Progressive Breakfast: CEO Of Giant Corporation Tells US Government He's The Boss Of Them

MORNING MESSAGE

Are We the People the boss of giant multinational corporations, or are they the boss of us? Imagine, if you will, going to the IRS and saying, “I don’t think the tax rate is fair so I’m not going to pay it.” Regular Americans can’t do that. But Apple CEO Tim Cook just did. What would happen to any regular American if they did what Cook did, and said they they aren’t going to pay taxes because they don’t think the tax rate is “fair”? ... But Apple is a huge multinational corporation, and these days huge multinational corporations are the boss of our Congress. So, CEO Cook gets away with it.

"Evolving" on Immigration?

Trump’s evolving immigration plan compared to Clinton, Obama. US News & World Report:Donald Trump’s new line on immigration — ”fair, but firm“ — is leaving both Republicans and Democrats with the same question: Is the famously hard-line GOP nominee softening his approach? Trump even suggested Tuesday that he is open to ”softening“ laws dealing with immigrants. His campaign insists he’s not. But in the course of a few days, Trump has gone from calling for mass deportations for millions — a position to the right of even many Republicans — to arguing deportations should focus on those who commit crimes, veering into the same territory as President Barack Obama and Democrat Hillary Clinton. So what gives?”
Trump: ‘There could certainly be a softening’ on immigration stance. CNN Politics: “Donald Trump says there could be a ”softening“ in his hardline immigration proposals – though he did not provide detail and his campaign so far has yet to offer a coordinated message on whether there’s been a shift in policy. … His stated immigration stance – which include deporting all of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country and building a wall along the US-Mexico border – is a key part of his appeal to the Republican Party base and helped propel him during the primary season.”

Black Voters Question Trump "Outreach"

Blacks question Trump outreach delivered to white audiences. Associated Press:Black Republicans cheer Donald Trump for a newfound outreach to African-Americans, but say the GOP presidential nominee must take his message beyond arenas filled with white supporters and venture into the inner cities. Many rank-and-file black voters, meanwhile, dismiss the overtures as another racially charged pitch from a campaign aimed exclusively at whites, from Trump’s emphasis on ”law and order“ to his withering critiques of President Barack Obama, the nation’s first black chief executive. It was Trump in 2011 who fiercely challenged Obama’s U.S. birth.”
Corey Lewandowski: Trump avoids speaking to black voters because he’s not safe in their communities. Raw Story: “In what has become a seemingly endless series of CNN panels arguing over GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s awkward play for black votes, former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski tried out a new — and possibly more insulting spin — on Trump’s avoidance of black voters. He wouldn’t be safe addressing them in their own communities. Lewandowski was part of a panel Monday night hosted by Anderson Cooper when he was asked why Trump doesn’t appeal to black voter by actually meeting with them instead of talking about them in front of predominately white audiences.”
Inside Donald Trump’s new strategy to counter the view of many that he is ‘racist.’ Washington Post: “Donald Trump is rapidly trying to turn around his presidential campaign with a vigorous and at times strained effort to shed a label applied to him by a substantial portion of the electorate: racist. Guided by his new campaign leadership, the Republican nominee has ordered a full-fledged strategy to court black and Latino voters and is mobilizing scores of minority figures to advocate publicly for his candidacy. Trump is planning trips to urban areas — with stops at churches, charter schools and small businesses in black and Latino communities — and is developing an empowerment agenda based on the economy and education, aides said.”

Breakfast Sides

Trump Is Making More States Competitive. Red States. Five Thirty-Eight: “Trump himself said he would compete in deep-blue states like California, New York, Oregon and Washington. So far, however, the 2016 map looks a lot like the 2012 map. Some reliably red and blue states are a tad more competitive this year, relative to the country overall, than in recent elections, but Trump has not reshaped the political landscape. And with Clinton leading Trump nationally by about 7 percentage points, the typically uncompetitive states that seem most likely to flip are red, not blue.”
Andrea Tantaros calls Fox News a ‘sex-fueled Playboy Mansion-like cult’ in lawsuit. Los Angeles Times: “In a 37-page lawsuit, cable news host Andrea Tantaros alleges that she was removed from her on-air role in retaliation for making a sexual harassment complaint against Ailes, her former boss, and that Fox News executives covered up his actions. “Fox News masquerades as a defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny,” Tantaros states in her lawsuit filed Monday in New York Supreme Court.”
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