CfA's September 11, 2020 Newsletter
Thank you for your continued support of CfA. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still working to hold the powerful accountable.
Our Latest Work:
- CfA Files IRS Complaint Against Wisconsin Nonprofit for Omitting Political Spending on Tax Filings: On Tuesday, CfA filed a complaint with the IRS against Wisconsin nonprofit Jobs First Coalition Inc. for failing to disclose nearly $1 million in political spending on its annual tax forms.
- A Fighter Jet and Friends in Congress: How Google Got Access to a NASA Airfield: On Wednesday, CfA's Tech Transparency Project released a report detailing Google's exclusive access to a government airfield within minutes of the company's headquarters. The sweetheart deal between a Google-affiliated company, H211, and the government dates back to 2007, when Google promised to pay a lease, and help NASA collect atmospheric data in exchange for landing rights at the field. However, Google has repeatedly failed to live up to their side of the bargain.
- Demand Fake Clinics Return PPP Loans: Today is the final day to sign on to the petition demanding that these fake clinics return their COVID-19 PPP loans. Fake clinic networks Heartbeat International and Obria were both recipients of this aid, while actual healthcare provider Planned Parenthood was forced to give back $60 million because of the Title X “gag rule” implemented in 2019.
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To keep these projects going, we rely on grassroots supporters like you. Every donation — no matter how small — allows us to keep the work going.
DONATE NOW
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What We're Reading:
- UN Experts Say U.S. Abortion Restrictions During COVID-19 Crisis Violate Human Rights: “The UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls, together with the UN special rapporteur on right to health and the UN special rapporteur on violence against women, asserted in a statement that eight U.S. states—Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Iowa, Ohio, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee—“with a long history of restrictive practices against abortion, seem to have been manipulating the crisis to severely restrict women’s reproductive rights.” (Center for Reproductive Rights, September 8)
- Trump Is...? Biden Is...? Google removes autocomplete for candidates and voting: "On Thursday, the tech giant said it will remove suggestions that could be seen as endorsing or opposing political parties and candidates. It will also eliminate autocomplete predictions related to information concerning participation in the election, such as voting methods, requirements or the status of voting locations. For example, phrases like "you can vote by phone" or "you can't vote by phone" would not appear in autocomplete." (CNN Business, September 11)
- Angry Upper West Siders Wanted Homeless "Scum" Out Of Their Neighborhood. De Blasio Took Their Side: "In a neighborhood Facebook group with 14,000 members, local residents had openly fantasized about an armed uprising against their homeless neighbors, counseled each other to use wasp spray and dog feces to make them feel unwelcome, and referred to people perceived as homeless as “trash,” “scum,” and “thugs."" (Gothamist, September 11)
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Follow Our Work:
We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
- Follow CfA on Twitter and Facebook.
- Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter and Facebook.
- Tell your friends and colleagues about CfA.
- Send us a tip.
- Make a tax-deductible donation.
Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
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Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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