The Political Depravity of Unjust Pardons

50 years of tax cuts for the rich failed to trickle down, economics study says

Tax cuts for the wealthy have long drawn support from conservative lawmakers and economists who argue that such measures will "trickle down" and eventually boost jobs and incomes for everyone else. But a new study from the London School of Economics says 50 years of such tax cuts have only helped one group — the rich.

The new paper, by David Hope of the London School of Economics and Julian Limberg of King's College London, examines 18 developed countries — from Australia to the United States — over a 50-year period from 1965 to 2015. The study compared countries that passed tax cuts in a specific year, such as the U.S. in 1982 when President Ronald Reagan slashed taxes on the wealthy, with those that didn't, and then examined their economic outcomes.

Per capita gross domestic product and unemployment rates were nearly identical after five years in countries that slashed taxes on the rich and in those that didn't, the study found.

But the analysis discovered one major change: The incomes of the rich grew much faster in countries where tax rates were lowered. Instead of trickling down to the middle class, tax cuts for the rich may not accomplish much more than help the rich keep more of their riches and exacerbate income inequality, the research indicates.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/tax-cuts-rich-50-years-no-trickle-down/?__twitter_impression=true

One thing that has bothered me over the years is the media hasn't called out the Republicans for pushing discredited Hoover economics for years.

Report: Phoenix police officer said, 'If the mayor defunds the police, I'm going to shoot her'

On the afternoon of October 21, seven Phoenix police officers gathered for a briefing in a Cave Creek station when the meeting diverged into a discussion about the defund-the-police movement.

When Officer Steven Poulos expressed his thoughts, the room went quiet: "If the mayor defunds the police, I'm going to shoot her," Poulos' sergeant recalled hearing the officer say, referring to Mayor Kate Gallego.

The sergeant broke the silence, saying, "You're not going to shoot the mayor."

Poulos doubled down, "That's a promise," he responded.

https://amp.azcentral.com/amp/4062470001?__twitter_impression=true

Murder In The Consulate: Oscar Contender 'Kingdom Of Silence' Parses Brutal Killing Of Journalist

For years the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi walked a tightrope—balancing his access to powerful Saudi Royals while pushing for reform in the kingdom—until the tightrope became a noose.

Khashoggi’s murder in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul—where a “kill team” allegedly dispatched by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman suffocated and then dismembered him—brought a gruesome end to a career of remarkable firsts. Among Kashoggi’s journalistic scoops had been reporting on his fellow Saudi Osama bin Laden, long before anyone in the West paid much attention to the radical Islamist.

“He was right there at the beginning when al-Qaeda was being formed, the first journalist to ever take a photograph of Bin Laden,” notes Rick Rowley, director of Kingdom of Silence, the Showtime documentary about Khashoggi. “He was right there in the halls of power in London and in Washington and in Riyadh after September 11th, when the U.S.-Saudi relationship was being re-navigated. He was right there when the Arab Spring erupted.”

Kingdom of Silence, which is contending for Oscar recognition, shows how Khashoggi tried to do the impossible—that is, practice true journalism in a country where the few hold power and there is no such thing as a First Amendment.

https://deadline.com/2020/12/kingdom-of-silence-director-rick-rowley-jamal-khashoggi-showtime-documentary-interview-news-1234661326/

Ivanka Trump was deposed Tuesday in DC attorney general's inauguration lawsuit

(CNN)Ivanka Trump, the President's daughter and adviser, sat for a deposition Tuesday with investigators from the Washington, DC, attorney general's office as part of its lawsuit alleging the misuse of inaugural funds, according to a court filing.

In January, the DC attorney general's office sued the Trump Organization and Presidential Inaugural Committee alleging they abused more than $1 million raised by the nonprofit by "grossly overpaying" for use of event space at the Trump hotel in Washington for the 2017 inauguration.

Depositions of witnesses as part of the lawsuit have been underway over the past several weeks.

Tom Barrack, chairman of the inaugural committee, was deposed on November 17, according to the court filing.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/12/02/politics/ivanka-trump-deposition/index.html?__twitter_impression=true

Kushner to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar to try to mend Gulf rift

US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week. The Trump administration is making several Middle East policy-related pushes before President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January.

Jared Kushner will meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Reuters reported on Sunday.

It is unclear what Kushner, who is also Trump’s son-in-law, will discuss with the two Gulf leaders. The timing of the visit comes shortly after Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed. Both the United States and Israel believe Iran is seeking to build a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies. Iran has already blamed Israel and the United States for the killing. Saudi Arabia is also a staunch opponent of Iran’s policy in the region.

Kushner will be joined by the US envoy for international negotiations Avi Berkowitz and former Iran envoy Brian Hook, according to the US government-funded Radio Free Europe. US International Development Finance Corporation head Adam Boehler will also reportedly attend.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/11/kushner-visit-mbs-thani-saudi-qatar-adviser-trump.amp.html?skipWem=1&__twitter_impression=true