Blue Wave

The Life Of A Taxpayer Edition Plus: IRS will open during the shutdown (for a little while), installment agreements, retirement options, the difference between Medicare and Medicaid, tax filing deadlines, tax trivia, and more.

Plus: IRS will open during the shutdown (for a little while), installment agreements, retirement options, the difference between Medicare and Medicaid, tax filing deadlines, tax trivia, and more.

Congratulations to everyone running in the most beautiful urban marathon in America today! Hope and I crushed the 10 mile.

portrait of henry ford

Henry Ford ran a department that spied on workers’ every move, from drinking to gambling to home life.

Anyone who stepped out of line faced fines, warnings, or instant firing. Ford justified it as a way to increase efficiency and order on the job.

picture of the lottery winner

A woman in Virginia let ChatGPT pick her Powerball numbers and ended up with a $150,000 jackpot. Two days later, she donated it all to charity.

hitler's volkswagen

Volkswagen didn’t just make cars during World War II, it ran factories using concentration camp prisoners as forced laborers. Today it’s a global brand, but back then its operations were a direct part of Nazi atrocities.

picture of oseola mccarty

In 1995, Oseola McCarty, who spent her life washing clothes, donated her entire $150,000 life savings to fund scholarships.

A big heart matters more than a big bank account.

narco submarine

Between 2010 and 2015, the Sinaloa Cartel smuggled cocaine into the U.S. not with mules, but with submarines and drones.

DEA reports described engineering so sophisticated it made the cartel look more like a military operation than a criminal gang.

Another interesting UBER fact…

uber logo and picture of its ceo

In 2016, hackers stole data from 57 million Uber accounts. Rather than disclosing it, Uber paid them $100,000 to stay silent.

A year later, the scandal broke, and Uber’s cover-up blew up in its face.

ceo of apple tim cook

In 2019, Apple employees were found listening to randomly sampled Siri recordings without users’ knowledge.

Shockingly, Apple didn’t end the program; they simply made it optional for users.

Phineas Fisher's avatar

Meet Phineas Fisher, the hacktivist haunting oppressive systems.

They’ve exposed millions of hidden documents and helped shine a light on corruption, all while no one knows who they are.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

In the 1830s, Cornelius Vanderbilt told New York officials he would pull every ferry off the Hudson if they didn’t hand him a monopoly. Once he had it, he set prices as he pleased.

As he put it: "What do I care about the law? Hain’t I got the power?"

Ben & Jerry product

Since the 1980s, Ben & Jerry’s has donated 7.5% of its profits to climate justice, refugee aid, and racial equity, making them one of the earliest pioneers of corporate philanthropy.

Long before it was fashionable, they proved giving back could be part of business.

ross perot

In 1979, Ross Perot, founder of EDS, personally funded a private commando mission to rescue his employees detained in revolutionary Iran.

Later, he ran for U.S. president, dodging the establishment and financing the campaigns himself.

jack dorsey

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey donated $1 billion, 28% of his net worth, to fight COVID-19, fund education, and pilot UBI programs.

What’s even more surprising is that he put it in a public LLC so everybody could see exactly where the money went.

Why is Congress still getting paid?

Q: Why do you say some federal workers should not get their backpay?

TRUMP: Well, you're gonna have to figure that out. Ask the Democrats

Fake pic!

US Attorney General Defends Trump Moves in Chicago During Tense Senate Hearing US Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed with Democratic senators on Tuesday during a politically charged oversight hearing in which lawmakers frequently traded partisan barbs over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed with Democratic senators on Tuesday during a politically charged oversight hearing in which lawmakers frequently traded partisan barbs over Trump’s immigration crackdown.

A discredited therapy for gay and trans youth is at the center of a Supreme Court case. Here’s what to know | CNN The US Supreme Court will hear a case Tuesday that will determine whether a Colorado law that prohibits licensed mental health professionals from providing conversion “therapy” to minors is constituti...

The US Supreme Court will hear a case Tuesday that will determine whether a Colorado law that prohibits licensed mental health professionals from providing conversion “therapy” to minors is constitutional.

Threat of ICE raids shadows every shift in Chicago’s food warehouses - Investigate Midwest This story is supported by funding from the Chicago Region Food Systems Fund. Each day before sunrise, David Huerta checks his rearview mirror for immigration enforcement agents as he drives through…

With President Trump’s ending a program that once safeguarded whistleblowers and a focus on deportation, advocates warn the nation’s food supply chain is at risk. Jennifer Bamberg reports for @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:

California, Oregon sue to block Portland deployment, Trump adds Texas • Ohio Capital Journal California on Sunday joined Oregon and the city of Portland in suing over the Trump administration’s latest attempt to deploy federal troops to an American city.

California on Sunday joined Oregon and the city of Portland in suing over the Trump administration’s latest attempt to deploy federal troops to an American city. ohiocapitaljournal.com/briefs/calif...

McMorrow clarifies stance on Gaza, joins Michigan Democrats calling situation a genocide Yet another Michigan Democratic candidate seeking statewide office has called the situation in Gaza and the Israeli military offensive against the Palestinian people there a genocide – this time from…

Yet another Michigan Democratic candidate seeking statewide office has called the situation in Gaza and the Israeli military offensive against the Palestinian people there a genocide.

via @michiganadvance.com

Hello Fresh meals may contain spinach tainted with listeria, USDA warns Federal health officials late Monday warned people not to eat certain Hello Fresh subscription meal kits containing spinach that may be contaminated with listeria.

Hello Fresh meals may contain spinach tainted with listeria, USDA warns

Chaos, Confusion, and Conspiracies: Inside a Facebook Group for RFK Jr’s Autism ‘Cure’ A Facebook group set up to share information about leucovorin has been spammed by affiliate links and supplement companies trying to shame parents of autistic kids.

A Facebook group set up to share information about leucovorin has been spammed by affiliate links and supplement companies trying to shame parents of autistic kids.

ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team Documents show that ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.

www.wired.com/story/ice-so...

Burbank Airport air traffic control tower unmanned, flights delayed amid government shutdown The Hollywood Burbank Airport's air traffic control tower is temporarily unmanned and flights are delayed Monday afternoon due to staffing shortages amid the ongoing government shutdown, according to the FAA

Burbank Airport air traffic control tower unmanned, flights delayed amid government shutdown

The Supreme Court begins a new term that will examine Trump's expansive claims of presidential power Pivotal cases on voting and the rights of LGBTQ people also are on the agenda.

Pivotal cases on voting and the rights of LGBTQ people also are on the agenda. On Tuesday, the justices will hear arguments over bans passed by nearly half of U.S. states on therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
https://to.pbs.org/4nZr4hk

@hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social
Please, sir, stop your mantra of "anywhere, any time, any place". It's not solving anything, & goes nowhere. Grasp your considerable power & show some strength. Your message is repetive, stale, & ineffective. Does the shutdown include no paychecks for those in Congress.

Reporter struck by projectiles, tear-gassed at Illinois ICE protest A Chicago Sun-Times reporter was struck with projectiles fired by federal agents and tear-gassed while covering a protest outside the …

A @chicago.suntimes.com reporter was hit with projectiles fired by federal agents while covering an ICE protest in Broadview, Illinois, on Sept. 27.