Category «Financial System»

Trump Wants to Use the IRS to Track Down Immigrants. They May Stop Paying Taxes

The Bulwark: “Immigrants in this country illegally paid nearly $100 billion in taxes in 2022, according to a report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic policy. But that source of government revenue may soon taper off as the Trump administration pushes the Internal Revenue Service to help it accelerate its program of mass deportations. …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research

New Articles and Columns – LLRX February 2025 Issue

Climate and DEI Deleted From Government Websites, Federal Workers Fired, Colleges Erase Programs and Research – “Colleges have been a conservative target for years. Under President Trump, it’s total warfare on all aspects of higher education — from student life to hiring to athletics.” This March 2, 2025 update by Sabrina I. Pacifici chronicles Trump’s …

Subjects: AI, Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Government, Economy, Education, Environmental Law, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Some DOGE Staffers Are Drawing Six-Figure Government Salaries

Wired – no paywall: “Engineers and executives at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency are drawing healthy taxpayer-funded salaries—sometimes from the very agencies they are cutting. Some staffers at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are drawing robust taxpayer-funded salaries from the federal agencies they are slashing and burning, WIRED has learned. Jeremy Lewin, …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

DOGE eliminates critical federal employees, cancels leases on government office buildings across America

TMP Looting Watch by Josh Marshall – In case you didn’t hear the GSA today announced it’s going to sell off many if not all of the central buildings making up the headquarters of the American republic. Those buildings include FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, the buildings which are the headquarters of the DOJ, HHS, …

Subjects: Climate Change, Courts, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Timeline: Politicization and Weaponization of Justice Department in Second Trump Administration

Just Security: “What follows is a timeline of actions that highlight the alarming level of politicization and weaponization of the Department of Justice under the second Trump administration. Politicization includes the misuse of the Department’s powers for political purposes rather than the independent and impartial enforcement of the laws. Weaponization includes a deliberate and systematic …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not)

TechDirt: “While political reporters are still doing their view-from-nowhere “Democrats say this, Republicans say that” dance, tech and legal journalists have been watching an unfortunately recognizable plan unfold — a playbook we’re all too familiar with. We’ve seen how technology can be wielded to consolidate power, how institutional guardrails can be circumvented through technical and …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

How Do America’s Largest Corporations Score on Democracy? 

The American Democracy Scorecard is a living, interactive resource that grades the country’s biggest corporations on their support for democracy. The project evaluates corporations’ statements and efforts in support of our democracy, alongside their political spending and actions around January 6th, state and federal voting legislation, election integrity, and other democracy-related issues.  The goal is …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Economy, Financial System

The Changing Tides of the SEC Under the Second Trump Administration

The Changing Tides of the SEC Under the Second Trump Administration – “From the moment the second Trump presidential term became a reality in November 2024, it was widely expected that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would undergo broad changes under a Republican-led commission focused on rolling back many of the Biden administration’s regulatory …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

DOGE Deletes Agency Behind Login.gov, IRS Direct File, Other Tech Projects

PC Mag: “The General Services Administration (GSA) has axed a technology unit that developed key public-facing IT services like Login.gov, the central login system for key government services like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The decision, unearthed in an internal memo seen by Politico, was ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

List of job sites, organizations, informational resources for current, former federal employees

Via the Special Libraries Association General FedFam – FedFam is a member organization that supports federal workers. They have a free newsletter that provides news items and helpful links for this tumultuous time. They also have a Facebook group. Partnership for Public Service – Scroll down to “Federal employees, we are here for you.” Federal …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Social Media

Mapped: How Much U.S. States Rely on Imports from Canada, Mexico, and China

Voronoi – “What We’re Showing – This map illustrates the top trading partner of every U.S. state as of November 2024. The data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. Key Takeaways Canada, Mexico, and China are the top trade partners for 42 states. The U.S. imports about $900 billion in goods from Canada and …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Legal Research

Social Security News

Social Security News. A service of Hall & Rouse, P.C./© Charles T. Hall. Includes primary documents from DOGE and OPM, emails and chats from/to Social Security employees, author commentary, and articles from reliable media reporting on the fast moving actions to fire, using illegal terminations, as many staff and leadership as possible, around the country. …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Copyright, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, HIV/AIDS, Legal Research, Social Media