politics

Hypocritical cowards.

Summary

A key piece of the Trump administration’s plan to rapidly expand immigration detention capacity “appears to have fallen through,” according to two sources and a government contracting document.

The plan initially targeted Guantánamo Bay but shifted to Fort Bliss after “cost and logistical issues.”

A $3.8 billion contract with Deployed Resources was later “terminated ‘for convenience.’” A DHS official confirmed the termination, adding that “a revised procurement action for Fort Bliss is active and ongoing.”

The canceled contract marks another obstacle in efforts to increase detention amid space shortages and safety requirements for ICE detention centers.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/29024140

Brett Wilkins
Apr 22, 2025

Summary

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration redirected part of a settlement to a state-affiliated charity overseen by his wife, sending $10 million in state settlement money to Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida charity, which was not publicly disclosed at the time.

The Herald reported “$10 million went to Hope Florida,” instead of returning to “state and federal coffers.”

The $10 million were then distributed to two nonprofits that are not required to disclose how they spend their funds, the outlet detailed. These groups later transferred $8.5 million to a political committee tied to DeSantis' then Chief of Staff James Uthmeier, now the state attorney general.

Rep. Alex Andrade said, “this was Medicaid money that was squandered,” while DeSantis’ office claimed the “settlement was a great benefit to the state.”

It will soon be illegal in Spokane for an employer to ask a prospective employee if they’re homeless or reject their application solely because they do not have a permanent address.

The Spokane City Council voted 6-1 Monday in favor of the law, titled “Ban the Address” as a riff on “Ban the box” laws that prohibit inquiries about an applicant’s prior convictions. Councilman Jonathan Bingle was the sole vote against.

City officials believe Spokane is the first in the nation to pass such a law.

“Housing status should never define someone’s potential,” Councilman Paul Dillon said. “Employment really is a critical way we have to reduce homelessness and help people get back on their feet.”

Summary

“Global misfortune seems to be following Vice President JD Vance,” as tragic events continue to shadow his travels.

On Sunday, Vance briefly met with Pope Francis, hours prior to the pontiff’s death on Easter Monday.

Shortly after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “at least two dozen people were killed after gunmen fired at tourists in Kashmir.”

Online, many joked that “JD Vance brings misfortune” and “is actually cursed.”

The court’s ruling ordering Trump not to deport a group of Venezuelan immigrants was an unprecedented rebuke. Are they finally taking back power?

Just more proof that the Republican party is driven by hate and not logic.

Summary excerpt:

Affiliates from Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have significant access to 19 sensitive systems at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a recent court filing. Nine of those are previously undisclosed.

This wide-ranging access, which includes a centralized accounting system for all Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) programs, the cloud for a “robust” and “high-volume data warehouse,” and several additional HHS accounting systems that pay government contractors, demonstrates the breadth of DOGE’s takeover at the federal agency charged with securing health care for millions of Americans.

HHS submitted the filing as part of an ongoing lawsuit. The document—which is related to a motion for preliminary injunction—shows that a total of four DOGE affiliates now have access to the Healthcare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System (HIGLAS), which pays out federal grants and is used for accounting by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A previous court filing claimed three DOGE operatives had access to HIGLAS, which could theoretically allow them to cut off Medicaid payments to states, according to NPR.

HHS did not immediately respond to an official request for comment from WIRED.

DOGE’s access to some of the databases in the new court filing were first revealed in a March court filing and reporting from NPR and The Guardian. However, the full scope has come into focus as a result of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations’s continued lawsuit attempting to restrict DOGE’s data access at HHS, the Department of Labor, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. As part of the AFL-CIO’s motion, the plaintiffs allege the agencies have given DOGE “unfettered, on-demand access to their most sensitive systems of records” because the affiliates “invoke the incantation of ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’” According to the plaintiffs, “‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ are not magic words, and they cannot conjure up a need to grant DOGE Team members on-demand access to Americans’ most sensitive and personal information.”

As part of the discovery process, federal agencies have been required to disclose which databases DOGE has accessed, which were attached to the plaintiffs' recent motion.

Jeffrey Levi, an emeritus professor of health policy and management at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, tells WIRED that “anything that has the potential of delaying payments to parts of the health system” runs the risk of disrupting care for the millions of Americans that rely on it. Levi notes that places with “minimal financial flexibility”—like rural hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers, which disproportionately serve people who use Medicaid and Medicare—are particularly vulnerable.

The filing lists known DOGE affiliates, including Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Edward Coristine, Rachel Riley, Aram Moghaddassi, Zachary Terrell, and Kyle Schutt, among those who have access to HHS systems. Coristine, who has gone by the name “Big Balls” online, previously worked for a company that employed convicted and reformed hackers, WIRED reported.

Elez, a young engineer who has worked at Musk’s X and SpaceX, has also appeared at the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of the Treasury. While at the Treasury, WIRED reported, Elez had both read and write access to sensitive payments systems. In early February, Elez briefly resigned from DOGE after racist comments posted by an account he was linked to were discovered by The Wall Street Journal, though Elez returned to DOGE after Musk and Vice President JD Vance posted in defense of him on X.

The court filing raises legal and ethical questions around how personal information is currently being treated in the federal government, says Elizabeth Laird, the Center for Democracy and Technology’s director of Equity in Civic Technology.

“It just underscores why for so long we have had protections that have really centered someone's right to privacy and [required] consent for sharing that level of sensitivity of information about them,” Laird says. “Just in this agency, with this level of sensitivity, that's a right that's been stripped away from every person who is included in there.”

more detail in article

KEY POINTS

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on his company’s earnings call on Tuesday that he’ll spend much less time with DOGE starting in May.
• Tesla’s stock price has plunged more than 40% this year.
• The company on Tuesday reported an earnings and sales miss and said auto revenue dropped 20% in the quarter from a year earlier.

Awww...Tom's FAFO.

Noem, wearing a $50,000 watch in her ICE cosplay videos, encapsulates the aesthetic cruelty of the Trump regime.

Summary

Teresa Borrenpohl filed a $5 million lawsuit after private security dragged her from a February Republican town hall in Post Falls, Idaho.

Video shows unidentified men, later tied to LEAR Asset Management, forcibly removing her after she loudly questioned officials.

The city revoked LEAR’s license, citing public safety risks. Coeur D’Alene’s city attorney charged six men with battery, false imprisonment, and violations of security conduct.

Borrenpohl also named Sheriff Bob Norris in her tort claim, alleging fear of kidnapping and constitutional rights violations. National coverage has spotlighted civil liberties concerns.