Tessera

Republican FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr and Olivia Trusty approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance in July 2025. Months later, as it eyed a merger with Warner Bros., Paramount gifted both commissioners tickets to the Kennedy Center's swanky gala. If that isn’t corruption, I don’t know what is.

Ro Khanna @rokhanna.bsky.social · 2d ago

Remember Trump's disastrous Great American State Fair? He's now asking Congress for an additional $10M to reimburse costs for his July 4th "Freedom 250" flop. That's on top of the $100M+ in taxpayer funds that's already been funneled into his MAGA party planning committee.

Freedom 250: Gladiators, Parades, & the Grifting of America

Who's paying for Trump's MAGA-fied Freedom 250 festivities?Major corporate donors include Lockheed Martin, ExxonMobil, a

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The Trump Administration is sending billions to Amazon, Apple, Walmart, and other big corporations to refund them for Trump’s tariffs. American households were estimated to lose over $1,000 to tariff price hikes. Here's an idea: refund working families before big business.

The effective federal corporate income tax rate: 1950: 50% 1990: 25% 2020: 13% Stop asking "but how we will pay for it?" Restore the corporate tax rate. That is how we will pay for it.

The pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC has spent a jaw-dropping $30M+ in tomorrow's Democratic primaries in Michigan and Missouri. But if you saw their attack ads, you'd never know it was them. Watch.

Meet the Biggest Super PACs of 2026

Voters are increasingly opposed to U.S. aid to Israel, cryptocurrency, and AI data centers.That's why the Big Money grou

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David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 2d ago

Reminder: Todd Blanche has… -Weaponized the DOJ to persecute Trump’s political foes -Purged hundreds of career DOJ lawyers -Botched the release of the Epstein files and ignored victims’ wishes He can’t be trusted and has no business being Attorney General. The Senate must reject him.

Private equity has been scooping up life insurers that provide "permanent capital." Private credit has been financing the AI infrastructure build-out. Those two come together, and the result could be a bailout paid by state taxpaers, according to a fascinating new paper. I talked to the authors:

Private credit companies are key owners of AI-related assets. Many of their parent private equity firms own life insurers that are dumping grounds for bad loans—and subject to state bailouts.

Instead of passing through bankruptcy, insolvent life insurers have all their liabilities—in particular the policyholder claims—paid for by state guaranty funds.

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Elon Musk will be spending $100 million to $120 million in at least eight states to help elect Republicans in November, according to The New York Times. But Musk’s money shouldn’t be viewed as a problem. It’s an opportunity. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-stink-of-musk

Just a random reminder that immigrants are good for society and good for the economy.

The Truth About Immigrants and the Economy | Robert Reich

No matter what you hear on Fox News, immigrants are good for the economy and our society. Watch.

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"Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God's children." —Martin Luther King, Jr.

Corporate spending on elections has already topped $500 million this year. That's one third of the $1.58 billion in total that corporations have spent since Citizens United in 2010. Hawaii and Montana both have plans to neutralize this disastrous SCOTUS ruling. Other states must get on board.

Inequality Media Civic Action @imcivicaction.bsky.social · 3d ago

Trump is spending… -$95M for “D.C. Beautification,” including $5M to paint bronze horses gold -At least $300M to construct his ballroom -Nearly $15M to repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Meanwhile, millions of Americans can’t afford groceries, gas, or healthcare. Priorities.

Will Trump’s war on Iran ever actually end? Are there any winners in his dismal economy? And has he sabotaged any chance of passing another bill before the midterms? We unpack it all on this week’s Coffee Klatch.

It's Still The Economy, Stupid | The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich | August 1, 2026

Skyrocketing inflation.Plummeting approval ratings.A widening voter enthusiasm gap.Things are looking awful for Trump as

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New photos from the New York Times reveal that construction for Trump's ballroom is now above ground, despite an ongoing lawsuit over its legality. This vanity project is one of the most corrupt things a president has ever done. Watch.

Trump’s Ballroom Corruption Exposed

Is this the most corrupt thing a president has ever done?

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I’ve been thinking about a couple I met, Larry and Wendy, from Galveston, Texas and how their postcards written by hand to people in North Carolina and Texas are acts of patriotism in these dark times.

Sunday thought: Real Patriotism

From Texas to North Carolina

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The best measure of how America is doing isn’t the stock market, or GDP growth. It’s how well most Americans are living — and right now most are struggling.

The Biggest Economic Lies We’re Told | Robert Reich

Robert Reich

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Appalling cruelty — and all to fund more tax cuts for the rich.

"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob." —FDR, 1936

10 years ago, I talked to countless voters who were split between Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. The establishment can whine about today’s populist fervor all they want, but they should have seen it coming.