News From Around the Web
#1 Trump Demands Medicaid Data for Deportation. Some States Go a Step Further. - Andrew Jones for CBS News, The White House, Capitol Report_NTD, Acyn, Gene Meilus, and Mercury News on X
Several states have joined President Trump's deportation efforts and are taking federal reporting requirements to immigration authorities a step further — by using their public health agencies as arms of enforcement. North Carolina, in late April, became the latest member of a growing group of Republican-led states to require their public health agencies to flag recipients of Medicaid to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security if their legal status is in question. It's a trend health policy researchers expect to spread among GOP-controlled states eager to join Mr. Trump in the federal crackdown on Medicaid fraud and illegal immigration. Already, at least four states — Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, and Wyoming — have passed similar laws, and lawmakers in others, such as Oklahoma and Tennessee, are weighing measures. In those six states, Republicans hold a power trifecta — both chambers of the legislature and the governor's office. "This is an issue that is very much on the political radar right now," said Carmel Shachar, a health policy researcher at Harvard Law School...
#2 Top 4 Explosive Moments From CIA Whistleblower’s Testimony on Alleged COVID-19 Lab Leak Cover-up - Adam Pack for Fox News, Nick Sortor, Jan 𝕏 Jensen, JP Sears/Shadow of Ezra/Fetching Truth, The Epoch Times, Joan E, and The Will Cain Show on X
CIA whistleblower James Erdman III testified that the Biden administration buried analysis concluding a lab leak was the most likely origin of the COVID-19 pandemic in an explosive hearing on Wednesday. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Erdman, a two-decade CIA veteran, chose to testify on the alleged cover-up at "great personal risk" because "government secrecy cannot become government impunity." Paul’s oversight panel had subpoenaed Erdman’s testimony and previously interviewed him in a classified setting. Erdman worked in a joint role with the Director of National Intelligence’s Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG) to investigate COVID origins over the past year...
#3 XI Warns Trump That US and China Will ‘Clash’ if Taiwan Is Handled ‘Improperly' - Kevin Shalvey and Jon Haworth for ABC News, CTV News, The Kobeissi Letter, Yahoo News, New York Post, and CNN on X
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a warning to President Donald Trump during their high-stakes summit in Beijing, saying that if the issue of Taiwan is handled "improperly," the two nations could "come into conflict," according to China's official state broadcaster Xinhua. The trip came at a crucial time for Trump as the war with Iran loomed and was leading to economic consequences for Americans at home. China is Iran's principal oil consumer. Particularly thorny for China is the issue of Taiwan, and the U.S. position on the matter has long been delicate. However, Xi did say that if the issue is handled "properly," "bilateral relations can remain generally stable." After a dramatic welcoming ceremony, Trump sat down with Xi on the first day of a multi-day summit, during which Trump said he'd seek to deepen diplomatic and economic ties between the world's two largest economic powers...
#4 Trump vs. Massie Becomes a Loyalty Test for Kentucky Voters - Jeff Zeleny for CNN, The Western Journal, Dr.Sam Youssef Ph.D.,Ph.D.,DPT., Thomas Sowell Quotes, Sarita, John Bourscheid/Kalshi Politics/Nash Oba, and Steven Sloan on X
Joni Pugh feels like she’s stuck in the middle of a bitter family feud between her president and her congressman. As a loyal Republican, she likes them both – and that is where her predicament begins. No Republican has infuriated President Donald Trump more than Rep. Thomas Massie, which has placed him in a precarious position heading into Tuesday’s Republican primary in Kentucky. The race is already one of the most expensive primary contests ever, with more than $29 million spent on advertising alone, setting up the biggest political test Massie has ever faced. Their long-running duel will be settled by voters like Pugh, who has admired Trump for the last decade and Massie for much longer...
#5 Lutnick Testified He Knew Little About Epstein, His Next-Door Neighbor - Graham Kates for CBS News, POLITICO, Newsweek, CP24, ABC News, and CBS Miami on X
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he was unaware for years that his next-door neighbor Jeffrey Epstein was a registered sex offender, according to a transcript of testimony released Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee. Lutnick also described a "crude" remark Epstein once made about getting "the right kind of massage." "He said it to me, and my wife is standing next to me, and we looked at each other, and we left," Lutnick said. Lutnick recounted that conversation as he voluntarily testified before the committee behind closed doors on May 6. He faced questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and his evolving statements about their history...
#6 Trump Has a Proposal to Expand Fertility Benefits. Here’s How That Would Work - Maria Ramirez Uribe for PBS News, Sloglo, @richard51185877, Alex, NewYork-Insight, and reason on X
President Donald Trump announced a new proposed rule Monday that would allow employers to provide standalone health insurance coverage for fertility benefits. The rule would create a supplemental insurance option employers could offer, similar to vision or dental insurance, for in vitro fertilization services and other fertility treatments. Currently, most health insurance plans don't cover IVF or related benefits. "This will hopefully reduce the number of couples who ultimately need to resort to IVF because challenges can be identified and addressed very early in the process," Trump said during an Oval Office event...
#7 Kevin Warsh Confirmed as Fed Chair, Succeeding Jerome Powell - Bryan Mena for CNN, Edge and Execution, Sollencia, Ledger Man, CRYPTO OUTLOOK, and Sofia on X
Kevin Warsh was narrowly confirmed Wednesday by the Senate to serve as the 17th chair of the Federal Reserve, inheriting a central bank that has long been under political siege from President Donald Trump and an economy rattled by geopolitical tensions that are driving inflation higher. Warsh will formally succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose eight-year tenure was marked by several economic crises and a heated clash with the White House to defend the US central bank’s political independence. Warsh was confirmed in a 54-45 vote, mostly split along party lines, with only Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania crossing the aisle to vote in favor of Warsh’s nomination. It was the most partisan vote for a Fed chair nominee in history, underscoring the unease among Democrats with Trump’s fight against the Fed, though Republicans broadly welcome Warsh’s leadership...
#8 White House Eyes 250 Pardons to Match US Anniversary - Jim Mishler for Newsmax, Tombug957, Crack-Up Boom/Erin Burnett OutFront, The Pixade, Huang Lei, and newsofbahrain on X
White House aides are discussing a potential plan for President Donald Trump to issue 250 pardons tied to the nation's 250th anniversary celebration this summer. The report from The Wall Street Journal is based on claims from unnamed sources. The Journal said a White House representative indicated that there are ongoing conversations about how best to carry out Trump's priorities, but said the president would make the final determination on any clemency actions...
#9 Report: CIA Takes JFK Assassination, MKUltra Files From Tulsi Gabbard - Elizabeth Weibel for Breitbart, Nick Sortor/MAGA Cowboy, Greg McDevitt/Liz Churchill, Newsweek, Insider Wire, The Calvin Coolidge Project, and DataRepublican (small r)
While Fox News host Jesse Watters shared that a whistleblower had revealed Gabbard’s office was raided while giving a deposition earlier in the day and that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) had also “confirmed it,” Olivia Coleman, a press secretary for Gabbard, said, “This is false.” “This is false – the CIA did not raid the DNI’s office,” Coleman wrote in a post, responding to a post in which Watters said, the CIA “JUST RAIDED TULSI GABBARD’S OFFICE.” In a post on X, Luna warned that the CIA “has 24 hours” in which to return the files they took, or she will “make a motion to issue a subpoena.” “The CIA has 24 hours to return the documents to Tulsi Gabbard’s office or else I will make a motion to issue a subpoena,” Luna wrote. “These documents have been requested by Congress.”
#10 Stacey Abrams Subpoenaed: 'No One Is Above the Law' - Jack Davis for The Western Journal, The Silent Majority, Off The Press, Mila Joy, roob, Black Information Network, and Bob/Breitbart News on X
Stacey Abrams will be grilled on Friday about her role with a Georgia voter advocacy group that has been slapped for breaking the state’s campaign rules. As noted by CBS News, the Georgia State Ethics Commission has already ruled that the New Georgia Project, an Abrams pet project, and its New Georgia Project Action Fund broke Georgia campaign laws in 2018. The group paid a $300,000 fine to resolve 16 violations. On Monday, the Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigations issued subpoenas to Abrams, as well as project leaders Lauren Groh-Wargo and Nsé Ufot, as the committee tries to get to the bottom of how money moved around during the 2018 election cycle when Abrams ran for governor and lost, according to a legislative news release...
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