Her hair fell to her shoulders, and she smiled while observing the atmosphere surrounding the race.
The couple’s appearance at the F1 event followed earlier sightings in November.
Sources said the two had recently attended Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday celebration.
Their attendance at both gatherings came as they stepped away from professional commitments to spend time together.
Saturday’s race drew a wide range of public figures from entertainment, sports, and culinary fields.
Among those present were Ben Affleck, Machine Gun Kelly, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Nina Dobrev, Gordon Ramsay, and Magic Johnson.
The event has regularly attracted notable guests as Las Vegas continues to serve as a major destination for high-profile races and entertainment programming.
The F1 weekend in Las Vegas included multiple events, live performances, and heavy media coverage surrounding the competition.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z were photographed entering the venue ahead of the race as crowds filled the area.
The appearance marks another instance in which the couple has been seen at major public events in recent weeks.
Sources earlier in the month said they attended Kris Jenner’s birthday gathering during a period in which they have been observed at various private and public functions.
The Las Vegas F1 event is one of the most attended on the circuit and draws participants and spectators from around the world.
The attendance list on Saturday reflected that trend, with actors, musicians, athletes, and public personalities taking part in race-related activities.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z departed the entrance area shortly after arriving, joining other guests inside.
Event coverage continued throughout the night as the race progressed and attendees moved between viewing areas and hospitality locations.
Michelle Obama drew criticism Friday after posting a video to Instagram showing her in a photoshoot while assistants adjusted her clothing, hair, and makeup.
The reaction followed comments she made earlier this month during an ABC special with Robin Roberts promoting her memoir “The Look,” in which she discussed her experience with a “glam team” during her time in the White House.
In the broadcast interview, Obama described the demands of her schedule as First Lady.
“I didn’t really have that choice as First Lady, right? Every day, every time I was up, as we called it, you know, I was up for the public, and the days were long,” she said.
“So as you mentioned, to save time, you know, having a glam team, a trifecta, it feels like a luxury, but it was a time necessity.”
She added, “There’s absolutely no way that I would be able to do my hair and makeup and have clothes ready that fit, you know, because rare is the woman that can live off the rack, you know?”
During the same interview, Obama discussed beauty expectations for women.
“As women of color, the way our hair naturally grows out of our head, it’s beautiful, but if we struggle to make it look like the standard, that means we are spending thousands of hours and lots of money straightening out what is naturally curly hair and that takes hours out of your life,” she said.
Once again, Michelle Obama is playing the victim Olympics. For a former First Lady, book author, multi-millionaire, she sure does have a rough and oppressed life, huh? pic.twitter.com/F2mWGN2fSt
The recent video posted to Instagram featured Obama preparing for a photoshoot as staff members adjusted her wardrobe and styling.
Viewers responded online by contrasting the clip with her earlier remarks about the challenges of maintaining a public image as First Lady and the demands placed on her appearance during her White House tenure.
So let’s get this straight…
Michelle Obama complains about a hair and make up team, complains about how hard it was to be First Lady, complains about how she doesn’t have a private life, complains about how hard black women have it, complains about being scrutinized…
The ABC interview was part of a media tour promoting “The Look,” in which Obama described the routine involved in preparing for public engagements.
Roberts responded during the segment as Obama detailed scheduling and presentation requirements linked to White House events.
Commentary published in the New York Post by Miranda Devine referenced the treatment of former First Lady Melania Trump during President Trump’s first term.
Devine wrote that Trump “was subjected to” criticism of her appearance, background, and holiday decorations during her time in the White House. Devine noted that Trump, a former model, was not featured on the cover of Vogue during the administration.
Grant Stinchfield and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn discussed concerns about internal resistance within the U.S. intelligence community during an interview, focusing on allegations that certain intelligence officials are working to undermine the Trump administration.
Flynn said he believes elements within the intelligence community, including the CIA, are withholding information and influencing national security decisions.
Stinchfield began by asking about the intent behind recent actions attributed to intelligence officials.
“What do you think their goal was? What are they concerned? Who are they actually talking to inside this community? Are they trying to change behavior of some kind?” he asked.
Flynn responded that the issue involves personnel inside the executive branch.
“Yeah, this is important, Grant. This is really important here, folks, because there are elements inside of the administration, inside of the executive branch of the administration, principally in the United States, intelligence community,” he said.
“And I know this factually because we’ve caught a bunch of them, and we’ve got whistleblowers out on some of them. But these are, this is the intelligence community.”
Flynn referenced the appearance of a former CIA officer in a recent public statement and said it raised questions for him.
“When I saw the CIA, former CIA officer, I was like, huh, this is interesting,” he said.
Flynn added that he believes Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are dealing with internal pressures.
“They’re the ones responsible for basically running the largest part of the intelligence community,” he said.
He named the CIA and the Department of War as key components.
“It’s the CIA that continue to me, and I’m right on the record here, buddy, the CIA and elements in the in the US intelligence community are still undermining this administration in a big, big way.”
Flynn said he does not believe the president is receiving a complete picture of national security issues.
“I don’t think that the President of the United States is getting fully informed as to what is actually going on around the world and right here at home,” he said.
He stated that leadership officials can inform the president, but may not have full information themselves.
Flynn said the statements made by the former military and intelligence officials align with what he described as political messaging.
“This is clearly, clearly, this is a sort of parroting of what it is that the that the left wants to, you know, sort of propagandize across the American society here,” he said.
Stinchfield drew a comparison to the letter issued by former intelligence officials ahead of the 2020 election.
“Yeah, it’s interesting. When you bring up this connection. It almost reminds me of the 51 spies letter that tried to debunk the Hunter Biden laptop, right?” he said.
“They get a whole bunch of people, and they spew this nonsense, and they get the media to try to pick up on it. This is almost the same operation, only it’s on video, not a letter, last word, General.”
Flynn said he believes the situation reflects a larger problem within the intelligence community.
“I do think that there’s a connection here,” he said.
“I don’t think that this is universal in our in our military.”
Flynn said he is concerned that some actions are tied to intelligence officials.
“I actually think that this is coming out of the US intelligence community,” he said.
“And to me, this is where Tulsi Gabbard really has her hands full, because I think she’s doing all that she can, but she’s being undermined. Trust me.”
Stinchfield thanked Flynn for appearing.
“Well, I know for a fact that people are listening to you and your assessment of all of this, and so I’m grateful for that,” he said.
“I’m grateful for you coming on the program as always, General, and it’s good to see you, my friend. Thank you.”
Flynn replied, “Absolutely grant. Thank you.”
Stinchfield closed the segment by summarizing the concerns raised.
“Absolutely fascinating stuff, when you think about what he’s talking about there, that the President may not be getting the information he needs to make national security decisions,” he said.
“And then you look at the connection that could these, these congressmen, members of Congress, be connected to a subversion inside the intelligence community, not just the intel community. When you talk about sedition, I don’t know how else to describe it. President Trump is spot on.”
WATCH:
DEMS TARGETING THE INTEL COMMUNITY WHEN THEY TOLD MILITARY TO DEFY TRUMP ORDERS?
“When I saw the former CIA officer, I was like…this is interesting..This is really where this is coming from…The CIA and elements in the US intelligence community are still undermining this… pic.twitter.com/ZntcwqcAvb
More than 30,000 students were absent from classes on Monday in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools District as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations increased in the region, according to district data.
The absences occurred as federal authorities carried out “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” an initiative launched by the Department of Homeland Security over the weekend.
DHS officials reported that the operation produced more than 200 detentions across the area in its first days.
WBTV reported that federal agents made 81 arrests on Saturday, describing the total as “record-breaking,” with more than 130 illegal immigrants arrested within the first 48 hours of enforcement activity.
School officials said the absences were concentrated in neighborhoods and campuses with higher Latino enrollment.
Current district data shows that 31 percent of the district’s more than 140,000 students identify as Hispanic.
One teacher at an east Charlotte elementary school said that only four of his 16 students were present.
He explained that families told him parents were keeping children home due to fears of deportation as enforcement actions increased in surrounding communities.
#BREAKING: A Charlotte NC elementary teacher has just admitted on live TV that of his classroom of 16 students, only 4 showed up to school after immigration raids in the city.
The school district is now confirming that 21% of all students did not show up.
Similar reports came from other schools across the district, with absentee rates reaching 65 percent in some buildings.
Families asked the district to move classes online temporarily while ICE operations continued, but the request was denied during a CMS school board meeting on Tuesday, according to WCNC.
Board members did not approve any schedule changes or emergency remote learning plans.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security released a statement listing criminal histories tied to some of the individuals arrested during the operation.
The statement said, “Criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon, felony larceny, simple assault, hit-and-run, possession of stolen goods, shoplifting, DUI, DWI, and illegal re-entry after prior deportation—a felony.”
District officials said there had been no immigration enforcement activity on school campuses and noted that federal authorities did not conduct operations or arrests at any district facilities.
School administrators said they are continuing to monitor attendance levels while communicating with families about the status of school operations.
A newly disclosed $250,000 grant from the Open Society Foundations has revealed previously unknown financial support for the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the organization that authored the 2021 “Disinformation Dozen” report targeting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other vaccine critics.
The Washington Free Beacon first reported the grant on Monday, identifying it on the Open Society Foundations’ website as “general support.”
The foundation was created and funded by George Soros and is now led by his son, Alex Soros.
The disclosure provides rare insight into the nongovernmental organization’s finances.
According to the Free Beacon, the Center for Countering Digital Hate “does not voluntarily disclose its donors.”
Sayer Ji, chairman of the Global Wellness Forum and founder of GreenMedInfo, wrote on Substack that the Soros-linked support represents only one small portion of “a web of 20+ funders, pass-throughs, hidden trusts, foreign billionaires, and U.S.-U.K. political operatives” supporting the group.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate’s 2021 “Disinformation Dozen” report was cited across major media outlets as the basis for labeling Kennedy and other vaccine skeptics as major sources of online COVID-19 misinformation.
Some media organizations have since issued corrections to reporting based on the list.
In 2023, internal documents leaked by a whistleblower showed that the Center for Countering Digital Hate had planned to “kill Musk’s Twitter” — now X — and conduct “black ops” against Kennedy.
1) EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS: Working w/ @mtaibbi we report on @CCDHate documents showing the Labour Party’s political front’s objective is “Kill Musk’s Twitter” thru “Advertising focus” meaning harass his advertisers.
“Black ops” refers to covert operations that hide the identity of those involved.
Jim Hoft, founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, which the Center for Countering Digital Hate attempted to demonetize in 2021, said he was not surprised by the connection to Soros.
Hoft said he was “thrilled that this is finally exposed,” adding that Soros has backed “numerous anti-American protests and movements.”
Ji, who was listed in the “Disinformation Dozen,” told The Defender that the Soros connection is “far more than a simple financial disclosure — it’s the moment the curtain gets pulled back on an elaborate theater of manipulation that has been operating in plain sight, yet hidden behind layers of institutional camouflage.”
Ji said the organization “has never operated as an authentic civil society organization” and instead “functions as a sophisticated influence weapon.”
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, another individual named in the “Disinformation Dozen,” said, “Soros’ money seems to be in everything destructive to liberty and democracy.”
Investigative journalist Paul D. Thacker reported that the Center for Countering Digital Hate has long concealed its donors.
In 2021, the group reported $1,471,247 in donations in its first year operating in the U.S., including an anonymous $1.1 million contribution routed through a Schwab Charitable Fund.
Though the group holds nonprofit status, it is tied to a private Delaware corporation based in Washington, D.C., which does not have to disclose finances.
Thacker said the corporation pays for significant parts of the nonprofit’s operations, including payroll and legal services.
Thacker said, “CCDH does not report their Soros funding because this aligns with their policy of hiding their funders. It’s how Imran Ahmed has always operated since he founded CCDH years ago in London.”
1/ Remember the “Disinformation Dozen”?
In 2021, CCDH labeled 12 Americans—including RFK Jr., myself, and others—as targets for deplatforming.
They pressured Big Tech to silence us for questioning vaccines, challenging pharma narratives, and spreading MISSING Information.
Chiropractor Ben Tapper, also named in the “Disinformation Dozen,” said the group “when pressed, has refused to provide a full donor list.”
The Free Beacon reported that the Center for Countering Digital Hate received $415,000 in 2023 from the Skoll Fund, a philanthropic organization founded by former eBay President Jeff Skoll.
Two members of its board, Gayle E. Smith and Raj Panjabi, played roles in the Biden administration’s COVID-19 response.
A third board member, Shashi Buluswar, previously led GH Labs, a global health nonprofit created by Bill Gates.
Another $403,175 came from the Silicon Valley Communication Foundation, which the Free Beacon described as a donor-advised fund associated with the Skoll Fund.
The foundation does not publicly list its leadership structure.
Ji said the funding, which helped form part of the Center for Countering Digital Hate’s $2.1 million in 2023 revenue, is part of “a vast tapestry of dark money.”
Ji said the network includes Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss and various institutional donors, including those associated with Arabella Advisors and the Sixteen Thirty Fund.
Ji wrote that Wyss “seeded and financed the U.S. political dark-money machine.”
The New York Times reported in 2021 that Wyss “helped build a sophisticated behind-the-scenes operation that attacked Republicans and promoted Democratic causes.”
Ji described Arabella Advisors as distributing more than $2.5 billion to nonprofits and operating more than 350 “pop-up” groups.
Ji said the Sixteen Thirty Fund, managed by Arabella Advisors, is “Arabella’s political weapon.”
Additional organizations funding the Center for Countering Digital Hate include the Elevate Prize Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Pears Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Oak Foundation, and the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.
Ji said these entities are connected to “U.S. election influence, foreign policy networks, or digital policing initiatives.”
Ji also cited donor-advised funds and U.K.-based Prism the Gift Fund as means by which donors remain anonymous.
Thacker said the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Ahmed have close connections to the Democratic Party and the British Labour Party and have supported censorship legislation such as the U.K.’s Online Safety Act.
Ji wrote that the group forms part of “a transnational censorship-industrial complex.”
Hoft said, “They want us silenced. Now we have proof that Soros is one of many who are funding this.”
Alexander Soros, President of the Open Society Foundation, during the seminar “Globalization, Development, and Democracy” at the BNDES headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:08.20.2025
Thacker wrote that the group made “materially false” claims to the IRS when applying for tax-exempt status by asserting it was already a registered charity in the U.K., even though it was not.
Thacker said neither the IRS nor the Department of Justice has investigated the claim.
Thacker added that Ahmed is the only salary reported to the IRS — approximately $250,000 — even though internal documents show 28 employees.
“None of the other salaries are reported, as required,” he wrote.
Thacker said, “Very few of CCDH’s own employees know where the money comes from, and who actually pays their salaries.”
In 2023, Rep. Jim Jordan launched a congressional investigation into the Center for Countering Digital Hate and subpoenaed the group for its donor list.
An attorney for the group said it was funded entirely by private donors.
Thacker cited a report by The Telegraph showing that the U.K. government also provided funding.
The Trump administration has considered revoking Ahmed’s visa, according to reports, though Thacker said Ahmed “is trying, or has already gotten, a U.S. passport.”
Thacker wrote that the Department of Justice should indict Ahmed for “lying to Congress and filing materially false statements with the IRS.”
The Supreme Court of the United States has temporarily halted a lower court order that struck down Texas’s newly approved redistricting maps, issuing an administrative stay as the dispute moves forward.
Earlier this week, a three-judge panel in the Western District of Texas ruled 2-1 that the maps must be thrown out.
Texas appealed the decision on Friday.
Associate Justice Samuel Alito issued the Supreme Court’s response the same day, stating that the order would be paused while the Court reviews the case.
MAJOR BREAKING: The U.S. Supreme Court IMMEDIATELY OVERTURNS activist judge ruling that struck down Texas’ new Republican-friendly 2026 Congressional map
Justice SAM ALITO issued the order. The map is BACK, for now, while SCOTUS formally considers the appeal.
“IT IS ORDERED that the November 18, 2025, order of the United States District Court is hereby administratively stayed pending further order of the undersigned or the of the Court. It is further ordered that a response to the application be filed on or before Monday, November 24, 2025, by 5 p.m. (EST).”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has urged the Supreme Court to block the lower court’s ruling.
Paxton said in a public statement, “Radical left-wing activists are abusing the judicial system to derail the Republican agenda and steal the U.S. House for Democrats. I am fighting to stop this blatant attempt to upend our political system. Texas engaged in partisan redistricting solely to secure more Republican seats in Congress and thereby better represent our state and Texans. For years, Democrats have aggressively gerrymandered their states and only cry foul and hurl baseless ‘racism’ accusations because they are losing.”
BREAKING: In response to our filing, the Supreme Court just granted an administrative stay—temporarily stopping the district court’s injunction against Texas’s map.
We look forward to continuing to press forward in our case on the merits. https://t.co/0iG1VbWiIn
If the lower court’s ruling is ultimately upheld, Texas would be required to revert to using its 2021 maps for upcoming elections.
The panel’s decision drew a lengthy dissent from Circuit Judge Jerry E. Smith, who wrote a 104-page opinion challenging the ruling.
Smith criticized U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Vincent Brown, calling the decision “pernicious judicial misbehavior” and arguing that the outcome reflected “judicial activism.”
The dispute in Texas comes as redistricting battles continue in other states.
In November, California voters approved Proposal 50, a measure that would adjust the state’s congressional boundaries.
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the proposal, arguing that the maps rely on race as a proxy to advance political objectives.
President Donald Trump has encouraged Republican-led states to pursue new redistricting plans aimed at increasing the number of GOP-held seats in the U.S. House.
The Supreme Court is expected to take further action after receiving the state’s filing and the required response by November 24.
Minnesota officials are facing scrutiny after a report indicated that welfare fraud involving members of the state’s Somali community funneled taxpayer money to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
City Journal reported the findings, citing law enforcement sources who said “untold millions” of dollars from Minnesota programs were transferred overseas.
BREAKING: A massive scandal is erupting in Minnesota as Somalians in the state artificially surged their rates of autism to fraudulently gain Medicaid funding…
…and then sent the money to terror organization al-Shabaab.
According to the report, state funds, including money from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), were allegedly routed through individuals in Minnesota and moved abroad.
The outlet reported that the funds passed through “hawalas,” clan-based money transfer networks, before being laundered to Al-Shabaab.
The group, affiliated with Al Qaeda, has carried out attacks that have killed Americans, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
City Journal quoted an unnamed source with past counterterrorism contracting experience who stated, “This is a third-rail conversation, but the largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer.”
The report did not specify dates, the length of time the transfers occurred, or the individual DHS programs where the money originated.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s administration has come under additional scrutiny following separate federal investigations into fraud within a DHS program intended to help Minnesotans obtain taxpayer-funded housing.
That program, Housing Stabilization Services, was shut down on October 31 “due to widespread fraud,” City Journal reported.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice told the outlet that six of the eight people federally charged in connection with fraud in the Housing Stabilization Services program are of Somali descent.
The charges were part of a federal probe examining misuse of funds within the program.
In November 2024, an Al-Shabaab operative was found guilty of plotting a 9/11-style airline attack in the United States.
In a case investigated by the #FBINewYork Joint Terrorism Task Force, Cholo Abdi Abdullah was convicted on Monday in the Southern District of New York for conspiring to commit a 9/11-style attack At the direction of Al Shabaab. https://t.co/NL9ADjWQHs
The group has conducted numerous attacks internationally and is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
The article did not indicate which Minnesota programs were the primary source of the funds or the total amount of money believed to have been transferred overseas.
City Journal’s reporting noted that the use of hawalas played a central role in the movement of money overseas.
The money transfer method is often used within communities that rely on clan-based financial systems.
According to the report, the transfers were part of the alleged laundering activity connected to the fraud.
Federal investigations into the Housing Stabilization Services program remain ongoing.
The state ended the program after investigators identified extensive fraudulent activity involving individuals who received state reimbursement funds.
Al-Shabaab has been cited by U.S. intelligence agencies as one of the most active Al Qaeda affiliates.
The City Journal report connected the alleged Minnesota-based fraud to the broader financing networks that support the group’s activities.
No further public statements have been issued by Minnesota DHS regarding the report’s claims, and federal authorities have not released any additional information related to the allegations reported by City Journal.
Sen. John Kennedy criticized the delay in beginning work on a second reconciliation bill and questioned why Congress had not acted sooner.
Kennedy said, “Why have we sat around for five months and not started on the second reconciliation bill? I don’t, I just don’t get it. I don’t get it.”
He described the inaction as “a 12 piece bucket of stupid not to do another reconciliation bill and to waste five months before we even start on a second reconciliation bill, assuming that we get started tomorrow.”
Kennedy added, “Humans are supposed to have evolved as a species. Why would we not do a second reconciliation bill?”
Kennedy pointed to rising costs facing American families as an example of issues the legislation could address.
“Think of what we could do,” he said.
“I mean, moms and dads all across America tonight are going to lie down to sleep and they won’t be able to what are they worried about, well, they’re worried about the cost of housing. For one thing, they’re worried about the cost of home insurance. They’re worried about the cost of flood insurance. They’re worried about the cost of health insurance. We all know that they’re worried about the cost of living.”
Kennedy emphasized that the concerns he listed were affecting households across the country and said they were among the reasons he believed the bill should move forward.
WATCH:
When moms and dads lie down to sleep at night and can’t, they’re worried about the cost of living.
So why isn’t Congress working on another reconciliation bill to help them?
Tennessee State Rep. Aftyn Behn is facing criticism in the final days before the December 2 special election in the Seventh Congressional District after audio resurfaced from a 2020 podcast in which she said she “hates” Nashville, a city included in the district she is seeking to represent.
Aftyn Behn hates everything about Tennessee and will destroy it with her radical left agenda.
Behn is the Democratic candidate in the race to fill the seat vacated by former Republican Rep. Mark Green, who retired following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill in July.
The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+10.
Despite the Republican advantage, the Republican National Committee has moved significant resources into the contest, citing recent high Democrat turnout in elections in Virginia and New Jersey.
The resurfaced audio circulated widely this week. In the recording, Behn said, “I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it.”
Aftyn Behn– the Democrat nominee for the upcoming TN07 special election– says that she despises Nashville, the city that she’s running to represent in Congress:
“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the… pic.twitter.com/L9lmo1YkkJ
President Trump won the district by 22 points last November.
Although the district leans Republican, it includes parts of Nashville, the state capital and Tennessee’s most populous city.
Nashville is a major tourist destination known for its cultural history and its ties to country music.
The Seventh District includes areas of north and west Nashville, including parts of the downtown area.
The audio prompted response from Republican candidate Matt Van Epps and national party officials.
“The Democrat running in a special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Aftyn Behn, is running on the message: ‘I hate this place, elect me!’ Tennessee deserves better,” the Republican National Committee posted on social media Thursday.
The Democrat running in a special election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, Aftyn Behn, is running on the message:
Behn became the nominee after winning last month’s special primary election.
She prevailed over former State Rep. Bo Mitchell and political newcomer Darden Copeland, both of whom received more than 20 percent of the vote.
Republicans have invested heavily in the race despite the district’s partisan rating.
Public filings show that billionaire Jeff Yass has contributed more than $1.3 million toward efforts in the contest.
Additional expenditures include more than $600,000 from the Ken Griffin-supported Conservatives for American Excellence and $453,000 from the School Freedom Fund.
Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has also spent seven figures on activity related to the race.
The Seventh Congressional District special election is scheduled for December 2.
This is Nashville State Representative Aftyn Behn.
She just posted a 15-minute video of her and a friend stalking the Tennessee Highway Patrol as they carried out official duties—openly admitting they were trying to stall law enforcement from stopping illegal aliens.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida was indicted Wednesday on federal charges alleging she stole $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds and used a portion of the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign.
The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Miami, follows a House Ethics Committee investigation that began in December 2023. She faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted.
BREAKING: DOJ charges Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) with stealing $5 million in FEMA funds, laundering the proceeds, and then using the money to support her 2021 Congressional campaign. She faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement, “Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime. No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”
According to the Justice Department, Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and several co-defendants are accused of conspiring to steal an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds her family health-care company received in July 2021.
Prosecutors state the payment stemmed from a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract.
The indictment alleges that the defendants routed the funds “through multiple accounts to disguise its source” and used “a substantial portion of the misappropriated funds … as candidate contributions” to Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 campaign.
Among the co-defendants named is her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, 51.
Prosecutors also allege that Cherfilus-McCormick and another co-defendant, Nadege Leblanc, 46, schemed to use “straw donors” to direct the stolen funds into the campaign.
JUST IN: Dem U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick charged with stealing $5 million in FEMA funds.
Federal prosecutors say Cherfilus-McCormick & her brother received a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract through their family healthcare company.
The indictment claims these actions were intended to conceal the true origin of the contributions.
Cherfilus-McCormick and her tax preparer, David K. Spencer, 41, are additionally charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return.
According to the Justice Department, the filing allegedly misrepresented political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions.
Prosecutors also allege that charitable contributions were inflated on the return to reduce tax liability.
US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida said in a statement, “Today’s indictment shows no one is above the law. This indictment reflects our Office’s commitment to follow the facts, apply the law, and protect the American taxpayer. Public money belongs to the American people. When FEMA funds are diverted for personal or political gain, it erodes trust and harms us all.”
Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected to Congress in 2022 to represent Florida’s 20th District, replacing former Rep. Alcee Hastings, who died in 2021.
During the 2022 campaign, she drew attention for personally loaning her campaign more than $6 million.
Federal Election Commission filings show she later repaid herself approximately $2.5 million using campaign funds.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management filed a lawsuit in December 2024 involving Trinity Healthcare Services, the family-owned company that received the FEMA overpayment.
The lawsuit alleges Trinity overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for work performed during the pandemic and refused to return the funds.
Cherfilus-McCormick served as CEO of Trinity at the time of the overpayment.
“No one is above the law” – Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick who was just indicted for allegedly stealing $5 million of FEMA funds and using it to fund her Congressional campaign https://t.co/aoe0eZo3Axpic.twitter.com/5d2Pa1ACCc
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