This Morning Wire episode from The Daily Wire covers the final stretch of the midterm campaigns, including an Alaska Senate race rocked by a decoy candidate scheme that The New York Times reported and that the state's governor has asked to investigate. Hosts and reporters also review Senate toss-ups in Iowa and Kansas and late-breaking scandals hitting Democrats.
The show then turns to reports that an Obama-era probe examined Representative Ilhan Omar's marriage, with Omar denying wrongdoing. Finally, listeners hear about a Daily Wire investigation into Medicaid home health aide fraud in Pennsylvania and other states.
In this episode Georgia Howe, John Bickley, Luke Rosiak, Megan Basham, Tim Rice
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Midterm campaigns enter their final stretch across the U.S. with multiple contests too close to predict, while new October surprises could shake up races.
Which states will matter most on Tuesday?
I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Hou. It's Friday, October 30. This is Morning Wire.
Pressure ramps up on Representative Ilhan Omar amid new revelations about an Obama DOJ investigation into her.
And a Daily Wire investigation raises more questions about widespread home health care fraud.
This is happening at such scale that home health aid is now the most common job in Pennsylvania, and California, and New York.
Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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Alaska's Democrat Senate candidate Mary Pol Tulla is now under investigation for her part in the decoy Dan Sullivan scheme.
DC Bureau Chief Tim Rice is here to explain and give a recap of the most eventful developments per the midterms as we close in. So, Tim, we have to start with the Alaska race. Mary Pol Tulla is now in hot water with Alaska's governor. What's going on there?
Right. So, just a reminder, there are two people on the ballot in Alaska named Dan Sullivan. One of them is the current senator from Alaska, Dan S. Sullivan. The other is this guy named Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who just so happens to have the same name as the strong Republican incumbent. Now, there have been rumors that this was sort of intentional, that somebody plucked this other Dan Sullivan to confuse people, which is very important, not just because there's two candidates that could throw people off, but because Alaska has ranked choice voting. So it's not just, oh, maybe I vote for the wrong Dan Sullivan.
It's, if enough people rank this other Dan Sullivan ahead of the real Dan Sullivan, the whole point is it would throw things into chaos that work in Mary Pol Tulla's favor. So earlier this week, The New York Times found that this was a coordinated effort between a Democratic group called Alaskans for Mary, which the campaign swears is unaffiliated with. So that group, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and then a bunch of political operatives, including this one guy from Ohio who traveled to Alaska under a fake name and traversed the state recruiting people named Dan Sullivan.
Now, people familiar with the matter tell The New York Times that while Mary Pol Tulla did not order this, this was not coming from the campaign, they say that she was certainly aware of it. So this is a major scandal breaking late in the cycle. As you mentioned, Georgia, the governor of Alaska has called for an investigation into the matter, as has President Trump, who claims that this is just another example of Democrat corruption and their attempts to rig or steal the midterm election.
Now, broadening out, there have been several developments in the last week related to some other key races. What have we seen across the country?
Yeah, it's one of the big things that we've seen is President Trump absolutely barnstorming across the country, going to pretty much a different state every day. Our colleague Mary Margaret O'Lahan has a great write-up on the site of all of the places the president has visited and will visit through the midterms. That's we're starting to see a little bit more Republican enthusiasm than we had earlier in this race. So that is one thing, the Republicans really coming out, really sprinting to the finish, led by President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. The other thing that we've seen is a lot of these late-breaking scandals and revelations hitting Democrats.
So we obviously talked about the Pol Tulla debacle in Alaska. Another major revelation, also from The New York Times this past week, was that James Talarico's essentially his political origin story, this notion that he did all this stuff with the Texas state legislature and first got involved in politics because when he was a teacher, he had 45 students in his classroom and wanted to fight the injustice. The New York Times reported that Talarico, for all of his teaching career, he never had a class of more than 30 students. So an outright lie from him. So we have and then on the other side, kind of going back to the final campaign sprints, we've seen former President Barack Obama on the campaign trail, mostly trying to pull out the black vote in Michigan for Abdul Al-Sayed, who is very neck and neck with Republican Mike Rogers in those polls, but really needs to clinch the state's black vote, which he has failed to do so far.
So we've got a former president and a current president kind of talking at each other while crisscrossing the country, and Democrats facing scandals so bad that even The New York Times has to acknowledge them.
Yeah.
And this is this is there's nothing like the October surprise, John.
Yeah, it never disappoints, Tim.
Now, we've talked about a lot of the interesting races, but which ones are the most important for the math in terms of potentially flipping?
I'm so glad that you asked me this, Georgia, because it gives me an excuse to pull up The Daily Wire's midterm election hub, which is incredibly helpful.
Well done.
If we look if we look at the toss-ups here, for the Senate, it's Iowa and Kansas. So in Iowa, Josh Turric and Ashley Hinson are neck and neck. And in Kansas, Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton are neck and neck. Curiously about that one, President Trump was supposed to either today or this weekend go to Kansas to campaign for Roger Marshall, and just yesterday he scrapped that in favor of doing a number of telerallies for different candidates. So unclear if that's a sign of confidence in Roger Marshall or if he's just cutting and running.
But really, in the there's more in the House, and I would encourage everybody to go check out the midterm hub and look through there. We don't need to go through all of them. There are a number of districts in the House, obviously, but the Senate is really where we're going to want to watch. And again, we've spent a lot of time this cycle talking about Texas and Michigan, and those are still two very close races. But I would encourage people, and I'll certainly be keeping an eye on Kansas and Iowa, like I said, also Alaska in a large part because of this scandal, and also Maine. It seems like such a long time ago that, you know, we were talking about Graham Plattner and Susan Collins in Maine, and we've sort of lost track of what's going on there, I feel like, because there's always another scandal brewing.
But it's very neck and neck. A lot of people think Susan Collins is going to pull it out, but really anything can happen there. And I think that's going to be one of the most fascinating races to watch on election night.
All right. Well, keep in mind, Daily Wire is going to be having election night coverage, so tune in with us on Tuesday. Tim, thanks for reporting.
Anytime, guys.
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New reports find that Obama officials launched a probe into Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for immigration fraud in the summer of 2016 and did find evidence for that claim. This comes as Omar and her supporters are accusing the Trump administration of political retaliation for reopening the investigation.
Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham joins us now with the details. So, Megan, there have been rumors for years that Ilhan Omar married her brother to cheat the immigration system, but now we do seem to have some confirmation that the FBI under President Obama looked into this. What were their findings?
Yeah, Georgia. So according to The New York Times, during the Obama administration, the FBI and Homeland Security investigated Omar's 2009 marriage to Ahmed Noor Saeed Elmi. Now, he's a British citizen who, as you said, has long been rumored to be her brother. So the question was whether Omar fraudulently married him in order to help him obtain a U.S. green card, which Elmi did actually receive on a provisional two-year basis, but he ended up dropping his effort to make it permanent once officials started asking for more information that their relationship was legitimate.
And he later moved to the U.K., and the couple legally divorced in 2017. But while Obama officials did find evidence that she may have engaged in marriage fraud, they didn't ultimately pursue the case, they say, because the statute of limitations, which was about five years, was up. Now, for those who haven't already seen this pretty notorious clip, last week, MS Now host Chris Hayes asked Omar about these allegations that she married her brother, and here's what she said.
You were not related to him at all.
Not that I know.
There's not like there's not some weird kernel of truth that's through some game at telephone.
Not to my knowledge.
So not to know, but not to my knowledge, which a lot of people are taking as hedging language. And in fact, President Trump has been out on the campaign trail referencing this at his rallies. And now that we have this bombshell report from The New York Times, these allegations about her immigration status and her background just continue to pick up steam.
All right, so the Obama administration opened up a probe into Omar for marriage fraud. The New York Times has confirmed. Yet he has been out there criticizing the current investigation. What is Obama saying?
Yeah, John, so Obama called the search of Omar's Washington home appalling, and he's argued that this is all politically motivated, even though his own FBI did investigate her before she was elected to Congress. So in a long statement on X, he wrote that, quote, quoting here, "The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she dared to criticize the president." End quote. He also described the effort as an attempt to uncover a nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago.
But it is interesting that he's not addressing this 2016 probe. And Omar also has been out trying to downplay this. This was her backstage at an event with far-left streamer Hassan Pikert just a few days ago, joking that the reason she's being investigated is because she's physically attractive.
Look really good on their screen. That's why they like having you.
You think that's why they get you? You think that's why they get you?
Maybe a little.
Yeah, they're like, she's so charismatic.
I think that's what it is.
I think I could see that.
Now, for those who aren't familiar with Hassan Pikert, the guy in that clip, this is a man who has called for Trump's assassination. He's talked about wanting to see capitalist blood run in the streets. He's made so many antisemitic remarks, we wouldn't even really be able to cover them all, John, here in this segment. But it's really interesting then that this is who Omar is turning to for support right now. Now, if the statute was up when previous administrations were trying to pursue charges, is the Trump administration just going to run into the same issue?
No, because this is just one allegation of fraud that's revolving around Omar and our immigration process. And Trump officials could pursue a different legal route because denaturalization proceedings don't have that same statute of limitation problem. So what they're now investigating are things like whether she made false statements on her immigration paperwork in order just to obtain citizenship in the first place. And that includes allegations that she lied about her age in order to be naturalized as a dependent minor, and even allegations, Georgia, that she may have lied about her name.
Now, for her part, Omar denies any wrongdoing, and she says that all of this is just a right-wing conspiracy. Well, meanwhile, we learn that even the Obama administration was looking into the conspiracy. Megan, thanks for reporting. Yep, my pleasure. A new Daily Wire investigation is pulling back the curtain on America's biggest profession, Medicaid's home health program. One aide in Pennsylvania appears to have collected roughly $160,000 a year in taxpayer money for care he allegedly wasn't providing.
The first installment called Scam with RAM tracked that aide for three months, and its reporting suggests he's far from the only one. Joining us now is Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak. Luke, thanks for coming on.
Thanks for having me.
All right, so first, who is RAM and what did you find when you tracked his operation?
So Ram Kumar Choudhury came to Pennsylvania as a refugee from Bhutan, as many people around Harrisburg did. He's paid to care for a woman at home about a mile from his house from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., seven days a week, or 77 hours a week. We sat in public over the course of three months and filmed as he pulls into the driveway at 6:00 a.m., stays for about two minutes, goes back to his house, and then comes back at 5:00 p.m. and does the same thing.
And so he looks like he's billing 11 hours. He's paid for 11 hours. He's actually only there for about four minutes.
Now, there's supposed to be safeguards in place against this. For example, there's a GPS app that aides have to use. Why didn't that app catch him?
What we see in the video is Medicaid fraud, and it's particularly important because GPS is the whole thing that the government uses to stop fraud in this multi-billion-dollar program that's now the most common profession in America. People are paid to go take care of their friends or their relatives or maybe a stranger. But the only way to know they're really doing it is this check when they come and then in the evening when they leave. It doesn't actually track that you're there in between.
So you observed a lot of this by, you know, sitting in your car and watching this, but you also went and knocked on doors, as I understand it. How did that go?
Well, when I knocked on the door of the home that I saw him pull into for two minutes a day, the woman opened the door. She was home in the middle of the day. She said her aunt got lived there and got home health care at the hours that I had figured out she was. Of course, I wondered, why doesn't this lady take care of her own aunt if she's home anyway? But she wouldn't let me see the aunt or see the aide that was supposed to be there. And the reason, I think, is important too. She said, well, you're not a government inspector.
And frankly, she was confused that anybody would show up at all because she said the government calls ahead when they do their inspections. And so this guy only lives a mile away. If the government tips them off when they're going to come by, he can just make a brief appearance. Now, I spoke to Ram as well, and he quit his job three days later.
Now, I want to go back to something you said earlier. This is the largest profession in the U.S. So can you quantify it a little bit?
Yeah, it's the most common job in America, especially and really due to a couple states: New York, California, Minnesota. So the three states that are known for kind of generous and arguably lax Medicaid, and then Pennsylvania. What's really tragic is there are some Americans who are severely disabled, not so much the older people who are simply dealing with aging, which is what we all go through and what younger generations can help us with, but people with autism or, you know, amputees, severe stuff like that.
And they're the ones who are being hurt by these rampant fraudsters because the money is so many billions of dollars that we're not going to be able to keep up this program as it is. And so these scammers are ultimately victimizing the most needy in our society.
Well, as you've highlighted, there's so many red flags, so many issues with this program. Let's hope there's a sense of urgency about fixing this. We'll be watching for your next installment. And for our listeners, you can watch the full Scam with RAM investigation at dailywire.com. Luke, thanks so much for coming on.
Thank you, guys.
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Father, I used to feel Christ. I cannot feel anything here.
They take me out of my bed and they brought me here and they tell me nothing. What have I done?
Article 58, counterrevolutionary activity.
That is all I know.
They have to deal with so many enemies of the state, all of whom claim their innocence, who protest, who cry.
There are no answers here other than the ones they put in your mouth.
You'll break. Today is your opportunity to demonstrate your loyalty to the people.
I'd like to know why I'm here.
Of course. But you already know, don't you?
You must believe in something greater than the party.
You will remember your duty.
I've told you I know nothing.
Leave ground like a feral animal.
You stink of failure.
You want me to lie.
Still a drunk.
Damn you. They all break.
Maybe.
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Midterm campaigns enter the final stretch across the US with multiple races too close to predict – while new October surprises could shake up races. Pressure ramps up on Ilhan Omar amid new revelations about an Obama DOJ investigation into her. And, a Daily Wire investigation raises more questions about widespread home healthcare fraud. Reporting from Tim Rice, Megan Basham and Luke Rosiak. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.- - -Ep. 3169- - -Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3- - -Today's Sponsors:USA Facts - USA Facts: Read and sign our open letter and help protect trustworthy public data at https://USAFacts.org Vanta - Whether you’re a fast-growing startup or a global enterprise, Vanta is here to help you automate your security and compliance, and earn and prove trust. Get started today at https://vanta.com/morningwire ShipStation brings orders into one place and automatically compares carrier rates in real time, helping businesses stay organized and save when volume spikes. Get ahead of it today with ShipStation, and get 60 days free at https://ShipStation.com, with code wire. - - -Privacy Policy: https://www.dailywire.com/privacymorning wire,morning wire podcast,the morning wire podcast,Georgia Howe,John Bickley,daily wire podcast,podcast,news podcast
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