Free Republic

“I wasn’t looking to do this,” Mr. Paulson said in an interview. But he said he was persuaded by the success of TPG’s previous Rise funds and the firm’s understanding of the daunting scale investing in climate will require. “At this stage in my career, I’m not looking to do a start-up. I’m in a hurry to make a difference.”

They had us at “Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp.” FX announced Tuesday that American Crime Story‘s third season will focus on the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal, with Paulson playing Lewinsky’s infamous “confidante” Tripp. The role of Lewinsky, meanwhile, will be played by Booksmart breakout Beanie Feldstein. Rounding out the principal cast will be Masters of Sex‘s Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones. Titled Impeachment: American Crime Story, the third chapter of Ryan Murphy’s Emmy-winning franchise will begin production in February ahead of a Sept. 27, 2020 premiere date. Impeachment will be written by Sarah Burgess, based on Jeffrey Toobin’s bestselling book...

.- The Archdiocese of Indianapolis announced Thursday that a local Jesuit high school will no longer be recognized as a Catholic school, due to a disagreement about the employment of a teacher who attempted to contract a same-sex marriage. “All those who minister in Catholic educational institutions carry out an important ministry in communicating the fullness of Catholic teaching to students both by word and action inside and outside the classroom,” the archdiocese said in a statement Thursday. “In the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, every archdiocesan Catholic school and private Catholic school has been instructed to clearly state in its contracts...

Mr. Tillerson emerged as a contender on the strong recommendations of James A. Baker III, the secretary of state under President George Bush, and Robert M. Gates, the former defense secretary, according to a person briefed on the process. Mr. Kushner and Mr. Trump’s chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, advocated strongly for Mr. Tillerson, and the president-elect became intrigued.

.......almost every lawmaker blasted Former Treasury Secy Hank Paulson's $700B bailout as a deception and ultimate bait-and-switch ruse. "It was masterful deceit," said Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), hammering Paulson for his initial pleas to Congress a year ago to buy toxic assets.....that went to prop up banks and financial firms......Paulson's payoff to his Wall Street "pals," said one lawmaker. "You misled Congress," said Rep Stephen Lynch (D-Mass). Paulson, he said, concealed his ultimate motive....to give $700B to his pals.'" "You asked us, and not very tactfully, for a blank check," said Rep Mark Souder (R-Ind). ".......if we had known you...

WASHINGTON - Exxon Mobil Corp. and other large oil companies are backing a carbon tax proposal put forward earlier this year by a group of former Republican leaders including James A. Baker III, the former secretary of state and a Houston attorney. The Climate Leadership Coalition, a group that includes Baker, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and former Secretary of State George Shultz, announced a list of "founding members" Tuesday that includes Exxon Mobil, BP, Shell, Total, General Motors and Johnson & Johnson. "We support @TheCLCouncil as a founding member and are working to support its policy development process," Exxon...

Representatives from a coalition of veteran Republican officials — including five who have either served as treasury secretary or as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers — met Wednesday with White House officials to discuss the idea of imposing a national carbon tax, rather than using federal regulations, to address climate change.[snip]Despite the group’s impeccable Republican credentials — Baker, Paulson and Schultz served as treasury secretaries and Feldstein and Mankiw served as CEA chairs under GOP presidents — the proposal faces long odds. Many congressional Republicans are adamantly against a tax increase of any kind, and President Trump repeatedly...

A Minnesota Republican congressman is criticizing President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.                 Rep. Eric Paulsen said in a statement Monday the executive order "is too broad and has been poorly implemented and conceived."                 Paulsen says it doesn't ensure that legal residents such as green card holders and people who are no threat, such as those who served alongside the U.S. military in Iraq, are treated fairly.

20th Anniv. from the Smother's Brothers

"This troubles me deeply as a Republican, but it troubles me even more as an American," said Paulson, a former Goldman Sachs chief executive who spearheaded the 2008 Wall Street bank bailout as treasury secretary. "Enough is enough," he wrote. "It's time to put country before party and say it together: Never Trump." Instead, he offered up Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, as the country's best alternative to Trump, encouraging his GOP colleagues to consider her when casting their ballot.

Henry Paulson, a Republican who was U.S. Treasury secretary during the 2008 financial meltdown, on Friday called a Donald Trump presidency “unthinkable” and said he will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton. Paulson joins a growing list of establishment Republicans who say they will not cast a ballot in the Nov. 8 election for Trump, the party’s presumptive nominee and a political neophyte whose populist rhetoric runs counter to many long-held Republican principles. […] “I’ll be voting for Hillary Clinton, with the hope that she can bring Americans together to do the things necessary to strengthen our economy, our environment and...

John Paulson and George Soros Score Big Selling OneWest Bank For $3.4 Billion Comment Now Follow Comments A gang made up of some of Wall Street’s biggest names and formed by former Goldman Sachs partner Steve Mnuchin is set to realize a big score from the sale of OneWest Bank to CIT Group CIT +11.19% for $3.4 billion. Hedge fund billionaires John Paulson and George Soros were part of the group that together with buyout baron Christopher Flowers and billionaire Michael Dell bought the assets in 2009 of the former IndyMac, one of the nation’s largest bank failures ever, from...

A few months ago, a hurt Ben Bernanke put on his blogger hat and set out to explain why, in his mind, the unconventional policies undertaken by the Fed in the post-crisis years have not contributed to record income inequality. As we noted at the time, epic hilarity ensued. Bernanke’s explanation went something like this: while QE does indeed inflate asset prices, poor people have been getting poorer for quite some time, so sure, maybe the Fed contributed a little bit, but probably not a whole lot and besides, the more Keynes the better when it comes to smoothing out...

tor Nicholas Prouty, who is betting at least $750 million on Puerto Rico through his firm Putnam Bridge, remains bullish on the island’s potential despite credit downgrades and marathon economic doldrums. Putnam Bridge is spending $450 million to overhaul its Puerto del Rey Marina complex in Fajardo and spending hundreds of millions more at its La Ciudadela housing and commercial complex in Santurce, a project that includes plans to create a sprawling public park in the historic heart of San Juan. Prouty’s passion for Puerto Rico, and his confidence that an economic rebound is in the works, was evident in...

Unnamed sources speaking with Bloomberg News say the hedge-fund manager is considering relocating to Puerto Rico for tax reasons, to benefit from a new law that the wire says lets new residents pay no local or U.S. federal taxes on capital gains. The story goes on to relate, via those unnamed sources, that Paulson & Co.would remain in New York:

The private-equity tycoon Stephen A. Schwarzman, backed by an array of mostly western blue-chip companies with interests in China, is creating a $300 million scholarship for study in China that he hopes will rival the Rhodes scholarship in prestige and influence. The programme, whose endowment represents one of the largest single gifts to education in the world and one of the largest philanthropic gifts ever in China, was announced by Mr. Schwarzman in Beijing on Sunday. The Schwarzman Scholars programme will pay all expenses for 200 students each year from around the world for a one-year master’s programme at Tsinghua...

Could big-money billionaire John Paulson be ready to bolt from New York and into a palatial Puerto Rico penthouse in the name of lower taxes? A Bloomberg News report says the Queens-born hedge fund heavyweight — worth $11.2 billion — has looked at property in the wealthy Condado neighborhood of San Juan. The $5 million penthouse he reportedly eyed is 8,379 square feet, occupies three floors and includes six underground parking spaces, according to the Trillion Realty Group listing. ~ snip ~ Paulson’s potential move to the commonwealth would save the 57-year-old from paying tax gains on the $9.5 billion...

60 Minutes, as usual, had a very nearly excellent program last week on the economic collapse, and they were all upset because no one has been arrested; no particular person appears to be under investigation.  They have a good reason to be upset, but they seemed, at least in this report (and in several previous programs), to be clueless as to why. What happened at the end of 2008 changed history and the direction of the United States.  Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson goes to President George Bush and tells him, “The banks in the United States are about to collapse. ...

No excerpt allowed from Bloomberg, story here .

Two years ago, in June 2009, the American economy emerged from recession, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. But as this week's Economist noted, with typical British understatement, "The recovery has been a disappointment." And maybe not a recovery for long. Robert Shiller, the economist who first identified the housing bubble, said last week that we may be headed for recession again. "Whether we call it a double dip or not," he told Reuters, "there is a risk." His Case/Shiller housing price index indicated that home prices in March slumped to levels not seen since March 2003, and...