Cybercriminals keep getting better at blending into the software you use every day. 

Over the past few years, we've seen phishing pages that copy banking portals, fake browser alerts that claim your device is infected and "human verification" screens that push you to run commands you should never touch. The latest twist comes from the ongoing ClickFix campaign.

Instead of asking you to prove you are human, attackers now disguise themselves as a Windows update. It looks convincing enough that you might follow the instructions without thinking, which is exactly what they want.

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NEW SCAM SENDS FAKE MICROSOFT 365 LOGIN PAGES

Researchers noticed that ClickFix has upgraded its old trick. The campaign used to rely on human verification pages, but now you get a full-screen Windows update screen that looks almost identical to the real thing. Joe Security showed how the page displays fake progress bars, familiar update messages and a prompt that tells you to complete a critical security update.

If you are on Windows, the site tells you to open the Run box, copy something from your clipboard and paste it in. That "something" is a command that silently downloads a malware dropper. The final payload is usually an infostealer, which steals passwords, cookies and other data from your machine.

NEW EMAIL SCAM USES HIDDEN CHARACTERS TO SLIP PAST FILTERS

The moment you paste the command, the infection chain begins. First, z file called mshta.exe reaches out to a remote server and grabs a script. To avoid detection, these URLs often use hex encoding for parts of the address and rotate their paths. The script then runs obfuscated PowerShell code filled with junk instructions to throw researchers off. Once PowerShell does its work, it decrypts a hidden .NET assembly that functions as the loader.

The loader hides its next stage inside what looks like a regular PNG file. ClickFix uses custom steganography, which is a technique that hides secret data inside normal-looking content. In this case, the malware sits inside the image's pixel data. The attackers tweak color values in certain pixels, especially in the red channel, to embed pieces of shellcode. When you view the image, everything appears normal.

The script knows exactly where the hidden data sits. It extracts the pixel values, decrypts them, and rebuilds the malware directly in memory. That means nothing obvious is written to disk. Security tools that rely on file scanning miss it, since the shellcode never appears as a standalone file.

Once rebuilt, the shellcode is injected into a trusted Windows process like explorer.exe. The attack uses familiar in-memory techniques such as VirtualAllocEx, WriteProcessMemory and CreateRemoteThread. Recent ClickFix activity has delivered infostealers like LummaC2 and updated versions of Rhadamanthys. These tools are built to harvest credentials and send them back to the attacker with very little noise.

The best way to stay protected is to slow down for a moment and follow a few steps that cut off these attacks before they start.

If any site tells you to paste a command into Run, PowerShell or Terminal, treat it as an immediate warning sign. Real operating system updates never require you to run commands from a webpage. When you run that command, you hand full control to the attacker. If something feels off, close the page and don't interact further.

Updates should only come from the Windows Settings app or through official system notifications. A browser tab or pop-up pretending to be a Windows update is always fake. If you see anything outside the normal update flow asking for your action, ignore it and check the real Windows Update page yourself.

Choose a security suite that can detect both file-based and in-memory threats. Stealthy attacks like ClickFix avoid leaving obvious files for scanners to pick up. Tools with behavioral detection, sandboxing and script monitoring give you a much better chance of spotting unusual activity early.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

Password managers create strong, unique passwords for every account you use. They also autofill only on legitimate websites, which helps you catch fake login pages. If a manager refuses to fill out your credentials, take a second look at the URL before entering anything manually.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com.

Many attacks start by targeting emails and personal details already exposed online. Data removal services help shrink your digital footprint by requesting takedowns from data broker sites that collect and sell your information. They can't erase everything, but reducing your exposure means fewer attackers have easy access to your details.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren't cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It's what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

A convincing layout doesn't mean it is legitimate. Always look at the domain name first. If it doesn't match the official site or uses odd spelling or extra characters, close it. Attackers rely on the fact that people recognise a page's design but ignore the address bar.

Fake update pages often run in full-screen mode to hide the browser interface and make the page look like part of your computer. If a site suddenly goes full screen without your permission, exit with Esc or Alt+Tab. Once you're out, scan your system and don't return to that page.

ClickFix works because it leans on user interaction. Nothing happens unless you follow the instructions on the screen. That makes the fake Windows update page especially dangerous, because it taps into something most people trust. If you are used to Windows updates freezing your screen, you may not question a prompt that appears during the process. Cybercriminals know this. They copy trusted interfaces to lower your guard and then rely on you to run the final command. The technical tricks that follow are complex, but the starting point is simple. They need you to help them.

Do you ever copy commands from a website without thinking twice about what they do? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

- Pentagon launches military AI platform powered by Google Gemini for defense operations
- Disney CEO defends massive AI deal, says creators won't be threatened
- Trump says every AI plant being built in US will be self-sustaining with their own electricity

WAR WIRED: The Pentagon is announcing the launch of GenAI.mil, a military-focused AI platform powered by Google Gemini. In a video obtained by FOX Business, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the platform is designed to give U.S. military personnel direct access to AI tools to help "revolutioniz[e] the way we win."

TIMES A CHANGING: After Disney announced a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, CEO Bob Iger assured creators in an interview Thursday their jobs would not be threatened.

WATT WARS: President Donald Trump clapped back at a report that was just released about the global artificial intelligence arms race, which claimed China has more than double the electrical power-generation capacity of the United States.

TECH OVER TREES: U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright was quoted in a piece on Thursday declaring that America’s top scientific priority is AI. While there is robust debate over how artificial intelligence will be regulated going forward and what safeguards will be mandatory, there is broad bipartisan agreement that this technology has the potential to change the way the world operates.

BABY STEPS: 'Outnumbered' panelists react to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's admission that he 'cannot imagine' raising his newborn son without help from ChatGPT.

INFRASTRUCTURE NOW: Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., warned that the U.S. risks ceding global leadership on artificial intelligence to China, calling the AI race a matter of national security that the nation has "got to win."

AGE OF MACHINES: Time magazine announced "Architects of AI" as its 2025 person of the year on Thursday, rather than picking a singular individual for the honor.

AI ON TRIAL: The heirs of an 83-year-old woman who was killed by her son inside their Connecticut home have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft, claiming the AI chatbot amplified his "paranoid delusions." 

'CUFFING SEASON': California Gov. Gavin Newsom trolled President Donald Trump's administration by posting an AI-generated video depicting Trump, War Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller, in handcuffs.

'CLEAR GUIDELINES': A bipartisan pair of House lawmakers introduced a bill on Wednesday to require federal agencies and officials to label any AI-generated content posted using official government channels.

WARTIME FOOTING: The Navy is warning that the United States must treat shipbuilding and weapons production with the urgency of a country preparing for conflict, with Navy Secretary John Phelan declaring that the sea service "cannot afford to stay comfortable" as it confronts submarine delays, supply-chain failures and a shipyard system he says is stuck in another era.

'HIS OWN EGO': Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused President Donald Trump on Tuesday of "selling out America" for announcing that the U.S. will allow Nvidia to export its artificial intelligence chips to China and other countries. 

'ACCELERATE INNOVATION': White House science and technology advisor Michael Kratsios opened a meeting of G7 tech ministers by urging governments to clear regulatory obstacles to artificial intelligence adoption, warning that sweeping new rule books or outdated oversight frameworks risk slowing the innovation needed to unlock AI-driven productivity.

EASING FEARS: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon offered an optimistic outlook on artificial intelligence (AI), predicting the technology will not "dramatically reduce" jobs over the next year — provided it is properly regulated.

BOTS GONE ROGUE: Artificial intelligence is becoming smarter and more powerful every day. But sometimes, instead of solving problems properly, AI models find shortcuts to succeed. 

This behavior is called reward hacking. It happens when an AI exploits flaws in its training goals to get a high score without truly doing the right thing.

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Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., is taking an axe to the New Jersey Democratic Party’s political "machine," vowing to support a primary challenge against longtime New Jersey state Sen. James Beach and any others who "fuel corrupt machine politics" in the Garden State.

Kim is the latest Democrat to break with the party’s old guard. In a video announcement released Wednesday, the blue state senator described a political establishment that is more focused on special interests than "doing what's right for the people."

The New Jersey Democrat's plan follows former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg sparking an intraparty rift earlier this year when he announced he would invest millions through his super PAC, Leaders We Deserve, to primary older, incumbent Democrats who he said are "asleep at the wheel."

Hogg was quick to endorse Kim's "amazing" plan, asking the Garden State senator what Leaders We Deserve can do to help.

LEADING SENATE DEMOCRAT TELLS FOX NEWS 'IT'S TIME ... FOR NEW LEADERSHIP,' AS SCHUMER FACES GROWING PRESSURE

"We need leaders who represent the people, not powerful interests; and we need a grassroots army to build an anti-corruption movement," Kim said Wednesday.

MAMDANI DISCOURAGES HAKEEM JEFFRIES PRIMARY CHALLENGER, TELLS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TO 'FOCUS' ON NYC

While acknowledging that Beach is a part of Kim's own party, the Democrat said he was compelled to speak out following a recent state senate committee hearing.

"He said something there that just — I've never heard before in politics," Kim said. "A constituent from the crowd spoke out, and the state senator, the chairman, looked at him and said, 'I don't care about you.' And I just thought that that was so reflective of the broken politics that we have in New Jersey, frankly, around this country."

Beach did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Beach told The New Jersey Globe Wednesday that he plans to seek re-election in 2027. 

"I have never believed that holding elected office was somehow a right that could not or should not be challenged, and I welcome any and all opponents to file to run against me in my re-election bid so that we can fully review our records and agenda for the future. I’m very proud of my record," Beach told The Globe, while accusing Kim of trying to become a "party boss."

But Kim believes that elected officials who are dismissive of constituents reflect a broader problem in politics.

"We have elected officials, politicians that don't feel beholden to the people, don't feel accountable," Kim explained. "Here in New Jersey, it's because of these entrenched machine politics that Senator Beach has been a part of for many, many years. And for so long, they have been focused on themselves, on their special interests and their corporate interests, rather than doing what's right for the people. And I just have to say that's enough."

Fed up with the status quo of "machine politics," Kim vowed to support a primary challenger against Beach in 2027, when he is up for re-election. Beach has served as a New Jersey state senator since 2009.

"I'm gonna be stepping up to get involved across this state and make sure we're taking on elected officials who have been standing up and protecting the machine politics, standing against what we're trying to do to fight corruption, and that needs to end."

Hogg's Leaders We Deserve has led a nationwide effort to elect young, progressive candidates to Congress and statewide legislatures across the U.S.

The group endorsed a slew of high-profile progressive Democrats this year, including New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, failed congressional candidate and Gen Z activist Deja Foxx and Akbar Ali, who was recently elected to Georgia's General Assembly at just 21-years-old.

Hogg resigned from his vice chair position earlier this year after DNC Chair Ken Martin gave him an ultimatum to either forego his involvement with Leaders We Deserve or resign from his vice chair role. Amid a procedural challenge to his election, Hogg resigned, arguing party politics were at play in pushing him out — an accusation the DNC has rejected.

The 25-year-old's plan to primary challenge Democrats in safe, blue districts triggered a debate about the party's future as Democrats spent much of 2025 without a clear message or leader following losses up and down the ballot last year.

On the heels of Mamdani's success in New York City — a race that took national politics by storm as a socialist millennial was elected to lead the largest city in the U.S. — more progressive, anti-establishment candidates have been jumping into races across the U.S.

In San Francisco, two high-profile Democratic challengers announced campaigns for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat before she had even announced her plan to step down from the seat she has held since 1987.

Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and state senator Scott Wiener, are running to Pelosi’s left, part of a broader coast-to-coast battle for the Democratic Party’s progressive base.

Just this week, Mamdani-endorsed Brad Lander launched a primary challenge against Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who refused to endorse Mamdani's mayoral campaign. Lander is considered the more progressive candidate for his outright condemnation of the war in Gaza, while Goldman told CBS New York's Marcia Kramer that he feared Mamdani wouldn't do enough to protect Jewish New Yorkers.

As Kim takes a stance on the ideological divide driving the future of the Democratic Party, the New Jersey senator encouraged his constituents to get involved in the political process.

"Senator Beach is part of my own political party, but I have to stand up against corruption, stand up against the broken politics, no matter who is violating it. Sometimes that means standing up against my own party," Kim said.

The New Jersey senator's announcement also came on the heels of Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill's success in November, as national Democrats claim to be "on the offense" heading into the 2026 midterm elections. 

Kim did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Two weeks ago, I spent the week in New York City, my hometown and the place that still calls itself the global capital of tolerance and progress. Yet during a simple Uber ride, I heard something that shocked me as an American and as a Jew.

My driver calmly explained that the devil has taken over the world, that only a caliphate can restore order and that women invite rape by the way they dress. He delivered these views with total confidence, as if they were now part of mainstream conversation. This was not whispered extremism. This was Midtown Manhattan on a weekday morning.

MORNING GLORY: THE RETURN OF ANTISEMITISM SHOULD SHOCK AND APPALL AMERICANS

This climate did not appear out of nowhere. Political figures like Zohran Mamdani, the incoming mayor, normalized antisemitism and excused extremist rhetoric that undermines Jewish safety. When elected officials erase the moral boundaries that once protected minority communities, ordinary people take it as permission to go even further. New York is beginning to tolerate ideas that contradict American values and place Jews in real danger.

Then I arrived in Jerusalem for the Sabbath.

Within hours, my children were playing freely with Arab children in Liberty Bell Park. At the skate park, Israeli teens and Arab teens were sharing bikes and boards without hesitation. A young Arab boy named Ayub ran up to me with his arms raised, and his mother smiled in approval. There was no tension. No division. Only families living their lives.

Later that weekend in Tel Aviv, I met a gay Arab-Israeli (yes, read that again) who was relaxing on the beach, having a drink and enjoying a level of personal freedom that would be impossible in much of the region. He spoke openly and comfortably. It was a simple moment, yet a powerful one. Israel, despite its challenges, is a place where people of different identities and backgrounds can live freely and authentically.

SIGN UP FOR ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED NEWSLETTER

This is reality on the ground, not the curated narrative, the lived truth.

Meanwhile, in New York, the city that prides itself on moral clarity, my driver was outlining a theocratic worldview and hinting that violence is justified when society does not follow his religious rules. When political leaders legitimize antisemitism or minimize extremist ideas, people who hold those ideas no longer feel constrained. They feel validated. They feel emboldened. And Jewish communities feel more vulnerable.

Israel continues to uphold values of coexistence, diversity and personal freedom that New York is drifting away from. American Jews feel this shift. We see antisemitism creeping into political speech and spilling into public behavior. It emboldens those who target or intimidate Jews. It weakens the foundations of safety that once defined New York.

Mayor-elect Mamdani’s antisemitism is not harmless rhetoric. It shapes the tone of the city. It creates an environment where a Manhattan driver feels comfortable describing a world ruled by Sharia and implying that an Oct. 7 style attack could be justified because society does not conform to his religious standards. That is not normal. That is not acceptable. And that is not the New York that generations before us worked so hard to build.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

I refuse to stay silent. I will stand up for my children. I will stand up for their friends. I will stand up for every generation that fought for freedom and against persecution. That is why I work with NCSY and its Jewish Student Union program as they confront antisemitism in America’s schools. It is why I work with the Yad Vashem USA Foundation to preserve memory and truth at a time when both are under attack.

Two weeks. Two cities. Two starkly different realities. Only one is protecting the values the world claims to cherish.

New York must decide whether it will continue down a path shaped by extremism and antisemitism or whether it will reclaim the principles that once made it a beacon of freedom.

Lady Liberty, I am worried about you.

A rural Vermont school district has stirred social media controversy after raising a Somali flag last week, amid a national reckoning over fraud in the Somali community in Minnesota and leading to condemnation from the state's GOP chairman.

"I just don't understand why our K through 12 schools think this is the most important thing," Paul Dame, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, told Fox News Digital. "I think most Vermonters, probably most Americans, want their schools to focus on reading, writing and arithmetic, and not what flags get displayed outside the school. It seems like a huge waste of time."

The Winooski School District, located in western Vermont near the city of Burlington, is at the center of the controversy.

"We are raising the Somali flag this week in honor of our Somali youth and families in Winooski and Vermont," the Winooski School District said in a Facebook post on Dec. 5. "On Monday, we will be gathering to celebrate together and to learn more about our civil rights."

WALZ ‘DERELICT LEADERSHIP’ TO BLAME IN $1B FRAUD SCANDAL WITH 'HAUNTING REMINDS OF WATERGATE': GOP CHALLENGER

Over the weekend, the story went viral on X and other social media sites, as photos of the flag-raising were reposted across the web.

That led to a Monday clarification by the school district in a comment on its original Facebook post.

"First, we want to assure our community that the United States flag remains in its proper place at the highest point, in full accordance with the U.S. Flag Code," the school's follow-up post said. "The Winooski School District has three flag masts: the U.S. flag on the top mast, the Vermont state flag on the second, and—this week—the Somali flag on the third."

FEDERAL PROBE TARGETS ALLEGED MINNESOTA SOMALI FRAUD ‘NETWORK’ AS COVID-AID CRIME RINGS PERSIST

"The Somali flag is being flown for one week as a gesture of support for our Somali students and families," the post said. "Winooski is a proudly diverse community, and we are committed to recognizing and uplifting all of the cultures that make our district stronger."

Dame described the potential for divisiveness that flying a foreign flag can evoke, and called it "intentionally provocative." 

"It's not making things better for the students in the school, because obviously there's probably some students who support that and some students who feel differently," said Dame. "So it's not doing anything positive to bring the school together or create a better learning environment."

INSIDE ‘LITTLE MOGADISHU’: MINNESOTA’S BELEAGUERED SOMALI COMMUNITY UNDER A CLOUD OF FRAUD AND TRUMP ATTACKS

"People just really have a hard time raising the flag over an American property that's not the American flag, and I think schools — it's really imperative that if schools want to be able to bring their community together — they take a look at things like this that are intentionally dividing them, and bring their community together."

The district found support among many commenters on its Facebook page.

"Very proud to be an alumni of this wonderful school district," said a commenter named Jennifer Agnew. "Thank you for doing what you can to protect our community members, and for showing us the way in this dark time."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST

"Grateful for our Somali neighbors – you are welcome and I appreciate your contributions to our city!" Kate Cappleman Sinz said.

The responses on X took on a much different tone.

"We shouldn't be flying foreign flags on public school grounds in America," author and founder of ACT for America Brigitte Gabriel said. "Especially, the Somali flag! The Winooski School District in Vermont needs to be held accountable."

ILHAN OMAR SAYS SHE'S FRUSTRATED SINCE SOMALIS ARE ALSO VICTIMS IN 'FEEDING OUR FUTURE' SCAM

"Winooski School District in Vermont has put up a Somali flag in protest to President Trump and as a message that all Somalis are welcome in the state," said commentator Benny Johnson. "I’ve got a suggestion for ICE’s next stop."

The school district's move comes amid a U.S. House investigation and a Treasury Department review of schemes largely perpetrated by Minnesota's Somali community involving the alleged theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID relief funds and fraud related to public housing programs and autism relief services.

Claims that at least some of the money was funneled to the African Islamic terror group Al-Shabaab are also being probed.

The Winooski School District did not respond to a request for comment. 

Employees in the Minnesota Department of Human Services accused Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of presiding over the alleged fraud, despite being warned of its existence.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the controversy on Truth Social, and vowed to end a popular path to legal residence in the United States.

"Minnesota, under Governor [Tim] Walz, is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity," he said in a Nov. 20 post. "I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota."

HBO host Bill Maher is questioning whether he can stay friends with Jimmy Kimmel in spite of the stance, stated by the ABC late-night host's wife, over ending relationships with people because of politics. 

During the latest "Club Random" podcast episode, Maher recalled how he openly disagreed with Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, recently saying she cut off her family and friends who voted for President Donald Trump, and worried that it might end his friendship with Kimmel.

"I hope we're friends forever, but I don't know. You know, the liberals and the woke – that's a schism. It just is," he told his guest, The Young Turks host Ana Kasparian. 

MAHER CALLS OUT KIMMEL FOR NOT THANKING HIM FOR SUPPORT AMID SUSPENSION, ACCUSES KIMMEL OF LIBERAL BIAS

During an episode of HBO’s "Real Time with Bill Maher" in November, the host criticized Kimmel’s wife after she disclosed that she had urged her relatives not to vote for Trump in 2024.

"Molly McNearney, Jimmy Kimmel's wife and head writer, went public on this topic recently, so I feel it's fair to comment, respectfully, in public. She says she's lost relationships with relatives because she wrote them an email before the election with ten reasons why they shouldn't vote for Trump, and some still didn't obey, so you know," Maher said, clicking and gesturing a slicing motion across his neck.

He continued: "Ten reasons? I can think of 100. But I would never present it to someone as an ultimatum. Ultimatums don't make people rethink their politics. They make them rethink you."

Kimmel's outspoken stance against Trump has led to the president constantly criticizing him on social media. Kimmel was also briefly suspended by ABC in September after his remarks about Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin raised hackles, but he's been back on the air ever since. 

BILL MAHER ADMITS MORE 'PERSPECTIVE' ON GEORGE W BUSH DURING INTERVIEW WITH COUSIN BILLY, WANTS HIM ON PODCAST

On "Club Random," Maher told Kasparian he believes it’s never worth cutting off friends or neighbors over politics.

"You know, my message last week, on our last show this season, and every Thanksgiving really for the last five years, has been, ‘I'm in the talk-to-them wing of the Democratic Party. I'm not in the cut-your-people-off. Don’t cut ‘em off," he said.

Maher, who has described himself as an anti-woke liberal in recent years, noted how some of his more woke friends criticized the message. He also said that his friendship with Kimmel is hanging "in the balance" because of it. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Maher added that he likes Kimmel "a lot," but said he felt compelled to speak out against McNearney’s remarks.

"And I was as kid-gloved as I could. And I see that they're mad at me. And I'm sorry. I mean, I was being, again, as respectful as I could, but I don't agree with that point of view."

Maher continued, "I love Jimmy. I always have. I don't know him that well, but he's a great guy. And we have a connection, like, we were both fired by ABC. And he took my – I had that timeslot. So, like, it's so interesting, the same ABC – I mean, Disney executive – canned us both. It's interesting, the connections."

Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for comment. 

MS NOW "The Weekend" co-host Jackie Alemany suggested in a question posed to the Attorney General of Minnesota on Saturday that the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota was "isolated," as she argued that President Donald Trump often used such incidents to make generalizations about certain communities.

"He also, in the past, has historically used isolated instances to justify this language of bigotry and paint with extremely broad brushstrokes and make these generalizations. He has honed in on this investigation into Feeding Our Future, which your office actually prosecuted. I'm wondering if you can set the record straight here, and talk a little bit about this investigation and what it entailed, and how isolated it actually was," Alemany asked Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Saturday while discussing President Donald Trump's rhetoric about the fraud scheme in Minnesota, and his attacks against the Somali community in the state.

Prosecutors have labeled the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in the state as the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country, stemming from allegations that the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future and its associates defrauded federal child-nutrition programs for hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID-19 aid.

As of November 2025, more than 75 individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, according to federal prosecutors. Nearly all the individuals are part of Minnesota's Somali diaspora, though the ringleader of the scheme is not.

INSIDE ‘LITTLE MOGADISHU’: MINNESOTA’S BELEAGUERED SOMALI COMMUNITY UNDER A CLOUD OF FRAUD AND TRUMP ATTACKS

"Well, it was the U.S. Attorney's office that actually brought the prosecutions," Ellison told MS NOW. "My office contributed and gave evidence and information to advance the prosecution. But I want to say thank you and hats off and congratulations to our colleagues in the U.S. Attorney's office for a job well done. They've prosecuted over 78 of these people."

"We all want to protect the public dollar. We want to prosecute people who engage in fraud. We are up for that. But, we can't do it on a partisan basis. We got to do it together. We can't use incidents like this to score a political point," he said.

The attorney general of Minnesota went on to criticize the president and said he was "inconsistent."

ILHAN OMAR PRESSED TO EXPLAIN HOW FRAUD IN MINNESOTA GOT 'SO OUT OF CONTROL'

The New York Times published a sprawling report last month on the extent of the fraud, which has landed Gov. Tim Walz and other state Democrats in hot water as they've sought to explain how such a scheme happened "on their watch."

"Over the last five years, law enforcement officials say, fraud took root in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora as scores of individuals made small fortunes by setting up companies that billed state agencies for millions of dollars’ worth of social services that were never provided," the Times reported.

Conservative media watchdog NewsBusters, which flagged the MS NOW anchor's remarks, wrote, "Contrary to Alemany's claim, the Somali welfare fraud was actually widespread -- just like the liberal media's instinct to cover up hard truths that contradict its woke narrative."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Trump called the Somali community "garbage" amid the ongoing fraud revelations and has said he doesn't want them in the country, outraging Democrats.

"We can go one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country," he said during a Cabinet meeting last week.