Effective tax rate paid by Jeff Bezos from 2014 to 2018: 0.98% Effective 2025 federal tax rate paid by Amazon: 1.4% Typical tax rate paid by the average American: 14.5% Just thought I should point that out.

Quinnipiac poll: Just 33% of voters approve of the way Trump is handling the economy and 64% disapprove — the lowest approval on the economy Trump has received in either of his terms as president.

I spent the fall semester of my sabbatical teaching at my alma mater, Deep Springs College. It's a remarkable place and I had planned to post more on here about it, but it appears @nytimes.com has done much of that work for me! I believe this story is important to anyone in higher ed. Gift link:

MSM, some quick notes: 1. It’s not a settlement (the case was dismissed). 3. It’s not a ballroom (it’s a bunker). 3. It’s not a library (Trump said it will be a hotel). It matters that you get it right.

Suspension of rule of law is not something you can decide in a “settlement”

Ask yourself: Why would a settlement over leaked tax filings include a prohibition on examinations of previously filed returns? One answer, which lots of people are missing: For years, Trump has been fighting an IRS audit that could have resulted in a $100M bill. No longer, apparently.

No doubt he will try other ways to steal from the public, but at least this smash and grab was a bust. www.politico.com/news/2026/05...

Wow even the Economist endorses our AI tax proposal! A tax paid with stock, not cash, starting to feel inevitable. www.economist.com/finance-and-...

Without warning, Britain’s heritage charity has axed many of its most remote, most unique holiday cottages. The move, and the lack of warning, have prompted dismay and anger: ft.trib.al/M2pjGY9

NEW: The Senate parliamentarian has rejected major provisions in the GOP's reconciliation package -- aka the $72B spending bill for ICE + Trump's ballroom. These bits now need 60 vs 51 votes to pass: *ALL CBP funding *Funds for initial screenings of unaccompanied migrant kids *$2.5B for DHS

WE DON'T NEED PETROLEUM-BASED PLASTICS ANYMORE! "The [bamboo plastic] outperforms most commercial plastics and bioplastics in mechanical and thermo-mechanical metrics while maintaining full biodegradability in soil within 50 days and closed-loop recyclability with 90% retained strength."

Responding to a question on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” about whether he supported adding seats to the U.S. Supreme Court in lieu of its ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act, Sen. Cory Booker responded: “There’s a corrupt shadow hanging over,” the court. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

If we play our cards right, soon we’ll be able to send handguns through the postal service but not birth control or ballots

Kevin Morris, a researcher at the Brennan Center for Justice, said that Alito’s claim is “simply not factual,” and that the turnout gap had “exploded” over the last three years. trib.al/8N53FLm

Another reason to quit my @washingtonpost.com subscription. Any recs on local news alternatives?

My latest @nytimes.com oped shows that the White House is dramatically understating the cost of the war in Iran. By my calculations—and I show my work—this war will cost the typical American family thousands, and it could cost them tens of thousands. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/o...

the most anti free speech administration in this country’s history

This, the US Supreme Court has explained to us, is what it looks like to finally live in a land free of racial discrimination. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/u... South Carolina is 26% black. Louisiana is 33%. Mississippi is 37%.

IMF warns new AI models risk ‘systemic’ shock to finance ft.trib.al/iYajsCp

very funny that this guy is literally like “tax the rich? that is the n word to me, personally” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/n...

Not to brag, but… my proposal with @polcz.bsky.social to tax AI perfectly meets the moment here. Systemically important AI firms should pay a tax with equity so the public co-owns them. I can totally see the Right and the Left agreeing on this.

Trump disapproval reaches new high, Post-ABC-Ipsos poll finds Democrats now hold a five-point advantage in support for Congress, up from two points in February www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Overheard students referring to a book from the nineties as being “from the nineteen hundreds” and… they’re not wrong 😭

The Roberts Court shows its true partisan colors

Know any congressmen looking to tax AI? We’ve got a proposal for them. “Our AI tax would give the public fractional ownership, alongside private investors, in large AI firms.” Full op-ed here: thehill.com/opinion/tech...

The reviews are in for my experiment using a printed course pack this semester. The students absolutely LOVED them.

🚨 The political economy of finance summer school is back, 3rd year running! Better still: We're bringing it to London via @lse-ei.bsky.social. 𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: Finance & democracy 𝙳̲̲𝚊̲̲𝚝̲̲𝚎̲: 4-5 June 2026 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦: March 1. Link below. We've got brilliant instructors as usual. Please spread the word!

ICE detained over 70 of Minnesota’s children - ripping them out of school, forcing them into inhumane detention centers, and traumatizing them forever. We need to bring all our babies home. Then, the federal government must repair and restore all the harm they’ve done.

There's no other way to say it: This AP-NORC poll is atrocious for Trump. – Overall: 33-67 – Immigration: 40-59 – Iran: 32-67 – Economy: 30-70 – Cost of living: 23(!)-76 37% of Republicans disapprove of his handling of the economy, 47% disapprove on cost of living. apnorc.org/projects/few...

Forbes is gamifying news about the horrific mass shooting in Shreveport, LA this weekend, encouraging readers to bet on the likelihood of gun regulation with fake money via its "ForbesPredict" feature. Eight children were murdered in the shooting. futurism.com/future-socie...

New @nbcnews.com poll: 33% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the Iran war. 67% disapprove. A majority “strongly disapprove.” www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...

man that data is the new oil/toxic waste metaphor keeps paying out

Happy Tax Day, New York. We’re taxing the rich.

ICE is arresting delivery drivers at a San Diego military base. According to an attorney interviewed by Kate Morrissey, military police at the gates call ICE on any driver who is not a citizen or green card holder, even if they have permission to be in the country. capitalandmain.com/ice-has-arre...

We propose a framework for partial public ownership of AI via an AI equity tax. Thanks to Forbes @Forbes and Tax Notes @TaxNotes for the coverage. Find the TLDR overview of our (with @bearerfriend.bsky.social) args here: www.forbes.com/sites/taxnot...

"There is no justification for a regressive system in which the super-rich contribute less than the rest of us," write @josephestiglitz.bsky.social, @gabrielzucman.bsky.social, and @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social.

Today, the last tanker of crude oil that transited the Strait of Hormuz before Trump launched his war on Iran reached its destination in Europe. As I have posted several times before, the oil price spikes we have been seeing have been largely speculative. The real impact is only just now starting.

Great to see the Windfall Trust include our tax proposal in their AI Policy Atlas! Taxing AI firms by requiring stock would not only raise revenue, but also gives the public a voice in their corporate governance. And it pays the public back for all that was harvested from us.

Six big-picture conclusions from Orbán’s smashing defeat – and what it all means for the transnational struggle against rightwing authoritarianism. I wrote about why Hungary matters – and why nothing about rightwing authoritarianism is inevitable. Some thoughts from my new piece: 🧵

Will more expensive plastics mean a shift away from plastics?

This is a good take. Though I might say “most ignorant” or “most uninformed” person.

Celebrate Tax Week with a new podcast on how to tax AI! This is my second podcast on the topic and we’ve got a third one coming out next week. Lots of interest in our proposal to require systemically important AI firms pay a tax with stock, not cash.

If corporations are lining up to donate to the White House, there are really only two explanations: either CEOs suddenly love paying taxes voluntarily... or they're expecting something in return. The question worth asking is simple: if they're buying, what is the White House selling?

Calls are increasing inside Congress for investigations into the prediction market platform Polymarket after the latest instance where groups of anonymous traders made strategic, well-timed bets on a major geopolitical event hours before it occurred. n.pr/41Zphja

The image is smalish but the withdrawals are huge. Private capital holders continue to price the current political/economic moment with attempts at mass exit.

bit.ly/4t7G2EU President Donald Trump promised to cut Americans’ electricity bills in half, but costs have increased. It’s becoming an aggravating issue for voters, even deep in Trump country where some fed-up West Virginians are paying more for power than mortgages.

My speculation: Michael Wolff has said Epstein told him the first time Trump and Melania had sex was on Epstein's Lolita Express Jet. He might release the audio of their interview or a similar story might confirm some of the sordid details. Melania is trying to get ahead of it.

It’s hard to overstate how much of this moment is driven by people who got a taste of accountability and were very, very mad about it.