RSN: Matt Taibbi | New Documents Show Government Misled Public on Fannie/Freddie Takeover

27 July 17 AM

It's Live on the HomePage Now: 
Reader Supported News

APPEAL FOR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE ON CONTRIBUTIONS: While we have made some progress on the July funding drive in the past 48 hours we are still well short of our goal. If everyone pulls together we can finish quickly. If you have not donated recently please throw something in the hat. In Peace and Solidarity. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

---

Matt Taibbi | New Documents Show Government Misled Public on Fannie/Freddie Takeover 
 
Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone 
Taibbi writes: "In August 2012, a few months before Barack Obama told Mitt Romney the Eighties had called and wanted their foreign policy back, the U.S. government made a momentous and little-discussed decision." 
READ MORE

The Skinny on the GOP's Last Resort on Health Care: 'Skinny Repeal' 
Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone 
Stuart writes: "Senate Republicans voted by a razor-thin margin on Tuesday to open debate on legislation that would at last fulfill the party's seven-year promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. Where that debate will end, though, is still anyone's guess." 
READ MORE

Federal Judge Upholds Fine Against Kris Kobach for 'Pattern' of 'Misleading the Court' in Voter-ID Cases 
Christopher Ingraham, The Washington Post 
Ingraham writes: "A federal judge has upheld a $1,000 fine against the vice chair of President Trump's Election Integrity Commission, citing a 'pattern'" of 'misleading the Court' in voter-ID cases. The ruling represents another blow to the credibility of a commission plagued by lawsuits and controversy in its first months of existence." 
READ MORE

Feds Crack Trump Protesters' Phones to Charge Them With Felony Rioting 
Laura Weill, The Daily Beast 
Weill writes: "Officials seized Trump protesters' cell phones, cracked their passwords, and are now attempting to use the contents to convict them of conspiracy to riot at the presidential inauguration." 
READ MORE

US Sheriffs Collaborate With Anti-Immigrant Hate Groups to Shocking Extent: Report 
teleSUR 
Excerpt: "County sheriffs in the U.S. are increasingly being recruited to the organized anti-immigrant movement and fringe nationalist groups in a bid to implement a dangerous agenda that breaks up families, deports people to their deaths and punishes survivors of domestic violence." 
READ MORE

Trump Targets Legal Effort to Protect LGBT Workers From Bias 
Erik Larson, Bloomberg 
Larson writes: "U.S. President Donald Trump's administration came out against an effort by civil rights groups to ban workplace discrimination against gays and lesbians nationwide, putting him at odds with some of the country's most valuable companies." 
READ MORE

Santa Barbara Becomes First California City to Pass Resolution Against Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling 
Center for Biological Diversity 
Excerpt: "The Santa Barbara City Council approved a resolution Tuesday opposing new drilling off the California coast and fracking in existing offshore oil and gas wells. The resolution is the first in a new statewide campaign to rally local governments against proposals to expand offshore fossil fuel extraction in federal waters." 
READ MORE

---

Contribute to RSN

Become a Fan of RSN on Facebook and Twitter

Update My Monthly Donation

Progressive Breakfast: Love Your Country? Save Health Care!

MORNING MESSAGE

Sarah Chaisson-Warner

Love Your Country? Save Health Care!

We have one more chance this Independence Day to stop the GOP’s health care repeal before it sickens, bankrupts, and even kills many of us. Remember: grassroots pressure works.

Health Care Maneuvers

GOP’s Plan B for Obamacare – repeal first, replace later – began with quiet push from Koch network. LA Times:“The influential Koch network, backed by the billionaire industrialists, floated the idea most recently at a retreat last weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., where key conservative lawmakers heard an earful from frustrated GOP donors about the party’s failure to deliver on their signature campaign promise. Among those attending the gathering at the luxurious Broadmoor Hotel was Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who has been working with the White House behind the scenes on the idea.”

Ohio governor calls out GOP attempt to buy off moderates with ‘anemic’ opioid funds. ThinkProgress:“Gov. John Kasich dismissed the $45 billion fund for opioid treatment that some Republicans have floated as a potential ‘sweetener’ for moderates as completely insufficient to address the problem… according to Kasich, that amount would not come close to solving the problem. ‘That would give me a billion over ten years? Not even quite that. It’s anemic. As I said to Senator Portman at one point, it’s like spitting in the ocean. It’s not enough.'”

Queer dance party descends on McConnell’s house, dancing with anger over health care repeal. City Paper:“A swanky stretch of C Street near the Capitol in Washington, D.C. is blocked by a raucous crowd dancing in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s house on an unseasonably cool summer evening. As music blasts from loudspeakers, the scene resembles a Pride block party as about 50 members of the LGBTQ community and their allies attempt to dance away their fears and anger over McConnell’s so-called health care bill, which was negotiated in secret.”

Trump Outrage

Trump tweets may incite violence against journalists. WaPo:“President Trump, who has reveled in his confrontational style with the news media, sparked fierce debate Sunday over whether he is inciting violence against journalists by posting a doctored video clip showing him bashing the head of a figure representing CNN. Trump’s latest provocation in his war with the media brought denunciations from Democrats, and some Republicans, who warned that the president’s conduct could endanger reporters as he seeks to undermine public trust in reporting about his administration.”

LA marchers call for Trump impeachment. LA Times:“Several thousand protesters marched through downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, waving signs and chanting, ‘Down, down, down with Trump — up, up, up with the people’ as they urged Congress to impeach the president. The peaceful demonstration was one of dozens of events held across the country Sunday, aimed at voicing displeasure with Trump and his White House.”

Bill to create panel that could remove Trump from office quietly picks up Democratic support. Yahoo News:“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have privately counseled their more militant members to forswear talk of impeaching President Trump, telling them the political support for such a step simply doesn’t exist in the GOP-controlled Congress. But 25 House Democrats, including the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, are now pushing an equally radical alternative: They are backing a bill that would create a congressional ‘oversight’ commission that could declare the president incapacitated, leading to his removal from office under the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”

Dozens of states reject Kobach’s call for sensitive voting records. NPR:“More a dozen states said Friday that they would not, or could not, give a White House commission looking into voter fraud detailed voter registration data as requested. By Saturday, the number of states refusing to fully comply had doubled.”

Conflicts of Interest

DOJ corporate compliance watchdog resigns citing Trump’s conduct. The Hill:“A top Justice Department official who serves as a corporate compliance watchdog has left her job, saying she felt she could no longer force companies to comply with the government’s ethics laws when members of the administration she works for have conducted themselves in a manner that she claims would not be not tolerated.”

Trump ethics aide under fire for allowing billionaire Carl Icahn to skirt ethics rules. Common Dreams:“In a letter to the White House on Thursday, the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) warned that a top Trump administration ethics official may have violated the very rules he is required to enforce by allowing billionaire investor Carl Icahn — who has frequently advised President Donald Trump on a variety of issues — to skirt financial disclosure requirements. The business mogul has been profiting immensely from his position as informal advisor to President Trump.”

With the help of industry insiders and lobbyists, Scott Pruitt is rapidly changing the EPA. Salon:“Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt has only held the job for four months, but he has already made regulatory rollback’s ‘larger in scope than any other over so short a time in the agency’s 47-year history,’ according to the New York Times. Over 30 environmental rules have been undone, delayed or blocked.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Save Health Care for Nevada’s Small Businesses. Peter Frigeri:“GOP Senators like Nevada’s Dean Heller can take a stand for small businesses and working people by rejecting any plan that hurts not only communities and the economy, but also worsens the lives of tens of millions of ordinary people.”

Water, Jobs & Justice. Judith LeBlanc:“Judith LeBlanc, director of the Native Organizers Alliance, talks about “Water, Jobs & Justice” at the People’s Summit in Chicago with David Hunt, Lashaya Darisaw, Dennis Houlihan and other speakers.”

Campaigning & Governing for Transformational Change. Roger Hickey:“Roger Hickey, co-founder of Campaign for America’s Future, talks about “Campaigning & Governing for Transformational Change” at the People’s Summit in Chicago. Other speakers include Joe Salazar and Rep. Mark Pocan.”

Multi-Front Organizing for the Political Revolution. LeeAnn Hall:“LeeAnn Hall, co-director of People’s Action, talks about “Multi-Front Organizing for the Political Revolution” at the People’s Summit in Chicago. Other speakers include Linda Sarsour, Elisheva Johnson and Tomas Robles.”

Down-Ballot Revolutionaries. Amanda Weaver:“Amanda Weaver, executive director of Reclaim Chicago, speaks about “Down Ballot Revolutionaries” at the People’s Summit in Chicago, Illinois, with Khalid Kamau, Laurel Wales and other progressive organizers.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People's Action.more »

Progressive Breakfast: We Know What Society's Sickness Is, and We Are the Cure

MORNING MESSAGE

Dan Doubet

We Know What Society’s Sickness Is, and We Are the Cure

While my family is suffering, I am truly optimistic, because it has never been clearer: this is no longer left versus right or Democrat versus Republican; it's the bottom versus the top. We know what the cure is, and I'm proud to stand down here with my boys and our 300 million friends.

Health Care Tussle

Senate health bill cuts Medicaid funding by 35 percent. NYT:“Projected Medicaid spending under a Senate Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act would be 35 percent lower after two decades, the Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday in a new report, which detailed how Medicaid changes would cut more deeply as they go fully into force. The budget office analysis created a fresh challenge for Republican leaders as they tried to muster support for their bill, even as senators scattered to their home states for a 10-day July 4 recess.”

Kobach Demands Personal Data on All U.S. Voters

Kobach wants every U.S. voter’s personal information for Trump’s commission. Kansas City Star:“Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has asked every state in the nation to provide President Donald Trump’s new voter commission with the names, birthdates and Social Security information for registered voters going back to 2006… California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement that he will ‘not provide sensitive voter information to a commission that has already inaccurately passed judgment that millions of Californians voted illegally. California’s participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud made by the President, the Vice President, and Mr. Kobach. The President’s Commission is a waste of taxpayer money and a distraction from the real threats to the integrity of our elections today.'”

Closing Our Borders

Revised travel ban takes effect, court challenges begin. CNN:“After months of winding through the courts, the so-called “watered-down,” revised version of President Donald Trump’s fiercely litigated travel ban finally went into effect at 8 p.m. ET Thursday. Less than an hour before the ban was slated to begin, an emergency motion was filed in federal court by the state of Hawaii, which contests the Trump administration’s plan to exclude certain categories of foreign nationals that the state believes are allowed to enter the country under existing court rulings.”

House passes bills to crack down on ‘sanctuary cities’ and deported criminals who return to U.S.. WaPo:“The House on Thursday passed two hard-line immigration bills that would penalize illegal immigrants who commit crimes and local jurisdictions that refuse to work with federal authorities to deport them. Both bills, Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, passed on largely party-line votes amid heavy promotion from Republicans, starting with President Trump.”

NRA Call To Arms

NRA Issues Call for White Supremacy and Armed Insurrection. BillMoyers.com:“Ponder this flagrant call for violence, this insidious advocacy of hate delivered with a sneer, this threat of civil war, this despicable use of propaganda to arouse rebellion against the rule of law and the ideals of democracy… On the surface this is a recruitment video for the National Rifle Association. But what you are really about to see is a call for white supremacy and armed insurrection, each word and image deliberately chosen to stir the feral instincts of troubled souls who lash out in anger and fear.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Taking the Resistance to Another Level. George Goehl, LeeAnn Hall:“Trump is breaking a lot of the rules, and norms of the office of the president. I think that a kind of resistance will have to move to another level: it will come out of local communities and local strategies, then take off like wildfire.”

Trump Is Vulnerable On Education. Do Democrats Care? Jeff Bryant:“After a string of special election defeats, Democrats are retooling their messages about the economy and healthcare. They should update their message on education, too; there’s evidence voters would welcome a change.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People's Action.more »