Your BRIGHT Week in Review

Plus: Dinner and a Movie

Photo of the Week

President Trump introduces Board of Peace charter at World Economic Forum.

DOJ to Investigate Protestors Disrupting Minnesota Church Services

Just the News reported the Justice Department is now probing a protest that interrupted a service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, after activists chanted “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” accusing a pastor of ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Justice Department says it’s looking at possible civil-rights and federal violations for disrupting worship.

Fox News reported:

“I just spoke to the Pastor in Minnesota whose church was targeted. Attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

“If state leaders refuse to act responsibly to prevent lawlessness, this Department of Justice will remain mobilized to prosecute federal crimes and ensure that the rule of law prevails,” she added.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also condemned the attack in a statement on social media. Footage of the event showed a crowd disrupting the church service with shouts. Attendees of the church told Fox that agitators followed them into the parking lot as they attempted to leave the scene, with some surrounding vehicles and trying to block them from leaving.

RELATED: Like Don Lemon, Our Entire Corporate Press Is Literally Just Doing Far-Left Activism (The Federalist)

Trump Admin Targets Student Aid Fraud in California, Minnesota

Fox News reported the Trump administration is intensifying its crackdown on federal student aid fraud. Education Department officials are now flagging California and Minnesota as major problem areas. Undersecretary Nicholas Kent said scams drain taxpayer dollars and harm low- and middle-income students who rely on Pell Grants. The department says it blocked about $1 billion in fraudulent aid in 2025, citing widespread use of fake or non-participating enrollees known as ghost students. Kent said, “What we see often in terms of financial aid fraud are what we call ghost students, and these are students who really never intend to enroll in post-secondary education. They never intend to take classes and to graduate. They enroll for the sole purpose of defrauding the federal student aid program.”

In California alone, scammers took at least $10 million from community colleges in a single year. They now estimate a large share of applications are believed to be fraudulent because AI is making schemes easier to scale. The administration has responded by tightening Free Application for Federal Student Aid identity checks and pushing colleges to take responsibility for detecting fraud. State officials say oversight of federal aid rests primarily with Washington. Promise?

Some Companies Giving ‘Peanut Butter’ Raises

CBS News reported many workers’ 2026 pay raises may look the same across an organization, as more employers adopt “peanut-butter” increases instead of merit-based ones. In other words, evenly spreading raises across the company. About 44% of companies plan uniform raises, largely to avoid subjectivity, bias concerns, and administrative costs. Overall pay increases are expected to average 3.5%, unchanged from 2025, though merit-based raises still slightly dominate.

From CBS News:

“With no differentiation based on performance, it’s easier to give everyone something. But there is a risk that top performers will feel disadvantaged in that environment,” Ruth Thomas, chief compensation strategist at Payscale, told CBS News.

She noted that companies that eschew merit-based pay increases can still reward top performers with bonuses or promotions, for example.

“Base pay is not your only lever, and organizations may look more at bonuses and promotions when base pay budgets are restricted,” she added.

The article noted that smaller firms plan higher raises than large employers, and industries facing labor shortages, including construction and technology, are offering above-average increases.

Call me jelly because I don’t see a raise unless it comes from you 😂

Just Five Minutes of Daily Movement Linked to Longer Life, Study Finds

The New York Post reported that a large international study suggests that adding just five minutes of brisk walking a day could significantly reduce early deaths. Researchers tracked activity and health outcomes for more than 130,000 adults across several countries and found the habit was linked to a 10% drop in overall mortality. Dr. Theodore Strange said, “There’s clear evidence that lack of movement is a very detrimental thing,” urging people to start small because “that’s achievable.” He emphasized lifelong activity, and stressed that any movement matters, since “everybody has five minutes that they can spare.”

The Post also noted, “Movement also triggers the release of feel-good chemicals such as serotonin, endorphins and dopamine, acting as natural mood boosters, pain relievers and stress reducers.”

Dinner and a Movie

There is a lot of hype about the weather this weekend. Some will get snow, some will get ice, and the lucky will rain. We don’t know what group we’re in yet except that it will be cold. Only one movie comes to mind — The Shining.

For dinner, I’m making a big pot of Sharon’s chili. I don’t think I’m allowed to share the recipe. This one is similar. I also really like Carroll Shelby’s Texas Chili kit.