Today's Takes: Friday, July 9

🔎 What is ProPublica up to? (ProPublica)

ProPublica has released a series of "bombshell" investigative pieces over the past month or so using a trove of IRS documents given them by a whistleblower to examine how the ultra-wealthy like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos avoid paying taxes. In light of Biden's aggressive push to massively increase the IRS operating budget to bring in an additional $700 billion in tax revenue, ProPublica looks like a regime mouthpiece, wearing a populist cloak, spreading the gospel that the rich need to be reigned in and the IRS (which they have consistently claimed is underfunded) is the one to do it. What they don't want you to know is that the burden of a more aggressive IRS will fall far more heavily on the middle class—something in line with Biden's attempt to put even the best, most honorable of us on the government dole.

• How Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Turned a Retirement Account for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank (Read)
• Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax (Read)
• How Sports Owners Use Their Teams to Avoid Millions in Taxes (Read)

Headlines

📰 TODAY IN: General Headlines

• Donald J. Trump: Why I’m Suing Big Tech (WSJ)
  • Donald Trump does a column in the Wall Street Journal
• Tokyo Olympics to Be Held Without Spectators During Covid-19 State of Emergency (WSJ)
• Travel Is Bouncing Back Strong, and Airlines Are Racing to Keep Up (WSJ)
• Haiti President Jovenel Moïse Assassinated at Home, Official Says (WSJ)
• Amtrak to Spend $7 Billion to Upgrade Passenger Trains (WSJ)
• Tucker Carlson claims he was ‘unmasked’ by NSA for seeking Putin interview (NY Post)
• Michael Avenatti, former Stormy Daniels lawyer, sentenced to 30 months in Nike extortion case (Washington Post)
  • A pet favorite of the "Orange Man Bad" crowd

💸 TODAY IN: Economic News

• Fed Pencils In Earlier Interest-Rate Increase (WSJ)
• U.S. Jobless Claims Edged Up to 373,000 Last Week (WSJ)
• Fed Officials See Earlier End for Bond Buying, Emphasize Patience (WSJ)

🤡 TODAY IN: Clown World News

• Bay Area city may explore allowing undocumented residents to vote in local elections (SF Chronicle)
• Scientists in Wuhan should be awarded Nobel Prize, rather than being blamed (Global Times)
• Seattle politicians deem suburbs racist, begin CRT-inspired dismantling (MyNorthwest)

Original Reads

In case you missed it

• 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' and the Evergreen Ills of American Politics by Jerod Hollyfield (Read)
• Avuncular Tom by Jerod Hollyfield (Read)
• The Man Who Sued the World by Megan Lee Podsiedlik (Read)
• Tenured Negligence by Jerod Hollyfield (Read)

Nashville Politics

• Bill Proposes Voter Poll on Legalization, Decriminalization of Medical or Recreational Marijuana in Tennessee (Star)
• Council approves plan to reduce Metro’s unfunded liabilities (Main Street)
• Lee announces environmental stewardship awards (TNJ)
• Criticism continues for state's $2.5M 'Tennessee on Me' tourism campaign (Center Square)

Nashville News

• Stuck in heavy Nashville traffic en route to hospital, UPS driver helps wife deliver their baby on freeway (Tennessean)
• New jobless claims tick up during Tennessee's final week of federal benefits (Center Square)

Nashville Development

• Nashville’s Bonkers Housing Market (Scene)
• Developer of West End Park site lands $40.7M+ loan (Post)
• Nashville's iconic Bluebird Café reopening July 16 (WSMV)
• HUD to decide fate of East Nashville housing complex (Post)
• 600-seat music venue set for Madison area in 2022 (Biz Journal)
• Wedgewood-Houston property sells for $6.5M (Post)
• TDOT hopes to reopen Hernando DeSoto Bridge over Mississippi River by the end of July (Channel 5)
• Doster Construction Co. lands contract for Halls Chophouse in new Broadwest development (Biz Journal)
• How 'micro homes' could be part of Nashville's affordable housing solution (Tennessean)
• Nearly one year into construction, Saint Thomas Midtown's $300 million campus master plan is taking shape (Biz Journal)
• CA South announces plans to build condos, office space in Pie Town (Biz Journal)

One Good Read

🎳 A grand tour through the creation of the bowling ball and where they go when people throw them away (Read)

Something to Look At

Have a great weekend!