Issues You May Know, 28 February 2025.
A list of things you might want to know about - or write your reps about.
Jellyfish Rob Bresnahan folds like a cheap lawn chair and breaks promise to not cut Medicaid.
My representative in Congress, Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R, PA-08), had promised not to vote for cuts to Medicaid, and was quoted saying, “If a bill is put in front of me that guts the benefits my neighbors rely on, I will not vote for it." And yet, he voted for the bill that mathematically would have to cut Medicaid.
Image is the front and back of a postcard from Mystic Aquarium with a photo of a jellyfish the postcard with a postage stamp with eels on it is addressed to Rep Rob Bresnahan in Washington DC and reads Feb 27, 2025 Dear Rob Bresnahan, You promised not to vote for cuts to Medicaid. then you voted for a bill that mathematically would have to cut medicaid! Promise broken! You caved on us! Don't be such a jellyfish! Chloe Humbert Scranton PA
If your representative voted against this bill it's a good idea to send them a message of approval on that no vote. (All Democrats in the House voted no, and one Republican – Massie in Kentucky.)
There is a story about how Donald Trump personally called representatives to threaten them to vote for this bill.
The New Republic - Edith Olmsted / February 27, 2025 How Trump Bullied MAGA Rep. Into Changing Her Vote on Budget Bill Representative Victoria Spartz originally said she would vote against the reconciliation bill. When asked by CNN’s Manu Raju whether she would bend to pressure from her colleagues, Spartz replied, “You don’t know me well enough.… You should know better than that by now. “We cannot be weak, and we have to do the right thing for the people,” she said. But that was before Spartz took a furious phone call from the president, whose screaming could be heard by the congresswoman’s colleagues across the Republican cloakroom, according to Puck. Trump shouted that Spartz was a fake Republican set on undermining his agenda, and loudly reminded Spartz that he was the president, Puck reported. As a freshly scolded Spartz walked out of the cloakroom, Mike Johnson patted her on the back. “You know what you have to do,” the House speaker said. Spartz flipped, telling reporters later that she’d had a “great conversation” with Trump, who was “on board to get some great things done on health care.” “I trust his word,” she told reporters. It seems like Spartz doesn’t know Trump well enough and should know better than that by now. (emphasis added)
I'm convinced that the plan was always to make these cuts, and then Trump blames Congress and Elon Musk, and says it was nothing to do with him – even though he's the president – but some people will probably believe it and rationalize it. Because he claimed he wouldn't cut these programs, and he claimed he wasn't following Project 2025, but all of this is in Project 2025. So I think it’s important for people to share this story with people directly, asking people if they’ve heard about Trump bullying reps into voting
The New Republic - Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / February 28, 2025 Republicans Are Freaking Out About Trump’s Budget After Voting for It - Republicans are suddenly not so pleased with their reconciliation bill win. “Last night’s vote was just a procedural step to start federal budget negotiations and does NOT change any current laws,” Republican Representative Rob Bresnahan said in a statement Wednesday.
I sent another letter saying that we need to watch every procedural step he takes, and that you can’t cut halfway through somebody’s rope and then say it was fine because they’re still dangling because the rope hasn’t frayed through yet.
Republicans know their project is crushing financial decisions for ordinary citizens.
I'm probably not the only person who's now holding back on major purchases, such as planned home improvement projects, because of the uncertain state of the economy caused by the political disarray of the nation which is already resulting in financial hardships and forcible downsizing of community investments. The lawmakers allowing this disarray and disorder are also making financial decisions based on what they see happening, and of course, what they have control over. Neat trick to be able to control the economy while betting on it, isn't it?
Rob Bresnahan is the member of Congress representing Northeastern Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives, and he just dumped between $15k and $50k of stocks in the home improvement and construction supply store Lowes.
Watchlist News - Rep. Robert Bresnahan, Jr. Sells Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Stock Posted by Mark Dietrich on Feb 15th, 2025 Representative Robert Bresnahan, Jr. (R-Pennsylvania) recently sold shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW). In a filing disclosed on February 13th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $15,001 and $50,000 in Lowe’s Companies stock on February 7th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “LPL ACCOUNT I” account. Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) on 2/3/2025. Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ:TTWO) on 2/3/2025. Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW) on 2/3/2025. Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 1/30/2025. Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) on 1/30/2025. Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on 1/29/2025. Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) on 1/29/2025. Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Credo Technology Group (NASDAQ:CRDO) on 1/29/2025. Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Manhattan Associates (NASDAQ:MANH) on 1/29/2025. Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on 1/29/2025.
Republican Rep. Rich McCormick in Georgia says health should be handled by AI.
A GOP congressperson in Georgia, who identified himself as a doctor, actually said that the massive firings and downsizing of healthcare and public health workers at the CDC are justified because those people can be replaced by chatbots.
GOP congressman faces criticism and several boos at Georgia town hall By Shania Shelton, CNN Updated 10:18 AM EST, Fri February 21, 2025 “I’m in close contact with the CDC. They have about what, 13,000 employees, 13,000 employees at the CDC. In the last couple years, those probationary people, which is about 10% of their employee base, about 1,300 people, which you’re referring to. A lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI,” McCormick said. The mention of AI led to “no’s” and murmurs from the crowd, leading the Republican representative to say, “I happen to be a doctor. I know a few things.”
It's important to specify that in civil service, "probationary" is not a negative status, and it doesn't necessarily mean just "new hires" - it includes sometimes experienced workers who've recently been promoted to a new position. So if that's the case nobody should assume all these workers in probation status are just new hires – and that would be bad enough, because government agencies rarely do hiring until it's desperately needed to accomplish the work.
It's pretty shocking that a doctor would ever suggest that the health of humans, and decisions on public health, should ever be trusted to faulty AI chatbots that tend to put out faulty information and according to actual healthcare workers it can be incredibly dangerous for patients, and also healthcare workers. And I think AI chatbots should NOT be doing the people's business – that should be done by people! But apparently Rich Mccormick also came out as pro-child labor at this town hall. That Brownstone Institute guy had endorsed child labor. Odd how these things go together, isn't it.
Federal funding freeze lifted in PA, no explanation or assurances given.
AP - Pennsylvania’s governor says the Trump administration has unfrozen billions in grants and loans By MARC LEVY Updated 9:18 PM EST, February 24, 2025 Shapiro said in a news conference that more than $2 billion that his administration had identified as either frozen or held up by an unspecified review was now accessible to state agencies. Shapiro sued in federal court over the aid on Feb. 13, after federal courts had repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s sweeping pause on federal funding and questioned whether the Trump administration was ignoring court orders. Shapiro also said he pressed his case in conversations with senior Trump administration officials while he was in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
Selling immigration and "golden passports" — NOT a new idea.
IMF: Citizenship for Sale - Francisca Fernando, Jonathan Pampolina, and Robin Sykes Summer 2021 While not a new phenomenon—several countries have adopted “golden passport” programs over the years—the onset of the pandemic generated renewed interest. Price tags for a second citizenship—sometimes in only 30 days—range from $100,000 to $2.5 million. Antigua and Barbuda, Cyprus, Grenada, Jordan, Malta, St Kitts and Nevis, and Vanuatu are among the many countries that have offered such deals.
What are golden passports? Golden passport programs allow individuals and their families to buy new citizenship through targeted investments or contributions. Investments and contributions: These include direct monetary contributions, the purchase of government debt instruments (for example, investment in government stocks, bonds, securities), investment in specific sectors (for example, real estate, construction), and the establishment of businesses. Qualifying amounts typically range from $100,000 to $2.5 million (excluding fees) and have various financing terms (for example, up-front payments, installments, bank loans). Administration: Typically, a government agency oversees the program, and may rely on third parties to market the program, facilitate application submissions, and carry out due diligence. Some programs have statutory quotas that limit the number of applications. Application process: The application process usually requires some background checks (for example, criminal background checks, vetting by third parties), though requirements differ. Processing applications can take from 30 days to more than a year—many offer fast-track options in exchange for higher contribution amounts.
LIVE: MAGA gets UNCOVERED as Americans REVOLT Against Trump and Musk - MeidasTouch Feb 26, 2025 Ron Filipkowski: " I will say this I'm gonna a litmus test for me and I put this out on Twitter is in the Democratic primary I want to hear from Democratic candidates if Trump does this that they pledge if elected they will deport they will revoke the citizenship of every single person who bought their way in revoke it and deport them immediately I want to hear that I'm gonna vote for the Democrat who says that - how about a Democrat running for president on a platform I am gonna deport migrants I'm going to deport all of them round them up I'm gonna send my I'm gonna get my own Tom Homan except they're all going to be rich people and I'm going to round them up and deport them and you know what we're not giving you the five million back either" Anthony Davis: "no that was that was a non-refundable deposit" Ron Filipkowski: "non-refundable" Anthony Davis: "yeah well I would just like some Democrats to say anything at this stage to be perfectly honest"
My letter to reps:
I'm against this "golden passport" scheme. It seems like a way to promote international bribery and prioritize foreign rich people over ordinary Americans. It's wrong and shouldn't happen. And if it does happen, I expect to support people lobbying to reverse it in future and shaft those tycoons and oligarchs and sketch people who used such a shady program.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose my letter for your own letters to reps.
Alternative crisis pregnancy centers can ignore HIPAA.
They can ask you for all sorts of private do what they want with people’s private health info.
BUCKS COUNTY BEACON - Here’s Why a Watchdog Group Is Urging Pennsylvania Officials to Investigate an Anti-Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Center Advocates argue it’s time to finally hold CPCs like Scranton-based Options Women’s Center accountable for their business practices. by Mindy Isser | January 3, 2025 Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), non-profit organizations created by anti-abortion groups in an attempt to steer women away from abortion, have been part of the reproductive health landscape in North America since the 1960s. Abortion activists have long sounded the alarm about CPCs’ deceptive practices, like advertising to people who are young, poor, and/or non-native English speakers; distributing false medical information; and pretending personal health information is covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) when it is in fact not. Women’s rights and other organizations have attempted to hold CPCs accountable by forcing them to be more honest about the services they do and do not provide, including right here in Pennsylvania. CPCs’ goal is to provide alternatives to abortion, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at their websites. Anti-CPC advocates say that the issue is not the belief system of being anti-abortion, but their deceptive methods.
They are NOT covered by HIPAA.
And for pity's sake I wish people would learn what HIPAA actually is already. It seems like at least monthly I hear about someone citing HIPAA in some bizarre, inappropriate and inaccurate way. Many people assume that all your health data is just protected just because it is health data. In fact, only certain entities are required to adhere to HIPAA. And bonus – once your health data is stolen in a data breach – there is apparently no law against data brokers buying and selling your healthcare information right down to identifying your home residence address with it.
Your healthcare data is out there. Your mental healthcare data is out there. There are mental health data brokers, this is the reality. Chloe Humbert May 31, 2024 Your health data is out there. This isn’t a maybe. It’s been confirmed by researchers who have themselves dealt with data brokers.
I've been informed that my medical data was stolen in multiple healthcare company and hospital breaches across two different countries. Who hasn't these days? It’s all out there.
Elon Musk has sued Tesla customers who complain, and also journalists who criticize.
And he's won the suits for lots of money.
This is in China. He takes advantage of people in China. For some reason, he's allowed to soak Chinese citizens. The CCP is allowing Elon Musk to sue their people.
Hmm.
CBS - Tesla has sued customers and journalists in China — and won most times, review finds moneywatch February 12, 2025 / 7:07 AM EST / AP Zhang Yazhou was sitting in the passenger seat of her Tesla Model 3 when she said she heard her father's panicked voice: The brakes don't work! Approaching a red light, her father swerved around two cars before plowing into an SUV and a sedan and crashing into a large concrete barrier. Stunned, Zhang gazed at the deflating airbag in front of her. She could never have imagined what was to come: Tesla sued her for defamation for complaining publicly about the car's brakes — and won. A Chinese court ordered Zhang to pay more than $23,000 in damages and publicly apologize to the $1.1 trillion company. Zhang isn't the only one to find herself in the crosshairs of Tesla, which is led by Elon Musk, among the richest men in the world and a self-described "free speech absolutist."
Cryptocurrency has no deposit insurance.
FDIC insurance does not cover cryptocurrency. Pass it on.
FDIC Insurance Does Not Extend to Losses Incurred From a Cryptocurrency Exchange March 14, 2023
There's a lot of confusing discourse out there that probably amounts to misdirection and sales hype to promote cryptocurrency, which is bad, and possibly mislead people into thinking it's as safe as a deposit account when it's absolutely not. And going forward, with cryptocurrency moguls investing in many politicians, including the guy in the White House, and with the mass firings at all these federal agencies, scams and misrepresentation will get worse as regulation gets less. Buyer beware.
More on crypto and FDIC, the story so far:
Goldbug political disinformation ops from a government agency.
EPA press release: “Administrator Lee Zeldin Finds Gold Bars from EPA at Stacey Abrams’ Connected Group, Biden-Harris Ethical Red Flags”
Actual news story: “Lee Zeldin likens Biden energy 'scheme' connected to Stacey Abrams to 'throwing gold bars off the Titanic’”
There were no gold bars involved at all that I could find out. The hypothetical gold bars referenced are I think meant to make it FEEL more real to people, to create a visual of it, and spark outrage among “goldbug” conservatives, who have a conditioned knee jerk feeling about gold, because they are steeped in a culty almost religious fervor around the value and importance of gold, constantly propelled by gold influencers, gold advertising, and gold gurus.
I wonder if this will be used to distract from the fact that Trump is saying he wants Elon Musk to “make sure Fort Knox gold hasn’t been stolen” – when of course we all know how unlikely that is because of how secure the Fort Knox facility is! It’s a cliche! “It’s like Fort Knox!” It’s an absolutely ridiculous idea that the various people who work there, different people over the years, wouldn’t mention that there was a heist at some point, regardless of the administration in charge. At a minimum there would be leaks and whistleblowers.
But let’s just speculate if someone wanted to, right now, steal the gold bars from Fort Knox… Accusation in a Mirror has been a constant theme with the Trump administration. They warn of the dangers of “central government” and then consolidate government and try to control things from a central government. They claim that women in command at the Coast Guard are “DEI hires” and then appoint unqualified men to high level positions because they’re white men. Every accusation is a confession. So I think this is a legitimate speculation to be concerned about.
This EPA stuff is setting it up in the public’s mind wrongly that Joe Biden already gave gold bars to Stacey Abrams (the Black woman prejudiced conservatives have been ginned up to despise), then they could make people think it was not whoever stole it now, and make conservatives believe that it was in fact Joe Biden who stole the gold and gave it to “that Black lady” in some corrupt or illegal move. And thus covering that’s what someone else did - maybe Trump giving the gold bars to Elon Musk. Many conservatives will buy this because they’re stuck in right-wing media silos. And, of course if it’s finally revealed that nobody gave gold bars to Stacey Abrams, they can always say “we never said that we said it was like that” and that’s their out.