When a Silicon Valley entrepreneur developed a tax break intended as a way to incentivize the rich to invest in underserved communities, the idea was pushed into law with little scrutiny or

When a Silicon Valley entrepreneur developed a tax break intended as a way to incentivize the rich to invest in underserved communities, the idea was pushed into law with little scrutiny or fine-tuning and few safeguards against abuse. With an unbeatable pair of high-profile sponsors and deft political marketing, the Opportunity Zone became an unnoticed part of the 2017 Trump tax bill. In his new book Only the Rich Can Play: How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age, bestselling author David Wessel follows the money—starting from this Opportunity Zone initiative—to see who profited from the plan that was supposed to spur development of blighted areas and help people out of poverty. His findings? The Las Vegas Strip, the Portland (Oregon) Ritz-Carlton, and the Mall of America. In other words, lucrative areas where the wealthy can place their money profitably and avoid capital gains taxes. Wessel provides vivid portraits of the proselytizers, political influencers, consultants, real estate dealmakers and individual money-seekers looking to take advantage of this opportunity. He looks at the cities in which the Opportunity Zone initiatives have failed, as well as a few where they have succeeded, and offers a lesson on how a better-designed program might have helped more left-behind places. Join us as David Wessel, offers an in-depth analysis of the bill he faults with keeping the rich richer—revealing the gritty reality of a system tilted in favor of a few while leaving many out in the cold. NOTES Photo by Jay Mallin. OCTOBER 19, 2021 SPEAKERS David Wessel Senior Fellow and Director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Brookings Institution; Author, Only the Rich Can Play: How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age; Twitter @davidmwessel In Conversation with Lenny Mendonca Former Chief Economic and Business Advisor, State of California; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors 💯SUBSCRIBE for more VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/user/commonwealthclub 📆 UPCOMING EVENTS: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events 🎉 BECOME a MEMBER: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/membership 💰 DONATE NOW: https://support.commonwealthclub.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=298 📺➕📻 Watch & Listen https://www.commonwealthclub.org/watch-listen CWC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonwealthclub/ CWC Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cwclub/ CWC Twitter https://twitter.com/cwclub The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum 📣, bringing together its 20,000 members for more than 400 annual events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy. Founded in 1903 in San Francisco California 🌉, The Commonwealth Club has played host to a diverse and distinctive array of speakers, from Teddy Roosevelt in 1911 to Hillary Clinton in 2010. Along the way, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have all given landmark speeches at the Club.

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Can this “frozen zoo” resurrect the Northern White Rhino?, with Dr. Barbara Durrant Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ►► https://www.youtube.com/c/bigthink Up next ►► Michio Kaku: 99.99%

Can this “frozen zoo” resurrect the Northern White Rhino?, with Dr. Barbara Durrant Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ►► https://www.youtube.com/c/bigthink Up next ►► Michio Kaku: 99.99% of species go extinct. What is humanity’s future? https://youtu.be/JAK6KrIuRbI Due to poaching, the Northern White Rhinoceros is functionally extinct. There are only two members of the species left. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park has a unique biotech facility called the "frozen zoo" that could reverse the extinction. Using in vitro fertilization, scientists hope to implant a Northern White Rhino embryo inside a Southern White Rhino, a closely related species. If successful, this procedure could help rescue critically endangered species or even resurrect extinct ones. This video was originally created and shared by Freethink. Read the video transcript: https://bigthink.com/videos/white-rhino-extinction ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read more of our stories on animal extinction: Cause of worst mass extinction ever found ►► https://bigthink.com/hard-science/cause-of-worst-mass-extinction-ever-found/ The platypus is headed for extinction, warn Australian scientists ►► https://bigthink.com/life/platypus-extinction/ Extinction is a natural process, but it’s happening at 1,000 times the normal speed ►►https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/extinction-is-a-natural-process-but-its-happening-at-1000-times-the-normal-speed/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Big Think | Smarter Faster™ ► Big Think The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century. ► Big Think+ Make your business smarter, faster: https://bigthink.com/plus/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more Big Think? ► Daily editorial features: https://bigthink.com/popular/ ► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: https://bigthink.com/st/newsletter ► Facebook: https://bigth.ink/facebook ► Instagram: https://bigth.ink/Instagram ► Twitter: https://bigth.ink/twitter

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"Supporting climate policies, like the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, puts us on the right path to drastically reduce carbon production, address environmental injustice, and transition to

"Supporting climate policies, like the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, puts us on the right path to drastically reduce carbon production, address environmental injustice, and transition to clean energy alternatives," says U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) who is an original cosponsor of the bill. Rep. Cárdenas serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and is also a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. WATCH this short video to see why he is championing this legislation and then EMAIL your member of Congress using our online tool to ask them to cosponsor H.R. 2307: https://www.cclusa.org/write #PriceOnCarbon #CarbonCashback #climatechange

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Garry is a long term volunteer and activist with Greenpeace but under new laws, some activities he has been involved in could be deemed as 'sabotage'. The Espionage and Foreign Interference bill

Garry is a long term volunteer and activist with Greenpeace but under new laws, some activities he has been involved in could be deemed as 'sabotage'. The Espionage and Foreign Interference bill passed two weeks ago in parliament. It created new criminal offences for 'sabotage' and 'espionage'. The sabotage element threatens people's rights to protest against the Government if they break the law. The espionage element criminalises whistle-blowing with heavy penalties of up to life in prison. Holding Governments to account when they break the law is a cornerstone of good democracies. We will not be silenced. Chip in to help us fight back against these anti democratic laws: act.gp/2LOcTJT

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 Jun 27, 2018

Sunday Morning Worship at 11AM on June 24th at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Oregon. An Interfaith gathering for Immigrant Justice to pray and

 Jun 27, 2018

Sunday Morning Worship at 11AM on June 24th at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Oregon. An Interfaith gathering for Immigrant Justice to pray and protest the internment of 123 refugees as part of President Trump's "Zero Tolerance" policy whereby parents were separated from their children before being jailed in facilities throughout the United States.  

"Wade in the Water" and other songs were combined with prayers, teaching moments, and readings from the Bible - Mark and the Romans.  

President Trump and Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General of the United States portray citizens objecting to the Zero Tolerance Policy  as "radicals" and "elites" who want open borders and don't care about crime. Such a characterization could not be further from the truth. This video shows Portlanders from all walks of life across a wide spectrum of religions and cultures who have come together, led by love, outside the gates of a federal prison housing 123 detainees to express their opinion that the zero tolerance policy is immoral and show support to those who have been detained.  

The folks at Freedom for Immigration (https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/...) provide on their site detention maps and statistics for all immigrants in the system. Detention is  big business in America. 

Produced and filmed by Ruth Ann Barrett of Portland, Oregon as PDXdowntowner.

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Esperanza Martinez talks about the struggle to save the Yasuní National Park in Ecuador. Check out all of the speakers at this incredible evening with Naomi Klein as Climate Action Week kicks off!

Esperanza Martinez talks about the struggle to save the Yasuní National Park in Ecuador. Check out all of the speakers at this incredible evening with Naomi Klein as Climate Action Week kicks off! Incredible panel talks climate, capitalism, justice, and ecological debt! http://new.livestream.com/TheNewSchool/This-Changes-Everything This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate with Bill McKibben, Clayton Thomas-Muller, Estela Vasquez, Michael Leon Guerrero, and Esperanza Martinez.

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Native activist Tom Goldtooth and peace advocate Kathy Kelly received the Gandhi Peace Award before a rapt audience at the United Church on the Green in New Haven last Friday (October 30). The

Native activist Tom Goldtooth and peace advocate Kathy Kelly received the Gandhi Peace Award before a rapt audience at the United Church on the Green in New Haven last Friday (October 30). The prestigious award has been bestowed annually on select recipients for their outstanding contributions to world peace since 1960 by the national organization Promoting Enduring Peace. Past recipients include such luminaries as Eleanor Roosevelt, Dorothy Day, Caesar Chavez and most recently to Bill McKibben and Medea Benjamin.

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Bill George is Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School, where he is teaching leadership and leadership development along with several

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