Biden, Capito abandon infrastructure talks

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Infrastructure negotiations between President Biden and a group of Republicans led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) have officially broken down, and Biden now plans to turn his attention toward striking a deal with a separate, bipartisan group of senators, administration officials said Tuesday night.

What we’re hearing: When Biden and Capito spoke by phone on Tuesday, the call only lasted a few minutes, and it was clear that the two sides remain too far apart to find a compromise. 

  • The two parties still hadn’t agreed on how to define what constitutes infrastructure, let alone set a price tag or way to pay for it. Continue reading.

The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax

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ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.

In 2007, Jeff Bezos, then a multibillionaire and now the world’s richest man, did not pay a penny in federal income taxes. He achieved the feat again in 2011. In 2018, Tesla founder Elon Musk, the second-richest person in the world, also paid no federal income taxes.

Michael Bloomberg managed to do the same in recent years. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn did it twice. George Soros paid no federal income tax three years in a row.

ProPublica has obtained a vast trove of Internal Revenue Service data on the tax returns of thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people, covering more than 15 years. The data provides an unprecedented look inside the financial lives of America’s titans, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg. It shows not just their income and taxes, but also their investments, stock trades, gambling winnings and even the results of audits. Continue reading.

The DFL Debrief: A Minnesota Politics Podcast

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The Attack on Voting Rights in Minnesota ft. State Rep. Emma Greenman

Minnesota Republicans are pushing for voter ID, Dr. Scott Jensen doesn’t want kids vaccinated, and the national battle for voting rights – we cover all that and more on this week’s episode of the DFL Debrief alongside special guest State Representative Emma Greenman.

Listen here: https://dfldebrief.buzzsprout.com/1789166/8644970-the-attack-on-voting-rights-in-minnesota-ft-state-rep-emma-greenman?link_id=29&can_id=0d2b434b1a6055982e13eeecb674723c&source=email-mn-dfls-in-the-know-june-8-2&email_referrer=email_1200964&email_subject=mn-dfls-in-the-know-june-9

Articles discussed on this week’s episode:

– https://www.twincities.com/2021/05/27/mn-republican-governor-candidate-scott-jensen-goes-to-court-to-stop-youth-covid-vaccinations/

– https://www.pinejournal.com/news/government-and-politics/7011658-Voter-ID-requirement-passes-Minnesota-Senate-faces-hurdle-in-the-House

– https://www.sctimes.com/story/opinion/2021/05/28/your-turn-voter-id-solution-search-problem-built-lies-ken-martin-dfl-chairman/7454972002/

The DFL Debrief is a podcast put on by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. It is prepared and paid for by the Minnesota DFL Party, Ken Martin, Chairman. https://dfl.org

You can contract the podcast at podcast@dfl.org.

Our theme song, The Other Side, was generously provided for us to use by Minnesota musician Brian Highhill, who goes by the stage name Lumpy. Listen to more of his great music at http://bryanhighhill.com.

Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Will America Cede or Lead?

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Hi Neighbors,

Happy Pride Month! As you may know, every June we celebrate our LGBTQ+ community and honor those dedicated to ending discrimination in all of its forms. In that spirit, I hope you will join me this month in advocating for justice, preaching acceptance, and spreading love to all corners of our district.

Supporting Our Veterans

Our nation always finds the resources it needs to go war. It’s time we also find the resources to support our veterans and military families when they come home. The tragic rate of suicide in our veteran communities is a crisis; experts estimate that 17 veterans take their lives each day. We must do more to support those who have sacrificed for our nation, and that means ensuring that every veteran, servicemember, and their family has access to the mental health care and readjustment services they need. After hearing from veterans, service organizations, state officials, and my own Veterans Advisory Council, I introduced a new bill, the Vet Center Support Act, to address shortages in veterans’ mental health care across the country. 

Continue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Will America Cede or Lead?”

Fox News staff leaked to CNN host how ‘distraught’ they are network keeps covering up the Jan. 6 attack

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CNN host Brian Stelter told Jake Tapper on Tuesday that he had to nearly rewrite his book Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth for the paperback version because so much has happened since it was first published in hardback.

He explained that about a dozen Fox News staffers came to him privately to say that they were “distraught” over the network’s downplaying of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. More recently, the liberal group Meidas Touch gave Fox News just under $200,000 to run an ad with statements from Capitol and D.C. police officers about what they experienced on that day. Fox refused to run the ad, effectively canceling the police officers they purport to support. 

The Fox staffers told Stelter that their network has “looked the other way and made excuses for the rioters.” However, he explained, those staffers leaking aren’t in the majority. “Riot denial has won out at Fox and today, the network has barely covered this new Senate report and they have stuffed this down the rabbit hole.” Continue reading.

Whitehouse and Kennedy request Supreme Court travel records

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Request is part of a deeper review of senior government officials’ disclosures

Two key senators want travel records of Supreme Court justices as part of a broader congressional look at financial disclosure standards for the receipt of gifts, travel and other financial gains by senior government officials.

Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedyasked the Justice Department and the U.S. Marshals Service last week for information and documents about the last 10 years of trips for members of the high court.

The Supreme Court Police handles protection for the justices in the Washington metropolitan area. But the justices can request security from the Marshals Service, which is part of the Justice Department, for other domestic travel. Continue reading.

Biden ends infrastructure talks with key Republican

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President Biden on Tuesday cut off prolonged infrastructure negotiations with a GOP group led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and will instead move forward on discussions with a bipartisan group of senators.

The White House announced Biden’s move after the president and Capito spoke Tuesday afternoon. The two remained far apart on a deal during that discussion despite weeks of talks. The White House as a result is shifting to talks with a bipartisan group that is crafting its own proposal, an administration official confirmed.

Members of the bipartisan group include Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and other Senate moderates, such as Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). The senators are aiming to release a proposal by the end of the week.  Continue reading.

Wyden renews wealth tax push after billionaires’ returns leak

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Members of both parties express concern over unauthorized disclosure to ProPublica; IRS chief says agency is investigating

The top Senate tax writers expressed concern Tuesday about the unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information in a ProPublica report examining more than 15 years’ worth of tax returns for the country’s wealthiest individuals, but they drew different conclusions about how the disclosure should influence their legislative efforts.

Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said the report’s findings that America’s wealthiest billionaires paid little in income taxes underscored the need for legislation that would require them to pay their “fair share.”

But Finance ranking member Michael D. Crapo, R-Idaho, focused more on the leak of the tax returns, saying it adds to his concerns that the administration’s proposal to require banks to report more taxpayer financial information to the IRS could compromise Americans’ privacy. Continue reading.

Trump allies set for bitter brawl in Texas AG primary

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Two high-profile allies of former President Trump are barreling toward confrontation in the race for Texas attorney general in what could become one of the Lone Star State’s closest-watched primaries next year.

The Republican primary race began in earnest last week when Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), announced a challenge to sitting Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is expected to run for a third term in 2022.

Both men are ardent allies of Trump and are aggressively seeking his endorsement in the primary, believing that the former president’s backing would offer the easiest path to the GOP nomination. Trump has teased making an endorsement soon but has offered no hints as to which candidate he’s leaning toward. Continue reading.

Rep. Mariani Statement on Status of Public Safety Budget Negotiations

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – Saint Paul), Chair of the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Committee, issued the following statement regarding ongoing efforts to reach a Public Safety budget agreement:

“Minnesotans are counting on state legislators for both the policy solutions and the necessary funding to ensure all communities can live with true public safety while being treated with dignity and respect. To stop the senseless trauma that too many people, families, and neighborhoods continue to experience – especially communities of color – at this critical moment in our state’s history, Minnesotans deserve a fair and thoughtful approach to better policing. Contrary to recent Republican rhetoric, the House DFL Public Safety budget both better funds police work and better increases accountability than the Senate Republican proposals. Most significantly, it does so by including the voices of people of color who are the most impacted when police practices go wrong. Their views are vital to help us all to understand the need for the changes they are rightly demanding. As part of the legislative conference committee, I call on Senate Republicans to stop the non-helpful posturing and find an agreement with us that will meet the needs of our communities.”