Tag: taxes

A Trillion Dollar Budget But Military Can’t ‘Afford’ To Attack Mold On Bases?

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that the maintenance backlog for military installations has ballooned to more than $285 billion – leaving many facilities in disrepair, while risking readiness and service members’ quality of life.

This figure is a jump up from 2022, when the maintenance backlog was about $137 billion. But the backlog continues to grow, because the services only request about 80% of the funds they need for installation repairs and maintenance.

“By requesting less funding for installation maintenance and improvement projects than its models and experts recommend, DOD has chosen to accept some degree of risk that mission or quality of life will be negatively affected,” the report, released Friday, found.

Indeed, service members face a range of issues at the facilities where they work and live. Barracks at Naval Station Norfolk, for example, have had suspected mold since 2023. But the installation office declined requests to test the growth observed there “due to the cost of testing and potential remediation.”

Another highly used facility at that Naval station had evidence of asbestos and significant water damage, GAO found. While all the station’s piers require renovation, the Navy was “actively improving” only one – leaving the rest to operate in a “degraded condition.”

At one Naval Base Guam facility, GAO observed, rust build-up and algae on an emergency door’s lock could “affect the door’s functionality during an emergency.” The base’s facilities have also been prone to HVAC failures and roof leaks, GAO found, leading to suspected mold.

Beyond physical hazards and operational risks, other issues undercut service members’ overall quality of life.

About 3,000 soldiers live at Fort Wainwright, for example, yet the army installation’s dining facility was only built to serve 800.

“The dining facility is not able to serve soldiers in a timely manner, so many opt to eat less-healthy food in their living spaces at their own expense, especially in the winter when it is too cold to wait in line outside,” GAO found. Officials have repeatedly advocated for expanding the dining facility, but the installation has not yet received the funding needed to do so.

The maintenance backlog continues to swell despite the Pentagon’s rapidly expanding budget. The White House requested a record $1.5 trillion defense budget for FY 2027.

Keep reading

Trump Admin Hands Bill Gates’ GAVI Vaccine Syndicate $600 Million

The U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last month revealed they “will immediately release all $600 million in Congressionally appropriated funds” for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Bill Gates’ international vaccine syndicate, according to a State Department press release.

In June 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had withdrawn American funding from Gavi, citing child deaths linked to the vaccines the organization dispenses worldwide.

But one year later, Secretary of ​State Marco Rubio promised that the United States would “re-engage” with Gavi, citing a purported Ebola outbreak as justification.

The new State Department press release emphasizes President Donald Trump gave the directive himself.

Per the release:

“Last year, President Trump directed Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to engage directly with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), and secure meaningful reforms before the United States would consider future support. Those discussions resulted in significant commitments that strengthen vaccine safety, improve public health, and better align Gavi’s work with the principles of Gold Standard Science and transparency. Based on those commitments, the United States will immediately release all $600 million in Congressionally appropriated funds to Gavi for both FY25 and FY26.”

The agreement included “reducing reliance on mercury-containing vaccines, where suitable alternatives are available.”

The release didn’t specify which alternatives would be used nor cite any relevant safety studies.

But it did confirm vaccine manufacturers would benefit:

“Achieving these transitions will require manufacturers to expand production capacity, countries to adopt newer vaccine formulations, and Gavi’s governing Board to complete the necessary approvals. The United States recognizes these implementation challenges but welcomes Gavi’s commitment to work toward these goals through transparent governance and responsible stewardship.”

The Trump admin ultimately wants to “resume its place on the Gavi Board”:

“In addition, given the sizeable contribution the United States is making to improve access to vaccines, the United States expects to resume its place on the Gavi Board. In this role, the United States will continue to hold Gavi accountable for measurable progress toward these commitments. It will evaluate any future U.S. support based on demonstrated performance, accountability, and implementation of these reforms.”

Keep reading

Florida grand jury finds DeSantis administration misused $10 million, but no charges filed

A Florida grand jury found that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration “misappropriated” $10 million in taxpayer money it diverted to a charity connected to his wife, but it declined to file criminal charges due to a lack of evidence indicating who specifically was responsible.

DeSantis on Thursday did not dispute the legitimacy of the secret grand jury report obtained and published online by CBS News Miami, but he insisted no laws were broken and said whoever leaked the sealed documents would face “consequences.”

The Leon County grand jury completed its report in January on investigations into Hope Florida, the charity started in 2021 by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis. Despite the lack of charges, the report ignited a new round of criticism aimed at DeSantis and other top state Republicans over the charity receiving $10 million from a state Medicaid settlement intended to help poor children get health insurance.

David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for governor, called for the grand jury probe to be reopened. He faces Republican Byron Donalds in November. DeSantis, under Florida law, cannot seek a third term.

The Hope Florida charity is supposed to help financially struggling families connect with churches and aid groups to help keep them off publicly-financed assistance programs. The $10 million was instead moved to political action committees that used the money to oppose a 2024 statewide ballot measure that would have legalized marijuana for adults in the state.

Keep reading

LA Mayor Candidate Nithya Raman Gets DRAGGED for Bragging About a ‘Fixed’ Crosswalk – The Photo Will Blow Your Mind

Far left Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is getting dragged on Twitter/X for bragging about a ‘fixed’ crosswalk in the city.

She mentions in her tweet that the city received a complaint about the crosswalk in late 2025 and then happily announces that it just got completed, so that’s only about nine months, right?

Nine months, to do this…

Isn’t it great how they painted over the cracks?

Keep reading

Meet Toronto Police Sgt. Blain Young: “paid duty hog” and censorious thug

You may recall that we recently attended a WNBA game at Scotiabank Arena, where the Toronto Tempo were hosting the Indiana Fever. We brought along our big, beautiful billboard truck. We were again taking a stand against “transanity” — you know, that intersection in which radical transgenderism collides with insanity.

So it was we displayed our “keep female sports female” messaging. That’s because the woefully woke cowards running the WNBA are struggling with the definition of the word “woman”.

Yes, the “W” in WNBA stands for “Women’s”. But the powers-that-be in the WNBA — ranging from the Commissioner to the head of the players’ association — are aghast when it comes to defining what a woman is.

Is a woman a person born female at birth? Or is a woman a dude, with his wedding tackle still firmly affixed, claiming to be a woman? Oh, what to do, what to do?

Alas, in the name of inclusion, the WNBA is terrified to take a principled stance based on biology because doing so might offend the lunatic fringe. And so it is that the WNBA is at risk of having men pretending to be women joining the league. Indeed, two ex-NBA players have said they are making themselves available at the WNBA draft later this year. The WNBA is at risk of becoming a bad joke without a punchline.

Now, we know the vast majority of people reject transanity. And we know that even a Grade 1 student knows the difference between a man and a woman. But get this: it appears that the Toronto Police Service is all-in when it comes to radical transgenderism. Indeed, no fewer than seven police officers immediately swarmed our truck once it stopped by Scotiabank Arena!

You’d be hard pressed to find a more woke police force than the Toronto Police Service. This is not conjecture. Do you know all Toronto police officers have to take a transgender training module? Do you know there’s a transgender police cruiser in the fleet, and its purpose is to give free rides to transgenders?

You see, the woke brass at the Toronto Police Service subscribe to a mantra. No, that mantra is not “To serve and protect”. Rather, the new and improved whiz-bang slogan of the TPS is: “If it’s trans it’s good, and if it’s good it’s trans.”

So it was that our truck was deemed to be displaying a hateful message. Apparently, our messages were offensive to confused men who can’t figure out their gender. And it was illicitly shutdown.

In the aftermath of this incident, we have an update on the ringleader of those censorious thugs. His name is Sergeant Blain Young.

Here’s what you need to know about Blain Young. For starters, according to our sources, he is a “paid duty hog.” Meaning that Blain is constantly taking paid duty assignments. Not to ensure public safety, mind you, but to bolster his bank account.

And this hog is indeed one busy beaver. Last year, he earned more than $357,000 plus benefits. That’s astonishing.

We would further argue that the Toronto Police has never enriched a cop for being so incompetent.

Oh, it’s not just the bogus tickets Blain’s minions handed out to our truck driver, Mark. An incredible incident from Auguust 3, 2022 saw Young in his police SUV seeking to ticket cyclists in High Park. Because, you see, in crime-infested Toronto, people riding their bicycles too fast in a park is a top priority for law enforcement. We have video evidence of Blain blowing through a stop sign — and hitting a cyclist in the process.

His excuse? The sun was in his eyes. Try using that line next time you’re pulled over for a traffic violation.

Keep reading

Entertainment unions intensify campaign for corporate tax handouts as film subsidy race to the bottom accelerates

The Entertainment Union Coalition (EUC), including the California IATSE Council, Directors Guild of America, LiUNA! Local 724, Teamsters Local 399, Writers Guild of America West, American Federation of Musicians Local 47, IBEW Local 40 and SAG-AFTRA, has mounted an aggressive campaign to pressure California lawmakers to expand and protect the state’s Film and Television Jobs Program 4.0.

After successfully lobbying for the program to more than double, from $330 million to $750 million annually, the coalition is now demanding that the subsidy be made uncapped and further “modernized.” Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a leading champion of the expansion, presenting the tax credits as a means of keeping production and jobs in California.

The immediate target of the unions’ campaign is SB 122, a sweeping budget measure backed by the Democratic establishment, including Newsom. The legislation extends California’s existing $5 million annual limitation on business tax credits through 2029. Beginning in 2030, it establishes a permanent limit of $5 million or 70 percent of a corporation’s tax liability, whichever is greater. Credits blocked by the limitation can be carried forward or, under specified conditions, made refundable.

The measure was driven by the state’s fiscal crisis and is aimed broadly at corporate tax credits, particularly credits that have allowed large corporations to accumulate enormous write-offs. Newsom and legislative Democrats have presented the limits as a way to protect state revenues and fund essential programs. Film and television production was not the principal target. Its tax credits were caught in the net of a broad fiscal measure.

This is precisely what makes the dispute politically revealing. The same Democratic establishment that expanded the film subsidy to $750 million is now imposing limits on corporate tax credits because the state cannot indefinitely finance the concessions demanded by competing industries. The contradiction is not an accident. It exposes the logic of a system in which governments compete to hand public resources to corporations while simultaneously confronting the fiscal consequences of that competition.

The EUC responds by demanding that film and television credits be exempted. Because the film program itself has a separate annual allocation, the coalition denounces the business-credit limitation as a “double cap” that will supposedly make California uncompetitive.

But this argument accepts the premise that has produced the crisis: that workers must compete against one another to persuade corporations where to invest.

Keep reading

Hope Florida grand jury finds Medicaid money ‘misused for political purposes’

A state grand jury investigating the Hope Florida scandal found that key members of the DeSantis administration wrongly engaged in a “sophisticated scheme” to divert $10 million of a Medicaid settlement into political activities and the Republican Party of Florida, according to a copy of the grand jury’s report obtained by CBS News Miami.

The report concluded the $10 million in taxpayer money was “plainly used for political purposes” but also said the grand jury could not find enough evidence to charge anyone with a crime because no one would “take responsibility” for deciding to divert the money to Hope Florida “or had any memory” of who made the decision.

It noted that most of those involved were lawyers who “acted on the advice of other lawyers” making it hard to determine who was to blame.

“We recognize that this would be an impediment to criminal prosecution,” the report said. “While we can’t prove who is responsible, we can plainly see that taxpayer money was misused for political purposes and we would like to see changes made to prevent this from happening again.”

Despite a lack of criminal charges, the report pointed fingers at key DeSantis officials who had been at the center of a scandal that centered on Hope Florida, a charity championed by First Lady Casey DeSantis. It became embroiled in controversy last year, once it became public that the charity had served as conduit for the $10 million that landed in political committees but should have paid for medical expenses for needy Floridians.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who was then Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff, was “in a position of authority” and at the heart of a scheme that sent money to political committees fighting passage of an amendment to legalize marijuana in 2024, the grand jury found.

“Testimony identified (Uthmeier) as having involvement in directing the money after it went to Hope Florida,” the report said. “Testimony also revealed that Mr. Uthmeier’s Keep Florida Clean, a political action committee, was the prime recipient of the majority of the $10 million taxpayer funds.”

The report also found that U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, who was attorney general at the time, knew of the scheme and authorized her chief deputy at the time, John Guard, to sign the settlement agreement, CBS News reported. Guard signed the settlement, despite his reservations, and “without conducting his due diligence to ensure the proper appropriation of taxpayer funds,” the report said.

Both Uthmeier and Moody were appointed by DeSantis to their current positions and are running for election to those offices in November. Their Democratic opponents called for their resignation after CBS posted its story.

DeSantis appointed Guard to serve as a judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in January.

The $10 million was part of a $67 million settlement with the Centene Corporation, a Medicaid provider that overcharged the state. The $10 million was peeled off to Hope Florida, then within a matter of days transferred to two nonprofit political organizations that in quick succession gave the money to a political committee chaired by Uthmeier and set up to defeat the marijuana amendment.

The grand jury was convened in October 2025 by Leon County State Attorney Jack Campbell to investigate the circumstances surrounding the distribution of the $10 million, part of a larger $67 million settlement with the Centene Corporation, a Medicaid vendor that had overcharged the state for prescription medicines.

The investigation followed months of news reports about the scheme, after Rep. Alex Andrade held committee hearings questioning state officials and Hope Florida board members about the transfer. The grand jury concluded its work in January, and its report was sealed.

Neither DeSantis, Uthmeier or Moody were called to testify before the grand jury.

Uthmeier has defended his actions in public, and his office told CBS News on Wednesday said the only crime was releasing the grand jury report. Moody has ducked reporters’ questions about her involvement in the Hope Florida scandal.

DeSantis has characterized the Hope Florida scandal as a “hoax.” During a news conference Wednesday, CBS News reported, he said he wasn’t involved in the settlement agreement, “but was very happy with how everything was done.”

The grand jury report concludes with two recommendations — that the Legislature should pass a law to prevent something like this from occurring again, and pass “clear laws setting requirements” for how nonprofits like the Hope Florida Foundation can use taxapyer funds, making sure those funds are monitored and providing penalties for violating any new laws.

Keep reading

Ottawa politicians put baby showers, golf, bowling and Christmas parties on taxpayers’ tab

Ottawa’s mayor and city councillors charged taxpayers for everything from a baby shower and bowling outings to golf, Christmas parties, glow sticks and a Santa costume during the current term of council.

According to a CTV News Ottawa review of city expense records, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and 24 councillors spent a combined $28.9 million from their office budgets between November 2022 and May 2026.

Most of that money went toward staff salaries, websites, advertising and other routine office expenses, but the records also show tens of thousands of dollars in hospitality and a long list of smaller discretionary purchases.

The mayor and councillors spent more than $98,000 on hospitality during the period, including lunches, staff gatherings and community events. Another $28,000 went toward coffee, tea, juice, creamers and refreshments.

The taxpayer-funded outings come as Ottawa residents are paying higher property taxes, with council approving a 3.75-per-cent increase for 2026 after raising the overall levy the previous year.

Among the more unusual expenses, Sutcliffe’s office spent $191 on a baby shower for Coun. Wilson Lo in September 2025. His office also expensed $102 for Golden Palace egg rolls sent to Ontario cabinet minister Stan Cho and $25 for donuts for a meeting with Premier Doug Ford.

Coun. Laura Dudas charged $136 for a Santa costume for a holiday skate party, while Coun. Cathy Curry expensed hundreds of dollars for temporary Maple Leaf tattoos and candy for Canada Day events.

Coun. Catherine Kitts used her office budget for several staff outings, including bowling, golf, mini golf and dinners. Coun. Tim Tierney charged $198 for a team-building activity at a paint-your-own pottery studio.

Christmas spending was also substantial.

Sutcliffe’s office expensed more than $31,000 for the Mayor and City Manager’s All City Staff Christmas Reception in 2023 and another $23,000 for the event in 2025.

Councillors also billed taxpayers for tickets to various community and political events, including $1,000 for two tickets to a Gold Plate Dinner and another $1,000 for group tickets to a charity trivia night.

City rules allow councillors broad discretion over their office budgets, including spending to support community events, communicate with residents and represent the city at functions.

Keep reading

FBI Arrests Massachusetts Democrat State Rep. on COVID Relief Fraud Charges — Second Lawrence-Area Democrat Busted This Month

The FBI arrested Massachusetts State Rep. Francisco Paulino (D-Methuen) on Wednesday morning after a federal grand jury indicted the second-term Democrat on 11 counts of wire fraud and money laundering.

Prosecutors say Paulino treated COVID relief programs like an ATM, fraudulently obtaining more than $700,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits and Small Business Administration disaster loans.

Paulino represents the 16th Essex District, which includes Methuen and Lawrence, the same Merrimack Valley corridor that just saw Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña arrested two weeks ago on separate $1.5 million-plus COVID loan fraud and money-laundering charges.

Both men are Dominican-born Democrats. Both, prosecutors allege, used the pandemic as their “personal cash cows.”

The 24-page indictment alleges Paulino ran the operation from roughly April 2020 through at least December 2021 — the same period he was campaigning for and then winning the state House seat he still holds. He used his Lawrence tax-preparation firm, Madison Tax LLC, as the vehicle.

Highlights from the charging documents:

In April 2020 he filed a pandemic unemployment assistance claim in the name of a 77-year-old relative without her knowledge, falsely claiming she was self-employed.

More than $39,000–$44,000 in benefits went straight into a bank account he controlled. He kept filing false weekly certifications into September 2021 and submitted fabricated documents, including purported IRS paperwork, when the state asked questions.

He obtained or modified Economic Injury Disaster Loans for his own businesses (including a Heav’nly Donuts location) and for at least one client who spoke limited English and trusted Paulino with tax records and online banking access.

In one case he allegedly increased a client’s loan without the client’s knowledge, then later asked that same client for a $200,000 loan.

Funds were funneled through intermediaries into Paulino’s personal and business accounts and used for personal expenses, real estate, loan payments, and transfers into his campaign account.

Prosecutors also say he turned around and lent some of the cheap government money to others at higher interest rates, making a profit off the taxpayers’ dime.

Paulino faces eight counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud and three counts of aiding and abetting money laundering. He was taken into custody outside a Lawrence apartment complex shortly after sunrise and is scheduled for arraignment in Boston federal court.

Keep reading

16 Facts About The Shocking Decline Of Public Education In The U.S. That Every American Should Know

Virtually everyone agrees that our public schools are in a state of decline. Needless to say, it isn’t because we aren’t spending enough money. The federal government, our state governments and our local governments are collectively spending nearly a trillion dollars a year on public education. That is a colossal pile of money. Since 1960, spending per student has increased by 350 percent. That is even after adjusting for inflation. At this stage, we spend more money per student than any other nation on the entire planet other than Luxembourg. Anyone that believes that we can solve our education crisis by spending even more money is simply being delusional.

For nearly a trillion dollars a year, we should be getting a world class education system.

But we aren’t.

In fact, students in the U.S. just keep dropping down the global rankings.

Urgent action is required if we are going to turn this around.

Gallup conducted a survey that discovered that an all-time low 35 percent of U.S. adults are satisfied with the quality of public education in the United States.

There appears to be a growing consensus that we have a major national crisis on our hands, and those that are responsible for this crisis need to be held accountable. The following are 16 facts about the shocking decline of public education in the U.S. that every American should know…

#1 Nearly one-fifth of all high school graduates in the United States cannot even read at a functional level…

National statistics indicate that close to one-fifth of high school graduates are unable to read at a functional level. This means they cannot effectively comprehend and use written information in daily life or work settings.

#2 Only 35 percent of high school seniors are proficient at reading, and only 22 percent of high school seniors are proficient at math…

The scale of the crisis is staggering. Only 35% of high school seniors read at a proficient level. One-third lack basic reading comprehension skills. In mathematics, the picture is even bleaker. Only 22% achieved proficiency. Alarmingly, 45% can’t even manage basic math. Around 2/3 are academically unprepared for college in math and reading. Even prestigious universities like Harvard must offer remedial courses for incoming freshmen lacking foundational skills.

#3 For high school seniors in the United States, math scores have fallen to the lowest level since 2005 and reading scores have fallen to the lowest level since 1992…

The latest report card on American education is in, and it’s devastating. The 2025 National Assessment of Educational Progress, released last month, revealed that the nation’s 12th-graders hit a historic performance low. Math scores cratered to levels not seen since 2005. Reading scores plummeted to their lowest level since testing began in 1992.

#4 According to the most recent NAEP assessment, only 28 percent of 8th grade students in the United States are proficient at math…

Only 28% of 8th graders scored proficient in math on the latest NAEP assessment. The effects are most severe in low-income districts, where school closures, chronic absenteeism, and staffing instability have compounded over time.

#5 In just one decade, the percentage of 13-year-olds enrolled in algebra dropped from 34 percent to 24 percent…

According to the OECD, our average student is almost a full year behind the average student from other countries. Singapore’s students are three years ahead of ours. According to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), our students are also developing slower than in previous years. In 2023, only 24% of America’s 13-year-olds were enrolled in algebra. A decade earlier, that number was 34%.

#6 It appears that the pandemic had a substantial negative impact on both the reading skills and the math skills of our fourth-grade students…

In spring 2023, just 56 percent of American fourth-graders were performing on grade level in math, down from 69 percent in 2019, according to just one example of test score data cited in the report.

Declines in reading were less stark but still concerning, and concentrated in earlier grades, with 65 percent of third-graders performing on grade level, compared with 72 percent in 2019. Recovery in reading has also been slower, with some researchers finding essentially no rebound since students returned to the classroom.

#7 At this point, only 26 percent of U.S. adults can name all three branches of government…

Only 26% of American adults can name the three branches of government. Less than one-quarter of college graduates knew that the First Amendment prohibits Congress from establishing a national religion. Most adults have no idea how many Justices serve on the Supreme Court. Tragically, Princeton University found that barely one-third (36%) of adults could pass a multiple-choice test consisting of questions taken from the U.S. Citizenship Test.

#8 Almost two-thirds of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 are not able to identify the United Kingdom on a map of the world…

Sixty percent of students could not identify the countries the United States fought in World War II. Only 24% knew why the colonists fought against the British. Only 24% could identify Benjamin Franklin as a Founder with more students (37%) believing that he invented the light bulb. Our students fared no better in basic geography. A National Geographic study found that nearly two-thirds of Americans (ages 18-24) were unable to identify the United Kingdom (one of our most dependable foreign allies) on a world map. Closer to home, most young Americans were unable to identify the state of Ohio on a map.

Keep reading