Democrat LA Mayor’s Far-Left Opponent Votes Against Cleaning Out Homeless Camps
'I watched a guy get shot and killed across the street'
‘No amount of fraud is too big or too small’: Vance’s anti-fraud task force targets every crook stealing from taxpayers
Vice President JD Vance, who chairs the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, declared that “no amount of fraud is too big or too small” and stated that the task force plans to target bad actors regardless of the amount of money they have stolen from taxpayers.
During a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia on Tuesday, Vance highlighted the task force’s early victories.
'If you’re defrauding the taxpayer, you ought to go to prison, and anybody who’s helping you ought to go to prison too.'
President Donald Trump established the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud by executive order in mid-March. Since then, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has worked with the task force to close hundreds of allegedly fraudulent health care providers.
On Tuesday, Vance discussed the issue of widespread fraud in the Minneapolis area, stating that the task force had turned off a government assistance program for autistic children that was being widely exploited.
“We’ve completely stopped the funding to that program. And we basically told the state of Minnesota, ‘You don’t get any more of our money unless you’ve verified that you’re taking fraud seriously,’” he stated, and the crowd responded with applause.
The federal government announced in February that it was withholding $259.5 million in Medicaid funding from Minnesota.
RELATED: Vance's task force shutters 221 hospices in 'fraud king' Gavin Newsom's California
During Tuesday’s event, Vance commended CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz for his work on eliminating fraud.
“We had our weekly fraud check-in call two weeks ago, and Dr. Oz called in, but he’s like, ‘Hey, I got to go because I’m about to hop on the bus, and we’re going to go arrest a bunch of fraudsters in Los Angeles.’ And I was like, ‘That’s exactly what I want you to do. By all means, get off the phone.’ So we’re doing a lot of that stuff.”
Vance explained that under the Biden administration, the federal government overlooked fraudsters who stole smaller amounts of money from taxpayers. He stated that this approach has changed under the Trump administration.
“No amount of fraud is too big or too small. If you’re defrauding the taxpayer, you ought to go to prison, and anybody who’s helping you ought to go to prison too,” Vance remarked.
RELATED: How a California crook committed $178 million worth of health care fraud — in just one year
As of Wednesday, the task force has suspended 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies in Los Angeles, with an estimated fraud total exceeding $600 million.
“With @VP’s leadership, we’re crushing fraud faster than ever,” Oz stated.
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Democrats promised to quickly rebuild after Los Angeles fires destroyed homes and lives — they aren't delivering
California's deadly 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires in and around Los Angeles together torched over 37,000 acres, destroyed over 16,000 structures, damaged nearly 2,000 additional structures, and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents.
State and local leaders have since pledged to help property owners rebuild. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), for instance, said, "We’re committed to seeing this through and ensuring this community comes back stronger than before."
'Significant barriers remain.'
City and county officials even made noise about cutting red tape and costs to expedite the process. Unfortunately, it appears that the purportedly expedited process isn't as swift as advertised.
For instance, of the 242 rebuild applications received from property owners affected by the Palisades fire northeast of Malibu, only 80 building permits had been issued as of April 9, according to the permitting progress dashboard for Los Angeles County. Construction is under way on 39 homes, and only one rebuild has reportedly been completed.
Of the 3,125 rebuild applications submitted by individuals affected by the Eaton fire in and around the Altadena area, 2,142 permits have been issued. Construction on rebuilds is under way on 1,138 homes, and 31 have been completed.
The dashboard suggested that the average time spent in county review was 32 business days.
Thousands of people in Los Angeles County haven't even bothered to apply to rebuild what they lost.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said last week that while the county has received over 3,000 rebuild applications, that represents roughly only half of the total number of impacted households, reported the Pasadena Star-News.
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"The fact that only half of wildfire survivors have submitted applications makes clear that significant barriers remain, especially financial ones," said Barger.
The Star-News noted that uncertainty over the future of litigation, high rebuild costs, and "underinsurance" are among the factors that have slowed recovery.
Barger credited the Trump administration, however, with helping out.
"I’ve appreciated the opportunity to meet with U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler over the course of these past few months to have solutions-oriented conversations focused on recovery," said Barger. "Both administrators remain engaged and attentive to our local Eaton Fire recovery work. I remain thankful that President Trump has an interest in supporting wildfire recovery efforts, and I welcome opportunities to work collaboratively with his administration to deliver meaningful relief for our residents."
While some Californians haven't bothered applying to rebuild, many of those who have in nearby municipalities — like those in L.A. County — remain stuck waiting.
Mayor Karen Bass — the Democrat who slashed her city's fire department budget months ahead of the fires in January 2025, then, breaking a pledge not to "travel internationally," absconded to Africa, where she attended a cocktail party as her city burned — has issued multiple executive orders aimed at expediting the rebuilding process.
L.A. has received 4,276 rebuilding permit applications and issued 2,504 permits to date. Presently, 1,261 applications are in review.
The City of Pasadena has received 94 rebuild permit applications but issued 44 to date. Thirty are presently under review.
The City of Malibu's rebuild dashboard says that 192 planning applications for single-family residence rebuilds have been approved and 57 are under review; 42 building permits have been issued and approved for construction; and zero certificates of occupancy have been issued.
Blaze News reached out for comment to the offices of Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, Malibu Mayor Bruce Silverstein, and L.A. Mayor Bass but did not receive responses.
H/T Washington Examiner's Sarah Bedford.
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LA No Kings protest explodes into violent riot as thugs throw cement blocks at federal agents
Thousands participated in the No Kings rally in downtown Los Angeles, which escalated into a violent riot, resulting in dozens of arrests.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that a group of roughly 1,000 people surrounded a federal government office on Saturday evening.
'To those who were smashing concrete blocks and throwing them at our officers, we have you on video.'
“Rioters are throwing rocks, bottles, and cement blocks at officers. Two officers hit with the cement blocks are receiving medical care,” the DHS said.
The Los Angeles Police Department reported that it arrested 75 people in connection with Saturday’s protest. The arrests occurred after a dispersal order was issued at 5:30 p.m.
“Several splinter groups remain in the Civic Center Area hours after the demonstration has concluded. Multiple dispersal orders have been given with multiple arrests being made,” the LAPD wrote Saturday evening.
The LAPD stated that 66 adults and eight juveniles were arrested for failure to disperse. Another individual was arrested for possession of a dirk or dagger.
RELATED: Inside the No Kings rallies — violent protests EXPOSED
Fox News shared a video of an agitator spray-painting the side of a federal building in Los Angeles. The individual wrote in red paint, “Kill your local ICE agent.”
DHS called the agitator’s actions “disgraceful.”
“Our ICE law enforcement officers are facing an 8,000% increase in death threats as they arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists from American communities,” DHS said.
“Federal agents have started arresting those who assaulted our personnel at the Los Angeles courthouse. To those who were smashing concrete blocks and throwing them at our officers, we have you on video. We will find you and arrest you too. You’ve been warned,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated.
Another video shared by Fox News showed a crowd of agitators kicking a fence outside a DHS building.
RELATED: 'Misplaced mothering': No Kings anti-Kirk protesters reveal a culture in crisis
No Kings rallies were held in cities across the nation over the weekend. The event’s organizers claimed that at least 8 million people attended over 3,300 rallies in the U.S., calling it the “largest single-day nonviolent protest in modern American history.”
In New York City, some protesters participating in the No Kings rally waved Communist flags, chanting, “There is only one solution: Communist Revolution.” The New York Police Department reported that tens of thousands of demonstrators “peacefully” demonstrated and that no protest-related arrests were made.
Meanwhile, footage surfaced from outside a Portland, Oregon, immigration detention center that showed a group of protesters breaking the gate.
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LA school district ex-employee and vendor accused of $22 million taxpayer pay-to-play scheme
A former Los Angeles Unified School District employee and the owner of a technology vendor were charged Thursday for their alleged involvement in a $22 million kickback scheme that funneled taxpayer funds away from classrooms and into their own pockets.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced charges against Hong "Grace" Peng, 53, of Pasadena, and Gautham Sampath, 53, of Flower Mound, Texas.
'This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers.'
Peng previously worked as a technical project manager for LAUSD between 2018 and 2022. She was accused of illegally participating in the awarding of contracts. Peng allegedly unlawfully issued contracts totaling over $22 million to a company owned by Sampath.
Sampath was accused of laundering over $3 million to Peng.
Peng resigned from her position with LAUSD following a late-2022 search warrant related to an investigation into alleged illegal activity. Peng was charged with money laundering and one felony count of having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.
Sampath was charged with money laundering, having a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity, and aiding and abetting a government official to have a financial interest in a contract or purchase made in an official capacity.
RELATED: FBI raids home and office of Los Angeles school superintendent, outspoken critic of ICE raids
If convicted on all charges, they each face up to seven years in jail.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Peng and an extradition warrant for Sampath.
"Between 2018 and 2022, Peng was involved in signing, approving, or recommending over $22 million in funding from LAUSD to Innive through Change Orders, Work Orders, Invoices, and Contract recommendations," the felony complaint read. "Between 2017 and 2023, Innive received over $39 million in payments from LAUSD. Between 2018 and 2022, Peng received over $3 million in payments from Sampath, Sampath controlled companies, or Sampath connected third parties."
The complaint claimed that Sampath sent texts to Peng in February 2018 instructing her to "delete all" of their messages.
"If anyone sees the text about these internal things it will be a prb," Sampath allegedly wrote.
In June 2018, he allegedly wrote to Peng, "What r the other opportunities in Lausd. That we can exploit. Any other area."
According to the complaint, Peng responded by telling Sampath that there were "a lot" of proposal requests from the district.
"This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated. "This vendor, working with an LAUSD project manager, allegedly carried out a multi-year, multi-contract pay-to-play arrangement that siphoned millions of dollars from our schools. We will not tolerate public officials who sell out their responsibilities or contractors who line their pockets by gaming the system. Both will be held fully accountable."
LAUSD released a statement in response to the charges.
"Los Angeles Unified is aware of the charges filed by the District Attorney's office against an individual who worked for LAUSD as an information technology employee from 2018 to 2022. As recounted in the District Attorney's Felony Complaint, this former employee was referred to the Office of the Inspector General for investigation in April 2022, as soon as an LAUSD supervisor learned of a potential conflict of interest. LAUSD Office of the Inspector General then notified the District Attorney's office," the district wrote.
"LAUSD is committed to full compliance with all applicable laws, and we expect our employees and business partners to comply with the highest standards of ethics and integrity. The District will continue to cooperate fully with relevant authorities," the district continued. "We will not comment further on the specifics of the case while legal proceedings are ongoing."
Sampath, Innive, and Peng did not respond to a request for comment.
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Vance’s fraud task force drops hammer: 70 California hospice and home health providers suspended
The Trump administration's new Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President JD Vance, is moving to suspend dozens of Los Angeles businesses.
On March 16, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the task force, announcing that it would advise the president and coordinate efforts to end fraud, waste, and abuse in government benefit programs.
'The American people deserve better than being ripped off by people who hate this country.'
The task force is working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to identify and suspend hospice and home health providers flagged as high risk.
CMS has suspended 70 providers, a source told Blaze News.
"As the task force to root out waste, fraud, and abuse ramps up its work, we expect this number to grow exponentially," the source stated.
This latest action from the CMS builds on a February announcement of action to protect taxpayers by cracking down on fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid systems. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz joined Vance to reveal that the administration had deferred $259.5 million in quarterly Medicaid funding in Minnesota due to fraud concerns. Additionally, the CMS implemented a six-month moratorium on new Medicare enrollment for certain durable medical equipment suppliers.
The task force plans to utilize the CMS' existing template, which involves an AI-driven internal fraud detection system that either blocks claims or flags them for review, a source told Blaze News.
This system can be scaled across the government to root out waste, fraud, and abuse nationwide more effectively. The task force is actively hiring CMS technologists to deploy this system.
"Vice President Vance looks forward to carrying out the president's war on fraud," a spokesperson for Vance told Blaze News. "The American people deserve better than being ripped off by people who hate this country, and the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud will ensure that essential taxpayer-funded services are used to support the hardworking Americans who rely on them, instead of being used by fraudsters and criminals."
RELATED: At-large Azerbaijani national accused of massive $90 million health care scam in California
The White House's announcement about the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud followed a bombshell investigation in December by journalist Nick Shirley, who uncovered a massive social-services fraud scandal in Minnesota.
The Trump administration appeared to confirm these reports, stating in its task force fact sheet that Medicaid fraud in Minnesota "could total billions," adding that it was taking action to end the "epidemic."
"There is strong reason to believe similar vulnerabilities exist in California, Illinois, New York, Maine, and Colorado, where insufficient safeguards and weak oversight increase the risk of large-scale fraud," the White House wrote.
Earlier this month, Shirley revealed over $170 million in alleged day-care and hospice fraud in California.
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Illegal Immigration Is Way Down, So Naturally The Media Are Freaking Out
'These shifts were largely due to lower levels of net international migration, which declined nationwide.'Today's top stories
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