State-level fraud is becoming a feature of the system. States like Minnesota and California are exploiting federal matching programs (especially Medicaid) through systemic abuse masked as public service. From fake rideshare companies to inflated daycare operations, billions in federal dollars are redirected through fraudulent schemes that enrich political allies and deepen state-level corruption.

The incentives are clear: the more states defy oversight, the more money flows in. Illegal immigrants are granted access to benefits banned by federal law, and those who question it are branded as bigots. Meanwhile, honest states foot the bill and watch housing costs soar from artificial demand fueled by fraud-based income.

Abroad, the sudden U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro marks a return to muscular foreign policy. With echoes of Noriega, the operation reveals the scale of Maduro’s crimes... and the failure of prior administrations to act. At home, New York City embraces collectivism under new leadership, and California targets billionaires with a retroactive wealth tax that may backfire catastrophically.

Will voters reward the states that break the rules or the ones that play by them?

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