Stories Speak Volumes: Dec 28-Jan 2
A Round-Up of National and International News
Compiled by
There are so many stories making up the mosaic of national/international news that we can’t cover them all every week. The biggest stories now seem to be: Israel and Iran, the Trump presidency (lawfare and judges), immigration (migrants and illegals), wars, weaponization of government (the deep state) against Trump and conservatives, our nation’s debt, massive inflation, climate change controversy and related expenses of government, industry attempting to address these issues, the Chinese threat, national security, abortion, taxpayer cuts, Ukraine peace, and hatred and violence against Christians. Here are just a few:
Puerto Rico Enacts Groundbreaking Law Recognizing Unborn Babies as Persons from Conception
December 28: Gateway Pundit by Cassandra MacDonald
In a significant victory for the pro-life movement, Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González Colón has signed a new law that officially recognizes unborn babies as “natural persons” from the moment of conception.
The legislation, known as Senate Bill 504 or PS 504, amends the territory’s Civil Code to affirm the preborn baby’s personhood for civil purposes, such as inheritance rights.
Signed into law in late December, the measure establishes a legal and moral precedent by embedding the recognition of life beginning at conception within Puerto Rico’s framework.
“Two Mommies” And Drag Queen Episodes: How Sesame Street and PBS Have Gone Off the Rails
December 28: Gateway Pundit by Antonio Graceffo
There was a time when PBS and Sesame Street were considered the most wholesome and educational content for children. However, over the years PBS has moved so far to the left that many conservative parents do not want their children watching anymore. Parents and lawmakers have called for defunding because they don’t want their tax dollars supporting left-wing political and social causes.
Purdue and Indiana Hire Foreign Workers Despite Robust STEM Programs at Universities
December 28: Gateway Pundit by Seth Segal
According to an in-depth analysis at The College Fix, “Purdue University and Indiana University are both using H-1B visas to fill data science and software engineering roles, despite Indiana’s wealth of qualified American candidates.”
The position has a salary range of $86,091 to $129,500, and is scheduled to begin in November 2025 and run through November 2028. The remote “primary worksite” is in North Carolina.
George Soros Pours Money into Corrupt New York AG Letitia James’s Re-Election Campaign
December 28: Gateway Pundit by Ben Kew
George Soros’ political machine has donated more than $71,000 to New York Attorney General Letitia James since 2019, according to state campaign finance records.
The donations, first reported by The New York Post, include $18,000 Soros gave James in July 2024 and $13,000 contributed by his daughter-in-law, Jennifer Soros, in May.
Records show the Soros family provided an additional $40,000 to James across earlier campaign cycles. Roughly $31,000 of the total was directed toward her current re-election effort. Those figures do not include political support James receives through organizations heavily financed by Soros, most notably the Working Families Party (WFP). Since 2016, Soros’ Open Society network has transferred $23.7 million to the Working Families Party via its fundraising arm, Working Families Organization Inc.
Soros and his family members have also donated at least $865,000 directly to the party’s New York affiliate since 2018.
Pam Bondi Issues Damage-Control Statement After Explosive Backlash Over DOJ’s Alleged Failure to Act on Massive Minnesota Somali Fraud
December 29: Gateway Pundit by Jim Hoft
After days of mounting outrage from conservatives and independent journalists, Pam Bondi issued what many are calling a damage-control statement in response to growing accusations that the DOJ allegedly sat on one of the largest fraud scandals in modern U.S. history, the billion-dollar Minnesota Somali fraud network that looted taxpayer-funded welfare, daycare, COVID, and Medicaid programs.
According to Bondi:
- 98 individuals have been charged
- 85 are of Somali descent
- More than 60 have already been convicted
Scam 1: FEEDING OUR FUTURE — THE LARGEST COVID-19 FRAUD CASE CHARGED IN THE COUNTRY
- 78 defendants charged to date | 57 defendants convicted
- 72 of the defendants are of Somalian descent | 5 defendants are currently fugitives in Africa
Scam 2: JUROR BRIBERY
- 3 defendants delivered a bag containing $120,000 in cash to a juror’s house the night before closing arguments
- They promised more money if the juror voted to acquit all 7 trial defendants
Scam 3: AUTISM TREATMENT MEDICAID SCHEME
- The state government program underwriting this scam was supposed to cost $20 million
- Somehow, it ballooned to $200 million — at taxpayers’ expense
Scam 4: MEDICAID FRAUD
- Fraudsters identified Minnesota’s Medicaid coverage program for Housing Stabilization Services — a program meant to help people with disabilities, senior citizens, and people with mental illnesses
- Then, they started sham LLCs and began signing up drug addicts and others in halfway houses for services that were NEVER provided
- The program was supposed to cost $2.6 million per year — it exploded to $125 million per year
Dept. Of Veterans Affairs Orders End to Abortions, Abortion Counseling at Facilities
December 29: Breitbart by Katherine Hamilton
In a sweeping reversal to the Biden administration’s pro-abortion agenda, the Trump administration has barred the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from aborting the unborn babies of veterans and their dependents.
Transgender Who Attacked Nashville Christian School Bought Guns with Federal Grant Money
December 30: Breitbart By Awr Hawkins
A report by the Tennessee Star appears to show that the transgender individual who killed six at Covenant Christian school on March 27, 2023, purchased her guns with federal grant money.
National Prayer Service to Highlight Basic and Necessary Role of Faith for the Pro-life Movement
December 30: Gateway Pundit by Rev. Frank Pavone
One of the key events in the upcoming weeks as pro-life Americans gather in marches, rallies and educational conferences surrounding the 53rd anniversary of the now reversed Roe v. Wade decision is the National Prayer Service, an interdenominational gathering in Constitution Hall on the morning of the March for Life in Washington, D.C., Friday, January 23rd.
Among the notable features of this year’s service, pro-life leaders will point to the 250th birthday of America in 2026, marked by the Declaration of Independence, acknowledging God as the source of our right to life, and the government as responsible for securing it.
New Details Emerge on Venezuela Port Attack
December 30: The Daily Signal by George Caldwell
President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed reports of a United States drone attack on a Venezuelan port last week, telling reporters the target was a loading area for drugs.
On Monday, CNN reported the Central Intelligence Agency carried out a drone strike on a Venezuelan port earlier in December, the first known U.S. attack inside the country, as Trump’s military and economic pressure campaign appears to intensify. CNN, citing anonymous sources, reported the attack “targeted a remote dock on the Venezuelan coast that the US government believed was being used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to store drugs and move them onto boats for shipping.”
Citizen Journos Expose Potential Somali Fraud in Ohio, Maine, Pennsylvania, Washington State
December 31: Breitbart by Warner Todd Hust
Citizen journalists and civic activists are spotlighting potential Somali fraud of taxpayer funding not just in Minnesota but in multiple states across the country.
Videos from Ohio, Maine, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and others, suggest that clannish Somalis across the country have replicated the alleged taxpayer fraud exposed in Minnesota’s childcare centers by citizen journalist Nick Shirley.
For instance, in Washington state, X user Carleen Johnson noted that she found a home registered as a daycare provider in Federal Way, Washington, but no children were present when she stopped by to inquire:
Another social media user jumped to his TikTok account to reveal that Somalians have registered a whopping 539 daycare centers in Washington State. He noted that if these daycare centers receive minimal state funding it is $755 million dollars a year in state taxes flying out the window.
YouTuber Nick Shirley Says He’s Receiving Death Threats Saying He’ll Be ‘Kirked’ After Bombshell Video Exposes $110 Million Somali Daycare Fraud Scheme in Minnesota
December 31: Gateway Pundit by Cassandra MacDonald
YouTuber Nick Shirley has revealed he’s receiving death threats and warnings that he’ll be “Kirked,” a sinister reference to being assassinated, following his viral video that uncovered over $110 million in alleged taxpayer-funded fraud at Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota
Shirley, 23, who documented empty daycares raking in millions while showing no signs of actual childcare, appeared on the “PBD Podcast” on Wednesday and detailed the harassment, including doxxing of his family and being stalked by Somalis during filming. The independent journalist’s explosive 42-minute video, published last week, has garnered over 132 million views.
(Editor’s Note: See 42-minute video on X of $110 million in fraudulent businesses filmed by Nick Shirley and posted on Dec. 26. As of Jan 1, his video had generated 42,000 comments. The video represents only one-day of reporting)
Tim Walz Throws Tantrum After Daycare Funding Spigot Is Shut Off
January 1: Red State by Nick Arama
Things are not going well for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz right now. He’s in the middle of a swirling fraud scandal, and getting justifiably blasted for not stopping it.
The Trump administration took action earlier this week to cut off the money spigot. They’re demanding receipts before any money goes out in the future and an audit of the daycare facilities featured in Nick Shirley’s viral video.
Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown Appears to Threaten Journalists for Investigating Somali Fraud
January 1: Gateway Pundit by Mike LaChance
As allegations of fraud in the form of Somali daycare centers is exploding, now across the country and not just in Minnesota, people on the left are rushing to defend the fraudsters. In Washington State, Attorney General Nick Brown, put out a statement on Twitter/X that sounds like a threat to any independent journalists who might look into it.
Zohran Mamdani Takes Oath on Quran as He’s Sworn in As New York City Mayor
January 1: Breitbart by Simon Kent
Socialist Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight Thursday, taking the oath of office as he placed his hand on the Islamic Quran in a private ceremony. In doing so Mamdani, a Democrat, was confirmed as the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city.
325,000 Foreign Nationals in California Must Return To DMV, Get New REAL IDs Due To Software Glitch
January 2: Breitbart by Lowell Cauffiel
An estimated 325,000 people from other countries who hold California REAL IDs will have to brave the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) again and replace them because of a software error. The redo effects about 1.5 percent of REAL ID holders in the state, the department explained. The DMV will notify those recipients, all of whom apparently are in the state with legal immigration or visitation status.
The deadline for securing a REAL ID was May 7, 2025. Anyone 18 years and older who plans to fly domestically, visit certain federal facilities, or confirm their identity for certain federal government services needs a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification.
Trump Ending Automatic Green Cards for Migrants Marrying U.S. Citizens
January 2: Breitbart by Warner Todd Huston
Immigration lawyers are warning that federal agencies are increasingly skeptical when migrants claim to have legitimate marriages with Americans. The policy shift comes after President Donald Trump’s deputies began cracking down on rising rates of marriage-related visa fraud by migrants who pay Americans for temporary marriages.
While marrying a U.S. citizen has never been a locked-in guarantee that a migrant would be issued a green card, marriages have previously offered a huge boost to a migrant’s request for legal status. But that may be changing as immigration attorneys are finding that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are giving such marriages much closer scrutiny than ever before.
Golf Legend Phil Mickelson Reveals What Really Happens If Dems Actually Address Fraud and Illegal Immigration: ‘The Democrat Party All but Ends’
January 2: Gateway Pundit by Margaret Flavin
Golf legend Phil Mickelson weighed in on the staggering abuse of American taxpayers. Mickelson responded to comments from Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), who has repeatedly highlighted the fraud occurring in California, noting, “Instead of stopping the fraud and theft and getting back the money, the plan is more taxes for already the highest taxed citizens in the country.”
Mickelson then got to the heart of the problem for Democrats if they actually address rampant fraud and illegal immigration. It means the end of their party. “The dilemma for all Democrats is if you stop the fraud, illegal immigration, and voter fraud in CA,” Mickelson notes, “then Republicans win CA and have a huge majority throughout the country. The Democrat party all but ends.”
New Hampshire Governor Announces ‘Sanctuary Cities Are Officially Banned’ After Anti-Sanctuary City Laws Took Effect on Jan 1
January 2: Gateway Pundit by Jordan Conradson
Anti-sanctuary city laws took effect in New Hampshire on Thursday after Governor Kelly Ayotte signed two bills requiring cities to cooperate with federal authorities and immigration detainers for illegal aliens who are charged with a crime.
The Governor championed the enacted laws in an X post on New Year’s Day. “As of today, sanctuary cities are officially banned in New Hampshire,” she said. “We will never go the way of Massachusetts and their billion-dollar illegal immigration crisis.”
Protests Spread Across Iran as Regime Threatens US Forces As ‘Legitimate Targets’ After Trump Warning
January 2: Fox News by Michael Dorgan
As nationwide protests continued to spread across Iran on Friday, the regime’s hardline Parliament speaker warned the U.S. that American forces and bases in the region would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington intervenes in the country’s ongoing political unrest.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the comments after President Donald Trump said earlier Friday that the U.S. would take action if Iran uses force against demonstrators. It comes as protests entered a sixth day and appear to be spreading, with Iranian opposition groups claiming at least eight deaths.
Mike Hernandez is co-founder of the Citizens Journal–Ventura County’s online news service and writes for CitizensJournal.net and MountainTopMedia.com. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor, writer of “Prayer Over News Daily” and edits the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes” and other columns. Mr. Hernandez mentors citizen journalists with trainings held every other month (on Saturdays at Shasta Bible College and online) and can be contacted at MikeHernandezMedia.com.