December 29, 2025
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Welcome to the news for independent thinkers
Leading the News . . .
Walz scrambles as fraud firestorm grows . . . Tim Walz is desperately pushing back as fraud allegations intensify following a viral investigation into an alleged Somali aid scheme. A bombshell video from conservative journalist Nick Shirley reignited scrutiny, forcing Walz's office into damage control. His team claims oversight was tightened and investigations launched, but critics see another case of reactive cleanup after public exposure. New York Post
Kash Patel Says FBI Investigation Into Alleged Minnesota Fraud Will Broaden As New Details Emerge
Politics
Suspect Confesses to Planting Pipe Bombs Near the Capitol Before Jan. 6 . . . A Virginia man accused of planting pipe bombs near the Capitol before Jan. 6 now claims he acted out of fear the 2020 election was rigged. Court filings say Brian J. Cole Jr. told investigators he felt compelled to act after suspecting tampering in Donald Trump's defeat. The Justice Department says his detailed FBI confession ties paranoia, not protest, to a dangerous escalation. New York Times
From A.I. to Chips, Big Tech Is Getting What It Wants From Trump . . After courting Donald Trump with donations and Mar-a-Lago visits, Big Tech got a full payoff. Since returning to office, Donald Trump has slashed AI export limits, rushed data-center construction, blessed new crypto rules, and wiped out state-level AI restrictions. He even approved sales of advanced Nvidia chips to China, giving Silicon Valley nearly everything it asked for. New York Times
Trump's AI push meets public backlash . . . Days into office, Donald Trump ordered a full-throttle push to make America—not China—the world's AI superpower. But voters aren't sold. Fears over job losses, cultural decay, soaring energy use, and water strain are growing. Ron DeSantis openly rejected the hype, signaling a widening gap between elite ambition and public skepticism. Washington Times
Trump's embrace of Big Tech is starting to divide the conservative movement, with populists like Steve Bannon harshly critical of a relationship they say comes at the expense of workers and kids.
Britt calls for Congress to act on AI, saying companies put 'profit over actual people' . . . Sen. Katie Britt is pressing Congress to move after years of hand-wringing over AI's impact on children. The Alabama Republican says tech firms chasing profits won't police themselves, calling parental controls promised by companies like OpenAI inadequate without law. Appearing on CNN's State of the Union, Britt warned lawmakers that delay guarantees more families pay the price. The Hill
Kennedy Center fires back after show canceled . . . The president of the Kennedy Center is threatening a $1 million lawsuit after a jazz musician bailed on a Christmas Eve show to protest the venue's Trump rebrand. Richard Grenell blasted the move as a political stunt tied to the renamed Donald J. Trump and JFK Memorial Center. He says the cancellation compounded weak ticket sales and dried-up donor support. Daily Caller
Culture
Violence goes mainstream on the Left . . . In a single year, political violence stopped being taboo and started getting applause. The Left opened by lionizing an alleged corporate killer and closed by electing a Virginia official who fantasized about gunning down an opponent and harming his family. Even worse, party leaders waved it off as necessary pressure. When pain becomes policy, restraint is already dead. The Daily Signal
Of course Democrats will continue casting conservatives as the greatest national security threat since George III.
'We are not afraid': Erika Kirk vows TPUSA will continue campus debates nationwide . . . . After her husband's assassination, Erika Kirk says Turning Point USA won't retreat from hostile campuses. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, she vowed TPUSA will revive its national college push and resume confrontational Prove Me Wrong debates. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed at a Utah campus stop last fall, but the group says intimidation won't win. Fox News
National Security
Chinese Military Drills Send 'Stern Warning' After U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan . . . China launched sweeping military drills around Taiwan, calling them a blunt warning to Washington and its allies. The show of force follows the Donald Trump administration's approval of an $11 billion arms package for Taipei. Beijing answered with sanctions on U.S. defense firms while pressuring Japan, raising fears the region is edging closer to confrontation. Wall Street Journal
International
US offers Ukraine 15-year security guarantee as part of peace plan, Zelenskyy says . . . Trump is floating a 15-year U.S. security guarantee for Ukraine as part of a peace deal, but Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants far more to deter Russia long term. After talks at Mar-a-Lago, Trump claimed progress, even as negotiations stall over troop withdrawals and the fate of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. He warned the fragile talks could still unravel. Associated Press
China criminalizes Uyghur culture, one song at a time . . .
Authorities in China are treating a centuries-old Uyghur folk song as a crime. "Besh pede," once a wedding staple, is now labeled dangerous in Xinjiang, where downloading or sharing it can mean prison. Police in Kashgar flagged the ballad as "problematic," exposing how cultural expression itself has become contraband under Beijing's tightening grip. Associated Press
China's genocide against the Uyghur's is ignored while outrage boils worldwide against Israel's defensive war against Hamas.
Families, Neighbors Informed on Each Other in Assad's Syria, With Deadly Consequences . . . Modeled on the Stasi and Stalin's secret police, the system erased trust inside Syrian society. Since 2011, more than 160,000 people were forcibly disappeared, according to Syrian Network for Human Rights. Investigators say mass graves and industrial-scale killings cemented the regime's grip through terror. Wall Street Journal
Money
Power bills surge as grid strains spread . . . Electricity costs are climbing for most Americans, and relief isn't coming soon. While energy-hungry data centers get blamed, they're only part of a wider squeeze. Storm damage, wildfire risks, green-energy mandates, and costly grid repairs are all pushing rates higher. Utilities are passing the tab along, turning household bills into a political flashpoint likely to electrify the 2026 midterm elections. Wall Street Journal
Billionaires eye exits as California sharpens tax knife . . . Silicon Valley's richest residents are again floating an exodus as California weighs a one-time wealth tax aimed squarely at billionaires. Backed by Service Employees International Union, the plan would skim 5 percent from fortunes over $1 billion. Tech leaders warn the move could drive capital and innovation elsewhere, even as supporters pitch it as a healthcare funding fix. Fox Business
You should also know
Fox News steamrolls rivals in ratings war . . . Fox News Channel crushed cable competitors again and even muscled past broadcast TV. The late-afternoon juggernaut The Five topped all shows for a fourth straight year, pulling in 4.1 million viewers—its strongest run since launch. Anchored by a rotating panel, the program beat not just cable rivals but broadcast staples on CBS and ABC, underscoring Fox's expanding dominance. The Daily Signal
Alzheimer's disease could be reversed by restoring brain balance, study suggests . . . Scientists say they reversed Alzheimer's symptoms in mice by restoring a fading energy molecule, reigniting hopes—and expectations. Researchers found boosting NAD+ reversed brain damage and cognitive decline in animal models, while human brain tissue showed steep depletion. Lead author Andrew A. Pieper hailed the findings, though the leap from lab mice to human cures remains a long and uncertain climb. Fox News
104-Year-Old WWII Veteran Brings House Down With National Anthem . . . A 104-year-old World War II veteran delivered a show-stopping National Anthem on saxophone before the rivalry clash between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers, electrifying the arena. Wearing an Islanders jersey marked 104, Dominick Critelli played with power and grace, leaving fans singing and saluting. The moment stood as a sharp rebuke to years of anthem scorn fueled by figures like Colin Kaepernick. Daily Wire
Guilty Pleasures
Lobster shipment worth $400k hijacked . . . A $400,000 truckload of live lobsters bound for Midwest Costco stores vanished en route from Massachusetts, never reaching Illinois or Minnesota. Authorities say the hijacking fits a growing pattern of organized, high-value cargo theft hammering America's supply chain. What should've been a routine seafood delivery instead became another costly reminder of how easily criminals now exploit overstretched logistics networks. Daily Mail
The lobsters were later rescued by Seal Team 7, which is composed of actual seals.
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