By MELISSA GOLDIN

As the Trump administration continues to investigate a series of alleged fraud schemes at Minnesota day care centers run by Somali residents, social media users are falsely citing a Craigslist ad as evidence of such deceit.

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The ad, which is no longer live, said a day care center in Minneapolis’ Ventura Village neighborhood was hiring 20 child actors for three days to pose as attendees while it is vetted by the state. It noted the children would be paid $1,500 per day.

But the ad was a prank. It is not proof of fraud in Minnesota.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: A Craigslist ad seeking child actors to legitimize a Minnesota day care center is proof of alleged fraud perpetrated by Somali residents.

THE FACTS: This is false. The ad, which was posted Jan. 1 in Craigslist’s Hennepin County, Minnesota, section for general labor jobs, was bait for an online prank show, its cohost Joey LaFleur told The Associated Press.

“The show’s called Goofcon1 and it is a funny show,” LaFleur said. “We do pranks and stuff like that.”

He added the show received a “ton of responses” to the ad and said he and his two cohosts will be doing a live show Saturday where they will call people who expressed interest.

Screenshots of the ad were used in social media posts on multiple platforms, cited as proof of fraud at Minnesota day care centers. The posts gained tens of thousands of likes, shares and views.

“BREAKING – A Craigslist ad seeking child actors for a daycare in Minneapolis’ Hennepin County has been discovered, with the poster requesting 20 children to act as clients while the state observes them to determine whether it’s a legitimate daycare,” reads one X post sharing the ad.

A man in a TikTok video called the ad “100% serious.” The video was viewed approximately 14,300 times.

LaFleur said that in addition to being a prank show, Goofcon1 wants to protect against predators and call out conservatives who “don’t care about fact checking.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ended his bid for a third term Monday amid President Donald Trump’s relentless focus on the fraud investigations. Also Monday, the Trump administration said it’s planning to tighten rules for federal child care funds.

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

Hilton is removing its name from a Lakeville hotel after it found itself in hot water for refusing service.

Hilton will remove the Lakeville Hampton Inn from its systems for refusing to accommodate a man posing as an official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The decision comes after the DHS posted screenshots Monday of a message sent Friday from a Hilton email address saying that immigration agents would not be allowed to stay at the Dakota County hotel, and that their reservation was canceled.

Hilton and local operators of the Hampton Inn Lakeville property released statements within hours apologizing and said the messages refusing to serve agents who were focused on immigration enforcement didn’t reflect their policies.

“Everpeak Hospitality has moved swiftly to address this matter as it was inconsistent with our policy of being a welcoming place for all,” the hotel operator said in a statement. “We are in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated. We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted. We are committed to welcoming all guests and operating in accordance with brand standards, applicable laws, and our role as a professional hospitality provider.”

On Tuesday, however, Nick Sortor, a right-wing influencer and journalist, secretly recorded his unsuccessful attempt to book a reservation at the hotel while he was posing as a DHS official, prompting Hilton to take further action.

“The independent hotel owner had assured us that they had fixed this problem and published a message confirming this,” Hilton said in a statement. “A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values. As such, we are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems. Hilton is — and has always been — a welcoming place for all. We are also engaging with all of our franchisees to reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again.”

Reactions on social media were varied with some calling for the boycott of Hilton hotels and others calling for people to book “staycations” to support the Lakeville hotel.

This report contains information from The Associated Press. 

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With Czechia announcing its rosters for next month’s Winter Olympics in Italy, two PWHL Minnesota Frost forwards along with two players connected to the University of Minnesota were named to the women’s team.

Denisa Křížová and Klára Hymlárová were named to the team from the Frost. Both players will be making their second appearance in the Olympics.

Gophers freshman forward Tereza Plosová and alumna Natálie Mlýnková also were named to the team. It will be the first appearance for Plosová and second for Mlýnková.

Czechia opens against Team USA on Feb. 5.

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By MIKE CATALINI

BENSALEM, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia shop selling President Donald Trump-themed merchandise that became a magnet for die-hard supporters announced it’s closing its doors, six years after opening.

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The Trump Store, which sells hats, flags, T-shirts and other items in hotly politically contested Bucks County, posted on social media that its storefront will be closing at the end of the month.

Owner Mike Domanico said in a phone interview Tuesday that he’s closing the store because he’s focusing on another business, selling firearm targets and other items at gun shows, and he’s semi-retired. But the closure is also an acknowledgement that business has slowed down.

“The store has kind of run its course,” he said. “You know, it’s been six years and the elections are over. Trump’s not gonna be in another election, even though he’ll be part of it.”

The store sells Trump 2028 gear despite the president being constitutionally prohibited from running in 2028. Trump has said it’s “too bad” he can’t run, though he’s also handed out Trump 2028 souvenirs at the White House.

“That’s just to get people riled up,” Domanico said.

The Facebook post announcing the store’s closure attracted gloating comments from apparent Trump skeptics.

“Are you no longer winning?” wrote one commenter. Another said: “Trump must be doing wonders for the economy.”

Domanico said there was a time when he’d respond to all the comments, but no longer.

“No matter what the president does, they hate him no matter how good anything is,” he said.

Dave Russell, 81, is a longtime Trump supporter and was at the shop when it opened in 2020 to buy a Trump for Veterans hat. In a phone interview Tuesday, he said he wasn’t surprised the shop was closing.

“Because most of the stuff they sell was to promote Trump. He’s already in this last term. You can’t do much more for him than he’s already gotten,” Russell said.

Bucks County is often viewed as a crucial bellwether in presidential elections. Trump narrowly carried the county over Kamala Harris in 2024 on his way to winning back Pennsylvania as he did in his first victory in 2016.

Asked if he’d go back for any final sales items, Russell laughed and said no. “I am so loaded up with Trump stuff. I don’t need anything.”