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A Prudential Pulse survey finds large percentages of millennials, gen Z and women struggle with finances. The result is more gig work...Nearly half of millennials agree or somewhat agree with the statement "I regularly run out of money and have to rely on credit cards or family for financial support."Please consider Generational Gap Grows: Work & Money Outlook DividedJob Hopping to Increase Pay or Better Work BalanceYounger generations continue to drive the Great Resignation: One-third of millennials and 46% of Gen Z have switched employers since the start of the pandemic — a stark contrast compared to 29% of all...

Most Americans are not worried at all or not too worried about contracting the Chinese coronavirus, even as public health officials warn of a “resurgence” this fall, a poll from The Economist/YouGov found. The survey asked respondents, “Taking into consideration both your risk of contracting it and the seriousness of the illness, how worried are you personally about experiencing COVID-19?

A 90-year-old Belgian woman died after she became infected with two different strains of COVID-19 at the same time, scientists revealed Sunday. Her case was the first documented of a patient infected with two strains, although the “phenomenon is probably underestimated,” one of the lead researchers said, according to Agence France-Presse. The patient, who was not vaccinated, became sick in March with the Alpha and Beta strains of the virus, which were first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa, respectively, according to scientists at the European Congress on Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.

SEATTLE—As state and federal lawmakers consider drafting new legislation to counter big tech censorship of dissenting political voices, few seem to realize that an anti-discrimination law already on the books could spell big trouble for big tech companies that engage in political censorship. Ironically, the law was enacted by one of the most politically progressive cities in the country: Seattle. Unlike most political jurisdictions in the United States, Seattle expressly forbids discrimination on the basis of “political ideology.” Seattle defines political ideology expansively as any idea or belief, or coordinated body of ideas or beliefs, relating to the purpose, conduct,...

JPMorgan economists cut their second-quarter forecast even more, now expecting the economy will decline by 40%The economists said the 16.8 million jobless claims filed in the last three weeks indicate a huge surge in job losses, which they estimate at 25 million in April. A number of Wall Street firms expect contractions in the second quarter of 30% or more. JPMorgan economists issued an even more dire forecast, now foreseeing a 40% decline in the nation’s gross domestic product for the second quarter and a surge in April’s unemployment rate to 20% with 25 million jobs lost.In an earlier forecast, they said...

Eyeing stricter controls in the federal government’s minority contracting program, a House oversight panel on Tuesday is expected to address the findings of a Times investigation that showed that companies received more than $300 million in taxpayer-funded contracts based on unverified claims that their owners were Native American. The committee oversees the U.S. Small Business Administration, which certifies federal contractors as minority-owned. Its subcommittee on investigations will conduct the hearing.

Last Sunday, The New York Times published a front-page article about the heartfelt need of California farmers for more illegal aliens. The first tip-off that heinous public policy ideas were coming was that the Times introduced farmer Chuck Herrin, owner of a farm-labor contracting company, as a "lifelong Republican." That's Times-speak for "liberal." Herrin admitted that he employs a lot of illegal aliens and bitterly complained that they lived in fear of "Border Patrol and deportations." (But, apparently, he doesn't live in fear of admitting he's violating our immigration laws.) Sorry that running a country inconveniences you, Chuck. He said...

For the first time, California would ask its contractors if they are gay under legislation passed Monday by the Assembly. The measure, Assembly Bill 1960, would enable the owners of businesses that contract with the state to identify themselves as gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual. It would not require them to do so. The Assembly vote was 47-24, with only one Republican supporting it. The Department of General Services currently is required to collect data on contractors by race, ethnicity and gender. AB 1960 would add LGBT-owned businesses to that list. The bill by Sacramento Democratic Assemblyman Roger Dickinson seeks...

How could a contracting scam avoid detection for so long?By Del Quentin Wilber and Robert O’Harrow The private contractors and government employees skimmed millions from the Army Corps of Engineers in what authorities have described as one of the most brazen contracting scams in federal government history. From 2007 through September, the contractors and two program managers at the Army Corps inflated $25 million in contract orders by $20 million — pocketing the proceeds to buy cars, flat-screen televisions and expensive jewelry, federal prosecutors allege. So where was the oversight? And how did the scam go on for so long?...

Millions of dollars worth of federal contracts transformed Anita Talwar from a government accounting clerk into a wealthy woman — one who can afford a $2.8 million home in the Washington suburbs with its own elevator, wine cellar and Swarovski crystal chandeliers. Talwar, a 59-year-old immigrant from India, had no idea that she and her husband would amass a small fortune when she launched a company providing tech support to the federal government in 1987. But she shrewdly took advantage of programs for minority-owned small businesses and rode a boom in federal contracting. Talwar’s success — and that of hundreds...

Government: Under the guise of rooting out Chicago-style political corruption from government contracting, President Obama seems intent on signing an executive order that would enshrine it. Last month, the White House drafted an order that would require any company bidding on a federal contract to disclose not only its company donations to federal candidates going back two years, but those of its directors and officers as well. It would also force these firms to disclose contributions to independent groups that might spend some of the money on campaign ads. And it would warehouse all this data in a searchable government...

San Francisco's much-heralded "social justice" requirements for city contracts are costing local taxpayers millions of dollars a year in overcharges, according to workers in departments ranging from the Municipal Transportation Agency to the Department of Emergency Management. In one case, a Muni worker said the city paid $3,000 for a vehicle battery tray. Such parts can be found online for $12 to $300, depending on the type of vehicle. City officials said they couldn't verify that purchase, saying the trays are usually bought in bulk with the battery. Other city purchasing policies, if followed, would mean paying about $240 for...

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/February/10-at-182.html NOTE: The following text SNIPPET is a quote: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Department of Justice and USDA Workshops to Explore Competition and Regulatory Issues in the Agriculture Industry to Begin March 12 in Iowa Initial Workshop to Be Held in Ankeny, Iowa, at Des Moines Area Community College, FFA Enrichment Center WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the agenda and panelists for the first joint public workshop, which will be held on March 12, 2010, in Ankeny, Iowa, to explore competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture...

DOD’s major weapon systems programs continue to take longer to develop, cost more, and deliver fewer quantities and capabilities than originally planned. DOD also continues to face long-standing challenges managing service contracts and contractors. For example, the oversight of service contracts has been recognized as a material weakness in the Army... Several underlying systemic problems at the strategic level and at the program level continue to contribute to poor weapon systems acquisition. The total acquisition cost of DOD’s 2007 portfolio of major programs has grown by 26 percent over initial estimates... DOD largely continues to define warfighting needs and make...

I want to start a defense contracting company. I have expertise in education and training, in addition, I am a former US Marine and a former magazine editor. I want to help the armed forces produce high quality curriculums for both officers and enlisted. I have a few questions about going about this. A) Do I need security clearance just to place a bid to do contract work with the military? B) Some companies check out your finances to get a picture of your competence as a potential business manager. I know that they check your finances for the security...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – With former presidential rival Sen. John McCain and other congressional critics of government waste by his side, President Barack Obama changed another Bush-era policy Wednesday, announcing a plan to change how the government awards private sector contracts. “It’s time for a government that only invests in what works,” Obama said when calling for new spending guidelines. “And what’s encouraging is that there is broad, bipartisan consensus on behalf of reform.” Obama reserved special criticism for defense contractors, saying that the majority of the waste “comes from influence peddling and indefensible no-bid contracts that have cost American taxpayers...

BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston's $15 billion "Big Dig" was meant to inspire awe, an engineering marvel on scale with the Panama Canal that would thrust U.S. cities into a new era. ADVERTISEMENT Instead, it faces a crisis of public confidence after a fatal tunnel collapse that could derail plans for other U.S. urban mega-projects. With 7.5 miles of underground highway and a 183-foot (56 meter) wide cable-stayed bridge, the Big Dig replaced an ailing elevated expressway to fix chronic congestion and reunite downtown Boston with its historic waterfront neighborhoods. But cost overruns, leaks, delays, falling debris, criminal probes and charges...

WASHINGTON - From Iraq reconstruction to Hurricane Katrina, poor contracting oversight enables Alaska Native corporations to capitalize on multimillion-dollar no-bid deals at a potential cost to taxpayers and small businesses, a federal audit says. A report by the Government Accountability Office, obtained Tuesday, indicates gaps in the overseeing of federal contracts, which have boomed in recent years in part due to provisions backed by Sen. Ted Stevens (news, bio, voting record), R-Alaska. The review of 16 no-bid contracts found that administration agencies routinely picked Alaskan firms — which can be designated legally as "small and disadvantaged," regardless of their size...

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 14, 2006 – Afghan vendors won 84 percent of contracts awarded by the U.S. military's regional contracting centers in February, up from 55 percent in October, military officials here reported. Their gains in contract values were even more impressive, to 81 percent in January from 31 percent in October, they added. Coalition officials attributed the gains to efforts emphasizing Afghan businesses, changes in contract solicitation language and efforts to educate Afghan vendors on how to compete for U.S. military contracts. Such contracts involve office furniture and supplies, construction materials and work, hauling, interpreting and other products and...

CHICAGO (AP) - A politically connected businessman who admitted lying to get $120 million in city contracts set aside for companies operated by women and minorities was sentenced Wednesday to almost 10 years in federal prison. James Duff, 46, whose family has been prominent among Mayor Richard M. Daley's supporters, sat expressionless as Judge Elaine E. Bucklo described him as a bully who contributed to an impression that corruption is widespread in Chicago. "The public needs to know that corruption and fraud against the city will not be dealt with by a slap on the wrist," Bucklo said in imposing...