CHICAGO — An Indian national living in Illinois has pleaded guilty to participating in a $227 million Medicare fraud scheme that used personal information purchased from a Pakistani company to bill the federal government for COVID-19 test kits that were never requested or delivered. Syed Murtuza Kablazada, 36, of Des Plaines, Illinois, pleaded guilty to Read More…
(The Center Square) – As colleges and universities scale back diversity, equity and inclusion programs amid federal funding pressure from the Trump administration, supporters of the cuts argue DEI has negatively affected academics and higher education. Approximately $3.7 billion in federal research funding has been targeted for cuts, disrupting hundreds of clinical trials and research Read More…
SpaceX has secured commitments for a $40 billion financing arrangement to purchase advanced artificial intelligence chips, but the transaction is drawing attention to borrowing costs and growing investor concerns about the capital required to expand AI infrastructure. The company, which trades under the ticker SPCX, announced Oct. 26 that it had reached a binding commitment Read More…
— Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and the Montana Department of Labor and Industry announced a $1.5 million grant to develop a statewide digital career platform designed to connect students, job seekers and employers with education, training and employment opportunities. The grant, awarded by nonprofit Britebound, will support development of Montana’s Talent Marketplace, an artificial intelligence-powered Read More…
CHICAGO — An Indian national living in Illinois has pleaded guilty to participating in a $227 million Medicare fraud scheme that used personal information purchased from a Pakistani company to bill the federal government for COVID-19 test kits that were never requested or delivered. Syed Murtuza Kablazada, 36, of Des Plaines, Illinois, pleaded guilty to Read More…
(The Center Square) – As colleges and universities scale back diversity, equity and inclusion programs amid federal funding pressure from the Trump administration, supporters of the cuts argue DEI has negatively affected academics and higher education. Approximately $3.7 billion in federal research funding has been targeted for cuts, disrupting hundreds of clinical trials and research Read More…
A Billings mental health counselor has been sentenced to three years in the Montana Women’s Prison and ordered to repay more than $603,000 after being convicted of submitting fraudulent Medicaid claims for counseling sessions that never occurred. Staci West, a licensed professional counselor, was sentenced Oct. 22 after an investigation by the Montana Department of Read More…
Two Chinese nationals have each been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for operating as unauthorized agents of China’s intelligence service, conducting covert financial transactions and gathering information about American military personnel and installations. Liren “Ryan” Lai, 40, and Yuance Chen, 39, were also sentenced to three years of supervised release after pleading guilty Read More…
WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is warning that immigration and spending proposals backed by the Democratic Socialists of America could impose substantial costs on federal taxpayers, citing a new White House economic report that estimates the broader policy agenda would add approximately $49 trillion to federal deficits over the next decade. The Council of Economic Advisers released Read More…
BOISE, Idaho—Two Idaho nonprofit organizations say voting laws enacted in 2023 have made it more difficult for eligible residents to register and cast ballots, while Secretary of State Phil McGrane maintains that voters have multiple ways to meet the state’s identification and residency requirements. Babe Vote and the League of Women Voters of Idaho, two Read More…
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy praised President Donald Trump’s announcement of plans to establish a next-generation military training range in Montana, describing the project as an investment in modernizing the nation’s defense capabilities. The proposed facility would support integrated military exercises and testing involving emerging technologies, including electronic warfare, hypersonic weapons, space systems and advanced targeting Read More…
(The Center Square) – A bipartisan bill has been filed in the U.S. Senate to target cartel trafficking in the U.S. The Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act was filed to increase inspections of traffic heading south to Mexico through any U.S. state to combat the flow of illicit firearms and money that fuel drug Read More…
Having worked in fire safety and emergency response for almost 50 years, I have seen extraordinarily brave people fight increasingly extreme wildfires with inadequate tools for communication and coordination. The establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service gives us a chance to change that. The proposed consolidation of federal wildland fire management under the Department Read More…
People often joke that their favorite snack is “like crack” or call themselves “chocoholics” in jest. But can someone really be addicted to food in the same way they could be hooked on substances such as alcohol or nicotine? As an addiction psychiatrist and researcher with experience in treating eating disorders and obesity, I have Read More…
(The Center Square) – Higher interest rates divide households. Savers holding cash or buying new bonds can earn more interest. Borrowers taking out new loans or carrying variable-rate debt pay more. Existing bondholders can suffer losses as inflation and yields rise, while stock-market gains cushion households with substantial portfolios. Those without financial assets have fewer Read More…
Seth Ashley, Colorado State University Media critic Ben Bagdikian warned in 2004 that five corporations had accumulated “more communications power than was exercised by any despot or dictatorship in history.” More than 20 years later, a major media merger is bringing his warning back into focus. Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in October 2026 Read More…
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy expanded at a 3.4% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2026, exceeding economists’ expectations as business investment accelerated and consumers continued spending, according to new data from the Commerce Department. The growth rate, the strongest in a year, marked a significant acceleration from the 2.2% expansion recorded in the Read More…
SpaceX has secured commitments for a $40 billion financing arrangement to purchase advanced artificial intelligence chips, but the transaction is drawing attention to borrowing costs and growing investor concerns about the capital required to expand AI infrastructure. The company, which trades under the ticker SPCX, announced Oct. 26 that it had reached a binding commitment Read More…
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry lost reelection to his seat on the board of directors for the massive planned power and data center company he co-founded called Fermi, according to a transcript of the vote from an annual meeting Friday obtained by The Texas Tribune. Fermi, which has ambitions to become the largest data center Read More…
(BPT) – Key takeaways The vulnerabilities buried inside legacy systems at every large organization are no longer hidden. While Y2K forced organizations to look honestly at decades of accumulated code, the frontier AI moment is forcing the same reckoning. The organizations responding fastest are the ones that have built the capacity to remediate vulnerabilities at Read More…