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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced the projects Wednesday at the Pentagon. Because of the Pentagon's “relatively congested air space” outside Washington, solar panels were the best option for clean energy, he said. The building is a nationally registered historic landmark, so officials will work with local officials to ensure the panels meet all requirements. In addition to the Defense Department, projects also include installation of thermally efficient windows at the Energy Department headquarters in Washington, as well as efficiency upgrades to the Commerce and Transportation departments. The projects also include installation of solar panels at the U.S. Army Garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany, as well as energy and water efficiency improvements and solar panels at the Maui Air Traffic Control Tower in Kahului, Hawaii.

Persons: Biden, ”, Jennifer Granholm, Kathleen Hicks, Brenda Mallory, Brendan Owens, Owens, U.S . Army Garrison Organizations: WASHINGTON, The Defense Department, Pentagon, Energy Department, Energy, White, Council, Environmental, Naval, Defense Department, Commerce, Transportation, Interior, Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, Personnel Management, Social Security Administration, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Energy Conservation Technologies, U.S . Army, Maui Air Traffic Control Locations: U.S, Germany, Washington, Georgia, Tennessee, Loa, Hawaii, Mauna, Wiesbaden, Kahului

☆ Watchdog to Probe FBI Headquarters Selection Process
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray has cited a potential conflict of interest in the site-selection process. Photo: elizabeth frantz/ReutersWASHINGTON—A government watchdog is launching an investigation into how the Biden administration chose a suburban Maryland site for the FBI’s new headquarters after Director Christopher Wray and Virginia lawmakers accused a political appointee of inappropriately interfering with the siting decision. Robert Erickson, acting inspector general for the General Services Administration, told lawmakers Thursday his office would immediately probe the decision to relocate the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s main campus to Greenbelt, Md., after a decadelong drama that engulfed the site-selection process.

Persons: Christopher Wray, elizabeth frantz, Biden, Robert Erickson Organizations: Reuters WASHINGTON, General Services Administration, Federal Bureau Locations: Maryland, Virginia, Investigation’s, Greenbelt, Md

☆ FBI Accuses Biden Appointee of Bias in Selection of Headquarters Site
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

‘We have concerns about fairness and transparency in the process and GSA’s failure to adhere to its own site selection plan,’ FBI Director Christopher Wray wrote to staff. Photo: Chris Machian/Associated PressA final pick this week for a new Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters in the Maryland suburbs was supposed to end a decadelong drama that had engulfed the site-selection process. Instead, it looks like it’s only heating up. In a sharply worded note to employees Thursday, the usually taciturn FBI Director Christopher Wray blasted the General Services Administration’s decision-making process and said a Biden appointee might have inappropriately interfered with the outcome.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Chris Machian Organizations: Federal Bureau of Investigation, General Services, Biden Locations: Maryland

☆ Republicans approved a bill cutting Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's salary to just $1
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The GOP-controlled House moved to approve a bill to cut Pete Buttigieg's salary. Under the bill, the transportation secretary would be paid just $1 annually. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Republican-controlled House of Representatives moved to pass a bill that would cut Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg's salary to just $1. AdvertisementAdvertisement"American taxpayers should not be on the hook for paying for his lavish trips or his salary," Greene added. He ran as a presidential candidate in 2020 before being appointed to the transportation secretary role by President Joe Biden in 2021.

Persons: Pete Buttigieg's, Buttigieg, —, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Greene, he's Organizations: GOP, Service, General Services Administration, Securities, Exchange Commission, Democratic, Democratic Party, Department of Transportation, Department of Transportation's, Fox News, Democrats Locations: Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, South Bend , Indiana, East Palestine , Ohio

☆ Ivanka Trump can't recall key details of the single biggest fraud-trial penalty threat her father faces
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

At her family's civil fraud trial, Ivanka Trump was grilled about the 2011 Old Post Office lease. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn afternoon testimony at her family's civil fraud trial in Manhattan, Ivanka Trump repeatedly said she could not remember key details about the single, costliest penalty threat her father faces in the case. Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump – both executive vice presidents at Trump Org and defendants in the AG's case – made $4 million each. Ivanka Trump, too, made $4 million. Ivanka Trump is the final witness in the attorney general's direct fraud case against Donald Trump, his company, and his top executives.

Persons: Ivanka Trump, —, Donald Trump, Letitia James, Trump, Donald Trump , Jr, Eric Trump –, James, Michael M, Santiago, Donald Trump's, Donald J, Louis Solomon, she'd, Solomon, curtly Organizations: NY, Service, Post Office, Washington , D.C, New York, Trump International, Trump Organization, Trump Org, Post, government's General Services Administration, Trump, GSA Locations: Manhattan, Washington ,

☆ Uncle Sam provides shaky base for Caterpillar
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The $500 billion U.S. infrastructure spending bill, passed in late 2021, helped lift the firm’s third-quarter profit 41% from a year ago. As with other sharp pullbacks after government-supported pandemic spending, Caterpillar will prove that counting on federal aid isn’t a viable business model. And the construction firms that order from Caterpillar appeared to step back, with the company's backlog of deliveries falling $2.6 billion in the third quarter. The U.S. CHIPS Act set aside $39 billion to help build semiconductor factories, leaving more money for construction firms and, in turn, Caterpillar. Umpleby may be benefitting from Uncle Sam now, but before long Caterpillar will have to fend for itself.

Persons: Michaela Rehle, James Umpleby, Joe Biden’s, EBITDA, Uncle Sam, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: Construction Machinery, Machines, Mining Machines, Construction Vehicles, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Caterpillar, U.S . General Services Administration, Siemens, Cummins, LSEG, Thomson Locations: Munich, Germany, Texas, China, U.S

☆ Ivanka Trump to testify Friday in the NY civil fraud trial – here's how she can hurt her father and brothers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On Friday, Trump's NY fraud-trial judge ruled Ivanka Trump must testify next week. Lawyers for the New York attorney general's office, who plan to call Ivanka Trump to the witness stand on Friday at their ongoing, $250 million Trump fraud trial, agree it was quite the deal. Her testimony at the non-jury trial could prove highly damaging to her father and two eldest brothers, Donald Trump, Jr., and Eric Trump – Trump Organization vice presidents who, like their father, are defendants in James' lawsuit. "Ivanka Trump tried to negotiate the number down to 2 billion," Wallace said in openings, "before agreeing to 2.5 billion." But during the same period, Donald Trump's net worth statements valued the exact same unit at $20.8 million.

Persons: Trump's, Ivanka Trump, —, Donald Trump's, Kevin Wallace, James, Letitia James, Donald Trump , Jr, Eric Trump, Trump, She'll, Wallace, Donald J, Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Organizations: Deutsche Bank, NY, Service, New, Trump, Eric Trump – Trump Organization, Trump White House, Trump Organization, Deutsche, Post, General Services Administration Locations: Miami, New York, Florida, Washington ,, Chicago, Washington, Manhattan

Weeks later, Mr. Trump is the former President Trump. Instead, in a brief televised address shortly before 2:30 a.m., Mr. Trump furiously laid down his postelection lie. For weeks, Mr. Trump had been peppering him with tips of fraud that, upon investigation by federal authorities, proved baseless. The cavalry “is coming, Mr. President,” Kylie Kremer tweeted to Mr. Trump on Dec. 19. On Jan. 15, Mr. Trump acquiesced to an Oval Office meeting with Mr. Lindell, who arrived with two sets of documents.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Joseph R, Biden, Justin Clark, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Clark, Weeks, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Jared Kushner, McConnell’s, Biden’s, William P, Barr, Mr, Trump’s, Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, sleuths, MyPillow, Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, Stephen K, Bannon, Michael T, Flynn, platformed, Jared Taylor, Enrique Tarrio, Doug Mills, Eric, “ We’re, ”, Fox, Eric Trump, Newt Gingrich, Joe Biden’s, Kevin McCarthy, Laura Ingraham, Obama, Dennis Montgomery, Thomas McInerney, McInerney, John McCain, Bannon’s, “ it’s, Paul Gosar, Doug Ducey, Roy Blunt of, Roy Blunt, Anna Moneymaker, —, “, ” Mr, Mark Meadows, Josh Holmes, Kushner, — Mr, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Lindsey Graham, Sean Hannity, Lindsey Graham of, Sean Hannity’s, — I’ve, Let’s, Graham, Pat A, Axios, Brendan Smialowski, “ Hannity, Thomas, Jenna Ellis, Matt Morgan, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Brooks, Stefan Passantino, Powell, Lynsey Weatherspoon, Gore, William H, Rehnquist, Giuliani —, Kris Kobach, Mark Martin, Lawrence Joseph, Kobach, Uncle Sam, Mr . Biden, Ken Paxton, Jeffrey M, Landry, Paxton, Kyle D, Hawkins, Jacquelyn Martin, Joseph, Richard L, Chris Carr, Carr, Mike Johnson of, Mike Johnson, McCarthy, Privately, Ted Cruz of, John Sauer, ’, ” James E, Nicolai, North, Wayne Stenehjem, Stenehjem, Wayne, Tasos Katopodis, MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Marsha Blackburn of, Ms, Blackburn, Amy Kremer, Ann Stone, Roger Stone, Amy Coney Barrett, Kremer’s, Kylie Jane Kremer, Jennifer Lawrence, Dustin Stockton, Lawrence, Stockton, I’ve, Lindell, they’d, Taylor, Greg Locke, Covid, Michael McKinney, Tucker Carlson, Carlson’s, “ Donald Trump, ” Ms, Meadows, Georgia runoffs, Byrne, Cipollone, he’d, Martin, Mike Pence, reconvene, ” Kylie Kremer, James Yeager, Kylie Kremer, Yeager’s, Lawrence whooped, John Kennedy, James Lyle, Josh Hawley, “ You’ve, Lyle, Couy Griffin, Kennedy, Pete Marovich, Kremer, Julie Jenkins Fancelli, Alex Jones, Caroline Wren, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr, Katrina Pierson, Brad Raffensperger, Jeffrey A, Rosen, Department’s, Jeffrey Clark, Scott Perry, Hawley, Cruz, Year’s, Tom Cotton of, Cotton, Cindy Chafian, Chafian, Jones, Stone, Locke, Jan, “ You’ll, Gosar, Griffin, Robert O’Brien, I’m, ’ ”, Kenny Holston, Donald Trump, ” Mark Walker, Ben Margot, Stefani Reynolds, Samuel Corum, Erin Schaff, David J, Ted Cruz, John Bazemore Organizations: Twitter, Dominion Systems, Trump, Biden, Dominion, New, New York City, The New York Times, Senate, New York, Republican Party, Capitol, White, Times, The Times, America News Network, Fox, America, Boys, New York Times, American, Air Force, Electoral College, Republicans, Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, Republican, Facebook, Democrats, Associated Press, “ Fox & Friends, White House, West Wing, “, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Veritas, Justice Department, Postal Service, York Daily, Agence France, Zignal Labs, Amistad, Thomas More Society, Mr, Electoral, Supreme, Lawyers, General Association, Associated, State, University of California, Republican House, Women, Tea Party, Trump -, Breitbart, of, Credit, SPAN, Tea Party Express, Republican National Committee, Internet, Army, Des Moines Register, Marine, General Services Administration, Swedish, Cowboys, Capitol ., Street Journal, Save, General Association ., Law Defense Fund, Freedom, Coalition, Proud Boys, Willard, Homeland Security, Party, Getty, Georgia Electoral College Locations: Detroit, Arizona, Georgia, New York, America, China, Trump, Grand Rapids, Mich, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Santa Cruz ,, Arizona —, Russia, North Vietnam, United States, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Kentucky, Utah, Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Erie, Pa, Pennsylvania, Long, Bush, Florida, tightest, Kansas, North Carolina, Ken Paxton of Texas, Texas, State of Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Irvine, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Ted Cruz of Texas, Missouri, Washington, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Trump’s, Hudson, Stockton, Tennessee, Des Moines, Meadows, White, fistfights, Nashville, West Monroe, La, Louisiana, drumbeating, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Delaware

☆ America's largest office tenant is embracing remote work, creating more pain for a market already in distress
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The federal government is embracing remote work and cutting back its office footprint nationally. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump might not appear to agree on much, but when it comes to cutting back on office space, they're aligned. Now federal tenants are in for a new phase of belt-tightening as more accept remote and hybrid work, real estate experts say. "The majority of federal offices are still largely vacant on most days," said Darian LeBlanc, the director of government services at Cushman & Wakefield. So far, only the Department of Veterans Affairs has publicly said how it plans to use remote and hybrid work.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Biden —, Darian LeBlanc, LeBlanc, Rachel Davis, Davis, — Davis, Bob Hunt, Martin Selig, Jesse Lawder, Selig, Shalanda Young, Denis McDonough, Cushman, JBG Smith, Christi, who's Organizations: —, Trump, Cushman &, Washington DC, General Services Administration, Department of Labor, Management, FBI, Securities and Exchange Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Management Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Transportation Safety, L'Enfant Plaza, state's Department of General Services, National Association of State Locations: Cushman & Wakefield, United States, JLL, Seattle, Washington, L'Enfant, . Tennessee, Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Branscom, California , Illinois, North Carolina, Florida

☆ Co-working office spaces have expanded rental options beyond WeWork
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Enter the co-working space, which allows for a bit of everything. From shopping malls to private mansions to hotels and gyms, co-working spaces are becoming more creative in the remote work era — with a boost from startups building platforms to connect companies with spaces for rent. Airstreams and yurtsThe dominant co-working venues for years were WeWork and other communal spaces in downtown office buildings. Gilbreath from Liquidspace said that co-working spaces have expanded outside urban cores and financial districts, and rental spaces are becoming quirkier. “Co-working spaces have usually been centrally located in big buildings,” said Amina Moreau, founder of Radious, which calls its business the Airbnb of office rentals and meeting spaces in residential areas.

Persons: it’s, “, ”, Prithwiraj Choudhury, Nicholas Bloom, Bloom, can’t, Jacob Bates, Mark Gilbreath, WeWork, Liquidspace, Amina Moreau, ” Moreau Organizations: New, New York CNN, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, Companies, US General Services Administration, Mobile, Minneapolis Grain Exchange Locations: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, Montreal, Minneapolis, Portland , Oregon, “

☆ Travel news: Living in lighthouses, delivering during a flight and touring Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

This week has been rough for air travelers in the United States, but we have flight attendants’ secrets for surviving summer travel. Waterfront real estateThe US General Services Administration is giving away or auctioning lighthouses in New England. Like the small towns in Italy selling off houses for just 1 euro, these lighthouses come with stipulations. Written in stoneAnd while we’re on the subject of summer travel peak season, this period is often tourists-behaving-badly season. Dr. Sij Hemal was on a flight from Paris to New York when a fellow passenger reported severe abdominal pains.

Persons: CNN — It’s, you’ve, Ivan, Haley, ”, Sig Hemal, Susan Shepherd, Sij Hemal, Chelsea Dickenson, Dickenson, Richard Quest, Beckham Organizations: CNN, General Services Administration, Police, Cleveland, Asahi Shimbun Locations: United States, New England, Italy, Rome, United Kingdom, Paris, New York, Japan, Tottori Sand, Tokyo, Nagoya, Tottori, British, Macao, Vegas of Asia

WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit by a group of congressional Democrats who had sought details about a government lease for a Washington hotel concerning when it was owned by former President Donald Trump. The court's action came after the lawmakers voluntarily dropped the case earlier this month. The justices had previously agreed to hear a bid by President Joe Biden's administration to block the lawsuit. The lawmakers sought information about a 2013 lease of the Old Post Office building to the Republican former president's company to convert it into a hotel. RELATED CONTENT: L1N37C1HQ "U.S. Supreme Court to hear dispute over Democratic bid for Trump hotel documents"Reporting by John KruzelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden's, John Kruzel Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Monday, Democratic, General Services Administration, GSA, Post, Republican, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Department, Trump, Thomson Locations: Washington

The indictment gives the clearest picture yet of the files that Mr. Trump took with him when he left the White House. Mr. Trump is expected to appear in Federal District Court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Trump continued to rail against the indictment on Friday, calling it the “greatest witch hunt of all time,” in a Truth Social post. Two lawyers, James Trusty and John Rowley, have left Mr. Trump’s legal team, and will no longer represent him in the documents case. “I will be represented by Todd Blanche, Esq., and a firm to be named later,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Jack Smith, “, ”, Waltine, —, Nauta, Trump’s, FVEY, Aileen M, Cannon, Judge Cannon, Biden, James, John Rowley, Todd Blanche, ” Mr, Charlie Savage, Nicholas Nehamas Organizations: White, “ United, Prosecutors, Mr, Court, General Services Administration Locations: “ United States, United States, Florida, Iran, Bedminster, N.J, U.S, Britain , New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Miami, White, Mar, Esq

☆ The U.S. is giving away 6 lighthouses—here's what it's like to actually own one: 'It's truly a labor of love'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. is giving away and auctioning off lighthouses across the East Coast and Midwest. The GSA will also sell four lighthouses in Ohio, Connecticut, Michigan and New York in a public auction. But there's a catch: While the lighthouse is free, the new owners will be responsible for the cost of upkeep and maintenance. Warwick Neck Light is located on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island and is one of the lighthouses being given away for free. Kelly told TIME that there are nonprofits that already maintain some of the lighthouses being offered up this year.

Persons: you've, John Kelly, Kelly, Richard Cucé, Blastco, Cucé Organizations: U.S . General Services Administration, GSA, CNBC, TIME, Istock, Getty, U.S . Navy, U.S, Congress, Historic Lighthouse Locations: East Coast, Midwest, Massachusetts , Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio , Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Narragansett, Old Saybrook , Connecticut, Hopper, Chesapeake, Penfield, Fairfield , Connecticut

☆ Fixer-Uppers With Waterfront Views: The U.S. Is Unloading Lighthouses
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Michael Levenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Looking for a place with waterfront views? The government might have a deal for you. The General Services Administration said on Friday that it was giving away six lighthouses to nonprofits or government agencies that promise to maintain them, and planned to sell four others to the public at auction. The lighthouses are on some of the most picturesque waters in New England and the Midwest. But aspiring lightkeepers should be prepared to do some repair work before living out their 19th-century maritime fantasies.

☆ Here are six lighthouses the government is literally giving away for free
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US General Services Administration (GSA) is offering a record number of lighthouses to the public. The GSA will give away six to nonprofits and government entities, and sell another four via public auction. The lighthouses are being offered as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Since its inception, over 150 lighthouses have circulated through the NHLPA program, the GSA said. See the six lighthouses that GSA is giving away for free this year:

The opulent hotel with a soaring clock tower, located on Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and the U.S. Capitol, opened shortly before Trump was elected in 2016. The hotel became a gathering spot for Trump supporters, lobbyists and foreign dignitaries, who Democrats and watchdog groups complained could patronize the hotel in order to curry favor with Trump when he was in office. Lawsuits accused Trump of violating the U.S. Constitution's anti-corruption provisions by maintaining ownership of his businesses including the Washington hotel while in office. The justices ordered those cases dismissed because they became moot with Trump leaving office in 2021 after his election loss to Biden, a Democrat. Some of the lawmakers who sued are no longer part of the committee while some others are no longer in Congress.

☆ Government employees have received gifts worth thousands, but the CIA destroys many of the items it receives
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The State Department released a record of gifts given to government employees over the last several years. The gifts range from the minimum required value for reporting of $415 to over $10,000. The gifts span a wide variety, from furniture and books to valuable pens, jewelry, and clothing worth several thousand dollars. "When an agency receives foreign government gifts, there are several options for disposing of the gift permissibly," a CIA spokesperson told Fox Business. "When an employee receives a foreign government gift exceeding minimal value, the agency may make official use of the gift or may display it.

A "small number" of classified documents were discovered last week at former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home, according to two letters Pence’s counsel sent to the National Archives obtained by NBC News on Tuesday. Pence's team “immediately” secured the classified documents in a locked safe, Jacob said. The transfer was facilitated by Pence’s personal attorney, who has experience in handling classified documents and was involved with the Jan. 16 discovery. Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley later told NBC News that “no potential classified documents” were found at the offices of Pence’s organization Advancing American Freedom after Pence’s team searched the offices and the former vice president’s home in Indiana. In a statement Tuesday, Comer said Pence reached out to the panel about classified documents found at his Indiana residence.

☆ Firms use Google ads to entice small businesses to pay for help the gov't provides free
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jesselyn Cook | Jesselyn Cook Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Several draw in unwitting customers like Talbot through Google ads that outrank the legitimate SAM.gov page, illustrating the ease of buying visibility on the world’s largest search engine. Google removed the ads for a number of these sites in response to an inquiry for this article but subsequently reversed its decision. “We have strict ads policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms,” Google spokesperson Davis Thompson said in a statement. But the Small Business Administration urges people not to spend their precious resources on these services when so many free alternatives exist. She expects new, prominently displayed Google ads to play a part in the problem.

☆ Factbox: What's in the U.S. Congress's Electoral Count Reform Act?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are details on the Electoral Count Reform Act, which lawmakers included in a year-end government funding bill:AIMS TO PREVENT ANOTHER JAN. 6The bipartisan effort would rewrite the 1887 Electoral Count Act, which lays out the process by which Congress tallies the state-by-state results from a presidential election and formally certifies the winner. Trump and his advisers had cited provisions of the 1887 law as they pressed Republican allies to overturn his loss. BIPARTISAN SUPPORTWhile other election-law reforms have foundered in Congress this year due to Republican opposition, the Electoral Count Reform Act has solid bipartisan support, at least in the Senate. Trump had urged his vice president, Mike Pence, to prevent lawmakers from certifying Biden's victory. Current law requires Congress to consider a challenge if only one lawmaker from each chamber raises an objection.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed the DOJ's request, which was first reported by The Washington Post. The request comes after Trump's lawyers recently discovered at least two documents with such markings in a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida. That search turned up over 100 documents with such markings, including some marked top secret, in a storage room in Mar-a-Lago and in Trump's office there. Judge Beryl Howell's hearing on the DOJ’s request, and the legal arguments underpinning it, are being kept under wraps because they involve grand jury proceedings. Corcoran drafted the June letter certifying all documents with classification markings had been returned, NBC News has previously reported.

☆ The Pentagon Marches Off to Climate War
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The war in Ukraine is draining U.S. arms stockpiles while geopolitical risks grow. Yet the Biden Administration is worried about—you can’t make this up—the climate impact of U.S. weapons and wants to impose costly green mandates on federal contractors. A little-noticed rule-making proposed by the Department of Defense, NASA and the General Services Administration last month would require federal contractors to disclose and reduce their CO2 emissions as well as climate financial risks. The rule would cover 5,766 contractors that have received at least $7.5 million from the feds in the prior year.

That search came after the feds issued a subpoena in May demanding the return of any documents marked classified that left the White House with Trump. Trump’s lawyers hired an outside firm to conduct searches last month at the storage facility and other locations. One of the sources said Trump has never been inside the storage facility. The pallets were delivered in August of 2021, with four going to the storage facility and two going to Mar-a-Lago, the emails show. The discovery of the new documents is further evidence that Trump and his team did not fully comply with a grand jury subpoena issued in May seeking all documents marked classified still in their possession.

☆ Trump search team finds at least 2 classified documents outside of Mar-a-Lago
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Police outside of Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Aug. 9, 2022, the day after the FBI searched Donald Trump's estate. A team hired by Donald Trump discovered more records marked classified outside of his Florida residence, which was raided in August by the FBI searching for such documents, NBC News confirmed Wednesday. The Washington Post first reported that a team hired by Trump found at least two items marked classified in a West Palm Beach, Florida, storage unit connected to the former president. Two people familiar with the matter later confirmed that two documents marked classified were found in a federal storage facility containing Trump's possessions. The storage unit is run by the General Services Administration and Trump has never been inside it, one of the people told NBC.

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