Diplomatic security special agent forum

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation looked for nuclear weapon-related records when they executed a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home earlier this week, the Washington Post reported Thursday, offering a hint as to why authorities undertook such an unprecedented search. Key Facts It’s unclear what kinds of nuclear documents were sought or whether the FBI actually found any nuclear records, the Post wrote, citing unnamed sources. The possibility that sensitive federal records were brought to Mar-a-Lago after Trump left office has raised concerns for months: The National Archives said six months ago a trove of records recovered from Mar-a-Lago earlier this year included “classified national security information,” and the Post reported in February some of those documents were so sensitive that the government can’t even describe them publicly. … [Read more...] about FBI Agents Reportedly Looked For Nuclear Documents In Search Of Trump’s Home

Geneva, Switzerland — China’s national security law for Hong Kong poses a serious risk to the city’s freedoms and breaches international legal obligations, UN special rapporteurs on human rights have warned. Beijing has faced a groundswell of criticism over the law, which was imposed in late June after pro-democracy protests rocked the semi-autonomous city last year. The law, which criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and colluding with foreign forces, has intimidated and silenced many protesters. In the letter made public Friday the UN advisors warned parts of the legislation “appear to criminalize freedom of expression or any form of criticism” of China. “The National Security Law… poses a serious risk that those fundamental freedoms and due process protections may be infringed upon,” the rapporteurs said. The letter warned the legislation may “impinge impermissibly on the rights to freedom of opinion, expression and of peaceful assembly.” It called … [Read more...] about China’s security law a ‘serious risk’ to Hong Kong’s freedoms – UN experts

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Schumer-Manchin tax bill known as the Inflation Reduction Act , which passed the Senate on Sunday, raises taxes and will give the IRS billions to go into what the Wall Street Journal called “beast mode .” In all, the meant-to-be-inflation buster bill will dole out about $80 billion to the IRS for increase enforcement, operational improvements, customer service, and systems modernization. Think big, really big. That $80 billion is more than six times the current annual IRS budget of $12.6 billion. How can the IRS spend all of that? You guessed it, the bill says a whopping $45.6 billion will be for enforcement, and make no mistake, enforcement is the main directive from Democrats to the IRS. Get bigger, tougher and faster at collecting, and make them pay. Meanwhile, the IRS could be ramping up its police power too. The IRS is a key part of the government, but not one you usually associate with law enforcement … [Read more...] about The Inflation Reduction Act Unleashes A Tougher IRS

An officer from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) stands guard inside Trump Tower, after former U.S. President Donald Trump said that FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., August 12, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly FBI agents who searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida this week removed 11 sets of classified documents including some marked as “top secret”, the U.S. Justice Department said Friday while also disclosing it has probable cause to believe he violated the Espionage Act. The bombshell disclosures were made in legal documents released four days after FBI agents carried out the search of Trump’s residence based on a warrant approved by a federal magistrate judge. The Justice Department told U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart in its warrant application that it had probable cause to believe that Trump violated the Espionage Act, a federal law that prohibits the possession … [Read more...] about FBI removed ‘top secret’ documents from Trump’s home, US gov’t says

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Within the span of just four weeks last month, Nepalese Finance Minister Janardan Sharma resigned from office but was then reinstated after he was absolved of an alleged corruption scandal. The upheaval began in early July, when Sharma faced a parliamentary investigation after he was accused of allowing unauthorized, last-minute changes to tax rates in the country’s budget. Sharma stepped down to allow for an internal investigation, which failed to find wrongdoing, and he was reinstated at the end of the month, according to Reuters. The saga has attracted a lot of public and media attention while another significant tax development has unfolded largely under the radar: Nepal is the latest country to implement a digital services tax. Under the new rules , foreign digital services providers with more than NPR 2 million in annual turnover (about $15,911) must register in the country and pay a 2% DST on their … [Read more...] about Shifting Goal Posts In Digital Taxation

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin It is not too often that regular participants in #TaxTwitter create a youknow-storm on Twitter, but Adam Markowitz EA managed it with this gem. It is not as bad as telling a bunch of Tolkien fan s that you expect that the upcoming Amazon Series is going to be better than the original books and Peter Jackson's not so bad movie adaptation, but it is bad enough. The response included some very hateful stuff, that has been pretty much purged from Twitter. Adam sent me samples and also some of the messages that came into his firm's website. It was really nasty stuff. What is left are things like "How about abolish the IRS" and "I sincerely hope you get audited for the next five years" and "Lois Lerner". My favorite is one that you have to be in the business to fully appreciate. I think it is safe to say that an Enrolled Agent who wants to continue in the tax field in a practice that serves individuals and … [Read more...] about Inflation Reduction Act Will Restore IRS Staffing To 1995 Level By 2026

Federal Trade Commissioner Noah Phillips testifies on the “Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission” before the U.S. Senate Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, U.S., Nov. 27, 2018. REUTERS/ Leah Millis/File Photo WASHINGTON  -The U.S. consumer watchdog agency said on Thursday that it will consider rules to better protect Americans’ privacy and crack down on businesses that collect far-reaching personal information without consumers’ full understanding. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a notice that it is considering writing rules to address lax data security and commercial surveillance, which is the “business of collecting, analyzing, and profiting from information about people.” The FTC said companies often seek “to collect vast troves of consumer information, only a small fraction of which consumers proactively share.” “When they buy groceries, do homework, or apply … [Read more...] about U.S. crackdown on collection of consumer information eyed

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will not oppose release of documents tied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s recent search of his Mar-a-Lago residence and instead called for their “immediate release” in a statement, amid reports the FBI agents were looking for nuclear weapon-related records during the search. Key Facts In a statement , the former president said he is “encouraging” the release of these documents while alleging without evidence they were “drawn up by radical left Democrats and possible future political opponents.” Trump’s statement continued to paint the search effort as a politically motivated witch hunt against him, adding “my poll numbers are the strongest they have ever been.” The former president’s statement comes just hours after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requested a Florida court to unseal the warrant relating to the search, noting the issue … [Read more...] about Trump Calls For ‘Immediate Release’ Of Documents Linked To FBI Search Of Mar-A-Lago

The final text of the Iran nuclear deal may require an international atomic watchdog to relinquish an investigation of Iran’s alleged atomic weapons program, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. European Union negotiators offered a “final text” of an agreement providing sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program Monday, as U.S. officials voiced dim expectations of Iran’s willingness to take the deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) probe into Iran’s possible atomic weapons program, launched after identifying undeclared nuclear material in 2019, had proven a sticking point in efforts to come to a final agreement, the WSJ reported. The draft text, viewed by the WSJ, requires Iran to respond to the IAEA’s questions “with a view to clarifying them.” In return, countries that partake in the agreement — the U.S., Iran, Germany, France, the U.K., Russia and China —  would persuade the IAEA to drop the probe. The U.S. has … [Read more...] about Final Offer On Nuclear Deal Includes Massive Concession To Iran

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin According to the 2020 Arctic Report Card released by NOAA in December, things are pretty bad. The report, an annual compilation of peer-reviewed science (not Twitter or editorial opinions), is produced by over 120 scientists from 15 countries. Key highlights (or “lowlights”) included: The average annual land surface air temperature in the Arctic was the second-warmest since the beginning of the record-keeping era in began in 1900. 90% of the past 10 years had air temperatures at least 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit greater the 1981-2010 mean. Record low June snow extent across the Eurasian Arctic. The second-lowest Arctic minimum sea ice extent in the satellite era. Warnings about extreme wildfires in the Arctic. While shocking to some people, these dire indicators are not surprising to climate scientists who have sounded the alarm for decades. Buoyed by the prospect of the Biden Administration signaling … [Read more...] about A Bold Request As Climate Change Ravages The Arctic