Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

Trade-war's eve
Axios | Mike Allen | 07/05/18

Just after midnight tonight the Trump administration is set to impose tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese goods, escalating a global trade war that has pitted the U.S. against trading partners around the world.

1. "Businesses are bracing for disruptions in sales and supply chains," the Wall Street Journal reports (subscription), as a Chinese response could hit U.S. producers of "automotive products, farm crops and other goods."
2. China warned that the U.S. is "opening fire on the entire world, including itself" while at the same time promising that it wouldn't use the 12-hour time difference to impose retaliatory tariffs first (per the Guardian).

What's next: Already, several U.S. sectors are freaking out -- soybean farmers losing business in China, aluminum metal companies hit inadvertently by tariffs, and GM, worried about soaring supply costs. Manufacturers fear the tariff war will prematurely cut short a renaissance triggered by low natural gas prices and tax cuts, reports Ed Crooks at the FT. Read more

Why is Trump's staff turnover higher than the 5 most recent presidents?
Brookings Institute | Elizabeth Sablich | date

ny president's first year is rife with optimism, but often fraught with missteps. Incoming staff members often find that their new jobs bear little resemblance to their campaign roles. Running the government requires aides to be well-versed in policy details, skilled in negotiation and compromise, and sensitive to the mores and demands of the Washington community (including interest groups, members and staff of Congress, the bureaucracy, and the media). Over the course of the first year, it is not unusual for presidents to fire poor performing or ethically compromised staff members. Some staff members receive promotions because of these departures, and a small number voluntarily leave. As explained below, while some turnover is expected and possibly beneficial, excessive turnover portends problems.

In this paper, I examine staff turnover in the first year of the Trump White House, compared to his five immediate predecessors. I find Trump's turnover is record-setting, more than triple that of Obama and double that of Reagan. In looking at why Trump has experienced such high turnover, I argue he has valued loyalty over qualifications and suffered from a White House that has functioned in a chaotic manner. Both features have made it difficult to retain staff and have contributed to the governance difficulties he has encountered. If history is any guide, staff recruitment and retention during his second year could prove challenging as well. ... Read more

These Are The Scandals That Brought Down EPA Chief Scott Pruitt
HP | Lydia O'Connor | 07/05/18

It's true that Pruitt has stoked the ire of scientists, taxpayers and several of those who worked under him. Here's a look at the controversies that brought him down.

BIG List!!! Read more

Trump Admin. Officials 'Destroyed' Records of Immigrant Kids Separated from Their Parents: Report
AlterNet | Cody Fenwick | 07/05/18

The administration seems to have no idea how to reunite the families it tore apart.

As the Trump administration struggles to clean up the mess it created when it started separating immigrant children and parents apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, a new report found that records that could help reunite the families have vanished, and some have even been destroyed.

The New York Times' Caitlin Dickerson reports that much of the confusion has been driven by the fact that multiple agencies -- the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services in particular -- are responsible for detaining the children. With the children moving between departments, documentation has proved a challenge. ... Read more