Minnesota Senate candidate wears hijab in visit to Somali market as fraud scandal unfolds
Minnesota Lt. Gov. and U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan was seen on a Somali TV station wearing a hijab at a mall, as a widespread fraud scandal implicating some Somalis plagues the state. “The Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota,” Flanagan said, looking into the camera. For Muslim women, wearing a hijab is typically a sign of obedience to God and worn to show modesty. Flanagan has previously stated that she is Catholic and says on her campaign website that her “view on immigration is grounded in her Catholic faith.” ILHAN OMAR DEFENDS MEALS ACT DESPITE TIES TO MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME The lieutenant governor is challenging two other Democratic candidates in the primary race to fill the seat of outgoing Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. Former Democratic presidential candidate and current Sen. Amy Klobuchar serves as the other senator from the state. Flanagan’s far-left views also prompted her to wear a “Protect Trans Kids” shirt with a knife on it in August in a viral video telling parents: “When our children tell us who they are, it’s our job as grown-ups to listen and believe them.” In 2022, federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota began probing a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, an organization which fueled what the Justice Department said is one of the largest pandemic relief fraud schemes in history. ‘EPICENTER OF FRAUD’: MINNESOTA’S EMPTY STOMACHS, FAKE AUTISM THERAPY AND A SCANDAL THAT COULD TOP $2 BILLION Since the investigation began, $250 million in fraudulent claims have led to 78 individuals charged as part of what prosecutors say is a sizable $9 billion fraud scheme. Many of the individuals charged come from the Somali community in Minnesota. More than 400 Minnesota state employees spoke out about the issue, pointing fingers at former vice presidential candidate and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for negligence in acting on warnings and indicators of fraud and retaliation against whistleblowers who attempted to expose the scandal. LAWMAKERS PROBE SBA LOANS LINKED TO MINNESOTA’S $9B FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘RECKLESS DECISION MAKING’ Walz has been pushed to address the issue on several occasions, admitting in a New York Times interview that the programs may have been overly generous. “The programs are set up to move the money to people,” Walz said last month. “The programs are set up to improve people’s lives, and in many cases, the criminals find the loopholes.” Walz set up a new anti-fraud task force as part of a crackdown. “The message here in Minnesota is if you commit a crime, if you commit fraud against public dollars, you are going to go to prison,” he told the Times. The House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into Walz’s handling of the relief program at the beginning of December. “This massive amount of fraud is affecting and impacting every citizen of Minnesota because they’re having to cut services because so much of the money for social programs was wasted and defrauded by this Somali population,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” earlier this week. Comer plans to subpoena testimony and records, setting the stage for a potential blockbuster hearing. President Donald Trump took swift action when the news broke and terminated deportation protections for Somali nationals living in Flanagan’s state “effectively immediately” in November after news of the fraud scandal broke. “Send them back to where they came from,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “It’s OVER!” Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan and Walz but did not receive responses.
Most radical courses, curriculum that received federal funding in 2025
Over the past year, Fox News Digital has reported extensively on far-left curriculum and courses at universities across the country, many of which have sparked pushback from conservatives and parents’ rights groups. This month, leaked PowerPoint lessons from a first-year education course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign showed extreme left-wing bias on the topic of illegal immigration, as well as race and gender along with material that blamed President Trump for “white supremacy.” Fox News Digital reported in early October on another college classroom controversy at the University of Oklahoma where a student who received a zero out of 25 on an assignment regarding gender norms says she was targeted for her Christian beliefs, citing a scathing response from the teacher’s assistant who doled out the grade. This week, that teacher’s assistant was fired by the university. CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST At the University of Minnesota, Fox News Digital was first to report on a situation uncovered by Defending Education in which the university hosted a webpage warning against a “whiteness pandemic” that provides “resources” on how to “halt and reverse” the issue. “If you were born or raised in the United States, you have grown up in the Whiteness Pandemic, and you can play a role in halting and reversing this pandemic, especially if you are White because of the power and privilege you hold in this racialized society,” explains the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities webpage, which is part of the Institute of Child Development. “If you were socialized into the culture of Whiteness during childhood, it is not your fault, but as an adult it is now your responsibility to self-reflect, re-educate yourself, and act. If you are a White adult, antiracist action involves an ongoing process of self-reflection in order to develop a healthy positive White identity while engaging in courageous antiracist parenting/caregiving.” WATCH: HIDDEN CAMERA CATCHES RED-STATE UNIVERSITY ADMINS ADMITTING HOW THEY ‘CLEVERLY’ DISGUISED DEI AGENDA The university stood by the curriculum, citing a “commitment to the principles of academic freedom.” The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents released a statement in September, Fox News Digital reported, calling for an audit of all of its courses after a student was allegedly removed from a class for questioning transgender-related course content. In the deep red state of Arkansas, Fox News Digital reported that a public university offers an interdisciplinary writing course in its English department called “Queer Childhoods,” according to the school’s course directory. The course focuses on “evaluating academic arguments and on writing papers that make an argument and that utilize scholarly sources,” says a vague description of the offering on the University of Central Arkansas’ website. “The course is thematic, with instructors choosing topics and choosing an interdisciplinary set of readings focused on that topic.” At Princeton University earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported, the school offered a course where students would study the intersection of gender studies and what the course called the “genocide” in Gaza. “This seminar explores genocide through the analytic of gender, with a central focus on the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” said the course description on Princeton’s website. “Drawing on decolonial, Indigenous, and feminist thought, we examine how genocidal projects target reproductive life, sexual and familial structures, and community survival.” A student at the University of North Georgia spoke out to Fox News Digital, saying that an assigned textbook for one of her courses labeled Christianity as a “U.S.-based white supremacist group.” Kelbie Murphy, a senior at the university, paid roughly $100 for an assigned textbook in her International Public Relations course. In Chapter 8, the opening passage reads: “An internet search produces the following modifier for identity: corporate, sexual, digital, public, racial, national, brand, and even Christian (a U.S.-based white supremacist group).” “The way it was worded, it listed several marginalized groups, but then only called Christians to be White supremacists,” Murphy told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “But the scariest thing is that the book was written in 2007.” At the start of the year, Fox News Digital reported exclusively that the Department of Education has awarded over $200 million since 2021 to forty-eight universities injecting DEI content into counseling courses that include topics on antiracism, microaggressions, White privilege and Whiteness. Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Preston Mizell contributed to this report.
Pro-police group asks DOJ to probe Soros-backed Virginia prosecutor using Biden-era law once aimed at cops
EXCLUSIVE: A pro-police group will request the Justice Department investigate a Virginia prosecutor accused of being unfairly lenient to illegal immigrant suspects, using an oversight law the Biden administration used to scrutinize police departments like one in Kentucky after the Breonna Taylor incident. The law enforcement “pattern-or-practice” provision, under 34 USC 12601, was previously used to investigate alleged civil rights violations during the Biden era by police departments — including in Louisville after a no-knock warrant was served, leading to a shootout that killed Taylor. It has also been used against departments in New Jersey, Mississippi and Tennessee, as well as a division of the NYPD, for allegations ranging from excessive use of force, to gender bias and allegedly unlawful traffic stops. VIRGINIA AG CALLS DEM PROSECUTOR’S ACTIONS ‘WEAPONIZED INCOMPETENCE’ IN SCATHING REPORT On Wednesday, the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF) told Fox News Digital it would ask the Trump Justice Department to use the same law in a different respect to investigate progressive Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano in Virginia. Descano, who received at least $600,000 from a George Soros-funded political action committee during his first election bid in Virginia’s largest jurisdiction in 2019, came under fire recently for the nonprosecution of an illegal immigrant who allegedly murdered someone the day after he was released. LELDF’s request “seeks to use established federal civil-rights tools to test whether a prosecutor’s office is operating a discriminatory system that endangers the public and erodes equal justice under law,” the group’s president, Jason C. Johnson told Fox News Digital. LELDF officials will formally ask Deputy Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon to investigate Descano’s office under the same “pattern-or-practice” concerns as Biden’s DOJ had in Louisville. The group alleged the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office “violat[ed] the civil rights of US citizens by favoring illegal aliens and non-citizens in charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing decisions.” They cited Descano’s “official policy” to consider “immigration consequences” when prosecuting cases. “As a federal prosecutor, Steve protected immigrants from criminals who targeted them due to their immigration status… Steve knows that regardless of immigration status, all our neighbors deserve equal protection of, and equal access to, the law,” a passage on Descano’s campaign page reads. “The fear of law enforcement that Donald Trump has fostered in immigrant communities does nothing but lead to increased crime,” Descano claimed in backing up his policy. “In addition to providing a safe place, Steve’s office will take immigration consequences into account when making charging and plea decisions. Although prosecutors typically refer to immigration consequences as ‘collateral consequences,’ avoiding the unnecessary destruction of families and communities will be a top priority for Steve as Commonwealth’s Attorney. Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences.” That type of prosecutorial discretion runs afoul of the law, LELDF claimed in their letter to Dhillon. SEARS DEMANDS RECALL OF FAIRFAX PROSECUTOR AFTER ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING CASE They pointed to the case of Marvin Morales-Ortez, who reportedly had first-degree murder charges stemming from a 2019 incident dropped by Descano’s office — which in turn told Washington’s ABC affiliate their evidence showed it was “clear that he was ultimately not the perpetrator who had killed Mr. [Jose] Guillen Mejia.” Nick Minock, a reporter for the outlet, later obtained a transcript of Morales-Ortez’ preliminary hearing where Descano’s office posited that Morales-Ortez was present when Guillen Mejia was murdered and had ambushed the man on a walking path. A short time after he was released, Morales-Ortez allegedly went to a home on Fan Shell Court in Reston, Va. — near John F. Dulles International Airport — and allegedly shot a man inside. That chain of events enraged the Trump administration, with Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying that “Fairfax County politicians [who] push[ed] pushing policies that released this illegal alien from jail” have “blood on their hands.” In the letter, LELDF argued that “dozens of illegal aliens like Morales-Ortez have repeatedly received excessive leniency from [Fairfax] under Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano.” They pointed directly to a passage in a 2020 memo from Descano laying out similar to his campaign page that “[Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys] shall consider immigration consequences where possible and where doing so accords with justice.” LELDF claimed the memo and the policy it forwards directly violates the Constitution and denies U.S. citizens equal protection under the law versus illegal immigrants. “It is both immoral and unlawful for a government agency to engage in systemic discrimination against U.S. citizens to the benefit of those illegally present,” the group told Dhillon. The memo represents the necessary predicate for a federal investigation, they argued, while also taking issue with Fairfax’s “explicit policy directing prosecutors to weigh immigration consequences, including deportation’s ‘detrimental impact’ on families and communities, while ensuring no better outcomes than for non-immigrants.” In a fuller excerpt from the memo, Descano says that when the seriousness of an offense and its harm is significant, the weight of “potential adverse immigration consequences” should be “minimal,” while the opposite is true for “less serious” offenses and those with “no identifiable victim.” In those cases, subordinate prosecutors should “have greater latitude in negotiating a resolution that takes adverse immigration consequences into account.” While his office did not offer comment in response, Descano has also bristled at the notion of being tied to Soros — recently hitting back at a top Youngkin administration official who blamed prosecutors linked to the Hungarian-American financier for the crime crisis. “I’m not a ‘Soros funded prosecutor’, I’m the CA for Fairfax County – where the murder rate is 75% lower than the entire Commonwealth’s. Maybe [she] should look at the numbers (especially since she works in public safety) before making such a ridiculous claim,” Descano tweeted in 2022. Descano’s office said prosecutors dropped a malicious wounding charge from this year because they claim there was insufficient evidence to move forward with a criminal case, since the victim had moved out of the country. “The victim told police that they had moved out
Booker says Gabbard ‘endangering’ NJ with remarks on radical Islam, heavily Muslim city; deputy responds
Sen. Cory Booker and the top U.S. counter-terrorism official sparred Tuesday over DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s reference to Paterson, New Jersey’s Muslim community during her speech to AmericaFest earlier this week. Booker, D-N.J., took issue with part of director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s speech to AmericaFest in Phoenix over the weekend, where she called out threats to the U.S. homeland from Islamist ideology. Booker ripped Gabbard for name-dropping his state’s third-largest city, Paterson. The city, between New York City and the Delaware Water Gap, is named for Irish immigrant and Constitution signatory William Paterson but has a sizable, growing Arab Christian and Muslim community. TEXAS GOV ABBOTT DECLARES CAIR, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AS TERRORIST GROUPS, PREVENTING LAND PURCHASES “Paterson is one of New Jersey’s oldest cities and has always embodied the best American values — industry, perseverance, and diversity,” Booker tweeted Tuesday. “Tulsi Gabbard’s dangerous attempt to sow fear, pit people against each other, and smear the Muslim Americans of Paterson, NJ is dishonest, cruel, and un-American — it endangers an entire community,” said Booker, who hails from nearby Newark. Paterson reportedly has the second-highest percentage of Muslims behind Muslim-majority Hamtramck, Michigan. Paterson’s sister city is Ramallah, in the Palestinian West Bank, according to WKXW. MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP CAIR SUES TEXAS OVER ABBOTT’S ‘TERRORIST’ DESIGNATION “In Jersey, we know our state’s diversity is our strength, and we stand up for our own,” Booker said. During her speech, Gabbard warned that Islamist ideology fuels terror groups that should be defeated “militarily” but also presents a “direct threat to freedom” because it is effectively “political” thought. Gabbard warned that such ideology is both political and a direct threat to freedom because it seeks to “create a global caliphate that governs us here in America” and seeks enforcement of Sharia Law governance. 2021 AFGHAN REMARKS HAUNT GOP LAWMAKER’S SENATE BID AFTER DC GUARD SHOOTING “If you fail to comply, if you fail to adhere to this ideology, if you dare to exercise your God-given right to free speech, censorship is not what we face. They will use violence or any means they deem as necessary to silence us,” Gabbard warned during her Phoenix address, before noting that German cities have canceled Christmas festivals due to the threat of radical Islamists; warning some may be taking root in America. “In places like Dearborn, Michigan, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, Islamist clerics are openly pushing this Islamist ideology, trying to recruit and radicalize young people,” she went on, saying that advocacy-group-backed efforts to institute Sharia law are already in place in Houston, Texas, and Paterson, New Jersey. “Paterson is proud to call themselves the first Muslim city. They are working to implement in their own governments these Islamic principles that are forced on people through the use of laws or violence,” she said. BONDI WARNS OF VETTING FAILURES AFTER ‘FRIGHTENING’ ARREST OF AFGHAN NATIONAL FOR BOMB THREATS IN TEXAS “The bottom line is this. When we talk about the threat of Islamism, this political ideology, there is no such thing as individual freedom or liberty. As Charlie [Kirk] said over and over again, it is fundamentally incompatible with our nation’s foundation of freedom.” Paterson, which has struggled for years with crime and corruption problems — including the indictment of Councilman Michael Jackson and others on pending election fraud charges, collectively rebuked Gabbard’s claim that its Muslim community posed any kind of threat. Mayor Andre Sayegh, a Democrat, called Gabbard “egregiously misinformed” at a press conference called to rebuke the former Hawaii congresswoman. CRUZ ‘CANNOT SUPPORT’ TRUMP’S KUWAIT AMBASSADOR PICK OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD REMARKS “We’re a better city because Muslims call Paterson home. It’s a point of pride that they contribute to the social and economic fabric of Paterson,” he said. In terms of laws passed in Paterson, in 2020, the city council approved an ordinance allowing the Adhan — or Muslim call to worship — to be broadcast in the city. Imam Quddoos Farra’d told the Paterson Times that it is no different from Christians using churchbells or Jews using a Shofar. However, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, a Washington state Republican nominated by President Donald Trump, staunchly defended Gabbard and slammed Booker. DNI GABBARD WARNS ‘ISLAMIST IDEOLOGY’ THREATENS WESTERN FREEDOM AT AMFEST “The insane policies championed by Booker and the Democrat Party under the Biden administration have allowed a staggering 18,000 known and suspected terrorists to enter our nation, many through the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and the open southern border,” Kent said. “This disastrous approach has put American lives at risk, prioritizing unchecked borders over national security.” “In the last year, Muslim jihadis have carried out successful attacks in New Orleans, Colorado, and Washington D.C., spreading terror from coast to coast, while our dedicated law enforcement heroes have thwarted over a dozen more jihadist plots, preventing even greater devastation.” Kent said it was Gabbard who exposed threats from 2,000 Afghan evacuees under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome who had ties to terrorism — and that the DNI is “confronting the dangers recklessly inflicted on our nation by cowards like Booker and Biden.”
Kentucky congressman announces death of longtime aide and campaign manager
Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., announced the death of his longtime aide and campaign manager on Christmas Day, a passing which “shocked” those who knew her during the holiday. The congressman and Senate candidate posted about the passing of his deputy chief of staff and campaign manager Tatum Dale on Thursday, noting the contributions she made not only to his current office, but to his mission to serve in statewide office. “For over 15 years, Tatum was the heart and soul of my team,” Barr posted to X. “With Tatum’s leadership, my office favorably closed thousands of cases for Kentuckians—helping veterans, seniors, and families throughout our district. She fought to deliver funds to support dozens of community projects across our Commonwealth.” “She loved helping people and was a servant of others, just as Christ envisioned us all to be. Maybe that’s why her birth in heaven is a shared birthday with our Lord and Savior,” Barr continued. “While our hearts are broken, our team finds peace and hope knowing that Tatum is now home with Christ, resting comfortably in the arms of her Savior.” 2021 AFGHAN REMARKS HAUNT GOP LAWMAKER’S SENATE BID AFTER DC GUARD SHOOTING Barr’s run to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell, who announced his retirement in February, has been a battle between GOP candidates in the early stages of the race. Despite the competition, former Kentucky attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron set aside their differences to weigh in on the passing of Dale. “Tatum Dale was a friend,” Cameron posted on social media. “She will be truly missed.” ‘AMERICA FIRST’ ATTORNEY GENERAL DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM MCCONNELL — HIS FORMER BOSS — AS KENTUCKY RACE DEFINES GOP FUTURE “Makenze and I will be praying for her family and all of Team Barr,” Cameron added. Cameron’s post was joined by several others who posted to social media in remembrance of the staffer. GOP strategist and communications director for Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said he was shocked by the news and that “Tatum was one of those hardworking people who seemed to be at every GOP event.” GOP REP GEARS UP FOR POTENTIAL REMATCH AGAINST PROGRESSIVE ‘DARLING’ IN BID TO SUCCEED MCCONNELL Dale originally joined Barr’s Washington, D.C., office in 2013 as a scheduler. She then returned to Kentucky, where she served as a district representative, field operations director, district deputy director, district director and deputy chief of staff. She was born in Murray. Kentucky, and attended the University of Kentucky, according to Barr. The cause of death is not currently clear. “She made me a better Congressman, our staff better public servants, and we will all miss her forever,” Barr posted. “From Murray to Lexington and everywhere in the Commonwealth that she touched, we hope you will all join us in praying for Tatum’s family and friends—and be forever inspired by her memory to serve others.” Fox News Digital reached out to Barr’s office for comment.
2026 deadlines loom as Congress leaves DC with several unfinished battles
Capitol Hill is a ghost town with both the House and Senate out of session until a few days into the new year. Lawmakers left town the week before Christmas, and with their departure have left several key fights unresolved — with deadlines looming large for both Republicans and Democrats. Congress voted to end the longest-ever government shutdown in history last month after 43 days of gridlock. But lawmakers did not strike a deal on federal funding for the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2026, which they’re expected to do annually. Instead, they passed a portion of FY 2026 funding while punting the deadline for the majority of areas to Jan. 30. CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIDEN 2026 BATTLEFIELD, ZERO IN ON NEW HOUSE REPUBLICAN TARGETS Senate Republicans had hoped to strike a deal on the vast majority of the remaining funds before leaving town, but various objections from senators on both sides of the aisle delayed an actual vote. Now, that legislation will have to be reckoned with in early January. During that month, the House and Senate will only have a total of eight days in session together before the Jan. 30 deadline. The Senate will have 15 total days in session, while the House will have 12. Millions of people across the country are expected to see an increase in how much they pay for healthcare premiums every month starting in January. Congress, meanwhile, has failed to pass a compromise between the House and Senate to help Americans deal with the rising cost. For some Americans on Obamacare, part of that is due to COVID-19 pandemic-era enhanced subsidies expiring at the end of 2025. Republicans have largely rejected the notion of extending those subsidies, at least without significant reforms. But a small group of moderate GOP lawmakers are pushing for a short-term extension to give Congress time to create a more permanent system for lowering costs. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHERE WE STAND WITH A HEALTHCARE PACKAGE The House passed a healthcare reform bill aimed at expanding options in the commercial insurance marketplace the week before leaving town. In the Senate, however, dueling plans by Republicans and Democrats failed to advance. It will now be an issue for GOP congressional leaders to tackle in 2026 — while Democrats are likely to seize on it as an election-year issue. Mid-decade redistricting has upended state and federal politics across the U.S. this year, with President Donald Trump pushing multiple GOP-controlled states to change their congressional lines in order to give Republicans an advantage in the 2026 midterms. Democrat-led states like California have responded by moving to redraw their own maps to give the left an advantage. It’s resulted in prolonged court battles on both sides. In Texas, where new maps could give Republicans as many as five new House seats, the Supreme Court granted an emergency stay on a lower court’s order allowing the GOP-led initiative to move forward. The federal court battle over the Golden State’s new map is likely to draw into the new year. Meanwhile, states like Virginia, Illinois, Alabama, and Louisiana could still move to make new lines before next November. Multiple House lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting, but to no avail so far. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., warned at a press conference earlier this month, “Republicans may have started this redistricting battle. We as Democrats plan to finish it.” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., by contrast, has taken a largely hands-off approach, preferring to leave the matter to state legislatures and the courts.
Nonprofit uses underwater technology to search for missing service members
More than 80,000 service members who went missing in action in previous conflicts are still unaccounted for. However, through research and new technology, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency estimates the remains of 38,000 fallen veterans could be recoverable. Nonprofit organization Project Recover is working with the agency to bring some of those service members home through complex underwater missions. “This is a great American story here,” former Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet said. “Our work is to use technology, like underwater drones and scuba diving gear, to find the platforms that these members perished on and then do the DNA analysis of detecting and recovering their remains and matching them to those that are missing.” Gallaudet also serves as a Project Recover advisory council member. The group was founded by Dr. Patrick Scannon. He came up with the idea in 1993 when he was touring the Palau islands with his wife and discovered a downed plane from World War II. “That 65-foot wing essentially changed my life,” Scannon said in an interview with GoPro. NEWLY RELEASED AMELIA EARHART DOCUMENTS REVEAL VIVID DETAILS OF JAPAN’S ROLE IN SEARCH FOR DOOMED AVIATOR Project Recover teams have located dozens of aircraft sites around the Palau islands associated with nearly 100 service members who went missing in action. “The recovery is difficult. We first have to find the aircraft or ships,” Gallaudet said. “And then we’ve got to go determine if there are any remains there and then ID them, match them to the service members. “ In 1944, U.S. officials determined the Palau islands were a crucial part of a larger mission to liberate the Philippines. The effort to capture the island of Peleliu ended up being a costly effort for the U.S. Located around 500 miles away from the Philippines, the island held an airfield, which U.S. officials believed could be used to launch an attack during their larger mission. More than 10,000 Japanese troops were stationed on Peleliu at the time. The battle was expected to last just a few days but ended up going on for 74. The U.S. began its bombardment by dropping more than 600 tons of bombs, but the Marines had little intelligence on enemy positions. Japanese troops hid in coral caves and mine shafts around the islands. The initial aerial attacks had little impact unless pilots flew dangerously close to the island. SEARCH FOR MISSING MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLIGHT 370 TO RESUME AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE On Peleliu, 1,800 Americans were killed in action and more than 8,000 were wounded or missing. Nearly all the 10,000 Japanese troops were killed in action. Across the Palau islands, the U.S. had carried out nine major air campaigns in which around 200 aircraft were lost. Now Project Recover is working to bring some of those service members home. “There were three service members on the aircraft that perished, a lieutenant and then two enlisted crew members. And over the last few years, we were able to recover the remains of all three. And we didn’t identify them all at the same time. It took forensic analysis and DNA. Technology. But the last one was finally identified,” Gallaudet said. Lt. Jay Manown, AOM1c Anthony Di Petta and ARM1c Wilbur Mitts took off for a bombing mission in September 1944. They were conducting pre-invasion strikes in preparation for the invasion of Peleliu when their plane spun out of control and crashed into surrounding waters. “The plane was hit by enemy fire, and it burst into flames,” Di Petta’s niece, Suzanne Nakamura, said in an interview with Media Evolve. Project Recover located the plane in 2015. After more than a dozen dives to investigate the wreckage, teams began removing the remains of the three service members. Lt. Manown was the last to be repatriated. “We held the ceremony in his hometown in West Virginia, and the relatives of all three service members came to that final ceremony,” Gallaudet said. The three nieces of the men have become especially close. WWII HERO’S REMAINS FINALLY COMING HOME AFTER 80-YEAR MYSTERY IS SOLVED THROUGH MILITARY DEDICATION “We’ve communicated beautifully and become friends through this experience and almost a sisterhood of type,” Manown’s niece, Rebecca Sheets, said in an interview with Media Evolve. “We’ve talked so much by phone and feel so close,” Mitt’s niece, Diana Ward, told Media Evolve. “This is just a joy to meet each other in person, and we’re just sharing the emotion we’ve felt about bringing our uncles home.” The three women have also connected over how their grandmothers, or the mothers of Manown, Di Petta and Mitts, may have felt about their sons finally coming home. “We have a connection because our uncles were involved in not only defending the freedom of the United States, but as human beings who fought together and died together,” Nakamura said. AMELIA EARHART MYSTERY EXPEDITION HALTED AS RESEARCHERS SEEK ANSWERS ON MISSING PLANE Including their work in Palau, Project Recover has completed more than 100 missions across 25 countries. They have repatriated 24 missing Americans and have located more than 200 missing in action awaiting further recovery efforts. The group is raising money for a mission it hopes to complete in 2026 — the search for a B-52 aircraft that disappeared during a training accident. “It’s off the coast of Texas. We’ve not yet found the aircraft. And of those eight service members, they all had families,” Gallaudet said. “There are about 32 of those family members still alive today who want the answers to know what happened to their loved ones.” In addition to the more than 80,000 missing-in-action service members, 20,000 are missing from training accidents. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is not permitted to allocate funds toward a search effort for the eight men who disappeared along with their B-52 because the crash occurred during a non-conflict training accident. “Not having found the wreck yet, we don’t know what the cause of the failure was. And so it’s our goal
Biden nearly invisible in own Christmas family photo as Hunter takes center stage
Former President Joe Biden shared a family photo on social media on Christmas Eve, sparking online criticism after he appeared partially visible in the image while son Hunter stood front and center. The photo shows several members of the Biden family standing in front of a decorated Christmas tree, with Hunter positioned prominently in the foreground. Former first lady Jill Biden is also in the image, standing in front of the former president with her head partially obstructing his face. All other family members appear fully framed and clearly visible. In the X post accompanying the image, Biden wrote, “Wishing you a peaceful and joyful Christmas Eve filled with joy.” INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS CARD TRADITION – FROM COOLIDGE TO TRUMP The post did not address the framing of the photo, and representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The image circulated widely on social media following its release, with users commenting on the positioning and composition of the family members shown. One person posted a close-up of Biden’s face, writing, “Took me a while to find ya, champ.” TRUMP LISTS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SAYS ‘RADICAL LEFT SCUM’ ARE ‘FAILING BADLY’ IN CHRISTMAS MESSAGE Another commenter wrote, “I think it’s disrespectful to put the eldest family member in the back of a photo taken for the former president’s social media.” Appearing to compare the image to a Where’s Waldo? scene, one person wrote, “Where’s Joe?“ Another user asked Biden in the comments, “Why are you in the back, blocked by Jill?” TRUMP AND FIRST LADY GO ALL BLACK FOR OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT PHOTO Other users questioned why Hunter was positioned so prominently in the photo, with some comments focusing specifically on his placement. One person wrote, “Hunter is the alpha now.” Additional posts shared altered versions of the image, depicting Hunter either shirtless or with a white substance under his nose. “Wishing you and your entire family (specially your son) a white Christmas,” one user wrote. Not all the comments were critical of the photo or the former president. One person wrote, “Wishing you and your family a peaceful and joyful Christmas. Your strength and love inspire us all.” Another added, “Wishing you a peaceful Christmas Eve too, Mr. President. Let’s hope the spirit of goodwill extends into the new year and helps bridge some of the divides we’ve seen. The image is a nice reminder of simpler times.” Several others shared similar sentiments, including a message that said, “Merry Christmas to the whole Biden family!”
Lawmakers attempt to tackle NIL, giving it the ‘old college try’
Congress has done nil to fix NIL in college sports. Lawmakers get another chance to tackle NIL in early 2026. Let’s start with terms. “NIL” refers to “name, image, likeness.” College athletes have made bank over the past few years, marketing themselves as their own product. They skip from school to school for more playing time. A bigger spotlight. And that leads to a better NIL deal. Translation: You’ll probably make more from your NIL contract if you play for Ohio State and not North Dakota State. TRUMP RIPS NIL ‘DISASTER’ IN OVAL OFFICE, WARNS IT’S KILLING COLLEGE SPORTS As everyone watches bowl games and the College Football Playoff this holiday season, fans inevitably crow about the lack of parity for schools from the Big 10 and SEC compared to the Mid-American Conference and Sunbelt Conference. James Madison, we’re looking at you. The NCAA appears incapacitated to act to rein in NIL and issue nationwide rules. So, they’ve turned to Congress for a fix. Good luck with that. The House tried to advance a bill in early December. But that legislation plunged into a toxic political scrum. First of all, many Democrats opposed the bill. The legislation then lacked the votes, thanks to some GOP defections. The timing of the legislation was in question, too. The House wasn’t addressing annual spending bills or health care, but college sports. Some Republicans thought this was a bad optic. This commotion came just as former Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin defected to SEC rival Louisiana State University (LSU) for a king’s ransom. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wasted no time noting that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., are both LSU graduates and superfans of the school’s athletic programs. Jeffries questioned whether well-moneyed alumni connected to the school advocated for Johnson and Scalise to push the NIL bill at that time. Jeffries then anointed the legislation the “Lane Kiffin Protection Act.” “People are asking the question, ‘Why did you decide to bring this bill this week?’ with all the other issues that the country is demanding that we focus on, led by the affordability crisis that they claim is a scam and a hoax,” posited Jeffries. The controversy created a maelstrom too challenging for the House to handle. So the GOP brass yanked the legislation off the floor. NATIONAL CHAMPION COACH WANTS TRUMP ‘MORE INVOLVED’ IN NIL REGULATION: ‘OUR SPORT IS GETTING KILLED’ House leaders hope to try again to regulate NIL and manage money in college sports in 2026. “I think we need to do it sooner rather than later,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. “We need a national framework,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., at a House session to prepare a NIL bill over the summer. “One with clarity and real enforcement to bring fairness, transparency, and equity to the new NIL era.” Lawmakers are now revising the NIL bill to set national standards — and coax enough lawmakers to support it. It’s possible Congress could vote around the same time the nation crowns the next college football champion. “We want to get it right to really do what we can to save college sports,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., the main author of the legislation. The measure in question is known as the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act. The bill would cap money schools can use from athletic revenue to pay athletes at 22 percent. Most Republicans support the measure. But Democrats believe the plan favors schools. Not athletes. Especially when it comes to labor rights – and treating athletes as university workers. “Passing the SCORE Act as it stands would only eliminate students’ abilities to collectively bargain,” said Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio. HOUSE VOTE ON NIL REGULATION ACT CANCELED DESPITE TRUMP’S BACKING AS SOME REPUBLICANS STILL NOT ON BOARD From a labor perspective, is a running back the same as a physics professor? “I do not think they should be granted employee status,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., of student-athletes. Some lawmakers aren’t sure whether Congress should even mettle in intercollegiate athletics. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee, questioned the wisdom of addressing this issue in higher education compared to more pressing topics. “You have to have a college to have college sports,” said Pallone as that panel prepped the bill over the summer. “And the way we’re going with this administration, I don’t even know if there’s going to be any colleges or universities left fighting for.” Pallone says lawmakers should focus instead on “very real threats to our nation’s colleges and universities.” Opponents of the legislation contend that the bill bends over backwards for major conferences. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, has problems with that. He demands overall better governance of college athletics. “We need to have a better structure around what is currently in NCAA. I think we need to have some reforms and some of the guardrails in what we’re doing. These coaches are getting these massive buyouts,” said Roy. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is pushing NIL regulation. But with a completely different approach. Hawley wants something which stretches far beyond the lines of the athletic fields and basketball arenas. He advocates universal NIL rules — because of Big Tech and AI. “We ought to give name, image and likeness rights to every single American. You should be able to control your image online. Control your data. Control your kids data,” said Hawley. “[It would be a] great thing to do for parents.” So, expect the House to try again on NIL in a few weeks. But consider the legislative agenda. A coalition of Democrats and four Republicans are deploying a gambit to go around the Speaker and force a vote to renew health care subsidies. That vote likely ripens around January 8 or 9. Obamacare subsidies expired. So that issue isn’t going away. And we haven’t even talked about trying to avoid a partial government
The iciest moments of 2025: The 5 political feuds that froze Washington
As temperatures drop in the nation’s capital and politicians hunker down for the holidays, here’s a look back at some of the political controversies that sent a chill through Washington, D.C., this year. The government was shut down for 43 days in 2025, setting the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Republicans blamed Democrats and Democrats blamed Republicans, leaving Capitol Hill at a standstill for a staggering stretch that put Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, federal paychecks and even air-traffic safety in jeopardy. TRUMP SAYS ECONOMY WILL ‘ROCKET’ AFTER SIGNING ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT’ Congress failed to find common ground on a short-term spending bill as Senate Democrats refused to support any plan that did not include extensions of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at year’s end. Ultimately, eight Senate Democrats broke with leadership to reach a bipartisan deal to reopen the government, and six House Democrats followed suit — ending the shutdown without securing the subsidies their party had demanded. TRUMP SAYS ECONOMY WILL ‘ROCKET’ AFTER SIGNING ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: ‘IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY GREAT’ President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with a mandate to cut waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government. Trump tapped Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a “special government employee” to spearhead spending reductions. According to DOGE, the agency has saved approximately $214 billion through asset sales, contract cancellations, improper payment recoveries, grant terminations, regulatory rollbacks, and workforce reductions. As Musk slashed spending, the agency overhauled federal operations, laying off tens of thousands of workers, cutting foreign-aid programs, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and shaking up global health efforts such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The DOGE disruptions and Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda triggered a wave of protest movements across the country. In February, the 50501 Movement, a coalition of activists rejecting Trump’s “executive overreach,” organized nationwide “Not My President’s Day,” or “No Kings Day,” demonstrations. From Austin to Orlando and Boston to Phoenix, crowds marched with handmade signs, chanting and singing in protest. More than a thousand gathered at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., on President’s Day. As Musk led efforts to slash government spending, some protesters targeted Tesla cars, dealerships, and showrooms as Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled the attacks as “domestic terrorism.” By Oct. 18, millions of Americans joined another “No Kings Day,” as the protest movement showed no signs of fading throughout Trump’s second term. During Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, he promised to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in American history. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement delivered on that pledge this year, launching an aggressive nationwide effort to deport illegal immigrants. While Republicans celebrated what they viewed as a long-overdue restoration of security at the southern border, many Americans rejected the crackdown, protesting mistaken removals, due-process concerns and ICE’s enforcement surge. Democratic lawmakers and local officials joined demonstrations at ICE processing centers and immigration courts, urging constituents to know their legal rights. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles as anti-ICE protests escalated into riots in June. It was the first time in more than 60 years that a president overrode a governor and federalized a state’s National Guard for a domestic law-enforcement mission. After federalizing the National Guard in Los Angeles in June, Trump deployed troops to the nation’s capital in August as part of the administration’s nationwide crime crackdown. The White House then moved to deploy the Guard to other Democratic-led cities, including Chicago and Memphis, and attempted a similar rollout in Portland before courts intervened. Democrats and progressive activists denounced the strategy as dangerous federal overreach, arguing that importing troops into local jurisdictions would escalate tensions rather than calm them. Tensions reached a boiling point on Nov. 26, when two National Guardsmen — U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20 — were shot just blocks from the White House. Beckstrom later died from the injuries. Federal authorities are investigating the attack as a potential act of terrorism. “God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement. These are truly Great People. I, as President of the United States, and everyone associated with the Office of the Presidency, am with you!” Trump said in response.