#Internal Revenue Services USA

[thetaxplanett]

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[b0bthebuilder35]

[archaalen]

Treasury recovers $1.3 billion in unpaid taxes from high-wealth tax dodgers

[aqlstar]

JVP and Cair Background - Holy Land Foundation

Okay Jumblr- are we familiar with the Holy Land Foundation and the case of USA v. HLF?

The Holy Land Foundation was the undisputed single largest Islamic charity organization in the USA, until it was shut down in 2001 after Bush added it to the list of designated terrorist organizations. It was a big deal.

Fast forward to 2007, and the US government is prosecuting a criminal case against them.

The US Court of Appeals 5th Circuit issued an opinion that summarizes the jist of the case more clearly than I can-

In this consolidated case, we address the appeals of five individuals and one corporate defendant convicted of conspiracy and substantive offenses for providing material aid and support to a designated terrorist organization. The terrorist organization at issue is Hamas, which in 1995 was named a Specially Designated Terrorist by Presidential Executive Order pursuant to authority granted by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq. Hamas was further designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997, as contemplated by 18 U.S.C. § 2339B.

Although this case is related to terrorism, it does not involve charges of specific terrorist acts. Instead, it focuses on the defendants’ financial support for terrorism and a terrorist ideology. The defendants were charged with aiding Hamas by raising funds through the corporate entity Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Texas-based, pro-Palestinian charity that the Government charged was created for the sole purpose of acting as a financing arm for Hamas. Although the charged conspiracy began in 1995 when Hamas was first designated as a terrorist organization, the defendants’ connection to Hamas arose much earlier. Established in the late 1980s, the Holy Land Foundation held itself out as the largest Muslim charitable organization in the United States. It raised millions of dollars over the course of its existence that were then funneled to Hamas through various charitable entities in the West Bank and Gaza. Although these entities performed some legitimate charitable functions, they were actually Hamas social institutions. By supporting such entities, the defendants facilitated Hamas’s activity by furthering its popularity among Palestinians and by providing a funding resource. This, in turn, allowed Hamas to concentrate its efforts on violent activity.

The results of the case were as follows:

Shukri Abu Baker, 50, of Garland, Texas, was sentenced to a total of 65 years in prison. He was convicted of 10 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the provision of, material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization; 11 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the provision of, funds, goods and services to a Specially Designated Terrorist; 10 counts of conspiracy to commit, and the commission of, money laundering; one count of conspiracy to impede and impair the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and one count of filing a false tax return.

Mohammad El-Mezain, 55, of San Diego, California, was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 15 years in prison. He was convicted on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Ghassan Elashi, 55, of Richardson, Texas, was sentenced to a total of 65 years in prison. He was convicted on the same counts as Abu Baker, and one additional count of filing a false tax return.

Mufid Abdulqader, 49, of Richardson, Texas, was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison. He was convicted on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, one count of conspiracy to provide goods, funds, and services to a specially designated terrorist, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Abdulrahman Odeh, 49, of Patterson, New Jersey, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was convicted on the same counts as Abdulqader.

HLF, now defunct, was convicted on 10 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the provision of, material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization; 11 counts of conspiracy to provide, and the provision of, funds, goods and services to a Specially Designated Terrorist; and 10 counts of conspiracy to commit, and the commission of, money laundering.

The Court reaffirmed the jury’s $12.4 million money judgment against all the defendants, with the exception of El Mezain, who was not convicted of money laundering.

Here's the full press release from the US DoJ-

I promise I'll get to the part where this has anything to do with CAIR or JVP in the next post.

[abyssaldyke]

Oh my god if you are in the USA and filing your taxes yourself this year, please use the irs free file tool to find guided tax software. You can calculate your agi (adjusted gross income, basically the first thing on your W-2) quite easily and if it is under $79k USD, the irs will direct you to free tax software so you can file both federal and state at the same time. I ended up using 1040.com for my slightly-complex return and it took me 2 measly hours. Be not afraid! Go forth and file!

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Wallace White

A top Democrat fundraising platform hosts donations for an activist group linked to a Palestinian terrorist-tied non-profit, the Washington Examiner reported on Thursday.

ActBlue, a Democrat fundraising platform, hosts a portal for donors to give money to the Colorado Freedom Fund (CFF), a bail reform non-profit that is fiscally sponsored and managed by the Alliance For Global Justice (AFGJ), the Examiner reported. The Examiner revealed the AFGJ was aiding fundraising efforts for French non-profit Collectif Palestine Vaincra (CPV), a partner of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

In response, Zachor Legal Institute pressed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in January 2023 to investigate the AFGJ’s seeming support for terrorist organizations, the Examiner reported. Zachor attorney Marc Greendorfer said to the Examiner the AFGJ’s lack of due diligence was “surprising.”

“Alliance for Global Justice has a track record of funding terror,” Greendorfer told the Examiner. He noted that AFGJ has a duty to donors to “do a better job of vetting those who use its platforms, especially when the user has a long, documented history of supporting terror.” 

AFGJ has a history of fiscally sponsoring pro-Palestinian organizations, with credit card company Discover shutting down donations to the AFGJ in 2021 over ties to Samidoun, a non-profit with links to the PFLP, according to NGO Monitor.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are gathering outside of the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on June 8, 2024, to express distaste over how President Biden is handling the Israel-Hamas war. (Photo by AASHISH KIPHAYET/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

The CFF is a left-leaning criminal justice advocacy organization that posts bail for incarcerated people before trial and immigrant detention, according to Influence Watch. AFGJ gave the CFF $1.44 million in 2021 for “racial justice”, according to their 2021 tax filings.

“AFGJ fiscally sponsors and repeatedly defends Samidoun, a terror front that acts on behalf of Hamas and other terror organizations,”Greendorfer told the Examiner. “As a fiscal sponsor, AFGJ benefits from any funds it raises for its terror clients.”

ActBlue did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jenifer McKenna at Ms. Magazine:

Within days of the election, antiabortion leaders started calling on the incoming administration to defund Planned Parenthood and family planning clinics that refer patients for abortion, and redirect that funding to “pro-life” pregnancy centers.

While serial attacks on abortion rights seize the headlines, the anti-choice movement has quietly built an on-the-ground network of unregulated pregnancy clinics—also known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) and antiabortion centers (AACs)—that is eroding access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare and electioneering against abortion rights, mostly under the radar and increasingly on the public dime. CPCs pose as harmless community resources and licensed women’s health clinics in need of public support. They are, in fact, part of a multi-billion-dollar industry that is directly tied to the extremist legal and advocacy groups that overturned Roe and are now going after medication abortion, contraception, IVF and no-fault divorce. With a staggering $1.7 billion in annual revenue, an estimated 3,000 locations and 100,000 staff and volunteers, the CPC industry is the grassroots backbone of the anti-choice movement. Radical groups including Heartbeat International, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Students for Life, Turning Point USA and others—many involved in Project 2025—leverage this 50-state network to influence state policy and, under the guise of providing healthcare, siphon escalating taxpayer dollars into the antiabortion movement. 

While CPCs have had some access to federal funding since the 1990s, Republican-led states have piloted a dramatic infusion of taxpayer funding into the CPC industry, especially since the 2022 Dobbs ruling. Now, as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans take power, they are certain to also ramp up federal funding for CPCs, making American taxpayers in every state underwrite these unregulated pregnancy clinics. They will justify doing so claiming CPCs “provide medical care that is driving down maternal mortality.” There is no evidence this is true. Not only are CPCs entirely ill-equipped to deliver maternal healthcare, their unlicensed practice of medicine, trafficking of medical disinformation, and unguarded collection of sensitive personal health data actually threaten women’s health and safety. Yet, in more and more communities, unregulated pregnancy clinics are the only resources available to pregnant women and teens, as maternal care deserts proliferate nationwide. 

[...]

Unregulated Pregnancy Clinics Increasingly Advertise Medical Services

Crisis pregnancy centers are not medical clinics; they are unregulated religious nonprofits, run by antiabortion advocates. They are not regulated by any of the health, safety, licensing or privacy standards that govern medical offices. Yet these unregulated groups increasingly claim to offer health services.   The first multi-state study of CPC websites, “Designed to Deceive,” found that over 88 percent of CPCs in nine states offered one or more of four purported medical services as of 2021: pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests and “abortion pill reversal” (APR). The study also found the pregnancy tests were largely self-administered, the ultrasounds were non-diagnostic, the STI tests did not lead to treatment, and that APR is a medically unproven intervention the antiabortion movement promotes to stigmatize medication abortion. Only one in the 607 CPCs studied offered contraception, and only 5 percent offered prenatal care. Now, the first study of CPC websites in all 50 states, just published in JAMA Internal Medicine, finds a full 91 percent of CPCs nationwide are advertising these same services. Using a new public database of CPC websites called ChoiceWatch.org, researchers found the vast majority of CPCs advertised pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI tests and/or APR in the past year. When compared to the 2021 study, the ChoiceWatch study also indicates a significant increase in CPC advertising of ultrasounds (20 percent) and STI tests (24 percent).

[...] Another serious concern: While masquerading as medical providers, unregulated pregnancy clinics are collecting vast amounts of personal and health information from pregnant people, with no privacy protections. CPCs claim to keep client information confidential; many even lie about being HIPAA-covered. But CPCs are not governed by medical privacy laws and not accountable to anyone for keeping client data private.  This concern is not theoretical. In May, journalist Jessica Valenti reported a massive client health data breach by Heartbeat International, the largest CPC network in the country. In the post-Roe reality, as women seeking abortion are targeted by extremist groups, lawmakers, and legal officers, CPC client data—date of last menstrual period, use of birth control, pregnancy history, drug and alcohol use, interest in abortion, and much more—is ripe for weaponizing in pregnancy- and abortion-related investigations. [...]

CPCs and the Maternal Mortality Crisis

Anti-choice politicians often go well beyond claiming that CPCs provide healthcare; many claim these unregulated pregnancy clinics are filling gaps in prenatal and postpartum care, and addressing the maternal and infant mortality crisis. Louisiana’s CPC tax credit sponsor, for example, described her bill as “a way to address her state’s abysmal record on infant and maternal mortality, preterm births and low birth weight.” While CPCs are advertising medical services, there is no evidence they are providing pregnancy or maternal healthcare, let alone reducing maternal and infant mortality. Notably, CPCs don’t come close to meeting Level 1 requirements for “Basic Maternal Care” in the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologist models of maternal care for pregnant women. And CPCs provide no infant or neonatal services. In reality, the disinformation and delay tactics CPCs use to prevent people from accessing abortion may prevent access to timely prenatal care, which is critical to maternal and infant health outcomes. Moreover, the assertion that CPCs exist to provide healthcare blatantly contradicts the industry’s own reporting that it has increased advertising post-Dobbs to reach “abortion-minded women” – often using taxpayer funds to do so. CPCs are not providing healthcare. They are advertising a limited suite of medical services to intercept pregnant women and teens seeking abortion.

The GOP trifecta will seek to make taxpayers pay for the faux clinics (aka “crisis pregnancy centers”/”pregnancy resource centers” that peddle anti-abortion propaganda under the guise of being women’s health clinics.

[ere-the-sun-rises]

Please for your own sake do 5 minutes of reading on the subject instead of uncritically repeating what you were taught as a child. Hamas are the military wing of the political party that currently administrate Gaza and have since 2006. Terrorism is an arbitrary label applied to any violence that opposes the actions of a state.

Hi! Thanks for reaching out! I understand what you're trying to say, and you're not entirely wrong. However, there is some key points you're misunderstanding. There are differences between terrorists, militants and state actors.

Terrorists can be lone wolves in service of a higher ideology, decentralized violent movements or organized collectives that use terror tactics as a means to achieve their goals (usually because there are relatively few of them). These acts do not have to be against their own state or a state at all. A Western example of this would be the FLQ, a Québeçois separationist group from Canada active in the 1980s. This group bombed mailboxes, cars and offices, as well as abducted and killed politicians.

Militants are a more cohesive unit, large and well armed enough to engage in direct engagement. They also tend to be more centralized and can carry out coordinated long-term assault strategies. They can resort to terrorist strategy, but do not depend on them. The IRA were militants.

State actors are organizations that belong to a government, in-power political party or country. These would include things like police, armies, private military contractors (in the employ of a state), the Nazi SS (originally the Nazi Party's militarized wing) or the USA's National Guard.

To be a state, there must be a geographical zone one controls, an affiliated populace and an independent governmental body (as in, it operates itself without answering to a mother-state as a colony would be expected to). To achieve statehood, the state must also be internationally recognized, since acceptance of government-issued documentation (like passports) depend on other states accepting them as valid. States can exist as clients to larger states, or depend heavily on another state for resources so long as daily government function is not answerable to another state.

With those definitions out of the way: Palestine, Hamas and Israel, then.

Israel is an internationally recognized state with a UN seat, their own armies, allies and treaties. Israelis have government documentation accepted around the world and there are routes to becoming an Israeli citizen. Israel is a state.

Palestine is a geographical zone within which Israel exists, as well as a by-word for an ethnicity belonging to said region. Palestine does not have a functional government, cannot issue government documentation or verify citizenship, nor does it control its own internal affairs uninterrupted. This is because Israel has stopped it from doing so - funding for any bureaucracy comes from Israel and Israel controls the borders, whether that be letting people in or out. Palestine is not recognized as a state by any other states.

Hamas is a terrorist organization. It fails to make militant status because its forces are small, it cannot control or hold territory, it is not capable of meeting another force in direct engagement and it relies almost exclusively on terrorist tactics to accomplish any goal. You are correct that Hamas was voted into power in 2006, but that means very little. Not only was that election's turnout suppressed by Hamas to start, but it was 18 years ago without another being held since. Insofar as a government exists/has existed at all, it is not independent. As I said, Israel controls the geographic zone in its entirety - Hamas has no control over Palestine's border, nor does it issue passports or verify citizenship and it was never capable of doing so. What Ministries do function are paid for by Israel, not through state revenues like taxes (which you need state apparatus to extract, which Hamas does not have). Even the PLO in the West Bank (which is closer to an actual government body) does not have that power and never did. Does Hamas run institutions like the Health Ministry which are usually run by governments? Yes. Does that make it a government? No. Because it cannot govern.

I have a feeling, my friend, that you are the one who has not read very much. Israel has willfully decided to attack a geographically captive group of non-citizens who do not belong to any state in order to eliminate a terrorist organization. As the only state actor in this conflict, Israel is in control and always have been. They, therefore, are liable for every horrific thing they've done over the last 70-some years and have no excuse for any of it.

Irregardless, I don't give a fuck about Hamas. Hamas are terrorists - what the fuck did you think they were gonna do? They were gonna do terrorism, you goddamn idiot. Israel doesn't have an excuse - they're genocidal apartheid warmongers who want to annex the whole region for their own. The end.

I hope every Israeli official who authorized this gets tried in the Hague and every soldier who gleefully participated in this never know peace for the rest of their hopefully long and miserable lives.

I hope every innocent Israeli civilian never has to worry about terrorism in their lives again. I hope every Palestianian never hears gunfire or ordinance ever again, that they will know warm homes, olive trees, complete families and peace again and never lose it.

And I hope you, my friend, never ever find yourself in a situation where your horrific and unmitigated suffering is so ruthlessly and heartlessly dismissed - that you never know what it is like to live the way the Palestinians are right now.

No one deserves this.

[mariacallous]

Meta’s fact-checking partners claim they were “blindsided” by the company’s decision to abandon third-party fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in favor of a Community Notes model, and some say they are now scrambling to figure out if they can survive the hole this leaves in their funding.

“We heard the news just like everyone else,” says Alan Duke, cofounder and editor in chief of fact-checking site Lead Stories, which started working with Meta in 2019. “No advance notice.”

The news that Meta was no longer planning on using their services was announced in a blog post by chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan on Tuesday morning and an accompanying video from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Instead, the company plans to rely on X-style Community Notes, which allow users to flag content that they think is inaccurate or requires further explanation.

Meta partners with dozens of fact-checking organizations and newsrooms across the globe, 10 of which are based in the US, where Meta’s new rules will first be applied.

“We were blindsided by this,” Jesse Stiller, the managing editor of Meta fact-checking partner Check Your Fact, tells WIRED. His organization started working with Meta in 2019, and it has 10 people working in the newsroom. “This was totally unexpected and out of left field for us. We weren't aware this decision was being considered until Mark dropped the video overnight.”

The news organizations who had partnered with Meta to tackle the spread of disinformation on the platform from 2016 are scrambling to figure out how this change will impact them.

“We have no idea what the future looks like for the website going forward,” Stiller says.

Duke says Lead Stories has a diverse revenue stream and most of its operations are outside of the US, but he claims the decision would still have an impact on them. “The most painful part of this is losing some very good, experienced journalists, who will no longer be paid to research false claims found on Meta platforms,” Duke says.

For others the financial implications are even more dire. One editor at a US-based fact-checking organization that works with Meta, who was not authorized to speak on the record, told WIRED that Meta’s decision “is going to eventually drain us out.”

Meta did not respond to a request to comment on its partners’ allegations or the financial impact its decision would have on some organizations.

"Meta didn’t owe fact-checkers anything, but it knows that by pulling this partnership it’s removing a very significant source of funding for the ecosystem globally,” says Alexios Mantzarlis, who helped establish the first partnerships between fact-checkers and Facebook between 2015 and 2019 as director of the International Fact Checking Network.

Meta’s partners were also angered by Zuckerberg’s allegation that fact-checkers had become too biased.

According to Duke, it is disappointing to hear Mark Zuckerberg accuse the organizations in Meta's US third-party fact-checking program of being “too politically biased.” “Let me fact-check that. Lead Stories follows the highest standards of journalism and ethics required by the International Fact-Checking Network code of principles. We fact-check without regard to where on the political spectrum a false claim originates.”

This was a viewpoint reiterated by Kristin Roberts, the chief content officer at Gannett Media, whose publication USA Today was another Meta fact-checking partner.

"Fact-based journalism is what USA Today does best,” Roberts said in an emailed statement. “Truth and facts serve everyone—not the right or the left—and that's what we will continue to deliver.”

Many of Meta’s fact-checking partners have claimed that Zuckerberg blaming fact-checkers for over-the-top censorship on the company’s platform was inaccurate, as they simply added information and context to posts, leaving the final decision to take down content to Meta itself.

“To blame fact-checkers is a disappointing cop-out, and it perpetuates a misunderstanding of its own program,” says Neil Brown, the president of the Poynter Institute, which owns PolitiFact and the International Fact-Checking Network. “Facts are not censorship. Fact-checkers never censored anything. And Meta always held the cards. It's time to quit invoking inflammatory and false language in describing the role of journalists and fact-checking.”

Other fact-checkers point out that the Community Notes model, which has in the past worked poorly at X, still requires the input of experts in order to work.

“While a crowdsourced model for content verification may work in theory, it cannot magically succeed without relying on expertise, particularly on complex scientific and technical topics,” Emmanuel Vincent, the executive director of Science Feedback, a Meta fact-checking partner, tells WIRED. “Participants in such a program will still need to rely on credible evidence sourced from fact-checking organizations, trustworthy journalism, or scientists with relevant expertise to ensure accurate assessments.”

Zuckerberg, who mentions president-elect Donald Trump on a number of occasions in his video, has been trying to build closer links to the incoming administration in recent weeks.

The Meta CEO, who donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, was a recent visitor to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, bringing with him a pair of the company’s Ray-Ban AI glasses as a gift.

Zuckerberg’s decision last week to promote Kaplan, a former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush, was widely seen as an effort to appease the incoming administration—as was Meta’s decision this week to appoint UFC CEO and close Trump ally Dana White, to its board.

Now some of Meta’s fact-checking partners see the decision to abandon third-party fact-checkers and implement an X-style Community Notes model as another effort to appease Trump.

“It’s unfortunate that this decision comes in the wake of extreme political pressure from a new administration and its supporters,” Angie Drobnic Holan, director of the International Fact-Checking Network, said in an emailed statement. “Fact-checkers have not been biased in their work—that attack line comes from those who feel they should be able to exaggerate and lie without rebuttal or contradiction.”

[rabbitcruiser]

U.S. Coast Guard Day

U.S. Coast Guard Day honors the United States Coast Guard, the military branch that protects the waters and shorelines of the United States. It is celebrated on the anniversary of the founding of the Revenue Marine, the forerunner of the Coast Guard. On August 4, 1790, the United States Congress created the Revenue Marine and authorized the construction of 10 revenue cutters to be used to enforce U.S. tariff laws—to stop illegal smuggling and collect revenue on incoming goods. The Revenue Marine was housed in the Department of Treasury and thus directed by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton.

The Revenue Marine's name was later changed to the Revenue Cutter Service. Then, in 1915, the Revenue Cutter Service was combined with the United States Life-Saving Service to form the United States Coast Guard. This created a single maritime service, bringing together one devoted to enforcing maritime laws and one dedicated to saving lives. The United States Lighthouse Service became part of the Coast Guard in 1939, and the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation became part of it in 1946. In 1967, the Coast Guard was transferred from the Department of Treasury to the newly-created Department of Transportation. Similarly, it was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.

U.S. Coast Guard Day has been marked in some form since at least 1928. Presidents have proclaimed August 4th as "Coast Guard Day." Harry Truman did so in 1948, and Ronald Reagan did so in 1984 after being requested to do so by Congress. In large part, U.S. Coast Guard Day is an internal celebration by Coast Guard personnel and their families, but others join in honoring Coast Guard members as well. Coast Guard units often organize picnics and informal sports competitions, where they celebrate with family and friends. The American flag is typically flown on the day, particularly by those who have family members in the Coast Guard. Grand Haven, Michigan, known as Coast Guard City, USA, holds the annual Coast Guard Festival each year around August 4th.

The Coast Guard defines itself as "the principal Federal agency responsible for maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship in U.S. ports and inland waterways, along more than 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline, throughout the 4.5 million square miles of U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and on the high seas." It has active duty, reserve, and civilian employees, and there also is a Coast Guard Auxiliary. It is divided into two area commands, the Pacific Area and the Atlantic Area, and these are divided into nine district commands. Many Coast Guard stations are located in the districts. The Coast Guard fleet consists of cutters, boats, and fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. Today this branch of the military and its members are honored with U.S. Coast Guard Day!

How to Observe U.S. Coast Guard Day

Some ways you could observe the day include:

Make plans to attend New Haven's Coast Guard Festival, Petaluma's Coast Guard Day, or another public event in honor of the Coast Guard's founding. If you are a member of the Coast Guard, or if you have a relative in the Coast Guard, see if there are any private events being held in honor of the day that you can attend.

Stop at a Coast Guard station.

Fly the American flag.

Learn more about the responsibilities and functions of the Coast Guard. You could do so by reading a book such as The Coast Guard or The United States Coast Guard and National Defense: A History from World War I to the Present, or by exploring the official United States Coast Guard website.

Watch a film that features the Coast Guard.

Join the Coast Guard.

Source

[hadone]

COMEMİXGO - MEGA+

In today's fast-paced business environment, connecting with the right partners or clients can be a game-changer. Introducing ComeMixGo, an innovative online company directory designed to streamline your search for businesses across the UK and USA. Whether you're looking for industry leaders or niche startups, ComeMixGo’s comprehensive database offers intuitive navigation and robust filtering options to meet your specific needs. With our user-friendly platform, you can easily explore a multitude of companies, access vital information, and forge valuable connections. 

UK Company Directory

The UK company directory is an essential tool for businesses and consumers alike, providing a comprehensive database of registered companies across the United Kingdom. This directory helps individuals and organizations easily find information about various companies, including their contact details, services, and operational statuses.

Key features of the UK company directory include:

Search Functionality: Users can easily search for companies by name, industry, or location, making it convenient to find specific businesses.

Company Information: Detailed profiles typically include company registration numbers, addresses, key personnel, and financial summaries.

Industry Classification: Companies are often categorized by industry, providing users with insights into market trends and competitive landscapes.

Verification Services: It ensures that the information listed is accurate and up-to-date, helping to build trust among users.

In addition to individual searches, the UK company directory supports larger-scale inquiries for market analysis, competitor research, and potential partnership exploration. Such resources are invaluable for both new startups and established firms looking to expand their networks.

Utilizing the UK company directory can streamline business operations, enhance marketing strategies, and drive informed decision-making across various sectors.

USA Company Directory

The USA company directory serves as a comprehensive resource for businesses looking to connect with various sectors across the United States. This directory is essential for anyone seeking to enhance their networking opportunities, find potential clients, or research competitors in the American market.

Many online company directories offer various features that make it easy for users to browse, search, and filter companies based on specific criteria. Some of these criteria include industry type, location, company size, and revenue, making it easier for businesses to find the exact contacts or services they need.

When utilizing a USA company directory, users can benefit from the following:

Accessibility: Most directories are available online, allowing users to access information from anywhere at any time.

Detailed Listings: Company profiles typically include essential information such as contact details, website links, and descriptions of services or products offered.

Search Functions: Advanced search capabilities enable users to narrow down results to find the most relevant companies quickly.

User Reviews: Many directories include reviews and ratings, giving insights into the company’s reputation and customer service.

In today’s digital age, leveraging the USA company directory can give businesses a competitive edge by facilitating better connections and enabling comprehensive market research. This is particularly important for those looking to expand their reach or establish partnerships across different states and industries.

As part of a larger global business strategy, combining resources from both the USA company directory and the UK company directory can provide robust opportunities for international collaboration and growth.

Company Directory

A company directory is an essential tool for businesses and consumers alike. It serves as a comprehensive list that allows individuals to easily find and connect with various enterprises across different regions, including the UK and USA. Utilizing a well-organized company directory can enhance networking opportunities, making it simpler for businesses to thrive in competitive markets.

One of the primary benefits of a company directory is the accessibility it provides to contact information, services offered, and company backgrounds. This information is invaluable for potential clients and partners looking to establish professional relationships. Additionally, the directory can promote businesses to a wider audience, increasing visibility and fostering growth.

In the context of both the UK company directory and the USA company directory, these platforms often include filters that allow users to search based on specific criteria, such as location or industry. This tailored approach enhances the user experience, ensuring that individuals can quickly find the relevant companies to meet their needs.

Moreover, an online company directory allows for real-time updates, ensuring that information remains accurate and current. This is crucial for maintaining professional relationships and ensuring smooth communication. Businesses listed in an online directory can also benefit from SEO advantages, as their websites are often linked directly from the directory pages, improving their search engine rankings.

Overall, a well-maintained company directory not only aids in quick information retrieval but also acts as a catalyst for economic interactions, benefiting both consumers and businesses in various sectors.

Online Company Directory

An online company directory serves as a comprehensive platform that enables users to easily search for and access information about businesses across various sectors. With the increasing need for digital resources, online directories have become essential for both consumers and businesses alike.

One of the key advantages of utilizing an online company directory is its ability to provide extensive details about companies, including their contact information, location, services offered, and even customer reviews. This readily available data assists users in making informed choices, whether they are seeking to partner with a firm or find a reliable supplier.

Furthermore, an online company directory typically categorizes businesses by industry, making it simpler for users to find a specific company, such as those listed in a UK company directory or a USA company directory. This not only enhances user experience but also boosts the visibility of businesses during online searches.

For businesses, being featured in an online directory can significantly increase their reach and visibility. It provides an opportunity to connect with potential customers who are actively searching for specific products or services online. In this digital age, maintaining a presence in an online company directory is crucial for growth and customer acquisition.

In summary, an online company directory is a vital resource that bridges the gap between businesses and consumers. Whether you're exploring a company directory for products or services in the UK or the USA, such platforms are invaluable for efficient and effective business interactions.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Tom Toles

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 26, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 27, 2024

Yesterday, in a long story about “the petty feud between the [New York Times] and the White House,” Eli Stokols of Politico suggested that the paper’s negative coverage of President Joe Biden came from the frustration of its publisher, A. G. Sulzberger, at Biden’s refusal to do an exclusive interview with the paper. Two people told Stokols that Sulzberger’s reasoning is that only an interview with an established paper like the New York Times “can verify that the 81-year-old Biden is still fit to hold the presidency.” 

For his part, Stokols reported, Biden’s frustration with the New York Times reflects “the resentment of a president with a working-class sense of himself and his team toward a news organization catering to an elite audience,” and their conviction that the newspaper is not taking seriously the need to protect democracy. 

A spokesperson for the New York Times responded to the story by saying the idea that it has skewed its coverage out of pique over an interview is “outrageous and untrue,” and that the paper will continue to cover the president “fully and fairly.”

Today, Biden sat for a live interview of more than an hour with SiriusXM shock jock Howard Stern. Writer Kurt Andersen described it as a “*Total* softball interview, mostly about his personal life—but lovely, sweet, human, and Biden was terrific, consistently clear, detailed, charming, moving. Which was the point. SO much better than his opponent could do.”

Also today, the Treasury Department announced that the pilot program of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that enabled taxpayers to file their tax returns directly with the IRS for free had more users than the program’s stated goal, got positive ratings, and saved users an estimated $5.6 million in fees for tax preparation. The government had hoped about 100,000 people would use the pilot program; 140,803 did.

Former deputy director of the National Economic Council Bharat Ramamurti wrote on social media, “Of all the things I was lucky enough to work on, this might be my favorite. You shouldn’t have to pay money to pay your taxes. As this program continues to grow, most people will get pre-populated forms and be able to file their taxes with a few clicks in a few minutes.” Such a system would look much like the system other countries already use. 

Also today, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Williams-Sonoma will pay a record $3.17 million civil penalty for advertising a number of products as “Made in USA” when they were really made in China and other countries. This is the largest settlement ever for a case under the “Made in USA” rule. Williams-Sonoma will also be required to file annual compliance certifications. 

FTC chair Lina Khan wrote on social media: “Made in USA fraud deceives customers and punishes honest businesses. FTC will continue holding to account businesses that misrepresent where their product[s] are manufactured.” 

In another win for the United Auto Workers (UAW), the union negotiated a deal today with Daimler Trucks over contracts for 7,300 Daimler employees in four North Carolina factories. The new contracts provide raises of at least 25% over four years, cost of living increases, and profit sharing. This victory comes just a week after workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted overwhelmingly to join the UAW. 

Today was the eighth day of Trump’s criminal trial for his efforts to interfere with the 2016 election by paying to hide negative information about himself from voters and then falsifying records to hide the payments. David Pecker, who ran the company that published the National Enquirer tabloid, finished his testimony. 

In four days on the stand, Pecker testified that he joined Michael Cohen and others in killing stories to protect Trump in the election. Trump’s longtime executive assistant Rhona Graff took the stand after Pecker, and testified that both Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels were in Trump’s contacts. Next up was Gary Farro, a bank employee who verified banking information that showed how Michael Cohen had hidden payments to Daniels in 2016.

Once again, Trump appeared to be trying to explain away his lack of support at the trial, writing on his social media channel that the courthouse was heavily guarded. “Security is that of Fort Knox,” he wrote, “all so that MAGA will not be able to attend this trial….” But CNN’s Kaitlan Collins immediately responded: “Again, the courthouse is open [to] the public. The park outside, where a handful of his supporters have gathered on [trial] days, is easily accessible.”

Dispatch Politics noted today that when co-chairs Michael Whatley and Lara Trump and senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita took over the Republican National Committee (RNC), they killed a plan to open 40 campaign offices in 10 crucial states and fired 60 members of the RNC staff. According to Dispatch Politics, Trump insisted to the former RNC chair that he did not need the RNC to work on turning out voters. He wanted the RNC to prioritize “election integrity” efforts. 

The RNC under Trump has not yet developed much infrastructure or put staff into the states. It appears to have decided to focus only on those that are key to the presidential race, leaving down-ballot candidates on their own. 

While Trump appears to be hoping to win the election through voter suppression or in the courts, following his blueprint from 2020, Biden’s campaign has opened 30 offices in Michigan alone and has established offices in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida.

Finally today, news broke that in her forthcoming book, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem wrote about shooting her 14-month-old dog because it was “untrainable” and dangerous. “I hated that dog,” she wrote, and she recorded how after the dog ruined a hunting trip, she shot it in a gravel pit. Then she decided to kill a goat that she found to be “nasty and mean” as well as smelly and aggressive. She “dragged him to the gravel pit,” too, and “put him down.”  

Noem has been seen as a leading contender for the Republican vice presidential nomination on a ticket with Trump, and it seems likely she was trying to demonstrate her ruthlessness—a trait Trump appears to value—as a political virtue. But across the political spectrum, people have expressed outrage and disgust. In The Guardian, Martin Pengelly said her statement, “I guess if I were a better politician I wouldn’t tell the story,” was “a contender for the greatest understatement of election year.”

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[ladyteldra]

Hey mutuals, just a heads up that if you're based in the USA, it's the last weekend to file taxes before April 15th.

Also, the IRS website has tools to do so for free or suggested partners that are free.

[fittingoutjane]

"I don't have to explain how."

One thing I'm hearing a lot from slactivists is that they don't have to explain the details of their proposals, because it's not their job. That's true only in a very limited sense.

For example, the USA's Internal Revenue Service is now (finally) launching a free electronic tax filing system. This was obviously the correct thing to do and I've been in favor of it for years.

I don't know how to build an online tax portal. I was still quite confident in saying that it should be done, because it clearly could be done, because similar programs already existed and web designers already existed. There are things that can potentially go wrong with such a system, and it certainly requires hiring and paying experts, but there are no major unsolved questions about the basic feasibility.

I don't have to be personally capable of building a bridge from scratch to observe that a bridge is needed, nor to estimate the cost, nor to argue in favor of its building. I don't even have to have a set of detailed plans, that's the job of contractors who will bid on the project once funding is approved.

But if you want to build something that has never existed before, and especially if you want to destroy existing, necessary systems in order to build it, then yes, you do need a complete blueprint. You do need to envision it clearly enough to prove that it is possible, or better yet start by building it on a small scale within existing systems.

[smitharaghu]

Deutsche Telekom Stock Review

Deutsche Telekom is a Germany-based company that provides integrated telecommunication services. It operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. The Germany segment provides fixed-network and mobile telecommunications services to consumers and business customers. The United States segment provides telecommunications services in the United States market; and the Europe segment offers fixed-network and mobile operations of the national companies in Greece, Romania, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, and Austria.

IPO

A major turning point in the world of telecommunications took place in November 1996, when Deutsche Telekom went public. It was the largest IPO in history and the capstone of years of intense effort by Goldman Sachs to establish a presence in the German market.

The company's offering marked a significant step in the development of an Anglo-Saxon shareholder culture. It was also the first telecommunications company to be listed on the Frankfurt and New York stock exchanges, as well as the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

It was the largest ever IPO and it was oversubscribed five times. Shares traded at nearly 20 percent above the issue price on their first day of trading.

In addition to its traditional services in Germany, the company provides telecommunications services throughout the rest of Europe and the United States. Its businesses include fixed network and broadband, mobile telephony, and information technology services.

Today, the company is one of the world's leading telecommunications companies with operations in more than 50 countries and a broad range of products and services. It has a worldwide network of around 248 million wireless and 26 million wireline customers.

The company has been in the forefront of telecommunications innovation, investing extensively in digital technologies to develop innovative new products and services for its customers. Examples include the Internet of Things, 5G technology, video conferencing, and artificial intelligence.

For a company like Deutsche Telekom, it is important to have a diverse product portfolio that appeals to different kinds of users. The company is also known for acquiring and selling companies to generate growth and streamline operations.

Despite its success, the company has faced several challenges in the past few years. It has lost customers to larger rivals, including AT&T and Verizon Communications Inc VZ.N, and it has also experienced a drop in revenue and profits.

However, the company's management has made efforts to turn its fortunes around, launching new business models and making strategic acquisitions. It is a leader in the telecommunications industry and it continues to seek ways to grow its business and create value for shareholders.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Deutsche Telekom is a diversified telecommunications company with a strong position in Europe and a booming US business. It operates in a number of different sectors, such as payments and commercial real estate tech.

In the US, the company is primarily focused on mobile services. Its subsidiary T-Mobile USA has an excellent record of growth and is a significant competitor to AT&T and Verizon. In addition, it owns Sprint (NYSE:S), which is set to become a major player in the U.S. telecom industry once the merger is complete in 2019.

The company has not made many major acquisitions, but it has done a few small ones over time. These smaller deals, such as the purchase of a Romanian carrier, the sale of T-Mobile Netherlands and its acquisition of Austria’s Telecom Austria, have improved its market position and scale.

Its US telco operations, T-Mobile USA and T-Mobile International, have been growing at very strong rates. These companies have a large customer base and are expected to continue expanding.

T-Mobile US is the second largest wireless service provider in the United States with a customer base of 120 million, behind Verizon. It has a very competitive pricing model and a great reputation in the industry.

However, the stock has not performed well in recent months. This is largely due to the fact that many investors are not aware of the fact that the German government owns 57 percent of the company. It has been criticized by a few legislators who think that the government should reduce its holding before the deal can be completed.

As a result, the stock has been down with other European stocks. If the Euro continues to weaken, this would likely help the stock and also its U.S. assets, which have been irrationally punished by European investors because they are included in a European stock.

To counter this, the company has been increasing its dividend and repurchasing some of its own shares, which are now trading at about a 50% discount to their value. These dividend increases and the repurchases should allow for further growth.

Shareholders

One of the largest shareholders in deutsche telekom stock is the German government and its agency, Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau (KfW). KfW owns 17.3 percent of the company's shares. It has been buying more shares and reducing its stake in a series of transactions.

Another large shareholder is the United States investment group Blackstone. It purchased 4.5 percent of deutsche telekom stock for $3.3 billion. It is hoping that the purchase will help the company achieve its long-term financial goals and boost shareholder value, according to the company's announcement.

It also plans to use the money to fund future dividend increases. The dividends are a key part of the company's plan to reinvest in new technologies and networks.

The company also recently rolled out an overhaul of its corporate strategy to focus on digitalization and adapting its business models to the changing needs of customers. The changes will make it a software company that sells telecommunication services, rather than just a hardware manufacturer.

This is a big shift from the days when telecommunications networks were made up of monolithic blocks of network elements. Today, companies like DT are disaggregating their technology and moving it into the cloud. This allows them to connect with third-party networks and use their infrastructure to provide telecommunications services.

In the case of telecommunications, this involves billing-software and other backend systems. These backend systems are responsible for collecting and analyzing customer data to make pricing decisions.

If these systems are not able to comply with GDPR, will they be subjected to enforcement action or sanctions by U.S., EU, or German authorities? If not, will they be the target of new private actions for fraud and/or breach of contract?

To protect its data, deutsche telekom stock has "binding corporate rules" that it has promised to abide by. These rules are "binding" on all of the company's subsidiaries and any of its other companies that can be required to comply with them or have already adopted them on a voluntary basis.

But what if deutsche telekom stock's subsidiary T-Mobile USA doesn't subscribe to these "binding" corporate privacy rules? Does it still have to comply with the "binding" rules, or is there something in the corporate law that prevents it from doing so?

Dividends

One of the coolest perks of being a shareholder of this German company is the opportunity to participate in its annual dividend payout. The company pays out an impressively large sum each year, and it has a long and distinguished history of making its shareholders happy. Despite its size, the company manages to stay on top of its game thanks to some innovative corporate strategies and a healthy dose of luck. In a nutshell, there's a reason why this stock has been a KfW staple for so long. The company is also one of the few surviving German telecoms. If you're on the hunt for a good value telecommunications stock, deutsche telekom should be at the top of your list. You'll be rewarded with top-notch service and competitive paycheques, not to mention a hefty chunk of the local economy.

After all, it's not every day that you get a free piece of the country's largest phone company, let alone one of the most innovative and coveted German telecommunications companies in the business.