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Government auditors in Democrat-dominated Washington State say that more than $1.3 billion in spending through the state’s childcare subsidy system cannot be verified. The audit, covering 2021 through 2024, revealed that the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) failed to maintain the necessary records to track federal childcare funds at the provider level, leaving a slew of expenditures and other payments unaccounted for. Concerningly, the financial review found in 2024 that $416 million was unauditable, with $356 million in 2023, $268.5 million in 2022, and $293 million in 2021. The State Auditor’s Office (SAO) described the situation as “serious...

This is one of those local stories that doesn’t get a ton of traction in the national headlines, but highlights quite possibly one of the most alarming trends in modern America: the failure to get the basics right. And by basics, in this case, I mean the ability for a town or city to put out fires. Fire departments around the Denver, Colorado, metro area have been struggling to afford new fire engines, which have ballooned in costs over the years, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic/economic catastrophe of 2020 and Wall Street’s private equity companies. They also have to navigate...

"Somebody stole something… and the number-one suspect is Black Snape?"Saturday Night Live is diving headfirst into the discourse surrounding one of Harry Potter's most controversial casting choices. During the sketch show's latest "Weekend Update" segment, Kam Patterson stepped into the role of Professor Snape — a nod to the upcoming HBO series casting a Black actor, Paapa Essiedu, to play the previously white character — and like many Potter fans and critics, SNL had some interesting observations to share about the decision. "Good evening, Mr. Jost," Patterson began, appearing as Snape and trying out a faux-British accent. Immediately dropping...

A Democratic activist says she is working with multiple women preparing to come forward with sexual harassment allegations against California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. Cheyenne Hunt — a lawyer, one-time congressional candidate and executive director of Gen-Z for Change — revealed that she has been working with an unspecified number of women set to accuse Swalwell in multiple X posts early Monday morning. Swalwell is currently a leading candidate in the crowded race to succeed Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “I got involved because the first victim who approached me is a close friend, but when I saw that there...

“Saturday Night Live UK” has been slammed for a distasteful joke aimed at Meta owner and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “It’s been revealed that Meta billionaire Mark Zuckerberg is building a bunker under his compound in California,” said “Weekend Update” co-host Ania Magliano. “And I hope he uses that bunker in exactly the same way Hitler did,” she added, prompting shocked reactions from the live audience. The joke referenced the Führerbunker, an underground air-raid shelter near the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, where Adolf Hitler spent his final 105 days, ultimately committing suicide on April 30, 1945.

Software giant Oracle has named Hilary Maxson as its new chief financial officer amid thousands of layoffs that sent shockwaves through the company. Maxson, 48, formerly of Schneider Electric, assumes the role effective immediately with an annual base salary of $950,000 and eligibility for a performance-based bonus targeting $2.5 million, according to a regulatory filing. The technology company made the appointment amid rising debt from its extensive AI infrastructure investments, CNBC reported. A Cornell graduate with an MBA, Maxson has a decorated career in financial services, including stints at The AES Corporation, Citibank and Bank of America. The appointment comes...

Explanation: Why doesn't Artemis II land on the Moon? The main reason is that Artemis II is primarily a test mission designed to make a future Artemis missions -- which will land humans on the Moon -- better prepared. Similarly, NASA's Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 went right near the Moon as tests before Apollo 11 -- which landed. As the trajectory in the featured animated video shows, Artemis II will loop around both the Earth and the Moon before returning to the Earth about 10 days after launch. The Artemis II mission will take humans outside the Earth's magnetosphere...

Soccer mega-fan Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an emergency order that will block events including some concerts and food festivals from city parkland during the FIFA World Cup. The city Parks Department adopted the rule at the request of the NYPD, denying new permits for special events on park property during the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19. The directive could block any events with 20 or more people that require the special permits which could even include birthday celebrations at the Big Apple’s 100 featured parks. NYC Parks said it adopted the rule denying or restricting “special...

[snip] MS NOW’s resident “Republican,” Elise Jordan, went on a blistering rant against President Trump—denouncing him as “trashy,” “classless,” and “unhinged” in a tirade that outpaced even her liberal co-hosts. Reacting to Trump’s Easter post about Iran—featuring an F-bomb profanity, a “praise be to Allah” phrase, and a threat to send Iranians to “hell”—Jordan said she wasn't supposed to be surprised by "the lack of decorum and the trashiness and just the utter classlessness of Donald Trump." But she quickly escalated. I cannot believe that this characterless man is the President of the United States and is behaving this way...

A NASA video has sparked a firestorm online, with conspiracy theorists claiming it 'proves' Artemis II is staged. The crew gave a live interview to CNN over the weekend to discuss their journey to the moon while a plush toy named 'Rise' floated around the capsule as a zero-gravity indicator. The video in question, filmed from a television screen by a smartphone, appeared to show unusual visual distortions with fragmented white text, including partial letters such as 'TAN' and 'OW,' flickering across the toy's head and body. And some viewers quickly seized on it as supposed evidence of digital manipulation....

“I think having this internal team will really help us transform our [AI] adoption across the organization,” Secret Service CIO and CAIO Chris Kraft said about the push to bring fresh tech talent into the agency.

June Lake is part of Mono County, which has the highest average gas price in the United States. “My husband and I were watching the news this morning, and it came on about $4 gas and I said, ‘Well, where are you? Ours is $7.50!’” she said, citing the price at the only gas station in her town.

A Chinese researcher at the University of Michigan took his own life after being subjected to 'hostile questioning' by federal agents, it is claimed. Danhao Wang, an assistant research scientist in the school's College of Engineering, died on March 20 inside the university after falling to his death. Police said they are investigating his death as a 'possible act of self-harm', with the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs claiming he took his life after 'hostile questioning'. A statement, which did not name Wang, said that the postdoctoral scholar took his life 'after being subjected to hostile questioning by U.S. law...

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom is a filmmaker whose documentaries have been seen by millions —but that didn’t happen purely because of talent. Siebel Newsom leaned on her powerful hubby and his education board to push preachy flicks about “toxic masculinity” into classrooms, casting her husband as an enlightened Democratic savior —all while raking in up to $300,000 annually through her nonprofit, The Representation Project, and for-profit outfit Girls Club Entertainment. “I turned the lens on boys and men and looked at the boy crisis in America and how we were failing our boys and men with this...

President Trump vowed Monday to catch the “leaker” who revealed that US forces were not immediately able to rescue the second F-15 pilot shot down over Iran — as he retold of the wounded airman’s dramatic weekend rescue. “We’re looking very hard to find that leaker,” Trump said in the White House briefing room. “They basically said that we have one and there’s somebody missing. Well, [Iran] didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information.” “We think we’ll be able to find it out, because we’re going to go to the media company that released it,...

Based on the CPI, inflation is relatively cool. Don't be fooled. It's much higher than advertised, and you can see it clearly if you look at the right data. When talking heads on CNBC or Fox Business talk about inflation, they always reference the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This metric measures the price changes in a “basket of goods.” This gives a fair approximation of price inflation (although intentionally understated), but it doesn’t give us a good gauge on the trajectory of inflation as historically economically defined. Inflation isn’t just “rising prices.” Historically, inflation was defined as an increase in...

While American forces conducted an astonishing rescue of a downed Weapons Systems Officer, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) escalated the stakes against Iran's leadership yet again, going after the men in charge of Tehran's oppression and terror organizations. One of this weekend's big names is Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, now confirmed dead, who until the moment of his vaporization served as the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence organization. Khademi's death was confirmed Monday by an IRGC statement carried by the Iranian state Fars news service. The same IRGC statement said that funeral and burial arrangements would...

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and candidate for California governor, relentlessly pressed to release all the Jeffrey Epstein files — even if innocent people were implicated — going so far as to suggest withholding funding to the Justice Department. “If the president is not implicated, then why not release everything?” Swalwell asked FBI Director Kash Patel in a tense exchange at a congressional hearing late last year that typified his pressure campaign. But Swalwell’s tone on unlimited transparency shifted markedly last week when he learned the Trump White House might release a long-secret trove...

Editor's note: This column contains embeds of a social media post with language that might offend some people. Then again, you probably knew it was coming when you clicked the link.Well, sure: It wasn’t the most traditional Easter Day message (NSFW):“Open the Fuckin’ Strait,” Trump writes on Truth Social. “Praise be to Allah.” pic.twitter.com/7riSpTVLWJ— bryan metzger (@metzgov) April 5, 2026Naturally, all the people who already hated Donald Trump were aghast:On Easter morning, this is what President Trump posted.Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop...

Political media habitually use “race” to describe contests for public office. However the word implies movement and therefore would be inaccurate if applied to this year’s election of a new governor. Sixty-one names will be on the June 2 primary ballot, including 10 leaders who profess to be serious about seeking the office. However, they aren’t racing. Rather, the eight top-polling Democrats seem to be in a children’s game, sitting in a circle staring at each other, waiting for someone to blink. Meanwhile, the two top Republicans are taking potshots at each other, potentially undermining the GOP’s only chance to...