Narrated audio editions of our most consequential investigations — federal fraud, governance failure, and the officials responsible. Every claim in every episode traces to a primary source: court filings, inspector-general reports, and the government’s own audits. The fully sourced print version of each episode is one click away below it.
Where to listen
Now live on Amazon Music and Audible. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Music are on the way. You can also listen right here on this page, or point any podcast app at the feed directly.
https://civicintelligence.news/podcast.xmlView XML
Episodes
August 13, 2026 · 10:47 · Society · Drain the Swamp
Declassified FBI Documents Show Bureau Branded Biden-Ukraine Corruption Reporting as "Russian Disinformation" Without Investigating It
Declassified 'Round River' documents show an FBI task force flagged derogatory Biden-Ukraine reporting as Russian disinformation without investigating it, while treating the sitting AG, Secretary of State, and GOP senators doing oversight as suspected 'conduits.' FBI Director Kash Patel released the underlying source reporting Aug. 12, 2026.
"Playing My Own Words Is Defamation": Hasan Piker Melts Down Over Scott Jennings Clip Compilation
CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings posted a compilation of streamer Hasan Piker's own past remarks. Piker called it 'the most clear cut instance of defamation' he's ever seen — for footage of himself, in his own words.
Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 26 Years to Life for Dismembering Ex-Girlfriend, Living With Her Body for a Month
A jury convicted Justin Williams of murdering D'Asia Johnson, dismembering her body, and living with her remains for a month while using her identity to keep collecting her paychecks. Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun sentenced him to 26 years to life.
An Iranian Threat to Kill Trump Forced a Secret Switch of Planes in Turkey. His Own Press Corps Didn't Know Which One He Was On.
A credible Iranian threat against Air Force One led the Secret Service to move Trump onto a second aircraft via an airport catering truck as he left a NATO summit in Turkey on July 8, 2026 — an operation that stayed secret for a month until The Washington Post revealed it.
Washington Budgeted $20 Million for 300 People's Long-Term Care. It Will Cover 173.
Washington State approved $20 million this year for a new DSHS long-term care program for noncitizens, assuming it would cover 300 people. It will cover 173 — a planning gap arriving just as a federal law strips Medicaid coverage from roughly 14,000 Washington residents on October 1, 2026. Rep. Nicole Macri (D-Seattle) is asking Gov. Bob Ferguson's (D-WA) office to find more money.
August 11, 2026 · 9:40 · Society · Drain the Swamp
Seattle Projects a $175 Million Deficit. The City Council Just Found $300,000 for 'Trans Refugee' Gender Surgery.
Seattle's City Council advanced $300,000 in taxpayer money for a "trans refugee" services grant that includes access to gender-affirming surgery — while the city projects a $175 million deficit and every council seat, plus the mayor's office, is held by a Democrat.
His College Cut the Swim Team He Came For. Police Say He Beat a Security Guard to Death — Naked, With a Water Jug.
Legend Storer, a two-time Hawaii state champion swimmer, is charged with beating security guard Michael Dyer to death at a Lahaina condo complex — naked, prosecutors say, with a roughly five-gallon water jug, months after his California college eliminated the swim team that brought him there. A Maui grand jury indicted him Aug. 11, 2026.
August 10, 2026 · 11:22 · Society · Crime Problem · Houston, Texas
Texas Children's Hospital Said It Stopped Transitioning Kids in 2022. It Didn't — and Just Paid $10 Million to Admit It.
A finalized False Claims Act settlement requires Texas Children's Hospital to pay more than $10.29 million, fire five physicians, build the nation's first detransition clinic, and issue a written statement admitting providers performed gender-transition procedures on minors after the hospital told the public in 2022 it had stopped. Two whistleblowers forced the reckoning — one of whom the Biden DOJ indicted instead of the hospital.
He Just Wants to Know If a Boy Uses His Daughter's Bathroom. The District Won't Say Either Way — So He's Suing.
Brandon Matthews asked his daughter's North Carolina elementary school, in writing, whether a biological male is permitted in her bathroom. The district refused to confirm or deny. Represented by America First Legal, he's now suing under Mahmoud v. Taylor — the second such suit against the same district in two weeks.
Two Ex-NBA Players Just Declared for the WNBA Draft. They're Testing the League's Own Rules.
Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White both declared for the 2027 WNBA Draft as transgender women, arguing the league's own self-ID standard qualifies them. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert convened a team task force; the players' union says it won't be 'used as political pawns.'
August 8, 2026 · 10:02 · Society · Surveillance & Privacy
Flock Pitched Turning 350,000 Uber and Lyft Drivers Into Rolling Surveillance Cameras. It Never Told the Drivers.
A leaked sales presentation shows license-plate-reader company Flock Safety pitched Georgia's Attorney General on folding 350,000 Nexar-equipped Uber, Lyft, and delivery vehicles into its surveillance network — without informing the drivers. Flock says it never executed the deal. A September 2025 Nexar breach exposed 130+ terabytes of dashcam footage, showing exactly what was at stake.
She Runs an LA Homeless Nonprofit From Hawaii. Taxpayers Paid Her $1.6 Million to Do It.
1736 Family Crisis Center CEO Carol Adelkoff has lived in a 3,700-square-foot Hawaii home for at least 11 years while running an LA nonprofit that draws 94% of its revenue from government grants. Her own Form 990 filings show $907,923 in FY2024 and $742,181 in FY2025 — a combined $1.6 million, mostly a vacation-time payout.
Abdul El-Sayed Says He 'Hates' One of Michigan's Most Beloved Islands. Now Everyone Knows.
A resurfaced 2020 clip of Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed saying he 'hates' Mackinac Island went viral three days after his Aug. 4 primary win. A former Trump adviser called it a 'dark heart'; El-Sayed's X response never addressed the word 'hate'; Republican rival Mike Rogers answered with ice cream.
He Partied With Hasan Piker the Night Before Michigan Voted. He Still Won't Distance Himself.
Abdul El-Sayed (D) won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary by 14,893 votes after months campaigning alongside streamer Hasan Piker. Since his win, three separate on-camera chances to distance himself from Piker's rhetoric have come and gone — while Jewish organizations across Michigan say they're still waiting.
Millions Were Allegedly Stolen From Autistic Children Through Medicaid Fraud. Now the Providers Who Treat Them Are Cheering the Crackdown.
On May 21, 2026, DOJ charged 15 people in Minnesota with stealing more than $90 million from Medicaid programs for autistic children and disabled adults — the largest autism fraud case the department has ever brought. Autism providers and families are now publicly backing the federal crackdown.
The FBI Investigated Trump as a Russian Asset for Firing Comey. Its Own Agents Had Already Ruled It Out.
Declassified August 5, 2026: an FBI file code-named "Oxferd Comma," opened one week after Trump fired James Comey, examined whether the sitting president was a Russian asset — built on a theory the bureau's own case agents had already concluded the evidence didn't support. No charge was ever filed.
August 7, 2026 · 9:30 · Society · Crime Problem · Manhattan
A Midtown Therapist Treated a Transgender Teenager for Ten Months. Prosecutors Say He Raped Him in the Office.
Remington Yhap, 47, was arrested July 29, 2026 and charged with three counts of rape and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Court documents say the alleged victim was a transgender teenage boy he had treated as a patient for about ten months. He is charged, not convicted — and his own professional listing describes him as a pre-licensed clinician practicing under supervision.
July 15, 2026 · 9:04 · Society · Drain the Swamp · Los Angeles, CA
LA Can't Say Where $2.4 Billion in Homeless Funding Went. Its Homelessness-Committee Chair Is Now Running for Mayor.
LA's City Controller found $513 million in unspent homelessness funds; a court-ordered audit couldn't verify services at 2,300 sites within $2.4 billion in spending. HUD suspended LAHSA's funding over 'a clear pattern of fraud.' Councilmember Nithya Raman chairs the committee that oversees it all — and is now running for mayor.
July 15, 2026 · 9:09 · Society · Drain the Swamp · Washington, DC
Democrats Called Her to Attack the New AG. She Recommended Clemency for a Man Who Killed a Baby.
At Todd Blanche's AG confirmation hearing, Democrats called former DOJ Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer to testify against him. Her own October 2024 memo recommended clemency for all 40 federal death-row inmates — including Dylann Roof — and Biden commuted 37, among them a man who drowned a teenage mother and her infant daughter.
She Said the Quiet Part Out Loud. Proof of Citizenship Would Make It "Hard" for Democrats to Win.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) celebrated the Senate's rejection of the SAVE America Act by telling Indiana Democrats the bill would make it 'hard for any Democrat in any state to win any election.' The Senate defeated the bill 48-50 on June 4, 2026, with four Republicans joining every Democrat.
July 15, 2026 · 9:25 · Society · Alien Crime · Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Police Say She Slapped a Teenager Over a Trump Shirt. A County Sheriff's Own ICE Ties Are Why She Didn't Walk Away.
Kaitlyn Tracey is charged with assaulting a teen on a Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk. New Jersey's Democratic governor built a statewide wall between local police and ICE detainers — but Ocean County's sheriff maintains independent ICE cooperation, and that's why she was released from county jail directly into federal custody.
Three Nights, 300 Targets: Iran Shuts Hormuz, Sprays Missiles Across Five Nations
After the IRGC disabled a container ship and declared the world's most important oil chokepoint closed, CENTCOM hit roughly 140 more targets in a third night of strikes — and Tehran answered with missiles and drones on US bases from Jordan to Oman, while Americans' gas prices climb toward $4.
K-12 Fraudsters Stole $225 Million From Taxpayers in Seven Years — One Administrator Spent It on Disney Cruises
A joint Open the Books/SFOF investigation of federal inspector-general reports found nearly 90 confirmed K-12 fraud cases across 24 states and Puerto Rico since 2019, totaling $225 million — only 30% recovered.
July 14, 2026 · 10:14 · Society · Crime Problem · San Jose, California
A San José State Grad Student Is Charged With Faking a Neo-Nazi Bomb Hoax — His Own Politics Ran the Opposite Direction
Ziheng 'Tony' Fang, 30, faces a federal hoax charge over a 21-month campaign of bomb threats and swastika graffiti at San José State University — no explosive was ever found. Prosecutors cite a fingerprint, badge logs and surveillance video; reporting on Fang's own social media shows progressive, anti-MAGA politics, raising an alleged false-flag question the criminal complaint doesn't answer.
$79 Billion Walked Out the Door on Stolen Social Security Numbers — and a Date-of-Birth Field Could Have Stopped It
PRAC's flagship June 2025 fraud alert projected $79 billion in pandemic relief — PPP, COVID-EIDL, and unemployment — paid on 1.4 million stolen or invalid Social Security numbers, from an SSA-verified random sample of 662,000 records out of 67.5 million funded applications. The 2023 floors: $5.4 billion in matched records and $38 million paid in the names of 305 dead people. Recovery so far rounds to single-digit cents on the dollar.
Five Slashed in a 'Mass Stabbing' a Half-Mile From LA's Olympic Stadium
LAPD says at least five people suffered severe lacerations on a Metro pedestrian bridge near USC on Friday night — the second knife attack in that corridor in a week. Two unnamed suspects are in custody as Mayor Karen Bass (D) touts record-low homicides with a police force at 8,569 officers, its smallest in roughly 30 years.
America's Highest-Paid City Council Just Voted 12-0 to Ask Voters for a One-Day Workweek
L.A. councilmembers make $245,255 a year — more than Congress — and on June 30 they pulled every reform that would check their own power off the November ballot, while keeping the one that cuts their required meetings from three days a week to one. Monica Rodriguez (D) walked out: 'tone deaf.'
1,711 Convictions, One Fatal Shooting: Inside ICE's Criminal-Alien Record — and the Democratic Pushback
ICE's Houston office linked criminal illegal aliens arrested in May 2026 to over 1,700 convictions, including gang members and child predators. Then a traffic stop turned fatal, and 16 Texas Democratic officials — plus House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) — demanded an investigation ICE says it won't need.
July 11, 2026 · 10:43 · Politics · Maine Senate · Graham Platner
Graham Platner Drops Out: The Rape Allegation Was the Final Nail. Democrats Built the Coffin.
Graham Platner suspended his Maine Senate campaign on July 8, 2026, denying the allegations in a defiant 11-minute video. Jenny Racicot's rape allegation — not Lyndsey Fifield's separate stealthing claim — is what multiple outlets credit with ending his bid.
Inside Gavin Newsom's Wine Empire: What the Filings Actually Show
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) built a roughly $30M fortune on the PlumpJack wine group. Filings show $597,895 from the winery company on a $1.2M income year, nearly $3M in PPP loans to entities he founded, and a Napa COVID exemption while other wineries closed. The holdings are disclosed via blind trust and tax returns — 'hidden' is the NY Post's framing. The story is wealth, conflicts, and a 2028 run, not a charged crime.
Qatar Rushes to Save the Talks. Iran Warns Israel Won't Be Spared. And Israel Warns the US of a Plot to Kill Trump.
As Qatari negotiators shuttle into Tehran to salvage a collapsing ceasefire and Iran warns Israel it 'will not be spared' from any future strike, a Wall Street Journal report reveals Israel handed Washington intelligence on a new plot to assassinate Trump — the same week the IEA warned the standoff could wreck next year's oil-market recovery and a terror cell surfaced inside Israel's own borders.
8 Indicted in Foiled Sniper-and-Drone Plot Against the White House UFC Event
A federal grand jury in Ohio indicted eight men on two counts July 9, 2026 for allegedly conspiring to attack UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn with snipers and drones. The alleged ringleader is a Mexican national whose DACA status DHS says it revoked after arrest. All eight are presumed innocent pending trial.
The Judge Flinched, the Boyfriend Confessed on Tape, and Erika Kirk Was Told No: Inside the Tyler Robinson Evidence Hearing
Four days of testimony in the Tyler Robinson preliminary hearing laid out prosecutors' case in the Charlie Kirk assassination — a judge visibly recoiling at unreleased footage, a recorded confession to his former partner, and a widow's transparency request the court denied. Robinson is charged, not convicted; presumed innocent.
Dr. Oz Calls Blue-State Medicaid Fraud a 'Feature.' California's Own Auditors Have Been Saying So Since 2007.
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz says Gavin Newsom (D-CA) turned Medicaid fraud into a business model. California's own State Auditor has flagged Medi-Cal as 'high-risk' since 2007, with $1.9 billion in unresolved questionable payments — but national data complicates the idea this is uniquely a blue-state problem.
Prairieland ICE Ambush: Fireworks, a Wounded Officer, and a 100-Year Terrorism Sentence
Fireworks lured officers outside the Prairieland ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas on July 4, 2025; a shooter wounded Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross. A federal jury convicted eight defendants of material support to terrorism in March 2026 — Benjamin Hanil Song got 100 years — while a ninth was convicted only of a lesser charge.
Three Deportations, One Revoked License: Calli Toler, 6, Died at a Pitt County Stop Sign — and the Top Charge Is a Misdemeanor
Jaime Santiago Corona, deported three times since 2019 and driving on a revoked license, is charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle after a July 3, 2026 crash killed 6-year-old Calli Toler in Pitt County, North Carolina. ICE has lodged a detainer; no federal illegal-reentry charge has been filed.
The Money Was for Poor Kids' Classrooms. It Bought Louis Vuitton and Disney Cruises.
Two Southern California school administrators stole nearly $20 million combined — a Magnolia School District fiscal chief and a South LA charter-school director — while the boards meant to catch it looked away. One is serving nearly six years in federal prison; the other got probation.
July 8, 2026 · 10:37 · Politics · Maine Senate · Graham Platner
"F---ing Idiots." A Second Accuser. Graham Platner's Campaign Is Coming Apart.
Democratic operatives Shannon Watts and Neera Tanden publicly torched the party for enabling Graham Platner (D) as a second accuser, ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield, alleged non-consensual condom removal. Warren and Sanders reversed course and urged him to step aside; Platner has not withdrawn ahead of Maine's July 13 deadline.
Diversity-Lottery Truck Driver Who Spoke No English Allegedly Kills UMass Soccer Goalkeeper
Tobias "Toby" Forsythe, 21, a UMass Lowell goalkeeper, was killed when a semi driven by Bekhzod Asrarov — an Uzbek national admitted via the Diversity Visa lottery in 2024 — allegedly crossed the median on I-71 in Ohio. Asrarov, who spoke no English at the scene, is charged only with tampering with evidence.
Sentenced: 20 Years for Trafficking a Minor on Seattle's Aurora Avenue
Shante Broady was sentenced to 20 years for sex-trafficking a minor and an adult woman on Seattle's Aurora Avenue corridor — one of six such federal cases in the last six months. The city has spent millions and made repeated promises on the corridor with little measurable progress.
July 8, 2026 · 10:09 · Drain the Swamp · Election Integrity
Noncitizen Charged With Voting Twice in Federal Elections After False Citizenship Claim
An Australian lawful permanent resident in Louisiana was indicted for falsely claiming US citizenship to vote in the 2022 and 2024 federal elections — one of roughly 79 noncitizens found to have voted in the state since the 1980s, though Louisiana's own Secretary of State says it isn't a systemic problem.
July 7, 2026 · 9:14 · Politics · Maine Senate · Graham Platner
A Named Accuser. A Rape Allegation. Six Days for Democrats to Force Graham Platner Out.
Politico reports a named accuser, Jenny Racicot, alleges Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner (D) sexually assaulted her in 2021. Sen. Chuck Schumer and the DSCC demanded he withdraw within hours; Rep. Ro Khanna pulled his endorsement calling it a 'red line'; Sen. John Fetterman demanded Bernie Sanders apologize. Maine's ballot-replacement deadline is July 13.
July 7, 2026 · 9:17 · Drain the Swamp · Washington State · Child Care Fraud
Washington Is the Third Blue State in Seven Months Where 'Ghost Daycares' Bill for Kids Who Aren't There. Auditors Flagged $37 Million. No One Has Been Charged.
A Washington State Auditor's Office review flagged $37 million in questionable child-care subsidy payments — including two home daycares that collected over $200,000 each while neighbors say no children were ever there. Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) and AG Nick Brown (D) have opened no state fraud investigation, nearly seven months after The Center Square's reporting began. It's the third state — after Minnesota and Michigan — where this exact pattern has surfaced since December 2025.
July 7, 2026 · 8:54 · TDS Watch · The View · Sunny Hostin
Sunny Hostin Says the American Flag Makes Her Feel 'Unsafe.' Her Co-Host — a Former Trump Official — Disagreed, On Air.
On 'The View,' July 6, 2026, Sunny Hostin said seeing American flags 'all over' a neighborhood makes her 'suddenly feel unsafe,' discussing a viral photo of masked Patriot Front marchers. Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin — a former Trump White House Communications Director — pushed back on air: 'It belongs to all of us.' Hostin agreed. It's her third TDS Watch appearance this year.
He's Accused of Killing Two Teen Girls With His Jeep. He Kept Livestreaming Anyway — Because It Paid.
Vincent Battiloro, 18, is charged with murdering Maria Niotis and Isabella Salas, 17, in Cranford, N.J. — then livestreaming a video game the next day and explaining the outrage was paying his YouTube channel. Before the killings, his own parents called police four times and the victims' family reported two swatting incidents; a second SWAT call ended with police releasing him to his father instead of an arrest.
Hunter Biden Wants to Lecture Trump on Profiting Off the Presidency. Let's Look at His Own Invoice.
Hunter Biden attacked Trump's family business dealings in a July 5, 2026 X post comparing the Trumps to "King George." His own record — Burisma, CEFC China Energy, art sales, a felony gun conviction, a tax guilty plea, and a decade-covering pardon from his father — tells a different story.
July 5, 2026 · 13:15 · Politics · Congress · Socialism
He Fled Cuba as a Boy. Now He's Warning Congress Is Headed for 'Communists in Double Digits.'
Heritage Foundation fellow Mike Gonzalez, who fled communist Cuba as a boy, warns a 'vicious cycle' is pushing Congress toward a double-digit socialist bloc. Today it's 2 DSA members; 4 more just won primaries for a projected 6. His warning landed the same 250th-birthday weekend President Trump gave two speeches on a 'resurgence of the communist menace.'
LA Squatters Aren't Freeloaders Anymore. They're Running Organized-Crime Rings — With Forged Deeds and Six-Figure Extortion.
A Fox News Digital investigation finds forged deeds, gang activity, narcotics, and a $500,000 extortion demand behind a wave of Los Angeles squatter fraud — organized crime rings, not lone freeloaders. Citywide, owners pay $20,000-$40,000 in 'cash for keys' just to get occupants out. Two anti-squatter bills already died in Sacramento; investigators want a dedicated task force.
Massachusetts Dug a $2 Billion Migrant-Shelter Hole. Now It Wants to Let Illegal Immigrants Sue ICE Agents.
Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) presided over the only statewide right-to-shelter system in America as its cost topped $1 billion a year — hotels, a shuttered prison, 'unlawful' no-bid contracts, and 1,000-plus incident reports. Now the PROTECT Act, in conference this month, would let illegal immigrants personally sue ICE agents.
At Mount Rushmore, Trump Hails 'the Most Exceptional Nation' — and Warns of a 'Communist Menace'
On the eve of America's 250th, President Trump (R) told 4,800 lottery-won spectators at Mount Rushmore the United States is the greatest nation ever, then warned of a resurgent 'communist menace' — aimed, without names, at the socialist wing running New York. Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) answered the same night.
79% of the Country Answered. House Democrats Wouldn't.
The Supreme Court upheld state trans-athlete laws — 9-0 on Title IX, 6-3 on Equal Protection — a position 79% of Americans and 67% of Democrats hold. Asked about it, House Democrats dodged, blaming 'culture wars.'
"Many Other Things We Could Be Doing": Jayapal Tells Murder Victims' Parents Congress Is Busy
At the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee's fourth sanctuary-city hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) called it a distraction — feet from the parents of Sheridan Gorman and Katie Abraham, two young women killed by illegal immigrants Illinois sanctuary policy shielded. Jessica Gorman answered her: "Thanks for telling me you don't care."
Five Justices Saved Birthright Citizenship. Conservatives Are Calling the Defeat a Win.
The Supreme Court struck down Executive Order 14160 and held that U.S.-born children of illegal and temporary migrants are citizens at birth — a 6-3 judgment that was only 5-4 on the constitutional question, with Justice Kavanaugh handing Congress a roadmap. Conservatives are treating the loss as a strategic win.
Buffalo Canceled Its July 4 Fireworks. A Day Later, the Somali Flag Went Up at City Hall.
Buffalo scrapped its 250th-anniversary fireworks show citing a lack of a safe site — then, a day later, the Somali flag rose on a city pole outside City Hall. The fair accountability question is about priorities and a broken promise, not anyone's heritage.
July 4, 2026 · 11:33 · Politics · Electoral Math · Reapportionment · Population Migration
U-Hauls Are Rewriting the Electoral College. Quietly. Without a Vote.
May 26, 2026 — Since 2000, Republican-leaning states have netted +13 Electoral College votes through pure population migration — Texas +8 (32→40), Florida +5 (25→30), North Carolina +2, Arizona +1, Nevada +2. Blue states have shed them: New York -5 (33→28), Pennsylvania -4, Ohio -4, Illinois -3, Michigan -3. The 2030 census is projected to move ~10 more EVs in the same direction, taking Democrats off the traditional blue-wall path to 270. Causal chain: U-Hauls → IRS AGI migration → Census population → House reapportionment → Electoral College → presidential outcomes. This is a synthesis of CivIntel's existing electoral-analysis + gop-locks-the-map + voting-with-their-feet coverage plus the latest 2026 reapportionment projections.
July 3, 2026 · 12:42 · Society · Energy & Cost of Living
Turn Off Your AC. Now Buy an Electric Car. Same Grid.
As Central Park hit 100°F, Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) asked New Yorkers to set their AC to 78 — while the same government mandates electric cars, all-electric buildings, and heat pumps onto a grid the NYISO says is running on its thinnest reliability margin in memory. The physics of the grid vs. the politics of the mandate.
The federal government made an estimated $186 billion in improper payments in FY2025 — roughly $3 trillion since 2003, per the GAO's own auditors, plus up to $521 billion a year lost to fraud. Where the money goes, program by program, and the officials who presided over the biggest breaches.
A Child Rapist Was Days From Deportation. Walz's Board Pardoned Him.
Minnesota's Board of Pardons — Gov. Tim Walz (D), AG Keith Ellison (D), and the chief justice — voted 3-0 to erase Tou Lue Vang's child-sexual-conduct conviction a week before ICE was set to deport him. DHS called it 'madness'; the victim asked for mercy. Now a Star Tribune columnist is under fire for cheering the pardon.
