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This Is How the DC Pipe Bomb Suspect Felt About Republicans and Democrats

The individual accused of setting pipe bombs at the RNC and DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, confessed to the crime and said he despised both political parties.

The FBI apprehended Brian Cole, 30, earlier this month after years of investigating the pipe bombs.

From NBC News:

The man suspected of placing pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties in 2021 felt “extreme acts of violence” were justified because “they were in charge,” federal prosecutors said Sunday.

In a request filed Sunday to keep him behind bars while he awaits trial, the Justice Department unveiled new allegations about the potential motive and actions of defendant Brian Cole, accused of planting the bombs on Jan. 5, 2021.

Cole, 30, who lives with his mother and other family members in Virginia about 25 miles southwest of Capitol Hill, was arrested Dec. 4 and charged with transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials, according to charging documents.

Cole has yet to enter pleas. His lead defense counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night.

Sunday’s court filing alleges Cole had animosity for both political parties at a time when, he told investigators, he was “watching everything, just everything getting worse.”

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NY Times Editorial Board Member Has Possibly the Dumbest Take of All on Somali Fraud in Minnesota

Mara Gay of the New York Times is a special kind of stupid. Whenever she is brought on to cable news to comment on an issue, you know you’re in for a hot take.

In this case, she was on Morning Joe, offering her opinion on the Somali fraud scandal that is still unfolding in Minnesota.

She suggested that this was the result of the ‘weaponization’ of government, which doesn’t even make any sense.

Transcript via Real Clear Politics:

JONATHAN LEMIRE: And, Mara, this is a story that’s really gained a lot of traction among conservative media members, among MAGA folks online, including members of the Trump administration. Vice President JD Vance was posting about it the other day. There’s a lot we don’t know here just yet, but it does give off at least a sense—and we’ll see where the facts take us—but at least we can safely say this: it seems like Republicans are eager to be talking about something else amid a lot of the bad news surrounding the president right now.

MARA GAY, NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST: Right. Well, sure. These were funds that were meant to help feed hungry people during the COVID pandemic, to help keep people in their homes who were at risk of homelessness. So, first of all, if there is fraud there, that should be fully investigated—no matter where it is, whether it’s in a Democratic-led state or a Republican-led state. Absolutely, it should be investigated.

The question is, why is this a priority in a different kind of way? The politicization of the DOJ and the FBI is undeniable. So whether they are reliable narrators is the big question. This is what happens when you weaponize and politicize federal agencies that are not meant to be politicized.

I think the American people are right to ask the question: can we trust you? And that’s a sad thing to say as an American.

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Why is Keynesian Economics Collapsing?

In his 1936 book, ‘The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money,’ John Maynard Keynes argued that aggregate demand was too volatile to be stable and would lead to inflation or recession. His theory honed in on spending as a means of price control. Low aggregate demand, Keynes argues, would lead to high unemployment and stagflation. Government could intervene through fiscal policies to increase aggregate demand, as an example, increased government spending could tame inflation. According to Keynes, interest rates could also be adjusted to encourage spending and stimulate demand. So why are these theories failing miserably today?

To begin, the United States had a balanced budget when Keynes presented his theory. The government is now the biggest borrower, acting in its own self-interest under Adam Smith’s theory of the invisible hand that Keynes spent his career attempting to deny. According to Keynes, “there is no self-correcting mechanism in a free market economy that automatically restores full employment.” He believed that the government could change the business cycle but arguably regretted this notion on his deathbed.

Keynesian economics gave the government the green light to manipulate the economy, or at least make numerous failed attempts to do so. There is that old joke about communism that you can vote your way in, but must shoot your way out, seemingly fitting to the utter disaster governments have created regarding our economic situation.

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New Report Appears to Confirm Covenant School Shooter Audrey Hale Bought Guns With Student Loan Money

If you needed another reason to dislike student loan programs, you’re in luck.

The FBI has just released more pages from the manifesto of Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale, which suggest that she bought the guns used in the 2023 shooting with money she had from a Pell Grant.

Hale’s parents suggested this two years ago and this report appears to confirm that.

The Tennessee Star reports:

Latest FBI Release of Covenant School Manifesto Files Appears to Confirm Trans-Identified Killer Bought Guns with Pell Grant Money

The FBI on Monday released another 230 manifesto pages written by Audrey Elizabeth Hale, the biological female who identified as a transgender man on March 27, 2023, when the 28-year-old killed six at the Covenant School in Nashville, the Christian elementary school she once attended.

This latest journal appears to have been written sometime in late 2021, and includes lengthy sections about the weapons the killer planned to use to commit a mass shooting at a school sometime that year.

Following multiple pages full of weapons to purchase, the journal includes a page labeled “Account Savings Record,” which appears to reference the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It also records multiple payments received from Nossi during the period when Hale attended the Nossi College of Art and Design in Nashville.

“FASFA [sic] grant checks started at $2,050.86,” wrote Hale at the top of the entry.

The page then lists a series of apparent ledger entries, starting with, “$2,656.87 (x3 checks from Nossi).” The next ledger entry states, “+$530.00 (x1 check Nossi) ($3,186.87).”

This reference to Hale’s federal student aid, located in the writings next to her entries about guns she considered buying, appears to corroborate the claims made by her parents to Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) detectives in 2023, when they told law enforcement their child purchased the firearms using federal Pell Grant money.

She apparently hated religion too, but that seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it?

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Bombshell Resurfaced Video Shows Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Admitting He Knew About Somali Fraud Scandal But Failed to Keep Taxpayers Informed

Earlier this month, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz openly confessed that his administration should have been more transparent with taxpayers about the massive Somali-linked fraud schemes that have plagued state programs, potentially costing billions in federal funds.

The video, which has gone viral on social media in the wake of Nick Shirley’s bombshell reporting on Somali daycare centers, shows Walz admitting to knowing about the ongoing fraud during a press conference on December 12.

Standing before the American and Minnesota flags in the Capitol rotunda, Walz addressed the media about ongoing investigations into fraud in multiple state-run programs, including child nutrition initiatives like Feeding Our Future, autism services, and other social welfare programs.

In the clip, Walz states:

“I think what the president did was elevate it. Uh, I do believe and I will fully own this we should have been keeping Minnesotans more up to speed on what was happening.”

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The Dumbest Year by Far (Until the Next One)

Merry Christmas and all that. We’ve just a few days left in what has been by far the dumbest year on record. Don’t worry—the next one will be even dumber, and 2028 is going to reach forbidding heights of stupidity for which none of us are adequately prepared. Enjoy this while it lasts.

Come, friends and haters. Join us on a journey through time and space. Take a moment to reflect on some of the dumbest (and not so dumb) moments of 2025, most of which you’ve probably forgotten by now.

JANUARY — Corpse Removed from White House

• Sleepy Joe Biden was finally evicted from his taxpayer-funded care facility. Kamala Harris was also forced to leave, but not before humiliating herself one last time by pledging allegiance to “the United States of the United States of America” and certifying her own defeat, to joyous applause from members of Congress. Jeff Bezos’s wife-to-be, Lauren Sánchez, flaunted her tits at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.

• Former senator Bob Menendez (D., N.J.), a.k.a. “Bullion Bob,” was sentenced to 11 years in prison following his conviction on corruption charges. His daughter continues to host a show on MSNBC.

• As wildfires ravaged California, ABC News anchor David Muir leapt at the chance to show off his chiseled bod on national television. In one of the most egregious acts of journalistic narcissism, Muir used a clothespin to achieve a form-fitting silhouette on his network-branded safety jacket while reporting live from the smoldering wreckage.

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Tim Walz Lashes Out Blaming “White Supremacy” After Massive Minnesota Somali Fraud Exposed

A viral investigation into alleged misuse of Minnesota state funds has ignited a fierce public feud between Governor Tim Walz and independent journalist Nick Shirley, culminating in a heated exchange of accusations over the weekend.

Shirley’s 42-minute video report, which garnered over 100 million views on X, purportedly showed multiple state-funded daycare centers — receiving millions in taxpayer dollars — appearing closed or inactive during business hours.

In the wake of the report’s release, Governor Walz faced intense backlash after appearing to dismiss the findings on X, writing, “This is what happens when they scapegoat and this is what happens when they no longer hide the idea of white supremacy.”

Critics immediately seized on the Governor’s comment, accusing him of using racially charged language to deflect from legitimate questions regarding the stewardship of public funds.

On Sunday, Shirley appeared on Fox News to directly address the Governor’s characterization, rejecting the “white supremacist” label as a political tactic used to silence dissent.

“If you have 100,000 people that will vote for you because you’re going to enable this stuff… and you’re going to call a white person racist for calling out facts, this is what’s going to happen,” Shirley told the host.

He further ridiculed the state’s oversight during the segment, remarking that the alleged fraud was “so obvious a kindergartner could figure it out.”

Meanwhile, Governor Walz’s office issued a formal statement responding to the allegations, asserting that his administration has “worked for years to crack down on fraud” and has already launched investigations into the specific facilities highlighted in the video.

The spokesperson emphasized that the administration has strengthened oversight mechanisms and previously closed one of the centers featured in Shirley’s report.

Despite the administration’s defense, the controversy continues to escalate, with federal authorities now signaling they are deploying additional resources to investigate the scope of the alleged fraud.

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Burma Election Phase 1: No Hope for Federal Democracy With Opposition Banned

The Burma (Myanmar) election leaves observers asking whether it can truly be called a legitimate election when opposition parties and much of the population are prohibited from participating.

Burma’s military junta held the first round of its 2025 election on December 28, marking the first vote since overthrowing the country’s democratically elected government in 2021. Participation was sharply limited, with only about one-third of eligible voters casting ballots. Voting took place only in areas under military control, effectively disenfranchising large segments of the population living in conflict zones that comprise roughly 70 percent of the country’s territory.

As voting began, the Union Election Commission announced that nine additional townships had been added to the list where voting could not take place due to ongoing armed conflict. The newly excluded areas included three townships in Chin State, two in Sagaing Division, and four in Rakhine State, bringing the total number of townships entirely excluded from elections to 65, up from 56.

The UEC also confirmed that Phases 1 and 2 could not be held in 51 village tracts in Karenni State, and that Phase 3 elections scheduled for January 25 would not take place in 10 village tracts in Pekhon Township. In total, 134 townships are now affected either fully or partially, setting a record for the highest number of areas where elections could not be conducted in Burma’s history.

The election is being held in three phases across 265 of 330 townships, with the second round on January 11 and third round on January 25. Final results are expected to be announced by the end of January 2026.

One Yangon polling station recorded turnout of just under 37 percent, well below participation levels in the 2020 election won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. In Karenni State and other areas controlled by revolutionary forces, residents rejected the process, saying the election is neither free nor fair and excludes large portions of the population displaced by war.

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Recognizing Media Malfunctions With the Heckler Awards – Part 1: The Industry Technical Trophies

With the year coming to a close, it is time to haul the news from the media to the curb, but we first need to dig through the pile and sort the refuse. We need to separate the worst from getting into the recycling bins, because the last thing we need to see is some of this behavior circulating once again. So, in the futile effort of improving the journalism landscape, we need to highlight the lowlights of 2025.

Here at “Riffed From the Headlines,” it has been another year of compiling the worst and misbegotten in the media landscape. We began the year with the hope that improvements would be experienced. Our hopes were, not surprisingly, dashed. Thus, we are left with the task of delivering notice of the worst from the journalism industry, and for that, we have developed The Heckler Awards.

This will be a four-part series in which we will (dis)honor the events reported in the press this year, based on the evidence compiled in our daily column. We begin with technical awards, and that will then give way to specific honors in the various categories we use to organize the lapses in journalism ethics. Part One will honor industry-wide activity, while Part Two will recognize achievements by individuals and specific outlets, and then Parts Three and Four will entail the category “winners.”

Now, with that pageantry aside, let us delve into the recognition and begin handing out the recognition of the news industry foibles for 2025, in this, the first round of The Hecklers!

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China’s Military AI and Biotechnology Directed at the United States

Soldiers in a brigade attached to the 83rd Group Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army conduct virtual reality exercises. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

According to a congressional report, the People’s Liberation Army continues to exploit military-civil fusion to integrate commercial and academic research into military systems. Military-Civil Fusion is China’s national strategy to merge civilian technology, research institutions, and industry with the defense sector in order to build a world-class military.

The strategy aligns commercial innovation with military requirements across fields ranging from artificial intelligence to semiconductors, pooling state and private resources to accelerate military development. Chinese authorities describe military-civil fusion as a core component of comprehensive national power and a central driver of long-term military modernization.

Through state laboratories, funding programs, conferences, and industrial parks, China has ensured sustained private-sector participation in this effort. As a result, it has made significant advances in artificial intelligence and large language models that underpin many emerging PLA technologies. AI reasoning systems support cyber operations, command decision-making, and influence campaigns, while also enabling autonomous and unmanned platforms, drone swarms, and loyal wingman UAVs.

These capabilities increasingly intersect with developments in quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communications, which China has identified as priorities for national security and future warfare.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has described quantum technologies as drivers of industrial transformation, and Beijing is investing in post-quantum cryptography, military applications of quantum sensing, and ground- and space-based infrastructure for a global quantum communications network with both civilian and military uses.

Quantum communications support nuclear command, control, and communications by enabling hardened and interception-resistant links, while quantum sensing has potential applications in anti-submarine warfare by enabling detection methods that do not rely on active sonar.

Semiconductor self-sufficiency remains a parallel strategic objective. In 2024, firms including Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp and Huawei Technologies received substantial local government funding to accelerate chip indigenization. Although China continues to lag the West in the most advanced GPUs, it is pursuing alternative pathways through nontraditional microchip technologies, including photonic components developed by state research institutes.

Domestic chip production underpins military resilience by enabling continued weapons manufacturing under sanctions and securing supply chains for missiles, drones, and radar systems. Alternative chip architectures support AI processing and reduce reliance on advanced Western GPUs, sustaining production capacity during conflict.

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