Reddit Politics Summary Sunday Nov 5th 17

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This is a digest of the top posts on reddit/r/politics over the last 24 hours.
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Mueller Has Enough Evidence to Bring Charges in Flynn Investigation

(28703) (comments)

• Flynn, who was fired after just 24 days on the job, was one of the first Trump associates to come under scrutiny in the federal probe now led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
• Flynn, who worked closely with his father, accompanied him during the campaign and briefly worked on the presidential transition, could be indicted separately or at the same time as his father, according to three sources familiar with the investigation.
• The FBI pushed back on the request because Turkey had supplied no additional information that could incriminate Gulen following a review of the case during the Obama administration, the official said.

Donald Trump’s approval a year after election is lower than any president in 70 years of polling

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• Approaching the first anniversary of his victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, Mr Trump has an approval rating demonstrably lower than any previous chief executive at this point in his presidency over seven decades of polling.
• At the 100-day mark of Mr Trump’s presidency last spring, Americans were split almost evenly on the question of whether he was keeping most of his major campaign promises, with 44 per cent saying he was and 41 per cent disagreeing.
• Asked whether the Democratic Party is presenting alternatives to Mr Trump’s proposals or mainly criticizing the president, 61 per cent said mainly criticizing, identical to the percentage who said this of Republican Party leaders one year after Obama’s election.

Puerto Rico still mostly without electricity

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Leaked Documents Show Commerce Secretary Concealed Ties to Putin Cronies

(4736) (comments)

• Some of the details of Ross’s continuing financial holdings — much of which were not disclosed during his confirmation process — are revealed in a trove of more than 7 million internal documents of Appleby, a Bermuda-based law firm, that was leaked to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. These were then shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists — a global network that won the Pulitzer Prize this year for its work on the Panama Papers — and its international media partners.
• Overall, the document leak provides a rare insight into the workings of the global offshore financial world, which is used by many of the world’s most powerful companies and government officials to legally avoid paying taxes and to conduct business away from public scrutiny.
• On that date, Ross, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for commerce secretary, submitted a letter to the designated ethics official at the department, explaining steps he was taking to avoid all conflicts of interest.

Fox News Falsely Warned People Of An Upcoming "Antifa Apocalypse"

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• Last week, many of the same users who made claims about the "antifa apocalypse" pushed also misrepresented a protest against pro-Trump commentator Mark Cernovich. They said the protesters were marching with a sign that said, "no pedo bashing," but people at the protest told BuzzFeed News the sign was planted and video shows it was carried for less than a minute before protesters realized what it said.

Republicans Want to Make It Harder for You to Pay Off Student Loans

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• But even though Donald Trump reportedly wanted to call it the "Cut Cut Cut Act," the bill actually includes a host of tiny tweaks and alterations to the tax code that could actually raise your tax bill.
• The mortgage-interest deduction is also set to be more limited, which may speak to a broader GOP belief that "personal interest or non-business interest is not supposed to be deductible," Duke law professor Lawrence A.
• A 2016 Wall Street Journal story said that 43 percent of the 22 million Americans with federal student loans weren't making payments, and there were more than a million defaults on student loans last year amid allegations of malfeasance by lenders. Unlike other types of debt, it's virtually impossible to wipe away student debt by declaring bankruptcy, and a few debtors have taken drastic steps like leaving the country to dodge collection agencies.

Donald Trump boasts ‘it was not pleasant’ for countries that underestimated US military - during speech in Japan

(2500) (comments)

• Trade will also feature heavily during the trip as the President tries to persuade Asian allies to agree to policies more favourable to the US. Mr Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multilateral trade deal, calling it "a potential disaster for our country".

Graham: Trump is crossing a line with DOJ comments

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• "The president of the United States is in charge of the executive branch, it's not his job to be telling the attorney general to be prosecuting a particular individual or group.
• I’d like to let it run itself, but honestly, they should be looking at the Democrats," Trump told reporters outside of the White House on Friday.

Lankford: 'I am a No' on Taxes Unless Deficit is Managed

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Teachers spend nearly $500 a year on supplies. Under the GOP tax bill, they will no longer get a tax deduction.

(1463) (comments)

• But under the GOP tax reform bill, that deduction would go away for teachers and other categories of workers, including certain state and local officials and performing artists. For now, teachers can get a small tax break — deducting up to $250 from their taxes — for what they spend on supplies.
• The proposal to eliminate that deduction and others is part of an effort to simplify the tax code, and proponents say that with an overall cut in tax rates, those who benefit from the deductions may still see their tax bills fall.
• They are often filling in gaps where students are unable to afford supplies — and where districts are unable to furnish them.