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https://www.alternet.org/msn-uk/brant-frost-ponzi-scheme/

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Georgia political fundraiser Brant Frost IV, known for bundling major donations for MAGA and Tea Party causes for the GOP, pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud.

Frost’s guilty plea before U.S. District Chief Judge Leigh Martin May is the latest development surrounding the collapse of First Liberty Building & Loan, and it is the first criminal conviction related to the downfall of the Newnan-based firm. Federal regulators accused the company last year of operating “a $140 million Ponzi scheme that targeted conservative and faith-based investors across Georgia and beyond.”

The AJC reports the plea “closes one chapter in a scandal that reverberated through Georgia conservative circles after First Liberty abruptly shut down operations last June.” Days later, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued the company and Frost, alleging the lender “used new investor money to cover obligations to earlier investors while portraying the business as a conservative, faith-driven alternative to traditional banking, with promises of big returns.”

First Liberty, which was not a federally insured bank, sold investment products known as “First Liberty Notes,” promising annual returns as high as 13 percent to accredited investors. AJC reports the company’s website promoted company executives as “authentic followers of Christ” and pitched the business as a conservative alternative for investors wary of traditional financial institutions.

“They didn’t steal from me. They stole God’s money,” complained 77-year-old retired electrical worker Thomas Todd, who invested $750,000 with First Liberty. The AJC reported Todd was even preparing to write another six-figure check when the company suddenly collapsed.

https://theintercept.com/2026/04/29/marco-rubio-state-department-christian-nationalism-instagram/

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The State Department has shifted its public image in favor of explicit Christian messaging and iconography and away from secular and multicultural causes, an analysis by The Intercept of the department’s Instagram posts has found.

Posts marking Passover, Good Friday, and Easter in 2026 included explicitly religious messaging, including imagery of Christian crosses and references to “Christ’s sacrifice” and the Resurrection. The Intercept’s analysis, which catalogued of the department’s Instagram posts from 2020 through early 2026, found these posts show a clear change in messaging not only from the Biden years, but also from President Donald Trump’s first term.

“From a digital diplomacy point of view, this looks like more than a change in images. It suggests a shift in how the U.S. government is presenting itself online,” said Corneliu Bjola, a professor of digital diplomacy at the University of Oxford. “In earlier years, posts projected a broad and inclusive image — what you might call ‘the shiny city on the hill.’ The 2026 pattern points to a narrower and more controlled message about strength and authority — ‘fortress America.’”

Long considered the government’s primary diplomatic arm, the State Department historically used its account to highlight a wide range of international, cultural, and religious observances. In 2020, under the leadership of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the State Department used its account to mark holidays and observances including Juneteenth, Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Yom Kippur, and Kwanzaa.

Since Secretary of State Marco Rubio assumed his role, observance-related posts have been limited to Christian and Jewish holidays, including one that featured an impassioned speech by Rubio describing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The account has not marked major Islamic holidays or other widely observed cultural events that it routinely highlighted in prior years.

Meanwhile, the State Department has moved away from posts highlighting multiculturalism in the United States and abroad.

Under Pompeo, the State Department made posts highlighting initiatives such as the International Religious Freedom Alliance and women’s empowerment efforts. The account also recognized events such as World Press Freedom Day, World Refugee Day, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the International Day of Reflection on the Rwanda Genocide, among others.

The range narrows significantly under Rubio. Posts during this period place greater emphasis on borders, sovereignty, and enforcement, alongside a more limited set of cultural and religious observances. In September 2025, the account featured a video of Rubio meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel as the country continued its assault on Gaza in what human rights groups and some international observers have described as a genocide.

The posts have also shifted to heavily feature the likeness of President Donald Trump. In early 2026, roughly 40 percent of posts included Trump’s image, a higher share than during either the Biden administration or Trump’s first term. On Tuesday, The Bulwark reported that the State Department is finalizing plans to include President Donald Trump’s image in a redesigned U.S. passport.

Asked why the account no longer marks a broader range of international and religious observances, including major Islamic holidays that had been featured in prior years, a State Department spokesperson said the content reflects the priorities of the current administration.

“Obviously, the president is featured prominently in our posts. He sets U.S. foreign policy, and the State Department’s role is to execute and communicate that agenda,” the spokesperson said. “Our content reflects the priorities of the current administration, including a renewed focus on seriousness and diplomacy. Decisions about what to highlight, including observances, are made by communications professionals.”The State Department has shifted
its public image in favor of explicit Christian messaging and
iconography and away from secular and multicultural causes, an analysis
by The Intercept of the department’s Instagram posts has found.
Posts marking Passover, Good Friday, and Easter in 2026 included
explicitly religious messaging, including imagery of Christian crosses
and references to “Christ’s sacrifice” and the Resurrection. The
Intercept’s analysis, which catalogued of the department’s Instagram
posts from 2020 through early 2026, found these posts show a clear
change in messaging not only from the Biden years, but also from
President Donald Trump’s first term.
“From a digital diplomacy point of view, this looks like more than a
change in images. It suggests a shift in how the U.S. government is
presenting itself online,” said Corneliu Bjola, a professor of digital
diplomacy at the University of Oxford. “In earlier years, posts
projected a broad and inclusive image — what you might call ‘the shiny
city on the hill.’ The 2026 pattern points to a narrower and more
controlled message about strength and authority — ‘fortress America.’”
Long considered the government’s primary diplomatic arm, the State
Department historically used its account to highlight a wide range of
international, cultural, and religious observances. In 2020, under the
leadership of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the State
Department used its account to mark holidays and observances including
Juneteenth, Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Yom
Kippur, and Kwanzaa.
Since Secretary of State Marco Rubio assumed his role,
observance-related posts have been limited to Christian and Jewish
holidays, including one that featured an impassioned speech
by Rubio describing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The account has
not marked major Islamic holidays or other widely observed cultural
events that it routinely highlighted in prior years.

Federal agencies have already faced scrutiny over controversial
social media posts. The Department of Homeland Security has recently
drawn scrutiny for using a neo-Nazi-linked song
in a recruiting post, and the Department of Labor has faced criticism
for social media imagery depicting an all-white, all-male workforce in a
1950s-style campaign, including a post that read, “One Homeland. One People. One Heritage. Remember who you are, American.”
Meanwhile, the State Department has moved away from posts highlighting multiculturalism in the United States and abroad.
Under Pompeo, the State Department made posts highlighting
initiatives such as the International Religious Freedom Alliance and
women’s empowerment efforts. The account also recognized events such as
World Press Freedom Day, World Refugee Day, Asian American and Pacific
Islander Heritage Month, and the International Day of Reflection on the
Rwanda Genocide, among others.
The range narrows significantly under Rubio. Posts during this period
place greater emphasis on borders, sovereignty, and enforcement,
alongside a more limited set of cultural and religious observances. In
September 2025, the account featured a video of Rubio meeting with Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel as the country continued its
assault on Gaza in what human rights groups and some international
observers have described as a genocide.

In 2025, posts marking observances were limited to a small set of
holidays and commemorations, including International Holocaust
Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day,
Christmas, and D-Day. Several posts emphasized religious or national
themes, including a Columbus Day post that referenced “glory to God and
country.”
The posts have also shifted to heavily feature the likeness of
President Donald Trump. In early 2026, roughly 40 percent of posts
included Trump’s image, a higher share than during either the Biden
administration or Trump’s first term. On Tuesday, The Bulwark reported
that the State Department is finalizing plans to include President
Donald Trump’s image in a redesigned U.S. passport.
Asked why the account no longer marks a broader range of
international and religious observances, including major Islamic
holidays that had been featured in prior years, a State Department
spokesperson said the content reflects the priorities of the current
administration.

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