Fight Corruption and Fascism: Action Alert
Charlie Cooper
Take Action
June 14 is No Kings Day all over the U.S.A. Find an event near you.
Keep Contacting Congress – Senate Dems may be able to stop the budget bill
Step 1: Your two senators are Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen
Step 2: Click here to find your congressional district
Step 3: Click the names of your two senators to send a written message or call them as often as once every weekday.
Corruption Report
From Elizabeth Warren, Let Us Count the Ways:
Senator Warren is the leading expert in Congress on the depredations of the finance industry. She has issued this new report cataloguing 130 likely corrupt actions by or for Musk and assigning each to one of these 15 categories:
Government promoting Musk’s businesses.
Federal agencies contracting with his companies.
Federal agencies are dropping investigations into his companies.
DOGE is hamstringing agencies that regulate Musk’s enterprises.
Agencies have pursued policy changes and regulatory approvals that benefit Musk’s companies.
Musk received special access to government secrets.
Musk has installed personnel loyal to him in agencies that regulate or contract with his companies.
Musk redirected foreign aid and immigration policy toward his personal parochial interests rather than the public’s interest.
Musk companies reportedly use the promise of federal assistance — or threat of federal penalties — to extract better deals from business partners and competitors.
The Trump Administration weaponizes federal enforcement powers against Musk’s enemies.
Musk’s influence-peddling in Congress will benefit his bottom line. [Remember, he spent on Congressional races, too.]
Musk used his access to secure deals with foreign nations and companies.
Musk’s family members also received new business opportunities.
Musk uses his influence to meddle in the political and judicial processes in ways that could help protect his political — and financial — interests.
Musk has hid his conflicts of interest.
Musk Watch: “Musk's time in Washington was more potlatch than belt-tightening. . . . Starlink, the satellite internet subsidiary of SpaceX, stands to receive billions of dollars through [a] program to expand broadband access. Trump's State Department has [bullied] small countries into sanctioning the service. The biggest prize, however, . . . Trump's fanciful missile ‘shield’ initiative. With an estimated cost to taxpayers of $831 billion over two decades, it could prove to be the greatest defense boondoggle since the F-35, and SpaceX is the frontrunner to build some of its most complex and costliest features.”
Crypto 1: Overview
One of Trump’s little-discussed projects is to create a federal government Bitcoin reserve. The U.S. government has from time to time set up reserves of valuable commodities like grain and oil. When weather or international relations creates a shortage of the commodities here in the U.S., the reserve can replenish the supply and drive down prices for consumers.
What is the point of a Bitcoin reserve? How could Bitcoin’s scarcity harm our country? If the U.S. government creates a “Bitcoin reserve,” it will raise the price of Bitcoin. That may be why Trump and his buddies are buying Bitcoin now.
Crypto 2: Stablecoins and the “GENIUS” Act
American Prospect:“The huge impact of money in politics hangs over the entire debate. Thousands of policy topics never get close to a negotiation between the parties, let alone a floor vote. The crypto industry’s effort to buy Washington opened the fast lane to get their policy preferences enacted. Even blatant corruption hasn’t stopped it. That’s the power that campaign cash affords.”
GENIUS ACT supporters like Sen. Angela Alsobrooks argue that stablecoins exist and that the GENIUS Act will provide a regulatory framework. But this tech publication has it the other way round:
“The ‘Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act,’ otherwise known as the GENIUS Act, is one of the developments pushing companies to explore digital assets.
“The bill seeks to provide a regulatory framework for stablecoins and their issuers in the country, but has been met with debate about Big Tech’s potential participation in the crypto industry.
“According to The New York Times, Republican Senator Josh Hawley recently said he would vote against the bill in its current form as it would allow tech companies the ability to issue digital currencies that would compete with the dollar.”
Crypto 3: But Wait . . . The GENIUS Act might be in trouble
American Prospect: For many complicated reasons having to do with community banks and credit card companies and the Senate’s need to focus on the Big Ugly Bill, passage is beginning to look iffy.
Tax Break Corruption
The American Prospect: Six “moderate” Republicans in the House (Bresnahan, Wittman, Kiggans, Kim, Ciscomani, and Van Drew) can personally benefit from expansion of the “199A pass-through” deduction from rental properties and certain businesses. They all said they opposed the Medicaid cuts and then voted for the bill.
ProPublica: Attorney General Bondi and other Trump officials saved considerable sums by dumping stock before Trump’s announcement of huge tariff increases.
Here’s the very definition of fascism as celebrated by Axios:
Axios:”America's government and technology giants are fusing into a codependent superstructure in a race to dominate AI and space for the next generation.
“Why it matters: The merging of Washington and Silicon Valley is driven by necessity — and fierce urgency.
“The U.S. government needs AI expertise and dominance to beat China to the next big technological and geopolitical shift — but can't pull this off without the help of Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, Nvidia and many others.
“These companies can't scale AI, and reap trillions in value, without government helping ease the way with more energy, more data, more chips and more precious minerals. These are the essential ingredients of superhuman intelligence.”
Hooray! Government can’t afford health care or education, but it can allow more fossil-fueled power plants for data centers! Yippee! We can beat China and burn our planet at the same time!