16/05/2025

FRIDAY | MAY 16, 2025

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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump vowed to be a dictator only on his first day back in office but his critics say four months of corruption “bigger and more brazen” than in his scandal-plagued first term is beginning to alienate supporters. His decision to accept a luxury jet from Qatar is the latest in a barrage of ethical conflicts that opponents say have blurred the line between his public role and private business interests. “It is brazen corruption and hypocrisy,” said leading anti-graft lobby group End Citizens United president Tiffany Muller. “But it is exactly what we have come to expect from a leader more focused on making himself richer than on lowering costs or addressing the struggles of working Americans.” Trump argued that the US$400 million (RM1.71 billion) Qatari plane, which is worth 100 times the combined value of every presidential gift from foreign governments this century, would be for the country, not him personally. But it has sparked a rare backlash from allies who backed him in his first term through two impeachments and claims by ethics watchdogs of almost 4,000 conflicts of interest. End Citizens United released a report on the first 100 days of Trump’s second term, which amounted to a damning indictment of a presidency that it said was defined by greed and self-enrichment schemes. It pointed to Trump’s appointment to his Cabinet and circle of advisers of more than a dozen billionaire donors, including Elon Musk, whose companies have received US$15.4 billion in government contracts. Trump praises Musk’s intellect and business acumen as reasons for putting the billionaire in charge of slashing government bureaucracy. However, opponents accuse Trump of rewarding Musk’s loyalty with unprecedented power and access that allowed him to shut down federal investigations and get preferential treatment for his companies. – AFP SEVILLE: Around 77,000 residents have been told to stay indoors in response to a fire at a chemical warehouse in the town of Alcalá de Guadaíra in southern Spain, the German Press Agency reported. People should keep doors and windows closed, local authorities said. It was reported that the fire had triggered several explosions. Television images showed a huge black cloud of smoke rising above the warehouse. There were no initial reports of injuries from the fire and explosions, or from potentially toxic fumes. It was unclear what had caused the fire. Local authorities called for the evacuation of the industrial area. It was initially unknown whether there was a risk of poisoning and authorities emphasised that the call to stay at home was a precautionary measure. – Bernama-dpa CONFLICT BETWEEN FRANCE AND ALGERIA WORSENS PARIS: The continuing diplomatic row between France and its former colony Algeria has escalated further, the German Press Agency reported. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Algerian representatives who hold diplomatic passports but do not have visas will be expelled. Algeria had previously demanded the departure of several French embassy staff. The Algerian state news agency APS reported that French diplomats and consular employees who had obtained their posts under “irregular conditions” should leave the country immediately. France has accused Algeria of refusing to take back citizens that France wants to deport. For Algeria, a bone of contention is France’s recognition of Morocco’s claim to the internationally disputed territory of Western Sahara after Morocco annexed several areas of the territory. – Bernama-dpa Qatari jet gift spotlights Trump graft claims CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS KEEP RESIDENTS INDOORS

Toddler reunited with family after parents deported

Chuck Grassley launched an inquiry into UnitedHealth’s Medicare billing practices, requesting detailed records of their compliance programme and other related documents. The new investigation follows broader scrutiny into the Medicare Advantage programme. The department earlier this month filed a lawsuit accusing three of the largest US health insurers of paying hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks to brokers in exchange for steering patients into the insurers’ Medicare Advantage plans. Nearly half of the 65 million people covered by Medicare, the US programme for people aged 65 and older or with disabilities, are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans run by private insurers. The insurers are paid a set rate for each patient but could be paid more if patients have multiple health conditions. Standard Medicare coverage is managed by the government. – Reuters Venezuelan prison gang. It said he oversaw “homicides, drug sales, kidnappings, extortion, sex trafficking and operated a torture house”, although they provided no evidence. Espinoza’s family denied the claim to Reuters. “At no time has my son been involved with them,” said his mother Maria Escalona. “I think this is political. They are using the case of my son to cover up the horror that is being committed against all these innocents.” The department said Bernal recruited young women for drug smuggling and sex work, although it also provided no evidence. The family has also denied the claim. The department said Maikelys was repatriated to Venezuela pursuant to a court order, adding that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement defers to the Venezuelan government to advise whether the child remains with the mother or in government custody. The couple met while living as migrants in Peru, where their daughter was born, said Escalona, adding that they were in migrant detention during their entire stay in the United States after turning themselves in at the border. Maikelys has been in the care of the US Office of Refugee Resettlement since May last year. The US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the girl’s return. Some political experts in Venezuela speculate that it may be tied to the departure from Venezuela of Opposition members who had been living in the Argentine diplomatic residence. Five people, including the elderly mother of Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, left the country last week in what the United States and the Opposition said was a coordinated operation that surprised Caracas. The Venezuelan government said the exit of the five, who all had warrants out for their arrests on conspiracy charges that they deny, was agreed upon in a negotiation. It has not provided more details or any information about the terms of the alleged deal. – Reuters

who was deported to Venezuela in April. The child arrived on a removals flights with other migrants at the international airport near Caracas. She was later reunited with her mother and maternal grandmother at the presidential palace, in the company of Maduro. “We must be thankful for all the efforts, for (Trump’s special envoy) Rich Grenell for his efforts and for Trump too,” Maduro said, calling the child’s return “an act of justice”. In March, the child’s father Maiker Espinoza, 25, was sent to Cecot, the notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has sent at least 137 Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act 1798. The Homeland Security Department stated in late April that Espinoza is a “lieutenant” in Tren De Aragua, a

CARACAS: A Venezuelan toddler, who was separated from her parents after they crossed the US-Mexico border together a year ago and who remained in the United States when they were deported, arrived in Venezuela on Wednesday, and the nation’s president Nicolas Maduro thanked US President Donald Trump for her return. Major figures in Venezuela’s socialist government had repeatedly called for two-year-old Maikelys Espinoza Bernal to be returned to her mother Yorely Bernal, o Venezuelan president thanks Trump, calls return of child ‘act of justice’

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Maduro with Bernal (centre) and her daughter at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas. – AFPPIC

UnitedHealth under criminal probe for fraud NEW YORK: The US Justice Department is carrying out a criminal investigation into UnitedHealth Group for possible Medicare fraud, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. overseeing the investigation, which focuses on the company’s Medicare Advantage business practices, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

While the exact nature of the allegations against UnitedHealth is unclear, it has been an active probe since at least last summer, the newspaper said. A department spokesperson declined to comment to the newspaper about the probe and the department did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments. Last week, UnitedHealth said in a regular filing it had been “involved or is currently involved in various governmental investigations, audits and reviews”, without disclosing further details. In February, the WSJ reported a civil fraud investigation into UnitedHealth’s Medicare practices. The company had then said it was unaware of a new probe. In the same month, US Senator

UnitedHealth said it had not been notified by the department about the “supposed criminal investigation reported“ and the company stood by “the integrity of our Medicare Advantage programme”. The health insurer has been under pressure for months. On Tuesday, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty stepped down unexpectedly and the company suspended its financial forecast due to rising medical costs. Stephen Hemsley, who led the company for more than a decade until 2017, is taking back the reins following setbacks, including the December murder of its insurance unit CEO Brian Thompson, which catapulted UnitedHealth into public consciousness. The department healthcare fraud unit is