"Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles."
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Whistleblower Letter alleging Kennedy Center Mismanagement
Jim Acosta – Whistleblower Document Dump Accuses Trump Administration of Damaging Kennedy Center with No-Bid Contracts and Shoddy Work. “Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse released the documents which state facility may now require “extensive remediation.” It is more than just a tacky tarp that is plaguing the Kennedy Center. According to a large trove of government documents and emails, provided to members of Congress by a group of whistleblowers, the Trump administration rushed shoddy renovation work at the Center through no-bid contracts that could leave the facility in need of “extensive remediation” for years to come. The newly released documents, released by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, accuse the administration of “gross mismanagement and gross waste of public funds” in awarding projects to “preferred contractors.”
A letter addressed to lawmakers from the Government Accountability Project on behalf of the whistleblowers said the president’s handpicked Center management made several of these renovation decisions in “unusually close consultation” with Trump himself. “Renovations were rushed to meet the deadlines driven by the President’s desire to host official events at the Center. Federal contracting laws and regulations were ignored.
Preferred contractors were awarded no-bid contracts without proper justification. Management repeatedly told staff to ‘do whatever it takes,’ insisting that ‘we’ll deal with the lawsuits later,’ the letter stated. “The rushed timeline and deviations from contracting practices led to superficial cosmetic alterations that apparently failed to address underlying structural deficiencies and will likely require extensive remediation,” the letter added…”
Judge Nullifies Trump $1.776B Settlement With IRS And Treasury
“Court finds that this matter was brought for an improper purpose—to gain the imprimatur of judicial legitimacy for a ‘settlement’ that had no viable basis in law or fact.”… At the heart of Judge Williams’ decision is a constitutional finding that there was never an actual “case or controversy” as required under Article III of the Constitution.
The judge found that because President Trump, as head of the Executive Branch, ultimately controlled the agencies he sued—the Treasury Department and the IRS—the parties were never genuinely adverse. The ruling effectively dismantles what critics had described as a sweetheart deal between the Trump administration and the IRS…”
Meta used AI to target workers with medical conditions for layoffs, lawsuit claims
Reuters: “Twenty-six employees of Meta Platforms have filed a novel lawsuit accusing the tech giant of using AI-powered software that disproportionately targeted people with disabilities or who took medical leave in selecting workers for mass layoffs. The lawsuit, filed in Oakland, California, federal court late Monday, says that the company relied on factors such as productivity and AI token usage when it slashed thousands of jobs earlier this year, disadvantaging people who missed work because of medical conditions or to care for family members.
The plaintiffs, who were notified in May that their jobs would be eliminated starting on July 22, are seeking a preliminary ruling from the court blocking Meta from completing the layoffs while they pursue their claims in private arbitration.
The workers say Meta’s agreements require employees to arbitrate workplace disputes individually, but do not apply to requests for temporary relief. A Meta spokesperson on Tuesday said the claims lack merit…The lawsuit appears to be the first against a major U.S. company to challenge the alleged use of AI in conducting layoffs.”
The 26 plaintiffs, who filed the lawsuit anonymously, are accusing Meta of violating federal and state laws that ban discrimination or retaliation against workers who have disabilities, take medical leave or are pregnant. They also claim that Meta failed to test its AI systems for bias in violation of recently adopted California and New York City laws…”
