#Labels: Government Service Contractors

[smalltofedsblog]

Understanding The Federal Government Uniform Contract Format

Examine the contents, research the appropriate sections of the FAR that may govern them and review them as commitments to which your organization can perform before you sign your contract.

[follow-up-news]

Take a quick look at the Department of Government Efficiency’s list of canceled contracts and you’d think the Agriculture Department spent $25 million on diversity trainings four separate times, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau spent $600 million on management consultants. DOGE’s “wall of savings” and list of canceled contracts include many eye-popping “receipts” like those. There’s just one problem: Many of the so-called receipts aren’t receipts at all. They’re negotiated agreements with known government contractors, who might provide future services.  “This is a way to make it easier for the government to order, if it does order, and to set up good prices that they can order. It doesn’t mean they buy it,” Steve Kelman, who ran the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the Office of Management and Budget in the 1990s, said of the contracts. The agreements are known as blanket purchase agreements (BPAs), working more like a catalog of things the government might buy than a placed order. But listed alongside actual orders for goods and services on DOGE’s “wall of savings,” they create a wildly exaggerated and false impression of government spending.  The wall of savings includes more than 60 listed “contracts” that are clearly labeled as BPAs on the DOGE site, while many others are identified as BPAs in federal records — often easily spotted because of their high, round numbers. NBC News counted more than $1 billion value in DOGE’s list of canceled contracts from BPAs. 

[mariacallous]

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, a nearly 150-year-old law firm, bent the knee to President Donald Trump Thursday evening when it struck a deal to get rid of the president’s executive order apparently punishing the firm for once employing a lawyer who worked on a case targeting the president.

Trump’s executive order purported to ban the law firm from government contracts, restrict its lawyers from federal buildings and require clients to disclose their employment of the firm when seeking government contracts. It would have been an existential blow to the firm, which operates a broad multinational practice that encompasses everything from mergers and acquisitions to white-collar defense to civil rights and free speech litigation. The deal to make the order go away, as described in a statement posted by Trump on Thursday, requires the firm to restrict its diversity, equity and inclusion practices and provide $40 million in pro bono services to the administration. In effect, the firm has not simply paid off, but joined the administration.

Paul Weiss’ acquiescence is the latest example of a great menace stalking the country in the early days of Trump’s second term: cowardice.

Let’s be clear about what happened here, Trump’s mafioso government extorted the firm to give up its historic support for civil rights and join itself to enacting his autocratic agenda. The firm could have challenged this illegal extortion, as the firm Perkins Coie, also targeted by the administration, has done with success so far, but instead it chose Vichy-style collaboration.

“We are gratified that the President has agreed to withdraw the Executive Order concerning Paul, Weiss,” Brad Karp, Paul Weiss chairman, said in a statement included in Trump’s post. “We look forward to an engaged and constructive relationship with the President and his Administration.”

This is particularly galling from a firm with a laudable history of standing up for civil rights and the advancement of minority groups. Paul Weiss was the first mixed Jewish and WASP law firm in New York City. It was the first American law firm to employ a Black associate, a Black woman associate and first to make a woman a partner. The firm also worked alongside former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on the Brown v. Board of Education case that ended formal segregation in schools, fought for more inclusive immigration laws during and after the Holocaust and defended free speech rights in a landmark case involving D.H. Lawrence’s novel “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.”

To protect its present pecuniary interests, the firm has now decided to throw that history in the gutter by accepting surrender to Trump’s anti-DEI initiatives.

Acquiescing to the Trump administration’s anti-DEI pressure campaign should not be seen in the light of the debate over the merits or demerits of DEI that preceded this administration. Instead, it should be understood as the Trump administration understands it: a frontal assault on civil rights law and desegregation.

Administration allies have all but admitted as much, as conservative activist Chris Rufo did in an interview with The New York Times’ Ross Douthat.

The administration’s actions are also very clear on this. Just look at what the Department of Defense is doing.

Links to web pages about Black, Latino and female military servicemembers buried at Arlington Cemetery have been deleted from parts of the cemetery’s web site. Web pages touting the accomplishments of Black servicemembers, including baseball great Jackie Robinson, were taken down and affixed with the label “DEI” in the page’s URL. (The administration reversed course and restored some pages, including Robinson’s, following outrage from sports media on Thursday.)

The General Services Administration also removed a requirement for contractors to not operate segregated facilities if they wanted to obtain contracts.

This is what eliminating DEI means to the Trump administration. And now, that’s what it means for Paul Weiss.

The firm has already begun to accept the Trump administration’s principles. Some time after the executive order came down, but before the firm allowed itself to be extorted, the firm took down a web page and links to its Center to Combat Hate. The firm launched the center in May 2024 to perform litigation alongside civil rights groups “to confront and redress hate-driven violence and intimidation” in order to “foster a more just and equitable society.” All links to it, including on the social media web site LinkedIn, are now dead.

Paul Weiss is not alone among elite institutions in choosing a whimper, not a bang when threatened by the Trump autocracy. Universities are largely bending over backwards to protect their own financial interests. Administrators at Columbia University are considering allowing itself to be extorted into giving up the university’s autonomy in order to keep $400 million in grants that the administration is using as leverage. The administration is also targeting the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University with similar extortion efforts to seize control of their operations, with dozens of others likely to follow suit.

Nonprofits are being cowed into deleting references to diversity and inclusion, transgender people and changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, sometimes after facing direct threats from the administration.

Corporations are sucking up and paying up to the administration in pursuit of government contracts, protection from investigation or prosecution and any number of corrupt acts they can extract from the nation’s mob boss. In some cases, corporate leaders, particularly in Silicon Valley, have fully embraced autocratic theories of government as a way to further enrich and empower themselves.

This cowardice is exactly what the Trump administration counts on to succeed. It is also precisely how a liberal democracy can succumb to autocracy: Private actors are putting their private interests above the common good. They have forgotten that liberalism and democracy do not just provide rights that protect their private interests, but demand public duties of citizens to uphold them. Those who choose otherwise accept their own corruption.

These elite institutions cannot, and will not save liberalism. Nor will they save democracy. They can join the people or they can join the autocrats in the public and private spheres who wish to rule as kings.

It’s time to ask: Which side are you on?

[lightsaber-dorphin]

Jedi Order Bureaucratic Structure

I’ve been working for a while on worldbuilding the inner workings of the Jedi Order. Below is a flowchart of the administrative bodies, their duties, and any other admin bodies they oversee. More details on each below the cut.

These are different groups involved in running the Jedi Order. For different roles within the Jedi, see my Jedi Order Corps and Subdivisions.

High Council: (Finance, bylaws, PR, major trials)

Determines the budget(s)

Relations with the Senate

Only body that can expel members

Librarian's Assembly: (Ensures knowledge is available to Jedi)

Fund academic researchers (many Jedi researchers work directly for the assembly)

Archives: (Run the Archives & research)

Host academic conferences

Protect important artifacts

Run basically directly by the Librarian's Assembly

Department of Classes: (Adult education)

Organize all classes that aren't geneds

Set criteria for certifications/ degrees

Help members get degrees from external organizations

Council of Reassignment: (Oversees transfers & is Jedi CPS)

New Initiate paperwork

Transfers between corps and/or branches

Helps members leave the Order

Checks the CoFK when necessary

Padawanship paperwork filed here (crèchemasters sign off, padawan signs off, check master for red flags/ not allowed to take apprentice, sometimes mind healer signs off)

Council of Justice: (Attourneys & internal justice system)

Try & punish cases committed by Jedi & internal to the Jedi Order

Mediate interpersonal disputes

Lawyers for the Order

Cannot expel members

Council of Outreach: (Manages outposts & patrols)

Assigns Jedi to satellite locations or watchfolk posts

Hires other outpost staff

Ships supplies to & from outposts

Tracks the locations of missions & sends Vanguards to areas that haven't been visited recently

Council of Temple Maintenance: (Oversees internal services and temple upkeep)

In charge of the cleaning droids

Coordinates trash & recycling with Coruscant government

Has the occasional member who can do specialized maintenance (ex. plumber, electrician)

Volunteers sign up to fix things

Hires outside contractors when there isn't a Jedi with the necessary skills

Assigns Jedi to living quarters

Interior decor

Delegates chores such as taking out the trash, mopping, dusting, etc.

Padawans and initiates are often assigned these chores as punishments

Kitchenmasters: (Mess halls)

Make & serve food in the mess halls

Label the food with which species can eat it

Order food supplies

Supervise initiate clans helping in the kitchens

Quartermasters: (Distribute supplies & manage finances)

Bulk-order supplies for the Order

Provide mission allotments

Desk operators help members pick up supplies

Accounting

Transport Office: (Run the hangar bay & speeder pool)

Responsible for the Order's vehicles

Mechanics

Vehicles are checked in & out like a library for cars & ships

Hire external staff when there aren't enough Jedi

Temple Guard: (Security & emergency response)

Guard against exterior threats to the temple

Security during criminal situations

Really good at sensing danger to temple inhabitants

First responders (fire & police-- MedCorp handles EMS)

Change lightbulbs and smoke detector batteries

Odd jobs on behalf of the CoTM

Uses the lore by Adsecula in "Nameless"

Council of Reconciliation: (Central hub of Jedi outreach & diplomacy)

All aid requests go through them

Sets mission objectives

Approve or deny aid/ mission requests

Reviews behavior of Jedi on missions when there are issues

Mission Consignment: (Assign Jedi to approved missions)

Desk jockeys

Not officially divided by type of mission/ Jedi role needed, but missions will be passed to people who are more familiar with the experts required

Organizes specifics for missions such as transportation and housing

Council of First Knowledge: (Runs Initiate & Padawan dorms, clans, & childhood education)

Initiate clans members live together with their crèchemasters rotating out night shifts

Padawans & Senior Initiates live in individual rooms in designated halls with some crèchemasters living in each hall

Department of Seekers: (Regulates conduct of Seekers)

Create regulates for what Seekers can & cannot do & how they should act

Investigate reported misconduct by Seekers

Crèche: (Organizes care for Initiates)

Sort Initiates into clans

Run events/ field trips/ etc.

Set educational standards

see my post about Living Quarters in the Jedi Temple

Department of Primary Classes: (Classroom education for younglings)

Standard elementary school operation stuff

Provides the general education classes all Jedi take as younglings

Circle of Healers: (Sets certification requirements)

Certified to train medical professionals for a variety of degrees

Determines when Jedi have fulfilled requirements for medical certifications

Sets the qualifications for Force-specific medical degrees

Halls of Healing: (Healthcare within the Order & internal outreach)

Like a local hospital but also has general practitioners

IRB: (Reviews research for ethical concerns)

Institutional Review Board

"Under FDA regulations, an Institutional Review Board is group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects. In accordance with FDA regulations, an IRB has the authority to approve, require modifications in (to secure approval), or disapprove research. This group review serves an important role in the protection of the rights and welfare of human research subjects."

IRB for the entire Order, not just the MedCorps

[gingerofsuburbia]

BDS Consumer Boycott Targets

Everything here is copied over from the BDS website.

Hewlett Packard Inc (HP Inc)

HP Inc (US) provides services to the offices of genocide leaders, Israeli PM Netanyahu and Financial Minister Smotrich. HPE, which shares the same brand, provides technology for Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, a pillar of its apartheid regime.

Chevron (including Caltex and Texaco)

US fossil fuel multinational Chevron is the main corporation extracting gas claimed by apartheid Israel in the East Mediterranean. Chevron generates billions in revenues, strengthening Israel’s war chest and apartheid system, exacerbating the climate crisis and Gaza siege, and is complicit in depriving the Palestinian people of their right to sovereignty over their natural resources. Chevron has thousands of retail gas stations around the world under the Chevron, Caltex, and Texaco brand names.

Siemens

Siemens (Germany) is the main contractor for the Euro-Asia Interconnector, an Israel-EU submarine electricity cable that is planned to connect Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory to Europe. Siemens-branded electrical appliances are sold globally.

PUMA

Since 2018, we have called for a boycott of PUMA (Germany) due to its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which governs teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land. In a major BDS win in December 2023, PUMA leaked news to the media that it will not be renewing its IFA contract when it expires in December 2024. Until then, it is still complicit, so we continue to #BoycottPUMA until it finally ends its complicity in apartheid.

Carrefour

Carrefour (France) is a genocide enabler. Carrefour-Israel has supported Israeli soldiers partaking in the unfolding genocide of Palestinians in Gaza with gifts of personal packages. In 2022, it entered a partnership with the Israeli company Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, both of which are involved in grave violations against the Palestinian people.

AXA

Insurance giant AXA (France) invests in Israeli banks financing war crimes and the theft of Palestinian land and natural resources. When Russia invaded Ukraine, AXA took targeted measures against it. Yet, Axa has taken no action against Israel, a 75-year-old regime of settler-colonialism and apartheid, despite its ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.

SodaStream

SodaStream is an Israeli company that is actively complicit in Israel's policy of displacing the indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens of present-day Israel in the Naqab (Negev) and has a long history of racial discrimination against Palestinian workers.

Ahava

Ahava cosmetics is an Israeli company that has its production site, visitor center, and main store in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory.

RE/MAX

RE/MAX (US) markets and sells property in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land, thus enabling Israel’s colonization of the occupied West Bank.

Israeli produce in your supermarkets

Boycott produce from Israel in your supermarket and demand their removal from shelves. Beyond being part of a trade that fuels Israel’s apartheid economy, Israeli fruits, vegetables, and wines misleadingly labeled as “Product of Israel” often include products of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. Israeli companies do not distinguish between the two, and neither should consumers.

Non-BDS Grassroots Boycotts:

McDonald’s (US), Burger King (US), Papa John’s (US), Pizza Hut (US), WIX (Israel), etc. are now being targeted in some countries by grassroots organic boycott campaigns, not initiated by the BDS movement. BDS supports these boycott campaigns because these companies, or their branches or franchisees in Israel, have openly supported apartheid Israel and/or provided generous in-kind donations to the Israeli military amid the current genocide. If these grassroots campaigns are not already organically active in your area, we suggest focusing your energies on our strategic campaigns above. 

Recently, McDonald’s franchisee in Malaysia has filed a SLAPP lawsuit against solidarity activists, claiming defamation. Instead of holding the Israel franchisee to account for supporting genocide, we are now witnessing corporate bullying against activists. For both these reasons, we are calling to escalate the boycott of McDonald’s until the parent company takes action and ends the complicity of the brand.

Remember, all Israeli banks and virtually all Israeli companies are complicit to some degree in Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid, and hundreds of international corporations and banks are also deeply complicit. We focus our boycotts on a small number of companies and products for maximum impact.

[ere-the-sun-rises]

Please for your own sake do 5 minutes of reading on the subject instead of uncritically repeating what you were taught as a child. Hamas are the military wing of the political party that currently administrate Gaza and have since 2006. Terrorism is an arbitrary label applied to any violence that opposes the actions of a state.

Hi! Thanks for reaching out! I understand what you're trying to say, and you're not entirely wrong. However, there is some key points you're misunderstanding. There are differences between terrorists, militants and state actors.

Terrorists can be lone wolves in service of a higher ideology, decentralized violent movements or organized collectives that use terror tactics as a means to achieve their goals (usually because there are relatively few of them). These acts do not have to be against their own state or a state at all. A Western example of this would be the FLQ, a Québeçois separationist group from Canada active in the 1980s. This group bombed mailboxes, cars and offices, as well as abducted and killed politicians.

Militants are a more cohesive unit, large and well armed enough to engage in direct engagement. They also tend to be more centralized and can carry out coordinated long-term assault strategies. They can resort to terrorist strategy, but do not depend on them. The IRA were militants.

State actors are organizations that belong to a government, in-power political party or country. These would include things like police, armies, private military contractors (in the employ of a state), the Nazi SS (originally the Nazi Party's militarized wing) or the USA's National Guard.

To be a state, there must be a geographical zone one controls, an affiliated populace and an independent governmental body (as in, it operates itself without answering to a mother-state as a colony would be expected to). To achieve statehood, the state must also be internationally recognized, since acceptance of government-issued documentation (like passports) depend on other states accepting them as valid. States can exist as clients to larger states, or depend heavily on another state for resources so long as daily government function is not answerable to another state.

With those definitions out of the way: Palestine, Hamas and Israel, then.

Israel is an internationally recognized state with a UN seat, their own armies, allies and treaties. Israelis have government documentation accepted around the world and there are routes to becoming an Israeli citizen. Israel is a state.

Palestine is a geographical zone within which Israel exists, as well as a by-word for an ethnicity belonging to said region. Palestine does not have a functional government, cannot issue government documentation or verify citizenship, nor does it control its own internal affairs uninterrupted. This is because Israel has stopped it from doing so - funding for any bureaucracy comes from Israel and Israel controls the borders, whether that be letting people in or out. Palestine is not recognized as a state by any other states.

Hamas is a terrorist organization. It fails to make militant status because its forces are small, it cannot control or hold territory, it is not capable of meeting another force in direct engagement and it relies almost exclusively on terrorist tactics to accomplish any goal. You are correct that Hamas was voted into power in 2006, but that means very little. Not only was that election's turnout suppressed by Hamas to start, but it was 18 years ago without another being held since. Insofar as a government exists/has existed at all, it is not independent. As I said, Israel controls the geographic zone in its entirety - Hamas has no control over Palestine's border, nor does it issue passports or verify citizenship and it was never capable of doing so. What Ministries do function are paid for by Israel, not through state revenues like taxes (which you need state apparatus to extract, which Hamas does not have). Even the PLO in the West Bank (which is closer to an actual government body) does not have that power and never did. Does Hamas run institutions like the Health Ministry which are usually run by governments? Yes. Does that make it a government? No. Because it cannot govern.

I have a feeling, my friend, that you are the one who has not read very much. Israel has willfully decided to attack a geographically captive group of non-citizens who do not belong to any state in order to eliminate a terrorist organization. As the only state actor in this conflict, Israel is in control and always have been. They, therefore, are liable for every horrific thing they've done over the last 70-some years and have no excuse for any of it.

Irregardless, I don't give a fuck about Hamas. Hamas are terrorists - what the fuck did you think they were gonna do? They were gonna do terrorism, you goddamn idiot. Israel doesn't have an excuse - they're genocidal apartheid warmongers who want to annex the whole region for their own. The end.

I hope every Israeli official who authorized this gets tried in the Hague and every soldier who gleefully participated in this never know peace for the rest of their hopefully long and miserable lives.

I hope every innocent Israeli civilian never has to worry about terrorism in their lives again. I hope every Palestianian never hears gunfire or ordinance ever again, that they will know warm homes, olive trees, complete families and peace again and never lose it.

And I hope you, my friend, never ever find yourself in a situation where your horrific and unmitigated suffering is so ruthlessly and heartlessly dismissed - that you never know what it is like to live the way the Palestinians are right now.

No one deserves this.

[beeseverywhen]

Another week, another phantom menace for Rishi Sunak. The people he is talking about, regarding his benefit reforms, do not exist. The 1.35 million people who could work but just don’t want to, who have a label of depression or anxiety but are just a little bit sad, who could have their benefits replaced by vouchers and find that incentivising: these people do not exist.

People are not signed off work because we are all a little bit more comfortable talking about our moods. People are not on disability benefits because Prince Harry did a podcast. We don’t have a “sicknote culture” because it’s too easy to get a sicknote. The pressure on GPs will not be lifted by parcelling out sicknotes to private contractors. Those with depression and anxiety severe enough to claim a personal independence payment (Pip) are catastrophically unwell. If numbers have surged over the past 14 years, which they have, it is because Conservative governments make you catastrophically unwell.

Pushback on this new narrative of cruelty has so far been pathetic: at the most, you might hear a minister challenged on the scarcity of NHS mental health provision. All that is true: child and adolescent mental health services in particular are now so poor as to be almost nonexistent. There are areas of the country where a child can wait so long for help that by the time it arrives, four years later, they are no longer a child. In a grim, idiotic irony that is the trademark of a government that marries callousness to incompetence, the more severe your illness, the more labyrinthine and inaccessible the treatment: hospital trusts might meet the referral targets for psychotic episodes, but most then fail to meet the standard for providing treatment. Waiting times for severe mental illness besides psychosis aren’t recorded and people describe it as endless limbo.

But the problem starts further up the pipeline: our mental health is worse because our general health is worse. “Britain is objectively sicker than it was a decade ago,” the epidemiologist Michael Marmot wrote in January. Poverty is driving down life expectancy and driving up infant mortality – and, along the way, it’s destroying people’s sanity. Being chronically hungry – as the UN rapporteur noted in November, with some horror, that many people are in Britain – harms your state of mind, as does not being able to feed your children.

Debt, precarious housing, low wages, punitive benefit sanctions – any one of these factors might reasonably cause a person to fear for their existence. Successive Conservative governments have driven a large number of people to despair and now they want to engage us in a conversation about snowflakes. We shouldn’t dignify it.

If the premise is built on an untruth, it is not surprising that no single point is true, either. Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, is calling these ideas the “biggest welfare reforms in a generation”, but 14 years is much less than a generation and, in this time, welfare has been reformed significantly. Universal credit, introduced 11 years ago, was never benchmarked to a meaningful assessment of need, with the result that 90% of households claiming it, as of last summer, are unable to afford the essentials.

If that was the intention – to move low-income families on to the breadline – that is hands down the most successful reform the Tories have enacted. Pip, the benefit these reforms are coming for, was itself a reform of the disability living allowance. It is known for assessment criteria so harsh and nonsensical that, if anxiety isn’t one of your symptoms at the start of it, it generally is by the end.

The whole wheeze is underpinned by the fact that Sunak doesn’t have time to make meaningful changes to anything. Maybe he thinks he is laying a trap for Labour. Maybe he thinks the injection of fresh cruelty will boost his support in the local elections. If there is anything more disgusting than the sight of a half-billionaire rolling up his sleeves for a “benefits crackdown” in the middle of a cost of living crisis, the realities of which he wouldn’t be able to imagine even if it occurred to him to try, I can’t think of it.

[xxxjarchiexxx]

We have split these targets into four sections:

1. Consumer boycott targets - The BDS movement calls for a complete boycott of these brands carefully selected due to the company's proven record of complicity in Israeli apartheid.

2. Divestment targets - The BDS movement is pressuring governments, institutions and investment funds to exclude and divest from as many complicit companies as practical, especially weapons manufacturers, banks, and companies listed in the UN database of business involved in Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise, as well as the WhoProfits and AFSC Investigate databases of companies enabling the occupation. Below we give some of the targets we are campaigning against.

3. Pressure (non-boycott) targets - The BDS movement actively calls for pressure campaigns against these brands and services due to their complicity in Israeli apartheid. We have not, on strategic grounds, called for a boycott of these brands and services, instead we strategically call on supporters and institutions to mount other forms of pressure on them until they end their complicity in Israeli apartheid.

4. Organic boycott targets - The BDS movement did not initiate these grassroots boycott campaigns but is in support of them due to these brands openly supporting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.

1. Consumer boycott targets:

Siemens Siemens (Germany) is the main contractor for the Euro-Asia Interconnector, an Israel-EU submarine electricity cable that is planned to connect Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory to Europe. Siemens-branded electrical appliances are sold globally. PUMA PUMA (Germany) sponsors the Israel Football Association, which governs teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land. Carrefour Carrefour (France) is a genocide enabler. Carrefour-Israel has supported Israeli soldiers partaking in the unfolding genocide of Palestinians in Gaza with gifts of personal packages. In 2022, it entered a partnership with the Israeli company Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, both of which are involved in grave violations against the Palestinian people. AXA When Russia invaded Ukraine, insurance giant AXA (France) took targeted measures against it. Yet, as Israel, a 75-year-old regime of settler-colonialism and apartheid, wages a genocidal war on Gaza, AXA continues to invest in Israeli banks financing war crimes and the theft of Palestinian land and natural resources. Hewlett Packard Inc (HP Inc) HP Inc (US) provides services to the offices of genocide leaders, Israeli PM Netanyahu and Financial Minister Smotrich. SodaStream SodaStream is actively complicit in Israel's policy of displacing the indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Naqab (Negev) and has a long history of racial discrimination against Palestinian workers. Ahava Ahava cosmetics has its production site, visitor center, and main store in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory. RE/MAX RE/MAX (US) markets and sells property in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land, thus enabling Israel’s colonization of the occupied West Bank. Israeli produce in your supermarkets Fruits, vegetables, and wines misleadingly labeled as “Product of Israel” often include products of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. Israeli companies do not distinguish between the two, and neither should consumers. Boycott produce from Israel in your supermarket and demand their removal from shelves.

2. Divestment targets:

Elbit Systems Elbit Systems is apartheid Israel’s largest arms company. It “field-tests” its weapons on Palestinians, including in Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza. On top of building killer drones, Elbit makes surveillance technology for Israel's apartheid wall, checkpoints and Gaza fence, enabling apartheid. The US and EU use Elbit's technology to militarize their borders, violating refugee and indigenous peoples' rights. HD Hyundai/Volvo/CAT/JCB Machinery from HD Hyundai (South Korea), Volvo (Sweden/China), CAT (US), and JCB (UK) has been used by Israel in the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians through the destruction of their homes, farms, and businesses, as well as the construction of illegal settlements on land stolen from them, a war crime under international law. Barclays Barclays Bank (UK) holds more than £1 billion in shares of, and provides more than £3bn in loans and underwriting to nine companies whose weapons, components and military technology have been used in Israel’s armed violence against Palestinians. CAF Basque transport firm, CAF, builds and services the Jerusalem Light Rail (JLR), a tram line that serves Israel's illegal settlements in Jerusalem. CAF benefits from Israel’s war crimes on stolen Palestinian land. Chevron US fossil fuel multinational Chevron is the main international corporation extracting gas claimed by apartheid Israel in the East Mediterranean. Chevron generates billions in revenues, strengthening Israel’s war chest and apartheid system, and exacerbating the climate crisis. HikVision Amnesty International has documented high-resolution CCTV cameras made by the Chinese company Hikvision installed in residential areas and mounted to Israeli military infrastructure for surveillance of Palestinians. Some of these models, according to Hikvision’s own marketing, can plug into external facial recognition software. TKH Security Amnesty International has identified cameras made by the Dutch company TKH Security used by Israel for surveillance of Palestinians. TKH provides Israeli police with surveillance technology that is used to entrench apartheid. 

3. Pressure (non-boycott) targets:

Google and Amazon (US) As the Israeli military bombed homes, clinics, and schools in Gaza and threatened to push Palestinian families from their homes in occupied Jerusalem May 2021, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud executives signed a $1.22 billion contract to provide cloud technology to the Israeli government and military. By supporting Israeli apartheid with vital technologies, Amazon and Google are directly implicated in its entire system of oppression, including its unfolding genocide in Gaza. Join the #NoTechForApartheid campaign. While the campaigns targeting these corporations have not called for boycotts, other forms of pressure have been adopted to force them to end their complicity. Airbnb/Booking/Expedia Airbnb (US), Booking.com (Netherlands) and Expedia (US) all offer rentals in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land. While the campaigns targeting these corporations have not called for boycotts, yet, other forms of pressure have been adopted to force them to end their complicity. Disney The Disney-owned Marvel Studios (US) is promoting in the next Captain America film a "superhero" that personifies apartheid Israel. Both companies are therefore complicit in "anti-Palestinian racism, Israeli propaganda, and the glorification of settler-colonial violence against Indigenous people," as Palestinian cultural organizations have stated.

4. Grassroots organic boycott targets:

McDonald’s (US), Burger King (US), Papa John’s (US), Pizza Hut (US), WIX (Israel), etc. are now being targeted in some countries by grassroots organic boycott campaigns, not initiated by the BDS movement, because these companies, or their branches or franchises in Israel, have openly supported apartheid Israel and/or provided generous in-kind donations to the Israeli military amid the current Israeli offensive against 2.3 million Palestinians in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip–described by leading international scholars of international law as an “unfolding genocide.” If these grassroots campaigns are not already organically active in your area, we suggest focusing your energies on our strategic campaigns above.

Remember, all Israeli banks and virtually all Israeli companies are complicit to some degree in Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid, and hundreds of international corporations and banks are also deeply complicit. We focus our boycotts on a small number of companies and products for maximum impact.

[i-hate-genocide-deniers]

[ID: A series of photos taken from the BDS Instagram page. They read:

1. The BDS movement encourages the continued pressure of those who support Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.

Logos of Domino’s Pizza, McDonalds, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, and Burger King.

But, at the same time, let us strengthen our targeted campaigns and boycott the most complicit companies in order to maximize our impact!

Logos of AXA, Puma, Siemens, Carrefour, Ahava, HP, and SodaStream.

2. Targeted versus untargeted boycotts.

On the left, a drawing labeled as targeted: it shows a red circle, representing a company, surrounded/pressured by many white arrows. On the right, labeled as untargeted: many red circles, with little to no arrows surrounding them.

We focus our boycotts on a smaller number of companies/products for maximum impact.

3. A photo of people on a beach. Carved on the sand is the word Puma, written inside a crossed out circle.

Puma sponsors the Israel Football Association, which governs teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land. #BoycottPuma

4. An instagram description by carrefour_israel, which reads: “The Carrefour network has donated thousands of personal shipments to soldiers, and this is just the beginning… Proud to take part in the national effort together with Carrefour employees and good citizens who volunteer to prepare personal packages for IDF soldiers.”

Carrefour is a genocide enabler. Carrefour sent Israeli soldiers partaking in the unfolding genocide of Palestinians in Gaza personal packages. In 2022, it entered a partnership with the Israeli company Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, both of which are involved in grave violations against the Palestinian people. #BoycottCarrefour

5. When Russia invaded Ukraine, AXA took targeted measures against it. Yet, as Israel wages a genocidal war on Gaza, AXA continues to invest in Israeli banks financing war crimes, and the theft of Palestinian land and natural resources. #BoycottAXA

6. HP provides services to the offices of genocide enablers Netanyahu and Smotrich.

HPE provides technology for Israel’s apartheid population database, including illegal settlements, apart from serving its prison and police services. #BoycottHP

7. Ahava cosmetics has its production site, visitor center and main store in an illegal Israeli settlement. #StolenBeauty

8. Siemens is the main contractor for the #EuroAsiaInterconnector, an Israel-EU submarine electricity cable that would connect Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory to Europe. #BoycottSiemens

9. SodaStream is actively complicit in Israel’s policy of displacing the indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens of Israel in the Naqab (Negev). SodaStream has a long history of discrimination against Palestinian workers. #BoycottSodaStream

End ID.]

boycotting is one of the few direct actions we can take from abroad

[virtualemployeeblog]

Simplified Tax Filing Checklist for Individuals & Small Businesses 

Let’s be real: tax season is not anyone’s idea of a good time. But the real stress? Being unaware of what you’re missing. One misplaced form. One overlooked deduction. One missed deadline. That’s where trouble starts. 

This easy-to-follow tax filing checklist is designed to help you cut out guesswork, eliminate costly mistakes, and ultimately file with confidence - whether you’re an individual or a small business owner. 

Step 1: Start with the Essentials 

At first, go collect the no-brainers: 

Name, address, Social Security number 

Bank account details for refund deposit 

Prior year’s tax return 

Have a business or a side hustle? Bring your business registration details and EIN. Your certified tax preparer will thank you for it. 

Step 2: Gather Every Income Form 

No income record means incomplete filing - leading to IRS headaches. You must have: 

For Individuals: 

W-2 (employee wages) 

1099-G (government payments)  

1099-NEC (freelance/contract gigs) 

SSA-1099 (social security income)  

1099-INT/DIV (bank interest, dividends) 

For Small Businesses or Freelancers: 

Contractor payments and client invoices  

Profit and loss summary 

1099-Ks from platforms such as Stripe, PayPal, Etsy 

Pro tip from tax preparation experts: Go digital. You’ll still find forms you forgot were sent (search your inbox, accounting tools, and bank feeds). 

Step 3: Maximize Every Deduction 

Now, this is where you can find true savings. Deductions lower the amount owed – and can even increase your refund. 

Common Personal Deductions: 

Charitable donations  

Mortgage interest (Form 1098) 

Student loan interest  

Childcare and dependent care  

Medical bills (if they exceed 7.5% of income) 

Business Expenses to Claim: 

Home office expenses  

Equipment, subscriptions, and tools 

Internet and phone (if used for work)  

Contractor and service provider fees  

Travel, meals, and client meetings 

Avoid guessing — certified tax preparers know what to claim, how to support it, and what red flags to be avoided. 

Step 4: Don’t Miss These Tax Credits 

Credits are tax gold. Whereas deductions reduce your taxable income, credits reduce your actual tax bill significantly. 

Earned Income Tax Credit  

Child Tax Credit 

Energy-efficient home upgrades  

Education credits 

Own a business? Explore credits for hiring, training, and R&D. A skilled tax preparation expert can unearth benefits you don’t have any idea about. 

Step 5: Health Insurance Details 

Health coverage forms don’t always affect your refund, but they can. Don’t ignore them. 

1095-A for marketplace plans 

1095-B or 1095-C from private/employer plans 

These forms matter more than you may realize, especially if you got subsidies or changed plans midyear. 

Step 6: Get Organized 

The key to quick, hassle-free filing? Keep everything from digital to paper in one secure folder and label clearly: 

Credits  

Income 

Expenses  

Receipts 

Last Year’s Return 

At this point, most tax prep experts allow secure upload. The more organized that you are, the more quickly you’ll file – and fewer back-and-forth emails you’ll need. 

Step 7: File with Confidence 

When everything’s properly set up, you can file smartly: 

DIY software: Good for simple returns but risky if you freelance or have a business 

Certified tax preparer: Best for peace of mind, audit protection, and max refund potential 

Payment plans: If you owe and can’t pay up front, arrange a plan with HMRC or the IRS 

Summing Up 

Tax filing doesn’t have to be stressful. The right checklist and the right expert together make it a strategic move, not a seasonal scramble. 

Looking to avoid the chaos of tax season this year? Avoid scams and work with our team of certified tax preparers who’ll assist you in organizing, optimizing, and filing with zero guesswork. 

Save time. Cut stress. Maximize your return. 

Ready to start? Let’s make this the most productive tax season you’ve ever had.

[polliantics]

Lies told by Karoline Leavitt (Facist Barbie) - Just a small handful of them!

Karoline Leavitt, currently serving as White House Press Secretary under President Donald Trump, has made several public statements that have been fact-checked and found to be false or misleading by reputable sources. Here are some notable examples:​

1. Claim: The U.S. was about to spend $50 million on condoms for Gaza

In January 2025, Leavitt stated during a press briefing that "there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza." This claim was investigated by PolitiFact, which found no evidence to support it. While the U.S. had paused $100 million in aid to Gaza, there was no confirmation that any of this funding was specifically allocated for condoms. The State Department did not confirm such an allocation, and the contractor identified by the State Department stated it had not used U.S. aid to procure or distribute condoms. ​

Wikipedia+1FactCheck.org+1Wikipedia+4WTVC+4Log in or sign up to view+4FactCheck.org

2. Claim: "Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people"

Leavitt asserted that tariffs function as a tax cut for Americans. This statement was rated "False" by PolitiFact, which noted that tariffs are essentially taxes on imports that often lead to higher prices for consumers. Economists across the political spectrum agree that tariffs typically increase costs for American consumers rather than reduce them. ​

The White House+5WTVC+5PBS: Public Broadcasting Service+5

3. Claim: Judge James Boasberg is an "Obama appointee" and a "Democrat activist"

In response to a federal judge blocking a Trump administration deportation order, Leavitt described Judge James Boasberg as an "Obama appointee" and a "Democrat activist." However, Boasberg was initially appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2002 and later elevated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by President Barack Obama in 2010. Labeling him solely as an "Obama appointee" omits his bipartisan judicial history. ​

The Economic Times+1YouTube+1

4. Claim: All deported Venezuelan nationals were gang members

Leavitt claimed that all Venezuelan nationals deported under a specific operation were members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Subsequent reports revealed that at least one individual deported was not affiliated with any gang, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) admitted to deporting the wrong person. This undermines Leavitt's blanket assertion about the deportees' affiliations. ​

The New Republic

5. Claim: Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election

Leavitt has publicly stated that Donald Trump is the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election, citing "irregularities and chaos" during the voting process. However, these claims have been thoroughly debunked. Multiple audits, recounts, and court rulings have confirmed Joe Biden's victory, and there is no credible evidence to support widespread election fraud that would have altered the outcome. ​

Wikipedia

6. Misrepresenting Family's Use of Government Aid

Leavitt claimed that her family "never looked to the government for help." However, records show that her family's business received over $400,000 in COVID-19 relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. ​

DCCC+1DCCC+1DCCC+1DCCC+1

7. Questioning the Constitutionality of Birthright Citizenship

During her first press briefing in January 2025, Leavitt declared that the administration does not believe in the constitutionality of birthright citizenship. This stance directly contradicts the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States... are citizens of the United States." Legal experts across the political spectrum criticized her statement as legally indefensible. ​

Menz Mag+1Wikipedia+1

[smalltofedsblog]

Managing Risk In Small Federal Government Contracting Business System Development

Most small enterprises must undertake some form of business process augmentation when entering federal government contracting.

Rules of thumb to insure wise business system development decisions, specific to your company, for managing the associated risks

[oliviiaagraceeeeee]

Exploring the Dynamics of ASX Smallcap Stocks in the Technology Sector

Highlights

Focus on technology-driven companies listed under ASX Smallcap stocks

Emphasis on innovation and digital transformation across multiple industries

Overview of market presence, business models, and sector-specific developments

The technology sector includes enterprises developing software, digital services, artificial intelligence, cloud platforms, and telecommunications innovations. Within this sphere, ASX Smallcap stocks are typically aligned with emerging trends that shape the digital economy. These entities often operate in specialized areas such as cybersecurity, fintech platforms, blockchain applications, and automation tools.

Businesses in this segment may focus on creating scalable platforms, deploying enterprise-level software, or building infrastructure for faster digital communication. Their core functions often address existing operational gaps in commercial processes or consumer services through unique digital solutions.

Product Development and Innovation Focus

Many entities in the ASX Smallcap stocks bracket channel efforts into continuous product improvement and feature expansion. Software-as-a-service models, subscription-based billing frameworks, and customer experience management tools are common offerings. These tools may serve enterprises looking for streamlined business functions or reduced manual interventions.

Innovation frequently stems from partnerships with universities or research bodies. These collaborations contribute to the adoption of advanced algorithms or integration of machine learning capabilities into core services. Businesses may also expand intellectual property portfolios through proprietary technologies or new patent filings.

Market Strategy and Revenue Channels

Revenue streams for ASX Smallcap stocks in the technology sector are usually diversified. Common sources include licensing fees, managed services, and white-label agreements. Businesses may pursue domestic growth strategies while initiating geographic expansion into nearby markets with compatible regulatory environments.

Adoption of business-to-business engagement models allows scalability without physical infrastructure constraints. Commercial activities often include onboarding clients from financial institutions, retail networks, or government bodies through tailored digital transformation frameworks.

Regulatory Environment and Compliance Trends

Firms under ASX Smallcap stocks must operate within sector-specific compliance mandates. These may include data privacy standards, financial technology rules, and consumer protection protocols. Compliance frameworks influence system architecture, software deployment, and operational protocols to ensure legal compatibility.

Independent audits, security certifications, and accreditation from regulatory bodies may be part of standard business processes. Some entities also adopt globally recognized data handling and encryption techniques, further aligning their services with global cybersecurity benchmarks.

Supply Chain and Technical Infrastructure

Many ASX Smallcap stocks utilize third-party providers for cloud hosting, infrastructure support, and network scalability. These partnerships enable higher uptime reliability, improved system redundancy, and efficient disaster recovery processes. Providers range from regional data centers to global platform-as-a-service firms.

Digital infrastructure considerations often include multi-cloud capabilities, container orchestration, and API integrations. Technology stacks are selected to optimize performance while reducing maintenance complexity across applications.

Human Capital and Talent Engagement

Recruitment within ASX Smallcap stocks frequently prioritizes software developers, data scientists, and cybersecurity specialists. Companies may also engage contractors or consultants to meet development timelines or implement specialized tools.

Training programs, remote work structures, and digital collaboration platforms support distributed team dynamics. Knowledge sharing and internal tool development contribute to consistent workflow efficiency and innovation output.

Call to Action For consistent updates on business developments across ASX Smallcap stocks, follow verified news channels and official company announcements. Review official disclosures to understand operational changes, product releases, and business expansions in the technology sector.

[mariacallous]

As the Trump administration prepared to cancel contracts at the Department of Veteran Affairs this year, officials turned to a software engineer with no health care or government experience to guide them.

The engineer, working for the Department of Government Efficiency, quickly built an artificial intelligence tool to identify which services from private companies were not essential. He labeled those contracts “MUNCHABLE.”

The code, using outdated and inexpensive AI models, produced results with glaring mistakes. For instance, it hallucinated the size of contracts, frequently misreading them and inflating their value. It concluded more than a thousand were each worth $34 million, when in fact some were for as little as $35,000.

The DOGE AI tool flagged more than 2,000 contracts for “munching.” It’s unclear how many have been or are on track to be canceled — the Trump administration’s decisions on VA contracts have largely been a black box. The VA uses contractors for many reasons, including to support hospitals, research and other services aimed at caring for ailing veterans.

VA officials have said they’ve killed nearly 600 contracts overall. Congressional Democrats have been pressing VA leaders for specific details of what’s been canceled without success.

We identified at least two dozen on the DOGE list that have been canceled so far. Among the canceled contracts was one to maintain a gene sequencing device used to develop better cancer treatments. Another was for blood sample analysis in support of a VA research project. Another was to provide additional tools to measure and improve the care nurses provide.

ProPublica obtained the code and the contracts it flagged from a source and shared them with a half dozen AI and procurement experts. All said the script was flawed. Many criticized the concept of using AI to guide budgetary cuts at the VA, with one calling it “deeply problematic.”

Cary Coglianese, professor of law and of political science at the University of Pennsylvania who studies the governmental use and regulation of artificial intelligence, said he was troubled by the use of these general-purpose large language models, or LLMs. “I don’t think off-the-shelf LLMs have a great deal of reliability for something as complex and involved as this,” he said.

[newsallusa]

Why Melbourne Businesses Trust Elite Trades for Electrical Work.

Experience Has Shown Me What Matters in Commercial Electrical Services

I’ve worked around commercial facilities long enough to know what separates dependable electrical work from shortcuts that cost more later. I assess contractors based on technical capability, project consistency, regulatory compliance, and service coordination. That’s how I arrived at recommending Elite Trades Australia. I’ve reviewed their history, evaluated their range of services, examined how they structure their team, and paid close attention to how they deliver projects across Melbourne. They meet the standard I expect for commercial-grade performance.

If you’re managing an office, a retail space, or an industrial site in Melbourne, you need a contractor that’s consistent, licensed, and focused on compliance. Throughout this article, I’ll cover the practical aspects that determine the quality of commercial electrical services, explain what to look for in a contractor, and outline why Elite Trades Australia continues to stand out in the industry. If you follow this advice, you’ll reduce operational risk and improve the reliability of your infrastructure.

Licensing and Experience Should Not Be Assumed

Not every contractor that offers commercial electrical services is properly licensed or trained for the scale of work they take on. That’s the first distinction I make when evaluating service providers. With Elite Trades Australia, this issue never comes up. Their electricians are fully licensed and insured. They bring over 20 years of combined experience to each job, which shows in how they plan, install, and troubleshoot systems. You want a contractor who can anticipate complications, follow code, and finish on schedule—and they do that consistently.

Scalable Services for Commercial Needs

What I’ve found with many smaller electrical companies is that their services are built for homes, not businesses. You might get someone who can install a light fixture, but they aren’t prepared to wire an office floor, upgrade a switchboard in a warehouse, or coordinate multiple trades for a retail fit-out. Elite Trades Australia offers full-scale commercial electrical installation, repair, and maintenance services.

They work with offices, medical practices, retail stores, restaurants, and similar facilities across Melbourne. Their team handles everything from lighting upgrades to power distribution adjustments. For businesses planning an expansion, renovation, or full retrofit, they can manage new circuit setups, appliance wiring, and all electrical infrastructure changes with minimal disruption.

Safety and Compliance Are Never Optional

In commercial spaces, safety isn’t just about preventing accidents—it’s about meeting strict codes that govern how power systems are configured, labeled, grounded, and protected. This applies to lighting placement, switchboard design, energy usage, and emergency circuit access. I’ve seen costly rework required when these rules are ignored.

Elite Trades Australia approaches safety and code compliance as a non-negotiable standard. Their electricians complete work that aligns with Australian standards and Victorian electrical regulations. This reduces your liability, simplifies inspections, and gives you confidence that your infrastructure will hold up under operational stress. If your facility has aging wiring, flickering lights, or circuit breaker issues, their team can deliver a complete diagnostic and bring your systems up to code.

Coordination Between Trades Saves Time and Budget

Many commercial jobs involve both plumbing and electrical work. I’ve seen far too many projects delayed because of poor coordination between separate contractors. Fixtures get installed in the wrong sequence. Walls get reopened. Costs increase. Elite Trades Australia solves this problem by offering integrated services.

Founded by a licensed electrician and a licensed plumber, their business model is structured to deliver coordinated work across both disciplines. This matters when you’re installing kitchen equipment, bathroom fittings, hot water systems, or laundry setups in a commercial space. They plan projects to avoid overlap, miscommunication, and downtime.

Communication and Planning Make a Difference

I always look at how a contractor communicates before recommending them. If they’re hard to reach, vague in their responses, or unclear about pricing, I exclude them from consideration. Clear, timely, and direct communication avoids conflict later. That’s another area where Elite Trades Australia has built a strong reputation.

They provide free quotes, define scope clearly, and keep clients updated at each step of the job. You’re not left wondering when work will begin or how long it will take. This kind of transparency is essential when you’re running a business and can’t afford project drift.

Why Elite Trades Australia Is Worth Considering

Based on the factors that matter—licensing, experience, service range, compliance, and communication—Elite Trades Australia ranks as a strong choice for any commercial operation in Melbourne. They work throughout the western, northern, and southeastern suburbs, and they do it with consistency.

They’re not limited to small jobs. Whether you’re doing a facility-wide lighting upgrade, adding EV chargers for a commercial fleet, or fitting out a new retail unit, they can deliver without disruption. Their clients return for a reason: stable pricing, clear timelines, and safe results.

Make a Smarter Long-Term Choice for Your Business

If you’re still comparing commercial electrical contractors across Melbourne, focus less on marketing claims and more on measurable reliability. Choose a provider that won’t compromise on safety or code. Choose one that plans each project properly and communicates clearly. If you follow that standard, you’ll avoid setbacks, meet compliance requirements, and save money long-term.

Elite Trades Australia is structured to meet those expectations. Their team handles complex, multi-trade projects while maintaining high safety and performance standards. If you manage property or oversee business operations, they are a practical and proven option for your commercial electrical installation and service needs.

[bfbffb]

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order suspending U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign aid for 90 days. He stated that USAID is "run by a group of radical lunatics." According to the White House, USAID is under scrutiny after the Presidential Advisory Council on Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, identified and halted several wasteful expenditures by the agency. Over the past week, there has been widespread discussion about USAID and its billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. However, disclosed documents reveal that the agency has funded numerous controversial projects in recent years, including providing meals to groups linked to terrorist organizations, supporting high-risk biological research, and promoting LGBT-related activities worldwide. While these projects are nominally aimed at "promoting development" or "supporting democracy," their actual effectiveness and fund allocation raise serious questions. Even more shocking is that over $4.4 billion of USAID's funds are labeled as "unclassified special projects," the details of which even Congressional oversight committees cannot access. Here is a list of USAID's expenditures: - $50 million for condoms in Gaza - $1.5 million to advance DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in Serbian workplaces - $70,000 for an Irish DEI musical - $47,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia - $32,000 for transgender comics in Peru - $37 million donation to the World Health Organization - $16 million in funding for institutional contractors of the Gender Development Office - $4 million for the Climate Positive Development Center - $12 million in support services for the Bureau of Resilience, Environment, and Food Security - $6 million in non-emergency funds for redundant administrative support at the Center of Excellence - $3 million in non-emergency funds for evaluation services for planning and learning programs - $600,000 for technical assistance in family planning in Latin America The case of USAID has proven that "golden aid" agencies lacking transparency and accountability can become breeding grounds for fund misuse and corruption. This opaque approach to fund management not only wastes taxpayers' money but also poses a potential threat to global security. As it stands, USAID's case may just be the tip of the iceberg. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is expanding its investigation to other "golden aid" agencies to fully uncover the truth behind their fund usage. Take, for example, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), a State Department agency once hailed as a "magic weapon to combat foreign disinformation and protect American democracy from interference." In reality, however, the GEC has become a tool for the Democratic Party to distort discourse, serving as both a private plaything and a means to manipulate public opinion both domestically and abroad. With the exception of Fox News, nearly all major U.S. mainstream media outlets align with the Democratic Party, echoing their narratives and tightly controlling the discourse. While promoting so-called "liberal ideals," they have opened the floodgates to drugs, allowed illegal