New audit exposes flawed system critics say let Minnesota fraud slip through cracks: ‘Didn’t act for years’
A new state audit investigating the massive fraud scandal in Gov. Tim Walz’s Minnesota revealed that the state’s Department of Human Services (DHS) failed for years to properly investigate Medicaid kickback allegations while incorrectly claiming that they did not have the authority to do so. The Office of the Legislative Auditor report released on Tuesday, titled “Department of Human Services Investigations of Alleged Kickbacks in the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Program,” found that DHS’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has long possessed the legal authority to pursue kickback cases independently, contradicting the agency’s own claims. Instead, DHS officials operated under the belief that they could only investigate kickbacks if they were tied to other forms of fraud, such as billing abuse or theft, prompting a rebuke in the report. “We disagree with DHS’s assertion that it did not have the authority to investigate allegations of kickbacks alone,” the report states. “Based on our analysis, DHS has had the authority to investigate allegations of kickbacks in MA since the late 1990s.” TOP 5 WILDEST MOMENTS AS GOP LAWMAKERS CLASHED WITH WALZ, ELLISON IN HEATED FRAUD HEARING: ‘UNBELIEVABLE’ The audit found DHS declined to investigate three specific kickback allegations from 2021 to 2023 after concluding it lacked authority. “In the three cases that we identified in this review, they did not refer any of the three cases to law enforcement or any other investigation agency,” Deputy Legislative Auditor Katherine Theisen said, according to KARE 11 News. She added that DHS also declined to flag the cases for further review. The report also identified a decades-old error in DHS administrative rules that may have limited the agency’s ability to suspend payments during kickback investigations. The Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) program, which provides autism services, has faced scrutiny over fraud risks as the program’s budget jumped from $3 million in 2018 to nearly $400 million in 2023. Kickbacks were a key component of fraud schemes uncovered in the state’s autism services program, with prosecutors describing how providers used financial incentives to attract and retain families in order to maximize Medicaid billing, CBS News reported in December. In one case, investigators said an autism center operator fraudulently billed millions while using tactics that included offering payments or benefits tied to enrollment, illustrating how kickbacks helped drive inflated claims and contributed to large-scale misuse of public funds intended for children with autism. The audit recommended that DHS “should amend its administrative rule defining ‘fraud’ to clearly include kickbacks” and said the legislature should intervene if that doesn’t take place. MINNESOTA HUMAN SERVICES OFFICIALS SKIP FRAUD HEARING AS WALZ PROMISES REFORM The department responded in a letter included in the report, saying, “We agree with the recommendation that fraud should be defined to more clearly include kickbacks.” In a press release, Minnesota House Fraud Prevention Committee Chair Kristin Robbins, a Republican state representative running for governor, wrote, “The continued lack of accountability for the rampant fraud in this state is astounding.” “DHS has been complicit in fraud because they have repeatedly failed to investigate credible allegations of fraud in multiple programs over many years. This OLA report provides the latest proof of their failure to provide proper oversight in the EIDBI (autism) program.” Robbins added that “if DHS had corrected an error in its administrative rules, two other decades-old state law provisions would also have permitted DHS to suspend payments during an investigation for kickbacks.” Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office for comment. The report’s findings quickly sparked outrage from conservatives on social media. “The feds need to step in immediately,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. “Despite claiming they had no authority, a new OLA report confirms DHS could investigate fraud in autism services,” Minnesota House Republicans posted on X. “The Walz administration didn’t act for years. How much did it cost Minnesotans?” “Contrary to Walz administration claims, they have always had the legal authority to address kickback schemes,” Minnesota Republican state Rep. Walter Hudson posted on X. “They simply choose not to.”
Blue state Dem candidate who made ‘affordability’ a key issue in campaign ripped for charging $13 for water
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., is facing online mockery after his Senate campaign’s election night watch party charged customers exorbitant prices for water, despite claiming to champion affordability issues. Krishnamoorthi, a five-term House lawmaker, narrowly lost to Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in a bruising Democratic primary Tuesday night. Krishnamoorthi supporters had to pay nearly $13 for water and $22 for a glass of wine at an event at a Chicago hotel while watching the returns come in. Online observers noted the irony of the steep prices as Krishnamoorthi’s Senate campaign was one of the most prolific fundraisers in the country. The congressman reported a haul of more than $30 million during the campaign, far outpacing nearly all Senate candidates across the country. Krishnamoorthi also benefited from the cryptocurrency industry’s main super PAC, Fairshake, spending aggressively in an attempt to take down Stratton. PRITZKER FLEXES POLITICAL MUSCLE IN ILLINOIS SENATE PRIMARY AS 2028 BUZZ BUILDS “Dude hired three pollsters (that we know of) and is still charging $13 for a water,” Democratic pollster Adam Carlson wrote on X. “Thanks, volunteers, for working for me. Now pay $13 for water,” Republican strategist Collin Corbett wrote on social media. “I guess, based on how Raja treats his staff, this shouldn’t be surprising.” “That’s worse than some stadium prices,” Politico Playbook wrote in response to the $13 water. Even a popular Chicago bar account mocked the congressman’s cash bar prices. “I’m professionally and personally horrified,” the account wrote. ESTABLISHMENT DEMOCRATS FEND OFF FAR-LEFT INFLUENCER IN PRIMARY TO SUCCEED REP JAN SCHAKOWSKY Krishnamoorthi sought to aggressively brand himself as an affordability champion during the campaign. When asked by Chicago’s PBS station about the most pressing issue facing Illinois voters, Krishnamoorthi said rising costs. “Life has become simply too expensive,” Krishnamoorthi said. “The cost of living has skyrocketed, opportunity has stalled, and it’s affecting every Illinoisan — whether they’re 8 years old or 80. Democratic candidates nationwide are seeking to capitalize on voter unease about cost-of-living issues as the party seeks to flip control of Congress during November’s midterm elections. Stratton’s watch party — held at a different Chicago venue — notably offered attendees an open bar. The event also offered attendees free sandwiches and sliders. Fox News Digital reached out to Krishnamoorthi’s campaign for comment.
Two dozen House Republicans go to war with Senate GOP over SAVE America Act
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House conservatives is putting Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on notice: quickly pass a Trump-backed election bill or expect the House of Representatives to block every Senate measure. Two dozen House Republicans, led by Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., are vowing to oppose any Senate bill until the House-passed Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act clears the upper chamber. “We made a promise to the American people. It’s time to deliver,” the Republicans wrote in an open letter to Thune, first obtained by Fox News Digital. “Consider this our filibuster.” It’s a notable division between Republicans controlling the majorities in both houses of Congress. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: TRUMP’S SAVE ACT ULTIMATUM RUNS INTO SENATE REALITY House Republicans have threatened for weeks to derail Senate legislation until President Donald Trump signs the measure into law. The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification for voters at the ballot box. It comes as the Senate kicked off a marathon process Tuesday to debate the SAVE America Act, though the measure is ultimately expected to fail given unanimous opposition from Senate Democrats and Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C. The group of House conservatives is calling on Senate leadership to pursue a talking filibuster to steer around the 60-vote requirement and pass the bill with a simple majority. However, internal divisions among Republicans have kept the conference from pursuing that approach. Thune has also warned a talking filibuster could backfire on Republicans if Democrats were to saddle the bill with Democratic-authored amendments. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP WEIGHS ‘NUKING’ FILIBUSTER TO PASS TRUMP’S SAVE ACT Despite clear math problems in the Senate, the group of House conservatives said they would continue to ratchet up the pressure. They also slammed Thune for beginning debate on the bill without having the votes to advance the measure to a vote on final passage. “Continuing the same old kabuki shows is unacceptable, and the American people deserve better,” Fine told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Majority Leader John Thune can say whatever he wants about my colleagues and me holding the line, but we won’t tolerate Washington’s games any longer.” “In the last election, the American people overwhelmingly elected President Trump and gave him and the Republican Party a mandate to Make America Great Again. Core to that mandate was a promise to restore confidence in the security of our elections — to guarantee that only Americans vote in them,” the House lawmakers wrote in the letter. It’s not clear the defecting group has the numbers to immediately derail Senate legislation with significant bipartisan support. Forty-one conservatives revolted Tuesday on the House floor against Senate legislation that would reauthorize a program supporting small businesses. The measure still sailed through the House after nearly all Democratic lawmakers backed it. However, House conservatives’ threats could still hamper efforts by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to steer party-line legislation through the chamber. TRUMP URGES CONGRESS TO PASS SAVE AMERICA ACT, FULLY FUND DHS AS TSA WORKERS GO WITHOUT PAY With just a razor-thin majority, Johnson can currently only afford to lose one House Republican on any legislation that does not have Democrats’ support. “On Sunday, President Trump announced that he will not sign any additional legislation until the SAVE America Act is passed out of the Senate. The President has also called on the Senate to use the talking filibuster to secure passage of the SAVE America Act immediately, superseding everything else. We agree,” the letter said. “Until that occurs, we, the undersigned, are prepared to vote NO on any Senate bill on the House Floor.” A Senate GOP aide shot back at the House Republicans over their effort, saying, “Republicans fighting Republicans over congressional procedure is definitely a recipe for midterm success.” It comes weeks after a group of House Republicans pushed Johnson on a lawmaker-only call to reject any Senate-led legislation until the SAVE America Act was passed. “If we’re going to go to war against our own party in the Senate, there may be implications to that,” Johnson said at one point, according to people on the call. “So we want to be thoughtful and careful.” The letter notably did not make a carve-out for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, despite the White House assuring that Trump would make an exception for a spending bill to end the partial government shutdown.
DNI Tulsi Gabbard says Trump acted because he concluded the Iranian regime ‘posed an imminent threat’
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday issued a post on X in which she noted that President Donald Trump targeted Iran based on his conclusion that the regime “posed an imminent threat.” She issued the post in the wake of Joe Kent’s resignation from his role as National Counterterrorism Center director over his opposition to the Iran war that Trump launched more than two weeks ago in conjunction with Israel. “Donald Trump was overwhelmingly elected by the American people to be our President and Commander in Chief. As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country,” Gabbard noted in her post. WHITE HOUSE, AFTER TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL QUITS, SAYS TRUMP HAD ‘STRONG’ EVIDENCE IRAN WOULD ATTACK US “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions,” she added. “After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion,” Gabbard wrote. TRUMP BIDS GOODBYE TO INTEL OFFICIAL WHO RESIGNED OVER IRAN: ‘GOOD THING THAT HE’S OUT’ Kent publicly shared his resignation letter on Tuesday, asserting that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the U.S. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he asserted in the resignation letter. TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN Trump pushed back on Tuesday, saying that “it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat. Every country realized what a threat Iran was. The question is whether or not they wanted to do something about it.”
‘We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon’, Trump says
NewsFeed “We’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon.” While the US wages an outright military assault on Iran, the US president and his secretary of state also have an eye on Cuba, demanding a change of leadership in Havana. Published On 18 Mar 202618 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Experts discuss ‘Israeli strategy’ in killing of senior Iran official Ali L
NewsFeed ‘Israelis are not looking for a negotiating partner, they’re looking for decimation.’ Ross Harrison joins an Al Jazeera panel discussion on what the US and Israel are seeking with their killing of senior Iranian leaders. Published On 18 Mar 202618 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Drone attacks hit near US embassy in Baghdad
NewsFeed Fires have broken out in Baghdad’s Green Zone after a drone swarm, believed to have been launched by groups aligned with Iran. Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig witnessed the attacks. Published On 18 Mar 202618 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
TMC Candidate list 2026: Who is Parth Chatterjee? CM Mamata Banerjee denies ticket to former minister for West Bengal assembly elections
West Bengal assembly elections: As the Bengal assembly polls are a month away, the Trinamool Congress chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee released the 291 names of candidates for West Bengal assembly seats ahead of polling, to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The vote counting will be conducted on May 4. Amid the names, one key name was missing, that of, former West Bengal education minister Parth Chatterjee. He has been suspended from the TMC since his conviction in the cash-for-jobs scam.
‘A huge horror story’: Sonam Wangchuk after being released from jail in Ladakh protests case
Sonam Wangchuk said that his struggle was not only for personal justice but also to ensure broader gains for environmental and regional causes, and expressed hope that the process would guide future use of laws like the NSA.
Uttar Pradesh: CM Yogi Adityanath-led allocates Rs 110 crore to upgrade Bulandshahr highway into 4-lane, check details
This upgrade is expected to benefit not only the local population but also thousands of pilgrims visiting the area, especially during festivals like Kartik Purnima and Shivratri.