Today in the Paper Trail:

Federal Scientist Protection Policy Falls Short;
Military Leaders Ride Out Tuberville Hold;
America’s State Supreme Courts Looking Less Like America;
and More. There is concern that Biden isn't doing enough to ensure government scientists are free from political pressure and that "bad-faith actors" who harass scientists are held accountable govexec.com/management/202…

Take a look at what's in today's #PaperTrail, which covers all the latest in #oversight news:

🔎Many HUD Contractors Lack Whistleblower Protection;
🔎Hanford’s Radioactive Legacy Defies Solution;
🔎Climate Change Making Parts of U.S. Uninsurable;
🔎and More. Ability Without Accessibility: @chrisriotta reports on an initiative the government hopes will make it easier for federal contracting officials to connect with small, disadvantaged and minority-owned businesses nextgov.com/policy/2023/05…

Yesterday, we filed a complaint with the Justice Department, urging DOJ to investigate SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas' failure to disclose the receipt of gifts potentially worth millions of dollars.

Unless DOJ uncovers facts that differ from recent reports, DOJ should seek fines You can read the full complaint on POGO's website.

The complaint spells out that when Justice Thomas failed to disclose that he accepted gifts of luxury vacations from a political donor, he violated the Ethics In Government Act of 1978. pogo.org/letter/2023/04…

Today in Paper Trail:

Suspected Classified Document Leaker Arrested;
Clarence Thomas’ Secret Property Sale;
H-1B Visa Program Abuse;
and More. While refusing to disclose gifts from billionaire Harlan Crow, Justice Clarence Thomas consistently voted to gut political spending disclosure laws, insisting donors have a right to secretly influence politics with unlimited cash
levernews.com/thomas-pushed-…

Take a peek at your Friday edition of the #PaperTrail, with the latest in #oversight news:

➡️Probing Silicon Valley Bank’s Collapse;
➡️Proud Boy Inside the Intelligence Community;
➡️The Lasting Impacts of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”;
➡️and More. The Fed's support of a 2021 Silicon Valley Bank merger—declaring the merger would pose no systemic risk—followed Fed Chair Jerome Powell's approval of other deregulatory moves that may have led to the bank's collapse
levernews.com/powell-approve…

On Nat'l Whistleblower Day, it’s important to recognize reprisal whistleblowers sometimes face, & fight to end it. Recent example: DHS IG repeatedly impeded & delayed investigations into whistleblower retaliation—which may have set the stage for #Jan6. pogo.org/investigation/… P.S.: if "DHS IG" sounds familiar, it’s because Inspector General Ken Cuffari’s time at DHS has been rife with misconduct, including suppressing findings of sexual misconduct & domestic violence at the department, quashing investigations involving the Secret Service... (cont⬇️)

In today's #PaperTrail:

➡️More Missing Text Troubles for DHS Watchdog
➡️The Looming Monkeypox Threat
➡️Pelosi’s Semiconductor Stake
➡️and much more!

Keep on reading👇 The struggle for limited resources as thousands of at-risk gay and bisexual men try to get vaccinated, tested and treated during the growing #monkeypox outbreak has exposed deep disparities in the gay community, reports @FenitN
washingtonpost.com/health/2022/07…

In today's #PaperTrail:

Biden Rejects More Trump Privilege Claims;
COVID and Stimulus Scams Cost $585M;
Facebook’s Failure to Address Misinformation;
and More.

Subscribe today, and check out a preview below. pogo.org/subscribe/ In a bombshell article, @hunterw spoke to organizers of the January 6 pro-Trump rallies who say they participated in "dozens" of planning meetings with at least 7 members of Congress, including 1 who discussed a possible pardon rollingstone.com/politics/polit…

Today, POGO is releasing our Baker’s Dozen: 13 sets of policy recommendations for Congress and the White House. These recs range from issues we have championed since 1981, to a new and growing focus on equity and fairness in our justice system. You can read all the details at the link here pogo.org/report/2021/02… or get the overview of each recommendation in the 🧵 below ⬇️

Face recognition tech is flawed and biased against people of color and women. Even if it worked as designed, it would be a nightmare. That’s why POGO joined this letter calling for a federal moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology: washingtonpost.com/technology/202… POGO has been standing up against face recognition tech, most recently calling on CBP to halt its program using this surveillance tool: pogo.org/letter/2020/12…

1/ Our @adamzagorin & @schwellenbach report in @YahooNews that @TheJusticeDept's felony case against Monsanto was reduced to a misdemeanor after the company’s lawyer appealed to fmr Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein’s office: bit.ly/2ZBeRrq

Here’s why this is concerning... 2/ “A teaspoon of methyl parathion would kill you.”

Not far from Hawaiian beachside resorts on a windy day in July 2014, Monsanto sprayed much more than that—despite the fact that the pesticide had been banned from use since the end of 2013. bit.ly/30GANia

1/ Today, @SenateCommerce approved former AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers' nomination to lead @NOAA—without a confirmation hearing—before the full Senate vote: bit.ly/2WJ0L25

Here's why we think Myers' potential confirmation poses serious ethical concerns... 2/ As our @LPetersonDC reported last December, Myers led a company that profited from NOAA's weather data: bit.ly/2YFmwSi

If weather data is privatized—as Myers proposed in the past—lives could be put at risk if the public can’t freely access warnings on disasters.