FIRST ON DAILY SIGNAL — Trial lawyers are putting a heavy focus on a Democrat House majority by not only donating to organizations backing House candidates, but also dumping money into drawing favorable congressional maps.  A report from the watchdog group Alliance for Consumers, set to be released Thursday, shows that since 2025, trial lawyer-aligned political action committees have given $100,000 to the House Majority PAC, which focuses on getting Democrats elected to the U.S. House. The PACs also gave $50,000 to the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, run by former Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder. The redistricting committee has been influential in the last year, donating $150,000 toward the election of Democrat candidates for the Virginia state legislature, and another $150,000 toward the election of Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger.  Immediately following the donations in October, the Virginia Democrats called a special session to attempt to amend the state constitution to allow for new gerrymandered districts, which would flip the state’s 6-5 Democrat congressional map to a 10-1 Democrat advantage. The new map passed in a referendum, but last week the Virginia Supreme Court found the procedure unconstitutional.  “The formation of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee arose after coordination with progressive groups like Emily’s List and Planned Parenthood, and fundraising efforts that were spearheaded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leading D.C. Democratic leaders. Since the beginning of 2017, the Shady Trial Lawyer PACs have sent NDRC over $650,000,” the report says.  The report examines key donors including the AAJ PAC, affiliated with the American Association for Justice and by far the biggest spender; the Truth And Justice Fund Company; and the Justice PACs, which since 2018 have changed names for the election cycle, from Justice 2018 PAC to now Justice 2026 PAC.  The National Democratic Redistricting Committee has opposed redistricting efforts in Texas and Florida expected to favor Republicans. The organization also supported the California redistricting effort approved last year, which is expected to allow Democrats to win more House seats.  Donating to redistricting efforts shows the trial lawyer PACs “aren’t fairweather liberals,” said OH Skinner, executive director of Alliance for Consumers.  “They are pushing for generational change, and they see the money they are giving can create majorities for their team year in and year out,” Skinner told the Daily Signal.  “The NDRC does not care about individual issues. They just want Democrats to win,” Skinner continued. “So, the money to Emily’s List and America Votes shows the trial lawyers are on board with their mission. But the large amount of money going to the NDRC really shows their level of commitment.” AFC_Shady Trial Lawyer Pipeline PACDownload The AAJ PAC has been the biggest donor to various liberal causes and candidates since 2017, giving $23.4 million, according to the report. The others are the Justice PACs, which spent $4.4 million, and the Truth and Justice Fund, which spent $3.2 million.  Other major recipients, according to the report, have donated at least $100,000 since 2025 to American Bridges 21st Century Foundation, founded by former journalist David Brock, a noted former Clinton family antagonist-turned-supporter. Since 2017 the PACs have given $700,000 to American Bridges.    The trial lawyer PACs also donated $75,000 to America Votes, a left-leaning group that advocates for voting access, for a total of $1.5 million since 2017. The PACs gave $40,000 to Emily’s List since 2025, and has given $750,000 to the pro-abortion group since 2017.

Kevin Warsh is poised to become chair of the Federal Reserve under unusual circumstances after a historically partisan vote cleared the way for him to succeed the departing chairman Jerome Powell, whose term as chair ends Friday. The Senate confirmed Warsh for a 14-year term on the bank’s Board of Governors by a 51-45 vote Tuesday. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to cross the aisle in favor of Warsh. Republican senators backed Warsh almost unanimously, but Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi did not vote. The Senate then voted by the same margin to advance his nomination as chair of the Federal Reserve to replace the term-limited Powell. Powell has said he intends to remain on the Board of Governors until he is certain the Department of Justice has dropped an investigation of alleged inconsistencies in congressional testimony about Federal Reserve building renovations, which he views as politically motivated attempt to influence monetary policy. The department dropped the probe as Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, said he would not advance Warsh without its termination. President Donald Trump has put pressure on Powell throughout his second term, urging him to ease interest rates. .@LeaderJohnThune on vote to confirm Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh: "Kevin Warsh seems to have just the profile of a Federal Reserve chairman—yet Democrats oppose his nomination…This is just how bad 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' has gotten on the other side of the aisle." pic.twitter.com/isRWn6y6cG— CSPAN (@cspan) May 13, 2026 Federal Reserve nominations are generally cleared on a bipartisan basis. In 2018, the Senate voted to confirm Jerome Powell by an 84-13 margin, and he was confirmed again in 2022 by an 80-19 vote. This is par for the course, as Janet Yellen was confirmed by a 56-26 vote in 2014, and Ben Bernanke was confirmed 70-30 in 2010—which broke the record at the time for being the narrowest confirmation of a Fed chairman in history. Warsh is hardly an outsider pick, as he served on the Fed’s Board of Governors from 2006 until 2011.  Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accused Democrats Wednesday morning of being excessively partisan in their opposition to Warsh. “This is just how bad Trump derangement syndrome has gotten on the other side of the aisle,” Thune said. “It doesn’t seem to matter who President Trump nominates. Democrats blindly oppose them. Democrats aren’t interested in a person’s qualifications. All they care about is opposing President Trump.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, has been a prominent critic of Warsh, accusing him of lacking independence from the president. “No Republican claiming to care about Fed independence should support moving forward the nomination of Kevin Warsh, who proved in his nomination hearing to be nothing more than President Trump’s sock puppet,” Warren wrote in a statement before the vote. Trump's spokeswoman says the witch hunt against Jerome Powell "still continues."No Republican claiming to care about Fed independence should move Warsh’s nomination forward. https://t.co/V5QieVCOnw— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) April 24, 2026 Warren harshly criticized Powell during President Joe Biden’s administration, putting pressure on him to ease interest rates in order to support government-subsidized green energy companies. In August 2025, Trump attempted to remove Lisa Cook form the Board of Governors, which was overturned by the Supreme Court. 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The newest fraud task force has been formed on Capitol Hill and it’s going after all 50 states. Congressman Brandon Gill, R-Texas, will lead the investigation, making the first stop Ohio, where a $250 million Medicare scheme was recently uncovered. Gill believes this is just the tip of the iceberg. House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced on Tuesday that Gill will chair the Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses. “Americans deserve truth, transparency, and justice,” Gill said in the press release. “They are sick of being defrauded by government institutions and programs that should have been putting them first, not robbing their tax dollars.” “We’re taking away one of the key arms that the Democrat Party apparatus has used in order to win elections, in order to win over people,” Gill said when he and Comer made the announcement on Fox News Tuesday evening. MAJOR NEWS: Chairman @RepJamesComer just tapped @RepBrandonGill to lead our new task force on Exposing Institutions Seeking to Undermine American Government & Society.He will be taking on illegal DEI policies, the abuse of immigration and social welfare programs, and foreign… pic.twitter.com/JYS3FAobth— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) May 13, 2026 Comer has tasked Gill with uncovering institutional abuse of taxpayers’ money. Specifically, the task force will uncover fraud in “government institutions as well as politically connected nonprofits and many universities,” Comer said. Gill hit the ground running. The task force has begun investigating the $250 million Medicare personal care waiver scheme uncovered in Ohio by Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak. Gill and Comer sent a letter Tuesday to the Ohio Department of Medicaid director, Scott Partika. The letter, which cited Rosiak’s reporting throughout, requested documents and communications with 34 businesses granted Home and Community-Based Services waivers. “What we found with this Ohio fraud scandal is that we’ve got what we believe to be billions of dollars that have been defrauded from American taxpayers,” Gill said. Ltr-to-Ohio-Dept-of-MedicaidDownload Gill explained he believes the money was “laundered through a wide variety of shell companies that were facile, acting as intermediate intermediaries to facilitate payments to organizations that weren’t providing any type of health care.” Rosiak’s extensive reporting uncovered the HCBS waiver fraud in Ohio. The HCBS, a Medicaid service, was originally intended to assist low-income citizens—usually people with disabilities, senior citizens, or those with chronic illness—by giving them the opportunity to receive at-home care rather than being sent to an institution. Rosiak’s reporting found that this system was flooded with fraud, from family members taking advantage of the program to duplicate LLCs pocketing millions while not providing any care. The Republican Party is dominating efforts to uncover fraud in every corner of the American bureaucracy. President Donald Trump recently named Vice President JD Vance, from Ohio, to lead a national anti-fraud task force. Vance announced Tuesday that his task force, in partnership with state and local offices, has withheld $1.4 billion in federal funding from home health and hospice providers nationwide. HUGE: @VP Vance's Anti-Fraud Task Force just withheld $1.4 BILLION in federal funding after a sweeping crackdown on fraud operations in California, Minnesota, & other states.The era of blank checks and zero accountability is OVER. pic.twitter.com/NowjJEAO0d— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 13, 2026 According to a press release Gill sent on the matter, the task force will additionally investigate illegal DEI policies, immigration and social welfare program abuse, and foreign actors and dark money groups attempting to suppress Americans’ First Amendment rights. Republican Oversight Committee members set to join the task force include Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Michael Cloud of Texas, Byron Donalds of Florida, and Brian Jack of Georgia. The press release notes that more members will be announced at a later date. The task force has been authorized for six months and will hold hearings on investigations of fraud.

Last week, filmmaker Charles Curran posted a viral AI-generated video that now looks less like satire and more like prophecy.  In the video—boosted by Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt—Mayor Karen Bass is transformed into a full Joker—green hair, purple suit, permanent grin—presiding over a burning, chaotic Los Angeles.  Pratt swoops in as Batman to save the city. Gov. Gavin Newsom appears as an out-of-touch French royal scarfing cake while the state collapses. Kamala Harris chugs vodka. The video, captioned “LA is worth saving—Vote Spencer Pratt,” exploded across X and went mega-viral within hours. Exactly one week later, on May 12, Bass became the meme. Speaking about the city’s homeless crisis, she said: “How many people who are unhoused that you meet have no teeth at all? They don’t have teeth. Why? Because meth rots your teeth. You can’t succeed without teeth. So there needs to be comprehensive healthcare provided to people.” Translation: you can’t succeed without a smile. The same mayor whose AI version was already cackling as the Joker just told the world that the biggest obstacle facing 75,000 unhoused Angelenos is missing molars—not the meth, fentanyl, mental illness, or policy failures that put them there. The Joker has always been obsessed with smiles. “Why so serious?” he asks. “Let’s put a smile on that face.”  In some versions, he carves a Glasgow smile into victims’ cheeks—deep cuts from the corners of the mouth so they grin forever, even in death. The Joker doesn’t want happiness; he wants the grotesque, forced, permanent illusion of one while the world burns. Bass, apparently, wants the same thing for LA’s streets. She doesn’t want actual success fixing the homelessness crisis but instead wants dentures—a taxpayer-funded grin so the zombies can “succeed” while the rest of us dodge needles and human waste on the sidewalks. It’s not policy; it’s performance art from the dumbest cohort in American politics. This dental revelation dropped just days after Newsom unveiled his own masterpiece of superficial and unserious solutions: the “Golden State Start” program handing out up to 400 “free” government diapers per newborn as a serious solution to California’s poverty and cost-of-living crisis.  Families hammered by the highest taxes, worst housing prices, and most suffocating regulations in America don’t need policy fixes—they just need $200 taxpayer funded diapers that only cost $100 at the local Costco. Diapers for babies and teeth for meth addicts—these are the flagship ideas from the people running California. These people aren’t leaders; they’re clowns in expensive suits, convinced every symptom of their ideological failure is just another invoice for “comprehensive” services. The Joker parallel is almost too perfect. The Clown Prince of Crime doesn’t fix Gotham; he accelerates the collapse while demanding everyone smile through it. Bass and Newsom don’t fix California; they enable addiction, dismantle consequences (hello, Prop 47), pour billions into a homelessness industrial complex that produces more tents, then lecture us about dental care and diapers.  Bass, who constantly reminds voters of her physician assistant background, surely knows meth mouth is a symptom of heavy drug use. Yet she elevates rotten teeth to the central barrier preventing “success.” The meth itself, the decades of decriminalized drugs, Prop 47’s revolving-door justice, soft-on-crime experiments, and a housing-first dogma that treats addiction as an afterthought—those aren’t the problems, apparently. Missing incisors are. Normal Americans understand something the Joker-Democrats never will: A person fried on supermeth needs detox, mandatory treatment, cleared streets, and basic law enforcement. You can’t “succeed” without teeth? Fine. But you really can’t succeed when politicians have spent years turning cities into open-air asylums and then act shocked when civilization erodes. The AI video captured the truth before the quote even dropped: Bass isn’t a serious mayor, but instead she’s a grinning villain in the progressive clown show. Her constant rictus smile in real life only adds to the eerie resemblance to Jack Nicholson’s Joker character. She doesn’t see broken people; she sees clients for more bureaucracy, more nonprofits, more of your money, more excuses. This isn’t compassion. It’s the creepy, detached stupidity of people who have never met a problem they couldn’t solve with another government program and a performative grin. They dismantle incentives, enable chaos, then demand we all smile about it.  The AI video wasn’t satire. It was a warning. Karen Bass as the Joker isn’t a joke anymore. It’s the logical endpoint of a party so ideologically deranged it thinks free teeth and free diapers will fix the mess they created.  We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is pausing new Medicare enrollment for hospices and home health agencies for six months to review alleged rampant fraud. Vice President JD Vance’s Anti-Fraud Task Force is working with the agency to combat fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare. So far, the task force has withheld $1.4 billion in federal funding from home health and hospice providers across the country, Fox News reported. “We’ve seen systemic and deeply troubling fraud in the hospice and home health space, with bad actors exploiting some of our most vulnerable Medicare patients and stealing money from the American taxpayer,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said. “Today we’re shutting the door on fraud—preventing new bad actors from entering Medicare while we aggressively identify, investigate, and remove those already exploiting them. This is about protecting patients, restoring integrity, and safeguarding taxpayer dollars,” Oz said. The announcement comes after the Daily Wire reported on alleged widespread Medicare fraud in Ohio’s home health industry. Officials with Ohio Medicaid told the Columbus Dispatch the department had been investigating fraud concerns before the recent reports surfaced. The moratorium will not affect current Medicare enrollments. Existing providers will continue to deliver services to Medicare beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will use the new enrollment moratorium to “intensify targeted investigations, deploy advanced data analytics, and accelerate the removal of hospice and HHA providers from the Medicare program that are suspected of committing fraud,” according to a news release. The administration hopes to stop bad actors from evading detection by crossing state lines. Earlier this year, the agency announced a similar moratorium to prevent fraudulent Medicare billing by certain durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies companies. In February, Vance announced that the administration was withholding reimbursements for $259.5 million in Medicaid funds from Minnesota pending an investigation into allegations of widespread welfare fraud there. Vance is holding a news conference Wednesday afternoon to warn all 50 states they must fully comply with anti-fraud statutes or risk losing federal Medicaid funding, the Wall Street Journal reported. “Under President Trump, we are unleashing the most aggressive federal anti-fraud efforts in American history,” Vance said. “We won’t rest until we root out every bit of fraud infecting our government and screwing over taxpayers.” Under President Trump, we are unleashing the most aggressive federal anti-fraud efforts in American history. We won't rest until we root out every bit of fraud infecting our government and screwing over taxpayers.More coming tomorrow. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/W3tRXpiC64— JD Vance (@JDVance) May 12, 2026