HFA Releases Trump Tax Calculator

Today, The Briefing released the following after it was revealed Donald Trump may not have paid taxes for eighteen years.

No time to read? Get the toplines here:

• Over the weekend, The New York Times published quite the story: Donald Trump, self-proclaimed tremendous businessman, lost $916 million (!) in a single year.
• That would have allowed him to take advantage of a loophole in our tax system — and potentially weasel out of paying federal income taxes for 18 years.
• But he still won’t release the rest of his tax returns. So who’s to say what else he’s hiding.
• Check out our Trump “Smart” Tax Calculator, to see how much you’d pay in taxes if you paid at the same rate as Trump.
• Read The New York Times’ original story here.

  This weekend, we got the clearest example yet why Donald Trump has been so reluctant to release his tax returns.

  Here’s the full story: A couple weeks ago, an anonymous source mailed The New York Times parts of Trump’s 1995 tax returns. The Paper of Record investigated further and published a piece on Saturday night detailing how the GOP’s presidential candidate could have taken advantage of our broken, billionaire-friendly tax system to avoid paying his fair share.

  This gets complicated, so let’s go through it point by point:

• It all started with Trump — the man with the “very good brain” — losing nearly a billion dollars in 1995 after making a series of really, really bad investments.
• But while those terrible business decisions no doubt led to workers getting laid off and small businesses getting stiffed, Trump himself stood to benefit from losing all those millions.
  • Our tax code would have allowed him subtract any business-related loss from his own personal taxes.
  • And because he lost so much money in 1995, he may have skirted paying any federal income tax for nearly two decades.
• So while the rest of us were chipping in to help fund our military and our public education system, Donald Trump probably weaseled out of paying a single cent.

We got all of this from just three pages of documents. Imagine what the rest of his tax returns would reveal — what other sketchy business practices he’s embraced and what other murky ethical decisions he’s made.

We can only hope that this new report will lead to more facts coming to light in the next few weeks. In the meantime, though, we put together a Trump “Smart” Tax Calculator, so you can see how much you’d pay in taxes if you paid at the same rate as Trump. (Hint: It’s almost certainly less than what you pay right now.)

With just 36 days to go, we need your help to guarantee that this failed businessman never gets to run the largest national economy in the world. Share this calculator with your friends and make sure they know the truth about Trump’s business “success”.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Also, be sure to subscribe to the campaign’s official Podcast, With Her.

Clinton Campaigns with Warren Buffett in Omaha

On Monday, Hillary Clinton traveled to Omaha, Nebraska where she was joined by billionaire businessman Warren Buffett. During his speech, he called out Republican Donald Trump for his questionable business practices and bankruptcies. The focus of his attacks on Trump, however, was the fact he has not released any of his tax returns. He told the crowd that Trump isn’t afraid of his financial practices, but he is afraid of what the American public will think of his finances. He said, “You’re only afraid if you’ve got something to be afraid about. He’s not afraid because of the IRS, he’s afraid because of you.”

Clinton then took the stage and spoke about a number of the same issues she covered during her convention speech last week. She pledged to improve both higher and early childhood education systems, build the middle class by increasing the minimum wage and adding more higher paying jobs, and she promised to invest in the country’s infrastructure creating jobs in the process. “If we invest in infrastructure we’re going to put millions of people to work, and we’re going to lay the foundation for new jobs,” she said. Clinton argued that rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure and investing in alternative forms of energy will make the United States the clean energy superpower of the world. A video from the event is below.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Omaha World-Herald, KETV, Bloomberg

Clinton Attacks Trump’s Business Record in Atlantic City

On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton spoke to a crowd in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Speaking in front of the defunct Trump Plaza Casino, she attacked Republican Donald Trump’s business record. Before her speech, Clinton introduced small businessman Marty Rosenberg who had done business with Trump. He told the story of how Trump racked up massive bills, then used bankruptcy to get out of paying. During Clinton’s speech, she focused on the casino and how Trump’s judgement hurt local people and businesses. Clinton said, “Donald Trump once predicted it [Casino] was the biggest hit yet. Now it’s abandoned.” She continued to go after Trump for his refusal to pay contractors, his frequent legal battles, and his bankruptcy filings.

Clinton closed her speech by reminding voters that Trump has repeatedly framed himself as a successful business man. She said, “Remember what he promised: ‘I’m going to do for the country what I did for my business.’ We should believe him and make sure he never has the chance to bankrupt America the way he bankrupted his businesses.” A video from Clinton’s speech is below and a transcript can be read HERE.

The Clinton campaign also released a video reviewing Trump’s failures in Atlantic City and how it affected those he left behind when the casino failed. Watch the video below.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: CNN, Business Insider, Time

Clinton Begins Health Care Discussion in Louisiana and Arkansas

Hillary Rodham Clinton began the day by making a speech at the Louisiana Leadership Institute in which she vowed to support the Affordable Care Act and announced that she is preparing to address some of its shortcomings. She was critical of Republicans for trying to repeal the law, and she said it is too important of a law to abandon. Clinton said, “I’m not going to let them tear up that law, kick 16 million people off their health coverage and force the country to start the health care debate all over again. Not on my watch. I want to build on the progress we’ve made.” The level of uninsured Americans is at it lowest rate in nearly fifty years. Following the event, Clinton attended a private fundraiser in Baton Rouge at the home of businessman Jim Bernhard and his wife, Dana.

In Little Rock, Arkansas, Clinton made a speech at a grassroots event on the campus of Philander Smith College. In her speech, she focused on her plans to give every American a “fair shot.” The focus of her speech was on heath care, raising the minimum wage, more affordable education, and a reformed tax system. Arkansas is home to Clinton as she lived there for a number of years, practiced law there, and was the state’s First Lady. She thanked the people of Arkansas for their continued support and recalled that the state “holds so many wonderful memories for me and my family.” A video from her speech in Little Rock is below.

A videos from today’s event in Louisiana will be posted when/if available.

Tomorrow, Clinton is expected to unveil her prescription drug plans at an event in Iowa. For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

New Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune, Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, Arkansas Online