A small county allegedly has a Texas-sized voter fraud problem, as a grand jury indicted six people, including local officials. The six were charged in an alleged vote harvesting scheme in Frio County, Texas, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced Wednesday. Several states have cracked down on ballot harvesting, which is when political operatives distribute and collect large quantities of absentee ballots. Frio County Judge Rochelle Camacho, a Democrat and the county’s top official, was charged with three counts of vote harvesting, according to the attorney general’s office.  Pearsall City Council members Ramiro Trevino and Racheal Garza were both charged with one count of vote harvesting. Pearsall Independent School District Trustee Adriann Ramirez was charged with three counts of vote harvesting, according to the attorney general’s office.  Two others charged were not public officials. Former Frio County Elections Administrator Carlos Segura was charged with one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, according to the state attorney general’s office. Frio County resident Rosa Rodriguez was charged with two counts of vote harvesting. All are presumed innocent.  Paxton, a Republican, said his office has worked with Texas 81st Judicial District Attorney Audrey Louis, also a Republican, in the investigation.  “The people of Texas deserve fair and honest elections, not backroom deals and political insiders rigging the system,” said Paxton, who is challenging incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a 2026 GOP primary. “Elected officials who think they can cheat to stay in power will be held accountable. No one is above the law,” Paxton continued in the public statement. “My office will continue to work with Frio County District Attorney Audrey Louis to protect the integrity of our elections.” Frio County has just 18,385 residents with 5,144 households, according to the Census Bureau. Pearsall is the county seat.  Texas has experienced several voter fraud scandals at the local level, including two elections overturned in 2018 in Kaufman County and for the city of Mission.  Last August, the attorney general’s office executed multiple search warrants in Texas county’s of Frio, Atascosa, and Bexar as part of a multi-year election integrity investigation into what Paxton said were credible allegations of vote harvesting.  On May 1, the Frio County District Attorney’s office and the election integrity unit for the state attorney general’s office presented a criminal vote harvesting case to a grand jury in Frio County. The suspects were arrested on May 2, with the exception of Camacho, who will be processed at a later date. The attorney general’s office announced the indictments on May 7.  The Daily Signal emailed Judge Camacho for comment, and called her office. A county staffer said Friday she was out on medical leave.  The Daily Signal did not locate a phone number for the city council members. City hall did not provide contact information, but provided a written statement.  “The City of Pearsall is aware of indictments recently received by the 81st Judicial District Attorney from an investigation conducted by the Texas Office of Attorney General,” city spokeswoman Bianca Ramirez told The Daily Signal in a statement. “Due to the sensitivity of this matter and in our efforts to not interfere with any existing or ongoing investigations, the city has no comment at this time.” The Daily Signal also left a voicemail with the Pearsall Independent School District for Ramirez. The number listed for Ramirez, the school board member, on Whitepages.com was nonworking.  Segura, the former election official, told The New York Times, “The charges are ridiculous,” but added his lawyer advised him not to comment further. Mary Moore, who lost to Camacho in the 2022 Democrat primary for the judge’s office, first made the allegations, Spectrum News reported. Moore said Camacho hired a woman to collect ballots, paying her up to $2,500 to collect mail ballots, ballot by mail applications, and even driving others to the polls. Investigators alleged the harvesting scheme targeted elderly voters. Investigators also say the main vote harvester for Camacho apparently hid ballots under her shirt and used different vehicles “to throw off investigators.” The post Texas Rounds Up Public Officials in Alleged Vote Harvesting Scheme appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Harvard Having Second Thoughts About Leading the Resistance

While the rest of the liberal media were trying to convince the American public that Pope Leo XIV was one of theirs, the purported Catholics of ABC’s The View were fearful that he would abide by church doctrine. They were upset by the idea that he would continue the church’s understanding that marriage was between a man and woman, while an anti-Catholic voice tried to smear him with accusations she admitted were unsupported. Despite proclaiming herself to be “a devout Catholic,” co-host Sunny Hostin hoped that Pope Leo “doesn't roll back the progress” Pope Francis supposedly made for “the LGBTQ+ community. “Look, I always think it's exciting, to watch the Conclave and look for the black smoke and the white smoke and just the ceremony of it. And, you know, during these very trying times in our country, we certainly need spiritual leadership, because of some of the things that we're experiencing,” Hostin proclaimed before getting to her fears. Hostin bizarrely took issue with Leo previously stating the fact “the popular culture” often promoted a kind of lifestyle antithetical to church teachings: I'm a little concerned about this choice for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2012, he gave an address to bishops, and he lamented, ‘the popular culture fostered and a sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel,’ and that’s a quote. And then he cited the ‘homosexual lifestyle and families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.’ Sorry you bought into the popular culture, Sunny.     Admitting that she was – as all Catholics were – “sinful,” Ana Navarro tried to give Leo the benefit of the doubt since what Hostin was citing was from 13 years ago. She argued that American politicians had changed their minds on gay marriage in that time: In 2012, but what I'm saying to you in 2012 there were even a lot of American politicians who today are pro-gay marriage and pro-equal rights who were not. So maybe, you know, with the weight of the papacy and the idea that he just said when he went out on the balcony that the church loves everyone and was inclusive in his first message. “So, until we see otherwise, I think we need to pray and hope that he follows in Francis' footsteps in being inclusive…” Navarro declared. Sara Haines, a Presbyterian who had voiced some pretty staunch anti-Catholic hate on the show (calling it “extremist” and “cult-like”), decided to smear Leo by trying to tie him the church’s child sex abuse cases with allegations she wasn’t even sure about: The conclave looked past allegations that he had – This pope had mishandled or failed to act on sexual abuse cases involving priests in both Peru and the United States. And the probably the dirtiest stain on the Catholic Church would be the abuse of young children. So, to know that that could have been looked past is difficult to reconcile for me. Well Sara, since he’s not the leader of your religion, you don’t have to reconcile anything because it doesn’t involve you. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View May 9, 2025 11:02:45 a.m. Eastern (…) JOY BEHAR: Who are the Catholics here anyway? SARA HAINES: Two. [Pointing at Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro] BEHAR: You two. I'm a lapsed Catholic, but I’m a Catholic. ANA NAVARRO: I'm a sinful one. BEHAR: You’re a sinful Catholic. HAINES: We may want to start with Sunny then. [Laughter] SUNNY HOSTIN: I'm a devout Catholic. Look, I always think it's exciting, to watch the Conclave and look for the black smoke and the white smoke and just the ceremony of it. And, you know, during these very trying times in our country, we certainly need spiritual leadership, because of some of the things that we're experiencing. I'm a little concerned about this choice for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2012, he gave an address to bishops, and he lamented, ‘the popular culture fostered and a sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the gospel,’ and that’s a quote. And then he cited the ‘homosexual lifestyle and families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children.’ I think that Pope Francis certainly made great changes in terms of embracing the LGBTQ+ community and extending blessings to the community, and I hope that this is -- that this pope doesn't roll back the progress. [Crosstalk] NAVARRO: I'm going to give him -- BEHAR: But didn’t the last pope come to that in his time? NAVARRO: That’s right. I think it’s important that we note that what you're quoting from is from 2012. HOSITN: Yeah. I said 2012. NAVARRO: In 2012, but what I'm saying to you in 2012 there were even a lot of American politicians who today are pro-gay marriage and pro-equal rights who were not. So maybe, you know, with the weight of the papacy and the idea that he just said when he went out on the balcony that the church loves everyone and was inclusive in his first message. So, until we see otherwise, I think we need to pray and hope - HAINES: Yeah. NAVARRO: - that he follows in Francis' footsteps in being inclusive, forgiving, compassionate, welcoming, and speaking up for the marginalized. Speaking up for the poor, speaking up for the migrants, speaking up for the targeted, speaking up for all those people that today feel alone in that Francis said, you have a mother and a father in the Catholic Church. He was -- he became a citizen of Peru and there he advocated for the poor. So-so that gives me -- HOSTIN: And migrants as well. NAVARRO: It's very hard to live in a place like Peru, where there is extreme poverty, be pope of the streets where you're walking among the poor and the needy and I think not developed some great sense of compassion. Francis put him -- he presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms that Francis made when he added three women to the voting bloc that decides which bishop nominations to forward to the pope. Because in addition to LGBTQ, in my view, the Catholic Church needs to give women their rightful plate and some more equality. [Applause] HAINES: I'm not a Catholic, I grew up Presbyterian. But I think any person of any faith kind of a person of the cloth is always inspirational and to watch the ceremony has been great, but I also echo some concerns in addition to what Sunny said. The conclave looked past allegations that he had – This pope had mishandled or failed to act on sexual abuse cases involving priests in both Peru and the United States. And the probably the dirtiest stain on the Catholic Church would be the abuse of young children. So, to know that that could have been looked past is difficult to reconcile for me. (…)

The Amtrak Office of Inspector General released the findings of a bombshell investigation on Wednesday, revealing "the largest employee conspiracy our office has ever investigated."According to the OIG, at least 119 Amtrak employees participated in "a widespread scheme," conspiring with New York health care providers to defraud the company's health care plan out of over $12 million.'The sheer volume of employees who cavalierly participated in this scheme to steal Amtrak's funds suggests not only a serious lapse in basic ethics, but a troubling workforce culture, at least in the Northeast region, in which blatant criminal behavior was somehow normalized.'The investigation stated that the fraud occurred between 2019 and 2022 and involved 28 now retired or resigned workers. Another 30 employees departed from Amtrak for "other reasons."However, the majority of the 119 alleged crooked workers are reportedly still with Amtrak, a company that has never turned a profit since its creation in 1971 and leans on taxpayer funds to cover its losses.The office said, "The OIG's findings on 61 remaining active employees were given to Amtrak for consideration of appropriate administrative disciplinary action.""A dozen employees have been criminally charged in the case, and seven have pleaded guilty, pending sentencing," the OIG stated.Amtrak Inspector General Kevin Winters noted that he hopes the investigation will serve as a deterrent for other employees and health care providers."The sheer volume of employees who cavalierly participated in this scheme to steal Amtrak's funds suggests not only a serious lapse in basic ethics, but a troubling workforce culture, at least in the Northeast region, in which blatant criminal behavior was somehow normalized," Winters remarked.The OIG launched the investigation after an agent observed "unusual billing patterns." Upon further review, the office discovered that three New York-based providers with a high number of Amtrak employees as patients had submitted "questionable billings."The employees reportedly "accepted cash kickbacks from three health care providers in exchange for the use of their insurance information, and in some cases, that of their dependents.""The providers used the employee-provided information to file fraudulent and questionable medical claims for services that were never provided or not medically necessary. In total, Amtrak's health care plan was billed over $16 million and paid out more than $12 million during the scheme," the OIG reported.Amtrak told Fox News Digital it has taken "significant steps" to address the fraud."Like many employers, Amtrak calls on medical benefit providers and insurers to do more to identify suspicious activity and stop medical insurance fraud," the company stated. "Amtrak strongly condemns this reprehensible act that occurred between 2019 and 2022 and is taking swift action with all active employees involved in the investigation." "While we continue to work closely with the OIG to identify and stamp out fraud, we also continue to work on other initiatives to address this issue," the statement continued. "Amtrak has implemented various measures to enhance fraud prevention and empower employees to report suspected wrongdoing. These efforts include increasing oversight and strengthening efforts to eliminate fraudulent schemes."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democrats are furious at President Donald Trump for saying that he will shut down the Digital Equity Act signed into law by former President Joe Biden. The president said Thursday that he wanted to end the program signed into law in 2021, which spent billions ostensibly to expand internet access to underserved communities. 'The Biden/Harris so-called "Digital Equity Act" is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL. ... I am ending this IMMEDIATELY, and saving Taxpayers BILLIONS OF DOLLARS!'"I have spoken with my wonderful Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, and we agree that the Biden/Harris so-called 'Digital Equity Act' is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL," wrote Trump on Truth Social. "No more woke handouts based on race!" he added. "The Digital Equity Program is a RACIST and ILLEGAL $2.5 BILLION DOLLAR giveaway. I am ending this IMMEDIATELY, and saving Taxpayers BILLIONS OF DOLLARS!"Some of the funds allocated for the bill have already been handed out, including to some red states like Kansas, Alabama, and Arkansas. Defenders of the bill deny the president's allegation that it is racist and claim that the legislation hardly even mentions race, according to the New York Times.Democrat Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, who authored the bill, expressed her outrage at the suggestion. “It is absolutely insane that resources meant to help red and blue communities—everyone from local school districts and libraries to workforce training programs and Tribes—close the digital divide will be illegally blocked because the President doesn’t like the word equity," wrote Murray. "Americans are sick and tired of extremist right-wing culture wars being forced down our throats," she added. "Republicans will have to explain to their constituents why this Republican administration doesn’t believe their local library should get funding to help seniors navigate telehealth options or why middle schoolers in rural districts shouldn’t get laptops.”Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts (D) similarly excoriated the president over the threat. "Congress passed the Digital Equity Act to help ensure that all Americans could participate equally in the online world. This illegal action will hurt our economy, our schools, our seniors, and our democracy. We will fight back against it," he wrote. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Scottish parliament has banned men from women's restrooms in a swift move after its Supreme Court upheld accurate definitions of gender in a recent ruling.The parliament building, known as the Holyrood, declared bathrooms designated "male" or "female" will refer to biological sex only, as opposed to the gender identity and/or delusion of any individual.The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body made the announcement after the U.K. Supreme Court upheld a definition of sex from the 2010 Equality Act."This examination of the language of the EA 2010, its context and purpose, demonstrate that the words 'sex,' 'woman' and 'man' in sections 11 and 212(1) mean (and were always intended to mean) biological sex, biological woman and biological man," the court noted in an 88-page ruling.'It will exclude us and segregate us in the heart of Scotland's democracy.'Presiding officer Alison Johnstone said the move was to ensure "confidence, privacy and dignity" for staff and visitors. The SPCB declared the changes were to be immediate and that they were practical and made at a "minimal cost."Three more existing public restrooms will be designated as gender-neutral bathrooms, in addition to female-only and male-only bathrooms, among other accessibility- and disability-related bathrooms.Johnstone said it was important to take such steps after the latest ruling and added that parliament needed to fulfill its legal responsibilities sooner rather than later."Such clarity is an important element in offering all individuals confidence, privacy and dignity when using our facilities," she explained. "Everyone working in, or visiting, Holyrood should feel welcome in the building and be confident there is a suitable facility for them."Tess White, a conservative politician and minister for women and equalities, pressured the leader of the country, known as the first minister, to implement the same rules nationwide. "If the Scottish Parliament can respond to the Supreme Court judgment so swiftly, there is no excuse for [First Minister] John Swinney to keep dragging his heels."White continued, "He must instruct all public bodies to uphold the law immediately instead of pandering to gender extremists."Predictably, pro-trans activist groups in Scotland were not pleased with the decision.The Scottish Trans and Equality Network called the decision "rushed, unworkable and exclusionary," according to the BBC.Manager of the organization Scottish Trans, Vic Valentine, who uses "they/them" pronouns, claimed not to be able to "understand why this decision has been described as one that will bring 'confidence, privacy and dignity' to everyone."Valentine claimed it would not bring any of those things for transgender people, but that it would cause segregation in Scotland's most important institutions."It will not do so for trans people. It will exclude us and segregate us in the heart of Scotland's democracy."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A group of 26 opponents crossed team lines to get baptized together just days before they would become adversaries on the field.Student athletes from Jacksonville State, Liberty University, Sam Houston, and Western Kentucky University decided to get baptized before the Conference USA women's softball tournament. What made the event more interesting, though, was that the event was not planned, nor were their appearances predetermined.WKU is hosting the CUSA softball tournament and organized a religious event beforehand called the "Worship on the Hill." The WKU Fellowship of Christian Athletes put on the event in partnership with a local church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. At the service, 29 college students were baptized. This seemingly inspired attendees from the Jacksonville State softball team, who were in attendance after having just played WKU to finish the season. WKU players had invited their opponents to the church.The next day, players from Jacksonville State contacted the WKU players and asked them to help set up another baptism event and invite others to join. The event ended up hosting players from multiple teams in town for the tournament, a spectacular feat given that they are all set to compete against one another in the most important games of their lives, to date."On May 5th, we witnessed 29 baptisms at WKU on South Lawn. Several CUSA softball players attended the event, but they had to leave early, so they missed witnessing the baptisms," the Fellowship of Christian Athletes wrote on Instagram."But God wasn't finished with them. They were so moved by Worship On The Hill that the next evening on May 6th, 26 COLLEGE ATHLETES crossed from death to life and were baptized in a hotel pool."The video showed a number of female athletes receiving baptism at the event, which was surprisingly promoted by several of the schools directly on their social media pages.'You could sense the Lord in the room.'"For the most part, the Lord just stirred on their hearts that night," WKU FCA Director David Byrd told Sports Spectrum. "As they left and we were on the heels of the event, we thought this was another great event where God moved. Come to find out, He wasn't done.""What made it really special is these softball players have been competing against each other all year," Byrd added. The organizer said the competitive spirit was not present while the women were at the church and that rather a feeling of calmness permeated throughout."It was peaceful. You could sense the Lord in the room.," he concluded.Liberty University is by far the favorite heading into the conference tournament, leading the conference with a 45-11 (23-3) record this season, eight games ahead of Jacksonville State and Western Kentucky.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) explained in an op-ed in the Daily Caller why he denied the use of committee funds for committee Democrats to travel to El Salvador to advocate the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.Congressional Democrats have been clamoring to go on a taxpayer-funded trip to the Central American country to highlight the plight of Garcia, an accused MS-13 gang member and human trafficker who was deported to El Salvador's mega-prison for gang members while he had a stay of deportation to that country.Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was the first to go to El Salvador and speak with Garcia, but other Democrats have said they intend to travel there as well. It was reported House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told House Democrats to stop the trips, but his office denied those reports.Green said he was proud to be the first committee chair to tell Democrats if they wanted to go to El Salvador, they would have to pay their own way."As more details come to light, Democrats planting their anti-immigration enforcement flag on his case has become even more repugnant. We now know that Abrego Garcia’s current wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, filed for a protective order against him in 2020. In the request, Vasquez Sura said that Abrego Garcia told her former mother-in-law, '[E]ven if he kills [his wife] no one can do anything to him.' The violence Vasquez Sura details in the request is shocking and heartbreaking," Green wrote."Abrego Garcia was ordered to be removed by a federal judge in 2019, and earlier this year was returned to El Salvador," Green continued. "The judge who ordered Abrego Garcia to be removed also stated he could not be sent to El Salvador (or Guatemala — the decision is unclear), because the judge believed Salvadoran gang Barrio 18 posed a potential threat to his life. But was it because perhaps — Abrego Garcia feared Barrio 18 because he may have been a member of their greatest rival."On account of the growing evidence of Garcia's criminality while he was in the U.S. illegally, Green called Democrat attempts "to provide aid and comfort to an illegal alien, and potential MS-13 gang member, accused wife-beater, and possible human trafficker" and wanting to use "taxpayer money to do so" "simply beyond the pale" and "reprehensible."Green said he was proud to be the first committee chair to tell Democrats if they wanted to go to El Salvador, they would have to pay their own way.Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Senate Democrats during Thursday's hearing multiple times that Garcia would not be returning to the United States because he had no right to be in the country. — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

"I'm very pleased that this ichthyosaur has been found to be new to science, and I'm very honoured for it to be named after me." The post A British Plumber Discovered A New ‘Sea Dragon’ Dinosaur Species While Walking A Beach In Souther England appeared first on All That's Interesting.

It's Not Just Private Planes! Check Out Where Bernie 'Mr. Oligarchy' Sanders Stays While In London