Podcasts about Inspector general

Send us a textFour former high-ranking Scientology members reveal the complex, troubling story of Marty Rathbun – once David Miscavige's right-hand man who later became one of Scientology's most significant defectors before mysteriously returning to defend the organization.• Marty Rathbun served as Inspector General of RTC and David Miscavige's primary enforcer despite escaping the Sea Org multiple times• Marc Headley recounts being physically assaulted by Rathbun during an interrogation when he refused to confess to something he hadn't done• After his final escape in 2004, Rathbun began speaking out against the church and created a blog that became a rallying point for the "Independent Scientology" movement• The Rathbuns faced extreme harassment from Scientology's "Squirrel Busters" who monitored their home 24/7 with cameras and followed their every move• Marty's wife Monique filed a promising harassment lawsuit against Scientology but inexplicably dismissed it, after which Marty began posting videos attacking former friends• Despite his betrayal, the hosts express compassion for Rathbun, acknowledging his early contributions to exposing Scientology and the complex trauma that likely influenced his actionsIf you or someone you know needs help leaving Scientology, contact The Aftermath Foundation at aftermathfoundation.org. You do not need to share your story publicly to receive assistance.Support the showBFG Store - http://blownforgood-shop.fourthwall.com/Blown For Good on Audible - https://www.amazon.com/Blown-for-Good-Marc-Headley-audiobook/dp/B07GC6ZKGQ/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Blown For Good Website: http://blownforgood.com/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2131160 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blown-for-good-behind-the-iron-curtain-of-scientology/id1671284503 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2131160.rss YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS: Spy Files Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWtJfniWLwq4cA-e...

Anthony D'Esposito, former Congressman & Inspector General for the United States Department of Labor nominee, joins Sid to react to the disgusting story coming out of D.C. the other night, that of two Israeli embassy staffers who were about to be engaged being gunned down outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum — by a suspect who shouted, “Free, free Palestine” as he was taken into custody. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The biggest threat to America today is too often the one we think about the least. Nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare has been around for decades and the effects of an NBC attack on the homeland or American interests abroad is a very real scenario. Retired Lt. Gen Leslie Smith spent a career in the Army as a Chemical Officer. He served as the Chief of the Chemical Branch and Commandant of the United States Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear School. He was the first Chemical officer to serve as the Commanding General of the United States Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and the first Chemical officer to serve as the Army's Inspector General. He is now the Vice President for Leadership and Education at the Association of United States Army.With reports looming about Russian willingness to use NBC weapons in Ukraine, and Iran's constant desire to acquire them and put them into the hands of terrorist proxies, Fran Racioppi sat down with Lt. Gen. Smith to discuss the real threat America faces. We broke down the history of America's Chemical weapons programs, their use in various stages of conflicts, the implementation of international prohibitions, how the US Army prepares for NBC threats, and what we learned about their modern day use through the COVID pandemic. Lt. Gen. Smith also shared insight into the important role the Inspector General plays in maintaining standards and accountability within the Army, as well as the role AUSA is playing in supporting soldiers both active duty and post-service. Watch, listen or read our conversation from the Association of the United States Army HQ and don't miss the rest of our AUSA series.Highlights0:00 Introduction4:00 Importance of chemical warfare7:30 The likelihood of chemical warfare8:22 Anthrax on 9/1111:45 Will anyone use NBC weapons14:07 The lessons of COVID-1916:18 Joining the Army19:55 America's projection of power22:22 The role of the Army Inspector General27:36 Do Army Standards Matter31:11 Have we lost the mission?33:18 Maintaining the Army36:50 The role of AUSA39:26 Daily HabitsQuotes“The Germans used it, and the Americans were not ready to go.”“That's what CBRN stands for: Could Be Right Now.”“At the higher levels, it's all about building coalitions of people.”“We don't know what's next, we just have to be prepared to deal with the situation.”“The leader has to be at the decisive point.” “When you have boots on the ground, it sends a signal.”“ A leader's presence only matters when you are present.”“What leaders do is talk about what needs to happen in organizations.”“We have to make sure that the soldiers trust us, the nation trusts us, Congress trusts us, our leaders trust us and the things that we do.”“Inspector generals are training multiple generations of leaders.”“Every leader is responsible for enforcing the standard.”“Climate beats strategy.”“Everyone is looking for their sense of purpose.”The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by University of Health & Performance, providing our Veterans world class education and training as fitness and nutrition entrepreneurs. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation.

1. Se complica la nominación de Arthur Garffer como secretario de Estado. - Prácticamente muerta esa nominación. 2. TRS propone a la actual Secretaria de Estado Interina, Narel Waleska Colón (esposa de Ramón Luis Rivera) como candidata en propiedad. 3. ¿Qué está pasando en este gobierno que los lleva a cometer tantos errores básicos y tan corriditos? 4. En medio de la nueva crisis, la gobernadora se va para Washington, D.C y el secretario de Hacienda se queda como gobernador interino. Y por allá también anda TRS. 5. Sin beneficios contributivos para Puerto Rico la medida de reforma contributiva de Trump 6. A salvo los dineros del PAN. Por ahora. 7. Martes de energía con Ramón Luis Nieves 8. Otro relevo de carga esta mañana 9. Inspector General detecta pago ilegal de $2 millones en salud correccional 10. Redadas contra inmigrantes comienzan a afectar el sector de la construcción. 11. Qatar le “regala” un super jet a Trump. ¿Y eso no es corrupción?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#puertorico #gobierno #fondospúblicos La Oficina del Inspector General identifica como la administración del PNP entre el 2018 y el 2024 pagaron demás a Physician Correctional y están pidiendo el recobro de sobre $2Millones. | Garffer y su amenaza de hacer un PAC para escoger a políticos del PNP. | Corrección: Tommy si fue con su traductor a Washington. | Las estrella de Cine cuestionan al mundo de la cultura por su silencio sobre Gaza. | Educación no quiere entregar la lista de los empleados de confianza. ¿Qué esconde Eliezer Ramos Parés? ¡Conéctate, comenta y comparte! #periodismoindependiente #periodismodigital #periodismoinvestigativo

In our 8:30 half hour, City Councilwoman Reva Trammell joins the show, to discuss city payouts to deceased individuals and City Council's dismissal of the city's Inspector General, James Osuna. (Hold on to your butts!)

#puertorico #gobierno #fondospúblicos La Oficina del Inspector General identifica como la administración del PNP entre el 2018 y el 2024 pagaron demás a Physician Correctional y están pidiendo el recobro de sobre $2Millones. | Garffer y su amenaza de hacer un PAC para escoger a políticos del PNP. | Corrección: Tommy si fue con su traductor a Washington. | Las estrella de Cine cuestionan al mundo de la cultura por su silencio sobre Gaza. | Educación no quiere entregar la lista de los empleados de confianza. ¿Qué esconde Eliezer Ramos Parés? ¡Conéctate, comenta y comparte! #periodismoindependiente #periodismodigital #periodismoinvestigativo

Join the conversation with C4 & Bryan Nehman.  C4 & Bryan opened the show discussing a topic from yesterday's interview with States Attorney Ivan Bates called the sidestep program.  Markets soared yesterday following the announcement of the China trade deal.  An update to the Airforce Q story.  Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth joined the show this morning discussing funding for NPR & PBS among other topics.  Baltimore County Inspector General Kelly Madigan also joined the show in studio discussing a new report & the job opening for the role of Inspector General.  Listen to C4 & Bryan Nehman live weekdays from 5:30 to 10am on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio App.

Last time we spoke about Operation Chahar. In the turbulent year of 1935, tensions surged in North China as the Kwantung Army defied Tokyo's orders, encroaching deeper into Chahar province. This period was marked by widespread anti-Japanese sentiments, fueled by local revolts and the assassination of pro-Japanese figures, which infuriated Japanese authorities. On May 20, the Kwantung Army launched an offensive against a bandit group led by Sun Yungqin, seeking to exert control over the demilitarized regions established by earlier agreements. Their swift victory forced the resignation of local officials opposing Japanese interests. As chaos escalated, the Chinese government, under pressure to appease Japan, dismantled anti-Japanese factions and dismissed key leaders. The climax in this saga came with the signing of the He-Umezu Agreement, stripping China of authority in Hubei and Chahar, signaling Japan's increasing dominance and setting the stage for further exploitation of the region.   #150 The February 26 Incident Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. While this podcast is supposed to be given through the Chinese perspective, I apologize but yet again I need to jump over to the Japanese side. You see, a very pivotal moment during the Showa era would occur in the year of 1936. I think it's crucial to understand it, and the underlying issues of it, to better understand what we will be stuck in for the unforeseeable future, the Second Sino-Japanese War. I've briefly mentioned the two factions within the Japanese military at this time, but now I'd really like to jump into them, and a major incident that made them collide. In the aftermath of WW1, 2 prominent factions emerged during this tumultuous period: the Kodoha, or Imperial Way Faction, and the Toseiha, or Control Faction. Each faction represented distinct visions for Japan's future, deeply influencing the nation's course leading up to World War II. The Kodoha rose to prominence in the 1920s, driven by a fervent belief in Japan's divine destiny and its right to expand its imperial reach across Asia. This faction was characterized by its adherence to traditional Japanese values, rooted in the samurai ethos. They viewed the Emperor as the embodiment of Japan's spirit and sought to return to the moral foundations they believed had been eroded by “Western influence”. The Kodoha was often critical of the West, perceiving the encroachment of Western thought and culture as a threat to Japan's unique identity. Their ideology emphasized a robust military force, advocating for aggressive campaigns in regions like Manchuria and China to assert Japan's dominance. Contrasting sharply with the Kodoha, the Toseiha began to emerge as a more dominant political force in the late 1930s. The Toseiha embraced a pragmatic approach, advocating for a disciplined military that could engage effectively with the complexities of modern warfare. They recognized the importance of retaining some traditional values while also integrating Western military techniques. Rather than rejecting Western influence entirely, the Toseiha believed in adapting to global shifts to ensure Japan's strength and security. The Toseiha's moderation extended to their governance strategies, as they prioritized political stability and control over radical ideology. They saw this approach as crucial for creating a robust state capable of managing Japan's expansionist ambitions without provoking the backlash that Kodoha tactics elicited. Their more calculated approach to military expansion included securing partnerships and pursuing diplomatic solutions alongside military action, thereby presenting a less confrontational image to the world. Now after Manchuria was seized and Manchukuo was ushered in, many in the Japanese military saw a crisis emerge, that required a “showa restoration' to solve. Both factions aimed to create military dictatorships under the emperor. The Kodoha saw the USSR as the number one threat to Japan and advocated an invasion of them, aka the Hokushin-ron doctrine, but the Toseiha faction prioritized a national defense state built on the idea they must build Japans industrial capabilities to face multiple enemies in the future. What really separated the two, was the Kodoha sought to use a violent coup d'etat to make ends meet, whereas the Toseiha were unwilling to go so far. The Kodoha faction was made up mostly of junior and youthful officers, typically country boys as we would call them. These were young men whose families were not the blue bloods, farmer types. They viewed the dramatic changes of Japan in light of their own family experiences, many were impoverished by the dramatic changes. A very specific thing these Kodoha boys hated were the Zaibatsu. The Zaibatsu were large Japanese business conglomerates, primarily active from the Meiji period until WW2. They combined various industries, including banking, manufacturing, and trading. Prominent examples included Mitsubishi and Sumitomo. The reason they hated the Zaibatsu was because they believed they were influenced by western thought and that they super succeeded the authority of the emperor. More or less you can think of it as “we hate the fat cats who are really running things”.   Now the Toseiha faction were willing to work with the Zaibatsu to make Japan stronger. Basically they believed them to just be a necessary evil, you had to play ball to get things rolling. Random note, Hirohito's brother Prince Chichibu sympathized with the Kodoha faction and repeatedly counseled his brother that he should implement direct imperial rule even if it meant suspending the constitution, aka a show restoration. Hirohito believed his brother who was active in the IJA at the time was being radicalized. Now I cant go through the entire history of it, but this time period is known as the “government by assassination” period for Japan. Military leaders in the IJA, IJN and from within the Kodoha and Toseiha factions kept assassinating politicians and senior officers to push envelopes forward. Stating all of that, I now want to talk about the February 26th incident and I will add I am using a specific source, simply because it's my favorite. That is Herbert P Bix's Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan. In late 1934, several officers from the Imperial Way faction at the Army Cadet School were arrested for plotting a coup. Although there were no immediate repercussions, the following year, two of the same Kodoha officers, named Isobe Asaichi and Muranaka Takaji were arrested again for distributing a document accusing Toseiha faction officers, like Major General Nagata Tetsuzan, of previously drafting coup plans against the government. This time, the army's upper echelons responded firmly, condemning Isobe and Muranaka's accusations as acts of disloyalty, resulting in both officers losing their commissions. Meanwhile, other Imperial Way officers sought retaliation against Nagata, who was rumored to be planning a major purge to eliminate factionalism within the army. Tatsukichi Minobe was a Japanese statesman and scholar of constitutional law and in the 1930s he began a movement bringing up the very real issue with the Meiji constitution in relation to the role of the emperor. In August 1935, amid a populist movement denouncing Minobe's interpretation of the constitution, Lt colonel Aizawa Saburo from Kodoha faction entered Nagata's office and fatally attacked him with his katana. This marked a significant escalation in the military struggle over state reform and the push for increased military funding, which was intertwined with the movement against Minobe. Meanwhile anti- Prime Minister Okada factions within the army, continuing to use slogans like “kokutai clarification” and “denounce the organ theory,” intensified their attacks on the emperor's advisers and hereditary peers. Senior generals from the Kodoha faction arranged a public court-martial for Aizawa, held by the 1st Division, a group heavily populated by Kodoha officers based in Tokyo. When Aizawa's trial commenced on January 12, 1936, his defense team transformed it into an emotional condemnation of the Okada cabinet, the court entourage, and Minobe's constitutional theories. This strategy garnered support across the nation, even reaching unexpected places like the imperial palace, where Dowager Empress Teimei Kogo, a staunch rightist, expressed sympathy for Aizawa. However, before the trial could progress, a military mutiny disrupted proceedings in the capital. Shockwaves rippled through the army after Army Minister Hayashi dismissed Kodoha member General Mazaki from his position overseeing military education and ordered the transfer of the 1st Division to Manchuria, which ignited the largest army uprising in modern Japanese history. The uprising was orchestrated through a series of meetings held from February 18 to 22 by key individuals including Nishida, Yasuhide Kurihara, Teruzō Andō, Hisashi Kōno, Takaji Muranaka, and Asaichi Isobe. Their plan was relatively straightforward: the officers would assassinate the most prominent adversaries of the kokutai, seize control of the administrative center of the capital and the Imperial Palace, and present their demands, which included the dismissal of certain officials and the establishment of a new cabinet led by Mazaki. They did not establish long-term goals, believing that those should be determined by the Emperor. However, it is suspected that they were prepared to replace Hirohito with Prince Chichibu if necessary. The young Kodoha officers felt they had at least implicit support from several influential Imperial Japanese Army officers after making informal inquiries. This group included figures such as Araki, Minister of War Yoshiyuki Kawashima, Jinzaburō Mazaki, Tomoyuki Yamashita, Kanji Ishiwara, Shigeru Honjō, as well as their immediate superiors, Kōhei Kashii and Takeo Hori. Later, Kawashima's successor as Minister of War remarked that if all the officers who had endorsed the rebellion were forced to resign, there would not have been enough high-ranking officers left to replace them. To articulate their intentions and grievances, the young officers prepared a document titled "Manifesto of the Uprising" “Kekki Shuisho”, which they intended to present to the Emperor. Although the document was authored by Muranaka, it was written under the name of Shirō Nonaka, the highest-ranking officer involved in the plot. The document aligned with Kokutai Genri-ha ideals, criticizing the genrō, political leaders, military factions, zaibatsu, bureaucrats, and political parties for jeopardizing the kokutai with their selfishness and disregard for the Emperor, and emphasized the need for direct action: “Now, as we face immense foreign and domestic challenges, if we do not eliminate the disloyal and unjust who threaten the kokutai, if we do not remove the villains obstructing the Emperor's authority and hindering the Restoration, the Imperial vision for our nation will come to naught [...] Our duty is to purge the malevolent ministers and military factions surrounding the Emperor and eradicate their influence; we shall fulfill this mission.” Seven targets were selected for assassination for "threatening the kokutai". Keisuke Okada served as Prime Minister, where he notably advocated for the London Naval Treaty and supported the "organ theory" of the kokutai. His actions reflect a commitment to international agreements and specific ideological principles at the time. Saionji Kinmochi, a Genrō and former Prime Minister, also supported the London Naval Treaty. However, his influence extended further, as he played a role in prompting the Emperor to establish inappropriate cabinets, impacting political stability. Makino Nobuaki, the former Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and Foreign Minister, was another key figure who supported the London Naval Treaty. He notably prevented Prince Fushimi from voicing protests to the Emperor during this period, and he established a court faction in collaboration with Saitō, further entrenching political alliances. In his capacity as Grand Chamberlain, Kantarō Suzuki supported the London Naval Treaty but faced criticism for "obstructing the Imperial virtue," suggesting tensions between political decisions and traditional values. Saitō Makoto, who served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and former Prime Minister, was involved in advocating for the London Naval Treaty and played a significant role in Mazaki's dismissal. He, too, formed a court faction with Makino, indicating the intricacies of court politics. Takahashi Korekiyo, as Finance Minister and former Prime Minister, engaged in party politics with the aim of diminishing military influence. His approach was focused on maintaining the existing economic structure amid the shifting political landscape. Finally, Jōtarō Watanabe, who replaced Mazaki as Inspector General of Military Education, supported the "organ theory" of the kokutai yet faced criticism for refusing to resign, despite being considered unsuitable for his position. On the night of February 25, Tokyo experienced a heavy snowfall, which uplifted the rebel officers as it evoked memories of the 1860 Sakuradamon Incident. During this event, political activists known as shishi assassinated Ii Naosuke, the chief advisor to the Shōgun, in the name of the Emperor. The rebel forces, organized into six groups, began mobilizing their troops and departing from their barracks between 3:30 and 4:00 AM. At 5:00 AM, they launched simultaneous attacks on key targets, including Okada, Takahashi, Suzuki, Saito, the Ministry of War, and the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. At around five o'clock on the morning of February 26, 1936, a rebellion erupted, fueled by the long-standing tensions surrounding the kokutai issues that had plagued 1935. Twenty-two junior officers led over 1,400 armed soldiers and non-commissioned officers from three regiments of the 1st Division and an infantry unit of the Imperial Guards in a mutiny in snow-covered Tokyo. The attack on Okada involved a contingent of 280 men from the 1st Infantry Regiment, commanded by 1st Lieutenant Yasuhide Kurihara. The troops encircled the Prime Minister's Residence and compelled its guards to open the gates. Upon entering the compound, they attempted to locate Prime Minister Okada but were met with gunfire from four policemen stationed there. All four policemen were killed, wounding six rebel soldiers in the process. However, the shots served as a warning for Okada, prompting his brother-in-law, Colonel Denzō Matsuo, to help him find refuge. Matsuo, who closely resembled Okada, was eventually discovered by the soldiers and killed. After comparing Matsuo's wounded face to a photograph of the prime minister, the attackers mistakenly believed they had accomplished their mission. Okada managed to escape the following day, but this information was kept confidential, and he did not play any further role in the events. After Matsuo's death, Kurihara's men took up guard positions around the compound, reinforced by sixty soldiers from the 3rd Imperial Guard. In another key operation, Captain Kiyosada Kōda led a group of 160 men to seize control of the Minister of War's residence, the Ministry of War, and the General Staff Office. Upon entering the Minister's residence at 6:30 AM, they demanded to see Minister Kawashima. Once admitted, they read their manifesto aloud and presented a document detailing several demands, including: A prompt resolution to the situation that would further "advance the cause of the Restoration." A call to prevent the use of force against the Righteous Army. The arrest of Kazushige Ugaki (Governor-General of Korea), Jirō Minami (commander of the Kwantung Army), Kuniaki Koiso (commander of the Korean Army), and Yoshitsugu Tatekawa for their roles in undermining military command. The immediate dismissal of Lieutenant Colonel Akira Mutō, Colonel Hiroshi Nemoto, and Major Tadashi Katakura from the Imperial Japanese Army for promoting "factionalism." The appointment of Araki as the new commander of the Kwantung Army. Ugaki, who served as Minister of War during two separate terms, had overseen significant reductions and modernization efforts within the army. He had also failed to support the March Incident plotters, who had hoped to install him as Prime Minister. Minami, Mutō, Nemoto, and Katakura were all influential members of the Tōsei-ha faction; Katakura had been partly responsible for reporting on the Military Academy Incident. Later that morning, Isobe encountered Katakura outside the Ministry of War and shot him non-fatally in the head. During this tumultuous period, several officers sympathetic to the rebels, including General Mazaki, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, and General Ryū Saitō, joined the uprising. Saitō praised the young officers' spirit and encouraged Kawashima to accept their demands. Shortly before 9:00 am, Kawashima indicated he needed to speak with the Emperor and left for the Imperial Palace. Meanwhile, Captain Hisashi Kōno led a team of seven, comprised mostly of civilians, to attack Makino Nobuaki, who was staying at Kōfūsō, part of the ryokan Itōya in Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, with his family. Arriving at 5:45 am, they stationed two men outside while entering the inn with weapons drawn. Inside, policemen opened fire, leading to a lengthy exchange of gunfire. A policeman managed to alert Makino and his party of the danger, guiding them to a rear exit. Although the assassins fired at the escaping group, Makino successfully evaded capture. Kōno sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, and one policeman, Yoshitaka Minagawa, was killed. As Kōno was evacuated from the scene, the assailants set fire to the building. Hearing a gunshot, Kōno assumed that Makino had shot himself inside. After his recovery at a nearby military hospital, Kōno and his team were arrested by military police. Around 10:00 am, Kurihara and Nakahashi loaded a fleet of three trucks with sixty men and drove from the Prime Minister's Residence to the offices of the Asahi Shimbun, a significant liberal newspaper. They stormed the building, ordering the evacuation of employees and declaring their actions as "divine retribution for being an un-Japanese newspaper." The rebels then overturned and scattered the newspaper's type trays, containing 4,000 different characters, temporarily halting its publication. Following this attack, the men distributed copies of the uprising's manifesto to nearby newspapers before returning to the Prime Minister's Residence. On another front, 1st Lieutenant Motoaki Nakahashi of the 3rd Imperial Guard gathered 135 men and, under the pretext of paying respects at Yasukuni Shrine, marched to Takahashi Korekiyo's residence. There, he divided his forces, sending one group to attack while the other remained to guard the entrance. After breaking into the compound, Nakahashi and Lieutenant Kanji Nakajima found Takahashi in bed, where Nakahashi shot him while Nakajima delivered a fatal sword strike. Takahashi died without waking. Once his target was eliminated, Nakahashi regrouped with the soldiers and proceeded to the Imperial Palace, aiming to secure it. Entering through the western Hanzō Gate at 6:00 am, Nakahashi informed Major Kentarō Honma, the palace guard commander, that he had been dispatched to reinforce the gates due to earlier attacks. Honma, already aware of the uprisings, accepted Nakahashi's arrival. He was assigned to help secure the Sakashita Gate, the primary entrance to the Emperor's residence. Nakahashi planned to signal nearby rebel troops at police headquarters once he controlled access to the Emperor. However, he struggled to contact his allies, and by 8:00 am, Honma learned of his involvement in the uprising and ordered him, at gunpoint, to vacate the palace grounds. Nakahashi complied and returned to join Kurihara at the Prime Minister's Residence, while his soldiers remained at the gate until relieved later that day, preventing their inclusion in the government's official count of rebel forces. Elsewhere, 1st Lieutenant Naoshi Sakai led a detachment of 120 men from the 3rd Infantry Regiment to Saitō Makoto's home in Yotsuya. After surrounding the policemen on guard, five soldiers entered the residence and found Saitō and his wife, Haruko, in their bedroom. They shot Saitō dead, prompting Haruko to plead for her life, saying, "Please kill me instead!" While they pulled her away, she was unwittingly wounded by stray gunfire. Following Saitō's assassination, two officers directed another group to target General Watanabe, while the remaining men moved to strategically position themselves northeast of the Ministry of War. In Kōjimachi, Captain Teruzō Andō commanded 200 men from the 3rd Infantry Regiment to assault Suzuki's residence across from the Imperial Palace. After disarming the police on duty, they located Suzuki in his bedroom and shot him twice. When Andō moved to deliver the coup de grâce with his sword, Suzuki's wife implored to be allowed to do it herself, believing her husband to be fatally wounded. Andō obliged and, apologizing for the act, explained it was for the nation's sake. After saluting Suzuki, the soldiers left to guard the Miyakezaka junction north of the Ministry of War. Following the assault on Saitō, a party of twenty men, led by 2nd Lieutenants Tarō Takahashi and Yutaka Yasuda, headed to Watanabe's residence in Ogikubo after 7:00 AM. Despite the two-hour delay since previous attacks, no measures had been taken to alert Watanabe. As they attempted to storm the front entrance, military police inside opened fire, wounding Yasuda and another soldier. The troops then gained entry through the rear, confronting Watanabe's wife outside their bedroom. After shoving her aside, they found Watanabe using a futon as cover. He opened fire, prompting one soldier to retaliate with a light machine gun. Takahashi then rushed in and fatally stabbed Watanabe, witnessed by his nine-year-old daughter, Kazuko, who hid nearby. The soldiers departed, taking their wounded to a hospital before positioning themselves in northern Nagatachō. In a significant move, Captain Shirō Nonaka led nearly a third of the rebel forces, comprising 500 men from the 3rd Infantry Regiment, to assault the Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters. Their objective was to secure communication equipment and prevent dispatch of the police's Emergency Service Unit. Meeting no resistance, they quickly occupied the building, possibly due to a strategic decision to leave the situation in the military's hands. After securing the police headquarters, 2nd Lieutenant Kinjirō Suzuki led a small group to attack Fumio Gotō's residence, the Home Minister's, but found that Gotō was not home, thus allowing him to escape. This attack appeared to result from Suzuki's independent decision, rather than a coordinated effort among the officers. Despite all of these actions, the Kodoha boys had failed to secure the Sakashita Gate to the palace, which allowed the palace to maintain communication with the outside world, and they neglected to address potential naval interventions. At the Yokosuka naval base, Rear Adm. Yonai Mitsumasa and his chief of staff, Inoue Shigeyoshi, positioned marines to defend the Navy Ministry and prepared warships in Tokyo Bay to suppress the rebellion. By the morning of February 28, after unsuccessful negotiations through sympathetic officers at army headquarters, the commander under martial law transmitted an imperial order to disperse. Most troops returned to their barracks, one officer committed suicide, and the remaining leaders surrendered, resulting in the uprising ending with minimal further violence. Nevertheless, martial law in Tokyo continued for nearly five months. The rebel officers had initially planned for General Kawashima, a staunch ally of the Kodoha, to relay their intentions to the emperor, who they assumed would issue a decree for a “Showa restoration.” Despite their radical objectives of overthrowing the political order, the mutineers, like other military and civilian extremists of the 1930s, sought to operate within the imperial framework and maintain the kokutai. They believed the emperor was under the control of his advisers and lacked a genuine will of his own. Once the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and the Grand Chamberlain were removed, they expected the emperor to appoint General Mazaki as prime minister, a leader they believed would reinforce the military and effectively address the China issue. At the onset of the insurrection, they had a real chance of success. The Tokyo military police commander, General Kashii Kohei, sympathized with their cause, and the emperor's chief aide, General Honjo, was related to rebel officer Capain Yamaguchi Ichitaro. Support for the mutineers was present at military bases nationwide. Historian Hata Ikuhiko notes that the rebels contacted General Honjo by both phone and written message before attacking the Okada cabinet. As the first in the imperial entourage to learn of the mutiny, Honjo could have warned the intended targets but chose not to do so. By the time he arrived at court at 6:00 am. on the 26th, key advisors like Chief Secretary Kido, Imperial Household Minister Yuasa Kurahei, and Vice Grand Chamberlain Hirohata Tadakata were already aware of the potential danger. Suzuki was murdered, and the emperor was deeply affected, awakening to the news at 5:40 am from the chamberlain on night duty, Kanroji Osanaga. He learned that his old ministers had been attacked and a coup was underway. Upon receiving this information, Hirohito resolved to suppress the uprising. He was outraged by the killing of his ministers and feared that the rebels might use his brother, Prince Chichibu, to force him to abdicate. He donned his army uniform and summoned Honjo, ordering him to “end it immediately and turn this misfortune into a blessing.” Hirohito adopted a strategy proposed by Kido, who had acted swiftly earlier that morning, instructing Honjo to assess the Imperial Guard Division's potential actions if the mutineers advanced on the Palace. Kido aimed to prevent the establishment of a new provisional cabinet until the mutiny was fully quelled. At 9:30 am Army Minister Kawashima, who had previously met with one of the rebel officers, arrived at court. He urged the emperor to form a cabinet that would “clarify the kokutai, stabilize national life, and fulfill national defense.” Surprised by Kawashima's tone, Hirohito reprimanded him for not prioritizing the suppression of the mutiny. He also expressed his frustration to Chief of the Navy General Staff Prince Fushimi, dismissing him when he inquired about forming a new cabinet. Later that day, Kawashima met with the Supreme Military Council, consisting mainly of army officers sympathetic to the rebels. The council decided to attempt persuasion before relaying the emperor's orders a move contrary to Hirohito's directive. According to historian Otabe Yuji, an “instruction” was issued to the rebel officers at 10:50 am, acknowledging their motives and suggesting the emperor might show them leniency. This message was communicated to the ringleaders by martial law commander General Kashii. That evening, when members of the Okada cabinet came to submit their resignations, Hirohito insisted they remain in power until the mutiny was resolved. On February 27, the second day of the uprising, Hirohito announced “administrative martial law” based on Article 8 of the Imperial Constitution. This invoked his sovereign powers to address the crisis while freeing him from needing cabinet approval for his actions. Hirohito displayed remarkable energy throughout the subsequent days, sending chamberlains to summon Honjo for updates and threatening to lead the Imperial Guard Division himself when dissatisfied with the reports. Honjo, however, resisted the emperor's demands and exhibited sympathy for the rebels. During the uprising, Hirohito met with Prince Chichibu, who had recently returned from Hirosaki. Their discussions reportedly led Chichibu to distance himself from the rebels. However, rumors of his sympathy for them persisted, leading to concerns about potential conflicts within the imperial family. On the second day, Rear Admiral Yonai and his chief of staff demonstrated their loyalty to Hirohito. By February 29, the fourth day of the uprising, Hirohito had reasserted his authority, troops were returning to their barracks, and most rebel leaders were captured. Seventeen of these leaders were court-martialed and executed in July without legal representation. Shortly after, during the obon festival, Hirohito allegedly instructed a military aide to secure seventeen obon lanterns for the palace. This action, though secret, may have provided him some personal comfort amidst the turmoil. An investigation following the mutiny revealed that the rebels' sense of crisis was amplified by the recent general elections, which had shown an anti-military sentiment among voters. Despite their populist rhetoric, most ringleaders were not motivated by the agricultural depression; their goal was to support the kokutai by advocating for increased military rearmament. During this period, military spending steadily rose from 3.47% of GNP in 1931 to 5.63% in 1936. Intriguingly, the ringleaders and their senior commanders shared a desire for state control over production to mobilize resources fully for total war. While united in this goal, their ideas about how to achieve a “Showa restoration” varied greatly, with some leaders, like Isobe, calling for complete economic consolidation and a return to strong state power. The February mutiny reinforced Hirohito's belief in the constitutional framework that underpinned his military authority. He became increasingly cautious about decisions that could compromise his command and developed closer ties to the army's Control faction, justifying military spending increases. Yet, the memory of the mutiny left him feeling uncertain about the throne's stability. Now you know me, whenever I can bring up Hirohito's involvement in the war related times I gotta do. After WW2, in an apparent effort to downplay his role as supreme commander, Hirohito provided a deliberately distorted account of the February events. “I issued an order at that time for the rebel force to be suppressed. This brings to mind Machida Chuji, the finance minister. He was very worried about the rebellion's adverse effect on the money market and warned me that a panic could occur unless I took firm measures. Therefore I issued a strong command to have [the uprising] put down. As a rule, because a suppression order also involves martial law, military circles, who cannot issue such an order on their own, need the mutual consent of the government. However, at the time, Okada's whereabouts were unknown. As the attitude of the Army Ministry seemed too lenient, I issued a strict order. Following my bitter experiences with the Tanaka cabinet, I had decided always to wait for the opinions of my advisers before making any decision, and not to go against their counsel. Only twice, on this occasion and at the time of the ending of the war, did I positively implement my own ideas. Ishiwara Kanji of the Army General Staff Office also asked me, through military aide Chojiri [Kazumoto], to issue a suppression order. I don't know what sort of a person Ishiwara is, but on this occasion he was correct, even though he had been the instigator of the Manchurian Incident. Further, my chief military aide, Honjo, brought me the plan drafted by Yamashita Hobun, in which Yamashita asked me to please send an examiner because the three leaders of the rebel army were likely to commit suicide. However, I thought that sending an examiner would imply that they had acted according to their moral convictions and were deserving of respect. . . . So I rejected Honjo's proposal, and [instead] issued the order to suppress them. I received no report that generals in charge of military affairs had gone and urged the rebels to surrender.”  On February 26, when Hirohito ordered the immediate suppression of the rebels, his anger was directed not only at the insurgents who had assassinated his closest advisors but also at senior army officers who were indecisive in executing the crackdown. The following day, in addition to his role as Minister of Commerce and Industry, Machida took on the responsibilities of finance minister. Concerns over economic panic and confusion contributed to the emperor's sense of urgency, despite not being the primary motivation for his actions. Hirohito believed that every hour of delay tarnished Japan's international reputation. Since the Manchurian Incident, the emperor had frequently clashed with the military regarding encroachments on his authority, though never about fundamental policy issues. At times, he had managed to assert his political views during policy discussions, similar to his earlier influence under the Hamaguchi cabinet. The February 26 mutiny highlighted to Hirohito and Yuasa his privy seal from March 1936 to June 1940, and the first lord keeper of the privy seal to attend court regularly the necessity of fully exercising the emperor's supreme command whenever the situation demanded it. Even when faced with opposition from Honjo, Hirohito managed to gain support and assert his authority through a decisive approach. His resolution marked the end of a period during which alienated “young officers” attempted to leverage his influence as a reformist figure to challenge a power structure they could not manipulate effectively. However, Hirohito learned how to adeptly manage that establishment in most situations. The decision-making process within the government was characterized by secrecy, indirect communication, vague policy drafting, and information manipulation, creating a landscape of confusion, misunderstanding, and constant intrigue aimed at achieving consensus among elites. This was the modus operandi in Tokyo and a reflection of how the emperor operated. Once again, Hirohito reminded the tightly-knit elite that he was essential to the functioning of the system. On May 4, 1936, during his address at the opening ceremony of the Sixty-ninth Imperial Diet, while Tokyo remained under martial law, Hirohito closed the chapter on the February mutiny. Initially, he contemplated sending a strong message of censure to the military, but after considerable deliberation over three months, he ultimately chose to issue a brief, innocuous statement: “We regret the recent incident that occurred in Tokyo.” The response from his audience of Diet members and military officials was one of startled awe, with some privately expressing disappointment. Once again, at a critical juncture, Hirohito avoided an opportunity to publicly rein in the military through his constitutional role. Nonetheless, due to his behind-the-scenes actions, the drift in domestic policy that had characterized Japan since the Manchurian Incident came to an end. In the following fourteen months, the emperor and his advisors largely aligned with the army and navy's demands for increased military expansion and state-driven industrial development. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. So some very unruly young Japanese officers got the bright idea of forcing a showa restoration by killing all the culprits they believed held their emperor hostage. Little did they know, this event spelt the end of the Kodoha faction and rise of the Toseiha faction. Henceforth the military was even more in charge and would get even more insane.   

Plus: Richmond reacts to the first American pope; invasive fire ants spotted in Albemarle County; RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras' contract extended; and other stories.

Three years after a cluster of suicides in Hampton Roads, the Inspector General found many Navy commands still don't have crisis plans in place. WHRO Military Reporter Steve Walsh has the story.

Theater and art gallery opens in Beacon Vet/Rep, the theater company that moved from Cornwall to Beacon last year and is transforming the former bank building at 139 Main St. into a showcase for talented veterans and their family members, has been rechristened Savage Wonder. This weekend (May 9-10) kicks off the institution's inaugural season of productions in The Parlor, a 50-seat room. Most of the staged readings will be presented every Saturday for a month, although exceptions include the sold-out debut tonight (May 9) of The Bald Soprano, by Eugene Ionesco, three future dates and a six-week run of World War II veteran Noel Coward's scandalous 1920s comedy, Fallen Angels. All the performers are members of the Actors' Equity union, which includes Broadway-caliber professional actors and stage managers. On Saturday (May 10), Savage Wonder will unveil Savage Wonderground, a 4,000-square-foot basement art gallery, and The Grape Rebellion, a wine and dessert bar. The first exhibit is Radical Fun, curated by gallery director Jeannie Freilich, who commutes from New York City. It runs through July 6. A 60-seat theater, named The Kristofferson (after Kris, who turned down a position teaching literature at West Point, spurned the Army to write country songs and earned the wrath of his military family) is scheduled to open next year. A second bar and another main stage with 125 seats is planned for 2027. "One reason for the rebranding is that every time I spoke to groups about Vet/Rep, I had to make it clear that we're not providing art therapy - we rarely do war stories and not everyone onstage is a veteran," says Chris Meyer, founder and artistic director. "We're also going beyond theater by adding the art center and wine component." Meyer came up with Savage Wonder during a deployment in New Mexico (he served in the Army for 14 years after 9-11): "It's where the warrior and artist intersect." The revamped logo, which resembles a paint, wine or blood splotch, is a Rorschach test. "Our brand's spirit animal is the octopus, which encapsulates what the Savage Wonder thought experiment is about: intimate, absurd, whimsical and jarring." To expand the talent pool and repertoire, immediate family members of veterans may act onstage, direct a play or contribute a script. The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde (coming in June), makes the cut because the playwright's son served in the British military. Beyond the veteran thread, many of the season's themes convey a farcical sensibility. The absurdist Bald Soprano, from 1950, contains several exchanges with nonsensical dialogue. Nicolay Gogol's Inspector General, scheduled for October, premiered in 1836 and satirizes Russian bureaucracy. The son of actors, Meyers' flair for the dramatic enhances the staged readings. At the launch party on May 3, a hubbub interrupted his presentation and startled the audience. It turned out to be two actors shaking things up with a short performance set in a VA hospital waiting room to nowhere. "We're not sitting around or using music stands, we can stage the hell out of our readings," says Meyer. "We've had five-minute fight scenes; people enter through a window or trip and fall into the wall. Anything can happen." Savage Wonder is located at 139 Main St. in Beacon. The Bald Soprano will be performed at 7 p.m. on May 17, May 24 and May 31; tickets are $25 at savagewonder.org. Radical Fun will open at The Savage Wonderground on Saturday (May 10) from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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Anthony D'Esposito, Inspector General for the United States Department of Labor nominee, joins Sid to congratulate Sid on his appointment to the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council courtesy of President Donald J. Trump, before he delves into his own nomination and where he stands in the process on becoming the new Inspector General for the United States Department of Labor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

* We'll spend some time with Karen McCord about her new book honoring her daughter Carley, a WDSU reporter who passed in a plane crash in 2019 * We'll talk with New Orleans Inspector General Ed Michel about his new report slamming the city's oversight of third-party inspectors.

Over the first 100 days of the Trump administration, the US Department of Government Efficiency banged the drum of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse across federal programs. At the same time, the White House wants agencies to reduce their budgets and the workforces of the organizations that typically lead those efforts. Federal News Network executive editor Jason Miller joins me to discuss how two of these agencies, the GAO and the postal services Inspector General, made their cases to Congress for more funding to better address waste, fraud and abuse.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of the NASP Podcast, Sheila Arquette, President & CEO of NASP, speaks with Jeffrey S. Baird, Esq., Chairman of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato, P.C. and Bradley W. Howard, shareholder and director at Brown & Fortunato, P.C. In today's environment, it is challenging enough to profitably run a specialty pharmacy. The pharmacy needs to avoid the additional challenge of inquiries, audits and investigations by governmental agencies and PBMs. This podcast will discuss the proactive steps the specialty pharmacy can take to lower the risk of inquiries, audits and investigations. This podcast will also set out steps the pharmacy can take to resolve inquiries, audits and investigations before they spin out of control. The podcast will focus on the following: • Corporate Compliance Program – The specialty pharmacy needs to implement a robust compliance program that is specific to the pharmacy's business model. Such a program will head off many problems before they arise…and a compliance program will resolve problems, once arisen, before they spin out of control. • PBMs – A PBM is in a stronger negotiating position than that of the specialty pharmacy. At the end of the day, the PBM “possesses the pharmacy's money.” This podcast will discuss the steps the pharmacy should take to establish a “win-win” relationship with a PBM. Doing so will eliminate uncertainty and prevent many problems from arising. However, if the PBM ends up bringing an inquiry, audit or investigation against the pharmacy, the podcast will set out the steps the pharmacy should take to resolve the inquiry, audit or investigation without it devolving into an adversarial action. • Governmental Agencies – There are a number of federal and state governmental agencies that a specialty pharmacy may have to deal with. These include (i) the Department of Justice, (ii) the Office of Inspector General, (iii) the DEA, (iv) the FDA, (v) state Attorneys General, and (vi) State Boards of Pharmacy. This podcast will discuss the steps the pharmacy should take when it is investigated by a governmental agency. As with working with PBMs, the pharmacy should strive to resolve a government investigation before it spins out of control. 

Kansas Medicaid Inspector General Steve Anderson joined Newstalk KZRG to discuss fraud and recent findings within Kansas Medicaid. Join Ted, Steve, and Lucas for the KZRG Morning Newswatch!

He might be one of the most enduring federal inspectors general having served Justice Departments under the Obama, Trump, Biden and second Trump administrations. He's also been a regular guest here on the Federal Drive. Joining me for my final interview with him, Michael Horowitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He might be one of the most enduring federal inspectors general having served Justice Departments under the Obama, Trump, Biden and second Trump administrations. He's also been a regular guest here on the Federal Drive. Joining me for my final interview with him, Michael Horowitz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Doug Risher catches up with Massachusetts Inspector General Jeff Shapiro during his visit to Nantucket. While on the island, Shapiro spent the day meeting with local leaders—from the town administrator to airport staff and state police—as part of his “listening tour” around the state. He's the only statewide Inspector General in the country who looks at both state and local government, and he makes a point to visit communities regularly to get a real sense of what's working—and what isn't—on the ground.

April 22, 2025 - New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang discusses a recent report on workers' compensation fraud investigations in 2024, which led to an increase in arrests and recovered payouts.

Anthony D'Esposito, President Trump's nominee to become the new Inspector General for the Department of Labor, joins Sid live in-studio on this Friday installment of Sid & Friends in the Morning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Health and Human Services IG recently recovered $27 million in fraudulent payments made through electronic funds transfers. There are steps that would improve payment security, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid may not have the bandwidth to help state agencies comply. Federal News Network's Terry Gerton dug into the details with the regional Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspection for HHS, Brian Whitley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Department of Health and Human Services IG recently recovered $27 million in fraudulent payments made through electronic funds transfers. There are steps that would improve payment security, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid may not have the bandwidth to help state agencies comply. Federal News Network's Terry Gerton dug into the details with the regional Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspection for HHS, Brian Whitley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anthony D'Esposito, former Congressman and Inspector General for the United States Department of Labor nominee, joins Sid to discuss his recent meeting with President Trump, before he dives into the rest of the news of the day both locally and nationally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems simple enough. Veterans seeking care from community providers external to VA can schedule their own appointments. That's once they get the ok from VA. Now the VA's Office of Inspector General has called for more oversight of the Veteran Self Scheduling system. More now from the director for community care in the office of Audits and Evaluations, Jennifer McDonald. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It seems simple enough. Veterans seeking care from community providers external to VA can schedule their own appointments. That's once they get the ok from VA. Now the VA's Office of Inspector General has called for more oversight of the Veteran Self Scheduling system. More now from the director for community care in the office of Audits and Evaluations, Jennifer McDonald. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's episode, we dive into why Republicans keep winning the messaging war despite their policies hurting average Americans. We explore how stories consistently triumph over facts in political discourse and why Democrats' reliance on statistics isn't working. From "The Inspector General" to parables in the Bible, we examine how powerful narratives shape public perception more effectively than cold, hard facts. We also break down the absurdity of Trump's tariffs, the mainstream media's underwhelming coverage of protests, and why Medicaid is secretly a middle-class benefit that affects more Americans than you might think.  Join us for an episode that might just change how you think about political communication in these chaotic times.Support the show at patreon.com/proleftpod or The Professional Left Podcast PO Box 9133Springfield, IL 62791More at proleftpod.com.  Support the show

The Office of the Inspector General is determining whether a deadly officer-involved shooting in Bridgeport was justified. Meanwhile, the attorney representing the victim's family says already released surveillance footage proves the shooting death of Dyshon Best was not justified. We spoke with Attorney Darnell Crosland. Image Courtesy of Attorney Darnell Crosland

The Internal Revenue Service's acting commissioner is set to leave the tax agency, according to a source familiar with the situation, a move that comes after the Treasury Department signed an agreement to share taxpayers' information with the Department of Homeland Security. Melanie Krause, who joined the IRS in October 2021 as the agency's chief data and analytics officer, is taking the federal government's deferred resignation offer and was not pushed to resign, according to the source. A Government Accountability Office and Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General alum, Krause was elevated to acting commissioner from chief operating officer in late February, taking over for Doug O'Donnell, who retired after manning the interim post following Danny Werfel's January departure. Krause decided to resign after Treasury officials struck a deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the accessing of taxpayer information. Krause was largely excluded from those conversations, per the Washington Post. A Treasury spokesperson said in a statement to FedScoop that she will continue to serve as acting commissioner “until at least May 15th.” President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday that could lead to the cancellation of major defense acquisition programs, boost the procurement of commercial technologies and shake up the workforce. The directive states that “after years of misplaced priorities and poor management, our defense acquisition system does not provide the speed and flexibility our Armed Forces need to have decisive advantages in the future. In order to strengthen our military edge, America must deliver state‐of‐the‐art capabilities at speed and scale through a comprehensive overhaul of this system.” The EO on “Modernizing Defense Acquisition and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base,” directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon leadership to complete a comprehensive review of all major defense acquisition programs (MDAPs) within 90 days. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Each month, the VA Office of Inspector General publishes highlights of our investigative work, congressional testimony, and oversight reports. In March 2025, the VA OIG published 17 reports that included 101 recommendations. Report topics varied from a review of VHA and VBA fiscal year 2024 supplemental funding requests and mental healthcare services at a Massachusetts' VA medical center to a review of the veteran self-scheduling process for community care and supply and equipment management deficiencies at a Texas VA medical center. VA OIG investigations led to the sentencing of a pharmacy operator who conspired with various doctors to charge government agencies for medically unnecessary compound prescriptions, pain creams, scar gels, and multivitamins primarily to patients covered under the Office of Workers' Compensation Program. Elsewhere, a government subcontractor was sentenced to 12 months' probation and ordered to pay restitution of more than $493,000 after previously pleading guilty to bank fraud. The company fraudulently obtained a Small Business Administration-backed Paycheck Protection Program loan. The company's owner also agreed to pay more than $1.1 million as part of a civil settlement to resolve his own civil liability.  This latest podcast episode of Veteran Oversight Now highlights the VA OIG's oversight work from March 2025, including four healthcare facility inspections reports on facilities in Massachusetts, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington, DC.  Related Reports: The Causes and Conditions That Led to a $12 Billion Supplemental Funding Request Review of VA's $2.9 Billion Supplemental Funds Request for FY 2024 to Support Veterans' Benefits Payments Inadequate Governance Structure and Identification of Chief Mental Health Officers' Responsibilities  

Just days into his latest run as president, Donald Trump fired 17 inspectors general acoss the federal government. The move not only set off alarms in the government oversight and accountability community, but it also set an early precedent for how the Trump administration would deal with any entities he saw as threatening to his agenda as president. Diana Shaw has spent much of her career in the shoes of federal inspectors general, having served as acting IG of the State Department and a variety of roles in DHS's Office of the IG, before retiring from government in 2024. So she knows as good as anyone, through her continued connections and deep experience, how IGs in the Trump administration are navigating the current dynamic, what's at play as they maneuver around the work of the DOGE and how things wil continue to unfold. Now a partner at DC law firm Wiley Rein LLP, Shaw joins the Daily Scoop to discuss all that as well as her thoughts on one of the biggest IG cases: the Pentagon's probe into the secretary of defense's use of commercial messaging applications like Signal to conduct official business. The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency team is examining the Navy's software enterprise, the service's chief information officer said Tuesday. The review comes as the administration is undertaking a broad look at the Defense Department's and other federal agencies' contracts and workforce in search of what it considers wasteful spending and opportunities for savings. After accessing data at the Department of Homeland Security, including systems operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency now appears to be behind a new effort to shrink the agency's staff. On Monday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem sent a message to employees encouraging them to leave the agency, according to an email viewed by FedScoop. The message explained details of deferred resignation, voluntary early retirement, and voluntary separation incentive payment programs. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

This week, the Geeks wade into a swamp of tech meltdowns, governmental facepalms, and the usual Elon-flavored absurdity. Kicking things off, protesters take their beef with Tesla to the streets while Proud Boys decide this is the hill to vroom and die on. Meanwhile, Elon's privacy prayers have finally been answered—thanks to new FAA rules, he and Tay-Tay can jet around untracked like it's 1999. Oh, and while Earth dodges a killer asteroid, the Moon might be signing up for an unplanned smackdown. Sorry, Luna.In the news, Signal's reputation as the go-to encrypted app takes a nosedive thanks to Republican Senate drama and an Inspector General with receipts. The NSA warned us. Nobody listened. Now it's “SignalGate” season. Elon continues his narcissist Voltron strategy by having xAI buy X (from Elon). Trump, meanwhile, is moonwalking into a $2.3B Truth Social payday, while his meme coin tanks post-tariff tantrum. OpenAI flexes with new AGI funding and 700M AI-generated images (probably 699M of them cursed), while the first therapy chatbot actually helps someone and a brain-voice interface starts sounding a lot like Skynet: The Prequel. Oh, and in shocking news: Trump's war on “information silos” is code for “your personal data is about to be someone else's business.”Media Candy serves up a grab bag from punk docs (Turn It Around) to jungle pulp throwbacks (Tales of the Gold Monkey), and yes—Stephen Collins is still problematic. Apple's prepping new AI-powered health apps, emoji drops, and a food tab for News+, because why not. WhatsApp now wants to be your phone, Alexa+ disappoints, and Zuckerberg tries to make Facebook usable again with a “Friends-only” feed. Meanwhile, Bill Gates pulls a nostalgia flex by dropping OG Microsoft source code like it's a rare vinyl. In other dark corners: Kermit the Frog is now giving commencement speeches, Val Kilmer sadly exits stage left, and Elon fails in his bid to buy a state supreme court. Hands off, Elon. Just… hands off.Sponsors:Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordDeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.Show notes at https://gog.show/691FOLLOW UPCrowds Turn Out Across the U.S. for ‘Tesla Takedown' ProtestsThe Proud Boys and Militias Come to Tesla's DefenseTaylor Swift and Elon Can Finally Fly Private Without Being Tracked Thanks to New FAA RuleEarth Is Safe From Menacing Asteroid—but Our Moon Might Take the HitIN THE NEWSRepublican chair of Senate Armed Services Committee calls for investigation into Signal chatDoD Inspector General Says He's Looking Into SignalGateWaltz's team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the worldNSA warned of vulnerabilities in Signal app a month before Houthi strike chatTrump administration fires director of National Security AgencyxAI, Elon Musk's AI company, just purchased X, Elon Musk's social media companyTrump kicks off sale of $2.3bn Truth Social stakeYou'll Never Guess What Happened to Trump's Meme Coin After He Announced His TariffsOpenAI: New funding to build towards AGIOxygen Levels in Earth's Lakes Are Plummeting, Study RevealsChatGPT users have generated over 700M images since last week, OpenAI saysFirst Therapy Chatbot Trial Yields Mental Health BenefitsUS Senate committee opens review into Meta's efforts to gain access to ChinaBrain-to-voice neuroprosthesis restores naturalistic speechGenerative AI Leadership & Strategy SpecializationPresident Trump's War on ‘Information Silos' Is Bad News for Your Personal DataMEDIA CANDYThe White LotusThe StudioOrphan Black: EchoesOrphan BlackShe-Hulk: Attorney at LawTales of the Gold MonkeyStephen CollinsTurn It Around: The Story of East Bay PunkGenres are bustin' out all over in Strange New Worlds S3 teaserFerris Bueller's teacher schools Trump on tariffsAPPS & DOODADSProject 2025 TrackerApple is reportedly on track to launch the M5 iPad Pro and MacBook Pro later this yearApple is said to be developing a revamped Health app with a built-in AI doctoriOS 18.4 is available now with new emoji, Apple News+ Food and priority notificationsChange the default apps on iPhoneWhatsApp can be your default calling and texting app on iPhoneAlexa+ is out, but missing a lot of features Amazon demoed last monthFacebook's new Friends-only feed ditches all the algorithmic junkBill Gates Publishes Original Microsoft Source Code in a Blog PostRed SalsaTHE DARK SIDE WITH DAVEDave BittnerThe CyberWireHacking HumansCaveatControl LoopOnly Malware in the BuildingKermit the Frog named University of Maryland commencement speakerCLOSING SHOUT-OUTSBletchley code breaker Betty Webb dies aged 101Val Kilmer, Top Gun Actor and One-Time Batman, Dead at 65Elon Musk tried to buy Wisconsin's Supreme Court. He lost.Hands Off!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Friday, April 4th, 2025Today, the acting Inspector General for the Department of Defense has launched an investigation into Pete Hegseth's Signal chat messages; the Senate has voted to rescind some of Trump's tariffs which caused the third biggest stock market crash in modern history; federal prosecutors have dropped the charges against the guy Nancy Mace says assaulted her; massive layoffs at the FDA include scientists working on bird flu and pet food safety; Judge Boasberg held a hearing in the contempt proceedings in the Alien Enemies Act case; and Allison delivers your Good News.Guest: Mayor Karen BassMayor Bass Applauds FEMA's Extension of Deadline for No-Cost Debris Removal ProgramWildfire Recovery Resources - LA CityResources Centers Available For Those Impacted by L.A. WildfiresEARTH DAY LA - April 25Mayor Karen BassMayor Karen Bass (@mayor.lacity.gov) — BlueskyGuest: John FugelsangTell Me Everything — John FugelsangThe John Fugelsang PodcastSiriusXM ProgressThank You, Pique LifeGet 20% off on the Radiant Skin Duo, plus a FREE starter kit at Piquelife.com/dailybeans.Stories:Pentagon watchdog launches probe of Hegseth Signal messages | CNN PoliticsSenate Votes to Rescind Some Trump Tariffs, With G.O.P. Support | The New York TimesTrump contradicts aides, talking points on purpose of global tariffs | The Washington PostVeterinarians working on bird flu, pet food safety are fired in HHS purge | The Washington PostCharge dropped against foster advocate accused of assaulting Rep. Nancy Mace | The Washington PostGood Trouble:Hands off 2025 is tomorrow! Go to HandsOff2025.com to find the rally nearest you, put on your comfy shoes, stay hydrated and KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. Know Your Rights | Protesters' Rights | ACLU From The Good NewsShit Show (Instrumental) | YouTubeItalian Government -Citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis)Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Federal workers - feel free to email me at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.Share your Good News or Good Trouble:https://www.dailybeanspod.com/good/ Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill Substack|Muellershewrote, Twitter|@MuellerSheWrote, Threads|@muellershewrote, TikTok|@muellershewrote, IG|muellershewrote, BlueSky|@muellershewroteDana GoldbergTwitter|@DGComedy, IG|dgcomedy, facebook|dgcomedy, IG|dgcomedy, danagoldberg.com, BlueSky|@dgcomedyHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/Patreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

All Family Pharmacy https://allfamilypharmacy.com/HermanBe prepared for when you need medicine the most. Don't go to urgent care YUCK. Use code HERMAN10 to save 10% on your order. Alan's Soaps https://www.alansartisansoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bioptimizers https://bioptimizers.com/toddEnter promo code TODD to get 10% off your order of MassZymes today.Bizable  https://gobizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Get your free consultation at GoBizAble.com today. Bonefrog https://bonefrogcoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.Bulwark Capital Bulwark Capital Management (bulwarkcapitalmgmt.com)Get a second opinion on the health of your retirement portfolio today. Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review go to KnowYourRiskRadio.com today.Renue Healthcare https://renue.healthcare/toddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd.The UK Would Destroy Its Economy to Control Speech // Bill Gates Continues to Disagree with God's Design for Humanity // Did Jesus Christ Reeally Rip This Guy Off?Episode Links:Trump's new plan: No free trade without free speech… UK freaks out…"From 1789-1913, we were a tariff-backed nation, and the United States was proportionally the wealthiest it has ever been -- Then in 1913, for reasons unknown to mankind, they established the income tax -- We are going to start being smart and we are going to start being wealthy again."How did the CEO of a private equity firm uncover millions of non-citizens with Social Security numbers in just days—while the SSA's own Office of Inspector General, with years and a full bureaucracy behind it, never found a thing?ELON DERANGEMENT: CNN's Jake Tapper suggests Soros, Pritzker, (Hoffman) are more virtuous than Elon because they only donate money, whereas Elon...addresses the people himself"We weren't born to do jobs." Bill Gates says jobs are a relic of human scarcity. In a world without shortages, society will be able to produce enough—food, healthcare, services—without everyone working. The real shift won't be economic. It'll be reprogramming how we think about purpose itself.Mother of the South Dakota rancher facing prison over pre-1950 fence calls on Trump for help Heather and Charles Maude each face 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines over an inherited fence built before 1950.Man explains why he abandoned the faith. "No health prayers answered. No career prayers answered. No spousal prayers answered."

Housing and Urban Development has kept up pressure on the New York City Housing Authority. The latest study by HUD's Office of Inspector General urges New York to have a more comprehensive anti-fraud program. This follows the bribery and corruption charges against 70 city housing officials last year. For more, we turn deputy IG Stephen Begg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Housing and Urban Development has kept up pressure on the New York City Housing Authority. The latest study by HUD's Office of Inspector General urges New York to have a more comprehensive anti-fraud program. This follows the bribery and corruption charges against 70 city housing officials last year. For more, we turn deputy IG Stephen Begg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens recently appointed Judge LaDawn Blackett to be Atlanta's interim inspector general. Her appointment comes in the aftermath of Shannon Manigault’s resignation over alleged interference and harassment. Interim IG Blackett joins “Closer Look” to discuss leading the OIG and her top priorities while assigned to lead the office.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deborah Witzburg, Chicago Inspector General, joins Lisa Dent to discuss PPP fraud among 41 Illinois employees. Of the 41 Illinois employees who committed fraud, many worked for the Illinois Department of Human Services. But Witzburg explains that some were police officers, and even state politicians.

Fallout continues for the Defense Department. Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman and the top Democrat Jack Reed, have asked the Pentagon's Inspector General to investigate that infamous leak of a Signal group chat. The discussion about sensitive attack plans against the Houthis in Yemen ended up including a reporter. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fallout continues for the Defense Department. Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman and the top Democrat Jack Reed, have asked the Pentagon's Inspector General to investigate that infamous leak of a Signal group chat. The discussion about sensitive attack plans against the Houthis in Yemen ended up including a reporter. Federal News Network's Anastasia Obis reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ralph welcomes New York Times journalist, David Enrich, author of “Murder the Truth” an in-depth exposé of the attack on freedom of the press as protected by the landmark Supreme Court decision “Sullivan v. The New York Times.” Also, Professor Michael Graetz a leading authority on tax politics and policy joins to discuss his book “The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America.” Plus, our resident constitutional scholar, Bruce Fein, updates us on his latest efforts to push for the impeachment of Donald Trump.David Enrich is the business investigations editor for The New York Times. He writes about the intersection of law and business, including the power wielded by giant corporate law firms and the changing contours of the First Amendment and libel law. His latest book is titled Murder the Truth: Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful, an in-depth exposé of the broad campaign—orchestrated by elite Americans—to overturn sixty years of Supreme Court precedent, weaponize our speech laws, and silence dissent.When all the institutions are crushed by a dictator in the White House, it's only the people that can save the people.Ralph NaderThe interesting thing was that Fox, and these other right-wing outlets for years had been kind of banging the drum against New York Times v. Sullivan and against the protections that many journalists have come to count on. And then they get sued and their immediate fallback is to very happily cite New York Times v. Sullivan.David EnrichThese threats and these lawsuits have become an extremely popular weapon among everyone from the President down to mayors, city council members, local real estate development companies, on and on and on…And the direct result of that will be that powerful people, companies, organizations, institutions are going to be able to do bad things without anyone knowing about it.David EnrichPeople keep asking me what they can do, what they should do. And I think the answer is really to try and understand these issues. They're complicated, but they're also getting deliberately misframed and misrepresented often, especially on the right, but sometimes not on the right. And I think it's really important for people to understand the importance of New York Times v. Sullivan, and to understand the grave threats facing journalists, especially at the local level right now, and the consequences that could have for our democracy.David EnrichMichael Graetz is professor emeritus at Columbia Law School and Yale Law School and a leading authority on tax politics and policy. He served in the U.S. Treasury's Office of Tax Policy and is the author and coauthor of many books, including Death by a Thousand Cuts: The Fight over Taxing Inherited Wealth and The Burger Court and the Rise of the Judicial Right. His latest book is The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America.I spent a lot of time asking people to name the most important political and social movements of the last half century. And no surprise, they named the civil rights movement, the women's movement, the LGBTQ movement, the Christian Evangelical movement, the MAGA movement lately, but no one ever mentioned the anti-tax movement. And unlike the other movements I've named, the anti-tax movement is really the only one that has not suffered a serious setback in the past half century.Michael GraetzThe anti-tax movement has always relied on a false dichotomy between “us” (those who pay taxes) and “them” (those who receive government benefits).Michael GraetzThe Democrats now don't want to tax 98% of the people and the Republicans don't want to tax 100% of the people and the question is: how do you get anywhere with those kinds of firm “no new taxes” pledges? And that's a problem. And I think it's a problem that the Democrats have fallen into basically based on the success of the Republicans antitax coalition.Michael GraetzYou're going to see individuals' budgets pinched because the federal government refuses to treat its budget with any degree of seriousness.Michael GraetzThe label they use to justify tax cuts for the rich and the corporate they call them the “job creators.” Well, that has not been proven at all.Ralph NaderBruce Fein is a Constitutional scholar and an expert on international law. Mr. Fein was Associate Deputy Attorney General under Ronald Reagan and he is the author of Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy, and American Empire: Before the Fall.Certainly, the current Congress is not going to act without citizen involvement, pressure, clamoring that they do something to save the processes which are the heart and soul of our civilization as opposed to the law of the jungle.Bruce FeinNews 3/19/251. The AP reports that on Tuesday Israel broke the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, launching airstrikes that have killed over 400 Palestinians. These strikes, which have killed mostly women and children, are described as “open-ended and expected to expand.” This new offensive began the same day Prime Minister Netanyahu was scheduled to appear in court to provide testimony in his corruption trial; according to Israeli broadcaster KAN News, Netanyahu used the surprise attack to annul this court date.2. This new offensive endangers the lives of some two dozen Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. These hostages would have been released as part of the prisoner exchanges brokered through the ceasefire agreement. In order to dissuade further escalation, journalist Dimi Reider reports “Israeli hostage families are trying to make a human chain around Gaza to physically block a ground incursion.” This human chain includes prominent Israeli activist Einav Zangauker, whose son is still held in Gaza and who has made herself an implacable opponent of Netanyahu.3. On the home front, a new round of state-backed repression is underway, targeted at pro-Palestine activists on college and university campuses. The Mahmoud Khalil case has received perhaps the most attention and with good reason. Khalil is a legal permanent resident of the United States and is married to a U.S. citizen who is eight months pregnant. He has long been active in pro-Palestine organizing at the college, which White House officials have claimed make him a “threat to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States.” The Trump administration has refused to honor Khalil's Constitutional rights – including refusing to let him meet with his lawyer – and has admitted that they are persecuting him on the basis of political speech, a clear-cut violation of the First Amendment. A White House official explicitly told the Free Press, “The allegation…is not that he was breaking the law.” In addition to Khalil however, Columbia has taken the opportunity to expel, suspend and revoke the degrees of 22 students involved in the Hind's Hall occupation last year, per the Middle East Eye. This raft of penalizations includes the expulsion of Grant Miner, President of UAW Local 2710, which represents thousands of Columbia student workers. Per the UAW, “the firing comes one day before contract negotiations were set to open with the University.” The timing of this expulsion is suspicious to say the least.4. Yet, even in the face of such repression, pro-Palestine campus activism perseveres. Democracy Now! reports that on March 14th, Harvard Law School students “overwhelmingly passed a referendum calling on Harvard to divest its more than $50 billion endowment from ‘weapons, surveillance technology, and other companies aiding violations of international humanitarian law, including Israel's genocide in Gaza and its ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine.'” The Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee adds that the referendum passed with approximately 73% of the vote, an unquestionably decisive margin. Even still, the university is unlikely to even consider adopting the resolution.5. The resilience of student activists in the face of state-backed repression highlights the fecklessness of elected Democrats. The political leadership of New York for example has not mobilized to defend Mahmoud Khalil from authoritarian overreach by the federal government. Even locally, none of the current mayoral hopefuls – a rather underwhelming lot including the comically corrupt incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, infamous for killing thousands of seniors via his Covid policies and for the pervasive culture of sexual harassment in his office – have forcefully spoken up for Khalil. That is except for Zohran Mamdani, the DSA-endorsed mayoral candidate steadily climbing in the polls thanks to his popular message and well-crafted political ads. His advocacy on behalf of Khalil seems to have won him the support of perhaps the most principled progressive in Congress, Rashida Tlaib, who likewise is leading the meager Congressional effort to pressure the administration to rescind the disappearance of Khalil.6. In light of their anemic response to Trump and Trumpism, Democratic discontent is reaching a boiling point. A flashpoint emerged last week when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer opted not to fight the Republican budget proposal and vote for cloture instead of shutting down the government. Democratic voters were so incensed by this decision that Schumer was forced to postpone his book tour and the Democratic Party registered its lowest ever approval ratings, with just seven percent of voters saying they have a “very positive” view of the party. As this debacle unfolded, House Democrats were at a retreat in Leesburg, Virginia where AOC “slammed…[Schumer's]…decision to ‘completely roll over and give up on protecting the Constitution.'” One member told CNN Democrats in Leesburg were “so mad” that even centrists were “ready to write checks for AOC for Senate.” And Pass the Torch, the grassroots progressive group that called for President Biden withdraw from the 2024 campaign is now calling for Schumer to resign as minority leader, the Hill reports. In their statement, the group writes “[Schumer's] sole job is to fight MAGA's fascist takeover of our democracy — instead, he's directly enabling it. Americans desperately need a real opposition party to stand up to Trump.”7. In the early evening on Tuesday March 18th, Trump unlawfully dismissed the two remaining Democrats on the Federal Trade Commission, POLITICO reports. One Commissioner, Alvaro Bedoya, tweeted “The President just illegally fired me.” Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter was also ousted from her post. In her statement, she wrote that her dismissal violated “the plain language of a statute and clear Supreme Court precedent. Why? Because…[Trump] is afraid of what I'll tell the American people.” Trump similarly violated the law when he dismissed National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox who filed a lawsuit which prevailed in federal district court. POLITICO reports she returned to work last week. Biden's superstar FTC Chair Lina Khan, already ousted by Trump, commented “The @FTC must enforce the law without fear or favor. The administration's illegal attempt to fire Commissioners Slaughter & Bedoya is a disturbing sign that this FTC won't. It's a gift to corporate lawbreakers that squeeze American consumers, workers, and honest businesses.” On March 19th, Bedoya added “Don't worry…We are still commissioners. We're suing to make that clear for everyone.”8. Trump's radical deregulatory agenda could not come at a worse time. Amid a streak of horrific aviation accidents and incidents, it now appears that Elon Musk is seeking to permanently worm his way into the Federal Aviation Administration. Forbes reports that the Campaign Legal Center has filed a legal complaint with the Office of the Inspector General of the Transportation Department alleging that Musk may have violated conflict of interest laws through his “involvement with a deal between the Federal Aviation Administration and his own company Starlink.” Per the Washington Post, the FAA is “close to canceling” its existing $2.4 billion contract with Verizon in favor of working with Starlink, and according to the legal complaint, Musk “appears to have personally and substantially participated” in these negotiations. This matter will have to play out in court, but the risks are very real. As Representative Greg Casar put it, “Musk is trying to make our air traffic control system ‘dependent' on him by integrating his equipment, which has not gone through security and risk-management review. It's corruption. And it's dangerous.”9. In more Musk news, President Trump has announced that he will institute a new rule classifying any attack on Tesla dealers as domestic terrorism, Reuters reports. This comes in response to the peaceful, so-called “Tesla Takedown” protests, which urge participants to “Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines.” Any connection between the protests and isolated cases of vandalism against Teslas or Tesla dealerships is tenuous at most. Instead, this theatrical display of support for the auto manufacturer seems to be a response Tesla's declining stock value. Reuters reports “Tesla's market capitalization has more than halved since hitting an all-time high of $1.5 trillion on December 17, erasing most of the gains the stock made after Musk-backed Trump won the U.S. election in November.” It seems unlikely that invoking the iron fist of the state against peaceful protestors will do much to buoy Tesla's market position.10. Finally, in a humiliating bit of tragic irony, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long maintained a personal brand as a crusader against junk food, is being deployed by the Trump administration to boost the fast food chain Steak ‘n Shake. Ostensibly, the endorsement is predicated on the chain using beef tallow rather than seed oils to prepare their French fries – the company called it “RFK'ing the fries” – yet even that claim appears shaky. According to NBC, “the chain's move inspired some in the [Make America Healthy Again] world to look deeper… finding that [Steak ‘n Shake's] fries were precooked in seed oils.” Nevertheless, RFK's endorsement has been echoed by many others in Trump-world, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kari Lake, Charlie Kirk, and others. NBC adds that in February, Tesla announced it had signed a deal to build charging stations at Steak 'n Shake locations. Funny how Musk's fingers seem to appear in every pie, or in this case grasping at every tallow French fry.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha SharmaToday is the 20th of March and here are the headlines.Both Houses of Parliament were marred by protests staged by the DMK over the delimitation issue, with the presiding officers calling their behaviour unbecoming of the dignity of Parliament. Lok Sabha was adjourned within two minuates after it met at 11 am, as DMK MPs came wearing identical T-shirts as a mark of protest against the proposed delimitation. Speaker Om Birla said they cannot come to the House wearing T-shirts and protest in ways that lower the dignity of the House, and adjourned Lok Sabha till noon. The delimitation is expected after 2026 following the decennial census unless the Parliament extends the freeze yet again by amending the Constitution.The Cyberabad police in Telangana booked 25 people on Sunday, including Tollywood actors and social media influencers, for allegedly promoting illegal betting, gambling and casino apps, causing financial losses to the public. Among the 25 named in the FIR are actors Rana Daggubati, Prakash Raj, Vijay Devarakonda, Manchu Lakshmi, Praneetha and Nidhi Agarwal. Named accused 1 and accused 2, Rana Daggubati and Prakash Raj are alleged to have promoted Junglee Rummy through pop-up ads. Vijay Devarakonda is accused of promoting A23 Rummy, Manchu Lakshmi Yolo247, Praneetha Fairplay Live, and Nidhi Agarwal Jeet Win, all by way of pop-up ads, the police said.Billionaire Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has filed a lawsuit against the Central Government, challenging the creation of a “parallel” and “unlawful” content censorship regime through a provision under the Information Technology Act. In its petition filed in the Karnataka High Court earlier this month, the company has contended that through the use of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, multiple government departments and agencies are now issuing content takedown notices to social media companies like X, “attempting to bypass the multiple procedural safeguards” prescribed under Section 69A of the IT Act, which also allows for content blocking.A jawan and 22 Maoists were killed in two encounters in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region today. One encounter broke out at 7 am while security forces were undertaking an operation based on intelligence indicating the presence of Maoists in the jungles under the jurisdiction of Gangaloor police station in Bijapur district near the Dantewada border. The encounter involved intermittent firing for hours, said Sundarraj P, Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range. A jawan from the Bijapur District Reserves Guard (DRG) and 18 Maoists were killed in the firing. “We have recovered explosives and weapons. Search operations are going on,” the officer said.An Indian researcher at Georgetown University, Badar Khan Suri, has been detained by US immigration authorities days after another Indian national's student visa was cancelled over accusations of supporting Hamas. According to a report in Politico that cited court documents, the US government has accused Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow, of allegedly having connections with Hamas — a Palestinian group that the US and several other Western countries have designated as a terrorist organisation. This comes just days after the student visa of Columbia University student Ranjani Srinivasan was revoked by the Donald Trump administration.This was the Catch Up on 3 Things by the Indian Express.

How do we prevent or catch mismanagement, corruption, and waste of taxpayers' dollars in federal agencies? On January 24, 2025, days into his second administration, President Trump fired Inspectors General from 17 different federal agencies, including the Department of Labor. If no one is watching, does that mean there's nothing to see?In this episode Pam Karlan is joined by Glenn Fine, a former Inspector General of both the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense. Glenn highlights the extensive work involved in detecting and deterring waste, fraud, and abuse within these massive agencies. He discusses the differences between the DOJ and DOD, emphasizing the unique challenges and the importance of understanding each agency's culture and operations. Through detailed examples, including politicized hiring at the DOJ and a tragic incident at the Bureau of Prisons, he illustrates the breadth and impact of the investigations conducted by Inspectors General—and the essential function of these watchdogs in maintaining integrity and accountability within federal agencies. Earlier in his career, Glenn served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington D.C., where he handled criminal cases, including more than 35 jury trials. He also worked in private practice in two law firms.  He is the author of the book Watchdogs: Inspectors General and the Battle for Honest and Accountable Government, with a foreword by General Jim Mattis. He currently is a fellow at the Brookings Institution and serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University—and as a visiting lecturer at Stanford Law School.Links:Glenn Fine >>> Stanford Law pageWatchdogs >>> UVA Press pageConnect:Episode Transcripts >>> Stanford Legal Podcast WebsiteStanford Legal Podcast >>> LinkedIn PageRich Ford >>>  Twitter/XPam Karlan >>> Stanford Law School PageStanford Law School >>> Twitter/XStanford Lawyer Magazine >>> Twitter/X(00:00:00)  Introduction and Overview of the Inspector General's Role(00:03:52) The Impact of Inspector General Reports(00:04:39) Notable Investigations at DOJ and DOD(00:15:56) The Role of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service(00:17:23) Coordinating COVID-19 Relief Oversight(00:27:59) Importance of the IG's role in maintaining government accountability

#salud #deportaciones #energía La gobernadora Jenniffer González Colón se ríe de las preguntas sobre los líos de Victor Ramos cuando fue Presidente del Colegio de Médicos mientras nombra a un recaudador de fondos del PNP a dirigir la AMA mientras es investigado por la Oficina del Inspector General. | Manuel Laboy dice que no es tan fácil cumplir con la promesa de Gobernadora de traer barcazas con gas metano para suplir demanda de energía en verano. | La deportaciones de Trump de inmigrantes son sobre la base de enemigos como si ese país estuviera en guerra. ¡Conéctate, comenta y comparte! #periodismoindependiente #periodismodigital #periodismoinvestigativo

Podcast: LAS NOTICIAS CON CALLE DE 4 DE MARZO DE 2025 - Empiezan tarifas de Trump a México, Canadá y China, China y Canadá disparan tarifas de vuelta - Dueños de Genera celebran regalo de Jenniffer González - Noticel - Ucrania aprieta tras Trump detenerle toda la ayuda y advierten que Rusia no ha concedido nada - Financial Times- Trump habla hoy en el Congreso - Amenazas de matanzas en Morovis provocan alerta de seguridad - Primera Hora- Swain advierte negociación para pensionados de la AEE - El Nuevo Día- Boricua promedio no puede comprar una casa - El Nuevo Día- Licencia para veterinarios que no tienen reválida - El Nuevo Día - Primera Muerte por dengue - El Vocero - Pablo José insiste en proyecto que JGo no logró se aprobara para poder conseguir vivienda - El Nuevo Día- Cárcel para jefe de botes que mató sobre 100 aves en contrabando - El Vocero - Investigan federales a Secretario de Salud actual, Inspector General de PR investiga a secretario anterior - El Vocero- Jueza Swain busca definir todos los ingresos de la AEE - El Vocero - China demanda a Estados Unidos por arbitrios de arancel en la WTO - WSJ- Duro golpe a México las tarifas de Trump - Bloomberg - Alcalde de Guánica pide a gobierno acelerar reconstrucción tras terremotos - Primera Hora - Comida en PR subirá de precio tras aranceles de Trump - El Vocero Si eres atleta, sabes que la hidratación es clave para tu rendimiento. Pedialyte® Sport te ayuda a reponer los líquidos y electrolitos perdidos por el sudor con 5 electrolitos claves para rehidratación rápida y apoyo muscular. Esta disponible en 3 deliciosos sabores: lemon lime, fruit punch y berry freeze para que te hidrates con el que más te guste. Búscalos en tu supermercado o farmacia de preferencia y mantente hidratado durante tus rutinas de actividad física con Pedialyte® Sport.Incluye auspicio

Protect your savings with the precious metal IRA specialist. https://www.birchgold.com/Text: Graham to 989898 America's only Christian conservative wireless provider! https://patriotmobile.com/Graham or call 972-PATRIOT + use code GRAHAM for FREE activation ✉️Subscribe to the Newsletter!! https://newsletter.grahamallen.com/