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1 Vice-President Vance Suspends Medicaid Payments To Minnesota
Vice President JD Vance has been given a new job by President Trump: leading a "war on fraud." His first move was announcing a pause on federal Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota, citing an ongoing fraud investigation involving day care centers in the state. The pause, announced alongside Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services head Mehmet Oz, will hold back a $259 million payment to Minnesota this month. The administration says it has the legal authority to withhold the funds, though Walz pushed back sharply, calling it a political attack with nothing to do with actual fraud. The move comes after Trump, in his State of the Union address, attributed $19 billion in fraud to Minnesota and its Somali community, a claim that fact-checkers say lacks solid evidence. So far, the Justice Department has charged 98 people in the state with $1 billion in fraud.
2 Cuba Says Four Killed And Six Wounded Aboard US-Registered Boat In Confrontation
Cuba says four people were killed and six others were hurt after a speedboat registered in Florida got into a confrontation with Cuban border troops near the island's coast. According to Cuba's Ministry of the Interior, troops approached the vessel after spotting it about one nautical mile northeast of a channel in Villa Clara province. Those on board fired on the Cuban vessel, injuring its commander; Cuba said the six wounded were given medical care. Vice President JD Vance told reporters he had been briefed on the incident but said the U.S. didn't yet have many details. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office would work with federal and state partners, adding that "the Cuban government cannot be trusted."
3 Homeland Security Official Tells State Election Officials That ICE Agents Will Not Show Up At Polling Places
A senior Department of Homeland Security official told state election chiefs on a call that immigration agents will not be present at polling places during this year's midterm elections. The assurance came from Heather Honey, a deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, after California's secretary of state asked about it directly. However, some state officials weren't convinced; Arizona's secretary of state called Honey an "election denier with zero integrity" and said he was not reassured. Maine's secretary of state said she did not leave the meeting feeling confident that the federal government wouldn't try to interfere with states' authority over elections. Several other officials also noted the administration failed to answer specific questions during the call.