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Over a dozen state officials rally behind game-changing Trump admin rule cracking down on fraud: ‘Essential’

2026-04-15T13:23:38-04:00 / Fox News

The proposed rule would require full disclosure of hidden fees, conflicts of interest

By Andrew Mark Miller, Kiera McDonald, Fox News

Published April 15, 2026 1:23pm EDT

White House anti-fraud task force flags $6.3 billion in potential government fraud

White House Anti-Fraud Task Force Vice Chair Andrew Ferguson discusses the task force’s discovery of $6.3 billion in potential fraudulent government contracts, criticizing Democrat governors for allowing widespread fraud and even facilitating it for decades. Ferguson reveals examples of lavish spending by alleged fraudsters and highlights states like California and Hawaii’s failure to prosecute fraud despite receiving federal funds.

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FIRST ON FOX:Financial officers from 12 states are backing a proposed Department of Labor rule that targets healthcare “middlemen” by demanding more transparency, rallying behind the Trump administration’s waste, fraud, and abuse crackdown as well as the goal of lowering healthcare costs.

In a letter to the Labor Department obtained by Fox News Digital, over a dozen state financial officers in the State Financial Officers Association (SFOF) offered their support of a proposed rule being evaluated by the Labor Department targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that would expose hidden fees, conflicts of interest and overcharging that drive up costs.

“Healthcare purchasers are operating in the dark, paying inflated costs because hidden pricing and middlemen obscure where every dollar goes,” OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “By bringing those hidden prices into the light, companies can finally identify waste, negotiate better deals, and redirect those savings toward higher wages, more jobs, stronger benefits for workers, and increases to shareholder value.”

Oleka went on to explain that on a state level, the transparency brought on by the new rule is “essential to safeguarding taxpayer resources and fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities.”

LABOR DEPT DEPLOYS ‘STRIKE TEAM’ TO CALIFORNIA OVER $21B UNEMPLOYMENT DEBT, FRAUD CONCERNS

U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the media after walking off of Air Force One at Miami International Airport on April 11, 2026, in Miami, Florida.(Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

“Transparency isn’t just about accountability; it’s critical to detecting waste, preventing fraud, and ensuring that healthcare spending delivers value to the workers, businesses, and taxpayers who ultimately bear these costs.”

If implemented,the rule would require full disclosure of these “middlemen” revenue streams, expand beyond pharmacy benefit managers to insurers and third-party administrators, and allow access to claims and pricing data, which SFOF says will be a key tool in combating fraud while outlining in the letter that the administration shouldn’t stop there.

“As the guardians of billions of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars, we support the Labor Department’s proposed rule and hope the administration goes even further,” Tina Cannon, Utah’s state auditor, told Fox News Digital.

“Enforcing price transparency is essential for us to perform our fiduciary duties effectively,” she said. “Greater oversight and accountability for employer-based health plans will help prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in federal healthcare programs, such as the $463.7 million in inappropriate hospital payments my office uncovered in Utah last year. Expanding this rule would help us do our jobs, root out fraud and waste, and reduce the cost of healthcare for all Americans.”

A “complex web” of hidden rebates, fees, and incentives, driven by pharmacy benefit managers, has allowed fraud to go undetected for years, according to the letter.

SENATE DOGE LEADER MOVES TO FORCE ‘RECEIPT’ FOR EVERY TAX DOLLAR AFTER MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

The push follows months of action from the Trump administration and SFOF to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse across government. Trump recently named Vice President JD Vance the nation’s “fraud czar” to lead an anti-fraud task force, and in February the SFOF uncovered billions in taxpayer waste.

Treasurers and auditors from 12 states — including Nebraska, Louisiana, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Dakota, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Mississippi and Kansas — signed onto the effort.

More than $50 billion annually in undisclosed rebates and fees is retained by top pharmacy benefit managers, which has “prevented effective oversight,” according to the letter. The letter details methods used to generate this hidden fraud.

“Healthcare overcharging in the United States erodes shareholder value by driving up costs for employers (and patients),” the letter states.

VANCE REVEALS $19B FRAUD UNCOVERED IN MINNEAPOLIS, HINTS CALIFORNIA IS NEXT TARGET

Vice President JD Vance convened the first meeting of a new anti-fraud task force, blaming the Biden administration for weakening longstanding protections.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

One major concern is that pharmacy benefit managers charge more for a drug than they pay at the dispensing pharmacy “to keep the difference or ‘spread’ as profit.” In turn, money hidden from regulators drives price spikes.

The letter also states that pharmacy benefit managers are buying more expensive drugs from manufacturers for higher rebates without those incentives ever being disclosed.

“These arrangements are generally not made public, so plan sponsors often do not have insight into how much pharmacy benefit managers are actually paying for drugs on their formularies,” according to the letter.

It adds that pharmacy benefit managers are steering patients away from cheaper pharmacy options to their own affiliated pharmacies to boost profits.

In 2023, U.S. healthcare spending reached nearly $5 trillion, about 17.6% of GDP, while employers spent roughly $1.3 trillion in 2024, with costs rising more than 5% annually, according to the letter.

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The letter builds on recent pressure from these same officials on Fortune 500 companies to more closely examine healthcare spending data, signaling a growing investor-driven push for cost transparency.

It also follows a recent SFOF report showing that financial officers prevented $28 billion in waste and abuse in 2025 alone, along with new polling indicating that Americans view fraud as a major driver of rising living costs.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

Jury finds Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly and overcharged fans

2026-04-15T18:59:02.802Z / CNN

By Kara Scannell

Updated 20 min ago

Updated Apr 15, 2026, 3:11 PM ET

PUBLISHED Apr 15, 2026, 2:59 PM ET

Live Nation corporate offices are seen in Hollywood, California in May 2024.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

A jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly in its dominance of the live events and ticketing industry, validating complaints that the industry giant was stifling competition and driving up fees for fans.

The verdict was reached following a lengthy trial in New York federal court that included testimony from top executives in the music and entertainment industries. Jurors began deliberating on Friday.

The Justice Department and 39 state attorneys general, including California and New York, and Washington, DC, sued Live Nation in 2024 alleging its combination with Ticketmaster and control of “virtually every aspect of the live music ecosystem” have harmed fans, artists, and venues.

Related article Michael Rapino, president and chief executive officer of Live Nation Entertainment Inc., departs from federal court on March 19, 2026 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Live Nation CEO says it’s ‘disgusting’ that an employee talked about ‘robbing fans blind’ 3 min read

During the second week of trial, in a move that surprised even the judge, the Justice Department reached a secret settlement with Live Nation. A handful of states signed onto the deal, but more than two dozen proceeded to trial.

Under the DOJ deal, Live Nation agreed to allow competitors, like SeatGeek or StubHub, to offer tickets to its events, cap ticketing service fees at 15%, and divest exclusive booking agreements with 13 amphitheaters. The deal includes a $280 million settlement fund for state damages claims for the handful of states that signed onto the deal.

The DOJ settlement requires the judge’s approval.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

Senate rejects 4th attempt to curb Trump’s war powers in Iran

April 15, 2026 / 3:01 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Senate on Wednesday defeated another war powers resolution aimed at curbing President Trump’s ability to use further military force against Iran, with Democrats vowing to keep trying to rein in the president.

A motion to discharge the measure from committee failed in a 47 to 52 vote, with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania crossing the aisle.

It was the fourth time Democrats in the Senate had forced a vote on the issue since the war began on Feb. 28.

The resolution, led by Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, would have directed President Trump “to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Duckworth said “we cannot let this chaos continue unchecked.”

“As our troops continue to sacrifice whatever is asked of them, we senators need to do the absolute minimum required of us,” Duckworth, a former Blackhawk helicopter pilot, said.

The Illinois Democrat said the Senate must vote to “end Trump’s illegal war of choice.”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on April 14, 2026. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

“My Republican colleagues have a choice also,” Duckworth said. “It’s simple: they can vote with me to end this conflict and prove that they’re actually putting America first, or they can vote to put Trump’s ego first. With this war growing more and more out of control each day, it is clear that they cannot continue to do both.”

The vote marked the first time the Senate has weighed in on the war since the president ramped up his rhetoric ahead of a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, including with his threat last week that a “whole civilization will die.” The threat prompted widespread criticism from Democrats and a small number of Republicans, like Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who said it “cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.” Within hours, the president announced that a two-week ceasefire had been reached with the Islamic Republic.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Republicans to break with their party and support advancing the resolution ahead of the vote on Wednesday.

“Republicans have voted against this resolution three times now. But as the war drags on for 47 days with no end in sight, they should join us on this resolution and end the war once and for all,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “If the Republicans vote no again, we will continue to force votes on these resolutions every week until either this war ends or the Republicans get the courage to stand up to Donald Trump.”

Republicans eye 60-day mark to reconsider support

A growing number of Republicans have indicated that they could reverse their support for the war if it doesn’t end before the 60-day mark — the cap on any unauthorized engagements under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.

Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in response to the Vietnam War as a check on the president’s power to enter armed conflict without consent from the legislative branch. It requires the president to consult with Congress in “every possible instance” ahead of the introduction of any military forces.

The president must report to Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces if Congress hasn’t authorized a declaration of war, and it caps any unauthorized engagement at 60 days. That deadline can be extended to 90 days if the president certifies to Congress in writing that “unavoidable military necessity” related to the safety of U.S. armed forces requires it.

GOP Sen. John Curtis of Utah wrote in an op-ed earlier this month that while he supports “the president’s actions taken in defense of American lives and interests,” he would not support “ongoing military action beyond a 60-day window without congressional approval.”

Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, pointed to the same timeline on Tuesday, telling reporters that “we do expect that the administration will be laying out their plan for after the end of seven, eight, nine weeks.”

“We have to know what the next steps are, and that’s a part of our due diligence,” Rounds said.

Asked about Congress authorizing the war as it approaches the 60- or 90-day mark, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said at this point, most of the GOP conference feels “pretty good” about what the U.S. has been able to achieve in Iran.

“I think the administration has a clear objective, a clear plan, and if they can execute on it, hopefully, that question won’t be a necessary one that we’ll have to answer,” he added.

Billionaires, dark money fuel questions ahead of 2026 midterms

2026-04-15T15:30:57-0400 / CBS News

Hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel and his wife Susan are a billionaire power couple that has a history of springing into action come election season. Before the 2024 presidential contest, they hosted Joe Biden for a private fundraising dinner in Greenwich, Connecticut. Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry are other beneficiaries of the $84 million that the Mandels have sprinkled to Democratic campaigns over time, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Now, the couple is gearing up for the 2026 midterm elections.

The Mandels have given almost $10 million in support of Democrats seeking federal office this year, federal records show, with more expected.

“They are extremely influential and generous supporters who have never asked for very much,” one veteran Democratic fundraiser who has worked for half a dozen presidential campaigns and interfaced with the couple told CBS News.

The Mandels’ giving offers a window into how billionaire megadonors have become an unrivaled force in American politics. The ultra-wealthy donor class is preparing to pour resources into an election that will decide whether Republicans or Democrats have a majority in the next Congress.

In 2024, ultra-wealthy donors poured more than $3 billion into elections, led by the world’s richest man — Elon Musk. He spent more than $290 million supporting President Trump and other Republicans, a record sum. And overall, that $3 billion was spent overwhelmingly to benefit the GOP — these donors gave five times as much to Republicans and groups aligned with them as they did to Democrats.

That trend appears to be continuing: Republican Party committees, super PACs, MAGA Inc. and other Trump-related groups had over $600 million in cash on hand in early February, while Democratic Party committees and congressional super PACs were short of $200 million.

Election spending has ballooned in the decade and a half since a Supreme Court ruling that opened the floodgates for corporations and unions to donate without any limits. Billionaires on both sides have funded a constellation of opaque political organizations, raising fresh questions about “dark money”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1gdmX0EjZU and lax disclosure laws, as well as, in some cases, whether groups are complying with rules on the books.

The structures and cash flow of these organizations — which operate on both sides of the political aisle — have taken on a new level of complexity, even for the already serpentine world of campaign giving.

After the 2024 election, the Majority Democrats PAC was launched by centrist Democrats to recruit new candidates and challenge the party’s more progressive wing.

The Mandels, along with Mark Heising — a billionaire investor in San Francisco who also fundraises for Democrats — are top funders of Majority Democrats PAC. More than 90% of its publicly-disclosed fundraising haul since last July is traced to $3.5 million in contributions from the Mandels and $1 million from Heising.

Majority Democrats PAC fundraises alongside another political committee called The Bench, which says on its website that it “is recruiting and supporting the next generation of Democratic leaders.”

Personnel overlap between the two committees makes it hard to determine who is being paid by whom, experts said, noting that some of the same consultants who have been identified in news reports as working on behalf of Majority Democrats have also been quoted in the press as being affiliated with The Bench. They have also been identified as advisers to two Democratic senate candidates: Mallory McMorrow in Michigan and James Talarico in Texas.

Federal records do not list any payments from these two PACs to the consultants. But there are direct payments from the McMorrow and Talarico campaigns to the consultants for “communications consulting.”

Caleb Burns, a partner at law firm Wiley Rein and the co-chair of its election law and government ethics practice, said the rules allow consultants to wear multiple hats, but told CBS News “the consultants must take great care to ensure their work for one client is not paid for or subsidized by another.”

At the heart of federal campaign finance law are rules designed to protect the democratic process and ensure transparency. They strictly prohibit campaigns from coordinating with PACs on spending that should be made independently, or from the two covering each other’s expenses.

Burns said firewalls might be needed to make certain campaigns and fundraising committees aren’t sharing non-public information. “Otherwise, in-kind contributions can result that are subject to reporting and potentially, prohibited,” he added.

But the Federal Election Commission has always been slow to act on allegations of campaign finance violations, and now the commission isn’t acting at all. The six-member commission is down to two and has lacked the four members it needs for a quorum since May 2025. Although Mr. Trump nominated two members in February, they have not yet been confirmed by the Senate.

Laws governing political parties’ spending in coordination with federal candidates could be changing in the next few months, since the Supreme Court is expected to rule by June on the legality of the caps.

Officials with the Democratic committees told CBS News they comply with all federal regulations. A Majority Democrats spokesperson said the group “advises officeholders and candidates on strategy, press, and messaging” and “does not spend funds on paid communications that support or oppose candidates.”

A spokesperson for The Bench said it “has in place a strict firewall policy adhering to all the correct statutes.” The Talarico campaign declined to comment, and the McMorrow campaign did not respond.

Myles Martin, a spokesman for the Federal Election Commission, said it “cannot comment on any potential enforcement matters that may come before the commission.” The Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment. The Mandels did not respond to requests for comment, nor did Heising.

“Battle plans”

David Dulio, who teaches campaign finance as the director of the center for civic engagement at Oakland University in Michigan, characterized the Majority Democrats arrangement as “another look into the mysterious and murky world” of campaign finance.

Both parties participate. Republican spending aimed at the midterm elections may include significant infusions from President Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc. Wealthy donors have contributed significantly to the organization’s $300 million haul since the 2024 election, federal records show — a record-breaking sum. It has raised 96% of the funds from donors who gave $1 million or more, while 62% came from donors who gave at least $5 million, according to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for MAGA Inc., told CBS News that the group “is committed to retaining and building the GOP majorities in the House and Senate,” but he declined to share what he referred to as its “battle plans.”

The largest donors to MAGA Inc., have included Republican billionaires Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvania-based investor, energy executive Kelcy Warren, as well as OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna Brockman, federal records show. It also has received at least $88 million since July 2024 from Securing American Greatness, a Trump-aligned nonprofit that is not required by the IRS to disclose its donors.

Other influential super PACs underscore the heightened questions about dark money and billionaire influence — including one called Texans for a Conservative Majority that supports Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn. The single largest contribution that the PAC has received was $3.1 million from a nonprofit listed as Ohio Works — which said on federal filings that its address was a Parcel Plus shipping and mailing store in Alexandria, Virginia.

In December of last year, just two weeks after the donation was disclosed, paperwork was filed in Ohio by an Ohio Works official changing its name to America Works Fund.

Adding to the mystery, the name of the nonprofit matches that of another organization that saw its tax-exempt status revoked after failing to file financial disclosures, as well as its corporate status canceled in 2022 by the Ohio secretary of state. A year later, in 2023, that group found itself roped into a Federal Election Commission investigation about dark money spending after a complaint was filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, a progressive nonprofit. The Federal Election Commission deadlocked 3 to 3, along party lines, on moving forward on enforcement of the complaint.

A spokesperson for Texans for a Conservative Majority did not respond to requests for comment.

“When an opaque entity that is not required to disclose its own donors gives millions to a super PAC, it significantly impedes the public’s ability to know who is spending significant sums to benefit — and potentially influence — elected officials,” Matt Corley, CREW’s chief investigator, told CBS News.

Corley said it is “even more difficult when the intermediary organization shapeshifts by changing its name.”

Who are other top donors to Texans for a Conservative Majority? A cadre of billionaires, according to federal records: Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Walmart heirs S. Robson Walton and Jim Walton, and Alex Karp, the CEO of software firm Palantir.

To critics, this kind of tangled spending dynamic reflects an increasingly secretive web of money built to covertly distribute money from billionaire donors.

It is part of what Craig Holman, a Capitol Hill lobbyist on ethics and campaign finance rules for the progressive nonprofit Public Citizen, called the “breakdown of campaign finance laws.”

“Despite contribution limits and disclosure requirements on the sources of campaign money, wealthy interests — and billionaires in specific — are exploiting influence-peddling avenues around these laws,” Holman said.

Republicans waited months for Tax Day to showcase economic relief for voters. But will the Iran war overshadow those savings? | CNN Politics

2026-04-15 1:46 PM EDT / CNN

Republicans waited months for Tax Day to showcase economic relief for voters. But will the Iran war overshadow those savings?

By Dana Bash, CNN

On Tax Day, Dana Bash and the “Inside Politics” panel discuss Republicans’ push to highlight increased tax refunds from the “one, big beautiful bill” that President Trump signed into law last year. Nia-Malika Henderson tells Bash, “This was supposed to be something that was key to Republicans’ messaging for 2026 around affordability heading into the midterms. The problem is America is at war and prices are higher as a result of that.”

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/15/politics/video/inside-politics-tax-day-gop-affordability-message

DHS shutdown enters Day 60 with all eyes on House Republicans to end it

2026-04-15T12:25:15-04:00 / Fox News

Congress returned this week with no vote scheduled and no sense of urgency to reopen DHS

By Alex Miller , Adam Pack Fox News

Published April 15, 2026 12:25pm EDT

[Republicans vow to end shutdown without Democratic support]

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., joins ‘The Faulkner Focus’ to discuss his upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump on Republican lawmakers’ plan to end the partial DHS shutdown.

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown entered its 60th day on Wednesday, but House Republicans are standing in the way of reopening much of the agency.

Congress returned in full on Wednesday, but there is no sense of urgency to end the longest government shutdown in history. Instead, the House is mired in a fight over extending the federal government’s spying powers, which expire next week.

The House did not schedule a vote on the Senate DHS bill for this week after returning to Washington following the Easter recess.

SENATE GOP VOWS TO ‘GO IT ALONE’ ON ICE FUNDING AS DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON SHUTDOWN

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., attend the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s National Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance ceremony in Emancipation Hall on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Though it’s an issue started by congressional Democrats in the dead of winter, Republicans have now been passed the buck to finish it and are eyeing a party-line maneuver to fund immigration enforcement — the main sticking point in the ongoing back-and-forth — for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term.

“Republicans have been forced to do this the hard way,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.

Part of the problem on the DHS funding front is that House Republicans are frustrated that they are being forced to consider the Senate’s Homeland Security funding bill, which carves out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The only deal that can pass with Democrats’ support is to remove funding for those agencies, while Republicans say they’re being cornered into defunding law enforcement.

SENATE PASSES BILL TO FUND MOST OF DHS AFTER HOUSE GOP CAVES

President Donald Trump walks toward reporters before answering questions prior to boarding Air Force One on April 10, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

In the meantime, the solution is to produce a “skinny” budget reconciliation package that funds ICE and Border Patrol, cutting out Democrats from the process entirely.

“The intention is that we now have to come in behind that and pass a reconciliation bill that would enable those agencies to continue to be funded three years into the future,” Thune said.

He and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are slated to meet Wednesday afternoon to get both chambers in alignment on the plan. For now, it’s unclear whether both chambers can mark up identical budget resolutions — the first step in the budget reconciliation process — prior to the House’s next scheduled recess at the end of April.

Several House Republicans were irate at Thune’s comments suggesting the second reconciliation package should be a narrow bill.

“Well — he isn’t the only voice in this, is he?” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who has advocated against funding the department in two separate legislative vehicles, wrote on social media Monday. “Isolating DHS was stupid. Isolating ICE/CBP is worse. We should move other priorities with ALL of DHS… we’re running out of time to deliver and to clean up these repeated swamp messes.”

GOP RAILS AGAINST ‘S— SANDWICH’ DEAL AS ALL EYES TURN TO HOUSE TO END DHS SHUTDOWN

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, during a news conference following the weekly Senate Democrat policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And the House won’t vote to fund the bulk of DHS until the party-line bill hits Trump’s desk.

Johnson, before his huddle with Thune, said his chamber would take up the Senate’s “skinny reconciliation” blueprint.

“We’re going to do our part and fund the most essential functions of the government, and then we’ll do the rest of Homeland Security,” Johnson said.

He said he expected the upper chamber would have its budget blueprint — which undergirds the entire reconciliation process — crafted and passed by “the middle to the end of next week.”

“We’re going to move it as expeditiously as possible,” Johnson said.

Senate Republicans huddled Tuesday behind closed doors to sell the plan to their members, which, in itself, could prove challenging because of the desire among some to pay for ICE and Border Patrol spending by cutting funding elsewhere — a position that runs counter to GOP leadership.

But many Republicans view the forthcoming reconciliation package in a different light than the previous “big, beautiful bill,” which was initially loaded with steep cuts and offsets to fund Trump’s tax cuts.

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They see it as a version of the normal appropriations process and argue that, because of that, they don’t need to find other parts of the budget to trim to front-load funding for immigration operations for the next three years.

“Not on this one,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., an ardent fiscal hawk, said.

And as the responsibility for ending the shutdown has politically shifted to Republicans, Democrats aren’t wasting the chance to knife them.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “Republicans could fix this today.”

“Instead of reopening DHS and delivering for the American people, Republicans are dragging the Senate through a partisan circus just to avoid basic accountability for ICE and Border Patrol,” Schumer said.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

淡滨尼流浪又换帅 喜熨斗胜史上任12天就离职

2026年4月15日 23:37 / 联合早报

淡滨尼流浪新主帅喜熨斗胜史只执教两场就突然离队，令人意外。 （海峡时报）

淡滨尼流浪新主帅喜熨斗胜史只执教两场就突然离队，令人意外。 （海峡时报）

本地足球豪门BG淡滨尼流浪（BG Tampines Rovers）迎来本赛季的第五位换帅，12天前才上任的日本籍主帅喜熨斗胜史因家庭原因突然在星期三（4月15日）离开球队。

淡滨尼流浪宣布，61岁的喜熨斗胜史即刻离队，并委任球队经理兼门将教练彭威廉（音译）出任球队临时主帅，直到赛季结束。

曾执教马来西亚雪兰莪队和塞尔维亚国家队助理教练的喜熨斗胜史，4月3日才从临时主帅埃齐亚科（Eziakor）手中正式接过淡滨尼的教鞭。但他只带队踢了两场比赛，分别是2比3输给新潟阿比雷斯（Albirex Niigata）和4比3险胜芽笼国际（Geylang International）后就和球队分道扬镳。

疑未上任就无证“开工” 人力部展开调查

喜熨斗胜史的离职令人意外。但更意外的是，据《海峡时报》报道，喜熨斗胜史还因为在没有上任前，就在比赛期间出现在替补席区域，导致淡滨尼和当时的对手丹戎巴葛联（Tanjong Pagar United）皆被新加坡足总罚款2000元，理由是有“未获授权人士”出现在官方区域。

比赛3月16日在裕廊东体育场举行，主队丹戎巴葛联是因未尽管辖官方区域范围职责而被罚。当时喜熨斗胜史被看到在淡滨尼替补席向当时还是临时主帅的埃齐亚科（Robert Eziakor）作战术布置，也在过去几个月没上任前参与球队训练及从看台下达指示。

这引起他在没有工作准证下就“开工”的疑云，人力部上周指出，正对此展开调查。

淡滨尼的新任临时主帅彭威廉自2017年起就担任球队的门将教练。对于被临危受命，他说：“在我效力俱乐部的这九年里，每当球队需要，我都会毫不犹豫地站出来。因此，能在接下来的最后六场比赛中带领球队，我感到既兴奋又荣幸，也希望能在这场仍在进行中的争冠旅程中，引领球队继续前进。”

淡滨尼目前在联赛积36分，排名第二，落后多赛一场的领头羊狮城水手（Lion City Sailors）八分。

淡滨尼主席：新委任符合规定

针对近期的乱局，淡滨尼主席坂本俊吾过后发表公开信“回应球迷的部分疑问”，指出在球队启动新主帅的遴选工作之际，深刻了解俱乐部运作的彭威廉是现阶段作为临时主教练的最合适人选。

他写道：“在突发情况下，我对俱乐部一贯的目标，是在剧烈变化中尽可能保持延续性……我们也已经与新加坡足总，以及新加坡超级联赛官方确认，此次任命符合《新加坡超级联赛2025—26赛季条例》以及亚足联职业俱乐部准入标准的相关规定。”

“在接下来的联赛征程中，我们对临时主帅彭威廉充满信心，也希望全队与所有球迷能继续团结一心，在本赛季余下的比赛中携手向前。”

《联合早报》已就目前情况向淡滨尼流浪和人力部查询。

法国男子网售逾4万张假病假单 或面临10年监禁及百万欧元罚款

2026年4月15日 23:40 / 联合早报

在法国，一名男子涉嫌在网上出售逾4万4000张假医生证明，或面临最高10年监禁及100万欧元罚款。 （档案示意图）

在法国，一名男子涉嫌在网上出售逾4万4000张假医生证明，或面临最高10年监禁及100万欧元罚款。 （档案示意图）

法国检方星期三说，一名男子涉嫌在网上出售逾4万4000张假医生证明，目前已被捕并遭起诉。

法新社报道，涉案的25岁男子于3月31日在法国西北部地区被捕，并于4月3日被正式起诉。若罪成，最高可面临10年监禁及100万欧元（约150万新元）罚款。

在法国，凭借医生开的病假单，员工可以请假不上班，政府会承担部分工资。

检方指出，这名男子被控非法行医、诈骗以及伪造文书等罪名。他涉嫌以21欧元售卖每张假病假单，累计非法获利约100万欧元。

On filing deadline, GOP blasts Democrats for opposing Trump tax cuts, ‘making life more expensive’

April 15, 2026 10:58am EDT / Fox News

Digital ads accuse Democrats of opposing tax savings for first responders, service workers and senior citizens

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

FIRST ON FOX**: On the deadline for Americans to file their taxes, Senate Republicans are targeting Democrats for voting against tax cuts the GOP passed and President Donald Trump signed into law last summer.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, on Wednesday launched ads in seven key Senate battleground races highlighting how “Democrat candidates opposed the Working Families Tax Cuts that led to an 11% increase in Americans’ tax refunds this year.”

The spots, released on Tax Day 2026, were first shared with Fox News Digital.

The digital ads come as the GOP works to protect its slim 53-47 Senate majority in the midterms when the party in power typically faces political headwinds and loses congressional seats. The GOP also faces a rough political climate fueled by persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, and Trump’s underwater approval ratings.

EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE REPUBLICANS TARGET ‘VULNERABLE’ DEMOCRATS FOR VOTING AGAINST TAX CUTS

An exterior view of the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol, on Jan. 12, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But Republicans have for weeks spotlighted the tax cuts, which they insist will give them a political boost with voters in the midterms.

“Working families across the country have enough on their plates, but Democrats like Jon Ossoff go to Washington and fight to take more money out of their pockets,” NRSC Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez argued, as she pointed to Ossoff, the first-term senator from Georgia whom Republicans view as the most vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election this year.

Rodriguez also emphasized that “President Trump and Senate Republicans are working tirelessly to deliver for working families, including higher take-home pay and lower taxes.”

DEMOCRATS BUILD MOMENTUM, BUT SENATE REPUBLICANS STILL IN DRIVER’S SEAT IN BATTLE FOR MAJORITY

The spots, backed by a modest buy, will also run in Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio.

The narrator in the ads emphasized that “President Trump and Senate Republicans delivered real savings for hard-working families” and accused Democrats of “opposing tax cuts for first responders, rejecting tax savings for service workers, and denying more money for senior citizens.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson points to President Donald Trump after he signed his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Washington.(Evan Vucci/AP)

The tax cuts were a key component of Republicans’ massive domestic policy measure, which passed nearly entirely along party lines in the GOP-controlled House and Senate.

The law is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities, including extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, said, “I suspect Tax Day doesn’t rank high on Americans’ favorite days of the year, but I’d wager that a lot more Americans were pleasantly surprised this year when they went to file their taxes because thanks to Republicans Working Families Tax Cuts bill, a lot more Americans kept a lot more of their hard-earned money this year.”

Democrats have criticized the tax cuts, arguing they disproportionately benefit the wealthy and corporations.

Earlier this year, DSCC Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Fox News Digital that due to the “very harmful climate that President Trump is creating, we have all the makings of a blue wave.”

The NRSC’s ads targeting Democrats follow positive spots it released last month spotlighting “the success of the Working Families Tax Cuts.”

And the NRSC points to internal polling that it says shows that an overwhelming majority of voters are more likely to support candidates that fight for Republican economic initiatives.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6393151809112

But other surveys indicate that Americans are far from pleased with the amount they pay in taxes.

A record 70% of voters questioned in a Fox News national poll conducted late last month said the taxes they pay are “too high,” marking an 11-point increase from a year earlier, and the highest level of dissatisfaction since the question was first asked in 2004.

The new ads from the NRSC are part of a major push by the GOP this week to spotlight the tax cuts.

On Tuesday, as Fox News Digital first reported, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the House GOP’s campaign arm, launched ads targeting 28 potentially vulnerable Democrats in the midterms for voting against the tax cuts.

Speaker Mike Johnson held a tax cut event on the Capitol steps on Wednesday morning. And hours earlier, in an interview on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria,” Trump touted to host Maria Bartiromo that “the refunds are really significant, and it makes it less complicated to do your tax return. Much less complicated.”

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

中越元首峰会 习近平促保持高度战略清醒

2026年4月15日 23:45 / 联合早报

中共总书记、中国国家主席习近平星期三（4月15日）在北京人民大会堂到访的越共总书记、越南国家主席苏林举行会谈。会谈前，习近平在北京人民大会堂东门外广场为苏林举行欢迎仪式。 （新华社）

中共总书记、中国国家主席习近平星期三（4月15日）与到访的越共总书记、越南国家主席苏林举行会谈时强调，捍卫社会主义制度和共产党执政地位，是中越两党最大的共同战略利益。苏林则表示，希望双方加强政治互信和战略协调。

这是苏林4月7日当选越南国家主席后首次出访，他上次访华是在2024年8月。分析指出，苏林此次访华，凸显越南在中美之间寻求战略平衡。

中国官媒新华社报道，习近平在会谈上称，无论国际形势如何变化，中国始终将越南作为周边外交优先方向，并强调“捍卫社会主义制度和共产党执政地位，是中越两党最大的共同战略利益”，双方要保持高度的战略清醒和强大的战略定力。

据越通社报道，苏林表示，希望双方在新高度上加强政治互信和战略协调，推动高层交往。他重申越南坚持独立、自主、自强、多边化和多样化的对外路线，始终将对华关系视为一贯主张、战略选择和首要优先，支持中国提出的全球发展、安全、文明和治理倡议，坚持奉行一个中国政策。

经贸方面，中国是越南最大贸易伙伴，但越南对华贸易逆差持续扩大。苏林建议中国最大限度为越方商品开放市场，努力推动贸易平衡。习近平表示，欢迎更多越南优质产品进入中国市场，并提出加强人工智能、半导体、物联网等新兴领域合作。

中越签署17项双边合作协议，涵盖经济、产供链合作和海关合作等领域。中东局势紧张及霍尔木兹海峡受阻，对全球能源供应链造成冲击，越南受影响尤为明显。苏林建议双方协调建立保障能源供应的合作机制。

在南中国海（越方称为东海）主权争议上，苏林称，双方一致同意管控好分歧，严格遵守亚细安与中国在落实《东海各方行为宣言》，推动早日达成实质、有效、符合国际法和1982年《联合国海洋法公约》的“东海行为准则”进程中所达成的共识。

苏林2024年8月首次出任越共总书记后，首访即选择中国。而习近平去年4月出访东南亚三国，越南是第一站，凸显中越高层相互重视。苏林今年1月连任越共总书记、4月7日当选为越南国家主席后，已成为数十年来越南最有权势的领导人。

新加坡尤索夫伊萨东南亚研究院附属资深研究员黎良福接受《联合早报》采访时指出，为了推动越南未来五年经济年均增长10%，集党政大权一身的苏林必须在更复杂的国际环境中稳住局势，因此这次访华的重点在于拓展务实合作，以推动国内经济增长与社会稳定。

他同时认为，越南在苏林领导下确有向中国靠拢的趋势，但更多出于战术考量、以获取实际利益。越南无法忽视对美关系，高度重视与美国的经贸往来，并希望维持良好互动。

奉行“竹子外交”的苏林，力求平衡越南与各大国之间关系；今年2月，他访问美国及参加美国总统特朗普“和平委员会”首次领导人会议。特朗普去年4月宣布“解放日”关税，一度令越南面临高额关税压力，苏林随即与特朗普通电话，显示越方重视对美关系。

南京大学国际关系学院院长朱锋受访时指出，习近平与苏林会谈时，呼吁双方保持高度战略清醒，实际上是在提醒越南不要在大国间简单选边站队，“既要跟中国搞好关系，又要向美国靠拢”，以实现国家利益最大化。

路透社引述华盛顿战略与国际研究中心东南亚专家波林（Gregory Poling）的观点，越南对中美两国都不完全信任，但仍需同时与双方合作。

波林说：“在美国‘修正主义’的新格局下，仅为了争取美国投资或采用美国主导标准而与中国保持距离，已不再被视为可行选择。”