Quick Takes: Which Foundation is the Real Deal?

* David Cay Johnston looks at the level of giving, impact and transparency to tell us the tale of two charities.

All of the $1.2 million the Donald J. Trump Charitable Foundation had at the end of 2014 came from vendors who do business with Trump. The foundation tax returns show only minor gifts by Trump since 2001 and none since 2008 when he gave $30,000, pocket change for someone who claims to be worth $10 billion…

Since 2001 the Clintons have given $23.2 million to charity, their income tax returns reveal…

The Trump Foundation shows mostly small gifts, from $1,000 to $25,000. The three largest grants it made in 2014, its latest tax filing shows, all had an element of self-interest…

At least 11 million people are breathing as this is written because of the Clintons’ charitable endeavors, which increased the number of poor people overseas getting life-sustaining drugs to suppress HIV from about 250,000 to nearly 12 million…

There is no audited financial statement at the Trump websites for the Trump Foundation or any of the charity watchdogs.

The Clinton Foundation’s audited financial statements and amendments are all online at its website.

* Here is some news that is not likely to break through the election coverage:





* In a must-read article, Jonathan Cohn takes a deep dive into the history and aspirations of Hillary Clinton’s policy shop.



* The Obama administration made another big announcement today.

President Obama took another major step to address the threat of climate change by signing a Presidential Memorandum requiring the federal government to fully consider the impacts of climate change in the development and implementation of all national security policies and plans. First, the President’s memorandum directs 20 agencies from across the government to establish a dedicated working group to identify the U.S. national security priorities related to climate change. Second, it instructs these agencies to develop a Climate Change and National Security Action Plan outlining how they’ll develop and share information on these risks. Third, it directs each agency to develop strategies to address climate-related threats, from impacts on our economy to our food security to the flow of migrants and refugees. The system this memorandum puts into place will ensure that data and insights from climate science become a meaningful component of national security policymaking.

* There seemed to be something missing from the Trump/Hannity town hall on African American concerns yesterday. Hmmm…help me figure out what that was.

* Yes, Hillary Clinton repeated what Barack Obama did to appeal to millennials. She appeared on “Between Two Ferns” with Zach Galifianakis.

* Finally, when I watched this video I thought of the time people tried to dismiss children from gathering around Jesus. He rejected that idea and said, “for such is the kingdom of heaven.” Grab a kleenex and watch Alex share some wisdom.

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