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In one of the largest national crackdowns on fraud targeting federal coronavirus aid, the Justice Department on Wednesday said it had brought 718 law enforcement actions in connection with the alleged theft of more than $836 million. The vast array of criminal charges and other sanctions — part of a federal sweep conducted over the past three months — reflected the ongoing, costly work in Washington to recover stolen pandemic funds roughly three years after the peak of the public health crisis. (Romm, 8/23)

"This latest action, involving over 300 defendants and over $830 million in alleged COVID-19 fraud, should send a clear message: the COVID-19 public health emergency may have ended, but the Justice Department's work to identify and prosecute those who stole pandemic relief funds is far from over," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. A total of 119 defendants pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial during the sweep, according to the Justice Department. (Singh, 8/23)

The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect all US families the same way, a new cohort study in JAMA Network Open claims, with families helmed by caregivers with lower levels of education more strained during the first 2 years of the pandemic. ... Caregivers who had less than a high school education (compared to a master’s degree or higher) had more challenges accessing COVID-19 tests, lower odds of working remotely, and more food-access concerns. (Soucheray, 8/23)