There’s major news in the fight to secure Donald Trump’s tax returns.  

The U.S. Court of Appeals of the D.C. Circuit just ruled that, “Contrary to the President’s arguments, the [House Oversight and Reform] Committee possesses authority under both the House Rules and the Constitution to issue the subpoena, and Mazars must comply.”[1]
This is the opinion of the second most important court in the country, right below the U.S. Supreme Court.
Back in April, this House Committee subpoenaed a decade of the president’s financial records from his long-time accounting firm, Mazars USA. Now, the court has affirmed that Mazars must comply.
This is the biggest breakthrough yet in our fight to get our hands on Donald Trump’s tax returns. We are one major step closer to knowing how Trump is using his office to personally benefit from the laws he signs and the policies he implements.

We won’t rest until we see Trump’s personal and business tax returns and there are five additional fights, currently all in the courts, to secure and release Trump’s tax returns.

Donate $5 or more to Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund today to support our work to make Trump’s tax returns public and hold him accountable to the Americans people.

Here’s a look at the other fights that are currently before the courts:
• The “NY TRUST Act” passed and signed into law in July, would allow the release of Trump’s state tax returns to Congress. Trump and his lawyers have temporarily blocked this law from taking effect, pending a judge’s ruling.[2]
• The “Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act” was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom back in July and requires all presidential candidates to publicly release their tax returns in order to appear on the 2020 primary ballot. This law was subsequently blocked by a federal judge. It appears that Newsom (D) will appeal this court ruling.[3]
• The Manhattan District Attorney has subpoenaed eight years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns from his longtime accounting firm Mazars USA related to the DA’s investigation into hush money payments allegedly made by Trump and his businesses to former mistresses right before the 2016 election (likely illegal campaign contributions).
• The House Financial Services and Intelligence Committees have filed subpoenas with Deutsche Bank and Capital One seeking the tax returns of Donald Trump and his three eldest children. This case currently resides before a federal appeals court in New York.
• The House Ways and Means Committee has subpoenaed the Treasury Department and the IRS after Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin denied the committee’s request for six years of Trump’s federal tax returns. This case currently resides in the courts.
From even before he became president, Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund has been leading the national call to get our hands on Trump’s tax returns. Whether it’s alleged tax fraud as outlined by the New York Times, or how he and his family are personally benefiting from his administration’s policies, it’s up to us to demand transparency and hold Donald Trump accountable.[4]

Pitch in $5 or more today to get our hands on Donald Trump’s tax returns!
Thank you for all of your hard work,
Frank Clemente
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
[1] “Trump loses appeal to withhold financial records from Democrats,” Politico, October 11, 2019
[2] “These Are All The Ways Democrats Are Trying To Get Trump’s Tax Returns Released,” Forbes, October 3, 2019
[3] “California to appeal ruling that blocks law requiring Trump disclose tax returns in order to appear on ballot: report,” The Hill, October 8, 2019
[4] “Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father,” New York Times, October

AmericansforTaxFairnessActionFund.org

Their homes burned, their lands stolen, and forests razed. Oil wells and gas flares and open-pit mines and mega-dams alongside their homes against their will. And when they rise up to shout, “No more!” they are met with tear gas and violent repression.

Indigenous blood is being spilled right now on Indigenous Peoples Day. Our work together to stop these attacks and defend Mother Earth has never been more vital.

This summer in Brazil, right-wing president Bolsonaro escalated his attack on the Amazon that has led to millions of acres of burned forests and charred earth. Our climate’s future, and the homes of so many indigenous people, is going up in flames.

Right now in Ecuador, indigenous people are being brutally attacked by security forces. Hundreds have been wounded and arrested and at least five have been killed. Yet they vow to continue standing up against cruel IMF-imposed austerity measures and any further oil drilling or mining on their lands.

Our work to advance indigenous rights and to partner with groups most at risk for defending nature is urgent and effective. We have to keep it going and growing, and that’s why today we invite you to commit to it long-term. Become a monthly donor to Amazon Watch and know that your ongoing support will enable our alliances to defend the Amazon and advance indigenous rights.

Every single day we see indigenous people taking action in ways that will benefit us all. They put their lives on the line to defend Mother Earth and our global climate. On this day, we ask everyone to dig just a little bit deeper and make a year-round commitment in support of this movement and these people. We hope you choose to make this work a part of who you are, not just on Indigenous People’s Day, but every day.
Thank you!

Leila Salazar-López
Executive Director

Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

resource: unwomen.org

Hurricane Dorian has caused massive damage in the Bahamas.”But when Bahamian people attempted to enter the U.S. to seek refuge, Border Patrol sent them back. This is particularly egregious; Bahamian people are looking to come to the U.S. so they can be safe and access the supplies they need to live. But Donald Trump won’t allow it. He claims that the Bahamas are full of ‘very bad gang members,’ and other coded racist language to justify restricting Bahamian people’s access. It is unjust that our country’s leaders have instructed Border Patrol to turn Bahamian people away.

While the Trump Administration and Border Patrol continue to prohibit people who are seeking refuge from entering the U.S., The Boy Scouts of America continue to encourage their scouts to participate in the Law Enforcement Explorer Program, a training partnership that grooms scouts to become Border Patrol agents. At a time when Border Patrol is being used to carry out Trump’s racist, xenophobic agenda, is used to separate families at the border, and is used to prevent Bahamian people from seeking out safety in the U.S., it is unacceptable that the Boy Scouts provide their scouts for this program.

Write to the leaders of the Boy Scouts of America and tell them to end their partnership with Border Patrol.

Until justice is real,
—Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Evan, Johnny, Future, Samantha, Eesha, Marcus, FolaSade, and the rest of the Color Of Change team

References:
1. “Trump says Bahamas full of ‘very bad gang members’ as he doubles down on not letting Hurricane Dorian refugees in to U.S.,” The Independent, September 9, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/186144?t=8&akid=36746%2E1174326%2E-tjwvG
2. “Border Patrol Law Enforcement Explorer Program,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection, July 22, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/174140?t=10&akid=36746%2E1174326%2E-tjwvG
3. “Border Patrol Youth Program Trains Children as Young as 14 to Become Agents,” KUT News, November 20, 2017, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/174142?t=12&akid=36746%2E1174326%2E-tjwvG

The White House letter to Congress was a desperate farce
Last night, Trump’s White House sent a letter to Congress refusing to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry.  

We fact-checked a few of the most flagrant lies in Trump’s letter to Congress:
• Impeachable offenses: Trump is still adamantly—and absurdly—claiming that he did nothing wrong, when we know from the White House’s Ukraine call memo that he extorted a foreign power to interfere in the 2020 election.
• Massive cover-up: Trump falsely claimed that he’s been transparent. That couldn’t be further from the truth. He, his White House, the State Department, and the Department of Justice have engaged in an extensive cover-up of his extortion campaign.
• Threats: The White House claimed, with zero evidence, that government officials are being bullied. In reality, Trump threatened the first whistleblower: “You know what we used to do in the old days…[We] used to handle it a little differently than we do now.”
• Lies and distraction: Trump lied, bogusly claiming that the impeachment inquiry is a “naked political strategy” to overturn the 2016 election. Here’s the reality: The investigation is about Trump extorting a foreign leader to interfere in the 2020 election.
• The Constitution: Trump falsely claimed that the impeachment inquiry “lacks any legitimate constitutional foundation.” Stopping foreign interference in U.S. affairs is one of the key reasons why the founders included the impeachment clause in the Constitution in the first place.

source: americanprogressaction.org