[Politico] The IRS will pay Equifax $7.25 million to verify taxpayer identities and help prevent fraud under a no-bid contract issued last week, even as lawmakers lash the embattled company about a massive security breach that exposed personal information of as many as 145.5 million Americans. Because it isn't graft when WE do it!!
A contract award for Equifax's data services was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities database Sept. 30 ‐ the final day of the fiscal year. The credit agency will "verify taxpayer identity" and "assist in ongoing identity verification and validations" at the IRS, according to the award.
The notice describes the contract as a "sole source order," meaning Equifax is the only company deemed capable of providing the service. It says the order was issued to prevent a lapse in identity checks while officials resolve a dispute over a separate contract.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasted the IRS decision.
"In the wake of one of the most massive data breaches in a decade, it’s irresponsible for the IRS to turn over millions in taxpayer dollars to a company that has yet to offer a succinct answer on how at least 145 million Americans had personally identifiable information exposed," Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) told POLITICO in a statement.
The committee's ranking member, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), piled on: "The Finance Committee will be looking into why Equifax was the only company to apply for and be rewarded with this. I will continue to take every measure possible to prevent taxpayer data from being compromised as this arrangement moves forward."
The IRS defended its decision in a statement, saying that Equifax told the agency that none of its data was involved in the breach and that Equifax already provides similar services to the IRS under a previous contract.
"Following an internal review and an on-site visit with Equifax, the IRS believes the service Equifax provided does not pose a risk to IRS data or systems," the statement reads. "At this time, we have seen no indications of tax fraud related to the Equifax breach, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation."
Equifax did not respond to requests for comment. Equifax should be fined out of existence. Every person's record they lost should be reimbursed $500,000-$1 million, since that is the average cost of lost credit, higher intrest rates and time spent cleaning up the mess these idiots made.
#1
1. Perfect choice. Who knows more about fraud than Equifax!
2. People are focusing on the wrong aspect of the Equifax breach. Yes, they were stupid and incompetent. So what? That data has already been leaked by a dozen companies and government agencies, and it will be leaked again. All your data was available for $10 on the dark web before the Equifax breach. So, the question isn't whether Equifax can be trusted with your data, it's whether anyone can. And if no one can be trusted with it, then why are they allowed to have it?
#2
Equifax should
(1) have fines assessed for damages as mentioned before
(2) have civil lawsuits attached all remaining assets
(3) have illicit stock gains / compensation to their execs clawed back
(4) 1-3 being done, have their corporate charter revoked.
[BREITBART] After initially declaring it would no longer show the national anthem on Monday Night Football, ESPN has reversed course and decided that air the singing of the anthem. The network cites the shooting in Las Vegas, as the reason behind the move.
ESPN was set to follow in the footsteps of Fox Sports, which decided to go back to its previous habit of running commercials during the time the national anthem is played in the stadium at the start of each NFL game. However, after the shooting at Mandalay Bay, the network changed its mind:
Posted by: Fred ||
10/04/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
Fox and ESPN need to air the national anthem. To not do this is cowardice. It's one of the rare opportunities we have to come together to honor our country and what went and goes into it. Shine a light on the vermin who would disrespect it. They need to think about what this means because obviously they take it for granted.
#4
I find it curious that the NFL doesn't get that some insults are personal and lasting. And if you tolerate or facilitate them, you are complicit. Insulting the symbol of my nation to whom I pledge allegiance and for whom I dedicated my life and my honor for three decades isn't trivial and it is intensely personal.
#6
They need to think about what this means because obviously they take it for granted.
They take their obvious and in-your-face contempt for their audience for granted.
#8
ESPN and NFL are too late. Their apologies will be only CYA Mea Culpas. I'm done with them. Tahwee, folks, but you screwed the pooch big time.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/04/2017 20:44 Comments ||
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#9
Fuck the NFL. Its all about damage control, not honor and integrity. They could have fucking cared less what we think, until we stopped watching. If they really cared they would have told the protestors they are off the teams and to go protest outside the arena...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/04/2017 23:12 Comments ||
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#10
Exactly right!
The bastards need lawyers to examine the early termination clauses and penalties on each $20M contract before they fire anybody.
[Iran Press TV] US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... has arrived in hurricane-wracked Puerto Rico, hoping to highlight federal recovery efforts and repair damage done by his controversial early response to the crisis.
Trump’s trip to the US territory of Puerto Rico on Tuesday, normally a fairly routine show of presidential empathy, has taken on outsized political meaning.
During roughly five hours on ground, the president will meet first responders, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as survivors.
Already this storm season, Trump has visited hurricane-damaged states of Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
"It's been amazing what's been done in a very short period of time on Puerto Rico," Trump told news hounds, defending the response.
"There's never been a piece of land that we've known that was so devastated," he claimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/04/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
The screed I delivered on Puerto Rico was, I think the worst I have done. But who knows.
The impression I get is things are rolling now.
I do not wish harm on Any people. None of this Creation.
But I do get terribly irate when people mis-manage states leading to people suffering.'
Bearing false witness about such in political screed makes it harder to define real problems and creates static.
This exhaustive year has worn me out.
I apologize, really. And I feel bad for what I have written.
This President has done better than any in disaster relief. He has had people on the ground in every instance and he hired very well.
According to him that Governor was very receptive.
That Mayor on the other hand...
Is starting to be.
#8
This President has done better than any in disaster relief. He has had people on the ground in every instance and he hired very well.
It is of my opinion that when we had our fire storm back in March, someone very high up was coordinating with states to ease trucking regulations in order to allow oversize/overweight rigs to travel all across the Midwest in order to deliver hay and fencing supplies. That was happening before we even had the fire out.
Same thing for the North Dakota draught. Those two actions probably saved 1,000,000+ head of cattle, and I am not exaggerating.
Again, for the Montana fire complex.
And again for Harvey. Hay was on its way before the storm had even passed. The Cajun Navy was given a pass. Remember when we first discovered the Cajun Navy, afterwards the Obama administration was going to requiring licensing and training, registration for anyone performing a water rescue? I guarantee if that had been in effect it would have been rescinded.
And again in front of Irma, easing untold suffering.
And here we are in Puerto Rico, who got punched right in the junk and has the sad likes of this Mayor, this grafter from Carnegie Mellon trying to throw her best spoiled child at checkout counter tantrum - and failing badly, I mean Green Helmut Guy would have been a better choice - and her crew and still overcoming.
#10
"And here we are in Puerto Rico, who got punched right in the junk and has the sad likes of this Mayor, this grafter from Carnegie Mellon trying to throw her best spoiled child at checkout counter tantrum - and failing badly,"
It is imperative in selection of Leaders, that in OHSHHHI.. they know what to do.
She has fixed nothing, and is contaminating Our communication channels.
Plans next to have comms no matter what. Just you wait!
[Breitbart] Tuesday at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women, former first lady Michelle Obama said when she attended the State of the Union address she would notice the Republican side was "all men, all white," and that was why she argued many people of color "don’t trust politics."
Speaking about diversity, Obama said, "We should be working actively to mix it up, so we’re getting a real broad range of perspectives on every issue. Shoot, I would see that in Congress."
She explained, "At the State of the Union address ... when you are in the room what you can see is this real dichotomy. It’s a feeling of color almost. On one side of the room is literally gray and white. Literally, that is the color palette on one side of the room. On the other side of the room, there are yellows and blues and whites and greens. Physically, there’s a difference in color, in the tone, because on one side all men, all white, on the other side some woman, some people of color."
She continued, "I look at that, and I go, no wonder. No wonder we struggle, no wonder people don’t trust politics. We’re not even noticing what these rooms look like."
#2
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Sorry, Marty. I was hoping for that too. But it looks like that ship done sailed.
#17
The poor woman really has no political instincts whatsoever, as well as not being able to see the people in front of her face. If she is wise she'll stick to earlier post-presidency statements that she has no interest in becoming a politician in her own right -- she is not even a Hillary Clinton.
[The Hill] The Department of Veteran Affairs inspector general is investigating Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin over his trip to Europe, CNN reported Tuesday.
Shulkin traveled to London and Demark in July, where he met with officials from both counties.
Michael Nacincik, spokesman for the VA inspector general's office, told CNN that he couldn’t say what triggered the probe or if the office was investigating any other instances of Shulkin’s travel.
The Washington Post first reported last week that Shulkin spent half of the trip sightseeing and shopping with his wife.
The VA chief was there to attended a conference in London on veterans’ health issues and then held a series of meetings in Denmark.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.