International Politico can't make payroll because DOGE discovered and froze propaganda slush fund. NYT next.....

[NoSmilez]

No I understand. But look. From the USAspending.gov website for politico... the money only really started around 2020. So how did they do it before? You aren't going to convince me that all of a sudden we need to spend 8M per year per news service just to make critical government decisions.

It replaced another service. They were acquired by Axel Springer in 2021. You are on the site so you can see which departments are using it. It's not for all government agencies. The ones that want to use it subscribe to it. These subs aren't cheap for government or private sectors. It's over 130k for roughly 50 people. Not everyone in the department has access to it. It's a non partisan resource. Even people like Lauren Boebert who criticized these subscriptions also paid out over 7k to them for their info. 2020 was still part of Trump's administration. Both left and right use this service. It's fine if you get rid of the subscriptions but you still need to replace it with another service. You can't expect policy makers to work in the dark.

I am curious if you would take offense to the US government paying Microsoft 500 million for subscriptions/licenses for their products? Nobody wouldn't say that US government is funding Microsoft. They are paying for a gold standard service.

All this retaliatory stuff isn't new. During the first administration, they tried to swap out Amazon's cloud service for Microsoft. Amazon's cloud product was not an inferior product. It's Trump's issue with Bezos and his ownership of The Washington Post. The Washing Post can be unkind to Trump by factchecking him. Do you really feel that the government should be run in such a tribal way?

 

[44nutman]

Because Tesla produces electric vehicles. It's part of the democrats' great 'climate change' grift which has been going on for ages.

But Leon will never cut his own grift, which is the point everyone has been making, that you always seem to be ignoring. Corporate owned media has melted your brain, foreign Sherdogger, unless you are on Putin's payroll so you can stay out of the Ukraine meat grinder, then Sherdog is a bottom level place to be spreading your propaganda. Seems like Facebook would be more fertile ground.
Leon cutting everyone else's grift is like your alcoholic friend telling you, you drink too much.

 

[avenue94]

Agreed, if the situation was reversed and it was found that Fox news or some other group was paid millions under Trumps admin, there would be huge uproar over it. Ultimately, I dont care who they were paying... if it costs 8M for just one of several being paid.... nah... of course if a group pays out 8M to your company there is always room for corruption of that.

WSJ is a common subscription for enterprise, and the government does use it.

What kind of corruption happens in an 8 million dollar contract from multiple government departments? Who, what, when, where why, cui bono?

And once again, do you not understand how much the subscriptions to for data visualization licenses cost? If you don't, you're ill equipped to say whether or not Politico is overcharging.

 

[CatchnShoot]

It would be antithetical for a criminal organization (in this case the Trump regime) to fund journalists charged with reporting political activity. No surprise.

What I DO find surprising is how readily MAGA folks accept the dismantling of all the organizations built to protect the public interest, and detect fraud. Also with how easily they accept handing over the most intimate information to a bunch of tweener fuckbois @ Eloy's behest.

That Sieg Heil wasn't a mistake, it's a feature, kids.

 

[Mr Holmes]

All of these cuts will be used to try to fund their forthcoming tax cuts for the rich. So yes, in a very real sense I think the money will get funneled right back to Musk, and Trump, and other ultra wealthy people like them, while working class Americans have programs cut that they need.

Classifying any attempt to reign in spending as a scheme to enrich billionaires is incredibly cynical way of looking at things.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

i see a lot of words, but nothing actually said. how can liberals keep losing this bad? why are they pro corruption and anti-audits? i think they've collectively taken too many losses, their brains/dopamine absolutely fried. goodluck.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

It would be antithetical for a criminal organization (in this case the Trump regime) to fund journalists charged with reporting political activity. No surprise.

What I DO find surprising is how readily MAGA folks accept the dismantling of all the organizations built to protect the public interest, and detect fraud. Also with how easily they accept handing over the most intimate information to a bunch of tweener fuckbois @ Eloy's behest.

That Sieg Heil wasn't a mistake, it's a feature, kids.

you're a fucking moron. when the US grants remote access to China for their computers, what's that?

MAGA for life bitch. This is what it is. Exposing corruption, USAID fraudulent payouts, and yes, big balls backing it up.

Don't be abitch. oh wait.

 

[BFoe]

Classifying any attempt to reign in spending as a scheme to enrich billionaires is incredibly cynical way of looking at things.

I see, you feel I should put more blind trust in these billionaires. I disagree, and I’ll tell you why.

Firstly, I have repeatedly laid out how to well exceed the DOGE’s goal of eliminating 2 trillion in fraud and waste, without even looking at any of these agencies.

Secondly, the DOGE is violating federal laws about transparency. The public is supposed to have access to all sorts of documents, including their hiring, transcriptions of meetings, reports on exactly what they are doing, etc,, and we have none of that. Why should I trust these people when they are operating so opaquely?

Thirdly, their initial claim about the 50 million for condoms to Gaza was proven dead wrong. So they’ve lost credibility right off the bat. Why do I keep seeing tweets about this alleged waste that they’ve uncovered, and not government budget documents, or spending bills? They should be able to point right to lines in the federal budget and show us, or direct is to the exact congressional bill that authorized it—but strangely, that never happens. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?

Lastly, we know for a fact that Trump’s tax proposal is projected to add 5 trillion to the debt. They are absolutely scrambling for ways to pay for some of it.

 

[ColemanwastheGOAT]

Quality Conservative news outlets also receive contracts from the government. You can easily look this up.

Then that should be stopped

 

[CatchnShoot]

you're a fucking moron. when the US grants remote access to China for their computers, what's that?

MAGA for life bitch. This is what it is. Exposing corruption, USAID fraudulent payouts, and yes, big balls backing it up.

Don't be abitch. oh wait.

lol..... you calling me a moron is the equivalent of a sewer calling a spring rain shower dirty.
You are a retard for life.
Removing all oversight does not expose corruption, it enables it you fucking lemon.

 

[Mr Holmes]

I see, you feel I should out more blind trust in these billionaires. I disagree, and I’ll tell you why.

Firstly, I have repeatedly laid out how to well exceed the DOGE’s goal of eliminating 2 trillion in fraud and waste, without even looking at any of these agencies.

Secondly, the DOGE is violating federal laws about transparency. The public is supposed to have access to all sorts of documents, including their hiring, transcriptions of meetings, reports on exactly what they are doing, etc,, and we have none of that. Why should I trust these people when they are operating so opaquely?

Thirdly, their initial claim about the 50 million for condoms to Gaza was proven dead wrong. So they’ve lost credibility right off the bat. Why do I keep seeing tweets about this alleged waste that they’ve uncovered, and not government budget documents, or spending bills? They should be able to point right to lines in the federal budget and show us, or direct is to the exact congressional bill that authorized it—but strangely, that never happens. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?

Lastly, we know for a fact that Trump’s tax proposal is projected to add 5 trillion to the debt. They are absolutely scrambling for ways to pay for some of it.

So, in your mind, if we continue to fund trans comic books and gay operas, its sticking it to the billionaires? Since, according to you, any decrease in spending is just going to go to them. Do I understand your position correctly?

 

[LangfordBarrow]

I will wait til more comes out before I label it an issue. Like I said, at best it is just wasteful spending. Needs to be cut. There are plenty of free news orgs to go into these subscriptions. Any big story broken on one of them will be picked up by all the major orgs. And this is just politico. I saw it goes into some others. so if its 5 and 8M spent each... Id rather tax payer money be spent on something else.

I'm not trying to single you out but it seems this attack on the press has been working grandly for Trump, especially on people that are already in their echo chamber and don't want to believe the news, because there's a big difference between actual investigative journalists and publications that follow ethical journalistic principles and the randos on Twitter some of our more indoctrinated members love to cite. Just look up these different companies for their bias.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

lol..... you calling me a moron is the equivalent of a sewer calling a spring rain shower dirty.
You are a retard for life.
Removing all oversight does not expose corruption, it enables it you fucking lemon.

you are a moron and a retard 100%

yes its bad when elon exposes massive fraud, corruption, tax payers money going everywhere but here. but it's OK when the system continues to rip us off.

he's not removing all oversight fucking dumbass. he's exposed the receipts, all of it.

keep crying more, retard.

 

[BFoe]

So, in your mind, if we continue to fund trans comic books and gay operas, its sticking it to the billionaires? Since, according to you, any decrease in spending is just going to go to them. Do I understand your position correctly?

I don’t think you understand my position correctly, no.

My position is that the real waste and fraud is at the top levels of government, and that’s what we should be focused on. In other words, it’s a bit silly (and hypocritical) to hear Elon yammer on about waste when loopholes exist that allow Tesla to make 2 billion dollars in income and pay $0 in taxes. It’s silly to hear him yammer on about waste when they are about to pass tax cuts for the rich that add trillions to the debt.

Instead, they’re mad about Politico subscriptions that cost 8 million over 9 years or whatever. It’s small potatoes compared to the real fraud and waste, which Trump and Musk will never reign in because they are the ones benefiting from it. I strongly suspect the DOGE is motivated by political agendas and Elon’s own financial conflicts of interest, and not eliminating waste.

 

[HereticBD]

I don’t think you understand my position correctly, no.

My position is that the real waste and fraud is at the top levels of government, and that’s what we should be focused on. In other words, it’s a bit silly (and hypocritical) to hear Elon yammer on about waste when loopholes exist that allow Tesla to make 2 billion dollars in income and pay $0 in taxes. It’s silly to hear him yammer on about waste when they are about to pass tax cuts for the rich that add trillions to the debt.

Instead, they’re mad about Politico subscriptions that cost 8 million over 9 years or whatever. It’s small potatoes compared to the real fraud and waste, which Trump and Musk will never reign in because they are the ones benefiting from it. I strongly suspect the DOGE is motivated by political agendas and Elon’s own financial conflicts of interest, and not eliminating waste.

So basically, you're conveniently boiling down all the billions in waste they've exposed to a few million sent to Politico.

Yeah, you're not a serious person.

 

[BFoe]

So basically, you're conveniently boiling down all the billions in waste they've exposed to a few million sent to Politico.

Yeah, you're not a serious person.

Have they? Then where are their reports detailing exactly what they’d like to cut, with references to exactly where in the budget the thing is, or which spending bill authorized it? Nowhere to be found.
They’ve been nothing but dishonest so far, and haven’t been remotely transparent as they are supposed to be by law.

I have pointed out TRILLIONS of dollars in waste that we can eliminate quite easily, but the DOGE isn’t interested in those. They’ll gut a program that’s saved 25 million lives around the world because they want to pay for tax cuts for themselves which are far more wasteful than anything they’ve allegedly uncovered. It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s happening here.

 

[cottagecheesefan]

Have they? Then where are their reports detailing exactly what they’d like to cut, with references to exactly where in the budget the thing is, or which spending bill authorized it? Nowhere to be found.
They’ve been nothing but dishonest so far, and haven’t been remotely transparent as they are supposed to be by law.

I have pointed out TRILLIONS of dollars in waste that we can eliminate quite easily, but the DOGE isn’t interested in those. They’ll gut a program that’s saved 25 million lives around the world because they want to pay for tax cuts for themselves which are far more wasteful than anything they’ve allegedly uncovered. It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s happening here.

So you’re the budget master that has already found trillions?

Lmaooooo, even more retarded than we even knew

 

[AWilder]

So basically, you're conveniently boiling down all the billions in waste they've exposed to a few million sent to Politico.

Yeah, you're not a serious person.

Lmao, the "billions in waste they exposed" is some nuclear grade fan fiction.

 

[BFoe]

So you’re the budget master that has already found trillions?

Lmaooooo, even more retarded than we even knew

Lmao it doesn’t take a budget master, and I don’t think I’m the only one pointing these solutions out. But I do have quite a different philosophy than Trump and Elon because I am not trying to fund massive tax cuts for myself.

 

[moreorless87]

I don’t think you understand my position correctly, no.

My position is that the real waste and fraud is at the top levels of government, and that’s what we should be focused on. In other words, it’s a bit silly (and hypocritical) to hear Elon yammer on about waste when loopholes exist that allow Tesla to make 2 billion dollars in income and pay $0 in taxes. It’s silly to hear him yammer on about waste when they are about to pass tax cuts for the rich that add trillions to the debt.

Instead, they’re mad about Politico subscriptions that cost 8 million over 9 years or whatever. It’s small potatoes compared to the real fraud and waste, which Trump and Musk will never reign in because they are the ones benefiting from it. I strongly suspect the DOGE is motivated by political agendas and Elon’s own financial conflicts of interest, and not eliminating waste.

Honestly though I don't think the real issue is "fraud and waste" its politics, the Trump admin views USAID as a political body with interests which maybe in conflict with its own.

I'm very much not pro Trump but really I think the truth is the "deep state" does clearly exist, political interests which seem like they are not accountable democratically are not some conspiracy theory, we see more extreme versions all around the world were the military/intelligence agencies really weld power.

Now you could argue demcoracy isnt everything, certain rights being protected even if the majority of the population want to breach them but unelected government bodies funding media outlets with a very clear political alignment doesnt seem like it should be one of them to me. The same media bodies seem FAR more interested in this story than they are with Trump potentially targeting minority groups.

A little money in the media or politics can go along way when it comes to influence.