Monday, April 15
U.S. Tax Day: Most Americans Didn’t Notice a Tax Cut (Bloomberg)
As Americans finish filing to the IRS for the first time under the new system, the law has swelled the deficit and surveys show just one-fifth of taxpayers believe their taxes have gone down, cutting any Republican advantage in 2020 elections.
Opinion: Everyone’s Income Taxes Should Be Public (New York Times – Binyamin Appelbaum)
Disclosure of tax payments would make it easier to hold politicians accountable. It also would help to reduce fraud and economic inequality.
2020 Watch: Ohio Swing Voters Crave Normalcy (Axios)
A focus group of Ohio swing voters shows that they are craving normalcy, and they’re defining that by who they already know — Barack Obama.
Goldman Economists Say Trump Re-Election More Likely Than Not (Bloomberg)
Incumbent presidents carry a 5 to 6 percentage-point edge over rival candidates in the popular vote and Goldman’s economic forecast also leans in favor of Trump, although that is partly offset by his negative approval rating.
More from New York Times’ Dealbook:
-The Goldman economists acknowledged that Mr. Trump will face headwinds. Among them: “Groups that most strongly supported President Trump in 2016 made up a smaller share of total voters in 2018 than they did in 2014.”
-Prediction markets have suggested that a Democratic challenger is likely to win.
-Polls that include Howard Schultz as a potential third-party candidate show him reducing the Democratic vote share by around 2 percentage points more than the Republican vote share.
Finland Moves Left: Finns Kick Out Austerity Government as Leftists Win Election; Nationalist Party Takes Second Spot (Bloomberg)
Greek Revival: Guess Which Mediterranean Nation Didn’t Crumble (Bloomberg Opinion – Matthew Winkler)
Climate of Hope: Climate Group With $32 Trillion Pushes Companies for Transparency (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Climate Action 100+ believes companies should detail exactly how climate change will affect their businesses so shareholders can decide which to support.
In Memoriam.
We’ve lost a legend at Bloomberg. Melissa Greene, who ran one of the largest Engineering departments and helped oversee some of the company’s biggest and most consequential efforts since she joined the company in 1995, passed away suddenly over the weekend. As head of global engineering Vladimir Kliatchko wrote in a message to all Bloomberg employees today, “She was an amazing mentor, and so many Engineering leaders have credited Melissa with the development of their careers.” She will be missed.
The Arts.
Welcome to the Shed, New York’s $475m Arts Centre (The Times – UK)
This huge new space has been unwrapped thanks to a culture of philanthropy.
Game of Thrones is Back: The Eight Best Moments of Game of Thrones Season 8 Premiere (Rotten Tomatoes)
Sports section.
Tiger Wins The Masters (New York Times)
In “a monumental triumph for Tiger Woods, a come-from-behind victory,” he won his fifth Masters title and 15th major tournament. It was a throwback to happier times. It was his first major win in over a decade, time highlighted by sex scandals, substance abuse, divorce, and minor arrests. Let’s hope Tiger can lead the country to getting back on its feet and celebrating greatness again.
Best of late night.
From Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update:
“Disney announced that in November it will launch its new streaming service called ‘Disney Plus’. As in, you now have to get Disney plus Hulu, plus Netflix, plus Amazon, plus a PlayStation, plus cable. Even though in the end you’ll just say ‘Ah, there’s nothing good on, let’s just watch ‘Law and Order’.”
— Colin Jost
“Just one day after Kirstjen Nielsen resigned as the head of Homeland Security, the White House said the director of the Secret Service is leaving as well. So right now, we have no Secretary of Homeland Security, no Secretary of Defense, no head of ICE, no head of Border Patrol, no head of Cyber-security, no head of the Secret Service, and no UN Ambassador. At this point, our nation’s security is just one of those ‘Ring’ doorbell cameras.”
— Colin Jost
“This Monday is tax day, so if you haven’t paid any taxes yet, you’re Amazon.”
— Colin Jost
Watch the show here.