Alleged fraud schemes plaguing Minnesota’s social services systems have elevated scrutiny surrounding childcare centers. 

But fraud can be challenging to identify for states – especially when agencies are using outdated systems that make it difficult to spot trends and red flags that could point to potential fraud, according to Chris Bennett, the CEO and founder of a Wonderschool, a platform that provides technology support to child care providers and states. 

“When you have all this data living in different place, it’s really difficult for a state to identify where there is risk and where there is fraud,” Bennett recently told Fox News Digital during an interview. “Additionally, a lot of states are using pen and paper still to collect information. So it makes it really difficult for an administrator and the administrator’s team to go through all of that and make sure that they’re keeping up with things on a regular basis.”

Children sleep during nap time at Minnesota Child Care in Minneapolis, Minn., on Dec. 30. (Renee Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Streamlining systems is key to identifying any atypical trends in billing behavior and attendance data that could point to fraud, Bennett said.

TREASURY SECRETARY ANNOUNCES CASH REWARDS FOR MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWERS

“The best practice is moving to a modern system, moving to a system where all of the data is in one place and it’s all connected,” Bennett said. “So you can use that to identify risk, flag unusual patterns early, and then have humans go and investigate. Oversight should support child care providers, not punish them.” 

To help do this, Bennett spearheaded Wonderschool Oversight in January – building upon Wonderschool’s existing partnerships with states including Florida, Michigan and Illinois – that aims to centralize state agencies’ program data to evaluate enrollment, attendance, billing and licensing information in the same place. 

Having this information in one spot allows for Wonderschool Oversight to flag unusual patterns that could require human review, Bennett said.

Nick Shirley upended the news cycle in December with a 42-minute video investigating Minnesota daycare centers that appeared inactive despite receiving millions of dollars in government funding.  (Nick Shirley)

GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL

“For example, we can analyze daily attendance data to flag cases where billed attendance exceeds recorded attendance,” Bennett said. “We review billing behavior for anomalies — such as sudden spikes in billing corrections — which can indicate potential issues. Or, in another example, we compare reported attendance against licensed capacity, age-band limits, and required staffing ratios to surface possible regulatory or safety violations.” 

Childcare fraud has come under a microscope after right-wing influencer Nick Shirley shared a video in December detailing alleged fraud involving Minnesota childcare and learning centers. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in January that it would put a hold on access to some federal childcare and family assistance funding for five states – including Minnesota – due to “serious concerns about widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-administered programs.” 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Hubert H. Humphrey Building in Washington on Monday, March 10, 2025.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Days later, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from halting the funding freeze for at least two weeks. Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment. 

That’s not the only alleged fraud scheme the state is facing. Lawmakers have spearheaded investigations into Minnesota’s alleged “Feeding Our Future” $250 million fraud scheme that allegedly targeted a children’s nutrition program the Department of Agriculture funded and that Minnesota oversaw during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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At least 77 people have been charged in that scheme, which took advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to waive certain Federal Child Nutrition Program requirements.

Likewise, another alleged fraud scheme in the state stems from the Housing Stability Services Program, which allegedly offered Medicaid coverage for housing stabilization services in an attempt to help those with disabilities, mental illnesses and substance-use disorders receive housing.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain is joining the reigning NBA champion.

The Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly agreed to a trade for Jared McCain, sending a 2026 Rockets first-round pick and three second-round picks, per ESPN.

McCain, who turns 22 in a few weeks, was the 76ers’ first-round draft choice in 2024 after a stellar season at Duke.

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Jared McCain of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against the Sacramento Kings at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 29, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Kings 113-111. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

However, injuries have gotten in the way of his play early in his NBA career.

McCain tore his meniscus in his left knee on Dec. 14, 2024, and the Sixers would announce in January 2025 that he would be sidelined for the rest of the season.

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Things got worse to start this season, though, as McCain underwent surgery to repair a tear in the UCL in his right thumb, forcing him to miss more time on the court.

In 37 games this season, McCain has averaged just 6.6 points after pouring in 15.3 per night in his rookie season. However, he has been getting back into a groove of late, playing more minutes for Philadelphia and seeing some stat changes.

Philadelphia 76ers’ Jared McCain, left, looks to make his move against Brooklyn Nets’ Dennis Schroder, right, during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

He joins a Thunder team that already has a good set of guards, including the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Luguentz Dort also runs the shooting guard post that McCain has been used to.

If McCain will get playing time, it’s likely off the bench, with the Thunder using Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell in those roles.

The Thunder picked up right where they left off from the 2024-25 season, owning a 40-11 record, which is the best mark in the NBA this season.

Jared McCain of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Sacramento Kings at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 29, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Kings 113-111. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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Oklahoma City made their way to the NBA Finals after posting a 68-14 regular-season record, and defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games to notch the franchise’s first-ever Larry O’Brien Trophy.

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We’re about to enter a world without nuclear arms control.

The last remaining treaty capping the arsenals of Russia and the US will expire on Thursday.

It means, for the first time in more than half a century, there will be no legal limits on their missiles and warheads, and there are fears we are on the brink of a new arms race.

“It’s a serious situation,” Vasily Kashin, a research fellow at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, told Sky News.

“Probably now we can witness a lot of developments, especially in the US nuclear policy, and the situation will be quite unpredictable.

“There is a real danger of a nuclear arms race in the coming years.”

The first agreement on arms control between the world’s nuclear superpowers was in 1972, signed by US president Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

The aim was to slow the arms race and prevent a catastrophic misunderstanding.

Even at the height of the Cold War, these two rivals could agree on that.

In 1991, as the Soviet Union fell, George Bush senior and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the START treaty.

It was the first time both sides had to reduce their arsenals and it marked the start of an inspection framework, so that each side could check the other was complying with the limits.

The most recent treaty – the New START – was signed in 2010, by Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, before being extended for five years in 2021.

On each side, the number of deployed strategic warheads are capped at 1,550, and the number of delivery vehicles are limited to 700.

That’s more than enough for Russia and the US to destroy each other but it’s a cap nonetheless.

And when this treaty expires on Thursday, that cap will no longer exist, ending decades of arms control cooperation.

So how have we reached this point?

The Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 saw a breakdown in Russia-US relations, to the point where talks to negotiate a new treaty were never even scheduled.

The terms of the current treaty allow only for one formal extension.

Vladimir Putin has proposed an informal rollover for 12 months, but Donald Trump so far hasn’t agreed.

Some believe he’s crazy not to, fearing the US will be the one that loses out if there is an arms race.

Read more: Doomsday Clock closer to midnight than ever

But others believe it’s a good move, leaving America free to compete with the nuclear build-up of other countries like China.

And China’s clearly on the US president’s mind – he says he wants a new trilateral treaty that includes Beijing.

But those who’ve worked on these things warn that it’s wishful thinking.

“We never tried trilateral [talks] actually,” Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian arms control negotiator, told Sky News.

“Who says it’s going to be trilateral? The official Russian position and the official Chinese position is that negotiations can be bilateral between the United States and Russia, or they can be five-party, including the United Kingdom and France.”

So barring any last-minute deal, we’re entering unchartered territory and who knows for how long.

The strategic stability won’t change overnight but the absence of any agreement shows how far US-Russia relations have fallen.

And it could make the world a much more dangerous place.

The British government has committed to releasing files related to the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States despite his ties to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The decision to release the documents came after the Conservative Party said it would force a vote in Parliament compelling the government to publish documents related to Mandelson’s appointment, according to The Associated Press. The outlet noted that critics said Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was known at the time of his appointment, though not to the extent that has since been revealed.

On Wednesday, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was grilled on the revelations and the decision to appoint Mandelson.

“I intend to make sure that all of the material is published,” Starmer told lawmakers. He said the release would not include documents that compromise Britain’s national security, international relations or the police investigation into Mandelson’s activities.

LONDON POLICE LAUNCH CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO FORMER UK AMBASSADOR TO US WITH ALLEGED EPSTEIN TIES

Peter Mandelson sits with late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as he blows out the candles on a cake, in an undated photograph released by the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Dec. 19, 2025. (U.S. Justice Department/Handout via Reuters)

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch cast doubt on Starmer’s promise, demanding that the government publish all relevant files and “not just the ones the prime minister wants us to see.” Badenoch went on to accuse the government of “trying to sabotage that release with an amendment to let him choose what we see.”

“The prime minister is talking about national security. The national security issue was appointing Mandelson in the first place,” Badenoch said.

Starmer said he knew Mandelson had maintained contact with Epstein after his 2008 prison term but that the former ambassador had “misrepresented the extent” of the relationship and “lied throughout the process, including in response to the due diligence.”

“Mandelson betrayed our country, our Parliament and my party. He lied repeatedly to my team when asked about his relationship with Epstein, before and during his tenure as ambassador,” Starmer said in the House of Commons on Wednesday. “I regret appointing him. If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government.”

In response to a request for comment, Starmer’s office referred Fox News Digital to the prime minister’s remarks in the House of Commons.

The prime minister added that he had instructed his team to write legislation that would strip Mandelson of his title.

Then-Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, speaks during a welcome reception for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the ambassador’s residence on Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Carl Court/Pool via Reuters)

DOJ PUBLISHES TROVE OF EPSTEIN FILES, SAYS MORE TO COME AFTER FRIDAY DEADLINE

Last week, the Justice Department released a trove of documents related to the Epstein case. Among them were emails between the disgraced financier and Mandelson.

The files appeared to show that in 2009, Mandelson passed an internal government report to Epstein and discussed lobbying for reduced taxes on bankers’ bonuses, the AP reported. Additionally, the files suggest that Epstein sent payments totaling $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson or his partner Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

Following the revelations in the newly released files, Mandelson resigned from the House of Lords on Sunday.

President Donald Trump met with British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2025. (Jim WATSON / AFP)

EX-PRINCE ANDREW PHOTOGRAPHED KNEELING OVER WOMAN IN LATEST DOJ JEFFREY EPSTEIN FILE RELEASE

In September, Starmer fired Mandelson from the ambassadorship after a string of emails, released by The Sun newspaper, showed he maintained a friendship with Epstein even after the late financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses involving a minor.

Following the fresh revelations about Mandelson, police in the U.K. opened an investigation into the former ambassador.

Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom’s former ambassador to the United States, was fired from the role in September. (Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images)

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Metropolitan Police Cmdr. Ella Marriot in London said following the latest DOJ documents dump, the Met received “a number of reports” into alleged misconduct in public office, including a referral from the UK government.

“I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former Government Minister, for misconduct in public office offenses,” Marriot wrote in a statement.

The House of Lords declined to comment on the police investigation when asked by Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Alex Koch contributed to this report.