Vox Sentences - Anti-taxers

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Lobbyists are trying to water down Democrats’ new tax initiatives; a new Brazilian policy restricts social media companies’ control over their platforms.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

The tax lobbyists have something to say

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty

• As Democrats work on their budget bill, the size of the $3.5 trillion package is getting pushback by some moderates. But that's not the only fight: The pay-fors, including raising the estate tax and closing loopholes, are being attacked by corporate lobbyists and centrist Democrats. [The Washington Post / Jacqueline Alemany]
• Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) has been at the front of a charge against changing rules on capital gains taxes and inheritance, saying it could raise fears of a tax hike among ordinary voters. Much of the lobbying around this issue is funded by the ultra-wealthy. [Intelligencer / Jonathan Chait]
• Biden’s capital gains tax plan specifically taxes capital gains on inheritances that exceed $1 million for inheritances per person, leaves the estate tax mostly alone, and specifically exempts family-owned businesses like farms. [The New Republic / Timothy Noah]
• Corporate interests believe they can successfully cut minimum taxes on foreign income, capital gains tax changes, and closing the carried interest loophole that hedge funds exploit from the legislation. [The New York Times / Jonathan Weisman, Alan Rappeport, and Jim Tankersly]
• If Democrats cannot come to agreement on pay-fors, then the size of the package may have to come down. [Insider / Joseph Zeballos-Roig]
• There are other disputes as well: On health care, a group of mostly Senate Democrats want an expansion of Medicare, while some House Democrats prefer strengthening the Affordable Care Act’s coverage subsidies. [Politico / Heather Caygle and Alice Miranda Ollstein]

Bolsonaro wants Facebook to keep posts up, true or not

• In a new decree, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has prohibited social media companies from removing posts, accounts, and profiles on their platforms, saying the new policy falls under the banner of upholding free speech. [Reuters / Ricardo Brito]
• Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook have removed posts throughout the pandemic that promoted dangerous misinformation. YouTube has taken down 15 videos from a channel linked to Bolsonaro for spreading misinformation about the virus. Facebook, per a Brazilian court ruling, took down the accounts of many Bolsonaro allies. [BBC News]
• Bolsonaro also frequently uses social media to promote the theory that the only way he could lose an upcoming election is due to fraud. The decree fits along with a pattern of recent democratic backsliding he is promoting in Brazil. [Gizmodo / Tom McKay]
• The rule appears to be the first one in the world that limits social networks’ ability to moderate content that violates their own rules and policies. Tech companies now require a court order to take down content in Brazil on topics including election or coronavirus misinformation. [The New York Times / Jack Nicas]
• Bolsonaro’s announcement called social networks’ content standards enforcement “arbitrary and unreasonable.” [Folha de São Paulo / Kiratiana Freelon]

Support our journalism

President Joe Biden announced he will mandate vaccines or weekly testing at companies with at least 100 employees in a sweeping new plan. Federal workers will likely have 75 days to get vaccinated or risk disciplinary action. The mandates will cover about two-thirds of America's workforce. [Wall Street Journal / Stephanie Armour and Sabrina Siddiqui]

• Dr. Anthony Fauci said the current case rate of the coronavirus is 10 times higher than what would be needed to constitute the end of the US epidemic. [The Hill / Joseph Choi]
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this summer, from June to August, tied the summer of the 1936 Dust Bowl as the hottest one on record in the Lower 48 states. [The Washington Post / Jason Samenow and Diana Leonard]

“The big lobbies are going to attack you under any circumstance. Half the time they’re just making it up.”

[Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), on lobbyists coming after Democrats’ tax proposals]

Aarti Shahani, host of the WBEZ Chicago podcast Art of Power and author of the memoir Here We Are, talks with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) about how 9/11 changed the relationship between immigrants and America. [Spotify]

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