These stories rocked the boat.

 

Thanks for joining the Lever community.   We’re proud to be one of the few truly independent reader-supported news outlets covering money and politics.  We wanted to share with you some of the stories that our readers have shared the most widely — and that have driven national news cycles, congressional investigations, and more. Musk Just Scored More Government Cash While Pushing Education Cuts As the billionaire was reportedly slashing Education Department contracts, SpaceX secured a multimillion-dollar “supplemental” deal from NASA. The Rise Of Big Potato Allegations of price collusions among the potato cartel reveal the new, sophisticated methods food corporations are using to keep prices high. FDA Approved — And Ineffective Federal regulators have authorized hundreds of drugs without evidence they work, and many are dangerous. Airlines Are Collecting Your Data And Selling It To ICE An aviation industry clearinghouse is collecting passenger information from billions of past and future flights and selling it to Trump’s immigration enforcers. Trump IRS Pick Was Just Enriched By Tax Schemers New documents show Billy Long’s $130,000 personal debt was suddenly paid off by donors at firms policed by the tax agency he’d lead. BECOME A PAID SUBSCRIBER Rock the boat.

Whistleblower Lawsuit Exposes Trump’s Secret ICE Plot GOV. JARED POLIS

 

 Jun 5, 2025

Whistleblower Lawsuit Exposes Trump’s Secret ICE Plot

The complaint by Gov. Jared Polis’ labor official also accuses the governor of illegally ordering state officials to aid the immigration crackdown.

THE LEVER

Local News

Two of Colorado's biggest unions join a state employee in suing Gov. Jared Polis

Colorado WINS, a union representing 27,000 state employees, and the AFL-CIO say they are joining a top official in the Department of Labor and Employment in suing Gov. Jared Polis after they say he ordered state employees to commit illegal acts.

"We are outraged as state employees that our governor wanted us to actively support that assault on our community and make us as state workers accomplices in an illegal and morally reprehensible act," says Diane Byrne, President of Colorado WINS.

At issue is a subpoena for information -- including addresses and phone numbers -- on 35 individuals who the Department of Homeland Security says are listed as sponsors of unaccompanied children who are in the U.S. illegally. The agency has apparently lost track of the kids and says they may be subject to crimes of human trafficking or other forms of exploitation.

While two laws, signed by Polis, bar state employees from sharing personally identifying information for immigration enforcement, they make an exception for criminal investigations. The governor ordered employees at the Department of Labor and Employment to comply with the subpoena.

A spokesperson for the governor says, "The decision to respond to this federal subpoena due to concerns about potential crimes against vulnerable minors was carefully considered in accordance with Colorado law, which allows for sharing information to support timely criminal investigations."

Scott Moss, a director at the Department of Labor and Employment, disagrees. He notes the subpoena wasn't issued by a judge and is titled "Immigration Enforcement Subpoena."

He sued the governor.

State Sen. Julie Gonzalez went a step further, suggesting Polis should step down.

"I don't know about you but, Jared Polis has broken my trust," she said.

She says Polis has also broken the trust of individuals who were promised their information would be protected from immigration agents.

David Seligman is Executive Director of Towards Justice, a civil rights organization that has also joined the lawsuit. He says the Governor's directive doesn't make sense.

"So why is the governor going out of his way to help Donald Trump and ICE?" Seligman said.

The governor's spokesperson says: "Helping federal law enforcement partners locate and, if necessary, rescue children being abused and trafficked is not only in line with the law but also a moral imperative."

It's estimated 75%-80% of unaccompanied children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border are victims of human trafficking. The lawsuit was filed in Denver District Court and will be heard in a couple weeks.

Shaun Boyd

Shaun Boyd is Your Political Reporter at CBS News Colorado. Share you story ideas with her by sending an email to yourreporter@cbs.com.

CBS NEWS

Trump pick to head IRS raises red flags with sketchy ties, disappearing debt

 

MSNBC

8.52M subscribers

#Trump #IRS #Politics

Rachel Maddow reports on concerns by Senate Democrats that Donald Trump's pick to lead the IRS, Billy Long, has questionable ties to people involved in a tax credit scheme. Maddow additionally shares reporting by The Lever that Long's recent campaign debt from a failed Senate bid appears to have been paid off in part by companies in the tax industry or involved in "tax-related legal battles." For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.msnbc.com/ » Subscribe to MSNBC:    / msnbc   » Subscribe to MSNBC on TikTok   / msnbc   » Subscribe to MSNBC on Instagram   / msnbc   Download our new MSNBC app for the latest breaking news and daily headlines at a glance: https://www.msnbc.com/information/dow... Follow MSNBC Show Blogs MaddowBlog: https://www.msnbc.com/maddowblog MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of political headlines, commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Inside with Jen Psaki, Morning Joe, The Beat, Deadline: White House, All In, The Last Word, The 11th Hour, and more. Connect with MSNBC Online Visit msnbc.com: https://www.msnbc.com/ Subscribe to the MSNBC Daily Newsletter: https://link.msnbc.com/join/5ck/msnbc... #Trump #Politics #IRS