Fast Company: “The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has updated its website, and in theory, it’s a model of government transparency. The site lists savings the department claims to have made from cuts, along with bar charts and tables that purport to show the department’s work and the size and scope of the federal government.… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Financial System
DOGE Has ‘God Mode’ Access to Government Data
The Atlantic [unpaywalled]: “The president’s special commission now has an unprecedented ability to view and manipulate information at many federal agencies. The employee’s account, along with the accounts of several others across federal agencies, offers the clearest portrait yet of just how deep DOGE has burrowed into the systems of the federal government—and the sensitive… Continue Reading
DOGE Claimed It Saved $8 Billion in One Contract. It Was Actually $8 Million.
The New York Times: “The biggest single line item on the website of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team appears to include an error. The Department of Government Efficiency, the federal cost-cutting initiative championed by Elon Musk, published on Monday a list of government contracts it has canceled, together amounting to about $16 billion in savings itemized… Continue Reading
Will DOGE Soon Take Over the Federal Procurement Data System?
I am going to deduce, based on many ongoing purging and illegal take over of federal government finance related databases (among a vast array of other subject matter) that this announcement is cover for DOGE to take control of this critical e-government federal government contract system: NOTICE: FPDS Downtime Notification The FPDS production application (https://www.fpds.gov)… Continue Reading
The Generative AI Con
Wheres’ Your Ed At, Edward Zitron: “It’s been just over two years and two months since ChatGPT launched, and in that time we’ve seen Large Language Models (LLMs) blossom from a novel concept into one of the most craven cons of the 21st century — a cynical bubble inflated by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman built… Continue Reading
Trump signs executive orders limiting power of agencies
Washington Times: “President Trump on Tuesday [February 18, 2025] signed an executive order [Ensuring Accountability For All Agencies] declaring that only the attorney general or the president, instead of federal regulators or bureaucrats, can speak for the U.S. when interpreting the meaning of laws carried out by the executive branch. The order was among three… Continue Reading
AI in Finance and Banking, February 17, 2025
AI in Finance and Banking, February 17, 2025 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, conferences, industry white papers and reports, academic papers and speeches, and central bank actions on the subject of AI’s fast paced impact on the banking and finance sectors. The chronological links provided are to… Continue Reading
Economic Policy Uncertainty Index
The Global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index is at an all-time high right now, besting even the economic uncertainty at the start of the pandemic (May 2020). The Economic Policy Uncertainty Index – We develop a new method to measure economic policy uncertainty and test its dynamic relationship with output, investment, and employment. We find that,… Continue Reading
Data Rescue Project
Data Rescue Project – There are many individuals, organizations, and community-based resources that document and assist with rescuing efforts. Below is the list of tools, data sources, library guides, and articles we are aware of and their associated scopes. This list was developed from the original Data Rescue Google Doc. Please email suggestions to [email protected].… Continue Reading
Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook
The Verge: “As Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have sought to gut and remake the federal government to their liking, federal workers have changed how they communicate with one another and with friends. They have locked down communication channels, migrated to new platforms, and what was once skepticism has grown into deep distrust —… Continue Reading
USAspending Data Sources and SAM.gov
“USAspending.gov links data from many government systems, including agency financial systems and governmentwide award systems. Scroll below to learn more about these systems, as well as the context for this historic initiative to provide federal spending transparency.” Try searching for contracts by vendor name such as AWS, Inc., Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Tesla Laboratories, Inc.… Continue Reading
Forbes America’s Best Mid Sized Employers 2025
“It has never been easy to find a job at an organization that values its employees, provides generous benefits, offers career advancement opportunities and gives staff the chance to produce meaningful work alongside supportive colleagues. But over the past 10 years, Forbes has made it a little bit easier for job seekers to find these… Continue Reading
