/news/

1. NYC daycare has kilos of fentanyl; kills infant

   Police find a trapdoor filled with fentanyl at a NYC daycare following a fentanyl overdose of an infant
   They also found a kilo of fentanyl rolled up in child's play mat.
   The city inspected it on Sept 6 right before the infant died and said it was suitable for daycare.
   https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/police-find-more-fentanyl-in-trap-floor-at-bronx-day-care-where-baby-died/ar-AA1h44lG
   Police said they've found a trap floor with drugs in the play area of a New York City day care where a 1-year-old boy died following exposure to fentanyl.
   
   Nicholas Dominici, 1, died on Friday and three other children, ranging in age from 8 months to 2 years, were hospitalized and treated with Narcan and are now recovering, police said. An analysis of urine from one of the victims confirmed the presence of fentanyl, officials said.
   Authorities searched the Bronx day care again on Wednesday night and Thursday following a tip they received about a trap door in the floor, law enforcement sources familiar with the case told ABC News.
   
   In the trap floor, investigators found fentanyl, other narcotics and drug paraphernalia, the NYPD confirmed
   
   Investigators had already found a kilo of fentanyl stored on kids' play mats, along with a device to press drugs into bricks for sale, according to court records.
   
   Grei Mendez, the operator of the day care, and her tenant, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, are in federal custody on charges of narcotics possession with intent to distribute resulting in death and conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death. They've been held without bail.
   
   The day care was licensed on May 16 by the state’s Office of Children and Family Services, according to public records. It's listed as having a capacity for eight children from 6 weeks old to 12 years old.
   
   City health inspectors conducted a surprise inspection of the facility on Sept. 6 and did not find any violations, according to City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan.

2. Walls Closed:NFT is effectively worthless now.

   Remember when NFTs sold for millions of dollars? 95% of the digital collectibles may now be worthless.
   Phil Rosen Sep 20, 2023, 9:56 AM EDT
   
   https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/nft-market-crypto-digital-assets-investors-messari-mainnet-currency-tokens-2023-9
   
   Most NFTs may now be worthless, less than two years after a bull run in the digital collectibles.
   A study examining more than 73,000 NFT collections found that 95% had a market cap of 0 ETH.
   Out of the top collections, the most common price for an NFT is now $5-$100.
   Are NFTs dead?
   
   A recent study looking at the price of thousands of collections seems to suggest the answer is "yes."
   
   A report by dappGambl based on data provided by NFT Scan and CoinMarketCap showed that out of 73,257 NFT collections the researchers looked at, 69,795 of them, or slightly over 95%, had a market cap of zero ether.
   
   By their estimates, almost 23 million people hold these worthless assets.

3. Ron DeSantis leads charge to pry Texas oil donors from Trump

   https://www.ft.com/content/10233c54-e405-4775-852f-b6606884f948
   
   Republican presidential hopefuls are courting wealthy US oil donors as they seek to tap a rich seam of campaign funds that remains up for grabs, reflecting what executives say is a shift in support away from former president Donald Trump.
   
   Florida governor Ron DeSantis is leading the charge with a visit on Wednesday to the energy hub of Midland, West Texas, to tout his support for American oil and gas and intention to unpick President Joe Biden’s green agenda.
   
   The message will draw comparisons with Trump’s 2020 stump speech near the city, where he tried to garner support among oil donors with a pledge to end the “far-left assault” on American fossil fuels.
   
   But DeSantis and other Republicans are hoping to capitalise on growing discontent with Trump among oil executives, who fear he will lose another election to Biden in 2024, resulting in more regulation of their industry.
   
   The shift away from Trump comes as other Republican megadonors hold back from spending money in the hope that one of the alternative candidates can unite the anti-Trump vote.
   
   “I’m personally looking for a true dark horse that has minimal baggage — so Republicans can perform better and truly compete for the White House and Congress,” John Yates, scion of a prominent New Mexico oil family and chief executive of Abo Empire, a private oil and gas producer, said in an interview.

4. Far Right-Wing Propaganda Outlet Project Veritas Suspends Operations: Report

   Project Veritas, the right-wing video operation known for its heavily edited clips of politicians, media figures and tech middlemen during hidden camera stings, has suspended operations and laid off its remaining “journalists,” Mediaite reported Wednesday night.
   
   The pause resulted from financial difficulties and was done “in the interest of preserving the possible future existence of Project Veritas,” the group’s human resources director Jennifer Kiyak said in a letter obtained by Mediaite.
   
   Bobby Harr, who said he was among the laid-off employees, first announced the news on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Mediate noted. Harr and another former staffer said the layoffs and operations pause followed earlier dramatic cuts to Project Veritas’ staff.
   
   Project Veritas pointed HuffPost to a statement on the news from CEO Hannah Giles, which confirmed additional layoffs. Giles maintained that “Project Veritas is continuing to operate, but we are pausing our fundraising efforts and proactively taking steps to honor our donors’ expectations and to preserve the trust the American people have placed in us.”
   
   The organization did not respond to HuffPost’s follow-up questions about staffing levels or the nature of current operations.
   
   Project Veritas’ recent leadership and economic struggles have been no secret.
   
   In February, James O’Keefe, the group’s founder, leader and longtime public face, was forced out by Project Veritas’ board. The board alleged it had uncovered “financial malfeasance” on O’Keefe’s part, including “$14,000 on a charter flight to meet someone to fix his boat under the guise of meeting with a donor” and “$60,000 in losses by putting together dance events such as Project Veritas Experience.”
   
   https://www.mediaite.com/news/new-project-veritas-suspends-all-operations-amid-devastating-layoffs-and-fundraising-struggles/

5. Rupert Murdoch to Retire From Fox and News Corporation Boards

   https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/21/business/media/rupert-murdoch-fox-retire.html
   
   Rupert Murdoch is retiring from the Fox and News Corporation boards, the companies announced Thursday morning, making his son Lachlan the sole executive in charge of the powerful global media empire he built from a small local newspaper concern in Australia 70 years ago.
   
   The elder Mr. Murdoch will become chairman emeritus of the two businesses, the companies said.
   
   Mr. Murdoch, 92, had shown no intention of stepping down or even slowing down — including after he named Lachlan as the operating heir to his business empire in 2019, when he sold his vast entertainment holdings to the Walt Disney Company.
   
   Though the move places the Murdoch family companies more firmly under Lachlan’s control, a bruising succession battle may still loom. Upon Rupert Murdoch’s death, his four adult children would have to work out his ultimate successor among themselves, based on a plan he put into place nearly two decades ago.
   
   Mr. Murdoch has made his wishes clear regardless in elevating Lachlan. And, even now, he will continue to offer counsel in his emeritus role, Lachlan said in a company release. In his own statement to employees, the elder Mr. Murdoch indicated that he would do so actively and regularly.
   
   “We have every reason to be optimistic about the coming years — I certainly am, and plan to be here to participate in them,” he wrote. “I will be watching our broadcasts with a critical eye, reading our newspapers and websites and books with much interest, and reaching out to you with thoughts, ideas, and advice.”

6. Trump Demands House GOP 'Defund' Criminal Cases Against Him Amid Shutdown Threat

   The coup-attempting former president pressed his allies to use the "power of the purse" for his benefit as the deadline for funding the government approaches.
   
   https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-defund-prosecutions_n_650c5397e4b0fb95353a828d
   
   WASHINGTON ― Coup-attempting former President Donald Trump demanded that House Republicans use the looming threat of a government shutdown to “defund” the federal criminal prosecutions against him.
   
   “Republicans in Congress can and must defund all aspects of Crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized Government that refuses to close the Border, and treats half the Country as Enemies of the State,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform late Wednesday. “This is also the last chance to defund these political prosecutions against me and other Patriots.”
   
   While Trump did not use the word “shutdown” in his post, he did call the coming end of the budget year on Sept. 30 “a very important deadline.”
   
   The House has the power, at any time, to pass a bill that would remove funding for the special counsel investigating Trump, but has failed to even consider such a measure. A failure by Congress to pass an appropriations bill by the end of the month will lead to a partial government shutdown, including the possible furlough of federal workers.
   
   “Use the power of the purse and defend the Country!” Trump wrote.
   
   At least one of his top congressional allies took notice. Within an hour of Trump’s post, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) posted an image of it on the social media site X, still commonly known as Twitter, with the comment: “Trump Opposes the Continuing Resolution. Hold the line.”

7. Sacramento DA Sues the City of Sacramento

   Sacramento's homeless population increased 250% over the last few years
   https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-county-da-files-lawsuit-against-city-sacramento-alleging-inaction-homelessness/45209503
   Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho announced Tuesday morning that his office has filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Sacramento over its response to the growing unhoused population in the area.
   
   Ho said he filed the lawsuit around 9 a.m.
   
   “The community is at a breaking point,” Ho said in a press conference where other Sacramento residents claimed inaction by the city to their complaints.
   
   The lawsuit comes after months of back-and-forth between the city and the county regarding accountability over unhoused encampments.
   
   Ho said that the unhoused population in Sacramento has grown 250% in the last seven years, outpacing San Francisco.
   
   The district attorney said the city should consistently enforce its ordinances regarding unlawful camping, storage and sidewalk obstructions.
   
   "City Hall allows camping on City Hall property at night, but they don't allow it during the day. I ask the city to extend the same protection they give to themselves to the rest of us," he said.
   
   He also called for more professionally operated safe ground camping places.
   
   Earlier this year on July 26, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Goldsteinberg and Ho met to discuss a partnership between the city and county to address homelessness issues.
   
   Ho responded to the city a month later with a letter that included data from his office’s survey on the Sacramento homeless response, which included a 30-day notice for the city to comply with the demands.
   
   The Demands include requiring the city attorney’s office to prosecute codes and ordinances outside of his office’s jurisdiction, providing four additional city attorneys, creating more temporary emergency shelter and camping spaces, access to real-time data regarding shelter beds and a citywide daytime camping ban, among other things.

8. Top General Mark Milley says tRump said no one wants to see a wounded veteran in a parade

   Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who is retiring at the end of the month, says that former President Donald Trump once warned him not to bring a wounded veteran to public events again.
   
   In a profile piece titled "The Patriot" for The Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg, details about Milley's welcoming ceremony in 2019 were revealed like Trump allegedly saying that "no one wants to see" wounded veterans.
   
   At the ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Milley chose Luis Avila, a wounded army captain, to sing "God Bless America."
   
   Avila lost a leg to an IED during one of his five combat tours. He'd also suffered strokes, heart attacks, and brain damage as a result of his injuries.
   
   Avila nearly toppled over as he was being pushed in a wheelchair. Helping him were Milley's wife, Hollyanne, and then-Vice President Mike Pence.
   Trump came up to Milley after the performance and said, "Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded" and barred Milley from inviting him to future public events.
   
   
   https://themessenger.com/politics/milley-says-trump-told-him-to-ban-wounded-vet-from-events-no-one-wants-to-see-that

9. Republicans already whining about problems they've created

   https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/20/republicans-villains-government-shutdown-00117191
   
   “We always get the blame,” said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior appropriator. “Name one time that we’ve shut the government down and we haven’t got the blame.”
   
   “I think the governing majority, which is presiding at the time the government shuts down, probably is going to bear a lot of the blame,” said Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.). “And we’re the ones with the gavel … it’s our job to run the government.”
   
   “I think the American public basically believes that shutting down the government is a dumb thing to do and a costly thing to do,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the former House Democratic leader. “What a stupid thing to do in terms of knowing full well that you’re probably going to reimburse people for not working.”

10. Democrat DA shirks the blame for culture of lawlessness infecting dying San Francisco

    >People believe you can 'walk into a store, take what you want and walk out, while the rest of us stand there waiting to pay,' San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins said
    
    >City officials met with frustrated residents to discuss law enforcement's plans to address the city's crime, drug and homelessness problems during the Monday meeting. Residents aired their "disgust" with officials, on the lack of arrests for people who were openly drug dealing and under the influence on city streets, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
    
    >"Right now, we have a city that’s been lacking in accountability," Jenkins told residents, who reportedly cheered in agreement. She argued San Francisco wasn't the only place dealing with brazen retail theft.
    
    https://www.foxnews.com/media/blue-city-district-attorney-decries-culture-lawlessness-emboldening-brazen-criminals

11. Ex-Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson claims Rudy Giuliani groped her on January 6

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/cassidy-hutchinson-alleges-rudy-giuliani-groped-jan-6-rcna108123
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/20/rudy-giuliani-grope-cassidy-hutchinson-claim-january-6-trump-aide
    
    Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, said in a new book that she was groped by then-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani at an event on Jan. 6, 2021.
    
    In excerpts of her book “Enough,” set to be released next week, Hutchinson said Giuliani was “like a wolf closing in on its prey” when she met with him backstage while President Donald Trump delivered remarks to his supporters at the Ellipse near the White House shortly before the Capitol riot.
    
    The excerpts were first reported by The Guardian. NBC News has not obtained a copy of the book, but a person familiar with the book confirmed that the quotes published by The Guardian were accurate.
    
    Hutchinson, 27, alleges Giuliani, a prominent promoter of Trump’s stolen election lies, had approached her with a stack of documents before reaching his hand “under my blazer, then my skirt.” She then describes recoiling as “his frozen fingers trail up my thigh,” The Guardian reported.
    
    “‘We have the evidence. It’s all here. We’re going to pull this off.’ Rudy wraps one arm around my body, closing the space that was separating us. I feel his stack of documents press into the small of my back. I lower my eyes and watch his free hand reach for the hem of my blazer.
    
    “‘By the way,’ he says, fingering the fabric, ‘I’m loving this leather jacket on you.’ His hand slips under my blazer, then my skirt,” Hutchinson wrote, according to The Guardian.

12. 96-year-old Federal Judge suspended over mental fitness concernes

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/us/judge-pauline-newman-suspended.html
    
    Judge Pauline Newman’s colleagues on a federal appeals court in Washington have called her “the heroine of the patent system” and “the most beloved colleague on our court.” But on Wednesday, they also told Judge Newman, 96, that she had been suspended amid growing concerns about her mental fitness.
    
    The order suspending Judge Newman for one year followed an unusually bitter and public dispute over her cognitive state and her ability to continue to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a specialized court that hears patent cases.
    
    Judge Newman, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, has vigorously challenged her colleagues’ investigation into her fitness and has said she is mentally able to do her job. Earlier this year, she filed a federal lawsuit accusing the chief judge of the court, Kimberly A. Moore, and other colleagues of violating her due process rights.
    
    In the unanimous order, which was issued by the court’s active judges, Judge Newman’s colleagues wrote that they had no choice but to suspend her, despite her status as “a highly valued and respected colleague,” widely recognized for her contributions to the court and knowledge of the patent system.
    
    More than 20 interviews with members of the court staff, along with emails sent by Judge Newman, “provided overwhelming evidence,” the order said, that she “may be experiencing significant mental problems including memory loss, lack of comprehension, confusion and an inability to perform basic tasks that she previously was able to perform with ease.”
    
    The order said that evidence pointed to instances in which Judge Newman, when struggling with basic tasks, “became frustrated, agitated, belligerent and hostile.”

13. Abbott "declares invasion" at the border. Tells Biden to go fuck himself.

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-gov-abbott-tells-biden-invoking-invasion-clause-constitution-because-border-failures
    
    "Texas Gov. Abbott tells Biden he is invoking 'invasion' clause of Constitution because of border 'failures'"
    >"Your inaction has led to catastrophic consequences. Under your watch, America is suffering the highest volume of illegal immigration in the history of our country. This past year, more than 2 million immigrants tried to enter the country illegally, coming from more than 100 countries across the globe," Abbott wrote in the Wednesday letter. "Worse yet, your failed border policies recently prompted a United Nations agency to declare that the border between the United States and Mexico is the deadliest land crossing in the world."
    
    >Abbott announced Tuesday that he will be invoking an "invasion" clause of both the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution to combat ongoing, overwhelming illegal immigration in the state.
    >The governor noted in his Tuesday announcement a list of intended actions that he claims are covered by the clause, including the activation of National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) personnel to safeguard the border and turn back would-be migrants from illegally crossing the border.
    
    >"You must reinstate the policies that you eliminated, or craft and implement new policies, in order to fulfill your constitutional duty to enforce federal immigration laws and protect the States against invasion," Abbott wrote in his Wednesday letter. "Two years of inaction on your part now leave Texas with no choice but to escalate our efforts to secure our State. Your open-border policies, which have catalyzed an unprecedented crisis of illegal immigration, are the sole cause of Texas having to invoke our constitutional authority to defend ourselves."
    
    Open rebellion against Biden has begun, thankfully. He is failing in every sense of the word and doing it while at the beach the whole time.

14. Taylor Swift call to action drives 13,000 people every 30 minutes to voter registration site

    https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-voter-registration-day-b2415569.html

15. IT DO BE BIDEN TURN FOR CORRUPT PRESIDENT'S LAYWER GIRLY GARLUN JUS LIKE t-Rump + BUMFUK BARR AG

    Garland pushes back on Republican critics: ‘I am not the president’s lawyer’
    
    https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/merrick-garland-hunter-biden-hearing-b2415201.html
    
    Mr Garland is defending his department’s independence after months of attacks from Republicans
    
    US Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday used testimony before the House Judiciary Committee to hit back at Republican critics — including former president Donald Trump — who have accused him without evidence of doing the political bidding of the Biden administration.
    
    Mr Garland, who appeared on Capitol Hill for a scheduled oversight hearing before the GOP-led panel, opened his remarks with a defence of his department’s work and its independence from both the White House and the US legislative branch.
    
    “Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress, or from anyone else, about who or what to criminally investigate,” he said.
    
    “I am not the president’s lawyer. I will add I am not Congress’s prosecutor. The Justice Department works for the American people”.
    
    Mr Garland’s testimony before the House committee was his first appearance at the Capitol since his department levelled charges against Mr Trump, who has been indicted by federal grand juries in Florida and Washington DC.

16. Seattle gives up on homelessness

    A Seattle program which was given $10million by the city with the promise to get the number of unsheltered homeless down to zero ended up getting about 25% of homeless people sheltered and then ran out of money and imploded.
    
    Their final cost to house a hobo was about 45k per person. As comparison, if they were to simply put them into an apartment, it would have cost 1/4 that.
    https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-homeless-crisis-king-county-regional-homelessness-authority-kcrha-partnership-for-zero-project-pfz-criticized-slammed-downtown-association-mayor-bruce-harrell-executive-dow-constantine-affordable-housing-shelter#
    One of the cornerstone programs to fight homelessness in King County is coming to an end.
    
    The King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) announced Tuesday it's abandoning the Partnership for Zero (PFZ) project.
    
    The project was announced more than a year and a half ago with a goal to have fewer than 30 people living on the streets in downtown Seattle, a plan described as "eliminating visible homelessness."
    
    “KCRHA and partners recognize that the need for unsheltered services in Downtown Seattle and the Chinatown International District is greater than the capacity of the Partnership for Zero pilot," the authority wrote on its website. "We also recognize that there are challenges in having an administrative agency deliver direct service.”
    
    The KCRHA said it was able to get 230 people off the streets and into housing, and it cleared six encampments, but the $10 million in funding has now run out.
    The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) released a statement slamming the outcome of that project.
    
    The DSA wrote, in part, "Partnership for Zero was the right approach - that was executed in all the wrong ways."
    
    KCRHA failed to deliver on its public commitment and stated goal to engage the nearly 1,000 individuals living unsheltered in downtown Seattle and connect them to services and housing, the DSA said.

17. In win for Democracy, Democrats maintain control of Pennsylvania House after special election

    Another win for the good guys
    
    https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-special-election-pittsburgh-8895ca07c1436640045861aff6c9ad6c
    
    HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats will retain their one-vote majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives after voters in Pittsburgh on Tuesday elected former congressional aide Lindsay Powell.
    
    Powell’s victory gives Democrats a 102-101 majority in the House. Republicans have a 28-22 majority in the Senate, creating a divided Legislature that has kept Democrats from passing priorities such as broadened protections for LGBTQ+ people and gun control measures and Republicans from wins on issues including school vouchers.
    
    The divided Legislature has also meant Republican senators have been unable to take to voters proposed constitutional amendments limiting the governor’s power and implementing voter ID.
    
    Most recently the division has mired the state in a two-month budget stalemate after negotiations soured over education funding, in part because of the voucher debate. (Republicans later depicted themselves as the Nazis in a pro voucher social media post.)
    
    Powell identified affordable and dignified housing, a strong local economy and community assets such as robust recreation centers, libraries and strong infrastructure as top issues. Housing, she said, was a particular concern. People feel displaced by rising costs and seniors want to stay in their homes.
    
    “I’m grateful. As someone who’s been a lifelong public servant, this is the highest honor of my life, and I am so excited to be able to work on behalf of every single one of us,” she said in an interview Tuesday night.

18. McCarthy Capitulates Again as House GOP Implodes Spectacularly Over Spending Bill

    Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) appeared to capitulate for the second time in as many weeks on Tuesday, scratching a procedural vote on a spending bill after his party descended into full-on open warfare.
    
    The short-term stopgap bill to fund the government through Oct. 31 was negotiated by leaders from across the party and was supposed to be McCarthy’s big show of unity. Instead, it descended into a nasty, public spat Monday when at least 16 Republicans pulled their support and trashed their colleagues in the process.
    
    “It’s an unmitigated disaster right now on the majority side,” Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) told MSNBC on Monday as the bill unraveled in real time.
    
    Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who opposed the bill’s continued funding of the office of Trump prosecutor Jack Smith, took potshots online at one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who shot back, “You’ll need more than tweets and hot takes!!” Meanwhile, The Hill reported that Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) blamed “weak Speaker” McCarthy, who hit back by calling Spartz a quitter for deciding to retire at the end of her term to spend more time with her family. Gaetz called McCarthy’s response “disgraceful.”
    
    With the bill likely doomed just 11 days out from a shutdown, and his speakership looking increasingly shaky, McCarthy pulled a scheduled 2:30 p.m. Tuesday vote that would have allowed the so-called continuing resolution proposal to move forward.
    
    He left open the possibility of pressing ahead with a vote later in the week. “I’m just recircling it,” he insisted to reporters, “We have people talking together.”
    
    But it comes just a week after McCarthy caved to far-right pressure by unilaterally opening an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, just another chapter in what Politico called “ultraconservative fever gripping House Republicans.”
    
    https://www.thedailybeast.com/house-gop-implodes-over-its-doomed-government-shutdown-plan

19. The Walls Are Closing In....on Elon Musk.

    Elon Musk’s perks at Tesla being investigated by Justice Department, report claims
    
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/09/19/elon-musks-perks-at-tesla-investigated-justice-department/
    
    US prosecutors are examining personal benefits the carmaker may have given its chief executive, including a proposed glass house
    
    By
    Rozina Sabur,
    DEPUTY US EDITOR
    19 September 2023 • 10:16pm
    
    US prosecutors are looking at perks Tesla may have offered Elon Musk, including a proposed glass house, as part of a criminal investigation.
    
    The sweeping probe by Manhattan federal prosecutors into Tesla’s use of company funds suggest they are pursuing potential criminal charges.
    
    According to the Wall Street Journal, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is closely examining personal benefits the electric carmaker may have given its chief executive.
    
    Musk, the richest man in the world, famously does not draw a cash salary from Tesla but is compensated in stock options.

20. Republicans wrong again about IRS expansion

    Remember shills screeching about additional IRS agents being bad?
    More enforcement against businesses and tax cheats
    Less enforcement for the working class
    Why do Republicans love tax cheats and hate real Americans again?
    
    https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/19/irs-to-reduce-audits-on-filers-claiming-the-earned-income-tax-credit.html
    
    The IRS is shifting how it examines tax returns of lower earners as part of its broader effort to address inequity in enforcement.
    
    Starting in fiscal year 2024, the agency will "substantially" reduce the number of so-called correspondence audits — which happen by mail — for certain tax credits. This includes the earned income tax credit, claimed by low- to moderate-income filers, according to a letter sent on Monday by IRS Commissioner to Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
    
    The letter comes roughly one week after the IRS unveiled plans to use boosted technology and artificial intelligence to collect unpaid taxes from higher earners, partnerships and large corporations.
    
    "It's part of this whole rebalancing," said Chuck Marr, vice president for federal tax policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "They're using resources to reverse the precipitous decline in enforcement at the top."
    
    Only 2% of Americans earning more than $5 million a year faced an audit in 2019, down from 16% in 2010, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
    
    The IRS in May said that Black Americans are significantly more likely to face an audit, confirming earlier findings from economists from Stanford University, the University of Michigan, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the University of Chicago.
    
    Findings show the earned income tax credit has contributed to this disparity and the IRS has been weighing policy changes to address the issue.