The BradCast w/ Brad Friedman

'BradCast' 6/11/2021 (Guest: 'Jackpot' author Michael Mechanic of Mother Jones)

06.12.2021 - By Brad FriedmanPlay

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On today's 'BradCast':  A blockbuster new report has exposed that Donald Trump's wildly corrupt Justice Department was even more corrupt than thought, and took unprecedented actions to target his perceived political enemies. The Trump DOJ secretly subpoenaed the communications data of Democratic members of Congress, their staff, and even their staff's children, at least one of whom was a minor. That's in stark contrast to the Trump White House's years-long blockade of lawful Congressional subpoenas, under the premise that such oversight would somehow violate constitutional separation of powers, even while they were literally spying on the Legislative branch. The stunning news comes after revelations that the Trump DOJ also secretly obtained journalists' phone, email and text records. Unless Congress and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland enact real legal consequences and sweeping reforms, these outrageous, unlawful acts perpetrated by the Trump Administration can and will be carried out again in the future. A ProPublica bombshell this week demolished the myth of the American tax system that everyone pays their fair share and the richest Americans pay the most -- revealing that the nation's wealthiest men have legally avoided paying nearly all federal income taxes on their vast wealth, and in some years have paid nothing at all. Mother Jones' Senior Editor MICHAEL MECHANIC, author of the book 'JACKPOT: How the Super-Rich Really Live -- and How Their Wealth Harms Us All,' explains how the super-rich legally avoid paying taxes; how their scam hurts average Americans and the nation by starving government of crucial revenue for services; and what, if anything, can or will be done by Congress. Mechanic also debunks popular myths that perpetuate the grossly unfair system that rewards wealth over actual work.

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