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VP Vance Says Tim Walz Should Resign Over Massive Minnesota Welfare Fraud Scandal

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Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that Minnesota’s massive fraud scandal is not an isolated failure but part of a broader, nationwide scheme exploiting America’s welfare system — a problem the Trump administration says it is now aggressively moving to confront.

Speaking on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Vance said the administration believes a large-scale fraud ring involving illegal aliens and other bad actors has been siphoning billions of taxpayer dollars through government assistance programs.

“Anybody who is involved is going to get prosecuted,” Vance vowed on “Jesse Watters Primetime” Wednesday.

The vice president’s remarks come as the Trump administration announced it is pausing more than $10 billion in federal funding to five Democrat-run states, including California, amid concerns that taxpayer money was improperly distributed to noncitizens and fraudulent operations. Administration officials say the funding pause is meant to prevent further abuse while investigations are underway.

Minnesota at the Center of the Storm

At the heart of the controversy is Minnesota, where investigators estimate that fraud tied to state-administered programs could total at least $9 billion, making it one of the largest public assistance scandals in U.S. history. The scandal involves complex networks that allegedly used shell organizations, fake documentation, and weak oversight to drain funds intended for vulnerable Americans.

Vance did not mince words when asked whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — who announced Monday that he will not seek re-election — should step down immediately.

“I think Tim Walz should resign,” Vance told Fox News host Jesse Watters. “I almost feel bad for the guy, except for the fact that he should’ve seen this.”

Calling the situation a “massive failure of government,” Vance said the problem goes far beyond individual cases of improper benefits.

“It’s not just that people are getting welfare who shouldn’t get welfare. … It’s bigger than that,” Vance said. “It’s that people take this money and create whole businesses around siphoning money from the American taxpayer.”

Watch:

Calls for Accountability Grow

Vance’s comments echo calls from multiple Republican lawmakers and state officials who have argued that Walz’s administration ignored repeated warning signs, failed to enforce basic safeguards, and allowed fraud to spiral out of control. Several have publicly demanded Walz resign immediately, saying Minnesotans deserve accountability and transparency after years of mismanagement.

The vice president also warned that Minnesota may only be the beginning.

The vice president predicted similar cases of fraud will be found in other places around the country.

California Under Scrutiny

Vance specifically pointed to California, accusing state leaders of openly extending welfare benefits to illegal aliens and daring the federal government to intervene.

He went on to accuse California of being “glaring and obvious about the fact they are giving welfare benefits to illegal aliens,” adding the Trump administration is sending investigators to “a lot of places.”

In response, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office pushed back, defending the state’s programs and criticizing the administration’s decision to freeze funding.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Newsom’s office said the California Department of Social Services administers childcare and other essential programs that allow working families to “afford safe, reliable care so parents can go to work, support their families and contribute to their communities.”

“These funds are not optional. They are critical lifelines for working families across California,” the office said. “The State of California aggressively investigates and prosecutes fraud. Using unsupported allegations to withhold childcare funding only from states that didn’t vote for the President doesn’t stop fraud — it harms struggling moms and dads President Trump claims to be fighting for.”

A Broader Reckoning

Trump administration officials argue that the funding pauses and investigations are long overdue and necessary to protect American taxpayers, restore integrity to public assistance programs, and ensure aid goes to citizens and lawful residents who truly need it.

Trump Responds To Latest Debate Invite

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

A quick response…

On Wednesday, former President Donald Trump rejected Fox News’ invitation for another presidential debate.

The network proposed a debate in Pennsylvania to be held on either Thursday, Oct. 24, or Sunday, Oct. 27. Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum would have been the moderators.

Trump called into Fox & Friends last month and was asked about doing a second debate with Harris. The former president seemed uninterested in the idea but said if it were to happen, one of the Fox primetime hosts should moderate.

In a statement posted to Truth Social Trump said he would not debate Harris again:

I WON THE LAST TWO DEBATES, ONE WITH CROOKED JOE, THE OTHER WITH LYIN’ KAMALA. I ACCEPTED THE FOX-NEWS INVITATION TO DEBATE KAMALA ON SEPTEMBER 4TH, BUT SHE TURNED IT DOWN. JD VANCE EASILY WON HIS DEBATE WITH TAMPON TIM WALZ, WHO CALLED HIMSELF A KNUCKLEHEAD! I AM ALSO LEADING IN THE POLLS, WITH THE LEAD GETTING BIGGER BY THE DAY – AND LEADING IN ALL SWING STATES. THE FIRST THING A PRIZEFIGHTER DOES WHEN HE LOSES A FIGHT IS SAY THAT HE “DEMANDS A REMATCH.” IT IS VERY LATE IN THE PROCESS, VOTING HAS ALREADY BEGUN – THERE WILL BE NO REMATCH! BESIDES, KAMALA STATED CLEARLY, YESTERDAY, THAT SHE WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN JOE BIDEN, SO THERE IS NOTHING TO DEBATE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! DONALD J. TRUMP

The network claimed in a statement addressed to the Trump and Harris campaign that the final debate would be an “opportunity for each candidate to make his or her closing arguments” before November. And they referenced a New York Times op-ed which called for Harris to debate on Fox News.

“As made clear in The New York Times on Monday: ‘Harris Should Offer to Debate Trump Again – On Fox’ — this would present an opportunity for each candidate to make his or her closing argument,” said Fox News Media president and executive editor Jay Wallace in a statement.

Wallace added, “We’re including proposed criteria and format, which mirror those of the CNN & ABC debates; as well as data on our broad audience reach. We appreciate your consideration and look forward to the opportunity to foster informed political dialogue at this pivotal moment for our nation.”

Poll Shows New Trump Advantage In New Hampshire

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

More good news for Trump…

A new poll conducted by St. Anselm College in New Hampshire indicates Biden’s poor debate performance is resonating with voters.

According to the poll, Trump now holds a two-point lead (44%-42%) over Biden. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is mounting an independent bid for the presidency after initially running in the Democratic primary, earned the support of just 4% of voters.

Neil Levesque, the director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm, declared that the poll shows “that New Hampshire is really a competitive state in the presidential election.”

“Events like a presidential debate like we saw last week are pivot points in politics, and at this point, with the amount of change we’ve seen with the presidential contest, certainly the debate had an effect,” he added.

Among voters who were aware of the debate, 54% said Trump won, while just 6% said Biden won and 39% said there was no winner. The poll showed that 81% of those who watched the debate said it won’t affect their vote in November, so the trend might have started before the end of last week.

“I think people are very partisan,” Levesque said. “So, they’re in their camps and they say, ‘Well, I watched the debate, but it doesn’t affect how I’m going to vote.’ But certainly, events like a presidential debate like we saw last week are pivot points in politics, and at this point, with the amount of change we’ve seen with the presidential contest, certainly the debate had an effect.”

Trump Issues Series Of High-Profile Pardons To 2020 Election Allies

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President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

President Donald Trump has granted full pardons to his former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and several other key figures who were prosecuted for their roles in challenging the 2020 presidential election results — a move the White House called a step toward “national reconciliation.”

In a proclamation posted late Sunday night, U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin listed dozens of individuals granted clemency “for certain offenses related to the 2020 presidential election.”

“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation,” the statement reads.

The list includes several prominent names long accused by Democrats and federal prosecutors of contesting the election: Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, Jeffrey Clark, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Boris Epshteyn, and others.

Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr


The proclamation, dated November 7, clarifies that it applies only to federal offenses and does not extend to President Trump himself.

Also included in the sweeping clemency order were Republican activists who had served as fake electors for Trump in 2020, and who faced charges for submitting fraudulent certificates asserting they were the lawful electors, despite former President Joe Biden’s victories in those states.

Those pardoned include Republican activists who had served as alternate electors in 2020 and faced prosecution for asserting that Donald Trump — not Joe Biden — was the rightful winner in their states. Many of these individuals have maintained they were exercising constitutionally protected political activity.

Legal experts noted that the pardons do not affect state-level prosecutions, including ongoing cases in Georgia against several of Trump’s allies. Critics have long argued that these state prosecutions were politically motivated and part of a broader effort to criminalize dissent.

“These great Americans were persecuted and put through hell by the Biden Administration for challenging an election, which is the cornerstone of democracy,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement to The Hill.
“Getting prosecuted for challenging results is something that happens in communist Venezuela, not the United States of America, and President Trump is putting an end to the Biden Regime’s communist tactics once and for all,” she continued.

Giuliani was disbarred from practicing law in New York State and the District of Columbia for making numerous false claims related to the 2020 presidential election. 

Several of those pardoned — including Giuliani and Powell — were instrumental in raising concerns about irregularities and integrity issues in the 2020 race. Giuliani, who was disbarred in New York and Washington, D.C., for questioning the election results, is now fully cleared of federal allegations.

Eastman, a constitutional scholar, and Clark, a former Justice Department official, were also included in the pardons after being unfairly portrayed as conspirators for exploring legal options available to the Trump campaign.

The move comes after Special Counsel Jack Smith dismissed the federal case against President Trump himself, following his reelection. Giuliani, Powell, Clark, and Eastman were previously identified as uncharged co-conspirators in that case.

Giuliani, Powell, Clark and Eastman were alleged co-conspirators in that federal case but were never charged with a federal crime.

Trump Family Member Reveals Why She Will ‘Never’ Get Into Politics

While politics might run in the family, one Trump is staying far away…

President Donald Trump’s granddaughter, Kai, who is slated to play college golf next fall at the University of Miami, said she has no interest in following in her grandfather’s footsteps.

“To be honest with you, I stay out of politics completely. I would never run, I don’t want anything to do with politics,” Trump said during an appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast. “I feel like politics is such a dangerous thing, and I think if both sides met in the middle, everyone would be so much more happier.”

Trump said people have gotten “too extreme” on both sides of the coin, and social media has driven people to hone in on their beliefs.

“There’s not a lot of things on social media where you’re very much in the middle. And I think that kind of makes some people crazy and some people buy into it too much,” Trump added. “I think that’s like the best way to say it. There’s no bad blood. I’m very much in the middle and kind of like, it is what it is. They ran against each other [Trump and Kamala Harris]. Obviously, I’m gonna support my grandpa, my family member, but that’s pretty much it.”

The closest Trump has dove into the political waters was when she spoke at the Republican National Convention just days after her grandfather was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In an interview with Fox News Digital in October, Trump said she was “proud” of her grandfather after he brokered the historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“Always will support him. I think he’s doing amazing things,” she said.

White Kai Trump may not be interested in politics the same can’t be said for her father, Donald Trump Jr., who has been floated as a future presidential contender. Don Jr, the eldest of the two sons Trump had with Ivana, channels his father’s combative style and is viewed by many as a bridge between Trump’s base.

The Independent reports:

Back in August, a McLaughlin & Associates survey had Vance sitting pretty at 36 per cent, with Donald Trump Jr a distant second at 16 per cent. By October, that gap had narrowed, with [VP] Vance at 38 per cent and Trump Jr at 20 per cent (Rubio was in third place at 7 per cent). Then came the November poll, which probably sent shockwaves through Vance’s inner circle: the vice president’s support had slipped to 34 per cent, while Trump Jr had surged.

“I’m a Second Amendment person, and I don’t know anything about Vance’s position on it,” says Liz Mair, veteran Republican strategist. “For a real Second Amendment voter, the only people I would truly be comfortable supporting right now would be Donald Trump Jr or Ron DeSantis. And I’d probably be more comfortable with Donald Trump Jr. It depends on each state, but for diehard gun voters, it’s a significant issue, and it was one reason Trump Sr had challenges in 2016.”

Trump Jr has played his hand with characteristic bravado, dismissing speculation in one media organisation that he intends to run. “I’m actually glad you’re printing this bulls**t,” he wrote on X, “because at least now the rest of the press corps will see how s****y your ‘sources’ are and how easily you’re played by them. Congrats, moron.”

Yet, as is often the case in this family, denials are never absolute. In May 2025, when asked at a panel in Qatar if he would “pick up the reins” after Trump leaves office, he replied: “I don’t know. Maybe one day, you know, that calling is there.” Junior wields that ambiguity like a political weapon – a constant reminder that another Trump is waiting in the wings.

Democrat Ousts Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell in Stunning Flip

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In a shocking upset in New Mexico, Democrat Gabe Vasquez has successfully unseated GOP incumbent Rep. Yvette Herrell.

Vasquez declared victory Wednesday afternoon while the race at that time was still too close to call. However, the Associated Press has since called the race for Vasquez.

Herrell, a member of the Cherokee Nation, became the first Republican Native American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives following her 2020 victory when she flipped the seat from blue to red.

Throughout his campaign, Vasquez faced repeated criticism over his support to defund police officers despite a streak uptick in crime in New Mexico over the past year. Fox News previously reported that the Democrat pledged to cut police budgets by more than 50% if elected.

“I wholeheartedly and absolutely support police reform and the #blacklivesmatter movement, and will not be stopping short of transformational reform that brings justice to our city and to people of color in our community. You can count on my support,” Vasquez wrote to a constituent demanding “at least” a 50% reduction of the Las Cruces police department budget.

This story is developing. Stay with Great America News Desk for the latest updates.

New York Times Pollster Warns That Shy Trump Voters Could Be Skewing Surveys — Again

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Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The silent red tsunami could be on the horizon…

According to The New York Times’ chief political analyst and pollster Nate Cohn silent Trump supporters could skew poll results once again, leaving prognosticators scratching their skulls in the finals hours before Election Day.

The Times reported in Arizona, Donald Trump leads Kamala Harris by four points, and in Michigan, he has a one-point advantage. Harris, on the other hand, is beating Trump by one in Georgia, and three in Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

On Sunday, the Times and Siena College released their final poll from the seven battleground states, and the results were inconclusive.

In his write-up of the results, Cohn submitted that they don’t “point toward a relatively clear favorite” for a few reasons, even if Harris was perhaps slightly more pleased by its finding.

“On average, Ms. Harris fared modestly better than our last round of surveys of the same states, but her gains were concentrated in states where she was previously struggling,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, the so-called Blue Wall (Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania) does not look quite as formidable of an obstacle to Mr. Trump as it once did. As a result, Ms Harris’s position in the Electoral College isn’t necessarily improved.”

Cohn also warned that nonresponse bias from Republicans may be continuing to skew the results, just as they did in 2016 and 2020:

It’s hard to measure nonresponse bias — after all, we couldn’t reach these demographically similar voters — but one measure I track from time to time is the proportion of Democrats or Republicans who respond to a survey, after considering other factors.

Across these final polls, white Democrats were 16 percent likelier to respond than white Republicans. That’s a larger disparity than our earlier polls this year, and it’s not much better than our final polls in 2020 — even with the pandemic over.

“It raises the possibility that the polls could underestimate Mr. Trump yet again,” he concluded.

Pro-Trump Candidate Topples Democrat In Key Race

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Republicans are projected to sweep the Buckeye State…

Republican challenger Bernie Moreno is projected to win the Ohio Senate seat, defeating incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D).

Meet Bernie Moreno

Bernie Moreno is a successful businessman who gained prominence as an auto dealership mogul, owning multiple dealerships across the U.S. before selling most of them to focus on new ventures. Moreno positioned himself as a political outsider, emphasizing his experience in business and entrepreneurship. His campaign centered on securing the U.S. border, advocating for conservative economic policies, and opposing what he calls “woke” political ideologies.

Endorsements

Donald Trump: The former president endorsed Moreno, praising his business acumen and commitment to conservative values.

Mr. Moreno will “fight the corrupt Deep State that is destroying our Country,” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post.

“I could not be more grateful or humbled to have the complete and total endorsement of President Donald Trump at this vital moment in the campaign,” Mr. Moreno said in a statement, adding that a Republican takeover in the Senate and a victory from Mr. Trump in the presidential contest “will Make America Great Again!”

J.D. Vance: The vice presidential candidate backed Moreno early in the race.

“Thrilled to endorse Bernie Moreno for senate. He’s a good friend, a job creator, and will be a fantastic senator. We’d make a hell of a team!” Vance said in a tweet.

Matt Gaetz: The Florida congressman voiced his support for Moreno’s Senate bid.

Jim Jordan: Ohio’s influential congressman and conservative leader has supported Moreno.

“Bernie is a true America First conservative, and will make us proud in the U.S. Senate,” Jordan said. “Our country needs common sense conservative fighters now more than ever. Bernie is a political outsider who has lived the American Dream. His perspective, his grit and his conservative values will serve Ohio well in the U.S. Senate.”

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost: “To defeat Sherrod Brown in November, we need to nominate a proven conservative who can unite the party, and Bernie is the candidate who can do that,” Yost said.

Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam gave $50,000 apiece to Moreno’s campaign in mid-August, and other members of their family kicked in an additional $45,000 in total, records show.

“Bernie is grateful for the overwhelming support of Ohioans who are ready to fire Sherrod Brown after 50 years in political office,” said campaign spokeswoman Reagan McCarthy in a statem

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Poll Reveals Legal Immigrant Voters Shift To Trump

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In a stunning political reversal, new polling shows that naturalized immigrant voters — once seen as a reliable Democratic voting bloc — are now favoring President Donald Trump and his immigration policies, delivering a serious blow to the Democratic Party’s long-term strategy of winning elections through mass migration and demographic shifts.

CNN’s polling analyst Harry Enten revealed a dramatic change: immigrant voters, who gave Democrats a 32-point advantage in 2020, have swung right by 40 points. Republicans now lead among legal immigrant voters by 8 points — a staggering shift that few analysts saw coming.

“More so than any group I can find, the voters who’ve become more hawkish on immigration are immigrants themselves,” Enten said. “They’ve gone from sympathy for illegal immigrants to a clear preference for stronger borders and enforcement — and they’re aligning with Trump.”

In 2016, Trump received just 36% of the vote from naturalized citizens. That number jumped to 47% in 2024, with early 2025 polling suggesting the trend is continuing. Immigrant voters cite economic hardship, crime, and perceived unfairness in the immigration system as key reasons for the shift. Many are frustrated that they followed the legal process only to see unchecked illegal immigration flood the labor market and strain public services.

The frustration is especially acute among working-class immigrants, who face direct competition for jobs, housing, and school resources. Many now feel that the Biden administration’s immigration policies — spearheaded by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — have placed the interests of illegal border crossers ahead of those who played by the rules.

For years, Democrats openly embraced a long-term strategy to shift the electoral balance through high levels of immigration. Influential think tanks like the Progressive Policy Institute argued that growing diversity would create an enduring Democratic majority. But the strategy assumed that legal immigrants would remain politically aligned with newer arrivals — an assumption increasingly proven false.

This polling shift places Democrats in a bind: if they reduce migration, they’ll lose the influx of potential future voters. But if they continue mass migration, they risk alienating the immigrants already here — many of whom are becoming increasingly aligned with Trump’s America First policies.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has taken aggressive steps to reverse Biden-era immigration policies. Illegal border crossings have plummeted, and employers are reporting tighter labor markets, especially in the construction and service industries — leading to slow but steady wage increases for lower-income Americans.

The shift among immigrant voters adds to a growing list of Democratic vulnerabilities. Latinos, black voters, and even younger voters have begun drifting away from the party, especially in response to crime, inflation, and identity politics. Trump’s immigration stance — once demonized as “xenophobic” — now resonates as a defense of legal immigration and national sovereignty.

A recent poll found that 59% of Americans supported Trump’s crackdown on violent protests in Los Angeles following ICE raids, which saw rioters waving foreign flags and attacking police. Among naturalized citizens, support for the crackdown was even higher.

Liberal Congresswoman Accuses Trump Of Stoking ‘Civil War’

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By Elvert Barnes from Silver Spring MD, USA - MaxineWaters1.CFPB.WDC.10February2025, CC BY-SA 2.0,

Radical Congresswoman Maxine Waters is igniting controversy once again…

While addressing the Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) claimed that President Donald Trump as on the verge of starting a civil war.

“I’m worried that Trump is on the edge of creating a civil war,” she claimed. “He alluded to it more than once. He alluded to the fact that if he did not get reelected, that there could be a civil war.”

She claimed that this idea placed a major responsibility on Democrats to “live and do, like Doctor Martin Luther King told us to do.”

“He taught us to organize and to protest, but he taught us nonviolence,” she said. “He taught us nonviolence. That was the center. That was the core of his message. And we live with that all the time. No matter how upset we can get, no matter how angry we can get. We live with what we’ve been taught.”

Waters claimed that Trump was putting people “in a position where hungry people are going to be on the street, where nonprofits who were waiting for their checks are not going to get them, where seniors waiting for their Social Security check will not get it – where poor families with children will not get what they believe the government has agreed to do.”

“And so when that happens, what does Trump expect? Oh, I believe he expects violence,” she claimed. “I believe he expects confrontation. I believe he’s working toward a civil war.”