DOD, GSA & NASA Release Interim Rule on SDVOSB Certification – Executive Gov

The Department of Defense, NASA and the General Services Administration have issued an interim rule to implement the final rules by the Small Business Administration with regard to the certification of service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

The provisional rule was introduced as an amendment to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement sections of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal years 2021 and 2022, according to a Federal Register notice published Friday.

Section 862 of FY 2021 NDAA moves the verification of SDVOSBs from the Department of Veterans Affairs to SBA and establishes a certification requirement for such businesses seeking set-aside and sole-source awards under the SDVOSB program within the federal government.

Meanwhile, section 863 of FY 2022 NDAA requires that a small business determined ineligible by SBA for SDVOSB certification to update its status in the System for Award Management within two days of the eligibility determination.

The interim rule intends to implement SBAs governmentwide certification program for SDVOSBs and update protest procedures for such business concerns.

Interested stakeholders have until April 23 to submit comments that will help inform the final rule.

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DOD, GSA & NASA Release Interim Rule on SDVOSB Certification - Executive Gov

Where Nikki Haley’s fundraising stands ahead of Florida visit – WPBF West Palm Beach

Nikki Haley is attending a fundraiser Wednesday night at a private residence in Palm Beach.Covering South Florida: Nikki Haley to fundraise in Palm Beach and MiamiThe event will be attended by some of the wealthiest residents in Palm Beach County, with tickets costing $10,000 per person.Between January and September of 2023, Haley's campaign raised $18,709,236.41, according to the Federal Election Commission. Donald Trump's campaign has raised $56,699,777.27 in that same amount of time. Campaigns dont end because candidates dont think they can win," said Kevin Wagner, a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University. "Campaigns end because candidates run out of money. So, one of the things any candidate is going to do is spend a fair amount of time trying to raise money to support their campaign, and there are few places in the country that are better to raise money than Palm Beach County, especially on the island. With only two primaries in the rearview mirror, Wagner said Haley can make a strong argument to voters that much of the race is ahead of her, despite unfavorable polling numbers.How to vote: WPBF 25 News partners with the Supervisor of Elections in Palm Beach County for voter registration driveThe fundraiser in Palm Beach is a more traditional way of raising campaign funding in contrast to a recent shift to more online fundraising directly to campaign websites.We have seen a series of campaigns that manage to succeed and raise a lot of money through smaller donations by having a broader base of small donors, said Gregory Koger, a political science professor and director of the Hanley Democracy Center.Nikki Haley's visit comes just one day after President Biden attended a campaign event in Jupiter and a matter of days before Trump makes an appearance in his home county.Previous coverage: President Biden visits south FloridaThe real message for Floridians, especially the ones who live in Palm Beach, Broward and Dade County is: get used to it," Wagner said. "You are going to see candidates down here a fair amount if not campaigning, then fundraising.Despite Haley falling behind Donald Trump in the polls, she has maintained that she will remain in the race.Koger said she is likely positioning herself as a viable option should Trump not be up for consideration by the time the Republican Convention happens.The process of undergoing those trials or getting an actual conviction might make him much less desirable as a Republican Party candidate, and the Republican Party might need someone to turn to, Koger said. For that reason, Nikki Haley might want to stick around in case the Republican Party needs a viable candidate on the ballot competing in primaries.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25 Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

Nikki Haley is attending a fundraiser Wednesday night at a private residence in Palm Beach.

Covering South Florida: Nikki Haley to fundraise in Palm Beach and Miami

The event will be attended by some of the wealthiest residents in Palm Beach County, with tickets costing $10,000 per person.

Between January and September of 2023, Haley's campaign raised $18,709,236.41, according to the Federal Election Commission. Donald Trump's campaign has raised $56,699,777.27 in that same amount of time.

Campaigns dont end because candidates dont think they can win," said Kevin Wagner, a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University. "Campaigns end because candidates run out of money. So, one of the things any candidate is going to do is spend a fair amount of time trying to raise money to support their campaign, and there are few places in the country that are better to raise money than Palm Beach County, especially on the island.

With only two primaries in the rearview mirror, Wagner said Haley can make a strong argument to voters that much of the race is ahead of her, despite unfavorable polling numbers.

How to vote: WPBF 25 News partners with the Supervisor of Elections in Palm Beach County for voter registration drive

The fundraiser in Palm Beach is a more traditional way of raising campaign funding in contrast to a recent shift to more online fundraising directly to campaign websites.

We have seen a series of campaigns that manage to succeed and raise a lot of money through smaller donations by having a broader base of small donors, said Gregory Koger, a political science professor and director of the Hanley Democracy Center.

Nikki Haley's visit comes just one day after President Biden attended a campaign event in Jupiter and a matter of days before Trump makes an appearance in his home county.

Previous coverage: President Biden visits south Florida

The real message for Floridians, especially the ones who live in Palm Beach, Broward and Dade County is: get used to it," Wagner said. "You are going to see candidates down here a fair amount if not campaigning, then fundraising.

Despite Haley falling behind Donald Trump in the polls, she has maintained that she will remain in the race.

Koger said she is likely positioning herself as a viable option should Trump not be up for consideration by the time the Republican Convention happens.

The process of undergoing those trials or getting an actual conviction might make him much less desirable as a Republican Party candidate, and the Republican Party might need someone to turn to, Koger said. For that reason, Nikki Haley might want to stick around in case the Republican Party needs a viable candidate on the ballot competing in primaries.

Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25

Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

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Where Nikki Haley's fundraising stands ahead of Florida visit - WPBF West Palm Beach

Elon Musk expresses concern over FAA’s focus on DEI – Washington Examiner

Billionaire Elon Musk has directed his attention to the Federal Aviation Administrations focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, stating Monday morning that he could not believe this is happening.

Musk, who has spoken out against the DEI movement recently, shared a story on social media that revealed the FAA is seeking to hire people withsevere intellectual disabilities. Among these disabilities defined by the FAA include those involving hearing, sight, partial or complete paralysis, and epilepsy.

Just had a conversation with some smart people could not believe this is happening, Musk wrote on X, his social media platform once known as Twitter.

Musks concerns about the FAAs use of DEI in its hiring comes about a week after a Boeing 737 Max 9, operated byAlaska Airlines, had a piece of it blown off during its takeoff. The government is currently investigating what caused the piece to blow off from the plane.

A social media user responding to Musk suggested how catastrophic DEI could be when hiring people in the medical industry, with the user suggesting people could DIE due to DEI. Musk agreed, responding yes to the hypothetical scenario.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Musk has made himself a vocal critic of DEI over the past few weeks, stating Monday that discrimination based on anything other than merit is wrong. He also argued last week thatDEI discriminatesagainstpeople based on their race and that DEI itself is both immoral and illegal.

Other billionaires who have recently voiced their opinions against DEI include hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

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Elon Musk expresses concern over FAA's focus on DEI - Washington Examiner

CNMI proposal to legalize online gambling is another desperate attempt to source new revenue – Asia Gaming Brief

The new proposal by the authorities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to legalize online gambling appears to be yet another desperate attempt to source new revenue for their pension black hole, notes IGamiX Managing Partner Ben Lee.

According to recent reports, lawmakers in CNMI are pushing for a new revenue stream, looking to online gaming.

This comes as the multi-billion-dollar Imperial Pacific International (IPI) casino-resort operator faces calls for dissolution, with investors and creditors coming calling. The operator currently holds a monopoly for casino gaming on the island.

But the new bid for alternative income could bring more woes than benefits, as other jurisdictions, such as the Philippines, have already encountered.

The Philippines POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) as well as Cambodias Sihanoukvilles descent into unmitigated regulatory and policing disasters both appear to hold no lessons for the CNMI, notes Lee.

The Philippines endures an ongoing spat over the worth of offshore online gaming operation (POGOs), after multiple crackdowns, raids and charges linked to human trafficking and money laundering.

Meanwhile, Sihanoukville shut down its online gaming operations entirely after operators, mainly linked to China, set up shop and conducted operations that ran them abreast of authorities.

The CNMI, Saipan inclusive, still falls under United States jurisdiction, with increased scrutiny over activities such as gambling.

Lee notes that the CNMI [] remains subject to certain US Federal Laws, however it is unclear and untested if the CNMI falls outside the grasp of the Federal Wires Act.

The expert questions even if it does, will the CNMI government have sufficient resources to ensure that its online operators do not transgress the boundaries?

The overreach by some online operators has put the Philippines in the spotlight recently, calling for reapplication of POGO licenses and increased oversight of the sector.

And looking at their missteps, Lee outlines a possible way forward for CNMI.

To have a truly credible online gaming industry, the CNMI will have to put in place the proper IT and legal resources to monitor and regulate the operators. Only then can they incubate a transparent and sustainable industry.

One of the primary roadblocks for Saipan is their focus on Chinese clientele. Early within their operations, IPI published monthly rolling chip values that topped even those of Macau the biggest casino hub in the world.

Now, the operators must shift focus, notes Lee, pointing out that the Philippine justified their POGOs by denying that they targeted China and all the other countries that have outlawed online gaming by their nationals within their borders.

Looking to mitigate this problem: ring fencing would have been the solution but was never truly enforced nor was there any real auditing of the POGO servers and revenues.

This has led to particular oversight of the regulatory body in the Philippines, PAGCOR, and calls for the elimination of POGOs altogether, citing a lack of taxation payments and malfeasance.

While online gaming is prevalent in many countries, Asian operators have taken a relaxed or highly stringent approach, with little wiggle room in the more regulated vicinities.

Given its track record of oversight on casinos and video poker clubs, it will be interesting to see how CNMI aims to approach online gaming legislation and how strict (or lax) it may be.

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CNMI proposal to legalize online gambling is another desperate attempt to source new revenue - Asia Gaming Brief