News From Around the Web
#1 Accusations Fly in GOP-Led Congressional Hearing Into Minnesota Fraud Cases - MPR News, Wall Street Apes, Gunther Eagleman, National Review, Rep. Nancy Mace, Townhall.com, and Bill Mitchell on X
State Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, said instances of fraud have become pervasive across state government, and federal investigators are swamped with targets.“Whatever the actual number is, the full scope of the problem is not just criminal fraud, but a culture of profiting from government programs in perpetuity, not as a safety net, but as an industry,” Hudson said. Also present were GOP Rep. Kristin Robbins of Maple Grove, a candidate for governor, and Rep. Marion Rarick of Maple Lake. In remarks to the committee, Rarick accused the Walz administration of trying to silence agency employees trying to expose problems. Conveying assertions of former Department of Human Services employees, Rarick said those “who suggest improvements — or heaven forbid — report fraud, then face significant retaliation.” Two people were hurt in a shooting that involved federal immigration officers in Oregon on Thursday afternoon, according to authorities. The Department of Homeland, and Security (DHS) said the shooting also involved an illegal migrant from Venezuela who is affiliated with the Tren de Aragua prostitution ring, as well as another alleged member of the gang. DHS said U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting "a targeted vehicle stop" in Portland shortly after 2:15 p.m. when a driver tried to ram officers with his car... Vice President JD Vance widely cast blame as he responded Thursday to reporters' questioning about an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer's fatal shooting of Minneapolis woman Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. Appearing in the White House briefing room, the vice president's voice rose as he decried what he called the "corporate media" for its coverage. "This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people," said Vance, who maintained it has not been portrayed that way by many journalists."The way that the media, by and large, has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace," he added. "And it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day."
Iran’s supreme leader signaled a hard line Friday against protesters rocking the Islamic Republic, accusing them of acting on behalf of President Donald Trump as authorities struggling to contain the unrest shut the country off from the world. In his first major address to the nation since widespread demonstrations erupted almost two weeks ago, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said protesters were “ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy,” according to news agencies. After Trump’s repeated threats to intervene, Khamenei said the president should focus on problems in his own country... Mangione allegedly shot Brian Thompson, 50, on a busy Manhattan sidewalk outside a hotel where he was set to attend an annual investors conference December 4, 2024. His arrest five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, ended a multi-state manhunt. The case generated a national debate over the American health care system that’s garnered appalled reactions to Thompson’s brutal killing but also vocal support for Mangione as he’s become a figure for larger frustrations with the industry. Donations to his legal fund surpassed $1.4 million... Federal prosecutors have launched a new criminal investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, after a grand jury previously declined to indict her twice on unrelated criminal charges, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. The new probe, which is in its early stages, marks the latest effort by the Justice Department to target one of President Trump's perceived political enemies, after she pursued a civil fraud case against him while he was out of power. The latest investigation, which was first reported by the New York Times, centers on financial transactions between James and her long-time hairdresser Iyesata Marsh, the sources said... Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI is set to spend $20 billion to build a data center in Southaven, Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Thursday, calling it the largest private investment in the state's history. The data center, called MACROHARDRR, is being built in Mississippi’s DeSoto County near Memphis, Tennessee. It will be the company’s third data center in the greater Memphis area. xAI CFO Anthony Armstrong said the cluster of data centers will house “the world's largest supercomputer" with 2 gigawatts of computing power. The announcement comes as xAI faces scrutiny over its data center projects in the Memphis area. The NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center have raised concerns over air pollution generated by xAI's supercomputer facility located near predominantly Black communities in Memphis... The promise of artificial intelligence was front and center at this year’s CES gadget show. But spicing up a simple machine like a refrigerator with unnecessary AI was also a surefire way to win the “Worst in Show.” The annual contest that no tech company wants to win announced its decisions Thursday. Among those getting the notorious “anti-awards” for invasive, wasteful, or fragile products were an eye-tracking AI “soulmate” companion for combating loneliness, a musical lollipop, and new AI features for Amazon’s widely used doorbell cameras... General Motors will be hit with charges of about $6 billion as sales of electric vehicles sputter after the U.S. cut tax incentives to buy them and also eased auto emissions standards. Shares slid about 2% before the opening bell Friday. The charges that will be recorded in the fourth quarter follow an announcement in October that the Detroit automaker would take a $1.6 billion charge for the same reason in the previous quarter, with automakers forced to reconsider ambitious plans to convert their fleets to electric power. The EV tax credit ended in September. The clean vehicle tax credit was worth $7,500 for new EVs and up to $4,000 for used ones... The U.S. economy added 50,000 jobs in December, a moderate improvement after hiring cratered in October and rebounded only slightly in November. After posting an average of only 48,000 jobs per month, after revisions, through the first 11 months of the year, the employment numbers could be a sign that the worst has passed. Combined with plummeting government employment and a temporary delay of official data in the midst of the longest U.S. government shutdown in history, the overall labor market picture has for months remained foggy with conflicting signals... Trevor Van Camp planned a surprise weekend getaway to Boyne Mountain and chose the Skybridge Michigan as the spot to propose to his girlfriend, Danielle Jenkins. High above the snowy slopes, Trevor dropped to one knee, pulled the ring from its box, and the unthinkable happened. The ring slipped from his fingers, fell through the open grating of the bridge, and dropped about 118 feet into the snow below. The couple spent more than two hours searching the ski slopes with metal detectors, helped by Pat Harper, Boyne Mountain’s night-shift snowmaking supervisor, who happened to have metal detectors in his car...
#2 Border Patrol Agents Shoot Suspected Gang Members in Portland Traffic Stop - Jessica A. Botelho for WHAM, Buck Sexton, Nick Sortor, Pop Base, Rep. Janelle Bynum/End Wokeness on X
#3 Vance Blames Victim of Fatal Ice Shooting at White House Briefing - PBS/Associated Press, JD Vance/Tamera Stanton, jordan/Dr. Manhattan, Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini)/Kevin J. Farley, and Micah on X
#4 Iran Shut Off From the World as Regime Struggles to Contain Escalating Unrest - Babak Dehghanpisheh for NBC News, Nino Brodin, چیت چت 𓄂✺/Emily Schrader,
Emily Austin/Sohi rajabi, Surge, and The Everyman on X
#5 Lawyers for Luigi Mangione to Fight Over Death Penalty in Federal Court Friday - Lauren del Valle and Nicki Brown, and CNN, CBS New York, FOX 5 NY, Stefstuff,
Luigi Mangione is due back in federal court Friday, where his attorneys will continue to fight for the 27-year-old accused killer to avoid the death penalty in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s top executive in 2024.
minxychi, Boomer Chris, and Paul Mauro on X
#6 U.S. Prosecutors Pursue New Criminal Probe Into New York AG Letitia James Over Financial Transactions - CBS News, The Way Forward**Breaking News Daily, Fuchsia Sky, CPT35E, CJ4America2, and Jennifer Forsythe on X
#7 Elon Musk’s Xai to Build $20 Billion Data Center in Mississippi - Sophie Bates for ABC News, BizToc, Rodney.Roberts, The Head and Tale, and Solix Trading on X
#8 AI Refrigerators, AI Companions and AI Doorbells - Matt O’Brien for AP News, RTÉ Business, Estates IT®, Hartford Courant, Stuff, and AFP News Agency on X
#9 GM Hit With $6 Billion in Charges as EV Incentives Cut and Emissions Standards Fade - Michelle Chapman for AP News, ChiBarb, J. Reardon,TransportTopics, TôuTzuSays, and NOTRELOAD AI on X
#10 U.S. Added 50,000 Jobs in December, a Mixed Report Capping off a Year of Uncertainty - Steve Kopack and Allie Canal for NBC News, Augusta Chambers, Scope Markets, Zena, RJM, and Skyler Weinand on X
And Now for Something Special
Man Drops Ring 100 Feet Into Snow During Proposal — 3 Hours Later, A Snowmaker Finds It
