Tootfinder

Starting in January, the Trump administration says it will
garnish the wages of student loan borrowers who haven’t been able to make their payments for at least nine months.
“It’s cruel and hostile to working people to turn the system on before we’re sure that we can run it in a compliant manner,”
says Julia Barnard, higher education team lead at the Debt Collective and former student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
To student debtors fac…

Trump Set to Garnish Wages for Student Loan Defaults; The Debt Collective Lays Out Other Options
Starting in January, the Trump administration says it will garnish the wages of student loan borrowers who haven’t been able to make their payments for at least nine months. “It’s cruel and hostile to working people to turn the system on before we’re sure that we can run it in a compliant manner,” says Julia Barnard, higher education team lead at the Debt Collective and former student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. To student debtors facing financial hards…

LISEP Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity https://www.lisep.org/tru "Using data compiled by the federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the True Rate of Unemployment tracks the percentage of the U.S. labor force that does not have a full-time job (35 hours a week) but wants one, has no job…

⏰ Taiwan reports surge in Chinese cyber activity and disinformation efforts
https://therecord.media/taiwan-nsb-report-china-surge-cyberattacks-influence-operations

Taiwan reports surge in Chinese cyber activity and disinformation efforts
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau says network intrusions and influence operations by China have increased this year, with critical infrastructure drawing the most attention.

For some reason, Director of National Intelligence
#Tulsi #Gabbard was at the FBI’s raid at an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, Wednesday.
Gabbard was photographed at the raid while boxes of documents (and ballots) seized by the bureau were being loaded onto trucks.
Authorities had a search war…

WTF Was Tulsi Gabbard Doing at FBI Raid of Georgia Election Office?
The director of national intelligence oversaw operations as the FBI searched the Fulton County’s election operations center.

I love working with a team that knows our products and each others' strengths. At the Omni Group our average tenure is now over 15 years.
“OK, Ken, by ‘average’ I assume you mean ‘mean’? But some of you old-timers who have been there 30 years are skewing that curve, right?”
Well, I suppose that's true. If we look at the median tenure, that's now at 13.99 years.
(The 2024 report at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates the median tenure across all indust…

Donald Trump has set free a private equity executive
who had served less than two weeks of a seven-year sentence
for his role in what prosecutors described as a $1.6 billion scheme
that defrauded thousands of victims.
David Gentile, 59, a onetime resident of Nassau County, N.Y.,
had reported to prison on Nov. 14, and was released on Wednesday, according to Bureau of Prisons records and a White House official who was not authorized to discuss the matter.
Mr…

Trump Frees Fraudster Just Days Into Seven-Year Prison Sentence
David Gentile had been found guilty for his role in what prosecutors described as a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of investors.

Good Morning #Canada
You don't have to like numbers to appreciate Statistics Canada, aka StatsCan. Jean Talon could be considered Canada's first official statistician when he arrived in North America in 1665 on a mission for King Louis XIV to conduct Canada's first census in 1666. In 1918, the Statistics Act created the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, a national statistics office that ultimately would become Statistics Canada. Besides conducting the Census of Population and the Census of Agriculture every five years, StatCan has more than 450 active surveys on virtually all aspects of life in Canada. Results are published twice a month and can be accessed via The Daily web page.
One of my favourite web pages is Canada's Population Clock (real-time model). It's fascinating to watch, and our population increased by 11 while I typed this post.
#CanadaIsAwesome #StatsCan
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2018005-eng.htm

Series B, Episode 06 - Trial
BERCOL: Bercol! Senator Bercol. Head of the Information Bureau. Ex-officio member of the High Council. [The door opens and he passes through.]
LYE: [Laughs] Thought he was going to run for it.
https://blake.torpidity.net/m/206/11 B7B4

I think this seems like a good idea.
Should the Bureau of Justice Statistics Report UCR Stats?
https://open.substack.com/pub/jasher/p/should-the-bureau-of-justice-statistics?utm_campaign=post-expanded-sh…

Should the Bureau of Justice Statistics Report UCR Stats?
That and other questions raised by a policy brief.

If you're in the Netherlands (or have a VPN I guess), and would like to know more about our current. #Antarctic fieldwork, sea level rise and how we make projections@bureaubuitenland.bsky.social has a piece about us today, filmed in the field the last 2 weeks...
https://www.vpro.nl/bureau-buitenland

The Kash bureau doesn’t seem to be doing so well. This is, what, the 4th or 5th high-profile case where they’ve “caught” the wrong person, or announced that someone was in custody when that wasn’t true…
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/providenc<…

Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau accuses Verkhovna Rada faction leader of bribery, sources name Yulia Tymoshenko: https://benborges.xyz/2026/01/14/ukraines-anticorruption-bureau-accuses-verkhovna.html

Inspections by Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) of five Chinese generative AI apps -- Deepseek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問), and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶) -- found violations of users' communication security across several indicators.
https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/2025…

Taiwan warns of biases, data breach in Deepseek, other Chinese AI - Focus Taiwan
The National Security Bureau (NSB) has urged Taiwanese people to be on alert when using Chinese generative artificial intelligence (AI) language models due to potential security breaches and the spread of "disinformation" following recent inspections of five such apps.

#VisitAthens, our local convention and visitors bureau, is taking a new approach to destination marketing: a podcast. Athens: Off the Record launched this month and shares the stories that define our town's creative culture. Episode 3 features our own Michael Lachowski, long-time PR coordinator at the museum, #Pylon

In the USA there's now bipartisan acceptance that "steaks cost almost 17% more than a year ago" ,[1] 60 % of shoppers buy less beef,[2] 37 % consider plant-based substitutes[3] but not clear how many would simply increase e.g. pulses or go fully #vegan. Prices of lentils are down[4] and production of pulses is expected to go up.[5]
[1]

McClatchy is eliminating its real-time national news operation, closing its Washington bureau, and withdrawing from the White House press pool (Oliver Darcy/Status)
https://www.status.news/p/mcclatchy-layoffs-dc-bureau

McClatchy’s Quiet Cuts
McClatchy, the 168-year-old newspaper chain, has gutted its national news operation—another reminder of how once-towering newspaper giants are struggling to survive.

Mother Jones Sues the Bureau of Prisons for Ghislaine Maxwell Records (David Corn/Mother Jones)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/mother-jones-sues-bureau-of-prisons-ghislaine-maxwell-records-epstein-trump-todd-blanche/
http://www.memeorandum.com/260114/p169#a260114p169

After years of struggling to find enough workers for some of the nation’s toughest lockups,
the Federal Bureau of Prisons is facing a new challenge:
Corrections officers are jumping ship for more lucrative jobs at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 
This is one of the unintended consequences of the Trump administration’s focus on mass deportations.
For months, ICE has been on a recruiting blitz,
offering $50,000 starting bonuses and tuition reimbursement

“We’re Broken”: As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Are Leaving in Droves for ICE
Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.

"Four Lakota detainees were reportedly sent to a former concentration camp used during the Dakota Wars" #Minnesota #ICE
h/t whodat35 bsky

Four Oglala detainees located, three still in ICE custody
The four Lakota detainees were reportedly sent to a former concentration camp used during the Dakota Wars

Judge burns Russ Vought with his own words, sees right through DOJ effort to 'starve' Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 'with the stroke of pen' | Law & Crime
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/judge-burns-russ-vought-with-his-own-words-sees-right-through-doj-effort-to-starve-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-with-the-stroke-of-pen/

Sources and docs: after Marc Andreessen donated $5M to Trump's 2024 campaign, most CFPB probes have stalled, including three into Andreessen-backed companies (Jake Pearson/ProPublica)
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-cfpb-marc-andreessen-silicon-vall…

Tech Billionaire Marc Andreessen Bet Big on Trump. It’s Paying Off for Silicon Valley.
The Trump administration’s gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been good for venture capitalists like Andreessen, who previously accused the agency of “terrorizing” fintech startups and crypto companies.

Much more so than in his first four years in office,
Trump has begun his second term with what amounts to an all-out assault on many of the institutions and policy paradigms that have long been seen by leaders of both major political parties as the foundations of American economic strength.
He has sought to undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve,
fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an agency that collects key economic data,
and cut funding to …

Trump’s First Year Could Have Lasting Economic Consequences
President Trump’s policies have so far done little to change the overall state of the American economy, but economists warn they will ultimately weaken the United States.

If there is any truth in these allegations, we really have to worry about that is going on in both AGS and GSOC.
The initial story was bad enough: the Irish police service being so incompetent that their statistics on homicides were wildly incorrect, and the whistleblower getting penalised; but this is batshit.

Garda whistleblower says she took work leave as she was ‘terrified’ of new analysis chief
Civilian was installed as Garda analysis bureau head after Lois West testified to Oireachtas about errors in homicide data

Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau searches home of ex-chief of staff Andriy Yermak’s driver, seizes devices amid ongoing probe: https://benborges.xyz/2026/01/11/ukraines-anticorruption-bureau-searches-home.html

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said that it would not publish the October consumer price index (CPI)
– one of the country’s key reports for inflation data.
“BLS could not collect October 2025 reference period survey data due to a lapse in appropriations.
BLS is unable to retroactively collect these data,”
a statement on the agency’s website reads.
The report was set to be released in November,
and would serve as an important barometer for the Feder…

Again//Federal agents shoot 2 people in Portland, Oregon - KUOW Public Radio https://apple.news/AfPuwCQS_RTy62xpgzsx3qA

Federal agents shoot 2 people in East Portland — KUOW Public Radio
Two people were shot and wounded Thursday by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in East Portland, according to the Portland Police Bureau and the FBI.

The Justice Department is considering loosening a slate of gun regulations as it seeks to bolster support from MAGA gun nuts

Some of the changes are expected to ease restrictions on the private sale of guns and loosen regulations on shipping firearms.

Other changes to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regulations under consideration would change the types of firearms that can be imported and make licensing fees refundable.
Officials are also expected to c…

Justice Department weighs rollback of gun regulations
The Justice Department is considering loosening a slate of gun regulations as it seeks to bolster support from ardent Second Amendment advocates.

Hundreds of false #DUI arrests in #Tennessee in 2024 alone. Hundreds!
“According to data released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 419 people across Tennessee were arrested for [DUI] in 2024 despite later blood tests showing no alcohol detected in their system: not trace amounts, not borderli…

More than 400 ‘sober DUI’ arrests in TN, data shows
According to data released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 419 people across Tennessee were arrested for driving under the influence in 2024 despite later blood tests showing no alcohol d…

Kash Patel has reportedly assigned a security detail of SWAT agents to guard his country singer girlfriend,
in the latest chapter of the FBI director’s blatant misappropriation of bureau resources.
A group of elite agents from the FBI Field Office in Nashville have been assigned to protect Patel’s girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins.
The sources added that those agents, who are typically charged with responding to high-risk situations, would likely be unable to respond in the event o…

Kash Patel Assigns FBI SWAT Team to Protect 26-Year-Old Girlfriend
The latest episode in questionable uses of government resources

US BLS data: video and videogame subscriptions and rentals saw inflation of 19.5% in December; cable, satellite, and livestreaming rose 1.1%, same as music subs (Alex Weprin/The Hollywood Reporter)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business

“Streamflation” Is Real: U.S. Inflation Data Shows Soaring Price of Streaming Video Services
Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Tuesday showed that overall inflation cooled in December ... but streaming video prices soared by nearly 20 percent.

FBI Director Kash Patel granted waivers to Deputy Director
Dan Bongino and two other newly hired senior FBI staff members,
exempting them from passing polygraph exams normally required to gain access to America’s most sensitive classified information.
People familiar with the matter say his ascent to his position without passing a standard FBI background check was unprecedented.
Bongino was selected for the role at the FBI although he, like Patel, had no prior exper…

FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
As the FBI’s deputy director, Bongino receives some of the country’s most sensitive secrets, including the President’s Daily Brief. His ascent to that position without passing a standard bureau background check is unprecedented, insiders say.

Marc Andreessen is one of America’s most well-known investors and an outsize figure in the so-called fintech industry.
His firm seeded eight companies since 2016 that landed in the crosshairs of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
-- the small watchdog agency that Congress created after the 2008 financial crisis to protect vulnerable consumers from exploitation.
Some of those inquiries have resulted in consent orders, fines and, for one company, a lifetime industry ba…

Tech Billionaire Marc Andreessen Bet Big on Trump. It’s Paying Off for Silicon Valley.
The Trump administration’s gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been good for venture capitalists like Andreessen, who previously accused the agency of “terrorizing” fintech startups and crypto companies.

Rohit Chopra, Former Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Says States to Help Consumers as US Regulators 'Shrug' | Financial Post
https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/chopra-says-states-to-help-consumers-as-us-regulators-shrug

Tech Billionaire investor Marc Andreessen has long criticized the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
— calling it an impediment to fintech and crypto companies. 
Andreessen’s investment firm (Andreessen Horowitz aka A16Z) backed many fintech/crypto players that were under CFPB scrutiny,
Under the Trump administration, the CFPB’s enforcement efforts were sharply scaled back:
investigations suspended,
consumer-protection rule-makings shelved,
and …

Tech Billionaire Marc Andreessen Bet Big on Trump. It’s Paying Off for Silicon Valley.
The Trump administration’s gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been good for venture capitalists like Andreessen, who previously accused the agency of “terrorizing” fintech startups and crypto companies.

Criminals posing as US immigration officers have carried out robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults in several states,
warns a law enforcement bulletin issued last month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The bureau urges agencies to ensure officers clearly identify themselves and to cooperate when civilians ask to verify an officer’s identity—including by allowing calls to a local police precinct

FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves
In a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, the FBI said criminal impersonators are exploiting ICE’s image and urged nationwide coordination to distinguish real operations from fakes.