Free Republic

The sprawling fraud scandal tied to taxpayer-funded childcare and welfare programs is no longer confined to Minnesota. New evidence suggests the same red flags are now flashing in Washington State, where hundreds of Somali-run childcare centers allegedly operate without even listing a physical address. The Gateway Pundit previously reported on independent journalist Nick Shirley and his explosive investigation into alleged large-scale fraud involving Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota. Shirley shared clips from his reporting on X, including footage of a childcare facility that claimed to serve 102 children—yet appeared completely empty—before staff abruptly slammed the door in his face. Shirley...

Agents with the Department of Homeland Security are on the ground going door-to-door at suspected Somali fraud sites in Minneapolis following journalist Nick Shirley’s viral video revealing rampant fraud in the Somali community. As previously reported, an angry Somali woman ‘working’ at a daycare – with no children inside – slammed the door as journalist Nick Shirley asked some simple questions about the so-called children’s center. Minnesota Childcare Center claims it takes care of 102 children, however, the facility is empty. “We’re just wondering where the children are,” David, a man who has been investigating the Somali fraud for years,...

Air travel has grown more chaotic in recent years, and one trend stands out for its brazenness: passengers requesting wheelchair assistance to board early, only to walk off the plane unaided at their destination. Social media has dubbed these “miracle flights,” with the sudden recoveries credited to a tongue-in-cheek figure called “Jetway Jesus.” The practice exploits a system meant to help those with genuine mobility needs, and it’s drawing sharp criticism from fellow travelers and industry observers. The issue gained fresh attention this Christmas season with reports of passengers faking mobility problems to skip security lines and claim priority boarding....

A staggering $9 billion may have been stolen in Minnesota’s sprawling social-services scam orchestrated mainly by members of its Somali community — a figure nearly equivalent to the entire economy of Somalia. The enormous new estimate is a nearly nine-fold increase from the swiped $1 billion previously suspected, according to federal prosecutors. It also accounts for roughly half of the $18 billion in total federal funds provided to the Minnesota-run services since 2018, the feds said — as Democratic Gov. Tim Walz continues to take heat for his handling of the debacle. By comparison to the $9 billion figure, Somalia’s...

A BLM activist has been charged over a huge fraud which is said to have included blowing a grant intended for young men at risk of violence on trips to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Shake Shack and a nail salon. She is accused of using much of the $1 million raised by her nonprofit Violence in Boston Inc for good causes. Her salary jumped from $25,000 in 2020 to $170,000 in 2021. Cannon-Grant - once named a Bostonian of the Year by the prestigious Boston Globe newspaper - was arrested at her spacious home last week. She appeared in a...

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Education thwarted more than $1 billion in student aid fraud under President Donald Trump's first year in office, including stopping suspected bots and "ghost students" from obtaining taxpayer-funded loans, Fox News Digital learned. Officials say the savings come from new "enhanced fraud controls" the department implemented in June to combat fraudsters from working to obtain financial assistance loans from colleges. College officials and cybersecurity experts in recent years have pointed to a new scam trend of "ghost students," which are fabricated or stolen identities created solely to enroll, trigger financial aid disbursements and then...

California just teamed up with Nigeria on a new climate partnership at #COP30 — focused on cleaner transportation, climate adaptation, and cutting pollution. Real action, global collaboration!

BELEM, Brazil (AP) — Officials from countries most vulnerable to global warming offered searing dispatches of life on the front line of a warming planet Friday, as world leaders gathered on the edge of the Amazon rainforest for the annual United Nations climate talks. Haitian diplomat Smith Augustin, whose country was pummeled by Hurricane Melissa, appealed to wealthier countries that produce the greatest share of the world’s emissions to support Haiti in preparing for bigger storms. Developed countries pledged $300 billion to help poor nations cope with climate shocks at last year’s summit, but the money has yet to be...

SINGAPORE plans to unleash at least six brutal strokes of the cane on convicted online scammers, a minister told lawmakers on Tuesday. A shocking video shows how offenders will be tied down and forced to writhe in agony as someone ferciously whips their backside. This mandatory punishment could go up to 24 strokes in extreme cases. This penalty is usually reserved for more serious offences, including rape, drug trafficking and illegal moneylending. The punishment only applies to male offenders under the age of 50 and a rattan cane is typically used after a medical examination. This comes as the city-state...

Embattled BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors and her wife have dissolved their consulting business and sold their joint LA home, while she’s dropped her spouse’s name, The Post can reveal. Details about the personal moves surfaced as the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation that Cullors helped found is reportedly in the crosshairs of the Department of Justice for possibly defrauding its donors out of tens of millions of dollars during the country’s 2020 racial-justice protests. It isn’t yet clear who the feds are eyeing in the probe, but subpoenas and at least one search warrant were issued in recent weeks,...

On the surface, the town of Jamtara appeared no different from neighbouring districts. But, if you knew where to look, there were startling differences. In the middle of spartan villages were houses of imposing size and unusual opulence. Millions of Indians knew why this was. They knew, to their cost, where Jamtara was. To them, it was no longer a place; it was a verb. You lived in fear of being “Jamtara-ed”. Over the past 15 years, parts of this sleepy district in the eastern state of Jharkhand had grown fabulously wealthy. This extraordinary feat of rural development was powered...

FBI Director Kash Patel said on Oct. 15 that the agency is cracking down on espionage by foreign adversaries, with an increase in arrests as high as 50 percent. “We have gone after espionage activities against our main counterparts in China, Russia, and Iran,” he said at a press conference. “In China alone, we’ve had over a 50 percent increase in espionage arrests alone, and prosecutions,” Patel said. “In Iran, we have had a 50 percent increase, again, in espionage cases. And in Russia, we had a 33 percent increase in espionage cases alone.” State Department employee Ashley Tellis, arrested...

The U.S. is awash with scam text messages. Officials say it has become a billion-dollar, highly sophisticated business benefiting criminals in China. Your highway toll payment is now past due, one text warns. You have U.S. Postal Service fees to pay, another threatens. You owe the New York City Department of Finance for unpaid traffic violations. The texts are ploys to get unsuspecting victims to fork over their credit-card details. The gangs behind the scams take advantage of this information to buy iPhones, gift cards, clothing and cosmetics. Criminal organizations operating out of China, which investigators blame for the toll...

Publishers Clearing House – the bankrupt sweepstakes company that told its past prize winners they would no longer receive their ‘forever’ payments – has a new CEO, who has a plan to protect the company’s prize winners. Future winners. Past winners are still out of luck. ARB Interactive, a mobile gaming company that now owns PCH, announced Tuesday that Owen O’Donoghue will lead a “revitalization” of the 70-year-old brand that ensures “all future sweepstakes payouts are fully secure,” according to a statement. O’Donoghue, the new PCH CEO, also plans to make PCH a “mobile-first digital entertainment platform.” The change comes...

“Tribute to Charlie Kirk, Rest in Peace” is a soul-stirring gospel-inspired ballad in Adele’s iconic style. Blending spoken word, heartfelt gospel lyrics, and Adele’s emotional storytelling, this piece is both a song of remembrance and a spiritual prayer. This moving tribute explores grief, hope, faith, and eternal love, reminding us that death is not the end but a doorway to forever. With Adele’s signature powerful vocals, emotional pre-chorus, and soaring chorus, this gospel song resonates with anyone who has lost a loved one yet holds on to faith in God’s eternal promise. The song carries a spiritual weight, drawing listeners...

1/ Meet Gaurav Trivedi, an Indian scammer who impersonates Microsoft support and then rips off innocent vulnerable people. He tried to scam me......but instead of paying him money, I hacked into his laptop and turned on his live webcam feed. 2/ Gaurav runs a classic Microsoft tech support scam out of his apartment complex in Raebareli, India. It starts with a fake popup that locks your screen, blares a loud warning sound, and tells you to call “Microsoft” immediately or risk losing all your data.

An illegal immigrant and mother was arrested for staging a fake “kidnapping” — where bounty hunters took her at gunpoint and tried forcing her to self-deport at a fast-food restaurant — to scam people and “smear federal law enforcement.” Yuriana Julia “Juli” Pelaez Calderon, 41, was charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers over the elaborate scheme on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice. “Dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are ‘kidnapping’ illegal immigrants is being recklessly peddled by politicians and echoed in the media to inflame the public and discredit our courageous federal agents,” US Attorney...

WILLIAMSPORT - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that eight Chinese nationals who obtained student visas to attend college in the United States were indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Those indicated include: Yankun Jiang, 24, of State College, PA, Hanlin Yang, 24, of State College; Chenhao Chen, 25, of California; Xiaoqing Tu, 24, of California; Dongjie Lu, 35, of California; Lei Bao, 22, of New York; Kuo Zhang, 31, of New Jersey; and Jiacheng Zhang, 25, of Florida.According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, the indictment...

Conversations with the Master Forecaster This book is unlike anything you’ve read before. It’s not another theory — it’s a documented track record of how Martin saw what no one else did: ✅ Sovereign debt implosions ✅ War cycles and geopolitical shifts ✅ The coming collapse of trust in governments ✅ The timeline to 2032 — and what it means for you Written by longtime interviewer Kerry Lutz, this book is based on over a decade of never-before-published insights, straight from Martin’s most powerful moments on air. Whether you’re an investor, thinker, or someone simply seeking truth in an age...

On May 27, 2025, President Donald Trump announced he would pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the reality TV show Chrisley Knows Best. Known for their Southern charm, witty banter, and tight-knit family, the Chrisleys captured the hearts of millions. As outspoken conservatives and Trump supporters—a rarity in entertainment—they faced federal charges in 2022 for bank fraud and tax evasion, accused of defrauding Atlanta-area banks out of over $30 million and evading taxes. Todd received a 12-year sentence, and Julie was sentenced to seven years, with a combined $17.8 million in restitution. Their daughter, Savannah, has tirelessly advocated for...