President Donald Trump says that he has spoken with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) via phone and indicated that the Democrat was cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts after publicly opposing them.The president posted about the phone call with the governor in a social media statement on Truth Social after rioting escalated in Minneapolis in response to another lethal shooting over the weekend.'Even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!'"Governor Tim Walz called me with the request to work together with respect to Minnesota. It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength," wrote the president.Earlier on Monday, the president had announced that he was sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to manage the ICE operation."I told Governor Walz that I would have Tom Homan call him, and that what we are looking for are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession," Trump added. "The Governor, very respectfully, understood that, and I will be speaking to him in the near future."He went on to say that Walz was "happy" that Homan was being sent to Minnesota. Trump also touted his success in sending federal troops to Washington, D.C.; Memphis, Tennessee; and New Orleans, Louisiana.Press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said that Homan would also be investigating the large-scale fraud scheme in the state.Trump added, "Even in Minnesota, Crime is way down, but both Governor Walz and I want to make it better!"RELATED: Tim Walz tries to dunk on Trump and gets pantsed on social media Walz also posted about the phone call on social media."I spoke to the President earlier. We had a productive conversation and I explained to him that his staff doesn’t have their facts straight about Minnesota," he wrote.He added a link to his op-ed in the Wall Street Journal defending his administration against accusations that it did not honor ICE detainers.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In mid-December, the White House released an executive order establishing the second Trump administration’s space policy. In the order, the president outlines a policy to “secure the Nation’s vital economic and security interests” and “unleash commercial development” in the stars.Mastery over space and its riches will go to the nations able to pursue their interests within that domain and defend them.The order follows on the Department of Energy’s “first-ever government purchase of a natural resource from space” last May. If successful, the procurement of lunar helium-3 by 2029 promises to be the first nugget in a 21st-century gold rush. With the value of the isotope reaching $20 million per kilogram by some estimates, prospecting and settlement of the final frontier — a goal of President Trump’s order — might soon follow.Withdrawing from the Outer Space Treaty might help secure that frontier for Americans. Ratified by the Senate in 1967, the treaty was born of the Cold War. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the global community focused on how to prevent pre-existing terrestrial tensions from spilling over into space.Inspired by the scientific cooperation displayed during the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year, the U.N. Ad Hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space believed that a precedent of peaceful coexistence had been set in the cosmos and did not prioritize “problems relating to the settlement and exploitation of celestial bodies.” After all, Yuri Gagarin had not yet completed his maiden orbit, nor had Neil Armstrong made his “small step.”The final treaty preserved that oversight. Inspired by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, the OST proscribed claims of sovereignty (Article II) and banned WMDs in outer space and military activities on celestial bodies (Article IV). It remained an open question how international law would govern settlement and exploitation and keep it peaceful.As the Cold War has given way to new tensions between the United States, Russia, and China, the realms of space have remained anything but “realms of peace.”Even before the OST, the superpowers developed anti-satellite weapons. Such innovation has not slowed. The vice Chief of space operations even testified to Chinese weapons systems that can conduct “dogfighting” in orbit. Notwithstanding Russia’s status as a party to the treaty, the American people experienced an anxious evening in 2024 when intelligence revealed that Russia may be developing a nuclear-armed electromagnetic pulse system in orbit.Americans, both in and out of uniform, rely on the military satellites that form the Global Positioning System. How might American or allied forces fare against a near-peer adversary if even a portion of GPS satellites are out of action?The first Trump administration did not shy away from the stars, establishing the Space Force. Nonetheless, China has responded in kind with an “aerospace force” of its own. A new space race has begun, and the stakes are perhaps higher than they were during the Cold War.Unlike in the mid-20th century, the settlement and exploitation of the cosmos are now within sight. The moon is rife with rare-earths and terrestrially scarce helium-3, which might unlock the challenges of nuclear fusion and quantum computation. Accordingly, China and Russia are racing back to the moon.It is clear that the current legal framework for space neither admits of sovereignty nor effectively constrains adversaries. Yet mastery over space and its riches will go to the nations able to pursue their interests within that domain and defend them. Will America be able to?Withdrawing from the OST would clear the chief international hurdle to exercising sovereignty over celestial bodies, which have cost American lives and capital to survey. Absent Article IV, the United States would be able to develop systems to defend the nation’s interests off-Earth in response to adversarial threats. Mike Solana may see his dream become reality.A pathway to defensible sovereignty over celestial bodies would set the legal conditions for a true American space economy. Territorial ownership in the cosmos would build on the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015, which allowed private entities to recover and sell astral treasures. The government would have the authority to order the coming lunar helium and asteroid gold rush with a usage scheme similar to that governing federal lands. Finally, private space operators would know they have a right to mine and keep what they mine — with the legal fallback of the state.The second-order benefits from such policies would flow back down to Earth. Extraterrestrial mineral leases could generate government revenues, and space-based securities could launch a new financial industry. The increased commercialization of the cosmos may finally make off-Earth settlement profitable at scale, inspiring figurative and literal pioneers.Leaving the OST might inspire America’s adversaries to do the same. However, withdrawal would let the United States treat space as a legitimate arena for applying national power, as China has done. It would be a proportional response to nations that have acted as if the treaty did not exist. Exiting would enable the U.S. to legally and openly develop the same capabilities as its adversaries, mitigating the chances of conflict. Leaving the OST might very well restore strategic balance.There are few better motivations for the pursuit of peace than the promise of profit. As Russia and China pursue their national commercial interests in space, the risk of disruption to billion-dollar development projects would disincentivize expansionist or militarist aggression. The same risk would also motivate former parties to the treaty to prevent environmental contamination. Even amid tension, space powers should recognize mutual self-interest, such as in preserving the rescue-and-aid guarantees of the treaty or establishing exclusive economic zone-style areas on shared celestial bodies.RELATED: What’s Greenland to us? Photo by Leon Neal/Getty ImagesFundamentally, some measure of competition is good. The new contest over space could ignite a worldwide flood of passion for exploration. That race to the stars (with winners) would be more honest than the original “carried out … in the interests of all countries.” To date, only five countries have ever landed on the Moon.Fortunately, the logistics of withdrawal itself are far from a moon shot.Article XVI of the Outer Space Treaty empowers the president to provide one year’s notice of withdrawal. Judicial delay would be unlikely. In Goldwater v. Carter, the Supreme Court found that presidential termination of a ratified treaty was a “nonjusticiable political dispute.” For precedent, the White House can look to President Bush’s withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty: Congress and the courts did not object.Shipments of cosmic resources for epoch-making technologies are on their way. President Trump seeks a return to the moon by 2028, with “a permanent lunar outpost” and “economic development” to follow. America cannot turn its back on the spacefaring future, and aging international and national law must adapt before our adversaries arrive. Only then may America trade the title of “aerospace republic” for a simpler one: “space republic.”Editor’s note: This article was originally published at the American Mind.

A private jet linked to a Texas-based law firm crashed at Maine's Bangor International Airport on Sunday evening.The aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 600 belonging to KTKJ Challenger LLC, was reportedly carrying eight people when it crashed around 7:45 p.m., shortly after takeoff. The crash prompted the airport to close.'AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES ON DEPARTURE, CAME TO REST INVERTED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE.'The incident occurred as a winter storm rolled through the region, causing heavy snowfall.Steve Robinson, the editor in chief of the Maine Wire, stated that the plane belonged to "top anti-ICE / anti-Trump lawyers."Robinson stated that KTKJ Challenger LLC "is registered to Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold, two trial attorneys who've made waves fighting conservatives in Texas and defending illegal aliens."The Texas Voice previously reported that the Arnold & Itkin law firm has claimed to have obtained the "largest settlement for an undocumented worker in the United States history." It described Arnold & Itkin as a "major" donor of a "left-wing" political action committee during the 2024 election.RELATED: Video shows deadly plane crash at Arizona airport involving jet of '80s rocker Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesAccording to the Federal Aviation Administration's preliminary crash data, at least seven passengers are dead, and one flight crew member was seriously injured. The identities of those on board the aircraft have not been released to the public."AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES ON DEPARTURE, CAME TO REST INVERTED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE, BANGOR, ME," the FAA's summary of the incident read. RELATED: Trump ousts Biden’s Democratic NTSB vice chair amid aviation crisis Photo by: aviation-images.com/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesThe National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash."The preliminary information we have is the plane crashed upon departing Bangor International Airport and experienced a postcrash fire," a press release from the NTSB read.The NTSB's preliminary report will be available within 30 days and will include a probable cause of the crash."The airport remains closed at this time. There are numerous flight cancellations and diversions. Passengers are encouraged to contact their airlines for information regarding impacts to their travel plans," Bangor International Airport stated.Arnold & Itkin did not respond to a request for comment. — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Albert Bryan, the Democrat governor of the Virgin Islands, has apparently surrounded himself in recent years with fraudsters and grafters.Bryan's former commissioner of the territory's parks and recreation department, Calvert White, was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison following his conviction for one count of honest services wire fraud and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.'This is unacceptable.'The sentencing — relatively light given that the fraud offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and the bribery offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison — took place just weeks after the Democrat governor's former police commissioner and former budget director were found guilty of extensive corruption.White, who resigned last January, solicited and accepted a bribe from David Whitaker, the founder of the cybersecurity firm Mon Ethos Pro Support — a bribe that was facilitated by local businessman Benjamin Hendricks.In exchange for $16,000 to later be paid by Hendricks, White agreed to help Whitaker obtain a contract valued at over $1.4 million for the installation of security cameras at U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Sports, Parks, and Recreation properties.The Justice Department indicated that as part of the scheme, which lasted from late 2023 until the FBI intervened in June 2024, White provided confidential bidding information to Whitaker and proactively worked in an official capacity to ensure that Whitaker would get the contract.RELATED: Woke Whitmer appointee from Nigeria admits to day-care scam, stealing millions from Michigan taxpayers Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images"Calvert White rigged a public bid process in exchange for a bribe," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the DOJ's Criminal Division. "He abused the trust of those who live in the community he was supposed to serve."While not ordered to pay a fine, White was required to forfeit $5,000, the amount he received from Whitaker via Hendricks as partial payment for the contract, reported the St. Thomas Source. He will reportedly wear a GPS monitoring bracelet until he surrenders to authorities on March 2.For his role in the scheme, Hendricks was sentenced last week to 68 months in prison."Public officials take an oath based on trust and assume a responsibility of service to the people," said Claudia Dubravetz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's San Juan field office. "When that trust is violated through acts of corruption, it undermines confidence in government and harms the communities it is meant to serve. This is unacceptable."Whitaker, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to two counts of wire fraud and one count of bribery and is set to be sentenced later this year, was apparently also in cahoots with former Virgin Islands Police Department Commissioner Ray Martinez and former Virgin Islands Office of Management and Budget Director Jenifer O'Neal.Martinez was found guilty last month of five counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, one count of money laundering conspiracy, and two counts of obstruction of justice. O'Neal was found guilty of two counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, and one count of money laundering conspiracy.The DOJ indicated that Martinez accepted roughly $100,000 in bribe payments from Whitaker — "including cash, luxury travel, personal expenses, private-school tuition, and restaurant equipment" — in exchange for wielding his official authority to approve invoices and award Whitaker a $1.4 million contract federally funded under the federal American Rescue Plan Act.O'Neal knowingly approved a $70,000 inflated invoice under that contract and, in exchange, accepted a $17,730 lease payment for her business in federal funds from the inflated invoice.Blaze News has reached out to Gov. Bryan's office for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales is doubling down on her investigation into alleged H-1B visa fraud — especially after the response she received.“The community that we have angered, they’re really not happy. And we keep hearing the claim that we’ve invaded someone’s privacy, ‘You’re doxxing people,’” she explains. “No, actually we’re not. The information that we’re providing is newsworthy and serves the public interest and has to be exposed for what it is.”“How else can you expose the fraud and the corruption and the scams if you can’t put it in front of people and show them,” she continues.And 3Bees Technologies — one of the companies she discovered to be operating out of an empty office space where no employees were to be found — updated its website to attempt to combat what Gonzales exposed.“They’ve made quite certain to just make everyone know, ‘3Bees Technologies is an IT consulting company, and all the employees in 3Bees Technologies work at client site address, and no one works from 3Bees office address as we are a IT consulting company,’” Gonzales says, reading from its updated website.“How’s that for broken English?” she asks.“But also you may have just accidentally admitted to committing fraud because it’s against the law to not properly disclose where your workers are to the government. They have to know. USCIS says, ‘Employers must file amended H-1B petitions when a new Labor Condition Application for Nonimmigrant Workers (LCA) is required due to a change in the H-1B worker’s worksite location.’”“So if you’re saying that your employees are working off-site and you have not actually amended their LCAS, you are committing fraud. You are breaking the law. Thank you 3Bees. We will definitely intend to use that against you when we deliver all of this to the authorities,” Gonzales continues.Gonzales also points out that if all their employees are working remotely, there’s no point in them living in America in the first place.“I would just like to point out if you’re just an IT consulting firm and all you do is consult, you’re just a firm that consults, you don’t need a workplace. Why the hell are we bringing these people into this country anyway?” she asks.“They can just stay in India. They can just hop on a Zoom call. They can just hop on the phone,” she adds.Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.