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Abu Rasasa – the Father of the Bullet

Evidence shows Saudi officials "planned and perpetrated" Khashoggi killing, UN investigator says https://t.co/f9naeiTBm6 pic.twitter.com/7XQagoFPzU

— The Hill (@thehill) February 7, 2019

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JUST IN: Bipartisan group of senators reintroduce bill to punish Saudi officials for Khashoggi killing https://t.co/FYa5CbDO5F pic.twitter.com/dl4wFwz6fL

— The Hill (@thehill) February 7, 2019

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Breaking News: Saudi Arabia's crown prince privately threatened to use “a bullet” on Jamal Khashoggi a year before his death, according to intelligence reports https://t.co/XtWxMKEIbP

— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 7, 2019

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Philanthropy Doesn’t Compensate for Tax Evasion

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I did not tweet much about Davos, but this one is interesting:

‘It feels like I’m at a firefighters conference and no one’s allowed to speak about water.’

This historian wasn’t afraid to confront the billionaires at Davos about their greed #SDGspic.twitter.com/972D1Dhzei

— Alexander Verbeek 🌍 (@Alex_Verbeek) January 29, 2019

Billionaire @MichaelDell thinks a 70% top rate of income tax would never work.@erikbryn and @RCBregman NAIL exactly why he’s wrong.
Share if you agree. pic.twitter.com/TjvcWwpBKu

— Novara Media (@novaramedia) January 26, 2019

When the top U.S. tax rate was 70%—or Higher: through the entire administrations of presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter, the top-tax-bracket rate was at least 70% https://t.co/FR1c9n7vrj

— Robert Went (@went1955) January 26, 2019

Rutger Bregman caused a stir for criticising tax avoidance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. On "The Economist asks" @RCBregman and @Henry_Curr debate how—and how much—to tax the rich https://t.co/bSb7d1cxN5

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) February 7, 2019

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Tax evasion can be stopped.

Keywords: Erik Brynjolfsson; Rutger Bregman; Michael Dell; taxes; tax heavens

2010-01-17, updated: 2019-02-08

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

I fully agree, Mr. President Donald Trump, for "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT" is harassment by the president. It should never be allowed to happen again.https://t.co/x4hPz548h6

— Goetz Kluge (@Bonnetmaker) February 7, 2019

Since the White House tried to manipulate (https://t.co/v2MZ2qKkVD) the transcript of the Putin & Trump press conference in Helsinki (2018-07-16), it is clear that the present president Donald Trump (supported by the GOP) tends to distort the truth. · https://t.co/6rlIHAHkDj

— Goetz Kluge (@Bonnetmaker) February 8, 2019

Merkel & Trump

In private meetings, Merkel & Trump have been almost epically mismatched, @sbg1 writes. “She talks about things that you get the impression he doesn’t fully grasp,” a German official told me. “It seemed like she was expecting too much of her audience.” https://t.co/JP74VaMpgv

— David Rohde (@RohdeD) December 17, 2018

So honoured to find out my @NewYorker Angela Merkel illustration was accepted into the 2019 @CommArts Illustration Annual! ✨ Thanks so much to Nico Schweizer who art directed this piece and to @CommArts and this year's jury!! pic.twitter.com/Q1e0B3sCp5

— Chloe Cushman (@ChloeCushman) February 7, 2019

My @NewYorker Angela Merkel portrait has been selected for the @AmericanIllust 38 Annual! Excited to be in the book for the first time and alongside so many artists I admire. Thank you to the jury and @AmericanIllust! pic.twitter.com/g91oYQavI2

— Chloe Cushman (@ChloeCushman) April 17, 2019


 

2018-12-17, updated: 2019-04-17

Donald Tusk

This is the photo of Donald Tusk painting an industrial chimney. He had to work like this for 8 years during the communist regime in Poland as he was blacklisted by the communist government due to his political activism. In case someone uses the "Brussels' elites" argument 😉 pic.twitter.com/IJ3639dk11

— Kasia Michalska #FBPE (@KasiaMichalska_) February 6, 2019

That's 2017 if anyone wonders — and yes, he carries 9 litre 6-pack of mineral water.

— Adam Ciernicki (@ACiernicki) February 7, 2019

Bloomberg: Trump’s First Two Years

President Donald Trump has officially been in office for more than 2 years.

How’s he doing? We consulted 13 different metrics to find out https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/JAhh64ic3Q

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

In the eyes of the public, President Trump’s second year was bad – but not worse than 2017, which was a public opinion disaster. The shutdown didn't help his already-low ratings:

👍🏽Approval: 40%
👎🏽 Disapproval: 55% https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/U19xcUg0x9

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

While approval ratings capture the wisdom of crowds, the Dow provides a measure of how the economy is doing under President Trump.

2018 for the Dow? Not great. It saw a 5.6% decline – the worst since 2008 https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/kthWfVyIHU

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

If growth falters, Trump could be the first president to preside over perennial deficits exceeding $1 trillion https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/zvUIxgc1NE

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

Trump promised to lighten the regulatory burden and, as president, he seems to be delivering.

In 2018, the number of restrictions actually fell for the first time since 1996, dropping by 1% https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/h4jtO6FF6s

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

The Trump administration imposed trade restrictions in 2018 and two things happened:

1⃣ Manufacturing employment rose
2⃣ The trade deficit rose, too

If trade restrictions don’t lead to lower trade deficits, isn’t the case for imposing them much weaker? https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/bnRX2KATGL

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

President Trump said he expected $4 trillion of overseas cash to be brought back to the U.S. By multinationals in 2018.

In the first three quarters of 2018, $557.1 billion was repatriated https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/dkuF86fGiH

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

At the end of last year, 12.8 million people in the U.S. were working in manufacturing.

That’s ⬆️ 473,000 from when Trump was inaugurated https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/btmVmEPMPC

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

President Trump promised an economic turnaround for the four Rust Belt states that flipped red in 2016: Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

It hasn’t materialized yet: There are still no signs of a pickup in the labor force https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/rTnIhiekTX

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

Private surveys show modest gains in real median household income in the first half of 2018.

Since then, President Trump has ramped up the trade war and forced a government shutdown. Those gains might be at risk due to delayed paychecks and shaky markets https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/9LCEKlLPKD

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

Despite President Trump’s dire warnings, the era of mass illegal immigration across the southern border appears to be over.

Border apprehensions rose a little in 2018, but they’re still far below the numbers that prevailed in the early 2000s https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/5V7ZOYLbVv

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

2018 saw 1,437 children killed in Syria’s civil war.

That number is a tragedy, but represents a kind of morbid progress. Russia, Iran and Syria consolidated their gains in 2018 – winning the war https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/bsLDj2Qn2m

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

3⃣3⃣%

That's the chance that President Trump resigns or is impeached before the end of his first term, according to British oddsmaker Ladbrokes. It's down from 50% in his first year, even as the indictments and guilty pleas pile up https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/joSK8gUath

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

Last summer Americans resumed threatening to move to Canada.

A recent poll confirms this trend: A record 16% of Americans would like to permanently leave the country https://t.co/dY9WZKsmNI pic.twitter.com/nKs9WBUb9g

— Bloomberg Opinion (@bopinion) February 5, 2019

Bad Customs

Secret Brexit agreements cover No Deal “open border” plan to not enforce customs checks at UK border

Exclusive: Secret Brexit agreements cover No Deal “open border” plan to not enforce customs checks at UK border

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

Full Story #brexitforensics
Govt privately acknowledges no space for checks at key borders.
No Deal scenario discussed under NDAs involves not enforcing checks on as ‘pragmatic approach’, expecting reciprocity from EU.
Industry says its not happening:https://t.co/do0fbrlZkY

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

Government responds to our story.
Dexeu spokesman: “We want to have a customs arrangement that ensures trade with the EU is as frictionless as possible .

Deal “by far and away the highest probability, but we have a duty to plan for the alternative. That is common sense”. pic.twitter.com/OnyjNWNavv

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

Thread:
1. Eurotunnel tell us re the Government’s promise of “as frictionless as possible” trade… “the ‘As possible’ has to go. The only way to run this is frictionless.”

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

2. Treasury in minute to PAC has admitted there is not enough space for checks at key border points. “Border Planning Group has reviewed all border locations…at a number checks difficult to accommodate”… “Government is taking pragmatic approach to border controls…” pic.twitter.com/NGZCqTqmE2

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

3. PAC chair Hillier unimpressed: “If solving this means throwing open the borders to all players… it is staggering after all the Government’s constant talk of controlling borders – we are faced with a situation which could be fairly open borders and chaos on Day One”.

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

4. Freight Transport Association say EU will not reciprocate any UK unilateral non enforcement of border checks: “the EU is going to enforce the rules it has, it has to, thats the way it works,” says FTA’s Christopher Snelling

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

5. Out of Single Market and Customs Union, there will have to be checks somewhere… current facility for both Channel Tunnel AND Dover, is off M20 at Stop 24 – it has 82 lorry parking spaces: pic.twitter.com/HQFHEzRVpu

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

6. FTA’s Snelling tells me that operators are already operating dual pricing pre and post Brexit Day: “they’re having to set two different prices: one for now while we are still in the EU and then a higher price once you are out of the EU because of uncertainty”

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

7. Border professionals basically not optimistic, eg JCCC Brexit committee chair MacSwiney (who refused to sign NDA) and is worried about a “disaster”.. though a Leave voter in referendum. “I did, but I didn’t vote for what it appears we are going to get now though”.

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

WATCH FULL video report on our exclusive on No Deal, no border checks scenario communicated under NDAs to key border partners, which some have nicknamed “throw open the borders” option…https://t.co/2OxlIDJzhW Part 2 #brexitforensics investigation

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

8. Meanwhile in Parliament, 34 MPs write to PM on this and similar Grayling comments… https://t.co/gVCveGypNc

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

9. Other details – contacts say No 1 option for customs from Mansion House, the “customs partnership” which maintains no checks, but requires businesses to track goods to consumer refund different tariffs has been repeatedly treated contemptuously by manufacturers & logistics cos

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

10. They say Highly streamlined customs option requires negotiations to start, will not deliver NI open border, and doubt the interest in EU negotiating it when majority perceived for staying in a Customs Union

— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 16, 2018

AAWG!

I desperately need to get some work done today, but have decided to set up an Alternative Arrangements Working Group to look at what even is work, why I should have to do it, and whether I might retroactively change my work contract to remove the idea of work from it entirely https://t.co/4xjYIeTmye

— Marina Hyde (@MarinaHyde) February 4, 2019

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