silverguide.site –

Donald Trump has given his vice president, JD Vance, a new side gig: “fraud czar”.

The president this week announced a fresh crackdown on “fraud” in Democratic states and tapped JD Vance to lead the charge. Officials swiftly announced a string of arrests in California.

In a Truth Social post on Friday, the US president announced that his vice-president was now “in charge of ‘fraud’ in the United States”, claiming the problem is “massive and pervasive”. Without citing evidence, Trump said that Vance would focus on “everywhere but primarily in those blue states where crooked Democrat politicians … have had a ‘free for all’ in the unprecedented theft of taxpayer money”.

Trump pointed to California, Illinois, Minnesota, Maine and New York, and alleged fraud was “so large that, if successful, we would literally be able to balance our American budget”, without providing evidence.

Trump announces ‘fraud’ crackdown in Democratic states

In recent months, the Trump administration argued that southern California was rife with healthcare fraud and pledged to crack down, while frequently using the matter politically to criticize the state’s Democratic leadership. Nearly all cases cited by the justice department in the wave of arrests as part of “Operation Never Say Die” were tied to southern California.

_{Read the full story}

One of two US crew members rescued after F-15E jet shot down over Iran

One US service member has been rescued after a US F-15E Strike Eagle fighter was shot down over Iran, prompting a frantic effort to locate its two-strong crew, in the first such incident since the war began almost five weeks ago.

_{Read the full story}

Trump accused of running ‘misogynistic administration’ after Bondi dismissal

Donald Trump has been accused of running a “misogynistic administration” after making Pam Bondi the second woman to be fired from a cabinet already dominated by men.

The US president dismissed the attorney general on Thursday amid mounting frustration with her performance, especially over the release of files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The move came less than a month after Trump ousted Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, following criticism of her management of the department and immigration enforcement.

_{Read the full story}

Relationship with Trump may be beyond repair, UK PM Starmer told

Keir Starmer has been warned his relationship with Donald Trump may be beyond repair after the US president derided the prime minister for consulting his team about military decisions, in a mocking impersonation.

In a new low for UK-US relations, Trump appeared to imitate Starmer in a weak voice during an Easter lunch speech at the White House, and said the UK was “not our best” ally.

_{Read the full story}

Democratic attorneys general sue Trump over order to restrict mail voting

More than 20 Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit Friday challenging Donald Trump’s Tuesday executive order to restrict who can vote by mail.

In his order, Trump directed the US Postal Service to abstain from sending mail-in or absentee ballots to people who are not on a pre-ordained list of eligible citizens.

_{Read the full story}

US military archbishop says Iran conflict does not meet ‘just war’ standard

The leader of all Catholic chaplains in the United States’ armed forces has questioned how righteous the US military’s campaign in Iran is, saying that “under the just war theory – it is not”.

_{Read the full story}

US defense spending would rise $445bn under Trump budget plan

Defense spending would surge to its highest level in decades under a budget proposal put forward by the Trump administration on Friday, while other government programs would face cuts totaling 10%.

_{Read the full story}

What else happened today:

• Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday that declares all Department of Homeland Security employees will receive pay and benefits during the agency’s partial shutdown.

• US supreme court justice Samuel Alito was reportedly taken to a hospital after becoming sick at a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia in March, further fueling speculation that Donald Trump could have more chances to shape the land’s highest court through new appointments.

• A drone-maker backed by Donald Trump’s two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the US military led by their father.

• Bodycam footage of Tiger Woods’s arrest for DUI shows the golfer looking surprised when he was handcuffed by police officers at the scene of a vehicle crash last week and telling a deputy he had spoken to “the president” on the phone after the incident.

• The four astronauts on the Artemis II mission passed 100,000 miles from Earth on Friday as they head towards the moon, putting them on track to reach the farthest distance humans have ever travelled into space.

Catching up? Here’s what happened Thursday 2 April.