#government-oversight

#government-oversight

We speak again of that near-invisible form of local government called "special districts" - usually single-purpose agencies that form an awe-inspiring patchwork quilt above, below and alongside your higher-profile city and county governments. Some special districts deliver your water. Others cart away your sewage. Still others handle regional transportation, fire services, health care, cemeteries ... heck, some even battle mosquitos and rats! Heaven knows we need separate little governments for that.

Hospices in England are cutting hundreds of beds and staff because of a funding crisis, despite a sharp rise in demand for palliative care, a damning report warns. People needing end of life care faced a postcode lottery because access to services was so patchy, the National Audit Office (NAO) reported. A lack of government oversight meant ministers were unaware of how reliant they were on independent hospices, its 52-page report found.

The independence of the Electoral Commission must be fully restored to protect the UK's electoral integrity from a future authoritarian government, a new report warns. The Democracy in Danger report by Spotlight on Corruption found the UK government is in breach of eight different international standards on ensuring the independence of electoral bodies by maintaining the government's oversight of the watchdog. It warned current ministerial power over the Electoral Commission, brought in by Boris Johnson, could easily be abused to undermine our democracy.

copied Americans' sensitive Social Security and employment data into a cloud database without any verified security controls,

The U.K. has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a 'back door' that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties, Gabbard wrote in a post on X.

The more than $175 billion that Congress handed to the nation's immigration enforcers when it passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is larger than the annual military budget of every country in the world except the United States and China.

In effect, if this bill becomes law, the head of SAPO will become a nominal figure, while NABU will lose its independence and turn into a subdivision of the prosecutor general's office.

The report states that we currently have no idea the extent to which recommendations and action plans from domestic homicide reviews are being implemented on a national level. This is a huge opportunity missed.

Sen. Todd Young called for Senate hearings into reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth failed to inform President Trump about a weapons pause to Ukraine, heightening concerns among Republicans.

The number of parking fines issued by private parking companies has skyrocketed since they successfully challenged a Conservative bill three years ago that enacted a proper code of practice for handing out fines. Private parking firms issued a record 14.4 million tickets last year as motorists urged the government to crack down on the bandit practice.

Howard Lutnick, after losing the Treasury secretary position, took over Commerce. His sons, Brandon and Kyle, stepped in at Cantor Fitzgerald following his ascension.

The Department of Arts, Culture, the Gaeltacht and Sports has instructed the chair of the Arts Council to draw up a report on an alleged incident that took place on June 19.

President Trump has fired Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Christopher T. Hanson, asserting a need for alignment among leadership within the Executive Branch to maintain effective governance.

They will be informed in the coming days of the sums to be repaid, ranging from as low as €100 up to €30,000.

The demand for financial disclosure is aimed at determining whether Musk is self-dealing, or violating conflict-of-interest rules.

Mairead Farrell will take over as chairperson of the Finance Committee, a critical role previously held by Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness, emphasizing her influence in scrutinizing public expenditure.

Ernst's proposal aims to ensure IRS employees are compliant with tax laws, addressing a significant issue where many workers owed substantial amounts in taxes.