A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – Filings for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level since 1973 as workers affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma continued to return to their jobs, Labor Department figures showed Thursday.

The larger-than-projected decrease in claims probably reflected difficulty adjusting for the Columbus Day holiday. At the same time, the report showed further declines in claims in hurricane- affected states. The storms initially led to a spike in applications in Texas and the southeastern U.S. in late August and early September.

The latest period also encompasses the reporting week that the Labor Department surveys for its October employment figures. Claims are at the lowest level in more than four decades, indicating employers have little desire to cut staffing levels amid a shortage of qualified workers. [ Source: Bloomberg (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) is asking the Department of Justice for documents related to the FBI’s investigation into the Russia-Uranium One deal, which found evidence of Russian officials engaging in bribery, kickbacks, and millions of dollars flowing to the Clinton Foundation before the deal was approved by the U.S. government.

Barrasso has been raising concerns about the deal, which ultimately gave Russia control of 20 percent of the U.S. uranium supply, since 2010. The Obama administration ignored the senator’s requests for documents after the New York Times reported on Bill Clinton’s six-figure speaking fees in Moscow to a Kremlin-linked investment bank, and Uranium One donated $2.35 million to the Clinton Foundation while the deal was awaiting approval from the State Department, then run by his wife, Hillary Clinton. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Before the Obama administration approved a controversial deal in 2010 giving Moscow control of a large swath of American uranium, the FBI had gathered substantial evidence that Russian nuclear industry officials were engaged in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering designed to grow Vladimir Putin’s atomic energy business inside the United States, according to government documents and interviews.

Federal agents used a confidential U.S. witness working inside the Russian nuclear industry to gather extensive financial records, make secret recordings and intercept emails as early as 2009 that showed Moscow had compromised an American uranium trucking firm with bribes and kickbacks in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, FBI and court documents show.

They also obtained an eyewitness account — backed by documents — indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the U.S. designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow, sources told The Hill. [ Source: The Hill (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – A fresh battle in the Republican civil war flared Thursday as former President George W. Bush took veiled shots at President Trump in a speech that warned against the rising tide of ethno-nationalism on the Right.

Bush sounded the alarm about “nationalism distorted into nativism,” chiding that American identity “is not determined by geography or ethnicity, by soil or blood.” He cautioned against the siren song of isolationism. The 43rd president never mentioned Trump.

But in issuing a clarion call for the conservative ideals of Ronald Reagan Republicanism, Bush was unmistakably rebuking the “America First” sloganeering of a 45th president who has questioned the value of U.S. internationalism and been accused of winking at white-identity politics. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The Senate passed a 2018 budget resolution late Thursday that will serve as the vehicle for comprehensive tax reform, the Republican Party’s top legislative goal.

The measure passed 51-49, setting the stage for what will likely be a GOP-only push for tax reform in the coming weeks. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the lone “no” GOP vote against the budget, and announced his opposition earlier in the week to protest $43 billion added to an overseas war fund.

But other Republicans cheered the result and said it lets them move quickly toward a tax bill. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The Internal Revenue Service will not accept electronically filed tax returns for the upcoming filing season in which people fail to note whether they have health insurance, according to an agency announcement that is a reversal of informal policy under the Obama administration.

Failure to note health insurance status could result in tax refund delays, according to the IRS.

“The IRS will not accept the electronic tax return until the taxpayer indicates whether they had coverage, had an exemption or will make a shared responsibility payment,” the agency said in a statement. “In addition, returns filed on paper that do not address the health coverage requirements may be suspended pending the receipt of additional information and any refunds may be delayed.” [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]