RSN: Oliver Stone | Why I'm for Bernie Sanders, How $15 Billion in Corporate Taxes Disappeared, and Left All of Us Holding the Bag, $15 Billion in Corporate Taxes Disappeared, Senator Leahy Calls for State Dept. Investigation of Human Rights Violations by Israel and Egypt

Great article below about Debbie Wasserman Schultz, just another Bought & Paid For Democrat. Obama's mistaken endorsement merely indicates the desperation of Corporate Democrats. 

Each time the Democratic Party Faithful attack PROGRESSIVES, ordinary folks make small contributions that quickly add up....anyone notice? 

Bernie Sanders is outraising Hillary Clinton's Corporate Donors.

Republicans can't even offer a sane candidate, so expect mass defections.  

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Oliver Stone | Why I'm for Bernie Sanders 
 
Oliver Stone, Oliver Stone's Facebook Page 
Stone writes: "Bernie Sanders is the only candidate willing to cut back on our foreign interventions, bring the troops home, and with these trillions of dollars no longer wasted on malice, try to protect the 'homeland' by actually rebuilding it and putting money into its people, schools, and infrastructure." 
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David Sirota | Sen. Elizabeth Warren Requests Federal Probe of Financial Firms Over Statements About Proposed Regulation 
David Sirota, International Business Times 
Sirota writes: "U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Thursday requested a formal Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into four financial firms, asking the agency to evaluate whether they violated securities laws in an effort to thwart a federal initiative aimed at protecting investors." 
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This Obama Endorsement Is a Sign Pro-Corporate Democrats Are Getting Nervous 
David Dayen, The Intercept 
Dayen writes: "President Obama on Monday endorsed Debbie Wasserman Schultz, his handpicked Democratic National Committee chair, in her congressional race. What's stunning about that is that Obama felt the need to endorse a six-term congresswoman running in a heavily Democratic district at all." 
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President Barack Obama has endorsed U.S. representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz who 

faces a rare primary challenge for her Broward/Miami-Dade congressional district. (photo: Getty)

resident Obama on Monday endorsed Debbie Wasserman Schultz, his handpicked Democratic National Committee chair, in her congressional race. What’s stunning about that is that Obama felt the need to endorse a six-term congresswoman running in a heavily Democratic district at all.

Tim Canova, a law professor and Federal Reserve expert, jumped into the Democratic primary in January, challenging Wasserman Schultz from the left. At that time, my Intercept colleague Glenn Greenwaldinterviewed Canova, revealing multiple contrasts between his opposition to bank bailouts, corporate-written free trade agreements, and the Patriot Act and Wasserman Schultz’s support of those policies.

Populist primaries of entrenched incumbents don’t usually get the attention of the White House, because success for the challenger is so remote. Obama very rarely involves himself in House primaries. That he felt the need to endorse Wasserman Schultz suggests that Canova’s message is gaining traction in her district.

The endorsement comes fully five months before the primary — and days before the end-of-the-quarter deadline for Federal Election Commission reporting. While Wasserman Schultz has never needed help soliciting campaign contributions from wealthy donors, the presidential endorsement has the appearance of a vote of confidence to ensure the continued flow of money.

“Debbie has been a strong, progressive leader in Congress and a hardworking, committed chair of our national party since I proudly nominated her to the role in 2011,” Obama said in his endorsement statement. “She always stands up and fights for what is right for her district while passionately supporting middle-class families.”

But Wasserman Schultz is more than anything a creature of the pro-corporate Democratic Party establishment. She has been accused of using her position as DNC chair to favor Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary, including by scheduling low-profile debates on weekend nights. Her opposition to a medical marijuana initiative in Florida and sponsorship of a failed internet censorship bill in Congress have angered progressives, as have her ties to corporate money.

More recently, Wasserman Schultz sponsored a bill that would severely hamper the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed regulations for payday lenders. The bill would pre-empt the CFPB rule in favor of state laws like Florida’s, an industry-backed model that permits borrowers to take out an average of nine payday loans a year at an interest rate of 278 percent.

Payday lenders have cost Floridians $2.5 billion in fees over the last decade, according to a recent report, which has fallen disproportionately on African-Americans and Latinos. Wasserman Schultz also voted for a bill that would have gutted CFPB rules prohibiting racial discrimination by auto lenders.

Activist groups in Florida have run ads against Wasserman Schultz over her support for payday lenders. Canova has made the payday lending legislation a key talking point of his campaign, noting that Wasserman Schultz has taken over $68,000 in contributions from the industry.

The Florida Democratic Party initially denied Canova access to the party’s voter information file, but after pressure from the state’s progressive caucus, it reversed course, allowing Canova to use the data. The situation was reminiscent of Wasserman Schultz’s DNC temporarily denying voter-file access to Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign after Sanders staffers improperly accessed Clinton campaign data.

Canova, who recently announced support from the National Nurses United union, reacted to Obama endorsing his opponent on Twitter, saying, “Our grassroots movement is undeterred and this is our best fundraising day yet. Thank you @DWStweets,” referring to Wasserman Schultz’s Twitter handle.

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/36074-this-obama-endorsement-is-a-sign-pro-corporate-democrats-are-getting-nervous

How $15 Billion in Corporate Taxes Disappeared, and Left All of Us Holding the Bag 
David Cay Johnston, The Daily Beast 
Johnston writes: "Corporate income taxes alone would be about $15 billion a year higher but for IRS budget cuts, a cautious analysis of government data by Syracuse University researchers shows. Even that low-ball estimate means reduced audits cost you $46 a year in a combination of higher taxes, a larger federal deficit or reduced government services." 
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Chicago Schools to Close as Teachers Launch One-Day Strike 
Sara Burnett, Associated Press 
Burnett writes: "Chicago teachers took to picket lines Friday morning in an unprecedented one-day strike they say is aimed at getting lawmakers to adequately fund education and other programs in the nation's third-largest district." 
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Senator Leahy Calls for State Dept. Investigation of Human Rights Violations by Israel and Egypt 
Justin Salhani, ThinkProgress 
Salhani writes: "Military aid to the United States' two largest recipients could be reevaluated should a proposed investigation into 'gross violations of human rights' by Israeli and Egyptian security forces move forward." 
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Whoopi Goldberg Joins Marijuana Industry With Products for Women 
Liam Stack, The New York Times 
Stack writes: "Whoopi Goldberg became the latest celebrity to enter the increasingly lucrative world of legalized marijuana on Wednesday when she announced that she would launch a line of cannabis-infused products aimed at women." 
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