Podcast appearances and mentions of John Koskinen

Ralph talks about his new book, “Civic Self Respect” which reminds us that our civic lives have different primary roles—not only voter, but also worker, taxpayer, consumer, sometimes soldier and sometimes parent—and how each one offers special opportunities for people to organize to make change. Plus, we welcome back former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, John Koskinen, who tells us exactly how the Trump/Musk cabal is both gutting and weaponizing the IRS.John Koskinen served as the IRS Commissioner from 2013 to 2017.This is not a how-to book. It starts at a much more elementary level and therefore should interest a much greater number of people. Because, as I say, if you can expand your civic dimension as a part of your daily role without disrupting the rhythms of your daily life (in fact, actually making them more gratifying and more interesting, less boring), you're on your way.Ralph Nader author of Civic Self-RespectThe people who really fight for justice in this country have to fight for recognition, they have to fight for media, they have to fight an onslaught. And the people who lie and cheat and say the most terrible things and do the most terrible things are really the best-known people in the country. I mean, if you say who are the best-known people in Congress? They're the blowhards, the cruel and vicious people who've said things that are illegal, outrageous against innocent groups here and abroad.Ralph NaderI used to say to the Congress (trying to get appropriations) that the IRS is the only agency where if you give it money, it gives you more money back. Because the more you can actually audit people who aren't paying the proper amount or aren't filing at all, the better off you are. So no one has ever disagreed with that.John KoskinenGoing back a thousand years, tax collectors have never been particularly popular. And so when you talk about the IRS, people say, "Oh, the poor old IRS." In some ways, they don't understand just the points you're making about the impact on them, on the country, of an ineffective IRS going forward. And that's why my thought is this move toward using the IRS to attack people ought to be a way for everyone to say, "You know, I may not love paying taxes, but I certainly don't want the government and the president or the treasury secretary or somebody else ordering an audit of my taxes just because they don't like my political position or what I'm teaching in my course.”John KoskinenRalph Nader's new book Civic Self-respect is available now from Seven Stories Press.News 4/16/251. On Thursday April 17th, Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland departed for El Salvador in an effort to personally track down Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was arrested and deported to CECOT, the notorious Salvadoran prison camp, WUSA9 reports. Garcia was legally protected against deportation by a 2019 court order and a Trump administration official admitted in court that he “should never have been on that plane.” Last week, the Supreme Court unanimously ordered that he be returned to the U.S. Van Hollen is quoted saying “You go out, you get disappeared, they say they did it in error, but they're not helping bring you back…it's a very short road to tyranny.” Gracia has not been heard from since he was deported, raising concerns about his health and wellbeing. This comes after ICE Director Todd Lyons said he wanted to see a deportation process “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings,” per the Guardian. This episode is among the most chilling in American history and we are less than four months into a four-year term.2. Another gut-wrenching immigration story concerns Palestinian Columbia University student, Mohsen Mahdawi who was tricked, trapped, and abducted by ICE. The Intercept reports “Even before his friend and fellow Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by immigration authorities, Mahdawi asked university administrators to help him find a safe place to live so he would not be taken by ICE agents…The school did nothing.” Then, “After ICE abducted Khalil last month, Mahdawi sheltered in place for more than three weeks for fear of being picked up himself.” So, the immigration authorities apparently devised a scheme. “Instead of taking him off the street…immigration authorities scheduled the citizenship test at the Colchester USCIS office and took Mahdawi into custody when he arrived.” This action is clearly intended not only to capture Mahdawi but to frighten immigrants and discourage them from seeking citizenship through the legal immigration channels for fear of being deported. Not only that, Mahdawi will be sent back to Palestine, which continues to be the target of relentless Israeli bombing. Mahdawi is quoted saying, “It's kind of a death sentence…my people are being killed unjustly in an indiscriminate way.”3. In more international news, CNN reports China has “halted” its deliveries of Boeing planes. According to President Trump, will “‘not take possession' of fully committed to aircraft.” According to CNN, Boeing is particularly vulnerable in a trade war scenario because “Boeing builds all of its planes at US factories before sending nearly two-thirds of its commercial planes to customers outside the United States.” Boeing anticipated China purchasing 8,830 new planes over the next 20 years. The aircraft manufacturer's stock value fell in the wake of this announcement and is unlikely to fully recover unless some accommodation is reached with China.4. On the other side of the trade war, the Trump administration is preparing to roll out steep sectoral tariffs in addition to the country-specific tariffs already announced, per the Washington Post's Jeff Stein. Stein reports these will target imports of various "critical" products, including autos, steel and aluminum, copper, lumber and semiconductors. Yet, likely no sectoral tariff will bite American consumers more than the proposed tariff on pharmaceutical drugs. On April 8th, POLITICO reported that Trump told the RNC he is planning to impose “major” tariffs on pharmaceuticals. FIERCE, a healthcare news service, reports these could be as high as 25%. Coalition for a Prosperous America, an advocacy group opposed to free trade with China, reports that “Over 90% of all Generic Drugs [are] Dependent on Imports.”5. Turning to domestic matters, the Federal Trade Commission is proceeding with their anti-trust case against Facebook. According to the FTC, “The…Commission has sued Facebook, alleging that the company is illegally maintaining its personal social networking monopoly through a years-long course of anticompetitive conduct.” Further, “The complaint alleges that Facebook has engaged in a systematic strategy—including its 2012 acquisition of…Instagram, its 2014 acquisition…WhatsApp, and the imposition of anticompetitive conditions on software developers—to eliminate threats to its monopoly.” According to Ars Technica, “Daniel Matheson, the FTC's lead litigator, [started the trial with a bang] flagg[ing] a "smoking gun"—a 2012 email where Mark Zuckerberg suggested that Facebook could buy Instagram to ‘neutralize a potential competitor.'” It is hard to see how the company could argue this was not anticompetitive corporate misbehavior.6. A dubious tech industry scheme is also underway at the highest levels of the federal government. WIRED reports that the Social Security Administration is shifting their communications exclusively to Elon Musk's X app, formerly known as Twitter. Wired quotes SSA regional commissioner Linda Kerr-Davis, who said in a meeting with managers earlier this week, “We are no longer planning to issue press releases or…dear colleague letters to inform the media and public about programmatic and service changes…Instead, the agency will be using X to communicate to the press and the public … this will become our communication mechanism.” WIRED further reports that, “The regional [SSA] office workforce will soon be cut by roughly 87 percent,” going from an estimated 547 employees to 70. Musk has called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” per the AP.7. Over at the National Labor Relations Board, a whistleblower claims Elon Musk and his cronies at DOGE may have extracted data including “sensitive information on unions, ongoing legal cases and corporate secrets,” per NPR. If that wasn't shady enough, “members of the DOGE team asked that their activities not be logged on the system and then appeared to try to cover their tracks…turning off monitoring tools and manually deleting records of their access.” This whistleblower took his concerns to Congress and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel – whistleblower activities that are protected by law – but faced retaliation in the form of someone, “'physically taping a threatening note' to his door that included sensitive personal information and overhead photos of him walking his dog that appeared to be taken with a drone,” clear attempts to intimidate and silence this employee. The Trump administrations have been rife with leaks at every level and instead of responding by addressing the issues raised, the administration has launched a permanent inquisition to plug the leaks by any means.8. In better news, the Independent reports that DOGE itself is finally being subjected to an audit. The audit is being undertaken by the Government Accountability Office at the urging of Congressional leaders after “'alarming' media reports of DOGE infiltrating federal systems,” according to a congressional aide. One DOGE worker has reportedly been identified by as “a 19-year-old high school graduate who was booted from an internship after leaking company information to a rival firm,” raising ever-deeper concerns about the purpose of the “fishing expeditions” DOGE is undergoing at every level of the federal government.9. Another uplifting story comes to us from New York City. In the latest round of public matching fund awards, Zohran Mamdani – the Democratic Socialist candidate surging from obscurity into second place in the polls – was granted nearly $4 million in public matching funds, “the largest single payment to any candidate in the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary race to date,” according to Gothamist. Meanwhile, former Governor Andrew Cuomo was awarded exactly $0. As Jeff Coltin of POLITICO New York explains, “Cuomo's campaign [was] scrambling to get the necessary info from donors to get matched…sending…dire warning to [his] entire email list, rather than…targeted outreach to donors.” If he had collected the necessary information, Cuomo would have been awarded $2.5 million in matching funds, Coltin reports. Cuomo still leads in the polls; as it becomes increasingly clear that Zohran is the only viable alternative, there will be increased pressure on other candidates to throw their support behind him.10. Finally, let's take a peek into the political climate's effect on Hollywood. New York Magazine, in an extensive profile of Warner Brothers-Discovery mogul David Zaslav, includes a piece about Zaslav seeking to ingratiate himself with Trump. According to this report, “a company representative recently reached out to the Trump0 orbit seeking advice about how the company might advantageously interact with the Whitte House.” Their answer: “look at the example of…Jeff Bezos paying Melania Trump $40 million to participate in a documentary about herself. Don Jr. might like a hunting and fishing show on the Discovery Channel, they were told.” Just like the Ivy League universities and the big law firms, if given an inch Trump will take a mile and use it for nothing short of extortion. Hollywood would be wise to steer clear. But wisdom has never been their strength.This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Originally Aired: September 23, 2024In this episode, we welcome John Koskinen, Former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and Academy Fellow, to discuss the importance of transparency and accountability, as well as how relationship-building can lead to more effective problem-solving.Support the Podcast Today at:donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190Music Credits: Sea Breeze by Vlad Gluschenko | https://soundcloud.com/vgl9Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_

In this episode, we welcome John Koskinen, Former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and Academy Fellow, to discuss the importance of transparency and accountability, as well as how relationship-building can lead to more effective problem-solving. Support the Podcast Today at:donate@napawash.org or 202-347-3190Music Credits: Sea Breeze by Vlad Gluschenko | https://soundcloud.com/vgl9Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_

As its first legislative act in the 118th Congress, the House approved a repeal of $71 billion in IRS funding. Money and staffing for the tax agency have been key points of contention in Congress over the last few decades, resulting in longer wait times for anyone seeking customer service from the agency. After last year's funding promises and a recent bill introduced to defund the IRS entirely, the question of the efficacy of the tax agency is once again at the front of the national conversation. John Koskinen sits on the board of the National Academy of Public Administration and was the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service from 2013-2017. His decades of experience in government include work at the Office of Management and Budget and the President's Council on Y2K. He's also a 2021 inductee to the GovExec Government Hall of Fame. He joined the podcast to discuss the fight over the tax agency. *** Follow GovExec on Twitter! https://twitter.com/govexec

David Waldman and Greg Dworkin perform another KITM Holiday Miracle today, by pulling the same-sized show out of the shortest day! Donald Trump's tax returns are finally public. It turns out that Trump always could have released his taxes, and that he was not being audited. I mean, I am not sure if we can trust the guy anymore. Trump's longtime friend, investor, and former IRS chief John Koskinen must have forgotten to submit Donald's returns for their “mandatory” audits... The New York Times talked to Warren G. Harding voters in a diner and warns of a slippery slope in political civility and nasty Republicans. Republicans can calm their tits for tats, because Americans would actually like to know which public servants are on the take. MAGA still wants to see heads roll, whether they're IRS, FBI, or Kevin McCarthy or Mitch McConnell's. They'll use the Holmen rule to take down any Republican in their path. They're even a little tired of Donald Trump, at least enough to help pass the Electoral Reform act to prevent him from stealing the next election. Professional lickspittle Mike Pence's best days might be behind him.

Thursday July 7, 2022 - The IRS is being accused, yet again, of political targeting. This time the alleged targets are former FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Both men were subject to a National Research Program audit (NRP). The NRP is run from the IRS's Research, Applied Analytics and Statistics Division. That division is directed by career statisticians and data scientists. Those chosen for an audit are randomly selected by a computer program from a list of taxpayers across the income spectrum to determine compliance levels with the nation's tax codes, according to John Koskinen, the former IRS commissioner. Current IRS commissioner , Charles Rettig, was appointed by President Trump. His term ends in November 2022. There was already talk of the Biden Administration replacing him. Now, some in Congress are demanding he be fired immediately. Attorney Steven A. Leahy reviews the allegations on Today's Tax Talk. https://thehill.com/policy/finance/3549408-irs-in-political-storm-over-trump-era-audits/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2022/07/07/trump-irs-rettig-audit/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/07/us/politics/irs-comey-mccabe.html https://www.irs.gov/irm/part4/irm_04-022-001 https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/steven-leahy1/message

Every American has to deal with the IRS in some way. From COVID-19 stimulus payments to tax credits to the annual filing date, Americans deal with the agency on a regular basis. As the Biden administration emphasizes customer service, the tax agency has to balance these responsibilities constantly. But, in the middle of record staffing shortages and a lack of funding, the agency has been operating in survival mode. As part of Government Executive, Route Fifty and Nextgov's Customer Experience summit event recently, GovExec reporter and frequent GovExec Daily guest Courtney Bublé spoke to former IRS chief John Koskinen and National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins. In this episode for our #moneymonday series, they discuss how the IRS is serving citizens during an exceptionally difficult tax season. *** Join GovExec Daily on Clubhouse! https://www.clubhouse.com/club/govexec-daily-group?utm_medium=ch_club&utm_campaign=vlrzJwsaX-VcmRCrWGPctA-103059

Dismal engagement scores in the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey prompted Secret Service leadership to engage the National Academy of Public Administration. NAPA's panel has now concluded its work with a long list of recommendations and findings.

President Joe Biden wants to hire 86,852 new IRS agents, which would more than double the agency's workforce. Even Obama-era IRS chief John Koskinen – a longtime advocate of increasing the IRS budget – thinks President Joe Biden's proposal to increase IRS funding by $80 billion is too much. Rather than fix the agency's longstanding mismanagement, ineptitude and abuse problems, Biden's approach will make the problem worse. Numerous watchdog reports have found that the agency's inability to do its job is due to incompetence, not lack of funding. The last thing the IRS needs is more power and responsibility. In fact, it is likely that new responsibilities will become overwhelming for the IRS, leading to these new scandals and new cases of taxpayer abuse. Join ATR President Grover Norquist as he discusses the history of IRS scandals and taxpayer abuses with author James Bovard.

Ralph welcomes former IRS commissioner, John Koskinen, to tell us what must be done to create a fairer tax system. And Professor Rashid Khalidi joins us to break down the latest violent escalation in Gaza. Plus, Ralph has some choice words about Apple’s latest record earnings.

Tonight on the Last Word: Republicans struggle to oppose President Biden’s infrastructure plans. Also, Texas becomes the latest state to advance a voter suppression bill. Plus, federal and state officials sound the alarm about the legitimacy and legality of the Arizona vote audit. And five former IRS commissioners say Biden’s tax plan would make the system “far fairer.” John Heilemann, Jennifer Palmieri, Julián Castro, Rosie Castro, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, and John Koskinen join Lawrence O’Donnell.

On this episode, we welcome John Koskinen, former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and Academy Fellow, to discuss the mission of the IRS and its role in both revenue collection and distribution of the recovery funds.Music Credits: Sea Breeze by Vlad Gluschenko | https://soundcloud.com/vgl9Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

John Koskinen is a pretty big deal. He has worked for two former U.S. presidents, including serving as the commissioner of the IRS, was a former president of the U.S. soccer association and led the world through the Y2K conversion. But before all that, he was a 175-pound center for the 1955-56 Ashland Tomcats. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mark-maynard/support

John Koskinen's role as a fixer focused on dealing with a crisis without panicking the public. He has had a plethora of impactful jobs, most of them in the government and many in the role of rescuer. Listen to the behind-the-scenes work as the plane hit the pentagon in Washington DC during 911 and what happened during the anthrax scare. He describes communicating with no cell phones during crises. Listen to his description of Y2K global implementation. His stint as IRS Commissioner reveals a political challenge, a potential impeachment, and the identity theft problem. He describes his partipation in the U.S. Soccer Foundation and his impact on soccer in the inner city. He had the ultimate rebuilding job when he became CEO of Freddie Mac during the 2008 financial crisis. In this role, he meticulously restructured operations and processes to help stabilize the government-backed company. Get a first-hand account about the value of public service and how to make an impact at the highest levels of government. This is a long one, but a terrific history lesson!

With experience in dealing with a crisis, John Koskinen talks about the measures he took in dealing with the challenges of the 2000 economic crisis. His role in the government at that time was to coordinate people working on the crisis from all over the world which ultimately worked well. When comparing the Covid-19 crisis and the economic crisis of the 2000s, he says problems often get away from you if you wait too long to deal with it. John explains how the IRS could quickly get checks to people through the stimulus package. Depending on the length of the isolation, another stimulus package may be needed.

The year was 1999 and the world was terrified of how computers would handle the new millennium. People became convinced that on January 1st, 2000, it would be the end of times. On this week's episode of The Alarmist, Rebecca welcomes fellow podcaster Molly Hawkey to discuss who is to blame for the mass hysteria around what turned out to be the least tragic tragedy in history, Y2K. On the board: The Media, Religious Doomsdayers, John Koskinen and Computer Programmers.Listen to Molly Hawkey's incredible podcast, SPERMCAST wherever you listen!Tell us who you think is to blame at http://thealarmistpodcast.comEmail us at thealarmistpodcast@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram @thealarmistpodcastFollow us on Twitter @alarmistThe Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/alarmist. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In part 2 of an interview with former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, Tax Notes Today senior reporter William Hoffman and Koskinen discuss President Trump’s tax returns, transparency, and whistleblowers. For additional coverage, read these article in Tax Notes:No Interview Yet Between Neal and IRS WhistleblowerTreasury IG to Review Handling of Trump Tax ReturnsHouse Lawyers to Interview Trump Tax Audit WhistleblowerTrump Audit Meddling Claim Deepens Questions About Whistleblower***This episode is sponsored by University of California, Irvine Law School’s Graduate Tax Program. For more information, visit law.uci.edu/gradtax.

In part 1 of an interview with former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, Tax Notes Today senior reporter William Hoffman and Koskinen discuss IRS resources, enforcement, and taxpayer services. For additional coverage, read these article in Tax Notes:IRS Rules New Cryptocurrency From Hard Forks Is TaxableIRS Exams Focus on EITC Claims, Not Poor, Inspector General SaysIRS Budget Reduced Billions in Employment Tax CollectionsSmall Business Enforcement Gets Fresh Focus From New IRS Bosses

The IRS will refresh its information technology modernization drive over the next six years, and has asked Congress for billions. Congress has made it easier for the IRS to recruit and hire for tech jobs. This summer the president signed the Taxpayer First Act, restoring streamlined critical pay authority for the IRS. Former IRS commissioner John Koskinen urged Congress to bring back the program when it lapsed in 2013. He told Federal News Network's Jory Heckman how it'll help with modernization on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

John Koskinen, former IRS commissioner, discusses the latest IRS reform bill, and what about it has widespread appeal in Congress. Ricardo Pitts-Wiley, partner at the Federal Practice Group, discusses the possibility of furloughs at the Office of Personnel Management, and how they are being used as “a weapon.” Leo Shane III, deputy editor of Military Times, discusses the leadership quakes at the Pentagon, and what they mean for the effectiveness of background checks in nominations.

In 1995, John Koskinen was deputy director of the federal Office of Management and Budget. President President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was tussling with a Republican Congress over a variety of issues. Soon the government was in the midst of its first major shutdown. Koskinen joins Sanford School of Public Policy Dean Judith Kelley to discuss lessons from that shutdown. They also talk about accomplishments and challenges Koskinen faced during his career spanning 11 different public leadership positions in the public and private sectors. Music: Blue Dot Sessions/Creative Commons  

The IRS came to a $3.5 million settlement with Tea Party groups they purposefully and wilfully held up from getting tax-exempt status. Tony Katz (http://facebook.com/tonykatzradio) thinks this is a good start, but it would be better if Lois Lerner and John Koskinen had to pay personally. The Department of Education had some extremely high numbers about the amount of school shootings in America. When NPR investigated - yes. NPR! - they discovered the numbers are far lower than being reported. The question is why? ABC is going forward with Roseanne without Roseanne, renaming it The Conners. But Tony questions the rumor that the plan is to kill off the Roseanne character. Oh, and playing Fortnite on the Nintendo Switch is nearly impossible!

Former Internal Revenue Service Commissioner, John Koskinen, joins Ralph to discuss the bad rap the IRS gets and the consequences of Congress cutting its budget. Plus, listener questions!

Two presidential administrations have called on John Koskinen to do tough jobs. He presided over the year 2000 computer code conversion during the Clinton administration. And he worked to right the IRS after its tax exempt organization scandal under the Obama administration. Now retired, apparently for real, Koskinen joins Federal Drive with Tom Temin for a little reflection on public service.

Internal Revenue Commissioner John Koskinen bid farewell to the agency after four years in the job. He had a lot to say, including his wishes and some warnings. Federal News Radio's Meredith Somers has more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin

On today's show: Clinton Dossier and Russian Uranium One Deal. Clinton's fund the Dossier connecting Trump to Russia along with another republican, John McCain. Comey also gave dossier to Obama and Trump as if it was truth. Lots of illegal activity involved. Mueller was assigned to dossier. John and Tony Podesta's connection to Russia and Uranium One. Paul Manafort starts the investigation but he formerly worked for Podesta. Putin controlling countries in EU by controlling energy/utilities. His past motives fit the uranium deal. FBI informant gagged previously, says he will be testifying. Maybe the Iran uranium deal connected to Russian uranium deal? Breaking news: NBC suspends Mark Halperin for sex assault accusations from five women. Alzheimer's vaccine soon to be available. GM self-driving cars available soon for before market vehicles. GM's stock is rising. Trump authorized deep vetting of refugees entering US from 11 countries. House barely passed the budget. State tax deductions being eliminated. IRS boss, John Koskinen, fired by Trump for targeting tea party and conservative groups. UN Ambassador Nikki Haley evacuated from South Sudan camp. Vegas Shooter's brother arrested for child porn. Fats Domino dead at 89. Louisiana State shooting leaves 2 dead. Trump's war on opiates, public health emergency, not a national state of emergency. Melania speaks up on opiates addiction. 01:40 On today's show: Clinton Dossier and Russian Uranium One Deal 02:20 Clinton's fund the Dossier connecting Trump to Russia along with another republican, John McCain. 03:00 Comey also gave dossier to Obama and Trump as if it was truth. Lots of illegal activity involved. 05:05 Mueller was assigned to dossier. 05:50 John and Tony Podesta's connection to Russia and Uranium One. 07:00 Paul Manafort starts the investigation but he formerly worked for Podesta. 08:10 Putin controlling countries in EU by controlling energy/utilities. His past motives fit the uranium deal. 09:05 FBI informant gagged previously, says he will be testifying. 09:40 Maybe the Iran uranium deal connected to Russian uranium deal? 11:35 Breaking news: NBC suspends Mark Halperin for sex assault accusations from five women. 12:45 Alzheimer's vaccine soon to be available. 14:00 GM self-driving cars available soon for before market vehicles. GM's stock is rising. 15:05 Trump authorized deep vetting of refugees entering US from 11 countries. 16:40 House barely passed the budget. State tax deductions being eliminated. 17:55 IRS boss, John Koskinen, fired by Trump for targeting tea party and conservative groups. 18:20 UN Ambassador Nikki Haley evacuated from South Sudan camp. 18:45 Vegas Shooter's brother arrested for child porn. 19:00 Fats Domino dead at 89. 19:10 Louisiana State shooting leaves 2 dead. 19:25 Trump's war on opiates, public health emergency, not a national state of emergency. 21:45 Melania speaks up on opiates addiction. For a list of source links, visit http://therightleftchronicles.com/podcasts/882/dueling-dialogues-podcast-ep-30/

The IRS stopped more than 880,000 confirmed ID theft returns in calendar 2016.

  Nancy E. Parsons is President of CDR Assessment Group, Inc. a firm that provides assessments and services for leadership and talent development. Parsons' research-based book, Fresh Insights to END the Glass Ceiling, reveals the true reasons why the glass ceiling exists and it is not what most people think. Parsons will join me to talk about it.    Melanie Morgan is an award-winning radio talk show host, author, columnist, journalist, TV anchor and is known for her advocacy on First Amendment Free Speech rights. She is also the national spokeswoman for MediaEqualizer.com. Melanie is asking an important question directed at President Trump. Tune in to find out what that question is.    Don't forget about the Edwards Notebook and the Veteran's Tip of the Day! All of this and more as time allows. Listen live, join the chatroom, be a part of the show.CDR Assessment Group, Inc.Media Equalizer

  Nancy E. Parsons is President of CDR Assessment Group, Inc. a firm that provides assessments and services for leadership and talent development. Parsons' research-based book, Fresh Insights to END the Glass Ceiling, reveals the true reasons why the glass ceiling exists and it is not what most people think. Parsons will join me to talk about it.     Melanie Morgan is an award-winning radio talk show host, author, columnist, journalist, TV anchor and is known for her advocacy on First Amendment Free Speech rights. She is also the national spokeswoman for MediaEqualizer.com. Melanie is asking an important question directed at President Trump. Tune in to find out what that question is.     Don't forget about the Edwards Notebook and the Veteran's Tip of the Day! All of this and more as time allows. Listen live, join the chatroom, be a part of the show. CDR Assessment Group, Inc. Media Equalizer

According to the AP, the Obama administration spent a record $36.2 million defending itself from Freedom of Information Act lawsuits and denied access to requested documents and information more than any previous administration. So much for the most transparent administration in history. Rachel Maddow announced that she had obtained President Trump's tax return... from 2005. Jeff Crouere will join me to discuss it and I'll be asking “Why is John Koskinen still the Commissioner of the IRS?” Julian Assange tweeted that both Hillary Clinton and intelligence community officials are secretly plotting a Mike “Pence takeover” in the Oval Office. All this and more as time allows. Listen in live, join in the chat room, be a part of the show. 

According to the AP, the Obama administration spent a record $36.2 million defending itself from Freedom of Information Act lawsuits and denied access to requested documents and information more than any previous administration. So much for the most transparent administration in history. Rachel Maddow announced that she had obtained President Trump's tax return... from 2005. Jeff Crouere will join me to discuss it and I’ll be asking “Why is John Koskinen still the Commissioner of the IRS?” Julian Assange tweeted that both Hillary Clinton and intelligence community officials are secretly plotting a Mike “Pence takeover” in the Oval Office. All this and more as time allows. Listen in live, join in the chat room, be a part of the show. 

Impeachment: A serious punishment for serious corruption. In this episode, learn why Congress has begun the process of impeaching IRS Commissioner John Koskinen and how his impeachment would prevent light from being shined upon dark money in politics. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Bill Outlines H.R. 5253: Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act Prohibits tax exempt organizations from being required to disclose any information about their contributors, including the person's name, address, or the amount of their contribution or gift on their annual tax returns. Passed the House of Representatives 240-182 Author: Peter Roskam (IL-6) Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5053 – Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act By Representative Peter Roskam and 25 cosponsors, Executive Office of the President, June 13, 2016. H.Res. 737: Condemning and censuring John A. Koskinen, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Suggests that John Koskinen should resign or be fired by the President Suggests that John Koskinen be denied his all of his retirement payments from the Federal government S. 1728: Access to Court Challenges for Exempt Status Seekers (ACCESS) Act of 2015 Allows the United States Tax Court, the United States Court of Federal Claims, or the district court of the United States for the District of Columbia to determine qualifications for 501(c)4 status if the IRS hasn't made the determination after 270 days. S. 1578: Taxpayer Bill of Rights Enhancement Act of 2015 Congress must be notified why the IRS Commissioner decides NOT to fire an employee Requires IRS employee emails to be stored for 15 years and then be stored in the National Archives Quadruples criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosures and inspections. Prohibits IRS employees from using personal email accounts for official business Gives organizations the ability to challenge their denials of tax exempt status in court S.942: Fair Treatment for All Gifts Act Expands the tax deduction for charitable giving to include gifts to 501(c)4 organizations S. 949: Small Business Taxpayer Bill of Rights Defines a "small business" as one that makes less than $50 million a year Increases fines for unauthorized inspection or disclosure of tax returns by 10 times the current penalties Institutes mandatory unpaid leave for at least 30 days for any IRS employee that reviews an application for tax exempt status "using any methodology that applies disproportionate scrutiny to any applicant based on the ideology expressed in the name or purpose of the organization". Allows the United States Tax Court, the United States Court of Federal Claims, or the district court of the United States for the District of Columbia to determine qualifications for 501(c)4 status if the IRS hasn't made the determination after 270 days. Orders the Treasury Inspector General to Investigate criteria used to evaluate applications for tax exempt status to determine whether the criteria discriminates against taxpayers on the basis of race, religion, or political ideology. S. 283: Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2015 The standard used to determine whether an organization is a 501(c)4 social welfare organization that was used on January 1, 2010 will be the standard used, and it cannot be changed before February 28, 2017. Speaker Paul Ryan's version of this bill prohibits the standard from changing before December 31, 2017. Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Examining the Allegations of Misconduct Against IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, Part II, House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, June 22, 2016. Hearing: Conduct of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, May 24, 2016. Hearing: Internal Revenue Service Targeting Investigation, Senate Finance Committee, October 27, 2015. Additional Reading Article: Freedom Caucus Ups Pressure to Impeach IRS Commissioner By Daniel Newhauser, Government Executive, June 30, 2016. Article: IRS Targeting Scandal: Citizens United, Lois Lerner And The $20M Tax Saga That Won't Go Away By Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, June 24, 2016. Article: The Show Trial of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen By Norm Ornstein, The Atlantic, June 22, 2016. Article: IRS Chief Koskinen Fights First Appointee Impeachment Since 1876 By Lynnley Browning, Chicago Tribune, June 21, 2016. Article: House Approves Koch-backed Bill to Shield Donors’ Names By Fredreka Schouten, USA Today, June 14, 2016. Article: Appropriations Bill ‘Handcuffs'IRS on Political Group Activities By Colleen Murphy, Bloomberg Bureau of National Affairs, June 13, 2016. Article: How Crossroads GPS Beat the IRS and Became a Social Welfare Group By Robert Maguire, Open Secrets, February 12, 2016. Article: Inside the Billion-Dollar Battle for Puerto Rico’s Future By Jonathan Mahler and Nicholas Confessore, The New York Times, December 19, 2015. Article: Exelon Amends Reports Concerning Contributions To Trade Groups By Michael Beckel, The Center for Public Integrity, January 29, 2014. Article: Follow the Corporate Cash Flow to Nonprofits By Chris Zubak-Skees, The Center for Public Integrity, January 16, 2014. Article: At Least 1 in 4 Dark Money Dollars in 2012 Had Koch Links By Robert Maguire, OpenSecrets, December 3, 2013. Article: The IRS Tea Party Scandal, Explained By Andy Kroll, Mother Jones, November 21, 2013. Additional Information SourceWatch: 60 Plus Association OpenSecrets: Political Nonprofits (Dark Money) Reports IRS Return Selection: Wage and Investment Division Should Define Audit Objectives and Refine Other Internal Controls, United States Government Accountability Office, December 2015. Finance Committee Releases Bipartisan IRS Report By Aaron Forbes and Julia Lawless, United States Senate Committee on Finance, August 5, 2015. Inappropriate Criteria Were Used to Identify Tax-Exempt Applications for Review By Treasury Inspector General For Tax Administration, May 14, 2013. The Internal Revenue Service's Processing Of 501(c)(3) And 501(c)(4) Applications For Tax-Exempt Status Submitted By ‘‘Political Advocacy’’ By The United States Senate Committee on Finance, August 5, 2015. Organizations From 2010–2013 Part 1 The Report Part 2 Letters Part 3 Emails Part 4 Documents Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Owen serves up a dish of delicious tax news, tips and more, including:  Energy efficiency, tax savings and home improvements  Calculating social security  Spying on tax payers with Google Maps Commuting costs and taxes Nominee for IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen  Toilet paper and tax exemptions?  Mortgage interest deductions Rules for deducting business mealsNote: The IRS is not accepting tax returns until January 31, 2014. Be sure to get with your tax professional well before then. Recorded 12.21.2013

Protecting your privacy and preventing identity theft are high on your list of priorities. So why is the IRS' behavior so wreckless? Also, in this episode:Obama's nomination of John Koskinen as IRS CommissionerThe tax cost of contract procrastinationTax issues of the Real Housewives of New JerseyPlus: Justin Elliott & Ryan Mason of Elliott, Mason & Associates, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.Recorded on 08.03.2013