作者： root

California election limbo fueled by 4 pressure points dragging out vote count, expert says

2026-06-05 16:21:56 EDT / Fox News

California races remain in limbo as voting expert warns ballot rules can stretch count ‘an entire month’

By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

Published June 5, 2026 4:21pm EDT

Jesse Watters: California’s mail-in ballot system is slow by design

Fox News host Jesse Watters details how California’s mail-in ballot system is designed for slowness on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’

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California’s still-unsettled election results are the consequence of the state’s vote-by-mail system, according to election law expert Hans von Spakovsky, who said the process can keep ballots moving through verification and counting for days and even weeks after Election Day.

The Golden State is continuing to count ballots cast in its June 2 primary elections, a process that has extended beyond Election Day due to the state’s election laws, administrative procedures, and vote-counting policies, said von Spakovsky. The delay is not the result of an isolated incident or unexpected complication but stems from the structure of its electoral system before final results can be certified.

“There are four reasons why California takes so long,” von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, told Fox News Digital on Friday. “First of all, it’s almost entirely a mail election now.”

The Los Angeles mayoral race has captured the nation’s attention as Republican-aligned candidate Spencer Pratt awaits a tally determining if he or Democrat-aligned Nithya Raman will advance to the runoff election in November against incumbent Democrat Karen Bass. While former Health and Human Services secretary under the Biden administration, Xavier Becerra, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Tom Steyer are still duking it out for the top two spots in the state’s jungle primary process ahead of the general election in November.

LA TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER DEFENDS CALIFORNIA’S SLOW VOTING PROCESS AS ‘ELECTION INTEGRITY’ IN ACTION

A ballot box sits outside Contra Costa County’s elections office in Martinez, Calif., on May 27, 2026. June 2 is the last day to vote in person or return a ballot before California’s statewide primary election.(Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images)

Von Spakovsky identified what he said are the four causes for the delay in final tallies: mass mail voting, a seven-day post-Election Day ballot receipt window, a 22-day cure period for signature issues, and high volumes of provisional ballots that must be individually investigated.

Of the four causes of the delay, von Spakovsky said California’s mail-ballot rules cause the greatest concern because it dramatically slows the counting process. With the vast majority of ballots cast by mail, election officials must spend additional time verifying and processing those ballots before they can be counted, extending the timeline for final results.

“You can go vote in person, but like in the 2024 election, out of 16 million votes that were cast in the presidential election, 13 million were by mail. It takes much longer to process a mail-in ballot than a ballot that’s cast at a polling place,” he said.

Mail-in ballots allow voters to cast their ballots from home, avoid long lines and grew in popularity during the pandemic.

Ballot drops are still rolling in and once they do, counties then have additional time to process, verify and tabulate those ballots, with counting expected to continue through June 15.

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS LAUNCH VOTER ID BALLOT PUSH, NEED 875K SIGNATURES BY DEADLINE

Vote by mail ballots are inspected at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center in City of Industry, Calif., on Nov. 4, 2025.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Von Spakovsky pointed to postmarks on ballots as a key vulnerability in counting ballots.

“California law says, ‘We’ll count absentee ballots or mail-in ballots received up to seven days after Election Day if they’re postmarked by Election Day. But if the postmark’s missing, or it’s blurry, and we can’t read it, we will just go by whatever date the voter wrote inside the envelope,’” he said.

He said the state’s election rules are too permissive, pointing to policies such as not requiring voter ID, automatic voter registration, and lengthy post-election ballot processing periods, which he argued invite fraud or irregularities.

California is one of eight states, along with Washington, D.C., that automatically sends mail ballots in to all active registered voters in their universal vote-by-mail policy.

President Donald Trump singled out the state’s election process this week, announcing that U.S. attorneys are looking into Los Angeles as the mayoral race remains pending.

“Without commenting on any specific investigation, my office has multiple election fraud investigations underway in coordination with @FBILosAngeles,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli wrote on X Thursday. “We will follow the evidence wherever it leads and prosecute any violations of federal election law to the fullest extent.”

“The state has stonewalled every effort to verify that only eligible U.S. citizens are registered to vote. This case is now before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. My office will not look the other way. We will investigate and prosecute. Every legal vote deserves to be counted. Every illegal vote cancels one out,” he added.

A sign points to a vote center during the in-person early voting period for California’s Proposition 50 special election in West Hollywood, Calif., on Oct. 27, 2025.(Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Democrats have played down concern over the process to count the ballots, including Becerra saying those who bemoan the amount of time it takes are working “to undermine confidence in our elections.”

“We count every ballot. Thank you for your patience as we give democracy time to work,” Steyer wrote on X, citing Trump’s recent comments on the election.

HILTON SAYS SPENCER PRATT CAMPAIGN REFLECTS GROWING REVOLT AGAINST CALIFORNIA’S ‘ONE-PARTY RULE’

Viral rumors have spread across social media since June 2, including claims that Pratt did not receive a single vote out of about 24,000 Los Angeles ballots that rolled in.

“That’s a lie,” the California Attorney General’s Office told Fox News Digital, pointing to an X statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office debunking the claims as “disinformation” and a “lie.”

FILE – Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a news conference in Oakland, Calif(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

The California governor sent a letter to state election officials in May calling on them to swiftly tabulate the upcoming elections, while focusing the letter on building and maintaining confidence in voting.

“We must continue building confidence in our elections and ensure not only that every vote is counted, but that every vote is trusted. We must acknowledge that the longer the voting count takes, the more mis- and disinformation spreads. That means we must do all that we can to tabulate votes quickly and accurately. Time is of the essence in preventing election lies from taking hold,” he wrote.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for additional comment.

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.

政绩观严重偏差 成都原市长王凤朝被双开

2026-06-06 07:20 / 联合早报

政绩观严重偏差 成都原市长王凤朝被双开

中共四川省成都市委原副书记、原市长王凤朝被双开。 （互联网）

去年11月落马的中共四川省成都市委原副书记、原市长王凤朝被双开（开除中共党籍和公职），官方通报指他政绩观严重偏差，懒政怠政等。

据中共中央纪委国家监委网站消息，经中共中央批准，中央纪委国家监委对王凤朝严重违纪违法问题进行了立案审查调查。

通报称，王凤朝政绩观严重偏差，违背国有企业高质量发展要求，为谋求职务晋升搞“形象工程”“政绩工程”，妄议党中央大政方针，对抗组织审查，搞迷信活动；在干部选拔任用工作中为他人谋利并收受财物；违规收受礼品、礼金，违规从事营利活动。

通报并指，王凤朝违规干预和插手市场经济活动、司法活动，懒政怠政；以及大搞权钱交易，利用职务便利为他人在工程承揽、融资借款、企业经营等方面谋利，并非法收受巨额财物。

除了双开，王凤朝也被终止中共二十大代表、四川省第十二次党代会代表、成都市第十四次党代会代表资格；收缴违纪违法所得；涉嫌犯罪问题被移送检察机关依法审查起诉，所涉财物一并移送。

延伸阅读
落马成都市长王凤朝人大代表职务被罢免

公开资料显示，王凤朝今年60岁，四川中江人，早年长期在大型国有企业长虹电子集团任职，曾任长虹电器股份公司副董事长、执行总裁。2005年，王凤朝步入政坛，出任四川省内江市副市长；2007年任四川省国资委副主任；2010年重返企业，先后担任四川航空集团有限责任公司副董事长、总经理、董事长、党委书记等职。2015年，王凤朝出任四川发展（控股）有限责任公司董事长、党委书记。

2019年，王凤朝任四川省副省长，官至副部级；2020年获任成都市委副书记、副市长、代市长等，并于同年9月当选成都市长。去年11月26日，王凤朝官宣被查。

‘What else do we have?’ Maine Democrats signal they’ll stick with Graham Platner, some with regret

2026-06-05T20:54:48.225Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/05/politics/graham-platner-janet-mills-maine-democrats

Portland, Maine—

Graham Platner is still likely to win Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination in Tuesday’s primary — but some voters in the state who once were excited by his campaign now say they’ll hold their noses while casting their ballots after a series of negative reports about his personal behavior.

Speaking to CNN in Portland, Maine, Sandra Braden said she doesn’t have “a lot of faith” Platner has changed as he says he has, nor does she believe his assertion that he didn’t know the origins of a tattoo with Nazi-linked iconography that he’s since had covered.

Still, Braden said, she’ll take a chance on Platner “if he votes the way I want him to and he can defeat Susan Collins.”

“I’m going to vote for him, yeah, but I don’t like it. I’m not in favor of all that s**t,” she said.

Platner, the Marine Corps veteran and oyster farmer whose populist campaign drew widespread notice among Democrats but has been rocked by a series of scandals in recent months, is still likely to secure the nomination Tuesday. He’s repeatedly said he won’t drop out and already boxed out Gov. Janet Mills of Maine, a top party recruit who suspended her campaign but remains on the ballot.

The latest blow to Platner’s campaign came in a New York Times story published Thursday in which three of Platner’s ex-girlfriends described volatile and “toxic” relationships, including allegations of heavy drinking, infidelity, demeaning behavior toward women and, in one account, physical intimidation.

Platner “strongly disputes” any claims of physical intimidation or altercations, his campaign said. And he has denied knowing about the origins of the tattoo before he entered the race last fall.

The race against five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine is critical to Democrats’ chances of flipping four GOP-held seats and winning a Senate majority in November.

Another Maine voter, Woody Hayward, told CNN that Maine needs “fresh blood” representing the state in the Senate. Hayward said reports about Platner’s tattoo of a Nazi symbol and other controversies are “troublesome” and “disheartening for sure.”

“But what else – what else do we have, right?” he asked.

Zoo Cain was “not really interested in the guy’s foibles,” and has seen Platner speak and is interested in his vision.

“He’s got some baggage,” Cain said. “But way less baggage than the oligarchy, as far as I can tell.”

Platner is set to return to the campaign trail Friday evening in Bar Harbor, where he and other Democratic candidates in Tuesday’s primary will attend a rally with progressive California Rep. Ro Khanna. Platner is also set to hold a town hall Sunday in Portland, and — in a sign he is already planning past the primary — his campaign scheduled a virtual town hall next Wednesday.

Where Janet Mills stands

Platner said Thursday he had not considered ending his campaign.

“It has never crossed our mind to drop out of this thing,” Platner said in an interview with MS NOW, referring to him and his wife, Amy. “I am fully committed to this till the end.”

National Democrats may have limited influence to push him out of the race anyway. After all, Mills suspended her Senate bid after being a prized recruit to challenge Collins.

Mills is still on next Tuesday’s ballot. Earlier Friday, a source close to her told CNN she is getting encouragement to reenter the state’s Senate primary.

“The Governor remains on the ballot, and in the wake of this week’s stories, people across Maine are reaching out to tell her they’re voting for her and encouraging her to get fully back into the race,” the source said.

The source did not say whether Mills has decided to resume active campaigning, weeks after she suspended her bid amid struggles with fundraising and with Platner holding a dominant lead in polls. But the statement is the second time in a week that Mills has signaled that she remains on the ballot as an alternative to Platner, after an interview with the Portland Press-Herald.

A former Mills supporter, ex-state Sen. Lynn Bromley, told CNN after the Times story was published that she still expected Platner to win the primary but hoped he would drop out afterward and let the state party identify a replacement nominee.

“If she came up with 20% with a suspended campaign, that says a lot,” Bromley said, referring to Mills.

During an MS NOW interview Thursday night, Platner bristled slightly at the prospect of Mills regaining support. Asked about her reminder that she is still on the ballot, he called it “a bit of opportunism.”

Beth Dindas, a Maine Democratic voter, told CNN that Platner lost her when he denied knowing about the origins of his tattoo. She said Platner now “has no credibility whatsoever.”

She added that she supports Mills “all the way.”

“I think that ultimately, unfortunately, we’re going to lose this race again and we’re going to have six more years of Susan Collins, who has let down the people of Maine time after time,” Dindas said.

Another Democratic voter in Portland, Bonnie Depp, acknowledged that Platner has “made some stupid comments,” but that she believes his claims that he did not know his tattoo was a Nazi symbol. She said he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after his time in the military and deserves a break.

As for Mills, Depp said: “I think she was a wonderful governor – I voted for her both times, I respected many things that she did. But it’s time for newer blood and as a boomer, I can say that.”

“I got until Tuesday to decide, but I’m pretty sure I’ll vote for him. I don’t think a lot of this crap is anybody else’s business,” Depp said.

The chatter about Mills comes as some Democrats who previously indicated support for Platner sought to keep him at arm’s length ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

After Mills dropped out, a leading contender for the state’s battleground 2nd Congressional District, state Sen. Joe Baldacci, said he “look[ed] forward to working with Platner in Washington.” Asked about Platner on Friday, a top adviser to Baldacci’s campaign, Jared Bornstein, said in a statement that Baldacci “is focused on finishing the primary strong and defeating Paul LePage,” the presumptive GOP nominee.

Another candidate for the 2nd District, Matt Dunlap, called on Democrats to unify behind Platner after Mills dropped out and was set to attend Khanna’s rally with Platner.

Democrats outside Maine are talking about Mills, too.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said voters should get behind Mills in the primary.

“I think what’s time is for Maine voters to take a look at the sitting governor, an honorable woman, and that is a committed Democrat that’s already won statewide,” the Pennsylvania Democrat told CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday.

DOJ confirms in court papers the “anti-weaponization fund” isn’t going forward, asks judges to reject lawsuits

June 5, 2026 / 5:29 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Justice Department on Friday urged a pair of federal judges to reject efforts to block its $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” arguing that the cases challenging the program are moot because of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s assertions that the fund is not going forward.

The Justice Department’s filings Friday appear to be the first time the Trump administration has indicated in writing that the anti-weaponization fund will not continue.

In two filings with federal courts in Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., senior officials with the Justice Department wrote that two sets of plaintiffs challenging the fund do not have the legal right to sue, and said there is no longer a live issue before the courts.

“This dispute concerns an Anti-Weaponization Fund that had not been set up and is now not going forward. As a result, Plaintiffs’ claims are not justiciable,” the Justice Department wrote in both filings, which were signed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and Andrew Block, his senior counsel.

They went on to argue that if the court were to accept the plaintiffs’ arguments, “the court would effectively unwind a preferable political resolution.”

The Washington, D.C., case was filed by a government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The Virginia case was brought by several plaintiffs, including a former prosecutor who worked on cases stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Last week, in response to the Virginia lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily blocked the Justice Department from moving forward with the fund “to ensure that no funds are irreversibly disbursed” from it while she weighs whether to issue longer-term relief sought by the plaintiffs.

The Justice Department’s Friday filings ask Brinkema to reject the plaintiffs’ requests for a longer-term block on the anti-weaponization fund.

They argued that the plaintiffs are asking the court “to have the last word in a political debate.”

“The equities and the public interest do not favor this Court interjecting itself in a political process to shut down a Fund that is already not going forward,” Justice Department lawyers wrote in both of the filings. “The Fund has been the subject of vigorous public debate. That process may seem messy. But the push-and-pull of such debate is a feature of our constitutional republic.”

While the claims raised by each set of plaintiffs are different, the Justice Department argued that neither are likely to succeed on the merits of their arguments.

Blanche told a House committee Tuesday that the Justice Department is “not moving forward” with the program. But at the time, Blanche refused to commit that promise to writing, raising skepticism from some lawmakers as to whether the anti-weaponization fund could be resurrected.

President Trump has also continued to defend the program, calling it a “beautiful thing” on Wednesday.

The program was rolled out as part of a deal to settle Mr. Trump’s civil lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns by a government contractor. Under the terms of the agreement, the fund would receive $1.7 billion, which would be used to provide awards to people who were the victims of “lawfare and weaponization.”

But the potential for those involved in the Jan. 6 assault to receive payouts led to immense pushback against the fund from Republican and Democratic lawmakers. That opposition threatened to derail Republicans’ $70 billion legislative package to fund certain immigration agencies, but the Senate approved the plan early Friday morning without imposing any guardrails on the fund.

Blanche told lawmakers earlier this week that other parts of the Trump-IRS settlement remain in place, including a provision that permanently bars the IRS from taking action against Mr. Trump or his company based on prior tax returns.

杭州小区有人非法从事试管婴儿手术：多人被刑拘

2026年6月6日 07:44 / 联合早报

中国浙江省杭州市一小区内有人非法从事试管婴儿手术，官方最新通报称，多人被刑拘。

据央视新闻消息，杭州临平区联合调查处置组星期五（6月5日）通报涉嫌非法应用人类辅助生殖技术并引发纠纷案件情况调查最新进展。

通报称，针对非法应用人类辅助生殖技术案件，鄢姓男子、即非法行医场所现场负责人，组织他人将租用房屋作为地下实验室非法开展使用人类辅助生殖技术，该场所未取得《医疗机构执业许可证》等相关经营资质，涉案人员不具备相应的医疗卫生专业技术执业资格。

临平区卫健局拟对鄢姓男子作出行政处罚，没收药品、医疗器械，罚款322万元（人民币，约61万元新元）；对李姓女子涉嫌非医师行医，已进行调查、取证；对杭州甥宝医疗健康科技有限公司涉及其他跨区域线索已转报市级部门处理。

警方已对与非法行医相关的地下实验室及关联经营主体以涉嫌非法经营罪立案侦查，并对三名犯罪嫌疑人刑事拘留，案件正在进一步侦查中。

延伸阅读
记者暗访代孕窝点遭拖拽骨折 杭州临平立案调查

针对现场受伤人员案件，警方以涉嫌故意伤害立案调查，经鉴定受伤的杨姓媒体从业人员伤势构成轻伤二级，犯罪嫌疑人李姓男子已被刑事拘留。

通报还称，杭州临平区正在全域范围开展专项排查整治行动，对行业监管部门和属地街道存在的履职不力问题开展调查，对相关责任单位和人员作出问责处理。对涉事机构和相关责任人，将从严追究责任。

据大象新闻此前报道 ，记者5月26日暗访杭州代孕窝点，男子当着公安的面猛拽女记者导致腿部骨折，还态度嚣张不断索要记者身份证。

杭州市临平区联合调查处置组5月28日发布情况通报称，针对群众反映某小区一住宅内有人非法从事试管婴儿手术问题，区委、区政府成立联合调查处置组，执法人员已查封涉事场所并立案调查。

5 takeaways from the grueling Senate funding battle that just ended

June 5, 2026 at 5:10 p.m. EDT / The Washington Post

What happened during the 18-hour vote-a-rama on the immigration enforcement package?

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) on Capitol Hill in April. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)

By Jarrell Dillard

Early Friday morning, the Senate finally managed to pass a bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies, bringing a four-month clash with Democrats over sending money to the agencies one step closer to conclusion.

FBI fires analysts who worked on “Richmond memo” about Catholic extremist ideology, sources say

2026-06-05T17:56:00-0400 / CBS News

By

Updated on: June 5, 2026 / 6:01 PM EDT / CBS News

The FBI has fired at least five analysts who were involved in the creation of a withdrawn internal 2023 intelligence memo on “Radical Traditionalist Catholic” ideology that drew the ire of President Trump’s allies, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

The analysts’ firings were reported earlier by MS Now.

The FBI declined to comment on the firings.

The so-called “Richmond Memo,” which was a product of the FBI’s Richmond field office, explored links between ethnically motivated violent extremists and radical Catholic views.

An internal investigation of the memo, which was withdrawn under former FBI Director Chris Wray, determined there was no evidence of malicious intent by those who drafted it, but found that it failed to adhere to proper standards and contained some errors in professional judgment.

As a result of the internal review, the FBI instituted a number of corrective actions to bolster approval processes for intelligence products. The employees involved were also admonished.

A separate review by the Justice Department’s then-inspector general also did not find any evidence that anyone had ordered or directed the analysts to find linkages between violent extremists and certain religions. There was also no evidence to suggest that the analysts made any discriminatory or inappropriate comments.

Nevertheless, the missteps over the memo have long been a focal point for Mr. Trump’s allies, who have said it represents evidence of bias against Christians with conservative values.

The memo was featured in a report released earlier this year by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, which was created by one of Mr. Trump’s executive orders.

The FBI “investigated, monitored, tracked and scrutinized traditional Catholics who had engaged in no criminal misconduct,” the report claims.

The report also alleged that the FBI Richmond office showed a “misplaced reliance” on the Southern Poverty Law Center in its analysis.

That nonprofit now separately faces criminal charges over allegations by the Justice Department that it lied to donors and banks when it paid informants to infiltrate hate groups. The SPLC has denied wrongdoing and alleged the prosecution is vindictive.

The latest FBI firings, which have continued since last year, mark the latest in a string of removals of bureau employees who were involved in cases or other matters opposed by the Trump administration.

The FBI also earlier fired everyone involved in both criminal prosecutions of Mr. Trump over his retention of classified records and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The Justice Department also earlier this year fired several prosecutors who worked on FACE Act cases involving defendants accused of hindering access to reproductive health clinics.

Democratic activist withdraws Platner endorsement amid latest revelations

2026-06-05 7:21 PM EDT / CNN

Democratic activist withdraws Platner endorsement amid latest revelations

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Trump says he’s considering government stake in top AI companies

June 5, 2026 at 5:53 p.m. EDT / The Washington Post

Industry leaders will soon gather at the White House to discuss the idea, the president said. The comments come as SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI prepare to go public.

President Donald Trump, seen aboard Air Force One on Friday. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

By Ian Duncan and Riley Beggin

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is considering taking a government stake in leading artificial intelligence companies.

The suggestion follows previous deals in which the Trump administration has taken stakes in major companies including chipmaker Intel, breaching traditions that previously protected American firms from government intervention.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/06/05/tech-leaders-will-discuss-government-stakes-top-ai-firms-trump-says/

Reporter’s Notebook: GOP bets on fraud crackdown as economic woes surge ahead of midterms

Lisa McClain cited Biden-era spending on Sesame Street in the Middle East and transgender mice research as examples of waste

June 5, 2026 4:28pm EDT / Fox News

By Chad Pergram

Lawmakers to vote on anti-fraud bill amid probe on Ohio’s Medicaid program

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the latest on new bills up for vote amid concerns about Somalian Medicaid fraud on ‘America Reports.’

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The GOP’s campaign message about a porous border resonated with voters in 2024. Voters routinely listed border security as the first or second most important issue to them in multiple polls ahead of the last election.

But how about ahead of the midterms?

Well, the border is sealed. The nation’s economic outlook is shaky as the war in Iran drags on. Gas prices are skyrocketing. And the hallmark of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda — The One Big Beautiful Bill — hasn’t materialized as a campaign juggernaut.

HEALTHCARE, ECONOMY AND THE ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’: WELCOME TO THE MIDTERMS

President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2026.(Mandel Ngan/AFP)

So Republicans are seeking an issue they hope will connect with voters this fall.

They may have settled on fraud. And returned to a favorite old punching bag.

“I’m just going to give you a couple facts,” declared House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., at the GOP’s weekly press conference Wednesday morning. “The Biden Administration thought it was really important to spend $20 million for Sesame Street in the Middle East. They gave $8 million to make mice transgender.”

McClain continued about the Biden Administration providing “free housing and cars for illegals,” adding that “under Biden federal agencies handed out taxpayer dollars with weak oversight, loose control and almost no accountability.”

The government weaponization fund waylaid Congressional Republicans. They’re still trying to figure out what to shove into some sort of an economic package which they can pitch to the voters this fall. So for now, Republicans are focusing on fraud.

“Crazy says fraudsters should be protected. Crazy says the American people’s hard earned tax dollars should be given to criminals who are stealing their money. That’s crazy,” said McClain.

TRUMP SAYS ANTI-FRAUD EFFORTS ARE UNCOVERING BILLIONS IN WASTE, CLAIMS SAVINGS COULD BALANCE BUDGET

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., leaves a House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Feb. 28, 2023.(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

House Republicans planned debate on three bills this week to root out fraud in government programs. One bill would enhance oversight over childcare block grants. Another bill would help prevent people from bilking a program which provides emergency aid to society’s most needy. A third measure would target “ghost students” and crack down on fraud in student aid programs.

“The integrity of the programs matter because the taxpayers are not going to support them when they’re filled up with fraud. And it doesn’t matter if it’s child care or SNAP. The American citizens want the fraud eliminated from the system,” argued Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.

Some Democrats found the anti-fraud message to be a little absurd.

“They’re not dealing with affordability. The President is saying he’s not concerned. Second, all of us are against fraud. I’ve yet to meet any politician who, when asked ‘Are you for fraud?’ says ‘Yes.” We’re all against it,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.

Another Democrat believes Republicans are focusing on the wrong things with fraud.

“What I would love to see is an investigation of fraud and corruption involving the Trump administration, and the Trump family. There’s not a day that goes by that there’s another story about Trump kids benefiting from some government contract,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

On Wednesday, Republicans launched a hearing probing alleged Medicaid fraud in Ohio. This came after they unearthed various forms of fraud in Minnesota. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, claims that bad actors from the Somali community operate in both states.

I’M OHIO’S STATE AUDITOR — MEDICAID FRAUD IS NOT JUST A WASHINGTON PROBLEM

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, leaves a House Republican Conference meeting in the U.S. Capitol on June 4, 2025.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“You’ve got the largest Somali population in the United States is in Minnesota. The second largest in the United States is in Ohio. Now, it’s not politically correct to say, but the reality is this fraud is coming predominantly from that community,” said Gill.

At the hearing, Gill charged that Somalis “are moving from Ohio to Minnesota and back to Ohio.” He added that “it certainly seems to have some overlap.”

Gill tangled with Democrat Ohio State Sen. Nickie Antonio.

“Would you like to see more immigration from Somalia?” Gill asked the state lawmaker.

“As far as I’m processing your question, I have to say that I was almost brought to tears just now,” replied Antonio.

The two yelled over one another.

“Seventy percent of Somali immigrants are on welfare,” said Gill.

“The rate and the level of hateful rhetoric is based on false information is shocking to me,” responded Antonio.

“They’re defrauding your state at an astounding rate. Most Ohioans have a problem with that,” piled on Gill.

But Antonio pushed back, arguing that Republicans have controlled key positions of power in the Buckeye State for the past 15 years.

“[Republicans] hold the House, the Senate, the governor’s office and four statewide offices. If there is fraud in Medicaid, it has happened on the Republican majority’s watch. Perhaps it’s time to clean Ohio’s house,” rebutted Antonio.

MINNESOTA FRAUD HEARING SPARKS IMMIGRATION CLASH AS GOP LAWMAKER SPOTLIGHTS SOMALI WELFARE DATA

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, joined by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, holds a news conference after a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 13, 2026.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

A recent Fox poll found that more than 70 percent of those surveyed believe fraud is “very common” in government welfare programs. Since it’s an election year, Republicans hoped to dare Democrats to oppose their anti-fraud efforts when the bills hit the floor.

“For some of the Democrats who might vote against the fraud bills today, will you guys try to weaponize and boomerang those on members who vote no today?” yours truly asked House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.

“I think their own voters are going to be questioning that,” replied Scalise. “If Democrats vote no on that, it’s going to a hard vote to explain.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y, opposed the GOP’s anti-fraud efforts. But he gave Democrats from battleground districts a wide berth to decide what to do.

“Democrats are going to make a decision based on what’s the right thing to do for the district that they represent. And I trust every single Democrat, particularly those who are in swing districts, to do the right thing for the people that they’re privileged to represent,” said Jeffries.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House passed the childcare fraud bill. Only four Democrats voted yea.

GOP MUST RACE FOR NEW ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ TO SLASH COSTS BEFORE MIDTERMS, TOP HOUSE REPUBLICANS WARN

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries holds a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2026.(Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg)

But Republicans yanked the bill focused on fraud in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) bill. The reason? One senior House GOP leadership source said the bill lacked the votes and “needed a little work.” Another Republican source said attendance issues among Republicans might inhibit passage of the bill.

So what about the ghost student bills? Well, that measure was a legislative phantasm. The House didn’t conduct votes until Wednesday this week. The House then ghosted everyone on Friday, leaving the Capitol a day earlier than planned.

This trio of fraud measures are “messaging” bills in Congress. It’s doubtful that these plans will become law. But the leadership believes it’s important to “message” a subject like this to voters. And also point to votes where Democrats opposed such efforts.

But for all of the focus on fraud by House Republicans, they only managed to pass one of their three messaging bills this week.

That’s a .333 average. Baseball old-timers Paul Waner and Eddie Collins both boasted .333 batting averages for their career. They’re in the baseball Hall of Fame. But a .333 average isn’t Cooperstown-worthy on Capitol Hill.

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That said, Republicans will tee up several other anti-fraud measures next week. So there’s a reprieve. However, if the GOP doesn’t bat 1.000 on their fraud bills next week, some voters may designate them for assignment.

Or maybe ghost them at the polls.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6397457752112