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Breaking down findings of Minnesota Department of Education audit over Feeding our Future fraud
A report out Thursday morning from the Minnesota Legislative Auditor’s Office says ”actions and inactions” by the Minnesota Department of Education created opportunities for fraud in two taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs.
The report comes in response to federal criminal charges against dozens of people connected to the Twin Cities nonprofit Feeding Our Future.They’re accused of stealing $250 million by submitting falsified meal reimbursement requests.
https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2024/06/13/breaking-down-findings-of-minnesota-department-of-education-audit-feeding-our-future-fraud
White House Releases Voluntary Carbon Markets Guidelines
In an attempt to boost the credibility of the voluntary carbon markets (VCM) and to prepare for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP 29) in Azerbaijan in November, the White House released on May 28 a policy statement and set of guidelines for both VCM credit/offset generators and users. Although these guidelines lack the force and effect of law, the mere fact that the Department of Treasury, the Agriculture Department, the Energy Department, and the White House’s climate and economic advisors combined to show support for the VCM could help to blunt some of the criticism of those markets as effective tools to achieve long-term greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Many of the principles in the White House document have been articulated and employed by multiple offset accreditation entities, even those criticized as crediting unsubstantiated emissions reductions. Others are designed to limit the use of offsets and place offset users in a more active role to ensure offset integrity. Carbon offset generators, users and other VCM participants should continue to track this and other developments leading up to the COP 29 in Azerbaijan in November.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/white-house-releases-voluntary-carbon-9223755/
California Sees 90,000 People Lose Their Jobs in Two Weeks
alifornia unemployment benefit claims have hit 90,000 in two weeks, data from the Department of Labor shows.
For the week ending June 8, new claims for jobless benefits shot up by 10,000 from the prior week to 51,000 applications. The previous week's new benefit claims stood at close to 41,000, bringing the total over the two-week period to slightly more than 90,000 applicants for unemployment support.
The job market in California has recovered from the pandemic era convulsions where the jobless rate catapulted to more than 16 percent. That has come down substantially to 5.3 percent in April, according to Federal Reserve Economic Data. But the state lags behind the national rate which was at 3.9 percent during the same month.
However, the employment picture in the Golden State reveals that employers are still hiring and the net unemployment rate has stayed unchanged for three straight months, according to data from the Employment Development Department (EDD) in California.
https://www.newsweek.com/california-jobs-unemplyment-jobless-benefits-1912487?piano_t=1
Solugen Receives $213.6M Conditional Commitment for a Biobased Production Facility in Minnesota
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Program Office (LPO) made a conditional commitment to Solugen’s wholly owned subsidiary Bioforge Marshall for a $213.6 million loan guarantee to finance the construction of a production facility in Marshall, MN, for bio-based organic acids. This commitment is the single largest U.S. government investment in bioindustrial manufacturing since President Biden signed Executive Order 14081 on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy, according to the DOE.
The new facility will house three modular trains manufacturing various organic acids for use in the concrete, cleaning, agricultural, and energy industries​with the goal of cutting harmful emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors while helping deliver healthier communities across the nation. As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, this project is expected to create up to 100 jobs during construction and 56 highly skilled full-time manufacturing jobs once fully operational.
https://www.genengnews.com/topics/bioprocessing/solugen-receives-213-6m-conditional-commitment-for-a-biobased-production-facility-in-minnesota/
Trump Visits Capitol Hill: Other Countries Are "Using Us As A Bad Example Of Democracy"
"We have to take this beautiful place and make it something really special again," Trump said. "Right now, it is not special. Right now it is being scorned, and being used as an example, when they look at the crime on the streets and all of the problems that we have, they're using us as a bas example of democracy. And they're getting away with murder."
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/06/13/trump_visits_capitol_hill_other_countries_are_using_us_as_a_bad_example_of_democracy.html
Trump speaks in first Capitol Hill visit since Jan. 6 riot | full video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SanSvOEVW8
Biden-Harris Administration Approves Illinois, Oregon, and Puerto Rico’s “Internet for All” Initial Proposal
WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Illinois, Oregon, and Puerto Rico’s Initial Proposals for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a cornerstone of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative.
This approval enables Illinois, Oregon, and Puerto Rico to request access to funding and begin implementation of the BEAD program—a major step towards closing the digital divide and meeting the President’s goal of connecting everyone in America with affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service.
Today’s action allows the entities to request access to:
Illinois: More than $1 billion
Oregon: More than $688 million
Puerto Rico: More than $334 million
“Bringing quality, affordable high-speed internet to every corner of the country is a crucial part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. In the 21st century, a reliable Internet connection is a necessity that facilitates access to jobs, healthcare, and education – and thanks to President Biden, everyone in Illinois, Oregon, and Puerto Rico will get that access to the Internet,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “I congratulate the teams in Illinois, Oregon, and Puerto Rico for their tremendous work to close the digital divide.”
The BEAD program is a $42.45 billion state grant programauthorized by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The states, territories and Washington D.C. were allocated funding to deploy or upgrade high-speed Internet networks to ensure that everyone has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet service.
https://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2024/biden-harris-administration-approves-illinois-oregon-and-puerto-rico-s-internet-all-initial-proposal
Judge says Biden's ban of 'gun show loophole' invalid in 4 states
Attorneys general in the four states say that the rules "abridge Americans’ constitutional right to privately buy and sell firearms."
A federal court ruled that the Biden administration's rule that requires background checks to be performed on most firearms sold at gun shows cannot be enforced in four states.
The ruling expands a May 2024 decision that blocked the rules from going into effect in Texas. Now, the Biden administration cannot enforce the rules in Louisiana, Mississippi and Utah, in addition to Texas.
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Attorneys general in the four states say that the rules "abridge Americans’ constitutional right to privately buy and sell firearms."
Previous rules required licensed gun dealers to perform criminal background checks on purchasers, but private sales were exempted. The new rule intends to require those who sell guns to earn a profit to obtain a license and register as a dealer.
https://www.denver7.com/politics/guns/judge-says-bidens-ban-of-gun-show-loophole-invalid-in-4-states