Voting Rules Update; Meta, Google Liable In Addiction Case; CA Fraud Verdicts; US-Iran Talks Reality

Hello all you freedom-loving people. While President Trump gave a round of five-day ultimatum, the US military is ramping up to possibly occupy the islands around the Strait of Hormuz and Meta and Google were ordered to pay a female plaintiff for their platforms being addictive, which may open the floodgates for more such cases. Okay, let's get into it. Today a California jury has found Meta and Google liable in a landmark case involving social media addiction. Previously, we reported that the case was about Kaylee GM, a young woman who started using YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine years of age. Over time, she developed serious mental health struggles including anxiety, depression and body image issues. At one point, she spent up to 16 hours a day on these platforms even after experiencing Today, the jury decided that both companies were responsible for the harm that she experienced and the jury ordered them to pay $3 million in damages. Meta will pay 70% while Google will cover the remaining 30%. And this is not all. The decision goes even further. The jury also determined that the companies had acted in a way which justified additional punishment. According to the ruling, the jury also determined both companies had acted with malice, oppression or fraud, meaning they may be subject to punitive damages. This means that the jury may later impose much larger financial penalties to punish the companies, which could go beyond the initial $3 million. The trial examined whether platforms are designed to addict young users and whether companies knew the risks. It focused on features like endless scrolling algorithms and filters. Meta and Google argued that the young woman's struggles were caused by other factors, including her personal life and mental health history, not just social media. But the jury ultimately sided with the plaintiff. Now, as one of the first major trials of its kind and with thousands of similar lawsuits already underway, this case could shape how social media platforms are designed and how they impact the next generation. Also, there's another case involving Meta regarding child exploitation. Yesterday, a New Mexico jury found that tech company Meta had willfully violated laws that are designed for protecting children from sexual exploitation, and they misled the public. The court ordered the company to pay a $375 million fine. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torres filed this lawsuit against Meta in 2023. The complaint alleges that Meta failed to effectively safeguard its platform against child sexual exploitation, and they concealed internal warnings and employee concerns about the harm these platforms cause to children, while misleading the public by claiming they are safe. Before this, he conducted an undercover investigation in which he created a fake account for a 13-year-old girl. He quickly received a large number of images and targeted harassing messages from child sex offenders. This civil lawsuit was heard at the Santa Fe Court on February 9. The jury began deliberations on Monday and found on Tuesday that Meta had intentionally violated the state's unfair competition law. They also ruled that the company had engaged in unreasonable business practices, which constitutes a violation of the law. Prosecutors have previously sought $2 billion in damages from Meta. However, the jury ultimately ruled that Meta should pay $375 million in damages based on the number of violations. Meta has stated that it disagrees with the ruling and will file an appeal. If Meta's appeal is successful, the $375 million fine imposed in the first phase may be overturned or adjusted. However, the second phase of the proceedings will proceed independently. The second phase of this case in New Mexico will begin on May 4, at which time there will be no jury. The judge will decide if Meta poses a public hazard and if the company should face additional fines or be required to fund public programs that are aimed at addressing the alleged harm done to children. Healthcare fraud cases are continuing to surface across the United States and now in California. These cases are raising deeper concerns, but the concerns are not just about individual crimes, but about broader gaps in oversight that may be allowing fraud to grow inside critical parts of the healthcare system. Yesterday, a Los Angeles woman was sentenced in a major healthcare fraud case. Safiya Shakhlian was sentenced to nearly three years in prison for her role in a $14 million scheme. The federal judge handed down a 35-month sentence after she pled guilty to healthcare fraud last November. Department of Justice authorities said that Shakhlian worked with others to submit false claims through fake hospice and diagnostic testing providers. She was involved in billing and she understood how much Medicare would pay, which helped to drive the fraud. Like many schemes, real patient's information was used to file these claims, but the patients did not need the services and they often had no idea their identities were being used. The goal was simple, get Medicare to pay for services that were never provided. The DOJ said, for example, Shakhlian and her co-schemers knowingly and willfully submitted a false and fraudulent claim for $2,000 in November 2022 to Medicare for diagnostic testing purportedly provided to an individual. Investigators said that the scheme ran from 2019 to 2024 and it caused losses of more than $14 million. Shakhlian has now been ordered to repay the full amount. Alex Alexanian, who was her co-defendant, also pled guilty in January to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and he is expected to be sentenced soon. He will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison at his April 28th sentencing hearing. Also in a separate but similar case, a foreign national has now been charged in an even larger health care fraud in California. Like Shakhlian, Anar Rustamov is accused of using patient information to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare. Authorities say that he submitted thousands of false claims for medical equipment, including items like glucose monitors and braces. Also, similar to Shakhlian, the patients did not need these services and they had no idea that their information was being used. Investigators said that the claims were submitted through a company that he controlled targeting Medicare Advantage programs. The scheme allegedly sought more than $90 million in reimbursements for services and equipment that were never provided. Rustamov has been indicted, but he remains at large. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. So all these cases are part of a larger concern that is now emerging across California's health care system, especially in hospice care. According to officials, fraud is becoming more organized and harder to detect. Yet, federal and state agencies have already started responding. Recently, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that the agency has identified between 900 and 1,000 fraudulent hospice providers in Los Angeles alone. Dr. Oz said that these schemes have cost Medicare approximately $3.5 billion. In response, regulators have increased inspections and more than 280 hospice licenses have been revoked in California over the past two years. But experts say that the problem goes deeper. Some leaders in the health care industry warn that oversight is still lacking transparency and that regulators may not fully understand how a hospice care actually operates. Craig Drissang, the CEO of Yolo Cares, told Hospice News, My fear is that there are a bunch of state workers who know little to nothing about the delivery of bedside care or the hospice philosophy of care coming to conclusions or making decisions about oversight and safeguards. Drissang said, without including seasoned hospice leaders on this task force, the recommendations will likely fall short and not solve a complex and growing problem. So experts say that stronger enforcement, better tracking of quality data, and clear accountability are needed to stop the hospice care fraud in California before it spreads further. With the next midterm elections approaching, election integrity and how ballots are counted continue to be one of the hottest issues in the United States. Yesterday in Oklahoma, state officials reached a settlement with the Department of Justice. They agreed to provide access to voter registration data. Previously, the DOJ filed lawsuits and they claimed that Oklahoma failed to comply with federal requests for records needed to assess election law compliance. But now, under the agreement, Oklahoma will share detailed voter information, including names, addresses, and identification data, while maintaining privacy protections. So in return, the DOJ dropped its lawsuit. Officials say that the move strengthens election integrity and it ensures voter rolls are accurate. At the same time, the Supreme Court is viewing a key case that could reshape how elections are conducted. The case raises questions about how votes are counted. And the case centers on a Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots to be counted up to five days after election day, as long as they are postmarked on time. Federal law sets a single election day for national elections and a lower court has already ruled that ballots must be received by election day, not after. And now the Supreme Court is weighing whether or not states can continue accepting late arriving ballots. The justices are wrestling with a question about whether states can count ballots received after election day in a case that could have an impact in nearly 30 states that allows some kind of grace period. The RNC is challenging a Mississippi law that allows ballots to be counted up to five business days after election day if they're postmarked by election day. Justice Alito was among the biggest skeptics during Monday's arguments. Dependence day, birthday, and election day, and they're all particular days. So if we start with that, if I have nothing more to look at than the phrase election day, I think this is the day in which everything is going to take place. But Justice Kagan questioned the impact of that logic on practices like early voting. It seems to me, it's a rule that prevents early voting because you're basically saying there are two things that have to happen and they have to happen on election day, meaning the casting of the vote and the receipt of that vote. But Attorney Paul Clement representing the RNC said the argument is that the process be consummated or completed by election day. Also during arguments, some justices raised concerns that ballots arriving after election day could create uncertainty or even open the door to fraud, especially if late votes change the outcome. According to Justice Samuel Alito, there is concern about potential fraud when a big stash of ballots that arrives late radically flips an election. But Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart replied that the other side has not pointed to a single example of fraud from post election day ballot receipt in this century. But Justice Alito said that the meaning of election day has expanded over the years. He said, we're moving in this direction. We don't have election day anymore. We have election month or have election months. Meanwhile, others pointed out that many states already allow this practice and that it has been part of the system for years, especially for military and overseas voters. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 18 states accept mailed ballots that are received after election day if they are postmarked on or before election day. Also, Justice Sonia Sotomayor questioned RNC Attorney Paul Clement's argument that late arriving military and overseas ballots should not be counted. Sotomayor said, maybe we need a new president. She pointed out that in the disputed 2000 election, late arriving military ballots were counted and they played a key role in George W. Bush's victory. But Clement rejected Justice Sotomayor's observation, saying that example is not relevant to the legal issue being argued. Clement said it was the reddest of red herrings. Also, there was a deeper question raised. That is, if election day must be strictly enforced, what does that mean for early voting, which happens before election day? The federal government clarified that early voting is still acceptable, but the issue of late ballots remains unresolved. But Mississippi officials argued that banning late arriving ballots could disrupt election systems across multiple states and it could roll back long standing voting practices. The Supreme Court is expected to make a final decision by the end of June. Operation Epic Fury entered its 26th day today. Today, the U.S. Central Command announced that so far nearly 300 U.S. military service members have been injured since the start of Operation Epic Fury. They also released new footage showing strikes on military infrastructure of the Iranian government. The Israeli military reported a strike on a key center in Iran that was involved in the development of maritime technologies. According to Israel, the facility served as the main site for the design and development of submarines and naval support systems, and the facility was also involved in the production of various unmanned vessels. Also, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly spoke with President Trump about possibly calling on the Iranian people to rise up, but President Trump decided that now is not the right time. He warned that it could lead to a violent crackdown by the Iranian government. In response to the attacks by Israel and the United States, the Iranian government has conducted retaliatory strikes with many ballistic missiles launched toward central and northern areas of Israel. And as a result, 204 people have been transferred to the hospital in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, today, the Associated Press reported that the United States recently presented the Iranian government with a 15-point proposal that is aimed at ending the conflict. The Associated Press suggested that the proposal includes sanctions relief, limits on Iran's nuclear and missile programs, and international monitoring. Then, according to PressTV, which is an Iranian state media, the Iranian government had initially rejected negotiations in public statements. However, Reuters cited Iranian and Pakistani officials today, and they reported that the Iranian government is now quietly reviewing the proposal behind the scenes. At the same time, Reuters said that Turkey and Pakistan have acted as intermediaries, and they passed messages between the U.S. and the Iranian government. Both the Associated Press and Reuters also claimed that direct talks could happen soon, possibly within days. But during a press conference, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt disputed the claims that Iran has rejected the proposal. Thank you, Caroline. Just within the past few hours, Iranian state TV has said that Iran has rejected the U.S.'s 15-point plan to end the war. What's the White House's response to that? And have these talks hit a dead end? They have not. Talks continue. They are productive, as the President said on Monday, and they continue to be. However, I saw a 15-point plan that was floated in the media. I would caution reporters in this room from reporting about speculative points or speculative plans from anonymous sources. The White House never confirmed that full plan. There are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual. So I am not going to negotiate on behalf of the President here at the podium. What I will tell you is these talks are ongoing. We're not going to get into the nitty-gritty details that have been exchanged between the United States and Iran at this time. Leavitt also said that President Trump's preference is always peace. But if the Iranian government fails to accept that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be defeated, President Trump will ensure that they are hit harder than ever before. The United States has been engaged over the last three days in productive conversations, which led the President to temporarily instruct the Department of War to postpone planned strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure only. The remaining elements of the Iranian regime have another opportunity to cooperate with President Trump, permanently abandon their nuclear ambitions, and cease actively threatening America and our allies. But the President's preference is always peace. There does not need to be any more death and destruction. But if Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before. President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash ****. Iran should not miscalculate again. So, negotiations between the United States and Iran appear to be taking place. As we reported yesterday, President Trump said that the Iranian government has agreed to not pursue nuclear weapons. However, other details about what was discussed in the talks with the government were not provided. But President Trump said that Iranian officials are talking to us and they're talking sense. Perhaps the past three weeks of airstrikes have made it clear to the Iranian government that their opponent is not a compliant president or politicians who are seeking appeasement with wads of cash this time. But rather, this president is an unyielding strongman with a clear list of objectives. President Trump will certainly not call for a ceasefire until he has achieved his goals. At the same time, the Department of War has already demonstrated its ability to turn the tables. The effectiveness of the United States Army on the battlefield surpasses the eloquence of a thousand diplomats. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday that Never in history has a modern military, Iran had a modern military, a modern navy, a modern air force, modern air defenses, leadership, massive bunker. Never has a modern military been so rapidly and historically obliterated, defeated from day one with overwhelming firepower. The air campaign that we've conducted, that Israel's conducted alongside us, was one for the history books, truly. And it's because we have a president United States that when he sends his war fighters out to fight, he unties their hands to actually go out and close with and destroy the enemy as viciously as possible from moment one. Since it seems that the Iranian government has begun to negotiate in earnest, the United States is also taking it very seriously. Both the president and the vice president are participating in the negotiations. J.D. is involved, and Marko's involved, and Jared Kushner's involved. Very smart guy. And Steve Whitkoff, smart guy, is involved. And I'm involved. I'm involved. Why? I'm going to be so big, oh, I don't want to talk about it. I'm the president of the United States, Tom. And I'm not going to talk about it. It's beneath me to talk about saving millions of lives, because that's what you're talking about. You're talking about saving millions of lives. If Iran had a nuclear weapon, they would have used it. And if I didn't end the horrible Barack Hussein Obama Iran nuclear deal in my first administration, they would have had a nuclear weapon three or four years ago. They would have used it. But even though both sides are willing to reach an agreement, no one can guarantee that it will ultimately succeed. In addition to demanding that Iran never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, the Trump administration's list of objectives includes four other goals that must be achieved. One of the prime objectives laid out by President Trump with Iran is to destroy their missiles and to raise their missile industry to the ground. This goal has largely been achieved already. Last week, Hegsa said that Iran's missile and drone programs are being overwhelmingly destroyed and that ballistic missile attacks against U.S. forces are down 90 percent since the start of the conflict. The second objective is to destroy Iran's defense industry base. U.S. Central Command has said that its targets for strikes in Iran have included weapons production and missile and drone manufacturing facilities. The third objective is to eliminate Iran's navy and air force. U.S. Central Command said on Monday that the U.S. has damaged or destroyed more than 140 Iranian vessels. One Iranian warship was sunk in early March. Two other Iranian vessels, the Irish Bashir and the Irish Levan, docked in Sri Lanka and India and sought assistance from the two countries. Iran's Revolutionary Guard has its own navy that also relies on smaller vessels to do swarm attacks and to drop mines. It's unclear how much of that force remains. In a social media post on Friday, President Trump added another objective for the U.S. protecting at the highest level our Middle Eastern allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and others. This is a somewhat vague expression. It's not clear how much further President Trump is willing to go in order to protect Middle East allies from threats. The Iranian government, of course, will have its own red lines. After decades of confrontation, can the U.S. and Iran reach a mutually acceptable agreement within five days? President Trump is clearly aware of this risk. That is why there have been constant reports in recent days about the U.S. military building up its forces in the Middle East. Should negotiations break down, the United States is likely to take action against the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tumb and Lesser Tumb. Located at the strategic choke point of the Strait of Hormuz, these islands are of significant strategic and energy value. Some also believe that the United States may occupy Karg Island in order to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, behind the scenes the United States is not slowing down and military preparations are continuing to escalate. The U.S. already maintains thousands of troops on bases and other installations in the Middle East and now the U.S. has recently continued to strengthen its military presence in the region. A source at the Pentagon who is familiar with the plans confirmed that the elite Army 82nd Airborne Division would be deployed. The 82nd Airborne is one of the most renowned forces in the U.S. military. Members of the 82nd Airborne have been involved in the Gulf War in the 1990s and a series of more recent deployments in the Middle East in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. A key element of the 82nd Airborne is the Immediate Response Force. This is a force composed of around 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers. They are highly trained military personnel who are able to parachute into hostile territory and secure key infrastructure, airfields and other land targets. You may have noticed that on March 23rd the USS Ford withdrew from the Middle East and it arrived in Greece. The conflict isn't over yet, so why was the aircraft carrier redeployed? The USS Ford began this overseas deployment last June. It first participated in military exercises in northern Europe. At the end of last year, as tensions in Venezuela escalated, the USS Ford was rapidly redeployed to the Caribbean and it took part in the special operation to capture Maduro. Subsequently, in mid-January, it began heading to the Middle East to participate in Operation Epic Fury. Therefore, the USS Ford has been deployed overseas for over nine months. Furthermore, a non-combat fire broke out in the laundry room a few days ago. The purpose of this departure from the Middle East is twofold. Firstly, to repair the fire damage and secondly, to allow the crew to rest and recuperate. However, some of the other ships in the strike group, such as the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, will remain in the Middle East. In addition, the third aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, arrived in the Middle East to fill the void left by the USS Ford. In addition, the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which departed from Japan earlier and is carrying the 31st Marine Expedition Unit, is expected to arrive in the Central Command Area of Responsibility on Friday. This means that by this weekend, the Marines will be ready to launch an amphibious assault on the islands near the Strait of Hormuz. Consequently, some argue that this is why President Trump gave the Iranian government only five days to reach an agreement. These five days were intended for negotiations as well as allowing U.S. forces to mobilize and to complete their deployment. President Trump's message was crystal clear. Give Iran five days to surrender voluntarily. After five days, the Iranian government will have no room for negotiation. Meanwhile, some experts believe that what we are seeing goes far beyond just a regional conflict. On The Real Voice of America, hosted by Eric Bolling, when asked who was behind the Iran issue, national security and counterintelligence expert T. Casey Fleming stated that 90% of the world's current events are manipulated by the CCP. You know, we're talking Iran non-stop. Let's do this. Don't look behind the curtain over there when you think of Wizard of Oz. Who's behind the curtain in this whole conflict, in your opinion? Pretty much 90% of what's going on in the world today, all roads lead back to the Chinese Communist Party. We're talking WEF, Minneapolis riots, Venezuela taking out the drug cartel chief, Iran. All of those roads lead back to China. So don't be distracted with the war of the month. The biggest war is the war that you're currently in, and it's called unrestricted war, and you and your family are on the front lines with the Chinese Communist Party. Casey Fleming is no ordinary commentator. He is an internationally recognized national security advisor. He previously served as the founding managing director of the cybersecurity division at IBM. He has long served as a strategic advisor to the U.S. Congress, the White House, the Pentagon, and the military. He described the CCP strategy as unrestricted warfare, a hybrid warfare model that can comprehensively infiltrate and undermine an adversary without resorting to traditional military invasion. In 1999, two colonels in the Chinese People's Liberation Army published the book Unrestricted Warfare, in which they proposed more than 100 methods of warfare that transcend the traditional battlefield. Fleming pointed out that after the Iraq war, the top leadership of the CCP realized that they could not engage in a head-on confrontation with the United States, so they decided to undermine the United States from within. Fleming likened the global turmoil to a chessboard that is dominated by the CCP. Actually, the grand puppeteer is the Chinese Communist Party. Underneath them is Russia, Iran, Pakistan, North Korea, Venezuela, drug cartels, and underneath Iran, they manage the terrorist organizations for the CCP. So, again, all roads lead back to the CCP. That's what's going on, and that is the biggest fight that's going on. So, don't be confused with all the chaos. All this chaos is designed by the enemy to keep you off your feet while you lose your freedom forever. He emphasized that the CCP does not act directly, but rather creates chaos through proxies, and this keeps Western nations preoccupied with the war of the month, and it causes them to overlook the real strategic threats. Even events such as the World Economic Forum and the 2020 Minneapolis riots have been linked indirectly to the CCP. Fleming praised the Trump administration's actions, noting that this marks the first time in 30 years that a U.S. government has truly stepped up to counterbalance the Chinese Communist Party. Is this really messing with them? Is there oil? I know oil is being sold below market value to the Chinese by the Iranians because of the sanctions, but does this disrupt all of that too? It actually does. In fact, over the past couple of months, Trump's actions with Venezuela taking out Mexico's president, the head of the most serious drug cartel, and now Iran, those are three checks against the Chinese Communist Party. For the past 30 years, the Chinese Communist Party has been allowed to expand their global aggression to take over the free world, unchecked by any of our administrations. And finally, there's an administration that steps up and says, okay, enough's enough. We're going to put you in check. So this definitely harms the Chinese Communist Party. It cuts off a large chunk of their fuel, their oil, and their natural gas, which is certainly something that they need to survive. While Fleming's views may seem forceful, they are firmly rooted in longstanding national security practices, and they warrant serious consideration from anyone who cares about freedom and the future. So are you and your family prepared for this silent war? And that's a wrap for this episode. Thank you so much for your support of Front Page. Please remember to leave a comment below the video. This is really helping us to be seen all around the world. The more people who watch Front Page, the more freedom-loving people the world will have. And please hit the like button and hit the notification bell after subscribing. And please share this video with your friends and family because everybody deserves to know the truth.