POLITICO Reporter’s X Post Predicting ‘Stand Your Ground’ Clash With Somali Fraud Investigators Sparks Backlash

Debra Heine

   “If sanctuary cities would change their policies and turn these violent criminal aliens over to us—into our custody—instead of releasing them into the public, we would not have to come out into the communities,” Lyons told reporters during a press briefing."

"Politico senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein sparked a major backlash Tuesday over an X post viewed by critics as dog whistle for violence against federal agents and investigative journalists like Nick Shirley.

"Late Monday night,  Gerstein wrote, “At some point, the amateur effort to knock on doors of home daycares intersects with robust stand-your-ground laws.” The statement was interpreted by many as a veiled threat or suggestion that investigators could or should be shot.

"Shirley has been on the ground in Minneapolis, Minnesota investigating alleged fraud at Somali-run daycare centers in the state. The journalist posted a viral video on December 26 showing his visits to multiple childcare facilities, which appeared to have no children present, despite receiving substantial taxpayer funds.

"The video, which has been viewed over 127 million times, has sparked action from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which deployed agents to Minneapolis this week to investigate the suspected Somali fraud sites.

"US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been in the Twin Cities since December 1, targeting violent criminals in the country illegally as part of Operation Metro Surge. The feds have been active in the state amidst a backdrop of persistent Democrat resistance and protests.

"ICE responded to Gerstein’s post on X, saying: “You would think a “Senior Legal Affairs Reporter” for POLITICO would know better than to tweet something inciting violence against federal agents.”

"The White House Rapid Response team also responded to the post on X Tuesday: “This sicko must’ve been educated at Quality Learing Center.”

"The post drew widespread criticism from journalists and commentators as well, including the Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway, who pointed out that Minnesota is not a “stand your ground” state, but has a “duty to retreat” law, making Gerstein’s claim legally inaccurate. She also emphasized that door-knocking for journalistic purposes does not justify lethal force under any interpretation of self-defense laws." . . .  More...

Washington State AG Warns Citizen Journalists to Stop Investigating Somali Daycares or Face Potential Hate Crime Charges  

"Shirley produced a 42-minute video, which has been viewed over 131 million times on X since it was posted on December 26,  alleging that Minnesota governor Tim Walz (D.) “knew about the fraud but never reported it.” Inspired by Shirley’s bombshell report, citizen journalists in multiple states with large Somali populations have launched their own investigations in recent days." 

https://spectator.org/

Jihad on Times Square

Kim Ezra Shienbaum  

"When religious history is reshaped to serve contemporary political narratives, something more than dialogue is at stake. What is being erased is not merely nuance, but truth -- truth about Christianity’s origins, about Jewish history, and about the real nature of Christian life under Islamic rule."

"There are few places on earth more symbolically American -- or more globally recognizable -- than New York City’s Times Square. It is a commercial crossroads, a cultural billboard, and increasingly, a battleground for ideological messaging.

"That’s why many New Yorkers and visitors were understandably bewildered -- if not outright angered -- by a massive green digital display dominating Times Square just before Christmas proclaiming: JESUS WAS PALESTINIAN. The color choice was no accident. Green is the traditional color of Islam, and the message itself was plainly political. Online reactions quickly labeled the display “divisive,” “inflammatory,” and “inappropriate.”

"Yet the response was not universally negative. Some commentators praised the message as “thought-provoking,” a “bridge-building effort,” or even the beginning of a “national conversation” meant to emphasize that “Jesus is for everyone.”

"The billboard’s sponsor, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), explained that its intent was to highlight supposed deep historical ties between Christianity and Islam. But intentions do not nullify consequences. Nor do slogans override history.

"In light of the recent National Security Strategy’s warning about “civilizational erasure” in Europe, Americans would be wise to ask whether similar revisionism is now being imported -- quite literally -- into the heart of our most iconic public spaces. Are we witnessing the quiet imposition of a new religious and historical narrative, one that fundamentally alters Christianity’s foundational claims?

"Two assertions embedded in the Times Square message demand direct rebuttal, because both distort history and theology in ways that are anything but benign. No, Jesus was not Palestinian. And no, the Christian-Muslim historical relationship has not been one of mutual partnership, but of subjugation, even conquest.

Jesus Was Not Palestinian

"Using Scripture as our primary guide -- as Christians have done for two millennia -- the claim collapses immediately. Jesus’ birth and death occurred long before the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 A.D.), after which the Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed Judea Syria Palaestina as an act of punishment against the Jewish population. The term “Palestinian” did not exist in Jesus’ lifetime. It was later resurrected by the British during the Mandate period following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. To retroactively assign a modern political identity to a first-century Jew is not merely anachronistic -- it is historically dishonest." . . .

The Democrats Decide to Lose

The American Spectator  

"The left is returning to its anti-Semitic roots. Because no one teaches history in our public school system or institutions of “higher education,” few Americans recognize this reality."

"At the end of October, the center-left group WelcomePAC published Deciding to Win, a comprehensive exploration of why Democrats lost the 2024 election and what they must do to start winning again. It drew on surveys of more than 500,000 voters conducted over a six-month period and found that 70 percent of voters think the Democratic Party is “out of touch” and only 39 percent say the party has the “right priorities.” It recommended that the party moderate its most unpopular positions, avoid ideological purity tests, and offer genuine solutions to issues the voters actually care about. This is good advice based on a serious analysis of concrete data and it is being ignored by the Democrats.

"Instead, the party is devoting its energy to an internecine struggle between its progressive and establishment factions. Inspired by Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City, the progressives believe the time has come to remake the party in their own image. Backed by a variety of donors and leftwing activist groups such as Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement they are mobilizing to purge longtime Democrat incumbents by recruiting “ideologically pure” candidates to challenge them in primaries prior to next year’s midterms. This is taking place from coast to coast. Moreover, their targets are by no means limited to “moderate” members of the party."

"In New York, for example, incumbent Rep. Daniel Goldman is being challenged in the 10th District by outgoing NYC comptroller Brad Lander. According to a report in the New York Times, the rationale for Lander’s run is that Goldman is an “oligarch” and too cozy with the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC. Lander has the endorsement of Mayor-elect Mamdani. Another New York Democrat who faces multiple primary opponents pursuant to his support for Israel is Rep. Ritchie Torres, who represents the 15th District. His most prominent challenger is Michael Blake, a former state lawmaker who denounces Torres in his campaign launch video for caring “more about Bibi than the Bronx.” . . .More...

Why Trump Wants to Ban the Muslim Brotherhood – And Why America Should Care

Kim Ezra Shienbaum, Jamal Hasan  

"Trump is right to demand that the Muslim Brotherhood be treated for what it is: a terrorist organization. If our leaders fail to act, this Trojan horse will continue to advance."

"When Americans consider “charity” they picture their contributions providing clothing for the poor or food for the hungry. When they hear the word “missionary" they picture Christians going abroad to save souls. However, these terms mean very different things to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that President Trump has twice attempted to label as terrorist. In radical Islamist teaching, zakat (charity) is not simply about helping the poor; it is about advancing Islam. The aim is to expand the ummah -- the worldwide Muslim community -- through dawah (proselytizing).

"Americans are right to be deeply concerned about what is happening in our own country. Radical Islam is now embedded here at home, cloaked in citizenship and political power.

"In Dearborn, Michigan, the city’s Muslim mayor publicly berated a Christian pastor -- one of his own constituents -- labeling him “Islamophobic” and declaring him unwelcome in Dearborn. The pastor’s supposed offense? A respectful protest at a City Council meeting against renaming a major road after an open supporter of terrorism.

"In Washington, D.C., one of President Trump’s rare outings to a local restaurant was disrupted by protesters waving “Free Palestine” placards in the streets. Months earlier two civilians were gunned down at a public event by yet another pro-Palestinian agitator repeating the same slogan.

"And who can forget October 8, 2023 -- the day after Hamas terrorists butchered Israeli families in their homes? Before Israel could even count its dead, or bury its bodies, America’s elite universities -- including Columbia -- erupted in demonstrations supporting Hamas.

"This is the America we are living in: where radical sympathizers are not just chanting in the streets but are increasingly wielding power in city halls, disrupting civic life, and excusing terror on our campuses. The threat is no longer “out there.” It’s here." . . . More...

"In many cases, charity monies flow through layers of seemingly respectable institutions before arriving in the hands of militants. This is not accidental -- it’s their business model. The Brotherhood understands that Western societies instinctively respect religious charities. They exploit that instinct, counting on Americans’ good faith to bankroll causes that undermine our own security."

The authors are co-editors and contributors to BEYOND JIHAD: Critical voices from inside Islam (Academica Press).