February 2025 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

Fwd: PBS –
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Urgent Alert <info(a)dscc.org> Date: Mon, Feb 10, 2025, 11:36 AM Subject: re: PBS – To: <g(a)xny.io> ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ *URGENT: Elon Musk threatens to CUT funding for PBS!* [image: Big Bird] <https://go.dscc.org/go/20962?ask=5&t=7&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.i…> *We can't let this stand:* [image: Live Petition] <https://go.dscc.org/go/20962?ask=5&t=8&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.i…> *Sign on NOW to support PBS >> <https://go.dscc.org/go/20962?ask=5&t=9&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.i…>* Add My Name <https://go.dscc.org/go/20962?ask=5&t=10&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.…> Team, Donald Trump has given Elon Musk the green light to SLASH government funding -- *and he's setting his sights on PBS.* For decades, PBS has brought free, impartial, educational programming into homes across the country. From Mr. Rogers to Big Bird to The News Hour and so much more, it's had an INCALCULABLE positive impact on our society. *But Trump wants cuts that would start closing down PBS stations!* *We CAN'T just stand by as Trump and Musk take direct aim at PBS,* so we've launched an urgent Live Petition to PROVE Democrats support funding this all-American institution. We need 4,000 more signatures by midnight -- *please, don't delay:* [image: Live Petition] <https://go.dscc.org/go/20962?ask=5&t=11&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.…> *Sign on NOW to support PBS >> <https://go.dscc.org/go/20962?ask=5&t=12&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.…>* Add My Name <https://go.dscc.org/go/20962?ask=5&t=13&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.…> Thank you, Team DSCC Derivative of photo <https://go.dscc.org/go/20829?t=1&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.io&addr…> by Barbara Kinney. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 <https://go.dscc.org/go/1239?t=2&firstname=&lastname=&email=g%40xny.io&addr1…> * If you've recently responded or done so with a different email address, thank you! Online records may not be up to date, but don't worry -- your responses have been recorded. [image: Chip in $5 monthly to flip the Senate] <https://secure.actblue.com/donate/support-senate-democrats-2025-q1-recurrin…> ------------------------------ The DSCC is the only committee solely dedicated to supporting Democrats in the U.S. Senate, and our work relies on grassroots supporters like you. If you'd like to make a contribution to support us, please *click here <https://secure.actblue.com/donate/support-senate-democrats-2025-q1?refcode=…>*. *Click here <https://go.dscc.org/signup/receive-fewer-emails/?t=5&akid=19491%2E26297126%…>* to receive fewer emails. *Click here <https://go.dscc.org/unsubscribe/unsubscribe/?t=6&akid=19491%2E26297126%2Eb9…>* to unsubscribe. Paid for by the DSCC | PO Box 96047, Washington, DC 20090 | *dscc.org <https://www.dscc.org/>* | Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions or gifts to the DSCC are not tax deductible.

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Fwd: 2025: A Milestone Year for Development Financing!
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: UN SDG Action Campaign <newsletter(a)sdgactioncampaign.org> Date: Mon, Feb 10, 2025, 9:57 AM Subject: 2025: A Milestone Year for Development Financing! To: <G(a)xny.io> 2025: A Milestone Year for Development Financing! <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> *2025: A Milestone Year for Development Financing!* Photo: UN Photo/Mark Garten In a world of widening inequalities, intensifying climate shocks, ongoing conflicts, and global crisis of trust in institutions, the current international financial system is no longer fit for purpose. This system steers economic policymaking, debt agreements and access to money for development, but its choices still reflect the interests of powerful elites, while many people are not just left behind – but systematically pushed there. Following last year’s pivotal Summit of the Future—where the *UN SDG Action Campaign <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>* proudly supported civil society and youth participation—2025 must be the year of action. Implementing and strengthening the commitments made in the Pact for the Future, including reforming the global financial architecture, is now more urgent than ever. This is why, in 2025, the UN SDG Action Campaign will continue advocating for *economic justice* and the building of an economic system that is fair, inclusive, and capable of rebuilding trust—both between nations and between governments and their citizens. Among the many necessary reforms, the Campaign prioritizes *debt justice* <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>. Today, 3.3 billion people <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>—roughly 40% of the global population—live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on education or healthcare. Addressing this crisis requires strengthening the multilateral debt architecture and ensuring that states can meet their human rights obligations. This year, the *Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>*—taking place from 30 June to 3 July 2025 in Seville, Spain—presents a critical opportunity to accelerate the reform of the international financial architecture and make it fit for purpose in a crisis-prone world. As the only inclusive global process dedicated to advancing the systemic reforms needed, the FfD process is a platform where all voices matter. Do not miss your chance to contribute! *Apply <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> for <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>Special Accreditation <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> to participate the Conference before 21 February 2025!* *Third Preparatory Committee Session for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development | 10-14 February 2025, New York* Photo: UN Photo/Loey Philipe The Third Preparatory Committee Session for FfD4 <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> (3rd PrepCom) taking place from 10 to 14 February 2025 at the UN HQ in New York provides a key opportunity to review the zero draft of the FfD4 Outcome Document <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>. Participants can contribute their priorities and recommendations to help shape an ambitious, action-oriented outcome that fosters stronger political commitment and global ownership. More than 50 side events <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> hosted by stakeholders—including Member States, UN agencies, international financial institutions, academia and civil society organizations—will enrich the dialogue with diverse insights and approaches, offering innovative solutions for financing sustainable development. *Watch live the 3rd PrepCom side event "Finance for all: Solutions from Local and Regional Government" | 12 February 2025, New York* The 3rd PrepCom side event “Finance for all: Solutions from local and regional government <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>” organized by the United Cities and Local Governments, Global Taskforce of local and regional governments, UNDESA, UNDP and UNCDF will explore the role of the local financing and discuss concrete solutions that local and regional governments propose ahead of the FFD4. The UN SDG Action Campaign <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> Global Director, *Marina Ponti* joins the event as a panelist alongside distinguished speakers such as *Paul Smoke*, Professor of Public Finance and Planning at NYU, *Caroline Lombardo*, the UN-DESA Chief of International Tax and Development Cooperation, *Navid Hanif*, the UN-DESA Assistant Secretary-General and Marcos Neto, the UNDP Assistant Secretary-General among others. *Watch the event live on UN WebTV <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> on 12 February 2025 from 13.15 EST to 14.30 EST.* *Watch live the Civil Society Townhall with the President of the General Assembly at its 79th Session | 12 February 2025, New York* <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> The overarching theme of the 79th General Assembly Session is Unity in Diversity for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for everyone everywhere. The Civil Society Townhall on 12 February 2025 from 11.00 to 13.00 EST, organized by the UN Department for Global Communications will feature a discussion with H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang, President of the UN General Assembly <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> on his priorities and civil society engagement as well as the implementation of the Pact for the Future <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> and upcoming UN communication priorities. *Watch the Townhall live on UN WebTV. <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>* *2025 IPU Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations | 13-14 February 2025, New York* Following the adoption of the Pact for the Future <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>, the International Parliamentary Union is organizing a Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> on the theme of Scaling up action for the Sustainable Development Goals: Finance, Institutions, and Politics, which will take an in-depth look at ways to reboot the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs. *The UN SDG Action Campaign <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> Global Director Marina Ponti will participate in the panel* on Parliamentary oversight of the SDGs: The unfinished business of institutionalization on 13 February 2025 from 11.45 to 13.00 EST. The discussion will provide space for critical reflections on institutionalizing the SDGs in parliaments as a key step towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. *Watch the Parliamentary Hearing live on UN WebTV <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> from 11.45 EST to 13.00 EST.* *2025 Jubilee Year* Photo: Caritas Internationalis As 2025 has been declared a Jubilee Year, interfaith leaders are calling on the international community to take urgent action to address mounting debt levels and pave the way for hope and renewal. Read the Interfaith Africa Religious Leaders "Heralding a Debt Jubilee in 2025" Statement <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> which advocates for “a new debt Jubilee to bring hope to humankind, and to bring the planet back from the brink of becoming uninhabitable” as Africa spends $90 billion annually servicing public debt. Additionally, Pope Francis has addressed this crisis in his statement, “Addressing the Debt Crisis in the Global South <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>,” calling for a multinational mechanism to break the cycle of debt financing. His Holiness emphasizes the global nature of the issue and urges a solution that considers its economic, financial, and social implications. Caritas Internationalis, together with faith-based and civil society organizations, invites all people to join their campaign, Turn Debt into Hope <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> . *Seventh Intersessional Meeting on human rights and the 2030 Agenda | 11 February 2025, Geneva* Photo: UN SDG Action Campaign/Mohammed Mostafa This Intersessional Meeting of the Human Rights Council <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> entitled “Leaving no one behind: the role of human rights in reforming the sovereign debt architecture and going beyond GDP” will build on the outcomes of the SDG Summit and Summit of the Future. Discussions will evolve around how human rights norms and standards can guide the global debt architecture review called for in The Pact for the Future, and how human rights and gender equality can support the process of developing a framework for measuring progress that goes beyond gross domestic product. You can register for the event here <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> and watch the Live Webcast on via UN WebTV <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> on 11 February between 10.00 and 17.00 CET. *Oxfam Inequality Report — Takers Not Makers* <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> As 1.1 billion people face multidimensional poverty every day, total billionaire wealth increased by US$2 trillion in 2024. Published on 20 January 2025, Oxfam’s latest annual inequality report, Takers Not Makers: The unjust poverty and unearned wealth of colonialism <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> explores systemic inequality which is deeply rooted in historical and structural barriers that perpetuate exclusion across societies. Check the report <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> to learn about the underlying reasons for the two-tier world and ways forward. <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> *ActionAid Briefing: Who Owes Who?* This briefing <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> illuminates the stark injustice built into today’s global economic system. It argues that climate debts and reparations for slavery and colonialism owed by rich countries by far outweigh the total debts low and lower-middle income countries are forced to repay today. In this Jubilee Year, it is therefore particularly important to take steps towards a reform of the international financial architecture, including through a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt. *Global Risks Report 2025* The 2025 Global Risks Report <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> reveals an increasingly fractured global landscape. Pressing issues including inequality, misinformation and polarization are featured in both the two-year and 10-year risk rankings. The report shows the centrality of addressing today’s growing inequality, which experts perceive as the most interconnected risk of all, to regain the declining trust of citizens and restore social stability. Follow news, policy updates, engagement opportunities and stories from the SDG Action Community. United Nations SDG Action Campaign <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> Facebook <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> | Flickr <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> | Instagram <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> | LinkedIn <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> | Medium <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> | X <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> | YouTube <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> [image: Facebook] <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> [image: Flickr] <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> [image: Instagram] <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> [image: LinkedIn] <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> [image: Medium] <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> [image: X] <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> [image: YouTube] <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…> [image: Website] <https://sdgactioncampaign.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c9ddf1ac88c00a…>

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Gulf of America
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

Gulf of America: https://www.instagram.com/p/DF3sG7Bp0Xm/?igsh=MTBtZWlhM2d3N3J6eA== Looking good!

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2nd Circ. Orders In-House Counsel Docs In Grand Jury Case
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

2nd Circ. Orders In-House Counsel Docs In Grand Jury Case <https://www.law360.com/delaware/articles/2294736?nl_pk=9f0ef0c6-df48-47ce-8…> By Parker Quinlan The Second Circuit on Friday ruled that an in-house attorney for a publicly traded company under federal investigation in New York must turn over communications as part of a grand jury investigation under the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege. Opinion attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/delaware/articles/2294736?nl_pk=9f0ef0c6-df48-47ce-8…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/delaware/articles/2294736?nl_pk=9f0ef0c6-df48-47ce-8…>

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Plaintiffs Lawyers Swarm Los Angeles Post-Fires
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

Plaintiffs Lawyers Swarm Los Angeles Post-Fires <https://www.law360.com/delaware/articles/2294784?nl_pk=9f0ef0c6-df48-47ce-8…> By Brandon Lowrey A deadly wildfire may be among the first covered by a new state fund that reimburses at-fault utility companies. This could mean billions of dollars for plaintiffs lawyers, and, if past fires are any indication, frustration and confusion for some victims. Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/delaware/articles/2294784?nl_pk=9f0ef0c6-df48-47ce-8…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/delaware/articles/2294784?nl_pk=9f0ef0c6-df48-47ce-8…>

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After Tech Geeks Built a Back Door to Loot Billions from FTX, Republicans Refuse to Investigate What Elon Musk’s Tech-Squad Did Inside the U.S. Treasury’s Payment System
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

https://wallstreetonparade.com/2025/02/after-tech-geeks-built-a-back-door-t… By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: February 10, 2025 ~ Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Elon Musk It was just two years ago that bold headlines were swirling around the world that young techies with degrees from top American universities had engineered one of the most brazen frauds in U.S. history, including building a backdoor to a computer system that allowed billions of dollars to be looted from customer accounts at crypto exchange FTX. Despite this recent reminder that anyone with access to large sums of other people’s money requires constant and competent policing, President Donald Trump has allowed the insanely greedy Elon Musk to send young techies into the U.S. Treasury Department and access its $6 trillion payment systems. The tech news website, Wired, has provided in-depth coverage of insider allegations that one of those Musk techies, Marko Elez, was given administrative access, meaning that he could write and alter code in the Treasury payment system. Last Tuesday, Wired reported the following: “Despite reporting that suggests that Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force has access to these Treasury systems on a ‘read-only’ level, sources say Elez…has many administrator-level privileges. Typically, those admin privileges could give someone the power to log in to servers through secure shell access, navigate the entire file system, change user permissions, and delete or modify critical files. That could allow someone to bypass the security measures of, and potentially cause irreversible changes to, the very systems they have access to. “ ‘You could do anything with these privileges,’ says one source with knowledge of the system, who adds that they cannot conceive of a reason that anyone would need them for purposes of simply hunting down fraudulent payments or analyzing disbursement flow.” Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo confirmed Wired’s reporting, adding alarming new details. Marshall wrote: “I’m told that Elez and possibly other DOGE operatives received full admin-level access on Friday, January 31st. The claim of ‘read only’ access was either false from the start or later fell through. The DOGE team, which appears to be mainly or only Elez for the purposes of this project, has already made extensive changes to the code base for the payment system.” Despite this reporting, which also aired on major television news programs, Republicans on the House Oversight Committee quashed a demand from Democrats to subpoena Musk to testify before the Committee concerning the activities of his tech geek squad operating inside federal agencies. Congressional Republicans, who are the majority party at present in both the House and Senate, appear to be so fearful of earning the wrath of Donald Trump that they are seemingly willing to let the U.S. Treasury payment system be potentially hacked rather than ask probing questions in a timely fashion. This head in the sand attitude among Republican “lawmakers” forced 19 state Attorneys General to file a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Friday, asserting that people associated with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were allowed “to access Americans’ personal and private information, including bank account and social security numbers.” The lawsuit sought to “halt improper access to this sensitive information while litigation proceeds.” California Attorney General Rob Bonta released this statement regarding the lawsuit: “President Trump’s and the Treasury Department’s actions to allow DOGE access to Americans’ private information is chilling and unconstitutional — and Americans are paying attention. Millions entrust the federal government to carry out vital operations that people rely on every day. In doing so, we also entrust them with our sensitive and personal information. This week’s action is a breach of that trust and a gross and blatant power grab. The President does not hold the power to give Americans’ bank account and social security numbers to anyone he’d like. I am proud to stand with attorneys general around the country to demand the immediate halt to this violation of both trust and law.” In addition to the California Attorney General, AGs from the following states signed on as plaintiffs: New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. You can read the full complaint here. On Saturday, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction against further access by DOGE to Treasury payment systems and set a court hearing on the matter for this Friday. The Judge’s action sent Elon Musk into a rage on X (Twitter), where he called for the Judge to be impeached. Trump has regularly attempted to create the narrative that Elon Musk is a genius that the American people are fortunate to have working to eliminate fraud and waste in federal agencies under this Trump concoction called DOGE. The unfortunate reality is that Musk is a serial grifter with a history of tawdry and illegal acts. Musk previously battled in court to obtain a $56 billion pay package at Tesla. (That’s billion not million.) Tesla is a publicly-traded company and Musk is its CEO – meaning that under law he owes an oath of loyalty to the company and its shareholders. Notwithstanding that law, Musk simultaneously serves as CEO of rocket and satellite company, SpaceX, and controls numerous other companies. In January and February of last year, Musk was profiled in two shocking Wall Street Journal articles regarding his use of illegal drugs. The Wall Street Journal’s January 6, 2024 (paywall) article carried this assessment of Musk’s drug use: “The world’s wealthiest person has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties around the world, where attendees sign nondisclosure agreements or give up their phones to enter, according to people who have witnessed his drug use and others with knowledge of it. Musk has previously smoked marijuana in public and has said he has a prescription for the psychedelic-like ketamine.” In October, five Wall Street Journal reporters dropped the bombshell news that Musk “has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022.” In February of 2022, the U.S. placed Putin on a sanction list in response to his “unjustified, unprovoked, and premeditated invasion of Ukraine….” Musk has also been the target of multiple cases brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission which allege that he violated federal securities laws at Tesla and Twitter (now called X). See here and here. Despite this profile of an out-of-control, obscenely rich bully attempting to seize power, he and his techies continue to move into more federal agencies. FacebookTwitterWhatsAppLinkedInEmail

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Justices Urged To Take On PTAB Atty Fee Fight
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

Justices Urged To Take On PTAB Atty Fee Fight <https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/2294760?nl_pk=b6acf8b6-b37c-4b07…> By Theresa Schliep A company fighting for attorney fees at the Federal Circuit after successfully challenging a patent's validity before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take on a similar case addressing eligibility for fees in board proceedings pursued against "exceptional" infringement plaintiffs. Brief attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/2294760?nl_pk=b6acf8b6-b37c-4b07…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/2294760?nl_pk=b6acf8b6-b37c-4b07…>

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Apple Drops Suit Over Leaks To Press As Engineer Apologizes
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

Apple Drops Suit Over Leaks To Press As Engineer Apologizes <https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/2295225?nl_pk=b6acf8b6-b37c-4b07…> By Rae Ann Varona A California judge on Thursday granted Apple's request to drop a lawsuit against a former employee who allegedly leaked sensitive company information to journalists and others, the same day the software engineer issued a public apology for his "profound and expensive mistake." 2 documents attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/2295225?nl_pk=b6acf8b6-b37c-4b07…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/2295225?nl_pk=b6acf8b6-b37c-4b07…>

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Insurers Say Meta MDL Row Should Be In Del. State Court
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

Insurers Say Meta MDL Row Should Be In Del. State Court <https://www.law360.com/cybersecurity-privacy/articles/2294593?nl_pk=fb10114…> By Ganesh Setty Coverage litigation with Meta over underlying claims that it deliberately designed its platforms to be addictive to adolescents ought to take place in Delaware state court, units of Chubb and Hartford told a Delaware federal court, arguing the court need only examine the fact that Meta is a Delaware citizen. 3 documents attached | Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/cybersecurity-privacy/articles/2294593?nl_pk=fb10114…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/cybersecurity-privacy/articles/2294593?nl_pk=fb10114…>

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Meta's $725M Deal Downplays Potential Liability, 9th Circ. Told
by Gunnar Larson 10 Feb '25

10 Feb '25

Meta's $725M Deal Downplays Potential Liability, 9th Circ. Told <https://www.law360.com/cybersecurity-privacy/articles/2294748?nl_pk=fb10114…> By Dorothy Atkins A group of objectors urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to vacate Meta Platform Inc.'s $725 million settlement resolving privacy claims over the Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal, arguing the trial judge failed to fully consider the minimum $250 billion statutory damages award that could have been awarded if class counsel won at trial. Read full article » <https://www.law360.com/cybersecurity-privacy/articles/2294748?nl_pk=fb10114…> | Save to favorites » <https://www.law360.com/cybersecurity-privacy/articles/2294748?nl_pk=fb10114…>

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