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MN lawmaker takes action to get answers on Omar’s alleged fraud ties after she skips key hearing: ‘Ghosted us’

MN lawmaker takes action to get answers on Omar’s alleged fraud ties after she skips key hearing: ‘Ghosted us’

FIRST ON FOX: A Minnesota Republican lawmaker is demanding answers from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., after the Democrat failed to appear at a state hearing examining her potential connections to the sprawling pandemic-era fraud scandal. State Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, sent a formal letter to Omar on April 22 criticizing her absence from a scheduled committee hearing she was invited to and requesting extensive documentation related to the “Feeding Our Future” investigation that has gained national attention in recent months.  “Minnesotans and the Members of the House Fraud Prevention & State Oversight Committee were disappointed that you failed to appear before our committee to answer questions,” Robbins wrote in the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, referring to Omar’s no-show at a hearing focused on the MEALS Act, a federal COVID-19 relief measure passed in 2020 and sponsored by Omar. Despite Omar’s absence, Robbins said the committee still expects answers and is now formally requesting records from the congresswoman’s office in addition to several questions outlined in the letter. COMER WARNS ‘WALLS ARE CAVING IN’ ON TIM WALZ AS MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE WIDENS Robbins is asking Omar to turn over communications showing how she promoted expanded access to federal child nutrition programs, including emails, texts and meeting records with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents.  The request also zeroed in on Omar’s public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant that later became linked to the program. Robbins cited a Somali-language TV appearance in which Omar highlighted Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site and asked for all communications related to the video and the restaurant’s participation. The video of that promotion was played during Tuesday’s committee meeting as the lawmakers discussed the ties between Omar and individuals within the Minneapolis Somali community associated with the fraud, a subject Fox News Digital has extensively reported on. GOP LAWMAKER UNVEILS WALZ ACT AFTER BILLIONS LOST IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL Robbins is seeking records of any contact between Omar and a long list of individuals charged or implicated in the Feeding Our Future case, including nonprofit founder Aimee Bock and dozens of alleged co-conspirators. “She didn’t even respond, ghosted us,” Robbins told Fox News Digital about Omar ignoring an invitation to appear at the hearing. “And her Meals Act is what created the conditions that allowed Feeding Our Future to happen.” When asked if Omar has ever responded to any requests from the committee, Robbins said, “No, we’ve sent multiple emails, multiple letters, nothing.” The letter also raises questions about political donations Omar received from individuals later charged in the case, requesting “any and all” communications with those donors.  Robbins, who is running for governor of Minnesota, has asked Omar to provide a written response and the requested materials by May 5. The letter marks the latest escalation in Republican-led scrutiny of the Feeding Our Future scandal, which federal prosecutors say involved the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded child nutrition aid during the COVID-19 pandemic under the backdrop of a larger fraud crisis that is believed to be in the tens of billions of dollars. Questions about Omar’s ties to the Minnesota fraud scandal represent just one of several controversies she currently finds herself in the middle of as she is facing a possible ethics investigation into her personal financial disclosures as well as accusations, notably from Vice President JD Vance, that she committed immigration fraud. Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s office for comment. 

Parents push Congress to act on kids’ online safety after juries find Meta and YouTube liable for harm

Parents push Congress to act on kids’ online safety after juries find Meta and YouTube liable for harm

Fresh off landmark jury decisions finding tech companies liable for harms on their platforms, some parents are making a renewed push for online safety legislation. “I think parents are starting to wake up and see like, whoa, this is not a safe place for my child, and they want change,” Julianna Arnold, founder of the advocacy group Parents RISE!, told Fox News Digital in an interview.   Arnold was among roughly 70 parents blaming tech platforms for harming or killing their children who traveled to the U.S. Capitol this week to advocate for online safety legislation that would better protect minors. The group held a vigil outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday afternoon with many parents holding pictures of their deceased children. Arnold told Fox News Digital that she lost her 17-year-old daughter to fentanyl poisoning after a man approached her on Instagram and sold her what she thought was Percocet for her anxiety. CHRISTIAN MUSIC STAR LAUREN DAIGLE BRINGS ONLINE CHILD SAFETY FIGHT TO CAPITOL HILL, BACKS STOP CSAM ACT “Ever since then, I’ve been motivated to clean up these online spaces, because they’re no place for our children,” Arnold said. “And now we’re learning that even the way they’re designing these platforms is going to be harming our children, and they’re doing it intentionally.” A Los Angeles jury in March found both Meta and Google’s YouTube negligent for knowingly addicting and harming a young woman. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, was also ordered to pay a $345 million fine after a New Mexico jury found the company failed to protect against child sexual exploitation and misled consumers about the safety of its platform. Meta and Google have vigorously pushed back on claims that their platforms are addictive and have vowed to appeal both rulings. Arnold attended the Los Angeles trial and said the unprecedented verdicts finding that platforms can be held responsible for content on their platforms “changed everything” for the online safety movement.  “Now, we’re not here to tell our story only,” Arnold said, referring to her visit to Capitol Hill. “We’re here to show the evidence that is out there that shows that these platforms are intentionally trying to addict our children, and that they are targeting our children because they want more eyeballs on their platform so they make more money.” NEWSOM WEIGHS IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA AGE RESTRICTIONS, CITING EXPERIENCE AS A PARENT: ‘WE NEED HELP’ A spokesperson for Meta told Fox News Digital that the company continues to work to make its products safer. “We are listening to families, working closely with experts and conducting research to understand how to make meaningful changes, like Teen Accounts,” the spokesperson said. “We’ll keep making progress to protect teens online.” Efforts to pass online safety legislation have so far stalled in the Republican-controlled Congress. Arnold said her message to lawmakers is less talk, more action. “We don’t need to have another hearing with the big tech executives,” Arnold said. “We don’t need to have all these conversations and tell our stories again, because I feel like the evidence is out there now and that’s what we brought to them today.” Arnold and other online safety advocates are urging Congress to pass the Senate version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which has a veto-proof majority with 74 cosponsors. The legislation includes a “duty of care” provision legally requiring tech companies to tailor their platforms to children’s safety and omits preemption language that would restrict states’ ability to regulate online safety. KOSA has yet to advance out of the Senate Commerce Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, or receive a chamber-wide vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have both endorsed the legislation. “We’re urging that the Senate and Sen. Cruz mark it up, get it out of committee, and put it on the floor,” Arnold said. “This is really a nonpartisan issue,” she added. “It’s the safety of our children, the most sacred things that we have.”

Xavier Becerra pressed on ‘rumors’ he knew about Eric Swalwell’s alleged misconduct during CA governor debate

Xavier Becerra pressed on ‘rumors’ he knew about Eric Swalwell’s alleged misconduct during CA governor debate

California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra faced scrutiny over his knowledge of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s alleged sexual misconduct during Wednesday’s night’s California gubernatorial debate. Becerra, who served as Health and Human Services secretary under former President Joe Biden, was asked about recent comments in which he said he had heard “rumors” of Swalwell’s actions. Swalwell dropped out of the California race and resigned from Congress over the scandal. “Mr. Becerra, you were chair of the Democratic Caucus when Eric Swalwell was elected to Congress. You said in a recent interview that, quote, ‘Many of us heard the rumors.’ What rumors did you hear? And should you have pursued the rumors as a member of Democratic leadership?” NewsNation host Nikki Laurenzo asked. “Thanks, Nikki. Yeah, you hear rumors all the time about all sorts of things. Rumors are not facts,” Becerra responded. “And the, the caucus, the Democratic caucus is not a place that adjudicates those things. It’s law enforcement that does. If someone had come forward, we could then have investigations.” CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM FAMED PRO-UNION ACTIVIST AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT The debate came as Swalwell was hit with a fresh ethics complaint urging the Justice Department to investigate whether he leveraged his position in Congress to promote a startup business he was running on the side with his chief of staff. Swalwell has also been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct in recent weeks, allegations he has denied despite conceding he has made poor choices in his past with women. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a conservative ethics watchdog, filed a complaint Wednesday calling on the Justice Department’s Office of Congressional Conduct to investigate allegations Swalwell was personally pitching Findraiser, an artificial intelligence political fundraising tool, to Democratic lawmakers, staff and campaigns. ERIC SWALWELL CAMPAIGN PAID HOTEL WHERE ACCUSER LONNA DREWES CLAIMS ASSAULT TOOK PLACE Included in FACT’s complaint is Yardena Wolf, Swalwell’s former chief of staff and also the co-founder of Findraiser. Wolf eventually left her chief of staff role to lead Swalwell’s now defunct gubernatorial campaign. Swalwell already is facing multiple investigations related to sexual misconduct allegations, including from the Los Angeles County District Attorney, Manhattan District Attorney and the Justice Department.  Prior to sexual misconduct allegations against him coming to light earlier in April, the former member of Congress also was facing heat for his behavior on Capitol Hill as it pertained to promoting Findraiser. One Democratic operative reportedly told news outlet NOTUS that Swalwell was “peddling the s— out of” Findraiser on Capitol Hill. NOTUS released a pair of reports in March, one of which cited Federal Election Commission data that showed the artificial intelligence-powered political fundraising tool was getting business from some of Swalwell’s longtime political allies, including Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.  Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Trump admin loosens regulations on state-licensed medical marijuana

Trump admin loosens regulations on state-licensed medical marijuana

President Donald Trump’s administration is reclassifying state-licensed marijuana as a “less-dangerous” drug, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Thursday. Blanche signed an order reclassifying FDA-approved and state-licensed marijuana from Schedule I – reserved for drugs like heroin – to the less strict Schedule III.  “The Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump’s promise to expand Americans’ access to medical treatment options,” Blanche said in a statement. “This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information,” he said. MIKE TYSON URGES TRUMP TO DELIVER ON CANNABIS REFORM AFTER BIDEN’S ‘FAILED’ PLEDGE Blanche noted that the order does not yet apply to marijuana generally, but said the order initiates “a new, expedited hearing with set deadlines, to fully reschedule marijuana.” Blanche’s order comes just days after President Donald Trump signed another executive order Saturday expediting the review of some psychedelic drugs as potential therapy treatments. “The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.” VETERANS CROSS BORDER FOR FORBIDDEN PSYCHEDELIC TREATMENT THAT’S CHANGING LIVES AFTER COMBAT The president said the executive order would implement “historic reforms to dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs.” “In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans,” Trump said, citing the veteran suicide rate. DEMENTIA RISK COULD BE TIED TO YOUR MINDSET AND OUTLOOK ON LIFE, STUDY SUGGESTS “And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA approved,” Trump continued. The president said, “in 2024, a study from Stanford University, 30 special operation veterans with traumatic brain injuries underwent — it’s called ibogaine treatment — ibogaine, remember the name,” noting that they “experienced an 80 to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month.” A paper published in the journal Chronic Stress said ibogaine is a “psychoactive indole alkaloid which is extracted from the Tabernanthe iboga rainforest shrub and has been used for centuries in Central Africa for initiatory rituals.” “Ibogaine treatment is reported to alleviate a spectrum of mood and anxiety symptoms and is associated with self-reported improvements in cognitive functioning in individuals with substance-use disorders. During treatment, ibogaine allows the evocation and reprocessing of traumatic memories and occasions therapeutic and meaningful visions of spiritual and autobiographical content, which are of central relevance in addressing PTSD-related psychological content,” it added. The Associated Press contributed to this report.