It's Been Reported

Vance Anti-Fraud Task Force Suspends 447 Hospices In Los Angeles Over More Than $600M In Suspected Fraud (Fox News) — The anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance has suspended 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies suspected of fraud in Los Angeles, with a total fraud estimate of more than $600 million. The number of suspensions is roughly a 539% increase from the 70 reported by Fox News Digital at the beginning of April. "Where there is fraud, the task force will find it," a spokesperson for Vance told Fox News Digital. "We will not stop until every hard-earned taxpayer dollar goes toward the honest Americans who deserve them." A White House official doubled down on Vance and the task force’s commitment to root out fraud, and sent a stark warning to those suspected of fraudulent activity. "To all fraudsters: good luck trying to hide from the Vice President's task force," the White House official told Fox News Digital. "[The anti-fraud task force is] reviewing and pursuing every possible lead. These suspension numbers, and the dollar values saved, are only going to increase." See full story	Minnesota Dems Unite To Block Walz, Ellison Impeachment Push, Sparking Online Outrage: 'They're Panicking' (Fox News) — Conservatives on social media erupted with outrage Thursday after Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota united to block a Republican effort to investigate further and impeach Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. A resolution taken up by the Minnesota House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee to launch an impeachment investigation and allow the committee to hold hearings, issue subpoenas and further investigate the massive fraud scandal was blocked after all eight Democrats on the committee voted against it, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported. The lawmakers deadlocked 8-8 on a straight party-line vote. "This is a fundamentally unserious proposal by a fundamentally unserious party who isn't interested in governing," Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) Rep. Michael Howard said about the move. "Gas prices are rising because of Trump's illegal war in Iran. Health care, housing and childcare costs are spiking. We have hospitals closing, yet this is what we're going to do today? A bill that's absolutely going nowhere, dead on arrival." See full story
ICE Sets 1 Million Deportation Target For 2026, 2027 (Wash Times) — It has long been rumored and denied, but ICE has now made it official: a goal of 1 million deportations a year. The agency quietly included the number in its budget explanation to Congress several weeks ago. It told lawmakers that it has the “capacity” and “commitment” to deport more illegal immigrants. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also revealed in the document that it ousted 442,637 migrants last year. Just 166,939 of them had criminal records, aside from crossing the border illegally. That is 38%, far below the 70% level the Homeland Security Department has been touting. ICE said it wants 99,000 deportation beds in use each day this year and next. That is also higher than the agency said in planning documents earlier this year. The revelations suggest an agency that, despite chaos and missteps over the past 12 months, including the shooting deaths of American civilians and repeated legal battles, remains dedicated to President Trump’s mass deportation mission. Deporting 1 million people a year was an informal goal set by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. See full story	Iran Used Chinese Spy Satellite To Target U.S. Bases In Middle East (Wash Examiner) — Iran used a Chinese-built spy satellite to help target U.S. military bases across the Middle East during the war, according to multiple outlets, raising fresh concerns about Beijing's role in the war and ties with Tehran. The satellite, identified in reports as TEE-01B, was acquired by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force in 2024 and used to monitor U.S. and allied installations before and after missile and drone strikes earlier this year, according to a Financial Times investigation. Targets reportedly included U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, and other parts of the Gulf region, reflecting the broad scope of Iran’s military campaign during the war. China has denied providing direct military assistance to Iran, but the reported satellite cooperation underscores growing strategic ties between the two countries. China is Iran’s most valuable ally, as Iran relies on the country for chemicals used in ballistic missile programs. President Donald Trump said this week that Chinese President Xi Jinping had assured him Beijing would not send weapons to Iran, even as reports suggested broader forms of support may be underway. See full story
Around 14% Of Enrollees In Affordable Care Act Plans Failed To Make Payments, Data Shows (WSJ) — One in seven people who signed up for Affordable Care Act plans this year failed to pay after premium costs rose sharply, according to an analysis that provides the first comprehensive look at the impact of expiring federal subsidies. Nationally, around 14% of those who enrolled in ACA plans this year didn’t pay their first monthly bill for January coverage. In some states, the share was a quarter or more, according to a new analysis from the actuarial firm Wakely Consulting Group, provided exclusively to the Wall Street Journal. “It’s a big drop,” said Michelle Anderson, a Wakely consulting actuary. Normally, the rate of falloff in ACA plan membership early in the year is in the midsingle-digit range. ACA enrollment was already declining. Sign-ups fell to 23 million in 2026, from a peak of more than 24 million last year. This new data shows that millions more are at risk of losing ACA insurance. Some enrollees have a grace period, allowing them to retain their plans for three months even if they don’t make a payment. See full story	Iran To Execute The First Woman Over Widespread Anti-Regime Demonstrations (NY Post) — Iran’s barbaric regime is set to execute its first female protester over recent protests, one of an estimated 1,600 sentenced to death by the Islamic Republic in the past year. Bita Hemmati is the first woman due to be hanged in relation to the demonstrations that broke out in January across the country and were viciously stamped out by government forces. The regime accused her of numerous crimes, including using explosives and weapons, throwing objects such as concrete blocks, participating in protest gatherings, and disrupting national security, according to a Tuesday press release from the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Her husband, Mohammadreza Majid Asl, 34, as well as two other men, Behrouz and Kourosh Zamaninezhad, who lived in the couple’s apartment building, were also sentenced to death following a hasty trial and their property confiscated. See full story
Trump Says China Agrees Not To Send Iran Weapons – And Predicts Xi Jinping Will Give Him 'Big, Fat Hug' WASHINGTON (NY Post) — President Trump said that China has agreed not to send weapons to Iran amid reports it plans to give Tehran new air defense systems – and predicted Chinese leader Xi Jinping “will give me a big, fat, hug” when they meet next month. Trump further claimed Wednesday that Xi is “very happy” about his efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz, a day after officials in China slammed his blockade as “dangerous and irresponsible.” “China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also – And the World,” Trump crowed on Truth Social. “This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks,” he added. “We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!!!” See full story	LA Hotels Axed 650 Jobs After Karen Bass Signed $30 Minimum Wage Mandate (Fox News) — Hotels in Los Angeles, California are struggling, a new report from industry researchers claimed in a new report. "Hotels are struggling to keep up with rising operating costs coupled with falling demand," the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) researchers said last week. According to AHLA, the city’s minimum wage mandate and other policies led to increased "costs without flexibility to reflect market conditions and demand levels." A phased-in minimum wage hike in Los Angeles mandated up to $30 per hour for airport and hotel workers. The law was signed into law last year by Mayor Karen Bass, mandating that their hourly wage must be raised by $2.50 each year until they reach $30 in 2028. The AHLA is the largest hotel association in America, representing more than 30,000 members from all segments of the industry nationwide. See full story
Judge Rules Civil Case Against Alec Baldwin For 'Rust' Shooting Can Go To Trial (Just the News) — A Los Angeles judge ruled Friday that a civil case against Hollywood star Alec Baldwin can go to trial later this year for his alleged role in a fatal shooting on the set of the film "Rust" in 2021. Baldwin was previously charged with involuntarily manslaughter in New Mexico for allegedly pulling the trigger on a prop gun that went off and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, but the criminal charge was later dismissed. Serge Svetnoy, the lead lighting technician on “Rust,” sued Baldwin in November 2021 for punitive damages, negligence, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to NBC News. Svetnoy alleged that he narrowly missed being hit by a bullet on set that day and that cost-cutting measures meant Baldwin and others on the set “were consciously aware of the wrongfulness and harmfulness of their conduct.” See full story	Trump Nominates Erica Schwartz As New CDC Director (USA Today) — President Donald Trump has nominated former Deputy Surgeon General Erica Schwartz, a physician, as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schwartz is a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and was a deputy surgeon general during the COVID-19 pandemic during Trump's first term. Schwartz played a key role in the nation's pandemic response, helping coordinate national preparedness in the first year of the health crisis. She's nominated to take over an agency that has not had a permanent director since August, when Dr. Susan Monarez was ousted. Trump cited Schwartz's academic credentials, earning biomedical engineering and MD degrees from Brown University, and her service in the U.S. military. "She is a STAR," Trump said in a post on Truth Social April 16. See full story