A little-known firm could be given a piece of the federal expense card system and its hundreds of millions in fees.
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The Big Story

April 17, 2025 · View in browser

In today’s newsletter: A politically connected startup that could get a piece of the federal expense card system; how insurers try to control doctors; American rendition; and more from our newsroom. 

Trump Team Eyes Politically Connected Startup to Overhaul $700 Billion Government Payments Program

A little-known firm with investors linked to JD Vance, Elon Musk and Trump could get a piece of the federal expense card system — and its hundreds of millions in fees. “This goes against all the normal contracting safeguards,” one expert said.

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Blue Cross Blue Shield Louisiana authorized mastectomies and breast reconstructions for women with cancer but refused to pay one Louisiana hospital’s full bills. A jury found the insurer liable for fraud and awarded the hospital $421 million — one of the largest verdicts ever to a single medical practice outside of a class-action lawsuit. 

ProPublica reporter T. Christian Miller talks through his investigation on this groundbreaking verdict against Blue Cross that exposes how insurers try to wield power over doctors and other health care providers.

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“I told her to keep going out, to be with her community. I wanted her to live her life. And then she got abducted in broad daylight.”

 

— E., an Arab American academic and friend of Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts student whose arrest by federal agents was captured on video. E. asked ProPublica to withhold her name and other identifying details for security reasons, but spoke with reporter Hannah Allam about her friend’s journey from Ph.D. scholar to Trump target. 

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More from the newsroom

 

Wisconsin’s Name-Change Law Raises Safety Risks for Transgender People

Trump Is Spending Billions on Border Security. Some Residents Living There Lack Basic Resources.

An Indian Drugmaker, Investigated by ProPublica Last Year, Has Recalled Two Dozen Medications Sold to U.S. Patients

Two Months After Trump’s Funding Cuts, a Nonprofit Struggles to Support Refugees and Itself

Congress Has Demanded Answers to ICE Detaining Americans. The Administration Has Responded With Silence.

 
 
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