The federal government’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued an estimated $1.1 trillion in improper payments over the last decade, according to a new outside analysis. While CMS’s internal audits suggest at least $543 billion in improper payments over a decade, the Paragon Health Institute—an independent and nonpartisan healthcare think tank—says its research reveals the fraudulent payments are over double what the government reports.
According to researchers with the Paragon Health Institute, CMS data excludes eligibility checks, which produces a lower, inaccurate cost for fraudulent payments. The researchers note that CMS’s Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) audits under both the Obama and Biden governments excluded analysis of state eligibility determinations resulting in an inaccurate estimation of improper payments.
However, according to the Paragon Health Institute researchers, state eligibility determinations represent a critical point where fraud occurs. Under Obamacare, numerous states expanded their Medicaid programs resulting in a wider pool of eligible individuals and higher government reimbursements. The researchers contend this created “an incentive for states to improperly classify traditional enrollees, as well as ineligible applicants, as expansion enrollees.”
In addition to eligibility checks, the Paragon Health Institute notes that Medicaid’s presumptive eligibility rules—which allow hospitals to enroll patients in the government healthcare program based on stated income level and household size pending eventual review—represent another major avenue of fraud. According to the research, around 70 percent of individuals deemed eligible for Medicaid by hospital administrators are later determined to be ineligible.
The federal government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued an estimated $1.1 trillion in improper payments over the last decade, according to a new outside analysis. While CMS's internal audits suggest at least $543 billion in improper payments over a decade, the Paragon Health Institute—an independent and nonpartisan healthcare think tank—says its research reveals the fraudulent payments are over double what the government reports.
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Chicago’s far-left, illegal immigrant protecting Mayor Brandon Johnson is now publicly disclosing the numerous luxury gifts his office has received from undisclosed benefactors after being pressed on the matter by Congressman Brandon Gill (R-TX) during a House hearing last week on Capitol Hill. Johnson, who is facing mounting criticism from Chicago residents who contend he puts the needs of illegal immigrants over their own, granted ABC7 Chicago access to the gift room in City Hall where the luxury items are housed.
Among the items Mayor Johnson has received—as his city has spent nearly $700 million since 2022 providing benefits for over 50,000 illegal immigrants—are HUGO BOSS cufflinks, a Montblanc pen, designer women’s handbags, including Kate Spade, autographed sports paraphernalia, and personalized artwork featuring Johnson. The lack of transparency and public access to the gifts and the room in which they’re stored has drawn scrutiny from local officials as well, including the City of Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg.
“On June 12, 2023, you received HUGO BOSS cufflinks and a personalized Montblanc pen. Do you know who gave you those?” Congressman Gill pressed the Chicago Mayor during last week’s hearing. In response, Mayor Johnson insisted he had received the items on behalf of his city. However, as Inspector General Witzburg contends, the gifts were not publicly accessible, raising ethical concerns about whether they were treated as personal items.
According to Congressman Gill, the Chicago Mayor’s office claims the gifts will now be donated to charity. However, the Texas Republican, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), raises the concern that some of the items could have been kickbacks for lucrative city contracts pertaining to housing and feeding Chicago’s illegal immigrant population. Congressman Gill notes he will soon introduce legislation to end sanctuary city laws.
READ:
🚨 Just days after I forced corrupt @ChicagosMayor to answer for his secret gift room, he’s making the gifts public.
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) March 10, 2025
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Chicago's far-left, illegal immigrant protecting Mayor Brandon Johnson is now publicly disclosing the numerous luxury gifts his office has received from undisclosed benefactors after being pressed on the matter by Congressman Brandon Gill (R-TX) during a House hearing last week on Capitol Hill. Johnson, who is facing mounting criticism from Chicago residents who contend he puts the needs of illegal immigrants over their own, granted ABC7 Chicago access to the gift room in City Hall where the luxury items are housed.
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The Trump administration has announced that the former CBP One app, used by migrants to enter the United States under the prior Biden regime, will be repurposed into a self-deportation app. Renamed the CBP Home app, it will allow illegals to submit information on their intent to leave the country.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is behind the changes to the app, which will see all existing CBP One apps upgraded to CBP Home.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem touted the changes, saying, “The Biden Administration exploited the CBP One App to allow more than 1 million aliens to illegally enter the United States. With the launching of the CBP Home App, we are restoring integrity to our immigration system.”
Noem added that if illegals use the app to self-deport, they may be eligible to return to the U.S. legally, but if they fail to do so, they will be caught by authorities, deported, and never be allowed to return.
The National Pulse previously reported that President Donald J. Trump ended the functionality of the CBP One app on his first day in office in January. Under the former Biden regime, the app had been used to parole over one million immigrants at designated points of entry through CBP One appointments.
The Trump administration has announced that the former CBP One app, used by migrants to enter the United States under the prior Biden regime, will be repurposed into a self-deportation app. Renamed the CBP Home app, it will allow illegals to submit information on their intent to leave the country.
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The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) shot an armed man from Indiana on Sunday just a block away from the White House following a confrontation. The incident took place after the agency had been alerted to the presence of a man acting in a suicidal manner by police.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi commented on the incident, saying, “Secret Service personnel were involved in a shooting following an armed encounter with a person of interest shortly after midnight on March 9 at 17th and G Streets NW.”
The man has been identified as 27-year-old Andrew Dawson and was said to have been armed with a knife and a firearm during the shooting, which occurred just after midnight. Dawson was taken to a local hospital after the shooting in unknown condition, while no USSS agents were reportedly injured.
It is also unknown what Dawson’s exact motivations were, and President Donald J. Trump was not in Washington, D.C., at the time.
However, the incidents come after two attempts on President Trump’s life in the last year, including when he was shot at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, prior to the presidential election.
Ryan Routh, a former recruiter for Ukraine, has also been charged with trying to assassinate President Trump near the president’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. The USSS detained Routh before he could carry out any attack; he has since pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) shot an armed man from Indiana on Sunday just a block away from the White House following a confrontation. The incident took place after the agency had been alerted to the presence of a man acting in a suicidal manner by police.
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Key figures in the U.S. technology sector are reevaluating their stance on the H-1B visa program, which annually allows up to 85,000 skilled foreign workers into the United States. This change comes amid opposition from the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) political base. Notable figures such as Elon Musk of SpaceX and Tesla, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, Representative Ro Khanna of California, and Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont are even now calling for reform.
The shift in perspective gained momentum in December when the Trump administration appointed Indian American venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan to a prominent AI policy role. This appointment triggered a backlash on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Stephen K. Bannon – a former top Trump aide and host of the popular War Room show – slammed the H-1B program as detrimental to American workers and demanded compensation for domestic employees.
Tech industry leaders initially rallied in support of immigrant workers. However, Musk expressed on social media that although he would defend the program, it requires significant reform. Andreessen, appearing on the Lex Fridman podcast, shared that the controversy led him to reconsider his long-standing support for the program. He argued for both maintaining high-skilled immigration and increasing opportunities for native-born Americans.
Andreessen’s stance resonates with concerns raised by labor unions and American-born engineer groups, who argue that an influx of foreign workers has led to suppressed wages and displaced job opportunities. While Andreessen has not yet advocated for eliminating the H-1B program, his recent commentary reveals a radical shift and a major victory for the populist-nationalist base.
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Key figures in the U.S. technology sector are reevaluating their stance on the H-1B visa program, which annually allows up to 85,000 skilled foreign workers into the United States. This change comes amid opposition from the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) political base. Notable figures such as Elon Musk of SpaceX and Tesla, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, Representative Ro Khanna of California, and Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont are even now calling for reform.
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Kansas is set to witness a confrontation over a satanic “black mass” planned to take place at the State Capitol in Topeka on March 28. The event, organized by The Satanic Grotto, has stirred opposition from local Catholics and the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP), a national Catholic group.
TFP has launched a nationwide petition urging Kansas Governor Laura Kelly to prevent the event, highlighting that it disrespects the beliefs of millions of Catholics worldwide and other religious groups. The petition, which as of now has gathered over 28,000 signatures, asserts that sacrilege should not be considered free speech. TFP has also planned a “rally of reparation” outside the Capitol for simultaneous prayer and atonement.
Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, noted that bishops in the state are evaluating both spiritual and legal responses to the scheduled event. He emphasized that, if it proceeds, it signifies blatant anti-Catholic sentiment and insults people of good will. The group behind the event plans to use the grounds for satanic rites, as stated in a Facebook post.
TFP’s John Horvat publicly expressed his dismay over the use of the State Capitol Building for what he calls severe blasphemy. Horvat urged Americans to join in peaceful protest, sign the petition, and offer prayers, defending their faith against this occurrence.
Historical success in opposing similar events gives TFP hope; previous protests have led to the cancellation of a Harvard University “black mass” in 2014 and influenced a satanic conference to avoid Boston in 2024. Weber added that the Catholic Bishops of Kansas are calling for prayers for both the conversion of the event’s participants and for personal introspection during Lent.
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Kansas is set to witness a confrontation over a satanic “black mass” planned to take place at the State Capitol in Topeka on March 28. The event, organized by The Satanic Grotto, has stirred opposition from local Catholics and the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP), a national Catholic group.
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Masood Farivar, a senior analyst at the government-funded Voice of America (VOA) news organization, has become the subject of public scrutiny after Frontpage Magazine exposed his history as a jihadist and noted his frequent use of public funds to attack President Donald Trump and his MAGA agenda.
“…[o]ver the last eight years, Farivar had a new enemy, cranking out dozens of articles for the VOA with titles like, ‘Can Trump Be Indicted for Obstruction of Justice?’, ‘Has Trump Done Enough to Fence Off His Business Interests?’ and ‘Hush Money Troubles for Trump?’,” writes Daniel Greenfield.
He adds: “When a Muslim terrorist drove a truck into a French crowd on Bastille Day, killing 86 and wounding over 400, Farivar responded with an article titled, ‘‘Learn to Live With Terrorism’ Strikes Some as Good Advice’.”
USAID – FROM TERRORIST TO JOURNALIST.
Farivar was part of jihadist factions that were associated with Taliban leadership and collaborated with Al Qaeda, according to his own book, Confessions of a Mullah Warrior, published in 2009.
His trajectory is rooted in training delivered through a USAID-funded initiative intended to pivot jihadis into journalism. This program, however, has led to instances where former jihadists became involved in media settings.
“USAID provided funding to set up a Mujahadeen propaganda network known as the Afghan Media Resource Center. The terror media network, which reportedly required all personnel to ‘sacrifice for holy jihad’, operated under the auspices of the United States Information Agency (USIA): the parent organization of Voice of America,” writes Frontpage Mag.
Farivar’s memoir details his engagement with radical figures, including Osama bin Laden’s mentor, Yunus Khalis.
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Masood Farivar, a senior analyst at the government-funded Voice of America (VOA) news organization, has become the subject of public scrutiny after Frontpage Magazine exposed his history as a jihadist and noted his frequent use of public funds to attack President Donald Trump and his MAGA agenda.
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ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s primary fundraising platform, is engulfed in turmoil following the resignation of at least seven senior officials. The walkouts come amid an investigation led by Republican members of Congress into the platform’s security and fraud-prevention protocols, with particular attention to illegal, foreign contributions.
Noteworthy departures include the associate general counsel and the chief revenue officer. The situation has implications for the Democratic Party’s fundraising capabilities, given ActBlue’s significant contributions, totaling over $16 billion, to Democratic campaigns since its inception in 2004.
Zain Ahmad, who remains as the sole attorney in ActBlue’s general counsel’s office since February 26, has accused the organization of retaliating against him. He claims the company restricted his access to email and internal systems and deleted certain communications on the Slack internal company messaging platform.
Reacting to these developments, two unions representing ActBlue employees described Ahmad’s allegations as “unsettling and disturbing,” highlighting what they termed a “growing pattern of volatility and toxicity” under current leadership.
In a communication to ActBlue’s board of directors, the unions called for an independent investigation to review the leadership’s performance and the organization’s overall stability.
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ActBlue, the Democratic Party's primary fundraising platform, is engulfed in turmoil following the resignation of at least seven senior officials. The walkouts come amid an investigation led by Republican members of Congress into the platform's security and fraud-prevention protocols, with particular attention to illegal, foreign contributions.
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The foreign-born judge behind a ruling forcing President Donald J. Trump to authorize around $2 billion in payments from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is a Canadian-American jurist. United States District Court Judge Amir Ali, who serves on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, was one of the last appointees named by former President Joe Biden, becoming the first Arab American Muslim on the federal bench.
Ali assumed office less than two weeks after Donald J. Trump won the 2024 presidential election and has quickly emerged as one of the more troublesome judges in the early days of the America First leader’s second term.
Judge Ali has aggressively intervened against President Trump’s plans to wind down USAID, with most of the agency’s core functions being absorbed by the U.S. State Department. However, the judge’s ruling also presents a potential conflict of interest both as a Canadian and as someone with ties to the very NGO communities the judge says Trump must fund.
A HISTORY WITH FAR-LEFT CAUSES.
Before Biden appointed him to the bench, Amir Ali served as executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center, an NGO group established through the J. Roderick MacArthur Foundation. The late J. Roderick MacArthur, the namesake, is the son of John D. MacArthur, who established the massive John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which funds countless progressive NGO projects.
The MacArthur Justice Center is best characterized as a far-left dark money group that seeks to undermine the American criminal justice system, arguing it is replete with systemic racism. Additionally, the organization has lobbied against federal government efforts to boost the number of Border Patrol agents, and has played an integral role in the adoption of soft-on-crime policies in New Orleans that resulted in an explosion of urban violence.
Since 2018, Ali served as a professor at Harvard Law School and oversaw the academic institution’s criminal justice appellate clinic. Notably, Amir Ali also served on the board of directors for the progressive Appellate Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in the legal appellate field.
Before his judicial nomination, Amir Ali’s legal work predominantly focused on progressive criminal justice. As an attorney, Ali successfully argued Welch v. United States before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016, which retroactively extended changes made under Johnson v. United States to the Residual Clause of the Armed Career Criminal Act. This, in essence, expanded due process rights against federal criminal statutes deemed excessively vague.
NOMINATION TO THE BENCH.
Amir Ali was one of the last appointments nominated by former President Joe Biden to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. During his Senate confirmation hearing in early 2024, Ali was hammered by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) over the MacArthur Justice Center’s support for abolishing police departments and statements by former employees in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
After being advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on an 11 to 10 partisan-line vote, Ali’s nomination languished in the Senate for seven months, with Democrats unable to secure a cloture vote. However, in November, then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) began pushing the nomination forward and secured cloture 50 to 48. Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) was absent from the vote, being in Indiana to prepare for his transition as the state’s newly elected governor. Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) joined Republicans in voting against cloture and final confirmation, but with Sen. Braun absent, Amir Ali was confirmed by the Senate on a partisan 50 to 49 vote.
At the time, Vice President Kamala Harris was in Hawaii and would have been unable to cast a tie-breaking vote.
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The foreign-born judge behind a ruling forcing President Donald J. Trump to authorize around $2 billion in payments from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is a Canadian-American jurist. United States District Court Judge Amir Ali, who serves on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, was one of the last appointees named by former President Joe Biden, becoming the first Arab American Muslim on the federal bench.
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Sebastien Lai, the son of imprisoned Chinese-British pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, is expressing hope that U.S. President Donald J. Trump might assist in securing his father’s release by Communist China. Jimmy Lai, founder of the outspoken Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong, is embroiled in a national securitytrial that could result in a life sentence. The charges include colluding with foreign forces, allegations widely criticized internationally as politically motivated.
“Donald Trump’s presidency gives me a lot of hope. But at the end of the day, it is a joint effort,” Sebastien Lai said in a recent mediainterview. He added: “My father has been treated inhumanely. But he is defiant and strong.”
Sebastien Lai underscored the urgency due to his 77-year-old father’s declining health, citing diabetes and significant weight loss while in solitary confinement. He emphasized that Trump’s past assurances and the intervention of British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer could be pivotal.
While Prime Minister Starmer raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping last year, Sebastien has not yet secured a meeting with him despite persistent requests. “It is ridiculous that in his display of bravery, the Prime Minister [Sir Keir] will not meet with me,” the younger Lai said, continuing: “I need to meet with Sir Keir. It is now or never. I don’t know what else to do.”
Legal representatives, including Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, have argued that direct talks with Beijing are essential. Gallagher stressed the need for face-to-face negotiations, asserting that a resolution lies with the Chinese leadership.
The national security trial, initiated in December 2023 after a year’s delay, is part of a broader crackdown under Hong Kong’s national security law, instituted following significant pro-democracy protests in 2019. Lai, already convicted on other protest-related charges, continues to deny the accusations, calling them unfounded. The trial has reached its 144th day, with no verdict expected until potentially October 2025.
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Sebastien Lai, the son of imprisoned Chinese-British pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, is expressing hope that U.S. President Donald J. Trump might assist in securing his father’s release by Communist China. Jimmy Lai, founder of the outspoken Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong, is embroiled in a national security trial that could result in a life sentence. The charges include colluding with foreign forces, allegations widely criticized internationally as politically motivated.
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