Category: Daily Caller
Tim Walz says Minnesota is ‘at war’ with the federal government after fatal ICE shooting
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accused the federal government of being at war with his state after the fatal shooting during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation.
Tensions with the Trump administration escalated sharply Wednesday when an ICE agent shot a woman who appeared to be interrupting their operation with her vehicle. Video shows her swerving into an agent, who fired at her and killed her.
‘Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait.’
Walz blamed the Trump administration for the shooting by claiming the increased immigration enforcement actions were unnecessary.
“I said this yesterday, we’ve never been at war with our federal government,” the governor said during a media briefing.
He went on to suggest that he would order the Minnesota National Guard to oppose the federal government.
“We do not need any further help from the federal government. To Donald Trump and Kristi Noem: You’ve done enough. There’s nothing more important than Minnesotans’ safety,” he said.
“I’ve issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard. We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary. I remind you, a warning order is a heads-up for folks,” he added.
“These National Guard troops are our National Guard troops,” he emphasized. “They’re teachers in your community, they’re business owners, they’re construction professionals. They are Minnesotans. Minnesota will not allow our community to be used as a prop in a national political fight. We will not take the bait.”
Homeland Security Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin had previously blamed Democratic rhetoric for the shooting.
“This is the direct consequence of constant attacks and demonization of our officers by sanctuary politicians who fuel and encourage rampant assaults on our law enforcement,” she said. “These men and women who are simply enforcing the law on the books are facing 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats.”
Other Democrats are using the shooting to call for the federal government to pull officers out of Minnesota.
“I have a message for ICE. To ICE, get the f**k out of Minneapolis!” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said during an earlier media briefing.
“We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite,” he added. “People are being hurt. Families are being ripped apart. Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy are being terrorized, and now somebody is dead.”
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Democrats Despise Trump’s Signature Law — Except For The Millions Going To Their States
Democrats are praising investments in rural health care created by President Donald Trump’s landmark tax and spending cut law after railing against the legislation for months. The Trump administration in late December announced first-year state awards for its $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program: a fund created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to […]
Tim Walz’s Daughter Thinks Journalist Had ‘Ethical’ Duty To Not Blow Lid Off Somali Scammers
‘You can’t just go and do this’
Journalist who exposed Minnesota day-care fraud says investigate THESE people now
Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old conservative YouTuber and independent journalist, gained national attention in late December 2025 after posting a viral 43-minute video titled, “I Investigated Minnesota’s Billion Dollar Fraud Scandal,” in which he visited several Minneapolis childcare centers — primarily Somali-run — and claimed they were empty or inactive despite receiving millions in federal and state government funding.
Shirley’s footage showed locked doors, blacked out windows, and no visible children during his visits despite public payment records, sparking national scrutiny, federal investigations by the FBI and DHS, a temporary freeze on childcare funding to Minnesota (and briefly nationwide), and political fallout — most notably Gov. Tim Walz (D) dropping his re-election bid.
On yesterday’s episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Shirley told Glenn that the Minnesota day-care fraud he exposed doesn’t even scratch the surface. If we want to see how deep the corruption really goes, there are several people who absolutely must be investigated.
Shirley’s first thought when he uncovered that massive fraud scheme was, “If millions — quite literally billions — of dollars is being given to these day-care centers, how come the government doesn’t know that the money is being spent here?”
More digging revealed the answer: “They’re all in on it,” he says.
“They just announced today the U.N. ambassador of Somalia is involved in all of this,” adds Glenn.
But he’s certainly not the only one with blood on his hands.
Tim Walz’s exit is almost certainly an evasion of deeper scrutiny or accountability for the fraud scandals. Glenn and Shirley agree that he must be investigated regardless.
But a Walz probe is just the beginning. “Everyone involved over at the capital in Minnesota and the DHS who was cutting the checks [needs to be investigated],” says Shirley.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who’s known for her advocacy for childcare funding, tops his list of people who need to be immediately investigated. “She has photos of her outside of ‘Quality Learing Center,”’ he says.
This center, which has repeatedly been mocked for missing the “n” in what is supposed to say “Learning,” was one of the main day-care centers featured in Shirley’s exposé. Extensive video footage shows a nearly empty parking lot, locked doors, and no visible activity despite the center receiving millions in funding and being licensed for dozens of kids.
Another person who needs to be investigated, says Shirley, is Omar Fateh, the Somali-American Democratic Socialist and Minnesota state senator who snagged a shady DFL endorsement in Minneapolis’ mayoral race through a rigged convention, only to have it stripped over vote irregularities.
“[Fateh] had a brother-in-law or some family member who was in charge of one of the day cares that had also been receiving $2 million, and they actually had so many violations they shut down the day care; then the next day they reopened,” says Shirley. “That guy was about to become mayor.”
“And so all these people are in on the fraud. They all know it’s happening,” he reiterates.
“Well, somebody clearly had to. You can’t have that much money rolling around. A lot of people knew,” Glenn agrees.
To hear more of the interview, watch the video above.
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Trump administration sends Democrats into hysterics by freezing funding to 5 blue states over fraud concerns
President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that those responsible for the historic fraud in Minnesota — members of the Somali community in particular — aren’t just ripping off the Gopher State but the country at large.
“Think of it: $19 billion at least they’ve stolen from Minnesota and from the United States,” said Trump.
“We’re not going to pay it any more. We’re going to have [Gov. Tim] Walz go pay. We’re not going to pay them, and we’re not going to pay California, and we’re not going to pay Illinois.”
In the wake of the president’s remarks, the Trump administration cut off five Democrat-run states’ access to over $10 billion in federal child care and family assistance funds.
‘It’s a giant scam.’
On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it had barred California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York from accessing nearly $2.4 billion in Child Care and Development Fund money; $7.35 billion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Family funds; and $869 million in Social Services Block Grant funds.
“Families who rely on child care and family assistance programs deserve confidence that these resources are used lawfully and for their intended purpose,” HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said in a statement. “This action reflects our commitment to program integrity, fiscal responsibility, and compliance with federal requirements.”
HHS Assistant Secretary Alex Adams, the head of the Administration for Children and Families, emphasized the government’s responsibility to “ensure these programs serve the families they were created to help,” adding that “when there are credible concerns about fraud or misuse, we will act.”
Photo by Mandel NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
HHS indicated that the funding freeze will remain in place until the ACF completes a review and determines that the affected states are in compliance with federal requirements.
‘It’s cruel.’
Adams and O’Neill also announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration is ending Biden-era practices of providing child-care centers with payments up front without verifying attendance.
Democrats melted down over the funding pause, characterizing the effort to ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t siphoned away by fraudsters as an attack on children.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose state has seen its share of day-care fraud, said in response to the funding freeze, “It’s vindictive. It’s cruel. And we’ll fight it with every fiber of our being.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tried downplaying the fraud, claiming that “this has nothing to do with fraud and everything to do with political retribution that punishes poor children in need of assistance.”
“Rather than making life easier and more affordable for our families, Donald Trump is stripping away child care from Illinois families who are just trying to go to work,” said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D). “Thousands of parents and children depend on these child-care programs to help them make ends meet, and now their livelihoods are being put at risk.”
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat with aspirations of becoming his state’s next governor, tweeted, “Donald Trump has declared war on Colorado. He is now robbing thousands of vulnerable Colorado families of the critical support they need to afford food, housing, and health care.”
Trump raised the matter of fraud in Minnesota during a New Year’s Eve event, then noted that “California is worse, Illinois is worse, and, sadly, New York is worse. A lot of other places. We’re going to get to the bottom of all of it. It’s a giant scam.”
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Ford just lost $20 billion on its EV investment
If you want a clear picture of where the American auto market is heading, don’t look at political speeches or glossy concept vehicles. Look at where manufacturers are spending — and writing off — real money.
Case in point: Ford’s $19.5 billion decision to abandon plans for a next-generation all-electric F-150.
Ford’s leadership is now openly saying what many in the industry have been signaling quietly: Customers are not moving in lockstep with regulatory timelines.
The company’s change of direction for its massive BlueOval City complex in Tennessee is one of the clearest signals yet that the industry’s all-electric future, at least as it was sold to consumers and investors, is being fundamentally rethought.
Instead of building a new electric F-150 Lightning there, Ford will pivot the facility toward producing lower-cost gasoline-powered trucks while shifting electric strategy toward hybrids, extended-range electric vehicles, and smaller EVs.
Demand in the driver’s seat
This move matters because Ford did not quietly slow production or delay a model year refresh. It wrote down billions of dollars in electric vehicle assets, restructured long-term plans, and publicly admitted that customer demand — not forecasts or incentives — is now driving decisions.
Ford expects roughly $19.5 billion in special charges tied to this pivot, most of which will hit in the fourth quarter, with an additional $5.5 billion in cash costs spread through 2027. Of that total, $8.5 billion represents EV asset write-downs. That is corporate language for investments that will not deliver the returns originally promised.
Yet Wall Street’s reaction was telling. Ford stock rose about 2% in after-hours trading following the announcement and remains up nearly 40% this year. Investors appear to see this not as failure, but as realism.
Sticker shock
The electric F-150 Lightning was once positioned as proof that electrification could conquer America’s best-selling vehicle segment. In theory, the idea made sense. In practice, the numbers never fully added up. High prices, heavy battery packs, range limitations under real-world towing conditions, and charging concerns narrowed the pool of potential buyers. Demand softened even as incentives increased.
Ford now plans to transition the Lightning into an extended-range electric vehicle, pairing an electric drivetrain with a gasoline-powered generator. This is not a retreat from electrification. It is an acknowledgment that pure battery-electric power trains do not yet meet the needs of a large portion of truck buyers.
Ford CEO Jim Farley framed the shift plainly. High-end EVs priced between $50,000 and $80,000 were not selling in sufficient volume. That reality is difficult to ignore when inventory sits on dealer lots and profit margins evaporate.
Hybrid vigor
At the same time, Ford is going all-in on hybrids, including plug-in hybrids, and reinvesting in its core strengths: trucks, SUVs, and commercial vehicles. This reflects a broader industry trend. Hybrids offer meaningful fuel economy improvements without requiring buyers to overhaul their driving habits or rely on charging infrastructure that remains inconsistent in many parts of the country.
Ford’s revised outlook projects that by 2030, about half of its global volume will come from hybrids, extended-range EVs, and fully electric vehicles combined. That is a significant increase from today, but it is far more balanced than earlier projections that leaned heavily toward full electrification.
Lightning rod
One of the more curious elements of Ford’s announcement is its plan to build a fully connected midsize electric pickup starting in 2027, based on a new low-cost “Universal EV Platform.” The company suggests this truck could start around $30,000, a figure that raises serious questions.
To put that claim into context, Ford’s Maverick Hybrid, which uses a small 1.1 kilowatt-hour battery, already approaches $30,000 in many configurations. A midsize EV pickup would likely require an 80 kilowatt-hour battery or more. Battery costs have declined, but not nearly enough to make that math easy — especially while maintaining margins.
Consumers will ultimately decide whether such a vehicle makes sense. Price, capability, range, and charging convenience will matter far more than marketing language. Automakers are learning, sometimes the hard way, that affordability cannot be willed into existence by press releases.
Batteries included
Ford’s restructuring also includes repurposing battery plants in Kentucky and Michigan for a new stationary energy storage business. This is a strategic move that acknowledges batteries may find more reliable profitability off the road than on it, particularly in data centers and grid stabilization applications where weight, charging time, and cold-weather performance are less critical concerns.
The broader lesson here is not that electric vehicles are disappearing. They are not. It is that the one-size-fits-all electrification narrative has collided with economic and consumer reality. Automakers were pushed, through regulation and incentives, to prioritize battery-electric vehicles at a pace the market could not fully absorb.
When policy environments change, as they recently have, manufacturers regain flexibility. Ford’s leadership is now openly saying what many in the industry have been signaling quietly: Customers are not moving in lockstep with regulatory timelines.
From a business standpoint, Ford is attempting to stabilize profitability. The company raised its adjusted earnings guidance for 2025 to about $7 billion, even as these restructuring charges weigh on net results. It is aiming for a path to profitability in its Model e EV division by 2029, with incremental improvements beginning in 2026.
That is a long runway, and it reflects how difficult it has been to make EVs profitable at scale. Traditional internal combustion and hybrid vehicles continue to subsidize electric losses across the industry. Ford is now being more transparent about that reality.
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Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Turning radius
This shift also has implications for American manufacturing and jobs. BlueOval City was originally pitched as a cornerstone of the electric future. Its revised mission underscores how quickly industrial strategies can change when assumptions fail. Gasoline and hybrid trucks remain highly profitable, and demand for them remains strong.
Ford insists this is a customer-driven strategy, not a retreat. In many ways, that framing is accurate. Consumers have shown they value choice, reliability, and affordability more than power-train ideology. They want vehicles that fit their lives, not policy targets.
For buyers, this could be good news. A more balanced market tends to produce better products at more reasonable prices. Hybrids, extended-range EVs, and efficient gasoline vehicles all play a role in reducing fuel consumption without forcing trade-offs many drivers are unwilling to accept.
For investors, Ford’s announcement may mark a turning point toward discipline and realism. Writing down nearly $20 billion is painful, but continuing to chase unprofitable volume would be worse.
For the industry, the message is unmistakable. Electrification is evolving, not ending. But it will happen on consumer terms, not political timelines.
Ford’s course correction is not about abandoning the future. It is about surviving the present — and doing so with a clearer understanding of what American drivers are actually willing to buy.
The American car industry would be in a much stronger position today had its CEOs not embarked on the EV joy ride with politicians promising subsidies. Next time maybe the brands will listen to the customer.
‘AMERICANS LIKE SUCCESS’: CNN’s Harry Enten Has Good News for Trump Following Maduro Raid [WATCH]
![‘AMERICANS LIKE SUCCESS’: CNN’s Harry Enten Has Good News for Trump Following Maduro Raid [WATCH]](https://hannity.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Enten-300x170.png "Enten")
This week, CNN’s senior analyst Harry Enten shared good news for President Trump, based on post-Maduro raid polling numbers; approval numbers are “way up.
FULL-COURT PRESS: Trump Spoke for Over 13,400 Minutes in 2025, Took Questions at 74% of Events: Report
This ain’t Sleepy Joe’s administration.
‘There Is No Rift in the Republican Party’: GOP Voters Back Trump’s Venezuela Operation, Polls Show
Republicans are overwhelmingly united behind the Trump administration’s successful operation to capture former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, with only a small faction of holdouts breaking ranks, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten reported Tuesday.
The post ‘There Is No Rift in the Republican Party’: GOP Voters Back Trump’s Venezuela Operation, Polls Show appeared first on .
