💰Illinois Public Employees Exploited Pandemic Relief Funds
Nearly 400 Illinois state employees improperly secured federal Paycheck Protection Program loans intended for struggling small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, with investigators finding reasonable cause for fraud in 378 cases through June 2025, accounting for three-quarters of reviewed complaints and totaling over $2.8 million obtained through fabricated businesses or false claims across agencies such as Human Services, Corrections, and Children and Family Services. More than 200 of these workers resigned or faced termination, while some cases led to criminal referrals and guilty pleas resulting in probation, restitution, or community service. Similar misconduct extended to local government, where Cook County sustained violations against 62 employees and Chicago’s inspector general identified nine substantiated cases amid nearly 1,000 flagged loans, underscoring persistent ethical lapses that reinforce perceptions of corruption and hinder social mobility in the state.
Sources: The Daily Wire, American Greatness
🚨Illegally Residing Foreign Nationals Arrested in Major Texas Gift Card Fraud Operation
Three Latvian nationals who entered the United States illegally—Kristians Petroviskis, Romunds Cubrevics, and Nurmunds Ulevicus—were arrested by the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center for allegedly operating a sophisticated $14 million gift card fraud scheme that targeted retail stores across multiple Texas cities, including Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The suspects reportedly stole unactivated gift cards from approximately ten stores daily, seven days a week since May 2025, carefully removed the packaging to expose and record the card numbers into a monitoring program, resealed the packages to appear untouched, and returned them to shelves. Once customers purchased and loaded funds onto the cards, the fraudsters quickly transferred the money to other accounts for cashing out or buying high-end merchandise. Authorities recovered over 400 tampered gift cards from the suspects at the time of arrest and charged them with first-degree fraudulent possession of gift cards under a recently enacted Texas law aimed at combating such crimes.
Sources: FOX7 Austin, PJ Media
💵Minnesota Taxpayer-Funded Daycare Fraud Linked to Radical Political Donations
Taxpayer-supported daycare and adult care businesses in Minnesota, some appearing empty despite receiving substantial public funds, contributed thousands of dollars to the campaign of Ubax Gardheere, a Somali immigrant who ran for King County Council in Washington state. Gardheere was arrested in 2010 after boarding a school bus and threatening to blow it up with children inside, causing them to flee. She faced subsequent arrests for allegedly assaulting a parent at a school drop-off while invoking political slogans and for a disturbance involving physical contact shortly after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Specific donations included $2,000 from Lucky Child Care Center LLC, $1,000 from Sunshine Childcare Center Inc, $1,000 from MN Best Childcare Center Inc, $1,300 from Adult Care LLC, and $500 from A Helping Hand Senior Care Services LLC. Gardheere retained endorsements from progressive officials and organizations despite these incidents. An independent investigation highlighted alleged fraud in Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program, with facilities showing no activity yet funded generously, leading Republican lawmakers to demand accountability.
Sources: The Post Millennial, Breitbart
🗳️Minnesota Voter Vouching Policy Faces Scrutiny Amid Fraud Concerns
Minnesota maintains a longstanding election policy allowing a registered voter in a precinct to vouch for the residency of up to eight others during same-day registration by signing an oath at the polling place, a practice defended by state officials as including safeguards such as identity verification and post-election reviews while critics argue it invites potential abuse especially when combined with same-day registration and a recent law providing driver’s licenses regardless of immigration status. This vouching system has drawn renewed attention following widespread social services fraud scandals involving hundreds of millions in losses tied to elements within the state’s Somali immigrant community, prompting Republican leaders to highlight risks to election integrity and call for federal intervention through measures like the SAVE Act requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. Conservative activists and analysts have pointed to personal observations of casual vouching and historical close elections as evidence of vulnerabilities, asserting that existing penalties and oaths fail to prevent exploitation in a system prioritizing access over stringent verification.
Sources: FOX News, WLT Report
💀Texas Man Charged in ISIS Support Case
A 21-year-old Texas resident, John Michael Garza Jr., from Midlothian near Dallas, has been federally charged with attempting to provide material support to the foreign terrorist organization ISIS. Authorities initiated contact after an NYPD undercover officer observed Garza following pro-ISIS social media accounts and commenting on related posts in October 2025. Garza confirmed his adherence to ISIS ideology during online exchanges, sent cryptocurrency payments intended to fund ISIS activities such as purchasing firearms, and shared official ISIS media releases. On December 22, 2025, Garza met an undercover officer, delivered explosive components, explained how to combine them with nails for a device, and offered to provide a bomb-building instructional video. Federal agents arrested Garza immediately after the meeting. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Sources: US Justice Dept, NewsMax
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⛽National Average Gasoline Prices Decline Sharply
Americans are benefiting from robust domestic energy production and market forces, as the national average price of gasoline has fallen for the fifth consecutive week to $2.75 per gallon as of December 29, 2025, marking a decline of nearly 23 cents throughout the month and reaching the lowest level since 2021. This downward trend reflects high refinery output, increasing fuel supplies, and relatively stable oil prices despite global tensions. Diesel fuel prices have also decreased, with the national average dropping more than five cents to $3.52 per gallon. Regional differences persist, with the lowest averages in states like Oklahoma at $2.17 per gallon and the highest in Hawaii at $4.36 per gallon.
Sources: The Epoch Times, Gas Buddy
📰Washington Post Coverage Favors Male Competitor in Girls Track Events
A male athlete identifying as female, Verónica García, secured victories in the Washington state girls’ high school 400-meter dash championships in both 2024 and 2025, finishing significantly ahead of female competitors and drawing boos from spectators upon announcement of the 2025 win. García, who began hormone therapy prior to the 2024 season, faced an urgent complaint alleging violation of Title IX and executive orders by participating in female events, with critics asserting such inclusion demeans, unfairly disadvantages, and endangers biological females. Coverage highlighted García’s challenging family background, including poverty and eviction, while citing studies to suggest limited retained advantages post-therapy, framing opposition as misguided and portraying García as a victim of criticism from figures emphasizing biological differences in athletic performance.
Sources: Legal Insurrection, Breitbart
📸Charlottesville Terminates Effective Crime-Solving License Plate Program to Protect Illegals
The Charlottesville Police Department concluded its yearlong pilot program utilizing Flock Safety’s automated license plate reader system following a city council decision not to proceed further. The technology proved instrumental in resolving serious crimes, including a homicide, recovering missing children and persons, and retrieving stolen vehicles in timely manners. Police Chief Michael Kochis acknowledged predominantly positive community feedback while noting concerns that overshadowed these benefits. Primary worries centered on potential federal agency access to the collected data for purposes such as identifying illegal immigrants, issues deemed beyond local control. The department intends to investigate alternative systems, including one from Axon, citing longstanding trust in that provider for other equipment.
Sources: CBS19 News Charlottesville, The Post Millennial
👮♂️Tim Walz Defends Somali Community by Falsely Claiming Majority of Crime Committed by White Men
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz stated during a December 12 press conference announcing new anti-fraud measures that the majority of crime is committed by white men while responding to questions about accountability within the Somali community amid massive fraud scandals involving federal nutrition programs, where the vast majority of indicted individuals are from that community and hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds were allegedly stolen. Walz argued that Medicaid fraud spans all racial and ethnic groups and rejected blaming the Somali community as a whole, asserting that law-abiding citizens should not be held responsible for criminals within their midst and suggesting education is needed to prevent crime. He further compared the situation to holding white men accountable for crimes committed by other white men and criticized federal actions under President Trump for inflaming tensions.
Sources: The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller
📻Russia’s Mysterious Doomsday Radio Broadcasts Swan Lake
Russia’s enigmatic shortwave radio station UVB-76, known as The Buzzer and believed by Western military analysts to support strategic command infrastructure as a fail-safe against disruptions to modern networks, recently interrupted its continuous buzzing tone—transmitting on 4625 kHz since the late 1970s—with a broadcast of Tchaikovsky’s classical ballet Swan Lake, a four-act work premiered in Moscow in 1877. This highly irregular transmission, reported by observers monitoring the station, deviates sharply from its rare interruptions featuring coded Russian voice messages with names, numbers, or phrases. Possible explanations include operator error, a test signal, accidental audio interference at the transmitter, or unauthorized hijacking. The event recalls historical precedents where Swan Lake aired during periods of Soviet political instability, though no direct link to current military developments has been established.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Burning Platform
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💥Saudi Arabia Defends National Security Against Emirati Actions in Yemen
Saudi Arabia conducted airstrikes on December 30, 2025, targeting Emirati equipment being unloaded at Yemen’s Mukalla port, citing the actions of the United Arab Emirates in supporting the Southern Transitional Council’s recent seizure of eastern Yemen regions—including Hadramawt and al Mahra, encompassing half of Yemen’s land mass and nearly 80 percent of its oil reserves—as extremely dangerous threats to its national security. The strikes followed a December 2 offensive by the UAE-backed council that displaced forces loyal to the Saudi-supported Presidential Leadership Council and prior warning shots along the border on Friday. Riyadh issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding the UAE withdraw all forces from Yemen and end military and financial support to factions there, emphasizing that threats to its borders represent a red line it will confront decisively. The UAE expressed regret, denied shipping weapons, claimed the armored vehicles were for its own forces, and reaffirmed its presence was at the invitation of Yemen’s legitimate government to combat terrorists including Houthis, Al-Qaeda, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Videos showed the port remaining operational with minimal damage, as dozens of UAE vehicles continued reinforcing council positions.
Sources: The Washington Examiner, Reuters
⚠️Trump Issues Strong Warning to Iran on Nuclear Rebuild
President Donald Trump, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on December 29, 2025, firmly stated that the United States would take decisive military action against Iran if it attempts to rebuild its nuclear facilities damaged in prior U.S. strikes. Trump declared that reports of Iran trying to build up again would lead to the sites being knocked down, emphasizing that America would “knock the hell out of them” in response to any reconstruction at locations such as Fordow, Natanz, or Isfahan following the June bunker-busting operations. Netanyahu raised concerns over Iranian ballistic missile sites posing a regional threat and sought support for potential new strikes. Trump also delivered a resolute pro-Israel message, praising Netanyahu’s defense of his nation and suggesting possible joint action for regional stability if Iran provokes further.
⚛️Russian Ship Carried Undeclared Nuclear Reactor Components for North Korea
A Russian cargo vessel named Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria in December 2024 after explosions damaged its hull. Spanish authorities investigated the incident and determined that the ship carried two undeclared heavy objects initially described by the crew as icebreaker parts but identified through documents and aerial imagery as casings for VM-4SG naval nuclear reactors, a Soviet-era design used in submarine propulsion systems. These unfueled components weighed approximately 65 tons each and featured high density consistent with reactor shielding. The ship’s manifest listed a destination of Vladivostok, yet investigators concluded the reactors were likely intended for North Korea’s emerging nuclear-powered submarine program, which recently displayed a completed hull capable of carrying ballistic missiles. This potential transfer aligns with deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea amid ongoing global security concerns.
Sources: ZeroHedge, The Maritime Executive
🧫Iran Pursues Chemical and Biological Missile Capabilities
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force has accelerated development of long-range ballistic missile warheads designed to deliver chemical and biological agents, viewing these as a complementary deterrent alongside conventional missiles in potential large-scale confrontations with Israel and the United States. This effort includes optimizing missiles for such payloads and upgrading command-and-control systems, amid rebuilding of missile production sites and air defenses damaged in prior strikes, while Western intelligence has noted unusual IRGC activity prompting increased monitoring. Although Iran has inquired about acquiring related weapons and denies any offensive programs or possession, maintaining commitment to international obligations, confirmation of these advancements would significantly shift regional security dynamics and invite strong international responses including sanctions.
☠️Turkish Authorities Neutralize ISIS Threat in Yalova Raid
Turkish security forces conducted a decisive raid on a suspected ISIS safe house in Yalova province on December 29, 2025, resulting in an eight-hour gunfight that claimed the lives of three courageous police officers and six ISIS militants, all Turkish citizens, while eight officers and one security member sustained wounds. The operation, part of coordinated raids across 15 provinces targeting over 100 addresses, followed the recent detention of 138 ISIS suspects, including 115 linked to planned attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations. Authorities safely evacuated five women and six children from the property, demonstrating careful execution amid the threat. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed the nation’s unwavering commitment to combating terrorists who endanger public peace and state security, both domestically and abroad, as Turkey strengthens countermeasures against a resurgent ISIS amid global jihadist activity.
Sources: The Straits Times, Reuters