Delivered total first quarter revenue of $707 million, an increase of 11% on a reported and core revenue basis, including Screening revenue of $540 million and Precision Oncology revenue of $167 million Raised full-year 2025 revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance midpoints by $40 million and $15 million, respectively Launched the Cologuard Plus™ test, the company's next-generation colon cancer screening test Presented data in the Journal of Surgical Oncology demonstrating the clinical strength of the Oncodetect™ test, the company’s molecular residual disease (“MRD”) and recurrence monitoring test
The State Department recently instructed employees to report workers who exhibited anti-religious bias, including bias against Christians, according to a cable obtained by The Epoch Times.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the April 11 cable directed State Department employees to a reporting form and instructed them to provide “information regarding any Department or individual practices involving anti-religious bias during the last presidential administration (2021-2025); and recommendations to the Secretary of State to remedy any anti-religious bias at the Department.”
The cable was obtained by The Epoch Times via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Employees could provide information anonymously, Rubio said.
The submitted information would be collated, he said, to help the department contribute to an interagency report required by President Donald Trump’s February order aimed at halting anti-Christian discrimination.
“It is the policy of the United States, and the purpose of this order, to protect the religious freedoms of Americans and end the anti-Christian weaponization of government,” Trump wrote in the order, which alleged that during the Biden administration, government officials “engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” such as bringing charges against people who demonstrated outside facilities that perform abortions.
Rubio said that while the order focused on anti-Christian bias, targeting anyone for their religious beliefs violates the Constitution, so people can report other instances of anti-religious bias.
The cable listed examples such as being mistreated for requesting religious exemptions from mandatory vaccination or observing religious holidays; being forced to remove displays of religious faith from desks and clothing; and being mistreated for refusing to participate in activities with themes that ran counter to religious beliefs, such as those “related to preferred personal pronouns.”
The State Department declined to say whether any employees have been fired or otherwise disciplined for exhibiting bias against Christians. “As a general practice, we do not comment on internal personnel matters,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email on April 30.
Last week, Rubio participated in the first meeting of the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias in the federal government, which was created by a Trump executive order.
During that meeting, Rubio raised some of the reported allegations of bias, including claims that Christian Foreign Service officers who homeschooled their children were either reported to the IRS or threatened with a child abuse investigation, according to a Department of Justice readout.
He also disclosed that State Department employees were called “murderers” and “troublemakers” for opposing the government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds.
“In one instance, an ambassador yelled at an employee, accusing the employee of wanting to kill the ambassador’s mother despite her being back in the States,” the readout stated.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an April 22 statement that “Biden’s Department of Justice abused and targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses,” adding, “Thanks to President Trump, we have ended those abuses, and we will continue to work closely with every member of this Task Force to protect every American’s right to speak and worship freely.”
Futures spiked, moving back to session highs and forgetting all about the bitter taste from disappointing results from Amazon and Apple, following news from Bloomberg that China was "assessing the possibility of trade talks with the US" the first sign since Donald Trump hiked tariffs last month that negotiations could begin between the two sides.
China’s Commerce Ministry said in a Friday statement that it had noted senior US officials repeatedly expressing their willingness to talk to Beijing about tariffs, and urged officials in Washington to show “sincerity” towards China.
“The US has recently sent messages to China through relevant parties, hoping to start talks with China,” the ministry added. “China is currently evaluating this.”
Of course, the Chinese spin is one in which the Trump admin reached out first, and which the US pro-China media will promptly use to hammer Trump with, resulting in an even quick denial by the president and thus, China, thereby erasing any hope of an overture, one which won't come until both sides are quite desperate.
For now, however, the reaction to the flashing red headline was stark as &P 500 erased early losses in Asia while a gauge of regional equities also turned positive after the statement. The offshore yuan edged stronger, while the Australian dollar, a China proxy, also extended gains.
The statement signals the stalemate between the world’s two largest economies could shift, after Trump hiked US tariffs to the highest level in a century and Beijing retaliated in kind.
Trump has repeatedly said President Xi Jinping needs to contact him in order to begin tariff talks and earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it’s up to Beijing to take the first step to de-escalate the dispute; China has done the same.
The Post exclusively reported earlier this week how the Fed’s top brass were pushing ahead with the pricey renovations despite mounting losses on its balance sheet, catching the eye of President Trump’s austerity axman-in-chief.
“Since at the end of the day, this is all taxpayer money, I think we certainly — we should definitely — look to see if indeed the Federal Reserve is spending two and a half billion dollars on their interior designer,” Musk told reporters at the White House late on Wednesday.
Tesla titan Elon Musk warned the Fed that DOGE will look at its decadent $2.5B overhaul of the central bank’s downtown DC headquarters.REUTERS
“That’s an eyebrow raiser,” he added.
The Post has approached DOGE and the White House for comment. A Federal Reserve spokesperson declined to comment.
Critics have compared the vanity project to the French monarchy’s Palace of Versailles, which has been hit by spiraling costs that are now effectively being paid by American taxpayers.
Central bank officials have long blamed the growing costs on a spike in the price of building materials and labor since the project started in 2021 amid rampant inflation under the administration of President Joe Biden.
Their initial estimate stood at $1.9 billion, with the work finally set to be completed in 2027. By comparison, JP Morgan is spending an estimated $3 billion on its new Park Avenue HQ in Midtown Manhattan.
The controversy also comes amid Trump’s long-running spat with Fed Chair Jerome Powell over the speed of the central bank’s interest rate cuts, although he recently walked back his threats to try to force the 72-year-old out of the job.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) accused Powell of overseeing “a wildly unaccountable Fed that is wasting tax dollars.”
“Congress must hold him accountable,” he said.
Fellow Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) said America’s central bankers had displayed “arrogance” toward American taxpayers by pushing ahead with their pricey real estate plans.
“The Federal Reserve hasn’t earned a dime in years, but somehow found $2.5B to build a modern-day Palace of Versailles,” Lummis said, referring to the long-deposed French royal family’s residence just outside Paris.
“The whole project should be put on hold, if not permanently mothballed,” she added.
Trump recently walked back his threats to force Powell (above) out of his job as chair of the Federal Reserve.AP
The overhaul, which was managed by Powell when he was a Fed governor, is focused on modernizing two downtown complexes on the Fed’s DC campus, known as the Eccles and FRB-East buildings.
Stressed-out Fed officials will be able to enjoy the new rooftop garden terraces, skylights, and ornate water features.
Meanwhile, board members are being handed a new elevator system that allows them to be dropped off directly in their VIP dining suite.
The Wall Street Journal revealed in March 2023 that its basement now hosts the Fed’s private art collection, while a pair of Italian beehives were installed on the roof.
The expensive makeover is controversial after the Fed posted operating losses of $77.5 billion last year.
The plans include new rooftop garden terraces, skylights, and ornate water features, while board members are being handed a new elevator system that allows them to be dropped off directly in their VIP dining suite.NCPC
That is still down from losses of $114.6 billion in 2023, when the central bank sank into the red for the first time in its more than 100-year history.
The Federal Reserve says the losses have not impacted its ability to operate and conduct monetary policy.
It sank into the red when interest costs surged and outstripped earnings on the bonds it owns when Powell hiked rates in trying to tame rising prices under Biden.
When the Fed makes a profit, that money is passed on to the US Treasury to become part of the federal government’s budget.
Its mounting losses, currently some $178 billion, are bundled together in what is known as the Fed’s “deferred asset.”
That amount must be completely paid before money transfers to the Treasury can resume and be spent on other things, such as defense, education and Medicare.
A 2023 study by experts at the St. Louis Fed predicted that it would not happen until mid-2027 at the earliest.
“No federal government institution should be able to build a Palace of Versailles for the exclusive use of its own officials,” said Andrew T. Levin, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
“It’s imperative for Congress to investigate the Fed’s operating budget, salaries, and building upgrades,” he added.
The man arrested by immigration authorities in Milwaukee - despite a Wisconsin judge’s alleged attempt to shield him - is being held in a neighboring county’s jail as controversy continues to swirl around the case.
Eduardo Flores Ruiz, 30, was locked up in the Ozaukee County Jail awaiting further court action as of April 30.
He is accused of injuring three people in a recent domestic dispute, online records show.
The Mexico native is the defendant whom Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of assisting in an April 18 incident at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Flores Ruiz appeared at the court for a hearing on that date, but it didn’t proceed, federal authorities say, after Dugan allegedly took actions to thwart Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers who were poised to arrest the defendant and begin deportation proceedings.
Federal officials accuse the judge of helping Flores Ruiz and his lawyer to exit through a restricted-use door. Officers, however, were able to arrest him after a foot chase outside the courthouse.
He was previously deported to his home country in 2013, before being accused in the domestic violence case that was assigned to Dugan, officials said.
The state Supreme Court suspended Dugan while she contests charges of concealing Flores Ruiz and obstructing ICE.
Dugan, who was arrested on April 25, is set for her next court hearing as a defendant on May 15 in Milwaukee federal court.
This 2016 photo shows Judge Hannah Dugan in Milwaukee, Wis. Lee Matz/Milwaukee Independent via AP
Milwaukee County court and police records reveal more information about the incident that landed Flores Ruiz in Dugan’s court on three domestic abuse-battery charges.
Three people told police that Flores Ruiz injured them during a March 12 verbal and physical altercation, after which two of them sought hospital treatment.
Miguel Mendoza-Figueroa alleged that Flores Ruiz “intentionally ... struck him multiple times in his body and face, causing pain and scratches during a verbal argument about loud music,” the police report says.
The man reported being punched about 30 times.
When Deyci Torres Sierra, identified as Miguel’s girlfriend, tried to intervene, Flores Ruiz “struck her multiple times in her head” with his fist, inflicting pain, the report says.
A second woman, Maria Sierra Chihuahua, said she, too, tried to break up the fight, and Flores Ruiz “elbowed her in her upper left arm.”
Police said that, when questioned at the scene, Flores Ruiz described the incident as “a mutual fight” between himself and Mendoza-Figueroa, a court record shows.
The defendant is set to appear on the three charges in the county court again on May 14. Each of the charges is a Class A Misdemeanor, punishable upon conviction by a fine of up to $10,000 and nine months behind bars.
Dugan remains in online records as the judge assigned to his case, despite her temporary suspension from duty. The Epoch Times was unable to reach the court’s chief justice for clarification.
The Epoch Times sought comment from Flores Ruiz’s lawyer, Mercedes de la Rosa, and the local prosecutor handling the case, Kylan Reilly, and received no reply prior to publication.
At a time when American consumers are increasingly interested in what products are actually "Made in the USA"—as evidenced by a recent report showing a surge inrelated internet searches—the nation's largest retailer announced plans this week to boost its support for American-made goods through new initiatives.
Walmart has launched a new initiative called "Grow with US," offering tools and support to small businesses, especially those producing American-made goods. The program is designed to strengthen the U.S. economy, which is largely driven by small businesses.
"We're unveiling Grow with US, a new program designed to provide U.S. small businesses with the training, mentorship and resources they need to grow with Walmart," Walmart's U.S. CEO and president, John Furner, wrote in a press release.
The CEO pointed out that over 60% of Walmart's U.S. suppliers are small businesses. With the ongoing trade war with China, domestic sourcing for the mega-retailer might increase. Currently, the Trump administration has 145% tariffs on all Chinese goods entering the U.S.
"More than 40 years ago, Mr. Sam set a priority that still drives us today: supporting American-made products and the small businesses behind them. Simply put, we want small businesses to work with Walmart, but we know getting started can feel complex," the CEO said.
At the start of March, Furner announced a new commitment: "First, we're announcing a new commitment: over the next ten years, Walmart will spend an additional $350 billion on items made, grown or assembled in the U.S. We estimate that this spend will support more than 750,000 new American jobs."
Walmart's expanded commitment to America's thousands of small businesses offering domestically produced goods is fantastic news as the Trump administration works to restore the nation's manufacturing base via a trade war with China to re-shore critical supply chains that will be needed before the 2030s kick-off.
In line with Walmart's commitment to "Made in the USA," we're proud to launch a new partnership this Friday with the Beef Initiative. The goal is to connect consumers with mom-and-pop ranchers producing clean, locally sourced beef that aligns with the "Make America Healthy Again" protocols. This grassroots effort aims to help rebuild America's mom-and-pop ranchers and farmers one beef cut at a time: Shop Clean Beef.
Let's remember that none of this would have been possible without President Trump's relentless push to reshore supply chains and rebuild America's hallowed manufacturing core. There will be plenty of opportunities ahead—right here at home.
Sectarian fighting in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana left dozens killed, and Israel is already looking to parlay that into a new excuse for military action against the Syrian government, with the idea that they need to "protect" the Druze minority militarily.
The Israeli military reported attacking the Damascus suburb of Sahnaya, and that they targeted an “extremist group” that was planning new attacks on the Druze. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz issued statements demanding the Syrian government take action to prevent further attacks on the Druze.
Details of the strike are still scant. Indeed, Syria’s Interior Ministry said they had yet to receive word that the Israeli attack even took place at all. Since Israel launches a large number of attacks inside Syria regularly, it’s not necessarily improbable that they launched one on Sahnaya, but it appears not to have been particularly large.
Israeli Army chief Eyal Zamir has threatened to carry out attacks across Syria if the attacks on the Druze don’t stop, and said that he has ordered his staff to prepare for targets in Syria to that end.
By lining up Druze youth and shaving their mustaches, Jolani’s forces didn’t just humiliate, they struck symbols. For the Druze, it’s religious.
But among Kurds, the mustache is more than pride: it’s ancestry, masculinity, defiance. It links the living to the martyred. This was… pic.twitter.com/9xE2ELVL52
Though the HTS has already promised investigations into what happened Tuesday in the Druze community in Jaramana, it’s not clear Israeli threats will mean much at any rate, since Israel is already actively attacking Syria at any rate, and this is just the latest pretext for continuing that.
Also, using the Druze as an excuse isn’t even new, it’s more being revived. In early March, a smaller clash in Jaramana led to Israel similarly vowing to protect the Druze, imposing a ban on all Syrian military assets south of Damascus, and offering to give Syrian Druze in the newly occupied parts of Syria "work permits" to go into Israel to work, an offer that was later rescinded.
Jolani’s HTS regime rounds up #Druze in #Sahnaya, beating and accusing them of being fighters, echoing tactics used in Alawite massacres, where civilians were labeled 'Assad remnants’ #Syriapic.twitter.com/8PjmyRpw4g
Israeli Druze are going along with this, carrying out a demonstration near Acre which Israeli police declared "illegal". Druze make up about 2% of Israel’s population, and about 3%-4% of Syria’s population, centered mainly on the Suwayda Governorate.
Tuesday into Wednesday gunbattles were fueled by an audio clip which went viral online. The audio was of someone insulting the Muslim Prophet Muhammed, and was purported to be a Syrian Druze person speaking. It has not been verified that was actually the origin.
ISIS fighters have been able to join the New Syrian General Security forces, it seems.
Many of the fighters in Sadnaya and other suburbs of Damascus yesterday had accents from Deir ez-Zor, pronouncing the letter "kaf" as "cha". The word kabir becomes chabir. This does not mean… https://t.co/ADGEFxE0aE
Indeed, many people are speculating this was an effort at "incitement" against the Druze minority in Syria, and it certainly seems to have worked, at least for a time.
Syria’s Islamist government has promised to investigate this possibility, and some are suggesting it may be an external effort to fuel unrest within Syria.
