Jane Mayer | No, James Murdoch Doesn't Watch "Succession"

27 September 19

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27 September 19 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHAT RSN MEANS: There are some people reading this message who do in fact contribute and help sustain RSN. To you we offer a heartfelt thank you. However in truth most of the people reading this are highly resistant to contributing. The time has come to carefully consider the consistent, dependable daily effort RSN makes to bring you truly honest perspectives. Information that makes social progress possible. Time to reflect. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! Jane Mayer | No, James Murdoch Doesn't Watch "Succession" Jane Mayer, The New Yorker Mayer writes: "If you're wondering how 'Succession,' the HBO series about siblings fighting for control of a family empire - thought to be inspired by Rupert Murdoch's family - ends, James Murdoch can tell you, despite never having watched the show." READ MORE A woman holds a sign about whistleblowers in a cafe near U.S. president Donald Trump's motorcade as he attends a campaign fundraiser nearby in New York, U.S., September 26, 2019. (photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) ALSO SEE: Whistle-Blower's Allegations Were Known Soon After Call Looks Like There's a Second Whistleblower Alleging Trump Acted Improperly Colin Kalmbacher, Law & Crime Kalmbacher writes: "While President Donald Trump currently has his hands - and the Department of Justice - full with allegations of impropriety vis-a-vis the Ukraine-phone-call-whistleblower-complaint-cover-up scandal, there is reportedly another whistleblower and concomitant complaint waiting for the 45th president in the wings." EXCERPT: A little-noticed court filing from August contains a shocking allegation made by a disgruntled Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee: that President Trump attempted to interfere with some aspect of the agency’s mandatory presidential audit system. That court filing includes a letter authored by House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) which is addressed to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and describes the situation thusly: On July 29, 2019, the Committee received an unsolicited communication from a Federal employee setting forth credible allegations of “evidence of possible misconduct”-specifically, potential “inappropriate efforts to influence” the mandatory audit program. House Democrats were apparently already worried about such an improper use of presidential power in the abstract. “This is a grave charge that appreciably heightens the Committee’s concerns about the absence of appropriate safeguards as part of the mandatory audit program and whether statutory codification of such program or other remedial, legislative measures are warranted,” the letter continues. Beyond general concerns, however, Democrats now claim to have some undisclosed–but specific–information supporting that belief. And they seem to think the Trump Administration is lying about it. The Neal-Mnuchin letter continues: The Committee has raised these concerns repeatedly, both in prior correspondence as well as at the June 10 briefing with staff from both Treasury and the IRS. Commissioner [Charles] Rettig, in his May 17, 2019 letter, responded that the “concern that IRS employees could be subject to undue influence when conducting mandatory audits of a President’s tax returns” is “unfounded.” The allegations received by the Committee cast doubt on this statement and underscore the pressing need for complete and meaningful oversight of the mandatory audit program. As a result of that IRS whistleblower complaint, Neal requested “a rolling production of documents and communications of specified Treasury and IRS employees.” Mnuchin was sent the letter on August 8 and given a deadline of August 13 to reply–which he did. In his response, Mnuchin declined to cooperate with Neal’s request and said he referred the matter to the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). Neal and others on the Ways and Means Committee have remained tight-lipped about the allegations and the person who made them in public–but offered to provide extensive details to Trump-appointed Judge Trevor McFadden, who is overseeing the House’s lawsuit over the 45th president’s ever elusive tax returns. A donor to President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and transition volunteer, McFadden reacted to the whistleblower allegations with a distinctly judicial nonchalance–he’s so far declined to take the Democrats up on their offer, according to HuffPost. READ MORE Supporters of impeachment rally at the Capitol in Washington on Thursday, two days after a formal impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump was begun. (photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP) Voter Support for Impeachment Grows Amid Ukraine Scandal Eli Yokley, Morning Consult Yokley writes: "Voter support for impeachment matched its highest point of Donald Trump's presidency as he faced a whistleblower allegation that he pressured Ukraine's president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, with more impeachment supporters than ever before saying he committed an impeachable offense, according to polling." READ MORE Homeless encampment in St. Louis, Missouri, January 27, 2015. (photo: Jeff Roberson/AP) US Income Inequality Reached Its Highest Level in Over 50 Years, Census Finds Mike Schneider, Associated Press Schneider writes: "The gap between the haves and have-nots in the United States grew last year to its highest level in more than 50 years of tracking income inequality, according to Census Bureau figures." READ MORE A girl sits next to packages of humanitarian aid at a camp for displaced people in northeastern Syria on July 22, 2019, as people collect UN-provided humanitarian aid packages. (photo: Delil Souleiman/Getty) Trump Administration Will Cut Refugee Acceptance in Half Next Year Nicole Narea, Vox Narea writes: "The United States will accept fewer refugees over the coming year than ever: 18,000 at most, down from a cap of 110,000 just two years ago. And a new executive order from President Donald Trump will allow state and local authorities to block refugees from settling in their areas." READ MORE A Guajajara 'forest guardian' holds a gun as he prepares to search for illegal loggers on Arariboia indigenous territory near Amarante, Brazil, Sept. 10, 2019. (photo: Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters) Violence Against Brazil's Indigenous Population Soars Under Bolsonaro, According to Religious Group Lise Alves, The Archdiocese of Baltimore Alves writes: "The report, released Sept. 24, said the number of indigenous people murdered grew by 20% in Brazil last year, and invasion of indigenous territory has surged since Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January." READ MORE Greenpeace protesters shutdown the Houston Ship Channel for several hours on Sept. 12 by hanging from a bridge. They were arrested and charged under a new law that specifically targets people protesting pipelines or other fossil fuel infrastructure. (photo: Greenpeace) Texas Charges Oil Port Protesters Under New Fossil Fuel Protection Law Nicholas Kusnetz, InsideClimate News Kusnetz writes: "A group of activists who shut down one of the nation's largest oil ports by hanging off a bridge over the Houston Ship Channel have been charged under a new Texas law that imposes harsh penalties for disrupting the operations of fossil fuel infrastructure." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Update My Monthly Donation