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☆ 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:

☆ 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.

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.

☆ Lawyers reportedly found more classified government documents in Trump's Florida storage units alongside 'swords and wrestling belts'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump hired the team himself to do a more thorough search pursuant to a subpoena request. The documents were found with suits, swords, and wrestling belts, a source told the Washington Post. The FBI executed a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club estate in August, believing Trump's lawyers didn't comply with the earlier subpoena. According to the Post, Trump hired an outside law firm to conduct additional searches to comply with instructions by Chief US District Judge Beryl A. Howell. A person familiar with the search told the Post that the Florida storage unit was not cataloged and contained an assortment of gifts and clothing.

☆ Google, Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft awarded $9 billion Pentagon cloud deals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Pentagon said Wednesday that Amazon , Google , Microsoft and Oracle each received a cloud-computing contract that can reach as high as $9 billion each through 2028. Originally, the Pentagon had awarded the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, to Microsoft in 2019. A legal battle ensued as Amazon, the top player in the cloud infrastructure market, challenged the Pentagon's decision. Last year the Pentagon changed its approach, asking for bids from Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle to address cloud needs. Oracle generated $900 million in cloud infrastructure revenue in the quarter that ended Aug. 31, a small fraction of the $20.5 billion total for Amazon's cloud subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, in the third quarter.

☆ 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.

☆ How Trump Org's tax fraud conviction could bar Trump from federal contracts, even for Secret Service
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Laura Italiano | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The Trump Organization was found criminally liable of tax fraud on Tuesday after a six-week trial. A ban could end his 'exorbitant' billing of Secret Service agents who protect him at his resorts. At the Trump Organization headquarters in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the cars, apartments, and tuition were considered part of Weisselberg's $940,000-a-year income, prosecutors said. Secret Service a tough targetWatchdogs concede that Trump's Secret Service billing is a tough target. Barring the unlikelihood of a cash-free solution — Trump letting the Secret Service "stay at our properties for free," as Eric Trump once promised, or forgoing Secret Service protection voluntarily, as Richard Nixon did — Trump's Secret Service spigot may well remain open, watchdogs acknowledge.

☆ Trump's White House blocked government websites aimed at helping Americans vote, fighting human trafficking, easing homelessness, and stopping fraud, federal records show
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Federal agencies asked the Trump White House to approve dozens of new ".gov" websites. Such custom ".gov" website domains enhance government agencies' ability to effectively provide and market services to an American public that's all but universally connected to the internet. On December 23, 2019, the CIA asked Trump's White House to approve the website domain DataTransport.gov. Chiu/APBlock and delayIn at least one case, Trump's White House denied a website request — the United States Agency for International Development-sponsored ProsperAfrica.gov — that Biden's White House later approved. In March 2021, Office Management and Budget officials denied Insider's FOIA request, stating that "no responsive records were located."

☆ How a conviction in Trump Org's upcoming trial could bar Trump from federal contracts, even for Secret Service
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Laura Italiano | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A ban could end his 'exorbitant' billing of Secret Service agents who protect him at his resorts. Add to that the recent news that the Trump Organization had billed the Secret Service more than $ 1.4 million to stay at Trump properties during the former president's time in office. At the Trump Organization headquarters in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the cars, apartments and tuition were considered part of Weisselberg's $940,000-a-year income, prosecutors allege. Secret Service a tough targetWatchdogs concede that Trump's Secret Service billing is a tough target. Barring the unlikelihood of a cash-free solution — Trump letting the Secret Service "stay at our properties for free," as Eric Trump once promised, or forgoing Secret Service protection voluntarily, as Richard Nixon did — Trump's Secret Service spigot may well remain open, watchdogs acknowledge.

Trump twisted the Secret Service’s protective mission into a personal cash cow — all while lying about it to taxpayers. When Eric Trump visited Washington a few months earlier, the nightly government rate was supposed to be capped at $242 per night; the Trump hotel billed the Secret Service $1,160. But we’ve never seen a commander-in-chief and his family repeatedly use the Secret Service to line their pockets in this way. There’s no reason the Trump family needed to stay at Trump properties. The stays became such a moneymaker for the Trump family that the Secret Service had to request a larger budget to cover all of its trips to Trump properties.

☆ Trump's Chinese restaurant rant is an 'attack on the National Archives' says the former US Archivist who served under George H.W. Bush
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Trump last week said Bush stored presidential records in a former Chinese restaurant/bowling alley. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located — that it leased from the General Services Administration, which is responsible for securing buildings for government operations. He was the first archivist responsible for transferring presidential documents under the Presidential Records Act of 1978. Trump's attacks on the NARA process of preserving presidential records, Wilson said, was a "great danger" to democracy. Bush Presidential Library and Museum did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ The National Archives slapped down Trump's claim that Obama and Bush mishandled government records after leaving office
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The National Archives rejected Trump's claim that other former presidents mishandled government docs. NARA described Trump's accusations as "false and misleading." Trump is being investigated by the Justice Department for how he handled government records. In recent statements and at a rally on Sunday, Trump has accused other former presidents of mishandling government records after leaving office, but said they faced no legal penalties. Under the Presidential Records Act, presidents must hand over all government records to the NARA on leaving office.

☆ Trump wrote that he knew 'nothing' when asked about the presidential transition delays with Biden officials after the 2020 election: book
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump wrote that he knew "nothing" about transition delays with Biden officials, per a forthcoming book. When Haberman asked Trump about the Biden transition holdup, he replied: "KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT." When asked about the holdup in allowing Biden to proceed with critical aspects of his presidential transition, Trump replied: "KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT." After weeks of delays, General Services Administration administrator Emily Murphy "ascertained" Biden as president-elect on November 23, which gave the Biden team millions of federal dollars to fund important presidential transition efforts. At the end of the book, Trump responded to a question by writing: "FAKE NEWS — GOOD NIGHT!"

☆ Leaked documents show White House blocked government website used to recruit election workers during the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-14 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Government emails and documents exclusively obtained by Insider reveal an internal fight within the Trump administration over whether to create the poll-worker recruitment website HelpAmericaVote.gov. The White House's Office of Management and Budget initially rejected the Election Assistance Commission's request to create the website. EAC officials immediately resubmitted their HelpAmericaVote.gov request. In a separate statement to Insider, the General Services Administration, which had overseen distribution of ".gov" website domains since 1997, confirmed it was no longer involved in approving or denying federal agencies' website requests. Hovland added his agency's request for the HelpAmericaVote.gov website contained all the information OMB required and that he was "surprised" approval was so difficult to obtain.

☆ Donald Trump dă undă verde inițierii procesului de tranziție către administrația Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-24 | by ( Diana Severin | ) www.zdg.md time to read: +3 min

La mai bine de două săptămâni de la anunţarea înfrângerii sale în alegerile prezidenţiale din SUA, Donald Trump a dat undă verde luni seară deschiderii procesului de tranziţie spre o administraţie condusă de Joe Biden, relatează Reuters. Anunțul a fost făcut de Trump pe Twitter: „Spre binele țării noastre, recomand ca Emily (Murphy, coordonatoarea serviciului de la Casa Albă care se ocupă de tranziție – n.r.) și echipa ei să facă ceea ce trebuie făcut în privința inițierii protocoalelor și i-am spus echipei mele să facă același lucru”, a scris Donald Trump. Echipa democratului a anunțat că a fost informată despre inițierea unei etape ce permite „un transfer de putere paşnic şi fără probleme”, scrie Digi24. Joe Biden anunță primele nume importante din administrația saPe de altă parte, președintele ales Joe Biden a anunțat, luni, primele nume importante din viitoarea sa administrație: secretarul de stat și echipa pentru securitate națională, toți foști colegi în administrația Obama.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Reuters ., Trump, Emily, Murphy, Donald J . Trump, Will, Obama, Anthony Blinken, John Kerry, Janet Yellen, . Ea Organizations: Albă, tranziţie, Partidului Democrat Locations: SUA, ., Michigan, preşedinte, Statelor Unite

☆ Donald Trump a autorizat inițierea procesului de tranziţie către administrația Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-24 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump a autorizat, luni seară, inițierea procesului de tranziţie către o nouă administraţie, condusă de Joe Biden, la mai bine de două săptămâni de când democratul l-a învins în alegerile prezidenţiale din SUA, scrie digi24.ro. și echipa ei să facă ceea ce trebuie făcut în privința inițierii protocoalelor și i-am spus echipei mele să facă același lucru”, a scris Donald Trump. Imediat, Serviciul General al Adiministrației, GSA (General Services Administration), a trimis o scrisoare prin care l-a informat pe Joe Biden că este deschisă calea pentru tranziţie. Echipa democratului a anunțat că a fost informată despre inițierea unei etape ce permite „un transfer de putere paşnic şi fără probleme'”. Anunțul de la Casa Albă vine în condițiile în care luni seara a fost validat oficial rezultatul alegerilor din statul Michigan, unde învingător a fost declarat Joe Biden, o lovitură majoră pentru Donald Trump, care încă spera că mai poate întoarce rezultatul.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, democratul, ., Emily, Murphy, Trump Organizations: Albă, tranziţie Locations: SUA, Michigan

Echipa democratului a luat imediat notă de o etapă care permite '„un transfer de putere paşnic şi fără probleme”. I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 23, 2020Această agenţie, GSA (General Services Administration), a trimis anterior o scrisoare prin care îl informa pe Joe Biden că este deschisă calea pentru tranziţie. Administraţia Trump trebuie să recunoască oficial că Joe Biden este preşedintele ales pentru ca echipa de tranziţie a democratului să poată începe să primească informaţii clasate top-secret şi să discute cu echipele existente în diferitele ministere.

Persons: Joe Biden, promiţând, Trump, Twitter, Murphy, Donald J . Trump Organizations: democratului, tranziţie Locations: exerciţiu, justiţie, agenţie

☆ Donald Trump acceptă inițierea procesului de tranziție către administrația Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-24 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump a autorizat, luni seară, inițierea procesului de tranziţie către o nouă administraţie, condusă de Joe Biden, la mai bine de două săptămâni de când democratul l-a învins în alegerile prezidenţiale din SUA. Echipa democratului a anunțat că a fost informată despre inițierea unei etape ce permite „un transfer de putere paşnic şi fără probleme”, scrie digi24.ro. Anunțul de la Casa Albă vine în condițiile în care luni seara a fost validat oficial rezultatul alegerilor din statul Michigan, unde învingător a fost declarat Joe Biden, o lovitură majoră pentru Donald Trump, care încă spera că mai poate întoarce rezultatul. Joe Biden a anunțat, luni, primele nume importante din viitoarea sa administrație: secretarul de stat și echipa pentru securitate națională, toți foști colegi în administrația Obama. Janet Yellen, care a fost prima femeie preşedinte a Fed (banca centrală americană) între 2014 şi 2018, este o economistă renumită şi respectată.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, democratul, SUA ., Emily, Murphy, Donald Trump ., Donald J . Trump, Will, Trump, Obama, Anthony Blinken, John Kerry, Janet Yellen, . Ea Organizations: Albă, tranziţie, Partidului Democrat Locations: SUA, Michigan, preşedinte

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