Democracy is an illusion! It’s become a political system fostered by the élite, for the élite, in order to fool the people that they have a stake in the system. In actual fact, they have virtually none. The whole political system in the modern era, despite having noble beginnings, is now used to benefit the few at the expense of the many. – Mark Alexander, June 29, 2018
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Markets ‘Overdue for Correction’ – Richard Wolff
Labels:
Richard Wolff,
stock markets
Saturday, 27 October 2018
Debt Bomb: Are We on the Brink of Another Global Financial Crisis?
Labels:
Australia,
debt,
global financial crisis
Robert Reich: Trump's Brand Is Ayn Rand
Labels:
Ayn Rand,
Donald Trump,
Robert Reich
Friday, 26 October 2018
Robert Reich: The Next Crash
Labels:
Robert Reich,
stock market crash
Monday, 22 October 2018
How to Prepare for the Next Global Recession | The Economist
Labels:
global recession,
The Economist
Thursday, 18 October 2018
Donald Trump: All the President's Profits | Fault Lines
Previous US presidents put their financial assets into a blind trust and sold their businesses before inauguration, to avoid the possibility of conflicts of interest. But Trump refused to divest from the more than 500 companies he owns under the umbrella of the Trump Organization. Instead, he put them into a trust and handed over day-to-day management to his sons.
"When Donald Trump said he was giving up running the businesses and putting it into a trust, I literally erupted in laughter. Donald Trump doesn't run any businesses, he is not a competent businessman. He leaves it up to other people. And furthermore, the trust that Donald set up, the sons have said they tell dad what's going on in the business," says David Cay Johnston, editor of DC Report and author of The Making of Donald Trump and It's Even Worse Than You Think.
"He can reach in and withdraw money at any time. Whether or not he has done so, we don't know. But this is not anything at all like a blind trust. This is like what you expect to see in a family business posing as a country," he adds.
The overlap between Trump's business activities and his role as president has given rise to allegations that he is leveraging his office for personal gain. These charges are laid out in a series of lawsuits, which allege that Trump is violating the Emoluments Clauses of the US Constitution, by accepting payments or benefits from foreign states as well as federal and state governments. The attorney general for the District of Columbia, Karl Racine, calls the Emoluments Clauses the United States' "oldest anti-corruption law."
With the attorney general of Maryland, Racine has brought a lawsuit (known as D.C. and Maryland v. Trump) focused on the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, and the payments or benefits from foreign and domestic governments the president may be receiving there.
Fault Lines examines how the president's business dealings may have put him in conflict with the US constitution. And in a fractious mid-term election season, we ask constitutional law scholars and international corruption experts why it matters for democracy in the US.
Labels:
corruption,
Donald Trump,
Fault Lines
The Corruption Is Out in the Open
Labels:
Bernie Sanders,
corruption,
Republicans,
USA
Wednesday, 17 October 2018
Mapping Poverty in America | The Economist
Labels:
America,
poverty,
poverty in the USA,
The Economist
Venezuela Crisis: Where Families Buy Rotten Meat to Eat – BBC News
Shortages of food and basic goods, years of recession, soaring inflation and regular power shortages have left the country almost on its knees.
The government says those against the socialist President Nicolas Maduro are waging an "economic war" – but many within and outside the country blame his policies, combined with corruption and mismanagement.
One of the most affected areas is the state of Zulia, long known as the centre of the country's oil industry. The BBC’s Vladimir Hernandez is one of the few international journalists who has been able to report from the state.
Produced by Herminia Fernandez, filmed by Omar Garcia. Edited by Kelvin Brown.
How The Rising National Deficit Hits Your Wallet | Velshi & Ruhle | MSNBC
Labels:
US national debt
Tuesday, 16 October 2018
Paul Allen on Gates, Microsoft
Labels:
60 Minutes,
Bill Gates,
Microsoft,
Paul Allen
The Fall of a Retail Icon: Why Americans Stopped Shopping at Sears
Labels:
bankruptcy,
Sears
Sunday, 14 October 2018
Strategist: The Stock Market Will Pull Back 40 Percent from the Highs
Labels:
stock market,
Wall Street
How Will Saudi Deal with Stock Market Plunge? l Inside Story
As pressure mounts on Saudi Arabia, several US media organisations and business leaders have pulled out of a major investment conference in Riyadh. What was dubbed "Davos in the desert" is supposed to promote Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's reform vision for the Kingdom. So, where does that leave all his plans?
Presenter: Imran Khan | Guests Khalid Al Khater, economist and researcher at the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the University of Cambridge; Naeem Aslam, Chief market analyst at ThinkMarkets; Imad Harb, Director of Research and Analysis at the Arab Center Washington DC
Saudi Stocks Plunge 7% on Khashoggi Fallout
Saturday, 13 October 2018
Monday, 8 October 2018
How Worried Should the West Be about China? – BBC News
The vast nation is pouring money into Africa, taking over reefs in the disputed South China Sea, and engaging in a trade war with the US, raising Western concerns that a more assertive China could alter the power balance on the world stage.
BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson has been reporting from China for 30 years. He returns to find fashion shoots, a driverless bus, and growing authoritarianism, as he explores whether China is a friend, foe or rival of Western countries.
New Book Details Brutal Working Conditions at Amazon Warehouses
Labels:
Amazon,
slave labour
Inside Amazon's Working Conditions
Labels:
Amazon,
slave labour
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