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| AP/Ben Curtis |
Kash Patel calls $250M pandemic nutrition program theft 'as shameless as it gets' with 70 indicted in Minnesota
A $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded children's nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic has been described by FBI Director Kash Patel as "one of the worst" in Minnesota history.
The FBI director told Fox News in a statement that 70 people in Minnesota have been indicted for their role in the sprawling "Feeding our Future" fraud scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic, which exploited a federal program designed to reimburse states for the cost of feeding children.
Conspirators falsely claimed to have served millions of meals during the pandemic, but instead used the money for personal gain. Of the individuals indicted, 38 have pleaded guilty, FBI officials told Fox News Digital. More than a dozen of the individuals are awaiting criminal trial, with the next trial beginning in August.
"Stealing over $250 million from hungry kids during a pandemic to fund mansions and luxury cars is as shameless as it gets," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. "I’m proud of the FBI and our partners for dismantling this web of corruption, holding dozens accountable, and sending a clear message: if you exploit the most vulnerable, we will find you and bring you to justice."
Conspirators charged in the scheme are accused of fabricating invoices, submitting fake attendance records, and falsely distributing thousands of meals from hundreds of so-called food distribution "sites" across the state — taking advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to waive, for the duration of the pandemic, many of its standard requirements for participation in the Federal Child Nutrition Program — including relaxing its requirement for non-school based distributors to participate in the program. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Brendan McDermid/Reuters |
Washington says amendments to global health regulations risk interfering in US ‘sovereign right to make health policy’.
The United States has withdrawn from reforms introduced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last year to enhance the global response to pandemics, part of a broader push by Washington against international regulations.
The administration of President Donald Trump formally rejected on Friday the 2024 amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) that were put in place in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy announced the move in a joint statement, saying that it aims to “prevent international bureaucrats from shaping US domestic policies”.
The legally binding amendments expanded the regulations to improve the international response to a future pandemic.
They included the adoption of a clear definition of what constitutes a pandemic emergency and how it can be triggered, as well as efforts to improve information-sharing between countries across the world and WHO.
The amendments also called for allowing poorer nations access to medical products to “equitably address the needs and priorities of developing countries”.
The US officials took issue with several provisions in the reforms.
“Terminology throughout the 2024 amendments is vague and broad, risking WHO-coordinated international responses that focus on political issues like solidarity, rather than rapid and effective actions,” Rubio and Kennedy said in their statements. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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