NEW YORK, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Pennsylvania federal prosecutors on Thursday announced charges against 26 people for allegedly rigging bets on college and Chinese professional basketball games, the latest case to accuse athletes of cheating at legalized sports betting that has exploded in popularity in the U.S.  A 70-page indictment names more than a dozen former National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball players, a former NBA player and two sports-betting influencers who were previously charged in a sweeping NBA bet-rigging investigation. The charges include bribery in sporting contests, wire fraud and conspiracy.  “The criminal charges we have filed allege the criminal corruption of collegiate athletics through an international conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni, and professional bettors,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, calling them “yet another blow to public confidence in the integrity of sport.”  39 Players Said to Be Involved Prosecutors in Philadelphia allege the scheme began in 2022, when several of the defendants began recruiting and bribing Chinese Basketball Association players to intentionally underperform in games to ensure certain bets placed on their teams.  The scheme widened to U.S. college basketball during the 2023-2024 season, according to prosecutors, who said the defendants recruited players to accept bribes for helping to ensure their teams fell short of their projected margins of victory, or spreads.  Prosecutors said the scheme involved 39 players on more than 17 Division I college basketball teams, millions of dollars in wagers on fixed games and hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.  Prosecutors said the proliferation of legalized sports betting allowed the fixers to avoid detection by spreading their wagers around widely.  Two of the defendants, sports-betting influencers Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were charged in October alongside Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat and former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones with rigging bets on NBA games by placing wagers using insider information, including undisclosed player medical reports. All four men pleaded not guilty in that case.  Fairley’s attorney Eric Siegle declined to comment on the new charges. Hennen’s lawyer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.  The charges against Rozier and Jones were unveiled in Brooklyn federal court alongside a related case against more than a dozen defendants, including Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, who is accused of conspiring to cheat at illicit poker games using high-tech equipment. Billups and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty.   Brooklyn federal prosecutors have also charged Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz with rigging bets on their pitches during MLB games. Both men pleaded not guilty in the case.  (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Nate Raymond; Editing by Doina Chiacu, Rod Nickel and Bill Berkrot) The post US Charges 26 People With Rigging College, Chinese Basketball Games appeared first on The Daily Signal.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A Texas congressman has introduced a bill to eliminate all capital gains taxes on primary residence home sales, if the homeowner has lived at the property for at least two years. Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Texas, introduced the “Don’t Tax the American Dream Act,” aiming to incentivize older homeowners to sell their homes and downsize; increase the housing supply across the nation; and repeal costly taxes on American homeowners. Goldman got the idea for the bill from a constituent, he told The Daily Signal. “He and his wife sold their house, and were questioning me why they had to pay such incredible, costly capital gains on that home sell,” Goldman said. “And I said, I don’t know, but I’ll find out. But when I saw the ridiculousness that we all pay capital gains on home sales, this is the reason why we filed the bill.” Currently, homeowners can be exempted from capital gains taxes on up to $250,000 of their gain for single tax filers, and up to $500,000 for married couples filing jointly. However, Goldman’s bill would remove the caps entirely and allow for home sales without any capital gains tax bills. As a means of boosting the housing market, President Donald Trump also floated eliminating capital gains taxes on home sales In July. “If the Fed would lower the [interest] rates, we wouldn’t even have to do that,” he said. “But we are thinking about no tax on capital gains on houses.” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned in December of a “structural housing shortage,” adding that many homeowners who secured low mortgage interest rates during the pandemic would be reluctant to take on new mortgages with significantly higher rates. Goldman called his policy “common sense.” “This bill makes common sense,” he said. “And I don’t know anyone in America who would say it doesn’t make common sense.” The Texas Republican hopes the bill will encourage more young people to start families by making home ownership more easily attainable. “Even a young family who’s out there who, let’s say, they bought their starter home and want to sell it and move on to something else, and they look at the affordability, or they look at whether or not in paying the capital gains off a home sale, and they can make that upgrade, they’re more than likely not going to do it,” he said.“Because it’s the first time they’ve potentially ever made an increase in their wealth and see a capital gains.” “It’s just ridiculous that we have this in the United States of America,” Goldman said. “It doesn’t promote anything other than government greed.” The post EXCLUSIVE: Lawmaker Introduces ‘Common Sense’ Bill to Eliminate Capital Gains Taxes on Home Sales appeared first on The Daily Signal.

“This despicably misleading headline is exactly why the American people have completely lost faith in the mainstream media,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explained Wednesday, calling out The New York Times for the way it framed an incident in which a violent illegal immigrant was shot by an ICE agent. On Wednesday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis was being attacked by an illegal alien fleeing arrest and two others - one using a shovel. The headline of the New York Times article simply says a “man” was shot by a “federal agent,” failing to mention that the man was an illegal alien resisting arrest and that the agent was an immigration enforcement officer under attack: “Federal Agent Shoots Man in Minneapolis, Prompting Tense Protests” The sub-headline adds that the man is a Venezuelan who resisted arrest, but not that he was in the U.S. illegally: “The agent shot a Venezuelan man who was resisting arrest, an official said. Protesters and law enforcement officers clashed for hours, as city officials urged people to go home.” Omitting key details, the story’s first paragraph paints an equally misleading picture of what happened: “A federal agent shot and injured a man in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, federal officials said, an incident that touched off hours of clashes between protesters and law enforcement officers and that came just one week after an immigration agent killed a woman in the city.” “Breaking News: A federal agent shot an immigrant in the leg in Minneapolis, federal officials said, one week after an ICE officer killed Renee Good in the city,” The New York Times says in a X.com post linking to its article. “This journalist knows the facts, was given the truth, and adamantly REFUSES to report it,” DHS responded: “This despicably misleading headline is exactly why the American people have completely lost faith in the mainstream media. This journalist knows the facts, was given the truth, and adamantly REFUSES to report it.” “Here are the facts,” DHS explains: “At 6:50 PM CT, federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022. “In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. “The subject then fled on foot. The law enforcement officer caught up to the subject on foot and attempted to apprehend him when the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer. “While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle. “As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, the original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick. “Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg. “All three subjects ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside. “The attacked officer and subject are both in the hospital. Both attackers are in custody.”

While ignoring how an ICE agent was attacked and beaten by three men (including an illegal) the previous night and the local police were given stand-down orders to live ICE lives forfeit, the cast of ABC’s The View praised far-left Governor Tim Walz for prepping his state’s National Guard to be deployed against ICE. Among these were faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin, who refused to call out the violence against ICE. “I think the most important thing in this moment is that there's de-escalation, that we keep peace in the streets. And Governor Walz said, about a week ago, that he has the Minnesota National Guard on standby,” Farah Griffin said. What she failed to mention was Walz suggesting his state was at war with the federal government. “So they’re prepared to deploy in case these altercations between protesters and ICE keep getting more violent and it's necessary,” she added. “And I think, this is a prudent action by the Governor who received a lot of criticism after 2020 during the George Floyd protest for waiting for too long to call in the National Guard.”   Alyssa Farah Griffin praises Governor Walz for threating to deploy the National Guard against ICE. pic.twitter.com/AgEg6iJgWO — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 15, 2026   In nearly the same breath, she expressed relief that President Trump was talked out of sending in the National Guard during the George Floyd riots that Walz allowed: Now, the state National Guard is very, very, very different than federalizing U.S. troops and putting them into American streets. I see the Insurrection Act as the most-extreme step that a president could take to deal with quelling domestic protests. The last time, I believe, it was used was during the Rodney King protests in 1992. President Trump, I've said this before, he talked about doing it in the summer of 2020; was ultimately talked out of it by General Milley, Mark Esper and others. And it was a good thing, All of this came during a segment about Trump threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act to send in the Guard to protect ICE and restore order. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg flaunted her profound ignorance by leading into the segment by admitting she thought the federal deployment had already happened: “So this morning, you-know-who posted that he may invoke the Insurrection Act to end the protests, which would lead him to deploy the military in Minneapolis. Now, I thought he had already done that.” After being corrected, Goldberg tried to excuse her ignorance by blaming federal authorities. “I just find it so odd, because you've already made everybody feel like you've put the military out there because, you know, you've bypassed the police. You've bypassed people whose jobs it is to take care of their city,” she whined.   Whoopi claims Trump has already deployed the military to invade Minneapolis (he has not). pic.twitter.com/eb8coXoU2Q — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 15, 2026   Co-host Sunny Hostin followed up by lashing out at any soldier sent to Minneapolis, suggesting they’re poorly trained and would just make things worse. She even expressed a fear that Trump would somehow invoke the Insurrection act in other countries: And U.S. military aren't trained to provide local law enforcement and so that's just a tinderbox waiting to explode. And I also think it would be much more difficult legally to challenge their actions in court if the Insurrection Act was invoked. And so, that really frightens me actually for the people of not only Minneapolis but and Minnesota but the people in all states in every country because he could do that anywhere.   Sunny Hostin attacks the Minnesota National Guard as poorly trained and will make things worse. She's worried that invoking the Insurrection Act would make it "much more difficult legally to challenge their actions in court." She claims Trump could do it "in every country." pic.twitter.com/dsn5a73hTL — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 15, 2026   Hostin wasn’t the only cast member living in an alternate reality. Co-host Joy Behar had to be talked off a ledge because she had convinced herself that ICE was Trump’s personal stormtroopers who loved to carry out “illegal orders.” “I feel very much alone! I feel like these institutions are not protecting us!” she shrieked. “But when Senator Kelly says don't obey an illegal order, they're not going to obey -- they're going to obey the illegal order.”   Joy Behar suggests ICE is part of the military and claims they want to follow "illegal orders." pic.twitter.com/lFMIqBRBh2 — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 15, 2026   All this misinformation came from an ABC “News” show. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View January 15, 2026 11:03:51 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So this morning, you-know-who posted that he -- he may invoke the Insurrection Act to end the protests, which would lead him to deploy the military in Minneapolis. Now, I thought he had already done that. Because I've seen – [Crosstalk] GOLDBERG: - it's the National Guard. SARA HAINES: You know hat, they could have used that Insurrection Act. GOLDBERG: Well, yes, but funny –  I just find it so odd, because you've already made everybody feel like you've put the military out there because, you know, you've bypassed the police. You've bypassed people - SUNNY HOSTIN: It's true. GOLDBERG: -- whose jobs it is to take care of their city. So, you're adding fuel -- my question is supposed to be, do you think he's adding fuel to the fire? I think he is. HOSTIN: He would if he invoked the Insurrection Act and I think people -- that would be militarizing the state. HAINES: Yes! HOSTIN: And U.S. military aren't trained to provide local law enforcement and so that's just a tinderbox waiting to explode. And I also think it would be much more difficult legally to challenge their actions in court if the Insurrection Act was invoked. And so, that really frightens me actually for the people of not only Minneapolis but and Minnesota but the people in all states in every country because he could do that anywhere. JOY BEHAR: But he owns everything. He owns the Department of Justice. HOSTIN: Yes. BEHAR: It's like you say we're not alone and yet I feel very much alone. HOSTIN: It does feels like it's own his private law firm which is not supposed to happen. There's supposed to be checks and balances. (…) 11:06:11 a.m. Eastern ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I think the most important thing in this moment is that there's de-escalation, that we keep peace in the streets. And Governor Walz said, about a week ago, that he has the Minnesota National Guard on standby. So they’re prepared to deploy in case these altercations between protesters and ICE keep getting more violent and it's necessary. And I think, this is a prudent action by the Governor who received a lot of criticism after 2020 during the George Floyd protest for waiting for too long to call in the National Guard. Now, the state National Guard is very, very, very different than federalizing U.S. troops and putting them into American streets. I see the Insurrection Act as the most-extreme step that a president could take to deal with quelling domestic protests. The last time, I believe, it was used was during the Rodney King protests in 1992. President Trump, I've said this before, he talked about doing it in the summer of 2020; was ultimately talked out of it by General Milley, Mark Esper and others. And it was a good thing, because what happens is this, so, say Governor Walz has the Minnesota National Guard who are there to make sure protesters aren't getting injured and ICE officers aren't getting injured. Then you bring in a federalized force that answers to the federal government. You could have tremendous clashes. You could have a lot of confusion about authority and it makes this tinderbox situation even more dangerous. GOLDBERG: But that's -- I feel like that's what he wants. BEHAR: Yup. (…) 11:10:12 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: That's why when you say ‘we're not along’ I feel very much alone! GOLDBERG: I know you do. BEHAR: I feel like these institutions are not protecting us! GOLDBERG: You know what, the institutions are. Our police forces, they are trying to do their jobs. Our police guys. They are in the middle of how to deal with these folks who say they are in charge and how to do their jobs. You know, because that's their job to protect us. BEHAR: Yeah. GOLDBERG: So, I've -- you know -- BEHAR: But when Senator Kelly says don't obey an illegal order, they're not going to obey -- they're going to obey the illegal order and then the other side – GOLDBERG: Who are you talking about? BEHAR: The guys who are on Trump's side. HOSTIN: ICE BEHAR: ICE, yeah. GOLDBERG: Some of them may but some of them may not because, remember, there's a whole plethora of people involved in this. So, we'll keep our eyes on it and, Joy, as long as we're here at this table and people are watching, you are not alone. We'll be right back.

In 2017, an Australian-American yoga teacher named Justine Damond called the police because she heard strange noises in the alley behind her house and thought someone was being hurt.When she called 911, police officers showed up to her house.One of their names was Mohamed Noor, and he was an immigrant from Somalia. While she was talking to the other police officers, Noor shot through the driver’s open window at Damond and hit her in the chest, killing her immediately.He was sentenced to only 12 years in prison.“Now you might not have ever heard that story because there were no riots. There were no protests. Nothing burned down. There was no shouts and insistence upon saying her name or rest in power. Your favorite social justice activist, your racially conscious pastor, didn’t post anything about her,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says on “Relatable.”“And in fact, in 2021, the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned Noor's murder conviction due to insufficient evidence, sending the case back to the district court where he would be sentenced instead for the manslaughter conviction,” she continues.Noor testified that the loud noises made him fear for his life, and that’s why he shot her.“So he was spooked. He wasn’t approached with a vehicle. This woman wasn’t armed. She came outside in her pajamas,” Stuckey says.“Now I want you to ask yourself, if this had been an ICE agent who killed a liberal woman, or if this had been a white police officer who killed a black man ... Minneapolis would have burned,” she continues.In comparison, $1.5 million has been raised for Renee Nicole Good — who drove her car at an ICE officer in protest and was shot and killed as a result.And celebrities like Ariana Grande are wearing pins to the Golden Globes that say “ICE Out.”“The Golden Globes had a border. Like it had a hedge, and it’s got dogs, and it’s got guards. It’s got armed security officers. Like if I tried to go in there and cause chaos ... someone would have been shot for doing that possibly. They at least would have been tackled,” Stuckey comments.“What do you think Ariana Grande’s house looks like? Do you think her gates are open? Do you think that she has a lock on her door? Do you think that she has bodyguards?” she continues.“These people believe that they deserve security and that normal Americans who can’t afford to live in gated mansion communities deserve to bear the brunt of it and that innocent moms and dads in Minnesota deserve to be stolen from by Somalian migrants,” she says, adding, “That’s what they believe.”Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Unsurprisingly Texas bears a disproportionate share of the burden from illegal immigration due to its expansive southern border. Now state leadership has released the numbers to prove the massive financial burden illegal aliens have had on one sector in particular: hospitals.New data has been released by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission showing a baffling 10-figure financial burden on Texas hospitals in fiscal year 2025, Texas Scorecard first reported. The total cost tipped over the billion-dollar mark: $1,050,642,864. According to the new data, the total visits between November 2024 and August 2025 reached 313,742 for those "not legally present."RELATED: Trump threatens Insurrection Act after ambushed ICE agent shoots illegal alien: 'Put an end to the travesty' Photographer: Desiree Rios/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAnd the total cost tipped over the billion-dollar mark: $1,050,642,864. The year-end totals show that the burden is not only on one type of care either. A large portion of the visits come from the "Emergency Department - Non-Medicaid/Non-CHIP" category, though the lion's share of the cost comes from the "Inpatient Discharges - Non-Medicaid/Non-CHIP" category, meaning that the hospital system is being burdened by illegal aliens seeking both emergency and long-term care. This data was collected and released pursuant to an executive order signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in August 2024. The order directed hospitals to begin collecting data on illegal alien patients in Texas hospitals beginning in November 2024. As Texas Scorecard noted, these numbers are therefore not reflective of the full fiscal year, and the actual totals very likely exceed these figures. Abbott argued in the executive order that Texans ultimately bear the burden of public financial support through higher taxes and more expensive medical care as well. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Trump administration's deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stepped away from her role to run for Congress.Madison Sheahan announced Thursday that she was resigning from ICE to challenge Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who has held onto her seat since 1982.'Real change means real leadership.'Sheahan posted her first campaign video on Thursday morning and shared it on X."I'm Madison Sheahan. I'm a Trump conservative running for Congress to protect American jobs, American paychecks, and American values," she wrote. "No excuses. Let's get it done."In the campaign video, Sheahan touted her success at ICE, stating that, in less than one year, she has "stopped more illegal immigration than Marcy Kaptur has in her 43 years in Washington.""In Congress, hypocrisy, excuses, and failure can earn you a lifetime job, but on my family farm, that would put us out of business," she said. RELATED: 9 Republicans aid Democrats to advance Obamacare subsidies Madison Sheahan. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesSheahan highlighted how, during her time at ICE, the agency recruited 12,000 new agents and officers and deported over 2.5 million illegal aliens.She slammed Kaptur for voting against funding the border wall while sending taxpayer handouts to illegal aliens. Kaptur also supported higher taxes on American citizens, including voting to keep taxes on Social Security, tips, and overtime, Sheahan stated."I'm tired of watching my hardworking family, friends, and neighbors pay more and get ignored," Sheahan continued. "Real change means real leadership. And I've done it before."RELATED: Trump admin expands ICE detention space into notorious state prison Marcy Kaptur. Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty ImagesKaptur's campaign responded to Sheahan's announcement, telling WTOL, "While Republicans from near and far will fight through a messy primary in this district they gerrymandered again just this fall, Congresswoman Kaptur is focused on delivering real results for her constituents.""She's working to lower costs for working families, protect access to affordable health care, and bring transformative investments to Northwest Ohio," the statement continued. "Voters are tired of the self-dealing corruption and culture of lawlessness they've seen over the last year. They want a leader focused on affordability and real results, and Marcy Kaptur consistently works across the aisle to deliver both."Several Republican candidates are running for Ohio’s 9th congressional district.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Champ's many talents went far beyond the ring. In 2026, he was honored by the USPS with a Forever Stamp for his career as a "boxer, activist and humanitarian." The post Did You Know Muhammad Ali Played the Piano? appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

We’re back in the space race, and it’s awesome.

Karoline Leavitt Nuked WH Journo Pushing Dem Talking Points About ICE (the Look on His Face... OUCH!)