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MN Dem Sen candidate in hot seat over upcoming event hosted by man enveloped in fraud scandal: ‘Red flags’
Minnesota Lt. Gov. and Democratic Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan is set to attend a fundraiser hosted by an individual who has served as the state’s Medicaid medical director during a time period where Medicaid fraud exploded onto the national scene.
Dr. Nathan Chomilo has served as Minnesota’s Medicaid medical director since January 2020 and is listed as one of the hosts of an October 1 fundraiser supporting Flanagan, first reported by Townhall’s Dustin Grage.
Much of Minnesota’s broader fraud scandal has centered on Medicaid-funded programs, including autism services and Housing Stabilization Services, and although Chomilo was not the official responsible for processing payments, investigating fraud or overseeing the department’s program-integrity operations, the optics of Flanagan associating with him is sparking skepticism about Flanagan’s commitment to tackling the fraud issue.
«Apparently, the people who were supposed to be watching the money are too busy raising it for Peggy Flanagan,» Grage posted on X. «This should raise some serious red flags.»
‘WE HAVE NOT SLOWED DOWN’: MINNESOTA NOT OUT OF THE WOODS ON MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL, EXPERT WARNS
«Things that make you go hmm… ,» Chuck Darrell, former communications director at Minnesota Family Council posted on X.
«The number one thing going on with Minnesota’s Medicaid program has been fraud over the last eight years of the Walz Flanagan administration,» Minnesota Republican State Rep. Kristin Robbins told Digital. «So he must have been aware. He must have known and clearly he had oversight responsibilities. He probably should have been held accountable for what was going on in the program and instead he’s raising money for Penny Peggy Flanigan.»
«It just shows her disdain for the taxpayers,» Robbins, the chair of the last legislative session’s Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, continued, adding that Flanagan has «shown time and again disdain for Minnesotans who aren’t on board with her radical agenda and this is just another example of that.»
MN DEM SENATE CANDIDATE’S VIRAL HIJAB VIDEO TAKES NEW TURN AS WOMAN BESIDE HER FACES MAJOR STATE INVESTIGATION
Chomilo was highlighted in an online profile in 2023, as warning signs were surfacing about potential Medicaid fraud in the state, as a healthcare professional who was focused on » incorporating community collaboration and racial equity into Minnesota’s Medicaid policy development.»
«Communities experiencing inequities in health and opportunity due to structural racism know what they need but often policymakers fail to incorporate their lived experience,» Chomilo said. «By prioritizing policy development through a racial equity lens and implementing it through a community co-created process, Minnesota Medicaid is building racial equity into the core of the health care system. «
On his LinkedIn page, Chomilo has called for ICE to be defunded, promoted a boycott of Target for ending DEI, and lamented » Zionism in medicine today» in a recent Instagram post.
Robbins told Digital that «clearly» Flanagan is «aligning herself with the most radical wing of the Democratic party on health care and that is what she will bring to the US Senate.»
Nick Puglia, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Regional Press Secretary told Digital in a statement, «Peggy Flanagan let fraudsters steal at least $9 billion from Minnesotans. Fundraising with those who perpetuated it is like handing lighter fluid to the arsonist who burned the house down.»
Digital reached out to the Flanagan campaign and Chomilo’s office for comment.
Polling shows that fraud is one of the top issues on the minds of voters heading into the November election, where Flanagan will face off against Republican Michele Tafoya.
Tafoya has consistently hit Flanagan on fraud, citing the Democrat serving alongside Walz as his top lieutenant since 2019 as the fraud scandal unfolded.
«I am appalled by the fraud that has occurred,» Flanagan told Fox 9 Minneapolis in August.
«Minnesotans are upset about it. They’re angry and I am too. I can tell you that this administration has taken steps. There’s a new office of inspector general that was passed this last legislative session. We’ve added staff to the attorney general’s office to root out Medicaid fraud. And, there was an aggressive action of shutting down a program that was being utilized by criminals. I think more absolutely needs to be done.»
politics, tim walz, minnesota fraud exposed, minnesota, state and local, midterm elections
Battleground Republicans are breaking from President Donald Trump with increasing frequency as Election Day draws closer and the party fights to protect its congressional majorities.
With just three weeks until voters head to the polls to decide who controls Congress for the latter half of Trump’s term, some Republicans are putting distance between themselves and Trump as the party faces significant political headwinds.
Veteran GOP strategist Doug Heye told Digital that such a strategy at this juncture was «not a surprise.»
«It happens in midterms when presidents aren’t popular,» Heye said. «Add to that the more outlandish things he’s done — often on things that have nothing to do with lowering costs, ending the war with Iran, etc. — this was bound to happen.»
TRUMP VANISHES FROM GOP SENATOR’S CAMPAIGN WEBSITE AS POLL NUMBERS PLUNGE WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION
It’s a similar situation to what’s played out with past presidents during a midterm election year, most recently with former President Joe Biden in 2022.
And the Republican National Committee (RNC) is arguing that the party is united behind Trump, while conceding that GOP candidates have individual stakes.
«Unlike the Democrats who are in a full-blown civil war with extremists, Republicans remain united behind the president’s agenda of cutting taxes, lowering drug costs and securing our communities. We are laser-focused on winning, and our candidates will run the races necessary to best represent their districts and prevent Democrats from taking control,» RNC spokeswoman Natalie Baldessarre said.
And running their own races is what several are notably doing, balancing individuality with their support for Trump and the GOP base.
At least two House Republicans, Reps. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., have touted conflict with Trump in advertisements.
TRUMP-LINKED SUPER PAC PULLS FUNDING FROM 2 HOUSE REPUBLICANS AS GOP FIGHTS TO KEEP MAJORITY
Kiggans is out with a new ad touting herself as «one of the most bipartisan members of Congress,» who has taken on her «own party to protect jobs, and working with Democrats to save healthcare.» One visual referenced a news article that said, «Kiggans bucks Trump on offshore wind.»
Meanwhile, Lawler recently released an advertisement in which he highlighted taking on «the left and the right,» followed by a clip of Trump calling him a «pain in the a–» on state and local tax deduction issues.
But for many, like Lawler, it’s a balancing act of trying to keep Trump and the GOP base happy, while courting independent voters.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, «No one can dispute the fact that President Trump has created one of the most robust coalitions in political history with the MAGA movement, and the president understands how to communicate with them.»
«President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party, and he is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress,» Ingle told Digital.
«The president signed the largest working-class tax cuts in history, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, sealed the border, drove violent crime to the lowest level in nearly a century, unleashed an energy revolution, added more than a million private-sector jobs and sent Americans’ 401(k)s climbing to record highs,» Ingle continued. «The choice has never been more clear: doubling down on President Trump’s winning, commonsense agenda or the Democrats’ extreme liberal policies and obstruction.»
Still, the political tightrope was on full display when Lawler appeared on stage at Trump’s midterm convention in September, when he noted he and the president didn’t «always agree.»
He told Digital at the convention, «I fundamentally believe if you want to get things done, you have to be able to work with whoever the president is. And it’s why I’ve consistently been rated among the most bipartisan and effective members of Congress.»
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Sen. John Husted, R-Ohio, also notably appeared at Trump’s convention in Dallas.
They have, however, split from Trump on some key issues in an effort to show daylight between themselves and the president.
CAN THE ‘BEST SHOWMAN IN POLITICS’ DELIVER AGAIN? GOP BETS ON TRUMP AT HISTORIC MIDTERM CONVENTION
They have called for an end to the Iran war and have diverged from Trump on data centers — the president declared on Truth Social shortly after the midterm convention that «the only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor.»
But it’s a key sticking point for several Republicans on the trail who recognize the bad optics the hulking, windowless behemoths have with voters. Many, including Husted and Rogers, don’t believe it’s an issue that the federal government should have total dominion over.
«What we’ve said is there should be a moratorium until we get all of the voters’ decisions and questions answered,» Rogers told Digital during the convention. «These are big decisions. I don’t think there should be a federal ban, because if the federal government can ban it, it can also tell you have to have one.»
Another vulnerable GOP lawmaker who broke from Trump on the issue of data centers is Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., who has maintained that it should be a decision for local governments whether to allow such facilities in their backyards.
«When you have people colluding with these corporations to come in and build a data center, before people in the community even know about it, because of these non-disclosure agreements, I think that violates the trust that people have or don’t have with their local officials right now,» Barrett said on Fox News’ «The Big Weekend Show.»
Barrett is also one of a small handful of House Republicans who has consistently voted against the U.S. operation in Iran without congressional approval. The Middle East conflict has gained a steady stream of GOP opposition the longer it’s gone on, as evidenced by the growing number of Republicans voting for Democrats’ war powers resolutions in the House.
Among them is Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who previously voted with the GOP on similar measures until the most recent such vote in mid-September.
And Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, who voted against reining in Trump on Iran, noted on the Woo & WayCo podcast last week, «We need to get out of this war quickly.»
«What [Trump] did to stop a nuclear danger is a beautiful thing, but right now, you know, I don’t think anyone can cut a deal with Iranians, because you can’t trust them,» Miller said.
The Ohio Republican’s re-election chances are up in the air amid a slew of domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife and former father-in-law.
He did notably appear at Trump’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio.
Trump’s plan to import foreign beef has also gotten some pushback from vulnerable House Republicans like Miller-Meeks and Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa.
Nunn, another battleground Iowan, introduced a bipartisan bill last month that would suspend Trump’s plan while directing the federal government to find a strategy to grow domestic cattle numbers.
And some candidates, like Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., do not mention the president on their websites at all. References to Republicans on Kean’s site are few and far between, but it touts him as an «independent leader standing up for what is right for New Jersey.»
A separate White House official argued that Republicans distancing themselves from Trump «could not be further from the truth — President Trump is still the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party.»
politics, donald trump, midterm elections, republican convention, battleground voters
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El jefe de la NASA abrió la puerta a la hipótesis extraterrestre y pidió que la agencia sea parte del debate: “Debemos estar en la mesa”
El director de la NASA, Jared Isaacman, pidió una mirada abierta ante los objetos voladores no identificados, que toda la vida se los conoció como ovnis y hoy se los llama fenómenos anómalos no identificados, conocidos por la sigla FANI en español o UAP en inglés. Y sostuvo que la agencia espacial estadounidense debe intervenir si alguno de esos casos apunta a un origen extraterrestre.
Sus declaraciones introducen una posición pública de mayor involucramiento de la NASA en un debate que hasta ahora quedó, sobre todo, bajo la órbita de organismos militares y de inteligencia de Estados Unidos.
Isaacman habló sobre el tema durante una entrevista con Blake Burman, conductor del programa The Hill en la TV estadounidense. La conversación abordó los registros de pilotos y las grabaciones de objetos que exhiben comportamientos difíciles de encuadrar en tecnologías aeronáuticas conocidas.
Ante la consulta sobre si esos materiales pueden corresponder a naves extraterrestres, dispositivos militares o fenómenos aún sin explicación, el funcionario evitó una respuesta concluyente, pero fijó un criterio para la agencia.
“Mi postura al abordar cada uno de estos casos es, primero, mantener la mente abierta. Quiero decir, en cierto modo es nuestro trabajo intentar responder a la pregunta ‘¿estamos solos?’. Si son extraterrestres, creo que la NASA debería tener un asiento en la mesa”, dijo Isaacman.
La novedad central de su intervención radica en esa última idea. Si bien no afirmó que los objetos observados tengan un origen ajeno a la Tierra, consideró que la NASA no debería quedar al margen si una investigación deriva hacia esa posibilidad. La agencia tiene entre sus objetivos científicos la búsqueda de condiciones aptas para la vida en otros mundos, el estudio de planetas fuera del Sistema Solar y el análisis de ambientes que puedan albergar organismos microscópicos.
Los estudios abarcan observaciones en el aire, el espacio, el mar o cualquier otro entorno donde no exista una identificación inmediata. En los últimos años, el interés institucional por estos episodios creció a partir de informes de personal militar, imágenes difundidas desde aeronaves y testimonios que describieron trayectorias o velocidades inusuales. Sin embargo, un objeto no identificado no constituye por sí mismo una prueba de tecnología extraterrestre.
La falta de datos suficientes, las limitaciones de los sensores, errores de percepción, eventos meteorológicos y desarrollos tecnológicos reservados pueden explicar una parte de los casos.
Isaacman se ubicó precisamente en ese terreno de posibilidades múltiples. Su postura combina la disposición a investigar con una advertencia sobre escenarios estratégicos que pueden afectar la seguridad y la competencia tecnológica de Estados Unidos.
Isaacman vinculó los avistamientos con una posible competencia tecnológica entre potencias
Para explicar esa dimensión, el titular de la NASA recurrió a la comparación con el Sputnik 1, el satélite que la Unión Soviética lanzó en 1957 y que aceleró la carrera espacial durante la Guerra Fría. El acontecimiento mostró que Moscú contaba con capacidades técnicas que Estados Unidos no había anticipado del todo y llevó a Washington a reforzar sus programas científicos, educativos y espaciales. La creación de la NASA, al año siguiente, formó parte de esa respuesta.
Isaacman sugirió que algunos episodios actuales podrían reflejar una sorpresa tecnológica de alcance similar. “Si estamos ante un ‘momento Sputnik’, lo hicimos muy bien la última vez que ocurrió. La cuestión es: ¿se trata potencialmente de tecnología de otro bando? ¿Es un adversario probando sistemas de propulsión de próxima generación? Sin duda, entra dentro de lo posible”, dijo.
La fórmula “momento Sputnik” no describe una confirmación de amenaza ni identifica a un país concreto. Señala, en cambio, la posibilidad de que una potencia rival pruebe sistemas furtivos, plataformas de vigilancia o métodos de propulsión que todavía no forman parte del conocimiento público.
El funcionario, de 43 años, conoce de cerca el sector espacial privado. En 2021 participó en una misión comercial de SpaceX que orbitó la Tierra. Su llegada a la conducción de la NASA colocó a un empresario y astronauta privado al frente de una institución que concentra algunas de las misiones científicas más complejas del planeta.
Por ese motivo, su definición sobre los FANI suma una dimensión política a una discusión que cruza astronomía, defensa y acceso a información clasificada.
Isaacman expresó que su intuición se inclina primero hacia fenómenos observables de origen natural o hacia tecnología terrestre en desarrollo. Esa postura evita presentar los casos como un misterio resuelto y conserva la cautela que exige el análisis de datos incompletos. Al mismo tiempo, mantiene abierta la posibilidad de que los registros revelen algo que amerite una investigación científica más amplia.
La comparación con el Sputnik también plantea una diferencia importante entre la carrera espacial de 1957 y el escenario actual. El lanzamiento soviético resultó verificable: el satélite emitía señales de radio y su presencia en órbita podía seguirse. En cambio, los fenómenos anómalos no identificados parten de situaciones donde la información disponible resulta parcial, permanece clasificada o no permite establecer con precisión la naturaleza del objeto o evento observado.
Las declaraciones de Isaacman coincidieron con el impulso de la administración de Donald Trump para revisar y publicar documentos vinculados con ovnis, UAP y posibles referencias oficiales a vida extraterrestre. El mecanismo mencionado para esa tarea es el Sistema Presidencial de Desclasificación e Informes sobre Encuentros con FANI, identificado por la sigla PURSUE.
Los océanos de Europa y Encélado sostienen la búsqueda científica de vida cercana
La apertura de Isaacman hacia la posibilidad de vida fuera de la Tierra no parte solamente de los avistamientos. El responsable de la NASA vinculó el asunto con investigaciones astronómicas que ya examinan mundos del Sistema Solar donde existen ambientes potencialmente habitables. En particular, mencionó dos lunas heladas: Europa, que gira alrededor de Júpiter, y Encélado, que orbita Saturno.
Bajo las capas de hielo de ambos satélites hay indicios de grandes océanos internos. En Encélado, las plumas de vapor y partículas que salen de fracturas en su superficie ofrecieron señales de compuestos químicos de interés para la astrobiología. Europa, por su parte, concentra la atención de misiones que buscan entender la composición de su océano, el grosor de su cubierta helada y la interacción entre el agua y el material rocoso de su interior.
“Europa tiene un océano y tiene una química compleja. No podríamos afirmar de manera concluyente que no existe vida en nuestro propio patio trasero, y mucho menos en los miles de millones de otras estrellas de la Vía Láctea o en los dos billones de otras galaxias que existen. Por eso son tan importantes nuestras misiones”, cerró Isaacman.
La afirmación no plantea que exista vida en Europa o Encélado. Explica por qué esos lugares ocupan un sitio relevante en la agenda científica. El agua líquida, la disponibilidad de elementos químicos y las fuentes de energía son variables que orientan la búsqueda de ambientes habitables. Aun así, la habitabilidad no prueba la presencia de organismos: indica que un entorno puede reunir condiciones compatibles con formas de vida.
La NASA trabaja con esa distinción. Sus misiones buscan señales químicas, geológicas y físicas que ayuden a determinar si un mundo pudo sostener procesos biológicos. Encontrar evidencia de vida, incluso microscópica, exigiría un estándar mucho más alto: datos verificables, análisis repetidos y explicaciones alternativas descartadas.
Robert Powell, integrante de la junta de la Coalición Científica para el Estudio de los FANI, aclaró que la medida no representa una habilitación general para divulgar datos ante la prensa, investigadores o el público. Según su interpretación, la protección solo alcanza la entrega de información a los representantes del mecanismo presidencial. También sostuvo que una norma semejante ya protegía las comunicaciones ante la Oficina de Resolución de Anomalías en Todos los Dominios, conocida como AARO.
Para Powell, la intervención del Congreso resulta decisiva si pretende exigir respuestas a las distintas ramas militares y evaluar los relatos con herramientas de supervisión.
Las declaraciones de Isaacman dejan así dos vías abiertas: la investigación científica sobre vida más allá de la Tierra y la evaluación estratégica de tecnologías que podrían pertenecer a actores humanos. La NASA aparece en ambas como una institución con capacidad para estudiar datos, definir preguntas y distinguir entre una posibilidad atractiva y un hecho demostrado.
Business,Science,Technology,Corporate Events,North America,Science / Technology
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New York governor debate heats up as Blakeman, Hochul spar over Trump, sanctuary status, ICE shooting
The New York gubernatorial race heated up Tuesday as Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman clashed on the debate stage, with the pair trading jabs over President Donald Trump, a recent ICE-involved shooting and inflation.
The debate opened with the candidates being asked about the conduct of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which last week drew outrage in New York City following the shooting of a 28-year-old Dominican national whom the Department of Homeland Security said refused to comply with lawful orders during a targeted operation in the Bronx. A 5-year-old boy inside Oscar Bergal’s vehicle was unharmed.
«Kathy Hochul appealed to ICE to let this criminal out. The question that New Yorkers have to ask is what was this guy doing in New York in the first place? It’s because Kathy Hochul has made us a sanctuary state,» said Blakeman, a Republican.
«Think about it. This guy came into the country illegally. He’s been convicted of a crime. He’s got pending charges for dealing drugs, poison to our children. And he’s a gangbanger. This is who Kathy Hochul is defending?» Blakeman continued. «I have a cooperative agreement with ICE until Kathy Hochul said we could no longer cooperate with ICE. We got over 2,000 illegal migrants out of my county with criminal records ranging from rape, attempted murder, robbery, burglary, drug dealing, carjacking, gang activity. And that’s because we cooperated with ICE, and we didn’t raid one school, one hospital, one daycare center or one church. If you cooperate with federal law enforcement, it makes for a safer community. That’s what I did. Kathy Hochul is taking that ability away from us. That’s why things like this happen.»
Hochul called Blakeman’s response a «non-answer,» because «he refused to condemn what ICE did.»
«So he basically says in the state of New York, he’d be fine if ICE agents shoot into cars, shoot guns into vehicles, not knowing who’s inside and could have killed a 5-year-old child. If that doesn’t shock the conscience of everybody — and it should shock his conscience as well — that he says, that’s OK, that’s how ICE is supposed to do it,» Hochul added. «I’ll tell you what. I oversee over 500 policing agencies in the state of New York, over half a million arrests every year. That’s not how you conduct yourself. ICE is out of control. It’s out of control in Nassau County.»
Blakeman pushed back, saying, «it never would have happened» but for Hochul’s «sanctuary policy.»
«You have invited criminals to come into our state and prey on our communities. And now you won’t let local law enforcement cooperate with ICE in an orderly way, like we did in my county,» Blakeman added. «We didn’t have any incidents in my county because we were allowed to cooperate with local law enforcement. But you took that tool away. The reason why that happened is because of you, Kathy Hochul, and your immigration policies, where you actually invite people into our state, give them free everything, and you don’t care whether they’re criminals or not. That’s a bad policy.»
As part of her rebuttal, Hochul said, «I have a right to answer this one because this is so absurd. I have said, from the president on down, I said, New York is not a sanctuary for criminals, not a sanctuary for criminals. Full stop.»
The two candidates also clashed over Trump and the state of the U.S. economy.
«He promised to cut energy costs. He promised to cut down grocery costs. And you know what? Everything has happened under your friend, Donald Trump, who you are the president of the fan club for Donald Trump. It’s absurd how adoring you are of him. My gosh,» Hochul told Blakeman. «Well, what he has done is raise gasoline prices and energy prices and the cost of tariffs have driven up everything in the state. If you bought groceries lately, my God, the people are suffering. And that didn’t have to be the case. Why are we at war with the rest of the world?»
«You like to talk about Donald Trump all the time, because you don’t want to talk about your record,» Blakeman responded.
«I’m talking about my record right now,» Hochul said.
«Because it’s a record of misery and failure,» Blakeman continued. «The highest taxes, utility rates that are 70% higher than the national average. But let me say something about Donald Trump. Donald Trump is my friend. He’s endorsed me. But so is Bonnie Lautenberg, a liberal Democrat whose husband, Frank, served in the United States Senate and was a pillar of the Democratic Party. Actor Debra Messing, who is a liberal Democrat who supports me because she trusts me to make safer communities, improve the quality of life here in New York.»
«Alright, you got two votes,» Hochul said. «Good for you.»
kathy hochul, gubernatorial, new york city, homeland security, new york, politics
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