A Vassar College student says administrators ignored concerns from Christian students and allowed a student burlesque group to mock their faith in a sexual performance in the campus chapel. Sydney, a Vassar sophomore granted anonymity for this story, told The Daily Wire she first learned about the event when a friend showed her the flyer for a performance titled “Whoreship & Prayer.” The show was produced by Vassar Burlesque, a student group that regularly puts on sexual and drag performances. “I found the flyer … and I was disgusted immediately,” Sydney said. “The imagery and name of the show made it [clear] … it was definitely a show that had a Christian theme … clearly mocking Christianity.”     Sydney emailed the dean of student living, the college president, and other administrators to explain exactly why Christian students believed the performance violated Vassar’s stated values of diversity and inclusion. She says she was then contacted by the Office of Institutional Equity, the department that handles identity-based complaints, including those pertaining to religion. She says she met with Brian Van Brunt, Vassar’s Institutional Equity and Title VI Coordinator. Sydney said Van Brunt acknowledged the event was mocking religious imagery and allegedly admitted it would have been treated differently if Christians weren’t the ones being targeted. “He basically said … it would be different if it were another religion,” Sydney said. Referring to comments students made on the anonymous social media platform Fizz, she said one hypothetical they talked about was if the flyer had referenced Allah. “If Allah was used … then it wouldn’t have been allowed. And he said, ‘Well, obviously that’s a different situation.’” Sydney said Van Brunt floated the idea of making minor changes to the flyer, such as removing the image of the Virgin Mary or changing the event’s name, but even those were rejected by the administration. Despite the number of complaints from Christian students, the administration informed them the event would proceed with no modifications.     “Whoreship and Prayer” sold out both nights, according to Vassar’s student newspaper, The Miscellany News. In its coverage, the paper described the November performances as a fusion of religious motifs with sexual choreography. The Miscellany noted some of the acts, including routines called “Touched by the Holy Spirit,” “Red Sea,” and “Blasphemy.” Muse, one of the group’s co-presidents, told The Miscellany the show explored “the relationship between sexuality and religion — human intersectionalities that exist in a chaotic harmony.” She added, “I grew up very religious … my spirituality is still a huge part of my life, but the relationship between my body, sexuality and my spirituality has always been a bit of a struggle to untangle.”     Reached for comment, Van Brunt referred The Daily Wire to Victoria Grantham, the vice president for communications, who declined to comment. Sydney said the Vassar Burlesque group also mocked the backlash from Christian students online, posting memes and celebratory images that used nun costumes, Bibles, and crosses as ironic props. “They actually posted like a tweet … to mock the fact that we were complaining,” Sydney said. The college sophomore said this was not the first time she saw bias against Christians on campus, but it was the most blatant. “It made me feel uncomfortable, and I had already felt uncomfortable as a Christian,” she said. “I had heard little comments … little jabs at Christianity before, but I had never seen something this blatantly inappropriate and blatantly hurtful.” This incident has convinced her that the school’s commitment to “inclusion” does not apply equally. “They’re outright saying, well, if you are a Christian, you don’t have the same rights as other religions … everyone except you kind of thing. I felt very ostracized.” The Vassar Chapel continues to host worship nights, Christmas services, and religious gatherings, yet Vassar maintains that it is a “secular space.” Sydney said that the explanation does not resolve the larger problem: the selective enforcement of respect for religion. “Hopefully, if we bring more attention to it, then it won’t have to be this way forever,” she told The Daily Wire.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the fraud uncovered thus far in Minnesota — largely linked to the Somali community — was just the tip of what appears to be a very large iceberg, and she promised many more arrests and prosecutions in the coming weeks. In a post shared to X on Monday afternoon, Bondi praised the work done by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who shared a lengthy video exposing the depth of the fraud in the childcare and health care industries — and she said that the Justice Department had already begun investigating the fraud months earlier. “MINNESOTA FRAUD: [Nick Shirley]’s work has helped show Americans the scale of fraud in Tim Walz’s Minnesota,” Bondi posted. “@TheJusticeDept has been investigating this for months. So far, we have charged 98 individuals – 85 of Somali descent – and more than 60 have been found guilty in court. We have more prosecutions coming … BUCKLE UP, LAWMAKERS!” FBI Director Kash Patel also responded to the story: CASE UPDATE: MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes… — FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 28, 2025 Shirley shared video of himself going from location to location, confronting people and, in some cases, having doors slammed in his face. At one location, which advertised itself as a “Quality Learing Center,” a white woman stood outside the building warning anyone who might be inside not to open up — and claiming that Shirley was with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet,” Shirley captioned the video post. “We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day … It’s time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable. We ALL work way too hard and pay too much in taxes for this to be happening, the fraud must be stopped.” Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown responded to the video on Monday, saying that all of the locations Shirley visited had been the subjects of random inspections within the last six months, and that children had been present when those visits were conducted. Brown also questioned whether or not Shirley had gone to the daycare centers during normal operating hours, asking, “When were the videos taken? Were they during times that the center was scheduled to be open? Were they during the weekend?” She also said that, in light of the video, the state planned to conduct follow-up checks.

President Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. had “hit” an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, marking the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since a pressure campaign began against President Nicolas Maduro’s government. “There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump said. “We hit all the boats, and now we hit the area… it’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement, and that is no longer around.” It was not immediately clear what target was hit nor which part of the U.S. government acted. Asked if the CIA had carried out the attack, Trump said: “I don’t want to say that. I know exactly who it was but I don’t want to say who it was.” Trump has previously said that he has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela. On a radio show last week, Trump made vague comments about an apparent U.S. operation against a “big facility” in Venezuela. The Central Intelligence Agency, the White House, and the Pentagon have not publicly elaborated on those comments and declined to comment on questions posed by Reuters. The Venezuelan government has not commented on the incident Trump described and there have been no independent reports from Venezuela of it. Primazol, a chemical plant in Zulia state which suffered a fire on Christmas Eve, has denied online rumors that the blaze was what Trump alluded to in his comments. The company also said the fire was quickly extinguished and was under investigation. Nearby residents told Reuters they heard an explosion, saw the fire and smelled chlorine. The Venezuelan communications ministry, which handles all press requests for the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Trump’s administration has previously touted its success in taking out suspected drug trafficking vessels, and the Pentagon has posted footage of several of its strikes on social media. The lack of response by U.S. national security agencies had raised questions about whether the incident Trump mentioned was carried out covertly. Such an operation would likely limit the ability of U.S. officials to speak on the matter. Last month, Reuters reported that the U.S. was poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on Maduro’s government. At the time, two U.S. officials said covert operations would likely be the first part of the new action against Maduro. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships The U.S. mission has primarily focused on military strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels and has prompted intense oversight from Congress. More than 100 people have been killed in more than 20 strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Earlier this month, U.S. military leaders briefed lawmakers on an incident in September in which an American strike killed 11 people but left several survivors who were killed in a second strike ordered by Admiral Frank Bradley. Congressional Democrats have questioned whether the second strike was conducted in accordance with international law. Trump’s administration has overseen a massive U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including more than 15,000 troops. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Erin Banco and Idrees Ali; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk, David Gregorio and Rosalba O’Brien)

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who came to power in 2019 and is now serving a second term which critics have called unconstitutional, said he was open to staying in power for another decade. “If it were up to me, I would stay for 10 more years,” Bukele said in a video interview published by Spanish YouTuber TheGrefg on Monday. He noted that he had initially agreed with his wife that he would leave politics in 2029. El Salvador is expected to hold its next presidential election in 2027, to decide who will run the country through to 2033. Bukele will be eligible to run for a third term, after the ruling party-controlled Congress pushed through a constitutional reform in July to abolish term limits, bring forward the next election and extend presidential terms from five to six years. Legal experts at home and abroad have questioned the legality of Bukele’s attempts to extend his term. The country’s constitution prohibits presidents’ consecutive reelection in at least six of its articles. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Early in 2024, Bukele won his second term with a landslide victory despite a constitutional ban. The wildly popular 44-year-old publicist enjoys some of the world’s highest approval ratings thanks to a hardline approach to crime which has helped drastically reduce murder rates. Critics say this has come at the expense of civil rights and people have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and even killed in custody. Bukele, who once described himself on his Twitter account as “the world’s coolest dictator,” said he did not plan to establish a dictatorship in El Salvador and it would be up to Salvadorans to decide whether he should continue in power. (Reporting by Gerardo Arbaiza; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Gregorio)

Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. In this piece, originally published in April, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the opportunity to respond to accusations that Christians are being persecuted in Ukraine. Ben Shapiro confronted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over allegations of Christian persecution and forcibly conscripting men off the street in a face-to-face interview in war-torn Kyiv this week. Shapiro questioned Zelensky on the concerns that he has cracked down on the religious freedom of the Russian Orthodox Church — marking one of the first times the Ukrainian leader has been pressed on such issues by a member of the American media. “There have been a lot of accusations that there’s been a crackdown on religious freedom in Ukraine, particularly with regard to the Russian Orthodox Church,” Shapiro said. “Maybe you can respond to the accusations that there’s a restriction on religious freedom with regard to Russian Orthodox in Ukraine.” Zelensky started off by observing that Shapiro witnessed him moments before the interview holding a meeting with the leaders of 15 different religious sects who make up the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. “We have a meeting like that a couple of times per year, and I truly visit some of the churches’ sites,” he said. “I believe that what Ukraine has is the largest council of churches in Europe. All of our churches are united — different religions, different believers, and everyone is united.” Zelensky said that there is no pressure on religious institutions generally, but admitted that the Ukrainian government has cracked down on some churches that he believes are working on behalf of Russia’s intelligence agency. “The Moscow church is just another agency of the KGB,” Zelensky said. “Everyone knows that Russia’s special services are in control of the church.” Zelensky said that the churches must be free of influence and that “Moscow cannot be in control.” “The legislative changes in Ukraine are related to the fact that there could be no connection between Moscow and the church,” Zelensky said, referring to a 2024 law banning religious organizations with ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. Human Rights Watch raised concerns about the law’s broad scope and its potential to target the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the country’s main religious body, founded in 1990 when it split from the Russian Orthodox Church. Zelensky denied that any churches were closed but pointed out that he and Shapiro were outside the Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, whose foundations are believed to have been laid in 1011. “Sophia is older than Russia’s capital city and any churches they have,” Zelensky said. “That’s the answer. We shouldn’t be having any disputes. We have scientific evidence. We are just saying that our church should be free from any authorities. It’s free for the people.” “Nobody closed anything or anyone. But it can’t be the case that Russia’s KGB is in control of the church in Ukraine. Everyone is against these legal ties.” Shapiro also pressed Zelensky on the reports that Ukrainian men have been kidnapped off the streets and forcibly recruited into the military — a claim that Vice President JD Vance brought up during Zelensky’s contentious Oval Office meeting in March. “There have been reports online that people are being picked up off the streets and in places in eastern Ukraine and recruited into services,” Shapiro asked. “How do you respond to accusations and videos like that?” In response, Zelensky called the act “military mobilization” and said that it’s a policy created in accordance with martial law after the 2022 Russian invasion. “The country is at war,” Zelensky said. “That is why we do have mobilization. We want the war to end…but as long as there is war, as long as we have the law, there is still mobilization.” Zelensky downplayed the accusations, claiming that there are “different approaches” to military mobilization and that taking men off the streets is not “the main thing that describes Ukraine today.” “No, Ukraine has 800,000 right now, or 600,000 people who volunteered to go to the army,” he said. “That was the law on mobilization, but the people were volunteering to go and defend Ukraine.” Zelensky added that the issue is “not massive” and that he believes law enforcement should be “making sure that everything would be transparent” and that there is “no coercion.” “We shouldn’t be hiding that like a corruption,” he went on. “If we are fighting with this on an everyday basis — well, of course, you can hide it, like everything, as in [the] case in Russia or in some European countries — but Ukraine clearly shows that it is fighting on a constant basis against aspects like that. But those are kind of singular cases. This is not massive. That’s more important, and that should be reducing on a daily basis. We’re doing that.”