Businessmen can money despite the financial crisis

The Boeing deal is perhaps the most glaring evidence from the Trump years that the department’s long-term approach to corporate crime is in desperate need of serious rethinking under Merrick Garland if he is confirmed as Joe Biden’s attorney general. A good start would be a massive increase in the resources that the government devotes to these cases. But commentators such as John Coffee and others have proposed more novel approaches, such as creating a so-called “equity fine” that would require companies to issue new stock if they do not fully cooperate with government investigations. The theory is that the resulting dilution of the company’s stock would particularly affect senior managers (because much of their compensation consists of stock) and, in turn, incentivize innocent executives to turn on culpable executives. To date, we have heard little from the new administration about any plans in this area, but that will hopefully change in the weeks and … [Read more...] about The Trump Administration Let Boeing Settle a Killer Case for Almost Nothing

If there is one thing that criminals crave, it’s anonymity. The ability to cloak their illicit activities behind layers of privacy — or to blend in with everyone else — gives bad actors an edge in every arena. Terrorists, in particular, use layers of anonymity and inconspicuousness to finance their activities, allowing them to grow their ranks, form plans, and carry out attacks. Traditional finance is unable to slow the growing terror threat; only cryptocurrency can stop it in its tracks. … [Read more...] about Secretary Yellen’s first action on Bitcoin will set the tone for the next four years

What should be done instead of universal forgiveness? There is already an existing student loan repayment program that can solve — not mitigate, not address, but solve — the problem of unaffordable student loans. Namely, the Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (REPAYE). Under REPAYE, students pay 10 percent of their discretionary income, ensuring that payments are always affordable. If a graduate loses their job, their loan payment drops to $0. When they start working again, their loan payments resume and are based on their new salary. Any remaining balance after 20 to 25 years of repayment is forgiven. … [Read more...] about Student loan forgiveness would be windfall for dentists, doctors and lawyers

“It’s nothing new, and that’s the problem: it’s been going on for too many years. Girls are called derogatory things because they are Danish. Or girls are subjected to social control because they have become too Danish. A sausage cart in Brønshøj is attacked with firecrackers because it sells pork,” Fredericksen observed. … [Read more...] about Danish Prime Minister Sets Target of Zero Asylum Seekers to Protect Social Cohesion

News agencies controlled by the Chinese government have in recent years paid millions of dollars to American newspapers to publish paid inserts that contain pro-Beijing articles and columns. The Los Angeles Times is the latest paper to publish one of the inserts, distributed by China Daily.  China Daily is a registered foreign agent of the Chinese government and has disclosed payments of nearly $20 million to U.S. media in the past several years, including over $650,000 to the LA Times.  The Los Angeles Times ran a paid insert over the weekend from China Daily, a news agency controlled by the Chinese Communist Party that has forked out millions of dollars to American newspapers as part of Beijing’s foreign influence operations. … [Read more...] about China Watch: LA Times Publishes Beijing-Funded Propaganda