584 people were sentenced to prison for tax evasion in 2017
February 17, 2019 inPolitics
Art dealer Mary Boone was sentenced to 30 months in prison this week, despite receiving support from a wide range of art-world boldface names. She evaded more than $3 million in taxes between 2009 and 2011. By the numbers: 30 months is a harsh sentence, but prosecutions for tax evasion are very rare. 584 people were sentenced to prison for tax evasion in 2017, the most recent year for which statistics...
White House, GOP defend Trump emergency declaration
February 17, 2019 inPolitics
President Trump’s allies in the GOP and one of his top advisers defended on Sunday his decision to declare a national emergency to secure funding for his long-desired border wall, a move that triggered a flurry of lawsuits and bipartisan... ...Read more from our friends at The Hill
Marco Rubio warns Venezuelan soldiers to let aid enter
February 17, 2019 inPolitics
CUCUTA, Colombia (AP) - U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is warning Venezuelan soldiers that they would commit a “crime against humanity” if they block the entry of U.S. aid that is being channeled through rivals of socialist President Nicolas Maduro. The Florida Republican on Sunday visited the border town of Cucuta, where U.S. aid packages are being stockpiled for distribution by congressional leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized the U.S. and dozens...
Here’s how Trump wants to pay for the border wall after invoking a national emergency
February 17, 2019 inEconomics
MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE[1] President Donald Trump is planning to tap into several sources to build his signature border wall, invoking a national emergency that even he predicts will be subject to court battles. Here’s how the administration says it’s going to pay for the wall, with funds totaling about $8 billion. See full story.[2] What NOT to buy during Presidents’ Day weekend sales Consumers can score big savings on appliances and furniture...
GOP senator says Republicans didn't control Senate when they held majority
February 17, 2019 inPolitics
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said Sunday that Republicans didn't control Congress during the first two years of President Trump's presidency despite having majorities in both chambers.Johnson said that while the GOP had a majority in the... ...Read more from our friends at The Hill
In Scathing NYT Editorial, De Blasio Claims Amazon's NYC Pull-Out "Proved Its Critics Right"
February 17, 2019 inEconomics
As the New York politicians who supported and helped negotiate the deal that would have brought Amazon to Queens stumble through the five stages of grief following the loss of what Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office once described as one of the greatest economic boons in recent NY history (which has been dominated largely by stories of companies and taxpayers fleeing the high-tax, high cost-of-living state for greener pastures in the...
Amazon paid $0 in federal income tax in 2018, despite record profits
February 16, 2019 inPolitics
Despite doubling its profits in 2018, Amazon did not pay a cent of federal income tax for the second consecutive year, according to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The big picture: Amazon actually received a rebate of $129 million — or an effective tax rate of negative 1 percent — thanks to tax credits and other breaks stemming from the GOP's 2017 tax cuts. The Washington...
Ocasio-Cortez in Bronx speech: New Yorkers deserve ‘dignified jobs’
February 16, 2019 inPolitics
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a progressive firebrand and vocal supporter of labor, said New Yorkers deserve “dignified jobs” in the aftermath of a scrapped deal to build a second Amazon headquarters in Queens. “We need to create... ...Read more from our friends at The Hill
