‘Hundreds of millions of dollars’ lost in
Washington to unemployment fraud
amid coronavirus joblessness surge
Posted By: Ron_lfp, 5/22/2020 10:37:25 AM
Washington state officials have acknowledged the loss of “hundreds of millions of dollars” to an international fraud scheme (snip) Suzi LeVine, commissioner of the state Employment Security Department (ESD), disclosed (snip) believed to be orchestrated from Nigeria. But she conceded that the amount was “orders of magnitude above” the $1.6 million that the ESD reported losing (snip) ESD officials have acknowledged that, because of the elimination of the so-called waiting week between the time a claim is filed and the time the benefit is paid, the agency wasn’t always able to get verification from employers about a claim before payment was made.
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Washington state officials have acknowledged the loss of “hundreds of millions of dollars” to an international fraud scheme (snip)
Suzi LeVine, commissioner of the state Employment Security Department (ESD), disclosed (snip) believed to be orchestrated from Nigeria. But she conceded that the amount was “orders of magnitude above” the $1.6 million that the ESD reported losing (snip)
ESD officials have acknowledged that, because of the elimination of the so-called waiting week between the time a claim is filed and the time the benefit is paid, the agency wasn’t always able to get verification from employers about a claim before payment was made.
What’s the pathway to a championship team in sports? Or successfully navigating a startup to a billion-dollar company? Every coach or CEO would tell you the same thing. It’s all about the talent. (snip) Safe Work and Economic Recovery Leaders Group for Economic Recovery. Given the incredible and diverse talent in Washington state, one might expect known small business leaders or C-suite entrepreneurs from retail, technology, manufacturing, aerospace, travel or food.
Instead? A transit activist, three labor leaders and the head of communications for a winery. (snip) These other governors have convened formidable groups akin to Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson and the Legion of Boom. We have the Oregon State Beavers.
Michael Jellison shut the doors to PA Fitness in March as COVID-19 spread across the state.
Gov. Jay Inslee had issued a stay-home order, and Jellison dutifully closed — as did owners of thousands of other businesses deemed by the state’s chief executive to be non-essential.
On May 11, Jellison unlocked the doors, welcoming customers back six days a week for “protest hours.” Working out is a “mentally and physically essential” activity, he said Tuesday, (snip) On Monday, Attorney General Ferguson sued Jellison in Snohomish County Superior Court, alleging that by remaining open his gym is endangering public health and engaging in unfair business practices because competitors have followed the state’s rules
When Governor Inslee’s order closed public schools in mid-March because of COVID-19, many parents went online for help. They discovered Washington state has an existing, well-established system of free, public, state-approved and fully accredited, online schools. These online schools have years of experience and expertise. Thousands of students have graduated from online public schools and gone on to college and to lead successful, productive lives. (snip) many parents rushed to enroll their children online. Yet state superintendent of schools Chris Reykdal has decided to cut off state funding for these families.
Just about every day, someone claims that the air is cleaner. That, we are told, is a small benefit of the coronavirus-induced economic lockdowns. By reducing traffic on our roads, we are polluting the air less, providing a visible example of the supposed benefits of imposing more environmental regulation.
(snip) The air-quality data tell a different story. According to the EPA’s air-quality monitors, levels of particulate matter — known as PM 2.5 — are not lower now and have, in fact, been higher recently than the median level of the last five years. (snip) The key factor, however, is that in most places, human-caused pollution is small relative to natural sources.
On April 29, Governor Inslee released a series of dials called the “COVID-19 Risk assessment dashboard,” reflecting the data he claims to be using to make decisions about reopening the state economy. He told the reporters that he was doing this “so we can be completely transparent with Washingtonians about how we are making these decisions,” which he promised he is doing “based on data and science.”
Analysis of that dashboard and the dials, however, shows this is simply not true and there are several problems. The dial settings do not match the underlying data trends. The dials are extremely imprecise, and some of the metrics the governor uses are meaningless.
A judge on a Washington state court has a chance May 21 to quash a dangerous, outlandish lawsuit against Fox News that would eviscerate First Amendment media freedoms.(snip)
The suit is brought by a 3-year-old group of leftist provocateurs called WASHLITE, (snip) They are suing Fox News for alleged violations of the state’s Consumer Protection Act, which outlaws deceptive practices in the course of commerce. WASHLITE says Fox should be punished because some of its on-air personnel, (snip) spent weeks downplaying “the danger of the international proliferation of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.” The result, says the group, was that its members’ health and livelihoods were put at risk,
An unofficial state revenue forecast is projecting a $7 billion deficit for the next 4 years. (snip) As of today, however, state employees are scheduled to receive a 3% pay raise on July 1. A 3% pay raise also took effect last July. With the state facing a massive budget deficit, the Governor should immediately reopen the state employee contracts to cancel the new 3% pay raise before it takes effect. (snip) On May 13 he signed a directive to freeze state hiring, personal service contracts and equipment purchases.
Education is continuing, more or less, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic – more for families with resources, less for those without.
And for an alarmingly high number of students in Spokane and the rest of the nation, genuine learning isn’t happening at all. Despite the efforts of Spokane Public Schools and other districts, many families have simply given up.
The reasons include a lack of internet connections and online expertise as well as poverty, pandemic-related unemployment and homelessness. (snip) Several teachers said last week they suspect as few as 10% of their students are fully engaged in distance learning.
Walla Walla County leaders are responding on Thursday after health officials walked back their claims that people in the county were holding "coronavirus parties" in an attempt to contract the disease.
County health officials had previously said they knew of multiple instances of people hosting these parties, thinking they would be infected with the disease then develop immunity.
The story got widespread attention and was picked up by local media outlets (snip) After the story ran on KREM on Wednesday, a Walla Walla County Health Department spokesperson reached out to "recall" their comments and explained that the parties weren't intended to infect people.
As we grow desperate over the lagging coronavirus economy, rather than respond with compassion, Governor Jay Inslee deflects with a sleazy strategy of shaming people into submission. This is not the move of a competent leader.
(snip) Republican lawmakers (snip) contend the stay-at-home order is too restrictive and that we can safely and responsibly reopen parts of the economy faster.
Rather than tell us why he thinks public health data makes a stronger case to keep the economy shut down, Inslee attacks his critics as heartless. (snip) Instead of providing data, Inslee merely says “data” and “science” hoping we’ll confuse the words for actual data and science.
Jennifer Kreidler-Moss has no shortage of concerns to occupy her.
When schools hosting Peninsula Community Health Services sites shut down, her organization lost touch points to schoolchildren, including some struggling with mental health or at risk of suicide.
“I’m beside myself with worry,” said Kreidler-Moss, the nonprofit’s CEO.
And since COVID-19 began, 17% of the staff has been laid off or furloughed and March revenues fell $884,000 short of expectations. (snip) But now, as rates of new COVID-19 cases and deaths trend lower, some experts and health administrators say the measures that helped avoid the pandemic’s deluge are barreling health systems toward a second crisis: a flood of red ink.
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Former Donald Trump fan Ann Coulter yesterday went on an extraordinary Twitter rant, calling the president a 'disloyal retard' and a 'blithering idiot.' Coulter was incensed on Sunday after Trump tweeted 'Alabama, do not trust Jeff Sessions', the latest attack by the president on his former Attorney General. The far-right pundit said Trump's endorsement of Tommy Tuberville—Sessions' opponent in the Republican primary—showed he was 'the most disloyal human God ever created.' The author of the 2016 book 'In Trump We Trust' went on to say: 'I will never apologize for supporting the issues that candidate Trump advocated, but I am deeply
Conservative syndicated columnist Jonah Goldberg slammed Kayleigh McEnany for her role as White House press secretary, calling her “grotesque” on this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday.” After playing a clip of McEnany sparring with reporters, host Chris Wallace said, “Unmasking is pretty routine. It’s an effort by people in an administration to find out who a masked person is. It happens in the Trump White House. It happened I think 16,000 times the year before last. What’s a crime is leaking it, but unmasking isn’t. In addition to which, I have to say that if Kayleigh McEnany had told Sam Donaldson and me what questions we should ask, that would not have gone well.”
Monday on CNN’s “Newsroom,” network host and political commentator S.E. Cupp accused President Donald Trump of being “not healthy and not well,” amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Trump’s coronavirus response, Cupp said, “I think we should say, this has long gone past offensive, and distasteful. I think what we’re seeing is the president losing it. I don’t think the president’s behavior is that of a healthy, stable, balanced person, that he can’t spend all of his energy, efforts and attention on this global pandemic, on securing the physical and economic safety and health of this country
New York Times on Memorial Day Weekend:
Why Does the U.S. Military Celebrate White
Supremacy?’ 40 replies
Why Does the U.S. Military Celebrate White
Supremacy?’ 40 replies
The New York Times published an editorial on the first day of Memorial Day weekend asking: “Why Does the U.S. Military Celebrate White Supremacy?”The article‘s byline is the entire editorial board, and it is accompanied by an image of a bullet shaped like a Ku Klux Klan robe.The central complaint of the article is that there are U.S. military bases named after Confederate Army officers: This same toxic legacy clings to the 10 United States military installations across the South that were named for Confederate Army officers during the first half of the 20th century. Apologists often describe the names as a necessary gesture of reconciliation
The confused judge who has unconstitutionally inserted himself into the Justice Department’s case against General Flynn made some actions behind the scene that are just as troubling.Judge Sullivan helped Jim Comey get his speaking gig at Howard University for $100,000.
How much more corruption can America take. The corrupt judge who inserted himself into the General Flynn case, who insinuated the General was a traitor, has a lifestyle that matches his actions in court. (Snip)But at the same time as the challenges with tuition for many of Howard’s students, Judge Sullivan worked with President Frederick to get Jim Comey as a guest speaker for a $100,000 fee.
Sunday on WISN’s “Up Front,” presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said there was “no evidence whatsoever” that mail-in voting is fraud-ridden.WISN’s Matt Smith asked, “President Trump tweeted today. He went after a number of states that are beginning to send out absentee ballot applications. Wisconsin is considering doing the same ahead of the November election. Is there concern this could lead to more fraud? This push to vote early?”Biden said, “I will tell you what, you mean Trump fraud? Look, he’s sitting in the White House filling out absentee ballots to vote in a primary in Florida. Now, why is it not fraud when he does it,
A gay main character has finally appeared in a Pixar film. “Out,” a short film released on Disney Plus on Friday, follows a man named Greg who struggles to come out to his mom and dad as he gets ready to move to the city with his boyfriend, Manuel. Greg’s inner turmoil rises as his parents surprise him and come to help him pack. In a magical turn of events, Greg switches bodies with his dog, and as he tries to hide evidence of his relationship, he soon realizes he shouldn’t hide who he truly is from his parents.
Senate Dems call on Trump admin to let
Planned Parenthood keep PPP money it
fraudulently collected 29 replies
Planned Parenthood keep PPP money it
fraudulently collected 29 replies
Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, received $80 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans designed to assist small businesses survive in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
While there was widespread media outcry over corporations getting this funding, compete will calls for them to return the money, there has been relative quiet over 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country receiving millions of dollars of aid included in the $2.3 trillion coronavirus stimulus measure.
And now Democrats are making a public appeal to let the abortion providers keep the money, insisted they are non-profit “health centers” — how’s that for audacity?
This madness has to end now.
Every single lockdown order inflicted on the American people these past few months needs to be rescinded immediately.
Once that’s done, Fauci has to be investigated to find out why on earth he pushed these catastrophic measures on us using projections he knew to be false.
On Sunday, Chicago’s first openly gay mayor, Lori Lightfoot, mounted a raid on a black South Side church for holding services in defiance of her coronavirus lockdown orders.Lightfoot reportedly sent three marked squad cars and two unmarked cars full of officers to the Chicago Cornerstone Baptist Church in the South Side’s Woodlawn neighborhood. Woodlawn is just south of Hyde Park, the area in which the Obamas lived for a short time before Barack became president.(Tweet) The pastor of the mostly black congregation, Courtney Lewis, reportedly shut and locked the doors and refused to allow the officers to gain entry to the building,
A Window Onto an American Nightmare
26 replies
Zach Hickson arrived in San Francisco to stay three years ago, at twenty-seven, because nowhere in America seemed more appealing at the time. The city was mild and fragrant. The streets on clear days had a liquid energy, and seemed to offer opportunities that he hadn’t had before. “It was a place where I could do what I wanted to do,” he told me recently. He began to call the city home.
Hickson was brilliant. He was brought up in a military family, on the gritty south side of Houston, with an I.Q. higher than both of his parents’. He struggled to fit in, got in some fights.
Hillary Clinton just thanked Andrew Cuomo
for ‘responsible decisions to keep people
safe’ in crisis 24 replies
for ‘responsible decisions to keep people
safe’ in crisis 24 replies
In what could be the most tone-deaf and incorrect statement of the year so far, two-time failed Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton has just praised New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his ‘responsible’ leadership during the coronavirus pandemic to “keep people safe.”
“I’m missing our Chappaqua Memorial Day parade today while also feeling grateful to leaders like @NYGovCuomo for making responsible decisions to keep people safe. Wishing everyone a safe and healthy holiday. @BillClinton and I will be waving our flags at home,” Clinton wrote in a tweet featuring a picture of herself, her ex-president husband, and Cuomo, laughing it up presumably during an earlier parade. (Tweet)
Comments:
ESD didn't TRY to verify with employers for weeks. They fed this to the scammers.