Trump Wants to Give YOU Cash For Fighting Fraud

Trump wants to pay you to help him fight fraud. Alberta votes to stay Canadian. And are the midterms going to lead to a color revolution? That and more on this week's America Uncovered headlines. Welcome to America Uncovered, I'm Chris Chappell. The midterm elections are right around the corner, and the cost of living is a big issue for voters. How big is it? Well, according to some, it's a problem of titanic proportions. There is an affordability crisis, one created by Joe Biden's policies. You don't turn the Titanic around overnight. It takes time to fix what was broken. There's a lot to unpack here. First, is Vice President J.D. Vance saying that the US is the Titanic? Is there some kind of metaphorical iceberg we're headed towards that the American people should know about? Second, it appears the Trump administration has come a long way from earlier this year when President Donald Trump said that affordability was a fake word invented by Democrats. That or Trump and Vance are playing the highest stakes game of good cop, bad cop ever. But it doesn't look like the affordability crisis is about to get any better anytime soon. At least not in Europe, because with global oil prices hitting their highest levels in five months, one European airline CEO has told Europe to get ready for the biggest airfare hike in history by 10, 15, maybe 20 percent next year. 20 percent? That's the biggest airfare hike in history in Europe? U.S. airline fares were up 26.7 percent year over year in May. And that's just from this year. You should see the charts for 2022. And yet, travelers keep on booking. Who knew people would just keep on paying for airline tickets given no other option? But airline profits are down and forecast to go even lower thanks to the outlook on fuel prices. Everyone's struggling, even the airlines. Heck, US airlines only got $6 billion in profit in 2025. Those poor CEOs are probably only going to be able to buy a small private island. Truly, we live in troubled times. Fraud! No, not you. You're not a fraud. You're smart, honest, and probably very attractive. But we need to talk about fraud, because the US Social Security Agency has corrected nearly 15% of records for all social security numbers in a database cleanup. This included adding missing information for simple oversights, like, you know, citizenship and death. For example, the SSA added 17 million dates of death to records that previously lacked this information. Now, this doesn't automatically stop anyone from getting social security benefits, But the added information makes it harder for people to commit Social Security fraud. Because now, when Not-So-Little-Anymore-Timmy tries to claim that his grandmother is still alive so he can collect her Social Security check, the Social Security agency can look at her account, see her date of death, and say, nuh-uh. So no more benefit checks for you, dead non-citizens. Though I guess being in a cemetery technically makes them permanent residents. But dead or not, Vance has a message for both citizens and non-citizens alike. Learn English! We made English proficiency mandatory to obtain a commercial driver's license. Oof, unfortunate time to mispronounce a word. Though to be fair to Vance, English isn't his first language. His native tongue is hillbilly. But that's not all the Trump administration is doing to fight fraud. They've announced a $25 million whistleblower program to encourage the public to report alleged fraud. If you turn somebody in and you, let's say, report and you find a billion dollars, we are giving a commission to that person of one percent. It's a lot of money. That is a lot of money. There's just one problem. The program Trump is announcing here is the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, or WHIP. And according to the Department of Justice press release, that program will pay whistleblowers an award of $10,000 to $30,000 for information leading to criminal charges in certain areas. So is it $30,000 or is it 1%? Tell us, Mr. President. We need to know. Especially Nick Shirley, who was announced as the first person to receive a financial reward for his work uncovering fraud. Apparently for Shirley it was $10,000. Some have also argued this incentive is worse than the one already on the books. The False Claims Act, which has been on the books since 1863, whistleblowers can get between 10 and 25 percent. Well, this is what we're all saying. So the False Claims Act reward is about 10 to 25 times more money? Ah, but here's the thing. To receive a financial reward under the False Claims Act, whistleblowers need to file lawsuits themselves, confidentially, and invite the US government to join the suit. And only if they win the case do they receive a financial reward." So yeah, that sounds like 10 to 25 times more work. This new program, you don't have to do nearly as much, so it's just extra incentive for people to come forward and expose fraud. Let's just call this whole thing a learning experience. In other potential fraud news, according to sources from the New York Post, Feds say they have DNA evidence that could prove Ilhan Omar wed her brother and committed immigration fraud. According to my own sources, yuck. But let's hear from Omar herself. You are not related to him at all. There's not some weird kernel of truth. Not to my knowledge. As a follower of Socrates, which I realize isn't what you thought my reaction to this would start with, but here we are, I think it's important to always admit that the only true knowledge is knowing you know nothing. Except when somebody asks you are you related to your husband, then maybe you have a little more certainty. Unless you think babies are cuter with 11 toes. I covered the details of the raid on Ilhan Omar and how, while many call it a politically motivated intimidation tactic, there may be more to the story than that. I just wish the story had less in common with Game of Thrones. Ugh, I think I need a palate cleanser after that last story. Let's lighten the mood. Civil War! Alberta voters have rejected a move towards separation from Canada in a referendum. Now, okay, okay, let's be complete here. Darn journalistic integrity. Even if they had voted to separate from Canada, that wouldn't necessarily mean a Canadian civil war. The government in Ottawa could have just respected their decision and let them leave. Yeah, it would have been a civil war. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said this is a victory for national unity. But even though over 75% of Alberta voters elected to stay in Canada, the fact they had this referendum at all doesn't shine the most complimentary light on how things are going up north. This would be like celebrating your wife deciding not to divorce you, because even though she still thinks you suck, online dating looks even more miserable. Speaking of voting, the midterms are just over a week away. And while many are looking forward to the end of midterm season, according to the Washington Post, several US officials are privately advising state governments and congressional lawmakers on contingencies for Trump election meddling. The group includes about 10 current and former officials with experience in the Defense Department, some of whom have previously focused on countering authoritarianism abroad." Um, is the Washington Post implying that these people believe they're countering authoritarianism at home? That's an odd detail to add. The officials claim that their efforts have nothing to do with political bias, just completely legitimate concerns based on things President Trump has said in the past. Like that a deep state of government officials is working to undermine his presidency. Anyway, it's no secret Trump has made loads of claims of widespread election fraud and has tried enacting laws to limit mail-in voting. Let's listen in. And I said his ass is like, it's like a pile of muscle. Oops, that wasn't Trump talking about election interference. That was him talking about Republican Ohio Senator John Husted's giant glutes. Again. Never thought I'd see a Republican give so much support to an ass. Specific concerns about Trump include the idea that he will send troops or ICE agents to the polls to intimidate voters. And their evidence for this can be seen here. Yeah, they told Washington Post this was all based on their own private fears, not any inside information they had as officials. The White House told the Post these concerns are unfounded, but stated, anyone who illegally votes in our elections will be held accountable. But there's another way to look at what's going on with these officials. According to the ex-user and retired US Army Colonel Cynical Publius, we have a color revolution in our midst, in which various people, including former USAID workers, are preparing to declare the federal government illegitimate. He cites information uncovered by the ex-user and former special government employee Data Republican, including this audio clip. There's also the path that we end up in a very acute legitimacy crisis sometime in the next few months or the next few years where literally our federal government becomes illegitimate. Specifically, according to this document also uncovered by Data Republican, by manipulating elections, intimidations, or deploying troops or paramilitary. According to Cynical Publius, these are the exact same officials mentioned by the Washington Post, and if Trump questions the results of any of the midterm elections, they will treat that as election manipulation and try to declare the federal government illegitimate. So we've got two viewpoints here. Are these people concerned patriots advising anxious states and lawmakers on what to do in case of Trump election interference? Or deep state agents planning for a full-on color revolution where they declare the federal government illegitimate and have state governors take over? I guess it depends on your point of view. But one thing is certain, faith in elections is depressingly low among members of both parties. And why wouldn't it be? What with the mainstream media constantly going on about how Trump is a threat to our democracy, and Trump constantly going on about how the Democrats have cheated and will cheat again in elections. Oh, and there's also the fact that LA election officials have admitted they have no independent way to verify voter citizenship. On top of that, the election process itself has become less about ideas and more about smearing your opponent. For example, Republican Ohio governor nominee Vivek Ramaswamy funded an ad that got leaked that featured his opponent Amy Acton's mother saying she was a liar and couldn't be trusted. While leaving out, Acton's been estranged from her mother since she was 12 when her stepfather got indicted for sexual abuse against her, and her mother left the state with her husband, leaving Amy and her brother, who corroborated her story, behind. Sorry, that's the only way I could think of lightening the mood after that. Meanwhile, Sen. Uygar of the Young Turks said he was going to drop a bombshell documentary as an October surprise. And the surprise was Lindsey Graham was allegedly gay and solicited young male prostitutes. This is my shocked face. What's your next October surprise, that Frankenstein wasn't the monster but the doctor? This all shows just how little faith and goodwill are left in American democracy. My advice is to try and not get swept up in the divisive tribalism. Vote for policy you believe in, and hold officials accountable to maintain election integrity whether your side wins or not. And I know that may take a long time, maybe even more time than turning around the Titanic. Or the country, for that matter. But what do you think? Leave your comments below. And if you want to support the work we do making fun of people on all sides of a variety of political issues, join us on AmericaUncovered.tv, where you'll get access to thousands of episodes ad-free, plus a community chat, live streams, and more. Just click this button here or the link below. I'm Chris Chappell. Thank you for watching America Uncovered.