The Paper Trail: December 13, 2024
The Precarious State of OB-GYN Care in the Military; Sadistic Groups Target Vulnerable People Online; Should You Throw Away Your Plastic Spatula?; and More.
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Announcements
Stop by the Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds’ last pop-up tabling event of the year on Wednesday, December 18 from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Rayburn Cafeteria. Whether you are preparing for the next Congress or need guidance on how to communicate case closures, experts will be onsite to answer your questions around working with oversight sources and whistleblower constituents.
The Paper Trail
Top stories for December 13, 2024
Watchdog faults DOJ in Trump’s first term for secretly obtaining records of lawmakers and journalists: According to a Justice Department inspector general report, the DOJ during Donald Trump’s first term failed to comply with its own procedures when it sought journalists’ phone and email records and never conducted high-level reviews when it swept up the records of congressional staffers and Democratic House members. The report “did not find any evidence of retaliatory or political motivation” by the DOJ in seeking the records. (Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, Politico)
How a decades-old loophole lets billionaires avoid Medicare taxes: Most working Americans have to pay a Medicare tax, but some of the richest figures on Wall Street are able to avoid the tax thanks to a 47-year-old loophole. (Paul Kiel, ProPublica)
How U.S. firms battled a government crackdown to keep tech sales to China: Some officials have concerns about the close relationship between the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, which oversees export controls, and the semiconductor equipment industry, which employs several former officials as executives or legal advisers. (Ana Swanson, New York Times)
Fund-raiser who pocketed money meant for sick kids and vets gets 10 years in prison: For the most part, Richard Zeitlin, a telemarketing kingpin who kept 80% of the donations raised for charities and pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, operated within the law, exploiting lax regulation of charity fundraising. (David A. Fahrenthold and Camille Baker, New York Times)
Avian flu cases are on the upswing at big dairy farms: Large livestock facilities in states across the country, and especially in California, have become the epicenters of the H5N1 bird flu virus. Researchers say that’s no surprise as increasing industry consolidation has resulted in more animals being packed more tightly together on ever-growing farms. (Georgina Gustin, Ars Technica)
Looking Ahead to 2025:
→ Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and staff nominations
→ Trump Justice Department appointee oversaw “systemic” misconduct in previous job
→ Eric Trump promises the “most pro-crypto president” in history
→ Tech billionaires are getting their chance to shape Washington. Here’s what they’ll do with it
→ Trump advisers seek to shrink or eliminate bank regulators
→ Resist Trump? On immigration, top Democrats see room for compromise
→ Far-right militias seek role in Trump deportation plan
Insurrection
DOJ: No undercover FBI agents were present for Jan. 6, countering conspiracy theories: A DOJ inspector general report rebutted a conspiracy theory and said there were no undercover FBI agents on the National Mall on January 6, 2021. The report faulted the bureau for not pushing field offices to collect more intelligence about potential threats after the 2020 election. (Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill)
Russia-Ukraine War
Biden admin says it is surging deliveries to Ukraine as Trump criticizes decision to allow U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia: The Pentagon is unlikely to use all of the nearly $7 billion left in funding that was authorized by Congress to arm Ukraine by the time Biden leaves office, largely due to limitations in the military’s ability to refill its own stocks. (Jennifer Hansler and Haley Britzky, CNN)
Police Misconduct
Investigation after Breonna Taylor’s killing prompts agreement on police reform in Louisville: The DOJ and the city of Louisville, Kentucky, reached an agreement to reform the city’s police force by revising its use of force policies, ensuring traffic stops and searches are constitutional and not based on race, and improving the department’s response to public demonstrations. (Dylan Lovan and Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press)
Defense and Veterans Affairs
Military academies see drop in sexual assault and harassment, but rates remain high: There was a “significant” drop in reported sexual harassment and assaults at the U.S. military service academies over the past two years after a spike in 2022, but rates remain high according to new Pentagon data. (Ellen Mitchell, The Hill)
🔎 See Also: VA sees rise in military sexual trauma claims, thanks to outreach work (Leo Shane III, Military Times)
A Coast Guard commander miscarried. She nearly died after being denied care: Federal law prohibits the military from paying for most abortion services. Doctors say Tricare has delayed even permitted procedures, putting women at risk, while the overturning of Roe v. Wade created a chilling effect that has further complicated access to these procedures. (Erin Edwards, ProPublica)
Business and Finance
Online task scams ensnare victims in record numbers, FTC says: Record numbers of Americans have fallen victim to scams that offer to pay “commissions” for online work, collectively costing their targets hundreds of millions of dollars. (Taylor Telford, Washington Post)
Labor board classifies “Love Is Blind” contestants as employees: The NLRB’s complaint against the Netflix hit could have ripple effects across the reality TV industry. (Julia Jacobs, New York Times)
Tech
LGBTQ advocates ask leadership to torpedo Kids Online Safety Act: Social justice advocates worry that a provision in the bill requiring social media companies to prevent and mitigate such harms as suicide, eating disorders, and sexual exploitation could empower the government to go after content about the LGBTQ community, reproductive healthcare, and the history of marginalized communities. (Julia Shapero, The Hill)
He was suicidal and needed help. A 15-year-old girl pushed him to kill himself on a live stream: Samuel Hervey’s death offers a disturbing case study of what federal prosecutors warn is an emerging threat: sadistic groups that target vulnerable people online. It also illustrates the deadly consequences when social media platforms fail to contain that threat. (Shawn Boburg and Chris Dehghanpoor, Washington Post)
Health Care
Hospitals gave patients meds during childbirth, then reported them for illicit drug use: Across the country, hospitals are dispensing medications to patients in labor, only to report them to child welfare authorities when they or their newborns later test positive for those substances. Many hospitals have failed to put in place safeguards that would protect patients from being reported over faulty test results. (Shoshana Walter, USA Today)
Hurricane Helene destroyed a Tennessee hospital. Officials knew it was at risk: Climate change is forcing health care officials in landlocked regions to be more strategic in planning hospital design and location. (Lauren Sausser and Holly K. Hacker, CBS News)
Do I really need to throw out my black plastic spatula? A new study detected dangerous chemicals in a variety of household items. But experts say the health risks aren’t clear-cut. (Emily Schmall, New York Times)
ICYMI
Immigration and Border Security:
→ Recent immigration surge has been largest in U.S. history
→ Senate Democrats press Biden to strengthen immigration protections before Trump takes office
→ For now, “Dreamers” will be shut out of the health care marketplace in 19 states
Other News:
→ Health insurers’ $371 billion windfall
Are those drones over New Jersey? Sightings mount, and still no answers
→ Amazon plans $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund
→ Final House report on Trump assassination attempt says attack was preventable
→ Appeals court overturns Nasdaq requirement for diversity on boards
→ FBI informant accused of lying about Joe and Hunter Biden pleads guilty
Because It’s Friday
Supreme Court begins online lottery for seating, upending D.C. ritual: Waiting in line to attend Supreme Court hearings is a distinctly D.C. ritual. But that will change as the court takes another step into the internet age with the launch of an online lottery system for courtroom seats. (Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post)
Startup will brick $800 emotional support robot for kids without refunds: The company Embodied is closing down, and its product, an interactive toy robot called Moxie, will soon lose its functionality. The disappointing Moxie news is why consumer advocates are pushing the FTC to more strongly regulate smart devices. (Scharon Harding, Ars Technica)
Upcoming Events
📌 America’s High-Stakes Bet on Legalized Sports Gambling. Senate Judiciary Committee. Tuesday, December 17, 10:00 a.m., 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
📌 Continuing a Bipartisan Path Forward for Antitrust Enforcement and Reform. Senate Judiciary Committee. Tuesday, December 17, 3:00 p.m., 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
📌 American Confidence in Elections: Prohibiting Foreign Interference. Committee on House Administration. Wednesday, December 18, 10:00 a.m., 1310 Longworth House Office Building.
Hot Docs
🔥📃 DOJ OIG: A Review of the Department of Justice’s Issuance of Compulsory Process to Obtain Records of Members of Congress, Congressional Staffers, and Members of the News Media. 25-010 (PDF)
🔥📃 DOJ OIG: A Review of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Handling of Its Confidential Human Sources and Intelligence Collection Efforts in the Lead Up to the January 6, 2021 Electoral Certification. 25-011 (PDF)
🔥📃 GAO - Financial Disclosure: Updates Are Needed to the Public Reporting Requirements. GAO- 25-107039 (PDF)
🔥📃 GAO - Homeland Security: Actions Needed to Address Acquisition Workforce Challenges and Data. GAO-25-107075 (PDF)
🔥📃 GAO - Nuclear Waste Cleanup: NNSA Should Improve Its Strategy for Managing Anticipated Waste from Defense Activities. GAO-25-107636 (PDF)
Nominations & Appointments
Withdrawals
- Ryan Young Park - Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Pardons & Commutations
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