Pair of tax preparers charged with stealing $65M worth of COVID-19 funds
A pair of tax preparers have been indicted on more than 50 charges for allegedly stealing $65 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Federal prosecutors in Tennessee say that Mississippi natives Renata Walton and Nicole Jones face charges including wire fraud, money laundering and filing false tax returns.
Walton is charged separately with turning in false paycheck protection and disaster loan applications to the Small Business Administration, which carries with it an obstruction of justice charge.
Both women pleaded not guilty on Monday, Nov. 25, and are out of jail on $100,000 bonds.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Memphis said on Wednesday, Nov. 27, that the women used fake numbers sent to the Internal Revenue Service for personal and business loans from 2020 until 2024. Prosecutors allege that the women knowingly applied for COVID-19-related tax credits that their clients were not eligible for.
Federal prosecutors noted that clients received six-figure tax refunds while Walton and Jones would charge them hefty fees, adding that the pair would then launder the money through local banks.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not reveal how much money the clients paid the tax preparers but said that Walton and Jones filed fraudulent claims seeking tens of thousands of dollars.
If convicted, prosecutors said the women potentially face decades behind bars. They noted that only Walton faces an obstruction of justice charge, which they revealed could put her behind bars 20 years alone.
Cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah holding so far
The cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah marks a step toward peace in the Middle East, but what happens now in Gaza where Israel is still at war with Hamas? And rain or shine — but not wind — revelers get ready to celebrate in New York City at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.
Cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah holding so far
A cease-fire deal between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon is holding, so far.
President Joe Biden announced the deal — which the United States and France helped broker — on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Israel and Hezbollah have agreed on an initial 60-day cease-fire, which sets the stage for a lasting truce.
Already, long-displaced residents of parts of Lebanon have started returning to their homes, hopeful the tenuous agreement will be extended beyond two months. That’s despite the Israeli military warning people to stay away from previously evacuated areas.
Israel has said if Hezbollah breaks the cease-fire agreement, it will attack.
Following the directive of the political echelon, the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon took effect at 04:00 today, and the IDF has been operating accordingly. IDF troops are stationed at their positions in southern Lebanon.
Over the past hour, the IDF identified a vehicle with…
During the 60-day truce, Hezbollah fighters are to retreat at least 25 miles from the border with Israel and Israeli forces will withdraw from Lebanese territory.
The agreement does not address the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group, in Gaza. However, Hamas has said it is ready for a truce.
“So, now Hamas has a choice to make,” President Biden said on Tuesday. “Their only way out is to release the hostages, including American citizens, which they hold. In the process, bring an end to the fighting, which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief. Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Biden told reporters he’s hopeful he’ll help achieve a cease-fire in Gaza before the end of his term in January. If not, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, though he has not yet said how.
Trump picks nominations for NIH, trade
President-elect Trump has kept busy this holiday week. On Tuesday night, he announced new picks to join his administration.
Among them, Trump nominated Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to serve as the director of the National Institutes of Health. As head of the NIH, the Stanford University professor would work alongside Trump’s pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Bhattacharya, who also has a doctorate in economics, became known for opposing lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 27, 2024
Trump also selected Jamieson Greer to lead the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Greer is no stranger to the department, having served as chief of staff to the trade representative during Trump’s first term — which saw tariffs imposed on Chinese goods and the signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement.
Greer served as a lawyer in the Air Force and is currently a partner in international trade at the law firm King and Spalding.
Both of these nominations will need Senate confirmation.
Australia’s House passes bill to ban kids under 16 from social media
The bill would make platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to $50 million ($33 million USD) for failing to prevent young children from holding accounts.
Australia’s communications minister Michelle Rowland introduced a world-first law into Parliament on Thursday that would ban children younger than 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges. pic.twitter.com/K0zui1wHLv
The legislation passed 102-13 in Australia’s House of Representatives and now moves on to the Senate. If the bill becomes law, social media companies would have one year to figure out how to implement the age restrictions before they are enforced.
More than 3,000 fake name-brand electric guitars seized in California
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it seized more than 3,000 fake electric guitars in Southern California. CBP said the knockoffs were destined for the e-commerce market, just in time for holiday gift shopping.
CBP said if the guitars were real, they would be worth about $18 million. Most of the fakes look like Gibson brand guitars, but some were supposedly from other well-known companies such as Fender.
Federal authorities would not release any details about suspects in the investigation or where the counterfeit guitars came from.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to go on, rain or shine
A Macy’s spokesperson told the New York Post the parade will proceed regardless of wet weather — good news for the expected 3.5 million people who will be along the parade route and the estimated 30 million watching at home. However, wind could pose a problem.
The spokesperson told the Post, “Based on the city’s guidelines, no giant character balloon will be operated when there are sustained wind conditions exceeding 23 miles per hour and wind gusts greater than 34 miles per hour on the parade route.”
So far, according to weather reports, the winds should not be a problem, and all 32 balloons should be able to fly. New ones this year include Minnie Mouse and Spider-Man, which is marking its return to the parade for the first time in a decade.
Happy Thanksgiving from Straight Arrow News
With Thursday being Thanksgiving, as you get ready to gather around the table with your family, we wanted to take this time for you to get to know ours a little better. In the video above, members of our Straight Arrow News team have special messages about what they’re thankful for this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!
Biden admin spent $267 million on ‘misinformation research’: Report
Since President Joe Biden took office, his administration has spent more than $267 million “combating misinformation,” according to a new report from OpenTheBooks, a government transparency watchdog group. This comes as a major initiative under President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration takes shape.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to reduce government waste.
The $267 million spent on combating misinformation went to universities, nonprofits and private companies, according to the report. The largest increase in spending occurred in 2021, with $126 million allocated to “studying and countering COVID-related speech” at a time when public health officials were pushing mandates related to COVID-19.
According to OpenTheBooks, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent the most money on misinformation research, specifically targeting what it classified as COVID misinformation.
Other federal agencies that reportedly spent millions in grants to fight misinformation include the National Science Foundation, the State Department and the Pentagon.
The report shows that most of the funds were directed to universities. For example, nearly $4 million was awarded to the City University of New York to study how people with anxiety and depression were impacted by vaccine misinformation online. This project is set to conclude in August 2025.
The University of Michigan received $14 million to examine the impact of misinformation on American politics and social polarization.
The federal government also partnered with private companies. According to OpenTheBooks, HHS granted $300,000 to the tech firm Melax Technologies to monitor vaccine misinformation on social media.
The Department of Homeland Security awarded more than $1 million to Guidehouse, a defense contractor, to analyze “misinformation and disinformation.”
There are significant differences between how the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration view misinformation and the role of government in addressing it.
President-elect Trump has vowed to dismantle what he calls the “censorship cartel” within the federal government. On his first day in office, Trump says he will issue an executive order banning federal agencies from collaborating with outside groups to censor or restrict speech. He has also promised to halt taxpayer-funded misinformation research.
The debate over how to handle misinformation remains divisive. Supporters of regulating misinformation argue it is crucial for protecting the public, while critics say it undermines free speech.
Study on link between COVID-19 and cancer causes buzz online
A new study on the effects that COVID-19 could potentially have on cancer tumors is causing a lot of buzz online. Northwestern University researchers found that the virus triggers immune changes that one day may be able to fight cancer.
The research started after doctors noticed people with cancer, who got very sick with COVID-19 during the pandemic, saw their tumors shrink or grow at a slower rate.
The study revealed the same cells activated by severe cases of the virus could be induced with a drug to attack cancer cells. Researchers specifically saw a response with melanoma, lung, breast and colon cancer.
While there were some anecdotal stories from doctors during the pandemic, the researchers only used human blood and tissues and mice. No actual patients with cancer were a part of the study.
However, the results led to different headlines from multiple news outlets ranging from “Covid might cure cancer. No, you didn’t read that wrong,” to “Can COVID-19 help the body fight cancer? Shocking new study links viruses to shrinking tumors.”
The headlines had some doctors reacting on social media, including Dr. Ali Khan who served at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than 20 years.
“Clickbait,” Khan commented on X. “Nope – Not a single person involved in the study. Some blood and human tissue samples and mice. Stay tuned 20 years.”
Clickbait. "Can COVID-19 help the body fight cancer? Shocking new study links virus to shrinking tumors" Nope. Not a single person involved in study. Some blood & human tissue samples and mice. Stay tuned 20 years.https://t.co/bgBYs8ySMa
The study also has some people questioning the COVID-19 vaccine.
“If the COVID-19 natural infection can mitigate cancer, could the COVID-19 immunization have the opposite effect?” another person said on X.
While the study didn’t include data on the vaccine, the researchers say the link between the COVID-19 virus and cancer is promising.
They also emphasized more work is needed before this approach can actually be used on patients. They said next steps will involve clinical trials to see if they can safely and effectively implement their findings on people.
China grants visa-free access to more countries to boost tourism
China is opening up visa-free access to more countries in an effort to kickstart its struggling economy through tourism. Beijing announced on Friday, Nov. 22, that it will expand the visa-free program to nine additional countries including Japan, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia and Latvia.
China also announced it will be extending the possible length of stay from 15 days to 30 days for travelers from visa-free countries.
The new travel rules will go into effect on Saturday, Nov. 30.
Only three countries had visa-free privileges previously and that access was rescinded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan was one of the three countries with visa-free access before the COVID-19 pandemic and had repeatedly asked for an early waiver to restart the program.
The countries have sparred over issues ranging from Taiwanese sovereignty to the release of treated yet still radioactive water into the sea from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Meanwhile, travel agencies are reportedly preparing for an influx of tourists as the end of the month approaches.
From July through September of this year, China reported more than 8 million foreigners entering the country, and of those, nearly 5 million were from visa-free countries.
With the latest expansion, 38 countries now have visa-free access since last year.
Paul to head Homeland Security Cmte, says he’ll use it to uncover COVID origins
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul is set to become chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in January. He says his main mission will be to “uncover the truth about the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to The New York Post.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in 2020, Paul has been subpoenaing and questioning heads of government agencies, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Paul and Fauci have had several heated exchanges over the years regarding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where Paul believes COVID-19 originated.
“There’s the preponderance of evidence now points towards this coming from the lab and what you’ve done is change the definition on your website to try to cover your ass, basically. That’s what you’ve done,” Paul told Fauci during a hearing on Nov. 4, 2021.
Paul, a medical doctor, has explained several times over the years that gain-of-function research is when medical researchers attempt to make a virus stronger than what is found in nature.
He believes COVID-19 originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which was receiving funding from Fauci’s NIH for bat coronavirus research projects.
Paul has accused Fauci of knowing that gain-of-function research was happening at the Wuhan lab with U.S. grant dollars and that Fauci should be held accountable for the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think we’re on the cusp of, really, the beginning of uncovering what happened with COVID,” Paul told The Post.
Fauci has repeatedly denied the NIH-funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Fauci resigned from the NIH in early 2023.
This news comes as the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s COVID-19 panel held its final hearing Thursday, Nov. 14, focusing on ways to prepare for a future pandemic.
Catholic woman fired over COVID-19 vaccine refusal awarded $13 million
A Michigan court has awarded nearly $13 million to Lisa Domski, a Catholic woman who was fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in 2021. She was fired after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.
Domski sued her former employer after her request for a religious exemption was denied. She had worked for the company for 38 years.
She argued that the company violated her rights by firing her after she submitted a written statement from her priest. The complaint explained the vaccine conflicted with her Catholic beliefs.
A jury ruled in Domski’s favor, determining that Blue Cross Blue Shield failed to accommodate her religious beliefs. They also found that the company unlawfully terminated her.
Domski’s legal team hailed the decision as a major victory for religious freedom. Attorney Jon Marko represented Domski. He emphasized the case highlighted Americans’ right to practice their religion without government or corporate interference.
Blue Cross Blue Shield expressed disappointment with the ruling, stating that its vaccine policy was designed to protect the health of its workforce. The policy required all employees to be vaccinated or seek an accommodation.
The company maintains that its accommodation process complied with state and federal law and respected employees’ religious beliefs. BCBSM said it is reviewing additional legal options.
Some Catholics have voiced strong opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, citing concerns over the use of cell lines from aborted fetuses in vaccine development.
While Pope Francis has supported vaccination, calling it “an act of love,” the church has emphasized that Catholics shouldn’t be obligated to get vaccinated.
Fauci received $15M in security since leaving office, documents reveal
Former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci received $15 million in taxpayer-funded security after his retirement in December 2022, documents obtained by Open the Books reveal. The protective detail, provided by the U.S. Marshals Service through an agreement with Health and Human Services, covered security services for Fauci from January 2023 through September 2024.
The security arrangement, unprecedented for a former federal employee, included a chauffeur, full security staff, and transportation services. The U.S. Marshals Service, which typically focuses on protecting judges and witnesses, has faced budget constraints in recent years, and this level of protection has raised concerns about resource allocation.
Fauci, who served as the face of the U.S. pandemic response, said he continues to receive death threats due to his high-profile role and frequent public criticism, which he claims has put him at greater risk.
AP Images
Critics question the fairness of the arrangement, pointing to other public figures who have not received similar taxpayer-funded security. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran for president earlier this year, had to pay for private security after being denied Secret Service protection multiple times, despite facing documented threats.
Fauci’s security funding contrasts with the Marshals Service’s recent request for $28 million to better fulfill its primary responsibilities, which include protecting federal judges.
TGI Friday’s franchisees worried over $50M in gift cards amid bankruptcy
TGI Friday’s recently filed for bankruptcy, blaming the COVID-19 pandemic, its capital structure and a decrease in demand for casual dining for its current status. While the Chapter 11 filing affects only the 39 company-owned restaurants in the U.S., the chain’s franchisees are now worried the bankruptcy proceedings will impact them in the form of nearly $50 million worth of gift cards that are still out there waiting to be used.
Jason Binford, an attorney representing more than 60 franchise locations, argued in a Dallas court hearing Monday, Nov. 4, those restaurants could be on the hook for the millions of dollars in unused gift cards, with some dating back more than 20 years.
“Any comment on this other than — ‘Wow,’” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Stacey Jernigan said. “$49.7 million on outstanding gift cards. I did a double-take on that. I was imagining, you know, grandparents who got gift cards for their kids in college and then it got thrown away. If it’s going back to 21 years, we have a lot of thrown-away gift cards.”
Usually, the company would reimburse the franchisees for customers using gift cards, but that policy’s feasibility is being questioned amid the 59-year-old restaurant chain’s bankruptcy filing.
The $49.7 million in outstanding gift cards surpasses the $5.9 million the restaurant is borrowing for bankruptcy restructuring, according to court documents.
Binford said the company’s bankruptcy could lead to an uptick in gift card use. He also said a “use it or lose it” mindset for cardholders may make them rush out to spend them.
“We’re certainly supportive of the continued use of gift cards because we agree they drive sales,” Binford told the judge. “It’s just there’s a circumstance where we can be seen, the franchisees, by we I mean, could be seen left holding the bag if there is not a source of funds available to reimburse the franchisees under the ordinary course.”
The judge is allowing TGI Friday’s to continue the gift card program on an interim basis. This gives franchisees more time to review the program and Friday’s finances. Friday’s has 122 franchised locations in the U.S. and 316 more around the world.
Attorneys for TGI Friday’s present at the hearing said the company does plan to honor its obligations for both its franchisees and customers.
Trump considers moves on vaccines, fluoride in water with help from RFK Jr.
One day before Election Day, Former President Donald Trump is making one of his final pitches to voters. He said he’ll consider taking on two controversial public health topics, vaccines and fluoride in drinking water, if he wins the White House.
In a phone interview with NBC News Sunday, Nov. 3, Trump said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would play a key role in his administration on both of those issues.
This comes after Kennedy made a last push for Trump over the weekend of Nov. 2. Kennedy originally ran for president as an Independent before he dropped out earlier this year and endorsed Trump.
“I need you to vote for Trump,” Kennedy said. “Because that’s the only way I’m going to get to Washington D.C.”
Kennedy also posted on X that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office, noting Trump wants to “make America healthy again.”
On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease. President…
Kennedy has linked fluoride to multiple illnesses. However, several medical groups including The American Dental Association support fluoride water, saying it prevents tooth decay.
When NBC News asked Trump about Kennedy’s take on fluoride, he claimed to not have discussed it yet.
“Well I haven’t talked to him about it yet. But, sounds okay to me. You know it’s possible,” Trump said.
Then when asked if banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump praised Kennedy and said both men plan to discuss the issue.
“Well I’m going to talk to him and talk to other people and I’ll make a decision. But he’s a very talented guy and has strong views,” Trump said.
Kennedy is well known for his criticism and skepticism of vaccines, including COVID shots.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the idea of Kennedy having a potential role in a Trump administration.
On “The Checkup with Doctor Mike” podcast Sunday, Nov. 3, she said it wasn’t helpful for Kennedy to talk about health care the way he does.
“It has not been helpful to have him talk about healthcare the way that he does,” she said. “So, I’m going to win the election but it’s because everyone gets out and votes and they know what’s at stake.”
Trump previously considered Kennedy as a chair to a vaccine safety commission in 2017 but that fell through.
