Rudy Giuliani’s new documentary adds another level of drama to the Ukraine fiasco. Mr. Giuliani went back to Ukraine after the Zelensky screwing hit the press to dig up Biden dirt that doesn’t exist. Rudy also wants to prove Ukraine, not Russia interfered with the 2016 election.
The Russians think Mr. Trump acts like an agent for Russia. Despite the fact all American intelligence agencies confirmed Russia interfered with the 2016 election, Trump and Rudy claim Ukraine is the election interference villain. Rudy decided to show his documentary to Russia before he let Lindsey Graham’s committee see his latest conspiracy theory confirmation. Graham asked Rudy to come to Capitol Hill and show his Republican colleagues how easy it is to fuel facts that have no connection to the truth.
Boris Johnson thinks the EU will give the U.K. a limited trade deal after he executes his plan to leave the EU. EU officials told Johnson he can expect a trade deal by the end of 2020 unless Parliament throws more mud in the Brexit water. But Johnson faces other challenges that could mess with his plan to increase Gross Domestic Product growth. Scotland wants to stay in the EU, and Northern Ireland wants to mend fences with the Republic of Ireland.
U.S. officials claim the phase one part of the trade deal is a step in the right direction. But according to Wall Street economists, phase one is not what Trump claims it is. The Chinese agreed to buy more than double the amount of farm products they purchased before the tariffs started to erode China’s economy. And China will put an end to intellectual property thief and stop manipulating the yuan.
But accomplishing those Trump demands is not easy. China’s consumer debt is out of control, and GDP growth keeps eroding, so it’s doubtful the Chinese will sign a phase one agreement that puts them in a position to fail.
Trump’s 2017 tax law changes turned out to be good news for Fortune 500 companies. Ninety-one corporations listed on the Fortune 500 paid no income taxes in 2018, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. But individual taxpayers paid $100 billion more in income taxes in 2018.
The IRS collected less from businesses due to the minor changes Trump’s tax plan set in motion. On average, the tax law changes gave corporations an 11.3 percent tax rate while individual taxpayers paid more than twice that percentage.
Dil Bole Oberoi
