Originally published at: HHS DOGE Releases Medicaid Dataset, DOJ Releases Remaining Epstein Files, China Re-Thinks PhDs – Peak Prosperity
Health
The HHS DOGE team released the largest Medicaid dataset in department history, featuring aggregated provider-level claims data for specific billing codes over time. Some analysts note the dataset omits diagnosis details, which may limit its effectiveness for detecting certain fraud patterns. Officials stated this open-source resource enables detection of fraud patterns, such as the autism diagnosis scheme previously identified in Minnesota.
Senator Rand Paul introduced S.3853 to amend the Public Health Service Act and eliminate liability immunity for vaccine manufacturers, cosponsored by Senator Mike Lee. The bill targets protections under the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, which routes injury claims through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program rather than civil courts. CDC data note millions of post-vaccination injury reports, though an HHS-Harvard Pilgrim study found the tracking system captures under 1% of adverse events.
Geopolitics
China has replaced traditional PhD dissertations with requirements to create tangible products, shifting from textual research to practical innovation. The policy represents a limited pilot primarily in engineering fields at select universities. Officials stated this addresses unread papers and transforms universities into market-oriented engines.
In other news, the US military is reportedly planning a potential weeks-long operation against Iran, including strikes on state and security facilities beyond nuclear sites, should President Trump approve, according to officials. Those officials anticipate Iranian retaliation with missiles, risking regional conflict. Trump stated regime change would benefit Iran, noting internal figures available to lead, while envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner prepare to meet Iranian representatives in Geneva, mediated by Oman. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted challenges in achieving a peace deal. The USS Gerald Ford carrier has joined the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region amid increased US presence.
Epstein Files
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the Department of Justice’s full release of Jeffrey Epstein files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including a list of high-profile names. However, the documents mention figures such as deceased celebrities Marilyn Monroe and Janis Joplin—who died when Epstein was 9 and 17 years old, respectively—alongside Larry Nassar, who was convicted for abusing hundreds of young women and child pornography. Additionally, a letter from Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche to Congress named politicians including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, Ro Khanna, and Nancy Mace—who all pushed for the files’ release—with Greene’s mentions tied to stories on her opposition to COVID mask rules and vaccine passports rather than Epstein-related activities.
Critics contend the release conflates predators with innocuous or posthumous references, muddying distinctions between those directly implicated and others appearing in unrelated contexts.
US Politics
President Trump pledged voter ID requirements for midterm elections, regardless of congressional approval, via forthcoming legal arguments and possibly executive action. Trump criticized Democrats as opposing verification to enable cheating and demanded citizenship proof while limiting mail-in ballots to exceptions like military, disability, illness, or travel. The SAVE America Act passed the House 218-213 with one Democratic vote from Rep. Henry Cuellar. In the Senate, Sen. Susan Collins provided the 50th Republican vote for a revised version balancing security and access, likening ID to routines like boarding planes or buying alcohol, but opposing filibuster elimination. The bill faces a Democratic filibuster without 60 votes, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declared it dead on arrival.
Energy
Under US control for five weeks, Venezuelan oil sales are reportedly projected to generate $5 billion in coming months, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright during a visit to meet interim President Delcy Rodríguez. Current monthly sales exceed $1 billion via traders Vitol and Trafigura, with $500 million already transferred from a US Treasury account. Wright described the sector as approaching investability, with potential surges in oil, natural gas, and electricity production this year. Recent oil law changes mark progress, though officials said they are insufficient alone for major capital inflows. ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods previously called current frameworks uninvestable.
European Politics
In Germany, courts in Augsburg are considering a speaking ban on Alternative for Germany leader Björn Höcke at a February 15 campaign event in Lindenberg im Allgäu, after rejecting the city’s attempt to cancel the hall rental outright. Officials cited expectations of criminal, Nazi-approving, or antisemitic statements based on Höcke’s prior convictions for using a prohibited slogan. The court deemed a personal ban a viable milder measure, upholding equal treatment for parties. Höcke, Thuringia’s AfD opposition leader, called it an attack on free speech and democracy. The AfD district plans a legal challenge, amid similar disputes elsewhere like Seybothenreuth and local counter-protests expecting 2,000 participants.
In the UK, guidance now permits primary school pupils as young as four to socially transition by changing pronouns, though rarely and with parental involvement in most cases. Schools should not initiate such steps. The policy follows the 2024 Cass Review, which found weak evidence for youth gender care and led to puberty blocker bans outside trials, though a 2026 trial for 226 under-16s is proceeding. Advocates including Helen Joyce of Sex Matters and Maya Forstater criticized it for lacking clarity and enabling ideology over biology and parental rights, referencing the UK Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling that Equality Act sex definitions are biological.
Canadian Politics
Canadian researchers have developed an AI tool designed to combat online disinformation. Critics have expressed concerns that the tool’s emphasis on foreign sources may overlook domestic disinformation and introduce bias.
Environment
Scientists identified a thin, clay-rich layer just below the seafloor at the Japan Trench as a factor in the shallow slip during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. The 9.1-magnitude event ruptured at a depth of about 15 miles, producing 130 to 200 feet of seafloor displacement over an area comparable to the distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco in six minutes. This motion contributed to the tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people and caused over $200 billion in damage. Researchers aboard the vessel Chikyu drilled 26,000 feet into the ocean floor, recovering samples of the 100-foot-thick pelagic clay layer formed over millions of years. The findings, published in Science by Christine Regalla of Northern Arizona University and over a dozen international collaborators, indicate that the clay layer, surrounded by stronger rock, acted as a weak surface guiding the megathrust rupture to the seafloor. The study suggests similar layers could indicate risks in other subduction zones, potentially aiding forecasts and resilience measures such as updated building codes and evacuation plans.
Sources
Record-Breaking Ocean Drill Reveals Clay Layer’s Role in 2011 Tōhoku Mega-Slip
New research shows that a fragile clay layer beneath the Japan Trench played a key role in the extreme seafloor movement during the 2011 earthquake.
Source | Submitted by Barbara
Canadian Researchers Unveil AI to Battle Online Disinformation
Canadian researchers develop AI tool to fight online disinformation
Source | Submitted by Shplad
Epstein Files: Elites’ Moral Exile from the Nation They Govern
What the Epstein files expose, above all, is the social and moral estrangement of American elites from the people they claim to govern.
Source | Submitted by Mike from Jersey
HHS DOGE Open-Sources Largest Medicaid Dataset Ever, Enabling Easy Fraud Detection
Today the HHS DOGE team open sourced the largest Medicaid dataset in department history.
China Ditches Dissertations: Earn a PhD by Building Products
You can now earn a PhD in China by creating a product instead of writing a 100-page dissertation!
Source Submitted by westcoastjan
Trump Vows Voter ID for Midterms—Congress Approval Optional
“There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not”
U.S. Projects $5 Billion Venezuelan Oil Revenue Under Its Control
“Sales today are over a billion dollars, and in fact, we have sort of short-term agreements over the next few months that will bring in another $5 billion,”
German Courts Weigh Speaking Ban on AfD’s Björn Höcke in Free Speech Clash
German courts could issue ‘speaking ban’ against major AfD politician in latest blow to free speech
UK Guidance Allows Primary Pupils as Young as Four to Socially Transition, Sparking Outrage
The UK government has issued new guidance allowing primary school children, some as young as four, to ‘socially transition’ the gender by changing their pronouns at school.
US Military Gears Up for Weeks-Long Iran Operation: Reuters
The US military is preparing for the possibility of a weeks-long operation against Iran
AG Pam Bondi Announces DOJ’s Full Release of Epstein Files with High-Profile Names
AG Pam Bondi announces DOJ has released all Epstein files
DOJ’s Epstein Files Fiasco: Predators Mingled with Ghosts Like Marilyn Monroe
The list includes celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, who died when Jeffrey Epstein was 9.
DOJ Muddies Epstein Files: Joplin and Nassar in the Same Breath
The DOJ is once again purposefully muddying the waters on who was a predator and who was mentioned in an email.
Epstein Files Letter Names Dead Joplin, COVID Critics – FBI Spy Games?
What kind of files are the FBI and DOJ keeping on us?
Rand Paul Introduces Bill to End Vaccine Manufacturers’ Liability Immunity
Rand Paul Introduces Federal Bill to Strip Vaccine Manufacturers of Nationwide Liability Immunity
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: CityNews Toronto; Castanet Kamloops; ProCanadian; Bradshaw; @MattOsterndorf; @GoonerZuby; HHS DOGE announcements; Nature; ZME Science; China Pulse; SCMP; Oilprice.com; Pressburger Powell; Punisher346; Orinoco Tribune.