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US Forces Cripple Tanker Defying Hormuz Blockade After Repeated Warnings [WATCH]
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US Forces Cripple Tanker Defying Hormuz Blockade After Repeated Warnings [WATCH]

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U.S. military forces disabled a tanker trying to push through the Strait of Hormuz on July 24, after officials said the crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to run a regional blockade.

The message from American commanders was not exactly subtle, keep testing the line and there will be consequences.

The vessel, identified as the M/T Lavine, was stopped after U.S. forces fired into its engine room, according to Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for CENTCOM. “The ship is no longer transiting to Iran,” Hawkins said.

Military officials said the strike was part of a broader enforcement effort in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical passage for global energy traffic, which makes any blockade enforcement there a high stakes operation from the first warning to the final shot.

CENTCOM said the Lavine was not the only vessel to challenge the blockade.

Officials described the incident as one of twelve forced turnarounds involving ships that attempted to breach the restriction and were redirected away from the strait.

“As of July 25, CENTCOM has redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 2 that didn’t comply, and boarded 2 to ensure total compliance,” the combat command said in a statement on X.

WATCH:

That is a fairly clear scorecard for anyone still pretending American warnings are just diplomatic background music.

Hawkins said the crew of the Lavine had been warned after four prior attempts to get around the blockade.

At some point, even the most stubborn captain should be able to read the room, especially when the room includes U.S. naval power.

The operation comes as President Trump reportedly stepped back from a larger escalation after the thirteenth consecutive night of strikes.

WATCH:

The New York Times reported that the pause was tied to concerns about a reduced stockpile of anti missile interceptors.

That detail adds another layer to the administration’s calculations in the region.

Trump has been weighing how far to push Tehran and its network of troublemakers without draining key defenses that America may need if the situation widens.

American forces also boarded the M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea for a compliance inspection.

Officials said the purpose was to confirm the ship was not carrying prohibited goods, and after passing inspection, the vessel was allowed to continue its voyage.

That boarding showed the other side of blockade enforcement.

Comply, get inspected, move along, which seems simple enough unless someone is determined to turn a commercial vessel into a geopolitical stunt.

The military released video footage showing U.S. naval operations connected to the enforcement mission.

The roughly forty two second clip begins on an aircraft carrier flight deck as helicopters prepare to launch.

The video then shows armed military personnel roping onto the deck of a commercial tanker at sea.

The name “CHARMINAR” is clearly visible on the vessel’s superstructure as Marines and sailors carry out the verification boarding.

Later footage shifts to overhead targeting imagery marked “UNCLASSIFIED” and “M/T LAVINE.”

A bright explosion can be seen on the tanker’s deck and superstructure after the precision strike meant to disable the ship.

The release of the footage appears designed to make the point publicly and unmistakably.

Washington is not merely issuing strongly worded statements while hostile actors and blockade runners play games in a dangerous waterway.

For the crews and governments watching from the region, the lesson is plain.

The U.S. military is prepared to inspect compliant vessels, redirect violators, and disable ships that keep ignoring warnings like the rules are optional.

The Strait of Hormuz has long been a pressure point where bad actors test American resolve.

This time, the Lavine got a very expensive reminder that U.S. naval warnings are not suggestions.

Army Helicopters and Navy Drones Blast Two Retired Ships to the Bottom at RIMPAC
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Army Helicopters and Navy Drones Blast Two Retired Ships to the Bottom at RIMPAC

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The U.S. military and allied forces turned the Pacific into a live fire laboratory this month, sending two retired Navy ships to the bottom during the Rim of the Pacific exercise.

The targets were not exactly small. American and partner forces hammered the decommissioned USS Peleliu on July 11 and the USS Mobile Bay on July 17 as part of separate sinking exercises, better known in Navy language as SINKEX events.

This is the kind of training that matters because paper drills do not sink ships. Real missiles, real targeting, real crews, and real consequences are how warfighters learn what works before the next shooting war arrives.

Video released by the Navy’s 3rd Fleet showed both vessels taking hits above and below the waterline. Fire erupted, water blasted skyward, and two old warships that once served the fleet became final exams for modern weapons.

The operation included forces from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy and Japan. Several helicopter units fired missiles into the retired vessels, giving crews a rare chance to engage ship sized targets at sea without the enemy shooting back.

Both ships were sunk more than 50 nautical miles from Kauai, safely away from the Hawaiian island. The American side included Army, Navy and Air Force units, which is exactly the kind of joint fight the Pentagon loves to brief about and occasionally remembers to practice.

USS Carl Vinson Joins Middle East Operations as U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Loom
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations, sails through the Pacific Ocean on its way to participate in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024. Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Marissa A. Johnson)

Army AH 64 Apache helicopters attacked the USS Mobile Bay using Spike Non Line of Sight missiles. That alone is worth attention because Army aviation firing into naval targets is no longer some niche scenario for PowerPoint warriors.

The Navy also used multiple one way attack surface drones against the Peleliu. Those kinds of maritime drones have become a serious battlefield factor in Ukraine’s war, and the United States recently used them in combat for the first time this month against Iran.

That matters because the oceans are no longer dominated only by billion dollar ships and exquisite missiles. Small unmanned surface craft can now threaten major vessels, and the U.S. military had better be practicing with them before China, Iran, or some other bad actor decides to make the lesson more expensive.

U.S. Marines Prepare for the Future of Naval Warfare with Advanced Ship-Killing Missile System
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), while participating in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, fires the first naval strike missile from a U.S. destroyer July 18. Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Jennings)

The 3rd Fleet said the SINKEX allowed participating units to build “proficiency in tactics, targeting and live-firing against a surface ship at sea,” which is exactly the point. You do not discover targeting problems, communications gaps, or weapons limitations for the first time when sailors and soldiers are already in danger.

Vice Adm. Jeff Jablon, commander of RIMPAC 2026 and the Combined Task Force, praised the allied effort. “SINKEXs are a prime example of the strength and readiness our partnerships create,” he said.

The USS Peleliu carried a name soaked in Marine Corps history, honoring the brutal World War II battle in the Pacific. The Tarawa class amphibious assault ship entered service in 1980 and later deployed to Somalia in the 1990s, helped move troops to Afghanistan, supported operations in Iraq, and was decommissioned in 2015.

Navy Dismantles Middle East Minesweepers and Bets Big On New Countermeasures
Pacific Ocean (July 10, 2004) — The mine countermeasure ship USS Avenger (MCM-1) operates off the coast of Hawaii during exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2004. RIMPAC is the largest international maritime exercise in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands. This yearís exercise includes seven participating nations; Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. RIMPAC is intended to enhance the tactical proficiency of participating units in a wide array of combined operations at sea, while enhancing stability in the Pacific Rim region.

The USS Mobile Bay was a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser that served from 1987 until 2023. It deployed repeatedly to the Pacific, supported humanitarian and peacekeeping missions, backed the war effort in Iraq, and even participated in RIMPAC in 2022 before retirement.

A Navy official told Task and Purpose that this marked only the second time a Ticonderoga class cruiser has been sunk in an exercise. The USS Valley Forge, decommissioned in 2004, was used as a target in 2006.

The two RIMPAC sinkings followed another major SINKEX only weeks earlier, when U.S. and partner forces sent the decommissioned USS Juneau, an Austin class amphibious transport dock, beneath the waves during Valiant Shield. That exercise also showed how useful retired ships can be when commanders need realistic testing instead of sterile range work.

During the Juneau event, a B 2 Spirit stealth bomber fired an AGM 158C Long Range Anti Ship Missile, known as LRASM. It was the first time the Air Force announced that the bomber could carry that weapon, proving again that old hulls can still serve the country by helping validate new ways to kill enemy ships.

Marines Explore Counter-Drone Capabilities for Amphibious Combat Vehicle Amid Growing Threats
U.S. Marines assigned to Combat Assault Company, 3rd Marine Regiment, Marine Corps Base Hawaii Ð KaneÕohe Bay stand by in R7-A1 amphibious assault vehicles off Pyramid beach July 12, 2012, to meet up with the USS Essex (LHD-2) off shore during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2012.. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC exercise from Jun. 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971.(Department of War photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth/Released)

This year’s RIMPAC brings together more than 30,000 personnel from 30 nations and runs through July 31. At a time when China is building ships at a staggering pace and hostile regimes are learning from every conflict on the planet, this is not just spectacle in the Pacific.

It is deterrence with salt spray and steel. If America and its allies want to keep sea lanes open, protect the homeland, and avoid being caught flat footed, then blowing up retired ships in realistic drills is not wasteful theater, it is common sense readiness.

Iran Says Ukrainian Strike on Caspian Vessel Killed Sailor as Kyiv Targets War Cargo Network
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Iran Says Ukrainian Strike on Caspian Vessel Killed Sailor as Kyiv Targets War Cargo Network

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea caused an explosion that killed one sailor and wounded another, opening another volatile lane in a war already stretching far beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Tehran condemned the strike as an act of aggression and said it would protect its national interests and security. That is rich coming from a regime whose drones have helped Russia terrorize Ukrainian cities, but the diplomatic protest was still delivered with the usual official outrage.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran over what it called a “hostile and criminal” attack. The ministry accused Kyiv of trying to expand the war in Ukraine by striking Iranian interests in the Caspian.

The accusation comes after years of Iranian involvement on Russia’s side of the battlefield. Moscow has repeatedly used Iranian designed drones against Ukrainian civilian areas, energy infrastructure and military targets, forcing Kyiv to build one of the most aggressive drone interception and strike programs in the world.

Ukraine has also offered its drone defense experience to Middle Eastern countries that have faced attacks tied to Iran. That matters because Tehran’s military exports and proxy networks have made Iranian systems a familiar threat far outside the war in Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier that Ukrainian forces had struck a Russian warship and vessels used to move Iranian linked military cargo in the Caspian Sea. In other words, Kyiv is signaling that the logistics pipeline supporting Russia’s war machine is not immune just because it runs through waters Tehran considers convenient.

The timing of Iran’s denunciation also lined up with Zelenskyy’s claim that Russia has been sharing satellite observations from the Middle East with Iran. According to the Ukrainian leader, those images are being used to support Iranian strike planning in the region.

Zelenskyy posted on X that Kyiv had recorded since the beginning of July “active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and U.S. military facilities located there. These images subsequently appear in Iran.” That allegation, if accurate, puts Russia and Iran in an even tighter operational partnership than the usual diplomatic spin suggests.

“At the same time, there is a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes — both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted,” Zelenskyy said. He added that Russian satellite monitoring on July 19 and 20 alone included four air bases, with two in Bahrain, one in Jordan and one in Kuwait.

For U.S. military planners, that is not some academic intelligence footnote. Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait are not random dots on a map, because they are central to American force posture, deterrence and rapid response across the Middle East.

If Russian imagery is flowing to Tehran, then American facilities and partner nations may be sitting inside a hostile targeting loop. That is the kind of threat the Pentagon class used to bury in jargon while adversaries kept moving, but the operational reality is blunt.

Iran’s complaint about a Caspian vessel also lands against the broader backdrop of its support for Russia’s war effort. Tehran wants the world to focus on one dead sailor while saying far less about the Iranian made systems that have been launched into Ukraine throughout the conflict.

Ukraine, for its part, appears to be expanding pressure on the supply chains that enable Russian attacks. Striking ships tied to military cargo in the Caspian would fit a broader campaign to disrupt movement, degrade capacity and force Moscow’s partners to calculate the costs of cooperation.

The Caspian Sea is not typically treated as a main stage of the Ukraine war, but this incident shows how quickly support networks can become targets. When cargo routes help sustain a war, they stop looking like innocent commercial traffic to the side being bombarded.

Tehran says it will defend its security and national interests, and Kyiv says Russia and Iran are coordinating in ways that threaten not only Ukraine but also Gulf states and U.S. military facilities. Both claims point to the same uncomfortable reality: the Russia Iran axis is no longer theoretical, and its consequences are spreading.

For the United States and its allies, the lesson is simple enough. Weakness invites coordination among bad actors, while strength forces them to think twice before turning satellites, drones and shipping routes into tools of a wider war.

Transportation Department Launches Push to Put Veterans Behind Big Rigs
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Transportation Department Launches Push to Put Veterans Behind Big Rigs

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The federal government is making a direct pitch to America’s veterans, especially those who already know what it means to handle heavy machinery under pressure. The Department of Transportation announced Friday that it wants former service members who drove large military vehicles to consider moving into commercial trucking.

The new effort is being promoted by the Trump administration as the “Freedom Haulers” initiative. The basic argument is straightforward: if a veteran can handle massive military vehicles in demanding conditions, hauling freight across American highways is a logical next mission.

The campaign is aimed at veterans with experience operating heavy tactical vehicles and similar equipment during their time in uniform. Officials say those skills can translate into the commercial trucking world, where discipline, attention to detail and independence are not optional extras.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy put it plainly, saying “there’s never been a better time for America’s former service members to get behind the wheel of a big rig.

“Trucking requires the precision, independence, and discipline that they forged in the military — there’s no one better to tackle the challenge,” Duffy said in a statement.

The Department of Transportation formally rolled out the campaign after President Donald Trump proposed the idea earlier this month. For an administration that has consistently emphasized work, order and American industry, this is a practical use of a veteran talent pool that Washington too often praises in speeches and then forgets in policy.

The initiative also follows a similar push from the spring of 2025. At that time, the department encouraged former military air traffic controllers to join the Federal Aviation Administration in comparable roles, another example of matching battlefield and military experience with civilian jobs that require calm under pressure.

Veterans who are interested in the trucking path would still need to obtain a commercial driver’s license. However, veterans with qualifying heavy military vehicle experience can apply for waivers through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to avoid certain road tests the government considers redundant.

That matters because many veterans have already spent years proving they can safely operate large vehicles. Making them repeat every basic step for the sake of bureaucracy would be classic Washington nonsense, and the waiver process is meant to cut through some of that red tape.

The Department of Transportation said veterans who served at least three years may qualify for training funding through the VA. According to the department, the VA tuition cap “typically” covers the full cost of training, which could remove a major barrier for veterans looking for a new career.

The timing is not accidental. The trucking industry has been under pressure while the administration has also moved to enforce federal rules requiring commercial drivers to read and speak English.

Over the past year, the Department of Transportation has canceled commercial licenses and removed drivers from routes for failing to meet that English language requirement. The administration has said it is taking “dangerous foreign drivers” off American roads, a move tied to its broader immigration enforcement agenda.

Predictably, critics have tried to frame strict safety enforcement as controversial. But for families sharing the road with heavy freight trucks, the idea that a driver should be able to understand road signs, law enforcement instructions and emergency communications should not require a national debate.

The industry itself has been hit hard by several forces at once. Thousands of licenses have been revoked, while drivers and companies have also faced tariffs, rising fuel costs linked to the ongoing war with Iran and fallout from last year’s government shutdown.

Industry analysts reported that trucking rates in June were up more than a quarter compared with the previous year. That kind of spike hits supply chains, businesses and ultimately American consumers who are already tired of watching prices climb.

The Freedom Haulers initiative is therefore more than a veterans employment program. It is also an attempt to stabilize a vital piece of the domestic economy by bringing in disciplined American workers who know how to operate serious equipment and follow serious rules.

For veterans leaving the military, the appeal is obvious. Trucking offers independence, steady work and a chance to keep serving the country in a different way, this time by keeping freight moving and shelves stocked.

The Trump administration is betting that former service members can help fill the gap while raising standards in an industry that badly needs reliable operators. If Washington is going to spend money on workforce programs, putting veterans in big rigs beats another bloated office seminar every day of the week.

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Ousted in Stunning Sexual Misconduct Scandal [WATCH]
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International Criminal Court Prosecutor Ousted in Stunning Sexual Misconduct Scandal [WATCH]

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The International Criminal Court has removed Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan from office following a vote by its governing body over sexual misconduct allegations, making him the first sitting chief prosecutor in the court’s history to be dismissed, as reported by PJ Media.

The Assembly of States Parties, the 125-member governing body of the International Criminal Court (ICC), voted Friday to remove Khan after disciplinary proceedings stemming from allegations made by a junior female staff member.

Khan has denied the allegations and says he intends to challenge the decision.

According to Reuters, 82 member states voted in favor of removing Khan, exceeding the majority required under ICC rules.

Khan stepped aside from his duties in May 2025 while the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services investigated the allegations.

The ICC later suspended him in June 2026 pending the outcome of Friday’s vote.

The Hague-based ICC was established under the Rome Statute to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when national courts are unable or unwilling to prosecute those offenses.

According to the Associated Press, the ICC’s oversight body concluded that Khan committed “serious misconduct.”

The allegations originated from a former aide who has been publicly identified only as “Sarah.” She accused Khan of engaging in nonconsensual sexual conduct.

“There is no way for something to be consensual when you have such a power disparity,” Sarah told CNN.

Khan’s legal team rejected both the allegations and the decision to remove him from office, arguing the disciplinary process failed to provide due process.

“The decision is unsupported by any lawful or properly reasoned finding that Mr. Khan KC committed misconduct or breached his duties as Prosecutor,” said Tayab Ali, partner at Bindmans LLP and head of Khan’s legal team.

“He has denied the allegations from the outset and continues to do so.”

Ali also argued that the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services did not find misconduct and said a three-judge ICC panel unanimously concluded in March 2026 that the factual findings did not establish misconduct or a breach of duty.

According to Ali, the Assembly of States Parties prevented Khan and his legal team from making formal submissions before the vote and conducted what he described as a politically motivated process.

“The Prosecutor of this Court has been removed by an executive vote while under sanctions and while the Court is under immense political pressure,” Ali said.

Ali added that Khan plans to challenge the decision through every available legal avenue.

Khan attracted international attention during his tenure after seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

ICC judges approved those warrants in November 2024 despite objections from both Israel and the United States, neither of which is a party to the Rome Statute.

The ICC has stated that Khan’s removal does not affect the legal status of those warrants. They remain in force unless the court’s judges decide to modify or revoke them.

The warrants also became an issue in New York politics. During his mayoral campaign, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would seek Netanyahu’s arrest if the Israeli leader visited New York.

After taking office, Mamdani later acknowledged that New York City does not have the authority to enforce an ICC warrant, while urging the federal government to do so.

Khan’s removal also comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio has continued the Trump administration’s efforts to challenge the authority of the International Criminal Court. Rubio has argued that the court poses a threat to U.S. sovereignty.

Although Khan has been removed as chief prosecutor, the ICC has made clear that the arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and Gallant remain valid unless the court determines otherwise.

Judge Guts Pritzker Migrant Tuition Scheme as Trump Scores Major Immigration Victory
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Judge Guts Pritzker Migrant Tuition Scheme as Trump Scores Major Immigration Victory

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker suffered a setback in federal court after a judge ruled that several Illinois laws providing higher education benefits to illegal immigrants violate federal law, handing the Trump administration another victory in its nationwide immigration enforcement effort, as reported by The New York Post.

U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn, a President Donald Trump appointee serving in the Southern District of Illinois, ruled Friday that Illinois’ in-state tuition policies, the RISE Act, and the Illinois DREAM Act are unconstitutional as they apply to illegal immigrants.

Trump Warns Iran Strike on Pickaxe Mountain Coming Soon, Says U.S. Campaign Far From Over

The ruling permanently bars Illinois from enforcing those laws, although McGlynn delayed the order for 14 days to give the state an opportunity to seek relief from an appeals court.

The decision marks another legal win for the Trump administration as the Justice Department continues challenging state laws that provide education benefits to illegal immigrants.

U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft welcomed the ruling, arguing that Illinois’ policies violated federal law by offering benefits to illegal immigrants that were unavailable to many American citizens from other states.

“Illinois sought to incentivize illegal immigration on the taxpayer’s dime by treating illegal aliens better than US citizens living in other states, in clear violation of federal law,” Weinhoeft said in a statement.

“This ruling enforces the statute Congress wrote and stops the State from putting illegal aliens ahead of American citizens.”

The Justice Department filed its lawsuit against Illinois and several colleges in September 2025.

Federal attorneys argued that the state violated federal law by allowing illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition, financial aid and scholarships without extending those same benefits to all U.S. citizens regardless of residency.

Judge McGlynn agreed with the federal government’s arguments, granting its motion for summary judgment while denying Illinois’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

The ruling invalidates three major state programs. Those include Illinois’ in-state tuition policy, the RISE Act, which provides access to state financial aid for certain students who are ineligible for federal aid, and the Illinois DREAM Act, which established scholarship opportunities for eligible students.

The decision drew praise from Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., who said the outcome benefits Illinois residents and taxpayers.

“This is a win for Illinois taxpayers and American students who were shut out while Pritzker prioritized foreigners in our country illegally,” Miller wrote on X.

The Illinois ruling follows another legal action by the Justice Department one day earlier. On Thursday, the department filed a similar lawsuit against Colorado over that state’s tuition and financial aid policies for illegal immigrants.

According to the Justice Department, Colorado’s ASSET Act and related policies unlawfully provide lower tuition rates and state financial aid to illegal immigrants while denying those same benefits to out-of-state U.S. citizens.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said Congress settled the issue decades ago.

“For three decades, Congress has made clear that Colorado cannot give education benefits to illegal aliens that it does not give to all American citizens,” Woodward said.

“By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, Colorado is not only violating federal law but subsidizing education for illegal aliens at taxpayers’ expense.

“Our litigation efforts will not cease until we have fulfilled President Trump’s promise that illegal aliens will not obtain preferential treatment over our nation’s own citizens.”

Colorado officials defended their policies following the lawsuit.

“The federal government seizing control of determining in-state tuition across the country is absurd,” a spokesperson for Gov. Jared Polis previously told Fox News Digital.

“In Colorado, we are expanding access to education to provide students with the skills to get good-paying jobs and doubling down on strategies to save students money.”

The Illinois decision adds to a growing list of victories for the Trump administration in similar cases.

The Justice Department has already won or reached settlements involving Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Nebraska agreed to eliminate in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants as part of a settlement with the federal government.

Additional lawsuits remain pending against Minnesota, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland and Colorado as the administration continues its legal campaign challenging state laws that provide education benefits to illegal immigrants.

Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment.

Feeding Our Future Crook Gets Another 10 Years After Brazen Bid to Buy Verdict [WATCH]
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Feeding Our Future Crook Gets Another 10 Years After Brazen Bid to Buy Verdict [WATCH]

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A Minnesota man convicted in the massive Feeding Our Future fraud case has received another prison sentence after federal prosecutors said he attempted to bribe a juror during his criminal trial, as reported by Townhall.

Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, 37, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on July 22, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud in St. Paul for attempting to influence the outcome of his 2024 fraud trial by bribing a juror.

The sentence comes after Farah had already been sentenced on Aug. 6, 2025, for his role in exploiting a federally funded child nutrition program that was at the center of the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.

Federal prosecutors said the bribery plot unfolded shortly after jury selection began in Farah’s 2024 trial.

According to court documents, Farah and several associates allegedly conspired to pay a juror in exchange for a not-guilty verdict.

The government identified the alleged co-conspirators as Ladan Mohamed Ali, 33, Abdulkarim Shafii Farah, 25, Said Shafii Farah, 44, and Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, 25.

According to court filings, the group researched the juror online, conducted surveillance of her residence, and monitored her movements before carrying out the attempted bribe.

On June 2, 2024, prosecutors said Ladan Ali delivered a bag containing $120,000 in cash to the juror’s home.

Authorities said the payment came with a promise of additional money if the juror voted to acquit Farah.

Instead of accepting the offer, the juror immediately contacted law enforcement and reported the attempted bribery.

The following morning, the court ordered Farah to surrender his cellphone to investigators.

Before turning it over, however, prosecutors said Farah performed a factory reset on the device, deleting evidence connected to the bribery scheme.

United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said the sentence demonstrates that attempts to interfere with the judicial process will be met with significant penalties.

“Tampering with a juror is an assault on the integrity of the courts and the foundation of our democracy,” Rosen said.

“This sentence sends an unmistakable message that justice is not for sale.”

Federal investigators echoed that message following the sentencing.

“Today’s sentencing highlights the seriousness of attempting to corrupt the justice system. Abdiaziz Farah was already serving a significant sentence for defrauding the Federal Child Nutrition Program, and this additional conviction shows that efforts to bribe a jury will be met with firm consequences,” said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Benni Jonsson, who is in charge of the FBI Minneapolis Criminal Branch.

“The FBI, along with federal prosecutors, will continue pursuing accountability for those charged in this case and anyone who attempts to undermine the integrity of our judicial process.”

Adam Jobes, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Chicago Field Office, said the case involved more than financial crimes.

“Abdiaziz Farah had already been held accountable for stealing from a program meant to feed children, yet he still chose to recruit others to help corrupt the justice system by bribing a juror,” Jobes said.

“When someone tries to buy a verdict, they are attacking the integrity of every courtroom and every citizen who depends on a fair trial. This sentence should leave no doubt that anyone who tries to manipulate our judicial process will be found, prosecuted, and held accountable.”

The sentencing comes as federal authorities continue securing convictions tied to the Feeding Our Future investigation.

Earlier this week, the 70th defendant connected to the fraud scheme pleaded guilty.

Bryan Musgrove, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, credited cooperation among multiple agencies for the latest conviction.

“Today’s sentencing reflects the outstanding collaboration of law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota,” Musgrove said.

“Postal Inspectors worked closely with our partners to hold Abdiaziz Farah accountable for his crimes. Despite the defendant’s efforts to abuse the legal process, justice prevailed.”

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said the bribery attempt struck at the heart of the court system.

“When Farah and his co-conspirators filled that bag with money, they were attempting not only to commit bribery, but to undermine the sanctity of our criminal justice system,” Evans said.

“I am proud of our work alongside our criminal justice partners to identify these criminals and help bring them to justice.”

The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca E. Kline and Matthew C. Murphy prosecuted the case.

“When the Democrats Say, ‘There Is No Proof of Fraud…’”: Jillian Michaels [WATCH]
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“When the Democrats Say, ‘There Is No Proof of Fraud…’”: Jillian Michaels [WATCH]

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Fitness personality and commentator Jillian Michaels criticized Democratic opposition to voter identification requirements and other election reforms, arguing that claims of widespread election security are difficult to verify without stronger safeguards.

Michaels questioned assertions that there is no evidence of voter fraud, saying the current election system lacks measures that would make such claims easier to assess.

“When the Democrats say there is no proof of fraud, how do you know?” Michaels said.

“You don’t require ID. You can’t find something you’re not looking for.”

She argued that Democrats have declined to address what she described as vulnerabilities in the election system.

“Democrats absolutely refuse to fix these vulnerabilities because they’re hiding behind accusations of racism and voter suppression,” Michaels said.

According to Michaels, voter identification requirements and similar election integrity measures should not be viewed as discriminatory.

“But I think we’ve established that nobody honestly believes requiring clean vote rules and basic identity verification is discriminatory,” she said.

Michaels contended that political considerations, rather than concerns about discrimination, explain Democratic resistance to election reforms.

“The real reason that Democrats resist reform is because the current system benefits them politically,” she said.

“That is the answer. Everyone knows it.”

She concluded by arguing that political incentives discourage efforts to change the current system.

“When the loopholes tilt in your favor, you don’t have an incentive to close them.”

WATCH:

FBI Bags Fourth Most Wanted Fraudster in Just Five Weeks [WATCH]
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FBI Bags Fourth Most Wanted Fraudster in Just Five Weeks [WATCH]

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The FBI has hauled another accused pandemic relief fraudster back onto American soil, and this time the destination is the Southern District of Florida.

Elaine Escoe, 41, is now facing federal charges tied to an alleged scheme that prosecutors say siphoned more than 32 million dollars from COVID relief programs.

Escoe was indicted in 2025 on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, and money laundering.

After a federal arrest warrant was issued in May 2025, prosecutors say she skipped court and fled to Jamaica.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche made clear that the Justice Department views the case as another warning shot to those who treated pandemic aid like a personal jackpot.

“She fled the country believing she could escape justice but ultimately could not.”

According to federal officials, Jamaican authorities captured Escoe after receiving a tip.

She had reportedly been living under the fake identity “Harley Newman,” which apparently did not work out quite the way she hoped.

Her return to South Florida came through a coordinated effort involving the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service office at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, the Jamaican Constabulary Force, and Jamaica’s fugitive apprehension team.

That is a lot of manpower for one alleged fraudster who thought a plane ticket could solve her problems.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division said the arrest sends a direct message.

“Elaine Angene Escoe’s arrest and return to the United States demonstrates that no one is beyond the reach of American justice,” he said.

McDonald added that the Fraud Division will not be letting up on those accused of raiding public funds.

“The Fraud Division will continue to vigorously prosecute those who steal from the American people.”

Court records allege that Escoe and her fellow conspirators submitted, or caused others to submit, fraudulent applications seeking more than 32 million dollars from multiple federal pandemic programs.

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Those programs included the Paycheck Protection Program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds.

Prosecutors say the applications included false claims about businesses, payroll, revenue, and operations.

In plain English, the alleged scheme involved inventing or inflating business activity so federal money could be pulled out of programs meant to keep legitimate employers afloat.

Authorities also say the conspirators created fake tax documents, fabricated bank records, and other phony financial materials.

Lenders and program administrators allegedly relied on those records when approving loans and grants, which is how the money kept flowing.

FBI Director Kash Patel pointed to Escoe’s capture as part of a broader crackdown under the bureau’s Most Wanted Fraudsters List.

He said the FBI and its partners have now captured four Most Wanted Fraudsters in five weeks, a pace that should make other fugitives overseas start sleeping a little less comfortably.

Patel also tied the enforcement push to President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

According to Patel, the four captured suspects were arrested across three continents and are accused of nearly 1.8 billion dollars in combined fraud after spending more than 3,500 days on the run collectively.

The alleged operation was not limited to applications tied to businesses controlled by the conspirators.

Prosecutors say some applications were submitted for third parties in exchange for massive kickbacks, sometimes reaching 50 percent of the loan proceeds.

Federal officials say the proceeds were then laundered among members of the group.

That detail adds another layer to what prosecutors describe as a sprawling abuse of relief programs created during a national emergency.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said Escoe allegedly helped orchestrate a scheme that took more than 32 million dollars from programs meant for American workers and businesses.

“Defendants cannot escape accountability simply by leaving the country,” he said.

Quiñones also credited the federal, state, and international partners who helped bring Escoe back.

“This coordinated effort demonstrates that we will pursue fugitives wherever they go and bring them back to face justice.”

Escoe is the last remaining defendant charged in the alleged scheme.

After a December 2025 trial, Alfred Davis, Cher Davis, and Latoya Clark were convicted by a federal jury, while James McGhow and Gino Jourdan previously pleaded guilty.

The sentences already handed down were not exactly a slap on the wrist.

Alfred Davis received 235 months in prison, Cher Davis received 87 months, Clark received 70 months, Jourdan received 46 months, and McGhow received 42 months.

The FBI Miami West Palm Beach Resident Agency is leading the investigation, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations Miami and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.

The case also fits into the Trump Justice Department’s wider push to claw back money stolen from the American people.

The FBI announced the Most Wanted Fraudsters List on June 4, and the results came fast.

Herb Kimble, accused in a 1.2 billion dollar telemedicine and medical equipment scheme, was arrested in the Philippines just four days later.

Escoe was added to the list on June 8 and was captured less than two months later.

For alleged fraudsters who thought the COVID money train would roll forever, the new message from Washington is blunt enough, the ride is over.

Minnesota Schools Push Taxpayer Funded Trans Dolls with Removable Genitalia for Preschoolers [WATCH]
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Minnesota Schools Push Taxpayer Funded Trans Dolls with Removable Genitalia for Preschoolers [WATCH]

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Taxpayer funded transgender dolls with removable genitalia are reportedly set to be made available in some Minnesota classrooms, reaching children as young as four years old.

According to the report, the dolls are being presented as a first of their kind educational tool for young students.

That detail alone should make parents sit up straight.

Four year olds are still learning how to tie shoes, share crayons, and get through a school day without a nap, yet some adults apparently believe they need dolls designed around gender ideology.

The report says the dolls will be available to children in certain Minnesota classrooms.

It is the latest example of public education drifting far from reading, counting, and basic classroom structure, while taxpayers are expected to smile and keep writing checks.

Parents have every reason to ask why public money is being used for this kind of material.

A classroom is not supposed to be a laboratory for whatever cultural experiment activists want to test on children who still need help opening juice boxes.

Conservative families have warned for years that the left was moving its gender agenda into younger and younger grades.

Every time parents objected, they were told they were overreacting, spreading panic, or falling for right wing outrage.

Now the report describes dolls with removable genitalia being made available to children as young as four.

That is not a math lesson, a phonics lesson, or a civics lesson, no matter how many consultants try to dress it up in academic language.

The obvious question is who decided this belonged anywhere near preschool aged children.

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Another question is whether parents were fully informed before these materials were introduced or approved for classroom use.

Supporters of this agenda often hide behind words like inclusion and representation.

Those words sound soft and harmless, which is exactly why they are useful when adults want to smuggle highly controversial ideas into settings where children are too young to understand the debate.

This is the familiar playbook.

Push a radical concept into schools, insist it is just about kindness, then accuse parents of cruelty when they object to age inappropriate material being handed to their children.

The use of taxpayer funds makes the issue even more insulting.

Families struggling with groceries, gas, housing, and property taxes are now expected to fund classroom materials that many of them would never allow in their own homes.

Minnesota has become one of the states where progressive politics often moves through government institutions with very little concern for ordinary families.

The attitude from the activist class is simple, they know best, parents can catch up later.

A classroom for four year olds should be one of the least political places in America.

It should be filled with alphabet charts, picture books, building blocks, and patient teachers helping children develop basic social and learning skills.

Instead, stories like this keep convincing parents that public schools are being used to normalize ideas that belong far outside early childhood education.

The left keeps demanding trust while giving parents fresh reasons not to offer it.

The report also arrives in a media environment where many major outlets would rather ignore stories that make progressive institutions look extreme.

Independent reporting has become essential because the establishment press frequently treats parental concern as the real problem.

For parents, this is not complicated.

They want transparency, age appropriate instruction, and schools that respect the family instead of trying to outrank it.

If school officials believe dolls with removable genitalia belong in classrooms for four year olds, they should be willing to say so plainly and defend it publicly.

No jargon, no hiding behind committees, no pretending parents are the issue.

The bigger fight is over who gets to shape the minds of young children.

In Minnesota, this report suggests too many people in education are still confused about the answer.


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