Author | Lightnews

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 17h

Billionaires are using a loophole to avoid Medicare taxes. Closing it — and eliminating other ways around the tax for wealthy business owners — could raise more than $250 billion over 10 years for the program.

(Published Dec. 2024)

How a Decades-Old Loophole Lets Billionaires Avoid Medicare Taxes

Some of Wall Street’s richest and most powerful figures are using a legal loophole to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes earmarked for health care, a ProPublica investigation found.

www.propublica.org

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Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 18h

It flies under the radar because it is overwhelmed by the sheer repulsiveness of the physical destruction of the east wing, but there is no way that a president should be allowed to use private money to change public property. It circumvents the power of the purse.

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Sven-Erik Volberg @volberg.bsky.social · 1d

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Musicology Duck @musicologyduck.bsky.social · 1d

I am already in multiple text and email chains trying to help get people food, and we haven't even gotten to Nov 1 bills due or shutdown consequences yet

Remora House DC 🎃 @remorahousedc.bsky.social · 1d

For DC, this combined with federal workers who are furloughed now needing to access the local food banks, will be devastating

jenn m. jackson @jennmjacksonphd.bsky.social · 1d

I want more people to care that SNAP benefits are being cut off on November 1. 40% of SNAP beneficiaries are children. This is callous and vile.

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jwhampton.bsky.social @jwhampton.bsky.social · 1d

I like both living and walking 😄

Caryn Rogers 🦫 @carynjrogers.bsky.social · 2d

so say all of us with medically complicated pregnancy histories

rev. howard arson @theophite.bsky.social · 3d

i don't think my wife should be dead :)

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Hillary Rodham Clinton @hillaryclinton.bsky.social · 2d

It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.

Washington Post: White House begins destroying East wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom

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𝚃𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚜 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚎 🚇 @taras-grescoe.com · 2d

The Pedal Power Bump!

Bike-sharing is boosting Europe’s local economies through job creation and reduced congestion, generating €305 million ($360M US) in annual benefits.

cities-today.com/bike-sharing...

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ffrf.org @ffrf.org · 10d

Unconscionable. The state just told clergy it’s fine to protect abusers if they confess in the right room.

Children deserve safety, not religious loopholes.

Hemant Mehta @friendlyatheist.com · 12d

Washington officials caved.

Priests who hear confessions of child abuse no longer have to report them to law enforcement.

Religious leaders fought to protect predators over children—and they got what they wanted.

www.friendlyatheist.com/p/after-sett...

After settlement, Catholic priests in Washington can keep sex predators' confessions secret

Years of effort to safeguard children were undone by religious leaders who worship secrecy more than justice

www.friendlyatheist.com

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 2d

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Molly McKew @mollymckew.bsky.social · 2d

Folks, it’s really hard times for a lot of Americans under the glitz of an economy pushing wealth to billionaires

Keep an eye out for those who need help
Keep an eye out for neighbors in need
Donate to food banks + programs that provide meals for kids, families, veterans, working & elderly poor /1

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 2d

With Trump and his cronies using the shutdown as cover to shut off the food stamp program, food banks will soon be flooded with demand from the 42 million Americans--including 16 million kids--who rely on the program. Which means the rest of us will need to step up and give whatever we can.

Thanks to Trump's Shutdown, Food Stamps Funding is About to Run Out.

Republicans have just days to reopen the government before the crucial program is forced to halt.

Article in the New Republic by Edith Olmstead, with a cover photo of Trump with his mouth open, looking like he's either yelling or just swallowed a fly.

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H-Net Job Guide @h-net-job-guide.bsky.social · 2d

New job:

Assistant/Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies (RISE - THRIVE)

University of Wisconsin - Madison

jobs.h-net.org/jobs/69364

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Rep. Jamie Raskin @raskin.house.gov · 2d

Enough is enough. Adelita Grijalva was elected on September 23. The people of Arizona have a right to be represented in Congress.

During today’s pro forma session, when the House is called to order I will seek unanimous consent to insist upon the swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva.

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Rep. Jamie Raskin @raskin.house.gov · 2d

I just went to the House floor to demand that Speaker Johnson swear in Adelita Grijalva, but the GOP gaveled out without even recognizing us.

We’re not going anywhere. I’m here with Leader Jeffries and Adelita Grijalva. Speaker Johnson must swear her in.

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ct @cteeze-nuts.bsky.social · 2d

I like how the NYT tried to do a “some experts say” framing, and the expert was like, you do not need an expert opinion to see this is bad.

Quote text from article:

Lawyers said the nature of the claims posed undeniable ethics challenges.
"What a travesty," said Bennett L.
Gershman, an ethics professor at Pace University. "The ethical conflict is just so basic and fundamental, you don't need a law professor to explain it."

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alkali @alkali19.bsky.social · 2d

This is probably the least important thing about all this but if the US government were to seriously undertake reconstruction work on the White House I can only imagine the level of security required to make sure the building wasn't filled with bugs

I have no confidence any of that is being done

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Gary Legum @glegum.bsky.social · 1d

Lankford was in the Senate when the Intelligence Committee wrote its giant report concluding that Russiagate was not a hoax, and it's criminal negligence by CNN to let him say this on air with no pushback.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Lankford: "I think now history has proven that Russiagate was a hoax. It was actually formed by James Coney and Brennan and others that were behind the scenes to push a narrative they knew at the time was false." (This is a lie -- would've been nice for Kasie Hunt to point that out.)

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ghost malone ergo propter malone @proptermalone.bsky.social · 1d

other people objecting to your Nazi tattoo is not a “them” problem. if you are now in agreement that your tattoo is Bad you should be able to see that clearly

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🇲🇽🐸rustbelt rebel🐸🇲🇽 @rustbeltrebel.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s the thing- he could’ve made an entire decades long successful career based *solely* on him saying he understands why white boys/men are afraid, he used to be too, this is why he’s not anymore (insert even most generic explanation) and now he wants to spend his career showing other men/boys-

Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 1d

Asked about his tattoo, Platner says he’s “already planning to get this removed.”

He claims he didn’t know the symbolism before he “started hearing from reporters and DC insiders” about it.

Platner says he’ll remove tattoo that resembles Nazi symbol

His former political director said he "knows damn well" what the tattoo signifies.

www.politico.com

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Janet D. Stemwedel @docfreeride.bsky.social · 1d

Even if the average American millennial man has had a Nazi phase, why wouldn’t that be disqualifying if that millennial man were running for office?

amy brown @amybrown.xyz · 2d

i actually don’t think the “average” american millennial man had a nazi phase. it’s not some boys will be boys shit. this makes me side eye you and your friend group, sounds like a personal problem

The average American millennial man has been a neocon, a pacifist, a liberal, a libertarian, a communist, a nazi, and I believe now most of us are back around to liberal again. This isn't a defense of platner it's just weird how normal this shit is for guys that age.

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Sophie @philosophiejane.bsky.social · 1d

If we don't hold our candidates to the same standard as the Republican candidates, what are we even doing? Besides, if you're a self-professed history buff but you don't recognize the Nazi symbol you got permanently tattooed on your body, I don't want you near government because you're an idiot.

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 1d

I don’t understand why anyone’s debating this — a Nazi tattoo is a non starter, full stop.

This is a race for a U.S. Senate seat. The bar for candidates to clear doesn’t have to be insanely high, but it should at least be off the ground