Economicon / Business / Finance

Gubmint / Poilitcks / Law Making

Supreme Court rejects Sony's attempt to kick music pirates off the Internet
Government agencies buy commercial data about Americans in bulk
Unusual trading activity raises possibility of grave national security breach

“It is very difficult to believe these bettors would place that amount of money, moments before an official announcement that would impact oil prices, based on simple chance,” Craig Holman, the government watchdog Public Citizen’s lobbyist on ethics, lobbying and campaign finance rules, told MS NOW. A White House spokesperson told the Financial Times that it did not “tolerate any administration official illegally profiteering off of insider knowledge.”
EPA approves sale of a higher-ethanol fuel to try to lower gas prices
CDC plans hiring push to fill gaps from last year's widespread layoffs
US Postal Service to introduce 8% fuel surcharge on packages

Gov. Newsom's Office Claims Grindr Provides Them Opponent's Usage Data
U.S. intercepted Ukraine government messages discussing plot to route money to Biden re-election

“The Ukrainian Government and unspecified U.S. Government personnel, through USAID in Kyiv, reportedly developed a plan that would provide hundreds of millions of US taxpayer dollars to fund an infrastructure project for Ukraine that would be used as a cover to send approximately 90% of funds allocated to the DNC to fund Joe Biden’s reelection campaign,” the declassified summary of the intercepts stated. “They were confident the project would be funded initially, even though at some time in the future the project would be disapproved as unnecessary. At this time, the money would already be allocated and impossible to return or use for a different purpose,” the report added. “The plan included details of how subcontractors would be funded through U.S. companies so that how the funds were spent and allocated would be difficult to track,” the declassified summary stated. “Additionally, contracts would be executed that would be difficult to verify. In this manner, most of the U.S. funding would be diverted to Joe Biden’s election campaign without the ability to track where exactly the funds came from.”

AI got the blame for the Iran school bombing. The truth is more worrying
Iran rejects US proposal, lays out five conditions for ending war
Iran avoiding talks with U.S.; Trump proposal to end war being reviewed
Tehran's 'toll booth' system is now controlling Hormuz traffic
Iranians leaving the country share their thoughts on US-Israeli strikes

This man says here, for example, that he believes Israel is bombing Iran to expand its borders as part of a greater Israel plan. Like all Iranians in this story, he wanted to stay anonymous because speaking to foreign media carries the risk of arrest in Iran. Some people even told us there were signs on some roads in Iran warning them not to speak to journalists. But the vast majority of Iranians did not share that first man's view. They're coming with their friends and with their families to this crossing that I've been meeting people in these chilly, snow-covered mountains to the east of Turkey. And most people told us they supported the strikes.
Iran war chokes petrochemical supply, sends plastic prices soaring
IRGC recruiting 12 year olds to fight US "in support roles"
Iran War Is Pushing Consumers to Break Up with Fossil Fuels
Iran oil revenue soars as it's the only exporter out of Hormuz