#Internal Revenue Code

[mbc-medicalbillingcompany]

This blog discusses how legacy AR solutions can enhance internal medicine billing by reducing claim denials, improving revenue cycles, and optimizing reimbursements. Contact number:-888-357-3226   Email ID:- info@medicalbillersandcoders.com, Click here to know more :- https://shorturl.at/WFCtU

[cannabisbusinessexecutive]

Cannabis Took a Hit on Red Wednesday, but Hope Is On the Way

Reflecting multiple states rejection of marijuana legalization efforts and ushering in an administration seemingly hostile to cannabis, Red Wednesday revealed how uncertain regulatory policy, coupled with Herculean operational challenges, stripped the bloom off of the rose and unveiled the volatility of cannabis’ valuation. Despite generating $33.6 billion of revenue and 440,445 jobs…

[citizenshipsolutions]

All U.S. citizens relinquishing U.S. citizenship are required to be reported in the Federal Register "Name And Shame" list

Purpose of this post: The "Name And Shame List". The Federal Register publishes a list of some but not all of the names of individuals who renounced U.S. citizenship. What does if mean when someone is on the list? Is inclusion on the list a sign of wealth? Check it yourself! https://t.co/D8QOwzPzrZ pic.twitter.com/rFgz6ACtXx — John Richardson – Counsellor for US persons abroad (@ExpatriationLaw)…

[mariacallous]

The nonprofit group that runs Wikipedia was threatened by Ed Martin, the interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, in a letter accusing it of “allowing foreign actors to manipulate information and spread propaganda to the American public.”

“Wikipedia is permitting information manipulation on its platform, including the rewriting of key, historical events and biographical information of current and previous American leaders, as well as other matters implicating the national security and the interests of the United States,” Martin wrote in a letter dated Thursday that was first reported by The Free Press.

The letter accuses the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization behind the online encyclopedia, of violating a tax code that requires nonprofits to operate exclusively for “religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes.”

Investigations into the tax-exempt statuses of nonprofits are usually handled by the Internal Revenue Service, not criminal prosecutors, The Free Press noted, citing the IRS complaint process.

Martin said in the letter that his office received information that Wikipedia’s “information management policies” have benefited “foreign powers.” He claimed that Wikipedia subverts “the interests of American taxpayers” due to its board being made up “primarily of foreign nationals.”

“Masking propaganda that influences public opinion under the guise of providing informational material is antithetical to Wikimedia’s ‘educational’ mission,” Martin wrote.

Wikipedia editor Molly White told the Washington Post that Martin’s letter is another way Trump and his allies are “weaponizing laws to try to silence high-quality independent information.”

[reality-detective]

POSSIBLE TIMING:

· In 2016 it was confirmed that the Military would be in charge of a transition from the privately owned by private bankers US Inc. to the Republic for the United States of America through passage of the Military Justice Act of 2016, which states: 1. Military law surpasses civilian. 2. President and Commander-in-Chief are separate. 3. Military rules above federal government. The military leads this transition.

· In 2020 President Trump had 650 plane loads of US Taxpayer’s owned gold removed from the Vatican. The 1871 Corporation Act (of the privately owned by foreign bankers US Inc.) was dissolved in 2020. The gold was not placed in the privately owned by foreign bankers US Inc. Treasury at Fort Knox, but President Trump had it taken to it’s rightful owners – the new Republic for the United States of America Treasury located on an Indian Reservation near Reno Nevada.

· In 2020 when Trump took over that gold and the Federal Reserve, it ended the power of Israel, Ukraine, and the Khazarian Mafia. Putin was also helping to end that power. Ukraine was the Khazarian Mafia’s base for child trafficking. Putin’s moves crushed their operations and saved hundreds of children.

· In 2020 Trump ended the Illuminati power by taking over the Fed.

· 31 Oct. 2023 marks the expiration of the State of Israel. Dual-citizen politicians lose power. The Rothschild Empire begins to collapse.

· “On Sun. 16 Feb. the Iraqi budget was ratified and was expected to be published in the Gazette on Mon. 17 Feb, along with Kurdistan resuming oil exports through Somo and Kash Patel becoming the 17th confirmation on a drop dead Q Drop Feb. 17 that has to be a blunt ‘Game Over’ Q Drop (3872).”

· On 31 Oct. 2024 the Charter for the State of Israel, the Cabal’s last holdout, expired and now faces collapse. Dual-citizen politicians of the US and Israel has lost their power. The foreign banker Rothschild control over the US Taxpayer Dollar has been shattered.

· Mon. 17 Feb. 2025: The Trial for the Crimes Against Humanity has begun. The experimental spike protein jab rollout is in violation of all 10 Sections of the Nuremberg Code.

· The Global Military Alliance has confirmed that Mass Arrests were in progress and Trump has given the Green Light for the Emergency Broadcast System to be activated.

· On Thurs. 30 Jan. 2025 the privately owned Fed and IRS officially dropped dead – when the US Treasury withdrew from the Cabal’s Bankrupt Central Banks across the World. President Trump has said he will replace the IRS with the ERS (External Revenue Service) where taxation on goods will replace taxation on The People and their income.

· Since Friday 3 Feb. 2025 all Basel 4 Compliant banks have gone public with the new Gold / Commodity-backed currency International Rates as required by the GESARA Law. This is the Re-evaluation of all the global currencies (meaning the global currency reset).

· Tues. 11 Feb. 2025 Official Notification: Leaders in the Global Currency Reset received signal payments authorized by the Quantum Network

· This week the Quantum Financial System was said to be fully operational for completion of that Global Currency Reset.

· The use of the FIAT US Dollar will be used for up to 90 days Feb. / March / April parallel with the new United States Note (USN), they may cut it off by April 30th or soon thereafter. 🤔

- Julian Assange

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

With book 7 almost over when do you think that twisted wonderland will get a global release?

… I have no clue, and I can’t really predict that 😅

*pushes up anime glasses* It’s not a question of Twst popularity or how much content is out, but weighing the cost of the expanding to more global servers versus the projected revenue they’d actually be earning in these new markets. Because remember, it costs $$$ to hire localization teams, to maintain servers, to market/advertise, etc. and not every country or region has the audience willing to throw tons of cash at the game.

I know, I know, that’s boring Azul-coded business talk—but the truth of the matter is that this is how the decisions are made. Corpo doesn’t care if international fans want Twst to be more accessible, they care about their bottom line 😔

With book 7 recently confirming that the characters are aging up and the school year’s end slowly drawing closer and closer (it’s currently mid-May), I definitely think it’s possible! :>

I’d love to see first years succeeding their dorm leaders or vice dorm leaders, third years on their internships and in the adult world, and new first years come in (so our older first years can mentor and/or bully them)! Many interesting dynamics to explore.

[darkmaga-returns]

The Fair Tax Act (H.R. 25) would repeal the current tax code and replace it with a single national consumption tax, according to a press release.

“In addition to eliminating all personal and corporate income taxes, the death tax, gift taxes, and the payroll tax, the Fair Tax would also eliminate the need for the Internal Revenue Service,” the announcement reads.

You can find your U.S. Representatives and Senators here to let them know you support H.R. 25.

The legislation promises to “promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national sales tax to be administered primarily by the States.”

Speaking at the 2025 Republican Issues Conference in Doral, Florida, President Donald Trump outlined his proposal for doing away with income tax for Americans.

President Trump said it is “time for the U.S. to return to a system that made us richer and powerful,” adding that the country should be enriching itself by “tariffing and taxing foreign nationals.”

[gromphadorhina]

Hey, we are all aware on what's happening Right Now on the U.S Government and the Treasury, for anyone wanting to call their senators there is a script a friend of mind made and I was given an okay to share.

You can find your state senator here in this website.

This doesn't have to be strictly on a phone call but can be used in email as well.

Here's the following script below, you're free to add or make changes but hope this helps!

-----

Good Evening Senator [NAME HERE],

I hope this message finds you well. As you no doubt know, the United States is currently facing an unprecedented political crisis, with the recent inauguration of Donald Trump. His swiftly enacted policy, his administration's dismissal and dissolution of DEI, USAID, and the tampering with of potentially classified information. He has shown multiple times a disregard for our nation's rules and regulations, whether it be his rushed "buyout" of the federal administration, his executive orders reaching far beyond their actual power, or his blatant disregard for Elon Musk raiding and potentially leaking the United States treasury.

It blatantly clear that Donald Trump's agenda is to cut taxes for the rich, separate non-affluent workers from the workforce, and to install an unshakable seat of power for him and his administration. He has shown through these actions that he does not care for his oath of office, as he has unconstitutionally shut down multiple government agencies, clearly violating the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998. Additionally, his approval of the Department of Government Efficiency (hereby referred to as DOGE), and it's actions surrounding the federal payment system violate multiple constitutional acts, including but not limited to: the Privacy Act of 1974, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). It's also in clear violation of the Internal Revenue Code. DOGE, and by extension, Donald Trump's Administration, is in clear violation of our federal governments rules and regulation. Furthermore, his sudden and ham-fisted approach to "buying out" the federal administration and it's workers violates the Administrative Leave Act of 2016, as well as the Anti-Deficiency Act, as it not only promises money congress has not appropriated, but it also sidelines government employees using extended leave, without clear justification. It is clear to see that Donald Trump is clearly not respecting the Oath he took on January 20th, and is using his position of power for his own personal gain.

With this in mind, I strongly urge you to block any and all actions this administration may try to forward in the future. It is clear to see that the current leadership has not, and will not, respect any unwritten rule or regulation outside of Congress' vote. Additionally, I also strongly urge you to block any cabinet nominees appointed by Donald Trump. As I have detailed above, his administration already does not respect the current rules and regulations of our government, and to allow his appointed cabinet members access to these sensitive departments would only further his reach across the federal government. I strongly implore you to not only block any future action this administration may try to appeal, but to also deny the cabinet nominees access to a sensitive, and unstable executive branch clearly grabbing for power and wealth.

Thank you for your time,

[YOUR NAME HERE]

-----

I encourage anyone to boost and share this around! Even if you're not from the U.S, do share this around to your friends and mutuals that are from the U.S

[nationallawreview]

Direct Employer Assistance and 401(k) Plan Relief Options for Employees Affected by California Wildfires

In the past week, devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, California, have caused unprecedented destruction across the region, leading to loss of life and displacing tens of thousands. While still ongoing, the fires already have the potential to be the worst natural disaster in United States history. Quick Hits Employers can assist employees affected by the Los Angeles wildfires through qualified…

[softerseasons]

Juno, out of curiosity, what does an accountant DO? What does it mean to be one? Because I know there's math involved. I've heard it's very boring. But I don't know anything else and I'm curious because you're very good at putting things to words.

Okay first of all, I cannot express just how excited I got when I first saw this message. There is nothing I love more than talking about things I know about, and usually when my career is mentioned I don't get questions so much as immediate "Oh, bless you" and "I could never"s. Which- totally fair! For some people, accounting would be boring as all hell! But for a multitude of reasons, I adore it.

There are multiple types of accounting. The type most people tend to be more familiar with is that done by CPAs- CPAs, or Certified Public Accountants, are those that have done the lengthy and expensive process to be certified to handle other peoples' tax documents and submit taxes in their name, amongst other things. Yawn, taxes, right? Well, the thing with that is that there's a lot of little loopholes that tax accountants have to remain familiar with, because saving their clients a little more here or getting a little more back there can really add up, and can do a lot for people who, say, have enough money to afford to hire someone to do their taxes but not necessarily enough to be going hog wild with. Public accountants can work for large firms or by themselves, and also do things like preparing financial statements for businesses, auditing businesses to ensure all of their financial transactions are true and accurately reported to shareholders and clients, and consulting on how finances can be managed to maximize profit (money in - money out = profit, in very simple terms).

The type of accounting I do is private accounting! That basically just means that I work for a company in their in-house accounting/finance department. Private accounting tends to get split up into several different areas. My company has Payroll, Accounts Receivable, and Accounts Payable.

Payroll handles everyone's paychecks, PTO, ensuring the correct amount of taxes are withheld from individuals per their desires, and so on. Accounts Receivable handles money flow into the company- so when our company sells the product/service, our Accounts Receivable people are the ones who review the work, create the invoices, send the invoices to the clients, remind clients about overdue invoices, receive incoming payments via ACH (Automatic Clearing House- direct bank-to-bank deposits), Wire (Usually used for international transactions), or Check, and prepare statements that show how much revenue we are expected to gain in a period of time, or have gained in a period of time. This requires a lot of interfacing with clients and project managers.

My department is Accounts Payable. Accounts Payable does basically the other side of the coin from what Accounts Receivable does. We work mostly with vendors and our purchasing/receiving departments. We receive invoices from people and companies that have sold us products/services we need in order to make our own products/perform our services, enter them into our ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning, a system that integrates the departments in a company together- there are many different ERPs, and most people simply refer to their ERP as "the system" when talking internally to other employees of the same company that they work at, because saying the name of the system is redundant) using a set of codes that automatically places the costs into appropriate groups to be referenced for later financial reports, and run the payment processing to ensure that the vendors are being paid.

To break that down because I know that was a lot of words, here's some things I do in my day-to-day at work:

- Reconciliations, making sure two different statements match up: the most common one is Credit Card reconciliations, ensuring that there are appropriately coded entries in the system that match the payments made on our credit line in our bank.

- Invoice entry: this is basic data entry, for the most part. This can have two different forms, though

- Purchase Order Invoice entry: Invoices that are matched both to the service/product provided from the vendor and the purchase order created by our Purchasing/Receiving department. We ensure that the item, the quantity, and the price all match between our records, the purchase order, and the invoice, before we enter this.

- Hard Coded Invoice entry: Invoices that we enter manually due to there being no Purchase Order for them. This is often recurring services, like cleaning or repairs, that may happen too often or have prices vary too much for Purchase Orders to be practical.

- Cleaning up old purchase orders: sometimes Purchase Orders are put in the system and then never fulfilled. Because this shows on financial statements as being a long-standing open commitment, it looks bad, so we have to periodically research these and find out if the vendor simply didn't send us the invoice, if the order was cancelled, or if something else is going on.

- Forensics! This is my personal favorite part of the job, where someone has massively borked something that is affecting my work, and so I go dig into it, sometimes going back as four or five years in records to find the origin point of the first mistake, and untangling the threads of what happened following that mistake to get us to where we are today. There's an entire field called Forensic Accounting that is basically just doing This but for other companies (it's a subset of auditing, and often is done via the IRS) and that's my dream position to be totally honest. I loooove the dopamine hit i get with solving the mystery and getting praised for doing so faster than anyone else has even begun to realize the problem to start with.

- Balancing Credits/Debits: This is more of a Main Accountant role thing, but the long and short of it is that every business has Assets, Liabilities, and Equity. Liabilities and Equity are what we put into the company/what we owe, and assets are what we have received/what we are owed. Anything that increases Assets or lowers Liabilities or Equity is a Debit. Anything that decreases Assets or raises Liabilities or Equity is a Credit. Every monetary change we process has to include an equal Debit and Credit. This is its own whole lecture, so if you wanna know more about double-entry accounting, let me know, but it's yawnsville for most people.

- Actually cutting checks or initiating bank payments to vendors for amounts we owe them.

- Vendor communication: I'm on the phones and email a lot with vendors who are wondering where their payment is, or why something was short-paid, or if I can change some of their info in our system, and so on and so on. Every job is customer service, unfortunately. I don't love it, but I do a lot less of it in private accounting than I would have to do in public accounting.

- Spreadsheets: I make so many spreadsheets I am a goddamn Excel wizard. I love spreadsheets. This isn't necessarily accounting-specific though, most people in Finance jobs love spreadsheets, or at least use them to make their lives easier. I make them just for fun, because I'm a giant fucking nerd who finds that kind of thing enjoyable lol. So if you ever need a spreadsheet made for anything, hit me up.

As for math, that's a pretty common misconception. While there is math, it is very rarely more complicated than "I paid $3 of the $8 I owe, now I owe $5" for me. There are some formulas you learn in school (Business Administration with a focus in Accounting is what I studied), but they're also pretty standard and rarely include more than like... basic algebra. Which. Thanks @ god because I flunked so hard out of pre-calc in college. I could not have done accounting if it really were all that math heavy.

Aaaand yeah! That's all I've got off the top of my head- if you have any more questions about it, do let me know, I'm happy to ramble on for hours, but I'm cutting it here so I don't start meandering on without direction lol.

[nanamineedstherapy]

Chai, Chappals, & the Corporate Cage Fight

Summary: Gangs of Wasseypur x Shark Tank but everyone has rabies. Mainly Slice of life, but aggressive. Previous Chapter - [Tumblr/Ao3]

On Thursday, you knew it was going to be a bad day when Sukuna parked in your spot again.

Red Land Rover. Loud engine. Red dice hanging from the rearview like a middle-aged gym uncle going through his villain arc.

You blocked him in with your AM Vantage. Slowly. Pettily. Then texted him one word:

“Move. Bitch.”

He replied with a skull emoji.

You found him outside, leaning against his car in a red kurta and gold chain combo that screamed, “Delhi fuckboy goes to poetry slam.”

“What,” he said, not looking up from his phone, “no special parking spot for CEO behaviour now?”

You smiled sweetly. “No special brain cell for basic courtesy either?”

He smirked. “Why so angry, founder? That time of the month or just bad numbers this quarter?”

You saw red.

“Don’t say that shit like you’re not the reason our burn rate looks like a funeral pyre.”

He scoffed. “I’m the reason your startup’s even relevant. I rebuilt the product roadmap in two days. What did you do? Brew coffee and yell at interns?”

You stepped closer. “I yell because you run your mouth like you’re back in some MBA group project where no one liked you but needed your Excel sheet.”

He leaned in. “And I talk because I actually know what I’m doing.”

There was a full-blown standoff happening now. Two grown adults, fighting in the parking lot, surrounded by delivery guys and a stray dog eating chole bhature from the trash.

Toji came out to watch. HR peeked from the window. Even Megumi paused his code.

You shoved Sukuna back with your elbow. He didn’t move. Just smiled like he’d let you.

“I swear to God,” you hissed, “if you mansplain revenue models to me again, I will bash your face into this bonnet.”

Sukuna tilted his head. “And I swear, if you ignore the attrition matrix I built again, I’m leaking your passive-aggressive Slack messages to the board.”

“Oh, please,” you snorted, “like the board listens to you. You look like you run a fake NFT scam in Goa.”

He grinned. “And you look like you haven’t slept in three months.”

“Because I haven’t, Sukuna. Because you keep breaking our product with your midlife ‘pivot’ strategies.”

Silence.

He cracked his neck. “You’re obsessed with control.”

You stepped closer. “And you’re obsessed with being smarter than everyone in the room because deep down, you're still that bullied, bookish CBSE kid who got abs and a sleeve to cope.”

That hit.

You saw it. That one blink. That one twitch.

“You read Freakonomics in 11th grade and now think you invented capitalism,” you added.

He finally snapped. “You wear your trauma like a badge.”

“And you wear yours like a tattoo,” you shot back.

Toji was holding up his phone now. “I’m live streaming this to the HR WhatsApp. Say hi.”

Sukuna leaned against the car, smiling again.

“You gonna write me up?” he asked.

“No,” you said. “I’m going to beat you in the Q3 pitch meeting. With metrics. Like a real CEO.”

He raised a brow. “No fists?”

You cracked your knuckles. “Only if you steal my spot again.”

---

A/N: Sukuna’s not an idiot. That’s what makes it worse. He’s competent, calculating, and condescending—a nerd cosplaying as a devil. You fight him because he challenges you. You hate him because he reminds you that you’re not the only genius in the building. But next time? He’s getting his tyres slashed.

Next Chapter - Ghalib, Ghazal & Getting a Restraining Order - [Tumblr/Ao3]

All Works Masterlist

[felassan]

Business Wire: 'Electronic Arts Pre-Announces Preliminary Q3 FY25 Results'

"REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced preliminary results for the third fiscal quarter and a revised outlook for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. Business Outlook as of January 22, 2025 EA’s initial guidance for fiscal year 2025 anticipated mid-single-digit growth in live services net bookings1. However, the company now projects a mid-single-digit decline, with Global Football accounting for the majority of the change. Global Football had experienced two consecutive fiscal years of double-digit net bookings growth. However, the franchise experienced a slowdown as early momentum in the fiscal third quarter did not sustain through to the end. As a result, EA revises its outlook for Global Football to end the fiscal year down mid-single-digit at the midpoint of the new outlook. Separately, Dragon Age engaged approximately 1.5 million players during the quarter, down nearly 50% from the company’s expectations. As a result, EA is providing preliminary results for its third fiscal quarter and updating its fiscal year 2025 net bookings outlook. It now expects net bookings of approximately $2.215 billion for the third fiscal quarter and an updated range of $7.000 billion to $7.150 billion for fiscal year 2025. For its third fiscal quarter, EA now expects GAAP net revenue to be approximately $1.883 billion and approximately $1.11 in GAAP diluted earnings per share. “During Q3, we continued to deliver high-quality games and experiences across our portfolio; however, Dragon Age and EA SPORTS FC 25 underperformed our net bookings expectations,” said Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA. “This month, our teams delivered a comprehensive gameplay refresh in addition to our annual Team of the Year update in FC 25; positive player feedback and early results are encouraging. We remain confident in our long-term strategy and expect a return to growth in FY26, as we execute against our pipeline.” “We continue to balance investment for future growth with operational discipline, and remain committed to EA’s long-term financial framework,” said Stuart Canfield, CFO of EA. “As we look to FY26, we expect to grow as we launch more of our iconic franchises.” EA will announce its results for the third fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2024 on February 4th, 2025 and will host a conference call at 2:00 pm PT (5:00 pm ET) to discuss its quarterly results and financial outlook. Listeners may access the conference call live via a dial-in number or audio webcast."

"Tuesday, February 4, 2025 2:00 pm Pacific Time (5:00 pm Eastern Time) Dial-in numbers: Domestic: (855) 761-5600; International: (646) 307-1097 Conference ID: 5939891 Webcast: http://ir.ea.com"

"EA’s financial results release will be available after the close of market on February 4, 2025 on EA’s website at http://ir.ea.com. A dial-in replay of the conference call will be available until February 11, 2025 at (800) 770-2030 (domestic) or (609) 800-9909 (international) using pin code 5939891. An audio webcast replay of the conference call will be available for one year at http://ir.ea.com. Forward-Looking Statements Some statements set forth in this release, including the information relating to EA’s expectations under the heading “Business Outlook as of January 22, 2025” are forward-looking statements that are subject to change. These forward-looking statements are current as of January 22, 2025. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and reflect management’s current expectations. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include those discussed in Part II, Item 1A of Electronic Arts’ latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the heading “Risk Factors”, as well as in other documents EA has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. EA assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. In addition, the preliminary results set forth in this release are estimates based on information currently available to EA. While EA believes these estimates are meaningful, they could differ from the actual amounts that EA ultimately reports in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2024."

[source]

[mariacallous]

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the US Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In its lawsuit, the ACLU accuses the agencies of violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by ignoring the ACLU’s requests and subsequent appeals for information concerning the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) “attempted or actual access” to sensitive federal databases.

The ACLU began pursuing documents under the federal transparency law in February, as WIRED first reported, responding to reports that Elon Musk’s DOGE operatives were seeking access to troves of personal information belonging to US citizens, including US Department of Treasury records that contain “millions of Social Security numbers, bank accounts, business finances,” and more.

Over the last few months, extensive reporting by WIRED and other outlets has exposed DOGE’s attempts to access and analyze sensitive data on federal employees, the American public, and immigrants to the US.

In its complaint, the ACLU argues that DOGE’s access to highly sensitive information about Americans’ health and finances raises “acute concerns” due to the “extraordinary harm” that can result from any unauthorized use of those files. According to the complaint, the ACLU pressed the SSA to expedite the release of public records associated with DOGE’s work; a process permitted when documents are deemed urgent to inform the public about government activities at the center of significant public debate or concern. The organization cited, among its other materials, a letter from Senator Mark Warner detailing the unprecedented secrecy shrouding DOGE’s activities.

The SSA rejected the ACLU’s claim but then later ignored its attempts to file an appeal, the ACLU says—a procedure the SSA is required to abide by under FOIA. The VA was even less responsive, the ACLU alleges; it acknowledged the ACLU’s request in February then ceased any further communications.

“If DOGE is forcing its way into our private data, it is forcing itself into our private lives,” says Lauren Yu, one of the attorneys representing the ACLU in court. “Congress mandated strict privacy safeguards for a reason, and Americans deserve to know who has access to their social security numbers, their bank account information, and their health records … Government actors cannot continue to shroud themselves in secrecy while prying into our most sensitive records.”

The organization’s lawsuit is also informed, it says, by growing public concern over the ongoing push by DOGE to implement artificial intelligence (AI) systems, “which raises alarms about the potential for mass surveillance and politically motivated misuse of that deeply personal information.”

Earlier this month, WIRED reported that a DOGE operative was attempting to use an AI tool to implement code at the VA, which administers benefits to roughly 10 million American veterans and their families, including health care and disability payments. Sources at the agency voiced concerns about the rush to implement AI, saying the operation had failed to follow normal procedures and threatened to put US veterans’ access to the benefits they’d earned at risk.

“Granting DOGE access to VA data systems would not only violate federal law but it would undermine the very core of the VA mission to care for veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors,” Michelle Fraling, the ACLU’s counsel, said in a statement.

WIRED reported last week that DOGE is knitting together data from the Social Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Internal Revenue Service that could create a surveillance tool of unprecedented scope. The ACLU’s initial records requests were prompted in part by concerns, its FOIA filings say, about the use of computer matching programs that are able to cross-reference information on individuals using disparate government databases.

The ability of the government to cross-reference personal information using databases from different agencies is tightly regulated under the US Privacy Act. The act was amended in 1988 to require agencies to enter into written agreements before engaging in computer matching, and agencies are required under the law to calculate how such initiatives might impact individuals’ rights.

“The federal government cannot dodge accountability by ignoring our lawful demands for transparency,” Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said in a statement.

[usgovsummary]

January 20, 2025

POTUS:

Retracted 78 previous executive orders, most regarding COVID-19 actions to ensure public safety, federal DEI programs, several EOs that held the executive branch accountable, climate change, immigration, and healthcare. Full list here.

Announced Cabinet picks: here

Required all federal employees to terminate remote working

Declared a national emergency on the southern border

Removed the US from WHO and the Paris Climate Agreement

Pardoned rioters from the January 6th Insurrection

Imposed new trade standards, supposedly prioritizing America: here

Declared a national energy emergency, ignoring many environmental regulations to lower the cost of energy and promote energy production

Gave the president the ability to remove Career Senior Executives who are deemed to have "failed" the president

Bolstered the death penalty

Signed an EO to stop birthright citizenship

Signed an EO to redefine the two sexes and stated the federal government will not recognize gender identity

Implemented the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Allowed natural gas fracking and drilling in Alaska again

Several EOs were signed to prevent immigration from the southern border

Temporarily ending offshore wind farm projects

Redistributed foreign aid

Ended government DEI programs and insist the government will be hiring on merit

Federally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Mount Denali to Mount McKinley

Designated international cartels as global terrorists

Ended national emergency that imposed sanctions on settlers invading the West Bank

More details and the actual policies can be found here

SCOTUS:

The Supreme Court was closed

Congress:

2 bills were introduced: One meant to repeal the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The other deals with a nuance finance issue.

Passed the Laken Riley Act, requiring aliens who are being charged with theft in the US to be taken into custody

Confirm the nomination of Marco Rubio for Secretary of State

Debate began on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in the Senate. The law is meant to prevent healthcare professionals from failing to provide proper care in case a child survives an abortion

In the House of Representatives, 12 public bills were introduced: 5 were regarding the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which deals with taxes. One was to advance the US strategy in the Pacific Islands. H. R. 563 is meant to discontinue the collection of records for discontinued firearms sales by the federal government. Others dealt with the law banning TikTok, residency requirements of officials, air pollution, labor representation, and funding for law enforcement to deal with auto theft

Further details can be found here

[phoenixyfriend]

CALL YOUR FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES TODAY 2/7/24

VERY IMPORTANT, CALL AS EARLY IN THE MORNING AS YOU CAN, AS THEY WILL PROBABLY BE VOTING TODAY, POSSIBLY TOMORROW

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

VOTE AGAINST: H.R. 7217: Making emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to the attacks in Israel for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.

VOTE AGAINST: H.Res. 863: Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors. REASON: it’s a baseless political move meant to flex on their opposition. If your rep is republican, tell them off for focusing on litigating against the Dems instead of focusing on policy.

VOTE AGAINST: H.Res. 994: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 7160) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the limitation on the amount certain married individuals can deduct for State and local taxes, and providing for consideration of the resolution (H.Res. 987) denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden administration, and for other purposes. REASON: Loses billions in tax revenue and explicitly targets green energy.

SENATE:

Senate Republicans are looking like they’ll vote down the budget that’s been negotiated for MONTHS despite ostensibly getting everything they wanted. Tell them to stop being cowards and backing out of something they promised to their constituents just because Donald Trump told them not to. He’s not even in the government right now.

DO tell them that you still aren’t happy with the bill because it’s too focused on anti-immigration policies and that you’d be happy if they bent on that one, and on Israel’s military funding. Better if they focus on (cause of your choice that needs more funding).

[darkmaga-returns]

Joseph Addington

Oct 26, 2024

Argentina’s President Javier Milei announced Monday that he would shutter the Federal Administration of Public Revenue (AFIP), the Argentine equivalent to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The institution will be replaced by the Agency of Customs Collection and Control (ARCA), with a new structure reorganized to increase the efficiency of customs and tax administration. As part of the restructuring, the government will eliminate 34 percent of the current AFIP workforce, which it estimates will save the nation some $6.5 million annually.

In addition to cutting staff positions, the government will also adjust the salary structure for the new agency. This includes dramatically reducing the salaries of top officials in the tax bureaucracy, whose pay has ballooned far higher than most positions in the Argentine government. The director of AFIP was receiving a salary equivalent to more than $365,000 a year, an astronomical figure in the South American nation. The new director of Arca will receive a salary equivalent to that of government ministers, approximately $50,000 annually—a cost reduction of more than 86 percent.  Also to be eliminated is the system of incentives known as the “account ranking,” in which a certain proportion of tax revenues is distributed among the employees of the administration to reward the effective collection of taxes. The arrangement made AFIP employees some of the best-paid in the government, but also provoked resentment from citizens and contributed to its large budgetary footprint.

The reform also has a political angle. The president’s statement notes that the reform will “eliminate 3,155 agents who entered AFIP in an irregular manner during the previous Kirchnerist government, totaling 15 percent of the current staff. This step is indispensable for dismantling the unnecessary bureaucracy which has obstructed the economic and commercial liberty of Argentinians.” The government believes that the purging of Peronists from the tax administration will result in an institution that is much more responsive to leadership and more supportive of the economic priorities of Milei’s administration, which has made the reduction and rationalization of the Argentine tax code a key point of its political program.