The weekend’s headlines span culture, politics, and power — from the death of a global icon who never softened her views, to a political movement pressing forward after tragedy, to federal investigators warning of deepening fraud. These are stories about legacy — who controls it, who carries it forward, and who pays the price when systems fail.

A Cultural Icon Who Never Softened Her Edges

The weekend closed with the passing of a woman who defined an era — and spent decades arguing with the one that followed.

Brigitte Bardot, the French actress whose beauty and defiance made her a global icon in the 1950s, died at 91. She rose to fame almost overnight with And God Created Woman, a film that shocked audiences by placing female sexuality at the center of the screen. By her early 20s, Bardot was one of the most recognizable faces in the world, appearing in roughly 50 films and reshaping postwar French cinema.

At the height of her fame, Bardot walked away. In the early 1970s, she quit acting and devoted herself entirely to animal welfare, founding the Brigitte Bardot Foundation — a cause she would champion for the rest of her life.

In her later years, her activism escalated. Bardot openly rejected modern feminism, dismissed the #MeToo movement, and repeatedly defended figures accused of sexual misconduct. Politically, she became a vocal supporter of France’s far right, backing Jean-Marie Le Pen and later his daughter, Marine Le Pen, whom Bardot described in her final book as the “only urgent remedy” for a France she believed had fallen into decline.

Defiant to the end, Bardot leaves behind a legacy as compelling as it is enduring — celebrated by some as a trailblazer, criticized by others as unrepentant and provocative.

A Movement Determined to Continue After Tragedy

Across the Atlantic, another legacy is being fiercely defended — not just in memory, but in action.

Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, says the organization will resume its nationwide presence on college campuses following her husband’s assassination in the fall. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Kirk vowed that TPUSA would continue its signature “Prove Me Wrong” debates.

“We are not afraid,” she said.

Charlie Kirk was killed on Sept. 10 while hosting an outdoor event at Utah Valley University — the very format that helped propel him to prominence. Beginning as a teenager, Kirk built TPUSA into one of the most influential conservative youth movements in the country, commanding tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue and a massive online following by his early 30s.

His death stunned supporters and critics alike. Now, his widow says campus chapter enrollments are rising, signaling renewed momentum as the organization seeks to preserve — and expand — the movement he built.

Federal Investigators Warn of Deepening Fraud Crisis

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, federal authorities say a long-running fraud investigation is far from over.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the bureau has increased efforts to dismantle large-scale schemes exploiting federal childcare and welfare programs in the state. His comments followed viral footage of an alleged learning center receiving millions in aid despite showing little evidence of operation.

Patel said the FBI had already surged personnel to Minnesota, citing earlier successes — including the dismantling of the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, which involved sham vendors, shell companies, and widespread money laundering. That investigation resulted in 78 indictments and 57 convictions.

Federal prosecutors warn the problem runs deeper still. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson revealed that roughly half of $18 billion in federal welfare funds distributed to Minnesota-run programs since 2018 has been lost to fraud.

“Minnesota has become a magnet for fraud,” Thompson said, describing what he called a growing “fraud tourism industry.”