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MAP IT: DOJ illegal voting crackdown sweeps 17 states as razor-thin elections face scrutiny

October 11, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News

Minnesota leads with 11 defendants, followed by Pennsylvania with 10, as federal prosecutors ramp up election fraud cases

By Charles Creitz, Amanda Macias

Blanche brings charges against 9 foreign nationals who voted illegally, per indictments

Attorney General Todd Blanche said 9 lawful permanent residents illegally voted in Minnesota federal elections, with most of them falsely claiming to be U.S. citizens.

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The Justice Department has charged 64 foreign nationals across 17 states with unlawful voting, fraudulent voter registration and election-related offenses in roughly the last five weeks, according to figures provided to Fox News Digital, as federal prosecutors intensify election-integrity enforcement.

Minnesota leads the nation with 11 defendants, followed by Pennsylvania with 10 and Texas with nine. Louisiana accounts for five, while New Jersey, California and Florida each have four, according to the department’s latest tally.

The nationwide crackdown comes as federal officials intensify scrutiny of voter-registration safeguards ahead of November’s midterms, with recent elections underscoring how even a few illegal ballots can exceed the margin separating candidates. Fox News Digital mapped the states with the largest concentrations of defendants as DOJ says it has charged 104 people with voting fraud-related offenses since Trump returned to office in 2025.

SKID ROW FORGERIES, ILLEGAL VOTES AND A MAYORAL CANDIDATE: ELECTION FRAUD CASES PILE UP NATIONWIDE

Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks alongside U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen during a news conference on Sept. 30, 2026, in Washington, D.C., announcing the arrest of 10 people for allegedly voting illegally in elections in Minnesota.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen. In 2020, Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District race was decided by six votes,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital, referring to Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ narrow victory over Democrat Rita Hart.

DOJ said federal prosecutors are bringing more than twice as many election-fraud cases each week as the six-vote margin in the Iowa race.

NIGERIAN WOMAN IN MASSACHUSETTS CHARGED AFTER ALLEGED ILLEGAL VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS

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The spokesperson added: “Voting by noncitizens and other ineligible voters is a federal crime, and the department will enforce the law whether a case involves one illegal ballot or hundreds.”

The cases involve allegations ranging from fraudulent registration applications to ballots cast in multiple elections.

The department is also securing guilty pleas in some cases, including against Filipino national Evelyn Miller of Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

Miller pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2024 presidential election and faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

MORE THAN A QUARTER-MILLION NONCITIZENS MAY BE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN 4 KEY STATES, DHS ALLEGES

Darwin Flores, center, is seen being arrested in California as part of the federal government’s voter integrity operations.(Credit: Office of Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli)

“We intend to prosecute anyone who corrupts our democracy by illegally voting in its elections,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf said.

Also in Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors charged Haitian national Cliff Sanon with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application in Philadelphia County. Prosecutors allege he submitted eight registration applications and voted in the November 2022 election.

BLANCHE ANNOUNCES CHARGES AGAINST 10 PERMANENT RESIDENTS ACCUSED OF MINNESOTA VOTER FRAUD

In Minnesota, Ghanaian green card holder Joshua Kofi Edzie was charged with illegally voting in the state’s August 2026 primary and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in connection with voter registration.

The prosecutions have also reached Republican-led states, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida, which account for 18 defendants combined in the DOJ figures provided to Fox News Digital.

In Louisiana, the feds indicted an ex-mayoral candidate on a charge of voting by an alien. Bridget Johnson, who ran in 2024 to lead Cotton Valley, Louisiana, allegedly submitted a registration in the name of Jamaican national Michael Wedderburn and falsely swore he was a citizen. Wedderburn then allegedly voted illegally in 2024 for president and mayor. He was also recently indicted.

In New Jersey, Republicans have pointed to several razor-thin elections amid a separate controversy involving approximately 6,600 people who indicated they were not citizens but were erroneously registered through the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission. Fewer than 400 subsequently voted, according to Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration.

Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac recently highlighted municipal elections in Caldwell, Atlantic Highlands and Bogota decided by margins of four to six votes in 2023.

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Evelyn Miller, 37, of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2024 general election.(Getty Images/DHS)

The state has not established that any of the affected voters changed an election outcome. Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins previously said the governor “moved with transparency and accountability to remediate this error from 2023.”

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The prosecutions come as federal officials continue scrutinizing voter-registration safeguards ahead of November’s midterm elections. Authorities have not established that any of the cases identified in DOJ’s nationwide tally changed the outcome of an election.

Flock executive defends crime-fighting cameras as ACLU attorney questions company’s motives amid backlash

Some cities that use Flock have higher crime clearance rates, but questions remain about whether technology is responsible

October 11, 2026 7:00am EDT / Fox News

By Peter D’Abrosca

Flock Safety executive touts company’s success helping solve crimes

Flock Safety’s public affairs manager says the company’s technology is helping police solve crimes in the streets, and that the company’s data is secure.

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Flock Safety, which operates controversial Flock cameras now in 49 states, is touting crime clearance rates in cities that use the cameras compared to cities that don’t — as a nationwide battle over the surveillance tool rages.

“It’s used for any kind of crime really,” Phil Arnold, a public affairs manager for the company, told Fox News Digital. “It’s very helpful for hit-and-run accidents, also stolen vehicles, property crimes, crimes against people as well.”

Arnold is a retired law enforcement officer who served his community in Shorewood, Illinois, for 40 years. He was the chief police executive in the town for 27 years.

FORMER PENTAGON AI CHIEF WARNS FLOCK CAMERAS COULD CREATE ‘CHINA-LIKE SURVEILLANCE STATE’ IN THE US

A pigeon perches on a Flock Safety camera in Garden Grove, Calif.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Arnold told Fox News Digital that for the last seven years of his career, his department used automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology, which Flock Safety operates, to help solve crimes, describing the innovation as nothing short of revolutionary.

“Let me give you an example. Before we had this technology, someone would say, ‘Hey, I just got robbed, and it was a white Chevy Tahoe,’” Arnold explained. “We would then put out this information, a BOLO [be on the lookout] so to speak, and police officers would stop every white Chevy Tahoe trying to find the offender.”

Now, in a similar situation, Flock surveillance cameras narrow the searches to a specific geographic location where a reported crime has occurred, and then photographs of license plates matching the vehicle description can be used to identify possible suspect vehicles.

“So it narrows down the search,” Arnold said. “It doesn’t inconvenience the people who are just getting stopped because of the car they’re driving.”

LICENSE PLATE CAMERAS ARE TRACKING DRIVERS EVERYWHERE

Protesters rally against the use of Flock cameras at City Hall in Troy, N.Y.(Jim Franco/ Times Union via Getty Images, File)

Flock provided Fox News Digital data from an internal report regarding crime solving rates in cities that use Flock cameras, compared to cities that don’t.

For example, in Tennessee, Nashville cleared only 7% of motor vehicle thefts in the first half of 2026, versus 40% in Flock-equipped Hendersonville, a smaller city about 16 miles away, according to the data.

“Aggravated assault clearance followed the same pattern: 41% vs. 95%. Only 3% of vehicle break-ins were solved in Nashville, compared with 50% in Hendersonville.

Those patterns, according to Flock, hold true in places all over the country.

Where Hillsborough, North Carolina, which does not use Flock, cleared 0% of vehicle thefts in the time studied, nearby Burlington cleared 46% of the same cases.

In Flock-less Ann Arbor, Michigan, solve rates were lower than in nearby Van Buren Township.

FLOCK CEO, TECH RIVAL CALLED OUT TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATORS OVER AI CAMERA PRIVACY CONCERNS

A Flock Safety camera mounted to a light pole in Burbank, Calif. Flock’s automated license plate reader cameras have been deployed in over 120,000 locations across 49 states, using artificial intelligence to identify vehicles by their license plates, make, model and color to help law enforcement investigate crimes, while also drawing criticism from privacy advocates over concerns about mass surveillance and the collection of motorists’ location data.

Flock described Eugene, Oregon, as “the most telling case.”

“Flock cameras ran through October 2025, then were removed,” the report says. “Motor-vehicle-theft clearance fell from 15% to 9%; burglary clearance dropped from 21% to 15%.

“Nearby Medford, still running Flock, cleared 29% of vehicle thefts & 25% of burglaries over the same period.”

But not everyone is singing Flock’s praises.

Skeptical communities nationwide have petitioned their local governments to do away with the technology. Some argue that it is intrusive and unnecessary, while others say it’s unconstitutional.

On Thursday, a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that a police deputy who used Flock to access a woman’s driving history over the previous month, and then used the historical data to pull her over, violated her Fourth Amendment rights. She was in possession of 91 pounds of methamphetamine at the time of the stop.

FORMER SECRET SERVICE CYBERCRIME EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON PRIVACY AFTER HACKERS BREACH STOLEN FLOCK CAMERA

Hood County, Texas constable John Shirley covers a Flock camera after the county moved to disconnect the devices.(Hood County Constable, Precinct 2 Facebook)

Chad Marlow is a senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where his focus is privacy and surveillance.

He argued there’s not necessarily causation between implementing Flock cameras and solving crimes.

“It’s a different city. It’s a different size. What were the auto theft rates beforehand? What are the poverty rates in that city?” he asked. “What are the philosophies of the police department? Like, how many police are dedicated to trying to prevent or solve car thefts in one city versus the other?”

Privacy is a major question surrounding Flock cameras, and many places are having a robust debate on the level of surveillance they want on their streets, and whether their data should be collected by a private company working in tandem with the police.

“I think a common misconception is that when the car goes past the camera, and it captures the image of the back of the vehicle and the license plate, which is all it does, you can’t see who’s driving the car, you can’t see who the passenger is. It just captures the back of the car and the license plate,” Arnold explained.

INNOCENT WOMAN SAYS POLICE USE OF FLOCK CAMERA LED TO 13 DAYS IN JAIL

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6406122215112

Woman recounts ‘nightmare’ arrest after Flock camera error

He added that the data is not accessed except when law enforcement is searching for a suspect, and that police officers need a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) report or a case report number to access any data. The data is retained for 30 days, according to Arnold.

But cases of police officers using ALPR technology for purposes outside its law enforcement scope are piling up. A Washington Post analysis identified at least 50 cases of rogue officers abusing the tool, with many cases involving stalking of ex-lovers.

Meanwhile, the constitutionality of the surveillance remains up for debate.

“The Constitution establishes our right to privacy, and it establishes that people’s personal effects and their private information cannot be accessed by the government without a warrant, without probable cause,” Marlow said, noting that it’s not just Flock Safety using ALPR technology, and that companies like Axon and Motorola sell the technology, too.

“But it’s very fair for Americans to look out and be like, ‘You know what, If I’m not accused of doing anything wrong, I don’t want the government tracking everywhere I go in my vehicle for days, weeks, months, or even years. I don’t want that happening, and even if the Constitution says it’s allowed, I don’t want my laws saying it’s allowed.’”

A Flock Safety camera in Beverly Hills, Calif.(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Arnold told Fox News Digital that Flock is open to government regulation of the tools.

“We want legislation passed,” he said. “Our CEO, Garrett Langley called, gosh, probably a month-and-a-half ago, asking legislators to please … put the laws in place that will regulate this.

“We want it regulated. We don’t want people misusing the system. We’ve seen this in the news.”

He added: “Nobody dislikes a bad officer more than a good officer.”

Marlow says the company is asking for regulation to save its business amid the backlash it has recently received.

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“Flock suddenly coming to the table now is because they have no choice,” he said, noting that company only recently declared that it would drop the standard data retention period to 30 days. “Flock didn’t do that because it suddenly got a conscience, [or] it’s suddenly decided to be ethical. It did it because it needed a PR bump.”

The bottom line for Arnold is that the tool helps police officers, and that help is desperately needed.

“It’s so good for the manpower of a police department, you know? Most police departments across the country are a little shorthanded. Not everybody wants to be the police anymore. So it truly does help in those cases,” Arnold said. “It is a tool that is a force multiplier for sure, and I’ve seen that firsthand being a chief of police using the technology.”

Peter D’Abrosca is a politics reporter at Fox News Digital.

全球公众对科学信任度消退 专家警告或威胁公共卫生

2026年10月11日 18:43 / 联合早报

调查发现，对科学的信任与疫苗接种之间存在关联。图为9月22日，一名76岁妇女在宾夕法尼亚州一家药房接受冠病疫苗注射。 （路透社）

（伦敦彭博电）最新发布的一项全球调查显示，冠病疫情期间公众对科学信任度大增的现象已基本消退，其中经济处于弱势的群体信任度降幅最为剧烈。专家警告，这一趋势可能对全球公共卫生安全带来深远威胁。

总部位于伦敦的健康研究基金会维康信托（Wellcome）联合盖洛普与益普索，对全球超过14万名成年人展开的调查显示，2025年全球有72%的受访者表示对科学“至少有一定程度的信任”，低于2020年的80%和2018年的77%。对科学家的高度信任比率同样跌破疫情前水平。

维康信托首席执行官勒廷根说，疫情期间防疫措施与疫苗的政治化加剧了社会极化。随着多国疫苗接种率走低、可预防疾病如麻疹出现反弹，公众信任度的下滑正进一步加剧全球卫生风险。

这种下滑趋势在经济拮据人群中尤为明显。2025年，自称生活宽裕的人群中，有39%表示对科学抱有高度信任，而生活拮据的人群中，这一比率仅为20%。

自疫情以来，这种差距进一步拉大。2020年至2025年间，经济拮据人群中对科学高度信任的比率下降了16个百分点，而生活宽裕人群中的降幅为10个百分点。经济不平等程度较高的国家，以及民众对公共机构信心不足或认为腐败现象严重的地区，对科学的信任度往往也较低。

勒廷根说，经济拮据的人可能会将科学视为一个未能惠及他们的更广泛体系的一部分。他觉得，科学家还要更好地与这些群体建立联系。

医疗服务方面的经历也与信任度密切相关。尽管全球有26%的人表示对科学抱有高度信任，但在那些对自己国家医院和卫生诊所充满信心的人群中，这一比率上升到43%。

信任也与疫苗接种之间存在关联。当被问及医生或护士推荐接种疫苗时会如何应对，34%的受访者表示会立即接种，48%的受访者则希望先考虑一下，还有15%的受访者表示根本不接种疫苗。

分析显示，愿意立即接种推荐疫苗的人群，对科学抱有高度信任的比率，是那些不接种疫苗人群的两倍，分别为36%和18%。

勒廷根认为，疫苗接种率下降表明，不信任情绪可能带来的后果不仅限于个人，因为疫苗不仅能保护接种者，还能保护更广泛社区中那些无法接种疫苗或无法产生强效免疫反应的人群。

世行与逾30国商讨危机援助 应对中东战事能源冲击

2026年10月11日 16:27 / 联合早报

世界银行行长彭安杰说，世行正与30至40个国家商讨提供危机援助，协助它们应对中东战争引发的能源价格上涨及经济冲击。若局势恶化，世行可提供高达1000亿美元（约1290亿新元）的资金支持。 （路透社档案照片）

世界银行正与30至40个国家商讨提供危机援助，协助它们应对中东战争引发的能源价格上涨及经济冲击。

世界银行行长彭安杰在国际货币基金组织（IMF）和世界银行本周举行年会前接受路透社访问时说，全球经济迄今展现一定韧性，部分得益于人工智能领域的大规模投资，以及石油供需调整。

因此，自美伊战争2月底爆发以来，寻求动用世行首批250亿美元（约320亿新元）紧急援助资金的国家不多。

不过，柴油和肥料价格急升，加上超强厄尔尼诺现象可能带来的冲击，正加重发展中国家的负担。

彭安杰说：“压力确实存在，因此我认为在未来几个月，可能有更多国家寻求动用首批500亿至600亿美元的部分资金。”这包括250亿美元紧急援助，以及可从已批准项目重新调配的350亿美元。

“我们正与其中许多国家进行磋商——你知道，目前有30到40个国家正在与我们对话。”

许多发展中国家仍面对冠病疫情及俄乌战争后遗留的财政压力，加上能源价格和借贷成本上涨，处境更加困难。

世行估计，发展中国家今年须向外国债权人偿还约4000亿美元债务，其中三分之一是利息。

彭安杰指出，目前更多国家倾向调整现有世行项目，而非直接申请紧急资金。他说，若局势恶化，世行可提供高达1000亿美元的资金支持。

彭安杰说，世行将继续推动私人投资，并与IMF合作缓解发展中国家的债务压力，包括通过债务置换计划，协助各国以成本较低的新债取代旧债，将节省的资金用于教育、医疗及水资源等领域。

India’s “Cockroach Party” leaders released from detention, demand resignation of country’s election chief

Updated on: October 11, 2026 / 7:01 AM EDT / AP

Leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party, an Indian youth movement, were released Sunday, a day after they were detained ahead of protests against a contentious revision of voter lists. The movement is demanding the resignation of the country’s election chief.

The three leaders — Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka — were freed on condition that they commit “no breach of peace for one year,” Ratna Singh, the movement’s legal director, said in a social media post. It was unclear what the condition meant or whether it would restrict their participation in protests.

Police had boarded the leaders’ flight from Mumbai after it landed in New Delhi on Saturday and took them into custody as they prepared to lead a demonstration in New Delhi.

Authorities have launched a sweeping security crackdown in the capital, detaining more than 2,000 protesters, including several opposition lawmakers. Train services to the capital were canceled, metro stations closed and mobile internet suspended in parts of the city.

Most of those detained were released late Saturday, police said.

After his release, Dipke called Prime Minister Narendra Modi “an embarrassment to India.”

“Never has this country seen a bigger coward and bully,” he wrote on X.

https://www.cbsnews.com/live/

特朗普新任白宫新闻秘书曾在北京工作两年 会讲中文

2026-10-11 17:09 / 联合早报

美国总统特朗普（右）新任命的白宫新闻秘书扎卡里亚（Katie Zacharia，左），曾在北京生活和工作，掌握一定程度的中文。 （扎卡里亚instagram）

美国总统特朗普新任命的白宫新闻秘书扎卡里亚（Katie Zacharia），曾在北京生活和工作，在中国知名律师事务所任职，并参与关注农民工子女的公益项目。她也掌握一定程度的中文。

据美国《新闻周刊》报道，现年42岁的扎卡里亚曾在美国加利福尼亚州佩珀代因大学法学院修读法律，毕业后前往北京，于2011年至2013年在中伦律师事务所国际业务团队担任律师。

在北京期间，她还参与公益组织“Compassion for Migrant Children”的工作，负责筹款及传播事务。该组织主要关注中国农民工子女的生活和教育问题。

香港《星岛日报》引述她过去的访谈称，目前扎卡里亚的中文能力虽然有所退步，但仍能听懂不少中文，偶尔会在听到中国人交谈时突然加入对话，令对方感到惊讶。

扎卡里亚的丈夫泰勒（Tyler Zacharia）同样有在华工作经历。美国《新闻周刊》报道，泰勒曾在北京工作，担任私募股权投资公司SGI Frontier Capital副总裁，负责中国、蒙古和巴西等新兴市场的投资业务，任职时间从2007年8月至2013年7月。

特朗普任命保守派评论员为白宫新闻秘书

美国智库昆西研究所高级研究员西蒙（Denis Simon）告诉香港《南华早报》，扎卡里亚的北京经历可能为她提供有用的中国视角。她不仅通过美国国内政治辩论认识中国，也曾亲身接触中国的商业法律环境和公益组织工作。

特朗普星期五（9日）在社交平台Truth Social宣布任命扎卡里亚，接替今年8月离职的莱维特（Karoline Leavitt），出任白宫新闻秘书。特朗普称赞扎卡里亚长期坚定支持他，也是“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）运动的忠实支持者。

扎卡里亚今年曾短暂担任美国国土安全部发言人及公共事务副助理部长，随后出任特朗普媒体与科技集团旗下Truth Social的高级传播顾问。

联合抵制白宫采访 美五大电视网遭反垄断调查

2026年10月11日 16:32 / 联合早报

美国有线电视新网（CNN）白宫记者克莱恩（Betsy Klein）9月24日重返白宫采访。美国法官当天下令政府，立即恢复CNN等三家媒体进入白宫采访的权限。 （路透社）

（华盛顿综合电）美国司法部已对美国五大电视网展开调查，调查聚焦于这些媒体此前联合暂停白宫电视记者团联合采访的行为，是否违反联邦反垄断法。

美国司法部星期六（10月10日）证实，属下反垄断局正在调查，美国广播公司（ABC）、哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）、美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）、全国广播公司（NBC）与福克斯新闻（Fox News）是否违反相关法律。

司法部发言人说：“电视记者团的成员联合抵制对白宫活动的报道。商业竞争对手之间的联合抵制行为，可能触犯《谢尔曼法》（Sherman Act）。”

《谢尔曼法》于1890年通过，是美国第一部联邦反垄断法。

此次调查标志着，特朗普政府与主流媒体的冲突进一步升级。此举也通过向新闻机构施加直接的法律压力与潜在的财务压力，迫使它们即使对白宫做法不满，也要继续报道总统活动。

美国新闻自由记者委员会主席布朗说：“新闻机构的报道决策受到宪法第一修正案保护。白宫此前已采取报复行动禁止特定媒体机构进入，如今又动用反垄断权力，再次且更肆无忌惮地试图恐吓记者。”

特朗普多次指主流媒体报道假新闻。9月19日，白宫以报道失实为由，禁止CNN、新闻频道MS NOW和新闻网站Politico进入白宫采访。

这三家媒体随即向特朗普政府提起诉讼。CNN与共同组成白宫电视记者团的其他四家电视网也暂停对白宫的联合采访。

9月24日，哥伦比亚特区联邦地区法院法官凯利下达临时限制令，暂时阻止特朗普政府执行这项禁令，同时下令政府立即归还三家媒体的记者证。

白宫电视记者团随后恢复对白宫活动的采访报道，但双方围绕特定总统活动的采访权限与联合采访的人员分配仍争端不断。

所罗门群岛一客船滞留海上超过两天 90人受困

2026年10月11日 16:35 / 联合早报

所罗门群岛一艘客船星期五（10月9日）早因发动机故障滞留海上，船上90人被困至今。

新华社引述所罗门群岛广播公司星期六（10日）报道，当地时间星期五（9日）上午7时许（新加坡时间凌晨4时），这艘客船在从泰莫图省阿努塔岛驶往瓦尼科罗岛途中发生发动机故障，发出求救信号。

据报道，所罗门群岛泰莫图省省长说，法国、澳大利亚和新西兰已收到求救信号，并表示愿提供食品、饮用水和医疗用品等援助。所罗门群岛巡逻艇“吉佐”号10日从首都霍尼亚拉出发，预计星期天（11日）晚抵达泰莫图省。

澳大利亚广播公司星期天援引所罗门群岛海事局的消息报道，船上有74名乘客和16名船员。

来自澳大利亚和新喀里多尼亚的飞机已向这艘客船空投补给品和海水淡化设备。周边海域的一些船只也向遇险客船提供援助。

Pope Leo XIV to undergo surgery after nodular lesion found in lung, Vatican says

October 11, 2026 / 7:13 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery this week after a nodular lesion was found in his lung, the Vatican said. Recovery is expected to take a week.

Leo, 71, said Sunday that doctors recently discovered the nodular lesion during medical checks. He said it was found in an early stage and was “circumscribed.”

A statement by Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni didn’t say when the pope would be hospitalized but that it would be in the “first days” of the week. He was expected to be treated at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, which has a special apartment for the pope.

The statement didn’t say what impact, if any, the surgery or weeklong recovery would have on Leo’s planned Nov. 7-16 trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, but the pope on Sunday asked for prayers for his upcoming trip to Peru especially.

The American pope has no previously known health problems and is known to be physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

Pope Leo XIV: The First American Pope More

California faces unlikely tax revolt amid billions in illegal immigrant healthcare costs

The unlikely coalition argues the California governor’s plan to offset Medi-Cal gaps would raise premiums $100 per person

October 11, 2026 5:00am EDT / Fox News

By Robert Schmad Fox News

Health policy expert warns California’s Medi-Cal spending crisis could drive up insurance costs for families

Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blase discusses California’s Medicaid spending, eligibility concerns and the potential impact of higher taxes on privately insured families.

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As California grapples with soaring Medi-Cal costs — including billions spent on healthcare for immigrants without legal status — Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers have backed a revised health-plan tax in response to new federal restrictions, a move critics warn could shift more costs onto privately insured Californians.

The tax has united an unlikely coalition of doctors and health insurers against him, with critics warning it could make California even more expensive.

To preserve billions in Medi-Cal financing after Washington tightened the rules governing health-plan taxes used to draw federal matching funds, Newsom backed a redesigned tax that would raise the levy on private health plans beginning in 2027 if federally approved, potentially increasing premiums for their customers. Providing healthcare to illegal immigrants cost California an estimated $12.4 billion in 2025, the Associated Press reported.

When asked if expanding coverage to illegal immigrants created a need for California to raise taxes, Brian Blase, president of the right-of-center Paragon Health Institute, answered with a strong “yes.”

DR. OZ UNVEILS MEDICAID OVERHAUL, CLAMPS DOWN ON $2B FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND MANDATES WORK FOR ABLE-BODIED

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks on March 26, 2025, in Los Angeles.(Frazer Harrison/WireImage)

“The One Big Beautiful Bill Act limited California’s ability to target the tax just on Medicaid insurers, so California is proposing to raise the health insurance tax on people that have private coverage … the estimates are that would increase insurance for families by $400 a year,” he told Fox News Digital. “That is just because California doesn’t want to deal with its unsustainable spending … there are many people on the program who are not eligible for the program, and that is not even accounting for the fact that California has expanded Medicaid to all unauthorized immigrants in the state.”

California’s attempt to shore up Medi-Cal’s bottom line follows federal changes that will prevent the state from continuing its existing health-plan tax structure after 2026, forcing a redesign of a financing mechanism that has generated billions of dollars for the program.

The California Medical Association and California Association of Health Plans are suing to block the tax increase, not on the grounds that it benefits illegal immigrants, but over allegations that the measure violates voter-approved limits on health-plan taxes and restrictions on how the resulting revenue can be spent. The duo uniting to challenge the tax is notable because doctors and insurance companies often find themselves on opposite sides of healthcare debates.

Proposition 35, the initiative in question, limits how much California can tax commercial health-plan enrollment, constraining the state’s options as it tries to comply with new federal rules governing the much higher tax previously imposed on Medi-Cal enrollment. The proposition was passed with overwhelming support from Californian voters.

NEWSOM BEGS CALIFORNIANS TO VOTE ‘NO’ ON BILLIONAIRE’S TAX IN FACE OF MASS EXODUS, PITCHES NATIONWIDE TAX HIKE

The flag of the U.S. state California is seen in this illustration created on August 21, 2024.(Reuters)

“California voters passed Proposition 35 and made it law. The state does not get to ignore that law simply because following the law is inconvenient,” California Medical Association CEO Dustin Corcoran said in a statement.

Health insurers warn the cost of the revised tax could be passed directly on to consumers through higher premiums, estimating an increase of about $100 per person per year. A family of four, for example, could face an additional $400 annually on top of normal rate increases.

Newsom spokeswoman Tara Gallegos said that the governor maintains that his tax increase is not rendered illegal by the proposition.

“The state disagrees with their claims, and we believe the courts will too,” she told Fox News Digital of the lawsuit.

H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs at the California Department of Finance, explained to Fox News Digital that the new tax measure was designed to comply with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. According to Palmer, the state’s current health tax regime may conflict with the bill and that the state is submitting a proposal with two tracks — one that is similar to the current taxing scheme but might run afoul of federal law and another that conforms to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by shifting costs toward private plans.

CALIFORNIANS FLEEING TO RED STATES ARE DRIVING UP HOME PRICES AND RENTS IN THEIR NEW CITIES, DATA SHOWS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom takes questions from the media.(REUTERS/Fred Greaves)

“If the federal government declines to approve the tax that is structured similar to the existing [health plan tax], Proposition 35 may then sunset per current law,” he added.

California has faced a mass exodus of people and businesses over the past decade, with the cost of living being one of the chief reasons individuals cite for leaving the Golden State. One analysis found that almost 10 million people moved from California to other states between 2010 and 2024, while just over 7 million moved to California from elsewhere in the country during the same period.

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The state’s exodus has raised concerns about its financial outlook, with the departure of higher-income residents potentially reducing tax revenue for a state heavily dependent on income taxes.