'They killed the program': FEMA contractors in Puerto Rico claim they were fired for reporting waste and fraud

Federal contractors working to improve Puerto Rico’s disaster response were laid off after they filed whistleblower reports claiming that their efforts were blocked by dysfunction and fraud.

Six months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017, a group of contractors hired by ATCS, a civil engineering firm based in Herndon, Va., arrived there. The Federal Emergency Management Agency hired them to implement a best practices system for recovery efforts to maximize speed and marshal resources efficiently.

Members of the team, which usually comprised about nine contractors, said friction with FEMA management around their efforts led to waste of taxpayer funds. It was, they concluded, a part of a wider cultural problem that has marred multibillion-dollar recovery efforts in the U.S. territory.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/they-killed-the-program-fema-contractors-in-puerto-rico-claim-they-were-fired-for-reporting-waste-and-fraud

Shanahan’s departure leaves Pentagon adrift, with a growing power vacuum and Pompeo as de facto defense secretary

The Pentagon is reeling from a leadership vacuum, with many top jobs, including defense secretary, deputy defense secretary, Air Force secretary, and Army secretary, all filled by deputies in an acting capacity.

HAPPENING TODAY: Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, who retires at the end of the summer, will discuss “military strategy and leadership” with David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman of the Carlyle Group, at a Council on Foreign Relations event at 6:30 tonight.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/shanahans-departure-leaves-pentagon-adrift-with-a-growing-power-vacuum-and-pompeo-as-de-facto-defense-secretary

An anonymous, but wise, Wyoming rancher recently summarized special counsel Robert Mueller's report in clear middle-America language:

"We know that old boy didn't actually steal any horses, but he's obviously guilty of trying to avoid being hanged for it."

https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/448999-want-the-truth-put-your-money-on-bill-barr-not-jerry-nadler?amp