The Paper Trail: December 6, 2024

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The Paper Trail

Top stories for December 6, 2024

White House says at least 8 U.S. telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign: Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger said at least eight U.S. telecom companies and dozens of nations were impacted by a hacking campaign that exposed the private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, including senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures. (Aamer Madhani, Associated Press)

🔎 See Also: U.S. officials urge Americans to use encrypted apps amid unprecedented cyberattack (Kevin Collier, NBC News)

🔎 See Also: Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead FBI, has been targeted in an Iranian hack, sources say (Kristen Holmes, Evan Perez, and Holmes Lybrand, CNN)

Biden White House is discussing preemptive pardons for those in Trump’s crosshairs: The nomination of Kash Patel, who has vowed to pursue Trump’s critics, as FBI director has heightened concerns that a range of current and former officials could find themselves facing inquiries and indictments. (Jonathan Martin, Politico)

🔎 See Also: Clemency groups use Hunter pardon to pressure Biden (Myah Ward, Politico)

New data shows why it’s taking the Senate longer to confirm presidential appointees: President Biden’s nominees spent an average of 121 days in committee and 70 days on the Senate floor before being confirmed. That’s twice as long in committee and 15 times longer on the floor on average compared with George H.W. Bush’s nominations, according to a new report which attributed the delays to the growing practice of forcing votes on cloture. (Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive)

OSC questions agencies’ findings from a pair of whistleblower investigations: Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger on Tuesday notified the president that he didn’t consider the findings in two separate whistleblower-initiated investigations to be reasonable, prompting greater scrutiny of CBP’s air rescue operations along the southern border and the FAA’s oversight of plane landings at Detroit’s airport. (Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive)

A Chinese national, charged with fraud by the SEC, just sent Donald Trump $18 million: Last week, Chinese crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun purchased $30 million in crypto tokens from World Liberty Financial, a new crypto venture backed by President-elect Trump. The SEC is investigating Sun on charges of fraud, market manipulation, and other alleged violations. (Judd Legum, Popular Information)

Looking Ahead to 2025:

→ Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and staff nominations

→ Lobbying firm with close ties to Trump is poised to profit from new administration, experts say

→ Here’s what happened the last time Trump moved federal jobs out of D.C.

→ Is Kristi Noem ready to run FEMA? South Dakota flood victims doubt it

→ Trump energy pick misinterprets studies to support claims, scientists say

→ Incoming Trump administration plans to deport some migrants to countries other than their own

→ Wall Street is banking on Trump’s immigration crackdown

Supreme Court Ethics

Gorsuch recuses himself from environmental case before Supreme Court: In a letter to Justice Gorsuch last month, House Democrats called on him to recuse himself because of his ties to billionaire Philip Anschutz, whose oil and gas company filed a brief with the court in September taking a stance in the case and arguing that it would be affected by the outcome. (Rachel Frazin, The Hill)

Inspectors General

Despite critical report, Biden hasn’t taken disciplinary action against DHS watchdog: There’s still no indication of President Biden taking action against DHS inspector general Joseph Cuffari, despite an investigation substantiating allegations of misconduct against Cuffari and recommending “appropriate action, up to and including removal.” (Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive)

Police Misconduct

Police illegally sell restricted weapons, supplying crime: Dozens of law enforcement officials are buying and illegally selling firearms, even weapons of war, across 23 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. In several cases, the guns wound up in the hands of violent felons and were used to commit crimes. (E.D. Cauchi, CBS News)

Defense and Veterans Affairs

As civil war heats back up, U.S. troops are still deployed in Syria — and under fire: Around 900 U.S. troops are deployed in Syria alongside private military contractors, in what one expert calls “arguably the most expansive abuse” of the war powers granted to the executive branch in the wake of 9/11. Those troops have come under fire multiple times. (Nick Turse, The Intercept)

U.S. Navy at risk of failing critical amphibious assault mission: According to the GAO, the Navy’s amphibious assault force is failing to provide enough vessels, with half of the fleet in poor condition and some ships having been unavailable for years at a time. (Richard Thomas, Naval Technology)

Business and Finance

Americans lose billions to scams, then get taxed on stolen money: The cruel reality of financial scams is that victims who tap tax-advantaged accounts still must pay taxes on the stolen funds. (Michelle Singletary, Washington Post)

Sellers of toxic fertilizer ask Congress: Protect us from lawsuits: For decades, Synagro has been making millions of dollars from the treated sewage sludge it sells as fertilizer that contains harmful “forever chemicals” linked to serious health problems. Now, Synagro is part of a major effort to lobby Congress to limit the ability of consumers to sue. (Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times)

Tech

FTC bans two data brokers from selling users’ location data: The FTC entered into settlements with data brokers Mobilewalla and Gravy Analytics/Venntel for selling users’ location data without their consent. The settlements, which didn’t include any fines, ban both companies from using, transferring, selling, and disclosing this data. (Michael Kan, PCMag)

Health Care

Older Americans struggle to afford health care compared with those in other nations: A new study found that the kind of coverage Medicare plans provide isn’t meeting many Americans’ needs. (Megan Cerullo, CBS News)

Torrent of anger for health insurance industry follows CEO’s killing: The dark commentary after the fatal shooting on Wednesday of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson highlighted the anger and frustration over the state of health care in America, where those with private insurance often find themselves in Kafka-esque tangles while seeking, and often being denied, reimbursement for medical treatment. (Dionne Searcey and Madison Malone Kircher, New York Times)

Independent drugstore closures threaten to turn communities into “pharmacy deserts”: Across the U.S., at least 7,000 pharmacies have closed since 2019. Of those, roughly half were independent drugstores. (Mark Strassmann and Samantha Wender, CBS News)

Splash pads really are fountains of fecal material; CDC reports 10K illnesses: According to the CDC, between 1997 and 2022 children’s splash pads in the U.S. were linked to at least 60 disease outbreaks, 10,611 illnesses, and 152 hospitalizations. (Beth Mole, Ars Technica)

ICYMI

Immigration and Border Security:

→ U.S. can continue using Seattle airport for deportation flights, appeals court says

→ Three soldiers arrested on human smuggling charges along Mexico border

Other News:

→ House Republicans vote to block release of Gaetz ethics report

→ Trump team outlines inauguration benefits for donors

→ Trump’s victory has some liberal judges reversing their retirement plans

→ NASA says moon mission is further delayed but hopes to land astronauts before China

→ Memphis police used excessive force and discriminated against Black residents, Justice Dept. finds

→ McKinsey agrees to pay $122 million to settle South Africa bribery case

→ Boeing plea deal related to Max crashes rejected by judge

→ Wars drove global arms sales to $632 billion in 2023

→ The Hill’s top lobbyists 2024

→ Congressional schedule for 2025 is set with Senate releasing its calendar

Because It’s Friday

Old DUIs could keep Taylor Swift fans from Eras Tour in Canada: Canada’s drunken-driving rules for foreign visitors became stricter in 2018, to the surprise of many American Swifties trying to attend the final shows of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Vancouver this weekend. (Hannah Sampson, Washington Post)

Upcoming Events

📌 Human vs. Machine: The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence in the Law Enforcement Context. Cato Institute. Friday, December 6, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST.

📌 Oversight of the U.S. Postal Service. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Tuesday, December 10, 10:00 a.m., HVC-210 U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.

📌 How Mass Deportations Will Separate American Families, Harm Our Armed Forces, and Devastate Our Economy. Senate Judiciary Committee. Tuesday, December 10, 10:00 a.m., G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Hot Docs

🔥📃 GAO - Law Enforcement: DHS Could Better Address Bias Risk and Enhance Privacy Protections for Technologies Used in Public. GAO-25-107302 (PDF)

🔥📃 U.S. Senator Joni Ernst: Out of Office: Bureaucrats on the beach and in bubble baths but not in office buildings. December 5, 2024. (PDF)