HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) has placed the football team at Volunteer High School under probation due to alleged infractions related to recruiting and practice protocols.
In a communication from TSSAA Executive Director Mark Reeves, the association addressed accusations that Volunteer High School breached TSSAA’s stipulated sports calendar and regulations concerning recruitment.
A team of divers has uncovered the wreckage of a World War I-era US combat ship, which has been resting off the coast of Cornwall for over a century.
The US Coastguard Cutter TAMPA, which disappeared after being hit by a German U-boat torpedo in 1918, has finally been located.
Found by the Gasperados Dive Team, the shipwreck lies 50 miles off the coast of Newquay.
The tragic sinking claimed the lives of all 131 people aboard, including American navy and coastguard members, as well as British civilians.
Dominic Robinson, 54, part of the Gasperados Dive Team, shared that they have dedicated the past three years to searching for the elusive ship.
The team on the day – made up of leader Steve Mortimer, Jacob Mackenzie, James Gregory, Steve Green, Duncan Haywood, Chris Lowe and Paul Downs – used information from the UK Hydrographic Office including seabed data to help track it down.
They have also analysed German records about the U–Boat that sank it and have spent the last three years conducting dives to locate it.
Sunday 26 April was to be their final attempt when they made the incredible discovery.
The shipwreck of a WW1 US combat vessel has been discovered off the Cornish coast by a team of divers – 108 years after it sank
The US Coastguard Cutter TAMPA has been missing since being torpedoed by a German U–boat in 1918
The team have presented their findings to the US Coastguard, and Mr Robinson says they are ‘confident’ they have found TAMPA.
Mr Robinson, a diver, from Plymouth, Devon, says: ‘Sunday was our last attempt.
‘Basically we were like “we’ve looked everywhere this could be”, and were going to give up, and then we got down there and found it.
‘Most people think a shipwreck is a ship under water but the reality is it’s been underwater for 100 years in the Celtic Sea in–between Cornwall and Ireland, so it’s been smashed by storms and a 100 odd years of decay.
‘And the fact it was torpedoed in the first place.
‘The things we were looking for were anchors, boulders, the engine – we knew it had guns on it and lots of ammunition, lots of portholes.
‘It was a well–built, good quality ship.
‘We’ve all dived and seen lots and lots of vessels and we understand what era they were used for.
Dominic Robinson, 54, a member of the Gasperados Dive Team, says they have been searching for the last three years for the ship after it vanished
The team have presented their findings to the US Coastguard, and Dominic says they are ‘confident’ they have found TAMPA
‘We also saw crockery that had “New Jersey” written on it so that was an instant link to America’.
The TAMPA vessel was assigned escort duty in World War I protecting convoys from German submarines between Gibraltar and the south coast of England.
On September 26 1918 TAMPA had just parted with a convoy it had just escorted when it was torpedoed.
Mr Robinson, who shared his experience with Sell Us Your Story, says: ‘It was quite a misty day and once it had left the convoy four hours after they heard a large explosion and the TAMPA was never seen again.
‘Because it was quite misty and nothing was found the location has always been very vague.
‘The US have kept a vessel called TAMPA in service ever since.
‘A whole load people have tried to look for TAMPA including ourselves as part of a dive team called Gasperados.
‘It’s probably important to recognise this is not a one–off event and a culmination of three years of stuff and loads of other people who have done other dives’.
The TAMPA vessel was assigned escort duty in World War I protecting convoys from German submarines between Gibraltar and the south coast of England
Sunday 26 April was to be their final attempt when they made the incredible discovery
Mr Robinson says the type of diving necessary was ‘extreme’.
With wrecks up to 100 metres deep the team would spend around 20 minutes at the bottom and a further two and a half hours decompressing, coming up to surface slowly.
‘We have added all these things together and presented the info to the US Coastguard who have had a look at the video and photos and are confident we’ve found TAMPA,’ Mr Robinson says.
DEPTH FOUND: 320ft, 50 miles off the coast of Newquay
All 131 lives on the vessel were lost including those from the American navy and coastguard, and British civilians
SUNK: September 26, 1918 (Tampa had just finished escorting a convoy and was returning through the Bristol Channel towards the Welsh port of Milford Haven)
ON BOARD: 131 – 111 Coast Guardsmen, 4 US Navy personnel, and 16 British (Royal Navy and civilians)
WEAPONRY: Four 3-inch guns for close-range defence against submarines, two 6-pounder guns (quick-firing naval guns, about 57 mm)
LENGTH: 205ft
The “Antisemitism Exposed” newsletter from Fox News offers insights into the escalating wave of anti-Jewish sentiment both in the United States and globally.
HIGHLIGHTS IN TODAY’S EDITION:
– Jewish communities bolster defenses in response to rising threats
– Duke University reverses the suspension of its SJP chapter
– Elite New York prep school faces an antisemitism controversy
MAIN FEATURE: As antisemitism continues to rise, it is prompting many within the Jewish community to seek self-defense strategies. The Jewish gun organization “Lox & Loaded” has teamed up with the National Rifle Association (NRA) to offer specialized training and resources. With fifty chapters nationwide, this collaboration aims to transform first-time gun owners from feeling vulnerable to becoming skilled and confident in their self-defense capabilities. In these turbulent times, Jewish Americans are increasingly taking their safety into their own hands.
Gayle Pearlstein, co-founder of Lox & Loaded, is seen alongside Doug Hamlin, the CEO of the NRA. Their partnership is dedicated to empowering Jewish American firearm owners.
VIDEO UPDATE: London’s Jewish community remains on high alert following a recent stabbing incident that resulted in injuries to two individuals. WATCH HERE:
DUKE RETREATS: Duke University has reinstated its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, reversing a suspension triggered by an antisemitic social media post. While administrators admitted the imagery used “antisemitic tropes,” they ruled it didn’t create a “hostile environment” legally required for a ban. The backtrack highlights the explosive tension between campus free speech and rising concerns over Jewish student safety.
HATE FLUSHED: Horace Mann, a prestigious New York City-area prep school, is reeling after a pro-Israel flyer was found in a urinal. Outraged parents and alumni are slamming the administration for a “tepid” response, demanding accountability for what they call a blatant act of hate. The incident has ignited a fierce battle over campus climate and the safety of Jewish students.
PLOT FOILED: Authorities disrupted a chilling “mass casualty” plot after arresting 18-year-old Angelina Hicks for allegedly conspiring to massacre Jews at a Houston synagogue. The North Carolina woman reportedly planned to ram a vehicle into the congregation to “kill as many as possible.” While Hicks faces a $10 million bond, two co-conspirators remain at large, leaving the community on edge.
GUEST EDITORIAL: Christian Zionist Mike Evans and best-selling author Mike Evans argues that Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are “modern-day watchmen” who have fundamentally reshaped the Middle East and the global fight against antisemitism through strength and resolve..
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “For me, it’s another example of a double standard where instances of hate are taken seriously for other ethnic groups but are ignored for Jewish people.” – Duke University senior Zachary Patterson, on the school’s decision to reinstate its SJP chapter despite an Instagram post depicting a uniformed pig holding a staff with a Star of David and an Israeli flag.
– Looking for more on this topic? Find more antisemitism coverage from Fox News here.
– Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe to additional newsletters from Fox News here.
– Want live updates? Get the Fox News app here
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man facing charges for attempting to breach the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner armed with guns and knives, with the alleged intent to harm President Donald Trump, has agreed to remain in custody while awaiting trial.
During a brief court session, Cole Thomas Allen appeared before U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya but did not enter a plea.
According to prosecutors, Allen meticulously planned his attack over several weeks, monitoring Trump’s whereabouts online. The incident occurred when Allen reportedly bypassed a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night during one of the capital’s most prominent annual events, brandishing a long gun.
The altercation resulted in injuries to Allen, though he was not shot. Officials reported that a Secret Service officer was struck but survived thanks to a bullet-resistant vest. Prosecutors claim Allen discharged his shotgun at least once, while a Secret Service agent responded with five shots. However, they have yet to verify publicly whether Allen’s bullet was the one that hit the officer’s vest.
Allen’s defense team, in a letter to prosecutors on Wednesday, suggested that some comments from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche hint at inconsistencies in the ballistic evidence compared to the government’s narrative, the evidence collected, and witness statements.
The Justice Department, in response, said the evidence shows Allen fired his shotgun at least once in the Secret Service agent’s direction. Investigators recovered at least one fragment at the crime scene that is consistent with a buckshot pellet, prosecutors wrote.
“The government is aware of no physical evidence, digital video evidence, or witness statements that are inconsistent with the theory that your client fired his shotgun in the direction” of the officer or that the officer “was indeed shot once in the chest while wearing a ballistic vest,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors said in court papers that Allen took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes before the incident, and that he was outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife. In a message that authorities say sheds light on his motive, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions, according to writings sent to family members shortly before shots were fired Saturday night. The Associated Press reviewed the writings.
Allen’s lawyers are pressing for his release, arguing in court papers that the government’s case is “based upon inferences drawn about Mr. Allen’s intent that raise more questions than answers.” They defense noted that Allen’s writings never mentioned Trump by name.
“The government’s evidence of the charged offense –- the attempted assassination of the president –- is thus built entirely upon speculation, even under the most generous reading of its theory,” defense lawyers wrote.
Allen was charged on Monday with that crime, as well as two additional firearms counts, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.
Allen, 31, is from Torrance, California. He is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Authorities are searching for a 14-year-old girl from Chicago who has reportedly gone missing in recent days. Taylorville Police have noted that she has relatives residing locally.
According to a Facebook update by Missing Child Alert on Tuesday, the teenager, identified as Julianna Faber, was last seen on Monday, April 27. Julianna is described as having shoulder-length red/auburn curly hair, brown eyes, and a nose ring.
Garrett Nussmeier, the former quarterback for LSU, and his fiancée Ella Springfield were visibly emotional as he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday. The touching moment was captured and shared through photos on social media.
“All in God’s perfect timing!” Springfield expressed in an Instagram post on Monday. “We are so blessed to call Kansas City our new home ❤️.”
She posted a series of photos depicting Nussmeier’s family and friends celebrating at a draft party on the third day of the event, where the ex-Tigers star was chosen as the 249th overall pick.
“I love you!” Nussmeier, now 24, responded enthusiastically in the comments of the post.
Nussmeier, whose father Doug Nussmeier is the offensive coordinator for the Saints and a former NFL quarterback, was selected in the final round despite earlier expectations of being a Day 2 draft pick.
His parents sat alongside him at his draft party.
The Saints granted Doug permission to spend the draft with his son.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight,” Garrett wrote in an Instagram post after the Draft, including a photo of him crying while surrounded by his loved ones as his name was called.
Another image showed Doug on his draft night in 1994, dressed in a St. John’s basketball t-shirt, as he answered a call from the Saints, who selected him in the fourth round (116th overall) out of Idaho.
Doug played four seasons with New Orleans (1994-97) and one with the Colts (1998).
Garrett explained it was “difficult” to sit there waiting to be drafted.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,” he said after getting the call from the Saints, per ESPN. “I felt like I was sitting there waiting forever. I couldn’t have been more excited to see that [816] area code pop up.
“… It was difficult for me sitting there and not understanding why. Obviously, I have belief in myself and where I believe I should have been valued.
“I said throughout this entire process it’s not when, it’s where. I couldn’t be more blessed to go to such a great team.”
The quarterback only appeared in nine games for LSU last season due to an abdominal injury.
Garrett and Springfield got engaged in Grove, Okla., last July, as seen in a joint Instagram post.
In the past day, Nevada’s secretive military installation has witnessed a series of over a dozen earthquakes, raising eyebrows and stirring curiosity. These seismic events, numbering at least 17, have been recorded close to the infamous Area 51, a site that has long captured the public’s imagination with tales of extraterrestrial activity and clandestine tests of experimental aircraft.
The most significant of these earthquakes registered a magnitude of 4.4, occurring just 2.5 miles beneath the earth’s surface. This has inevitably sparked speculation about the possibility of underground testing or other unusual activities, given the base’s notoriety and the depth of the quake.
This flurry of tremors has emerged in a region not typically associated with frequent seismic disturbances, prompting intrigue among experts and enthusiasts alike. The concentration of such activity in this particular area has led to widespread speculation and interest.
Geophysicist Stefan Burns commented on the peculiarity of the situation, describing it as “an unusual place to get an earthquake.” He highlighted that this region has historically been relatively tranquil, especially when compared to other, more seismically active areas across the western United States.
Geophysicist Stefan Burns described the location as ‘an unusual place to get an earthquake,’ noting that the region has historically remained relatively quiet compared with other fault-heavy zones across the West.
He also pointed to the shallow depth of the strongest quake, roughly four kilometers underground, a detail he said made the event particularly noteworthy.
Burns added that earthquakes and underground explosions can sometimes produce similar seismic signatures, especially when energy is released suddenly beneath the surface.
While he stressed that the event was most likely a natural earthquake, he acknowledged there was ‘some ambiguity’ in the seismic data and said the unusual characteristics made the activity ‘worth discussing in the context of whether this is a covert underground nuclear test.’
At least 17 earthquakes up to a 4.4 magnitude were detected just miles from Area 51
The latest earthquake to hit the region was detected at 5.38am PT (8.38am ET) on Thursday.
More than 100 people reported feeling shaking to the US Geological Survey (USGS). However, the area is mostly home to military personnel, contractors and staff.
While some observers questioned the cause of the seismic activity, earthquake swarms can occur when stress shifts along nearby fault lines, causing clusters of smaller tremors as the Earth’s crust adjusts.
The Nevada desert sits within an active tectonic region where the ground is slowly stretching apart, making sudden bursts of seismic activity possible even near sensitive sites like Area 51.
The Daily Mail has contacted the USGS for comment.
Reports of the earthquakes quickly spread online, with one X user joking: ‘The aliens are shaking the earth!!’
Area 51 has fueled decades of speculation, particularly since the Cold War, when its remote desert location and secret operations made it a natural target for UFO rumors.
A 2025 report a claimed that Pentagon actually created the UFO conspiracies to conceal a classified weapons program.
Area 51 is a cultural phenomenon thanks to decades of conspiracy theories connecting the base to UFOs, aliens and experimental aircraft testing. Pictured is a mysterious structure on the base
According to a US Department of Defense (DOD) review, the government conducted a deliberate disinformation campaign during the Cold War era, going so far as to distribute fake photos of flying saucers to residents.
In the 1980s, a US Air Force colonel allegedly handed out doctored images of UFOs to patrons at a nearby bar, claiming they had been taken in the area.
The photos were quickly pinned on the wall, igniting public speculation that alien technology was being housed and studied at the top-secret base.
The report claimed the grassroots disinformation campaign was an attempt to hide military testing, including stealth fighter jets, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Area 51, officially established in 1955, remained largely under the radar until 1989, when whistleblower Robert Lazar appeared on television.
He claimed he had worked at a hidden facility near Groom Lake, known as ‘S-4,’ reverse-engineering alien spacecraft, further cementing Area 51’s place in UFO lore.
The report also revealed that high-ranking Air Force officials hazed new commanders by briefing them on a fabricated top-secret project called ‘Yankee Blue,’ which involved the supposed study of extraterrestrial craft.
After the phony briefing, recruits were warned they would face jail or execution if they ever disclosed the information.
Details confirming that Area 51 served as a testing ground for America’s cutting-edge weapons were first revealed in a CIA document declassified in 2013.
The report explained that during the Cold War, the remote Nevada base was used to test aircraft like the U-2 spy plane and the A-12 reconnaissance jet under a veil of secrecy.
Despite those facts, Area 51 has since evolved into a hotbed of alien conspiracy theories, with persistent rumors of crashed UFOs and extraterrestrial autopsies hidden behind its barbed-wire fences.
While Donald Trump continues to generate a storm of discontent with his fiery rhetoric and social media outbursts, a significant decision has emerged from Washington that could influence the outcome of the upcoming election.
The Supreme Court has reached a verdict that may jeopardize the congressional seats of numerous politicians from minority communities.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 mandated that states with substantial minority populations create congressional districts to enhance the electoral chances of non-white candidates.
However, a pivotal portion of this legislation has been dismantled following a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling today.
Civil rights icon Al Sharpton condemned the ruling, characterizing it as a “bullet in the heart of the voting rights movement.”
“The Supreme Court has not just weakened a law, it has humiliated and dismantled the life’s work of Dr Martin Luther King, John Lewis, and every man and woman who marched, bled and died for Black Americans to have an equal voice at the ballot box,” he said.
“Today’s 6-3 Supreme Court decision in the Callais case is a BIG WIN for Equal Protection under the Law, as it returns the Voting Rights Act to its Original Intent, which was to protect against intentional Racial Discrimination,” he said.
Barack Obama meanwhile was sharply critical of the ruling.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities – so long as they do it under the guise of “partisanship” rather than explicit ‘racial bias’,” Obama said.
“And it serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.”
The Supreme Court decision was specifically overturning a congressional map in Louisiana.
But Republicans are eyeing the decision as a means of holding power in Congress.
“Right now, this only applies to Louisiana, but states can challenge their congressional maps and, with precedent, pick up Republican seats,” Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale said.
“If states are aggressive, we could see a healthy majority in the House perpetually.”
In the south of America, Republicans are now rapidly moving to draw black Democrats out of their seats.
Tennessee’s governor has already released a draft map that would split the black majority seat in Memphis into three seats where white voters would have overwhelming advantages.
And in Florida this morning, Republicans in the legislature redrew the congressional map that would give their party a 24-4 seat advantage.
Prominent Republicans in Mississippi are already pushing to abolish that state’s only black majority seat.
And the loss could be even bigger in Georgia, where Democrats hold four black majority seats.
As a consequence of the law being changed, Democrats could lose more than a dozen seats in the House of Representatives.
Countless more could be lost in state legislatures.
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A former investigator from Minnesota’s Department of Human Services has accused the state government of unlawfully attempting to halt his probe into childcare fraud back in 2017.
Jay Swanson, who once worked in the Office of Inspector General for Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, recounted a 2018 episode where a high-ranking official allegedly directed him to remove specific sections from a report on fraud within the state’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
Swanson, a former Minnesota State Trooper, shared during a Minnesota House Fraud Prevention Committee session on Tuesday, “In August 2018, as I was drafting responses to inquiries from the OLA [Office of the Legislative Auditor] via email, a DHS [Department of Human Services] official instructed me to provide my answers to them rather than sending them directly to the OLA.”
On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, FBI and law enforcement agents conducted raids at Mini Childcare, previously known as Mako Childcare, located in south Minneapolis. This site was among 22 locations targeted that morning in a fraud investigation in Minnesota. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
“After forwarding my response about the fraud trends we observed at CCAP, as directed, a senior DHS official entered my office visibly upset and almost shouting. This official demanded that I remove several paragraphs from the document I had shared,” Swanson recounted in his testimony.
“I then advised the official that I believed what they were telling me to do was illegal. I advised them that Minnesota law requires state employees to cooperate with the OLA and to turn over information as requested. A few days later, the same official told me ‘I just came from the commissioner’s office, and they’re sending your document to the OLA. You better be ready for the blank storm that’s coming your way,’” Swanson said.
Swanson described an alleged campaign of harassment by state Department of Human Services officials against him and his staff. He testified that a consultant was paid $90,000 to label his assessments of fraud as made up.
Swanson’s testimony Tuesday was heard the same day the FBI raided more than 20 Minneapolis childcare facilities as part of a sweeping federal fraud investigation.
Included in the raid was the Quality Learning Center, a daycare made infamous by video blogger Nick Shirley’s December video showing the sign out front misspelled as “Quality Learing Center” and the facility empty.
According to Swanson’s testimony, that business shared an address with Salama Childcare Center, the owner of which was indicted for theft and fraud in 2017. Swanson said he led that investigation resulting in that indictment.
Swanson testified that he and his team “had a front row seat to watch the fraud happening, and we had regular contact with those committing the fraud.”
“Beginning in 2017, we became dismayed and shocked by the response of some senior DHS [Department of Human Services] officials to whom we reported the fraud to. As I look back with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I realize that what our team saw was the early stages of a somewhat loosely organized criminal enterprise beginning to pillage Minnesota’s public benefits system,” he told the committee hearing.
Swanson alleged that “a few of the senior level DHS [Department of Human Services] officials who harassed and abused our unit for committing the sin of trying to expose a huge amount of fraud in the CCAP program are still working in DHS [Department of Human Services] today.”
When pressed by state Rep. Kristin Robbins, the committee chair, to provide the names, Swanson declined, citing an ongoing investigation. He did, however, say that he had provided the names to the OLA.
Minnesota House Republican members Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson and Marion Rarick are sworn in to testify at a U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing about alleged fraud and misuse of federal funds in Minnesota, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Jan. 7, 2026. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Fox News Digital contacted the OLA for additional information.
Further revelations from Swanson included the disclosure that Minnesota was allegedly known far and wide to would-be scammers as a hotspot ripe for exploitation.
“More than once I heard an owner or employee respond when we asked for the first learned about the daycare scam, he would say they had first heard about it while in the refugee camp in Kenya,” Swanson testified.
“These individuals told us that they heard that you could run a scam in a number of different states. But it was easiest, and you could make the most money, doing it in Minnesota,” Swanson added.
“I was shown a text conversation between the owner of the center and a friend,” Swanson testified. “The friend had asked the owner ‘how much longer are you going to do the daycare scam?’ The owner replied, ‘another year or two, I want to buy some nice homes in Nairobi. The owner was on public assistance at this time. They happened to be on vacation in Dubai when this text conversation took place.”
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is investigating potential denaturalization of U.S. citizens of Somali descent involved in a daycare fraud scheme in Minnesota. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Childcare fraud has been a pervasive issue in Minnesota dating back to 2009, Swanson testified.
In recent months, the federal government has homed in on the issue. In a March executive order, President Donald Trump called the fraud cases an “epidemic” and vowed to take action.
Trump’s executive order also claimed that Minnesota’s Democratic leadership has offered “non-existent oversight” on the issue, a claim the state’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has denied.
Despite initially suing the Trump administration for freezing federal funding for Minnesota, Walz publicly celebrated Tuesday’s FBI raids.
“Today’s raids by state and federal law enforcement happened because our state agencies caught irregular behavior and reported it. That’s how the system is supposed to work, and our agencies will keep at it as long as there are fraudsters around to put behind bars,” Walz said in a Tuesday post on X.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced he will not seek reelection during a press conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Jan. 5, 2026. Walz said he concluded he cannot fully commit to a political campaign and did not take questions from reporters. His announcement comes amid a major social services fraud scandal in the state. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune/Getty Images)
Members of the Trump administration questioned Walz’s claims of cooperation.
“Come again? This FBI and DOJ with our DHS [U.S. Department of Homeland Security] partners drafted and executed every search warrant today. But go ahead and take credit for our work while we smoke out the fraud plaguing Minnesota under your governorship,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a Tuesday post on X.
Minnesotan leaders also cast doubt on Walz’s tough-on-fraud claims.
“After the OLA reports came out, the new Walz administration took a look at that. And rather than accelerating the criminal investigations, they closed the criminal investigation unit. That allowed the fraud to continue,” Robbins told Fox News Digital.
“And there was no criminal deterrent anymore. The people got sanctioned for overpayment. And then they just kept billing the state. So the Walz administration enabled the fraud to flourish by stopping the criminal investigations,” Robbins concluded.
Fox News Digital contacted Walz, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice and Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force for added comment.
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In a dramatic turn of events, Ross Davidson, once the frontman for the iconic band Spandau Ballet, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. The former singer’s conviction stems from a series of heinous crimes, including rape and sexual assault, committed against six women. His offenses, which spanned from August 2013 to December 2019, were revealed in two separate trials.
The 38-year-old, who rose to fame under the stage name Ross Wild, was found guilty of two counts of rape, an attempted rape, three sexual assaults, and two charges of voyeurism. Davidson’s career highlights include performing as the lead singer for the 1980s sensation Spandau Ballet and starring in the West End musical “We Will Rock You,” based on the legendary band Queen.
The court was informed that Davidson, a native of Scotland, had garnered a reputation as “a bit of a sex symbol” due to his moderate fame. This perceived status reportedly led him to believe he had the privilege to pursue any woman he desired, a notion that contributed to his criminal actions.
Despite the overwhelming evidence presented, Davidson staunchly denied any wrongdoing. He stood by his assertion in court, declaring, “I have never raped, sexually assaulted, or coerced any woman in my life.”
He denied the assaults and told the court: ‘I have never raped, sexually assaulted or coerced any woman in my life.’
He called himself ‘sex positive’ and claimed all contact with the women was consensual, but juries found him guilty of a string of charges.
Davidson, from Finchley, north London, had a secret desire to have sex with women while they slept – and got a kick out of filming it too, Wood Green crown court heard.
He first stood trial in July 2024 when he was convicted of assaults against three women.
He was convicted by the jury of raping the first woman and of sexually assaulting the second and third woman. He was also convicted of voyeurism, in relation to a fourth complainant.
Former Spandau Ballet singer Ross Davidson was jailed for 14 years today for sex offences against six women
Davidson, who used the stage name Wild, is pictured with fellow Spandau Ballet band mates Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp, John Keeble and Steve Norman
Aberdeen-born Davidson denied one charge of rape in relation to a fifth complainant and was convicted of that attack after a retrial in January.
She had met Davidson in February 2012 on the online dating app Plenty of Fish and said she was attacked by him in March 2015 after she went to stay with him in Finchley.
The woman said Davison made her wear an S&M (sadism and masochism) sex collar with wrist restraints.
He was also convicted of attempted rape and sexual assault in relation to a sixth victim he met in Thailand.
Davidson sat in the dock reading a book as a series of impact statements from his victims were read.
One woman said she suffered ‘severe psychological harm’ and ‘lost all self belief’ after she was raped.
She added: ‘My life has been permanently changed. I no longer feel safe and able to trust the world. I did nothing to deserve what happened.
‘I ask the court to note that this wasn’t a single moment but an experience that continues to shape my life everyday.’
Another victim said when she realised what Davidson had done to her she ‘felt violated and betrayed by someone I trusted’.
She has since been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and prescribed sleeping tablets.
‘This was all as a direct result of what Ross did to me,’ she said. ‘I would describe myself as living in limbo, I am surviving but not living and enjoying life anymore.’
Another victim said: ‘This man took away my youth, my innocence and my freedom.’
She added: ‘Even in prison nothing will ever bring justice for what he has done.’
Judge John Dodd said of the first rape attack: ‘You recorded the grim event and the recording was shown at your trial.
Ross Davidson, 38, was convicted across two trials of two counts of rape, an attempted rape, three sexual assaults, and two charges of voyeurism, in offences committed against six women between August 2013 and December 2019
Davidson was arrested at his home on March 30, 2021, and questioned about one of the alleged rapes, two of the sexual assaults and the ‘sleep videos’ (Pictured: An image taken from body worn camera footage of Davidson being arrested)
‘This was shocking and disgraceful behaviour directed against a young woman.’
The judge said Davidson was a ‘charismatic and successful musician’ when he attacked his victims.
‘Each of them gave evidence and each of them told the truth vividly. Their sense of betrayal was clear for all in court to see.
‘You had a particular interest in a sleep play but in reality it was sexual abuse. It was your kink, your fetish.’
Judge Dodd jailed Davidson for a total of 14 years and said he would be eligible for release after serving two thirds of the term.
Davidon has served 679 days of the sentence while on remand, the court heard.
Richard Hearnden, prosecuting, earlier described Ross as a ‘bit of a sex symbol’.
He added: ‘He is very good looking and physically fit. He sings, plays the guitar, and is said to be charming and charismatic.
‘His darker side is not the first thing that many women and girls notice about him.
‘But the women in this case can all attest to that sinister part of his personality.
‘He has raped, coerced, and sexually assaulted a number of young women over the last decade.
‘It is often supposed that men such as the defendant, blessed with good looks and star quality, can get any girl he wants without having to resort to committing sexual offences, without having to resort to forcing himself on women, without having to resort to rape.
‘Yet, the reality belies that supposition. In this case, many young women have come forward to tell the police that they have been victims of Mr Davidson’s predatory behaviour.
‘It is because he expects to get sex on demand that he will resort to rape and sexual assault if he is not given what he thinks he deserves.’
Davidson filmed himself raping the first woman after they had an argument at his flat on October 1, 2013.
‘Afterwards, he said to her “why do you look like you’ve been raped”. She was shocked he would ask such a question.
‘Unusually, there is actually independent proof of what happened. This is because the defendant secretly filmed it.’
Davidson sexually assaulted the same woman by grinding his crotch against her as he groaned: ‘This is what you want’.
A second woman was sexually assaulted by Davidson when he fondled her breasts.
He told her he had a ‘particular fantasy’ to have sex with a woman while she was asleep.
She was ‘disgusted and distressed’ to find out he had filmed her too.
A third woman was attacked in Cannes where he had gone for the film festival in May 2018.
‘What he did to her was bizarre and perverted. He fondled her breasts while she was fast asleep. She didn’t know this, of course,’ the prosecutor said.
The woman later identified herself from a screenshot taken from the video.
‘When she found out that she had been sexually molested she was devastated,’ the prosecutor added.
A fourth woman claimed she was also filmed by Davidson as she gave him oral sex.
When she caught him with his phone in his hand he said he was ‘replying to a text.’
‘She said she thought it was weird that he was texting while she was doing this for him,’ the prosecutor said.
She claimed she had repeated intercourse with him and was too sore for more sex.
Davidon was ‘an utterly manipulative and sadistic individual,’ said Mr Hearnden. ‘She was being used as some sort of sexual slave. He wanted to have sexual intercourse five or six times a night.’
The fifth complainant told jurors she read an article ‘that displayed a similar case to mine and that encouraged me that what I experienced was not a one-time offence.’
She said she met Davidson on the dating app Plenty of Fish and they met for the first time in person when she stayed with him on his 24th birthday and they had consensual sex.
In 2014, she stayed with him again for a long weekend.
Sex addict Davidson, 38, wanted intercourse up to six times a night and forced himself on women who refused him
Davidson performs on stage alongside Steve Norman and Martin Kemp at Eventim Apollo on October 29, 2018
Mr Hearnden said: ‘The weekend, this time, was less good. She felt that his manner had changed and he had become more assertive and, even, aggressive. He would be sharp with her and cut her off in conversation.
‘One morning he told her off for leaving strands of her long hair in the bath and belittled her accordingly. He even marched off out of the house on his own because she was taking too long to do her make-up.
‘On the second or third evening, they were chatting in the living room. Without breaking conversation, he went into the bedroom and came out with a sadomasochistic sex collar with wrist restraints and just put it on her.
‘He did so without saying a word or asking her permission. She felt he was doing this to show his power and dominance over her.
‘She recalled that Ross had said to her he liked the idea of having sexual intercourse with a “model”.
‘He did not mean, it turned out, a model as in a very attractive woman, but the other type of model.’
During an investigation, police found a video on Davidson’s phone of him touching a woman while she was asleep in Thailand, the court heard.
Police identified the woman who said she was travelling in Thailand when she went on Tinder to find someone to do ‘touristy things’ with.
She said they ended up having ‘drunk sex’ with Davidson but when she woke up he was trying to penetrate her without a condom.
She knew nothing about the video of her until she was told by the police, Mr Hearnden said.
Davidson told police she was pretending to be asleep in the video and denied attempting to rape her.
‘He said he spent a fortune on her and that they both had kinky and adventurous sex,’ Mr Hearnden said.
Davidson was arrested at his home on March 30, 2021, and questioned about one of the alleged rapes, two of the sexual assaults and the ‘sleep videos’.
He was interviewed by police and maintained ‘everything was consensual between him and the women concerned and played up that he was unconventional in his sexual tastes’.
The Scot told the court he was interested in ‘dress up, sleep play, and I’m open to other [kinks].’
‘What sleep play is for me is a little sex game where somebody is pretending to be asleep and trying not to react while someone stimulates them sexually.
‘It never lasts more than a couple of minutes before both sides can’t help but take part in it. It’s like a cheeky game’.
Charlotte Newell, KC, defending, asked him: ‘You were described in the prosecution’s opening as sadistic. Would you accept that characterisation?’
Davidson replied: ‘I would say that I’m the opposite. I’m more masochistic than sadistic, sexually.
‘When it comes to sex I prefer domination rather than me dominating someone else.’
He claimed the first woman enjoyed being strangled: ‘She preferred being dominated.
‘In fact, she liked to be choked and stuff like that. I would never really go there. She wanted full strangulation, and I could never do that to a woman.’
Ms Newell asked: ‘Have you ever raped, coerced, or sexually assaulted young women, ever?’
Davidson replied: ‘I have never raped, sexually assaulted or coerced any woman in my life.’
He admitted he had filmed the first woman, but he said it was always with her consent, adding: ‘It was absolutely with her knowledge.’
Asked about the video of him allegedly abusing the first woman, Davidson insisted she consented to being filmed and claimed it was merely role playing.
Ms Newell asked: ‘You told her you wanted to film her?’
Davidson replied: ‘Yes, explicitly. She said do anything, and I said, ok this is what I want to do.’
Ms Newell said in her mitigation today that the singer met many men and women through his career who were interested in him sexually.
‘He had a very active sex life and had very many sexual partners,’ she added.
Davidson was convicted of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault after a trial in January.
In July 2024, he was convicted by a jury of rape, two charges of sexual assault and voyeurism of the fourth complainant.
Shikha Verma, Senior Crown Prosecutor in CPS London said: ‘Ross Davidson is a predatory sex offender who targeted multiple victims over a number of years. Several of these offences were committed against women while they were asleep.
‘I want to pay tribute to the victims for their immense courage in supporting the prosecution and Davidson has now been held accountable for his horrific crimes.
‘We understand the courage it takes for victims to come forward and would like to reassure any victims that the CPS will continue to work tirelessly with partners across the criminal justice system to ensure sexual abusers face the full extent of the law.’
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