What’s New for 2016 in Tax Software

By Eva Rosenberg, EA

The IRS opened up electronic filing right on time this year, on Jan. 19 - and the refund feeding frenzy is in full swing. So far, 95% of the nearly 39 million tax returns that have been processed were filed electronically. And nearly 20 million e-files were self-prepared. We spoke with people at the major online tax software companies to see what changes they’ve made for this filing season.

Each software provider invites you to try out its system without paying until you e-file your returns (prices range from free to about $117). Most don't require you to enter your Social Security number to test the system. So take advantage of the opportunities to explore. The prices are lower now, but tend to rise as we get deeper into tax season. With all the major companies, you can log into their system with most devices to work on your tax return. In other words, you can start on a mobile device and continue from a tablet, laptop or desktop computer... [more...]

Trump’s Amazing Hostile Takeover of the GOP

By Wayne Allyn Root

Mitt Romney is a bitter, jealous, sore loser. But it’s more than that; it’s much deeper. It’s time to stop kidding ourselves. Mitt Romney just made it clear: This is war. The entire leadership of the GOP needs to be purged. Let them go start a third party for wishy-washy moderate losers who believe in slightly smaller government than the Democrats and giving all the power to globalists, the United Nations, lawyers, lobbyists, government bureaucrats, billionaires and multi-national corporations. [more...]

3-3-16 Excellent Guest for Your Show

1. Eva Rosenberg: Four Ways to File Your Taxes for Free
2. Michael Stumo: CPA -  Ten Reliability Concerns about Farm Bureau Report on TPP
3. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: The FBI vs. Apple
4. Barry Farber: In Defense of Right-Wing Hysteria
5. Karen Leland: The Candidates’ Personal Brands


Four Ways to File Your Taxes for Free
By Eva Rosenberg, EA

The majority of American taxpayers (70%) are eligible to get their tax returns done for free. Yet only 46 million people have used the IRS’s Free File Alliance service since 2003. And that’s just one of many ways people can file for free. Here’s a look at four of them... [more...]


CPA -  Ten Reliability Concerns about Farm Bureau Report on TPP
By Michael Stumo, CEO of Coalition for a Prosperous America

The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) raised concerns about the reliability of a recent advocacy document released by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) purporting to show increased farm income if the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is adopted. The Farm Bureau has been overly optimistic when projecting trade deal results for U.S. agriculture. For the Korea-U.S. trade agreement, AFBF claimed that U.S. agriculture would be a “net gainer” in agricultural commodity trade with that country. However, the opposite resulted. The U.S. net export performance substantially worsened between 2011 (the year before the implementation of the Korea-US pact) and 2015. [more...]


The FBI vs. Apple
By Michelle Seiler-Tucker

At first glance, it seems Apple should help the government with regard to the San Bernardino case, but the issue is far more complicated than this. Let’s start with the business implication: would you buy an iPhone if you knew there was a backdoor into which anyone, not just the FBI, could walk at any time? My answer: no. Millions of consumers would likely feel the same, causing disastrous results for Apple’s bottom line. What about legal precedent? If the FBI wins this case, there is nothing stopping them from walking up to HP or Samsung next week and ordering them to build backdoors into their devices, too. Americans have an expectation of privacy; it’s a right. We are protected against unlawful search and seizure thanks to the Bill of Rights; this document is designed to protect Americans from an overreaching government. The Apple vs. FBI issue is the reason why the Constitution exists! [more...]


In Defense of Right-Wing Hysteria
By Barry Farber

Congratulations to Rush Limbaugh for making a big deal on his big-deal radio show about how Secretary of State John Kerry replied to a congressional hearing panel that questioned him about a terrorist biggie released from Gitmo who popped up recruiting for al-Qaida in the Middle East. Kerry famously replied, “He wasn’t supposed to do that!” As columnist Pete Hamill used to say, “Beautiful!” That dude promised he’d terrorize no more, didn’t he? And if that’s wrong, we have a few more questions. [more...]


The Candidates’ Personal Brands
By Karen Leland

Donald Trump’s seven-state win on Super Tuesday might lead us to the conclusion that bad behavior is good for personal branding, but is it a long-term play for successful leadership or just a short-term attention-getting move? In the case of the presidential election, only time will tell. Regardless, the current political circus does provide a window into an important personal branding lesson for business people — on either side of the aisle. [more...]

3-1-16 Expert Guests Available for Your Show

1. James Hirsen: GOP Establishment Plots New Attacks on Trump
2. Crista Huff: The TPP Just Became the Lynchpin of the November Election
3. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Super Tuesday - What to Look for in the Results
4. Joe Messina: Trusting Our Government
5. Joseph Klein: Iranian Elections - The “Reformers” Didn’t Win
6. Daniel Greenfield: The Republican Party and its Precarious Ledge
7. John LeBoutillier: Is a Hillary-Trump Race Now Inevitable? Can Either Be Stopped for Their Nominations?


GOP Establishment Plots New Attacks on Trump
By James Hirsen

Wall to wall negative ads designed to reduce support for GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump are in the making at the hands of what has become the Republican establishment cartel. Numerous campaign finance entities working with mainstream GOP hacks are scheming to purchase airtime for a barrage of attack ads against their own party’s frontrunner. A portion of the hit piece advertising may begin prior to Super Tuesday; however, the negative onslaught will most likely continue beyond the pivotal day. The GOP establishment appears to be lowering itself to the level of the Democrat Party at its worst and even looks to be stealing a page from the Dems’ longstanding dirty playbook. [more...]


The TPP Just Became the Lynchpin of the November Election
By Crista Huff

Even before I read the text of Sen. Sessions’ endorsement of Trump, I knew it was about two issues that are dear to Sen. Sessions: illegal immigration, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. If Sen. Sessions believed that Mr. Trump was his ally on one or both of those issues and Sen. Cruz was also his ally on one or both of those issues, Sen. Sessions would likely not have made an endorsement. In order to have made the endorsement, Sen. Sessions would have to believe that Sen. Cruz is “pulling a Hillary” on the TPP; i.e. changing his public stance to a “NO” vote on the TPP in order to curry favor with voters." [more...]


Super Tuesday - What to Look for in the Results
By Dr. Gerard Lameiro

With nearly a dozen states holding primaries and caucuses, with about 600 Republican delegates up for grabs, and with heated rhetoric flowing freely among the presidential contenders, Super Tuesday should be a big day.  It should go a long way in determining who will be nominated.  Of course, according to the polls, many states will go to Trump who appears to be taking a commanding lead in the race.  Yet, the attacks by Rubio and Cruz in the last debate and in the last few days have been rough and tumble.  In fact, 2016 might turn out to be the roughest presidential election ever in American history. [Go here for a complete analysis...]


Trusting Our Government
By Joe Messina

Our government keeps telling us they have our best interests at heart, can do what’s best for us, and can keep us safe. When a private company puts out a product that is supposed to be safe for us and it’s found not to be, the government protects us by fining them, making them fix it, or shutting them down all together... unless, of course, that company or entity is... the government. When the government, through another government agency, okay’s a drug or procedure for use because the “government” has checked it out and deemed it safe for humans but then finds several years later it’s not, they levy huge fines on that company, set up trust funds to accommodate the payouts and line lawyers’ pockets so everyone is a winner... right? [more...]


Iranian Elections - The “Reformers” Didn’t Win
By Joseph Klein

Iran held an election last week to fill seats in its clerical body known as the Assembly of Experts, which would select Ayatollah Khamenei’s successor as Supreme Leader, as well as seats in Iran’s parliament.  Focusing on victories over hardliners in the capital city of Tehran, the results are being hailed in the Iranian “reformist” circles as "Tehran's Spring."  So-called “reformists and moderates” who support President Hassan Rouhani and strategized together to defeat the hardliners, are crowing. And as the BBC reported, President Rouhani has sought to portray the results as a mandate to continue his policies of trying to reduce Iran’s international isolation. "It's time to open a new chapter in Iran's economic development based on domestic abilities and international opportunities," he said last Saturday. [more...]


The Republican Party and its Precarious Ledge
By Daniel Greenfield

I've lost count of how many conservative personalities have said that they won't be voting in the general election if Trump is the nominee. Call that the nuclear option: the ledge. On the flip side, if the establishment gets its way with Rubio, expect the anti-establishment to stay home. The Republican Party is standing on a ledge. If this level of acrimony carries on, then there will be real turnout problems in the general election. Not only are there few ideas out there for patching this mess up, but increasingly no one is even bothering anymore. Instead everyone is doubling down on it. The election is approaching the point where a chunk of the party will stay home no matter what. [more...]


Is a Hillary-Trump Race Now Inevitable? Can Either Be Stopped for Their Nominations?
By John LeBoutillier

What is the state of the GOP presidential race? Is The Donald now inevitable? Is he poised to sweep Super Tuesday? Can he beat Ted Cruz even in Texas? Was it “too little too late” for Marco Rubio in Thursday’s debate? And, in the Democratic race, is Hillary now going to cruise to the nomination? Who does she fear more: Bernie Sanders or the FBI probe? This - and more - will be discussed by the POLITICAL INSIDERS – live on Fox News Channel this Sunday evening – at 7:30 PM ET. [more...]

2-25-16 Great Guests for Your Show

1. Crista Huff: A New Twist On ISDS Within the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Agreement
2. Michelle Seiler-Tucker: Yahoo Selling Itself to Highest Bidder
3. Barry Farber: The Hillary Protection Program
4. Wayne Allyn Root: Time for Trump to Name a GOP Dream Team


A New Twist On ISDS Within the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Agreement
By Crista Huff

There’s a new twist on the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) within the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, and it has state legislators and treasurers incensed all across America. Under the new lawsuit provisions within the TPP, foreign companies and state-owned enterprises can sue U.S. states and municipalities (cities, counties, towns, ports, etc.) where they are doing business. If a foreign company doesn’t want to abide by state or local regulations, your hometown could be forced to send attorneys to global court! Our states and municipalities do not have the manpower, let alone the expertise, to argue cases in a global court. What’s more, all ISDS rulings change or add to the TPP, because it’s a living agreement. [more...]


Yahoo Selling Itself to Highest Bidder
By Michelle Seiler-Tucker

Yahoo is up for sale, and it probably won’t be a great deal for anyone. Yahoo got hit hard during the tech crash 15 years ago; most companies either folded or recovered, Yahoo decided to do neither. For months now, talk of a Yahoo sale has bounced around Wall Street. Yahoo considered spinning off its stake in Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce behemoth, and leaving its core tech company. Now, Yahoo officially announced it’s exploring the sale of its business. Stock prices jumped 3% on the announcement after news of a potential takeover added to the drama. Among Yahoo’s potential suitors is Time Inc. which recently purchased the thoroughly irrelevant Web site Myspace, so it seems the media firm may want to further its acquisition of troubled tech companies. [more...]


The Hillary Protection Program
By Barry Farber

Let’s go back a few Saturdays to the Clinton-Sanders debate in Milwaukee - the PBS debate featuring moderators Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill. At that time, the fluffy little clouds forming around Hillary had coalesced into an ominous thunderhead. Hillary had lied, and lied big-time, and there was no longer any plausible defense. Her explanation, that her e-mail account in question was used only for wedding plans and new yoga positions, had suffered the fate of a cobweb under a blowtorch. The question remaining was, “Would the FBI pass along a criminal referral to the Justice Department, and, if so, would Obama permit the law to take its course?” That, if you’ve never studied law or journalism, is a very big story. I couldn’t believe what I heard, or, more accurately, what I failed to hear. Clinton and Sanders did all the same-old-same-old issues of Wall Street, health care, income inequality, foreign policy etc., but not one word was uttered about Hillary’s legal problems! The panelists didn’t mention it. The candidates didn’t mention it. The audience didn’t mention it. Nobody said a word about it. What hangs there as potentially the biggest political takedown since Watergate was a non-story. [more...]


Time for Trump to Name a GOP Dream Team
By Wayne Allyn Root

After his overwhelming victories in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, Donald Trump now has a clear path to the GOP Presidential nomination. It's time to think big and unite the GOP. Here’s my advice for Trump moving forward: It’s time for Donald Trump to act like Reagan, become presidential and unite the GOP. It’s time to claim victory and start announcing the amazing “dream team” that this one-of-a-kind CEO will assemble to run the country and save the economy. It’s time to praise the Republicans that Trump has been running against and bring all their supporters into the Trump tent. It’s time to show the country and the world how a billionaire CEO assembles a dream team. [more...]

2-23-16 Excellent Guests Available for Your Show

1. Michael Stumo: Korea FTA Spurred Massive Titanium Imports
2. James Hirsen: John Kerry Seeks Hollywood Advice on How to Fight ISIS
3. Dr. Gerard Lameiro: Will it Be a Trump vs. Clinton Race?
4. Joe Messina: The Christians and Trump
5. Daniel Greenfield: Will Black Voters Leave Hillary’s Plantation?
6. Wayne Allyn Root: What Happened to Secure Hillary’s Victory in Nevada?
7. John LeBoutillier: What Does the POTUS Race Look Like Now?


Korea FTA Spurred Massive Titanium Imports
By Michael Stumo

The titanium industry is an example of how trade agreements make the U.S. lose and not win. The Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (KORUS) was approved in 2011 and implemented in 2012. Korea had no titanium industry before the KORUS deal, but created one to export to the U.S. because of the deal. Allegheny Technologies reports, "U.S. imports of titanium mill products from Korea jumped from 36 short tons in 2013 to 318 tons by 2015." This was a part of why our trade performance with Korea drastically worsened thereafter. [more...]


John Kerry Seeks Hollywood Advice on How to Fight ISIS
By James Hirsen

Secretary of State John Kerry recently traveled to Hollywood to meet with a dozen industry executives to seek advice on how to win the battle against Isis. Kerry sat down with a virtual who’s who of the entertainment business. The one and a half-hour meeting, which took place at Universal Studios, was organized by Shell, who in addition to being a Universal executive is also the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, a body of which Kerry is a member. The meeting with some of Hollywood’s top power players was reportedly at the behest of Kerry. After the gathering, Kerry made the following revelation via his Twitter account: “Great convo w studio execs in LA. Good to hear their perspectives & ideas of how to counter #Daesh [Arabic acronym for ISIS] narrative.” [more...]


Will it Be a Trump vs. Clinton Race?
By Dr. Gerard Lameiro

Is Trump vs. Clinton inevitable?  Both seem to be winning their respective party nomination races. Are Trump and Clinton now unstoppable?  Are they really inevitable at this point in their party races? What scenarios might develop in the next few weeks that will change the course of this 2016 presidential election race? [Go here for a complete analysis...]


The Christians and Trump
By Joe Messina

Hey, Christians!  It’s a little late to start complaining about Donald Trump. I’m watching all the social media from conservative Christian Republicans asking Christians all over to get on their knees and pray Trump doesn’t win. I’m not a Trump supporter; I haven’t made up my mind yet... not even close. But I’m not going to drop to my knees and beg God to knock Trump out of the race. I don’t know what the Master Plan is. Do you? God may have one heck of a “gotcha” at the end of all this. So, for you Christians who are imagining a Trump presidency raining down “fire and brimstone” like what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, knock it off! [more...]


Will Black Voters Leave Hillary’s Plantation?
By Daniel Greenfield

In her desperate scramble to the top, every Hillary victory is accompanied by a setback. The corrupt Democratic machine that has kept her going this far eked out a victory in Nevada but took down her minority firewall. In earlier primaries, Hillary had lost women and young voters. In Nevada, she lost Latinos. The last and only element of the Obama coalition that she has retained are black voters, which helped Hillary in Nevada. While Latinos defected to Sandernistan, black voters remained loyally behind on Hillary's happy plantation. If the black voters, primarily women who powered the Obama campaign, wave goodbye to life on the Clinton Tara, then Hillary's path to the White House ends with Sanders' Socialist march to the Potomac. [more...]


What Happened to Secure Hillary’s Victory in Nevada?
By Wayne Allyn Root

I spent the weekend listening to national media commentators (so called “experts”) gloat over the two big winners of the weekend: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. But there’s one little problem with that scenario: only one candidate actually won big. Donald Trump spent almost nothing to score a resounding double-digit victory in South Carolina, even while his opponent Marco Rubio spent 12 times more ($12 million) and scored the endorsement of the two most popular Republican politicians in the state (Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott). Now that’s a big victory. But when it comes to Hillary, the national media is either ignorant, stupid, lazy, delusional, or purposely lying. Hillary’s razor-thin Nevada victory wasn’t a “decisive victory.” It was an embarrassment that required spending millions of dollars to garner a pathetic 6,316 votes in an anemic turnout. [more...]


What Does the POTUS Race Look Like Now?
By John LeBoutillier

What is the state of the GOP presidential race after South Carolina? Who survives among Rubio, Bush and Kasich? Did the Pope’s controversial statement about The Donald impact the race? On the Democrat side, how does Nevada affect South Carolina next Saturday and then Super Tuesday? This - and more - will be discussed by the POLITICAL INSIDERS – live on Fox News Channel this Sunday evening – at 7:30 PM ET. [more...]

Donald Trump Needs to Brand Himself as the Term Limits President

By Wayne Allyn Root

What we all saw on display at the past few GOP Presidential Debates was the problem with America - a bunch of career politicians on the stage... and an audience stacked against Trump filled with fat-cat donors, lobbyists and D.C. lawyers. They hate Trump because they can’t bribe him. They clearly own all the other candidates lock, stock and barrel. Those boos you hear directed at Trump are proof positive he’s the right man to clean up the swamp in Washington, D.C. This stranglehold by special interests rooting for crony capitalism and bigger government is clearly what has ruined our country. Donald Trump is an outsider; he is the anti-politician - politically incorrect, willing to tell the raw truth - even if it offends. That’s why the perfect theme for Trump is to brand himself as “THE TERM LIMITS PRESIDENT.” [more...]