On This Day: The Committee of Five is born. Nothing will ever be the same

First-ever suspect nabbed from 'Most Wanted Fraudsters' list — and he's  linked to Feeding Our Future scam

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says a federal fraud suspect turned himself in after being placed on the newly created "Most Wanted Fraudsters" list.Said Abdullahi Ereg was indicted in the Feeding Our Future scam in June 2024, but the U.S. District Attorney's office said he was living overseas and his exact whereabouts were unknown.Prosecutors say Ereg falsely claimed to have served '3,000 meals, twice a day, seven days a week' as part of the scheme.Ereg turned himself in just one day after the fraudsters list was announced.Prosecutors claim Ereg received more than $4.2 million in funds from the Federal Child Nutrition Program after submitting false reimbursement claims through a deli and grocery business he owned in Minneapolis.Ereg's Evergreen Grocery and Deli participated in the "Feeding Our Future" program, allowing Ereg to allegedly scam the government beginning about April 2020 and lasting until about April 2021, coinciding with the COVID pandemic.Prosecutors say Ereg falsely claimed to have served "3,000 meals, twice a day, seven days a week" as part of the scheme. His wife, Najmo Ahmed, also received payments directly from Feeding Our Future.The couple spent the money they allegedly stole on Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Canada Goose, and also allegedly transferred about $2.5 million to foreign accounts. Ereg was indicted on charges that included conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. His wife pleaded guilty in Feb. 2025 to one charge of money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent Chris Dotson said at a media briefing Wednesday that Ereg was one of the first eight people put on the fraudsters list, which was published within the last week.RELATED: 'Feeding Our Future' scam artist agrees to plea deal with a slap-on-the-wrist sentence "Today's apprehension of Said Abdullahi Ereg, a fugitive on the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters List, highlights the collective commitment of the DOJ, FBI, IRS, and USPIS, along with our USAO to bring every alleged fraudster to justice," Dotson said."FBI Minneapolis will be nominating more fugitives to this Most Wanted Fraudsters list," he added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'Colossally wrong': Ex-'60 Minutes' star predicts Bari Weiss's days are numbered

Veteran journalists braced for change when David Ellison took control of CBS and installed conservative Bari Weiss as editor in chief of the news division, but six former staffers revealed they should have been prepared for a demolition.In eight months under Weiss's leadership, "60 Minutes," the top-rated news program in the country, drawing 9.1 million weekly viewers, has lost seven of its 10 correspondents, seen its veteran executive producer fired without explanation, and watched its editorial independence eroded by what multiple journalists describe as direct political interference in their reporting, reported Variety.“We have to acknowledge that ‘60 Minutes’ needed a bit of a facelift, and there were potentially positive ways to improve the program, but it’s the way they have gone about it,” said one former “60 Minutes” staffer. “You don’t give a facelift with a f---ing machete.”The breaking point came May 28, a day staffers now call "Black Thursday," when Weiss fired correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich in a single sweep. Days later, Scott Pelley, the de facto face of CBS News for nearly four decades, was fired after publicly questioning Weiss's leadership at an all-hands staff meeting.The firings followed months of alleged editorial meddling. Alfonsi accused Weiss of spiking a fully vetted report on Venezuelan migrants held in an El Salvadoran prison — pulling it hours before airtime because the Trump administration declined to comment. "If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story," Alfonsi wrote to colleagues, "we have effectively handed them a kill switch for any reporting they find inconvenient." Vega made similar allegations on her way out, and Pelley told the New York Times that Weiss demanded he describe a woman shot dead by ICE agents as "driving toward the officer" — a claim contradicted by video evidence.CBS News disputes the characterizations, calling Weiss's interventions routine editorial feedback with no political motivation.Critics point to a broader pattern. A CBS Evening News segment concluded with the words "Marco Rubio, we salute you." Weiss allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to choose his own interviewer for a "60 Minutes" sit-down, earning personal praise from a former Israeli ambassador. A "60 Minutes" report on ICE enforcement in Minneapolis was allegedly reworked to make protesters appear more violent.The collapse is striking as under outgoing executive producer Tanya Simon, "60 Minutes" just completed its 52nd consecutive season as the top-rated news program in America, with digital engagement up dramatically and viewership growing.The three remaining correspondents — Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim — announced last week they would stay, but warned they would leave if the show's editorial independence could not be preserved. “They’ve been shameless in their directions and shameless in their actions," said longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft, who retired in 2019. "I hope it’s going to come to an end, but I don’t have a great deal of confidence in Bari Weiss to do what she says that she’s going to do. She hasn’t done it so far. I think it’s going to be more of the same, and it’ll be interesting to see how much Lesley, Bill and Jon will put up with.”Kroft doesn't expect Weiss, who reportedly holes up behind a security team in her office in an off-limits wing, to stick around much longer herself.“I have a feeling that Bari will not be overseeing ‘60 Minutes’ for very much longer," Kroft said. "I think once the deal gets done with Warner Bros., people will demand that she be let go or move into another position. Everything she’s touched has turned to s---. Everything she’s touched has gone colossally wrong, and I don’t think she’s showed any talent for this position. She’s only fulfilling other people’s agendas.”

Three Days After Prime Minister Starmer Pledges to Lead New Ukraine Military Effort, British Defense Minister Resigns

A few days ago, the ‘coalition of the willing’ (Starmer, Merz, Macron and Zelenskyy) met in London to hammer out the latest words on paper, a new military pledge to support Ukraine against Russia. Both British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III agreed to a renewed military effort that included British armed forces […] The post Three Days After Prime Minister Starmer Pledges to Lead New Ukraine Military Effort, British Defense Minister Resigns appeared first on The Last Refuge.

On This Day: The Committee of Five is born. Nothing will ever be the same

The following is an installment of “On This Day,” a series celebrating America’s 250th anniversary by following the actions of Gen. George Washington, the Continental Congress, and the men and women whose bravery and sacrifice led up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. June 11, 1776 Second Continental Congress President John Hancock writes […]

House votes down FISA patch, risking first-ever lapse in key spy power

The House rejected a short-term extension of a government spy program set to lapse in just one day.  The House voted 198-218, with 19 Republicans joining nearly every Democrat against the three-week patch of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The bill would have needed a two-thirds majority to pass under an expedited […]

Inside ‘the claw’: UFC Freedom 250 shows off its White House stage days before big fight

The UFC has given a sneak peek inside “the claw,” the imposing stage set up ahead of a historic fight this weekend on the White House South Lawn. Stepping out of the White House press corridors, one is greeted with a massive, larger-than-life red, white, and blue “UFC FREEDOM 250” medallion fitting of a $60 […]

GOP Sen. Pulls Off Amazing Play at Congressional Baseball Game, Dems Have a Tough Day

U.S. launches second day of Iran strikes. And, World Cup facts to know before kickoff

The U.S. launched air strikes on Iran for a second consecutive day. And, the World Cup kicks off today in Mexico City, where tensions threaten to disrupt events.