Life Is Worth Losing - Dumb Americans - George Carlin. 1 Company Is Making Millions Off Trump’s War on the Poor. Looking for news you can trust?
Subscribe to our free newsletters. One night last March, Sue Fredericks ran into trouble. She had been watching snow accumulate for hours from her post at a 24-hour gas station. Busy stretches on her overnight shift were rare, on account of the size of the town in which she worked; with a few thousand residents an hour from Indianapolis, it is small and quaint, surrounded by corn and soy fields and featuring a shuttered Walmart.
March marked Sue’s eighth month on the job, and she was earning $8 an hour. Sue, who at 41 already had arthritis from a lifetime of mostly manual labor jobs, crawled inside, called a co-worker, and asked her to come in. A couple of years earlier, Sue had gotten health insurance through the Healthy Indiana Plan, a Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. (2) What the 1% Don't Want You to Know. (2) How American CEOs got so rich. (2) Banned TED Talk: Nick Hanauer "Rich people don't create jobs".
(2) Corruption is Legal in America.
Anomaly Tracker - US Money & Politics. The Anomaly Tracker tool highlights "anomalies" in our money-and-politics data.
An anomaly, as we define it here, is an occurrence that is out of the ordinary. Congress Richer Than Ever, but Mostly at the Very Top. Republican Darrell Issa, whose Viper car alarm business has made him the richest member of Congress throughout the decade (a net worth of at least $283 million in 2016), says he’s not running for a 10th term in Southern California; Democrat Jared Polis, who sold an online greeting card businesses and then made a killing in other internet startups, is running for governor of Colorado; Dave Trott of Michigan, who created a behemoth in the home foreclosure industry, is leaving after just two terms as a frustrated GOP moderate in an ultra-conservative caucus; and venture capitalist John Delaney is giving up his Maryland seat to ready a long-shot bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
All four are self-made, which is the most typical route for joining the 50 richest. Three Republicans and nine Democrats, five women and seven men, mainly have spouses to thank for their impressive wealth. Fundraising Wasn’t for the Forefathers. The earliest candidates for president would have a hard time imagining a $1 billion campaign.
By Lindsay Renick Mayer February 22, 2007 | It’s a scene that George Washington couldn’t possibly have envisioned in 1789: Presidential candidates entering the race with millions of dollars in the bank, Hollywood parties bagging $1.3 million for a single candidate in one night and a campaign season beginning a full two years before the sitting president leaves office. In fact, the concept of fundraising itself would have been foreign to the early presidents, who were part of a political culture in which they, not their backers, were the gift-givers—whiskey was a popular vote-getter, said Paula Baker, an Ohio State University historian who researches the history of campaign finance. “It was unseemly to appear like you were running, because wanting an office would seem to be ambitious and seeming to be ambitious would be seen as a disqualification,” Baker said. Support Accountability Journalism. What drives Donald Trump? Greed, and greed alone. There’s a common thread that stretches forward from Donald Trump’s financial scandals of the 1980s to his damning phone call with the president of Ukraine.
It's the self-dealing. Wherever he was, whatever his title, the president has used the powers at his disposal to enrich or otherwise benefit himself, regardless of what law, fiduciary duty or oath of office bound him to do. Trump ran his campaign in 2016 on a single premise: greed. He boasted to his fans about his (inflated) wealth and gilded lifestyle, both products of clever deployments of his avarice. How Money Affects Elections. To quote the great political philosopher Cyndi Lauper, “Money changes everything.”
Lauper’s recording was a cover of a song written by Tom Gray in 1979 and recorded by his band, “The Brains.” The aphorism dates to at least the 1870s and a book by American author Caroline Cheesebro’ called “The Foe in the Household.” And nowhere is that proverb more taken to heart than in a federal election, where billions of dollars are raised and spent on the understanding that money is a crucial determinant of whether or not a candidate will win.
Diverging Income Inequality Trajectories. If minimum wage had kept up with the growing economy.. DeVos reinstated for-profit college accreditor despite staff objections, report shows. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos earlier this year reinstated an accreditor of for-profit colleges despite findings by her agency’s career staff that the organization failed to meet federal standards, an internal document shows.
The report, released by the Education Department on Friday in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, shows that career department analysts had serious concerns about restoring the federal recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools just a month before DeVos issued an order reinstating the accreditor’s federal status. Story Continued Below Career analysts wrote in the report that ACICS failed to meet 57 of the 93 criteria that accreditors are required to meet under federal law.
DeVos and the Issue Of College Sexual Assault Take Center Stage At ALEC. The Blue Bear, looking in the window of the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
(Photo by Joel Gillman | Flickr CC 2.0) This post originally appeared at Exposed by CMD. Denver’s massive Blue Bear will be peering in the windows as US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos headlines the 44th American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Annual Meeting being held at the Colorado Convention Center’s Hyatt Regency Hotel July 19-21. DeVos Appoints CEO Of A Student Loan Company To Head Federal Aid Agency : NPR Ed. U.S.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos appointed current student loan company CEO Wayne Johnson to head the federal student loan agency this week. Zach Gibson/Bloomberg/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Zach Gibson/Bloomberg/Getty Images. 18 states sue Betsy DeVos for rescinding student protection rules. 21 state AGs denounce DeVos for ending student loan reform.
Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy, sources say. Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and visited around the time he joined Trump’s campaign, the Guardian has been told.
Sources have said Manafort went to see Assange in 2013, 2015 and in spring 2016 – during the period when he was made a key figure in Trump’s push for the White House. In a statement, Manafort denied meeting Assange. He said: “I have never met Julian Assange or anyone connected to him. I have never been contacted by anyone connected to WikiLeaks, either directly or indirectly. I have never reached out to Assange or WikiLeaks on any matter.” It is unclear why Manafort would have wanted to see Assange and what was discussed. A well-placed source has told the Guardian that Manafort went to see Assange around March 2016. Reform Money in Politics. Tracking Trump's Unprecedented Conflicts of Interest. (Hover over the numbers for details and latest examples) President Trump’s refusal to divest from his global businesses when he entered office created the potential for unprecedented conflicts of interest that have since become one of the defining characteristics of his administration.
As a result, one question pervades every action and policy decision of consequence made by his administration: Are President Trump’s actions driven by his duty to represent the best interests of the American people or by a self-serving pursuit of his own personal financial interests? Since day one of the Trump administration, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has been tracking the conflicts of interest that stem from the president’s decision not to divest from the Trump Organization. They fall into five broad categories: US Money-in-Politics Timeline. In 1971, Congress passed FECA, which largely replaced the Federal Corrupt Practices Act in regulating federal campaign finance. The bill called for more comprehensive and frequent reports of receipts and expenditures, and extended the disclosure system to include primary elections.
It also imposed limits on how much candidates and others could spend on broadcast and some other types of advertising. FECA allowed corporations and unions to use their own treasury funds to establish, operate and solicit voluntary contributions for PACs. The legislation did not establish a monitoring organization for the new provisions, though. Trump Bribing Senators Who Will Determine Outcome of Senate Impeachment Trial. I'm a millionaire who creates zero jobs. Why do I pay less tax than you? In 2013, just a few years after the 2008 financial crisis, I was part of BlackRock’s Financial Markets Advisory Group working for the Greek Central Bank, assessing the capital requirements of the bailouts of the Greek banks.
I was on the top floor of a bank building in Athens with about 20 bank executives taking a lunch break, when I glanced out the window and saw a huge crowd of people on the street. For a moment I thought it was a parade, and then I realized it was something between a protest and a riot. As I looked out the window to the heated crowd below, and looked behind me to the well–fed bankers at the table, I wondered if I was actually helping anyone beyond the people having lunch with me. A few months later, I left a 30-year career on Wall Street to work full time as chair of the board of the Patriotic Millionaires.
How the mega-rich are preparing for the apocalyse - CNN Style. Written by Elizabeth Stamp, CNN Say "doomsday bunker" and most people would imagine a concrete room filled with cots and canned goods. Trump backer who owned 'inhumane' housing picked to be Belgium envoy. A major financial backer of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, who once owned a housing estate in which low-income tenants were said to endure “inhumane” living standards, has been nominated as the US ambassador to Belgium. Ron Gidwitz, a 73-year-old businessman from Chicago gave Trump and other Republicans $700,000 in 2016, and acted as the presidential candidate’s campaign finance chair in Illinois.
He will now undergo a month in a US state department “ambassadorial school” before making the move to Brussels. There is a certain amount of relief in Belgium that the nomination has been made at all – more than a year after the last US ambassador left the country’s embassy in Brussels. But Gidwitz could yet prove to be a controversial pick in the mould of Pete Hoekstra, Trump’s ambassador to the Netherlands, who was forced to apologise over his suggestion that immigration from majority Islamic countries had created “no-go zones” in the country.
Here are the US Senators who voted NO on the net neutrality CRA, and how much money they have taken… The US Senate just voted 52 to 47 to block the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality and restore protections that prevent ISPs like Comcast and Verizon from controlling what we see and do online with censorship, throttling, and expensive new fees. Now, we need to move our focus to the House. Conservatives Mobilize Grass-Roots Activists To Promote Trump Judges. "Everything that we're doing is really pointing to the future of the Supreme Court," said the vice president of strategy at Americans for Prosperity. The U.S. Supreme Court building is shown in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2017. J. Why do gun-makers get special economic protection? The gun industry is one of very few industries to have congressionally backed immunity from liabilty.
Company that built collapsed FIU bridge has powerful friends. When Pedro Munilla was angling to build Florida International University’s $14 million pedestrian overpass, he wasn’t shy about trumpeting his local bona fides.
US "Opportunity Zones" Trump's Pick for Budget Director Isn't Sure the Government Should Fund Scientific Research. Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Newscom via ZUMA Mick Mulvaney, the ultra-conservative South Carolina congressman whom Donald Trump has tapped to be his budget director, has questioned whether the federal government should spend any money on scientific research. Koch Brothers, Behind Tea Party Wave, Face Democrats' Rising Tide In 2018. Trump turns against 'total joke' Koch brothers after North Dakota snub. After the Kochs said they would not back the Republican in a key Senate race, Donald Trump duly took aim at the conservative billionaire brothers, calling them “globalists” and a “total joke” with a “highly overrated” political network. The midterm elections, in which many analysts expect a “blue wave” to place the House and possibly the Senate under Democratic control, are less than 100 days away.
Koch donors worried Trump may lose, seek to preserve GOP Senate majority. Charles Koch, head of Koch Industries. Koch Brothers’ Operatives Fill Top White House Positions, Ethics Forms Reveal. If the billionaire Koch brothers turn to the White House for favors, they will see many familiar faces. It's Official: How the Koch Brothers Killed Trump’s Job Plan. Koch brothers and fossil fuel utilities poised to destroy roof-top solar in Florida. Koch Network Plans to Spend $400 Million in U.S. Midterm Cycle. Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton thinks we're asking all the wrong questions about inequality. "fiscal conservative"
FACT CHECK: How Does Paul Ryan's Case for Tax Cuts Match the Facts? GOP Angles for More Campaign Cash, Less Disclosure. Republican House Members Think a $450K Salary is Middle Class.
Trump allegedly wants to cut clean energy research funding by 72 percent. 5 things Trump did this week while you weren't looking. Stewart Humor. Is A Corporate Tax Cut Really What The Economy Needs Right Now? Wilbur Ross and the Cabinet of Billionaires. Paradise Papers Expose Trump-Russia links and Piggy Banks of the Wealthiest 1% Trump Appointee Mulvaney, CFPB Seen Helping Payday Lenders. News. How to End Crony Capitalism. Congress Members Receiving the Most N.R.A. Funding - The New York Times.
A majority of Ohio's congressmen claim more than $1M in assets. 5/24/17: Trump Team Stands by Budget's $2 Trillion Math Error. Equifax And Other Credit Bureaus Avoid Oversight In Washington, D.C. Who Controls Think Tanks? Shift In Funding Highlights Changes In The Industry. How corporate dark money is taking power on both sides of the Atlantic. Official Trailer HD. OpenSecrets.org. Department Of Education Cuts Off A Student Loan Watchdog : NPR Ed. Why American Workers Pay Twice as Much in Taxes as Wealthy Investors - Bloomberg.
Why We Ask to See Candidates’ Tax Returns. Trump gets millions from golf members. CEOs and lobbyists get access to president. For the third time, Donald Trump, U.S. is not 'highest taxed nation in the world' 9 of Mike Pence’s most controversial stances regarding gay rights, abortion and smoking. The Latest Sneaky Attempt to Increase Corporate Political Power. The Ideologues Who Want to Destroy Democracy to Save Capitalism. Scaramucci attacked Trump for hedge fund tax comment in 2015. Jeff Sessions in Charge of Bribery Prosecution Involving 2 of His Top Donors.
Here’s How Much Comcast Paid Members Of Congress To Sell Your Browser History. Corporate power already in charge. Peasants for Plutocracy: How the Billionaires Brainwashed America (Mini-Documentary) Trump’s Cabinet nominees were so toxic they needed outside help from America Rising. NY Daily News Reveals Who Created Trump's Fake Twitter Followers - Get Ready. Trump infrastructure report. Bilderberg 2017: secret meeting of global leaders could prove a problem for Trump. New database details White House officials' finances. GOP Lawmaker Drops Debit-Card Provision From Regulatory-Overhaul Bill - WSJ. Secretive Foundation’s Blueprint for Spreading Right-Wing Ideology. By firing James Comey, Trump is continuing the work Putin started. ELIZABETH WARREN: The Cover-Up In Trump’s Taxes. Airlines Treat People Like Dirt Because the Republicans Let Them.
You Are Now Paying Internet Companies to Sell Your Browsing History. "They tried to supplant mainstream media": Jane Mayer on the billionaire behind Bannon and Trump. Mega-donor urged Bannon not to resign. Deniers club: Meet the people clouding the climate change debate. The Rich Line Up at the White House ATM – BillMoyers.com. Why Republicans were in such a hurry on health care.
Here Are the 50 GOP Senators Who Just Sacrificed Your #BroadbandPrivacy to Corporate Profits. Congressman: Rarely used law could make Trump tax returns public. The Real Trump Agenda: Helping Big Business. Trump's conflicts of interest: a visual guide.