President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.
Meanwhile, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 's team confirmed late Tuesday that it produced a controversial advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Amy Acton, and the campaign says it will spend $4 million to promote it despite facing bipartisan rebuke for dredging up the painful childhood of his Democratic opponent in Ohio's governor's race.
Here's the latest:
Sen. Susan Collins makes campaign appearance with former Democratic Sen. Manchin
Collins made the campaign stop at a hot dog restaurant in Maine on Wednesday morning with former Sen. Joe Manchin as she tries to win reelection to her seat.
Collins, a five-term Republican senator, is in a tough reelection fight with Democrat Troy Jackson. Manchin touted her as a longtime moderate voice during a brief appearance after the morning campaign event.
Manchin, a longtime Democrat who became an independent shortly before retiring from the Senate, called Collins “the soul of the Senate.”
The two are also scheduled to appear at a New Balance sneaker facility in Maine later Wednesday.
In struggling LA, Mayor Karen Bass fights for 2nd term against democratic socialist-backed Raman
To voter Roy Lyons, Los Angeles has been losing luster for years. A homeless crisis endures despite billions of dollars of spending. City Hall’s budget keeps swelling — as do the taxes needed to support it.
As the retired insurance broker from the Sherman Oaks neighborhood ponders his pick in the upcoming mayoral election, he's leaning toward the unpopular incumbent, Mayor Karen Bass, over her fellow progressive Democrat Nithya Raman, a little-known city council member who's backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. She endorsed Bass before changing her mind and entering the race.
Neither choice gives him confidence about the future.
“Is this the best we can do?” asked Lyons, a Democrat, who attended a recent candidate forum. “I don’t think either one shines.”
If Bass wins the Nov. 3 election, it will be because she was able to persuade voters like Lyons to give her a second chance after a rough first term that included the deadly Palisades Fire, which ignited when she was out of the country and caught the fire department unprepared.
Putin agrees to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US next month
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters after a meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff that the Russian leader has agreed “in principle” to resume the trilateral talks after Nov. 10.
Witkoff held talks with Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday about Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.
Justice Department watchdog declines to investigate handling of Reflecting Pool case, lawyers say
The Justice Department's inspector general has declined to investigate the handling of the criminal case against a former Olympian cleared of accusations that he intentionally damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a letter Wednesday from the man's lawyers.
The internal watchdog told David Hearn's lawyers the allegations of professional misconduct they made fall outside its jurisdiction and are instead within the purview of the department's Office of Professional Responsibility, according to the letter, which urges Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume to reconsider the decision.
“Given the substantial public attention devoted to this matter, and the significant questions raised concerning the conduct of federal officials, declining independent review would risk undermining public confidence in the Department’s ability to police its own conduct. Such a result would be inconsistent with the purposes for which Congress established the OIG and would be a betrayal of its mission,” the letter says.
Trump to host White House roundtable discussion on cybercrime
The White House says the administration is using every tool available to stop foreign-based organized criminal organizations that exploit Americans online.
According to data supplied by the White House, federal authorities have seized more than 500 fraudulent cryptocurrency investment websites.
They’ve also interrupted millions of social media, email and internet accounts used by foreign criminal organizations to hunt victims in America, and have identified and warned nearly 9,000 people while they were in the process of being victimized, preventing an estimated $562 million in losses.
Trump brings a last-minute rally boost to Darline Graham in South Carolina’s US Senate race
President Trump will visit South Carolina on Wednesday to boost Sen. Darline Graham, whose stumbles in her first campaign since replacing her late brother have Democratic voters hopeful — but not necessarily optimistic — their candidate can break Republicans' grip on the state.
Although South Carolina isn't typically a midterm battleground, Trump has been deeply invested in Graham. He supported her appointment to replace Lindsey Graham after his death in July, and he backed her in a special primary when she faced several more experienced Republican opponents.
Now the party wants to make sure Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee and a pediatrician, doesn't pull off an upset victory. More than $34 million has flowed into the race, and Republicans have hammered Andrews as a "radical liberal" and accused her of supporting surgeries for transgender minors, which she denies.
Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard after over 4 years in prison, during a visit by US envoy
Russia on Wednesday freed an American who'd been jailed for more than four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, in a deal completed during a visit by a top U.S. envoy and at a time when President Trump has taken a series of actions meant to benefit Moscow.
Trump said in a Truth Social post that he had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call last week to free Stephen Hubbard, and that, unlike previous releases, his had not required the U.S. to give up anyone in return.
“Welcome home, Stephen, it’s great to have you back,” Trump said.
Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher from Michigan, was on his way home following a visit to St. Petersburg by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who also held talks with Putin about Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Trump pushes Kyiv to make a deal that stops the fighting.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants a ceasefire and permanent peace talks
The Ukrainian president told Fox News on Wednesday that he would agree to a ceasefire with Russia, freezing control of land as it currently stands more than four years since Russia invaded Ukraine, provided the U.S. provides security guarantees as a permanent peace deal is negotiated.
“Freeze and talks and security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said.
Still, Zelenskyy said during the interview that Ukraine does not want to yield any land permanently.
“They are not winning on the battlefield,” he said of Putin’s forces. That’s why Putin is trying to “push us from our land” at the negotiating table, Zelenskyy said. “It’s not fair.”
Ramaswamy takes responsibility for ad with Amy Acton’s mother and will spend millions to promote it
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy 's team confirmed late Tuesday that it produced a controversial advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Amy Acton, and the campaign said it will spend $4 million to promote it despite facing bipartisan rebuke for dredging up the painful childhood of his Democratic opponent in Ohio's governor's race.
The decision exacerbates a deeply personal element in one of the country’s most closely watched and expensive campaigns for state office. Questions about the video will likely shadow Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire who previously ran for president but has never before held public office, in the final two weeks of the contest. Democrats said he was growing desperate at a moment when more than 676,000 people have already cast ballots in Ohio.
The advertisement features Acton's birth mother, Donna Arthur, calling her "a liar" and insinuating she has mental health issues. Acton, Ohio's former public health director, has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child. Arthur lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Acton.
Acton spent Tuesday condemning Ramaswamy for the ad even before his campaign confirmed its provenance.
Trump and Vance announce $25M whistleblower program to encourage public to report alleged fraud
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.
The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, anyone who submits a tip that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, and that the Justice Department will administer the program.
During the announcement, Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. Trump also said he will decide who gets reward money in cases where more than one person claims to have provided the tip.
“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump said in the Oval Office with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It’ll be a binding arbitration.”
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