USAO Colin McDonald, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, announced the initial fraud indictments for the first set of fraudsters operating in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  McDonald emphasized this is only the beginning of the arrests in Minnesota as the fraud is beyond a scale that can be appropriately explained.

Together with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, U.S Attorney McDonald announces the first 15 individuals indicted with initial investigated theft of $90 million.  The DOJ anticipates hundreds more arrests.  Secretary Kennedy notes the scale of fraud is approximately 10x more than initially evaluated.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives remarks to the media from Miami as he prepares to travel to Sweden on a diplomatic mission. Rubio is asked about ongoing negotiations and conflicts with Iran as well as the indictment of Cuban official Raul Castro.

Secretary Rubio also discusses the World Health Organization and the Ebola outbreak in Africa.  As noted by Rubio the #1 priority for the administration is making sure the issue does not come to the United States.  Rubio also noted a change in posture toward NATO following several EU countries refusing to allow U.S. military engagement from bases within their nations.  “The president and I are both disappointed,” with the intransigence of several NATO countries.

Secretary Rubio continues to state the U.S and Cuban officials are still in communication throughout the political conflict between the two countries, the main problem is the Cuban regime doesn’t know how to effectively run a country and is corrupt with all revenue that exists.  Cuba is heading toward being “a failed state” and that issue elevates the urgency due to proximity.

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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

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Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

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Local media out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, are reporting that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and federal officials including HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, will be making an announcement about federal indictments for fraud as an outcome of ongoing investigations throughout the state.

Minnesota – Several top U.S. officials, including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, will be in Minneapolis on Thursday for an announcement about “major law enforcement action involving fraud” in the state.

The announcement coincides with the sentencing of Aimee Bock, the ringleader in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. Also in attendance on Thursday morning will be officials from the National Fraud Enforcement Division, the FBI, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and other law enforcement agencies. (source)

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Last weekend former FBI Director James Comey said there were multiple officials remaining within the DOJ and FBI who were actively working to continue the weaponization of the agencies against President Donald Trump.  When asked about it earlier today, President Trump said Acting AG Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel would root them out and deal with the issue.

Hours later the Dept of Justice released and indictment {SEE HERE} against Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Fort Pierce Branch, Carmen M. Lineberger. Asst USAO Lineberger was caught downloading classified files from the Jack Smith case to her personal email and labeling them as recipes so she could leak them to Lawfare resistance members.

According to FBI Director Kash Patel, “This afternoon, a former managing assistant U.S. Attorney who supported Jack Smith’s politicized investigation of President Trump has been charged with stealing the confidential investigation documents. Carmen Lineberger allegedly emailed the confidential material to her own personal email, disguising them as dessert recipes to conceal them from record searches. Lineberger is charged with four felony counts in the indictment. This FBI will not hesitate to bring to account those who violated the trust of the American public in an investigation that should’ve never been brought to begin with.” {link}

The files Ms. Lineberger is accused of stealing, relate to the Jack Smith case files from the Mar-a-Lago investigation that Judge Aileen Cannon previously sealed.  [Link Below] It appears attorney Carmen Lineberger was in the process of covering her tracks when she was discovered downloading the material and transmitting it outside the U.S. Attorney offices.  {INDICTMENT HERE}

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Somewhere along the path to the inevitable dissolution of the USMCA trilateral trade agreement, reality will set in for Canada.  Until then, denial is the preferred course of action from Prime Minister Mark Carney.  Not since COVID-19 have we witnessed an intellectual disassociation happening over such a large sector of a population.

According to the latest media reports, Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to announce a new Canadian Trade Advisory Council that will strategize the best moves within each sector of the Canadian economy to deal with the United States USMCA renegotiations.  Even at this latest date, the Canadian government is still under the belief they can negotiate themselves into a position where their status within the USMCA (CUSMA) will be retained.

Simultaneous to this announcement, the one best hope the Canadians have relied upon is also evaporating.  However, before discussing that aspect, let’s first look at the advisory council.

CANADA – Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to unveil a new advisory council focused on Canada-US trade relations as Ottawa attempts to salvage Canadian-US trade amidst Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs. According to reports, the council will bring together major business leaders, labour representatives and former politicians to advise the federal government ahead of the scheduled review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

[…] While the entire list of figures present on the council has yet to be announced, the Government of Canada first announced the advisory committee in April 2026, and released a partial list of members. Members reportedly include Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, former Quebec premier Jean Charest, and other representatives from sectors such as energy, manufacturing and forestry. There are also multiple high-level Canadian executives present on the list released by the Prime Minister’s office on April 21. The committee will be chaired by Dominic LeBlanc, who currently serves as minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade and intergovernmental affairs. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the council’s role will be to provide strategic advice and industry expertise as Canada prepares for negotiations under the umbrella of Donald Trump’s renewed tariff threats.

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President Trump gives brief remarks following his arrival back at Joint Base Andrews following the DOJ announcement of an indictment against Raul Castro.  President Trump notes the Cuban regime is under a lot of pressure and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has specific expertise on the issues surrounding Cuba.  Expect more activity soon as their economic condition continues to put pressure upon them.  WATCH:

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This afternoon, federal and state officials from Florida unsealed an indictment against Raul Castro which was returned in federal court in Miami on April 23, and charges him with one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of ‌destruction of aircraft. Five other people are also named as defendants in the case.

U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche made the announcement in Florida to a packed audience of Cuban-Americans. Reuters: “The charges stemmed from a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down planes operated by a group of Cuban exiles, U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at an event in downtown Miami on Wednesday to honor victims of the incident. “My message today is clear: The United States and President Trump does not and will not forget its citizens,” Blanche said to applause in a packed auditorium of government officials and Cuban Americans in Miami.”

For those not familiar with the sensitivity of the issues in the South Florida area, it is difficult to imagine the impact of this announcement.  There are hundreds of thousands of first- and second-generation Cubans who fled the brutality of the communist regime when Fidel Castro took power.  This is a very close and personal issue for the Cuban people within Miami-Dade.

Everyone in/around Miami knows an immediate family member or close family friend who was victimized by the Castro regime. As noted by The Hill:

[…] In indicting Castro, the U.S. is laying a similar groundwork that led to the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was also indicted in a U.S. court before armed forces seized him from his compound.

It’s unclear what action may await Castro and Cuba, but CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with officials on the island last week to convey that the window for negotiations will not be open indefinitely. (source)

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers a message to the Cuban People on their Independence Day.  The remarks from Secretary Rubio are broadcast simultaneously with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announcing in Miami, Florida, an ¹indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

Secretary Rubio outlined how the hardships of the Cuban people are driven by the corrupt actions of their government and went into detail about the systems of control currently in place to keep the Cuban people under extreme control systems of communism.

…”In the U.S. we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people and our countries. And currently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future, are those who control your country.”   ~ Secretary Marco Rubio

¹Four American men were killed in 1996 when their private airplanes were shot down by the Cuban military over international waters.  The military was led by Raul Castro at the time who gave the order.  Raul Castro, now 94, stepped down as president in 2018, but is considered by the U.S. to still be the effective leader of the country.

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