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Hear the death threats Republican senator received about Trump

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., his staff and family have been the target of harassment and death threats, according to a memo released by his office on Thursday afternoon. 

Voicemails shared by Tillis’ team, which were filled with profanity and fueled by discontent with President Donald Trump, reveal a frightening new reality. The senator’s senior advisor, Daniel Keylin, said ‘the volume of threats and harassment directed at members of Congress and their staff is the new normal.’ 

‘Yeah, Thom Tillis, afraid of death threats? Then get the f— out of office,’ one caller said in a voicemail. 

Keylin said Tillis’ office in Greenville, North Carolina, received a handwritten and unsigned letter postmarked in Greensboro last month calling his staff members ‘sacrificial lambs’ and insisting they ‘signed up to be his shield.’ The anonymous writer, while reiterating ‘in no way is this a threat,’ said people are going to start ‘coming in filled with rage.’

The voicemails released by Tillis’ office express outrage over Trump’s policies and include violent threats to Tillis and his staff.

‘You are not going to destroy my country,’ one woman said. Another caller told Tillis he is ‘not one of the good guys anymore’ and said to ‘get the f— out of government.’

‘…When things get really bad, people are going to stop calling and writing. They’re going to start coming in, and they’re going to be coming in filled with rage… And you signed up to be his shield. Resign, please resign, or find a Groupon for self defense class because America’s transition to oligarchy is going to be a wild ride for us peons,’ reads the anonymous letter sent to Tillis.

The anonymous writer references ‘America’s transition to oligarchy,’ a term that has been used by the left to describe the alleged rising power of the billionaire class.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has drawn thousands of supporters to his ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ rallies across the country, with stops in Michigan and Wisconsin this past weekend. The events are billed as an opportunity to ‘discuss how we take on the greed of the billionaire class and create a government that works for all and not just the few.’

Democrats were outraged by Trump inviting billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg to sit behind him at his inauguration inside the U.S. Capitol. Former President Joe Biden also used the term ‘oligarchy’ in his farewell address to the nation. 

‘Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,’ Biden told Americans on Jan. 13. 

Two weeks after Tillis’ office received the letter, Indivisible Guilford County, a local arm of a progressive political action group, organized a protest at Tillis’ Greensboro office. While the protest’s press release encouraged peaceful signs and ‘solidarity,’ Keylin said the protesters attempted to break into Tillis’ office.

‘They angrily yanked and attempted to open the office’s locked door, yelling at Tillis’ staff to open it: ‘Come back, we see you! Open the door!’ and reminding the staff they had no way to exit their office,’ Keylin said in the memo. 

Keylin said Tillis’ office received several media inquiries questioning if Tillis would attend the protests or town halls planned in Republican-held districts. Outlining years of targeted threats that have only escalated since Trump returned to office, Keylin said, ‘I imagine anyone with a modicum of sanity would understand what a silly question that is.’

The memo says that ‘out of an abundance of caution,’ law enforcement has directed the senator’s office to work from home on the days protests are planned. 

‘We will not make any apologies for prioritizing the safety and security of our staff,’ Keylin said. 

The memo outlines two more instances in which the North Carolina senator was subject to death threats. 

‘Senator Tillis, his staff, and even his family have long been subject to threats, harassment, attempted intimidation, and verbal abuse from unstable individuals who don’t agree with his political view,’ Keylin said. 

A U.S. citizen living abroad was arrested for threatening to kill Tillis and cut off the hands of his staffers in 2023, and a Minnesota man was indicted in 2022 for threatening to kill Tillis, the memo confirmed. 

Protests have shut down town halls and disrupted local legislative offices in the past two months, and Republicans have opted for tele-town halls instead of in-person town halls as a result. Democrats have accused Republicans of ignoring their constituents’ concerns by avoiding in-person town halls. 

Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., will host town halls on Friday in Republican-held congressional districts in Iowa and Nebraska ‘to lend a megaphone to the people.’ Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has reportedly started planning her own rallies in Republican-held congressional districts as well. 

MoveOn.org, which has accepted millions of dollars from billionaire George Soros and his Open Society Policy Center, announced in a press release last month that it was mobilizing resources as part of a ‘Congress Works for Us, Not Musk’ initiative ‘aimed at pressuring lawmakers to fight back against the Trump-Musk agenda.’ The group planned protests at congressional-led town halls and congressional offices.

Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Second judge orders Trump admin to rehire probationary workers let go in mass firings

A second judge late Thursday ordered the Trump administration to reinstate probationary workers who were let go in mass firings across multiple agencies.  

In Baltimore, U.S. District Judge James Bredar, an Obama appointee, found that the administration ignored laws set out for large-scale layoffs. Bredar ordered the firings halted for at least two weeks and the workforce returned to the status quo before the layoffs began.

He sided with nearly two dozen states that filed a lawsuit alleging the mass firings are illegal and already having an impact on state governments as they try to help those who are suddenly jobless.

The ruling followed a similar one by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, who found Thursday morning that terminations across six agencies were directed by the Office of Personnel Management and acting director, Charles Ezell, who lacked the authority to do so.

Alsup’s order tells the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury to immediately offer job reinstatement to employees terminated on or about Feb. 13 and 14. He also directed the departments to report back within seven days with a list of probationary employees and an explanation of how the agencies complied with his order as to each person.

The temporary restraining order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and organizations as the Republican administration moves to reduce the federal workforce.

The Trump administration has already appealed Alsup’s ruling, arguing that the states have no right to try and influence the federal government’s relationship with its own workers. Justice Department attorneys argued the firings were for performance issues, not large-scale layoffs subject to specific regulations.

Probationary workers have been targeted for layoffs across the federal government because they’re usually new to the job and lack full civil service protection. Multiple lawsuits have been filed over the mass firings.

Lawyers for the government maintain the mass firings were lawful because individual agencies reviewed and determined whether employees on probation were fit for continued employment.

Alsup, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, has found that difficult to believe. He planned to hold an evidentiary hearing on Thursday, but Ezell did not appear to testify in court or even sit for a deposition, and the government retracted his written testimony.

There are an estimated 200,000 probationary workers across federal agencies. They include entry-level employees but also workers who recently received a promotion.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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DOGE joins budget battle on side of Defense Department

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is trying to harness two seemingly untamable forces: the Pentagon and the Department of Government Efficiency. First, he ordered the military to reallocate 8% of its budget away from low-priority items like climate change to better align with President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ programs. If implemented, the budget shift would result in a 40% adjustment toward funding Trump’s priorities over DOD’s standard five-year defense program.  

Hegseth emphasized that his directive is ‘not a cut.’ Instead, he is ‘refocusing and reinvesting existing funds into building the force.’ Second, Hegseth has acknowledged that DOGE had officially entered the Pentagon. DOGE, he explained, would ‘be incorporated’ into DOD efforts ‘to find fraud, waste and abuse in the largest discretionary budget in the federal government.’ 

Hegseth is shrewdly attempting to leverage the power of DOGE and implement a much-needed comprehensive reform of the Pentagon budget. His reallocation plan assumes that savings from wasteful and unnecessary programs should be large enough to fend off pressure for more harmful cuts, potentially in areas essential for warfighting. His success will hinge on whether DOGE will embrace Hegseth’s 8% budget reallocation plan or if it demands blanket cuts on the Pentagon. President Trump, who has indicated he will allow his cabinet secretaries to take the first crack at cuts instead of DOGE, will be the pivotal player in Hegseth’s gambit.  

Hegseth’s position is similar to another reform-minded Defense Secretary, Robert Gates. Fifteen years ago, Gates warned that after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan ‘the gusher of defense spending’ was over. With budget cuts looming, Gates reached an agreement with President Barack Obama that any efficiency and overhead savings he found could be reinvested back into force structure and modernization priorities — rather than used as an excuse to shrink the Pentagon budget. 

Gates found $100 billion in savings by reducing Pentagon contractors, canceling weapons programs like the Marine expeditionary fighting vehicle, and shuttering excess organizations like Joint Forces Command, but Obama reneged on his promise. He argued he could not justify real growth in the defense budget amid a debt crisis. Nine months later, Obama signed the Budget Control Act into law, with disastrous consequences for defense. In the 10 years after the BCA was enacted, the Pentagon’s budget was cut by 14%, totaling nearly $1 trillion.  

Trump will determine whether his team repeats the same mistake as Obama and Gates. Unlike 2010, the stakes are even higher and there is a consensus in Washington that America needs a military buildup to confront China’s unprecedented military modernization. Over the past two years, the PRC has enjoyed a 15% increase in its defense budget. This year China’s defense budget growth will outpace China’s economic growth, revealing where Xi’s real priorities lie. 

Congress appears to be doing its part to help. The reconciliation process underway on Capitol Hill may add $150 billion in defense dollars over the next decade. Reconciliation is an opportunity to move beyond the perennially dysfunctional annual defense authorization and appropriation bills.  

The multi-year funding measure would allow the Pentagon to recapitalize an industrial base that has not seen an upgrade since the 1980s.  

Defense funding in a reconciliation measure is especially critical to these priorities because, as Hegseth warned, substantial defense increases may not be coming in the president’s own budget request. That reality explains why Hegseth has said the Pentagon may have to make do with the resources already available and ‘make sure that every dollar goes further.’ Hegseth’s order could reallocate at least $50 billion this fiscal year and nearly $250 billion over the life of the defense program.  

Internal efficiencies along the lines of what Gates found more than a decade ago combined with capital increases from a reconciliation measure could deliver transformative results: a leaner, more agile Pentagon now able to recapitalize the industrial base, deploy new technologies and catalyze other underfunded priorities like munitions production critical to a China fight. A predictable flow of capital would go a long way toward realizing Trump administration priorities like expanding shipbuilding capacity and the Golden Dome national missile defense system.  

Trump has declared ‘we will again build the strongest military the world has ever seen. We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars we end — and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into..’  

Whether DOGE prunes away DoD’s excess waste and inefficiencies or is an anvil that smashes through Pentagon programs – good and bad alike – is in President Trump’s hands. He uniquely can prevent the mistakes of his predecessors and allow the Pentagon to reinvest in itself and carry out the goal outlined in his platform to ‘Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world.’  

Michael Stanton is a research assistant at the Reagan Institute.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

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Small businesses barely survived Biden. They can’t wait for tariffs to fix things

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Main Street has been excited for the Donald Trump presidency. Optimism picked up on the back of Trump’s resounding election victory. They found an ally in the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, who recently echoed his previous small business support, saying, ‘Wall Street’s done great, Wall Street can continue doing well. But this administration is about Main Street.’ 

Small businesses and others even scored a major win when Bessent’s Treasury Department suspended enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act’s Beneficial Ownership Information reporting for U.S. citizens and entities, which had mostly been targeted at small businesses. 

But recent policy shifts, including substantial tariffs that have directly impacted small businesses and the markets, are standing in massive opposition to a Main Street win. 

While Trump and his advisors may be trying to play a long game here, small businesses, which have been brutalized by policy for the last five years, cannot withstand this chaos and blunt-force policy. 

Five years ago, a policy assault on small businesses began. Many small businesses were closed in whole or in part, or otherwise impacted by state and local COVID-19 policies, while large businesses were left open and supported in the stock market by the Fed. The PPP program purportedly meant to help affected small businesses was poorly structured, meaning a whole lot of people received funding who should not have, and many of those small businesses that rightfully should have been paid via PPP did not receive enough. 

Downstream effects, including labor force issues and supply chain disruptions on the back of COVID-19 policies beat down small business even more.  

Then came the Biden administration, bringing historic inflation and an estimated $1.7 trillion in new regulatory costs to small businesses. 

The effects from all of the above hurt small businesses disproportionally, because they do not have the scale to be able to absorb the costs and issues the way that larger businesses can. And everyone should care, because small businesses are close to half of the overall economy and more than 99% of all business entities.

If you want to grow the GDP and see the economy thrive, it must be done in concert with the success of small businesses. 

Which is why Main Street was hoping that they would get some certainty on tax policy, such as extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and price stability instead of policy chaos. 

Tariffs are directly impacting small businesses that did not have time to implement alternate plans and, in many cases, don’t have alternatives available. I personally know and have heard stories of small businesses that have incurred major financial penalties that they cannot pass along to consumers – and if they did – it would still hurt Main Street.  

These are not major car manufacturers or steel producers or defense contractors – these are small and family-owned companies. 

If tariffs must remain in place, they should be surgical and targeted. If not, then small businesses should be exempt and not have to bear tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs. The economy will suffer otherwise, and small businesses do not deserve to be subject to what equates to more taxes and fees for them. 

Additionally, the secondary effects of the market are also a problem. Not only does Main Street have money invested through 401(k)s and other brokerage accounts that are directly hurt, but when those go down significantly, they spend less. When your customers are feeling less wealthy, that also ends up impacting small businesses. 

And while Trump and his advisers may have helped get the dollar index and yield on the 10-year treasury down, no doubt a part of their strategy to deal with the mess President Joe Biden left them, a massive decrease in markets can also mean less collected in tax ‘revenue,’ which could end up making the deficit worse and causing a bona fide debt crisis. 

These are not major car manufacturers or steel producers or defense contractors – these are small and family-owned companies. 

The administration may be playing a long game, but right now small businesses cannot last that long.  

The government should focus on certainty, growth, stability, deregulation and prosperity first, as they address government spending, waste and fraud and then look at addressing other issues. 

That’s what Main Street voted for and that’s what they deserve. 

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Trump admin cracks down on groups tied to Iran targeting US citizens, sanctions Iranian-linked Swedish gang

The Trump administration unveiled new sanctions on Wednesday against an Iranian-linked Swedish gang that coordinated an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm in January 2024, according to the Treasury Department. 

The sanctions freeze assets for members and those affiliated with the Foxtrot Network, a transnational criminal organization that the Treasury Department said is one of the most ‘prominent’ drug trafficking organizations in the region. The sanctions also single out and target the group’s fugitive leader, Rawa Majid. 

‘Iran’s brazen use of transnational criminal organizations and narcotics traffickers underscores the regime’s attempts to achieve its aims through any means, with no regard for the cost to communities across Europe,’ Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a Wednesday statement. ‘Treasury, alongside our U.S. government and international partners, will continue to hold accountable those who seek to further Iran’s thuggish and destabilizing agenda.’

In addition to trafficking drugs, the Foxtrot Network is a criminal organization that conducts violent acts, including shootings, contract killings and assaults, and is responsible for increased violence in Sweden. It is notorious for employing teenagers to conduct these violent acts, according to the Treasury Department. 

Iran has increasingly utilized criminal networks to conduct attacks targeting the U.S. as well as attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe, the Treasury Department said. 

For example, the agency accused Iran of colluding with the Foxtrot Network to conduct an attack on the Israeli Embassy in 2024 after Swedish officials identified a ‘dangerous object’ believed to be an explosive device at the embassy. While security forces neutralized the device, Sweden’s security police moved to investigate the attack as a ‘terrorist crime,’ according to Reuters. 

The Treasury Department also said on Wednesday that Majid has coordinated with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, which is already under U.S. sanctions, and faces charges in Sweden pertaining to narcotics and firearms trafficking. 

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Treasury and State Department’s statements on the sanctions. 

The sanctions against Majid and the Foxtrot Network align with President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran, which he reinstated in February through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran’s oil exports.

 

Trump signaled Friday a nuclear deal with Iran could emerge shortly, and he revealed that he sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to push for Tehran to agree to a nuclear agreement. Otherwise, he said Tehran could count on facing military consequences. 

‘I would rather negotiate a deal,’ Trump told Fox Business in an interview Sunday. ‘I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily.’ 

‘But the time is happening now, the time is coming up,’ he said. ‘Something is going to happen one way or the other. I hope that Iran, and I’ve written them a letter saying I hope you’re going to negotiate, because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.’

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Elon Musk’s politics are hurting Tesla, 85% say in investor survey

More than eight out of every 10 respondents to a Morgan Stanley survey believe Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s controversial political activities are hurting his business.

In total, 85% of the 245 participants polled by the firm believe Musk’s foray into politics has either had a “negative” or “extremely negative” impact on business fundamentals. The majority of respondents also expect Tesla deliveries to fall this year, according to the survey.

While a small sampling, these results offer the latest sign of mounting frustration with the billionaire entrepreneur as he’s become a rising figure in international and American politics. It also comes at a pivotal point for Tesla’s stock, with shares plunging nearly 40% this year.

When asked about Musk’s efforts with U.S. government efficiency and other political activities, 45% of respondents said these actions had a “negative” effect on the company. Another 40% said they were having an “extremely negative” impact.

On the other hand, 3% said they were “positive” for the business. Meanwhile, 12% called them “insignificant.”

To be sure, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas reported that his survey respondents are drawn from his email distribution list and should not be taken as a random representative sample. He also noted that the respondents are not necessarily owners of Tesla stock. The survey was taken over a 17-hour period, starting on Tuesday afternoon.

Jonas also asked about expectations for the company’s performance. In a separate question, 59% said they anticipated Tesla would deliver fewer cars to customers in 2025 compared with the prior year. What’s more, 21% of total respondents said they expected a decline of more than 10%. That comes as some analysts have raised alarm that recent reports of vandalism could spook potential customers.

Just 19% of responders said they forecasted deliveries to rise in 2025, while another 23% said they would be flat between the two years.

Musk’s political profile has grown after his public support of President Donald Trump in the runup up to last year’s election and his subsequent role leading the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The Tesla executive’s efforts to slash the federal government’s spending and workforce has drawn the ire of critics who see his team as working too quickly and haphazardly.

Musk acknowledged in an interview with Fox Business on Monday that his high-profile role in Trump’s administration meant he was running his businesses, which also include X and SpaceX, “with great difficulty.” That day, Tesla shares tumbled more than 15% for their worst session since 2020.

Despite the recent nosedive, 45% of respondents said they anticipate Tesla shares will be at least 11% higher by the end of the calendar year. Around 36% expect the stock to tumble another 11% or further by year-end, while 19% see the stock staying within 10% of its price around $220.

After a New York Times report last week unearthed criticisms of Musk’s team from members of Trump’s cabinet, the president offered a vote of confidence on Tuesday. Trump evaluated five Tesla vehicles parked at the White House after the president said on social media that he would buy one as a symbol of support.

Trump also said he would declare violence at Tesla dealerships to be acts of domestic terrorism.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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Spirit Airlines, fresh from bankruptcy, is ready to take on the new Southwest, CEO says

Spirit Airlines is out of bankruptcy, hitting its target to emerge in the first quarter, after a crippling few years. CEO Ted Christie says the carrier is leaner and ready to take on competitors, including rival Southwest Airlines.

Earlier this week, Southwest shocked customers by announcing it will start charging for checked bags for the first time in its half-century of flying, a huge strategy move for the largest domestic U.S. carrier. (There are some exceptions to Southwest new bag rules, which take effect in late May.)

“I think it’s going to be painful for a little bit as they find their footing, and we’re going to take advantage of that,” Spirit’s Christie said in an interview Thursday.

Southwest had been a standout in the U.S. by offering all customers two free checked bags, a perk that has endured recessions, spikes in fuel prices and other crises while most rivals introduced bag fees and raised them every few years.

Spirit Airlines, on the other hand, made a la carte pricing common in the U.S., with fees for seat assignments, checked bags and other add-ons. It’s a strategy most large airlines, except for Southwest, have copied in one form or another.

As Southwest starts charging for bags and introduces its first basic economy class, which doesn’t include a seat assignment or allow free changes, Spirit could possibly win over customers, Christie said.

Southwest said it would get rid of its single-class open seating model last year.

“There at least was an audience of people who were intentionally selecting and flying Southwest because they felt that it was easy. They knew they were going to get two bags,” Christie said. “Now that that’s no longer the case, it’s easy to say that they’re going to widen their aperture and they’re now going to look around.”

Spirit is far smaller than Southwest and even smaller than it was last year, but it competes with the airline in cities like Kansas City, Missouri; Nashville, Columbus, Ohio; and Milwaukee. If customers look on travel sites like Expedia, where Southwest is a new entrant, Spirit’s tickets could be cheaper and appear higher in results, Christie said.

Other airline executives have also said they expect to win over some Southwest customers.

Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein said at a JPMorgan industry conference Tuesday that there are consumers who choose Southwest based on its free-bag perk “and now those customers are up for grabs.”

Spirit, for its part, has recently been offering more ticket bundles that include things like seat assignments and luggage.

The carrier is now focused on returning to profitability. It posted a net loss of more than $1.2 billion last year, more than double its loss in 2023 as it grappled with grounded jets because of a Pratt & Whitney engine recall, higher costs, more domestic competition and a failed acquisition by JetBlue Airways.

Spirit has rejected multiple recent merger attempts by fellow budget carrier Frontier Airlines. Christie said Thursday that nothing is “off the table” and that a fifth-largest airline as a low cost carrier in the U.S. makes sense, but that the airline is focused on stabilizing itself after bankruptcy.

Through its restructuring process, which started in November, Spirit said it reduced its debt by about $795 million. The transaction converted debt into equity for major creditors. The carrier also received a $350 million equity infusion.

Spirit plans to relist its shares on a stock exchange but hasn’t set a date yet.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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Donatella Versace steps down as head of Italian fashion house

Donatella Versace announced Thursday that she is stepping down as chief creative officer of Versace, ending her nearly 30-year-long stint at the Italian luxury fashion empire’s helm.

Versace, 69, took on the role to lead the luxury fashion house after her brother and its founder, Gianni Versace, was fatally gunned down outside his Miami Beach mansion in 1997.

‘It has been the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni’s legacy,’ Versace wrote on Instagram. ‘He was the true genius, but I hope I have some of his spirit and tenacity.’

Following her brother’s death — and despite not having a background in design or fashion — Versace quickly became a living embodiment of the Versace brand and remains a beloved figure within the fashion industry.

Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace.Toni Thorimbert / Sygma via Getty Images file

The 69-year-old’s iconic pin-straight blond hair and her unparalleled ability to bring together the industry’s top models, including Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, for the fashion house’s out-of-this-world runway shows became as emblematic of the brand as its gold mythological logo.Emmanuel Gintzburger, CEO of Versace — whose parent company is fashion conglomerate Capri Holdings — said that the brand ‘is what it is today because of Donatella Versace and the passion she has brought to her role every day for nearly thirty years.’

‘The universal values she stands for and her love for uncompromised creativity anchored Versace far beyond a brand or a company,’ he said in a statement. ‘Working alongside her has been an incredible privilege and pleasure.’

Dario Vitale, the former design and image director of Italian brand Miu Miu, will lead the fashion house as its new chief creative officer, the company said in a statement.

“I want to express my sincere thank you to Donatella for her trust in me, and for her tireless dedication to the extraordinary brand that Versace is today,” Vitale said in a statement. “It is a privilege to contribute to the future growth of Versace and its global impact through my vision, expertise and dedication.”

Versace will stay on at the company as its chief brand ambassador.

‘I will remain Versace’s most passionate supporter,’ she said. ‘Versace is in my DNA and always in my heart.’

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Nigerian star Patoranking draws on his childhood dreams to help African youth

While fans worldwide know him for his chart-topping hits, behind the scenes, Nigerian Afro-dancehall artist Patoranking has set out to change the lives of one million young people by 2035.

Born Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, Patoranking rose from the slums of Ebute Metta, Lagos, to become one of Nigeria’s most versatile and successful musicians. Blending reggae, dancehall and Afrobeats, he has captivated audiences globally. However, beyond his musical talents, Patoranking is working to uplift African youth.

“Coming from a place where the chances of making it were slim, I knew I had to step up — not just for myself but for those around me.”

Overcoming adversity through music

Growing up in a slum, Patoranking faced harsh realities early on. His father, a “petty trader,” struggled to make ends meet. Higher education seemed out of reach, so instead, Patoranking turned to his natural gift — music. “I was influenced by the ghetto sounds of Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo, and Tuface. Music was a way to express the struggles of my people, and I wanted to be the voice of the voiceless,” he recalled.

His breakthrough came in 2013 when Nigerian singer Timaya took him under his wing collaborating on and releasing the hit track “Alubarika” on Timaya’s record label.

The following year, Patoranking’s song “Girlie O” earned him a spot on MTV Base’s Official Naija Top 10 chart, as well as numerous awards.

Giving back to the community

Despite his meteoric rise, Patoranking never lost sight of his roots. In 2018, he launched the Patoranking Foundation, which aims to help one million youth with initiatives focused on education, sports and community development. “One of the dreams I had growing up was to be a footballer,” he said. “Since I couldn’t achieve that, I want to create opportunities for others.”

As part of this vision, Patoranking is building sports facilities in underserved communities, providing safe spaces for young people to play, learn and connect. The first was in his hometown, Ebute Metta, an area historically plagued by gang clashes.

“This is a genuine sports center, and by the grace of God, we’ve been able to build something that unifies our people,” he said.

A vision for Africa’s future

Over the next five years, Patoranking plans to build 100 such facilities across Africa, creating safe havens for young people in slums and marginalized communities. His foundation also supports education and vocational training.

“For me, philanthropy is personal. Before I became Patoranking, I prayed to God, saying, ‘If you put me in a position to make money, I want to touch lives,’” he said.

While the singer’s initial aspirations to become a professional footballer led him to build community soccer fields, it was his passion for technology and the financial barriers he faced in pursuing an education that drove him to make his biggest philanthropic investment.

“I’ve always wanted to become an information technologist, but my parents were not financially able to send me to university,” he said.

He launched the Sky Level Initiative to provide access to advanced technology training and education for 170 children in Ebonyi State in southeastern Nigeria. In partnership with the African Leadership University (ALU), one of the continent’s leading tech and skills training institutions, in 2020 Patoranking launched a scholarship to help young people further their careers in tech and entrepreneurship.

Fred Swaniker, founder of the ALU, said the scholarship “Creates tremendous opportunities, because young people tend to be more creative, more entrepreneurial, hungry, and passionate. I believe that many of the world’s problems will be solved by harnessing the power of African youth.”

Last year, Patoranking was appointed UN Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, tasked with championing youth innovation and enterprise development. As he continues to break boundaries in the music industry and beyond, he remains optimistic about the future of the next generation.

“Anything they want to achieve is achievable,” he said.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

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New Zealand police renew hunt for fugitive father and three children missing since 2021

New Zealand police have announced renewed efforts to find Thomas Callam Phillips, a fugitive who has been on the run with his three children since 2021.

Officers will be searching the area in and around Te Waitere and Te Maika, which are rural communities in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island, around 13 miles from where Phillips was last seen, over the next few days, police said in a statement published Wednesday.

Phillips has been evading police for three years since disappearing with his children Ember, Maverick and Jayda – who were 5, 7 and 8 at the time – into the rugged wilderness of the country’s North Island during a bitter family split in December 2021.

New Zealand’s North Island is home to the wild, awe-inspiring landscape that formed some of the backdrop to Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies.
Steep hills with sweeping views drop away into deep valleys, dotted with caves covered by a blanket of dense forest.

At first, Phillips was wanted for failing to appear in court on charges of wasting police resources but, three years on, his charge sheet has grown longer and more serious, with allegations that he robbed a bank in May 2023 with an unnamed female accomplice.
Police have scrambled search teams, helicopters and planes to investigate sporadic sightings but have failed to find them.

In October 2024, pig hunters made what is believed to be the first sighting of all three children since 2021 in Marokopa.

One recorded the four figures on video, providing the first proof of life of the missing Phillips children that their mother Cat has seen since they left.

The case has gripped New Zealand, with many questioning why authorities haven’t been able to track Phillips and his children down.

“This is not a big country we’re talking about,” said Lance Burdett, a former detective inspector and lead crisis negotiator for New Zealand Police, at the time.

“It’s very surprising that they haven’t been found, particularly since the number of sightings are in a very similar area.”

Max Baxter, mayor of the Otorohanga district that includes Marokopa, a rural community home to fewer than 100 people, says authorities believe Phillips is receiving help.

“We absolutely believe that somebody, or some people, are helping them,” Baxter said in October 2024.

“Tom still has a number of supporters out there believing that he is doing the right thing for him and his children.”

Phillips was raised in the Marokopa area and his parents still live there in the family home.
In a statement provided to TVNZ in 2023, his mother denied any knowledge of her son’s whereabouts and said the family would “like nothing more” than for the four to return.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

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