Bank of America Calls for $6,000 Gold in 2026

Money Metals News Service
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Bank of America Calls for $6,000 Gold in 2026

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) In October, Bank of America raised its 2026 gold price forecast to $5,000.

Mission accomplished as of January 23.

Now the big bank has upped its projection again, calling for $6,000 gold this year.

BoA analyst Michael Hartnett said gold’s performance in past bull markets influenced his thinking.

“History is no guide to future, but avg gold jump past 4 bull markets ≈ 300% in 43 months which would imply gold reaching $6,000 by spring.”

Earlier this month, Bank of America’s Head of Metals Research, Michael Widmer, indicated he thought gold would become a key asset in investment portfolios this year.

“Gold continues to stand out as a hedge and alpha source,” he wrote, adding that gold will serve as a key hedge and potential return driver in 2026.

In December, Widmer noted that bull markets don’t end simply because prices reach high levels. The bulls will fade when the fundamentals driving the market shift. At this point, there is no reason to think that de-dollarization, central bank gold buying, inflation pressures, Federal Reserve monetary easing, geopolitical tensions, and U.S. fiscal malfeasance will end any time soon.

“I’ve highlighted before that the gold market has been very overbought. But it’s actually still underinvested. There is still a lot of room for gold as a diversification tool in portfolios.”

Tight supplies have been a key driver of the silver market. Widmer said the thinks supply constraints may also impact the gold market, forecasting that the 13 major North American gold miners will produce 19.2 million ounces this year, a decline of 2 percent from 2025. He said he believes that most market forecasts for output are too optimistic.

Widmer also projects average all-in sustaining costs will rise 3 percent to about $1,600 per ounce, a level slightly above the market consensus.

There has been growing interest in gold as a portfolio diversifier. Last fall, Morgan Stanley CIO Michael Wilson said investors should consider abandoning the traditional 60/40 equity/bond portfolio allocation and adopt a 60/20/20 distribution with 20 percent allocated to precious metals.

Widmer said the 60/20/20 allocation makes sense.

“When you run the analysis since 2020, you can actually justify that retail investors should have a gold share of well above 20 percent. You can even justify 30 percent at the moment.”

On average, Western investors currently hold less than 1 percent of gold in their portfolios.

With the price touching $5,000, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to ignore gold. Widmer said this will likely incentivize more portfolio managers to consider both gold and silver.

“Just looking at benchmarks, gold has been one of the best-performing assets for the past few years. What we’ve heard a lot of the time is that ‘gold is a non-yielding asset; it costs to hold it; you don’t make any money from it, so what’s the point of actually holding it?’ But  just from a pure direction perspective, gold could have actually made a good contribution to a portfolio. I think the numbers speak for themselves.”

Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.

‘The Discombobulator’: Trump Touts Secret Weapon Used against Venezuela

Headline USA Editor
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‘The Discombobulator’: Trump Touts Secret Weapon Used against Venezuela

(Headline USA) President Donald Trump said the U.S. used a secret weapon he called “The Discombobulator” to disable Venezuelan equipment when the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro. Trump also renewed his threat to conduct military strikes on land against drug cartels, including in Mexico.

Trump made the comments in an interview Friday with the New York Post.

The Republican president was commenting on reports that the U.S. had a pulsed energy weapon and said, “The Discombobulator. I’m not allowed to talk about it.”

He said the weapon made Venezuelan equipment “not work.”

“They never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off,” Trump said in the interview. “We came in, they pressed buttons and nothing worked. They were all set for us.”

Trump had previously said when describing the raid on Maduro’s compound that the U.S. had turned off “almost all of the lights in Caracas,” but he didn’t detail how they accomplished that.

The president also indicated the U.S. will continue its campaign of military strikes and could extend it from South America into North America as the administration tries to target drug cartels.

“We know their routes. We know everything about them. We know their homes. We know everything about them,” Trump said. “We’re going to hit the cartels.”

When asked if the strikes could occur in Central America or Mexico, Trump said: “Could be anywhere.”

The U.S. on Friday carried out a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the first such action since Maduro’s capture.

It marks at least 36 known strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since early September that have killed at least 117 people.

Trump said the U.S. has removed the oil aboard seven oil tankers connected to Venezuela that it has seized but wouldn’t reveal where the ships are now.

“I’m not allowed to tell you,” Trump said. “But let’s put it this way, they don’t have any oil. We take the oil.”

During the interview, the president also said that he was still trying to figure out where to hang the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, which she gave to him earlier this month. The prize was leaning against a statue in the Oval Office.

Trump also told the newspaper that the framework of an Arctic security deal he struck with NATO chief Mark Ruttte would give the U.S. ownership of the land where American bases are located.

“We’ll have everything we want,” Trump said. “We have some interesting talks going on.”

Much of the potential deal remains unclear. Leaders of Denmark and Greenland have said the island’s sovereignty was non-negotiable and a NATO spokesperson said Rutte, in his conversations with Trump, did not propose any “compromise to sovereignty.”

The president said he would not go to the Super Bowl and called it a “terrible choice” for Bad Bunny and Green Day to perform at the game. He attended last year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Sex Scandal Rocks Trump Cabinet: “Frou-Frou Drinks Galore”

Mark E. Johnson
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Sex Scandal Rocks Trump Cabinet: “Frou-Frou Drinks Galore”

(Mark E. Johnson, Contributor) What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. 

According to a complaint from the United States Office of Inspector General, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who is married, traveled with her federal bodyguard to a Las Vegas casino resort and spa in October while the two were engaged in “an inappropriate relationship.”

While Sec. Chavez-DeRemer, 57, serves at the pleasure of the president, the bodyguard has been placed on administrative leave and the secretary’s two top aides have been suspended after they allegedly helped facilitate the pair’s improper “work trips.”

As an open supporter of labor unions, Chavez-DeRemer is somewhat of a maverick in the MAGA movement. According to Bloomberg Law, she has sought to position herself as a bridge between Trump and organized labor and serves as the face of his efforts to support workers.

“As the daughter of a Teamster, Lori Chavez-DeRemer knows the importance of carrying a union card and what it means to grow up in a middle-class household.” – Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien

Chavez-DeRemer spent much of her first year as Labor Secretary on a 50-state tour. 

A Department of Labor spokeswoman has denied the allegations, and the White House has come to Chavez-DeRemer’s defense.

“The Department will not comment on internal or personnel matters and cannot confirm or deny the existence of an IG investigation,” DOL spox Courtney Parella said. “The Secretary remains focused on carrying out the Department’s mission and supporting American workers.”

Chavez-DeRemer’s personal attorney, Nick Oberheiden, also denied wrongdoing on her part while declining to comment further.

MUST BE NICE: “Frou-Frou Drinks Galore”

The secretary and her bodyguard are alleged to have cavorted at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa.

According to the resort’s website:

The Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa officially opened on April 18th, 2006. Red Rock’s serene surroundings, distinctive decor, and impeccable standard of service ensure that your visit is flawless and fabulous. Whether relaxing in our expansive pool back yard, playing your hand at Poker or savoring a first-class meal, our resort has a flavor for all vacation tastes and desires.

Eden awaits inside our pool backyard. More than three acres of poolside perfection beckon your bare feet, with 19 irresistible private cabanas, swim up gaming and an exotic island. Or, cruise over to the Sand Bar, where you can enjoy refreshing bites, cool cocktails and frou-frou drinks galore.

At the Spa at Red Rock, more than 35,000 square feet of tranquil, luxurious surroundings invite you to a level of relaxation beyond your wildest dreams. Featuring private treatment suites that appear to float on the water, the Red Rock Spa is a sleek, ultra-modern retreat complete with a state-of-the-art fitness center and salon. The spa’s holistic treatments promote health and rejuvenation, nourishing your mind, body and spirit long after you depart.

All deluxe rooms have a view of either the strip or of the Red Rock Canyons. Red Rock offers luxuriously appointed guest accommodations with panoramic views. Whether you’re an early riser or stay-up-all-nighter, our luxurious accommodations offer a spacious retreat from the action and excitement. All rooms come fully-equipped with 42-inch plasma TVs, iPod sound systems, in-room spa service and ooh-la-la linens. And then, there’s the view. Some call it awe-inspiring, others say it’s mesmerizing, we’ll let you come up with your own adjectives.

Congressman Punched in the Face

Headline USA Editor
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Congressman Punched in the Face

(Headline USA) A man was arrested Friday night at a party during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, for allegedly assaulting a Florida congressman.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost wrote on X on Saturday that he was punched in the face by a man who told Frost that President Donald Trump was going to deport him. The altercation occurred at a private party hosted by talent agency CAA at the High West Distillery, a popular venue for festival-adjacent events.

“The individual was arrested and I am okay,” Frost wrote.

Frost, the first Gen Z member of Congress, thanked the venue security and the Park City Police Department for their help. A Park City Police Department representative said officers arrived on the scene just after midnight.

Christian Joel Young, 28, was arrested on charges of aggravated burglary, assaulting an elected official and assault and transported to Summit County Jail, according to court records.

Young appeared to have crashed the party by jumping a fence and had a Sundance Film Festival pass that was not issued in his name, according to the police affidavit.

It was unclear if Young had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. The Associated Press reportedly left messages with the Summit County Sheriff’s office and Utah courts in an attempt to request comment from Young or a lawyer.

The Sundance Film Festival representatives released a statement saying that they “strongly condemn” the incident, noting that while it occurred at a non-affiliated event that the behavior is “against our values of upholding a welcoming and inspiring environment for all our attendees.”

“The safety and security of our festival attendees is always our chief concern, and our thoughts are with Congressman Frost and his continued well-being,” the statement read. “We encourage anyone with additional information on this matter to contact the Park City Police Department.”

County Judge Richard Mrazik ordered Young held without bail, on the grounds that he would constitute, “a substantial danger to any other individual or to the community, or is likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court if released on bail.” Young has a prior misdemeanor conviction, according to court records.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, denounced the alleged attack and said he won’t let tensions over immigration enforcement in places like Minneapolis spill into Utah.

“Political or racially charged violence of any kind is unacceptable in Utah,” Cox said in a statement. “I’m grateful to local law enforcement for swiftly apprehending the assailant and pursuing justice for Rep. Maxwell Frost.”

Federal immigration enforcement efforts are “welcome and necessary,” he added.

Messages seeking comment were left for representatives for CAA.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Canada Over China Deal

Headline USA Editor
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Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Canada Over China Deal

(Brett Rowland, The Center Square)  President Donald Trump warned Canada that all its exports to the U.S. could face 100% tariffs if Canada finalizes a deal with China.

Trump slammed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has publicly pivoted away from the U.S. since early 2025 when Trump hit America’s northern neighbor with tariffs over drugs and illegal immigration.

Since then, Carney has discussed the “rupture” between the two neighbors and sought out deals with countries around the world, including China.

Trump wasn’t happy, referring to the Canadian leader as “governor.” Trump did the same thing to Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Trump has repeatedly suggested that Canada join the U.S. as its 51st state.

“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday.

Trump warned that aligning with China could hurt Canada.

“China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote. “If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”

Trump lated added: “The last thing the World needs is to have China take over Canada. It’s NOT going to happen, or even come close to happening!”

Last week in Beijing, Carney and Chinese officials announced a deal to ease tariffs they had put on each other’s products. China reduced tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, and Canada agreed to import 49,000 Chinese electric cars at a 6.1% tariff.

The deal represents less than 3% of the new-vehicle market in Canada, according to the Prime Minister’s office. However, Carney said it was a starting point.

“It is expected that within three years, this agreement will drive considerable new Chinese joint-venture investment in Canada with trusted partners to protect and create new auto manufacturing careers for Canadian workers, and ensure a robust build-out of Canada’s EV supply chain,” Carney said at the time.

Trump initially brushed off the deal, saying it was “good.” That changed Saturday.

The American Automotive Policy Council and the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association – representing Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis in both countries – raised concerns about Canada’s deal with China, saying it had the “potential to undermine Canada’s auto sector and presents risks to the future of the integrated North American auto supply chain.”

Canada’s economy is directly tied to the U.S. Most of its exports go to the U.S. Trump imposed 35% tariffs on Canadian goods in early 2025, except for products covered by the 2020 trade deal, the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement. 

Those tariffs hit Canada’s economy hard. Canadian exports dropped, business investment slowed, and tariff uncertainty dragged the nation’s economy, according to a recent report from the International Monetary Fund.

Last week in Davos, Switzerland, Carney gave a pointed speech to world leaders.

“Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” he said at the World Economic Forum. “But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited. You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.”

Trump has made tariffs a central part of his agenda during his second term. Last April, Trump imposed import taxes of at least 10% on every U.S. trading partner. Since then, the president has used the 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as a cudgel to get other nations to do what he wants.

A group of states and small businesses challenged Trump’s tariffs under the 1977 law, winning in two lower courts before the administration appealed to the Supreme Court. The high court agreed to hear the case on an expedited basis.

Americans are picking up the tab for Trump’s tariffs. Research shows Americans are paying 96% of the cost of Trump’s tariffs. Nearly all tariff costs fall on American importers and consumers, according to a report from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank. The authors said that for every $100 in tariff revenue the U.S. government collects, $96 comes “out of American pockets” and $4 comes from lower foreign exporter profits.

Noem Defends Fatal Shooting of Armed Man in DHS Confrontation

Headline USA Editor
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Noem Defends Fatal Shooting of Armed Man in DHS Confrontation

(Hayley Feland, The Center Square)  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by a Border Patrol agent as an act of self-defense during a news conference Saturday afternoon.

Noem said the man, identified as 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, arrived at the scene Saturday armed and intent on impeding a federal immigration enforcement operation.

“This individual showed up to impede a law enforcement operation and assaulted our officers,” Noem said. “They responded according to their training and took action to defend the officer’s life and those of the public around him.”

Noem said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey “choose violence” instead of cooperation with federal officials who are trying to conduct immigration enforcement. “It appears that they want this lawlessness to continue,” Noem said.

“Gov. Walz today, in his press conference, said that our officers were not even law enforcement, which is a lie. He’s called them the Gestapo, he’s encouraged residents and citizens and violent rioters to resist,” she said.

Walz blamed the shooting on the federal surge of forces into the Twin Cities.

“I just spoke with the White House after another horrific shooting by federal agents this morning. Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” Walz posted to social media. “The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”

Walz also called for the state to lead the investigation.

“Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word on this,” Walz said. “It must have the last word. As I told the White House, in no uncertain terms this morning, the federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it.”

This is the third shooting in Minneapolis by federal officials since the Jan. 7 killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during an encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. ICE said Good hit an agent with her car while trying to pull away and the agent fired defensive shots.

The Saturday shooting in south Minneapolis occurred during a surge in federal immigration operations under the Trump administration.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a news conference that Pretti had a valid permit to carry a firearm.

In response to the shooting, hundreds of protesters gathered in the frigid streets, overtaking several blocks around the site of the incident and prompting street closures. Demonstrators made a memorial, built barricades out of furniture and Dumpsters, and lit fires in the street.

Law enforcement did not appear to be present where the protesters had gathered, though reports say they were stationed at intersections just outside where the protest is taking place.

Walz activated the Minnesota National Guard Saturday afternoon to help local authorities in maintaining order, citing the risk of escalating violence.

“Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” Walz said at a separate news conference. “The president must end this operation.”

Federal officials, including Noem, have blamed local leaders like Walz and Frey for stoking the continuing unrest in the state.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing and officials say more information will be released as it continues.

Nearly 1M Without Power as Massive Winter Storm Rages

Headline USA Editor
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Nearly 1M Without Power as Massive Winter Storm Rages

(The Center Square) Nearly a million American homes are without power as a massive winter storm sweeps the country.

According to poweroutage.com, the most impacted areas are in the south central U.S. to the southeast.

“The worst outages are now in Tennessee and Mississippi as ice continues to build up, bringing down trees and power lines,” the outage tracking site reports.

Nearly 290,000 were without power in Tennessee and 140,500 in Mississippi as of mid-morning Sunday.

In Texas, nearly 134,000 were without power; in Louisiana, 121,000; in Kentucky, 56,000; in Georgia, 125,000. 

“A significant winter storm is underway, bringing widespread heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain from the Southern Rockies to New England through Monday,” the National Weather Service reports. “Extremely cold air will follow, prolonging dangerous travel and infrastructure impacts into next week. Severe thunderstorms may produce damaging gusts and tornadoes across the eastern Gulf Coast states Sunday morning and afternoon.”

New England states are expected to get up to 18 inches of snow into Monday.

“Furthermore, heavy rain will develop over the Lower Mississippi Valley on Sunday and parts of the Tennessee Valley on Monday,” NWS says. “In the wake of the storm, communities from the Southern Plains to the Northeast will contend with bitterly cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills. This will cause prolonged hazardous travel and infrastructure impacts.”

Walz Deploys 1,500 National Guard Troops in Twin Cities

Headline USA Editor
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Walz Deploys 1,500 National Guard Troops in Twin Cities

(J.D. Davidson, The Center Square) About 1,500 Minnesota National Guard troops went from standby to active following the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.

Gov. Tim Walz activated the troops Saturday after agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse and U.S. citizen. Homeland Security said shots were fired in defense, and Pretti was armed.

There is video as well as dispute about specifics.

Brig. Gen. John Manke, adjutant general of Minnesota National Guard, said at a news conference that guard troops’ first order of business would be to help provide security at the Whipple Federal Building, home to the federal court and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.

Soldiers have been on standby for nearly a week, Manke said, preparing in the Twin Cities area to respond following a request from Hennepin County sheriff’s officials.

At the same news conference, Walz said he understood frustrations and reiterated his call for federal officers to leave the community.

“I want to use this opportunity to stress to Minnesotans the frustration you have,” Walz said. “They killed a man, created chaos, pushed down protesters indiscriminately and then left the scene, and were left to clean up. I understand the anger. I understand trying to parse who are the law enforcement on the scene when you got there after a man was killed is difficult for the folks who are out there. We can handle this, and Minnesotans can express their First Amendment rights and have our folks on the streets and get these people out of here.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday said Pretti was attempting to impede lawmen in their duties.

“This individual showed up to impede a law enforcement operation and assaulted our officers,” Noem said at a news conference. “They responded according to their training and took action to defend the officer’s life and those of the public around him.”

Obama’s ICE Error Rate Was 3X Trump’s

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Obama’s ICE Error Rate Was 3X Trump’s

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) A former Justice Department statistician used left-wing media’s own figures against them to reveal that former President Barack Obama’s error rate while deporting illegal immigrants was nearly three times that of President Donald Trump.

John R. Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center and a former DOJ senior adviser for research and statistics, published an op-ed in the New York Post on Wednesday that used figures from ProPublica and NPR to show the double standard surrounding the Left’s reactions to recent deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“No federal agency is perfect,” Lott wrote.

“In immigration enforcement, as in all law enforcement operations, mistakes will be made,” he added. “But the media’s lack of perspective on the data, and their refusal to put the numbers in context, is putting a match to an explosive public debate.”

In analyzing mistaken arrests and detention of U.S. citizens, Lott noted the stats cited by a Hill reporter who recently confronted White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“Thirty-two people died in ICE custody last year; 170 US citizens were detained by ICE,” said reporter Niall Stanage. “And, uh, Renee Good was shot in the head and killed … How does that equate to them doing everything correctly?”

Lott’s analysis, in response, broke down both mistaken detentions and accidental deaths connected with ICE’s law-enforcement activity.

“Overall, the error rate under Obama was 3.36 times higher than under Trump,” he wrote.

Obama, during the years 2015 and 2016, oversaw 263 mistaken arrests, 54 mistaken detentions and four mistaken removals. That amounted to an error rate of 0.0225% for a total of 239,645 arrests, Lott noted.

In his first year alone, Trump’s ICE made nearly 2.5 times the number of arrests in half the time, while his error rate was only 0.0067% out of some 595,000 arrests.

Lott said that from 2009 to 2017, spanning Obama’s two terms, 56 individuals died in ICE custody, compared with 32 for Trump in 2025.

“That claim, however, misleads without context; the numbers only make sense when compared across administrations,” Lott wrote.

When viewed as a percentage of total ICE encounters, the figures once again show that Trump’s overall mortality rate was 0.0054%, compared with Obama’s 0.007%.

He pointed out that the Obama numbers were a rough estimate since the administration did not keep reliable data on ICE detentions until its final two years.

But to Obama’s credit, even his detainees died at a lower than average rate when compared with the control group of similarly aged non-detainees.

“Both those figures are substantially below the average death rate for the detainee age group,” Lott said.

Lott also pointed to a third metric: accidental deportations of Americans. He noted that the Hill reporter conveniently omitted that in his briefing-room diatribe against Trump’s first-year deportations.

“The reason for him not doing so is straightforward — none occurred,” Lott wrote. “That’s right, for all the tumult and fury, ICE under Trump made no erroneous deportations through November.”

Obama, by contrast, accidentally deported four Americans during his final two years in office.

Lott’s stats, which ended with data collected in November 2025, did not factor in the recent collateral damage in Minnesota, where Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have encouraged violent resistance since the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Good after she assaulted an ICE agent with her vehicle.

On Saturday, following publication of Lott’s piece, a second ICE shooting took the life of Alex Pretti after Pretti’s firearm apparently discharged during a physical clash with ICE agents.

Immigration enforcement advocates have argued that those attempting recklessly to interfere with ICE’s targeted arrests and endangering the lives of agents — an issue that Obama’s immigration enforcement did not encounter — are assuming the inherent risks against their own safety.

The “demonization tactics” by seditious left-wing lawmakers like Walz and Frey “are making federal agents’ jobs considerably more dangerous,” Lott wrote.

Some have speculated that Walz, the running mate of failed 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, may be using the violent anti-ICE resistance to distract from allegations that he was complicit in a massive fraud operation involving the Minneapolis Somali community.

After independent journalist Nick Shirley’s viral report on the fraud broke last month, Walz was forced to abandon his own gubernatorial reelection campaign.

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

Unhinged J6 Cop Admits He Wants Trump Backers ‘Destroyed’

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Unhinged J6 Cop Admits He Wants Trump Backers ‘Destroyed’

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Two days after humiliating himself at a House Judiciary hearing to investigate anti-Trump prosecutor Jack Smith, temperamentally unstable ex-Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone once again proved that he never should have been given a badge and gun.

Fanone admitted in an episode of his “Protect and Serve” podcast with co-host Maya May that his own motives had little to do with upholding the law in a just and evenhanded manner.

“All I want to do is defeat my enemies,” he said in the segment, which circulated Saturday on social media.

Fanone went on to clarify that his “enemies” list included all 77 million-plus Trump supporters.

“Anyone who sides with this administration is my enemy,” he said. “They are the enemy of this democracy. They are the enemy of this country. … They need to be destroyed, dismantled, and dismissed from our country.”

Fanone — a flunky for far-left lawmakers including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Eric Swalwell, both California Democrats — claimed to have been beaten by participants in the Jan. 6, 2021 uprising at the U.S. Capitol. But critics have accused him of being a “crisis actor” who helped stage a deep-state psy-op in order to disrupt Republican challenges to the confirmation of Joe Biden as president.

At least two Trump supporters — Ashli Babbitt and Rosanne Boyland — died of unnatural causes at the hands of Capitol Police during the roughly four-hour protest. No Capitol Police officers died, although some were injured.

Fanone, along with fellow officers like Harry Dunn and David Lazarus, has become the public face of the police force tasked with maintaining order at the Capitol on Jan. 6, as congressional leaders repeatedly refused National Guard support due to bad “optics.”

Some of the officers were revealed to have perjured themselves during congressional testimony as part of Democrats’ dubious Jan. 6 commission. However, they received a blanket preemptive pardon from Biden’s autopen the morning before he left office. As consequence, they likely would be unable to plead Fifth Amendment protections from self-incrimination in any future testimony.

Fanone has been particularly brazen in showing his true colors as a partisan idealogue. During Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee hearing, he shouted “Go f**k yourself” and proceeded to flip the bird to Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas.

Fanone, wearing a T-shirt for the Boston punk-rock band Dropkick Murphys that celebrated “Fighting Nazis,” also attempted to pick a fight with Lt. Col. Ivan Raiklin. Raiklin, a retired Green Beret and former member of the Defense Intelligence Agency, has been an outspoken advocate of Trump and the Jan. 6 political prisoners.

During his recent podcast, Fanone acknowledged the widespread skepticism regarding his account of Jan. 6 and insistence that he was the true victim.

“I’m not done convincing people,” he said. “I don’t give a s**t if you believe what I say. I don’t care if you see my body worn camera footage and have different opinion. I don’t care.”

Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.

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