The FBI has "surged" investigative resources and personnel to Minnesota, bureau Director Kash Patel said on Sunday, in the latest instance of the Trump administration's fraud investigations that have largely targeted the state's Somali immigrants. Federal officials in recent weeks have portrayed Minnesota's Somali community as a hotspot for fraud involving millions of federal dollars intended for social services. Immigrant-rights advocates have accused the administration of using the fraud investigations as an excuse to target Somali immigrants more broadly.

Nick Shirley, a MAGA-friendly YouTuber, lit up X during Christmas week with video reports from Minnesota alleging massive fraud in government-funded child care programs — and provoked approving responses from the FBI and Vice President JD Vance. Why it matters: Shirley, 23 — who has more than 1 million YouTube subscribers and spoke during a White House roundtable this fall — is one of several young "independent journalists" turning heads among conservatives and Trump administration officials by going on-location and quickly posting minimalist, outrage-inducing videos.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's office is pushing back against fraud allegations after a viral video showed visits to multiple childcare centers in the state, including one that allegedly received millions of dollars in state funding despite appearing largely inactive. Responding to questions about the allegations and the video posted by independent journalist Nick Shirley, a spokesperson for the governor told Fox News that Walz has spent years working to "crack down on fraud" and has taken steps to strengthen oversight of state programs, including initiating investigations into several facilities.

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"We are the free world now." Those words from Raphael Glucksmann, a French socialist member of the European Parliament, captured the pearl-clutching outrage of Europeans after the Trump administration did what no prior administration has ever done — stand up to Europe to defend the freedom of speech. This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio barred five figures closely associated with European censorship efforts from traveling to the U.S. This includes Thierry Breton, the former European Union commissioner responsible for digital policy.