Why Economists Say GOP Tax Bill Is A Fiasco, Trump Named Person Of The Year Runner-Up, And A New Franken Accuser

December 6th, 2017 Top Stories --------------------------------------------------------------- [Why Economists Are Warning That The Trump Tax Plan Will Be An Epic Disaster]( The Gist: Though Republicans insisted repeatedly over the past few weeks that the $1.4 trillion in tax cuts (most of them geared toward wealthy individuals and corporations) would pay for themselves by stimulating economic growth, they presented no evidence to support their claims. Instead, the economists and former government officials predicted, the bill will drive up the federal deficit, shrink and destabilize the health care market, exacerbate already historic income inequality, and pressure Congress to make deep cuts to the social safety net and government programs. [Time Person Of The Year: The ‘Silence Breakers,’ Trump Named Runner-Up]( The Gist: Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” is the “silence breakers” who launched the now viral “me too” movement of speaking out against sexual harassment and assault. The movement has brought down powerful men across the largest industries, like movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey, media giants like Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer and politicians like Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). [New Al Franken Accuser Says He Tried To Forcibly Kiss Her In 2006]( The Gist: A former Democratic congressional aide on Wednesday accused Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) of trying to forcibly kiss her in 2006 after a taping of his radio show, joining several other women who have accused the Minnesota senator of sexual misconduct. From The Reporter's Notebook --------------------------------------------------------------- [TPM's Tierney Sneed reported]( Monday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller had raised concerns in court filings about a draft op-ed he said Paul Manafort had ghostwritten, and indicated he was pulling out of a bail deal he had come to with Manafort's attorneys to release Manafort from home confinement. The judge, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, is giving Manafort until Thursday to explain his response in a filing of his own. Meanwhile, Mueller's team sought to file a draft of the op-ed, as well as "related communications, and an accompanying declaration" under seal. Agree Or Disagree? --------------------------------------------------------------- Josh Marshall: "Why Deutsche Bank still works with Trump (they financed most of the DC Trump hotel project, for instance) is a basic question running through the Russia story. I’ve had a couple theories. One is simply this: that years ago Trump realized that he couldn’t be shut out by every major bank. He needed at least one major lender who would still do business with him and thus made sure not to cheat or gouge them as actively as he did the others. The other possibility is that there was some extra-economic factor that kept them lending. Let’s note too what we’ve argued repeatedly, which is that Donald Trump’s finances, quite apart from the specific matter of campaign collusion, [simply can’t withstand any real legal scrutiny](. This is the kind of move Trump has suggested might provoke him to fire Mueller." Say What?! --------------------------------------------------------------- "It's death to Democrats." - Stephen Moore, a conservative economist who worked for the Trump campaign, [describing]( the GOP tax bill a a political weapon against Democrats. BUZZING: Today in the Hive --------------------------------------------------------------- From a TPM Prime member: "Two thoughts: 1. If she wishes to be permitted to continue to represent clients here in the USA, Ms. Veselnitskaya will have a very strong motive not to lie to American authorities. 2. This meeting looks like it was a basic intelligence probe. The Russians were there to gauge Trump campaign willingness to deal with them. They got their answer and it was 'very'. Having received the answer they wanted, they found themselves in a position to to blackmail anyone who went on to collude with them. Related: [Russian Lawyer To Senate: Don Jr. Asked For Clinton Info At Trump Tower Meeting]( Have something to add? Become a [Prime]( member and join the discussion [here](. What We're Reading --------------------------------------------------------------- How Brands Secretly Buy Their way Into Forbes, Fast Company, And Huffpost Stories ([The Outline]( Photos From North Korea’s East Coast Show How Tough Life Is Away From The Capital ([The Washington Post]( [unsubscribe from this list]( | [update subscription preferences]( | [view email in browser](