Day: January 20, 2026
MLK Day Celebration Backed by Top Teachers’ Union Disinvites Rabbi Over Support for Israel
A San Diego rabbi was disinvited from giving a benediction at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) over his support for Israel, according to the rabbi, his synagogue, and the organization that hosted the event.
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Justice Dept. slaps Gov. Tim Walz, AG Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Frey with subpoenas: Report
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have all received subpoenas from the Department of Justice, reports claim.
Fox News reported on the subpoenas Tuesday and said they related to an investigation into obstruction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
‘This Justice Department investigation … does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction.’
Walz’s office and Frey’s office confirmed to KMSP-TV that they received the subpoenas. Walz also posted a statement on social media to President Donald Trump.
“Mr. President, Minnesota invites you to see our values in action. Come see how communities from all walks of life are working together, and how the spirit of this state refuses to be defined by division or fear,” he wrote in part.
“But let me be absolutely clear: The State of Minnesota will not be drawn into political theater,” Walz added. “This Justice Department investigation, sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good, does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction.”
The subpoenas asked for records and communications from the politicians related to the surge of federal officers in Minnesota. The Associated Press reported that other subpoenas were also sent to St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, who previously admitted she is an “illegal” immigrant, and officials in Ramsey County as well as Hennepin County.
“When the federal government weaponizes its power to try to intimidate local leaders for doing their jobs, every American should be concerned,” read a statement from Frey to KMSP.
“We shouldn’t have to live in a country where people fear that federal law enforcement will be used to play politics or crack down on local voices they disagree with,” he added. “In Minneapolis, we won’t be afraid. We know the difference between right and wrong, and, as Mayor, I’ll continue doing the job I was elected to do: keeping our community safe and standing up for our values.”
RELATED: Tim Walz tries to dunk on Trump and gets pantsed on social media
Walz went on to call for an investigation into the death of anti-ICE activist Renee Good instead.
“A mother is dead, and the people responsible have yet to be held accountable,” he wrote.
“That’s where the energy of the federal government should be directed: toward restoring trust, accountability, and real law and order, not political retaliation,” Walz added. “Minnesota will not be intimidated into silence and neither will I.”
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Wife suspects her church deacon husband of cheating — then she uncovers secret bathroom videos that trigger police search
A Tennessee husband and now-former church deacon has been criminally charged after his wife, who was holding his phone during a medical procedure, allegedly discovered videos of an underage babysitter in their bathroom, police said.
Christopher Thomas Collins, 42, was arrested Jan. 14 after police reportedly found explicit content on his cell phone. Collins is being detained on a $50,000 bond, according to Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office records.
‘Through the course of a marriage counseling session, Chris Collins’ wife revealed that she had found videos on her husband’s phone of a minor.’
Citing the police affidavit, WTVC-TV reported that Collins handed his phone over to his wife while he was undergoing a medical procedure.
Collins’ wife suspected her husband of cheating, so she searched his phone for evidence of infidelity, according to the affidavit.
But the wife found explicit videos and a photo of the couple’s former babysitter inside a hidden folder in the photo gallery, the affidavit said.
The wife informed investigators that the videos appeared to be recorded from small cameras placed inside a downstairs bathroom at Collins’ home in Hixson, which is about an hour and a half southeast of Nashville. Investigators found the secret cameras, and they seemed to be positioned toward the shower and toilet, court documents said.
The wife told deputies that Collins told her he installed the cameras to spot rats, according to court docs.
The police affidavit said the wife told investigators she deleted the files but then took screenshots from the “recently deleted” folder.
RELATED: Critical detail leads police 400 miles to surgeon accused of killing ex-wife and her new husband
Photo by wbritten via iStock / Getty Images Plus
The wife sought guidance from Abba’s House church, where her husband had been a deacon.
The affidavit revealed that staff members of the church encouraged the wife to contact police. Shortly afterward, officers arrived to interview Collins’ wife, court docs said.
Police were concerned that Collins would delete the evidence, so officers were dispatched to confront him, according to the affidavit.
Officers conducted a traffic stop to detain Collins, where they obtained his cell phone, and he gave police authorization to conduct a search of his home in Hixson, according to court documents.
Officers seized two SD cards from small cameras and an older cell phone, police said.
According to the affidavit, a camera was positioned near a water heater in the bathroom and aimed toward the shower and toilet.
Court documents stated Collins admitted to investigators that he knew about the cameras in the bathroom and confessed to using a mobile application to view images on his cell phone.
Collins admitted to police that he saw a naked image a camera captured and kept it for a while before deleting it, according to the affidavit.
A forensic examination of Collins’ cell phone revealed nine video files from the bathroom cameras, time-stamped in 2025, according to the court documents.
The court documents stated investigators said the videos show a girl changing clothes, using the toilet, and entering and exiting the shower.
Police determined that recordings were made without the girl’s knowledge or consent and in a place where she had a reasonable expectation of privacy, according to the affidavit.
Authorities determined the files were child sexual abuse material, court documents state.
Collins was arrested and charged with nine counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor for each file found on the phone.
The offense of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor in Tennessee makes it unlawful for a “person to knowingly promote, employ, use, assist, transport, or permit a minor to participate in the performance of, or in the production of, acts or material that includes the minor engaging in sexual activity; or simulated sexual activity that is patently offensive.”
On Thursday, a spokesman for Abba’s House said Collins was stripped of his church deacon title upon his arrest.
The church issued the following statement to WDEF-TV:
Through the course of a marriage counseling session, Chris Collins’ wife revealed that she had found videos on her husband’s phone of a minor. We immediately reported it to the police, and they are handling the situation. We are caring for his wife and kids during this tragic time. Chris Collins had been a member of the church for four years and served as a deacon. He has been removed from that role.
Collins is no longer listed on the church’s website.
Abba’s House pastor Ronnie Phillips Jr. told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that the church paid for a hotel for Collins’ wife and will pay for counseling and cover her bills until she can get back on her feet.
Collins appeared in court on Tuesday morning, according to WCTV.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News‘ request for comment.
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NYC retiree sentenced to PRISON for acting in self-defense
Journalist Savanah Hernandez is shedding light on one abhorrent story out of New York City — where a man who used his weapon to protect himself was sent to prison for four years.
“I just attended the sentencing for Charles Foehner, a 67-year-old retiree who was just sentenced to four years in prison after defending himself from a 15-time career criminal here in New York City,” Hernandez reported.
“Now, if you’re not familiar with the story of Charles, basically, back in 2023, a 15-time career criminal with a history of mental illness ended up threatening him and lunging at him. Charles, who had a handgun in his pocket, which he had, by the way, because of his fears of rising crime throughout the city, ended up pulling out his weapon, telling this man to stop,” she continued.
“He did not heed the warning. He continued to lunge at Charles. Charles opened fire and ended up killing him,” she said.
While even the DA of Queens, Melinda Katz, did not bring homicide or manslaughter charges because she agreed that it was clearly self-defense, she did go after Charles for criminal possession of a weapon.
The cops then searched his home and found what they called an “arsenal of unlicensed weapons.”
“Charles’ attorney stated that Charles has been shooting guns since he was a kid. Charles has no criminal history, and he has been around guns his entire life. However, because he was in New York and these were unlicensed, the DA decided to bring forward these charges,” Hernandez reported.
“It’s incredible that this is happening in the United States of America. So he ended up — this 67-year-old retiree ended up losing his home because of the legal fees and him being cut off from his Social Security benefits while he’s in prison. You can’t get that when you’re in prison,” BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales comments on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”
“It’s really incredible that there is such a thing as unlicensed firearms in this country. It’s like, says who? That is completely unconstitutional, because I have a Second Amendment right to protect myself however I see fit,” she says.
“This man would not be alive if it weren’t for the weapon that he carried. And the fact that doing that — protecting his own life — now causes him to be in prison because then they can go and raid your home and say, ‘Oh, actually, you have an arsenal here. You’re not allowed to do that,’ is so very chilling,” she adds.
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$300M frozen: California allegedly forced Americans to fund illegal alien Medicaid — so Dr. Oz drops the hammer
The Trump administration officials are pushing California to return over $1 billion in federal taxpayer funds that may have been used to cover the health care costs of illegal aliens.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced in May that it was increasing oversight on states that illegally used Medicaid funding to provide illegal immigrants with health care services, noting that Medicaid funding is generally available to illegal aliens only for emergency medical services.
‘We are teaming up to combat healthcare fraud so the money can be used for American citizens who need it!’
As part of the announcement, the CMS declared that states could be forced to reimburse the federal government for funds spent on noncitizens.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed in October that the agency found more than $1 billion of federal taxpayer funds were spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens.
“And my team is getting it back,” he remarked.
Oz called CMS’ findings “shocking.”
“In a preliminary review of six states, we found those states improperly using federal tax dollars for their allegedly state-funded program and providing coverage to individuals, including some with criminal records of murder and assault,” he stated.
Those findings included $1.3 billion in California, $2.1 million in Washington, D.C., $30 million in Illinois, $2.4 million in Washington, $1.5 million in Colorado, and $5.4 million in Oregon.
RELATED: Dr. Oz exposes the nonprofit lie at the heart of US health care
Mehmet Oz, Bill Essayli. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Oz explained that the states had been notified and that “many” had begun issuing refunds to CMS. However the administrator provided an update on Wednesday, stating that additional uncovered data revealed the total had reached $1.8 billion across eight states.
He announced that the CMS is withholding nearly $300 million from California, which Oz labeled “the worst offender,” until the state’s leadership proves “they’re spending the money properly.”
Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, stated, “California must return more than $1 billion to the federal government after an audit by @DrOzCMS and his team uncovered federal dollars being spent on healthcare for illegal immigrants. We are teaming up to combat healthcare fraud so the money can be used for American citizens who need it!”
California officials have rejected claims that the federal funds were misused.
The California Department of Health Care Services previously told the New York Times, “Claims that California improperly used federal Medicaid dollars to provide health care to undocumented immigrants are flatly false and misrepresent both federal law and standard administrative practice.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
RELATED: Illegal-alien patients drain Texas hospitals, racking up billion-dollar bill — in less than a year
Gavin Newsom. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Washington, D.C., has agreed to pay back over $650,000 to CMS by mid-November.
An Illinois Medicaid spokesperson previously told PolitiFact, “Once again, the Trump administration is spreading misinformation about standard uses of Medicaid dollars.”
“This is not a reality show, and there is no conspiracy to circumvent federal law and provide ineligible individuals with Medicaid coverage. Dr. Oz should stop pushing conspiracy theories and focus on improving health care for the American people,” the spokesperson added.
A Washington State Health Care Authority also pushed back on CMS’ claims, calling the estimates shared by Oz “inaccurate.”
“We were very surprised to see Dr. Oz’s post, especially considering we continue to work with CMS in good faith to answer their questions and clear up any confusion,” the spokesperson said.
Colorado’s Department of Health Care Policy & Financing also insisted the state did not break the law.
“Our payments for coverage of undocumented individuals are in accordance with state and federal laws,” a spokesperson told PolitiFact. “The $1.5 million number referenced by federal leaders today is based on an incorrect preliminary finding, and has been refuted with supporting data by our Department experts.”
Oregon Health Authority previously told KOIN that CMS’ claim was “false and mischaracterizes not just this essential part of our nation’s emergency care infrastructure, but also an ongoing, routine audit process.”
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Trump not worried about Canada’s China-centric ‘new world order’
Try explaining this one: President Donald Trump’s relaxed — almost insouciant — response to news that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged allegiance to a China-centered “new world order.”
Why did Trump appear to shrug off Carney’s insistence that Canada’s future lies more with China than with the United States?
Carney’s favorable assessment of China’s role in climate and green finance is not an isolated remark.
Perhaps it has something to do with Greenland and Canada being viewed as components of Trump’s broader Western Hemisphere security plan.
Cue the black helicopters
Not long ago, “new world order” belonged firmly in the vocabulary of conspiracy theorists. But in Beijing last week, Carney elevated the phrase into an official Liberal talking point.
So what did Carney say? Plenty.
Mine is the first visit of a Canadian prime minister to China in nearly a decade. The world has changed much since that last visit, and I believe the progress that we have made in the partnership sets us up well for the new world order.
Trump did not respond immediately. Instead, he waited until the end of the news day last Friday before offering his reaction.
“That’s what he should be doing, and it’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that,” Trump said.
Not the response many expected from a president who has urged countries in the Western Hemisphere to distance themselves from Beijing.
World order word salad
Pressed on what he meant by a “new world order,” Carney responded with his characteristic blend of abstraction and deflection.
So the question is, what gets built in that place? How much of a patchwork is it? How much is it just on a bilateral basis? Or where do like-minded countries in certain areas? So like-minded countries, just to be clear, doesn’t mean you agree on everything. So aspects, for example, on digital trade or agricultural trade, climate finance as another area to move into areas of geo-strategy, geo-security, you will have different coalitions that are formed. So what this partnership does is in areas, for example, of clean energy, conventional energy, agriculture, as we were just talking about, and financial services, which we have talked less about, but the evolution of the global financial system.
Trump’s nonchalance was not shared by conservative commentators, who sharply criticized Carney’s remarks.
Alex Jones, for one, described Carney as “a Klaus Schwab acolyte” and warned: “You are about to see the globalist prime minister of Canada pledge allegiance to the communist dictator in China, Xi Jinping.”
RELATED: What does Trump see in Canada’s pro-China prime minister?
Chip Somodevilla/Dave Chan/Getty Images
China guy
So far, Carney’s new world order with China has produced a trade agreement allowing up to 49,000 electric vehicles to be imported into Canada annually at a reduced tariff of 6.1%. In return, China is expected to lower tariffs on Canadian agricultural exports — most notably canola oil, a key cash crop for Canadian farmers — to roughly 15%.
But there is nothing new about Carney’s deference to China.
After leaving the Bank of England in 2020, Carney became vice chairman of the board of Bloomberg L.P., the privately held financial data and media company founded by Michael Bloomberg. During the same period, he also served as co-chair of the U.N.-backed Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, working alongside Bloomberg in his separate capacity as the United Nations’ Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions.
In that capacity, Carney consistently praised the alleged environmental stewardship of China, somehow locating a deep commitment to fighting climate change in a country that continues to power its economy with coal-fired plants.
Take Carney’s March 2024 visit to China, during which he told a reporter for the Chinese business outlet 21st Century Business Herald (English translation via Google Translate):
China has made a huge contribution to the fight against climate change, not only in terms of its massive investment in clean technologies and exporting them to other countries, but also in actively developing the financial system needed for the green transition.
Yuan to grow on
Carney’s favorable assessment of China’s role in climate and green finance is not an isolated remark. It aligns with a broader argument he has advanced in recent years: that global economic leadership should become more multipolar, with China playing a larger role alongside — rather than beneath — U.S. dominance.
That worldview extends to currency and finance. At the 2019 Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, Carney argued that the world should reduce its dependence on the U.S. dollar by exploring a new “synthetic hegemonic currency,” a framework designed to dilute the dominance of any single national currency.
Carney did not explicitly call for the Chinese yuan to replace the U.S. dollar outright. But his proposal would, by design, weaken the centrality of the dollar and expand the influence of non-U.S. currencies and financial systems.
Trump, for his part, has twice endorsed Carney during Canadian federal elections. Their relationship — particularly during Oval Office meetings — has been described as friendly, though it may be better understood as Trump indulging a leader he views as temporary.
Why does Trump consistently give Carney a pass?
Perhaps because Trump sees Carney less as a lasting architect of global order than as a passing phenomenon — unlikely to impede the president’s broader aim of reinforcing American economic primacy, regardless of how warmly Carney speaks of China’s place in the world.
Chris Pratt takes audiences along on immersive AI journey in ‘Mercy’
Thriller “Mercy” imagines a near future where the justice system is powered by artificial intelligence and suspects are presumed guilty unless they can prove their innocence.
UN report declares global state of ‘water bankruptcy’
The world is entering an era of “global water bankruptcy” with rivers, lakes and aquifers depleting faster than nature can replenish them, a United Nations research institute said on Tuesday.
Australia shuts dozens of east coast beaches after shark attacks
Dozens of beaches along Australia’s east coast, including in Sydney, closed on Tuesday after four shark attacks in two days, as heavy rains left waters murky and more likely to attract the animals.
