The Washington Times AI News Desk

Florida man convicted in $3 million Medicare fraud conspiracy

A federal jury in San Francisco convicted Simon Katz of conspiracy to commit health care fraud following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge James Donato, according to the Department of Justice. Katz, 43, currently of Boca Raton, Florida, was found guilty of conspiring with his wife and two former employees of HealthNow Home Healthcare, a Hayward, California-based home health agency where his wife served as CEO, prosecutors said.

July 27, 2026

Four Minnesota men plead guilty in $2.2 million Medicaid fraud scheme

Four Minnesota men have pleaded guilty to defrauding the state's Housing Stabilization Services program of approximately $2.2 million and using artificial intelligence to fabricate records when asked to substantiate their claims, according to court documents.

July 27, 2026

Woman accused of $32 million pandemic loan fraud extradited from Jamaica

Elaine Escoe, 41, was returned to the Southern District of Florida on Saturday to face federal charges connected to a scheme that allegedly fraudulently obtained more than $32 million in COVID-19 relief funds, according to the Department of Justice.

July 27, 2026

Bosnian national accused of hiding prisoner abuse in citizenship bid

A federal grand jury in the District of Idaho has indicted Miran Kostic, 66, of Boise, on charges of lying while attempting to obtain U.S. citizenship, according to court documents. Kostic, a national of Bosnia and Herzegovina, faces one count of attempted naturalization fraud and one count of making material false statements to law enforcement agents.

July 27, 2026

Cracker Barrel’s CEO finally pays the price for the logo debacle

Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino is stepping down next month, nearly a year after a logo redesign sparked a customer backlash the company still hasn't recovered from. David Deno takes over Aug. 10.

July 27, 2026

Appeals court rejects Trump bid to have Postal Service screen mail-in ballots

A federal appeals court has rejected President Trump's attempt to revive an executive order that sought to have the U.S. Postal Service play a gatekeeping role in this year's elections by refusing to deliver mail-in ballots unless states first verified voter eligibility.

July 26, 2026

Katy Perry blasts White House for using ‘Firework’ in Iran strike clip

KATY PERRY "appalled" that White House used her song "Firework" in a TikTok video about military strikes on Iran: "I did not approve this, I was not asked, and I absolutely do not condone it."

July 25, 2026

Mamdani’s rhetoric on Netanyahu still worries Jewish leaders after arrest reversal

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's admission that he cannot legally arrest Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has done little to calm Jewish leaders, who say the mayor's broader rhetoric continues to deepen tensions at a moment of heightened concern over antisemitism.

July 25, 2026

Kelsey Grammer warns forgetting nation’s history invites control

Actor KELSEY GRAMMER on American education: "If you don't know where you come from, you don't know who you are. If you don't know who you are, you can be controlled."

July 25, 2026

Lil Wayne praises Trump’s push for White House ballroom

LIL WAYNE praises Trump's new ballroom: "I'm so glad to hear Trump say ... everything we do, we have to do it on the damn lawn."

July 25, 2026

Caitlin Clark says media coverage ‘not based in reality’

CAITLIN CLARK: "I think there's just a false characterization of who I am sometimes. I get people have a job to do, but at the same time, don't make accusations about my character and who I am when you don't know me."

July 25, 2026

Rural voters turn on Trump again as poll swings 14 points

POLL: Rural voters have soured on Trump again, with his standing among the group flipping from positive to negative in the span of a month.

July 25, 2026

Minnesota woman Shiloh Hendrix found guilty of disorderly conduct in racial slur case

A jury convicted a Minnesota woman of disorderly conduct over her treatment of a bystander who recorded her hurling a racial slur at an 8-year-old autistic boy last year, while acquitting her of a separate charge tied directly to her conduct toward the child.

July 24, 2026

Tony Romo arrested for OWI in Milwaukee, due in court in September

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was arrested in Milwaukee on Thursday night on suspicion of operating while intoxicated.

July 24, 2026

LeBron James’ 76ers move sends social media into frenzy

LeBron James announced Friday that he's signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8M deal, and the internet did not waste any time weighing in.

July 24, 2026

‘Reacher’ star Alan Ritchson rages at Trump over Epstein files

"Reacher" actor ALAN RITCHSON on Trump and the Epstein files: "Give me the f---ing manila envelope. Don't you want to see what's in there so that we can hold people accountable? These f---ing rapists. That bitch has the keys to the nuclear codes. He's like all up into 13-year-olds. Like, dude, what? Go to jail."

July 24, 2026

Diddy tossed in solitary after prison fight at Fort Dix

Sean "Diddy" Combs got into a physical altercation with a fellow inmate at his federal facility in New Jersey and was subsequently placed in solitary confinement.

July 24, 2026

USA Today writer apologizes for Emmett Till comparison to Caitlin Clark

A USA Today sports columnist apologized Thursday for invoking the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till in a column arguing that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's on-court behavior and the reaction it draws from some fans contribute to unsafe conditions for Black and queer WNBA players, touching off a wave of criticism from media figures across the political spectrum.

July 23, 2026

First Nancy Guthrie ransom note read aloud on true-crime podcast

The sender of the first ransom note in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance opened with a direct warning to her daughter, "Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, telling her that her mother's life "is in your hands."

July 23, 2026

Johnny Depp returns to major studio roles as Scrooge in ‘Ebenezer’

Johnny Depp is stepping into one of literature's most famous roles this holiday season, playing the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in "Ebenezer," a new big-screen take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" from horror director Ti West. For Depp, "Ebenezer" marks one of his highest-profile major studio roles since "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" in 2018.

July 23, 2026