Sam Burns finishes T4 at the Memorial

(The Center Square) – From California to Kansas to New Jersey, young Muslim men are being arrested and charged with wide ranging plans to support Islamic terrorism and kill Americans.

The arrests are being made as Congress continues to highlight ongoing Islamic terrorist threats. The U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence addressed ongoing threats pointing to three high profile Islamic terrorist attacks that occurred in March alone. 

The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security also published a “Terror Threat Snapshot” highlighting recent terrorist acts in the U.S. The majority are linked to or inspired by foreign terrorist organizations. They include those who’ve provided material support to ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS)), Hezbollah and al Queda, who received military level training from Hezbollah and al Queda, and whose stated inspiration is foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), The Center Square reported.  

Islamic terrorist cases are being prosecuted by U.S. attorneys in at least 25 states.

The latest two are in New Jersey and Kansas. 

On Monday, a Muslim man living in Wayne, New Jersey, Mohamed Sagha, 22, was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated FTO: ISIS. He made his initial appearance in federal court and was ordered detained. 

“As alleged, the defendant sought to support ISIS and expressed interest in violence directed at targets within the United States, including places of worship,” U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Robert Frazer said. “Those who seek to advance the objectives of foreign terrorist organizations should expect a swift and coordinated response from federal law enforcement.”

According to the complaint, over the past six months, Sagha participated in online chat groups used by ISIS supporters to discuss potential terrorist attack targets in the U.S., including places of worship. Last October, he met an undercover law enforcement official who he believed was a member of ISIS and expressed his desire to attack a National Guard location or a Jewish place of worship, sharing images and videos of potential targets near his residence, the complaint alleges. He also repeatedly expressed a desire to travel to ISIS territory in Syria, failing to do so in March, authorities said. This month, he expressed further plans, leading to his arrest. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. 

In another case, the FBI arrested three young men between the ages of 21 and 25 in Kansas City, Kansas, and San Diego, California. They were also charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorism after they sent more than $2,000 to an individual they believed was a member of ISIS, authorities said. 

Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, (Kansas), Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, and Bereen Dzayee, 25, (both California) were arrested and charged in a complaint filed in the District of Kansas.

According to the charges, they bragged about committing a terrorist attack and killing U.S. service members, Jews and Americans. 

Ghafoor “exclaimed it would be ‘sick’ if his name could be written on the drone used in an attack on Americans,” authorities allege. He also said, “he has always wanted to kill a female soldier by beheading, and added, ‘I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans,’” according to the charges.  “Dzayee suggested that targets of drones should include U.S. Special Forces. Shamsaldeen expressed a desire to stab and injure a U.S. servicemember.”

“For years, the Department of Justice has been encouraging Americans that if they see suspicious activity, they should report it to law enforcement. That’s because long gone are the days where terrorist threats and attacks are incidents that only take place far away on foreign soil,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas Ryan Kriegshauser said. “Unfortunately, we must face the reality of bad actors living within our borders clandestinely conspiring on ways to create fear and havoc. The only way to root out and prevent terrorism plots is through collaboration among all levels of law enforcement and across jurisdictions. Collaboration is what facilitated the arrests of these three suspects.”

The plan took place over 16 months, including communicating ways they could support ISIS, “including through the provision of personnel, services, and money,” according to the charges. “Through Discord chats, voice calls, and other messaging platforms, the coconspirators pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader. The defendants exchanged messages in social media groups promoting violence in furtherance of ISIS.”

They collectively sent more than $2,000 to an individual they believed to be an ISIS member, according to an investigation conducted by FBI agents in Kansas City, San Diego, Sacramento, Newark, and Richmond and the FBI Counterterrorism Division.

“Ghafoor’s name was written on the projectile of one of the rocket-propelled grenades purportedly to be used in an attack overseas to kill U.S. servicemembers,” the DOJ said. “Shamsaldeen provided financial resources for the purpose of purchasing drones, which, in turn, were to be used to attack and kill U.S. servicemembers deployed overseas.”

They also communicated their intent to travel to fight on behalf of ISIS and even die for ISIS, according to the charges. This was as U.S. troops are continuing to fight ISIS.

Last December, the U.S. and Jordan launched attacks against 70 ISIS targets in Syria after ISIS fighters killed two U.S. troops and a U.S. civilian interpreter. Last month, U.S. and Nigerian forces killed an ISIS leader after the Trump administration deployed troops to Nigeria in response to Christian genocide occurring there, The Center Square reported.

(The Center Square) – Jing Sheng Dong, hospitalized since the bus he drove crashed on I-95 in Virginia on May 29, has exited the hospital and is being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

Dong faces five counts of involuntary manslaughter and one of reckless driving in the quintuple fatal crash. The bus was operated by E&P Travel, headquartered in Kings Mountain, N.C., and carried riders from New York to North Carolina.

A family of four traveling from Massachusetts to South Carolina for a wedding were killed; a woman from Massachusetts, in the first vehicle hit by the motor coach, also lost her life. Forty-four others were injured.

The Stafford County crash involved at least eight vehicles stopped or moving slowly in a work zone. Investigators and federal officials say there was little to no evidence of braking by Dong.

Most signage in America, including electronic emergency messaging, is in English. Congressional action includes at least a half-dozen proposals related to CDL licensures. The Transportation Department in February instituted a rule requiring CDL tests to be English only.

Dong does not speak English, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said after the crash. He also said the CDL was issued by New York in 2024.

Dong immigrated from China to America and became a citizen.

(The Center Square) – The U.S.  will “respond” after President Donald Trump confirmed the U.S. Army helicopter downed over the Strait of Hormuz was shot down by Iran Monday night.

“I have just been informed by our great military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post. “There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

Trump didn’t indicate how the U.S. will respond or if it will be similar to responses in recent weeks, which the military claims were defensive in nature. It is unclear if the latest targeting by Iran on American forces is enough to pull the plug on the fragile ceasefire.

U.S. Central Command confirmed the Army AH-64 Apache “went down near the coast of Oman” while patrolling regional waters. Both crew members were rescued “within approximately two hours.”

The region around the Strait of Hormuz has seen its fair share of exchanges of fire between the U.S. and Iran in recent weeks, with the Islamic Republic essentially holding the vital waterway hostage since the conflict began on Feb. 28.

Trump has maintained a commitment to seeking a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, saying the U.S. could determine within a couple of days whether a deal can be struck.

Despite the U.S. and Iran exchanging fire multiple times, and the missile exchanges over the weekend between Israel and Iran, the president claims the ceasefire, which went into effect April 8, is still in effect.

Trump quashed concerns that the recent dust-up between Israel and Iran was putting the fragile ceasefire in further jeopardy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "was hit hard by Iran, and he hit back. I can’t blame him for that. Now they’ve called it quits, so they’re going to leave each other alone for another week or something,” the president told reporters Monday evening. “They both agreed, through me to stop.”

Trump claimed once again, as he has for weeks, that a deal is on the horizon, reiterating his demand that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

“We’re in the final throes of a very good deal that will not allow, in any way or form nuclear weapons.” The president added.

(The Center Square) – Vice President JD Vance said the Department of Justice's Fraud Division will investigate allegations that Minnesota officials failed to stop widespread taxpayer-funded fraud.

Vance said in a statement that it will be "criminal" investigations.

“Minnesota state officials are not above the law, and if they facilitated fraud, lied under oath about what they knew, or harassed and intimidated whistleblowers, they must face justice,” he said.

The announcement follows Monday's release of a 205-page report from the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that accused officials under Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison of failing to act on repeated warnings about fraud, as previously reported by The Center Square.

Federal officials estimate that failure allowed upwards of $9 billion in taxpayer monies to be stolen across multiple programs.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., sent Vance a letter alongside the report requesting a federal review of Minnesota’s social service programs. Comer praised Vance’s decision.

“You are 100% right: Minnesota officials are not above the law,” Comer said. “The Trump administration is calling on the DOJ's Fraud Division to conduct a full criminal investigation into Governor Walz's failure to protect taxpayers. We won't stop here.”

The Walz administration and Ellison's office have previously disputed similar allegations. They did not respond to requests from The Center Square for comment.

(The Center Square) – Protesters who disrupted a Sunday worship service at Cities Church in January will not face state criminal charges, according to a decision announced last week by the St. Paul City Attorney's Office.

City Attorney Irene Kao said prosecutors reviewed video footage and other evidence related to the Jan. 18 protest before determining there was insufficient evidence “to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes.”

“This decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of unlawful behavior or public disorder,” Kao said. “The right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one's religious beliefs. Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today.”

Backlash to the decision came quickly.

U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, criticized the announcement in a post on social media on Monday.

“No state charges for ‘activists’ that stormed a church,” Jordan said. “No cooperation with federal immigration law. No serious investigation into the fraud until President Trump stepped in. Democrat-run Minnesota.”

The protest, which interrupted a Sunday morning service at the St. Paul church, drew national attention after demonstrators disrupted services while protesting the Jan. 7 death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.

Video posted by Black Lives Matter Minnesota showed protesters chanting “ICE out” and “justice for Renee Good” during the service. Another video circulating on social media shows protesters calling congregants “pretend Christians” and “comfortable white people.”

Jonathan Parnell, the lead pastor of Cities Church, criticized the announcement.

“According to the St. Paul City Attorney’s logic, it is perfectly fine for agitators to invade a mosque, a cathedral, or a temple, intimidate the families and children inside, and shut down their religious gathering,” Parnell said in a statement. “Just call it a ‘protest.’”

Federal authorities have taken a far different approach than the state to the incident, bringing charges in March against dozens of people accused of participating in the protest. So far, they have charged at least 39 protesters in connection with the protest, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon.

“YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us—we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith.”

Those charged federally face allegations of conspiracy against the right of religious freedom at a place of worship and interfering with the exercise of religious freedom at a place of worship. The charges fall under the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act of 1994, which prohibits obstruction or threats at abortion clinics and places of worship.

The federal prosecutions followed widespread calls for accountability after the incident gained national attention.

Caleb Phillips, a congregant at Cities Church, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview how the incident was for those in the church.

“The entire congregation came alive. Individuals who are planted from front to back throughout the entire place stood up,” Phillips said. “It felt like we were surrounded, because they were all throughout the congregation.”

(The Center Square) – An investigation is underway following a Monday evening downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter around the Strait of Hormuz, with President Donald Trump vowing a deal with Iran could be days away.

U.S. Central Command said the Army AH-64 Apache “went down near the coast of Oman” while patrolling regional waters. Both crew members were rescued “within approximately two hours” and remain in stable condition.

There’s no word on whether the incident was caused by enemy fire or by technical issues.

The region around the Strait of Hormuz has seen its fair share of exchanges of fire between the U.S. and Iran in recent weeks, with the Islamic Republic essentially holding the vital waterway hostage since the conflict began on Feb. 28.

Trump maintains a commitment to seeking a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, saying the U.S. could determine within a couple of days whether a deal can be struck.

Despite the U.S. and Iran exchanging fire multiple times, and the missile exchanges over the weekend between Israel and Iran, the president claims the ceasefire, which went into effect April 8, is still in effect.

Trump quashed concerns that the recent dust-up between Israel and Iran was putting the fragile ceasefire in further jeopardy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "was hit hard by Iran, and he hit back. I can’t blame him for that. Now they’ve called it quits, so they’re going to leave each other alone for another week or something,” the president told reporters Monday evening. “They both agreed, through me to stop.”

Trump claimed once again, as he has for weeks, that a deal is on the horizon, reiterating his demand that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

“We’re in the final throes of a very good deal that will not allow, in any way or form nuclear weapons.” The president added.

Trial lawyers have added furniture seller Ikea, snack food giant Mondelez International, and retailer Abercrombie & Fitch to the list of companies facing class action lawsuits for allegedly improperly profiting from hiking prices to cover tariffs illegally imposed by President Trump.

In late May, lawsuits were filed against each of the companies in Cook County Circuit Court.

Attorneys from the firm of McGuire Law, of Chicago, filed the lawsuits against Pennsylvania-based Ikea and Chicago-based Mondelez.

Lawyers from the firm of Stephan Zouras, of Chicago, filed the complaint against Abercrombie & Fitch, which is based in Ohio.

The lawsuits represented the latest in a growing raft of litigation filed in courts in Chicago and elsewhere in the U.S. accusing retailers and other companies of allegedly attempting to claim "windfall profits" from consumers following the end of the tariff regimes established by President Donald Trump in 2025 under the federal International Emergency Economics Act.

While many of the lawsuits have been leveled against parcel and shipping company FedEx, other lawsuits have been lodged against warehouse retailer Costco; Chinese online discount sellers Temu and Shein; and activewear seller Fabletics, among others.

Some of the lawsuits date back to the early spring, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court declared Trump had improperly relied upon the IEEA law to unilaterally impose the tariffs on many countries, particularly including China, without authorization from Congress.

The lawsuits all rest on similar allegations: That the companies hiked consumer prices in response to cover their increased costs from the tariffs, but, after the tariffs were rescinded, have not lowered their prices or offered consumers a refund, even as they pursue legal action to obtain refunds from the government for the illegal tariffs they paid throughout much of 2025.

Some of the companies targeted by the lawsuits have pushed back in court. Costco, for instance, has asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit pending against it. The retailer has argued it hasn't yet received a refund. And even if it does, Costco says the lawsuit's claims have no legal ground to stand on, because the company never defrauded anyone or violated any state consumer fraud law.

"It does not matter whether plaintiff paid a higher price then he thinks he should have paid," Costco wrote in a brief in support of its motion to dismiss.

Temu and Shein have sought to redirect the class action lawsuits against them into arbitration, saying user agreements prohibit the lawsuits.

In the latest cases, Ikea, Mondelez and Abercrombie all have not yet responded to the claims in court.

However, those lawsuits also rest on claims that the companies violated Illinois' consumer fraud law by allegedly showing no indication of refunding any of the additional money collected to cover the cost of the tariffs, even as the companies allegedly pursue refunds from the federal government.

The lawsuits against Ikea and Mondelez were filed on behalf of named plaintiffs John Adams and Adam Sorkin, respectively, identified only as residents of Cook County.

According to the complaints, Sorkin purchased Halls cough drops, Triscuit snack crackers, and Sour Patch Kids candy, all products made by Mondelez, in 2025 and early 2026, while Adams made 15 purchases from Ikea from May-August 2025.

The lawsuit against Abercrombie was filed on behalf of named plaintiff Luciana Di Lorenzo, identified only as a resident of Illinois, who purchased $400 worth of merchandise from Abercrombie & Fitch from August 2025 to January 2026.

All of the plaintiffs said the prices they paid for their purchases were increased, ostensibly to account for Trump's IEEA tariffs.

The lawsuits all seek to expand the action to include potentially hundreds of thousands or even millions of class members throughout the U.S. who allegedly were similarly overcharged.

(The Center Square) – Assemblymember James Gallagher, R-East Nicolaus, gave his final remarks on the Assembly floor Monday afternoon before he leaves the California Legislature to begin his term as a congressman.

Gallagher won the June 2 special election to succeed the late U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican who died suddenly in January. Gallagher, a Northern California native, will now represent California’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives and will be sworn into office later this week to serve the rest of LaMalfa's term, which will end Jan. 3. Gallagher also advanced in the June 2 primary for the new term starting Jan. 3 against California Sen. Mike McGuire with 47.2% of the vote against McGuire’s 37.5%. So far, it appears Gallagher will square off against McGuire in the Nov. 3 election, according to previous reporting by The Center Square.

For now, getting to work in Congress is on Gallagher's mind.

“When I am sworn in this week, it will be the first time ever that I’ve been in the majority,” Gallagher said during remarks on the Assembly floor.

“I think that’s been really good for me, actually," he said about being in the Republican minority in the Legislature. "I think it has really honed my skills and helped me to understand how minority voices are heard.”

Gallagher was first elected to the Assembly in 2014. In 2025, he was the Assembly minority leader. In his time representing the Assembly 3rd District, Gallagher introduced a bill that would limit the governor’s emergency powers and supported awarding more recovery money to California communities affected by wildfires. In 2025, Gallagher also advanced a proposal that would split California into two states, with counties in Northern California seceding from the state to form a new one. That proposal did not advance in the Assembly.

He also opposed congressional redistricting during debates last summer on the Assembly floor.

“It is not lost on me as I stand here today that I was elected overwhelmingly by the people of my district,” Gallagher said. “If things go to plan, my district won’t be able to elect a person of their choice, and that’s a frustrating thing. I think we need to change that.”

Mid-decade congressional redistricting, which California voters passed in November 2025, gave Democrats a chance to pick up five new seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections this November. Gallagher and other Republican lawmakers opposed the redistricting effort, which Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom supported in response to Texas’ own mid-decade redistricting in summer 2025 to add five Republican seats.

Other prominent Republican lawmakers on the Assembly floor spoke out in support of Gallagher during the floor session on Monday afternoon.

“It’s when James became [assembly minority] leader that he became the conscience of the caucus,” Assemblymember Tom Lackey, R-Lancaster, said. “He also decided it was time for us to make our mark instead of just existing.”

Assembly Minority Leader Heath Flora, R-Ripon, who succeeded Gallagher in that role, said on the Assembly floor that the caucus turned around under Gallagher’s leadership.

“It has been an example for all of us and all those coming after you to be a strong, courageous leader that’s also respectful,” Flora said.

Gallagher will be sworn in later this week in Washington, D.C. and will have a ceremonial oath of office ceremony on June 16 in Oroville, according to his Facebook page. 

MISSOULA, Mont. — Western Watersheds Project, represented by the Western Environmental Law Center, has appealed the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to revoke American Prairie’s authority to graze bison on public lands in northeastern Montana.

BLM approved the permits in 2022 after a multi-year environmental review that found bison grazing was allowed on public lands and would be better for prairie grasslands than cattle. The groups said the agency later reversed course in five months and used a new “production-oriented” standard without defining it.

The legal challenge centers on whether privately owned bison qualify as livestock under federal law. The groups said BLM had already concluded in 2022 that bison met that standard under the Taylor Grazing Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act. 

"BLM’s new interpretation has no basis in law and contradicts its own findings," said Pete Frost, attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center, in a joint release, "BLM reversed itself due to politics, not the law, nor the need to restore prairie grasslands."

The groups also pointed to Montana’s treatment of American Prairie’s herd as livestock through taxes and disease testing requirements. They said American Prairie has also provided thousands of pounds of bison meat to area food banks and supplied bison for food, commercial and cultural uses.

“The Trump administration’s revocation of these bison grazing permits is beyond bizarre because bison evolved with High Plains ecosystems and are better for land health, better for wildlife and better for the public than cattle,” said Erik Molvar. “Tribes also have bison herds for cultural, ecological and subsistence purposes, which this permit revocation would threaten if it went through.”

A Congressional Research Service report published January 22, 2026, found that 88% of BLM grazing authorizations were for cattle, yearlings and bison, and it reaffirmed the Interior Department’s conclusion that bison qualify as livestock under the Taylor Grazing Act, the release said.

The groups also said proposed grazing rules released days after the revocation used the same “production-oriented” requirement. If adopted, they said those rules could block bison restoration on 155 million acres of public land across the western U.S. 

Western Environmental Law Center and Western Watersheds Project said they plan to keep pursuing administrative appeals and would file suit if needed.

(The Center Square) – Proposed tariffs on imports from 60 economies could raise nearly $970 billion over the next decade, according to estimates released Monday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The tariffs, proposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, represent the broadest use of that authority to date and the Trump administration's largest effort to rebuild its tariff revenue base after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in February.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated the new Section 301 tariffs would generate about $980 billion in revenue over 10 years. After accounting for an estimated $10 billion reduction tied to changes in steel, aluminum and copper tariffs, the net revenue gain would total roughly $970 billion on a conventional basis.

Combined with tariffs already in place, the administration is projected to collect about $1.9 trillion in tariff revenue through fiscal year 2036, down from a projected $2.7 trillion before the Supreme Court's February ruling.

Despite the additional revenue, federal debt is still projected to reach 122% of gross domestic product by 2036, according to CRFB. Before the court ruling, debt was projected to reach 120% of GDP by that year.

Since losing its authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the administration has relied on multiple trade statutes to pursue its tariff agenda. Courts also struck down a 10% global tariff imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act in May.

A pending Supreme Court case, HMTX Industries v. United States, could limit the federal government's ability to expand Section 301 tariffs.

Economists generally conclude that tariffs are paid largely by American consumers and businesses rather than foreign governments. Research from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that the costs of tariffs are primarily borne domestically.

The Yale Budget Lab, a nonpartisan policy research center, estimates the existing tariffs cost the average U.S. household between $600 and $800 annually, a figure that does not include the proposed Section 301 tariffs.

The White House disputes that assessment.

"The cost of tariffs will ultimately be borne by foreign exporters who rely on access to the American economy," White House spokesman Kush Desai previously told The Center Square.

Public comments on the proposed tariffs are due by July 6. Hearings are scheduled for July 7.