Jen Hollander

imagine a country so furious about drag performers that it voted for polio

Republicans will get that number back up to where they want it!

Last year, my health insurance company stopped paying for my Humira. Humira is a type of immunosuppressive drug called a biologic, and I take a pretty high dose of it to control my severe Crohn's Disease. Without it, I will have a bowel obstruction, and then I will die.

(Cont)

The Rise and Rapid Fall of the First US Department of Education | HISTORY The department, established in 1867, faced opposition from Southern congressmen, who associated it with education for the formerly enslaved.

The Rise and Rapid Fall of the First US Department of Education

The department, established in 1867, faced opposition from Southern congressmen, who associated it with education for the formerly enslaved. 🗃️

www.history.com/news/departm...

"I want a lawyer" is all you should say—IF ANYTHING.

Do not say "I want a lawyer, dawg" because a court found that a person who had said "Just give me a lawyer, dawg" had not invoked their right to counsel. It was too vague. Maybe he was asking for an actual lawyer dog—a dog that practices law.

‘A head scratcher’: Families push back against claim that Boston clinic for trans children is ‘reckless’ - The Boston Globe Families who sought treatment for their children at the clinic shared their experiences with the Globe as a counterweight to what they regard as unfounded concerns about youth gender medicine.

Yet another "gender clinic whistleblower" account falls apart as soon as reporters talk to actual patients.
www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/03/m...

YIKES.

Trump: billionaire
Elon Musk, DOGE: billionaire
Vivek Ramaswamy, DOGE: billionaire
Linda McMahon, Education Sec: billionaire
Doug Burgum, Interior Sec: billionaire
Howard Lutnick, Commerce Sec: billionaire
Scott Bessent, Treasury Sec: billionaire

Romania’s constitutional court has annulled the first round of the presidential election after declassified intelligence showed Russia ran a secret campaign on TikTok and Telegram to promote the Far Right first round winner Calin Georgescu, a complete outsider.

This is how you do it.

No, Trump Can’t Just ‘Dismiss’ the Senate The threat from House Republicans should be seen and called out for what it is: an autocratic move that is not just unlawful but contemptuous of constitutionalism.

Akhil Amar, Tom Schmidt, and I have a piece in the Atlantic on why Trump + the GOP House cannot adjourn the Senate against its will in order to give Trump recess appointments. (Gift link) www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Musk and Ramaswamy have already identified $516B dollars in government savings — it includes cutting all of Veteran’s Affairs health care, eliminating the NIH, and ending funding for federal prisons. @morningjoe-msnbc.bsky.social

A doctor’s letter to United Healthcare for denying nausea meds for a child on chemo

This is sobering.

USC is advising foreign students to return to campus from winter break BEFORE Trump takes office.

I forgot, how many Republicans asked Trump for pardons?

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield calls off decision to cap anesthesia for surgical patients The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson cast an intense spotlight on unpopular insurance company policies.

Don't worry, they'll try to do it again on a day where people aren't out there assassinating medical insurance CEOs

www.axios.com/2024/12/05/b...

Elon Musk and Pete Hesgeth are the kind of tough alpha males that America needs, according to their mommies

I’m not sure how this got swept under the carpet, but President Biden’s efforts to combat junk fees will likely save Americans more than $20 billion annually. 👀

How Mark Scarsi Post Hoc Dismantled Abbe Lowell's Juicy Timeline - emptywheel Mark Scarsi is an admirably meticulous judge. But in key areas of his opinion rejecting Hunter Biden's motions to dismiss, his failure to meet his own rigorous standards may make the decision more vul...

Here's my post on how Judge Scarsi ruled against Hunter Biden's claims of politicization. One way he did so (after showing that Abbe Lowell had fiddled with the timeline) was by fiddling with the timeline.

www.emptywheel.net/2024/04/08/h...

European Federation of Journalists to stop posting content on X The EFJ represents over 295,000 journalists in 44 countries.

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) has announced that it will stop publishing content on X from January 20th

The organisation stated that it can “no longer ethically participate in a social network that its owner has transformed into a machine of disinformation and propaganda.”

Wow. No one else has made this point so clearly:

Stolen from Ron Burch’s FB page #alwayscredityourmarks🥸

Pete Hegseth worships at the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, led by “Doug Wilson, an untrained and self-proclaimed pastor who advocates for Christian nationalism…”

Wilson also wrote that “sexual violence is women's fault for not being submissive enough.”

Minnesota: Bar graph showing how much IRA subsidies expiring would impact net ACA premiums for various households at various income levels

Otherwise:

--The single 50-yr old would see their premiums jump by up to 90%

--The single parent's premium would increase by up to 115%

--A family of 4 earning $70K/yr would go from paying $173/month to $429/month

--An older couple earning $90K/yr would have to pay over $10,000 more per year.

When Trump declares martial law here every Republican in Congress will support it.

Why misogyny is at the heart of South Korea's presidential elections Disgruntled young men who resent feminism are the focus of candidates vying to be president.

Just a little reminder that the South Korean president who just declared martial law was elected two years ago on a wave of anti-feminist backlash. Misogyny is routinely part of the authoritarian package.

www.bbc.com/news/world-a...

This is an excuse to post my favourite ever FAQ. From the Richard III Society.
“I was responding to a volatile situation” is my go
-to excuse.

richardiii.net/faqs/richard...

🔥🔥A 2021 study found that Medicaid expansion as part of the ACA led to a substantial reduction in mortality, primarily driven by reductions in disease-related deaths. A 2018 study in the Journal of Political Economy found that, Medicaid reduced infant and child mortality since the 1960s and 1970s.🔥🔥

Dems/media condemning Joe for pardoning Hunter right after a psycho who has spent 4 years ranting that he was going to go after him is the most toxic kind of phony virtue signaling imaginable. Don’t forget to pat yourselves on the back from your perches on the moral high ground.