France and Britain Lead 40-Nation Talks to Reopen Strait of Hormuz 
U.S.-Iran Tensions Escalate as Hormuz Crisis Deepens Amid Ceasefire Strains 
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons to Exit Federal Government at End of May 
Trump and IRS in Settlement Talks Over $10 Billion Tax Return Leak Lawsuit 
Myanmar Grants Amnesty to Over 4,000 Prisoners Under New President Min Aung Hlaing 
South Korea Denies U.S. Intelligence Restrictions Over North Korean Nuclear Site Disclosure 
Australia Extends Fuel Sulphur Relaxation Amid Iran War Supply Disruptions 
Peru Election 2025: Vote Count Delays Spark Calls to Remove Electoral Chief 
Trump's Iran Claims Spark Market Confusion Over Strait of Hormuz 
Trump Nominates Dr. Erica Schwartz as New CDC Director 
Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again After Brief Reopening, Rattling Global Energy Markets 
Brazil, Spain, and Mexico Unite to Support Cuba Amid U.S. Blockade 
Anthropic CEO Meets Trump Officials to Discuss Powerful New AI Model Mythos 
UNICEF Condemns Killing of Aid Workers Delivering Water in Gaza 
Ukraine's Svyrydenko Returns from U.S. With Renewed Support and Diplomatic Momentum 
Strait of Hormuz: why even neutral and distant countries like Switzerland can’t escape the fallout 
The White House said this week that US President Joe Biden is asking Congress to provide $1.6 billion to tackle fraud linked to the country’s pandemic relief programs. The effort also aims to help victims of identity theft.
The White House said Biden plans to ask $1.6 billion from Congress to investigate fraud linked to the COVID-19 pandemic relief programs. The initiative, led by adviser Gene Sperling, will aim to demonstrate renewed toughness on pandemic fraud ahead of the promised probes by House Republicans on the trillions of dollars of pandemic relief that were approved under Biden and his immediate Republican predecessor Donald Trump.
The pandemic aid helped fund expanded unemployment benefits to workers and forgivable loans under the Paycheck Protection Program to companies if they kept their workers employed. The $1.6 billion funding request includes $600 million for the investigation of large-scale fraud by crime syndicates, $600 million for fraud and identity theft protection, and $400 million to help identity theft victims.
Biden is also calling on Congress to increase the statute of limitations on serious pandemic unemployment insurance fraud to 10 years, according to the White House. The funding would help triple the size of the COVID Strike Force teams that were created by the Justice Department. In one probe, the task force was able to recover $286 million in stolen pandemic relief funds and investigators have since identified several other cases.
The funds would also help improve the IdentityTheft.org website to help provide individuals with a way to report identity theft and receive personalized assistance on the matter. The United States is already investigating many fraud cases related to federal assistance programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program, unemployment insurance, and Medicare.
On Thursday, Biden said he would sign a Republican-led bill that would overturn changes to Washington DC’s laws that lowered penalties should the legislation pass the Democratic-controlled Senate. Following a meeting with Senate Democrats, Biden reiterated his support for DC’s statehood but voiced his opposition to the changes to penalties for crimes such as carjacking.
The city council in Washington, DC, has faced criticism for lowering the penalties for burglary, carjacking, and other crimes.
