by Leo Gerard | Oct 18, 2016 | Blog
Images by DonkeyHotey on Flickr Warren Buffett threw down the gauntlet to Donald Trump again last week. It happened after Trump lied about Buffett’s federal income tax payments on national TV. During the second presidential debate on Oct. 9, Trump said Buffett “took a...
by People's Action | Oct 18, 2016 | Breakfast
Trump Makes Up Immigrant Conspiracy Trump concocts fantastical vote-rigging conspiracy. WSJ: "Mr. Trump pointed to North Carolina, where he said 'it is possible' that illegal votes from people who lacked U.S. citizenship could have won Mr. Obama the state. 'It could...
by Miles Mogulescu | Oct 17, 2016 | Blog
The tape of Donald Trump bragging about sexual assault, followed by the testimony of at least eight woman confirming he engaged in it, may have finally done what his year-long attacks on Muslims, Mexicans, the disabled, war heroes, the leadership of the US military...
by Bill Scher | Oct 17, 2016 | Blog
On last Friday's Rick Smith Show, I discuss why we should not expect a white "silent majority" will propel Donald Trump, and whether Trump might drag down the down-ballot Republicans. Check out the podcast. Hear more on The Rick Smith Show website.
by Bill Scher | Oct 17, 2016 | Blog
We're at the stage of the election where obsession with the latest polls reaches its peak. Yet it is also the stage when polls can stop informing about the electorate and start warping the electorate. We can't pretend polls don't exist, but we should handle with care....
by People's Action | Oct 17, 2016 | Breakfast
Sanders, Warren Head West Sanders, Warren team up in Denver to stump to Clinton. Denver Post: "[They urged] votes for Hillary Clinton — a first step, they said, igniting hopes for sweeping change from Wall Street to environmental stewardship to establishing...
by Richard Eskow | Oct 17, 2016 | Blog
The Wells Fargo phony-account scandal may be worse that we’ve led to believe, even after a $185 million fine and the CEO’s resignation. And this isn't Wells Fargo’s first scandal. Its past exploits include discriminatory lending, exploitative payday loans, and a...
by Jacob Swenson-Lengyel | Oct 14, 2016 | Conservatism, Jobs and Growth
Donald Trump’s campaign is sinking quickly, but GOP support for right-wing authoritarianism is still going strong – particularly in Maine. Days after the Republican presidential candidate suggested during a televised debate that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 14, 2016 | Blog, Financial Reform
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is supposed to regulate Wall Street. But it has become a "captured" agency, using its power to block regulation of Wall Street instead of enforcing regulation of Wall Street. Now Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is fed up...
by Hedrick Smith | Oct 14, 2016 | Blog
The following was originally posted at Reclaim the American Dream “We make voting convenient with vote by mail and by sending a voters’ guide to every household in the state,” says Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins. “We make registration simple, with both...
by Fatima Nayir | Oct 14, 2016 | Blog
Fatima Nayir is the co-owner of Mama’s Pizza in Washington, DC and is a member of the DMV Small Business Alliance, a project of Main Street Alliance. The following in an excerpt from her Washington Post oped in support of a municipal universal paid leave bill. You can...
by People's Action | Oct 14, 2016 | Breakfast
Sanders Demands Dakota Delay Bernie presses Obama on Dakota Access Pipeline. AP: "Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and four other Democratic senators are asking President Barack Obama to halt construction of the four-state Dakota Access pipeline until a full environmental...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 13, 2016 | Blog, Tax Reform
"Tax cuts skewed towards the wealthy elite starve our communities of much-needed resources while further tilting the scales towards large corporations and the rich."- Stephen Rouzer at Main Street Alliance If you cut taxes for the rich and giant corporations, what...
by People's Action | Oct 13, 2016 | Breakfast
Trump Victims Speak Out Trump bombarded with sexual assault allegations. The Atlantic: "...five women have come forward to say that Trump sexually assaulted them, including a People magazine reporter who published a first-person account of an alleged assault. In a...
by Robert Borosage | Oct 13, 2016 | Blog, Economy
In 2011, President Obama, speaking in the wake of Occupy Wall Street, called inequality the “defining issue of our time.” Now Jason Furman, chair of the Council on Economic Advisors, argues that Obama “narrowed the inequality gap” more than any president in 50 years....
by Richard Eskow | Oct 13, 2016 | Blog
Whom among us, upon hearing of the grave and perhaps existential threats now facing the Republican Party, is entirely immune to the siren song of schadenfreude? Who from the liberal classes can entirely resist the temptation, when reading about the bitter divisions...
by Jeff Bryant | Oct 12, 2016 | Blog, Education
In an election year calling attention to multiple policy priorities, parents, educators, community organizers and progressive activists are increasingly frustrated that education seems to be a priority that is nowhere near the top, at least in the minds of current...
by Kathy Mulady | Oct 12, 2016 | Blog
Despite the drinking water crisis epitomized by the scandal in Flint, Michigan, Donald Trump has pledged to scrap regulations protecting our water resources. Meanwhile, the victims in Flint are reaching out to other communities, hoping to organize grassroots...
by Alan Pitts | Oct 12, 2016 | Blog
The author is a Purple Heart Recipient, Iraq War (WIA 10 October 2004) Since the start of the Republican primaries it seems like a week can’t go by without Donald Trump saying something that offends a different demographic of people in our country. But his deep...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 12, 2016 | Blog
In 2014 President Obama issued the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, requiring corporations that want federal government contracts to disclose if they have violated rules about treating their workers fairly -- like rules against stealing their pay. The...
by Richard Eskow | Oct 12, 2016 | Blog
A federal appeals court issued a two-fold ruling against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Tuesday, overturning the CFPB’s action against a mortgage lender and ruling that the CFPB itself was set up improperly. According to the court's majority, the...
by People's Action | Oct 12, 2016 | Breakfast
Gore Returns to Florida Al Gore stumps for Hillary Clinton in Florida. Time quotes: "“Hillary Clinton will make solving the climate crisis a top national priority ... Her opponent, based on the ideas he has presented, would take us toward a climate catastrophe ......
by Mary Green Swig | Steven L. Swig | Richard Eskow | Oct 12, 2016 | Blog, Education, Student Debt Relief
Mary Green Swig Steven L. Swig Richard Eskow Once upon a time this country thought big. We survived the Great Depression, fought the Second World War, rebuilt Europe on the Marshall Plan … and provided tuition-free education for college students. Ask anybody from that...
by Leo Gerard | Oct 11, 2016 | Blog
On Sept. 2, a tarp covering part of the Liberty Bridge in Pittsburgh caught fire during repair work. The flames enveloped a steel beam that buckled and nearly caused the entire 88-year-old structure to collapse. A town already racked by hard-to-navigate streets...
by People's Action | Oct 11, 2016 | Breakfast
GOP Civil War Breaks Out Speaker Paul Ryan could still un-endorse Trump. Politico: "...Ryan has personally been on the edge of pulling the plug but has held out because his decision is about more than just his personal feelings: It's about saving his massive 60-seat...
by Robert Borosage | Oct 11, 2016 | Blog
The following was originally published in The Nation The second presidential debate was preceded by a public handshake of a haunted Bill Clinton and a somber Melania Trump. It began with the two contenders refusing to shake hands. And spiraled down from there. The...
by Jeff Bryant | Oct 10, 2016 | Blog
The following was originally published at Alternet It had been a difficult summer for Darian (not his real name). The 14-year-old had recently lost his father to a gun homicide. He had grown sullen and prone to angry outbursts and had recently texted to a friend, "You...
by Sam Pizzigati | Oct 7, 2016 | Blog
The past year, Forbes reported earlier this week, has not been particularly kind to Donald Trump’s personal fortune. The real estate mogul’s net worth has dropped $800 million since September 2015. Last fall, Trump ranked as America’s 121st richest individual. On the...
by Martha Burk | Oct 7, 2016 | Blog
On the eve of the second 2016 presidential debate – in town hall format – Donald Trump is once again threatening to use the matchup to blame Hillary Clinton for the past sins of her husband. He first raised the issue months ago when he still had primary opponents --...
by People's Action | Oct 7, 2016 | Breakfast
When Trump Helped Rig The Rules NYT explores when Trump successfully lobbied for a tax break: "It was late in 1991, and Mr. Trump was sitting before a special panel in Washington’s Cannon House Office Building. His pitch: for lawmakers to relax tax rules that Mr....
by Jeff Bryant | Oct 6, 2016 | Blog, Education
Politicians always promise they will rid government of "waste, fraud, and abuse," so let's hope at least one political leader or policymaker will denounce our federal government's new gift of nearly a quarter-billion dollars to charter schools. The cash dump to...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 6, 2016 | Blog, Trade
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday that the August trade deficit rose 3 percent to $40.73 billion from July's $39.5 (slightly revised). Both exports and imports rose, with imports rising more than exports. August exports were $187.9 billion up $1.5 billion from...
by Liz Ryan Murray | Oct 6, 2016 | Blog, Financial Reform
You wouldn’t toss a drowning man a life vest filled with cement and claim to be their savior. Neither would you take credit for offering gasoline to a family whose house was on fire. Offering a 300 percent interest loan to someone struggling to pay the bills is just...
by Miles Mogulescu | Oct 6, 2016 | Blog, Climate, Election 2016
For anyone who cares about climate change, I have a simple message—If you’re thinking of casting a protest vote for Gary Johnson, fugetaboutit. And if you have friends, family and associates who are thinking about voting for Johnson (or Stein, or not voting) do...
by People's Action | Oct 6, 2016 | Breakfast
Trump Would Widen Trade Deficit Trump's tax proposals could worsen trade deficit. WSJ: "Conventional economics predicts that the Republican presidential nominee’s deficit-financed tax cut would drive up interest rates, sucking in foreign capital and driving the dollar...
by Julie Chinitz | Oct 6, 2016 | Blog, Progressive Vision
A groundswell of support for minimum wage ballot initiatives is creating opportunities for community groups to flex their electoral muscle and expand their power to shape politics and the economy for years to come. Workers are long overdue for a raise. Recent national...
by Jacob Swenson-Lengyel | Oct 5, 2016 | Blog, Financial Reform
Grassroots and consumer organizations are in the final days of a giant battle with the payday lending industry, which appears to have pulled out all the stops to protect itself from tough new regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Since March 2015,...
by Richard Eskow | Oct 5, 2016 | Blog, Economy, Health
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhd3rOr3dsk] Rep. Mark Pocan speaks with Richard Eskow on The Zero Hour This week I spoke with Rep. Mark Pocan (D, WI) about an open letter to President Obama he is circulating to fellow members of Congress this week. It’s an...
by Robert Borosage | Oct 5, 2016 | Blog, Election 2016, Progressive Vision
The following was originally published in The Nation. As Donald Trump continues the self-immolation that began in the first presidential debate, Hillary Clinton is rising once more in the polls. But Trump had pulled into a virtual dead heat before that debate,...
by Dave Johnson | Oct 5, 2016 | Blog, Election 2016, Trade
China has a huge overcapacity in steel production because their economy is slowing, so internal demand for steel has fallen. Rather than cut production and lay off some of their own workers, China is exporting the problem. China is "dumping" steel on international...
