Read My Lips: Exploring The Origins of America’s Anti-Tax Political Culture

Coming up on today’s show:

• When looking at other developed economies, U.S. tax rates are below average. We look at the origins of the American anti-tax political culture, and how it has led to a tax reform plan that would add $1.7 trillion to the deficit, with Vanessa Williamson, author of “Read My Lips: Why Americans are Proud to Pay Taxes,” and Molly Michelmore, author of “Tax and Spend: The Welfare State, Tax Politics and the Limits of American Liberalism.”

• On Tuesday, a gunman in California killed four people and injured 10 while he was out on bail. The shooter had been charged with assault back in January. So why did he still have access to guns? We look at the legal interaction between domestic violence and gun ownership with Alex Yablon, a reporter with The Trace.

• Alana Casanova Burgess, a producer for WNYC’s On The Media, is on the ground in Puerto Rico reporting on what daily life is like for so many Puerto Ricans still living without power and basic necessities. She provides an update today on The Takeaway.

• Senate Republicans announced that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual healthcare mandate will be included in their tax reform bill, a move that is not sitting well with Senators from across the aisle. Can the tax bill pass with the mandate repeal? Jennifer Haberkorn, senior healthcare reporter for Politico, weighs in. 

• In “All the Kremlin’s Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin,” author Mikhail Zygar shows that Putin has no “master plan” when it comes to international relations. Rather, the Russian president and the court of oligarchs that make up his inner circle — a diverse group of shifting alliances — are primarily focused on short-term goals, not long-term strategy.

• In a new book out this week, journalist David Patrikarakos explores how societies are waging modern warfare with social media. He traces the online battle waged by Putin in Ukraine, looks at “troll farms” in Russia, and examines the Islamic State’s strategy for online recruiting. He discusses his work, “War in 140 Characters: How Social Media Is Reshaping Conflict in the Twenty-First Century,” today on The Takeaway. 

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich