Important headlines for November 2nd:
Bottom Line: These are the stories you don't want to miss (but probably would if I didn't find them for you)...
Still No Trump-Russia 'Collusion,' But Clinton Looks Guilty Gregg Jarrett, Fox News
Excerpt: It is against the law for the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee to funnel millions of dollars to a British spy and to Russian sources in order to obtain the infamous and discredited Trump “dossier.” The Federal Election Campaign Act (52 USC 30101) prohibits foreign nationals and governments from giving or receiving money in U.S. campaigns. It also prohibits the filing of false or misleading campaign reports to hide the true purpose of the money (52 USC 30121). This is what Clinton and the DNC appear to have done.
But that’s not all. Damning new evidence appears to show that Clinton used her office as Secretary of State to confer benefits to Russia in exchange for millions of dollars in donations to her foundation and cash to her husband. Secret recordings, intercepted emails, financial records, and eyewitness accounts allegedly show that Russian nuclear officials enriched the Clintons at the very time Hillary presided over a governing body which unanimously approved the sale of one-fifth of America’s uranium supply to Russia.
If this proves to be a corrupt “pay-to-play” scheme, it would constitute a myriad of crimes, including bribery (18 USC 201-b), mail fraud (18 USC 1341), and wire fraud (18 USC 1343). It might also qualify for racketeering charges (18 USC 1961-1968), if her foundation is determined to have been used as a criminal enterprise.
It's truly alarming how corrupt our media have become. This is the real story of collusion. The real story of corruption. The story for which there's now significant evidence that's been legally recorded and yet most MSM outlets ignore this at all cost to keep their lemmings ignorant and feed the ever-unproven Trump-Russia collusion myths endlessly.
Realtors, Homebuilders Put Profits Over Middle Class Wallison & Pinto, RCP
Excerpt: Two powerful lobbying groups that advertise themselves as helping Americans buy homes have announced that they will oppose the Republican tax plan. Their reason? Because it will lower housing costs. Seldom have any denizens of “the Swamp” shown their true colors quite so flagrantly. When the Republican tax plan made them choose between helping the middle class to buy homes and reducing their members’ profits, they chose profits. Doubling the standard IRS deduction while reducing or eliminating deductions for state and local taxes would discourage would-be homebuyers from purchasing more expensive homes. Since both the Realtors and the builders earn more from selling bigger homes amid rising prices, they simply oppose any tax plan that does not help inflate housing costs.
Their analysis is instructive. If large numbers of taxpayers use the new—and much higher—standard deduction in the Republican plan, they will not be eligible to use the mortgage interest deduction in calculating offsets to the cost of the home.
And this is an illustration of why we never make great policy in this country. The fairest, best and most pro-growth tax reform we could offer up would be a flat federal tax without deductions/loopholes. But we never get close to that outcome - or anything close to it due to special interests. The lamest excuses I hear for keeping special interest deductions relevant are advanced by charities and real-estate groups. The real-estate case is cited above. The charitable argument advances the notion that their money really isn't donated by people who care but simply those who're looking for a write-off. I reject both on principal and pragmatism.
A healthy economy with more money in the hands of people and growing incomes and upward mobility has always and would once again lead to higher real-estate prices and more money for charitable giving. It's simply a matter of economics but they're too busy with short-sighted non-wisdom and will fight like hell to keep the status quo in place. It's a funny thing about life and outcomes. When you truly put the interests of those you're supposed to serve first, you're far more likely to be more successful yourself. If you feel like you have to carve out holes in the tax code or else, you're anything but an altruistic person. The only ones who I genuinely have sympathy for if we really did have a fair and honest tax code would be accountants. Many of them really would be put out of business.
Reform Islam or Live the 'New Normal' Forever Roger Simon, PJ Media
I have a separate story today that addresses this point in a factual way that should shock you. Islamic terror is normal around the world. We average nearly six attacks per day. You just don't usually hear about most of them. If you want to import the people and the culture in the name of political correctness this will be the new normal.
Until tomorrow...