Tag: taxes

Pentagon-Funded Research Supported Chinese Military Projects, House Report Finds

A congressional investigation has revealed the Chinese regime exploited U.S. universities to collaborate on hundreds of defense projects funded by American taxpayers, including some blacklisted by the U.S. government due to ties to the Chinese military.

The report, released on Sept. 5 by House Republicans on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), builds on a 2024 investigation by Committee Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and former House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.).

It found that hundreds of millions in U.S. federal research funding over the past decade have aided China’s technological and military advancements.

“American taxpayer dollars should be used to defend the nation—not strengthen its foremost strategic competitor,” the report said.

The report identified over 1,400 research publications linked to Department of Defense (DOD)-funded projects with Chinese partners, valued at more than $2.5 billion in taxpayer funds. Approximately 800—over half—involved direct collaboration with defense entities of the Chinese state.

It urges limiting U.S. research collaboration with China and supports new legislation by Moolenaar to block DOD funding for projects involving Chinese entities flagged as security risks by the U.S. government.

The report highlighted several case studies posing significant national security risks.

One project—funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Army Research Office (ARO), and NASA—involved researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, Arizona State University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Beihang University.

Shanghai Jiao Tong is overseen by China’s State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND), the agency managing the defense industry. Beihang, part of China’s “Seven Sons of National Defence” linked to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), was added to the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Entity List in 2001 for its involvement in rocket systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, deemed a threat to U.S. national security.

Another project on thin film research, funded by the DOD’s Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, involved Brookhaven National Laboratory, the University of Arkansas, the University of Science and Technology of China, and Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). HIT, also a “Seven Sons of National Defence” university, operates a SASTIND-overseen lab researching advanced materials and welding for military applications, including spaceflight, aircraft carriers, and nuclear submarines, in collaboration with the state-owned Ansteel Group.

The Select Committee’s report reveals major issues with DOD Research & Engineering (R&E). For example, it failed to update its risk framework or enforcement, listing only a few of China’s known talent programs and defense labs on the 1286 List, despite many more being identified. Additionally, there have been no follow-ups to ensure that grants comply with safety rules, even when risks are flagged.

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California To Spend $239 Million Turning San Quentin Into “Scandinavian-Style Rehab Center”

California is spending $239 million to transform San Quentin State Prison into what Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office once called the state’s “most notorious prison” into a Scandinavian-style rehabilitation center. Construction is set to finish in January 2026, with the first incarcerated people moving in soon after, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Chronicle writes that the plan dates back to Newsom’s 2018 election, when he halted executions, began dismantling Death Row, and ordered transfers of San Quentin inmates. In 2023, he unveiled a full-scale conversion into a Nordic-inspired campus aimed at preparing prisoners for life outside.

Modeled after systems in Norway, Denmark, and other Nordic countries, the project emphasizes rehabilitation through work, education, and “normalizing spaces” such as a self-service grocery store, café, farmers market, and podcast studio. Prisoners will have single rooms, reducing San Quentin’s population from 3,400 to about 2,400.

“The holistic initiative leverages international, data-backed best practices to improve the well-being of those who live and work at state prisons,” said Todd Javernick, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He added the goal is “creating safer communities and a better life for all Californians, by breaking cycles of crime for the incarcerated population, while improving workplace conditions for institution staff.”

The state hired Danish architecture firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen and convened an advisory council of reform advocates, which recommended measures like making “good nutrition foundational to the San Quentin experience.”

Supporters hope the California Model will serve as a national blueprint, but critics argue the money should instead go to crime victims. Families of incarcerated people also worry transfers will send loved ones far from spouses and children.

San Quentin has already shifted from maximum to medium security, allowing in prisoners deemed lower-risk. Officials also note that closing Death Row reduces costs, as housing death-sentenced inmates can be twice as expensive.

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REVEALED: Secret Service Spent $81,000 on Kamala Harris’ Trip to Australia Where She Was Paid $500,000 to Bash Elon Musk and Trump

The Secret Service spent a whopping $81,000 on Kamala Harris’ trip to Australia earlier this year, where she was paid $500,000 to bash Elon Musk and Trump at a real estate conference.

President Trump has since yanked Harris’ Secret Service protection.

“The Center to Advance Security in America commends President Trump’s decision to remove Secret Service protection for former Vice President and failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris,” Fitzpatrick said.

“CASA recently obtained records showing that the Secret Service spent $81,000 to protect Harris on her trip to the Australian Real Estate Conference in May, where she engaged in political attacks on the Trump administration and its allies, and was paid $500,000,” Fitzpatrick added. “This is a waste of taxpayer dollars, and the American people should not be expected to fund the protection of Harris as she travels the world in an attempt to line her pockets.”

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HHS splurged more than $22B on grants for migrants — including cash for cars, home loans and startups

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ramped up grants for migrants from 2020 to 2024 — which included cash assistance to buy cars, homes and even build credit for startup businesses, according to a shocking watchdog report that found taxpayers were left on the hook for $22.6 billion.

HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) — which came under fire last year for having lost track of 32,000 migrant kids in the US — handed out the high sum to a host of nonprofits, effectively acting as a “giant magnet” for those crossing the US border and claiming asylum, auditors from the money monitor OpenTheBooks revealed exclusively to The Post.

Tasked with settling migrants, asylum seekers and other refugees in America, ORR drastically increased the number of noncitizens eligible to receive funding over the bulk of President Joe Biden’s term, with more than $10 billion shelled out to grant-receiving organizations just in fiscal year 2023.

That coincided with all-time records being set for southern border crossings into the US, with 2.4 million apprehensions by Customs and Border Protection over the same period.

Non-governmental groups bilked taxpayers for up to $1.7 billion in services including dollar-for-dollar matching savings plans for cars, homes, college educations or startups; small-business loans of up to $15,000; loans to repair credit history of up to $1,500; “cultural orientation,” “emergency housing support,” legal assistance and Medicaid care.

Some programs were only available to migrants or refugees who had been living in the US for several years, who were employed or who were making around double the federal poverty level or less, among other stipulations.

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DOUBLE DIPPING: Son of Minnesota AG Keith Ellison Wants to Keep Six-Figure City Government Job While He’s Away at Harvard

Jeremiah Ellison is the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. He earns a six-figure salary as a member of the Minneapolis City Council.

The younger Ellison has now been awarded a fellowship at Harvard University in Massachusetts, a paid position, but he does not want to give up that sweet gig as a city councilor, naturally.

Even though he claims he is going to travel back to Minneapolis for some meetings, this situation is not sitting well with some of his fellow councilors.

FOX News reports:

Keith Ellison’s son to keep 6-figure Minneapolis councilmember salary during fellowship at Harvard

Minneapolis City Councilman Jeremiah Ellison says he will continue receiving his six-figure salary despite accepting a full-time fellowship at Harvard, he announced Wednesday.

Ellison, the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, is now facing criticism from his fellow councilmembers, who note that he will not be able to attend meetings and fully carry out his role. Ellison currently receives a roughly $110,000 salary for his role on the council, and his fellowship at Harvard is a paid position.

“I am extremely disappointed in this, and I hope that my colleagues don’t allow this to happen — something to happen to North Minneapolis that is not good for them just once again,” council member LaTrisha Vetaw said during a press conference last month.

“Without Council member Ellison sitting on those committees, we have zero North Minneapolis representation on those committees. That’s not acceptable to the only other North side council member up here,” she added…

Council rules mandate that members must be physically present both to attend meetings and vote.

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Rep. Yassamin Ansari Had to Google ‘Constituent,’ Defends Using Tax Dollars for Illegals

Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) defended her use of the word “constituent” to describe illegal aliens during a press conference on Capitol Hill Thursday, saying she googled the word after criticism and found it to include “somebody who is part of a community.”

Ansari was asked by a reporter whether she views “those with absolutely no form of legal status at all” as her constituents.

She responded:

So I didn’t realize this was such a controversy until the right wing media started attacking me for using the word so I googled the word constituent. The definition of constituent is somebody who is part of a community. Doesn’t matter what their legal status is. If somebody is an asylum seeker, if somebody has a green card, if somebody is a U.S. citizen, if somebody lives in the community, I represent them. Constituent does not mean voter. I don’t care if none of these individuals can vote for me, I don’t give a sh*t.

She continued, “I care about making sure that the United States government, with our taxpayer dollars, is treating human beings with dignity and respect.”

The comments followed backlash Ansari faced earlier this week when she referred to illegal aliens in ICE detention as her “constituents” during a visit to a facility in Eloy, Arizona. On Saturday, she told reporters she had been contacted by detainees and characterized the conditions inside as “dehumanizing, racist, unacceptable,” adding that she met a woman with leukemia who had lost 55 pounds without access to a specialist.

“Constituents include citizens, green card holders, DACA recipients, asylum seekers, refugees — and yes, people in ICE detention in Arizona,” Ansari wrote in a follow-up post after the visit. “Members of Congress shouldn’t pick and choose who matters or who deserves help.”

The Arizona Democrat’s position on immigration has attracted attention throughout her freshman term. In April, Ansari traveled to El Salvador with Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Robert Garcia (D-CA), and Maxine Dexter (D-OR) to press for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national identified by the Department of Homeland Security as an alleged MS-13 gang member and accused domestic abuser. The group joined Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who had already traveled to El Salvador on a taxpayer-funded trip to advocate for Abrego Garcia.

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Company Owned by Ilhan Omar’s Multimillionaire Husband Owes IRS Over $200,000 in Unpaid Taxes

A company owned by Tim Mynett, the multimillionaire husband of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.), failed to pay its fair share of taxes in 2021, according to a tax lien obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Mynett’s company, EStreetCo, accumulated nearly $206,000 in unpaid income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes in 2021, the IRS charged in a tax lien filed against the company in Sonoma County, Calif., in January 2023. Omar, who introduced legislation in February to “make corporations pay their fair share,” was married to Mynett when the IRS says the company failed to pay its taxes.

In her 2021 financial disclosure, the Minnesota Democrat described EStreetCo as a “creative agency” and said Mynett’s share of the company was worth no more than $1,000.

EStreetCo provided advertising, design, and public relations services, and boasted a staff of at least 17 people, according to an archived version of its website. Mynett’s business partner, former DNC adviser Will Hailer, formed EStreetCo in October 2020, and business records show the pair owned the firm until its dissolution in June 2022, about seven months before the IRS filed the lien.

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The White House Says Trump’s Tariffs Have Raised $8 Trillion in Revenue. That’s Not Even Close.

The White House celebrated Labor Day by announcing that President Donald Trump’s “protectionist trade policies have helped drive more than $8 trillion in new U.S. investment.” The accompanying photo refers to “$8 trillion in tariff revenue.” There’s a difference between $8 trillion in U.S. investment and $8 trillion in tariff revenue, but Trump’s trade policies have achieved neither.

The second claim is easier to refute. The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) calculates the gross tariff and excise tax revenue generated from January 1 to August 28 to be $158.8 billion, according to the Treasury Department’s Daily Treasury Statements. The customs and excise taxes collected from January 20, when Trump took office, to August 28 amount to about $156 billion.

According to the Treasury Department’s own data, the president’s policies have clearly not raised anywhere near $8 trillion; they’ve raised 2 percent of this figure. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the tariffs Trump has implemented since January will generate an estimated $3.3 trillion over 10 years—significantly less than the $8 trillion that the White House is claiming the tariffs have already raised.

Gross tariff revenue isn’t even the most relevant statistic; net tariff revenue is. The BPC explains that the latter “removes ‘certain other excise tax revenue’ and accounts for refunds of tariffs,” i.e., the tariff revenue that stays in federal coffers. Although net tariff revenue is not available in the Daily Treasury Statements, the BPC was able to determine that net tariff revenue was $135.7 billion from January through July 31 using the Treasury’s Monthly Treasury Statements, which account for tariff refunds. Net tariff revenue as a percentage of total imports jumped from about 2.4 percent in March to 5.73 percent in April, reflecting the impact of Liberation Day’s “reciprocal tariffs,” and climbed to 10.31 percent in June.

Still, the net tariff revenue of $135.7 billion amounts to 1.7 percent of the White House’s claimed $8 trillion in tariff revenue. (That’s neglecting the fact that the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that “$1 of excise tax revenue will lead to a $0.25 decline in income and payroll tax revenue,” according to the BPC.)

The first claim is more slippery; it’s unclear what the White House means by saying Trump’s policies “helped drive” investment. One interpretation is that it is crediting Trump’s reciprocal tariffs and hostile negotiations for producing more foreign direct investment (FDI) in the U.S. than would have otherwise existed. Even assuming that all FDI since January is the direct result of Trump’s protectionist policies, it is completely inconceivable that $8 trillion has been raised as a result.

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Trump gives green light for $2m ICE deal with notorious Israeli spyware company

The Trump administration appears to have unfrozen a stalled $2 million Biden-era contract with Paragon Solutions (US) Inc., a spyware company founded in Israel whose products have been accused of facilitating the surveillance of journalists and activists.

On Saturday, a public procurement database showed that a stop work order on the September 2024 deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been lifted, technology journalist Jack Poulson reported on his All-Source Intelligence Substack.

The deal does not specify what ICE will be getting as part of the deal, beyond describing an agreement for a “fully configured proprietary solution including license, hardware, warranty, maintenance, and training.”

An individual who answered a phone number listed for Paragon on the contract declined to comment.

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Cabinet’s aim to plant two billion trees was a farce

The federal government’s 2019 initiative to plant two billion trees over 10 years, led by then-Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, is 89% short of its target and has cost $267.7 million to date.

Natural Resources Canada reported only 228 million trees planted, far short of the two-billion-tree pledge and less than half of what forestry companies plant annually, according to Blacklock’s.

“The government remains committed to restoring and conserving nature and biodiversity,” said the department. “Nature is part of Canada’s identity.”

Documents show the feds did not intend for the “two billion trees” target to be taken literally. “The government sought a name that would inspire that commitment and participation,” said a February 15 Department of Natural Resources memo. “So far that has worked.”

The point was to “rally interest,” testified Monique Frisson, director general responsible for tree planting. “How many trees is the two billion trees program supposed to plant?” asked Conservative MP Michael Kram. “I mean, 1.85 billion, 1.9 billion,” replied Frisson.

MP Kram then questioned if the two billion trees program would achieve its goal. Frisson clarified that the initiative always intended to count trees planted across various government programs, not solely those under the specific “two billion trees” program.

Director Frisson noted roughly 50 public servants are involved in the program, which aims to create 3,500 annual seasonal jobs to combat climate change.

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