x01a Research Archives

Blurb:

 

Republican House Oversight Committee members announced that the committee had launched an investigation into claims of hospice fraud in California.

“Despite clear red flags, it appears California leaders have enabled hospice providers to DEFRAUD hardworking American taxpayers,” Chairman James Comer wrote on X. “The House Oversight Committee is moving to protect taxpayer funds from waste, fraud, and abuse.”

The outrage started in January when Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said California owed over $1 billion in Medicaid funds improperly used for health care for illegal aliens.

Then Leslie wrote about the hospice fraud last week, citing investigations from CBS News and Nick Shirley.

Blurb:

Russia launched almost 1,000 drones against Ukraine within 24 hours between March 23 and 24, making it one of Moscow’s largest aerial attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Following a massive barrage of missiles and drones overnight, Russia carried on its attack during Tuesday in a rare daytime wave of over 550 attack drones targeting central and western regions.

At least three people have been killed and over 30 have been injured across Ukraine during the daylight attack, following the overnight missiles and drone assault, killing at least four people and injuring 21, according to regional authorities.

Lviv in Western Ukraine got hit and 17 people were wounded when Russian drones hit civilian areas in the city not far from the border with Poland.

Blurb:

 

While the world fixates on the Strait of Hormuz, China is working to make the entire conversation obsolete.

Each flare up in US Iran tensions sends oil markets into overdrive, with prices swinging and supply fears dominating global narratives. But Beijing is not playing that game. It is building an alternative system designed to sidestep the very risks others are pricing in.

At the centre of this effort is State Grid Corporation of China, a sprawling network that already covers more than 80 percent of the country and powers over a billion people. Alongside China Southern Power Grid, it is constructing what increasingly looks like a long term energy power play. A nationwide supergrid meant to reduce reliance on imported oil and the fragile sea lanes that carry it. LIVE UPDATES

The blueprint is expansive. Ultra high voltage transmission lines are being rolled out at speed, linking inland regions rich in coal, wind and solar to the industrial coastline where demand is concentrated. The aim is to electrify more of the economy, move power efficiently across vast distances, and reduce exposure to external shocks.

Blurb:

The European Union on Tuesday postponed the unveiling of a law that would permanently ban Russian oil imports, coming amid supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East.

The April 15 unveiling date has reportedly been removed from the European Commission’s REPowerEU roadmap calendar.

EU Commission energy spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said a new date has not yet been determined, but stressed that Brussels remains “committed to making this proposal.”

Blurb:

With special thanks to Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Timothy Grimmett.

If wars were won by bombastic press conferences, the White House should already be planning another military parade in our capital’s streets. In America’s latest war of choice, President Trump’s styled Secretary of “War” is emerging as the head cheerleader for our misadventure in Iran. Mr. Hegseth has already mistakenly defined what constitutes victory — the destruction of various portions of the Iranian Navy and military production facilities. Unfortunately, his definition is flawed. Despite possessing some military experience as a junior officer, he has shown that he is completely out of his depth. For most intents and purposes, the war with Iran might have been lost before the first missile was launched.

Some of the lessons that Mr. Hegseth should have learned by now:

Operational excellence is not a guarantee of strategic success — The best military on the planet cannot win a war if the national strategic objectives selected by the National Command Authority are faulty. This fact was proven in both Afghanistan and Iraq, which like Iran, were wars of choice and not necessity. Does Mr. Hegseth grasp the gap between his definition of victory and that of his boss?

Mr. Trump has demanded “unconditional surrender” of Iran — That choice could cost many lives. America demanded unconditional surrender of both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The word “unconditional” suggests that there will be no negotiated settlement. The only means of achieving that objective in Germany and Japan was first a land invasion of the “Father Land” followed by the deployment of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Is this where we are heading?

Blurb:

Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were set on fire early Monday in London in what British police are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime. Detectives are working to determine whether a claim of responsibility from a group with alleged links to Iran is authentic.

Though it has not been classified as a terrorist incident, counterterror officers have been put in charge of the investigation. No one was injured in the nighttime attack, which shattered windows in nearby homes and left the vehicles charred shells.

Blurb:

The Justice Department’s investigation of a $2.5 billion renovation project at the Federal Reserve didn’t find any evidence of a crime, a federal prosecutor privately conceded under questioning by a skeptical judge earlier this month, according to a transcript of the sealed hearing.

That admission by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Massucco came during a March 3 hearing that was closed to the public, the transcript shows. Eight days later, Chief Judge James Boasberg quashed government subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve, dealing a severe blow to the government’s investigation.

Blurb:

 

Good morning. AI is escaping the screen, and that should be setting off both alarms and opportunities in the finance function.

Deloitte’s new CFO Guide to Tech Trends 2026 explores how finance leaders can think strategically about emerging technologies and embrace what’s possible, which in turn elevates their function’s value and helps shape what’s next for their entire organization.

One tech trend on the rise is AI-enabled robotics. AI is no longer confined to dashboards and copilots. “Physical AI,” which is the convergence of AI with robotics, sensors, and real-world systems, marks a turning point. As Deloitte notes, intelligence is becoming “embodied” in factories, warehouses, and supply chains, where autonomous systems can optimize operations in real time. For example, BMW is testing humanoid robots to handle tasks that traditional industrial robots cannot perform, according to Deloitte. Meanwhile, the Bank of America Institute projects that the material costs of a humanoid robot could fall from $35,000 in 2025 to between $13,000 and $17,000 by 2035.

Blurb:

Before the U.S. and Israel launched their joint attacks on Iran 25 days ago, many Iranians said they would welcome foreign intervention if it meant the end of the Islamic Republic. The regime, in power for 47 years, had just crushed a huge wave of anti-government demonstrations, with President Trump claiming more than 30,000 were killed and vowing to come to the rescue of the protesters.

Now, two Iranians — one inside and one outside the country — tell CBS News the feeling of optimism has shifted markedly after more than three weeks of war.

Blurb:

German former bishop Reinaldo Nann has come to the defense of Pope Leo XIV in light of his participation in a 1995 Pachamama-related ceremony, arguing his presence was only an “interreligious” cultural gesture to honor the “soul of the Earth.”

On March 22, Spanish language news outlet Religión Digital published a defense of Pope Leo XIV by Nann defending Leo XIV against accusations that he participated in an act of idolatry during a 1995 ecological and theological congress in Brazil, where then-missionary Father Robert Prevost was photographed kneeling in the context of a ceremony associated with Pachamama, a pagan goddess linked to Andean religious traditions.

Blurb:

“I don’t think we should make any deal with the Crazy, Country Destroying, Radical Left Democrats unless, and until, they Vote with Republicans to pass ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,’” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday night. “It is far more important than anything else we are doing in the Senate, and that includes giving these same terrible people, the Dems (who are to blame for this mess!), a Five Billion Dollar cut in ICE funding, a deal which, even when disguised as something else, is unacceptable to me and the American people – UNLESS it includes their approval of Voter I.D., (with picture!), Citizenship to Vote, No Mail-In Voting (with exceptions), All Paper Ballots, No Men In Women’s Sports, and No Transgender MUTILIZATION of our precious children.”

The president then urged Senate Republicans to combine all of those bills and amendments into one piece of legislation, eliminate the filibuster, and skip their two-week Easter recess, due to start at the end of this week, if needed to pass it.

Trump also warned Republicans against voting to strike down what is now slated to be a massive bill.

“Let Leader Thune clearly identify those few ‘Republicans’ that are Voting against AMERICA. They will never be elected again!” he added.

Blurb:

I know you’re going to be shocked at this, but CNN was just forced to admit that Trump was right.  Again.

After spending most of the day yesterday claiming that President Trump was lying when he said Iran reached out to initiate talks on Sunday night, now they’ve just gone on the air to reverse that story.

See here:

Longer clip here:

Blurb:

A bare majority of likely Republican voters say Israel has too much influence over U.S. foreign policy weeks into the Iran War, a poll shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation shows.

Just over half — 51% of Republicans — answered “yes” when asked “Does Israel have too much influence over American foreign policy?” compared to 43% who said “no,” according to a Democracy Institute national survey of U.S. likely voters released Monday. Meanwhile, 63% of all voters, including 74% of Democrats, agreed that Israel has too much influence.

The poll’s release came just under a month after the U.S. and Israel jointly launched strikes on Iran killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other officials of the Islamist regime.

The ongoing war in Iran has killed at least 13 U.S. service members and ranks among one of the least popular conflicts in modern U.S. history at its relative point in time. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released the day after the strikes found that only 27% of U.S. adults approved of them.

Blurb:

Lebanon kicked out Iran’s ambassador-designate Tuesday, making it the fourth Arab country in a week to oust Iranian officials as Tehran’s grip on the region rapidly weakens.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi announced on X that Mohammad Reza Shibani must leave the country by March 29. Beirut also ousted its Iranian ambassador Tuesday, the Washington Examiner reported.

Shibani took over the post earlier this year after his predecessor, Mojtaba Amani, suffered injuries during the September 2024 pager attack that devastated Hezbollah’s ranks. The Lebanese government had already banned Hezbollah military operations on March 2, Reuters reported. The government reportedly ordered the arrest of any IRGC members operating in the country days later.

Raggi appeared at a gathering of regional officials in Riyadh last week, where he accused Iran of exploiting Arab nations for its own strategic ends, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“By targeting Arab and Islamic countries, Iran is attempting to hijack their security and peace and trade them for its own opportunistic objectives,” Raggi said. Lebanon also voiced support for Kuwait and the UAE after both countries uncovered Hezbollah terror cells on their soil, the outlet reported.

Blurb:

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s targeting of Kash Patel and numerous congressional Republicans as part of his lawfare against Donald Trump was worse than originally thought, new records show.

Released Tuesday by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the new documents demonstrate that Smith and his team’s efforts to acquire Patel’s phone records during his time as a private citizen were far more extensive than previously reported. The bid to acquire such information came as part of Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation, which ultimately became his elector lawfare against Trump.

Now-FBI Director Patel originally told Reuters last month that the Biden FBI had subpoenaed his phone records, as well as those of then-Trump confidant and now-White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The subpoenas covered phone calls from 2022 and 2023, with Patel claiming that Smith’s collection of Wiles’ phone records “extended into [her] time as Trump’s co-campaign manager, though he did not say when exactly the record collection began or ended,” according to the outlet.

Blurb:

California Democrats are melting down after a viral video showed federal immigration authorities arresting two illegal aliens at San Francisco International Airport.

The footage shows one of the illegal aliens, a woman, wailing and dropping to the ground as plainclothes agents take her into custody while a child cries nearby.

In response to the footage, Democrats deceitfully described the woman as a “Sacramento mother.”

Democrats Condemn Arrest

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) responded by condemning the arrest and demanding answers from federal authorities.

“I am deeply angered by the video released of a Sacramento mother being forcibly detained by ICE in front of her young daughter at San Francisco International Airport this weekend,” Matsui said.

“This is our neighbor and a member of our community.

“This video showcases the cruelty we have come to expect from Trump’s ICE agents…

“I am demanding answers as to why ICE treated this Sacramentan so violently in front of her daughter.”

Blurb:

New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill is following in the footsteps of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Both are catering to radical Islamists with troubling terrorist ties. Sherrill visited a local mosque on Friday, complete with a headscarf.

There, Sherrill met with Imam Mohammad Qatanani, calling the mosque a “community with the five pillars of Islam that is constantly looking to do good works.”

Blurb:

Over the weekend, Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Medina-Medina was arrested for murdering 18-year-old Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman. Gorman, 18, was walking with friends in Chicago when Medina-Medina shot her in the head. He was released at the border by the Biden administration back in 2013.

Medina-Medina missed his court appearance yesterday because he was hospitalized with tuberculosis.

Here’s more:

Sheridan Gorman spent the early morning hours on Thursday with friends, watching the skyline on the Loyola Beach Pier, prosecutors said, when she noticed someone hiding.

As the group started to run away, Jose Medina, 25, fired a gun, prosecutors alleged Monday, hitting the 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student in the back while her friends took cover in a grassy area of the beach.

Though a full detention hearing was postponed because Medina is hospitalized with tuberculosis, Cook County prosecutors gave a brief account of the shooting that plunged the Rogers Park university into mourning and generated international headlines when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it had lodged a detainer request asking Illinois officials not to release Medina, who is a Venezuelan national.

Medina is facing charges of murder, among other felonies, in the slaying of Gorman, who was a first-year student from Yorktown Heights, New York. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday where his public defender will detail any mitigating circumstances.

Blurb:

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is attacking pro-life Christians.

She has criticized pro-life Christians and evangelicals as living in an “evangelical, conservative silo” that is “pulling us back as a country.”

Meanwhile, Newsom is arguing that the term “pro-life” should be redefined to mean government-funded social programs rather than protecting unborn children from abortion.

In a 2022 interview with journalist Elex Michaelson of a local Los Angeles station, Siebel Newsom promoted her documentary “Fair Play” on gender roles in the home and praised progressives for redefining the meaning of “pro-life.”

“I appreciate that so many people, so many progressives, are leaning into redefining what pro-life is really about, and that’s what we’re doing in California,” Siebel Newsom said. “You know, pro-life is about prenatal care and universal preschool and universal after-school and universal healthcare and taking care of foster kids and feeding, you know, universal meals and childcare. Like, that’s pro-life. It’s not conception.”

Blurb:

Catholic bishops in the United Kingdom are condemning a recent House of Lords vote on a proposal that would decriminalize abortion in certain cases, including up until birth.

The plan, which passed the House of Commons last summer, would remove criminal penalties for women who seek abortions beyond the legally permitted time frame.

Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the lead bishop for life issues in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, immediately condemned the vote, expressing his deep “distress.”

“I am deeply distressed by the decision by the House of Lords to reject Baroness Monckton’s amendment to remove clause 208 from the Crime and Policing Bill,” wrote Archbishop Sherrington.

“The clause decriminalises on-demand abortion up to birth in England and Wales in some circumstances. This move is likely to lead to more late-term abortions putting pregnant women and their babies at risk. Many women could likely also face even greater risks of isolation, coercion, and pressure.”

Blurb:

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A bipartisan group of 20 Texas state senators wrote a letter to the state’s U.S. senators demanding stronger protections for children online.

The coalition says that a U.S. House bill meant to protect kids online is too weak. The Energy and Commerce Committee recently marked up the Kids Internet and Digital Safety, or KIDS Act, which contains a version of the Kids Online Safety Act that the legislators say is “considerably weaker” than the Senate version.

The letter urges Texas Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz “to support legislation that includes a duty of care and balanced preemption language, such as the Senate version of KOSA, to ensure that states retain the ability to protect children online effectively.”

This comes days after the White House introduced its National Framework for AI, which, if passed by Congress, would replace the 50-state patchwork of AI laws with one national standard.

Blurb:

Senate Democrats spent five weeks playing hardball over funding the Department of Homeland Security. Now, with ICE agents winning over airport travelers and key Republicans strategizing with the White House, it looks as if Democrats are starting to cave.

According to a new report from Punchbowl News, Democrats are signaling they might accept a deal — one that funds most of the department, but carves out ICE migrant removal operations. Republicans, rather than folding, are preparing to fund those ICE operations themselves through a party-line reconciliation bill.

For the first time in more than a month, there’s optimism that the Senate and the White House can finally find a path to reopening the Department of Homeland Security. Key Senate Republicans returned from the White House late Monday with a noticeably upbeat demeanor over the state of the talks with President Donald Trump, who had just rebuffed a GOP-backed off-ramp.

The framework under discussion would fund all of DHS except for ICE’s migrant removal operations, and could eventually include some reforms that Democrats have been demanding.

Republicans would then try to fund the rest of ICE via a party-line reconciliation bill.

Blurb:

The problem with crime committed by illegal aliens is that it is 100% preventable. Far too many Americans have tragically lost their lives because the left refuses to admit that borders are, in fact, morally and legally permissible. According to leftist logic, though, so long as no human is illegal, none of this matters. And in that pathetic pursuit, another innocent American has lost her life far too soon.

Even worse is that Chicago Democrat and 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden has decided to victim-blame, as she claims that if Gorman had been elsewhere at the time of the crime, none of this would have happened.

And to call this the perfect example of fake leftist compassion would be an understatement.

According to The Post Millennial:

18-year-old Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman was shot and killed in the early hours of Friday morning when she was out with her friends near Tobey Prinz Beach Park in Chicago. The suspect in that killing is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela Jose Medina, 25, who was released into the country under the Biden administration and was further caught and released after a shoplifting arrest.

Blurb:

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday heard oral arguments in a case over whether states may count mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day.

The court heard arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee,case from Mississippi that could also affect voters in 13 other states and the District of Columbia, which have varying grace periods for mail ballots.

According to Just the News, the Mississippi law, which was enacted in 2020 during COVID-19, allows for mail-in ballots to be counted up to five business days after an election, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared to be skeptical of state laws that allow a grace period for for mail-in ballots that arrive at election offices after Election Day, citing concerns about fraudulent ballots, as well as state laws that may run afoul of Congressional statutes establishing Election Day as a holiday for federal offices.

Justice Samuel Alito was particularly doubtful about state laws creating a grace period and pointed to “Independence Day, [Washington’s] Birthday and Election Day” all being specific days rather than a longer period of time.

Blurb:

The Air Canada pilot and co-pilot killed in Sunday night’s horrific collision between a regional jet and emergency vehicle have been identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther.

UPDATE: Pilot, Co-Pilot Confirmed Dead After Horrific Airplane Collision At LaGuardia Airport

“The two pilots were flying an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 regional jet operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada’s regional partner,” Fox News reports.

Gunther was the first officer alongside pilot Forest.

Blurb:

Iran moved quickly Tuesday to install a new top security official, appointing Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council following the killing of Ali Larijani in last week’s strike.

The announcement, shared by the Iranian president’s deputy of communications on X, marks one of Tehran’s most significant leadership reshuffles in the wake of escalating turmoil at the highest levels of government.

Zolqadr, a longtime insider with deep roots in Iran’s security establishment, steps into a position that sits at the center of the country’s most critical decisions. A former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he is widely viewed as a hardline figure with decades of experience across multiple pillars of the regime.

His appointment comes at a moment when Iran’s leadership is under intense pressure, both internally and across the region. By elevating a figure closely tied to the Revolutionary Guard and the broader security apparatus, Tehran appears to be signaling a focus on continuity, discipline and control following a series of high-profile losses.

The Supreme National Security Council plays a central role in shaping Iran’s military and foreign policy strategy. Chaired by President Masoud Pezeshkian, the council includes senior officials from across the government, military and intelligence sectors. While it helps coordinate key decisions, ultimate authority still rests with the country’s supreme leader.