by Matt Margolis, PJ Media: Earlier this month, over 400 Minnesota Department of Human Services employees accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of being “100% responsible” for the massive fraud in Minnesota. I wrote at the time that the Minnesota Somali fraud scandal could take down Walz, and every day it looks even more likely. And what do […]

by Richard Gale and Dr. Gary Null, Global Research: For over 70 years, the American public has been called upon annually to join the fight against cancer. We are urged to make donations with the assurance that progress is being made and innovative breakthrough treatments are just around the corner. Yet despite decades of financial and […]

from PressForTruth: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

The opening track of 2004’s Ashes Of The Wake helped lift the band from heavy metal underdogs to generation-defining superstars

No one was expecting Ozzy at this show - and what a moment it was when he arrived

Is the American Left finally waking up from its decadeslong climate catastrophism stupor? For years, climate alarmism has reigned as political catechism: The planet is burning, and only drastic action—deindustrialization, draconian regulation, even ceasing childbearing—could forestall certain apocalypse. Now, at least some signs are emerging that both the broader public and leading liberal voices may be recoiling from the doom and gloom. First, recent polling shows that the intensity of climate dread is weakening. According to a July 2025 report from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, while a majority (69%) of Americans still say global warming is happening, only 60% say it’s “mostly human-caused”; 28% attribute it mostly to natural environmental changes. A similar October 2025 study from the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute found that “belief in human-driven climate change declined overall” since 2017. Interestingly, Democrats and political independents, not Republicans, were primarily responsible for the decline. Moreover, public willingness to countenance personal sacrifice in the name of saving the planet seems to be plummeting: An earlier October 2024 poll from the Pew Research Center found that only 45% said human activity contributes “a great deal” to climate change. Another 29% said it contributes “some”—while a quarter said human influence was minimal or nonexistent. The moral panic is slowly evaporating. Millions of Americans may still believe warming exists, but far fewer view it as an imminent existential threat—let alone embrace sweeping upheavals in energy policy and personal lifestyle. The fading consensus among ordinary Americans matches a more dramatic signal from ruling class elites. On Oct. 28, no less an erstwhile ardent climate change evangelist than Bill Gates published a remarkable blog post addressing climate leaders at the then-upcoming COP30 summit. Gates unloaded a blistering critique of what he called “the doomsday view of climate change,” which he said is simply “wrong.” While acknowledging the serious risks for the poorest countries, Gates insisted that humanity will continue to “live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future.” He added that “using more energy is a good thing, because it’s so closely correlated with economic growth.” One might be forgiven for suffering a bit of whiplash. The unraveling of climate catastrophism got another jolt recently with the formal retraction of a high-profile 2024 study published in the journal Nature. That study—which had predicted a calamitous 62% decline in global economic output by 2100 if carbon emissions were not sufficiently reduced— was widely cited by transnational bodies and progressive political activists alike as justification for the pursuit of aggressive decarbonization. But the authors withdrew the paper after peer reviewers discovered that flawed data had skewed the result. Without that data, the projected decline in output collapses dramatically to around 23%. Oops. The climate alarm machine—powered by the twin engines of moral panic and groupthink homogeneity—is sputtering. When the public grows skeptical, when billionaire techno-philanthropists question the prevailing consensus, and when supposedly mainstream scientific projections reverse course, that’s a sign that the days of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” propaganda documentary and John Kerry’s “special presidential envoy for climate” globe-trotting vanity gig are officially over. Ultimately, no one stands to benefit more from this incipient trend toward climate sanity than the American people themselves. In an era where optimism can be hard to come by, the professed certitude of imminent environmental apocalypse is pretty much the least helpful thing imaginable. If one is seeking to plant the seeds of hope, nothing could be worse than lecturing to the masses that one is a climate change-“denying” misanthrope if he has the temerity to take his family on an airplane for a nice vacation or—egad! —entertain thoughts of having more children. Even more to the point, given the overwhelming evidence that Americans are now primarily concerned about affordability and the cost of living, more—not less—hydrocarbon extraction has never been more necessary. There are green shoots that liberals and elites may be slowly—perhaps grudgingly—giving up on the climate catastrophism hoax to which they have long stubbornly clung. In America’s gladiatorial two-party system, that could well deprive Republicans of a winning political issue with which to batter out-of-touch, climate change-besotted Democrats. But for the sake of good governance, sound public policy and the prosperity of the median American citizen, it would be the best thing to happen in a decade. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post The Welcome Demise of Climate Change Catastrophism appeared first on The Daily Signal.

On PBS, every scandal seems to be a Trump scandal. Friday’s News Hour segment by Minnesota-based special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro finally acknowledged the incredible slow-emerging scandal of taxpayer fraud in that state, involving the theft of up to a billion dollars intended to feed children during the COVID crisis. The segment ran over seven minutes – but only 35% was devoted to the fraud itself. Instead the focus was on President Trump’s verbal fireworks in response, and ICE raids. In that way, the News Hour followed the other broadcast networks’ lead by spending most of its coverage fretting over ICE and President Trump’s harsh reaction to the scandal, not the actual scandal. The show’s intro graphic set the tone: “Community Under Threat.” Co-anchor Geoff Bennett neatly encapsulated the upcoming story: 20 seconds of Trump “xenophobia,” with a mere three seconds' mention of the actual fraud scandal at the end. Co-anchor Geoff Bennett: President Trump in recent days has taken aim at Minnesota's Somali community with xenophobic remarks and calls for removal from the U.S. It coincides with the new ICE operation in the Twin Cities that's resulted in at least five arrests of Somali immigrants. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro has this report on the community's response and how we got here, including a sweeping fraud scandal that's gripping the state. de Sam Lazaro devoted the first 128 seconds to Trump’s alleged xenophobia, including clips of Trump saying of Somalians “They contribute nothing.” Trump also blasted controversial Somalian-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar (who has her own connections to the scandal) as “garbage.” Finally, de Sam Lazaro sandwiched in 122 seconds devoted to the fraud scandals. de Sam Lazaro: In one case, hundreds of millions of dollars were allegedly stolen from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic. Officials called it the largest COVID era fraud scheme in the country.... PBS did finger Minnesota’s Democratic governor (and failed VP candidate) Tim Walz for allegedly “failing to heed early warnings about fraud and to do enough to combat it.” Then de Sam Lazaro spoke with one of Walz’s possible opponents in next year’s gubernatorial election, Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth. But he had other priorities for the interview. He allowed Demuth 13 seconds to outline the actual scandal before pressuring her three times to disown Trump’s remarks. de Sam Lazaro: What do you think about what has emerged since, which is a racialization at many levels of this issue? Demuth replied, "I don't think that we're painting everyone with a broad brush, but we are definitely pointing where there has been known fraud, and that's what needs to stop." de Sam Lazaro: We asked Demuth about President Trump's recent comments about Somalis. What's your message to the Somali community when they hear rhetoric like that? When she demurred, he tried once more to make the story about Trump, not fraud, asking her, "You don't take issue with the president's rhetoric?" The story closed with 27 seconds of clips from two anxious but defiant business owners promising that Trump “can’t bully us.” In all, the segment featured 35% on fraud, 65% on Trump xenophobia, with the actual details of the massive taxpayer scandal sandwiched in the middle. Note: A relatively blunt New York Times story November 30 captured the pathetic dangers of “Minnesota nice” -- or at least the hazards of Minnesota liberals avoiding their fiduciary duties for fear of being accused of racism by the media: Feeding Our Future, the nonprofit group that was the largest provider in the pandemic program, responded with a warning. In an email, the group told the state agency that failing to promptly approve new applicants from “minority-owned businesses” would result in a lawsuit featuring accusations of racism that would be “sprawled across the news.” Sadly, such threats keep liberal mouths shut. This segment was brought to you in part by BDO. A transcript is available, click “Expand.” PBS News Hour 12/5/25 7:23:32 p.m. (ET) Geoff Bennett: President Trump in recent days has taken aim at Minnesota's Somali community with xenophobic remarks and calls for removal from the U.S. It coincides with the new ICE operation in the Twin Cities that's resulted in at least five arrests of Somali immigrants. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro has this report on the community's response and how we got here, including a sweeping fraud scandal that's gripping the state. Fred de Sam Lazaro: At Karmel Mall, a hub for Somali life and culture in south Minneapolis, business has been slower than usual this week. Woman: It's very scary, especially the small business owner. For us, for me, well, all the business, Karmel Mall, we're not making any monies. Fred de Sam Lazaro: Concern rose here after word of an increase in federal immigration enforcement targeting Minnesota's Somali community. The state is home to about 80,000 people of Somali descent, the largest such population in the country. Most are citizens and many were born here. The stepped-up enforcement, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, follows President Trump's repeated attacks on Minnesota's Somali community. President Donald Trump: They contribute nothing. I don't want them in our country, I will be honest with you. Their country stinks. Fred de Sam Lazaro: The president also singled out Ilhan Omar, the progressive Somalia-born Minnesota congresswoman, who he's long criticized. Donald Trump: Ilhan Omar is garbage. She's garbage. Her friends are garbage. These aren't people that work. These aren't people that say, let's go. Come on. Let's make this place great. These are people that do nothing but complain. Man: I was shocked, bro. I was like, what? I was just like, really? He said that? I mean, I have seen him say crazy things, but now he hits home. Fred de Sam Lazaro: The comments sparked an uproar in Minnesota's Somali community. Woman: We really thought, wow. Why would somebody to call a whole community and say you're garbage or you stink? Actually, we smell really good. Fred de Sam Lazaro: Even Somali Americans who voted for Trump, like business owner Waris Mohamud, expressed anger. Waris Mohamud, Business Owner: We want he make America great, but not insulting the people. He is the president. I want he change his tongue, because he doesn't know us. Come over here, Donald Trump. You are our president. Come over here, have a tea, and you will learn who we are. Fred de Sam Lazaro: President Trump targeted Somali immigrants in his first term too. But his rhetoric sharpened dramatically this week amid increased national attention to a series of massive Minnesota fraud scandals in which almost all of the dozens of people charged so far are of Somali descent. In one case, hundreds of millions of dollars were allegedly stolen from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic. Officials called it the largest COVID era fraud scheme in the country. Authorities later said there was large-scale fraud in a program designed to help people with disabilities get housing. And in September, a woman was charged for defrauding a state autism treatment program. All told, federal prosecutors estimate fraud in Minnesota could cost taxpayers over a billion dollars. When you started to read about these fraud stories, what was your reaction as a Somali American? Ahmed Samatar, Macalester College: Well, I was ashamed. Fred de Sam Lazaro: Ahmed Samatar is an international studies professor at Macalester College in st. Paul. Originally from Somalia, he's lived in Minnesota for over 30 years. He says Somalis mostly started arriving here in the 1990s, fleeing their country's civil war. They were drawn to Minnesota's generous safety net, including refugee resettlement nonprofits based here. That's partly why he was so angered by Somalis' involvement in the fraud cases. Ahmed Samatar: Somali Minnesotans have to face this, and they really have to clean up their act, because the state deserves better than that. But I think the challenge is to keep that in its proper place, because it's a real story, and then, next to it, expound on what the Somalis have achieved in the state of Minnesota. Fred de Sam Lazaro: But, as scrutiny of Minnesota's Somali community spikes, so does criticism of Governor Tim Walz for failing to heed early warnings about fraud and to do enough to combat it. Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN): You commit fraud in Minnesota, you're going to prison. I don't care what color you are, what religion you are. Anybody who wants to help us in that, we welcome that. But sitting on the sidelines and throwing out accusations and, let's be very clear, demonizing an entire population and lying to people about the safety and security of the state, is beneath that. Fred de Sam Lazaro: The topic will likely dominate next year's gubernatorial election, when a crowded Republican field will try to stop Walz from winning a third term. One of his challengers is Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth. State Rep. Lisa Demuth (R-MN): This does point to Governor Walz, because whether or not some of it preceded him, it has exploded during his time leading our state. And there has not been that accountability that taxpayers are counting on. Fred de Sam Lazaro: What do you think about what has emerged since, which is a racialization at many levels of this issue? State Rep. Lisa Demuth: You know, I don't think fraud needs to be a topic of race, but when we're looking at that, it is heavily centered on one culture, one population. But I don't agree with any demonization of an entire culture. So I don't think that we're painting everyone with a broad brush, but we are definitely pointing where there has been known fraud, and that's what needs to stop. Fred de Sam Lazaro: We asked Demuth about President Trump's recent comments about Somalis. What's your message to the Somali community when they hear rhetoric like that? State Rep. Lisa Demuth: My top message to Governor Walz is end the fraud. Fred de Sam Lazaro: To the Somali community. State Rep. Lisa Demuth: My top message to Governor Walz is, end the fraud here in the state of Minnesota. When fraud ends in the state of Minnesota, a whole group of people will not be concerned or wondering if they're going to be under investigation. Governor Walz has not taken fraud seriously enough in the state of Minnesota. Fred de Sam Lazaro: You don't take issue with the president's rhetoric? State Rep. Lisa Demuth: I'm focused on what Minnesota is doing and our lack of leadership here. Fred de Sam Lazaro: Back at Karmel Mall, as rumors of ICE sightings and detentions trickle through the community, residents and business owners anxiously await what comes next, while remaining defiant. Man: This is our country. If the people says to, go back to your country, this is your country. Waris Mohamud: We're not scared of what our president said. We don't care. Whatever he want to, he can say. We're not going to scare with that. He cannot bully us. Fred de Sam Lazaro: For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Fred de Sam Lazaro in Minneapolis.

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office was recently forced to make a stunning admission before the U.S. Supreme Court. During oral arguments, Platkin’s team conceded that although the state issued a sweeping subpoena against a pregnancy center — First Choice Women’s Resource Centers — the office had no complaints against the organization.That admission stripped away any pretense that the attorney general was protecting consumers. It revealed the real motive: a fishing expedition into constitutionally protected internal records and private donor information for no reason other than First Choice’s commitment to life-affirming support for women. Now the court must decide whether New Jersey’s top law enforcement officer can bully pro-life charities out of helping women and families.When First Choice made its case before the Supreme Court, it stood up for every American who believes mothers deserve compassion without harassment from the state.What’s at stake is the work of pregnancy centers and charities nationwide that help women sustain their decision for life. These organizations provide the material and emotional resources mothers need to meet their own needs and the needs of their children.Choosing life for an unborn child is never a one-time decision. It’s a daily commitment made amid financial, professional, emotional, or health-related pressures — and often in the face of serious challenges in securing food, clothing, housing, and other essentials. Women deserve support in every one of those areas so they can pursue their ambitions with their children. Pro-life Americans stand ready to offer that support. Platkin prefers abortion over help for moms.Research shows that 60% of women who have had abortions would have preferred to choose life if they had more financial security or emotional support. Pregnancy centers and life-affirming organizations across the country confront this reality every day. Last year alone, they provided $452 million in support services, medical care, and material goods — all free of charge.And the need keeps growing. Over the past two years, pregnancy centers increased their material assistance by 48% to ensure that women have what they need to thrive in pregnancy and early parenting. In 2024 alone, they served 1 million new clients.When families face challenges beyond diapers and baby supplies, pregnancy centers rise to meet them. At Real Options Pregnancy Center in Texas, staff provided full Thanksgiving meals to local families. In Chicago, a center hosts an annual Christmas celebration so moms can put gifts under the tree. Across the country, community partners working with Her PLAN offer free car maintenance and help women escape trafficking and addiction, secure housing, and receive job training.Every woman’s story is unique. Pregnancy centers recognize that dignity, which is why they collaborate with trusted community resources to provide comprehensive support tailored to each individual who walks through their doors.This community network forms the pro-life safety net that Her PLAN strengthens through grassroots engagement and an online directory of vetted service providers across seven categories of care. For women with nowhere else to turn, this wraparound support provides stability, hope, and practical help.RELATED: Leftist war on pro-life pregnancy centers faces Supreme Court reckoning Photo by Win McNamee/Getty ImagesWomen who receive services from pregnancy centers report a 98% satisfaction rate. The real measure of success, however, is the women who later return to help others.Courtney, once overwhelmed by two unexpected pregnancies, now works at the very center that supported her.Jean Marie, who escaped human trafficking with the help of a New Hampshire pregnancy center, now runs a center in Vermont, using her experience to counsel vulnerable women.In Northern Virginia, a maternity home helped Shawnte when she lost her job and housing. Today she works as a peer-recovery coach and credits the maternity home with giving her the strength not to abort “a child I knew I wanted, just because things got hard.”These women — and countless others — were empowered by the pro-life safety net and now devote themselves to strengthening it for the next mother in crisis.This is work that protects lives, stabilizes families, and strengthens communities. It deserves support, not intimidation from pro-abortion politicians. When First Choice made its case before the Supreme Court, it stood up for every American who believes mothers deserve compassion without harassment from the state.Helping women is not controversial. It is love in action.

Holidays are tough. It’s not fun to say it, and it feels like failing to admit it, but they are.But why? Why are they tough? Why are the days that are supposed to be full of joy instead oddly stressful — and too often fraught with bickering, arguing, and disappointment?We want things to go perfectly on the day that is supposed to go perfectly — and when they don’t, our disappointment lands harder than it would on a random Tuesday in March.It seems inevitable, almost as if it's another tradition. Someone snaps about something small, then someone takes offense to something else, and then there’s an argument or a fight or just a weird feeling in the air that wasn’t there before.Too many cooksIt could be in the kitchen, especially when dinner is nearing. Mom, Grandma, and maybe a daughter or two are in there helping. A bystander pokes his or her head in and offers a "helpful" comment. One of the chefs responds with an eye-roll. A certain stifling quiet — not a good quiet — descends.Or it could be at the dinner table: Someone lobs a political point knowing that it will rub another guest the wrong way, but he “needs to say something.” Then someone else feels compelled to answer, and another after that, until the whole thing cascades and suddenly the arguments are spilling over into dessert.Moms are disappointed in their sons and daughters because they just want everybody to get along for one day when everyone is home. “Can you just not talk about that?” Dads are tired of having the same argument, so they zone out. Sons and daughters are mad because no one takes them seriously. They are in college and know more than they used to, but think they know more than they really do.Family feudThese things happen in families. Not all, of course. Some excel at sweeping every irritation under the rug and maintaining a serene, passive surface at all times. A few are even perfect — or as close as anyone gets — and enjoy holidays filled with nothing but gladness. But most families, in one way or another, run into moments like the ones above or something close to them.These points of conflict and stress are only a few of the familiar moments that surface when families gather for the holidays. There are countless other paths to confrontation, disappointment, or quiet unease. Sometimes the friction is subtle — simmering unnoticed for months — and it’s only during the holidays that anything finally bubbles up and over.At bottom, our stress and disappointment come down to expectations, especially the impossible kind.A holiday is supposed to matter more than an ordinary day. It’s supposed to be more enjoyable, more memorable, more special. That’s a crude way of putting it, but it’s the truth we all feel somewhere deep down, even if we would never say it out loud.Moms want the meal to be flawless and everyone to get along. Dads want to relax. Kids home from wherever they have been want to share what they have learned and maybe earn a little more respect.Perfect stormWe want things to go perfectly on the day that is supposed to go perfectly — and when they don’t, our disappointment lands harder than it would on a random Tuesday in March. Greater disappointment feels like a greater failure, and that casts a shadow over the day or at least over our memory of it.Our expectations rise so high that disappointment becomes almost guaranteed.That’s why the holidays are tough. It’s not that being around the people you love is hard or that it’s impossible to stay on your best behavior and avoid a spat with your sister or cousin. The holidays are tough because we want things to be the way they ought to be — the way we imagine they could be, the way we wish we could be. Admitting that the holidays are tough stings a little, because to acknowledge it feels like confessing a kind of failure.I don’t know how to eliminate holiday disappointment entirely, but I do know the first step toward easing it: accepting that our holidays will never be perfect. Hopes run high, tensions run high, and something will inevitably go awry. We’re human. And that’s okay. Maybe our bar shouldn’t be so high. Maybe we ought to grade the day on a curve. Maybe a B- really is an A. Maybe we can forgive ourselves for not living inside a Hallmark movie.Holidays aren’t perfect. Neither are we. And that’s okay.

Is the Trump administration claiming the power to do what previous administrations have done: compile lists of ‘enemy combatants’ and kill them?