the recent day care scandal.

Editor's note: The headline of this article has been edited after publication for clarity.

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The Republican Party claims to stand against lawfare — especially the obscene, rent-seeking variety that disguises itself as environmental justice. Yet that principle is about to be tested in a highly public and deeply embarrassing way.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on January 12 in Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish. Louisiana officials will face off against the Trump Justice Department and American energy producers in a landmark case over an attempted shakedown of oil companies for alleged responsibility for coastal erosion dating back to World War II.

Lawfare does not become acceptable because Republicans use it. And environmental shakedowns do not become conservative simply because they originate in a red state.

The basic claim is simple enough. Louisiana and several local governments have filed dozens of lawsuits alleging that oil and gas production over the last 80 years caused the erosion of the state’s coastline. But the structure and substance of these cases reveal something far more troubling.

Although the lawsuits were filed in the name of the state and its municipalities, control has effectively been handed over to politically connected plaintiffs’ lawyers — major donors who stand to reap enormous contingency fees. Through a so-called common interest agreement, the Louisiana attorney general’s office surrendered its obligation to independently assess the merits of the claims. In practice, the state abdicated its role to the trial-lawyer donor class.

That alone should raise alarms. The rest only makes it worse.

The lawsuits seek to impose liability for conduct that was lawful at the time and occurred as far back as eight decades ago. Ex post facto liability is fundamentally un-American, which is why almost no one attempts to defend it on the merits.

Even more awkward for Louisiana’s theory, virtually everyone outside the plaintiffs’ bar agrees on the primary cause of coastal erosion: decades of federal intervention by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which radically altered water flow in the Mississippi Delta. Louisiana once sued the federal government on exactly this basis. Now the same damage is somehow blamed on oil companies instead.

Because these claims reach back to the 1940s, they sweep in oil production carried out at the direction of the U.S. government to support the war effort — specifically the refining of aviation fuel for the military. It is a strange irony that after years of Democrat-led lawfare under the Biden administration, a red state has now delivered environmental litigation over World War II to the Supreme Court.

The hypocrisy is hard to miss.

The venue fight exposes the real game. Plaintiffs’ lawyers insist these cases remain in Louisiana state courts. The reason is obvious. Those courts are heavily influenced by the trial bar and have a record of staggering verdicts. Chevron was recently hit with a $745 million judgment in one such case.

Energy producers want the cases moved to federal court — not because victory is guaranteed but because federal courts are more likely to function as neutral arbiters. There is also a compelling jurisdictional reason: Much of the challenged activity involved federally directed wartime production. If any court belongs here, it is a federal one.

RELATED: America First energy policy is paying off at the pump

Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This kind of forum shopping should look familiar. It mirrors the Democrats’ strategy during the Biden years — carefully selecting friendly state courts to pursue political outcomes they could not secure through legislation. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) and Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) appear to have absorbed all the wrong lessons from all the wrong actors.

This is the same playbook used by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) when she charged President Trump in state court for conduct governed by federal law. It is the same model California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) embraced when he partnered with trial lawyers to sue energy companies for billions over alleged climate harms.

Step back from the legal details and a larger problem comes into focus.

President Trump’s agenda prioritizes American energy dominance. His actions abroad reinforce that priority. Yet Republicans in Louisiana are not merely opposing that objective — they are using the very lawfare tactics they claim to despise to undermine it.

For voters trying to apply a consistent ideological framework, the whiplash is real. When red states start behaving like California, it is fair to ask whether America First has drifted from a governing philosophy into a monetization strategy.

Lawfare does not become acceptable because Republicans use it. And environmental shakedowns do not become conservative simply because they originate in a red state. If the right intends to oppose lawfare, it needs to oppose it everywhere — especially when its own allies are the ones doing the shaking down.

Telling the truth inside the federal government now comes with a price — and Steve Friend has paid it over and over again.

“I received news right before Christmas that you had been fired by the FBI,” BlazeTV host Steve Deace tells Steve Friend on the “Steve Deace Show.”

It all started when Friend was assigned to what he calls “the most important, highest-priority case in the history of the FBI” — January 6. This ultimately led to Friend becoming a whistleblower in 2022 when he saw the way the government was weaponizing the law to go after American citizens.

“What I found was that so few people who are currently in the employ of our federal government, in the employ of the FBI, were willing to actually stand by my side when I brought forward my concerns,” Friend tells Deace.

“And that resulted in my ultimate suspension and eventually having my security clearance suspended and permanently revoked,” he explains.

While Friend was promised that things would be different under the Trump administration, it hasn’t changed — and has ended in his termination from the FBI.

“I get a phone call Sunday night, December 7, from the FBI that says I am to report to work the following day. And I did. I reported to work Monday, December 8,” Friend tells Deace. “Was actually driven to Jacksonville. I was not the recipient of a gun because I didn’t have an active security clearance.”

“The FBI, in fact, told me they couldn’t assign me any work, and I had to be escorted around like a prisoner through the facility because they couldn’t allow me to have unfettered access to their facility. I didn’t have access to a computer, a cell phone,” he continues, noting that he did receive credentials and went to work the next few days.

“I had no insurance information, no back pay, and finally was told, ‘You have 400 hours of vacation time. Feel free to use it,’” he adds.

When Friend decided to use the vacation time to take his wife to Tampa for a Christmas event, he got a call asking him to come back to the office — to which he responded that he was out of pocket and couldn’t be there.

“They said, ‘Okay, come back on Monday.’ An hour later, got a text message from Caitlin Doornbos, a journalist from the New York Post, that said she was working on a story about the FBI planning to fire me and wanted a comment,” he tells Deace.

“So, apparently, the plan was in that they were going to bring me back as a sort of humiliation ritual to fire me, but they didn’t execute it properly because they leaked it to the media to besmirch my reputation before they had actually fired me,” he says.

“Wound up getting a termination letter signed, autographed by Kash Patel himself dismissing me as an FBI agent,” he continues, adding, “and then 90 minutes later, the New York Post dropped their story, and then MAGA Inc. influencer crowd went to work to try to besmirch me and say that I had issued some sort of a veiled threat to the director but somehow got a credential and badge 72 hours later.”

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High-powered attorney Alan Jackson on Wednesday said he "had to withdraw" from the murder case focusing on his now-former client Nick Reiner, who is accused of murdering his parents — Hollywood icon Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70 — last month.

Jackson told reporters that "circumstances beyond our control — but more importantly beyond Nick's control — have dictated that sadly it's made it impossible for us to continue our representation of Nick."

Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided if they will seek the death penalty.

Jackson added that he's "legally and ethically prohibited from explaining all the reasons why" he withdrew from the case but noted that he and his team "remain deeply, deeply committed to Nick Reiner and his best interests."

The attorney also told reporters that "we're not just convinced — we know — that the legal process will reveal the true facts of the circumstances surrounding this case, Nick's case" and that "we've investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front. What we've learned — and you can take this to the bank — is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law in California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that! Print that!"

RELATED: Nick Reiner will be charged with murder in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner: Prosecutors

Nick Reiner did not enter a plea when he returned to court Wednesday and is now assigned a public defender, Kimberly Green, KABC-TV reported, adding that he will return to court Feb. 23 and remains in jail on no bail.

The New York Times said Jackson withdrawing from the case "may suggest that the Reiner family — Nick has two siblings — has distanced itself from [Nick] Reiner and his legal case, at least financially.

Nick Reiner, 32 — who faces two counts of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of multiple murders — in court spoke only when the judge asked if he waives his right to a speedy trial, saying, "Yes, I agree, your honor," KABC reported.

Reiner was ordered to remain behind bars at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles without bail following his first court appearance on Dec. 17, when he wore shackles and a suicide prevention smock, the station said.

Reiner reportedly was removed from suicide watch ahead of his arraignment, KABC reported, adding that he could enter a not guilty plea by reason of insanity.

More from the station:

If Nick Reiner pleads not guilty next month, the case would normally head toward a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial. His mental competence for trial could also be a factor.

A decade ago, Nick Reiner publicly discussed his severe struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, "Being Charlie," that was very loosely based on their lives.

The Reiners were killed early in the morning of Dec. 14 and were found in the late afternoon the same day, authorities said, according to KABC.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that the couple died from "multiple sharp force injuries" but released no other details, the station said, adding that police have said nothing about possible motives.

The counts against Reiner come with special circumstances of multiple murders and an allegation that he used a dangerous weapon, a knife, KABC said, adding that the additions could mean a more severe sentence.

Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided if they will seek the death penalty, the station added.

Blood allegedly was found in a hotel room Nick Reiner checked into hours after arguing with his famed moviemaker father at Conan O'Brien's Christmas party, which took place Dec. 13.

Nick Reiner's behavior alarmed guests at the party, the New York Times reported in a separate story, citing two attendees who asked not to be named in order to maintain relationships.

More from the Times:

Rob and Nick Reiner got into a shouting match at the party in West Los Angeles, said one of the attendees, who recalled Rob Reiner telling his son that his behavior was inappropriate. The attendee, who did not speak to the Reiners at the party, said that people seemed to be very aware of Nick Reiner's history with drug abuse, which the family has discussed publicly.

Another attendee said that he did not witness the dispute, but he recognized Rob Reiner in the crowd and noticed the younger Reiner hovering at the fringes of the informal gathering. The guest said that he and other attendees were worried and that several people commented to him on Nick Reiner's behavior, saying he looked anxious and uncomfortable in a way that deeply unsettled them.

The Reiners were upset and embarrassed about their son's behavior at the party and expressed worries about his health, NBC News reported, citing another person.

What's more, Nick Reiner was alleged to have interrupted a conversation involving comedian Bill Hader, NBC News added. When Hader told Nick Reiner that the conversation was private, the source told the news network that Nick Reiner appeared to pause and stare before "storming off." Hader did not return a request for comment, NBC News also said.

Nick Reiner hours later used his credit card to check into the Pierside Santa Monica hotel around 4 a.m. Dec. 14, TMZ reported, citing sources with direct knowledge.

Eyewitnesses who saw Nick Reiner check into the hotel told TMZ he seemed "tweaked out," but there were no visible signs that he had been in a violent confrontation, and there were no bloodstains or cuts on his body.

TMZ added that Nick Reiner's reservation was for one day, but he never formally checked out.

When hotel staff entered Nick Reiner's room later on the morning of Dec. 14, they found the shower "full of blood" and blood on the bed, TMZ reported, adding that the room's window was covered by bedsheets.

TMZ said Nick Reiner was located and arrested about 20 miles away in Exposition Park, near downtown Los Angeles, around 9:15 p.m. Dec. 14; authorities were called for medical aid to the Reiner home around 3:30 p.m. Dec. 14, after which the bodies of the Reiner couple were found.

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Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said she referred the Democratic governor and attorney general in Minnesota to the Department of Justice for criminal charges.

Luna said the action was the result of testimony provided before the Oversight Committee that was evidence of Democratic officials being complicit in fraud schemes in the Somali community.

'May justice be swift. The American people are tired of being taken advantage of.'

"Based on testimony today, I have enough evidence to believe both [Gov. Tim Walz] and [Attorney General Keith Ellison] were knowingly complicit in a Somali fraud scheme in Minnesota," she wrote on social media Wednesday.

"Therefore I have referred them BOTH to the DOJ for criminal charges," she added. "May justice be swift. The American people are tired of being taken advantage of."

Luna posted a video from questioning from the hearing where she asserted that Walz had known about the large-scale fraud as early as 2017 and 2018 but did little to address the scams.

She went on to say that they should be investigated for possibly violating laws against criminalized conspiracies to defraud the United States.

"Attorney General Ellison agreed on tape to fight Minnesota's own department of human and health services in exchange for Somali political and financial support," Luna said.

Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins (R) testified that Walz had allowed the fraud to grow under his watch.

"Tim Walz and his administration have willfully turned a blind eye to crime, in the face of countless whistleblower and auditor reports, as well as stories by local investigative journalists and Bill Glahn, a fellow at Center of the American Experiment," Robbins said. "These are actual crimes that must be punished. They are crimes against our moral values that erode trust in government. Governor Walz has known about fraud for years and failed to act."

RELATED: Tim Walz says Minnesota is 'at war' with the federal government after fatal ICE shooting

Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) had previously called on Walz and Ellison to provide "documents, communications, and records" to the committee related to the fraud. They are also called to testify before the committee in February.

Walz has announced that he would not seek a third term in a re-election campaign after his current term ends. Many suspect the growing scrutiny over the fraud allegations forced him to make the decision.

"Minnesota’s Corrupt Governor will possibly leave office before his Term is up but, in any event, will not be running again because he was caught, REDHANDED, along with Ilhan Omar, and others of his Somali friends, stealing Tens of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars," President Donald Trump responded on social media.

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Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accused the federal government of being at war with his state after the fatal shooting during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation.

Tensions with the Trump administration escalated sharply Wednesday when an ICE agent shot a woman who appeared to be interrupting their operation with her vehicle. Video shows her swerving into an agent, who fired at her and killed her.

'Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait.'

Walz blamed the Trump administration for the shooting by claiming the increased immigration enforcement actions were unnecessary.

"I said this yesterday, we've never been at war with our federal government," the governor said during a media briefing.

He went on to suggest that he would order the Minnesota National Guard to oppose the federal government.

"We do not need any further help from the federal government. To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem: You’ve done enough. There's nothing more important than Minnesotans' safety," he said.

"I've issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard. We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary. I remind you, a warning order is a heads-up for folks," he added.

"These National Guard troops are our National Guard troops," he emphasized. "They're teachers in your community, they're business owners, they're construction professionals. They are Minnesotans. Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait."

Homeland Security Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin had previously blamed Democratic rhetoric for the shooting.

"This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement," she said. "These men and women who are simply enforcing the law on the books are facing 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats."

RELATED: DHS accuses Hilton Hotels of 'siding with murderers and rapists' over ICE — and the hotel chain responds

Other Democrats are using the shooting to call for the federal government to pull officers out of Minnesota.

"I have a message for ICE. To ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis!" Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said during an earlier media briefing.

"We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite," he added. "People are being hurt. Families are being ripped apart. Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy are being terrorized, and now somebody is dead."

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Yesterday, John Harbaugh — longtime head coach of the Baltimore Ravens — was fired, ending his 18-year tenure with the team. The decision came just two days after the Ravens finished the 2025 season with an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs following a 26-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18, where a missed field goal as time expired cost them the AFC North title.

In the two days between the Ravens’ season ender and Harbaugh’s firing, Jason Whitlock, BlazeTV’s resident NFL expert, predicted this would happen. He argued the game-ending play — where star running back Derrick Henry sat the bench while Lamar Jackson took a knee, forcing the team’s rookie kicker to attempt (and miss) a field goal — was a “fireable offense” for Harbaugh.

One day later, the team issued an official statement, confirmed by owner Steve Bisciotti, that the longtime coach had been fired.

On this episode of “Fearless,” Whitlock addresses the shocking news and explains the broader implications.

“[Harbaugh] and Lamar Jackson popularized the whole RPO offense that has overtaken the National Football League,” Whitlock says, calling the dynamic duo “the face of the run-pass option offense.”

“And this is the thanks [Harbaugh] gets? He gets fired because ... Tyler Loop misses a kick? He gets fired ... in a year where Lamar Jackson was injured and missed 4 to 5, 6 games?” he asks, stunned.

Whitlock says that according to reports he’s read, “The split wasn’t about John Harbaugh; it was about John Harbaugh’s loyalty to Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator.” Apparently, the Ravens wanted to fire Monken, but Harbaugh refused.

“According to the reports, Lamar Jackson had no problem ... with John Harbaugh. His problem was with the OC,” Whitlock explains.

The next layer of Harbaugh’s firing is even more important, however.

“Harbaugh getting fired puts incredible pressure on [Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin,” Whitlock says.

“If John Harbaugh can get fired with that record and what he and Lamar Jackson have brought to the forefront with the RPO offense, Mike Tomlin has to be on the clock — has to be.”

“The pressure now switches to Tomlin,” he says, referring to the Steelers’ upcoming playoff game against the Houston Texans.

“The pressure on Mike Tomlin is now intensified incredibly. How is Mike Tomlin going to survive if he loses to the Houston Texans? If you can fire John Harbaugh, you can fire anybody,” he says.

To hear more of Whitlock’s analysis, watch the episode above.

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The Department of Health and Human Services cut off five Democrat-run states' access to over $10 billion in federal child care and family assistance funds on Tuesday, citing "serious concerns about widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-administered programs."

The New York Times joined Democrats in criticizing the Trump administration's anti-fraud campaign — but bungled its execution.

The Times' Minho Kim opened his Tuesday piece with the following sentence:

The Trump administration plans to freeze $10 billion in funding for child care subsidies, social services and cash support for low-income families in five states controlled by Democrats, claiming widespread fraud throughout those states, without citing evidence, after a major welfare fraud scheme in one of them.

The sentence was later rearranged without an editor's note but without any significant alterations.

'The first response of Democrats to instances like the Minnesota fraud findings should not be to criticize the other side.'

It was not lost on critics that immediately after asserting that the administration claimed widespread fraud "without citing evidence," Kim himself proceeded to allude to the damning evidence of widespread fraud in one of the states facing the funding pause — fraud that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged on Monday when giving up on his ambition of re-election.

Drew Holden, the managing editor at American Compass, suggested that the New York Times perhaps "got so used to saying that the Trump admin did something 'without citing evidence' that they didn't realize they mention the 'evidence' in the same sentence."

RELATED: Trump administration sends Democrats into hysterics by freezing funding to 5 blue states over fraud concerns

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Later in the Times article, Kim acknowledged that the funding freeze builds on the HHS' pause of $185 million in annual childcare funds in the wake of credible allegations of massive fraud in taxpayer-subsidized day care facilities in the Gopher State.

Minnesota has been home to historic fraud committed by members of the Somali community in relation to coronavirus relief funding and allegedly in relation to taxpayer-subsidized day care facilities. The COVID scams in Minnesota have resulted in dozens of criminal convictions and scores of indictments in recent years. Government officials are working to ensure similar graft is not impacting other jurisdictions.

Following the publication of Kim's piece, American Enterprise Institute fellow Ruy Teixeira stressed that "the first response of Democrats to instances like the Minnesota fraud findings should not be to criticize the other side for attacking them and wave the bloody shirt of racism against President Trump but rather to stress the seriousness of the problem and how it will not be tolerated."

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A congressman from Texas crushed a Democratic witness in congressional testimony about the effect of large-scale Somali immigration on Minnesota.

Republican Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas questioned former Justice Dept. prosecutor Brendan Ballou during Wednesday's House Oversight Committee hearing on fraud in Minnesota. Ballou was a witness for Democrats on the committee.

'It doesn't sound like something that makes our country stronger to me, and I think most Americans would agree with me on that.'

"Does large-scale Somali immigration make Minnesota stronger or weaker?" asked Gill.

"Certainly stronger," Ballou responded.

"Certainly stronger," Gill repeated. "Do you know what percentage of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on food stamps?"

"No," Ballou replied.

"Fifty-four percent. Do you know what that number is for native Minnesota-headed households?" Gill asked.

Ballou disputed the term "native households," which led to Gill interrupting to say that only 7% of non-Somali Minnesotan households were on food stamps.

"What percentage of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on Medicaid?" Gill asked.

"I don't know," Ballou said.

Gill told him the figure was 73% and compared it to the number of non-Somalis on Medicaid.

"The number is 18%. That's quite an astounding difference, I think we would agree," Gill said.

Gill went on to say that 81% of Somali-headed households were on welfare in general, a figure Ballou did not know.

"Let me just ask you, after 10 years of being in the United States, what percentage of Somali-immigrant households continue to be on welfare?" Gill asked.

"I don't know," Ballou said.

"The number is 78%," he replied.

Gill said that about half of working-age Somalis who have been in the U.S. for 10 years or more speak English "very well."

"That seems pretty low, doesn't it?" Gill asked rhetorically. "It doesn't sound like something that makes our country stronger to me, and I think most Americans would agree with me on that."

Video of the exchange was posted to social media by the Oversight Committee.

RELATED: Minnesota news outlet gets wrecked for story on Somali migrants' economic impact

BRUTAL! Rep. Brandon Gill just destroyed the Democrats' witness on Minnesota fraud.@RepBrandonGill: "Does large-scale Somali immigration make Minnesota stronger or weaker?"

Democrat Witness: "Certainly stronger."

Rep. Gill: "Do you know what percentage of Somali-headed… pic.twitter.com/olhYGxPAL9
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) January 7, 2026

Ballou asserted in his testimony when questioned by Democrats that the incidents of Somali fraud were low compared to their population in Minnesota. While 82 Somalis have been indicted thus far, Ballou said that this represents about 0.07% of the 108,000 estimated Somalis in Minnesota.

"When you compare that to one-third of all Americans [who] have a criminal record, and I think it's 40% approximately of white men under the age of 23 have been arrested, I don't think the statistics really compare," Ballou said.

Gill also posted the video of the interaction to his social media timeline.

"This Democrat witness claims large-scale Somali immigration makes Minnesota stronger. The numbers tell a different story," he wrote.

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President Donald Trump said in a statement on social media that he is moving to ban institutional investors from buying single-family homes and that he wants Congress to "codify" the ban into law.

The president has made easing the housing crisis a goal of his second term, and many have pointed to institutional investors as a large source of the problem.

'People live in homes, not corporations.'

In a post on Truth Social Wednesday, Trump mentioned banning institutional housing purchases and hinted at other solutions to ease the housing crisis.

"For a very long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream. It was the reward for working hard, and doing the right thing, but now, because of the Record High Inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress, that American Dream is increasingly out of reach for far too many people, especially younger Americans," he wrote.

"It is for that reason, and much more, that I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it," the president added. "People live in homes, not corporations."

Trump did not provide details about these "steps" in the post.

He went on to say that he would discuss the policy at a speech in Davos, Switzerland, during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.

Housing prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, when interest rates were lowered to encourage economic activity and many Americans moved to larger homes to take advantage of work-from-home policies. While interest rates have returned to historic averages, housing prices continued to climb, albeit at a slower pace.

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Many have blamed companies like BlackRock for purchasing single-family homes as part of their investment portfolios, but some say institutional investors make up a small portion of the market.

Others say that encouraging more housing construction would lower housing costs by easing regulations and increasing supply to meet the demand.

An email to Blaze News from a spokesperson for BlackRock denied that the hedge fund owned any single family homes and linked to their statement online about the issue.

"A number of other large asset managers and private equity firms are very active today in purchasing single-family residences. BlackRock is sometimes confused with them," the statement reads. "As a fiduciary asset manager, we invest and manage capital on behalf of our clients in a vast array of public and private U.S. real estate markets — but buying individual homes is not one of them."

The company also referenced an Investopedia report saying many confuse BlackRock with BlackStone, which purchased housing stock after the 2008 financial meltdown.

BlackRock's stock slid by 2.3% in the wake of the announcement.

Editor’s note: This article has been edited after publication to include a statement from BlackRock and to remove the company's name from the headline.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. momentarily interrupted Wednesday's White House briefing, revealing his hilarious ringtone.

Kennedy and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins were flanked by other administration officials to announce new and improved dietary guidance for Americans. Reporters and attendees erupted in laughter when Kennedy's phone rang during the briefing, revealing a duck quack sound effect.

'Kennedy grinned and quickly silenced his phone.'

While Kennedy's phone let out some quacks, Rollins quipped that "duck is also high in protein."

"Duck is a good thing to eat, everybody," Rollins said.

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Kennedy grinned and quickly silenced his phone, continuing the press conference and addressing the latest changes in health standards from the department.

Kennedy reaffirmed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's amended childhood vaccine schedule, which minimized the number of required immunizations for kids.

Kennedy and his MAHA team also unveiled a new food pyramid that focuses on whole foods, protein, healthy fats, whole grains, and fresh produce. Kennedy's updated dietary guidance also urges Americans to stay away from "ultra-processed" and refined foods.

"The new guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient-dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower health care costs," Kennedy said. "Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines. We are ending the war on saturated fats."

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Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"If a foreign adversary sought to destroy the health of our children, to cripple our economy, to weaken our national security, there would be no better strategy than to addict us to ultra-processed foods," Kennedy said.

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There has been a lot of panic, among the conservative commentariat especially, over the growing desire among younger white Americans to receive representation as a collective political bloc. At some level, that reaction is understandable. Race is not the healthiest fixation when it comes to identity.

But the way conservatives have responded to this trend is deeply misguided.

The only way to lower the salience of race is to stop importing ethnocentric cultures and to eliminate political carve-outs for minority communities already here.

For decades, whites have watched every other group in America successfully demand political action as a bloc from both the left and the right. Democrats build their entire coalition around racial grievance, but even conservatives regularly address the needs of minority communities as collective groups. Despite their hostility to “identity politics,” Republicans eagerly cater to it — just not for their core constituency, white Americans.

If conservatives genuinely worry about the rise of white identitarianism, they should stop lecturing young white Americans and start addressing the behavior of the communities they currently pander to.

First, it helps to define terms. “Race” and “ethnicity” are often treated as interchangeable, but they are not. Race is a broad macro category, while ethnicity operates at a more granular level. Swedes, Italians, Irish, and French are all considered white. Ethiopians, Nigerians, African Pygmies, and Somalis are all considered black.

These categories matter, but ethnos is often a more organic and useful way to understand group behavior.

Ironically ethnocentrism varies widely across populations and tends to be particularly low among white Europeans and their descendants. A society composed primarily of people of European extraction, even with some immigration, tends to be relatively tolerant and open. New arrivals who may initially carry ethnocentric instincts are less able to sustain them when they lack a large co-ethnic base.

Assimilation follows naturally under those conditions.

Identity is also not binary. It consists of nested loyalties that rise or fall in importance depending on scale. In small societies, tribe or ethnos dominates. As civilizations expand and absorb new members, identity shifts toward broader categories — often religion or nationality.

White Americans once lived in sharply defined ethnic enclaves. Irish, Italian, Dutch, and German neighborhoods were common. In some cases, the U.S. government actively broke up German-language communities, forcing children into English-speaking schools. Over time, those European ethnoses dissolved into a shared American identity.

That process breaks down when the government imports large, concentrated populations that share a common ethnicity and have not gone through the same scaling process. These groups face no incentive to abandon ethnocentrism because they can successfully deploy it. Co-ethnics ensure access to jobs, education, marriage, and community without assimilation.

In a system where one group must compete on pure individual merit while others are allowed to operate on collective ethnocentrism, tribalism wins. Once it proves effective, the salience of race explodes. When young whites see every other group using the winning strategy, the question becomes unavoidable: Why are we the only group forbidden from doing so?

The problem is not just that tribalism works. The system has been actively rigged against white males.

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Blaze Media Illustration

Jacob Savage’s recent article “The Lost Generation” detailed the extent to which universities, media institutions, and corporations have systematically excluded white men. The piece gained attention partly because it came from the left, but conservatives like Jeremy Carl and Heather Mac Donald have been warning about the same dynamics for years.

Whites — especially young white men — are barred from advocating as a group. At the same time, they are punished as a group. Telling them identity politics is immoral while allowing explicit anti-white discrimination guarantees a predictable response.

The conservative establishment’s answer has been a vague denunciation of ethnocentrism that somehow applies only to whites. Conservatives pay lip service to opposing identity politics while courting explicitly racial organizations. They speak seriously to black, Indian, Hispanic, and Jewish advocacy groups and treat their leaders as legitimate representatives.

Donald Trump recently hosted the American Hindu-Jewish Congress at Mar-a-Lago to discuss combating bigotry. You will not see a dinner honoring representatives of a “White American Congress” to discuss anti-white discrimination — despite overwhelming evidence that such bias is widespread.

That double standard is too obvious for young whites to ignore forever.

If conservatives were serious about halting the rise of collective white identity politics, they would stop scolding young whites for noticing reality. They would confront systemic bias in academia and corporate hiring. To its credit, the Trump administration has signaled an intent to act — but far more is required.

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Blaze Media Illustration

A serious response would include an immigration moratorium and aggressive prosecution of ethnic cartels. And yes, every tech department staffed entirely by one ethnic group is not evidence that “there were no qualified white applicants.” Conservatives should lecture blacks, Indians, Hispanics, and Jews about ethnocentrism with the same intensity they reserve for whites.

If for no other reason, whites actually vote Republican. Most of the other groups do not.

If conservatives truly fear the rise of collective white politics, they should reduce the number of ethnocentric populations young whites are forced to compete against on pure merit. The only way to lower the salience of race is to stop importing ethnocentric cultures and to eliminate political carve-outs for minority communities already here.

In short, show young whites they can succeed without tribalism by actually punishing the tribalism practiced by everyone else. Summon the courage to confront the behavior you claim to fear — in the groups already practicing it.

As the journalist who exposed the rampant Somalian fraud in Minnesota, Nick Shirley, pointed out, he has “ended” Governor Tim Walz’s career after the governor announced he would not be seeking re-election following the media attention.

And BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere couldn’t be happier.

“I think it’s a really positive thing for the nation, for our world. He should go somewhere where we don’t have to see him anymore. Now, his family seems to love him, ... but the bottom line here is that he sucks, and I’m glad he’s out of my life,” Stu says, happily.

“Minnesota has to come first — always. Today, I’m proud of the work we’ve done to make Minnesota the best place to live and raise kids,” Walz wrote in a post on X, to which Stu interjects to laugh, “Especially if you need day care.”

“I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work,” Walz added.

And Stu is not surprised that the left’s attempt at pushing what they thought was a more masculine man on the American people failed.

“Someone pointed this out, and I think it’s a great observation, that Tim Walz is the idea that, like, a leftist DEI person would have of what a manly man from the Midwest was, right? Like this person that in their head they’re like, ‘Wow, that guy, he coaches football,’ right?” Stu comments.

Stu also points out that the Harris-Walz campaign also ran an ad that made this belief of theirs crystal clear.

The ad focused on the saying “man enough,” where a group of men talked about what made them “man enough” — like cooking their steak “rare” — before pivoting to what political beliefs they’re “man enough” to hold.

“Woman wants to be president? Well, I hope she has the guts to look me right in the eye and accept my full-throated endorsement,” one man featured in the campaign ad said, adding, “because I’m man enough to support women.”

“If your vision of what men are is that ad, you think that’s going to work, well, yeah, you picked Tim Walz,” Stu laughs. “Unbelievable.”

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Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Billy Corgan says he was approached by government entities during the George W. Bush administration.

According to the singer, he is familiar with several instances of musicians being compromised and protected by the industry due to their willingness to play ball.

'I've been approached by elements of the US government.'

The Smashing Pumpkins were among the most popular bands in the 1990s, with three records achieving at least platinum-selling status and 1995's "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" reaching diamond status.

Now, among other ventures, Corgan hosts "The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan" podcast and recently had writer Conrad Flynn as his guest. The pair discussed dark influences in Hollywood culture, which led Corgan to reveal that he himself had been approached by the government in past decades.

Siamese scheme

"At different times, I've been approached by elements of the U.S. government to be involved in things that were just way above my pay grade," he explained. "I've never talked about them in any depth publicly, but I've had experiences where I would find myself in a room with people and think, 'Why are they talking to me?' It was something out of, like, 'Eyes Wide Shut,'" Corgan said, referring to the movie about the occult.

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Corgan explained that his experiences led to interactions with government officials hoping to capitalize on his influence.

"All I can say is I've experienced supernatural things and I've experienced things where I've had elements of the U.S. government reach out to me because they somehow want to hook my influence, which is not that great, into whatever they're after."

Chart of the deal

This led the singer to speak on the music industry, which is "certainly [his] area of expertise," while adding the notion that "there are elements in popular music where people have been compromised, knowingly."

"They were offered kind of a Faustian bargain. Pick door No .1 and we're going to push you to the moon. ... There are people who are protected, and they get every benefit of that protection, and I know it because I know the game, because I've lived it. And there are other people where they just, they decide to press a button and throw them off the ship."

Some of these musicians may have been dumped for bad behavior, Corgan admitted, but in "other cases," he said, it was likely because "they won't do the bidding that people want them to do."

RELATED: Corporation for Public Broadcasting dissolved by board after 58 years of funding PBS and NPR

Photo by Catherine McGann/Getty Images

Disarmed

The culmination of political influence on music — particularly rock music — resulted in the severe lack of edgy rock artists since the turn of the millennium.

"Here we are 25 years into the 21st century, and rock couldn't be less of an influence on the on the social political order," Corgan continued, noting how influential the genre was in the second half of the 1900s.

"Does anybody think that that's kind of strange? That somebody decided to push a button somewhere and make sure that people like myself don't say certain things any more?"

Corgan soon cut the conversation short, telling his guest he was not willing to directly state what he was asked and by whom.

The far-left mayor of Minneapolis forcefully demanded that federal immigration agents leave his city after a fatal shooting of a woman who obstructed an operation and drove her vehicle into an agent.

Mayor Jacob Frey of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party immediately called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to leave in the wake of the shooting and reiterated his demand in a media briefing.

'They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bulls**t!'

"I have a message for ICE. To ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis!" said Frey.

"We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt. Families are being ripped apart. Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy are being terrorized, and now somebody is dead," he added.

"That's on you. And it's also on you to leave," Frey said. "It's on you to make sure that further damage, further loss of life and injury is not done."

He identified the deceased protester as a 37-year-old woman, and the DHS said she was a U.S. citizen. Frey put the blame for the shooting on ICE, but Homeland Security Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin contradicted that version of events.

"ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism," she wrote in a statement.

Video on social media caught the incident and shows the moment she hit the gas and the shots rang out.

"He used his training and saved his own life and that of his fellow officers," McLaughlin added. "The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. The ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries."

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Frey addressed the statement from the DHS and called that version "bulls**t."

"They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly: That is bulls**t!" said Frey. "This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed."

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In the ongoing effort to make America healthy again, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other members of the Trump administration gathered for a special press conference on Wednesday to announce a major overhaul of dietary guidelines

The guidelines, promoted under the simple command to "eat real food," introduce a "new pyramid" that prioritizes protein, dairy, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables over whole grains, which is essentially an upside-down version of the conventional food pyramid most people are familiar with.

'These guidelines replace corporate-driven assumptions with common-sense goals and gold-standard scientific integrity.'

"These guidelines replace corporate-driven assumptions with common-sense goals and gold-standard scientific integrity," Kennedy said at the press conference.

He added that they will "revolutionize our nation's food culture and make America healthy again."

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Screenshot of government website

“For decades, we’ve been fed a corrupt food pyramid that has had a myopic focus on demonizing natural healthy saturated fats, telling you not to eat eggs and steak, and ignoring a giant blind spot: refined carbohydrates, added sugars, ultra-processed food,” Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, "A healthy meal is within reach for all American families. These new dietary guidelines are a framework which is meant to be customized to meet the needs, the preferences, and the financial status of all American families."

The inverted pyramid is the result of many studies conducted by the government to challenge the current paradigm and address our nation's health problems. The guidelines were published in multiple documents, including a series of appendices that is over 400 pages long.

Some users on social media joked that HHS was copying a "South Park" bit in which scientists, at the behest of character Eric Cartman, "flip the pyramid" to reveal the "true" nutritional standards.

The old food pyramid originated in Sweden in the 1970s and was later adapted by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1992.

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A Toledo, Ohio, male is accused of a long list of violent acts against a pregnant woman he held in his home against her will over the course of two days last week, WTOL-TV reported, citing court documents.

Jamere Jones, 25, barricaded a door to hold the woman — who was 21 weeks pregnant at the time — inside his home on Dec. 30 and 31 while he "assaulted her, strangled her, threatened to shoot her with a rifle, and to set her on fire." He also raped her multiple times, the station said, citing court documents.

A judge set Jones' total bond at $590,000 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim and to have no weapons, WTOL said.

In addition, Jones allegedly poured rubbing alcohol on the woman's head and used a lighter to threaten to set her on fire, WTOL reported, adding that he also allegedly pointed a loaded rifle at her chest and threatened to kill her and then himself.

Jones also beat the woman with his hands, a belt, a chain, and a hammer, the Blade reported, citing an affidavit. He also strangled her multiple times — at least once to the point that she lost consciousness, after which he's accused of raping her, the Blade said.

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The victim was hospitalized, WTOL said.

Warrants for Jones’ arrest were issued Thursday, and he was arrested Monday, the Blade reported.

Jones is charged with three counts of kidnapping, three counts of rape, three counts of felonious assault, one count of strangulation, two counts of causing a risk of physical harm via strangulation, and one count of domestic violence, WTOL reported.

A judge set Jones' total bond at $590,000 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim and to have no weapons, WTOL said, adding that the judge also set a preliminary hearing for him next Wednesday.

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ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge went viral this past December when she had to press Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to answer her postgame questions — and BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock is impressed with her refusal to give up.

Herbert initially brushed off the reporter when she approached him, saying, “I’m trying to celebrate with my team.”

Rutledge wouldn’t take no for an answer and pressed him further, eventually pulling some answers out of the quarterback.

“Steve, I know you’ve covered a lot of sporting events. Have you ever seen that level of rudeness directed at a reporter? I just, that was incredible. She deserves a Purple Heart,” Whitlock asks BlazeTV contributor Steve Kim on “Fearless.”

“I have a question for those who were coming out and piling on Justin Herbert, who probably played the most physically taxing game I’ve seen any quarterback [play] this year. He’s probably banged up. He’s probably drugged up with all the pharmaceuticals, right, to get him out there,” Kim says.

“If that was a black quarterback, would those people dare have the same type of words for Justin Herbert like they would, let’s say its Lamar Jackson, and I’m just using him in this example,” he continues.

“I think Justin Herbert, being a white quarterback, it takes off some of the restrictions in terms of criticizing that particular athlete. I believe that Justin Herbert was banged up. He really doesn’t feel like talking, but at the end he said, ‘You know what? This is my job, I did it,’” he adds.

Whitlock sees both sides.

“I don’t blame her for not following protocol; as a reporter, that’s not what you do. Overtime game, it’s decided late, there’s an interception, and then you just go into scramble mode, and you just do what’s necessary to get the job done,” Whitlock chimes in.

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A Democrat representative in the Georgia House has resigned her position, as she now faces a federal charge in connection with alleged COVID relief fraud.

On Monday, federal prosecutors filed charges against former state Rep. Karen Bennett, claiming she lied to secure nearly $14,000 in COVID funds.

Bennett also allegedly withheld that she was receiving $905 weekly from a church 'the entire time she was claiming PUA benefits.'

According to court documents, Bennett, who owned a physical therapy business called Metro Therapy, applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds in May 2020, stating that she had been unable to go to her place of employment since April 10 because of quarantine and other COVID-related restrictions.

She was subsequently approved.

Between March and August 2020, she then posted certifications claiming that, aside from the $300 she received each week for her political position in the Georgia General Assembly, she earned no other income, court documents said.

However, according to prosecutors, Bennett served in an administrative role at Metro Therapy and worked from a home office, allowing her to continue earning a paycheck "throughout the pandemic."

"She was able to continue working as usual from her home to support Metro Therapy throughout the pandemic, and the therapists who provided actual services to clients were able to continue their work after a brief disruption," prosecutors asserted in charging documents.

Bennett also allegedly withheld that she was receiving $905 weekly from a church "the entire time she was claiming PUA benefits," court documents said.

In all, Bennett raked in $13,940 in fraudulent PUA and other federal funds, prosecutors alleged. She has been charged with one count of making false statements.

RELATED: Georgia Democrat indicted for alleged pandemic relief fraud

greenleaf123/Getty Images

In court Monday, Bennett waived the indictment, pled not guilty, and posted bail. The AP indicated that many federal defendants who waive their indictments often eventually plead guilty.

On Thursday, four days before charges were filed, Bennett officially resigned her seat representing District 94, which includes parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties. She was first elected in 2012.

Bennett also submitted a letter of resignation to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The letter, dated December 30, made no mention of possible criminal charges and gave no explanation for her departure.

Instead she wrote: "I am proud of the work accomplished by the Georgia General Assembly when we came together to advance policies that strengthened our state and improved the lives of all Georgians. Serving in this capacity has truly been a labor of love and one that I will miss."

A spokesperson from Bennett's former assembly office declined a request for comment from Blaze News. Bennett did not respond to a request for comment from the Georgia Recorder, and her attorneys did not respond to a request for comment from the AP.

Bennett is now the second Georgia Democrat accused of fraudulently obtaining COVID relief funds. Last month, state Rep. Sharon Henderson was arrested after she allegedly pocketed nearly $18,000, claiming she had been a substitute teacher in 2020, even as prosecutors say she had not worked in that capacity since 2018.

Henderson was charged with two counts of theft of government funds and 10 counts of making false statements — yet she still remains in office.

Just before Christmas, Henderson posted a note to social media, requesting donations to a crowdfunding account that she says will help her as she continues "seeking justice after recent events."

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