CNN's Abby Phillip got into a lively back-and-forth squabble with her Table for Five panel on Saturday morning when she said the actual victims of the Minnesota fraud scandal are probably actually Somali families. Phillip made the claim after actor and SiriusXM radio host John Fugelsang said conservatives like President Donald Trump were blaming innocent people of color for what private contractors did. He also said Trump was racializing investigations into potentially billions in fraud in Minnesota.
This is not to say that fraud does not exist, because it very obviously does, woven into the fabric of our society. The pandemic in particular was its own little golden age of American federal fraud, involving untold and unprecedented dollar totals being siphoned off from legitimate support programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
CASE UPDATE: MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota. However, even before the public conversation escalated online, the FBI had surged personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs. Fraud that steals from taxpayers and robs vulnerable children will remain a top FBI priority in Minnesota and nationwide.
It's the holiday season and John Lennon may be on the radio, but the MAGA civil war that has dominated headlines over the back half of 2025 is far from over. Indeed, the coalition put together by President Donald Trump is only continuing to fracture, as two of its most prominent principals podcaster Steve Bannon and Vice President JD Vance appear to be increasingly at odds. While Bannon and Vance both hail from the Republican Party's populist wing, Bannon World is accusing the VP of forming a fist inside of his velvet glove. Over the last few days, Grace Chong, the CFO and COO of Bannon's media company, has launched a series of stunning attacks on the odds-on frontrunner to succeed Trump as the GOP's standard bearer.
Federal prosecutors claim a wide-ranging Minnesota fraud scheme ripped off more than $9 billion in taxpayer dough but loyal MS NOW and CNN viewers haven't heard a thing about it. A review of MS NOW and CNN's broadcasts since December 18 when prosecutors claimed the fraud operation was much larger than previously reported shows it has not been mentioned a single time by either outlet. Both outlets do not have stories on the fraud scheme on their respective websites, either.
