Day: April 9, 2026

Politico A federal judge has rejected Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s renewed effort to restrict press access to the Pentagon, calling it an attempt to dictate media coverage that smacks of “an autocracy, not a democracy.” “The curtailment of First Amendment rights is dangerous at any time, and even more so in time of war,” U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman wrote Thursday. “The Constitution demands better. The American public demands better, too.” Friedman’s ruling is the second time he has thrown out Hegseth’s bid to sharply curtail reporters’ access to the Pentagon. The judge tossed an earlier version of the press restrictions that threatened to strip credentials from journalists unless they agreed to publish only information preapproved by Department of Defense channels. READ THE FULL STORY    

IJR Concerns about large-scale fraud have been building across the country, with California often at the center of that conversation. Federal authorities recently announced a major development in one such case: a Southern California man has pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme that drained hundreds of millions of dollars from a public healthcare program. Paul Richard Randall, 66, of Orange, admitted to one count of wire fraud after prosecutors said he orchestrated a plan to exploit Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. According to investigators, Randall submitted more than $269 million in claims and ultimately received over $178 million in payouts. The claims were tied to 19 high-cost drugs that, in reality, were made with inexpensive generic ingredients. Authorities say many of those drugs were either medically unnecessary, never provided, or both. READ THE FULL STORY