MORNING MESSAGE
Four
people who have been at the center of some of the nation’s biggest Wall Street
scandals have come together to send a message to the 2016 presidential
candidates: Pledge to stand against Wall Street fraud and corruption ... The
four veterans of battles with banksters – Gary J. Aguirre, William K. Black,
Richard M. Bowen III and Michael Winston – on Thursday called on the candidates
to not take contributions from financial companies or officers that have been
charged with fraud, particularly related to the 2008 financial meltdown. They
have also outlined a set of actions that they say will “restore the rule of law”
on Wall Street. They have formed a new organization, Bank Whistleblowers United,
to move that agenda forward.
DEMOCRACY AWAKENING ON MARCH 1ST
Sign-up
to join the Democracy Awakening Tele-Town-Hall March 1 from 8 to 8:30 p.m.
ET featuring Robert Reich, NAACP President Cornell Brooks, Sierra Club ED
Michael Brune, Greenpeace USA’s Annie Leonard – to hear why thousands are
converging on DC in April to pressure Congress for a democracy that works for
all.
SANDERS PRESSES CASE
Sanders
sharpens rhetoric in Chicago. W. Post: “The Vermont senator attacked Clinton
for having accepted campaign contributions and speaking fees from Wall Street
interests. And then he sharply criticized her support, as first lady and as a
New York senator, of welfare reform, free trade, an anti-gay rights bill and the
Iraq War … none of the critiques leveled by Sanders were new, his remarks were
striking for both their length — until recently he often didn’t mention Clinton
at all at his rallies — and his tone.”
And
campaigns in Flint. W. Post: “…Sanders mostly listened, as residents of
Flint, many of them emotional and visibly angry, told him about their
lead-contaminated water supply, their frustration with the government’s seeming
inability to do anything about it, and the effect it is having on their
children.”
Clinton
addresses 20-year old “super-predator” remarks. W. Post: “Ashley Williams, a
23-year-old activist from Charlotte, interrupted Clinton during a private
fundraiser … ‘I am not a super-predator, Hillary Clinton.’ … At issue was a
quotation from Clinton in 1996, at the height of anxiety during her husband’s
administration about high rates of crime … In a written response … Clinton said,
‘Looking back, I shouldn’t have used those words, and I wouldn’t use them
today.'”
TRUMP HIT HARD IN DEBATE
Trump
reveals he’s being audited during debate. W. Post quotes: “I’m always
audited by the IRS, which I think is very unfair — I don’t know, maybe because
of religion, maybe because of something else, maybe because I’m doing this …
maybe because of the fact that I’m a strong Christian …”
Mitt
Romney pressures Trump to release tax returns. The Hill: “‘No legit reason
@realDonaldTrump can’t release returns while being audited, but if scared,
release earlier returns no longer under audit,’ he tweeted … Trump argued during
the debate that he cannot release his tax returns while he is under audit.”
Rubio
gets aggressive with Trump. NYT: “Many critics and commentators thought that
Mr. Rubio was the clear winner on Thursday night, but said that his newfound
toughness may have come too late.”
David
Duke backs Trump. USA Today quotes: “…voting against Donald Trump at this
point is really treason to your heritage … I haven’t formally endorsed him. But
I do support his candidacy, and I support voting for him as a strategic action.
I hope he does everything we hope he will do.”
Cruz,
Rubio and Trump have similar positions, notes W. Post Catherine Rampell:
“…Rubio also wants to build a wall. Cruz wants to both build a wall and round up
and deport 11 million undocumented immigrants … They each [have tax plans that]
cost trillions; are not paid for; are highly regressive…”
BREAKFAST SIDES
Fourth
quarter GDP revised up slightly. WSJ: “The U.S. economy expanded at a 1%
rate in the final three months of 2015, better than a previously reported 0.7%
gain … Hidden behind upgraded economic growth in the fourth quarter was a
slowdown in consumer spending … Spending by state and local governments declined
at a 1.4% annualized pace in the fourth quarter.”
China
says it won’t “resort to competitive depreciation.” AP: “China’s central
bank chief promised Friday to avoid weakening its yuan … the communist
government is scrambling to defend its reputation for economic competence
following stock market and currency turmoil. A key worry, despite repeated
Chinese denials, is that Beijing will allow its yuan to decline in value to
support struggling exporters. That expectation has driven an outflow of capital
from China that spiked to a record $135 billion in December.”
California
teacher tenure case heard by appeals court. NYT: “Two years ago, in a
landmark ruling, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge struck down five state
statutes dealing with the awarding of tenure … lawyers for both sides staged
dueling news conferences outside the courthouse, each group insisting the
arguments had gone their way … A decision is expected within 90 days. The case
could be appealed to the State Supreme Court.”
Americans
for Tax Fairness fingers Pfizer tax evasion. The Hill: “The report from
Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) found that by merging with Allergan, Pfizer may
be able to avoid paying an estimated $35 billion in taxes on profits held
offshore. That money could fund the National Cancer Institute for nearly seven
years.”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
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