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Today we are doing Jen's favorite thing: following the big dirty money. This time the focus is on the world of private equity. Those two words together sound ever so restrained and elite, even contained. In reality though the world of private equity is rough and destructive and affects all of us from patients seeking health care to workers losing their jobs. There are more than $10 trillion in private equity assets under management. And many public pension funds as well as ordinary members of the public are invested. Not private at all. Timing is everything. In early December, two U.S. senators launched a bipartisan investigation on the takeover of our nation's healthcare by giant private equity firms. Today on Booked Up we have the top experts on this topic,Joining Jen to discuss this topic are authors Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner. Their new bestseller These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America is a must-read for anyone and everyone who wants to understand why and how the rich get richer and the rest of us are struggling to make ends meet. You may recognize Gretchen and Josh from their first book, about the 2008 financial and related mortgage crisis. It was a great resource for me when I wrote about that dangerous period. Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon. Gretchen is the senior financial reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. A former stockbroker, she won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for her “trenchant and incisive” reporting on Wall Street. Josh is managing director at independent research consultancy Graham Fisher and Co., advising regulators, policymakers, and institutional investors on banking and financial markets. Contact Booked Up: You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to: BOOKED UP P.O. BOX 147 NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061 Get More from Gretchen Morgenson Twitter | Website | Author of THESE ARE THE PLUNDERERS Get More from Josh Rosner Twitter | Website | Author of THESE ARE THE PLUNDERERS More from Jen Taub: Twitter | Money & Gossip Substack | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY
Former Ukrainian government official and diplomat Andrii Telizhenko joins Aaron Maté to discuss how, in his view, powerful US figures including Joe Biden have used Ukraine for personal corruption and the geopolitical aim of bleeding Russia -- all to the detriment of Ukrainians. Telizhenko worked for the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office in Kyiv before moving to Ukraine's US Embassy in 2015. He went on to work for Blue Star Strategies, a Democrat-run lobbying firm that represented Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company that appointed Biden's son Hunter to a lucrative board seat. Telizhenko, who cooperated with Rudy Giuliani's effort to dig up information about the Bidens' alleged corruption in Ukraine, has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for "having directly or indirectly engaged in, sponsored, concealed, or otherwise been complicit in foreign influence in a United States election." Guest: Andrii Telizhenko. Political consultant who was previously a Ukrainian government official and diplomat. Support Pushback: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate
Bloomberg Radio host Barry Ritholtz speaks with Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter for the NBC News investigative unit. A former stockbroker and alumna of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, she won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for her “trenchant and incisive” reporting on finance. She and coauthor Joshua Rosner recently published “These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs ― and Wrecks ― America.” They also wrote the 2011 bestseller “Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon,” about the mortgage crisis.See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.
Ralph welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, Gretchen Morgenson, co-author of “These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs – And Wrecks – America,” where they name names in this “heads we win, tails you lose” system of predatory capitalism.Gretchen Morgenson is the senior financial reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. A former stockbroker, she won the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for her “trenchant and incisive” reporting on Wall Street. Previously at the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal,” she and coauthor Joshua Rosner wrote the bestseller Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon about the mortgage crisis. Their latest book is These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America.The way corporate criminals get their way is by trying to make things too complex and too abstract for your daily lives. But when Gretchen [Morgenson] talks about these plunderers, and let's call them “predatory capitalists”, don't think that you're not being affected— whether your loved ones are patients in nursing homes, whether you're workers being laid off, whether you're consumers being gouged for drug or healthcare prices, whether your community's going to be hollowed out because the company that was doing okay was taken over by these vultures and closed down after they extracted the wealth.Ralph NaderIt's interesting now that David Rubenstein is retired [from the Carlyle Group], he's a philanthropist. This is what these wealthy people do once they've finished their careers and made so much money. They become philanthropists… We've all read about David Rubenstein and Steve Schwarzman and Leon Black and Henry Kravis. We read about them constantly. They are always lauded for their brilliance and their billionaire status. What we just don't hear about are the people on the other side of their transactions.Gretchen Morgenson, co-author of “These Are The Plunderers.”The disappointing thing about the Justice Department is that when they bring these cases against the companies that are doing Medicare fraud (like in the Manor Care situation), they don't move up the corporate ladder to the owner of the company. The Justice Department does the work on the particular company that is owned by private equity, but they don't go up the ladder. And that has a way of allowing the firms—like Carlyle in the Manor Care case— to escape scrutiny and to escape accountability. So that would be an ideal thing to change.Gretchen Morgenson co-author of “These Are The Plunderers.”In Case You Haven't Heard 1. Amid the debt limit fight, progressives are calling for President Biden to invoke the 14th amendment, which they believe would allow Biden to bypass the Republican House and raise the debt limit without concessions like adding further work requirements to public benefits. In a press conference by the Senate progressives, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said "This is the whole reason why the 14th Amendment exists, & we need to be prepared to use it. And, if our unelected Supreme Court Justices try to block the use of the 14th amendment and blow up our economy, that's on them.” However, POLITICO reports that the administration is privately telling progressives to stand down. Instead, the White House seems more interested in negotiating with Speaker McCarthy, even if that means caving to outrageous Republican demands.2. As the Writers Guild strike grinds on – at a cost of $30 million per day according to Deadline – the Screen Actors Guild is now on the verge of their own strike. Last week, SAG-AFTRA's National Board voted unanimously to ask members for strike authorization, and the Daily Beast reported that SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher urged members to “make three a charm with an emphatic ‘yes' for a strike authorization vote!” adding that to do so would be “an unprecedented show of solidarity.” An actor's strike against the studios has not happened since 1980.3. Last week, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Healthy Families Act of 2023, which would guarantee 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. This bill features a companion in the House, led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, and carries the support of 122 members of the House and Senate. Sanders is quoted saying “It is time to end this absurdity...It is time Congress passed this legislation to ensure workers receive the basic dignity and benefits that they deserve.” The introduction of this legislation comes on the heels of the reintroduction of a Medicare for All bill in this Congress.4. A damning new report in the Wall Street Journal indicates that “Jeffrey Epstein discovered that Bill Gates had an affair with a Russian bridge player” and later used this knowledge to attempt to threaten the Microsoft co-founder. The report goes on to say that “at the time, Epstein was trying to set up a multibillion-dollar charitable fund with JPMorgan...[which] hinged on securing support from Gates.” When this money was not forthcoming, Epstein resorted to blackmail. This gives the public our clearest idea yet as to the nuts and bolts of the Epstein criminal enterprise.5. POLITICO is reporting on a rumor concerning Senator Dianne Feinstein, Representative Adam Schiff, and the Pelosi family. The former Speaker herself has endorsed Schiff in the upcoming California Senate primary and has long groomed him as a political protege. He currently holds a $15 million advantage over his nearest opponent. Yet, if Feinstein – who has appeared deeply addled in recent public appearances – were to resign, Governor Newsom would have the opportunity to appoint a Senator to the vacant seat, and has pledged to appoint a Black woman. Rep. Barbara Lee, a progressive Black congresswoman representing the Bay Area, is among the candidates to replace Feinstein, and would therefore have a strong chance of being appointed. Per the report, Nancy Corinne Prowda, Pelosi's eldest child, is a top aide to Senator Feinstien, and a “Pelosi family confidant” insinuated that she is angling to keep Feinstein in her seat, not for the benefit of Californians, but for the benefit of Adam Schiff. 6. The LA Times reports that “Nearly three dozen deputies have been ordered to come in for questioning, show their tattoos and give up the names of any other deputies similarly sporting ink connecting them to…the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's…deputy gangs.” This demand came in a letter from county Inspector General Max Huntsman to 35 deputies suspected of being members of either the Executioners or the Banditos, two of the most notorious among these police gangs. Huntsman is quoted saying “The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department conducted incomplete internal affairs investigations into the Banditos and Executioners, failing to identify all members…California's new gang law addresses discrimination based on race and gender and gives inspectors general enhanced authority to collect evidence. We're using that authority to complete the investigations by directing deputies to show their tattoos and tell us who else has them.”7. The Sierra Club is currently in the midst of a labor battle. The New Republic reports that, in an attempt to resolve their budget shortfall, the group has announced “massive layoffs,” the scale of which still remains unclear. This announcement set off a “fractious battle” between the top leadership and the Progressive Workers Union, which has two bargaining units representing nearly 400 Sierra Club employees around the country. Thus far union has filed two unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board; the first “accuses the Club of failing to provide necessary information for bargaining,” and another alleging that “management is violating its collective bargaining agreement and is bargaining in bad faith.”8. Democracy Now! reports that conservative, US-backed Ecuadoran president Guillermo Lasso has “dissolved the opposition-led National Assembly in a move widely seen as an effort to block efforts to impeach him.” Lasso dissolved the assembly as it held its first hearing on corruption and embezzlement allegations against Lasso. Lasso invoked a never-before-used constitutional power allowing him to “rule by decree” until new elections are held.9. In an almost unbelievable story, Live Science is reporting that Orcas have “sunk 3 boats in Europe and appear to be teaching others to do the same.” The piece goes on to say that scientists believe the attacks are coordinated, and began following an orca experiencing a "critical moment of agony." Further, they believe “the behavior is spreading among the population through social learning.” This is a stark reminder that we as a species impact our environment and that, sometimes, there are consequences. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe
The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Bob Zimmerman of BehindTheBlack.com joins us to give an update on NASA's SLS and moon mission plans as well as other updates on space related issues.We also discuss Zimmerman's fantastic book: Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Jay Greene of the Heritage Foundation talks about data from Texas that shows that even in rural school district, faculty and staff overwhelmingly support the Democrat world-view. We talk about a way to provide school choice.And, other news of Texas.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com
Where has the time gone? It was ten years ago this week that the U.S. financial system was brought to its knees. To help us retrace the events of that period, we’re joined today by Gretchen Morgenson, investigative reporter at the Wall Street Journal. As the financial crisis was unfolding, Morgenson was working for the New York Times, and subsequently co-authored Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon. There’s no one more qualified to walk us down memory lane and remind us of just how bad things actually were. In case you’ve forgotten, consider this timeline: 9/15/2008: Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. On the same day, Bank of America announced its intent to purchase Merrill Lynch for $50 billion.9/16/2008: The Federal Reserve Board authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to lend up to $85 billion to AIG under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act.9/16/2008: The net asset value of shares in the Reserve Primary Money Fund fell below $1 per share, primarily due to losses on Lehman Brothers commercial paper and medium-term notes. When the Reserve fund “broke the buck,” it caused panic among investors who considered money market accounts nearly the equivalent of bank savings accounts.9/19/2008: To guard against a run on money market funds, the Treasury Department announced that it would insure up to $50 billion in money-market fund investments at companies that paid a fee to participate in the program. The year long initiative guaranteed that the funds' values would not fall below the $1 a share.9/20/2008: The Treasury Department submitted draft legislation to Congress for authority to purchase troubled assets (the first version of TARP).9/21/2008: The Federal Reserve Board approved applications of investment banking companies Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to become bank holding companies.All this in just one week!! An incredible moment in the history of this country, and it was only ten years ago. If you have a money question, just email me! “Better Off” is sponsored by Betterment. "Better Off" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com. Connect with me at these places for all my content: http://www.jillonmoney.com/ https://twitter.com/jillonmoney https://www.facebook.com/JillonMoney https://www.instagram.com/jillonmoney/ https://www.youtube.com/c/JillSchlesinger https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillonmoney/ http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jill-on-money https://apple.co/2pmVi50
This much we know: The Equifax data breach is bad. How can the credit bureaus, who have been described as the “plumbing” of our financial system, show so little regard for the people whose data they collect? New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson says it’s simple: We are not their customers, we are their product. Morgenson writes the Fair Game column. Her most recent book is Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon. In the Spiel, the Jimmy Kimmel test. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This much we know: The Equifax data breach is bad. How can the credit bureaus, who have been described as the “plumbing” of our financial system, show so little regard for the people whose data they collect? New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson says it’s simple: We are not their customers, we are their product. Morgenson writes the Fair Game column. Her most recent book is Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon. In the Spiel, the Jimmy Kimmel test. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on The Larry Kudlow Show, Larry talks with Kori Schake, Research Fellow at Hoover Institution. Also on the show is Arthur Brooks, author of NEW BOOK: "The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America." Kevin O'Leary, author of "Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women and Money 50 Common Money Mistakes and How to Fix Them" and Jack Bouroudjian, author of "Secrets of the Trading Pros" join Larry. More great guests include Josh Rosner, author of "Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon" (co-authored with Gretchen Morgensen) As always, the money/politics panel with James Pethokoukis and John McIntyre. All this and much more on The Larry Kudlow Show!
Today on The Larry Kudlow Show, Larry talks with Kori Schake, Research Fellow at Hoover Institution. Also on the show is Arthur Brooks, author of NEW BOOK: "The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America." Kevin O'Leary, author of "Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women and Money 50 Common Money Mistakes and How to Fix Them" and Jack Bouroudjian, author of "Secrets of the Trading Pros" join Larry. More great guests include Josh Rosner, author of "Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon" (co-authored with Gretchen Morgensen) As always, the money/politics panel with James Pethokoukis and John McIntyre. All this and much more on The Larry Kudlow Show!
How could the real estate market in only 4 essential states in the US have caused the Global Meltdown of 2008? How could an over-inflated stock market in the US in 1929 have caused the worldwide Great Depression of the 1930's?How is it that small bubbles in any asset base can take down an entire global system? It only really happens when the banking system buys into the bubble, and then grows Too Big to Fail! In this episode of Straight Talk Wealth Radio, host Bruce Weide explores what has changed in the US banking system since the 2008 Meltdown, and (shockingly) what has not. For his research, he turns to 4 authorities who have studied the banking meltdown extensively, from the inside and out. FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE,The words of: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (as interviewed by Charlie Rose on the release of her new book, A Fighting Chance): One of the most outspoken prophets of the 2008 Banking Crisis and the risk that the mortgage industry was involved in. She is a current co-sponsor with Sen John McCain of national legislation to bring back the Glass-Steagall Act of the Great Depression era which placed a virtual firewall between commercial banks, and investment markets. David Stockman (as interviewed by Bill Moyers) Former White House Budget Director under Ronald Reagan, and recent author of The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America. Today he is an outspoken critic of the massive Quantitative Easing money-printing experiment of the Federal Reserve Bank. Gretchen Morgenson (as interviewed by Bill Moyers): N.Y. Times reporter and author of Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon. She has exhaustively investigated the role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the Mortgage Meltdown of 2008. William Isaac (as interviewed on Newsmax TV): Former Chairman of the FDIC (appointed by Ronald Reagan), the very agency entrusted to regulate bank risk. Author of Senseless Panic: How Washington Failed America, Mr. Isaac gives a deep insiders view of effective bank regulation in a free market economy, and how the mistakes made in the Panic of 2008 failed to reset our economy. What's most amazing amongst these authorities from both, the Left and the Right, is how much they agree! Hear this Straight Talk Wealth episode today, before it becomes tomorrow's lead economic news story in the next meltdown!
It's another episode of Greedy Bastards Antidote. Today, we're talking about credit default swaps -- Greedy Bastards' favorite financial innovation of the past ten years. Think of a swap as an opportunity for financial companies to sell insurance on credit. In this podcast, you'll learn exactly what credit default swaps are, and why they're dangerous to our economy. Our guest is Gretchen Morgenson - Gretchen is a business reporter/columnist at the New York Times where she also serves as Assistant Business and Financial Editor. She is co-author with Josh Rosner of the bestselling book Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon.
Gretchen Morgenson, a business columnist for the New York Times, discusses her new book "Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon." To learn more about Ms. Morgenson, visit http://nyti.ms/nwMU6x.