William Rivers Pitt | Calamity Now: Senate to Pass Monstrous Tax Cut Bill

[t]   Friday, December 1, 2017 [t r u t h o u t] [View Recent Newsletters]( [Tell a friend about Truthout!]( [Donate Today!](   Truthout is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; donations are tax deductible.   BuzzFlash Former NSA Director Flynn Pleads Guilty of Lying to FBI, Will Testify Trump Told Him to Contact Russians [Read the Article at ABC News](   She Went Undercover to Expose Sexual Harassment in the Food Industry. It Was Way Worse Than She Imagined [Read the Article at Mother Jones](   Jared Kushner Can't Pass His Security Clearance Investigation, Officials Say [Read the Article at Newsweek](   Generalissimo Trump Goes to Battle Against the "War on Christmas" [Read the Article at BuzzFlash](   The Cynical Coherence of the GOP Agenda [Read the Article at The Week](   House May Bring Up Expanded Concealed-Carry Gun Bill Next Week [Read the Article at Politico](   What Tom Cotton Would Mean for the CIA [Read the Article at Esquire](     With your support, Truthout can expose the powerful forces threatening the country and the planet. [Donate Now]( [Calamity Now: Senate to Pass Monstrous Tax Cut Bill]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: The Republican "tax plan" is a shameless nightmare of lies and greed. After hitting an unexpected series of snags yesterday evening, it will almost certainly win approval in the Senate. After reconciliation with the House version and a presidential signature, this pestilence will be law. This is not simply a tax bill; it is a coup that will affect us for generations. [Read the Article]( [Marcy Wheeler: Mike Flynn's Guilty Plea to FBI Will Shape How GOP Handles Russia Investigation]( Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!: Just before news broke that President Trump's former national security adviser Mike Flynn will plead guilty this morning to lying to the FBI, Democracy Now! spoke with national security reporter Marcy Wheeler, who anticipated the news and said it could "dramatically change how Republicans face the Russian investigation." [Watch the Video and Read the Transcript]( [National Park Service Withdraws Funding From Black Panther Party Project, but History Cannot Be Erased]( Robyn C. Spencer, Truthout: The proposed Black Panther Party Research, Interpretation and Memory Project would have served as another mechanism to challenge racist history lessons by recovering a history of radical resistance in a form accessible to the public. But under pressure from the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Park Service has withdrawn its pledge to fund the project, despite proclamations about being more inclusive. [Read the Article]( [Koch Latino Front Group Instructs Arizona Moms About School Vouchers]( Mary Bottari, PR Watch: A full year in advance of a historic showdown on school vouchers in Arizona, the Kochs are already ladling on the cash. Through their Latino front group, Libre Institute, they have launched a six-figure ad campaign targeting Arizona moms on one of the Kochs' favorite topics: school vouchers. The TV ads feature a variety of Latino "moms" singing the praises of school choice. [Read the Article]( [Trump Pressured Top Republicans to End Senate Intel Committee Russia Probe]( Chris Sosa, AlterNet: A startling Thursday night report from The New York Times outlines how President Trump tried to pressure top Republican lawmakers in the US Senate to end the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russia. Trump reportedly called Sen. Richard Burr's congressional colleagues to secure assistance in pushing Burr to end the investigation. The president also urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to "swiftly" bring the probe to an end. [Read the Article]( [A Simple Checklist Inspires a New Kind of Activism]( Elisa Murray, YES! Magazine: What do a podcaster from Portland, an actor on the CBS drama "Criminal Minds" and a retired lawyer in central Iowa have in common? They've all become activists of sorts in the last year. What's driving them is a simple weekly checklist compiled by another newbie activist: Salem, Oregon, writer Jen Hofmann. Hoffman started the Americans of Conscience Action Checklist a year ago, and now the newsletter has 70,000 subscriptions. [Read the Article]( [Empire Files: Pharmaceutical Companies Played a Key Role in Sparking the Opioid Crisis]( Abby Martin, teleSUR: Behind the opioid epidemic is a multibillion-dollar industry that feeds drug manufacturing giants, distributers and more. With the US government failing to address the crisis, one law firm has undertaken a massive lawsuit. Abby Martin interviews lawyer Mike Papantonio about this new lawsuit, and why he is pushing for many executives to be held accountable. [Watch the Video]( [The Blue-Collar Hellscape of the Startup Industry]( Julianne Tveten, In These Times: On November 13, Marcus Vaughn filed a class-action lawsuit against his former employer. Vaughn, who'd worked in the Fremont, California, factory of electric automaker Tesla, alleged that the manufacturing plant had become a "hotbed for racist behavior." Employees and supervisors had routinely lobbed racial epithets at him and his Black colleagues. At a time of such disregard for the fundamental health, safety and humanity of low-tier workers, the tech-executive class is wrought with problems. [Read the Article]( [Economic Update: Which Way for the US Economy?]( Richard D. Wolff, Truthout: This week's episode addresses Uber's corrupt profiteering, sugar producers' immoral cancer research, Trump's personal business, the neglect of New York subways, the UK's historic wage decline and Norway's sovereign wealth fund. Additionally, this episode includes an interview with economist Stephanie Kelton, adviser to Bernie Sanders. [Listen to the Audio]( [Want to strengthen Truthout and help us plan for the future? 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