Why Billionaire Philanthropy Won’t Solve Anything – Second Thought

You ever notice how oligarchs like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are cast as these uber-wealthy saviors who are singlehandedly raising the world out of poverty? That doesn’t happen by accident. In this week’s episode, we’re taking a look at the insidious philanthropy scheme billionaires use to make sure their reputation remains squeaky clean. Hope

Ireland set to agree historical minimum corporate tax rate

Ireland is expected to adopt a 15% minimum corporate tax rate after several months of negotiations with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Sources close to Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe say the Irish government “needs certainty around the rate”, and assurances that Ireland won’t be forced to increase it further. Much of

The Clinton Years, or the 1990s: Crash Course US History #45

In which John Green teaches you about the United States as it was in the 1990s. You’ll remember from last week that the old-school Republican George H.W. Bush had lost the 1992 presidential election to a young upstart Democrat from Arkansas named Bill Clinton. Clinton was a bit of a dark horse candidate, having survived

America’s billionaires pay an average income tax rate of just 8.2%, Biden administration says

The wealthiest 400 families in the United States are paying an average income tax rate of just 8.2%, according to a new analysis from the Biden administration. President Joe Biden and Democrats are pushing to raise taxes on the richest Americans as they look for ways to pay for their ambitious agenda, making its way through Congress

Germany to end quarantine pay for those without vaccinations

Germany will stop paying compensation to unvaccinated workers who are forced into quarantine by coronavirus measures as it is unfair to ask taxpayers to subsidise those who refuse to get inoculated, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday. The rules, which will be implemented by the governments of Germany’s 16 federal states, will take effect

Former Alabama cop sentenced to 25 years for murder of suicidal man who called for help

A former Alabama police officer convicted of murdering a man who called 911 threatening suicide in 2018 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. William Benjamin “Ben” Darby, 28, of Huntsville, was sentenced Friday for the murder of 49-year-old Jeffrey Louis Parker. A jury convicted Darby in May. Tim Gann, the chief deputy district attorney of

Hungarians protest planned Chinese university in Budapest

Thousands took to the streets in opposition to the expensive project as soaring debt to China and Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s overly friendly attitude toward Beijing anger many. An estimated 10,000 Hungarians took to the streets of Budapest on Saturday to protest the planned construction of an elite Chinese university campus on a massive plot of derelict

Secret Service extension for Trump’s adult children cost $140,000 in a month

Trump extended post-presidency protections by six months Secret Service detailing four siblings and two of their spouses Donald Trump’s adult children reportedly cost taxpayers $140,000 in Secret Service security in the month after the clan’s patriarch left the White House in January. Ordinarily, family members of a president lose their security detail when they leave

Democrats, Sanders Demand Biden Release Secret Covid Vaccine Contracts Inked Under Trump

“The Trump administration gave Big Pharma billions but refused to disclose full terms of these deals.” Dozens of congressional Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday urged top Biden officials to release unredacted copies of multi-billion-dollar coronavirus vaccine contracts that the Trump administration negotiated in secret with major pharmaceutical companies last year—and refused to divulge

Mike Pence skiing holiday at height of pandemic cost taxpayers $757,000, report reveals

Former vice president took trip even as his own task force asked people to stay at home Mike Pence’s controversial skiing holiday in Colorado at the height of the coronavirus pandemic broke federal guidelines and cost cost taxpayers at least $757,000 (£544,000) in security costs alone, a watchdog report has revealed. The then-vice president and his family