Latest news with #DanRayfield
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Heartbreaking': Authorities warn of gold bar scam after Oregon woman loses $600K
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon Department of Justice issued a warning on Friday about a fast-growing scam spreading nationwide that led to an Eastern Oregon woman to lose $600,000, accounting for nearly all her life savings. The scammers posed as federal agents and convinced the woman that her financial accounts were at risk of being frozen or hacked, ODOJ said, explaining the scammers told her the only way she could protect her assets was to convert them to gold bars and turn them over for safekeeping. The woman followed their instructions, giving the scammers over $600,000 worth of gold. 'Gut punch': Hood River County Sheriff cuts services amid funding slump Officials said the woman mentioned her plans to give the scammers another $300,000, leading her sister to call the ODOJ Consumer Hotline. Local law enforcement intervened 'just in time' to stop the woman from handing over the additional savings. 'This is a heartbreaking example of how sophisticated and predatory these scams have become,' said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield. 'No one—especially not a government agency—will ever ask you to buy gold or hand over your money to a stranger. If something feels off, trust your gut. It could save your life savings.' According to ODOJ, gold bar scams have been on the rise nationwide. Adults-only pinball space and social club is Vancouver's latest addition The scams typically unfold with scammers calling, emailing or texting potential victims, while posing as a government agency, a bank or a technology company. Then, the scammers provide a sense of false urgency, officials warn, explaining that scammers create panic by telling potential victims that their financial accounts are hacked or under investigation. Victims are then told to withdraw large amounts of money and convert it into gold or other valuables to protect' the assets. From there, a courier is sent to the victim's home to collect the gold and promises to safely store it, officials explained. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now After the gold is handed over, 'it's gone,' ODOJ said, warning that the scammers disappear and leave the victims with nothing. To avoid these scams, ODOJ reminds Oregonians that government agencies will never ask others to buy gold and will never send someone to their home to collect money. If approached by these scammers, ODOJ recommends hanging up the phone immediately if someone pressures you to transfer money. Then, ODOJ recommends reporting the scam to local law enforcement. Kohr Explores: Family friendly snack shack opening on Hayden Island Officials also recommend never giving out personal information to someone you don't know and to verify claims by calling the bank or government agency directly using their official contact information. Suspicious activity can also be reported to the ODOJ Consumer Hotline and to the Federal Trade Commission. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Washington, Oregon sue Trump admin for sharing Medicaid files with immigration enforcement
Washington's Nick Brown is among the state attorneys general suing over the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for sharing Medicaid patients' files with the Department of Homeland Security. (Photo by Ryan Berry/Washington state Standard) Washington and Oregon's attorneys general are suing the federal government for sharing residents' Medicaid records with federal immigration enforcement officials. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, alongside 13 other Democratic state attorneys general, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for sharing Medicaid patients' files with the Department of Homeland Security, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is housed. The Health and Human Services Department, it's secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the Homeland Security Department and it's secretary, Kristi Noem, are listed as defendants. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading the lawsuit, which also includes the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. The state attorneys argue that sharing personal health data violates federal administrative procedure laws and federal privacy laws. States are asking the court to block any new transfer of data, and the use of any data currently held by Homeland Security and ICE for immigration enforcement purposes. Since Congress established Medicaid seven decades ago, 'federal law, policy, and practice has been clear: the personal healthcare data collected about beneficiaries of the program is confidential,' officials from Brown's office said in a news release. On June 13, the state attorneys general learned through news reports that officials at the Health and Human Services Department transferred Medicaid data files to ICE officials. Those reports indicate that the federal government plans to create a database for mass deportations and other large-scale immigration enforcement purposes, Brown said in a news release. 'Washington residents expect that the confidential information they give to the government to access medical treatment will only be used for healthcare purposes,' Brown said in a news release. 'Their data should not go towards creating a giant database of Americans' personal information or used so that ICE can deport undocumented immigrants because they had to go to the doctor.' Oregon and Washington are among seven states that offer Medicaid to eligible adults regardless of immigration status, and are among 14 states, plus Washington, D.C., that cover children regardless of immigration status. Oregon has 100,000 people enrolled in its 'Healthier Oregon' program, a state-funded program which provides access to Medicaid coverage regardless of immigration status, according to the Oregon Health Authority. About 49,000 people of the nearly 2 million people in Washington who rely on the state's Medicaid Program Apple Health have an immigration status that makes them ineligible for federal funding. 'This has a chilling impact on people who need healthcare in our country,' Rayfield said in the news release. 'Parents may choose not to take their kids to the doctor because they're afraid of what may happen. We need to protect the privacy and dignity of every person who calls Oregon home.' UPDATED at 5:50 p.m. with information from the filed lawsuit and a link to the lawsuit. This article was first published by the Oregon Capital Chronicle, part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Shumway for questions: info@
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oregon, Washington sue Trump admin for sharing Medicaid files with immigration enforcement
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield participated in a March 5, 2025 town hall in Phoenix. (Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy/Arizona Mirror) Oregon and Washington's attorneys general are suing the federal government for sharing residents' Medicaid records with federal immigration enforcement officials. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, alongside 13 other Democratic state attorneys general, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for sharing Medicaid patients' files with the Department of Homeland Security, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is housed. The Health and Human Services Department, it's secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the Homeland Security Department and it's secretary, Kristi Noem, are listed as defendants. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading the lawsuit, which also includes the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. The state attorneys argue that sharing personal health data violates federal administrative procedure laws and federal privacy laws. States are asking the court to block any new transfer of data, and the use of any data currently held by Homeland Security and ICE for immigration enforcement purposes. Since Congress established Medicaid seven decades ago, 'federal law, policy, and practice has been clear: the personal healthcare data collected about beneficiaries of the program is confidential,' officials from Brown's office said in a news release. On June 13, the state attorneys general learned through news reports that officials at the Health and Human Services Department transferred Medicaid data files to ICE officials. Those reports indicate that the federal government plans to create a database for mass deportations and other large-scale immigration enforcement purposes, Brown said in a news release. 'Washington residents expect that the confidential information they give to the government to access medical treatment will only be used for healthcare purposes,' Brown said in a news release. 'Their data should not go towards creating a giant database of Americans' personal information or used so that ICE can deport undocumented immigrants because they had to go to the doctor.' Oregon and Washington are among seven states that offer Medicaid to eligible adults regardless of immigration status, and are among 14 states, plus Washington, D.C., that cover children regardless of immigration status. Oregon has 100,000 people enrolled in its 'Healthier Oregon' program, a state-funded program which provides access to Medicaid coverage regardless of immigration status, according to the Oregon Health Authority. About 49,000 people of the nearly 2 million people in Washington who rely on the state's Medicaid Program Apple Health have an immigration status that makes them ineligible for federal funding. 'This has a chilling impact on people who need healthcare in our country,' Rayfield said in the news release. 'Parents may choose not to take their kids to the doctor because they're afraid of what may happen. We need to protect the privacy and dignity of every person who calls Oregon home.' UPDATED at 5:50 p.m. with information from the filed lawsuit and a link to the lawsuit. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion: Trump tariffs collide with the law
The Trump administration's arbitrary moves to restructure the international trade environment to accommodate White House whims have suddenly run into reality — specifically, established laws. This confrontation is still in the early stages, but does not bode well for President Trump and his ardent protectionist associates. On May 28, the United States Court of International Trade went back to basics in a decision featuring the reminder that, under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the authority to regulate trade. This fundamental power is not overridden by the ability of the president to address trade challenges in an emergency. 'The court does not pass upon the wisdom or likely effectiveness of the President's use of tariffs as leverage,' a three-judge panel said in the decision to issue a permanent injunction on the blanket tariff orders issued by Trump since January. 'That use is impermissible not because it is unwise or ineffective, but because [federal law] does not allow it.' The ruling came in response to two lawsuits. One was filed by the Liberty Justice Center, a nonpartisan organization, on behalf of five small U.S. companies that import goods from countries targeted by Trump's tariffs. The other was filed by a dozen state governments within the United States. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, a Democrat, is coordinating the states' efforts against the administration. He has declared the tariffs to be economically devastating, reckless and unlawful. Small businesses seeking relief include an importer of wine and other alcoholic beverages based in New York and a maker of educational kits and musical instruments located in Virginia. President Trump has been basing his unilateral tariff authority on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), passed by Congress and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter near the end of December 1977. The law authorizes the president to declare 'an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States,' with the proviso that such threats must originate 'in whole or substantial part outside the United States,' and requires the president to provide updates to Congress every six months. An incentive for this legislation was a desire in Congress to clarify and restrict presidential actions justified under the 1917 Trading With the Enemy Act, a law which reflected the emergency leading to U.S. entry in World War I as a formal declared combatant. The immediate incentive for our nation to enter that war was declaration by Germany of unrestricted submarine warfare. The 1917 law had been used to justify a variety of presidential initiatives, not all related to foreign policy and international developments. Declared national emergencies then technically still in effect included the 1933 banking crisis, related to the hoarding of cash and gold; the 1950 Korean War crisis; a 1970 emergency related to a strike by postal workers; and a 1971 emergency related to the deteriorating fiscal condition of the federal government. Key powers granted include the ability to block transactions and take control of assets of the parties involved in the threats. This section was used by the Trump administration to justify the new tariffs. IEEPA was passed during a time of congressional assertiveness. Another important factor, no doubt, was President Carter's fixation on clear, orderly administration, which he carried to extremes. The severe national crises, traumas and wars described above contrast with today's long-term growth and prosperity, and blessed absence of direct involvement in war. The judicial veto of presidential overreach shows our system is working.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Deeply private': Oregon AG challenges potential sale of 23andMe users' personal data
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Oregon is among several states taking legal action against a biotechnology company that could sell customer's personal information amid financial woes. Attorney General Dan Rayfield has revealed that Oregon, along with 27 other states, has sued 23andMe in an effort to challenge the potential sale of user data. The California-based genetic testing company in late March, around the same time that co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki announced her resignation after nearly 19 years in the role. Grant High School community advocates for new lighting at Grant Bowl athletics field 23andMe is now hoping a buyer will acquire the company — along with the 'sensitive' health and genetic data in its possession. 'This isn't just data — it's your DNA,' Rayfield said in a release. 'It's personal, permanent, and deeply private. People did not submit their personal data to 23andMe thinking their genetic blueprint would later be sold off to the highest bidder. We're standing up in court to make sure Oregonians — and millions of others — keep the right to control their own genetic information.' Following the bankruptcy filing, the attorney general's office issued a consumer alert informing Oregonians that they could withdraw their consent and delete their data from the platform. But the new lawsuit claims a potential could still impact around 15 million customers. The Associated Press has reported 23andMe only recently reached a settlement involving a . In 2023, the company revealed that hackers had stolen the personal information of nearly seven million users — including 5.5 million people who used the DNA Relatives feature and another 1.4 million people who had created family tree profiles. But in a statement to KOIN 6 on Wednesday, 23andMe claimed arguments in the new lawsuit are 'without merit.' A company spokesperson said the potential sale is permitted and the potential buyers are required to adopt its policies. Criminal proceedings in Salem mass stabbing on hold amid suspect's mental evaluation 'Customers will continue to have the same rights and protections in the hands of the winning bidder,' the spokesperson added in an email. 'Both remaining bidders are US companies, have committed to abide by 23andMe privacy policies, and will continue to operate 23andMe as it has always been operated.' The U.S. Bankruptcy Court is slated to hear arguments for the objection of the sale on June 17. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
