Autism claims rose from $3 million to $400 million. The $250 million ‘Feeding Our Future’ free food fraud, in which Somali groups stole a quarter of a billion dollars while claiming to feed hundreds of thousands of children who never existed, seemed like the biggest case of welfare fraud in Minnesota, but it may be just …

President Trump knows how to make an entrance

Not going to be hearing Aaron Lewis on the radio any time soon. The country singer and frontman for Staind has never been afraid to speak his mind when it comes to his political opinions. A staunch conservative and supporter of President Donald Trump, Lewis has often found himself the target of criticism from the left and the media for expressing his political opinions. And it’s cost him in his music career too. Lewis recently sat down for an interview with Tucker Carlson to discuss his experience in the music industry, and Tucker asked whether Lewis was played on the radio: “No, they won’t play me. They don’t like my thoughts on things.” And he also recalls that the backlash from the music industry started after he began speaking out against the election of Barack Obama: “I immediately recognized it as a horrible blow to our country. Immediately. Not even knowing why yet, I just knew that we had made a massive, massive mistake as a country. And so many balls got rolling during that timeframe that we’re still trying to slow down. When TMZ would get me when I landed in Los Angeles and I was walking through the airport and they’d get me and ask me questions, that was when I started expressing my feelings and my opinions on politics… I had no issues then, nor do I have any issue now, telling anybody exactly how I feel. And I was already talking about the unconstitutionalness of Obama’s actions and what he was doing and mentioning that what he was doing was borderline treasonous, and that was how I started the ball rolling.” And he also recalled a specific incident when the media labeled him “racist.” “I was playing a show down by the border…and this was the rudest crowd I had played to in 15 years. I’m playing completely acoustic, all by myself…I could not get them to shut up all night. Just talking over me like I was the jukebox.” Well Lewis was trying to end the show the way he normally did at the time: By unplugging his guitar, stepping away from the microphone, and playing it completely acoustic. But with all the talking in the room, it wasn’t going well, and he was trying to get the room to quiet down when somebody in the crowd suggested that he try telling everybody to shut up in Spanish. (Remember, he was close to the southern border). And it was his response that ended up making headlines: “I said, ‘I’m sorry ma’am. I don’t speak Spanish. I’m American.’ The world ended, for like a week. Broke the internet, ‘Aaron Lewis a racist, Aaron Lewis this.'” But it doesn’t sound like Lewis is too upset about not being indebted to radio: “It’s nice to not have to bow down to the powers that be. It’s nice to not have to undermine my value in a market because the radio station wants to get as much out of my show as they can, so they sell my ticket for a $10 ticket, and they’ve just devalued my value in that market by selling such a cheap ticket when I can sell hard tickets. I don’t need to sell myself short by doing favors for a radio station.” Lewis says that artists end up giving up control of their own careers in the pursuit of radio success: “First you sell your soul to the record label. Then you sell everything else you’ve got to the machine which is the radio which drives music.” Sounds like a game he has no interest in playing anyway. The post “They Don’t Like My Thoughts On Things” – Aaron Lewis On Why He’s Blackballed From Country Radio first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Never off duty. Miranda Lambert is currently on the road opening for Morgan Wallen on the last stretch of his I’m The Problem stadium tour, and it looks like she has some very keen instincts with her at all times in her husband Brendan McLoughlin. Brendan McLoughlin is a former NYPD officer, and he and Miranda got married in January of 2019. The two have kept their relationship pretty private and out of the public eye, but she has talked about how they met when Miranda was on set of Good Morning America with her bandmates in the Pistol Annies, and he caught their eye right away. Her security team invited Brendan to the show later that night (with no +1, obviously), and the rest, as they say, is history. At one point for several years I think Brendan was actually on her security team, but I’m not sure if that’s still the case… though it certainly looks like he is, because a video went viral of he and Miranda watching Morgan’s set last weekend, and he was on high alert scanning the room for any threats. Brendan seems to still have those cop instincts, as he seemingly felt the TikTok user who took this video zooming in on them, turning around and staring directly at the camera, looking quite unamused, to be honest: @kaysee1028Miranda lambert right in front of us, her husband clearly was over getting his picture taken♬ original sound – Krystina Cabral363 Fans in the comments rushed to his defense, saying he probably was actually enjoying the concert, but as a former cop, that type of response to protect when you’re in a large crowd never goes away, especially since he was with his wife and she’s obviously out in it with everyone else. Well not exactly in the pit, she was behind some barricades, but still… you get the point: “He still got that COP in him, see him scanning crowd.” “He’s just being a cop lol.” “He’s not only her husband, but also the head of her security.” “He’s in protective mode protecting our Texas Queen.” “Hi. He was a cop and her bodyguard – it’s his job! & he does a dang good job at it!” “He looks like he is still working security.” “Bodyguard mode.” “I was married to a Federal Agent. He ain’t worried about pictures…. he is scanning the room! Good guy right there, protecting her at all times.” “He got that cop RBF on lock. Dude you’re off duty…” “Once a cop always a cop! They are always scanning the area.” “Cop mode making sure there’s not a creeper creeping.” “He’s protecting her to enjoy the concert.” “He IS her body guard, left the police force.” “Just looks like a cop. Keeping a watchful eye.’ “He is a cop forever. He’s protecting.” “The way he slowly turns. It’s like he senses you.” “Protecting her likes he’s suppose to.” It’s pretty convenient to be a country superstar and marry someone who is also highly qualified to be your personal security guard… and it looks like Brendan takes his job very seriously, as any good husband should. Brendan has also appeared in a couple of Miranda’s music videos of the years, including “Settling Down”: He’s also shirtless in the “Tequila Does (Telemitry Remix)” video too… you’re welcome, ladies:  The post “Cop Mode” – Miranda Lambert’s Former NYPD Husband Goes Viral For Staying On High Alert While She Watched Morgan Wallen’s Set first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Independent and Catholic school leaders begged Governor Tim Walz for help securing their schools two years ago, but he never helped did it. Rather he was focused more on the transgender pretenders . . .