Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sold 2,000 shares of Visa worth between $500,000 and $1 million on July 1, 2024. This transaction became controversial when the Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Visa on September 24, alleging monopolization of …
Paul PelosiNancy PelosiRick ScottVisa Inc.Department of Justice+1 morecongressional-corruptioninsider-tradingmarket-manipulationregulatory-capturedoj-investigation+1 more
Paul Dans, original Project 2025 director, stepped down from leadership in late July 2024 after tensions with the Trump campaign. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts assumed control, continuing the project’s policy development while distancing it from direct campaign involvement.
Paul DansKevin RobertsDonald TrumpChris LaCivitaSusie Wilesproject-2025leadership-changeheritage-foundationtrump-campaignconservative-politics
Paul Dans steps down as director of Project 2025 at the Heritage Foundation after increasing controversy. Kevin Roberts, Heritage Foundation President, takes over leadership. The project, which proposed significant government restructuring, became politically contentious, with Trump campaign …
Paul DansKevin RobertsHeritage FoundationDonald TrumpSusie Wiles+2 moreproject-2025leadership-changeheritage-foundationelection-2024conservative-policy+1 more
In June 2024, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) initiated a high-profile investigation into Elon Musk’s xAI and its Grok AI platform, focusing on potential violations of EU data protection regulations. The investigation centers on X’s (formerly Twitter) practice of using …
Elon MuskxAIIrish Data Protection Commission (DPC)European Data Protection Board (EDPB)noyb - European Center for Digital Rights+1 moreai-regulationdata-privacytech-accountabilitygdprinternational-oversight+2 more
In a landmark 6-2 decision, the Supreme Court overruled the 40-year-old Chevron deference doctrine in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, fundamentally altering the balance of power between courts and federal agencies. The ruling requires courts to independently interpret ambiguous statutes rather …
Clarence ThomasSamuel AlitoChief Justice John RobertsSupreme CourtKoch Network+1 morejudicial-capturesupreme-courtchevron-deferenceregulatory-capturekoch-influence+2 more
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference, eliminating the long-standing doctrine that required courts to defer to federal agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes. This landmark ruling fundamentally reshapes administrative law, requiring courts to …
Supreme Court of the United StatesChief Justice John RobertsNational Marine Fisheries Serviceadministrative-lawchevroncourtssupreme-courtjudicial-reform
On June 27, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to reject the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy settlement that would have provided the Sackler family immunity from future opioid-related lawsuits in exchange for paying up to $6 billion. Justice Neil Gorsuch’s majority opinion held that “the …
U.S. Supreme CourtNeil GorsuchKetanji Brown JacksonBrett KavanaughSackler Family+1 moreopioid-crisissupreme-courtbankruptcy-lawaccountabilitylegal-precedent
The Supreme Court granted a 5-4 stay on June 27, 2024, blocking the EPA’s Good Neighbor Plan addressing interstate ozone pollution while litigation proceeds. Justice Gorsuch’s majority opinion found EPA failed to reasonably explain its methodology after some states left the program. The …
Supreme Court of the United StatesEPAJustice Neil Gorsuch (majority opinion)Justice Amy Coney Barrett (dissent)State of Ohio (applicant)+2 moreadministrative-lawcourtsenvironmentclean-air-actgood-neighbor-provision+3 more
In a 6-3 decision on June 27, 2024, the Court held the Seventh Amendment requires jury trials when the SEC seeks civil penalties for securities fraud, ending the agency’s use of in-house administrative law judge proceedings for such cases. Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion found …
Supreme Court of the United StatesSecurities and Exchange CommissionChief Justice John Roberts (majority opinion)Justice Neil Gorsuch (concurring)Justice Clarence Thomas (concurring)+4 moreadministrative-lawcourtsenforcementseventh-amendmentjury-trial-rights+3 more
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 26, 2024, that neither state nor individual plaintiffs established standing to enjoin federal officials over alleged coercion of social-media platforms. Justice Barrett’s majority opinion found plaintiffs failed to show government actions caused platforms to …
Supreme Court of the United StatesJustice Amy Coney Barrett (majority opinion)Justice Samuel Alito (dissent)Justice Clarence Thomas (dissent)Justice Neil Gorsuch (dissent)+2 morecourtssocial-mediastandingfirst-amendmentcontent-moderation+3 more
Meta experienced a technical issue on Instagram and Threads that appeared to reset users’ political content filter settings, causing confusion. The company quickly acknowledged and fixed the bug, which occurred just before the first 2024 presidential debate.
xAI announced a draft AI safety framework following international pressure, but faced severe criticism from AI safety experts for lack of comprehensive risk mitigation strategies. Industry researchers from OpenAI and Anthropic accused xAI of having a ‘reckless’ safety culture, …
Comprehensive research reveals a systematic corruption pattern in Hurricane Katrina’s education system transformation. Academic studies and journalistic investigations document how disaster was strategically used to rapidly privatize New Orleans public schools. Before Katrina, the school …
Louisiana State LegislatureCharter School AdvocatesRight-Wing Think TanksNew Orleans School Boardsystematic-corruptioninstitutional-captureeducation-privatizationcharter-schoolsregulatory-capture
The Supreme Court unanimously held the plaintiffs lacked Article III standing to challenge FDA’s 2016/2021 actions on mifepristone, leaving the agency’s changes in place. Justice Kavanaugh delivered the opinion, with the Court finding that the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine failed to …
Supreme Court of the United StatesFood and Drug Administrationadministrative-lawcourtsstandingsupreme-courtabortion-rights
Flock Safety’s automated license plate recognition network reaches unprecedented scale, with more than 5,000 law enforcement departments across the United States using interconnected cameras that perform over 20 billion scans of vehicles every month. The company now operates in more than 5,000 …
Flock SafetyGarrett LangleyACLUElectronic Frontier FoundationsurveillanceALPRmass-surveillancelicense-plate-readerswarrantless-surveillance+1 more
A Manhattan jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former or sitting U.S. president to be convicted of crimes in American history. The unanimous verdict, delivered after less than two days of deliberation, …
Donald TrumpJuan MerchanAlvin Braggcriminal-convictionguilty-verdicthush-moneyaccountabilityhistoric
Twenty years after “The Apprentice” premiered, former producer Bill Pruitt publishes a Slate article revealing that his highly restrictive non-disclosure agreement—which threatened a $5 million fine and potential jail time—has finally expired. Pruitt discloses that Donald Trump used the …
The ApprenticeRacismNDABill PruittMark Burnett+1 more
The U.S. Treasury Department published its first-ever comprehensive risk assessment of NFTs for illicit finance, determining that bad actors can exploit NFT platforms for money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing. The report highlights techniques including overpaying for …
Treasury DepartmentFinCENnftmoney-launderingtreasuryrisk-assessmentfinancial-crimes+2 more
Congressional representatives, including a bipartisan group of legislators, launched a comprehensive multi-agency investigation into xAI’s Grok AI. The investigation uncovered systemic issues with algorithmic bias, content generation risks, and problematic government contracting practices. Key …
Elon MuskxAISenator Elizabeth WarrenRep. Don BaconRep. Tom Suozzi+4 moreai-governancetechnology-regulationcongressional-investigationalgorithmic-biasnational-security+1 more
U.S. House Oversight Democrats, led by Representatives Robert Garcia and Stephen Lynch, launched a comprehensive investigation into Grok AI’s development practices. The investigation scrutinized potential risks to the public information ecosystem, including concerns about privacy, …
Robert GarciaStephen LynchElon MuskxAIHouse Oversight Committee+4 moreai-governancetechnology-regulationartificial-intelligencecybersecuritycongressional-oversight+3 more
Trump campaign begins accepting cryptocurrency donations in May 2024, coinciding with courting crypto industry’s $238 million in election spending, marking strategic pivot to embrace digital assets.
At the AI Seoul Summit in May 2024, xAI committed to the Frontier AI Safety Commitments, agreeing to provide transparency around model capabilities, risk assessments, and potential inappropriate use cases. However, the company faced significant criticism for not fully disclosing its safety …
The Department of Justice notified Boeing and the federal court that Boeing breached its January 2021 deferred prosecution agreement by failing to maintain the required compliance and ethics program. The finding came after the January 5, 2024 Alaska Airlines door plug blowout revealed that Boeing …
Department of JusticeBoeingFederal District CourtCriminal Division Fraud Section346 crash victims' familiesboeingdojdeferred-prosecutionalaska-airlinesdoor-plug+2 more
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and self-described “fixer,” took the witness stand and delivered devastating testimony that Trump personally directed the $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels and approved the scheme to disguise Cohen’s …
Michael CohenDonald TrumpAllen WeisselbergJuan Merchancriminal-trialtestimonyhush-moneyaccountability
Kristi Noem claimed in her memoir that she canceled a scheduled meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron over his comments about Hamas. French officials from the Élysée Palace directly contradicted this, stating there was no record of any scheduled meeting and no invitation was ever extended to …
Kristi NoemEmmanuel MacronÉlysée Palacekristi-noemfalse-claimsemmanuel-macronfrancememoir+2 more
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels took the witness stand in Donald Trump’s criminal trial and delivered graphic, detailed testimony about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump that she said led to the $130,000 hush money payment at the center of the case. Her testimony offered jurors a vivid …
Kristi Noem falsely claimed in her memoir that she met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while serving in Congress. The claim was impossible as Kim did not leave North Korea until 2018, years after her claimed meeting date. After media scrutiny, Noem’s publisher removed the passage from future …
Kristi NoemKim Jong Unkristi-noemfalse-claimskim-jong-unmemoircredibility+1 more
Joshua Dean, a 45-year-old former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems who had raised safety concerns about 737 MAX manufacturing defects, died suddenly after contracting a severe MRSA infection. Dean had been in good health and was known for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, making …
Joshua DeanSpirit AeroSystemsBoeingJohn Barnettboeingspirit-aerosystemswhistleblowerjoshua-deansuspicious-death+1 more
In her memoir “No Going Back,” Kristi Noem wrote about shooting her 14-month-old dog Cricket and a goat on her ranch 20 years ago. She described Cricket as “untrainable” after the dog attacked chickens and attempted to bite her. She then shot a goat because it smelled bad and …
The U.S. Air Force selected Anduril Industries and General Atomics to develop Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) autonomous fighter jets, beating defense giants Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing. The CCA program aims to deliver at least 1,000 unmanned combat aircraft equipped with …
Anduril IndustriesU.S. Air ForceDepartment of DefensePalmer LuckeyGeneral AtomicsAutonomous WeaponsMilitary-Industrial ComplexAI WeaponsDefense ContractorsPentagon Contracts
On April 23, 2024, Axon released Draft One, an AI-powered system that automatically generates police report narratives from body-worn camera audio using OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo model built on Microsoft Azure infrastructure. The system transcribes audio from Axon Body 3 and 4 cameras uploaded over …
AxonOpenAIMicrosoftaxondraft-oneaigpt-4police-reports+3 more
The first criminal trial of a former U.S. president in American history began in Manhattan Criminal Court as jury selection commenced in the prosecution of Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Judge Juan Merchan presided over the historic proceedings as prosecutors from …
Donald TrumpJuan MerchanAlvin BraggTodd BlancheSusan Nechelescriminal-trialjury-selectionhush-moneyaccountability
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a complex, rapidly evolving ruling keeping Texas SB 4 on hold, highlighting the ongoing legal battle over state versus federal immigration enforcement powers. In a 2-1 decision, the court cited Supreme Court precedent that immigration control is …
Fifth Circuit Court of AppealsChief Judge Priscilla RichmanState of TexasBiden Administrationappealsfifth-circuitimmigrationborder-policy
Trump Media begins trading under ticker DJT at $8.4 billion valuation, with Trump holding 69-78.75% of shares, creating unprecedented presidential conflict of interest through media and financial entanglement. Trading was volatile, with stock price jumping over 50% and trading briefly halted.
Donald TrumpTrump Media & Technology GroupNYSEDigital World Acquisition CorpDonald Trump Jr.truth-socialstock-marketdjt-tickerpresidential-conflictsmedia-ownership+2 more
Sixty U.K. lawmakers accused Google DeepMind of violating international AI safety commitments by releasing Gemini 2.5 Pro without comprehensive public safety disclosures. The allegations center on Google’s failure to ‘publicly report’ system capabilities and risk assessments as …
Google DeepMindBaroness Beeban KidronDes BrowneUK AI Safety Instituteai-safetyregulatory-violationstech-accountabilityai-governancetransparency-failures+1 more
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted simultaneous raids on Sean Combs’ properties in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami as part of a comprehensive federal sex trafficking investigation. Federal prosecutors unveiled a three-count indictment alleging a decade-long criminal enterprise …
Department of Homeland SecuritySean CombsFederal ProsecutorsU.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New Yorkhomeland-securitysex-traffickingfederal-investigationracketeeringcriminal-enterprise+2 more
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) initiated legal proceedings against X (Twitter) on 6 August 2024 regarding the use of EU users’ personal data to train the Grok AI without proper consent. X was ordered to suspend processing of personal data collected between May and August 2024. By 4 …
Elon MuskIrish Data Protection CommissionX Corporationai-regulationdata-privacygdprtech-ethicsartificial-intelligence
Elon Musk’s xAI faced intense scrutiny after releasing Grok AI without comprehensive safety documentation, including generating antisemitic content and pulling opinions directly from Musk’s social media posts. Despite these controversies, xAI secured a $200 million Pentagon contract in …
Elon MuskxAIAI Safety ResearchersGSA AI Safety TeamDepartment of Defense+1 moreai-safetytech-communicationcorporate-accountabilityelection-technologygovernment-ai-contracts+1 more
The Supreme Court allowed Texas’s SB 4 immigration law to take effect pending further proceedings, before subsequent Fifth Circuit action. A 6-3 ruling temporarily permitted Texas to criminalize border crossings and allow state police to arrest and potentially deport migrants, creating a …
Supreme Court of the United StatesState of TexasBiden AdministrationJustice Samuel AlitoJustice Sonia Sotomayor+2 moreemergency-docketimmigrationstate-preemptionsupreme-courtjudicial-conflict
In a significant move to preserve institutional integrity, career diplomats and foreign service officers formalized enhanced internal resistance and preservation mechanisms in response to potential political disruptions. Building on the historical ‘dissent channel’ established in 1971, …
State DepartmentCareer DiplomatsForeign Service OfficersDepartment of State Leadershipinstitutional-resistancegovernment-integritydiplomatic-ethicsbureaucratic-resiliencestate-department-reform
John Barnett, a 32-year Boeing quality control manager and prominent whistleblower who had raised numerous safety concerns about the 787 Dreamliner, was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in his truck in a hotel parking lot in Charleston, South Carolina. He was in Charleston for deposition …
John BarnettBoeingCharleston County CoronerCharleston Police DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration+1 moreboeingwhistleblowerjohn-barnettsuspicious-death787-dreamliner+1 more
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designates two individuals and five entities associated with the Intellexa Consortium for developing commercial spyware used to target Americans, including US government officials, journalists, and policy experts. Key …
Treasury DepartmentOffice of Foreign Assets ControlTal Jonathan DilianSara Aleksandra Fayssal HamouIntellexa Consortium+1 moretreasury-departmentofacintellexatal-dilianspyware-sanctions+1 more
President Kais Saied dissolves Tunisia’s first democratic municipal councils created in 2018, completing a systematic dismantling of democratic institutions that began in July 2021. By replacing elected municipal councils with ‘special councils’ under direct gubernatorial …
Kais SaiedTunisian municipal councilsTunisian oppositionEnnahda partytunisiaarab-spring-reversalmunicipal-dissolutioninstitutional-capturedemocratic-backsliding+1 more
Donald Trump spends months calling Georgia lawmakers and MAGA supporters demanding removal of Republican Ed Lindsey from the State Election Board, saying “He’s got to go” due to Lindsey’s insufficient loyalty on the “very important” election board. Trump’s …
Donald TrumpEd LindseyJanelle KingGeorgia Republican LawmakersBrad Raffensperger+1 moreelection-capturegeorgiatrump-pressureboard-takeoversystematic-corruption
HSI agents charged Devin Alan Rhoden (24, active-duty Air Force cyber analyst) and Berman Jerry Nowlin Jr. (20) with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering through NFT schemes. The defendants created two NFT collections (‘UndeadApes’ and ‘Undead Lady Apes’) on …
Devin Alan RhodenBerman Jerry Nowlin Jr.HSIDHSU.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Floridanftmoney-launderingfraudblockchainfederal-prosecution+3 more
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa led a multi-agency investigation charging Devin Alan Rhoden, a senior military cyber analyst, and Berman Jerry Nowlin Jr., an NFT developer, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The defendants created three NFT collections …
Devin Alan RhodenBerman Jerry Nowlin Jr.HSIDHSU.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations+2 morenftmoney-launderingfraudblockchainfederal-prosecution+3 more
While no specific FTC investigation was definitively confirmed in 2024, xAI’s Grok AI faced increasing regulatory attention from multiple agencies. The AI chatbot encountered potential regulatory challenges related to content generation practices, data privacy, and AI safety, particularly in …
Elon MuskxAIFTCIrish Data Protection CommissionAI Regulatory Bodiesai-regulationtech-oversightconsumer-protectiondata-privacyregulatory-capture
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron issued a devastating 92-page ruling ordering Donald Trump to pay $354.9 million in disgorgement plus $98.6 million in prejudgment interest (totaling approximately $454 million), and barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York …
Arthur EngoronDonald TrumpLetitia JamesDonald Trump Jr.Eric Trump+3 moreFinancial FraudNY Attorney GeneralTrump OrganizationCivil Fraud JudgmentArthur Engoron+1 more
xAI’s Grok AI faces initial government safety investigations and scrutiny at the AI Seoul Summit. Advocacy groups and AI safety researchers challenge the lack of comprehensive safety reports for Grok 4, while the GSA conducts an independent safety evaluation. Multiple consumer advocacy …
Elon MuskTech RegulatorsxAIGSA AI Safety TeamPublic Citizen+1 moreai-regulationtech-oversightsafety-investigationxaigovernment-ai-policy
Independent researchers and tech journalists begin documenting significant safety failures in Grok AI, including problematic content generation, potential bias in responses, and inconsistent fact-checking mechanisms. The Future of Life Institute’s AI Safety Index reveals xAI’s systemic …
Elon MuskxAIAI Safety ResearchersFuture of Life Instituteai-safetytech-regulationai-biasalgorithmic-accountability