"Get comfortable being uncomfortable."

Things Really Are Getting Worse at IRS Can We Still Govern?

From GST to trusts, reform is almost impossible in this fraught political climate

The Godfather of St. Petersburg 

 1 season German Explores Vladimir Putin's rise to power

1 season German    🇩🇪 Explores Vladimir Putin's rise to power in St Petersburg, one of the most dangerous cities in the 1990s, and how his network has allowed him to stay in power for a quarter of a century.

Two part documentary series The Godfather of St. Petersburg screens on SBS2.

Putin, President of the Russian Federation, has been in power for a quarter of a century. But how did he get there? The Godfather of St. Petersburg tells the story of Putin’s rise in one of the world’s most dangerous cities of the 1990s. As deputy mayor and power broker, he became the second most powerful man in the city. In a time of brutal feuds between rival criminal gangs, he forged a network of intelligence and mafia connections: a foundation for Russia’s future power elite, which left a clear trail of corruption and violence on its way to the top.

The two-part series is based on exclusive access and sources, eyewitness accounts, and previously unseen film footage. It reveals how Vladimir Putin wove a dense web that was later able to permeate and control an entire state.

Episode One:
In the early 1990s, KGB agent Vladimir Putin returns to St. Petersburg. He quickly rises to become deputy mayor to Anatoly Sobchak – loyal, efficient, and ambitious. When the city’s food supply collapses, Putin presents a program: valuable raw materials will be bartered for food. But no food arrives; instead, the proceeds disappear. When Putin comes under investigation by a congressional investigation committee, everything is at stake for him.

Episode 2: The Godfather of St. Petersburg. Tsar Putin

The bad behavior of the richest: what I learned from wealth managers

This article is more than 7 years old

The habits of the wealthiest mirror the supposed ‘pathologies’ of the poor. But while those in poverty are called lazy, the rich are dubbed bon vivants

NYU Tax Law Review Symposium: Sharing the Wealth

The Tax Law Review has published a new issue (Vol. 78, No. 1 (Fall 2024)):

• Miranda Stewart (Melbourne), Foreword, 78 Tax L. Rev. 1 (2024)
• Liam Murphy (NYU) & Thomas Nagel (NYU), Why Tax Wealth?, 78 Tax L. Rev. 11 (2024)
• Linda Sugin (Fordham), Is There a Presumption Against Wealth Taxation?, 78 Tax L. Rev. 29 (2024)
• David Duff (British Columbia), Taxing Wealth in the 21st Century, 78 Tax L. Rev. 49 (2024)
• Jeesoo Nam (USC), Luck Egalitarian Redistribution: What Should We Do About Addiction?, 78 Tax L. Rev. 75 (2024)

Read more

Exclusive: US considering using ‘mother of all bombs’ against Iran, sources say CNN

Trump cancels deposition in BBC case, lawyers say Politico

 

Kimberly Guilfoyle Resigns as U.S. Ambassador to Greece Greek Reporter

 

White House Scrambles over Questions on New Press Secretary’s Background WaPo

Mass protests in Europe: is a new anti-war movement emerging? Movisol.org 

EXCLUSIVE | Leaked emails reveal former German intelligence chief’s Mossad links The Cradle

Martin Armstrong: Forecasting European False Flag Operations to Start War with Russia Glenn Diesen

‘Unprecedented’ Cyberattack cripples supermarket fridges across Europe as hackers activate automatic defrosting  — delivery and store prices also impacted by incident Tom’s Hardware

England wasn’t the only country to have a “window tax” – it was a significant social, cultural, and architectural force in England, France, and Ireland during the 18th and 19th centuries. People refused to disclose how much money they made, considering it an invasion of privacy – so you would be charged based on how many windows your house had. In retaliation, people bricked up their windows, which you can still see today.

DAYLIGHT ROBBERY documents the bricked up windows of London, originating from the Georgian-era Window Tax. The works examine the role that light and air play for our wellbeing in the spaces we inhabit, something more important than ever after the year we’ve all experienced.

Found via This isn’t Happiness.

What are you watching

 

‘Some things are worth dying for’: Karl Bushby’s incredible 28-year walk home, through deserts, kidnappers and polar bears

Simon Hattenstone

The ex-soldier has marched 36,000 miles since he left Hull in 1998. He’s crossed the Americas, Asia and Europe, fallen in love, been held at gunpoint and been deported, in between nearly drowning, nearly dying of thirst and nearly being eaten. But that’s just the start of it …

Man accused of hiding 10 live birds in his ‘bulge’ at the airport

Something Old, Something New.

Something Old:

In this crazy VUCAA world I’ve been diving into drama – especially escapism, gritty, quirky, humorous, larger-than-life stuff.

IQ not tested.  EQ needed.

Starting with some old favourites:

• Fauda – Series V.  High octane, gritty, post October 7th reality with some depth and intimacy for all sides of the conflict.  Three gripping characters – Doron, Gabi and Eli.  My favourite series – just ahead of 3 and 1 because of its slower, more emotionally complex pace.  (Netflix)
• The Diplomat – Series 4.  Breaks on October 15th.  The delicate US/UK relationship, the threat of Russia and the escalating professional/personal relationships between the ‘core four’ – US President, Vice President, First Gentleman and Ambassador Kate Wyler heats up – and up and up.  Revisit the last two episodes of season 3 to brush up before October 15th.  (Netflix)
• Another big personal favourite – Slow Horses – Series 6.  On Apple.  Beautifully shot, well staged, a clear, credible, well-told story, easy on the eye and predictably action packed.  8/10.
• Mobland – Series II.  On Paramount+ / Prime.  The back story of Tom Hardy / Helen Mirren was all over the media.  And has been dampened down by Paramount with ‘on set tensions’ relieved – and Tom (Harry da Souza) having signed on for a season 3.  (So we also know he’ll survive season 2 – which is off to a super-fast, super-violent, super-surprising start in episodes 1 and 2.)  All a bit like the EPL and Man City – which I hope will end in a similar way – with City still in the EPL – winning Championships – in 2027/onwards.  And the EPL (just about) saving face.

And a reminder in case you missed them:

• Professor T – Series 1 – 5 on Amazon Prime.  The English version with Ben Miller as the charismatic lead.
• The Paris Murders – Series 1 – 7 (Profilage) or Profiling is a TFI production that ran for 10 seasons – 2009 – 2020, and seven series are currently available on Amazon Prime.  Criminal psychologists working alongside Paris Homocide.  With one stand-out star in particular – Odile Vuillemin who plays the eccentrically brilliant profiler Chloe in seasons 1 – 6.
• The irrepressible Omar Sy returns as Lupin in Lupin Part 4 on October 23rd.  I’ve enjoyed the humour/cleverness of the show so far.  I’m hoping for more of the same.

Something New:

• The Cage.  A BBC1 show – with my friend and huge talent Hilary Martin – a free Lancastrian spirit – executive producing.  Stars Sheridan Smith and tells the story of a Lancastrian/Liverpudlian thriller with real Northern humour.  A must watch.

And now for something completely different.

• France 1504.  An assassin and his daughter.  “If you want a long and peaceful life, never have children” – the opening scene.  Nero The Assassin.  It’s irreverent, funny and action packed.  French drama in a golden period – action and thriller wise.  Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m enjoying it (in small doses, one episode at a time).
• Sweet Pea.  New to me – but one season in (2024), with season 2 on its way early next year.  On Sky Atlantic.  Dark British humour at its best.  A Starz original.  Ella Purnell is impossible to forget – balancing timid naivete with chilling, unhinged rage.  Impactful to say the least.
• Two other Amazon Prime series.  Reacher spin-off Neagley (I loved her in the books and Maria Sten brings her to life here).  And a great crime show Task (HBO) on Prime – with top tier performances by Mark Ruffalo as a troubled FBI agent and Tom Pelphrey as the bad guy.  A slow burn start, accelerating into a non-stop final episode.

That’s all Folks.

PS: 

Online ads weaponised to deliver ‘zero-click’ spyware, researchers say

‘Unprecedented’ Cyberattack cripples supermarket fridges across Europe as hackers activate automatic defrosting  — delivery and store prices also impacted by incident Tom’s Hardware

$108 million paid to businesses with no turnover

 

Vic public servants hid suspected $285m fraud from ministers

Emma McGrath-CohenReporter

Oct 15, 2026

The Victorian corruption watchdog has found that public servants hid the size of a suspected $285 million fraud relating to COVID-19 support payments from the ministers responsible.

Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission boss Victoria Elliott on Thursday accused senior public servants of “serious failures” after they concealed the full extent of the losses in official communications with relevant ministers in 2021.

Victorian Premier Ben Carroll became minister for industry support and recovery in 2022. Joe Armao

“While officers within the department spoke up, their leaders failed to act, meaning the government was left uninformed and unable to move quickly to address this suspected significant loss of public funds,” said Elliott.

With just over six weeks until the November state election, the findings put the government in a difficult position as it fights to re-establish its credibility on integrity following the CFMEU corruption scandal.

Premier Ben Carroll, who as the relevant minister in 2022 was also misled, said he was surprised by the findings when he learnt about them in a briefing on Wednesday.

“I’ve always acted, I think, very professionally, and always tried to bring out the best in our public service,” said Carroll.

“I’ve been a public servant myself, and I value our public service, and I want them always to feel, with me or any of my ministers, that their job is to provide frank and fearless advice.

“I’ve been very clear to the head of my department, that we act on these reports, and we act on them immediately.”

But Liberal leader Jess Wilson slammed the government over the revelations, linking the conduct of the public service to the government itself.

“It’s just more evidence of a government that has mismanaged taxpayer money, and more evidence that corruption is rife. Corruption is in Labor’s DNA,” Wilson said on Thursday.

The programs involved in the fraud were in addition to the federal government’s $89 billion JobKeeper scheme and were created by the Victorian government to support businesses affected by the state’s extended COVID-19 lockdowns.

The department paid out $11 billion in grants over two years from July 2020 to affected businesses.

In 2021, officials in the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions identified payments had been made to ineligible recipients under programs set up to support businesses during the pandemic.

But IBAC found that the department’s deputy secretary directed officials to remove the suspected magnitude of the $285 million loss from a draft report to the then minister for industry support and recovery, Martin Pakula.

IBAC also found that the associate secretary withheld information about the amount of the suspected loss from the department’s secretary, Simon Phemister.

This ultimately led to incomplete and misleading information being provided to Phemister, then-minister Pakula, the Victorian Ombudsman and the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office.

VAGO investigated the department’s inconsistent approach to verifying eligibility for the COVID programs in 2023, which confirmed the payments were made in error and likely involved fraud that had gone undetected.

IBAC’s report, released on Thursday, focused on the conduct of departmental officials.

$108 million was paid to businesses with zero turnover in the six months leading up to the pandemic.

“Multiple failures to provide clear and accurate information occurred over a 10-month period from November 2021. This was not a one-off event, nor was it due to an oversight,” the report said.

“It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the advice provided to ministers was not frank and fearless.

“Indeed, the convoluted rationalisation of the department’s decision to withhold information – proffered in response to IBAC’s enquiries – suggests that ethics and integrity were secondary considerations in the face of scrutiny.”

When Carroll took on the ministry in 2022, he received departmental briefs about the administration of the business support programs that said no payments had been made in error and that Pakula had been fully appraised of the department’s implementation approach.

The first estimate of the potential loss was $9 million, but this grew to $285 million after more detailed analysis.

But IBAC analysis found that about $257 million had been paid to more than 9000 businesses that had backdated their goods and services tax registrations, including $108 million paid to businesses with zero turnover in the six months leading up to the pandemic.

The department had recovered $8 million by April this year, with a further $5 million to be collected through ongoing repayment plans.

 

Election and Voting Law: Resources for Congressional Offices

CRS Report – Election and Voting Law: Resources for Congressional Offices. September 9, 2016 – October 6, 2026. R44628 – This report is intended to serve as a starting point for congressional offices covering voting and elections. It focuses on resources related to laws governing federal elections and voting. 

It outlines and describes some of the key sources of laws, pending legislation, regulations, cases, CRS Products, and federal agencies working in this subject area. It also contains sections dedicated to the voting process, voting rights, campaign finance, and presidential elections.

Review all the information Amazon collects about you

TechCrunch: “It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Amazon collects data about you based on what you buy. If you buy a lot of cat litter, Amazon will probably infer that you have cats, or if you buy a lot of anti-acne skin products, then Amazon might guess you’re prone to breakouts. Even if we know that Amazon customizes our shopping experiences based on our purchase history, it still comes as a surprise to see all of these personal details laid out in a convenient list. Especially when those details get uncomfortably intimate. 

One Threads user came across this section of her Amazon settings where you can see who the shopping giant thinks you are, and alongside more benign assumptions like “Shops from women’s departments” and “Probably owns a Shark robot vacuum,” she found that Amazon assumes she “has flat buttocks.” “I stumbled upon a page of assumptions that Amazon has made about me based on my purchases and I’m literally speechless,” an Amazon customer, @fangirlinmegan, wrote on Threads.

 “I mean it ain’t wrong but damn did you have to call me out like that?” In less than a day, the post garnered over a million views, including many from users who were curious what their own Amazon profiles might reveal. Here’s how you find out. On desktop, you can find this page by hovering over where Amazon says“Hello, [your name]” in the upper right corner. Then click “Account” under the “Your Account” section. Under the “Ordering and shopping preferences” section, click “Your Shopping preferences.” 

From here, you can add in information of your own, like your shoe size, interests, and dietary preferences. But we’re not here to tell Amazon that it should stop selling you beef jerky since you’re a vegetarian. We’re here to see if Amazon thinks you have “flat buttocks.” When you scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see a blue hyperlinked option that says “Manage your information.” Once you click that, you’ll see what dirt Amazon has on you.

 On the mobile app, you can get here by clicking the hamburger icon from the bottom menu bar, then navigating to Account > Shopping preferences > About you. For me, Amazon has gleaned that I am someone who “practices photography,” “plays collectible card games,” and is “invested in the Apple ecosystem.” This is all true. Amazon has even flattered me by noting that I “read diverse non-fiction,” to which I say — why yes, I am indeed an open-minded intellectual with a thirst for knowledge. 

Thank you for noticing. Other colleagues of mine found that Amazon correctly noted their interests in vinyl records and ceramics, as well as a penchant for “natural materials” in home decor and clothing that “prioritizes comfort.” None of us had anything as affronting as “has flat buttocks,” but the Threads user noted that this was likely because she had purchased “butt scrunch leggings.” 

Tech companies know too much about us, and it’s jarring to realize just how closely they’re paying attention to how we use their platforms. We live in a world of alarming surveillance, but at least I know that Amazon doesn’t think my butt is flat.

US Consumer Watchdog Examiners Adopt Lighter Touch Amid Pressure and Threats,

Reuters via US News: “Examiners at the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gave a largely clean bill of health to ⁠most ⁠of the companies they inspected earlier this year, a light-touch approach that ⁠marked a departure from the past for the watchdog, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

“A man without a vote is a man without protection.”

 ― Lyndon B. Johnson

 Don't run from adversity — run towards it

Avi-Yonah: Should Large Partnerships Be Taxed as Corporations?

Reuven Avi-Yonah (Michigan) has a new Tax Notes column evaluating a recent policy paper from the Tax Law Center and the Hamilton Project on taxing pass-through entities as corporations. Here is the underlying policy paper and here is the column, which begins as follows: 

The Tax Law Center at New York University School of Law and the Hamilton Project recently released a paper proposing that tax large or complex passthrough entities as C corporations. This thorough proposal deserves serious consideration by policy makers, given the complexities of large partnership structures that present major challenges for the IRS. The proposal draws from a long series of similar proposals. Ultimately, however, it does not address a more fundamental question: Why should we tax legal entities to begin with?

 

Opt Out October. Let’s Take Control of Our Data and Our Devices

EFF: “Big tech companies are hell-bent on taking away our agency and forcing us to use their surveillance-based services, apps, and devices. It’s hard to fight against, and it often feels much easier to give in, accept their walled gardens, and move on with our lives. But we don’t have to stand in the middle of the information super highway and let companies run us over. 

With a little work, we can stand our ground and take control over what happens with our data. This month—Opt Out October—we’re walking through some of the steps to do just that. Last year, we detailed 22 daily tips to trim down the amount of data that’s collected about you or available online, throwing sand in the gears of corporate surveillance. Those steps are still worth taking. 

This year we’re looking to abandon those gears altogether and cut that data collection off at the head. Below find links for guides to tell artificial intelligence (AI) tools they can’t train on your data, as well as tips to find alternative software, social media, and even new operating systems that provide stronger privacy and better ways to control how your data is used.  Opting out isn’t about disengaging with computers or the internet. 

It’s about finding alternatives that align with your values and needs. But it takes effort. The major tech companies have tried to suck all the air out of the room by claiming that it’s inevitable you’ll use their platforms. They’ve installed their own software and made it difficult to change the defaults. This can make it difficult to find alternatives. But not impossible. While EFF does not endorse specific products, we can be a guiding light towards your options…

INTRODUCTION

• HOW TO OPT OUT OF AI TOOLS OR TRAINING MADE BY BIG TECH
• HOW TO OPT OUT OF SOCIAL MEDIA CONTROLLED BY BIG TECH
• HOW TO OPT OUT OF SOFTWARE MADE BY BIG TECH
• HOW TO OPT OUT OF THE MAJOR OPERATING SYSTEMS
• OPT OUT OCTOBER 2025

Doxxing Jane Doe

The Verge, no paywall – X and Substack aren’t doing anything to stop users from harassing women they believe are connected to the rape case — and the women who aren’t: “Who is Jane Doe? Online vigilantes have tried to expose the Cornell University student who filed a lawsuit accusing seven fraternity members of gang rape, and in so doing have invited a torrent of abuse on several other women. 

Her lawyers say three women have been falsely identified and harassed — and the real Jane Doe is being inundated with threats, too. “She’s not doing well,” her attorney Thomas Guiffra told CNN on Sunday. “She’s under siege on social media, where people are trying to identify her.” The fact several women are now facing a torrent of online abuse in connection to Jane Doe’s lawsuit isn’t surprising. Targeted harassment and intimidation campaigns were a hallmark of the backlash to #MeToo. These targeted harassment campaigns were once organized on websites like Kiwi Farms and 4chan.

 But the effort to unmask Jane Doe — and to terrorize any woman they believe to be Jane Doe — is happening right in the open, on mainstream social media platforms that aren’t doing anything to stop it. Jane Doe’s identity isn’t a total secret: It’s known to her attorneys, the judge presiding over the case, the seven men she’s accusing of rape, and their attorneys, too. 

In civil cases, a plaintiff’s anonymity is ultimately up to the judge, who weighs several factors, including whether identifying the plaintiff by name will put them at risk of physical or mental injury. “In New York, there’s no automatic right to proceed anonymously,” said Annie Seifullah, a founding partner at the victims’ rights firm Incendii Law. 

Still, “the law recognizes that survivors’ lives are routinely put on trial, and that forcing them to sue under their real names would keep many victims of sexual violence from coming forward at all.” Similarly, journalistic ethics guidestypically suggest showing sensitivity to victims of alleged sex crimes, and reporters will often allow people alleging abuse to do so anonymously, so long as their identity can be independently corroborated…”

See also The Grudge Report “The Good Guy With the Text” fallacy…There were 57 sons, 57 men on the group text. I’m going to say something about fraternity brothers that many of you will immediately begin to qualify with counter examples. No frat bro, not even “one of the good ones,” is calling the cops on his friends. No frat bro is in any way intimating that he in any way disapproves of anything his fellow frat bro says, no matter how racist or misogynistic or homophobic or outright fucking rape-announcing. Here’s why…”

See also Source paper – Treat, T. A., Corbin, W. R., Papova, A., Richner, K., Craney, R., & Fromme, K. (2021). Selection and socialization accounts of the relation between fraternity membership and sexual aggression. Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 35(3), 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000662

Analyses revealed three key findings. Fraternity membership was prospectively correlated with sexual aggression in years one and two of college (socialization effect), controlling for selection effects, when the two prospective paths were constrained to be equivalent. Second, more frequent binge drinking and sociosexual attitudes prior to college prospectively correlated with an increased likelihood of joining a fraternity (selection effect), and both selection variables indirectly correlated with future sexual aggression via fraternity membership. Third, fraternity membership was associated with increased binge drinking and perceived peer sexual aggression (socialization effects).”…

 

Trump’s Cascade of Canceled Corporate Enforcement Against Over 200 Corporations

Public Citizen’s Corporate Enforcement Trackeris an online resource for watchdogging the Trump administration’s cancellation of federal enforcement actions brought against corporations prior to President Trump’s second term. 

These enforcement actions include investigations, enforcement lawsuits, and other accountability measures for alleged lawbreaking by many of the largest and most powerful corporations, from Amazon to Zoom and hundreds in between. This updated analysis documents the extent of Trump’s retreat from enforcement against corporate crime and lawbreaking. Key Findings

• So far, the Trump administration has canceled enforcement actions inherited from the Biden administration against 205 corporations. The canceled enforcement actions include federal investigations, enforcement lawsuits, prior settlements, and other accountability measures for alleged lawbreaking.
• Corporations with ties to Trump and/or the administration make up 44% (90 out of 205) of those benefiting from enforcement cancellations, and include:
  • 53 corporate gift givers that contributed to Trump’s inaugural committee, pro-Trump super PACs, the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, and other Trump priorities;
  • 32 Trump crony employersthat hired a Trump-allied lobbyist, lawyer, or official to curry favor with the administration;
  • 15 corporate business partners that have or have had deals with Trump’s private businesses; and
  • 8 former employers of executives, employees, and/or investors selected for leadership roles within the Trump administration.
• The 212 canceled enforcement actions against 205 corporations include:
  • 80 closed investigations(including 10 criminal investigations);
  • 67 dismissed enforcement lawsuits the federal agencies were actively litigating (including 10 criminal cases); and
  • 54 canceled consequences in which the Trump administration terminated or reversed enforcement actions that were resolved before Trump’s second term, including 14 pardons of corporations and executives and five canceled corporate leniency deals…”