Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Filthy rich, owing no taxes
Axios | Steve LeVine | 02/20/19

Fortune 500 companies have begun to file their annual regulatory reports, and a pattern is emerging. After the Trump tax cut, an outsized number, led by giants like Amazon, GM and Halliburton, owe zero or very little in 2018 U.S. income taxes -- or are actually due a refund.

Why it matters: Amid popular anger at establishment institutions, companies earning large profits and paying no taxes risk a serious public backlash. ...

Productivity is not the problem
Axios | Dion Rabouin | 02/20/19

The issue driving income inequality in the U.S. has not been a lack of productivity by American workers, a new report from the Economic Policy Institute finds. Instead it is that the lion's share of gains from increased productivity have gone to a tiny segment of wage earners at the top.

The big picture: After tracking closely in the three decades following World War II, from 1979 to 2017 productivity grew 70.3%, while hourly compensation of production and nonsupervisory workers grew just 11.1%. That means productivity grew six times faster than typical worker pay. ... Read more

Into the Tempest: Essays on the New Global Capitalism by William I. Robinson

In this critical new work, sociologist William I. Robinson offers an engaging and accessible introduction to his theory of global capitalism. He applies this theory to a wide range of contemporary topics, among them, globalization, the trans- national capitalist class, immigrant justice, educational reform, labor and anti-racist struggles, policing, Trumpism, the resurgence of a neo-fascist right, and the rise of a global police state. Sure to spark debate, this is a timely contribution to a renewal of critical social science and Marxist theory for the new century.

Saudi Arabia is No. 2 supplier of oil to the United States
CNN | Matt Egan | older 10/15/18

... The United States still imports 7.9 million barrels of foreign crude per day and a sizable chunk comes from Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter. ...

... Despite soaring US oil production, the United States still imported 876,000 barrels of crude a day from Saudi Arabia in July, according to the most recent government statistics. ven though imports from Saudi Arabia have declined sharply from 10 years ago, the kingdom remains the No. 2 supplier to the United States, behind only Canada. ...

... To quench America's thirst for gasoline and jet fuel, these decades-old refineries require a steady dose of medium and heavy grades of crude. Saudi Arabia's crude is the perfect match. The United States consumed almost 20 million barrels per day of petroleum products last year. ... Read more

The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump by Andrew G. McCabe

On March 16, 2018, just twenty-six hours before his scheduled retirement from the organization he had served with distinction for more than two decades, Andrew G. McCabe was fired from his position as deputy director of the FBI. President Donald Trump celebrated on Twitter: "Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI - A great day for Democracy."

In The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump, Andrew G. McCabe offers a dramatic and candid account of his career, and an impassioned defense of the FBI's agents, and of the institution's integrity and independence in protecting America and upholding our Constitution.

McCabe started as a street agent in the FBI's New York field office, serving under director Louis Freeh. He became an expert in two kinds of investigations that are critical to American national security: Russian organized crime--which is inextricably linked to the Russian state--and terrorism. Under Director Robert Mueller, McCabe led the investigations of major attacks on American soil, including the Boston Marathon bombing, a plot to bomb the New York subways, and several narrowly averted bombings of aircraft. And under James Comey, McCabe was deeply involved in the controversial investigations of the Benghazi attack, the Clinton Foundation's activities, and Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

The Threat recounts in compelling detail the time between Donald Trump's November 2016 election and McCabe's firing, set against a page-turning narrative spanning two decades when the FBI's mission shifted to a new goal: preventing terrorist attacks on Americans. But as McCabe shows, right now the greatest threat to the United States comes from within, as President Trump and his administration ignore the law, attack democratic institutions, degrade human rights, and undermine the U.S. Constitution that protects every citizen.

Regime Change We Can Believe In: The U.S. Agenda in Venezuela, Haiti, and Egypt
TheIntercept | author | date

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION has set a deadline of February 23 for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to bow down to the U.S. This week on Intercepted: U.S. military aircraft have landed in Colombia under the pretext of delivering humanitarian aid, as Trump vows to overthrow the government in Caracas. Venezuela scholar George Ciccariello-Maher and journalist Kim Ives discuss recent developments and examine the massive protests rocking Haiti's U.S.-backed president. The Intercept's Jon Schwarz details the bloody and murderous career of Elliott Abrams, the man now in charge of U.S.-Venezuela operations. And journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous explains the failed revolution in Egypt and outlines U.S.-backed dictator Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's plot to make himself president for life. ... Read more
Intercepted | Jeromy Scahill
Regime Change We Can Believe In | TheIntercept | 02/20/19 | ~1hr

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, February 20 [12:06]

Trump Admin's Secretive Talks to Sell Saudi Arabia Nuclear Technology Spark New Fear of Arms Race | DN | 02/20/19 | 15:26

Venezuela: The Epicenter of the "Pink Tide" and Now of the Right-Wing Rollback | TRNN | 02/20/19 | 15:35

Trump BOMBSHELL: Former FBI Director, Andrew McCabe, on NBC | TYT | 02/19/19 | 9:38

Trump's Childish 2020 Campaign Strategy | TYT | 02/19/19 | 9:27

Bernie Sanders Interview On Running For President In 2020 (Full show) | TYT | 02/19/19 | 43:22

A Bug's Death | 1a.org | 02/20/19 | 1hr

Kentucky Teen Nick Sandmann Sues The Washington Post For $250 Million
HP | David Barden | 02/19/19

The Covington Catholic High student's suit says the Post "caused permanent damage to his life and reputation" with its report on a Lincoln Memorial incident.

icholas Sandmann, the MAGA hat-wearing teen at the center of the highly publicized incident with Native American activist Nathan Phillips, is suing The Washington Post for $250 million, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Sandmann, a student from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky, was part of a group of teens filmed surrounding Phillips while he performed an American Indian Movement song on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial last month at the National Mall.

The viral incident ? which was covered by many major news outlets ? caused nationwide outrage at both ends of the political spectrum, with perceptions becoming more complicated after more than an hour of the footage from the encounter later emerged. ... Read more