Thursday, October 04, 2018

Trump Faces Probe Into Tax Fraud After NYT Exposes How He Helped Parents Scam Millions From Government


The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has opened an investigation into President Trump for fraud and tax evasion following a major exposé by the New York Times revealing that Trump inherited nearly half a billion dollars of his family’s wealth through tax dodges and outright fraud. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio has also called for a city probe, and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has urged the IRS to investigate the president. The Times’ 13,000-word investigative report found the late Fred and Mary Trump transferred more than $1 billion in wealth to their children, paying less than 5 percent of the $550 million in taxes they should have paid under inheritance tax rates. Donald Trump also helped his parents undervalue real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on IRS tax returns in order to reduce taxes. We speak with David Barstow, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and the lead author on the new investigation, “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father.” Barstow shares a byline with Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.

NYT Exposé: “Self-Made Billionaire” Donald Trump Built Empire on Father’s Money, Tax Dodging & Fraud


President Donald Trump built his personal brand and presidential candidacy on the claim that he was a self-made billionaire whose only head start was a “small loan of a million dollars” from his father. But a New York Times exposé has revealed that Trump inherited much of his family’s wealth through tax dodging and outright fraud, receiving at least $413 million in inflation-adjusted dollars from his father’s real estate empire. We speak with David Barstow, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for the New York Times and the lead author on the new investigation, “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father.” Barstow shares a byline with Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.

#democracynow : Top US News & World Headlines — October 4, 2018


Kavanaugh's College Roommate: He Was Lying


James Roche, the college roommate of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, speaks to CNN's Anderson Cooper about his experience with Kavanaugh at Yale.

Wednesday, October 03, 2018

Mental Health Experts Demand Psychological Assessment of Kavanaugh for Drinking, Instability


Donald Trump openly mocked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford at a rally Tuesday, casting doubt on her claims that Brett Kavanaugh had tried to rape her in high school just days after calling her a very credible witness. As the FBI continues its investigation into Dr. Blasey Ford’s claims, a group of mental health experts are calling for Kavanaugh to undergo a full psychological and substance abuse assessment before the Senate votes on his confirmation. We speak with Dr. Bandy Lee of the Yale School of Medicine, the lead author of a letter titled “Mental Health Experts Urge Examination Based on Warning Signs in Kavanaugh Testimony.” The letter reads, “Judge Kavanaugh exhibited behavior that, if engaged in during his possible tenure as a Supreme Court Justice, would yield a dangerous combination of instability and power.”

Trump Officials Headline Neocon Iran Regime-Change Summit: Inside UANI


John Bolton and Mike Pompeo headlined the annual United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) summit, where speakers celebrated the strangling of the Iranian economy under U.S. sanctions and cheered on regime change. We report from inside

#democracynow : Top US News & World Headlines — October 3, 2018


‘Outright Fraud’ : Bombshell NYT Investigation Obliterates Trump’s Self-Made Myth | Deadline | MSNBC


NYT’s David Barstow, Daily Beast’s Sam Stein, former DOJ spokesman Matt Miller, NBC’s Heidi Przybyla, WaPo’s Ashley Parker and Jennifer Rubin on the in-depth investigation detailing the alleged Trump family tax schemes

Bombshell: Trump Being Investigated for Tax Evasion and Fraud


Sunday, September 30, 2018

Kellyanne Conway: I'm a Victim of Sexual Assault


Counselor to President Trump, Kellyanne Conway, tells CNN's Jake Tapper that she is a victim of sexual assault while discussing the testimonies of Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Maajid's Impassioned Swipe At Boris Johnson: The Balloon Buffoon


"Disgusting" Tucker Carlson Says Rape Victims Are “Part Of The Problem”


In an attempt to prove that he is just as heartless and disgusting as everyone else on the network, Fox News host Tucker Carlson said this week that rape victims who “wait too long” to report their assault are part of the problem. Perhaps Tucker needs to go back and watch all of the negative coverage his network has given to the women who do step forward and then maybe he’ll understand why it is so difficult for women to speak out. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Friday, September 28, 2018

Right-Wing Eastern European States Honor Nazi-Collaborating Fascists as 'Heroes'


Far-right governments in Eastern Europe are rehabilitating past Nazi collaborators as national heroes, rewriting the history of the Holocaust to turn the Soviet Union into the villain. Historian Dovid Katz explains how the fascist-apologist "double genocide" myth is spreading.


Switzerland: Cradle of Populism? – BBC Newsnight


Switzerland. Neutral, wealthy, and peaceful, the home of direct democracy. But is it also the birthplace of populism? When back in March, Steve Bannon embarked on his tour to unite Europe’s populist parties, he gave his first public address in Zurich. Switzerland is where the anti-globalist fightback began, he told his audience, when its people said no to joining the European Community in a referendum in 1992. Now it may retreat further still, as the Swiss prepare to scrap international treaties in favour of national laws. In the week Donald Trump laid out his stall at the UN General Assembly, Gabriel Gatehouse has the story of populism vs globalism, an epic battle for our age.

Hearing Exposes Brett Kavanaugh Temperament Problem, Credibility Issues | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC


Rachel Maddow reviews themes and highlights from the sprawling, exhausting Senate Judiciary hearing on allegations by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford of sexual assault by Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

The Progress of Brexit


It's been a little over two years since Brits narrowly voted to leave the European Union. The Agenda welcomes Ashley Prime, the U.K's former deputy consul-general, to discuss where things are now.

Trump's 'Dissociation from Reality' at UN


President Trump had the opportunity to address the UN General Assembly opening for the second time, which he used to brag and lie, says Phyllis Bennis, of the Institute for Policy Studies

World Moving to De-dollarize?


Anya Parampil brings us the latest comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump at the 73rd United Nation General Assembly, where he was laughed at by world leaders for claiming to be the most accomplished U.S. President in history. Former U.K. member of parliament George Galloway and Euro Pacific Capital CEO Peter Schiff join Anya to discuss Trump’s further isolation on the international stage.

John Bolton Makes It Clear That War With Iran Is Around The Corner


Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton delivered a speech this week that left little doubt about the administration’s plans to invade Iran. During his speech, Bolton said that the US is watching the country and that we are prepared to “act” if necessary. He didn’t lay out exactly what the country was doing that was worthy of starting another US war, but that hasn’t stopped Bolton in the past. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Michael Avenatti Responds to Trump: He's a Habitual Liar


Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing Julie Swetnick, a woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of inappropriate, sexually aggressive behavior in high school, responds to President Donald Trump calling him a "con man." Kavanaugh has denied Swetnick's allegations.

Former WTO Chief Pascal Lamy on Brexit and the Rise of Populism in Europe


Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Macron vs Trump at the UN General Assembly


While both leaders have professed friendship and support for each other in public, they stood at opposite ends of the spectrum on many issues they addressed at the UN on Tuesday.

Kate Bolduan: The World Laughed at Trump ... Literally


CNN's Kate Bolduan discusses world leaders laughing at President Trump during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

Don Lemon: Reality Smacked Trump in the Face


CNN's Don Lemon responds to President Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

‘Uneasy, Lonely, Awkward’: Australian Reporter Says Trump Has No Capacity to Lead World | July 9, 2017


In a scathing review of Donald Trump’s performance at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Australian journalist Chris Uhlmann says the US president managed to ‘isolate his nation, confuse and alienate his allies and to diminish America’. Speaking on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Insiders program, Uhlmann does not hold back his criticism of Trump, stating ‘we’ve also learned he has no desire and no capacity to lead the world’. He goes on to say Trump has diminished America and the world would miss it when it was gone

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

French President Emmanuel Macron Addresses the UN General Assembly


Michael Avenatti: Brett Kavanaugh Accuser Client May Pursue Criminal Case | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC


Michael Avenatti, attorney for a person he describes as a "witness and victim" of Brett Kavanaugh, talks with Rachel Maddow about his client presenting her allegations to the public in the next 48 hours and the need for an FBI investigation of Kavanaugh accusations.

Michael Avenatti Says He’s Representing Key Witness | The Last Word | MSNBC


Attorney Michael Avenatti says he has been hired by a woman with information relevant to the Kavanaugh nomination who is both a witness and a victim and needs to be heard by the Judiciary Committee. He says he also represents other corroborating witnesses. Lawrence discusses what this means for Kavanaugh with Lisa Graves, Jill Wine-Banks, and John Heilemann.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Will Michael Bloomberg Challenge Trump in 2020?


Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg talks to CNN's Fareed Zakaria about where he and President Donald Trump differ and whether he will challenge Trump in 2020.

Beards Are Back | Euromaxx


You can see men with beards on the catwalk, in fashion magazines or on the streets. Three day beards are all the rage and we find out why men about town are not shaving regularly any more.

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Churchill - United States of Europe


It is official! The iconic Sir Winston Churchill called for the creation of a ‘United States of Europe’ in his famous 1946 Zurich speech and Presided the first European Federal Congress at the Hague in 1948. He was one of the key fathers of a united Europe and set in motion ideas and events which would develop and grow to become the European Union.

NYT: Rod Rosenstein Discussed Secretly Taping Trump


In the days after FBI Director James Comey's May 2017 firing, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed wearing a "wire" to record conversations with President Donald Trump and recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, The New York Times reported.

Poland Is Pushing the EU into Crisis


Poland’s far-right party is subverting democracy, and setting the country on a collision course with the EU.

Lord Adonis: Can and Should Brexit Be Stopped?


Andrew Adonis contends that, as the UK enters the end-game of Brexit, a false choice has been offered to British voters and to their politicians: a catastrophic ‘no deal’ Brexit or Prime Minister May’s likely ‘blind Brexit’ which takes Britain out of the EU and into a transition period with no guarantees about any future relationship with its closest neighbours and partners.

He makes the case that such an outcome is profoundly undemocratic and antithetical to the interests and aspirations of the British people, explaining why, therefore, that he believes Brexit must be stopped and how this can happen.


Lawrence: Republicans Have No Intention Of Fair Hearing For Ford | The Last Word | MSNBC


Trump has started questioning Dr. Ford's accusation against Brett Kavanaugh and Mitch McConnell told an audience that he has the votes to confirm Kavanaugh. Lawrence says that indicates Republicans do not plan to treat Dr. Ford's hearing fairly.

Cuomo: Trump Doubled Down on Dumb


CNN's Chris Cuomo criticizes President Donald Trump for his response to the sexual assault allegations made against his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Friday, September 21, 2018

Murati: "No Deal Means Something That Brits Haven't Really Understood"


"A no deal means something that people haven’t really understood, the general public and in business too" says Klisman Murati from PANGAEA WIRE as Angela Merkel reveals that the EU will not compromise on integrity of single market.

Macron Says May's Chequers Brexit Blueprint 'Not Acceptable'


Thursday, September 20, 2018

EU Rejects Theresa May’s ‘Chequers’ Brexit Plan


A summit that started with warm mood music ended up with Theresa May and Britain out in the cold. EU leaders didn't budge an inch and Mrs May is headed home clutching a Chequers plan in tatters, already savaged by her MP's - and now rejected by Europe. All hope now rests on reaching a deal by the next summit in October.

#democracynow : Top US News & World Headlines — September 20, 2018


Austria Restricts Immigration and Hampers Integration


Avenatti: Stormy Daniels' Book Shows She Is Telling the Truth


Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti says his client's new tell-all book is a way for Daniels to tell her side of her alleged affair with President Trump.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

EU Leaders React to May’s Brexit Deal


Theresa May's having dinner tonight at the Felsenreitschule, an old theatre in Salzburg well known from the closing scenes in 'The Sound of Music'.

She's got a ten-minute slot to make her Brexit pitch and convince the EU leaders present to back her Chequers plan. But the path seems far from clear, with the European Council President, Donald Tusk, warning the UK's proposals will need to be reworked. So how will the EU's major players go about solving a problem like Theresa?


#democracynow – Top US News & World Headlines — September 19, 2018