Minnesota Taxpayer Funds Continue Flowing to Indicted Feeding Our Future Fraud Suspect
A Minnesota man indicted for laundering $1.1 million in taxpayer dollars through the Feeding Our Future scandal, part of a larger scheme that defrauded nearly $250 million by falsely claiming to feed needy children, continues to receive substantial state payments for assisted-living facilities he and his wife operate. This individual, awaiting trial in 2026, received an additional $49 million from state programs between 2019 and 2024, including $826,000 in 2024 for one four-bed facility on pace to double that amount the following year. State Representative Kristin Robbins highlighted these ongoing payments during a fraud prevention committee hearing, noting that Minnesota law permits suspending program funds upon credible allegations of fraud, such as a federal indictment, yet agencies have failed to act despite red flags like cash purchases of properties tied to the same entities. Department officials acknowledged the need for greater oversight and vowed to suspend payments in serious fraud cases, but funds persisted flowing to these interconnected operations as recently as October.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Daily Wire
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino Resigns
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced his resignation effective in January 2025, less than a year after his February appointment as the bureau’s second-in-command under Director Kash Patel. Bongino, a former New York Police Department officer, U.S. Secret Service agent, and prominent conservative commentator who hosted a popular show on Rumble, stated in a December 17 post on X that he would leave the position. He expressed gratitude to President Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Director Kash Patel for the opportunity to serve, while emphasizing thanks to Americans for the privilege of protecting the nation and invoking God’s blessing on the country and its defenders. President Trump remarked earlier that day that Bongino performed well in the role and likely wished to return to his broadcasting career, aligning with Bongino’s prior experience and success in media before entering government service without previous FBI tenure.
Sources: The Epoch Times, The Washington Examiner
House Republicans Advance Healthcare Reforms Rejecting Obamacare Subsidy Bailout
Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act on December 17, by a vote of 216 to 211, delivering structural reforms aimed at reducing healthcare costs through increased transparency, competition, and accountability without extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. The legislation funds cost-sharing reductions, expands association health plans for small businesses and individuals, and implements pharmacy benefit manager reforms to curb rising premiums and restore market-driven options decimated under prior overreach. Despite pressure from a handful of moderates who briefly aligned with Democrats to force a separate vote on subsidy extensions, party leadership held firm against perpetuating a system plagued by fraud and inefficiency, prioritizing long-term savings estimated at tens of billions for taxpayers while projecting an 11 percent reduction in benchmark premiums. The bill advances conservative principles of fiscal responsibility and patient choice over temporary handouts that enrich insurers at public expense.
Sources: The Daily Caller, FOX News
Biden Energy Department Aided Chinese Military Research
A bipartisan congressional investigation by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has revealed that the U.S. Department of Energy funded or supported thousands of research collaborations with Chinese entities tied to the People’s Liberation Army and defense industrial base. Between June 2023 and June 2025, investigators identified approximately 4,350 research papers involving DOE resources and Chinese partners, with over 2,200 linked to China’s military-affiliated institutions, including the “Seven Sons of National Defense” universities and the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, the primary complex for China’s nuclear weapons development. Specific examples include collaborations with state-owned defense conglomerates such as China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and research advancing technologies in nuclear energy, quantum computing, materials science, and physics that hold direct military applications. Lawmakers highlighted longstanding failures in DOE oversight that have allowed taxpayer dollars to bolster the technological and military capabilities of America’s primary strategic adversary, urging immediate reforms to safeguard national security interests.
Sources: US House China Select Committee, The Epoch Times,
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HHS Terminates Funding to American Academy of Pediatrics
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has terminated multiple federal grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics totaling approximately $18-20 million. This action stems from the organization’s promotion of policies detrimental to children’s health and development. Specific concerns include recommendations for gender-affirming care in minors lacking sufficient evidence of long-term benefits. The academy advocated universal masking for children aged two and older in schools during 2021 despite evidence that masks impede speech, language, and emotional development by obscuring facial cues. Earlier guidance delayed exposure to peanuts and allergens until age three, contributing to increased allergy rates with limited scientific backing. Recent directives endorsed COVID-19 vaccinations for young children and GLP-1 inhibitors for those twelve and older, raising risks of serious adverse events like myocarditis while showing potential industry influence among authors and insufficient data on growth impacts. The termination reflects a commitment to prioritizing evidence-based practices that safeguard the well-being of American children and families.
Sources: Dr. Robert Malone, FOX News
Inflation Eased in November Amid Data Distortions from Government Shutdown
The Consumer Price Index rose 2.7% year-over-year in November 2025, down from 3% in September and below economist expectations of 3.1%, while core CPI excluding food and energy increased 2.6%, marking the slowest pace since early 2021. This delayed report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics lacked standard month-over-month changes due to the prolonged government shutdown that halted October data collection, forcing reliance on limited nonsurvey sources and prompting widespread caution among analysts that the lower readings may be artificially depressed by incomplete information and timing biases in price gathering. Shelter costs advanced 3%, food prices climbed 2.6%, and energy surged 4.2% over the year, reflecting ongoing pressures in key household expenses even as the overall figure suggested cooling that could influence Federal Reserve decisions on interest rates.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, CNBC
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Layoffs
A U.S. District Judge announced plans to issue an order blocking the Trump administration from proceeding with approximately 400 planned layoffs of federal employees, including around 250 at the Department of State and 150 at the Department of Education. The ruling stems from an ongoing lawsuit originally filed by labor unions in October challenging broader workforce reductions. The judge determined that continuing these layoffs would violate provisions in the recent continuing resolution that ended a prolonged government shutdown, which prohibits the use of federal funds for such reduction-in-force actions through January 30, 2026. This decision represents another judicial intervention in the administration’s efforts to streamline the federal bureaucracy and reduce government spending.
Sources: Reuters, The Epoch Times
ACLU Challenges ICE Enforcement Tactics in Minnesota
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a federal class-action lawsuit on December 17, against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Secretary Kristi Noem, acting ICE director Todd Lyons, and unidentified agents, alleging systematic violations of First and Fourth Amendment rights through intimidation, force, and detention of peaceful bystanders observing and documenting immigration enforcement operations under Operation Metro Surge. The suit, brought on behalf of six Minnesota residents including U.S. citizens subjected to pepper spray, temporary abductions, arrests without charges, and threats during raids targeting criminal illegal aliens, claims federal agents repressed free speech by retaliating against observers protesting or recording activities in public spaces across the Twin Cities. Plaintiffs detail incidents of agents pointing weapons, following individuals home using license plate data, and employing chemical irritants against non-interfering crowds. The legal action seeks a court declaration of unlawful conduct, a permanent injunction against such practices, and a temporary restraining order to immediately halt alleged retaliatory tactics amid heightened federal efforts to apprehend individuals with serious criminal convictions or deportation orders.
Sources: The Epoch Times, Courthouse News
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Australian Anti-Terror Raid Detains Seven Amid Bondi Mourning
Australian authorities conducted anti-terrorism raids in Sydney on December 18, detaining seven men after tactical police intercepted two vehicles in the southwest suburb of Liverpool based on intelligence indicating a possible planned violent act. The men are assisting police with inquiries. Officials have stated there is no identified connection between this operation and the recent terrorist attack at Bondi Beach that targeted a Hanukkah celebration. That attack claimed the lives of 15 individuals, including the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda, whose funeral was held on the same day as families and communities continued to grieve and bury other victims.
British Man Imprisoned for Social Media Posts on Immigration
Luke Yarwood, a 36-year-old socially isolated resident of Dorset, received an 18-month prison sentence at Bournemouth Crown Court for two anti-immigration posts on X that collectively garnered only 33 views. The posts followed a deadly car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, in December 2024, with one calling for migrant hotels to be burned down and the other advocating violence and slaughter as the only solution, stating it was time for the British to take over by force. Prosecutors highlighted these as part of a pattern of hostile statements toward asylum seekers and Muslims over several weeks, though no actual disorder resulted from the specific tweets. The judge described the content as odious and designed to stir racial hatred, ruling that immediate custody was required despite defense arguments emphasizing Yarwood’s fragile mental health, family circumstances, and the posts’ minimal reach and impotent nature. Authorities learned of the posts through a report from Yarwood’s brother-in-law amid a personal dispute.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Daily Mail
Bolivia Shifts Lithium Strategy Toward Western Alliance
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira, elected in November 2025 with 54.6 percent of the vote, is actively reviewing and working to terminate lithium extraction contracts previously signed with Chinese and Russian companies under prior administrations. These agreements, exceeding $2 billion in value and involving China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology consortium and Russia’s Uranium One Group, have faced delays due to judicial challenges, local opposition, lack of transparency, and insufficient environmental protections. Bolivia possesses the world’s largest lithium reserves at 21 million metric tons in the Salar de Uyuni, essential for batteries and defense applications. President Paz seeks partnerships with the United States based on shared democratic principles, technological transfers for sustainable extraction, and full integration into the global value chain from mining to manufacturing. His administration has engaged in diplomatic discussions with U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to secure cooperation and break reliance on foreign models that limited Bolivia to raw material exports.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, Mining.com
Navy Strengthens Middle East Maritime Deterrence with Kamikaze Drone Deployment
The United States Navy achieved a significant milestone in unmanned combat capabilities by successfully launching a Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) kamikaze drone from the deck of the USS Santa Barbara, an Independence-class littoral combat ship operating in the Arabian Gulf. These one-way attack drones, reverse-engineered from captured Iranian Shahed-136 technology, are designed for autonomous operation and can be launched via catapults, rocket-assisted takeoff, or mobile systems. The deployment falls under U.S. Central Command’s Task Force Scorpion Strike initiative aimed at providing low-cost, effective drone capabilities to forces in the region. Vice Adm. Curt Renshaw, commander of the Navy’s 5th Fleet, stated that this platform enhances regional maritime security and deterrence through innovation and joint collaboration. Adm. Brad Cooper, head of Central Command, emphasized that equipping warfighters with cutting-edge drone technology demonstrates American military strength to deter adversaries.
Sources: US Navy, The Washington Times