The Trump administration moved Tuesday to revoke the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials in the latest act of retribution targeting public servants in the federal government’s intelligence community.Related video from January above: White House press secretary comments on Gen. Milley’s security clearance being pulledA memo posted by Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, accuses the targeted officials of having engaged in the “politicization or weaponization of intelligence” to advance partisan goals, as well as a failure to safeguard classified information and a “failure to adhere to professional analytic tradecraft standards.”The action, coming months after an even broader clearance suspension on his first day in office, is part of a broader campaign by President Donald Trump’s administration to scrutinize the judgments of intelligence officials he personally disagrees with. Critics of his approach have said it risks chilling dissenting voices within the government.”These are unlawful and unconstitutional decisions that deviate from well-settled, decades-old laws and policies that sought to protect against just this type of action,” Mark Zaid, a national security lawyer whose own clearance was revoked by the Trump administration, said in a statement.Many of the officials who were singled out left the government years ago. Some worked on matters that have long provoked Trump’s ire, including the intelligence community assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election on Trump’s behalf, or have openly criticized him.Gabbard, in the last month, has declassified a series of years-old documents meant to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the assessment on Russian election interference.
WASHINGTON —
The Trump administration moved Tuesday to revoke the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials in the latest act of retribution targeting public servants in the federal government’s intelligence community.
Related video from January above: White House press secretary comments on Gen. Milley’s security clearance being pulled
A memo posted by Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, accuses the targeted officials of having engaged in the “politicization or weaponization of intelligence” to advance partisan goals, as well as a failure to safeguard classified information and a “failure to adhere to professional analytic tradecraft standards.”
The action, coming months after an even broader clearance suspension on his first day in office, is part of a broader campaign by President Donald Trump’s administration to scrutinize the judgments of intelligence officials he personally disagrees with. Critics of his approach have said it risks chilling dissenting voices within the government.
“These are unlawful and unconstitutional decisions that deviate from well-settled, decades-old laws and policies that sought to protect against just this type of action,” Mark Zaid, a national security lawyer whose own clearance was revoked by the Trump administration, said in a statement.
Many of the officials who were singled out left the government years ago. Some worked on matters that have long provoked Trump’s ire, including the intelligence community assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election on Trump’s behalf, or have openly criticized him.
Gabbard, in the last month, has declassified a series of years-old documents meant to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the assessment on Russian election interference.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has walked back what lawyers called an illegal attempt to fast-track the deportation of a woman who has lived in the U.S. for nearly 30 years and to expel her without an immigration court hearing, her attorneys said.
Lawyers for Mirta Amarilis Co Tupul, 38, filed a lawsuit earlier this month to stop her imminent deportation to Guatemala. A U.S. district court judge in Arizona dismissed the case Wednesday after the federal government moved the woman to regular deportation proceedings and agreed in writing not to attempt expedited removal again, her lawyers said.
The judge had granted an emergency request to temporarily pause the deportation while the case played out in court.
The case highlighted broader concerns that the Trump administration is stretching immigration law to speed up deportations in its effort to remove as many immigrants as possible.
Federal law since 1996 holds that immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for fewer than two years can be placed in expedited removal proceedings, which bypass the immigration court process. Longtime immigrants, however, cannot be removed until they’ve had a chance to plead their case before a judge.
In a sworn declaration, one of Co Tupul’s attorneys wrote that a deportation officer told her the agency had a “new policy” of placing immigrants in expedited removal proceedings after their first contact with immigration authorities.
“This appears to have been a test case in which the administration attempted to enforce a ‘new policy’ against Ms. Co Tupul,” Eric Lee, one of Co Tupul’s attorneys, said Thursday. “The district court quickly shut down this effort in no uncertain terms. Maybe this has slowed the government’s efforts to expand expedited removal, or maybe the government is waiting for another test case where the non-citizen lacks legal representation.”
Emails reviewed by The Times showed that Co Tupul’s lawyer provided extensive evidence of her longtime residence. Immigration officials told the lawyer that her client would remain in expedited removal proceedings anyway.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that after Co Tupul’s lawyers provided documentation verifying she had lived in the U.S. for more than two years, “ICE followed the law and placed her in normal removal proceedings.”
“Any allegation that DHS is ‘testing out’ a new policy regarding illegal aliens who have been in the country for longer than two years into expedited removal is false,” McLaughlin added.
Co Tupul, a Phoenix resident, was pulled over as she drove to her job at a laundromat on July 22. She remains detained at Eloy Detention Center, about 65 miles southeast of Phoenix.
President Trump’s decision to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington has California officials on high alert, with some worrying that he intends to activate federal forces in the Bay Area and Southern California, especially during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Trump said that his use of the National Guard to fight crime could expand to other cities, and suggested that local police have been unable to do the job.
Legal experts say it is highly unusual and troubling for forces to be deployed without a major crisis, such as civil unrest or a natural disaster. The Washington deployment is another example of Trump seeking to use the military for domestic endeavors, similar to his decision to send the National Guard to Los Angeles in June, amid an immigration crackdown that sparked protests, experts said.
Washington has long struggled with crime but has seen major reductions in recent years.
Officials in Oakland and Los Angeles — two cities the president mentioned by name — slammed Trump’s comments about crime in their cities. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement that the president’s characterization wasn’t rooted in fact, but “based in fear-mongering in an attempt to score cheap political points.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called it “performative” and a “stunt.”
Trump has said he would consider deploying the military to Los Angeles once again to protect the 2028 Olympic Games. This month, he signed an executive order that named him chair of a White House task force on the Los Angeles Games.
The White House has not said specifically what role Trump would play in security arrangements.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who sits on the city panel overseeing the Games, acknowledged last week that the city is a “little nervous” about the federal government’s plans for securing the event.
Congress recently approved $1 billion for security and planning for the Games. A representative for the Department of Homeland Security declined to explain to The Times how the funds will be used.
Padilla said her concern was based on the unpredictable nature of the administration, as well as recent immigration raids that have used masked, heavily armed agents to round up people at Home Depot parking lots and car washes.
“Everything that we’re seeing with the raids was a real curveball to our city,” Padilla said during a Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum event. It dealt “a real curveball to [efforts] to focus on the things that folks care about, like homelessness, like transportation … economic development,” she said.
Bass, appearing on CNN this week, said that using the National Guard during the Olympics is “completely appropriate.” She said that the city expects a “federal response when we have over 200 countries here, meaning heads of state of over 200 countries. Of course you have the military involved. That is routine.”
But Bass made a distinction between L.A. Olympics security and the “political stunt” she said Trump pulled by bringing in the National Guard and the U.S. Marines after protests over the federal government’s immigration crackdown. That deployment faces ongoing legal challenges, with an appeals court ruling that Trump had the legal authority to send the National Guard.
“I believed then, and I believe now that Los Angeles was a test case, and I think D.C. is a test case as well,” Bass said. “To say, well, we can take over your city whenever we want, and I’m the commander in chief, and I can use the troops whenever we want.”
On Monday, Trump tied his action to what has been a familiar theme to him: perceived urban decay.
“You look at Chicago, how bad it is, you look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don’t even mention that anymore —they’re so far gone,” he said. “We’re not going to let it happen. We’re not going to lose our cities over this.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said officers and agents deployed across the District of Columbia have so far made 23 arrests for offenses including homicide, possession with intent to distribute narcotics, lewd acts, reckless driving, fare evasion and not having permits. Six illegal handguns were seized, she said.
Citing crime as a reason to deploy National Guard troops without the support of a state governor is highly unprecedented, experts said. The National Guard has been deployed to Southern California before, notably during the 1992 L.A. riots and the civil unrest after George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis in 2020.
“It would be awful because he would be clearly violating his legal authorities and he’d be sued again by the governor and undoubtedly, by the mayors of L.A. and Oakland,” said William Banks, a law professor at Syracuse University. “The citizens in those cities would be up in arms. They would be aghast that there are soldiers patrolling their streets.”
The District of Columbia does not have control over its National Guard, which gives the president wide latitude to deploy those troops. In California and other states, the head of the National Guard is the governor and there are legal limits on how federal troops can be used.
The Posse Comitatus Act, passed in 1878 after the end of Reconstruction, largely bars federal troops from being used in civilian law enforcement. The law reflects a tradition dating to the Revolutionary War era that sees military interference in American life as a threat to liberty and democracy.
“We have such a strong tradition that we don’t use the military for domestic law enforcement, and it’s a characteristic of authoritarian countries to see the military be used in that way,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley Law School and a constitutional law expert. “That’s never been so in the United States, and many are concerned about the way in which President Trump is acting the way authoritarian rulers do.”
Whether the troops deployed to Los Angeles in June amid the federal immigration raids were used for domestic law enforcement in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act is central in the trial underway this week in federal court in San Francisco.
If Trump were to send troops to California, Banks said, the only legal lever he could pull would be to declare an insurrection and invoke the Insurrection Act.
Unlike in D.C., Trump wouldn’t be able to federalize police departments in other parts of the country. There are circumstances where the federal government has put departments under consent decrees — a reform tool for agencies that have engaged in unlawful practices — but in those cases the government alleged specific civil rights violations, said Ed Obayashi, a Northern California sheriff’s deputy and legal counsel on policing.
“You are not going to be able to come in and take over because you say crime is rising in a particular place,” he said.
Oakland Councilman Ken Houston, a third-generation resident who was elected in 2024, said his city doesn’t need the federal government’s help with public safety.
Oakland has struggled with crime for years, but Houston cited progress. Violent crimes, including homicide, aggravated assault, rape and robbery are down 29% so far this year from the same period in 2024. Property crimes including burglary, motor vehicle theft and larceny also are trending down, according to city data.
“He’s going by old numbers and he’s making a point,” Houston said of Trump. “Oakland does not need the National Guard.”
Times staff writer Noah Goldberg contributed to this report.
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Hannah Fry, Dakota Smith, Richard Winton, Andrea Castillo
WASHINGTON — In past Olympic Games held on American soil, sitting presidents have served in passive, ceremonial roles. President Trump may have other plans.
An executive order signed by Trump on Tuesday names him chair of a White House task force on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, viewed by the president as “a premier opportunity to showcase American exceptionalism,” according to a White House statement. Trump, the administration said, “is taking every opportunity to showcase American greatness on the world stage.”
At the White House, speaking in front of banners adding the presidential seal to the logo for LA28, Trump said he would send the military back to Los Angeles if he so chose in order to protect the Games. In June, Trump sent the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city amid widespread immigration enforcement actions, despite widespread condemnation from Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials.
“We’ll do anything necessary to keep the Olympics safe, including using our National Guard or military, OK?” he said. “I will use the National Guard or the military. This is going to be so safe. If we have to.”
Trump’s executive order establishes a task force led by him and Vice President JD Vance to steer federal coordination for the Games. The task force will work with federal, state and local partners on security and transportation, according to the White House.
Those roles have been fairly standard for the federal government in past U.S.-hosted Olympic Games. But Trump’s news conference could present questions about whether a president with a penchant for showmanship might assume an unusually active role in planning the Olympics, set to take place in the twilight of his final term.
There is ample precedent for military and National Guard forces providing security support during U.S.-hosted Olympic Games. But coming on the heels of the recent military deployment to Los Angeles, Trump’s comments may prove contentious.
French President Emmanuel Macron was a key figure in preparations for last year’s Paris Games, including expressing his vocal support for the ambitious Olympic opening ceremony plan to parade athletes down the Seine River on boats. Many officials were concerned about potential threats along the 3.7-mile stretch, but authorities responded by increasing security measures that included up to 45,000 police officers and 10,000 soldiers.
The task force, to be housed within the Department of Homeland Security, will “assist in the planning and implementation of visa processing and credentialing programs for foreign athletes, coaches, officials, and media personnel,” the executive order said. City officials have expressed concern that the president’s border policies could deter international visitors and complicate visa processing for Olympic teams.
Tensions with L.A.
More concentrated involvement from Trump could spell further strain with Los Angeles city officials, who sought to make nice in the wake of devastating January fires, but have fiercely bucked Trump’s recent immigration offensive. Trump swiped at Bass during his remarks on Tuesday, calling her “not very competent” and criticizing the pace of city permitting for fire rebuilding.
“We’ve had a productive working relationship with the federal government since Los Angeles was awarded the Games in 2017 and we will continue preparing with all partners to host the best Games in history – Games that will benefit the entire nation for decades to come,” Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl said.
Known for her coalition-building skills, Bass is not, by nature, a public brawler. In the aftermath of the Palisades fire, she appeared determined to preserve her fragile relationship with the president — and the billions of dollars of federal aid her city was depending on — responding diplomatically even as he publicly attacked her.
But that determined cordiality crumbled when masked immigration agents and military personnel descended on the city. With troops stationed in the city and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal authorities arresting undocumented immigrants at courthouses, car washes and Home Depot parking lots, Bass took on Trump forcefully.
At news conferences and in interviews, she accused the president of waging “an all-out assault on Los Angeles,” inciting chaos and fear and using the city as “a test case for an extremist agenda.”
Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28, attended the White House event, thanking Trump for “leaning in” to planning for an Olympics that was awarded to Los Angeles during his first term.
“You’ve been supportive and helpful every step of the way,” Wasserman said, noting that the Games would amount to hosting seven Super Bowls a day for 30 days. “With the creation of this task force, we’ve unlocked the opportunity to level up our planning and deliver the largest, and yes, greatest Games for our nation, ever.”
Wasserman will also have a delicate political balancing act, managing a Games in a deep-blue city with a famously mercurial Republican president in office.
President Trump holds a full set of medals from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles during Tuesday’s event at which he announced an executive order regarding federal involvement in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)
A Hollywood scion and sports and entertainment mogul, Wasserman has long been a prominent Democratic donor known for his close relationship with the Clintons.
But in recent months he has diversified his giving, with hefty donations to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership fund. Wasserman has publicly praised Trump’s commitment to the Games and traveled to Mar-a-Lago in January to meet with the incoming president.
Presidents have long played a role in the Games. In 1984, Ronald Reagan formally opened the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first American president to do so. Reagan attended several Olympic events, but repeatedly emphasized the federal government’s role was focused on security, according to the White House Historical Assn.
The Olympic Charter requires the host country’s head of state to officially open the Games, but before Reagan, the duty had been fulfilled by local political leaders or vice presidents representing the president.
Ever-tightening security
The federal government has historically provided significant funding when the Games are hosted on U.S. soil, with financial support going toward both security and infrastructure.
Leading up to the 1996 Games in Atlanta, the federal government spent $227 million on security and transportation, playing “very much a junior partner” to the Olympic Committee, then-Vice President Al Gore said at the time. Still, a bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park during the Games that summer shook the security establishment.
The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City were the first Games to be classified as a “National Special Security Event,” the government’s highest security rating for any event that designates the U.S. Secret Service as the lead agency for implementing security. That standard has remained in place for U.S.-held Olympic Games ever since. The Secret Service will also lead security coordination for the 2028 Games.
The federal government was particularly involved in the Salt Lake City Games, which were held just months after the 9/11 attacks.
Los Angeles leaders are actively involved in the security planning, and are currently in negotiations with LA28 for the use of the city’s police, traffic officers, and other employees during the Olympics and Paralympics.
Security, trash removal, traffic control, paramedics and more will be needed during the 17-day Olympics and the two-week Paralympics the following month.
Under the2021 Games agreement between LA28 and the city, LA28 must reimburse Los Angeles for any services that go beyond what the city would provide on a normal day. The two parties must agree by Oct. 1, 2025, on “enhanced services” — additional city services needed for the Games, beyond that normal level — and determine rates, repayment timelines, audit rights and other processes.
Overtime for Los Angeles police officers, and any other major expenses, would be acutely felt by a city government that recentlyclosed a nearly $1-billion budget deficit, in part by slowing police hiring.
Wilner reported from Washington, Wick and Nguyen from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
Panorama Farm Becomes the First Puerto Rican Coffee Brand to Supply the U.S. House of Representatives with a Purpose-Driven, Made-in-America Brew
WASHINGTON, July 15, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– For the first time, the U.S. House of Representatives is serving a 100% Puerto Rican-grown coffee: the Congressional Reserve Blend, a specialty Arabica Limaní created exclusively for the United States House of Representatives by Panorama Farm in Las Marías, Puerto Rico. This milestone was made possible by becoming an official vendor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
This coffee is not only grown and roasted in the mountains of Puerto Rico-it is also brewed on Capitol HiIll and sold at the Longworth House Office Building Gift Shop. 100% of net profits directly into youth entrepreneurship and education programs across the island.
“This coffee-grown, roasted, and made in Puerto Rico-is now being served in Congress. It’s a powerful reminder that products made in America, especially from places like Puerto Rico, deserve a place in our national economy and in the conversations that shape its future.”
After her time at the World Bank, Angelique Sina founded Panorama Farm in 2021-a woman-owned social enterprise redefining how agriculture, commerce, and community intersect. Inspired by mission-driven brands like Patagonia, Panorama Farm proves that rural economies can thrive through business models that prioritize people, purpose, and reinvestment.
The Congressional Reserve Blend was officially launched on July 15, 2025, at the Rayburn House Office Building, during an agricultural hosted by Resident Commissioner Pablo Hernandez Rivera showcase that featured Puerto Rican products and a live coffee tasting. A congressional briefing and panel discussion followed, with participants including Sina, Puerto Rican farmers, and food system leaders, all focused on building a sustainable economic future for the island.
“From Las Marías, Puerto Rico to Capitol Hill, this coffee carries the story of Puerto Rico’s talent, resilience, and innovation,” Sina added. “We’re building a movement-one that breaks dependency and proves that nonprofits can operate with the discipline of business and the soul of community.”
Panorama Farm is a woman-owned, social-enterprise coffee farm based in Las Marías, Puerto Rico, producing single-origin, 100% Arabica beans grown, roasted, and packaged locally. Founded in 2021 by Angelique Sina, the farm reinvests 100% of its net profits into youth education and entrepreneurship through its nonprofit, Friends of Puerto Rico, creating economic opportunity and social impact with every cup.
WASHINGTON, February 14, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– Federal contractor Monbo Group International and its affiliate sued the U.S. Department of Navy in the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia for allegedly violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
According to court documents, “the Navy improperly published Monbo Group International and its affiliate’s name on a debarment list without following the applicable debarment procedures found in the Federal Regulations and Statutes.”
The lawsuit also accuses “the Navy of defamation and interference with Monbo Group International’s economic business advantage.”
The lawsuit demands an injunction against the Navy. In addition to the injunction, the lawsuit also seeks an order from the Court, directing the Navy to remove references to debarment from the contracting records of Monbo Group International and its affiliate.
The Navy, who is represented by the Department of Justice (DOJ), attempted to have the suit thrown out of court by filing a motion to dismiss, but the Federal District Court Judge denied the Navy’s motion to dismiss. In addition to denying the Navy’s motion to dismiss, Federal Judge Amit Mehta ordered the Navy to answer the lawsuit and to submit the certified Administrative Record to the Court.
The order issued by Federal District Court Judge, Amit Mehta, represents a major defeat for the Navy. With the order, the case proceeds to trial on the record. “We are pleased with the court’s decision and look forward to moving this case forward,” the company said.
Navy employees Javier Aponte, Kenneth Brown, Nicholous Johnson, Ross Phillip, and Timothy Vonderharr are also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The case is Monbo v. U.S. Department of Navy et al, U.S. District Court For the District of Columbia, Case Number: 1:24-CV-02547.
NEW YORK — Investigators from various federal agencies launched an “interagency operation” on Monday at the troubled lockup in New York City where Sean “Diddy” Combs is being held.
The investigators from the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office and other law enforcement agencies had descended on the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Monday, the Bureau of Prisons said in statement to The Associated Press.
The law enforcement operation is “designed to achieve our shared goal of maintaining a safe environment for both our employees and the incarcerated individuals housed at MDC Brooklyn,” the agency said. Prison officials declined to provide specific details about the operation Monday morning.
But the move comes as the jail has faced increasing scrutiny over horrific conditions, rampant violence and multiple deaths and amid a push by the Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons to fix problems at the jail and hold perpetrators accountable.
Last month, federal prosecutors charged nine inmates in connection with a spate of attacks from April to August at the Metropolitan Detention Center, the only federal jail in New York City. The allegations made public last month detailed serious safety and security issues at the jail, including charges after two inmates were stabbed to death and another was speared in the spine with a makeshift icepick. A correctional officer was also charged with shooting at a car during an unauthorized high-speed chase.
The criminal charges offered a window into violence and dysfunction that has plagued the jail, which houses about 1,200 people, including Combs and Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed FTX cryptocurrency exchange.
In a statement on Monday, the Bureau of Prisons said its operation in Brooklyn was pre-planned and that there is “no active threat.”
The agency said it wouldn’t provide additional details about what exactly investigators were doing there on Monday until the operation is complete “in an effort to maintain the safety and security of all personnel inside the facility and the integrity of this operation.”
The facility, in an industrial area on the Brooklyn waterfront, has about 1,200 detainees, down from more than 1,600 in January. It’s used mainly for post-arrest detention for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Other inmates are there to serve short sentences following convictions.
Those held at the Brooklyn jail have long complained about rampant violence, dreadful conditions, severe staffing shortages and the widespread smuggling of drugs and other contraband, some of it facilitated by employees. At the same time, they say they’ve been subject to frequent lockdowns and have been barred from leaving their cells for visits, calls, showers or exercise.
It is a jaw dropping scandal flooding the news…but the cannabis industry is avoiding it because the big investment deal fell through.
The entertainment industry and the public is general have been shocked by the scandal around Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy, Sean Combs, etc). The tentacles of his being charged at a federal level is making causing X in the music, entertainment, fashion, alcohol and monied worlds…but one industry is breathing a sigh of relief. There is a flood of celebrates who worried they will be pulled down including Ashton Kutcher, actor and Silicon Valley investor, Kevin Hart, Usher, Jay-Z, and more. But Diddy’s failed cannabis investment saves industry a scandal, right as it seems to waiting for good news.
Combs was arrested on Sept. 16 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution charges. He is depicted as the leader of an alleged criminal enterprise, subjecting women and men to a pattern of physical and sexual abuse, according to federal prosecutors.
Investigators allege over a span of years, Combs would ply victims with narcotics and even resort to violence and intimidation during days-long sex sessions in events called “freak offs”. Big names were at these events and it has people running scared.
Diddy deeply dove into being part of the merge of cannabis companies Cresco Labs Inc. and Columbia Care Inc. They are currently two of the largest cannabis companies and were exploring a joint operations while adding additional investors. Diddy’s $155 million part would have given him a huge foothold into the growing market. His reach, wealth, and connections could have helped the industry. Luckily, in August 2023, the $ merger was terminated, canceling and voiding his deal with them.
But what next? Other people near him have a role in the industry including Jay-Z. He Jay-Z started a $10 million investment for minority-owned cannabis startups. He is the Chief Visionary Officer of TPCO Holding.
Wiz Khalifa, Method Man, and Snoop Dog all have fingers in marijuana. Time will tell how the Diddy indictments plays out for all the players.
The cannabis has been suffering for the last two years…but do the presidential candidates really care?
The last two years has been brutal for the cannabis industry. Consumer use continues to climb, but the cost of doing business is outpacing the profit. Filled with mainly mom and pop small business owners, it has become tougher and tougher as more and more people consume. But does either political parties care and what are they actually going to do? The marijuana industry seeks positive signs from candidates, and more than just statements, they want sound policy.
Legal states have reaped the benefits of making the plant safely available. ncreased tax revenue, a decreased in youth use, and a variable options for medical marijuana patients from addictive opioids. But the businesses themselves are battling high taxes, no tax benefits, increase in crime and a massive federal restrictions. Even with a growing customer base, hope is dwindling the government will act. And both parties have not been helpful.
Photo by Darren Halstead via Unsplash
Vice President Harris expressed support for legalizing marijuana, speaking publicly about where she stands for the first time she became the Democratic nominee.
“I just think we have come to a point where we have to understand that we need to legalize it and stop criminalizing this behavior,” Harris said during a nearly hourlong interview on the sports and culture podcast “All the Smoke” released Monday.
But what does it mean? Biden promised to help in 2020. The seasoned policy maker waited to the last moment to make the move, and then didn’t push the gas petal. While 2024 looked like a turning point year, nothing will happen. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) postponed their rescheduling announcement to December, after the election and a potential change in priorities, legalization actions, and executive orders.
Walz, as governor of Minnesota, saw the introduction of legal marijuana and how the state’s citizen’s embraced it in large numbers. But recently he shared he believed it should be a “states rights” issue but he still wants to Democrats to win Congress to help SAFE Banking.
The GOP Presidential candidate has given a nod to the industry, but under his previous term, nothing happened. Party leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have made it clear they want a regression of marijuana legality. The Senate GOP blocked the SAFER BANKING ACT 7 times. And the chaos over the ousting of Kevin McCarthy as speaker ruined the last big chance before camping started.
It seems all the states want the revenue, but no political leader wants to support the growth of the industry. The industry is just hoping something will hold candidates to their promises.
It is a jaw dropping scandal flooding the news…but the cannabis industry is avoiding it because the big investment deal fell through.
The entertainment industry and the public is general have been shocked by the scandal around Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy, Sean Combs, etc). The tentacles of his being charged at a federal level is making causing X in the music, entertainment, fashion, alcohol and monied worlds…but one industry is breathing a sigh of relief. There is a flood of celebrates who worried they will be pulled down including Ashton Kutcher, actor and Silicon Valley investor, Kevin Hart, Usher, Jay-Z, and more. But Diddy’s failed cannabis investment saves industry a scandal, right as it seems to waiting for good news.
Combs was arrested on Sept. 16 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution charges. He is depicted as the leader of an alleged criminal enterprise, subjecting women and men to a pattern of physical and sexual abuse, according to federal prosecutors.
Investigators allege over a span of years, Combs would ply victims with narcotics and even resort to violence and intimidation during days-long sex sessions in events called “freak offs”. Big names were at these events and it has people running scared.
Diddy deeply dove into being part of the merge of cannabis companies Cresco Labs Inc. and Columbia Care Inc. They are currently two of the largest cannabis companies and were exploring a joint operations while adding additional investors. Diddy’s $155 million part would have given him a huge foothold into the growing market. His reach, wealth, and connections could have helped the industry. Luckily, in August 2023, the $ merger was terminated, canceling and voiding his deal with them.
But what next? Other people near him have a role in the industry including Jay-Z. He Jay-Z started a $10 million investment for minority-owned cannabis startups. He is the Chief Visionary Officer of TPCO Holding.
Wiz Khalifa, Method Man, and Snoop Dog all have fingers in marijuana. Time will tell how the Diddy indictments plays out for all the players.
A federal department wants more control over legal cannabis- but until it rescheduled or more, there hands are tied.
Legal marijuana has turned out to be surprisingly popular. It has been embraced by all ages for fun, to manage anxiety, to help sleep, for pain and more. Gen Z has started a trend of moving away from alcohol and toward the healthier cannabis. Boomers, guided by AARP, are embracing it for a variety of medical benefits and for enjoyment. But now a federal agency has come out to say the government needs to have more say in stregthen and products. The issue, until rescheduling or decriminalization, they don’t have the authority. So this is just more mainstream pressure for the federal government to accept cannabis as part of today.
Both presidential candidates along with VP candidate Tim Walz have said they are for moving cannabis forward. But have made statements of support, but no real clear action. When asked should marijuana be legalized across the U.S. for recreational and medical use, he replied.
“Well, I think it’s an issue for the states on some of those, and that’s the way the states have done it,” Walz, the former Minnesota’s governor and Congressman said, dodging the question.
Photo by Darren Halstead via Unsplash
But with more people using, especial for medical, and a state patchwork of products, strengthand dosage, it is a bit messy. States have oversight, but not the same resources as the federal movement. Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration are for rescheduling and oversight. Now the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are adding their voice. They released a report about what needs to happen, but nothing can be done until the federal government has a big voice.
“We’d like the federal government to step up to provide some leadership in this area,” said Dr. Steven Teutsch of the University of Southern California, who chaired the committee behind the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report. The CDC and the National Institutes of Health sponsored the report. A CDC spokesperson said Thursday that the agency would study the recommendations and that more money would be needed to implement them.
Aaron Smith of the National Cannabis Industry Association said states have protected public health by replacing criminal markets with regulated businesses “that are required to test products for contaminants, practice truth in labeling, and most importantly, keep cannabis products out of the hands of minors.” Making cannabis legal nationally would improve public health through federal regulation, Smith said.
SAN FRANCISCO, September 4, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Authorium, the cloud-based technology platform that automates and improves complex government processes, announces it has been selected by AFWERX for an SBIR Phase II contract in the amount of $1.2 million focused on AI-enhanced procurement for rapid deployment of defense technologies and FAR/DFARS compliance to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.
The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded and with this month’s award, Authorium will continue the journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.
“Authorium is at the forefront of supplying government teams with the technology they need to improve operations and increase efficiency,” said Jay Nath, Co-CEO of Authorium. “We are honored to provide compliant AI-driven procurement solutions to enable the Air Force to streamline readiness and response efforts in support of our nation’s security.”
“Today’s award announcement is an Authorium milestone and demonstrates confidence in our ability to support the missions of our armed forces,” said Kamran Saddique, Co-CEO of Authorium. “Across the United States, state and local agencies trust us to help manage over $35 billion in public programs and services, and we look forward to delivering our exceptional service and innovation to the Air Force.”
The views expressed are those of Authorium and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
About Authorium
Authorium combines compliance, productivity, and collaboration functionality in one end-to-end platform to consolidate siloed legacy applications in government. We unlock data hidden within documents to power data-driven decision-making and support other critical operational systems.
Designed for government agencies with complex processes, such as procurement, budgeting, policies, HR, and grant management, our platform ensures regulatory compliance, facilitates collaboration and visibility, and increases agency efficiency – freeing up staff for higher-value work. Authorium’s deep institutional knowledge and real-world government experience are unparalleled by other companies. Learn more at authorium.com.
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit https://afresearchlab.com/.
About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at five hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed over 6,100 new contracts worth more than $4 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com.
A San Bernardino County wildfire that spanned 680 acres and took 275 firefighting personnel eight days to contain began with a few sparks from an excavator.
The government is suing an Upland-based pipeline contracting company and its founder, Garrett John Gentry, for negligence and is seeking more than $2.2 million in damages in the fire, which chewed through 450 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest.
“Defendants are liable for all damages to the United States resulting from the South Fire, including its fire suppression costs and the United States’ administrative, investigative, accounting, and collection costs,” the government says in the lawsuit.
A call to Garrett J. Gentry Engineering was not immediately returned. The 14-year-old company serves California and Arizona and clears $35 million in revenue annually.
The agency said nine structures — residential and commercial — were destroyed and 28 others were damaged. There were no injuries or fatalities.
According to Cal Fire, the fire began north of Glen Helen Parkway and east of Sierra Avenue and Lytle Creek Road just west of the 15 Freeway. The lawsuit alleges the fire originated at a property at 4053 Lytle Creek Road in Fontana.
There, the suit says, Gentry was operating an excavator, attempting to determine the viability of developing a commercial property at an underdeveloped site.
The government said Gentry, the owner, realized he was on terrain that was too rocky and tried to leave the area. During his retreat, he noticed smoke behind him. He attempted but failed to suppress a fire that eventually kick-started the eight-day blaze, the lawsuit alleges.
Government investigators said the steel treads of the excavator struck rock and caused ignition. Nearby dry vegetation then served as fuel to propel the fire.
The government alleges that Gentry knew the area was rocky and “failed to exercise reasonable care,” according to the lawsuit.
Gentry and his company also failed to take action to prevent the fire, the lawsuit alleges.
The Republican National Committee just released its 2024 platform. While calling it a platform is a stretch, the list of bullet points gives an idea of what the potential next Trump administration’s goals are. Here’s one issue that should be front and center: End inflation and make America affordable again.
To be sure, “make America more affordable” would be a great slogan and a great objective. It’s similar to what many have called an “abundance agenda.” While there is plenty to dislike in a platform that at times feels unserious and destructive, this part I like.
Abundance isn’t achieved by the same old subsidies or tax breaks for special interests, price controls, or spending loads of taxpayer money on transfer payments. It’s achieved by freeing up the supply side of our economy. That means freeing producers and innovators from excessive regulatory obstacles and heavy tax burdens (including tariffs) so they can provide more of what Americans need.
The Trump administration platform assures us it will move in this direction. For instance, it wants to increase America’s dominance as an energy producer, which will only be achieved through a deregulation agenda. Apart from counterproductive tax incentives for first-time homeowners, it expresses a commitment to lowering housing costs through deregulation.
The platform states it will “cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations” as well as “end the Socialist Green New Deal.” I assume that means ending the expensive subsidies and tax breaks in the Inflation Reduction Act. Great idea, but get ready to hear all the recipients of these handouts cry that they won’t be able to do what they were already doing before being given the subsidies.
A deregulation agenda would serve the Republicans’ goal of boosting manufacturing much better than tariffs, which former President Donald Trump continues to love despite overwhelming evidence that they don’t do what he claims. Most tariffs raise the prices of inputs used by American firms, including manufacturing, to produce outputs that serve their customers.
Something similar could be said about Republicans’ swipes at immigrants. Fewer immigrants will create labor supply shortages, hurt manufacturing, and slow the economy.
Still, even with their disastrous trade and immigration agenda and the many contradictory goals espoused by this platform, implementing the deregulatory part of the agenda will make some strides at freeing the supply side and hence lowering prices. Indeed, President Joe Biden has not only maintained many of Trump’s tariffs, but he’s added some of its own. He’s also systematically favored subsidizing the demand for certain things—nudging customers to buy what he wants them to buy—while taking actions that restrict supply. That’s a recipe for affordability failure.
But as far as affordability goes, I’m less optimistic about the prospect of the next administration ending inflation. That’s because Trump and other Republicans are firmly embracing fiscal irresponsibility and excessive debt. The platform contains no mention of a plan to get government debt under control. Instead, it pledges to “fight for and protect Social Security and Medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age.”
Many voters love hearing this promise. But maintaining these two objectively underfinanced programs will inevitably explode the debt burden over the next 30 years. In the entire history of the United States so far, Uncle Sam has accumulated roughly $34 trillion in debt. Under the Trump plan, the government would need to borrow another $124 trillion for these programs alone.
Leaving aside the question of who will lend us all this money when foreign buyers are already scaling back purchases of U.S. Treasuries, remember that most of the inflation we’ve recently suffered is the product of massive Biden administration spending on top of the COVID-19 spending without any plan to pay for it. As such, announcing that the U.S. will simply go on another borrowing spree sends a poor signal, and it might even increase inflation.
This is made more important because Trump wants to make permanent the tax cuts that are set to expire after 2025, end taxes on tips, and more. If Congress and the president do this without any offsetting spending reductions, it will add at least another $4 trillion in debt over 10 years. With more inflationary fuel, we could easily see the Federal Reserve raise interest rates again, making borrowing money even more expensive than it already is.
The bottom line is that Trump’s deregulatory agenda could have a shot at lowering some prices. But it will only be a game-changer if he becomes serious about fiscal responsibility. Right now, he isn’t, so I wouldn’t count on it.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs and an arm of the US State Department are among a growing list of Microsoft Corp. customers that have acknowledged they were impacted by a breach of the technology giant that was blamed on Russian state-sponsored hackers.
The US Agency for Global Media, part of the State Department that provides news and information in countries where the press is restricted, was notified “a couple months ago” by Microsoft that some of its data may have been stolen, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. No security or personally identifiable sensitive data was compromised, the spokesperson said.
The agency is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security on the incident, the spokesperson said, declining to answer additional questions. A State Department spokesperson said, “We are aware that Microsoft is reaching out to agencies, both affected and unaffected, in the spirit of transparency.”
Microsoft disclosed in January that a Russian hacking group it calls Midnight Blizzard had accessed corporate email accounts and later warned that they were attempting to use secrets shared between the technology giant and its customers. The company has declined to identify the customers who were impacted.
“As our investigation continues, we have been reaching out to customers to notify them if they had corresponded with a Microsoft corporate email account that was accessed,” a Microsoft spokesperson said on Wednesday. “We will continue to coordinate, support and assist our customers in taking mitigating measures.”
In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs was notified in March that it was impacted the Microsoft breach, officials for the agency said.
A one-second intrusion
The hackers used a single set of stolen credentials — found in the emails they accessed — to break into a test environment in the VA’s Microsoft Cloud account around January, the officials said, adding that the intrusion lasted for one second. Midnight Blizzard likely intended to check if the credentials were valid, presumably with the larger intention of breaching the VA’s network, the officials said.
The agency changed the exposed credentials, along with log-in details across their Microsoft environments, once they were notified of the intrusion, they said. After reviewing the emails that the hackers accessed, the VA determined that no additional credentials or sensitive email was taken, the officials said.
Terrence Hayes, the VA’s press secretary, said an investigation is continuing to determine any additional impact.
The Peace Corps was also contacted by Microsoft and notified about the Midnight Blizzard breach, according to a statement from its press office. “Based on this notification, Peace Corps technical staff were able to mitigate the vulnerability,” according to the agency. The Peace Corps declined further comment.
Bloomberg News asked other federal agencies for comment, and none of the others disclosed that they were impacted by Midnight Blizzard’s attack on Microsoft. Bloomberg previously reported that more than a dozen Texas state agencies and public universities were exposed by the Russian hack.
Midnight Blizzard, also known in cybersecurity circles as “Cozy Bear” and “APT29,” is part of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, according to US and UK authorities.
In April, US federal agencies were ordered to analyze emails, reset compromise passwords and work to secure Microsoft cloud accounts amid fears that Midnight Blizzard may have accessed correspondence. Microsoft has been notifying some customers in the months since then that their emails with the tech giant were accessed by the Russian hackers.
The Midnight Blizzard breach was one in a series of high-profile and damaging security failures at the Redmond, Washington-based technology company, which has drawn strong condemnation by the US government. Microsoft President Brad Smith appeared before Congress last month where he acknowledged security failures and vowed to improve the company’s operations.
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Charles Gorrivan, Jamie Tarabay, Evan Gorelick, Bloomberg
TikTok is in trouble: In April, President Joe Biden signed bipartisan legislation that forces ByteDance, the popular social media app’s Chinese parent company, to sell its majority stake to a U.S.-based firm. If it fails to do this, the app will be banned in the United States.
Various dubious arguments have been deployed against TikTok, but Congress’ stated prime motive to force its divestiture is that the app’s Chinese owners are beholden to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and thus having their tech on so many Americans’ phones is a dire national security risk. The CCP is an authoritarian menace, and there is some evidence the Chinese government pressures TikTok to censor content about Tiananmen Square and the religious sect Falun Gong, and criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Of course, the U.S. government has also pressured American tech companies to censor content on social media. Thanks to the Twitter Files, the Facebook Files, and other independent investigations, we know that multiple federal agencies instructed social media platforms to take down content relating to Hunter Biden, COVID-19, and other subjects. When President Biden decided the companies had been insufficiently deferential to his pandemic-related diktats, he accused them of killing people and threatened to take action against them.
If Congress really wanted to do something about government censorship of content on social media, legislators could rein in the feds. Instead, they are singularly focused on TikTok, which has responded with a lawsuit.
The legislation approved by Biden would apply to any social media company that is designated as a “foreign adversary controlled application.” U.S. law currently defines China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran as foreign adversaries. The law further stipulates that an app is deemed to be controlled by a foreign adversary if it satisfies at least one of three different criteria: It is headquartered in one of those countries, the government of one of those countries owns a 20 percent stake in it, or the app is subject to “direction or control” by one of the foreign adversaries.
This law creates a blueprint for taking future action against social media companies beyond just TikTok. In the wake of the 2016 election, Democratic lawmakers, mainstream media pundits, and national security advisers accused Facebook and Twitter of being complicit in Russia’s various schemes to sow election-related discord online. The thrust of this argument was that the CEOs of those companies had allowed their platforms to be compromised by Russian misinformation—even though subsequent studies have shown foreign social media influence campaigns had very little impact on the outcome of the election.
Despite the bill’s passage, the federal government is not likely to take direct action against Facebook or X tomorrow. But Biden has rubber-stamped language—”direction and control”—that is exceedingly slippery. It is not difficult to imagine a future where vengeful bureaucrats accuse a disfavored app of promoting contrarian views, gin up a connection to a “foreign adversary,” and punish it accordingly.
This article originally appeared in print under the headline “The TikTok Slippery Slope.”
MCLEAN, Va., June 17, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Smoothstack, a leading HTD (Hire-Train-Deploy) provider, today announced Chris Coligado has joined the company as the EVP, Federal Market Lead, heading up the strategic direction and execution of Smoothstack’s federal practice area. His leadership will allow Smoothstack to accelerate the adoption of its HTD model within the public sector and close the technology skills gap delaying mission-critical digital initiatives.
“Chris has exactly the industry and leadership experience needed to reach our aggressive growth goals for this area of our business,” said John Akkara, CEO, Smoothstack. “The public sector has been slower to adopt the HTD model than commercial businesses. With Chris’ leadership, we’re looking forward to capitalizing on this huge opportunity to help government agencies execute on their digital missions.”
Coligado brings over two decades of technology consulting experience to Smoothstack. Over his 20+ year career at Booz Allen, he led the growth of various Digital Service offerings across the Civil Finance Regulatory Agencies including major technology modernization and transformation efforts at Treasury, IRS, FDIC, SEC, as well as the Department of Transportation, Homeland Security, and Law Enforcement Markets. Most recently, he led the technology line of business for the federal government consulting market in both civilian and defense sectors for 22nd Century Technologies resulting in expanded capability offerings ranging from Managed Services (PaaS, SaaS, IaaS), Enterprise Architecture, Strategic Portfolio Rationalization, Enterprise Case Management, Enterprise Digitization and Digitalization through Cloud-based AI/ML product solution offerings.
Smoothstack’s HTD approach offers an alternative channel for government clients to gain access to cleared technology talent. Using its proprietary Six-Stack™ algorithmic approach, Smoothstack identifies high-potential software developers, trains them in a Mirrored Environment Immersion (MEI)™ framework, and deploys work-ready talent in as little as 10-12 weeks.
“I’m excited for the newest chapter of my career at Smoothstack,” said Coligado. “With the acceleration of AI innovation, we’ve reached an inflection point where we must find a way around the tech talent shortages holding us back. Smoothstack’s HTD approach has the potential to make a massive impact on the federal sector’s ability to scale their digital efforts with cleared, net-new technology resources.”
About Smoothstack
Smoothstack is an IT services and solutions provider with a unique ability to create net-new talent through its hire-train-deploy (HTD) approach. Its experienced team provides strategic consulting, project support, and talent development in the areas of Application Development, Cloud, Digital Platforms, Data Engineering & AI, and Cybersecurity to F500 companies and government agencies. With AI embedded throughout its vetting and training process, Smoothstack skills high-aptitude software engineers on leading technologies aligned to their clients’ unique tech environments. For more information visit www.smoothstack.com.
I’m pretty good at math, but I no longer prepare my own taxes. The form alone scares me.
I feel I have to hire an accountant, because Congress, endlessly sucking up to various interest groups, keeps adding to a tax code. Now even accountants and tax nerds barely understand it.
I can get a deduction for feeding feral cats but not for having a watchdog.
I can deduct clarinet lessons if I get an orthodontist to say it’ll cure my overbite, but not piano lessons if a psychotherapist prescribes them for relaxation.
Exotic dancers can depreciate breast implants.
Even though whaling is mostly banned, owning a whaling boat can get you $10,000 in deductions.
And so on.
Stop! I have a life! I don’t want to spend my time learning about such things.
No wonder most Americans pay for some form of assistance. We pay big—about $104 billion a year. We waste 2 billion hours filling out stupid forms.
That may not even be the worst part of the tax code.
We adjust our lives to satisfy the whims of politicians. They manipulate us with tax rules. Million-dollar mortgage deductions invite us to buy bigger homes. Solar tax credits got me to put panels on my roof.
“These incentives are a good thing,” say politicians. “Even high taxes alone encourage gifts to charity.
But “Americans don’t need to be bribed to give,” says Steve Forbes in one of my videos. “In the 1980s, when the top rate got cut from 70 percent down to 28 percent…charitable giving went up. When people have more, they give more.”
Right. When government lets us live our own lives, good things happen.
But politicians want more control.
American colonists started a revolution partly over taxes. They raided British ships and dumped their tea into the Boston Harbor to protest a tax of “three pennies per pound.” But once those “don’t tax me!” colonists became politicians, they, too, raised taxes. First, they taxed things they deemed bad, like snuff and whiskey.
Alexander Hamilton’s whiskey tax led to violent protests.
Now Americans meekly (mostly) accept new and much higher taxes.
All of us suffer because politicians have turned income tax into a manipulative maze.
We waste money and time and do things we wouldn’t normally do.
Since I criticize government, I assume some IRS agent would like to come after me.
So, cowering in fear, I hire an accountant and tell her, “Megan, don’t be aggressive. Just skip any challengeable deduction, even if it means I pay more.”
I like having an accountant, but I don’t like having to have one. I resent having to pay Megan.
I once calculated what I could buy with the money I pay her. I could get a brand-new motorcycle. I could take a cruise ship to Italy and back every year.
Better still, I could give my money to charity and maybe do some good in the world. For the same amount I spend on Megan, I could pay four kids’ tuition at a private school funded by SSPNYC.org.
Or I could invest. I might help grow a company that creates a fun product, cures cancer, or creates wealth in a hundred ways.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to reject California’s plan to curb air pollution in Los Angeles, a consequential move that could result in stiff economic sanctions and federal regulatory oversight of the nation’s smoggiest region.
Despite having the strictest air pollution rules in the nation, Southern California has never complied with federal health standards for ozone, the lung-searing gas commonly called smog. Because of this, state and local air regulators are required to submit plans to the EPA detailing how they intend to reduce pollution and comply with federal standards.
Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science.
California air regulators acknowledge that the region still needs to reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxides by more than 100 tons per day in order to achieve the 1997 standard for ozone.
However, the South Coast Air Quality Management District proposal calls on the federal government to make most of those cuts — at least 67 tons per day — arguing that some of the largest sources of smog-forming emissions are federally regulated, such as ships, trains and aircraft. Local air quality officials lack the jurisdiction to regulate mobile sources of emissions, and can only control stationary sources, such as industrial facilities.
In a recent draft response, the EPA has proposed rejecting California’s plan, declaring “states do not have authority” under the Clean Air Act or the Constitution to order the federal government to reduce pollution.
In a pointed response, local air officials claimed the EPA was responsible for the damaging health effects of Los Angeles area smog, because it has failed to offer solutions to curb emissions from “sources that they know are beyond our control.”
“U.S. EPA’s draft decision is disheartening,” read a statement from the air district. “South Coast AQMD intends to comment on this new proposal and take all appropriate actions in hopes that this decision does not become final. More importantly, U.S. EPA will need to answer the millions of residents, especially children, who have asthma, lung disease and other illnesses associated with air pollution that continue to suffer.”
The EPA has until July 1 to decide whether to finalize the rejection. If the state and local air regulators fail to submit a plan that the EPA finds acceptable within that time, the federal government could withhold billions of dollars in highway funding, place strict requirements on new permits and even impose a federal plan to curb smog.
The EPA has disapproved of the air district’s plans several times in the past, but the region has managed to avert potential sanctions.
The proposed denial is the latest confrontation between Southern California air regulators and the Biden EPA — two unlikely adversaries who have clashed for nearly two years over how to solve the region’s long-standing issues with smog.
It has also highlighted the complex nature of regulating pollution in the region where at least three entities have authority — the local air district, which oversees smokestack emissions; the California Air Resources Board, which governs in-state vehicles; and the EPA, which handles interstate and international travel.
However, some environmental advocates say the dilemma is a collective failure by every level of government.
Adrian Martinez, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, said the conflict follows years of repeated delays and deadline extensions, when all three environmental agencies were capable of cutting more emissions.
“The plan to meet our clean air standards relied on these faith-based assumptions that we’ll figure out how to reduce the pollution at a later time. And what ended up happening is we never figured it out,” Martinez said.
Historically, Southern California has been plagued by smog, which forms when the region’s persistent sunlight interacts with vehicle exhaust and smokestack emissions. The region’s mountainous terrain confines this toxic haze over the region, rather than allowing it to disperse.
Although there has been significant progress over the last several decades through the development of cleaner vehicle engines and pollution controls for industry, the region’s smog remains the worst in the country.
Since 1997, nitrogen oxides have decreased 70% in the air basin. The majority of those emission reductions are the result of stricter vehicle standards imposed by the state, and locally imposed regulations on industry, according to the South Coast air district.
As emission reductions have stalled and aircraft emissions have risen, the air district has found itself under increasing pressure to force the EPA’s hand. According to estimates, even if Southern California eliminates emissions from all building and industrial sources, it wouldn’t be enough to meet federal standards.
The air district has sued the EPA for violating the Clean Air Act, arguing it was impossible for the region to comply with federal smog standards without massive cuts from federal sources. The move was intended to compel the EPA to adopt new regulatory strategies that would curtail pollution from ports, railyards and airports. The air district later settled the case.
For its part, the Biden administration last year adopted tighter vehicle emission standards, including for heavy-duty trucks, which is expected to reduce smog.
But these federal requirements still pale in comparison to rules in California — the only state that can implement its own vehicle emission standards with federal approval.
“We acknowledge that there are sources of air pollution in South Coast that the air district and CARB do not have the regulatory authority to control,” an EPA spokesperson said in a statement. “EPA has made it a very high priority to help reduce mobile source emissions through rulemaking and leveraging unprecedented federal funding … wherever possible.”
The EPA is accepting public comments on its proposed disapproval of the regional smog plan until March 4.
If the EPA finalizes this disapproval, California will have 18 months to obtain the federal agency’s approval for a new plan. By failing to meet that deadline, the federal government would require some newly permitted businesses to reduce twice as many tons of smog-forming as they emit.
Six months later, if the deadline still hasn’t been met, the Federal Highway Administration is required to impose a moratorium on highway funding (with exceptions for mass transit and public safety).
No more than two years after final disapproval, the EPA must enforce a federal implementation plan to achieve federal smog standards.
Less than three months after launching an attack on energy drinks, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) has a new target: Zyn nicotine pouches.
In a press release Sunday, Schumer labeled Zyn a “quiet and dangerous” alternative to vaping, claiming that with the decline in smoking, tobacco companies are adapting by focusing on new products like oral nicotine. Zyns are small pouches of nicotine meant to be placed between the lips and gums. Two strengths of the product are available at three and six milligrams of nicotine, and they come in several flavors.
Schumer’s ire appears to have been raised by the rapid growth in sales of nicotine pouches and so-called “Zynfluecers” on TikTok promoting the product. Schumer fears nicotine pouches could become a teen trend, as vaping did in 2019 before rapidly declining as the tobacco age was raised to 21 and schools became more aware of the problem. To head off a potential increase in youth nicotine addiction, Schumer wants the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the marketing of Zyn and potentially restrict their flavors.
But Schumer’s framing has the story backward. Zyn is not a dangerous alternative to vaping but a dramatically safer alternative to smoking. One of the reasons smoking has declined substantially over the last decade is because safer nicotine alternatives like vapes and Zyn are switching smokers away from cigarettes. The closest equivalent for which we have decades of data is an oral smokeless tobacco called snus. Snus is most prevalent in Sweden, and not coincidentally, Sweden has the lowest smoking and lung cancer rates in Europe because those interested in using nicotine do so in a much safer form.
Schumer is right that nicotine pouches are enjoying enormous sales, but he would be wrong to assume nicotine-naive youth are driving these sales. According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey, only 1.5 percent of middle and high schoolers use nicotine pouches, and just 2.3 percent have ever tried a nicotine pouch. Even among the minority of young people who use products like Zyn, most are not nicotine newbies. A study of adolescents and adults aged 15-24 who used nicotine pouches found the vast majority were smokers or had smoked cigarettes in the past at 73 percent and 81 percent, respectively. Just like with e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches disproportionately appeal to people who are already using nicotine most often in its most dangerous form, which is cigarettes.
Schumer’s concern that Zyn comes in several flavors like cinnamon and citrus is also misguided. For one, Zyn has already applied to the FDA to be authorized for sale, and the agency will determine whether it presents a net benefit to public health. But suppose flavors in nicotine products are inherently youth-appealing, as Schumer suggests. In that case, he should be just as outraged that nicotine gums, which have been around for decades, are sold in flavors like “cinnamon surge,” “fruit chill,” and “spearmint burst.” Nicotine flavor bans have a poor track record in improving public health, with bans on flavored vapes associated with an increase in cigarette sales.
Schumer’s intervention drew mockery on X (formerly known as Twitter), including from Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators defending Zyn. The reaction is perhaps unsurprising, given that Tucker Carlson is the most famous Zyn consumer.
The most worrying aspect of Schumer’s demonization of Zyn is that it contributes to the false impression that just because something contains nicotine, it’s a threat to public health. What makes cigarettes so lethal is not nicotine but setting tobacco on fire and inhaling the smoke.
Divorced from smoke, nicotine is a relatively benign stimulant with a similar risk profile to caffeine. Most adults incorrectly believe vaping is just as bad or worse than smoking. If these misperceptions were replicated for products like Zyn, the most likely effect would not be saving kids from the grips of nicotine addiction, as Schumer hopes, but to keep smokers smoking. Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer of the Cato Institute lamented the constant fearmongering around nicotine, writing, “I can only think of one explanation: an unfounded and irrational fear of nicotine. I call it nicotinophobia.“
