Russ Choma

1 month ago | motherjones.com | Russ Choma |Dan Friedman |Tim Murphy

Eight years ago, if you wanted to line the first family’s pockets, your choices—while ethically unprecedented—were limited. There was only so much you could spend on hotel rooms or Mar-a-Lago fundraisers. Fortunately for foreign governments, megacorporations, and anyone else with an agenda, the Trumps have diversified.

1 month ago | motherjones.com | Russ Choma

On Friday evening, Moody’s downgraded the United States’ overall credit-rating—from the highest level of AAA—to one notch lower, AA1, based on years of rising debt and Donald Trump’s tax cut plan, which the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Budget has calculated could add $2.5 trillion more in debt. The rating is important because it is a marker of how stable the US economy is, and how likely the US is to be able to pay back its debt to lenders.

1 month ago | motherjones.com | Russ Choma

The Trump administration’s race to deport as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, has led to another major error. This time, the administration is admitting it—and it could have a major effect on deportation lawsuits. One of the challenges to the administration’s mass deportation scheme is a class-action lawsuit, filed by some of the deported immigrants. At the center of the case is a Guatemalan man, identified only as O.C.G., who despite trying to claim asylum, was sent to Mexico.

1 month ago | motherjones.com | Dan Friedman |Russ Choma

President Donald Trump last week told the Justice Department to investigate Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, and claimed in a fact sheet that the order was aimed at “foreign contributions in American elections.”Republicans quickly touted the order as cracking down on hidden sources of funds in US elections. “The Democrats’ Dark Money scam has gone on long enough,” Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley said last week.

2 months ago | motherjones.com | Russ Choma

The cryptocurrency Donald Trump launched days before returning to the Oval Office got a big boost on Wednesday afternoon, as the Trump-owned company behind the meme coin announced that its top holders would be invited to an exclusive dinner with the president—and the 25 leading buyers will get a special VIP tour of the White House.