Pentagon used taxpayer money meant for masks and swabs to make jet engine parts and body armor

Mark Frauenfelder 11:45 am Tue Sep 22, 2020

Image: Depositphotos

Don't worry — defense contractors are faring well during the coronavirus. The Washington Post reports the Pentagon diverted $1 billion in taxpayer funds intended for pandemic-related medical equipped to defense contractors to "make things such as jet engine parts, body armor, and dress uniforms."

Among the awards: $183 million to firms including Rolls-Royce and ArcelorMittal to maintain the shipbuilding industry; tens of millions of dollars for satellite, drone, and space surveillance technology; $80 million to a Kansas aircraft parts business suffering from the Boeing 737 Max grounding and the global slowdown in air travel; and $2 million for a domestic manufacturer of Army dress uniform fabric.

The "suffering" Kansas aircraft parts business is Spirit AeroSystems. The CEO Thomas C. Gentile III was profiled last year in Money, Inc.

Mr. Gentile is handsomely rewarded for his hard work and dedication to Spirit Aerosystems. There is nothing that is easy about the rigors of being in charge of leading the company, and full responsibility for its success rests upon his shoulders. Spirit rewards his efforts with a salary that is $1,241,233, with a bonus for his excellent performance of an additional $1,546,576. He also receives stock and other types of compensation which for the 2018 fiscal year amounted to $9.9 million.

Trump campaign chairman paid $12.7m by Ukraine government in secret ledger

Paul Manafort, the campaign chairman of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, received $12.7m in secret cash payments as a consultant for Ukraine's ruling political party, according to a ledger seen by the New York Times. And Mr. Manafort's presence remains elsewhere here in the capital, where government investigators examining secret records have found his name,… READ THE REST
Corruption crisis in world spinach capital

Most of the top officials in a Texas city described as "the world's spinach capital" were arrested last week on corruption charges. A federal indictment accuses Crystal City's administrators of taking bribes from contractors and of supporting a gambling ring operated by a criminal nicknamed "Mr. T." The mayor, city manager, mayor pro tempore, and… READ THE REST
This advanced data analytics trading can set you up for a great new career in 2021

If you want to understand the job market, there's no source more reliable than LinkedIn. So when data science and data analysis roles dominate the LinkedIn list of the fastest-growing jobs in the world, it's probably worth some consideration for job seekers. Knowing the tools and processes that fuel the adoption of data analysis in… READ THE REST
TourBox lets you ditch the keyboard and mouse for ultra-heightened control of your digital projects.

Keyboards and mice are fine for surfing the web. They're fine for working in spreadsheets, assembling a text document or for sorting through emails. But when users need precision control, the old keyboard and mouse often don't quite cut it anymore. For gamers, they turn to souped-up joysticks with a host of extra buttons and… READ THE REST
There's a new school of car insurance companies, and Clearcover leads the pack

"Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." That century-old quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson (sort of) is just as true today. If you build a better product, offer a better service or create a better infrastructure for customers, then with a bit of time and attention, the world… READ THE REST