Another Dam Controversy

At the Balmer Banner, Eastern Shore opposition to Maryland’s $340M Conowingo Dam deal splinters

Barely a month after several Eastern Shore counties challenged Maryland and Constellation Energy’s $340 million deal to relicense the Conowingo Dam, three out of four objecting jurisdictions have backed out of the appeal. Dorchester County voted last week to withdraw its challenge to a state environmental certification for the dam, while the attorney leading the coalition spearheading the challenge said two other counties, Queen Anne’s and Kent, also backed out. That leaves only Cecil County, the northern Maryland county at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and Conowingo Dam, holding the line.

Asked about the withdrawals, Charles D. “Chip” MacLeod, the attorney for the Clean Chesapeake Coalition that filed the appeal, pointed to a campaign by Maryland environmental officials to dissuade counties from their challenge. “Lots of pressure being applied to local officials who dared to slow the process and bring attention to a bad deal for the Bay and Marylanders,” MacLeod said in an email Friday. Cecil County officials remain committed to the challenge “at this stage,” MacLeod said.

Maryland Department of the Environment officials have toured the Eastern Shore in recent weeks in an effort to convince the Republican-led four counties to reconsider. State officials met with county leaders at a recent Maryland Association of Counties summit and have presented at county council meetings in both Cecil and Dorchester counties to make their case for the downstream benefits of the settlement deal. The effort appears to have paid off. Officials on the Dorchester County Council announced last week that they voted to withdraw from the appeal following conversations with state regulators.

A not so brief recap of the situation. When completed in 1928 on the Susquehanna River just above the head of Chesapeake Bay, Conowingo Dam was the second largest hydroelectric powerplant in the US. Immediately, sediments, natural erosion as well as agriculture enhanced silt, started to fill the "pool" behind the damn, protecting the Bay from them. When I arrived in the Chesapeake Bay region in 1985, the head of the EPA Bay Program said the filling of the pool with sediment was the single greatest threat to the Bay.  Years later, that threat has become reality. The pool behind the damn has no room for more sediment, and in freshets, mud simple pours over the dam. Rather than plan ahead, the authorities decided to wait, and then blame whoever owned the dam at the time for the situation reverting back how it would be in the dams absence, tying restoring the pool (at least somewhat) to relicensing the dam. If it were me, I might just offer to hand them the keys for a buck or two, and find out how they deal with it.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Freezes Minnesota Day Care Money Over Simoleans for Somalians

At NYPo, Trump admin freezes all childcare payments to Minnesota after massive fraud allegations: ‘We have turned off the money spigot.’ Ace, With Discovery of Rampant Somali Piracy, Small Business Administration Head Kelly Loeffler Stops Federal Grants to Minnesota, "Closing the barn doors after Biden let the horse thieves empty it." Expect a Hawaiian judge to block that in 1 2 3. Homeland Security @DHSgov, "DHS is on the ground in Minneapolis, going DOOR TO DOOR at suspected fraud sites. The American people deserve answers on how their taxpayer money is being used and ARRESTS when abuse is found. Under the leadership of @Sec_Noem, DHS is working to deliver results." From At TNP, Bondi Confirms 85 Somalis Charged, 60 Convicted in Minnesota Fraud Scandal. Kristin Robbins @KRobbinsMN, "Stunning - it appears they have taken down the license look-up website so Minnesotans can’t see who the Medicaid service providers are or what licensing violations they may have. @Tim_Walz @ DHS should restore this immediately." Quote Mary @RepMaryFranson, "Paging ⁦@GovTimWalz⁩, why is the childcare licensing page down? What are you and DHS hiding." Hat Hair's Capt Ed hears Walz: Let's Remember That The Real Problem Is White Guys. Autism Capital @AutismCapital, "TIM WALZ: “The majority of crime is committed by White Men. It’s crime in general. We need to be educating the population…Medicaid fraud will stretch across ALL racial demographics and ethnic groups. I think you can’t blame the Somali community.” WOW." Ace, Minnesota Retard Tim Walz: Akshually The Real Fraudsters and Criminals Are White Men, "This message paid for by Make America Somalia Again." TheLastRefuge @TheLastRefuge2, "Factually, the person in charge of vetting Kamala's vice-president pick was.... Eric Holder. [look it up] President Obama's former U.S. Attorney General was in charge of reviewing all of the research on Governor Walz. Now, think about his selection again carefully." Quote Meghan McCain @MeghanMcCain, "Did anyone on Kamala’s team even vet Tim Walz?!? Or did he just pretend to know how to use a shot gun and that was that? x.com/scottpresler/s…"

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "How does the Somali daycare fraud work? - Somalis bring in kids - Check them in - Leave with the kids - Bill the state for care that never happened - Parents receive kickbacks Oh, and this is surveillance from 2018. This has been happening for YEARS." At NYPo, Shocking unearthed footage shows parents pretending to drop kids off at a Minnesota day care center. Vince Langman @LangmanVince, "The owner's son of Quality Daycare claimed the reason there were no kids when Nick Shirley stopped by in the morning is because they don't open until later in the day. Do believe this guy?" Matt Vespa at TownHall, CBS News Investigated Somali Daycare Centers After a YouTuber's Video Went Viral. Here's What They Found. Ace, Somali Pirate "Day Care Centers" Are Suddenly Filled (Well, not "Filled") With Rent-a-Kids, "Bussing in Child Shields." From the Hindustan Times, ‘Quality Learing Center' memes go viral after Nick Shirley’s Minnesota fraud video. At Twitchy, Somali LOON Goes Off on Nick Shirley Accusing Him of Going After Muslims and His Response Is PERFECT -Vid  Bad Hombre @Badhombre, "Within the next 72 hours, expect a Jussie Smollett-style fake bomb threat against a Somali “learning center” that Democrats will try to blame on MAGA right-wingers on X. They desperately want to distract in any way they can from the fraud. Bookmark it."

Vicky Taft at PJM notes After Nick Shirley's Exposé, Others Begin Digging for Empty Somali Daycare Centers in Their States. Guess what they found. I Meme Therefore I Am @ImMeme0 "After the fraud scandal in Minnesota, a TikToker decided to investigate daycare centers in Ohio, which has the country’s second-largest Somali population. By plugging the addresses into Google Maps, he discovered that many of the buildings didn’t look like typical childcare facilities—lacking playgrounds, proper signage, and even having blacked-out windows. Even more striking, he found that several of these daycare centers had donated money to the same Somali congressmen. The fraud is Minnesota is just a tip of the iceberg." Matt Vespa at TownHall, This State Might Be Another Hotbed of Somali Fraud. Elon Musk @elonmusk, "The Somalis and many other groups were imported, given government handouts and allowed to do fraud without prosecution in order to ensure that a Democrat would win the election in that district." Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison admits the Somalians were imported to vote Democrat He says they even go out to ballot harvest for Democrats and the Somalians are used in multiple states to swing elections for Democrats Foreigners imported to steal our electionsShow more." Mary Chastain at LI, HUD: Biden-Era Rental Assistance Payments Went to Deceased Tenants, Noncitizens "The agency accused the Biden administration of pushing out the funds “with minimal oversight” and just trusting the people who received the money."  Info Battle Maiden @info_maiden, "Less than five minutes on this site and I’ve already found over $32M in SBA 7(a) loans to eight Indian gas stations in Texas. Such highly skilled human capital that they need to run gas stations with our tax-backed loans. All they do is commit fraud, bleeding us dry." Robby Starbuck @robbystarbuck, "It works like this: > You pay taxes > Democrats create programs with activists in charge to ensure $ flows to people Democrats want $$$ going to > Fraud artists getting the $ then donate to Dems > Dems raise taxes to fund more programs > Dems call you racist for complaining," Quote Brandon Fugal @BrandonFugal "Elon Musk sounded the alarm on all of this…and his dealerships were burned, his life threatened & he was even harassed & ridiculed by Tim Walz, Ilhan Omar, AOC…the very people enabling this fraud." Hunter Ash @ArtemisConsort "If welfare and redistribution were really about helping people, then their proponents should care *more* about fraud. That’s money not going to the stated purpose of these programs. Their hostility to all scrutiny proves their stated goals were always lies. It’s just patronage." Quote Fusilli Spock @awstar11, "The real question here is, why don’t Democrats care about billions of dollars being stolen from taxpayers? x.com/thehill/status…" Andy @PositivFuturist, "The Somali daycare fraud cost more than a trip to the edge of the solar system." John Kulak Kramlich @jkramlich, "I used to think “we sacrificed the stars for this” was hyperbolic. I’ve since come to realize it’s understated. We haven’t just sacrificed the stars we’ve sacrificed everything."

At PJM, VodkaPundit thinks Minnesota Is THE Moment of Truth for Bari Weiss. Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze. "This is a chassis textbook media example of "What more do you want? We covered it already!" One story." Quote David Weigel @daveweigel, "NYT was covering this before the influencers got there. It’s now got an electoral angle, (influencers going to MN to confront fraudsters, GOP sharing viral clips) but odd to say the NYT wasn’t covering the fraud. This story made Dems look terrible! https://nytimes.com/2025/11/29/us/fraud-minnesota-somali.html"  Hat Hair's Dave Strom says Pravda Didn't Miss the Fraud—They Covered It Up. 

Sean Davis @seanmdav "Politico’s legal affairs reporter all buts calls for Somalis to shoot and murder anyone who knocks on the doors of their businesses. This clown clearly has no idea what stand-you-ground laws are or what states they apply to (hint: Minnesota is a duty-to-retreat state, not a stand-your-ground state)." Quote Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein "At some point, the amateur effort to knock on doors of home daycares intersects with robust stand-your-ground laws" Readers added context "Stand-your-ground laws remove the duty to retreat from a threat when a person is in a place they have a legal right to be. Knocking on the door of a supposedly public business does not constitute a threat, so stand-your-ground could not be invoked as a defense. usconcealedcarry.com/blog/what-is-s… Do you find this helpful?" Ace, Politico "Reporter" Josh Gerstein: Somalis Should Shoot Citizen Reporters Who Knock on "Day Care Center" Doors to Ask Questions "Remember when the communist media demanded that Erick Erickson be fired from CNN after he mused about shooting census workers that knocked on his door? You won't be surprised to learn that communists employ a "Who, whom?" analysis to their supposed moral imperatives. Who is doing it, and to whom it is being done, determine whether it's criminal or mandatory." Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "I cannot overstate enough that today on this very platform, a professional journalist employed for his legal expertise insinuated that anyone going door to door asking questions about possible taxpayer fraud is likely to be shot and killed, and he has zero understanding of self-defense or stand your ground laws And literally NOTHING will happen to him professionally."

And it's not just money, it's votes. In Minnesota you can vouch for up to 8 "friends" to vote at the last minute, no ID needed. ThePersistence @ScottPresler, "HOLY COW MINNESOTA VOTER FRAUD This is the form used to vouch up to 8 voters on Election Day (for people that don’t have IDs). If you read closely it says, “Employees of residential facilities may vouch for an UNLIMITED number of facility residents.” This is legal. This is Minnesota law. Which means that there *should* be a paper trail of every single one of these vouching forms. How many persons serve as vouchers each election? What is the number of persons for each voucher? Do these vouchers show up every single election? We need to begin submitting Data Practices Requests to the Minnesota Secretary of State. This is a huge story." From the Pop Times, ‘Corrupt AF’: Minnesota’s Voter Vouching System Exposed by Pressler and Dhillon. Tim O'Brien at PJM, Meet Three Minnesota Judges Who Corrupt Somalis Love Most. Ace,
As Questions About Ilan "Omar's" Sudden Fortune Grow, Her Husband Begins Deleting Information from His "Venture Capital" Website. "Venture capital, huh? Bet he has a lot of Somali "investors.""

From NYPo, Zohran Mamdani to be sworn in as NYC mayor below City Hall Park— in private ceremony at shuttered subway stop. PJM's Rick Moran predicts Democrats Are Planning to Terrify Voters and Generate Hysteria Against AI. At Da Fed, MD Kittle ends the year with a list of The Left’s Top 25 Lies Of 2025. Why restrict yourself to such a small number? 

Althouse finds "Part of the sausage making process."

What happens when the minimum wage goes up? Well, California is getting an experiment in that right now. Just ask @gavinnewsom. Reason's @BessByers shares what happened after AB 1228 implemented a government-mandated pay raise for all fast-food workers. 🍔 pic.twitter.com/FFL7hkMOKk

— reason (@reason) December 31, 2025

At Am Spec Jed Babbin calls it A Trump-Worthy Year for the Military "President Trump has a strong record on the military, but faces dangerous modernization gaps." VodkaPundit at PJM, says FINALLY, Jewish Space Lasers. Overton @overton_news, "Scott Jennings SNAPS on leftist host Emma Vigeland after enduring several minutes of what he called ‘propaganda’. After Vigeland finished, Abby Phillip tried to move on without letting @ScottJenningsKY respond…but he wasn’t having it. JENNINGS: “Oh, we don’t have time for the anti-Israel propaganda?!” “I don’t understand. Israel is our ally. Not a single word in your speech for the atrocities that were committed on October the 7th.” “We should not a single word… not a single word for the idea that Israel has every right to defend itself.” “Not a single word for the fact that Hamas right now is killing people inside of Gaza, their own people!” “You seem to lay it all at the feet of Israel, democratic ally, and your own country, and you have NO negative word for the terrorists who raped and murdered and kidnapped!” “ZERO. None, none.”" From Da Caller, ‘Adapt, Shrink Or Die’: Trump Admin Announces Major UN Aid Shake-Up.

Misty Severi at JTN, Trump threatens to sue Fed Chair Jerome Powell for 'gross incompetence' "The president hinted that the lawsuit would be connected to the increasing cost of renovations to Federal Reserve buildings, stating that the chairman has allowed the expected cost to skyrocket." From Da Caller, CNN’s Harry Enten Says JD Vance Lapping 2028 GOP Field Before Race Has Even Started. Teri Christoph at RedState, Ric Grenell Offers Shocking Explanation Why Artists May Be Bailing on Their Trump-Kennedy Center Gigs. Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell "I have just been informed by some booked artists that they are receiving emails from @CNN and The @washingtonpost encouraging them to boycott the Trump Kennedy Center. The legacy media are left wing activists - and they are open about it." Matt Vespa sees NY Gov Hates Trump So Much That She Will Make NY Working Americans Suffer to Stroke Her Ego, by taxing tips in NY.

From Da Caller, Foreign Group Backing US-Designated Antifa Terrorists Says Bank Accounts Were Shuttered. Good.

Politico whines Trump admin can share immigrants’ Medicaid data with ICE, judge rules "Blue states sued to prevent Medicaid data from being used in deportations." Wait, I thought illegal aliens weren't getting Medicaid. Ace, Judge Rules That Trump May Share Illegal Alien Medicaid Data with ICE, "As Scott Jennings points out: The left claims that zero illegal aliens are on Medicaid, so the file should be blank. Right? Right?" At JTN, Illegal entries into Arizona plummet, 60% fewer gotaways than in Biden years "Stats represent roughly a 92% drop from illegal entries and a record number of gotaways reported in Arizona during Biden era." Peter St Onge, Ph.D. @profstonge, "Mass migration does not fix labor shortages. It makes it worse. The reason is migrants reshuffle labor. We end up with too many low-skill workers. And a brand new shortage of doctors, dentists, and schoolteachers." KTSA, Wanted Criminal Migrant Caught Posing as Statue in Nativity Scene.

From Campus Reform, 5 ways the Trump administration reset higher ed for 2026, "From safeguarding student safety to restoring transparency in admissions, the Trump administration's sweeping reforms enforce merit, law, and civil rights in academia." Greg Lukianoff, The Worst of Both Worlds for Campus Free Speech "The biggest threat to speech used to come from within higher ed. Now it’s the government."

At Liberty Unyielding, DEI redlining is happening. A group is seeking to end it." “The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), a conservative legal group, is requesting the Trump administration remove race from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) ‘Social Vulnerability Index,’ which is being used by liberal localities to steer funds to communities based on race,” reports Fox News:"

From Ace, Entertainment and Media Sector Sheds 17,000 Jobs in 2025, Up 18% from 2024's Job Losses. "Survive until 2025, they said after covid and the twin strikes, expecting that 2025 would be a comeback year for the media. That has not happened. And 2026 will be worse. The media is dying. It's finally dying and nothing can save it now."

Get even more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.30.25 (Afternoon Edition) and In The Mailbox: 12.30.25 (Evening Edition).

The Wednesday Wetness

From the Balmer Sun, Baltimore-led work group to study regional water management model serving 1.8 million residents

A 13-member work group will convene in January to start discussing a potential new oversight structure for the Baltimore region’s water and sewer systems. Chaired by Baltimore Comptroller Bill Henry, the work group will look at creating a regional water management model to give jurisdictions that use the systems a say in how the water and wastewater systems are managed and financed, and to bolster the region’s ability to maintain the infrastructure in the future. “The future of Baltimore’s water system affects so much of the metropolitan area; it’s important that we employ a regional approach when tackling this issue,” Henry said in a statement Monday. The work group will meet Jan. 7 in the Baltimore City Council chambers.

Owned and operated by Baltimore City, the region’s water and wastewater systems serve 1.8 million residents in the city, as well as Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. The city is responsible for managing, maintaining and upgrading the systems, though nearby jurisdictions chip in through cost-sharing agreements. “This work group gives us the chance to modernize a system that has served the region for decades, but no longer reflects the needs of our communities,” Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said in a statement.

You have to be pretty desperate to let the City of Baltimore handle your water and sewage needs.

Oregon My Oregon

Salem Statesmen J. Murder conviction endangers man's future on Salem police review board

A Salem man may not be reappointed to the city's Community Police Review Board after coming under scrutiny for his past murder conviction and commuted sentence by former Gov. Kate Brown in 2022. Kyle Hedquist joined the Community Police Review Board in 2024 out of a desire to serve Salem and bring his experience as a former "lifer" in the Oregon prison system to the position. "I can offer value," Hedquist said.

Unanimously appointed to the board by Salem City Council, Hedquist said he never shied away from his past incarceration. "I have a perspective of someone who is justice impacted with 28 years lived experience," he said in his application. "I served in leadership positions in multiple prison-based organizations."
. . .
Hedquist served 28 years in prison for the 1995 murder of Roseburg teen Nikki Thrasher. Hedquist, then 18, said he feared Thrasher would report him to police for hiding stolen items at her home. 

While in prison, Hedquist enrolled in college and worked to advocate for prison education and programming. He was among 104 people who had their sentences commuted in clemency acts by Brown. Thrasher's family, the Douglas County district attorney and Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson spoke against his release into Salem.
. . .
"Due to an oversight, the criminal history of prior applicants has not been reviewed when considering appointments," Bennett said in a report on Oct. 6 to the Boards and Commissions Appointments Committee. Background checks conducted by the city on all current members and applicants revealed no relevant criminal history, save for Hedquist's conviction for aggravated murder and burglary.

He does seem to be reformed. Seem.

Flotsam and Jetsam - 'Simoleans for Somalians' is Still the Story

Is It Over for Tim Walz? asks Power Line's John Hinderacker, hopefully. PJM's Stephen Kruiser hears Bells Are Jingling All the Wrong Way for Tim Walz. NYPo remembers Tim Walz bragged about child care business in Minnesota during VP debate before $9B Somali fraud scandal came to light. Leave no Somali child unattended! Paul @WomanDefiner, "Remember when Democrats tried to make Universal daycare a thing for the last 15 years? Now you know why." Quote Oilfield Rando @Oilfield_Rando, "The same Somali scams are happening in Seattle. And Maine. And Columbus, Ohio. And a Clarkston, Georgia. x.com/thehoffather/s…" The FOO @PolitiBunny, "Democrats claim there’s a problem … for example, childcare is too expensive. Democrats decide to create a government program to fund and support affordable childcare. Democrats explain people will need to pay more in taxes so childcare is more affordable. Dumb people believe them. Democrats fund groups who are friendly to Democrats who turn around and fund more Democrats. Meanwhile, blaming Republicans because childcare is still not more affordable for some reason. Repeat with ANY ‘problem’ Democrats want to fix." From Fox, Tim Walz pushes back on Minnesota fraud allegations following viral daycare video claiming he "has spent years working to "crack down on fraud" and has taken steps to strengthen oversight of state programs, including initiating investigations into several facilities." He was either complicit or incompetent, or both. Nick Arama at RedState sees New Twists in Viral MN Daycare Story Amid Response From Officials That Won't Go Over Well The Drunk Republican @DrunkRepub, "I cannot stress how important it is for Trump to make an example of Walz and Minnesota. While his term thus far has been very successful (border, foreign policy, BBB, etc.) much of MAGA is dissatisfied because so many crooks and conspirators from the past 10 years have yet to face justice. This is the perfect opportunity to change that! . . . ?" From ET, FBI Surged Resources to Minnesota Early in Federal Fraud Investigation, Patel Says, "‘The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota,’ he said, referring to a recent viral video about an allegedly fraudulent day care in the state." From Da Caller, Kash Patel Says FBI Investigation Into Alleged Minnesota Fraud Will Broaden As New Details Emerge. At PM, FBI threatens to denaturalize, deport Somali scammers in Minnesota. "Many are also being referred to immigrations officials for possible further denaturalization and deportation proceedings." Peter St Onge, Ph.D. @profstonge, "In case you're looking for a side gig, whistleblowers on federal fraud receive between 15% and 30% of the recovered amount." Quote JD Ross @justindross, "There is a $10B+ startup just waiting to be built in identifying and successfully litigating against federal and state fraud, double that if you can go after health and disability fraud Like an apolitical, decentralized for-profit DOGE." The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Walz Announces $8 Billion Grant To Somali Company To Investigate Fraud https://buff.ly/92fvWoA."

This new Tim Walz ad goes hard.

Come for the learing, stay because you were carjacked.pic.twitter.com/blalJNdjPE

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) December 28, 2025

NotTheBee

Scott Adams @ScottAdamsSays "I'm starting to detect a pattern," Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes "Attorney Mehek Cooke says massive fraud is taking place in Ohio She says fraudulent Somalian healthcare companies are being created charging as much as $250,000 per family per year FOR DOING NOTHING, it’s all fraudulent It’s all being billed to Medicaid and taxpayers are payingShow more" Elon Musk is on a Xroll: Elon Musk @elonmusk, "The fraud of your taxpayer money is happening nationwide and is liberally applied to attract illegal (and some legal) immigrants who will reliably vote Democrat. The more you look, the more you find. And you don’t need to be a world-class detective to figure it out. This is brazen, daylight robbery," "My lower bound guess for how much fraud there is nationally is ~20% of the Federal budget, which would mean $1.5 trillion per year. Probably much higher," "Wow," "More than any the daily readership of all newspapers in America combined" Quote DogeDesigner @cb_doge "BREAKING: Nick Shirley’s Minnesota Somali fraud video just crossed 100 million views on X. You are the media now!" Elon Musk @elonmusk, "Just stop caring whether they call you racist or not. They do that to scare away inquiries. Doing so used to work, but not any more. Fraud is fraud and it doesn’t matter what race someone is," Quote Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, HOLY CRAP! Nick Shirley just DROPPED THE MIC on Tim Walz after he called anyone "racist" for pointing out Somali fraud "You're going to call a white person 'RACIST' for calling out FACTS?"

At Da Signal, Minnesota Fraud Controversy Shakes Capitol Hill. Austen Allred @Austen, "Kinda funny that the two stories dominating my X feed are: 1. Needing to take 5% of net worth from billionaires to prop up government spending 2. Fraudsters brazenly taking billions of dollars of taxpayer money with little being done to stop it." Christopher F. Rufo @christopherrufo, "We opened the discourse with the Somali fraud story. Now it's built into a massive social reaction. But the question is whether the Trump Administration will deliver results: investigations, arrests, mugshots, prosecutions. Ultimately, only action matters." Ace, More Somali Piracy: In Ohio, Somalis Are Defrauding the State Home Health Care System for $250,000 Per Year "Caring" for Phantom "Aged Parents." Ted Cruz @tedcruz, "Um, wut?" Quote Kristen Mag @kristenmag, "There are 539 childcare centers in Washington state that list Somali as the primary language. Most don’t even give a street address. I don’t know how many of these are submitting fraudulent claims for state grants and subsidies, but I have a strong hunch the number is not zero." Matthew Marsden @matthewdmarsden, "Um, what are you going to do about it?" At Insty, SOMEONE SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS: Katie Miller @KatieMiller, "BLS data confirms home health aides as the fastest-growing U.S. occupation with a 10% surge to over 500,000 in 2024. It's MOSTLY Medicaid-funded. 42% are foreign-born across the US. 78% are foreign-born in NYC where most home health aides are used. Want to guess where the fraud is?" Cathy Salgado at PJM reports Small Business Administration Cuts Off All Minnesota Grants Over Somali Fraud. It's a start. DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican "I'm glad this is all being flushed out, but can we please get some messaging on why it is so difficult to prosecute or deport fraudsters & accomplices? Like Keith Ellison and Ilhan Omar. Is it a state jurisdiction thing? Are you being slow-walked in the administration? So many questions..."

Bad Hombre @Badhombre "A YouTuber who started his career making prank videos in high school just gave a masterclass in journalism to all the entities on the right." Doug Ross has Nick Shirley's Exposé - The Infographic ""With 𝕏, _you_ are the media" proven correct, again." Tom Bevan @TomBevanRCP, "Still no coverage in NYT, WaPo, CNN, or Minneapolis Star-Tribune of massive fraud being uncovered in Minnesota. The media's willingness to ignore stories that hurt Democrats is truly astonishing." TMK @TheMagaKing2_0, "The New York Times and The Washington Post were rewarded with Pulitzer Prizes for the now-debunked Russia collusion hoax, built on fake intelligence and anonymous sources. Meanwhile, an independent YouTuber uses public records, real documents, firsthand investigation, and on-the-ground video to expose an $800 million daycare fraud scheme in Minnesota, and the mainstream media ignores it. That’s why they’re called fake news." At Twitchy, Un-EFFING-Believable: Drew Holden's LENGTHY Thread of Media Actively HIDING MN Somali Fraud a MUST-Read. Drew Holden @DrewHolden360 "THREAD The legacy media didn’t miss the Minnesota Somalian fraud story. They actively dismissed it as made up, racist, or xenophobic. Before the stories are quietly edited, I’ve got screenshots." TownHall's Matt Vespa asks What Do You Notice About All These Stories About Somali Fraud in the Press? Ace, YouTuber Exposes Another Huge Ring of Somali Pirate Fraud as Legacy "Journalists" Refuse to Investigate or Report Others' Investigations.

PJM's Stephen Kruiser notes Mamdanigeddon Is Almost Here — Time to Take Bets on NYC's Survival. It'll survive. Rome survived the Goths, after all. Just barely. Althouse catches a modern puff piece, "The most new York couple is: very sweet man that everyone loves with a wife way out of his league that he’s obsessed with." "That's the top rated comment on this TikTok about Rama Duwaji, the wife of Zohran Mamdani:" At the Manhattan Contrarian, Doubling Down On The Worst Possible Public Policy ("Affordable Housing" In Manhattan).

At PJM VodkaPundit says Insert Completely Gobsmacked Pacific Palisades Fire Headline Here "An hour after midnight Jan. 1, as a small brush fire blazed across Topanga State Park, a California State Parks employee texted the Los Angeles Fire Department’s heavy equipment supervisor to find out if they were sending in bulldozers. “Heck no that area is full of endangered plants,” Capt. Richard Diede replied at 9:52 a.m, five hours after LAFD declared the fire contained. “I would be a real idiot to ever put a dozer in that area,” he wrote. “I’m so trained.”"

VodkaPundit at Insty thinks IT’S NICE TO SEE EUROPEAN NATO GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT ITS DEFENSE AGAIN: Russia vs. NATO Video Roundup. USNI News, Chinese Forces Fielding Intercontinental Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles Capable of Reaching U.S. West Coast, Pentagon Says. Shouldn't that be the "left coast?" Sundance at CTH hosts U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer Giving a Strong Recap of President Trump Trade Policy. 

Atop Da Hill, California drops lawsuit over Trump pulling high-speed rail funding. "An authority spokesperson said in a statement that “the federal government is not a reliable, constructive, or trustworthy partner in advancing high-speed rail in California.”" Good. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn warns we may still be Possibly Looking at Bi-Coastal Energy Price Shocks for 2026.

From TNP, Far Left Embarks on Formal ‘Boycott’ of ‘Occupied’ Trump-Kennedy Center. Althouse, "The artists who have protested in recent weeks include Kristy Lee, a folk singer from Alabama, who announced she was pulling out from a free concert...." ""'I won’t lie to you, canceling shows hurts,' she said in a social media post. 'This is how I keep the lights on. But losing my integrity would cost me more than any paycheck.'" From "New Year’s Eve Concerts at Kennedy Center Are Canceled/The jazz drummer Billy Hart said the decision was 'evidently' connected to President Trump’s name being added to the arts center" (NYT). Art is not logic." Take the whole Kennedy Center and move it to a site along the Missouri River in Bismarck, ND. Why should the hinterlands pay tribute to DC so they can build themselves pleasure palaces? Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Democrats have called Trump Hitler for a decade. Now he’s the most honored non-Israeli in most of our lives." Quote Fox News @FoxNews "BREAKING: Netanyahu announces Israel is awarding President Trump the Israel Prize. It is the country's highest cultural honor, and has not been won by a non-Israeli in nearly 80 years." Readers added context "This is incorrect as the last non-Israeli to win the award was Indian conductor Zubin Mehta in 1991." Roger Kimball at Am Great on The Pence Mirage: Why the Right Isn’t Leaving Trump, "The Heritage Foundation “mutiny” isn’t a conservative realignment so much as the latest anti-Trump mirage, with Mike Pence cast as a moral standard-bearer no one is following."

Matt Margolis at PJM sees The J6 Pipebomber Explains His Motive, and the Left Won’t Be Happy. From the Victory Girls, DOJ: J6 Pipe Bomber Hated BOTH Political Parties. Ace, J6 Pipebomber Says He Wanted to Hurt Both Parties. "I'm glad he isn't confirming the media's claim that he was animated to plant the bombs over Trump's completely-false claims of the election being rigged. Because if he did, he'd be eligible for an insanity plea, because we all know 2020 was the most secure and fraud-free election in history.

From Mediaite ‘Dangerous!’ CBS’s Jan Crawford Skewers Liberals Over Attacks on the Supreme Court. Shipwreckedcrew finds it amusing The Supreme Court Tells Pres. Trump He Can Only Use The Insurrection Act To Assist ICE In Enforcing Immigration Law. "The language of the statute relied upon is a historic anachronism that only Congress can fix, or it can watch as the Executive uses the only tools SCOTUS says he has -- the Army and Marines " and reports that Judge's Order To Release All ICE Detainees Is Stayed by Seventh Circuit Pending Appeal. "Biden Admin. entered into "consent decree" to not detain certain illegals scheduled for deportation hearing and Chicago Judge ordered enforcement of that agreement -- paused for now." Teri Christoph at RedState says More of This, Please: Utah GOP Refuses to Fold After Judge Forces Democrat-Friendly Map. From Front Page, Obama Judge Legalizes Assaulting ICE Personnel "The sanctuary state is becoming an insurrection."

At the College Fix, the Latest on the Brown shooting: Custodian warned about shooter, police chief put on leave.

WokeSpy hears Tom Homan Drops the Mic on Child Separation “It’s unfortunate families got separated, but it happens to American families every day. It’s going to happen in Albany today, that American family will be separated by law enforcement because the child can’t go to jail with a parent,” Homan said.. . . . Homan then shifted focus to child trafficking, stating that a large number of children were trafficked into the United States during Joe Biden’s tenure and that many remain unaccounted for. “We want to talk about family separation. A half a million children Joe Biden were trafficked in this country. They can’t find 300,000 of them. That’s a separation,” Homan said." Front Page wants you to Imagine America With Only 450,000 Immigrants a Year "Liberals are horrified at the idea."

Ace finds it As Predictable As the Setting Sun: After Conspiracy Theorist and Lunatic Marjorie Taylor Greene Turns on Trump, the NYT Offers Her a Puff-Piece with an Attempted Glamour Shot. From Twitchy, The Easiest Grift Flip from The Bulwark: MTG Bashes Trump, Jonathan V. Last Falls in Love.

Michael Patrick Leahy @michaelpleahy, "BREAKING: New Covenant killer documents released by the FBI confirm @TheTNStar reporting the killer bought guns with Pell Grant money." John Sexton at Hat Hair reads the Washington Post: It's Not Cheating If You Feel Like a Girl "Yesterday the Washington Post published a story which was clearly intended to paint a trans-female athlete in the most positive light possible. The story is titled "For young transgender runner, racing wasn’t the hardest thing." The hardest thing, the story argues, was poverty or maybe opposition to her competing as a girl and repeatedly beating out actual female competitors in various races." Yeah, we get the WaPoo. This story was a couple full pages and mores, all weepy about how hard it was when people booed him for still medals from the real girls. It almost filled up the news 'taint.

At RCP Chris Barnard celebrates The National Movement to Trim Higher Ed Bloat.

Tuesday Tanlines

Just Jared, Selena Gomez Steps Out for Pampering at Beverly Hills Tanning Salon

The 33-year-old Only Murders in the Building actress looked relaxed and low-key as she left Palm Beach Tan on Saturday (December 27) in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Selena dressed casually for the outing in a white tank top, black sweatpants, and some fuzzy slippers. She accessorized with a pair of sunglasses and some plum-colored over-the-ear wireless headphones. The “Lose You to Love Me” singer was seen carrying her iPhone and a fluffy jacket.

On Christmas Eve, Selena was spotted in a black ensemble as she visited a dermatology office in the same area.

Doesn't she know that dangerous! Study Finds Higher Rate of Genetic Mutations in Skin Cells of Young Indoor Tanning Bed Users, not to mention Police say man used hammer, knife in attack at Loveland tanning salon.

Navy Looks for PFAS Near Chesapeake Beach

 The Bay Net, Navy Tests Private Wells Near Naval Research Laboratory — Chesapeake Bay Detachment

The Navy has conducted testing of private drinking water wells within a sampling area near Naval Research Laboratory — Chesapeake Bay Detachment for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
. . .
In the areas near the Chesapeake Bay Detachment, the concern over PFAS comes from the use of firefighting foam over the years. PFAS have been found in the groundwater at NRL — Chesapeake Bay Detachment and in nearby drinking wells in the direction of groundwater flow. The Navy has created guidelines for testing and responding to levels of PFAS.

In this most recent round of testing, the Navy sampled 52 wells and found one well above DoD PFAS interim action levels for private drinking water wells. If levels are found to be above 70 parts per trillion (ppt), then the Navy will provide bottled water for drinking and cooking to property owners or tenants until a more enduring solution is implemented. No samples were above 70 ppt in this round of testing.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency developed a final draft of drinking water standards for certain PFAS in April 2024. The Navy will continue testing for PFAS in the area as needed.

The Naval Research Laboratory Restoration Advisory Board holds regular public meetings regarding PFAS and testing, including a recent open house in September. Interested persons can attend meetings or learn more here.

The  Naval Research Laboratory — Chesapeake Bay Detachment is a somewhat mysterious land based naval station in Calvert County, on the Bay a bit south of Chesapeake Beach. Among Bay fishermen it is called "The Radar Towers" because of a number of radar installations there visible from the water. 

Naval Research Laboratory - CBD

Naval Research Laboratory – Chesapeake Bay Detachment (NRL-CBD) is located approximately 40 miles southeast of Washington, D.C., in Calvert County, Maryland, south of the town of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. NRL-CBD occupies approximately 160 acres along the western shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay. The facility is bounded by the Chesapeake Bay to the east and residential housing areas to the north, south, and west. The facility is separated by Bayside Road (State Route 261) into an eastern and western portion.

NRL-CBD’s mission is to provide and maintain facilities for use by the research divisions of the Naval Research Laboratory, located in Washington, D.C., for the testing, development, and evaluation of radar, radio, optical, and fire control equipment, along with other research projects requiring a maritime environment or open skies, but with land-based support facilities.

The original acquisition of land for NRL-CBD took place in 1941, and construction progressed rapidly during World War II. Major expansion occurred in 1953 and 1954 with construction of a large laboratory building, shop facilities, and complete utility systems.

Apparently, one of the things researched there was means of fighting ship fires. PFAS was widely used in fire fighting foams, which may well explain how they ended up scattering it around the landscape. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Is the Ice Breaking on the 'Simoleans for Somalians' Scandal?

I have to credit some Althouse commenter for that name. Unfortunately, I can't find it again. The growing scandal of literally billions of dollars in ."Minnesota on fraudulent businesses largely headed by Somali immigrants is starting to draw a lot of attention, most of it on Twitter. These are, of course, federal programs being administered by the state. Mainstream liberal outlets are currently avoiding it like it might hurt Democrats or something. From Fox, of course, Misspelled learning center, no children inside: Emmer presses Walz over Minnesota daycare tied to $4M "House Majority Whip Tom Emmer demands answers after viral video shows Quality 'Learing' Center with no activity." From Twitchy, 'You Should Be Thanking Us': Somali Community Demands Praise Amid Massive Minnesota Fraud Scandal. They see it as harvesting ripe fruit. Shipwreckedcrew, A Lawsplainer -- The Somali Fraud Edition "It's a tale as old as time and I've seen in play out a dozen times with a dozen different immigrant nationality groups -- steal what you can get away with is an ethos to live by in the Third World." arctotherium @arctotherium42, "Somalis really are the reductio ad absurdum of the lib position on immigration. Highest welfare use and lowest incomes and horrifying cultural practices (FGM) and openly hate America and funnel money to overseas terrorists on top of the billions of dollars in fraud." James O'Keefe @JamesOKeefeIII, "Besides tweet, write letters and raise money, what are the Republicans going to do about what @nickshirleyy exposed in Minnesota?" Quote JD Vance @JDVance, "What's happening in Minnesota is a microcosm of the immigriation fraud in our system. Politicans like it because they get power. Welfare cheats like it because they get rich. But it's a zero sum game, and they're stealing both money and political power from Minnesotans."John Lund @AttilaTheLund, "Just like with voter fraud, we know medicare and childcare fraud isn't happening, because it would be a FELONY if people did it, and convictions for this type of fraud are extremely rare."

Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke. "It is striking how many people fixate on fraud enforcement while missing the forest for the trees. When you engage in mass migration from low-trust societies into high-trust ones, you inevitably produce corruption and industrial-scale abuse of public systems. You cannot have state-funded welfare without a high-trust culture, and you cannot preserve that culture while importing large numbers of people who do not share its basic assumptions. No amount of audits or enforcement surges will fix that." Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "33,000 homeless US veterans living on the streets. Politicians say there are no resources to help them Same politicians funnel billions in tax dollars to criminal Somalis who fund the same Islamic terrorists the homeless veterans fought Mass deportation is the moderate position." PJM's Matt Margolis wonders, How Long Before Tim Walz Faces Indictment? I predict never. Don Keith @RealDonKeith, "Remember how shocked everyone was when Kamala Harris strangely chose quirky Tim Waltz as her VP running mate? What if it wasn’t a strange decision at all and a calculation based on access to billions of dollars of Somali fraud money that could be funneled to her Presidential campaign or personal finances? Nick Shirley and the FBI have uncovered what may be the largest theft of tax payer dollars in U.S. history and I predict, when we examine other states, we’ll find that this is just the tip of the iceberg." 

Tom Bevan @TomBevanRCP, "Not a peep about fraud, but a big story on Tim Walz building his influencer army" at the Minnesota Star Trib. Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "One kid with an iPhone vs thousands of corporate uninterested paid journalists. Incredible." Quote Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, "Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet. We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day. Like it and share it around like wildfire! Its time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable." Jim in MN @HuskersMN, After 3 straight days of ground breaking reporting by Nick, a 22 yr old YouTuber, in what is the now the biggest story in the country, today’s state’s newspapers have ZERO mention of it. This is a key part of the how the corruption works here-it gets total safety from the MN media." Dustin Grage @GrageDustin, "Minnesota’s largest paper just released its Year in Review. Not a single mention of the fraud consuming our state. This is how the fraud was able to balloon into what it is today." Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Very Serious Journalist Jake Tapper takes time to post his Very Serious Concerns about 𝕏 posts showing people yelling stuff at Tim Walz Meanwhile, zero posts from Jake about the viral posts all over 𝕏 reporting on the fraud in Tim Walz’ state." Western Lensman @WesternLensma, "Here’s what a CNN anchor said about protestors outside Supreme Court Justices’ homes in 2022: "A conversation about ‘civility’ feels like it misses the mark." The Justices have security and people are angry, so what’s the big deal?" Drew Holden @DrewHolden360, "THREAD The legacy media didn’t miss the Minnesota Somalian fraud story. They actively dismissed it as made up, racist, or xenophobic. Before the stories are quietly edited, I’ve got screenshots." The Babylon Bee Would Like To Inform Tim Walz We Are Now A Functioning Daycare In Minnesota. "Mr. Walz can make out the check from the state government to cover those expenses to Seth Dillon, proud owner and operator of Lil' Bees. The check will need to be mailed to a Florida address, which is standard operating procedure for Minnesota daycares."

Dale Stark @DaleStarkA10 "So what percentage of the federal budget is being laundered directly to democrat client groups? If some Gen Z YouTuber can uncover over $100 million in an afternoon the full scope has to be mind bending." Fugitive Caesar @ThomBrady5, "$2 trillion per year, so about a fourth of the annual budget, is going straight to Leftists." Coddled Affluent Professional @feelsdesperate, "I’m at a point where I just don’t think progressive technocracy can do anything, Say you allocated $100 million to fix potholes. I could see connected NGOs manufacturing potholes to fill and gobbling $80 million to no net benefit. I could see the academic/ expert class gobbling $10 million to study the ‘root causes’ of potholes. And then I could see whatever is left over to actually fill potholes being tied up in red tape and regulatory obstacles. And this would even be considered money well spent. They’d feel good and pat themselves on the back for it."

Congresswoman Sarah McBride @Rep_McBride, "I'm wishing all in Delaware who are celebrating today a blessed Kwanzaa, centered on culture, family, and community. May this time be one of reflection, unity, and hope." Business Tactical @Bacon_Is_King , "The irony of a guy pretending to be a woman while pandering to a group who made up a holiday is not lost on us." Ted Cruz @tedcruz "I have no doubt that young Gavin—in his cravat, reclining at his winery—has celebrated Kwanzaa his entire life! #Authenticity" Quote Governor Gavin Newsom @CAgovernor, "As families come together to light the kinara, Jen and I wish all those celebrating a joyful Kwanzaa. May the seven principles of Kwanzaa, in particular community, purpose, and unity, guide our way toward a better future." Even the NYT admits A Wealth Tax Floated in California Has Billionaires Thinking of Leaving.

At TrashPanda see how Joe Rogan Reacts to Georgia’s Confession in 2020 Election Fraud Scandal “Weird, that 36 out of 37 that have unsigned tapes are strong democratic, and that there’s 315,000 votes that aren’t supposed to be there,” Rogan said. “They didn’t sign for the but it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. We just forgot to tally.” Hat Hair VIP's Walt Hudson explains Why Ranked-Choice Voting Delivers More Radicals, Not Moderation.

From Fox, Nigeria says it shared intelligence to support US strikes on ISIS "Trump warned terrorists there would be 'hell to pay' if slaughter of Christians continued in Nigeria." Althouse finds "The Islamic State’s history shows that when the group establishes a stable presence, it’s only a matter of time before it looks to wreak havoc around the world." ""It’s tempting to want to pretend that the chaos in West Africa isn’t an American problem, but the world isn’t that simple...." Writes the Washington Post Editorial Board, in "Why West Africa is worth worrying about/Strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria are welcome but insufficient" (gift link)." At LifeZette, Trump’s Venezuela Tactics Upset Russia, China, Iran, Narco-Terrorists and Democrats. From Am Mind Sen. Jim Banks says America’s Military Is Back. 

The Brussels Signal says The EU just had its battle of Adrianople, expect some change. "In the early hours of December 19, a historic battle has been fought in the halls of the EU’s ivory tower. Leaders of the European consensus, representing the Empire had taken up arms against outsiders, the barbarians. The barbarians won. . . . The battle of Adrianople in ancient Thrace in 378 A.D. proved to be a definitive turning point in the history of the Roman Empire, the clearest military turning point which demonstrated that Roman infantry could be decisively beaten by “barbarian” forces."

The Great Victor Davis Hanson at Da Signal notes The Left Framed Trump on ‘Affordability’ Crisis. Here’s What Trump Must Do Now. "no one is saying, “You should care about affordability. You made America unaffordable every year you were in power and we’re undoing your mess.” But we haven’t had that message, and I hope we will very soon." Rusty Weiss at RedState predicts the ‘Turnout Machine’ Trump to Go Full-Throttle in 2026 Midterm Blitz. NYPo, Newly unearthed Jeffrey Epstein documents reveal long list of potential prosecutions. At Hat Hair, Josh Hammer asks a good question, What, Exactly, Does the Right Stand For?

According to Susie Moore at TownHall We Now Know the Accused J5 Pipebomber's Motive... A pox on both houses? 

From NYPo, Watchdog group demands answers after ‘unbelievable security lapse’ by Trump’s Secret Service team "The Secret Service continues to endanger the president’s life with lax security, and the government is sitting on information that might expose recent failures which allowed President Trump to get shouted down by Code Pink protesters during a recent outing to a Washington DC restaurant, advocates fear. . . .The watchdog group has been trying for three months to get information on how the protesters got advance notice about Trump’s closely-held movements — at an event intended to demonstrate that the city was thriving under new federal security protection."

From Da Caller, FBI Caught Hillary Clinton Discussing Donations With Foreign Felon. "A recorded conversation between Clinton and Indian hotel magnate Sant Singh Chatwal in which Clinton discussed donations to the foundation and her remaining 2008 campaign debt. The new documents confirm that FBI had at one time been “intercepting individuals associated with the Clinton Foundation.”

The Free Bacon reports Brown Lawyers Up After Bungled Response to Mass Shooting, Retaining Former US Attorney "Security lapses have drawn scrutiny as Brown faces mounting questions over its response to the attack." Nicole Wizman at Tablet, The Maccabees of Bondi Beach "On Hanukkah night, amid terror and confusion, the true story was written by Jews who ran toward danger to protect one another."

Teri Christoph at RedState, Of Course: Another Obama Judge Steps in to Save Illegal ‘Maryland Man’ As Human Smuggling Trial Is Axed "Crenshaw wrote, "The burden-shifting framework controls the Court's analysis. Specifically, once a defendant establishes a prima facie showing of vindictiveness, 'a presumption arises in defendant's favor.' The Court has already found that Abrego has made such a showing, entitling him to discovery and an evidentiary hearing on why the government is prosecuting him."" Tricia McLaughlin @TriciaOhio, "So we, at @DHSgov, are under gag order by an activist judge and Kilmar Abrego Garcia is making TikToks. American justice ceases to function when its arbiters silence law enforcement and give megaphones to those who oppose our legal system." Quote Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson, "MS-13 terrorist Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released by a rogue judge and is now making TikToks." At RVM, CNN Now Admitting Trump’s Border is a ‘Story of Accomplishment’ with Stunning Graphic.

AG @AGHamilton29, "The UK PM bragging about his top priorities including getting an openly pro-terrorist, pro-violence, anti-White, anti-British, anti-police, racist, anti-Semitic extremist to be freed into the UK is certainly a choice. Not one any sensible leader would make, but a choice."

TownHall's Matt Vespa reports Of Course, the Trump White House Issuing This Statement Triggered a Meltdown in Liberal America. From NewsBusters, PBS-Like British Channel Lets Jimmy Kimmel Vomit in 'Alternative Christmas Message'.