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Red-state auditor reports ‘explosion’ of fraud tips as he targets state employees ‘racking up’ taxpayer waste
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Nebraska’s top auditor says fraud complaints are surging as waste, fraud, and abuse dominate the national conversation, telling Fox News Digital that his own crackdown has uncovered alleged misuse of taxpayer resources inside state government.
«It’s just extraordinary the explosion of phone calls and allegations and emails and so forth that are pouring into my office,» Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley said as the fraud crackdown have become a national news story and the Trump administration, led by Vice President JD Vance, unleashed a task force to root out fraud.
«And as the media focuses on this more and more, it just makes the phone ring all the more, which is fine. We’re happy to receive those calls and try to filter through them and find out which ones are the most legitimate ones for us to pursue. But it’s clearly on the rise.»
Foley, speaking with Fox News Digital from the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Clearwater, Florida, is sounding the alarm specifically on what he says is an issue with taxpayer money being wasted or possibly defrauded by state workers, which he has made efforts to crack down on.
«Many of our state vehicles are now equipped with a GPS tracker,» Foley explained. «We can see precisely where these state vehicles are really going during work hours and they’re going to liquor stores. They’re going into health appointments that the employee might have. They’re on personal errands all across the state, and it’s racking up a lot of expense for the taxpayers in a very improper way.»
‘MISSISSIPPI MUSK’: STATE AUDITOR’S MOGE REPORT FINDS $400M IN GOVERNMENT WASTE
Vice President JD Vance and Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz spoke about combatting fraud at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex on Feb. 25, 2026. (Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images)
Foley’s office reviewed GPS data from 45 state fleet vehicles and found employees allegedly using them for «trips to retail outlets, restaurants, medical facilities, residences of relatives, commuting home without permission and other private errands,» the Nebraska Examiner reported last year.
Foley put out a press release last year documenting how he uncovered what he described as a «disturbing uptick» in alleged financial improprieties across local governments statewide, detailing eight recent investigations involving suspected misuse of public money, questionable reimbursements and possible fraud.
«I can cite so many examples of contractors that are over billing or double-billing the state, all kinds of state employee infractions of using state vehicles and state assets improperly, having contractors bill us for hours which we know they did not work, having state employees billed us for time served when we know that they were at a different place of employment, public school districts that are milking public school funds for all kinds of extravagances and so forth, but at the end of the day, the tone has to be set at the top.»
At the top, Foley’s efforts on waste, fraud, and abuse have led him to a situation that he describes as «uncomfortable,» which has put him at odds with Nebraska’s Republican Gov. Jim Pillen.
FINAL WALZ FRAUD REPORT RIPS ‘CULTURE OF TOLERANCE’ AS MINNESOTA TAXPAYERS FACE BILLIONS IN ALLEGED LOSSES
Foley has been involved in a highly publicized debate with Pillen, arguing that the governor improperly awarded a no-bid state contract worth roughly $2 million to a consultant with ties to the governor. Nebraska law generally requires public bidding for contracts over $50,000 and says the administration wrongly claimed there was an «emergency» to bypass that process.
«There was no emergency and later now they’re claiming that she brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in grant awards,» Foley said. «The truth is those grant award applications were filed by other people, other contractors before she was even on the job. So this is a very, very serious abuse and it sets the tone in the wrong way. For other people in the state government who can say the governor can do that, I can do it too. And that’s wrong.»
Pillen’s administration has denied wrongdoing, maintaining the contract was justified because of the need to quickly pursue economic development opportunities and federal funding.
«The contract was done the right way and is bringing hundreds of millions of dollars of value to Nebraska, which otherwise would have been wasted in California,» Pillen spokesperson Laura Strimple told Fox News Digital. «Auditor Foley disagrees and he is entitled to his opinion.»
Foley has referred the matter to law enforcement for further review, saying his office’s role is limited to conducting audits and highlighting potential violations.
«I’m not the most popular person in state government,» Foley jokingly told Fox News Digital, but said «we must» track expenditures in order to safeguard taxpayer funds.
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The Nebraska state capitol building in Lincoln, Nebraska (Getty Images)
«Nebraska regrettably is a high-tax state and people know that, and they’re fed up with these high taxes, and they know that money is not being spent properly in so many instances, and they are relying on me and my office to catch this kind of thing, and we’re doing a good job,» Foley said.
«There needs to be consequences when we find these kinds of abuses, and there are. Many people are losing their jobs because they’ve abused the trust of having access to a credit card or other assets of the government, or there could be even further legal complications and infractions and jail sentences even. We’ve put a number of people behind bars because of abuse and stealing of public funds.»
corruption crime, governors, republicans elections, nebraska, investigations
Un misterio virológico que desconcertó a los científicos durante meses finalmente fue resuelto. Investigadores estadounidenses identificaron el mecanismo biológico que permitió a la gripe aviar H5N1 infectar a vacas lecheras de forma inusual, atacando principalmente las ubres -el órgano glandular que produce y almacena la lech- en lugar de los pulmones.
Este hallazgo no solo permitió comprender por qué el virus se manifestó de manera tan atípica en el ganado, sino que abre nuevas vías para anticipar y prevenir brotes en otras especies, con implicancias directas para la salud animal, la producción y la bioseguridad.
El brote, detectado a principios de 2024 en el Panhandle de Texas, causó confusión entre los veterinarios. Los animales desarrollaron mastitis necrotizante, una inflamación grave de las glándulas mamarias, sin presentar síntomas respiratorios.
“La mastitis es una enfermedad clásica en los animales de producción lechera, y los veterinarios buscaban diligentemente la causa entre los sospechosos habituales, como los patógenos bacterianos”, explicó Suresh Kuchipudi, catedrático de Enfermedades Infecciosas de la Facultad de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Pittsburgh.
“Cuando se descubrió que el verdadero culpable era la gripe aviar, todos los implicados en el sector quedaron completamente sorprendidos. Ni siquiera habíamos considerado que el ganado pudiera ser huésped del virus H5N1”, agregó el experto.
El grupo de Kuchipudi, junto a la investigadora Lauren E. Pepi de la Facultad de Medicina de Harvard, utilizó técnicas de glicómica para mapear los receptores celulares que permiten la entrada del virus. Descubrieron que el H5N1 se une a un subtipo específico de glicanos, los receptores de ácido siálico unidos a N, presentes en todo el tejido mamario pero prácticamente ausentes en el sistema respiratorio de las vacas.
“Esto convertía a las glándulas mamarias en un caldo de cultivo perfecto para el virus”, explicó Kuchipudi. El resultado fue una infección que no causó enfermedad respiratoria pero sí mastitis grave, alterando el paradigma sobre cómo la gripe aviar puede manifestarse en diferentes hospedadores.
La investigación, publicada en Science Advances, no solo resuelve el enigma de la gripe aviar en bovinos, sino que permite anticipar la vulnerabilidad de otras especies y tejidos.
Kuchipudi explicó que es posible analizar de manera preventiva la susceptibilidad de diversas especies y sus tejidos. “Podemos anticipar si desarrollarían síntomas respiratorios, si solo presentarían mastitis, como ocurre en las vacas, o si podrían manifestar una enfermedad neurológica, tal como identificó nuestro equipo en los gatos. Lo aprendido permitirá prepararnos mejor y evitar sorpresas en el futuro”.
El mecanismo de infección tiene implicancias directas para la industria lechera y la salud pública. Otro estudio, realizado en 2025 por investigadores de la Universidad de Cornell, analizó el impacto de un brote en un rebaño de Ohio con 3.900 vacas. El brote se originó tras la introducción de animales procedentes de Texas, y las primeras señales clínicas —pérdida de rumia y caída en la producción de leche— se detectaron cinco días antes del diagnóstico.
Aproximadamente el 20% de las vacas mostró síntomas, con una reducción de unos 900 kg de leche por vaca durante 60 días. El costo económico por animal afectado se estimó en 950 dólares, y el costo total del brote en el rebaño ascendió a US$ 737.500 por mortalidad, eliminación y pérdidas productivas.
Los investigadores advirtieron que “aunque se desconoce el mecanismo preciso de transmisión del virus HPAI H5N1 en el ganado lechero, esto coincide con las infecciones por otros virus de la influenza A, que pueden propagarse rápidamente entre poblaciones de mamíferos susceptibles, incluidos humanos, perros y cerdos”. La seroprevalencia positiva en casi el 90% de los 637 animales analizados sugiere una alta eficacia de transmisión. Además, se detectaron anticuerpos en 17 de las 42 vacas no lactantes, lo que indica que incluso los animales en fase seca pueden ser fuente de virus.
La circulación silenciosa del H5N1 en rebaños lecheros de Estados Unidos ha intensificado las inquietudes sobre la vigilancia epidemiológica y las medidas de bioseguridad.
“Cuando una vaca se infecta, libera grandes cantidades del virus en la leche”, señaló Kuchipudi. Esto ha generado alertas por el riesgo al que se exponen los trabajadores agrícolas.
Además, persiste la práctica de alimentar a mascotas, como gatos, con leche cruda, y se han reportado muertes en estos animales, según investigaciones previas del equipo. El investigador enfatiza que la pasteurización elimina el virus y advierte sobre la necesidad de evitar el consumo de leche sin tratar.
El brote de Ohio no fue un caso aislado. Datos del Servicio de Inspección de Sanidad Animal y Vegetal (APHIS) del Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos confirmaron más casos en ganado lechero en Idaho y el avance del virus en otras especies. Idaho notificó tres instalaciones en cuarentena, mientras que APHIS reportó infecciones en gatos domésticos de varios estados, una foca común en Washington y ratones en Misuri. En la avicultura, se detectaron brotes en aves de corral en Iowa, Nebraska, Nueva York, Colorado e Indiana, además de mercados de aves vivas en Nueva York.
La tasa de transmisión y la capacidad del virus para saltar entre especies evidencian la importancia de la detección temprana y el monitoreo sistemático. Las vacas multíparas presentaron mayor riesgo que las primíparas, lo que sugiere una relación entre la exposición acumulada al ordeño y la enfermedad clínica. La investigación financiada por el Departamento de Salud Pública de la Universidad de Pittsburgh y el Instituto Nacional de Alimentación y Agricultura del USDA apunta a que la identificación de los receptores preferidos del virus en diferentes tejidos podría servir como herramienta predictiva para brotes futuros.
El hallazgo de los científicos estadounidenses redefine la vigilancia de la gripe aviar en la producción animal. Los expertos recomiendan analizar proactivamente la presencia y distribución de los receptores virales en especies de interés zootécnico y en animales de compañía, para anticipar brotes y evitar pérdidas económicas y riesgos sanitarios.
“Este trabajo también podría ayudar a los científicos a predecir mejor cómo se comportaría el virus H5N1 si se propaga a nuevas especies animales en el futuro”, concluyeron los autores.
El desafío ahora es trasladar el conocimiento a políticas de prevención, protocolos de bioseguridad y estrategias de comunicación que permitan contener el avance de la gripe aviar y sus consecuencias sobre la salud animal, la economía rural y la salud pública global.
vacas,pastizal,ganadería,producción lechera
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A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to release more unredacted Jeffrey Epstein records or justify keeping them sealed by July 2, with redacted versions of the files including sensitive interview notes documenting a minor’s uncorroborated sexual assault allegations against President Donald Trump.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, a Clinton-appointed judge, issued the order after granting a preliminary injunction sought by independent journalist Katie Phang, who sued Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April. She alleged that the Justice Department failed to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act that was signed last year when she requested several documents. The law requires the government to make Epstein-related investigative records public while allowing limited redactions to protect victims and other legally protected information.
More than half of the six million files have been made publicly available, with the remaining files withheld because of legal privilege protections or because they are duplicates, according to the Justice Department. But the department has faced growing criticism over the scope of its redactions, with critics arguing it has concealed information that should be public under the law.
EPSTEIN FALLOUT GROWS AS DOJ WATCHDOG DIGS DEEPER INTO HANDLING OF THE CASE
Jeffrey Epstein walks outdoors in New York City on Feb. 23, 2011. He is the subject of a bipartisan House Oversight Committee investigation. (David McGlynn)
In a 48-page memorandum, Sullivan ordered the Justice Department to either disclose less-redacted versions of several key Epstein records or justify the redactions. The documents covered by the order include eight emails with hidden senders or recipients; a 2007 draft federal indictment — with the names of potential co-conspirators redacted — that was never filed; and a 2019 email referencing alleged co-conspirators whose identities were obscured.
Among the redacted records is an email — with the recipient’s identity concealed — in which Epstein wrote that he «loved» a torture video he watched. During the litigation, Blanche suggested the recipient was wealthy Middle Eastern businessman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.
The order also covers FBI records summarizing 2019 interviews with a woman who made allegations involving President Donald Trump. In the FBI’s interview summary, the woman alleged she met Epstein when she was 14 or 15 years old and that he later introduced her to Trump, whom she accused of sexually assaulting her in explicit detail. Those claims are uncorroborated, and the president has denied the allegations. Trump was friends with the late financier in the 1990s and early 2000s but cut ties after a falling-out in the mid-2000s.
The Justice Department is also required to issue a complete log of every redaction made in records released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
DOJ PUBLISHES TROVE OF EPSTEIN FILES, SAYS MORE TO COME AFTER FRIDAY DEADLINE
The Justice Department had argued the lawsuit should be dismissed because Phang could have sought the records through the Freedom of Information Act. Sullivan rejected that argument, concluding that FOIA did not provide Phang an «adequate remedy.»
Phang’s lawyers said the department’s previous denial of related FOIA requests showed that FOIA was not an adequate way to obtain the records.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«I have standing to be able to get Todd Blanche to comply with Judge Sullivan’s order, which is now telling him that on or before July 2, he either has to put up or shut up,» Phang said during an appearance on the MeidasTouch network. «He either has to bring forth unredacted files or show cause as to why he should not or cannot do so.»
The ruling also noted that the department itself had previously acknowledged the Epstein Files Transparency Act required broader disclosure than would ordinarily occur through FOIA, including limiting certain exemptions typically available under federal public records law.
Jeffrey Epstein’s mugshot was taken in New York in 2019 after federal authorities filed trafficking charges against him. (Kypros/Getty Images)
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Sullivan has become a prominent figure in cases involving Trump and his allies. He oversaw former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s criminal case and challenged the Trump Justice Department’s effort to drop the charges after Flynn pleaded guilty. Sullivan also presided over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot cases.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department and the White House for comment.
jeffrey epstein, attorney general, fbi, federal judges, justice department, politics
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Cops drop murder probe after coroner rules man’s bloody stabbing death was freak accident
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A British man who was believed to have been murdered after he was found slumped over on a blood-soaked bench last year actually passed out drunk on a knife in his own bag, officials said this week.
Authorities initially believed Robert Brown, 57, was stabbed to death after he was found on Aug. 1, 2025, in Northampton, England, according to reports from the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
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Robert Brown, 57, died after falling asleep and falling onto a knife in his bag while sitting on a bench, Northamptonshire Police said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
Three people were eventually arrested in connection with his death and later released. A coroner on Thursday ruled Brown’s death a «tragic accident.»
Investigators believe Brown, who authorities said had alcohol dependence issues, fell into a deep sleep and put his weight on his bag, resulting in the knife piercing his body.
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Robert Brown, 57, had alcohol dependency issues, authorities said. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
The blade penetrated the bag and all three layers of Brown’s clothing, slashing his arm and leaving him to bleed out as he slept, authorities said.
Brown’s alcoholism made him vulnerable to blood loss, experts said at a court hearing.
Police on the scene behind Auctioneers Court near Northampton town center during the investigation into the death of Robert Brown, who was found fatally injured on a bench on the towpath on Aug. 1. (Northamptonshire Police; SWNS)
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Northamptonshire Police dropped the murder inquiry in February, saying Brown’s death was likely self-inflicted. Investigators noted that there was no apparent motive to murder Brown.
«We have reviewed the extensive amount of information gathered as part of the investigation, including all forensic submissions, and can confirm the evidence does not support the hypothesis that his death was a homicide,» police said at the time.
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