Mizzou setter Sierra Dudley sets a ball to middle blocker Lauren Larkin

(The Center Square) — A Minneapolis nonprofit that has received millions of dollars of state funding also paid the founder and his family members nearly $1 million — a big chunk of its budget — in its most-recent year that is disclosed in the nonprofit's tax returns, an investigation by The Center Square found. 

The longstanding nonprofit provides financial advice and low-interest loans predominantly to Black residents.

In total, McGee and six of his relatives were paid about $950,000 in 2024, which accounted for more than a quarter of the nonprofit's spending. David McGee, executive director of Build Wealth MN, was paid more than $500,000 that year and his compensation tripled in recent years. Two of his sons, who were named to leadership posts shortly after they graduated from college with psychology degrees, receive about $113,000 apiece.

"That's not just a red flag — that's a parade of red flags," said Laurie Styron, executive director of CharityWatch, a prominent nonprofit watchdog. "When a charity's payroll starts looking like a family reunion, donors and taxpayers have every reason to ask if the charity's management and board members are making decisions that are in the charity's best interests."

In an interview with The Center Square, David McGee said his salary was inflated by what he described as deferred compensation leading into his retirement.

Specifically, he said he had not collected commissions "on a bunch of loans I was closing for years," and that he received an additional $200,000 annually in recent years because of it.

McGee declined to make any of the nonprofit's five unpaid directors available for an interview with The Center Square to verify the compensation arrangement. Deferred compensation is reportable to the Internal Revenue Service in the year it was deferred, but none of the nonprofit's previous tax filings noted it.

The tax returns that would list his salary information for 2025 and 2026 are not yet publicly available.

Decades of work

McGee and his immediate relatives' biographies on Build Wealth's website show some have been working there for a decade or more. But 2024 was the first year Build Wealth disclosed the salary payments to McGee's family members in tax filings despite federal requirements to report certain transactions involving relatives of nonprofit leaders, The Center Square's investigation found.

McGee said he doesn't know why the information was omitted in previous years by the financial firms the nonprofit paid to prepare the tax filings. Those records show that he signed them to signify he had reviewed them and that they were accurate.

Mistakes in tax filings can incur daily fines that have the potential to total tens of thousands of dollars.

McGee defended the salaries of his immediate family members, whom he described as multi-talented and chronically underpaid by his nonprofit. He said they could be earning more money by working elsewhere.

The significant payments to McGee's family coincide with a tremendous influx of state funding and donations to the nonprofit in recent years.

McGee concedes that major donors to the nonprofit have questioned his family's expansive role in the organization but that the donors have been satisfied by his explanations and continue to provide funding.

"If you really take the time to see what they're experience and education is with all of these family members, they're here for a reason, and they've been able to help our organization get to where it is today," McGee said.

A popular program with lawmakers

Minnesota state lawmakers have been giving Build Wealth $500,000 per year for about a decade to help fund its Family Stabilization Program.

The nonprofit offers financial classes and private coaching to help people increase their credit scores, avoid predatory loans with extraordinary interest rates and advocate for higher wages for themselves, McGee said in a video published online.

His primary focus has been to lift people out of generational poverty and into home ownership, he said. Thousands have sought help from Build Wealth, he told The Center Square.

The nonprofit's success "is evident in their ability to reach a high percentage of households of color and persons with low credit scores along with the significant benefits reported by participants from their involvement in the program," according to a recent annual report by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, the state department that oversees the annual disbursements to Build Wealth.

A spokeswoman for the agency, Jill Mazullo, did not respond to a request to comment for this article.

McGee said the nonprofit also acts as a bank to provide low-interest loans to local residents who might not be able to get them otherwise, to help them buy cars and houses and to rebuild their credit scores.

One of McGee's sons, Davar, received a $131,000 mortgage from the organization in 2014 and two car loans from the organization in 2016 and 2017 that totaled about $6,000, according to its reports to the Internal Revenue Service.

McGee said the son was required to go "through our program, which requires a really heavy-duty amount of two, sometimes three years' worth of education and coaching. You can't just get a loan without having that."

In 2023, state lawmakers earmarked $5 million for the nonprofit's 9000 Equities Fund, which has a goal of increasing Black homeownership in the Minneapolis metro area by 15% in a decade.

The nonprofit is also funded with private and business donations. The year before, the Bush Foundation in St. Paul committed nearly $6 million to the effort. JPMorgan Chase, one of the world's largest banks, gave $3 million in 2024.

About a decade ago the nonprofit had annual revenues of less than $500,000 per year. In the three recent years that McGee said he received the annual $200,000 deferred-compensation payouts, the nonprofit's annual revenues were about $8 million annually.

Styron, of CharityWatch, said it is "highly, highly unusual" for a nonprofit's executive compensation to be based on closing loans. Further, she said failing to disclose deferred compensation in the years it accrues "leaves the public at a disadvantage when judging whether or not executive compensation levels are appropriate in the context of the charity's overall financial situation."

A family legacy

McGee and his immediate family members occupy half of the staff leadership positions of Build Wealth.

Their jobs and compensations listed in the 2024 IRS filing include:

— David McGee, executive director: $503,715

— Regina McGee, his wife and program services director: $138,516

— DasJohn McGee, his son and strategic planning operation officer: $113,437

— Demitri McGee, his son and youth director: $112,610

Regina, DasJohn and Demitri McGee's salaries do not appear in previous years' tax filings because they were not earning the federally mandated reporting threshold of more than $100,000, David McGee said.

That indicates that Regina McGee received at least a 38% salary increase for 2024.

Three other relatives — Davar, TaLana and D'Anyka McGee — were paid a combined $85,953 for part-time marketing, bookkeeping and secretarial work. They are McGee's son, daughter and granddaughter, respectively.

"It's difficult to believe that, in a competitive labor market, five of the executive director's family members just happened to be the most qualified candidates for multiple separate positions," said Styron, of CharityWatch. "That's an extraordinary coincidence, and one that deserves far more explanation than simply asserting that these individuals perform legitimate work."

TaLana McGee has documented the nonprofit's financial transactions for nearly 20 years, David McGee said, and has a separate full-time job with a different employer.

Federal rules do not bar nonprofits from employing relatives of their top leaders, but their salaries must be reasonable and often approved by an independent board.

Build Wealth's 2024 tax filing says: "The compensation process is provided by the executive director, and the board of directors determines the compensation for the executive director and key employees."

David McGee told The Center Square that he works with the board to determine salaries for himself and his family but that the board ultimately decides them.

Competitive hiring process?

Online profiles and university records show that sons DasJohn and Demitri attained leadership positions at Build Wealth after they each earned bachelor's degrees in psychology. It's unclear whether they were promoted into those roles as part of a competitive hiring process because David McGee did not respond to a follow-up question from The Center Square after an interview.

DasJohn McGee was named executive administrator the month after he graduated in 2020 from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He was promoted to strategic planning operation officer in 2024 after earning a master's degree in industrial organization psychology from the University of Phoenix, an online university.

Demitri McGee was named youth director in 2018 while he pursued a master's degree at the University of Minnesota. He earned a bachelor's degree in 2016 from the university and a master's in 2019, in family social sciences.

"He probably could have went out and got $170,000 a year with his education and his experience, and I was able to steal him," David McGee said of Demitri, who is also a rapper who performs under the pseudonym M33CH.

Regina McGee is a certified mortgage underwriter, loan processor and loan originator, the nonprofit's website says. The family depended on her salary from full-time work outside of the nonprofit in its early days because David McGee said he initially received a minimal salary from the nonprofit.

IRS filings show his annual Build Wealth salary was less than $50,000 from 2009 to 2011. It increased to about $100,000 in 2012.

"I'm a pretty seasoned banker that can easily go out and make $500,000 to $600,000 a year," said David McGee, who began his career in 1982. "I decided to work in this nonprofit field helping people." 

(The Center Square) – With the 2028 presidential election just over two years away, Vice President JD Vance is gaining steam, reaching a high of 44% support in the latest of five Republican presidential primary polls conducted by The Center Square over the past year.

The Center Square conducted polls on the 2028 Democratic and Republican presidential primaries in October 2025, March, June, August and from Oct. 5-7, 2026. Vance received 38% in the first poll, which included nine prominent Republicans, but his share climbed to 41% in August and 44% this month, even as the number of Republicans included in the survey grew to 14.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio came in a distant second behind Vance at 18%, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 8% and Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz with 5%.

“Often when a president faces term limits, his support among his base transfers automatically to his vice president. That is what we see here powering JD Vance’s early lead in 2028, rivalled only by the draw of the most prominent cabinet member in Secretary of State Rubio,” said Thad Kousser, professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, in an email to The Center Square.  “Each has drawn strong support because of their proximity to President Trump.” 

Vance’s numbers were consistent across demographic, geographic and party-affiliation groups surveyed, hovering in the 40s across nearly every category. Among respondents, 44% of men and 43% of women chose Vance, while support varied by just three percentage points across age groups, from 42% among voters ages 30-44 to 45% among those 65 and older. His support varied little across education levels, staying within a four-point range. 

The largest difference was between Republicans, 45% of whom supported Vance, and Republican-leaning independents, at 35%. Black respondents were the only other group in which fewer than 40% chose Vance, at 39%, while he fared best among Midwestern respondents, at 50%.

By comparison, former Vice President Kamala Harris, who has consistently led among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents in The Center Square’s polling, saw her support vary by as much as 34 percentage points across age groups, with differences of 20 points or more across several other demographic categories.

Rubio’s support varied considerably more by age, ranging from just 7% among voters ages 18-29 to 26% among those 65 and older. 

But how well these early polling numbers hold up could depend on the outcome of November’s midterm elections, Kousser said. A stronger-than-expected Republican performance could reinforce the current picture, while major GOP losses could change what primary voters are looking for.

“Proximity to the president could become a liability and primary voters may look for someone with more distance from President Trump instead,” he said.

Others included in the poll were Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin; U.S. Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Katie Britt of Alabama; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; and Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for Ohio governor.

The poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from Oct. 5-7, surveying registered voters nationwide through an opt-in online panel and text-to-web cell phone messages. The weighted sample included 1,011 Republicans and 126 Republican-leaning independents.

(The Center Square) - Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday at the California Economic Summit in Long Beach to celebrate two decades of the state's decarbonization framework under what's regarded as landmark climate legislation.

But not everyone is celebrating. Economist Wayne Winegarden told The Center Square that the Golden State has suffered from not-so-golden costs, and he noted other states have reduced greenhouse gases faster than the national average without resorting to California's regulations.

Signed by Schwarzenegger on Treasure Island in San Francisco in 2006, Assembly Bill 32 — the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 — established the nation’s first comprehensive program to cap and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal was a reduction of emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

At the time of its signing, the legislation drew high praise from major environmental groups that sponsored it. Sheryl Carter, Western energy programs director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, noted in a joint press release that "the world is literally watching as we take this historic step against global warming," while Tom Graff, California regional director of Environmental Defense, called the enactment "a score one for humanity."

Reflecting on the anniversary, Schwarzenegger defended the state's pioneering trajectory and the creation of its carbon market, arguing that environmental regulation has coexisted with broad economic expansion.

"We have shown to the world what a subnational government, a state, can do," said the Republican, known for starring in movies such as the "Terminator" films and "Total Recall" before his venture into politics.

Schwarzenegger noted emissions reductions and regulatory certainty have helped drive business investment.

Newsom echoed those sentiments, pointing to the state's economic standing and positioning California's regulatory framework as a necessary counterweight in what he called the absence of federal leadership. The Democratic governor highlighted that the state has extended its cap-and-invest program through 2045 and pointed to surging investments in renewable energy and battery storage.

"We're proving the genius of 'and' versus the tyranny of 'or'," Newsom said, asserting that the state's climate policies have fueled job growth and technological innovation.

Newsom was mayor of San Francisco in 2006 and was there at Treasure Island for the bill signing.

According to the California Air Resources Board, the lead agency charged with implementing the law, AB 32 covers major greenhouse gases. That includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. CARB says the law relies on a multi-pronged approach of direct regulations, market mechanisms, and strategic investments funded through cap-and-trade auction proceeds. 

However, critics argue that the political narrative overlooks the tangible financial burdens carried by everyday residents and businesses.

Winegarden, senior fellow in business and economics at Pasadena, Calif.-based Pacific Research Institute, pushed back against the celebratory narrative, emphasizing that the conversation frequently ignores the high costs imposed on Californians.

"The energy conversation doesn't seem to consider the costs Californians pay thanks to the state's approach to global climate change," Winegarden told The Center Square in an email Wednesday. "While emissions have declined a bit faster than the national average, residents are paying the price in terms of much higher energy costs. The success of a policy, or lack thereof, has to consider both the costs and benefits."

Winegarden noted other states have achieved greenhouse gas reductions faster than the national average without adopting California's specific regulatory approach. He said that fact raises fundamental questions about the program's overall net benefits.

Furthermore, Winegarden cautioned that current leadership conflates organic economic growth stemming from the state's legacy asset base — such as the tech sector anchored by Silicon Valley — with the outcomes of current public policy.

"Importantly, due to problems such as the lack of affordability in the state and stagnant job growth, people are leaving California on net,” Winegarden said. “So are many businesses."

Winegarden warned that as competing innovation hubs in regions like Austin, Texas and North Carolina's Research Triangle continue to develop, California's historical comparative advantages face steady erosion, potentially setting the stage for weaker economic growth ahead.

In Mizzou volleyball’s match against Mississippi State, Kimani Johnson logged 10 kills. Her efforts helped the Tigers defend home turf and leave with a quick sweep over the Bulldogs 25-13, 25-21, 25-19 Wednesday night.

With a commanding 2-0 match lead, Missouri began Set 3 with a 5-0 run behind a pair of Johnson kills, and it looked as if the Tigers would fly right by Mississippi State.

Though Mizzou grabbed a 15-7 lead after back-to-back kills from Paige Felder, the Bulldogs used a 6-0 run to get back into the set. Eventually, Mississippi State took a lead for the first time in the match, going up 21-19 and forcing a timeout out of Missouri coach Dawn Sullivan.

“We started getting a little bit fast paced and outside of ourself,” Sullivan said.

The Bulldogs held their advantage briefly before Claire Morrissey, one of Sunday’s heroes, got a kill, and Eva Smith roofed an attack to tie the set 22-22. Smith then notched a kill before Johnson called game on her second chance.

“The first ball, I knew I wasn’t probably going to be able to score,” Johnson said. “So I said my best bet is to get them out of system, put their right side on the ground, and I did that. Once they sent the free ball over, I said, ‘I need it. Like I need it now. Give it to me, Nina (Mandovic).’”

Set 2 was close, but it never felt like a Tigers win was in jeopardy. They got out to a 9-5 lead before the Bulldogs struck for four in a row to make it 9-9. However, Missouri pulled it together quickly, getting back out in front and pacing Mississippi State from there to win the set 25-21.

Throughout this season, the game plan has been to serve tough. Early in the match, Sullivan felt her team was able to hit on that goal.

“I thought we did a really nice job early,” Sullivan said. “Just serving some of those seams, kind of getting them in a space they couldn’t run the middle, at least took one option out.”

Another game plan for Missouri today was to shut down Lindsey Mangelson, the Bulldogs top-scorer, and it did just that, holding her to a -.029 hitting percentage.

“We had to do a really good job (against) her. I think Kimani, you were on her,” Sullivan said while laughing with the outside hitter.

Missouri got off to a hot start in the match, and something looked different about the team. Mississippi State didn’t do itself any favors with eight errors through the set.

The Tigers went on a pair of 4-0 runs to get out to a 21-10 lead in the set. Mississippi managed to keep things within reach early, but the first four-point run for Missouri got it in front by seven. The Tigers coasted to a 25-13 Set 1 win.

Mizzou moved faster, made smart decisions and kept Mississippi State on its heels as the two moved to Set 2.

“For me, it felt like a go-getter mindset,” Johnson said. “Just playing really aggressive. I knew what I was playing for. I told them at the beginning in our huddle, I said, ‘Hey, we’re balling out for Lauren.’ We’re finishing this game in three (sets). I don’t care what it takes.”

Missouri hosted its Dig Pink, or pink out, night for breast cancer awareness. Missouri assistant coach Lauren Cost, who Johnson is referencing to, is a breast cancer survivor.

“It’s hard what they go through every single day, and how lonely they probably feel,” Sullivan said. “They don’t want to burden anybody with everything they have and what they feel. But then also how strong they are in that loneliness sometimes. For me, I’m just really grateful that I could just spend time with Lauren. ... She is just one incredible human being.”

Nina Mandovic added more insight into the light that Cost shines on the team.

“She’s definitely just a person that walks into a room and just brings light and joy,” Mandovic said. “And if you didn’t know she had cancer, you would never know because she never shows it. ... She genuinely beat that, and she doesn’t care that’s in the past, and she’s just gotten stronger.”

Johnson added to the compliments.

“She has such a warmth to her that spreads throughout our team,” she said. “It’s really nice to see that and share that with her every day.”

Missouri recorded 47 kills on 102 attempts for a .353 hitting percentage. The Tigers had four service errors with two aces, 48 digs and six blocks.

Felder and Johnson both recorded double-digit kill performances, with Felder notching 14 and Johnson tallying 10. Nine Tigers ended up getting at least one kill.

In the back row, Ainoah Cruz and Zoey Matias-Lopez were the unsung heroes for the Tigers as the two combined for 23 kills. After three straight digs in a single play, Cruz finished a point off herself with a kill from one of her digs.

Missouri (10-8, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) hosts Alabama (9-6, 1-5) at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Hearnes Center.

(The Center Square) – Federal officials urged the California secretary of state this week to ensure that no noncitizens are registered to vote in the Nov. 3 midterm election, threatening “emergency relief” if the state does not comply.

According to a letter from U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter to Secretary of State Shirley Weber, state officials knew earlier this year that noncitizens were registered to vote in California ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election. When federal officials raised this concern, Weber’s office did not deny it, McCotter wrote.

McCotter gave Weber until 9 a.m. PDT Thursday to respond to his letter or face "emergency relief." The letter was sent on Tuesday, but wasn't widely reported by media outlets until Wednesday.

“On July 16, [U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne] Mullin made you aware that there are likely numerous noncitizens registered to vote in the federal election in California,” McCotter wrote to Weber. “He then asked for your cooperation to ensure the accuracy of those findings and to prevent noncitizen votes from diluting citizen votes. Your response the following week did not refute that noncitizens are registered to vote in California.”

McCotter also wrote that Weber’s office did not contest that noncitizens were getting vote-by-mail ballots. He also said that the U.S. Department of Justice sent a thumb drive to Los Angeles County officials with a list of likely noncitizens who are registered to vote in the county. McCotter also asked that state officials separate ballots from registered voters whose citizenship status can’t be independently verified, and he requested Weber check to see if there were any U.S. citizens on the list.

“If individuals on the list have not yet been sent a vote-by-mail ballot, take all immediate and reasonable steps to not provide a ballot to those individuals until we confirm their citizenship status,” McCotter wrote. “If a ballot for any individual on the list has been returned, instruct the appropriate elections official to not verify the signature and/or tabulate the ballot until citizenship can be determined.”

Democrats who chair elections committees in the California Legislature told The Center Square on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s noncitizen voting claims are flawed and that data used by federal officials to back up their claims has been unreliable.

“Secretary Weber asked for the evidence in July. The Justice Department waited three months to respond, and now demands urgency in acting on it within 48 hours, knowing Election Day is three weeks away and voting has begun in California,” Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz and chair of the Assembly Elections Committee, told The Center Square.

“That is not serious law enforcement," Pellerin said. "It is a reckless attempt to manufacture an election controversy and amplify President Trump’s baseless fraud claims. This is clearly nothing more than yet another despicable attempt to intimidate voters and our elections officials.”

According to previous reporting by The Center Square, the federal action comes just a day after California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, touted California’s vote-by-mail laws, urging voters to mail their ballots at least a week before the midterm election. He also said California voters are able to vote despite policy changes and legal challenges from the federal government.

“It is business as usual,” Bonta said Tuesday at a Los Angeles press conference. “You can still vote in all the ways, on all the days that California law has made available to you.”

Weber’s office did not immediately respond to The Center Square for this story on Wednesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office referred The Center Square to Weber's office. The California Department of Justice also did not respond. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California referred The Center Square to the U.S. Department of Justice, which did not respond.

(The Center Square) - A Saudi national has been arrested in an alleged corporate espionage case and is charged with attempting to steal artificial intelligence technology from a California company.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, appeared Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco after he was arrested and charged with using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications.

A former OpenAI engineer, he was in the U.S. on a visa. Within two months of being employed, he was allegedly caught stealing or attempting to steal sensitive communications about the company’s artificial intelligence technology. (In its references to AI, the Trump administration prefers the term "super intelligence.")

OpenAI first employed Alfozan in July 2025. Within two months, by last September, OpenAI personnel discovered a “surreptitious audio recording device” that Alfozan had allegedly inserted into a television USB port. The television was located in one of OpenAI’s San Francisco office’s executive conference rooms used to discuss highly sensitive information. The device had been concealed in toilet paper. Its contents were encrypted, according to the complaint. 

U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian for the Northern District of California said the case “is a matter of national security.” Alfozan’s arrest “highlights our relentless efforts in partnership with the FBI to identify and prosecute those who seek to steal our technology, as alleged in the complaint," Missakian said.

“The Bay Area and Silicon Valley lead the world in developing tomorrow’s technology, and our office will continue to stand at the forefront of protecting that American innovation,” he said. 

FBI Director Kash Patel noted that protecting American artificial intelligence innovation “is essential to safeguarding our nation’s economic strength and national security, and the FBI views that mission as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities.”

According to the complaint, Alfozan was discovered through OpenAI reviewing its closed-circuit television footage from inside the office building in question. It allegedly shows Alfozan appearing near the conference room on multiple dates prior to the device’s discovery. He had no authority to access or participate in meetings occurring in the conference room, according to the OpenAI company.

This specific conference room was used by high level employees to discuss “highly confidential technical, commercial, and strategic information, including proprietary research, product plans, and business-development opportunities, as well as nonpublic information about Open AI’s technical progress and strategic decisions, capabilities, priorities, government engagements, and commercial relationships,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice's complaint.

Prior to OpenAI finding the device, Alfozan allegedly used a productivity tool to make multiple inquiries about Open AI’s building addresses, meeting rooms, meeting-room capacities and calendars, “leadership and exec” locations and external partner meetings, according to the complaint.

His wife’s chatbot account was also allegedly used to submit prompts during the week that the device was believed to be installed in late September, according to the complaint. The prompts relate to “building, customizing, installing, audio recording, testing, obfuscating, and remote accessing a device, including inquiries about “build[ing] a continuous audio recorder,” “customiz[ing] Wi-Fi ... connectivity,” “improv[ing] audio and live listening,” and “encrypt[ing] the SD card,” according to the complaint. The same chatbot account also submitted prompts specifically related to recording device, a unique Mac address, among other issues, according to the complaint. 

CCTV also shows Alfozan allegedly entering the conference room and looking behind the television where the device was installed about a week after he allegedly installed it. OpenAI security personnel allegedly found another recording device in his bag, which he left unattended, according to the complaint.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI is investigating the case as an outworking of National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 (NSPM-11) issued to advance American superiority in artificial intelligence technology.

Alfozan’s arrest comes as Americans have raised national security concerns related to the Saudis. Thousands of Americans involved in 911 Families United and 911 Justice groups have sued Saudi Arabia, arguing members of its government were involved in financing the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This includes allegedly financially supporting 9/11 hijackers based in California. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens. 

The Saudi government has fought the 9/11 families for years in court, denying the allegations. A federal judge ruled against the Saudis last year allowing the lawsuit to proceed. Last week, a federal judge heard arguments in the case in New York as the litigation proceeds.

The arrest also comes after 9/11 family advocates and others have expressed opposition to the Trump administration signing an agreement with Saudi Arabia, allowing it to develop a civilian nuclear program. Opponents argue the deal doesn’t include basic safeguards against nuclear proliferation and ignores justice and accountability that 9/11 families have been seeking for years.

(The Center Square) – Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., opposes U.S. Sec. of War Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of a man convicted for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood.

“I don't like the idea. I don't think it's a great idea,” McCormick told The Center Square in an interview on Tuesday. “I do support capital punishment, and this was a horrible case of a terrorist killing (thirteen) Americans.”

“Couldn't have been more explicit that he was doing that,” he continued. “So, I'm in favor of capital punishment, but I don't think there's a lot of benefit in live streaming it.”

Hegseth, on Thursday, confirmed a report from CBS News that the U.S. is planning to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, an ex-Army major who was convicted of the 2009 killing of 13 people at Fort Hood. Hasan is scheduled to face a firing squad on Dec. 3 and would be the military’s first firing squad since World War II, according to The New York Times, while also being its first execution by any method since 1961.

McCormick, a West Point graduate who served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a paratrooper during the First Gulf War, also expressed concern about the potential impact of livestreaming the execution. 

“I'm afraid it'll sort of feed…and be a public relations benefit to terrorist groups and radicals abroad,” he told The Center Square. “So, I'm not in favor of it.”

McCormick isn’t the only Pennsylvania lawmaker against the Pentagon’s plan to livestream this execution.

“Here's another example of the cruelty: They've decided to livestream an execution of another human being,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Saturday. “That's how they do it in North Korea, not in the United States.”

“We're better than this. We're a kind people, not a cruel people,” he continued. “But unfortunately, Trump takes us to the lowest common denominator every time.”

U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8th District, shared his thoughts on the matter on social media on Friday. 

“An execution shouldn’t be a live-streamed spectacle,” Bresnahan wrote on X. “The focus should be on justice for the victims and their families, not turning an execution into entertainment. Their pain deserves respect, not a public show.”

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th District, is a U.S. Air Force veteran and member of The House Armed Services Committee.

On Friday, she also released a public statement disagreeing with Hegseth’s decision.

"Nidal Hasan is a murderer and terrorist who will face justice as determined by the unanimous verdict of a jury, in accordance with the principles of due process that our democracy is built on,” Houlahan said. “What did the jury not have a say in? Livestreaming the execution for the public to see.” 

“The U.S. hasn’t held a public execution in over a century, and with good reason. We are not Iran or North Korea. We know that justice is not entertainment, nor is it the glorification of violence,” she continued. “I urge Secretary Hegseth to reconsider this decision and to treat justice for this heinous act with the seriousness it requires."

Last week, President Donald Trump said that he approved the decision to livestream the execution. However, he told reporters this week that he was still deciding whether to move forward with the plan. 

The New York Times notes that most lawmakers who have weighed in since the Pentagon announced the livestream have opposed it. However, a few Republicans, including U.S. Reps. Randy Fine of Florida and Andy Ogles of Tennessee, have backed the decision.

Hegseth, who recommended the firing squad, according to The New York Times, explained why he supports the public being able to witness it.  

“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” Hegseth said in an interview with Real America’s Voice aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln on Thursday. He said he was advocating for the public execution “because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”

In an interview with Face the Nation on CBS News, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the decision and dismissed concerns about it posing a risk to the United States. 

“No one has to watch it if they don't choose to,” Mullin responded when asked about potential risks. “I follow President Trump. He's the commander-in-chief of the country, and he does a phenomenal job.”

“I think people need to understand if you attack America, we will come after you, and we will make sure that the punishment fits the crime,” he later added.

Afghanistan and Iran, CBS News reports, are the only two known countries to execute anyone publicly in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, according to Amnesty International, while adding that Yemen publicly executed multiple people in 2021.

Mizzou men's golf wrapped up competition at the Bryson Invitational on Wednesday with two of its golfers finishing in the top five.

Trent Mierl placed second with a 6-under-par 210, while Veikka Viskari jumped eight spots on Day 3 to tie for fourth place at 3-under par.

Visarki led MU in Round 3 by shooting a 3-under-par 69. Mierl and Antoni Hawkins both had a 2-under-par final round.

As a team, the Tigers placed fifth with a score of 3-over par. The tournament winner, Charleston, finished 14 strokes ahead of runner-up Michigan and 22 in front of Mizzou.

Mizzou has one tournament remaining on its fall schedule. It begins competition at the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate on Monday in Granbury, Texas.

In May 2024, Kaia Tanskanen was competing at the European Championships in Rimini, Italy. The competition served as the final opportunity for Tanskanen, then an incoming freshman at Mizzou, to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. One Olympic spot for the top scoring all-around athlete who did not represent an already qualified country remained. She entered the meet knowing how challenging it could be to earn the final quota. She competed well on all four events, but one point separated her from Maellyse Brassart of Belgium, who earned the final spot.

She was proud following the event. She knew she gave everything she had, and while she gave herself time to be disappointed, that disappointment turned into motivation. For many, narrowly missing a lifelong dream would take some time to recover, but Tanskanen lifted her head up and set her sights on the next four years.

“As soon as I missed Paris, I was like, I'm going to L.A.,” she said. "I have to go.”

Now a junior at Mizzou, Tanskanen is heading to her fourth World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which kick off this weekend. She is attempting to get one step closer to the 2028 Olympics. 

A family affair

Gymnastics runs in her blood. She was born in Howell, Michigan, to an American mother and a Finnish father, both gymnastics coaches. She first entered a gym four days after she was born. As soon as she could crawl, she was enrolled in gymnastics classes. Her father, Juha Tanskanen, was a Finnish national team member in the 1990s before becoming a coach for his younger brother, Jani, who won gold medal in the high bar at the 1997 World Championships.

Her mother, Kim, was a gymnast for the University of Iowa in 1985. Juha was invited to coach the U.S. junior men’s national team at a gym in Michigan, where he met Kim in 2003. The two began coaching together in Michigan before opening their own gym in 2010. MEGA Gymnastics is located in Novi, Michigan. Her mother also helps run a second location in Grand Blanc.

Kaia’s gymnastics journey is a family affair. Every leap, flip and turn was done with her parents by her side, and her Olympic fire burned bright from the day she first hit a vault table.

“Why don't we compete for Finland,” Juha asked his 14 year-old daughter.

"No, not doing that at all,” she replied.

When Juha suggested representing Finland, Kaia had reservations. She grew up competing in the USA Gymnastics system, dreaming of representing the U.S. at the Olympic Games. However, an ankle injury in her fifth metatarsal set her back, allowing her parents to think about what was best for their daughter’s career.

“What if I can’t communicate with my teammates? I will have to learn to compete with different people in a different country,” Kaia thought to herself.

Kaia’s parents decided to enter her in the 2019 Junior Finnish Championships when she was a freshman in high school at age 14. She finished third. Kaia was ready to begin representing her father’s home country, where she has held citizenship since she was 10 years old. While Kaia grew up visiting family in Finland about once a year, she began spending more time in the country after representing it on the international stage.

The country quickly went from her father’s home to hers in the span of that year.

“It has meant a big deal for me to see her on the Finnish National Team,” Juha said. “Not only has she represented the country and our family beautifully on the competition floor, but she also has embraced and adopted the Finnish culture as well.”

Mother-daughter connection

It was always Kaia and her mother, from the day she began her gymnastics career. No matter the moment, her mom stood by her side, taking charge of competitions, routines and the daily structure in the gym. Kaia has learned to cherish each adventure with her mother.

“As I'm getting older and I realize all she's done for me, I learned I just need to take in the moments as they come and let them sink in,” Kaia said. “I get to do this with the person I love so much and who's always supported me, taken care of me, and gotten me to the spot I am now.”

Gymnastics is a Tanskanen passion. Her younger brother, Ari, also grew up as a gymnast. Many athletes who are coached by their parents keep the gymnastics talk in the gym, but the Tanskanens’ love for the sport makes it difficult not to discuss Kaia’s skills, how she could change her routines, and the sport in general.

A typical evening in their household is filled with gymnastic conversations, with one after the other vocalizing what Kaia should try in the gym the next day. The exchanges are woven into the family’s nightly routine. While the family is sitting around the dinner table, an idea for Kaia’s routine may pop up, and immediately Kaia is rushing to the nearest pen and grabbing a paper towel to calculate how these new skills could change the difficulty of her routine.

“If we have an idea, I'll be like, ‘What if I try this skill?’ And then my mom will say, ‘I think you could do this.’ And even my dad sometimes adds, ‘Can you send me some videos from practice, or do you have any videos you can show me?’ We're just always talking about gymnastics,” Kaia said.

Kaia hopes to turn that passion into a career by following in her parents’ footsteps as a future gymnastics coach for elite or college gymnastics. Her father is currently an assistant coach for the University of Michigan men’s gymnastic team, while her mother continues coaching at MEGA.

Kaia has been training with her mother in Michigan to prepare for the upcoming World Championships. Kaia remembers the gym always being a place to excel in her sport and a supportive environment from the athletes surrounding her. Kaia returned to the gym after her sophomore year of college earlier this summer, and found many of the younger gymnasts were discouraged and unmotivated, constantly comparing themselves to gymnasts around the country. Kaia realized she needed to bring the same determination she had in her career to these young athletes as she began helping her mom's clients.

“I think this year I've seen a shift in them,” Kaia said about the gymnasts. “I think they're just starting to believe in themselves more, so they're more motivated to do the skills. It helps that I'm there because I have the elite mindset.”

Kaia is getting the opportunity to launch her coaching abilities while also achieving her goals. MEGA gymnastics is filled with athletes from all age groups. From 6-year olds to high school athletes pursuing college dreams, Kaia takes time out of her own training to help her teammates achieve bigger and better skills.

Her calm demeanor translates into a supportive coaching style. Kim has seen her daughter apply her experiences into her coaching, recalling times that Kaia struggled with her own mental blocks, disappointments and setbacks. Through her career, Kaia has learned to accept that struggles are what comes with being an athlete.

“I am especially proud when she is willing to share those experiences with younger athletes or someone going through something similar,” Kim said. “There is strength in being able to say, ‘I've struggled with this, too,’ rather than pretending the journey has always been easy.”

Putting Missouri and Finland on the map

Prior to beginning her NCAA career at Missouri in fall 2024, Kaia represented Finland at two World Championships, in 2022 and 2023. This event is the most prestigious gymnastics competition outside of the Olympics. Kaia has competed with the best gymnasts in the world. NCAA gymnastics is known for being a more relaxed environment than elite gymnastics due to the team atmosphere. The laidback atmosphere allows athletes to compete with more freedom and with teammates alongside.

The 2025 Tigers made history, qualifying to their first-ever Four on the Floor at the NCAA Championships. Kaia was a key contributor on vault and floor throughout the season.

A small foot injury kept Kaia off the floor at the start of the year. In March 2025, Mizzou hosted Georgia. Entering the meet against the Bulldogs, she was slated to compete only on vault. Missouri had been dealing with multiple illnesses, causing a last-minute lineup change mid-meet. It was up to the then-freshman to make her floor debut, and she did so with ease. Kaia demonstrated immense power throughout the routine, executing a difficult full twisting-double back, soaring to a score of 9.900.

She became the third Tiger to earn a 9.900 in an event debut since 2020, and Missouri immediately found its next floor star. Kaia kept her momentum going through the rest of 2025, earning two 9.875s at the Regional Championships, and a 9.8875 to contribute to Missouri’s third place finish at the NCAA Championships, the best finish in program history.

Kaia keeps a rigorous training schedule, often staying at her practices longer than her collegiate teammates to work on her more difficult skills. Just two weeks after the NCAA Championships in April 2025, Kaia flew to Finland to begin her elite gymnastics season. Elite gymnasts are required to perform double the number of skills in their routines compared to the NCAA, while also increasing their difficulty. College scoring is capped at a 10.0, while elite gymnastics is open-ended, meaning there is no limit on the level of difficulty athletes can include.

Typically, gymnasts pursue their Olympic dreams and then attend college. Few have attempted to excel in both categories simultaneously. There has been a slow shift in gymnasts juggling both, initiated by U.S. Olympic gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey following the 2021 Olympics. Kaia has also been a part of this shift, but the pool of gymnasts finding success in both is still extremely rare. Roughly 3,500 athletes competed in college gymnastics, while just five gymnasts who qualified for the 2024 Olympics also participated in the NCAA season that same year, including Carey. At the 2026 World Championships, less than 10 competitors are also active NCAA gymnasts among the nearly 200 gymnasts slated to compete. Kaia is a part of that exclusive list.

Kaia’s success has helped put Mizzou gymnastics on the world stage. Her experience at the 2025 World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, was simply magical. Kaia’s goal in Jakarta was to qualify for her first World Championships all-around final.

After a major mistake on beam during the qualification round, Kaia knew she needed a strong floor routine to qualify for the final. The arena went silent as her energetic music began. In the distance, her boyfriend, Robert, and her father were audible cheering loudly from the stands as she completed. Her mother stood close to the apparatus, analyzing each moment. The music amplified as the routine continued and the audience clapped to every beat. The routine showcased one of the hardest exercises of the championships with a difficult double twisting double back tumbling pass.

She said finishing 11th on floor in qualifications as one of the highlights of her career thus far. The routine was more than enough to secure her spot in the all-around final where she took the stage as the only active NCAA gymnast. She exuded joy throughout the entire competition, soaring to a 15th place finish.

“Being out here with the best of the best gives me a lot of confidence to keep building and keep growing,” Kaia said following the competition.

Her success in 2025 has set her up well on the road to the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

Should Tanskanen qualify in 2028, she would become the first Finnish female gymnast to compete at an Olympics since 2012. Tanskanen would also become the first member of her family to compete on gymnastics' biggest stage.

Home in COMO

Kaia would be the first Mizzou gymnast to ever compete at the Olympics should she qualify in 2028. Her Mizzou teammates are in awe of the work she puts in every day in the gym.

“It’s a very special experience to be able to watch her compete around the world and to compete with her in college,” said teammate Ayla Acevedo. “She puts her heart and soul into gymnastics, so to see her work so hard in training and to watch it pay off in competition is very fun to watch.”

Acevedo is one of Kaia’s roommates alongside Olivia Kelly. Their house is filled with laughter. You can find them watching “Love Island” together, making endless TikTok videos and enjoying their college experience. The trio forms a tight support system. While Kaia competes all over the world, the three orchestrate a Facetime call three times a month to keep in touch.

Her Mizzou coaches are steadfastly in her corner. They help her achieve her goals, adjust her schedule to best fit her plan, and are always sending encouraging messages, even when she is on the opposite side of the world.

“It just takes somebody really locked in, and somebody really driven, and somebody that just really loves it too,” Missouri head coach Shannon Welker said about Kaia. “I think there's a lot of things working in her favor, but the biggest thing is her drive and her perseverance. She's never lost sight of her goals. Not only going to World Championships but wanting to go to the Olympics. I think it's very admirable because I think it would be easy just to say, ‘You know what, I'm finished with that.’ But at no point has she ever doubted that.”

Not only is Kaia excelling in her athletic career, but Welker also mentions that she has one of the highest GPAs on the roster, proving that she gives her all academically as well.

The Olympic dream fuels her. While she is focused on LA, the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane is something she is considering, but admits she is taking everything one day at a time. Tanskanen’s entire gymnastics career has been built on family values. Her mom reminds her of that every day in the gym.

“Whether I am standing beside her as her coach or simply as her mom, I want her to know that I am here for Kaia, the person, first,” Kim said. “The gymnastics journey is something we get to share, but being her mom will always be the most important role I have.”

Kaia’s father has immensely enjoyed this journey. As he watches his daughter grow, he realizes these moments do not last forever and wants to soak in each competition.

“We know one day the journey will end, but we will enjoy every day until that day arrives,” Juha said. “Whatever life brings after that, she is prepared for.”

As the Los Angeles Olympics approach, Kaia is looking for one thing.

“If I make it, I'm just going to be happy that I accomplished my goal that I missed in 2024,” Kaia said. “I'm just going to be excited that I had my redemption.”

Catch Tanskanen competing at the World Gymnastic Championships starting Sunday 18 at 9 a.m.

(The Center Square) - Colorado’s 1st Congressional District race, which is focusing on healthcare, immigration and taxes, could help determine whether Republicans keep their razor-thin House majority.

The House currently has 218 Republicans, an independent who caucuses with Republicans (U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley of Rocklin, Calif.) and 214 Democrats. There are currently two vacant seats. All 435 seats will be filled in the Nov. 3 general election, and 218 is the minimum number needed for a majority.

One Democrat and an independent in the Colorado race are calling for higher taxes on the rich, while the Republican candidate favors lowering taxes in general.

Democratic-Socialist candidate Melat Kiros, who has called for tax increases on wealthy Americans, shook up the campaign trail when she announced her bid for Congress in July 2025. Since then, the Democrat has raised over $1 million, with over 90% of donations coming from individuals.

Kiros was born in Ethiopia just weeks before her father was selected in the U.S.  Diversity Visa Lottery, enabling the family to move to Denver in 1998. She later went on to attend college and get her law degree from Notre Dame in 2022. After graduation, she worked as an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP, a global law firm. 

According to her campaign, her main priorities include Medicare for all, ending all wars, abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and creating universal childcare and eldercare. Most of these priorities she claims are a “human right.”

Kiros said Medicare for all is “long-overdue” on her campaign website. She said that if a Medicare for all policy was implemented, it “could save [Americans] thousands per year while getting better, more reliable care.” 

Kiros did not respond to The Center Square’s request for an interview.

Another candidate, an independent named Dr. Shimon Blau, shared Kiros' concern about the rising costs of healthcare and the inability to provide adequate coverage for patients.

During an interview with The Center Square, Blau, a physician who plans to caucus with Democrats if elected, said his ultimate long-term vision would be to “transition our country toward a universal healthcare system where every single American has access to high-quality, affordable care.”

However, he noted, “As a physician and a pragmatist, I recognize the political reality before us: a complete overhaul of our healthcare infrastructure is not going to happen over the next two years under the Trump administration.” 

“Because of this, we must focus on a dual-track strategy," Blau told The Center Square. "We must take immediate, practical steps to hold private insurance companies accountable today, while simultaneously moving the needle in the direction of universal coverage for tomorrow.” 

He said this could be done immediately by “cutting the red tape and mandating streamlined prior authorization processes so insurers cannot arbitrarily delay or deny doctor-recommended treatments.” 

He also encouraged stricter coverage standards to ensure that all forms of health – from mental, physical, long-term, and chronic disease management – are adequately covered without “predatory out-of-pocket costs.” 

Housing affordability is also a concern for the candidates. Kiros writes on her campaign website that she supports the development of publicly-owned, mixed-income social housing. However, she does not indicate on her website how Congress would pay for this.

Blau told The Center Square that he would pursue federal policies to expand incentives for building more housing, specifically starter homes and workforce housing. He acknowledged the affordability crisis in Colorado is driving up the costs of homes. 

“We need to make it easier and less expensive to build housing, reduce unnecessary barriers that delay construction, and expand the supply of homes people can actually afford. At the same time, we need to strengthen Denver’s economy, support small businesses, and create good-paying jobs so wages can keep pace with the cost of living,” Blau said. 

Christy Peterson, the Republican candidate in the 1st Congressional District race, told The Center Square that she acknowledged the rising costs of affordability and housing in the state, and supports expanding tax cuts for Americans to put more money in their pockets. 

Both Blau and Kiros support an increased tax on the wealthiest Americans, while Peterson did not indicate how she felt about the current tax structure. 

Kiros’s website displays a “tax the rich” section, where she dives into her plans for taxing the most wealthy Americans in an attempt to provide relief for middle- and low-income Americans. 

“I support an Ultra-Millionaire Tax on net worth above $50 million, closing the carried-interest loophole, and taxing the margin loans that billionaires use to avoid paying capital gains entirely,” Kiros’s website states. 

Blau said he is “not dogmatically opposed to adjusting tax structures, including those for wealthier Americans, if done pragmatically.” However, he said “we must approach tax policy with extreme caution. If federal tax increases are too aggressive, they risk triggering unintended economic consequences at the local level.”

He added he is open to balanced, bipartisan discussions on taxpayer revenue, but wants to focus on federal spending first to ensure the protection of Denver’s local workforce and keep the local economy competitive.  

Blau further told The Center Square that he would caucus with the Democratic Party in Congress for several reasons. “First, I understand that this is a strongly Democratic district, and I believe it’s important to respect the will of the people I represent. Second, I believe Congress has a constitutional responsibility to hold the Trump administration accountable, regardless of party. Finally, I want to help restore the proper balance of power in our government.” 

He contends Congress has ceded too much of its authority to the executive branch.

Although Peterson was unable to answer all of the questions from The Center Square, the Republican noted she aligns herself with Republican President Donald Trump on certain issues such as immigration, which is a stark contrast from those of her Democratic-leaning opponents.

While Kiros has called for abolition of ICE, Peterson noted, “Those who entered the country skipping proper immigration procedure ... - they broke the law, and yes, I think they should [be deported].” 

However, she said she would be “open to an option for people who have been here for so long.” 

She said sanctuary city policies in blue states and blue cities such as Denver have created a substantial burden on the residents. She said there is widespread support for the Trump administration's efforts to protect Americans.