Childcare centers only scratch the surface of the targets under investigation in Minnesota.

The lead starts right now.

The fraud allegations starting to mount as the Trump administration turns his attention

to Minnesota.

Here for one lawmaker who says Republicans have a larger goal to cut funding from the entire

state.

And moment of disaster, the new image that appears to show exactly when sparklers in a champagne bottle ignited the fast-moving inferno that killed at least 40 people on New Year's.

Plus, new video as more protesters take to the streets of Iran.

President Trump's new threat, if any peaceful demonstrations, turn deadly.

Welcome to lead.

I'm Phil Mattingly in for Jake Tapper.

We start in our national lead, the Trump administration,

using allegations of fraud to justify significant increases in federal law enforcement action

in Minnesota, the state, with the country's largest Somali population. Now, the story is somewhat

complicated, so let's take a step back and break it down. The controversy involves a series

of fraud scandal, some going back

nearly a decade, wherein people in Minnesota have allegedly stolen hundreds of millions of

dollars from government social services programs. Programs meant to keep children fed, provide

Medicaid housing assistance, and other safety nets that benefit needy families.

One major example, a $250 million fraud scheme, a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future, claimed to

provide meals to children during the pandemic.

Prosecutors say they also use federal funds to buy real estate, luxury vehicles, and

...