By Eoin Higgins/Common Dreams

Just hours after appearing at Monday’s Poor Peoples Campaign event in Washington, D.C. and promising to work for the less fortunate, 2020 Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden went straight to a Wall Street fundraiser in New York City where he solicited donations from, among others, a pro-Trump billionaire.
The fundraiser was held at the Manhattan penthouse apartment of investor Jim Chanos. Biden told wealthy attendees “You guys are great” and “You guys are incredibly important” before singing the praises of working class Americans, according to CNBC.

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Posted on June 19, 2019

From Lucy Parsons Lab via Rachael Perrotta

Lucy Parsons Labs sued the FBI on Monday for its records on late Chicago police commander Jon Burge.
The FBI maintains investigative, arrest and prosecution records about Burge, who went to jail for perjury about torture directed under his watch. LPL filed suit after long delays in the processing of their requests despite the clear public interest in the release of records.

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Posted on June 18, 2019

By Brianne Gorod/TakeCare

With Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report out, and President Trump engaging in unprecedented obstruction of congressional efforts to investigate him and his administration, calls for the U.S. House of Representatives to at least begin an impeachment inquiry are ramping up. Even House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has recognized that “[t]he president’s continuing lawless conduct is making it harder and harder to rule out impeachment or any other enforcement mechanism.”
If the House were to open an impeachment inquiry and that inquiry ultimately resulted in a vote to impeach, Trump wouldn’t be the only one in the spotlight. Chief Justice John Roberts would be there, too, because he would be responsible for presiding over the trial that would take place in the Senate. And that’s why it’s more important now than ever that Roberts demonstrate that he’s capable of being the impartial umpire he famously promised to be at his confirmation hearing.

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Posted on June 17, 2019

By Olivia Brecht/Brighton Park Neighborhood Council

WHAT: Chicago’s Mental Health Task Force, chaired by Ald. Sophia King (4th), will convene the first public forum on public mental health services called for by the recently-enacted “Public Mental Health Service Expansion Resolution.”
Residents will be able to provide written and spoken testimony on the mental health needs in the city and provide recommendations on the re-opening the closed public mental health clinics and expanding current mental health services at existing clinics.

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Posted on June 11, 2019

By The Arab American Action Network

The Arab American Action Network, a grassroots community organizing and social services institution based in Southwest Chicagoland, issued a call Thursday for the Illinois State Police to turn over records about a secret surveillance initiative known as the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative.
AAAN filed a lawsuit to uncover these records in February; the ISP filed a response in state court to keep these records hidden from the public.
On Friday, the AAAN appeared for the first time in court, to once again demand that the ISP turn over its records. The SAR Initiative infringes on the civil rights of Illinoisans, especially members of the Arab and Muslim community whose everyday activities are often deemed “suspicious.”

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Posted on June 8, 2019

By CME Group

Ag producer sentiment dropped to its lowest level since October 2016, erasing all improvements recorded following the November 2016 election.
The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, based on a mid-month survey of 400 agricultural producers across the U.S., declined 14 points in May to a reading of 101, down from 115 in April.

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Posted on June 5, 2019

By Paul Kiel/ProPublica

Every year, the IRS, starved of funds after years of budget cuts, loses hundreds more agents to retirement. And every year, the news gets better for the rich – especially those prone to go bold on their taxes. According to data released by the IRS, millionaires in 2018 were about 80% less likely to be audited than they were in 2011.
But poor taxpayers continue to bear the brunt of the IRS’s remaining force. As we reported last year, Americans who receive the Earned Income Tax Credit, one of the country’s largest anti-poverty programs, are audited at a higher rate than all but the richest taxpayers. The new data shows that the trend has only grown stronger.

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Posted on June 2, 2019