Attribution: The Polarized Express Stalls Out In Congress by R.J. Matson, CQ Roll Call
82 thoughts on “All Aboard?”
We’re on the same track this morning, PatD. I woke up thinking what happened to those subsidy extensions.
My take: Congress Treats Your Health Costs Like an Optional Deadline
Congress is letting ACA subsidies tick toward expiration like it’s background noise, even though 24 million Americans rely on them. Democrats will force a vote just to show they tried; Republicans are still arguing with their own shadows; the House hasn’t even sat up straight. If these subsidies die, families could see 2026 premiums jump 30–60%, with insurers locking in those hikes as early as next summer (on the eve of the midterm elections).
And here’s the political math: Kaiser polling shows 74–78% of Americans want the subsidies extended, including 82% of independents and even 59% of Republicans.
Most voters who support extension say they would blame Trump or Congressional Republicans if the subsidies expire and premiums explode.
So yes, Democrats can absolutely pin this on the GOP — because voters already do. Deadlines don’t care. Premiums don’t lie. And political pain arrives exactly on schedule.
healthcare a la RFK
Head to https://ground.news/randy for a fabulous 40% off Ground News’ unlimited access Vantage Plan! It’s the tool I swear by for making sense of the world and staying updated on breaking news! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!
Parody of “Cabaret” (Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb)
Parody Lyrics by Randy Rainbow
Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr @michaeljmoritz
I wrote my first Trail Mix Brief two months ago, starting with the health insurance crisis. It still holds up because nothing has changed…
Obamacare subsidies make it too easy to scam the system
The GAO sent 24 fake applications for subsidized marketplace plans, and 23 got approved.
December 8, 2025 at 3:54 p.m
The Senate plans to vote this week on a proposal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years. Fortunately this misguided legislation is certain to fail.
On party-line votes in 2021 and 2022, Democrats invoked the pandemic emergency to temporarily expand eligibility for Obamacare insurance subsidies. Preserving these credits, which are due to expire at the end of the year, would cost $350 billion over the next decade. Democratic leaders are trying to keep the subsidies intact without reforms to address abuse that has grown rampant in the system.
A report issued last week by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office underscores why that should be a nonstarter. Investigators submitted 24 phony applications for Obamacare subsidies in the past two years, and all but one were approved. This was true of applications submitted via HealthCare.gov, which accepted fake identification documentation, and insurance brokers, some of which never even asked the auditors to verify their identity.
People with incomes between 100 percent and 150 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for full-premium subsidies, which are paid directly to insurance companies. Income verification is porous. In one case, an applicant was told that their income was confirmed “based on documentation.” No documentation had been submitted.
The GAO estimates that $21 billion was paid out, in 2023 alone, for enrollees who never confirmed that their subsidy matched their income.
Since the expanded subsidies came into effect, the number of enrollees in the marketplace plans who make zero claims has soared. The number was stable between 3 million and 4 million before 2021 and increased to more than 11 million last year, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Not using coverage is not evidence of fraud on its own. About 16 percent of non-senior adults on private insurance markets don’t use insurance in a given year. But 35 percent of Obamacare marketplace plans had zero claims in 2024, up from below 20 percent before subsidies expanded.
It seems clear that some brokers and insurers are taking advantage of a poorly designed system to line their pockets. The most common fraud situation seems to be that people have been signed up for plans without their knowledge. They either don’t want insurance or already have coverage, but brokers signed them up for fully subsidized plans. Since the subsidies are transferred directly from the government to the insurance companies, the “customers” might not even know it happened.
The insurance companies get a full premium payment from an account they know will have zero claims, and the broker gets a big commission. CMS says it received 275,000 complaints between January and August last year from people who found they were either enrolled in a plan or had their coverage changed without their consent. The agency has tried to crack down on bad actors and changed rules around broker commissions.
Federal prosecutors are pursuing particularly egregious cases. Last month, a federal jury in Florida convicted the president of an insurance brokerage firm and the CEO of a marketing company for seeking to defraud the government out of $233 million by collecting commissions for fake plans.
Many honest people will feel the squeeze next year, but any serious effort to extend Obamacare subsidies would need to include lower income caps, require some out-of-pocket premiums and impose additional anti-fraud protections.
LONDON — Ukraine will not surrender territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared Monday, rejecting a central Russian demand that President Donald Trump had incorporated into his latest proposal to end the Kremlin’s war.
“Under our laws, under international law — and under moral law — we have no right to give anything away,” Zelensky said, after meeting with top European leaders to discuss Trump’s plan Monday. “That is what we are fighting for.”
The unequivocal declaration that Ukraine will not surrender land could mark the collapse of Trump’s plan, which critics condemned as fulfilling a wish list of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky, speaking to journalists aboard his flight to Brussels following consultations with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany in London, made one of his clearest public statements yet on the emerging U.S.-backed proposal. He said the plan had been stripped of what he called “explicitly anti-Ukrainian provisions,” suggesting that Kyiv was open to a deal.
But he stood firm on the issue of land — a view shared by European leaders who have insisted that Putin should not be permitted to redraw international boundaries by force.
[continues]
PatD, glad you posted that WAPO editorial rationalizing GOP talking points. It’s telling about where they’re headed isn’t it?
The Post is mixing up two totally different issues: sloppy oversight and the core value of ACA subsidies. The GAO’s alarm bells come from twenty secret-shopper cases. That’s a stress test, not a verdict on the 20 million real enrollees. The problems they found point to rogue brokers and weak verification, not some fatal flaw in subsidies themselves.
Fix the oversight. Punish the scammers. Upgrade identity checks. But don’t use a tiny sample to justify detonating help for millions. If subsidies expire, premiums double, healthy people flee the market, and the whole system sinks into an avoidable death spiral.
It’s sad to see the Post become a phony mouthpiece in this way.
Gee, who could have guessed that Dumbass secured mortgages on two properties in FL to use as his primary residence- within 7 weeks of each other?Now where have I heard that the Trump admin thinks that’s a crime?
NEW SHORT From Live Chat ⬇️
Dan Bongino tells Sean Hannity he “wasn’t paid for facts” when he was a FOX commentator. Our panel panel breaks it down. Receipts included.
Good for Jake taking the time to fact check Trump’s ridiculous “ending wars” bluster…
@tessa___888 @CNN Jake Tapper digs into the 8 wars that Trump claims to have ended – Israel and Iran -Israel and Hamas -India and Pakistan -Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda -Cambodia and Thailand -Ethiopia and Egypt Armenia and Azerbaijan – Serbia and Kosovo #Trump#foreignpolicy#8wars#fypシ゚viral♬ original sound – Tessa🌻
Ukraine is preparing to present a revised peace plan to the White House, as it seeks to avoid making territorial concessions to Russia.
Kyiv is set propose alternatives to the US after President Volodymyr Zelensky again ruled out surrendering land, saying he had “no right” to do so under Ukrainian or international law.
He made the comments as he met European and Nato leaders on Monday, part of a collective push to deter the US from backing a peace deal which includes major concessions for Ukraine, and which allies fear would leave it vulnerable to a future invasion.
Meanwhile, the city of Sumy in north-western Ukraine was left without power overnight after a Russian drone attack.
The region’s governor said more than a dozen drones had hit power infrastructure, the latest in Russia’s nightly attacks. No deaths were reported.
More at link
On Ukraine, isn’t it amazing that we do all our negotiating with our supposed ally. Imagine FDR telling Churchill he must let Hitler take Wales.
WSJ: “During a December visit to Washington, David Ellison offered assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he’d make sweeping changes to CNN, a common target of President Trump’s ire, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has told people close to him that he wants new ownership of CNN as well as changes to CNN programming.”
James Talarico welcoming Jasmine Crockett to the Senate race was pure class. That’s how it should be.
I really hear more about what problems need to be solved for folks from Talarico. She seems to be entangled in tRUMPsky’s beef with her. She needs to start talking about Texans, not tRUMPsky.
If you aren’t listening to Rachel Maddow’s “Burn Order” podcast, try to make the time. She is covering a period after Pearl Harbor that is very applicable today.
today’s meme…
meme #2…
Trump is doing a rally in Pennsylvania to lie about the economy. Anybody want to watch live and chat? Bring your own spitballs.
That “scamming-Obamacare” thing is a lie.
Sure, you can lie about income in an application (and self-employed folks probably have to guesstimate), but you have to pay the piper when you do your taxes the next spring.
If you underestimate your income, you have to pay back tax premiums. The Biden enhancement changed it to a gentle slope, but without the enhancements there a cliff, and if you underestimate by $1 you have to repay all of it.
Still haven’t heard from my Rep as to why tax premiums are showing on the website. If there’s a “no” vote, do you have to pay it all back when tax time rolls around? Do many questions and apparently my Rep doesn’t know, either.
Paramount Unveils Jared Kushner, Middle East Sovereign Funds As Backers Of Now Hostile WBD Bid; China’s Tencent Out
Paramount’s last and best offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, one that it took hostile today, includes funding from the Public Investment Fund (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), L’imad Holding Company PJSC (Abu Dhabi), Qatar Investment Authority (Qatar) and Affinity Partners, the investment fund of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Abu Dhabi-based Lunate and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund are both big investors in Affinity. The Kushner firm is also part of a group that’s agreed to buy Electronic Arts for $55 billion.
Paramount notes that the $40 billion is entirely backstopped by the Ellison Trust, meaning it could and would if needed cover all financial commitments.
“The Ellison Trust has financial resources well in excess of what would be required to meet its commitments … including, among many other assets and financial resources available to it, record and beneficial ownership of approximately 1.16 billion shares of Oracle Corporation stock with a market value of approximately $252 billion as of the date of this Offer to Purchase.”
If it were up to Larry Ellison, the exorbitantly rich cofounder of software outfit Oracle, all of us will soon be smiling for the camera — constantly. Not for a cheery photograph, but to appease our super-invasive, if not totally omnipresent, algorithmic overseers.
As Business Insider reports, the tech centibillionaire glibly predicts that the wonders of AI will bring about a new paradigm of supercharged surveillance, guaranteeing that the proles — excuse us, “citizens” — all behave and stay in line.
“We’re going to have supervision,” Ellison said this week at an Oracle financial analysts meeting, per BI. “Every police officer is going to be supervised at all times, and if there’s a problem, AI will report that problem and report it to the appropriate person.”
“Citizens will be on their best behavior,” he added, “because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.”
Under Ellison’s stewardship, Oracle has been attempting to position itself as another leader in the AI race…
Here’s something worth noting, though: in 2022, Oracle was sued for running a “worldwide surveillance machine” which was facilitated by allegedly collecting billions of people’s personal information and pawning it off to third parties. It settled the case in July, agreeing to pay $115 million.
What does it take to become the most successful AI surveillance company in 2025? If you’re anything like Flock, the startup selling automatic license plate readers and facial recognition tech to cops, you don’t really need much AI at all — just an army of sweatshop workers in the global south.
Flock, which has its cameras in thousands of US communities, has been outsourcing its AI to gig workers in the Philippines.
In a growing number of cases, local police are using Flock to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surveil minority communities.
…with Flock, as you don’t have to consent to end up in the panopticon. In other words, for a growing number of Americans, a for-profit company is deciding who gets watched, and who does the watching — a system built on exploitation at either end.
Oracle’s Database 23ai services are available across various US security classification levels, facilitating sensitive information processing within secure environments. These solutions help Israeli military units process vast amounts of information for tactical and strategic decision-making.
Oracle’s partnerships with Israeli defense units
Oracle maintains direct partnerships with specialized Israeli defense and intelligence units. These collaborations focus on developing custom solutions for military applications while supporting Israel’s broader defense technology ecosystem. Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison’s $10 billion commitment to expanding Oracle’s computing facilities in Israel further cements these relationships.
Kirk went on to say that she didn’t want women in New York City to rely on the government and put off marriage and having a family. She said that she found it “ironic” and “interesting” that a large percentage of voters for Mamdani were women.
In response, Welch said that Erika Kirk is “weaponizing” her gender while being a “full-time working mother.”
“You are an opportunistic grifter who weaponizes your gender to demean women, and you are a walking, talking, breathing example as to why nobody, number one, wants to be a Christian, and number two, wants to be a female hypocrite such as yourself,” Welch said, adding: “This woman should be kicked to the curb.”
The podcaster continued, adding, “She is an absolute grifter – just like Donald Trump and her unrepentant, racist, homophobic husband was.”
Angie Sullivan, who co-hosts the I’ve Had It podcast with Welch, then added: “Maybe there’s more to life than identifying yourself as someone’s wife or someone’s mother.”
Trump rally speech scheduled for 6pm, interferes with my Shrimp boil plans, but i might hop in the chat room earlier to catch interviews with the MAGAts in line. That’s usually entertaining.
“She is an absolute grifter – just like Donald Trump and her unrepentant, racist, homophobic husband was.”
One more cash cow.
Ellison is 41 years late and owes Orwell an apology for his plagiarism.
Prick on a Brick. I like it.
Shapiro was dead on this morning when he said Dumbass can tell Pennsylvanians that things aren’t as bad as they hear, but he can’t tell them things aren’t as bad as what they feel when they go to the store and pay their bills – or something like that.
HA!
We are all becoming a Person of Interest. If you missed the series the first time around, all five years are now on Amazon, You Tube, and Apple. What was broadcast as Science Fiction is rapidly becoming science fact.
Person of Interest is an American science fiction crime drama[2] television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2011,[3] to June 21, 2016,[4] with its five seasons consisting of 103 episodes. The series was created by Jonathan Nolan; executive producers were Nolan, J. J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Greg Plageman, Denise Thé, and Chris Fisher.
The series centers on a mysterious reclusive billionaire computer programmer, Harold Finch (Michael Emerson), who has developed a computer program for the federal government known as “the Machine” that is capable of collating all sources of information to predict terrorist acts and to identify people planning them. Finch hires John Reese (Jim Caviezel), a former Special Forces soldier and CIA operative, to be his field agent in preventing small everyday crimes (“irrelevant” in terms of national security). The series raises an array of moral issues, from questions of privacy and “the greater good”, the concept of justifiable homicide, and problems caused by working with limited information programs.
.
Pogo
That Ellison shit is great for prying votes out of the Trump orbit, just don’t talk about Orwell, that is way too intellectual.
More like.
Did you stop at the local bar last night and have a few? They keep track of that. Did you speed on the way home? There is a chip in your car that keeps track of that. Maybe, spend a couple of hours with someone not your wife? They know where you were. All that you did yesterday is in a great big AI computer and they will sell it to anybody, The government, the insurance companies, Your landlord, your boss, anybody.
Who are they, a small group of Tech billionaires who are using their trillions of dollars to buy your country and make sure you can’t object.
Jamie
The problem with that show is that it was outdated the moment it was aired. It isn’t the government, it is big tech and huge multi nationals and they will sell the information to anybody, our government, their government or some shady group with lots of money.
Anybody!
Tech has the ability to know how much I drink, how many carbs I eat (and what kind) and how much insulin I use. That could be a great benefit for me and my doctor. It could also be a big chain around my neck if it is me and my insurance company.
Jack
Does this sculpture make you think of peace or desperation?
The Fifa peace prize.
Are those hands holding up the world or just desperately hanging on?
Or are they the dead reaching up from the grave, pulling us down to our reward?
Interesting sculpture. Weird base.
Jack
FIFA managed to commission something as ugly as the World Cup trophy
The name plates look like the budget line from Batman’s Trophies (honest, that’s the name) in the evil crosstown burg – not to be confused with Bridgeport, CT – painted, not engraved. A lot of my old HS friends have been giving him and his “prize” a ton of shit on FB. Some I would have thought swung the other way.
LOL – scrolling through the “People you may know” scroll at the bottom of the FB feed I ran across…. me. I have 10 mutual friends with me. I wonder how that works.🤔There are people I have no idea who they are that I have MORE friends in common than myself.
lol such folk like to hate anything international and FIFa gave them a focal point
Anon
Actually they stole it the original is setting in front of the UN offices in Geneva Switzerland. Link to more info
The title of it is “Thoughts and Desires by a pair of Azerbaijani sculpturers.
Jack
well, anyway, the goose is cooked and we are having Orwell, the billionaire class has too much power and nation states are either too weak to control them or want what they’re selling
I always remember when Mitch McConnell was asked what the GOP plan was to provide affordable healthcare for Americans…He said that is not a priority for us…For once he told the truth!!!
By Shannon Osaka
The Environmental Protection Agency has removed references to human-caused climate change from its website — tweaking some pages to focus on the “natural processes” driving climate change and wiping other pages from the internet.
Ask your climate questions. With the help of generative Al, we’ll try to deliver answers based on our published reporting.
In October, the EPA page on “Causes of Climate Change,” for example, included a statement from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that noted, “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land.”
That clear statement has been deleted from the page, which now mentions only climate changes from natural sources, such as volcanic activity and variations in solar activity.
More at link
It’s official. Trump’s federal government spends more money than Biden. Here are the receipts:
FEDERAL SPENDING UPDATE: FY 2025 vs. FY 2024
Is the government spending more?
Yes. Federal spending increased by approximately $275 billion (+4%) this year compared to last year.
tortured and murdered by the Russians he went to help- that’s who trump wants to ally with
Slava Ukraine, Putin Huilo
Boom Over Brains.
That’s what this drug-boat demolition policy really is. We keep watching vessels blown up, then acting shocked when we can’t climb up the supply chain.
When you incinerate a boat, you don’t just destroy “contraband.” You erase GPS logs, phones, fingerprints, packaging methods, ledgers, and every scrap of data investigators use to connect dots.
You also erase the people on board who could name bosses, routes, financiers — the human intel that actually collapses networks.
Cartels aren’t scared of pyrotechnics. They’re scared of evidence, and they’re terrified of witnesses who talk. Our current approach vaporizes both. It’s great theater, terrible strategy, and the kind of chest-thumping that leaves us dumber, not safer.
If the mission is dismantling cartels instead of staging explosions, maybe stop choosing Boom over Brains.
if you’re going to use ai to write, at least flag it
A Randy Elf on the shelf
I can’t help myself with this one. Base funny. And, sad that it is created due to the imbecile in the Oval Office.
Had to take an RMD from my account because I just passed the mile-marker birthday. Would’ve been a nice Xmas gift to myself except more than half of it got taxed.
Here’s the live feed, Trump in PA lying about the economy…
Ivy
If it makes you feel better, my son just retired and with all the governmental shenanigans he is getting hit with a rather large lump sum covering all his various retirement and savings accounts switching from one government hand to another government hand. He’ll probably get a nice return at some point, but it is ugly on this end.
I believe that’s the old FIFA Cup they gave to Don-Old. They upgraded. The winning team gets a replica.
Still wondering if the real Resolute Desk is still in the OO or if it’s actually in MAL?
Another afternoon of trying to figure out ACA. Finally got a call from someone in my Rep’s office. He thinks they are NOT the standard, Biden-era tax credits on the website, but are the premium tax credits that expire in December, so would not be applicable for 2026…but he wasn’t sure.
Someone else, yesterday, said their were still the original, Biden-era tax credits available for 2026.
I can’t risk owing thousands instead of hundreds, and the deadline to sign up is the 15th.
Last visual of Resolute is in Florida. Unless he has burned it. Once mangomoron is room temperature retrieving stolen goods should be easier.
Heritage Foundation Project 2026 Plan Released: Read in Full
The priorities listed in the plan for 2026 are: Counter the CCP, Eliminate Regulation, Inflation and Spending, End the Border and immigration Chaos, Ensure Election Integrity, Expand Education Freedom, Restore Digital Sovereignty, Put Family First, Root Out the Deep State, and Unleash American Energy.
According to its website, the foundation is “fighting to restore self-governance so that all Americans can live the good life.”
*What kind of Nazi-Newspeak is this?
*Can folks please take it seriously this time?
“Heritage will push for decoupling key supply chains and key sectors of the U.S. economy from Chinese influence.”
*Well, China is doing trade deals without the US; soybeans from Argentina; ports in both sides of Mexico with a railroad in between. Thanks to Taco Don. He’s kind of decoupled the US from China and beyond.
“Government spending, regulations, and inflation are a tax on all Americans, especially working families who struggle to make ends meet. Prudent fiscal decisions can enable American families to flourish without politicians and bureaucrats controlling our lives. Reforming environmental and energy regulations will result in more affordable electricity and transportation and attract manufacturing back to America.”
*The Big, Ugly Law jacked up the defect and the tax burden in all it the very richest, so this is absolute BS. Republicans are terrible for the economy. As for deregulation, get ready for toxic air and water, and
being stripped of public lands.
*Read it and weep…and be infuriated.
Trump on stage at link above
Craig
I’ll let you keep track.
btw, I bought eggs yesterday for 1.25 a dozen, gas was under 2.50 but my property taxes were up 12% and my health ins was up15%.
They say natural gas prices have close to doubled that is probably why I don’t see any benefit from the $11000 I spent to up grade my furnace to a high efficiency model.
Jack
Bid, what Anon said, you real risk is not having insurance and needing it. Then it will be a choice between owing or death. If they do cancel you I believe that you may have a 90 day option to renew or catch up if a major health crisis happens in that time period.
*Yep, Orange Adolf got the old, gnarled-hands cup. There’s a sleek, new cup this year. Rings that move to create a flat disc, taking inspiration from the Voyager disc.
Just like Qatar offloaded an obsolete jet to feed his ego, FIFA gave him what they didn’t want anymore.
if you find a shameful that your elected representatives are comfortable with you having to play a game of chicken with your own anxiety when making healthcare decisions, I don’t disagree
Jesus Christ, the pageantry these billionaires build around inflated balls
and the people eat it up
lol it’s not a coincidence that trump is addressing PA’s biggest dummies
guaranteed i know someone there 😭
collective IQ on that dais is less than 130 Trump included
fuckin’ bonkers that we handed this clown our society
Biden wrote him a cute note🙄
every male on that dais looks like a potential assassin lol
well i hope I never run into that scary “Persians for Trump” guy 😳
you may have a 90 day option to renew or catch up if a major health crisis happens in that time period.
Jack is correct, there is a grace period. You can float it, and exercise it (within the window) if you have an incident.
Poconos is hillbilly territory.
Has it been noted anywhere that in soccer the hands are not to make contact with the ball, except for the goalie. Is that FIFA Knick-knack trophy a bunch of goalies?
Or maybe It looks like a bunch of zombie hands clawing at the earth.
Trump rally speech in Pennsylvania not going so well. Local papers…
it’ll play with the base
and it’s all base up in them hills
There’s no Democrat who can do what Trump did and just ramble for three hours. It’s laughable, but it’s also effective.
Sturg – You are correct & it is an odd and homely trophy…so they dumped it on Drumpf.
The new one looks kind of cool.
why is it never a cup
i guess the new one is a plate, halfway to the proper tableware
Three hours? Just him? How much speed did they pump into him? Will he sleep through most of tomorrow’s goings on?
JD & Mitler have to be getting their ducks in a row, knowing Adolf’s (functioning) days are drawing to a close.
Will Mitler’s wife try to usurp the widow Kirk’s spot in the new administration?
Usha’s days are numbered; JD refers to their kids as Usha’s kids, perhaps because they are brown and/or they were conceived via IVF.
For all of the big-talkers and groups like Anonymous, nobody has hacked and exposed anything nor anyone.
The billionaire co-founder of the data analytics and software giant Palantir has called for the U.S. to bring back public hangings for repeat violent offenders.
Joe Lonsdale defended open-air executions in a series of posts on X, saying their reintroduction would be an example of the “masculine leadership” the country is sorely lacking.
“If I’m in charge later, we won’t just have a three strikes law. We will quickly try and hang men after three violent crimes. And yes, we will do it in public to deter others,” he wrote. “Our society needs balance. It’s time to bring back masculine leadership to protect our most vulnerable.”
*If HE’S IN CHARGE later? Does Peter Thiel plan to throw JD to the dogs?
*Our most vulnerable are victims of this toxic masculinity. It’s why we choose the bear.
*I’d expect verbal assaults against women to get worse now that Dementia Don has lost that part of his filter, or just chooses to not bother with it anymore.
ok if what craig said at 7:10 is accurate then trump rambled for two hours, sorry, seemed like 20
yeah im not dismissing your kirk musings
like is said, Nuzzi almost succeeded in something similar and that was just her individual effort
Here is the history of the world cup trophy. From Wikipedia
The first design was a cup, it was replaced by the current design in 1974.
The wiki link gives you pictures of both.
I agree with Sturg, the sculpture at the UN Genevia headquarters, that was the model for the Trump participation trophy does look a bit like either zombies or the dead coming to life to destroy the earth. The artist was from Azerbaijan. What can we say.
Why do some consider Palantir the world’s ‘scariest company’ and who is its chief executive, Alex Karp?
Michael Steinberger, the author of The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir and the Rise of the Surveillance State, describes Karp’s origin story to Nosheen Iqbal and the way that his political positions have changed over the years. The pair also discuss how Palantir was established as a company, the services that it offers, its close relationship to the US military and how Karp has been navigating the second Trump presidency.
hey Craig, if you watched that rally tonight the dais behind Trump reminds me of the last scene of the Sopranos
“PA’s scariest creeps, assemble!”
Facing criticism for rising costs for American consumers under his administration, President Trump stoked fear of immigrants from poor countries to rally a crowd of his supporters at a Pennsylvania casino on Tuesday.
We’re on the same track this morning, PatD. I woke up thinking what happened to those subsidy extensions.
My take:
Congress Treats Your Health Costs Like an Optional Deadline
Congress is letting ACA subsidies tick toward expiration like it’s background noise, even though 24 million Americans rely on them. Democrats will force a vote just to show they tried; Republicans are still arguing with their own shadows; the House hasn’t even sat up straight. If these subsidies die, families could see 2026 premiums jump 30–60%, with insurers locking in those hikes as early as next summer (on the eve of the midterm elections).
And here’s the political math: Kaiser polling shows 74–78% of Americans want the subsidies extended, including 82% of independents and even 59% of Republicans.
So yes, Democrats can absolutely pin this on the GOP — because voters already do. Deadlines don’t care. Premiums don’t lie. And political pain arrives exactly on schedule.
healthcare a la RFK
Head to https://ground.news/randy for a fabulous 40% off Ground News’ unlimited access Vantage Plan! It’s the tool I swear by for making sense of the world and staying updated on breaking news! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!
Parody of “Cabaret” (Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb)
Parody Lyrics by Randy Rainbow
Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr @michaeljmoritz
I wrote my first Trail Mix Brief two months ago, starting with the health insurance crisis. It still holds up because nothing has changed…
editorial board at WAPO weighs in
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/12/08/aca-subsidies-gao-insurance-broker/
also in WAPO this morning on another subject
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/12/08/europe-ukraine-leaders-trump-plan/
PatD, glad you posted that WAPO editorial rationalizing GOP talking points. It’s telling about where they’re headed isn’t it?
The Post is mixing up two totally different issues: sloppy oversight and the core value of ACA subsidies. The GAO’s alarm bells come from twenty secret-shopper cases. That’s a stress test, not a verdict on the 20 million real enrollees. The problems they found point to rogue brokers and weak verification, not some fatal flaw in subsidies themselves.
Fix the oversight. Punish the scammers. Upgrade identity checks. But don’t use a tiny sample to justify detonating help for millions. If subsidies expire, premiums double, healthy people flee the market, and the whole system sinks into an avoidable death spiral.
It’s sad to see the Post become a phony mouthpiece in this way.
Gee, who could have guessed that Dumbass secured mortgages on two properties in FL to use as his primary residence- within 7 weeks of each other?Now where have I heard that the Trump admin thinks that’s a crime?
Newsom Mocks Trump’s Unhinged IQ Comment About Gardening Equipment
Do You have a 185 I Q?
NEW SHORT From Live Chat ⬇️
Dan Bongino tells Sean Hannity he “wasn’t paid for facts” when he was a FOX commentator. Our panel panel breaks it down. Receipts included.
Good for Jake taking the time to fact check Trump’s ridiculous “ending wars” bluster…
For more, see…
“
too bad Jake doesn’t spend as much airtime on dodo’s dementia as he did on Joe.
Pog
With Trump we know every accusation is a confession particularly now that he’s okayed murdering the defenseless.
Ukraine prepares new peace plan as Zelensky rules out giving up land
More at link
On Ukraine, isn’t it amazing that we do all our negotiating with our supposed ally. Imagine FDR telling Churchill he must let Hitler take Wales.
free link…
https://www.wsj.com/business/media/paramount-netflix-warner-bros-battle-ellisons-a86fe15c
James Talarico welcoming Jasmine Crockett to the Senate race was pure class. That’s how it should be.
I really hear more about what problems need to be solved for folks from Talarico. She seems to be entangled in tRUMPsky’s beef with her. She needs to start talking about Texans, not tRUMPsky.
If you aren’t listening to Rachel Maddow’s “Burn Order” podcast, try to make the time. She is covering a period after Pearl Harbor that is very applicable today.
today’s meme…
meme #2…
Trump is doing a rally in Pennsylvania to lie about the economy. Anybody want to watch live and chat? Bring your own spitballs.
That “scamming-Obamacare” thing is a lie.
Sure, you can lie about income in an application (and self-employed folks probably have to guesstimate), but you have to pay the piper when you do your taxes the next spring.
If you underestimate your income, you have to pay back tax premiums. The Biden enhancement changed it to a gentle slope, but without the enhancements there a cliff, and if you underestimate by $1 you have to repay all of it.
Still haven’t heard from my Rep as to why tax premiums are showing on the website. If there’s a “no” vote, do you have to pay it all back when tax time rolls around? Do many questions and apparently my Rep doesn’t know, either.
https://deadline.com/2025/12/paramount-warner-bros-bid-jared-kushner-middle-east-funds-1236642045/
Paramount Unveils Jared Kushner, Middle East Sovereign Funds As Backers Of Now Hostile WBD Bid; China’s Tencent Out
Paramount’s last and best offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, one that it took hostile today, includes funding from the Public Investment Fund (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), L’imad Holding Company PJSC (Abu Dhabi), Qatar Investment Authority (Qatar) and Affinity Partners, the investment fund of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Abu Dhabi-based Lunate and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund are both big investors in Affinity. The Kushner firm is also part of a group that’s agreed to buy Electronic Arts for $55 billion.
Paramount notes that the $40 billion is entirely backstopped by the Ellison Trust, meaning it could and would if needed cover all financial commitments.
“The Ellison Trust has financial resources well in excess of what would be required to meet its commitments … including, among many other assets and financial resources available to it, record and beneficial ownership of approximately 1.16 billion shares of Oracle Corporation stock with a market value of approximately $252 billion as of the date of this Offer to Purchase.”
https://futurism.com/the-byte/billionaire-constant-ai-surveillance
If it were up to Larry Ellison, the exorbitantly rich cofounder of software outfit Oracle, all of us will soon be smiling for the camera — constantly. Not for a cheery photograph, but to appease our super-invasive, if not totally omnipresent, algorithmic overseers.
As Business Insider reports, the tech centibillionaire glibly predicts that the wonders of AI will bring about a new paradigm of supercharged surveillance, guaranteeing that the proles — excuse us, “citizens” — all behave and stay in line.
“We’re going to have supervision,” Ellison said this week at an Oracle financial analysts meeting, per BI. “Every police officer is going to be supervised at all times, and if there’s a problem, AI will report that problem and report it to the appropriate person.”
“Citizens will be on their best behavior,” he added, “because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.”
Under Ellison’s stewardship, Oracle has been attempting to position itself as another leader in the AI race…
Here’s something worth noting, though: in 2022, Oracle was sued for running a “worldwide surveillance machine” which was facilitated by allegedly collecting billions of people’s personal information and pawning it off to third parties. It settled the case in July, agreeing to pay $115 million.
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-surveillance-flock-philippines
What does it take to become the most successful AI surveillance company in 2025? If you’re anything like Flock, the startup selling automatic license plate readers and facial recognition tech to cops, you don’t really need much AI at all — just an army of sweatshop workers in the global south.
Flock, which has its cameras in thousands of US communities, has been outsourcing its AI to gig workers in the Philippines.
In a growing number of cases, local police are using Flock to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents surveil minority communities.
…with Flock, as you don’t have to consent to end up in the panopticon. In other words, for a growing number of Americans, a for-profit company is deciding who gets watched, and who does the watching — a system built on exploitation at either end.
https://decodingaffairs.com/israel-palestine-conflict/boycott/oracle-supports-israel/
Oracle’s Database 23ai services are available across various US security classification levels, facilitating sensitive information processing within secure environments. These solutions help Israeli military units process vast amounts of information for tactical and strategic decision-making.
Oracle’s partnerships with Israeli defense units
Oracle maintains direct partnerships with specialized Israeli defense and intelligence units. These collaborations focus on developing custom solutions for military applications while supporting Israel’s broader defense technology ecosystem. Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison’s $10 billion commitment to expanding Oracle’s computing facilities in Israel further cements these relationships.
https://www.newsweek.com/jennifer-welch-erika-charlie-kirk-podcast-viral-liberal-conservative-11179745
Kirk went on to say that she didn’t want women in New York City to rely on the government and put off marriage and having a family. She said that she found it “ironic” and “interesting” that a large percentage of voters for Mamdani were women.
In response, Welch said that Erika Kirk is “weaponizing” her gender while being a “full-time working mother.”
“You are an opportunistic grifter who weaponizes your gender to demean women, and you are a walking, talking, breathing example as to why nobody, number one, wants to be a Christian, and number two, wants to be a female hypocrite such as yourself,” Welch said, adding: “This woman should be kicked to the curb.”
The podcaster continued, adding, “She is an absolute grifter – just like Donald Trump and her unrepentant, racist, homophobic husband was.”
Angie Sullivan, who co-hosts the I’ve Had It podcast with Welch, then added: “Maybe there’s more to life than identifying yourself as someone’s wife or someone’s mother.”
Trump rally speech scheduled for 6pm, interferes with my Shrimp boil plans, but i might hop in the chat room earlier to catch interviews with the MAGAts in line. That’s usually entertaining.
One more cash cow.
Ellison is 41 years late and owes Orwell an apology for his plagiarism.
Prick on a Brick. I like it.
Shapiro was dead on this morning when he said Dumbass can tell Pennsylvanians that things aren’t as bad as they hear, but he can’t tell them things aren’t as bad as what they feel when they go to the store and pay their bills – or something like that.
HA!
We are all becoming a Person of Interest. If you missed the series the first time around, all five years are now on Amazon, You Tube, and Apple. What was broadcast as Science Fiction is rapidly becoming science fact.
.
Pogo
That Ellison shit is great for prying votes out of the Trump orbit, just don’t talk about Orwell, that is way too intellectual.
More like.
Jamie
The problem with that show is that it was outdated the moment it was aired. It isn’t the government, it is big tech and huge multi nationals and they will sell the information to anybody, our government, their government or some shady group with lots of money.
Anybody!
Tech has the ability to know how much I drink, how many carbs I eat (and what kind) and how much insulin I use. That could be a great benefit for me and my doctor. It could also be a big chain around my neck if it is me and my insurance company.
Jack
Does this sculpture make you think of peace or desperation?
The Fifa peace prize.
Are those hands holding up the world or just desperately hanging on?
Or are they the dead reaching up from the grave, pulling us down to our reward?
Interesting sculpture. Weird base.
Jack
FIFA managed to commission something as ugly as the World Cup trophy
The name plates look like the budget line from Batman’s Trophies (honest, that’s the name) in the evil crosstown burg – not to be confused with Bridgeport, CT – painted, not engraved. A lot of my old HS friends have been giving him and his “prize” a ton of shit on FB. Some I would have thought swung the other way.
LOL – scrolling through the “People you may know” scroll at the bottom of the FB feed I ran across…. me. I have 10 mutual friends with me. I wonder how that works.🤔There are people I have no idea who they are that I have MORE friends in common than myself.
lol such folk like to hate anything international and FIFa gave them a focal point
Anon
Actually they stole it the original is setting in front of the UN offices in Geneva Switzerland.
Link to more info
The title of it is “Thoughts and Desires by a pair of Azerbaijani sculpturers.
Jack
well, anyway, the goose is cooked and we are having Orwell, the billionaire class has too much power and nation states are either too weak to control them or want what they’re selling
I always remember when Mitch McConnell was asked what the GOP plan was to provide affordable healthcare for Americans…He said that is not a priority for us…For once he told the truth!!!
The EPA is wiping mention of human-caused climate change from its website
Some pages have been tweaked to emphasize ‘natural forces’; others have been deleted entirely.
More at link
It’s official. Trump’s federal government spends more money than Biden. Here are the receipts:
FEDERAL SPENDING UPDATE: FY 2025 vs. FY 2024
Is the government spending more?
Yes. Federal spending increased by approximately $275 billion (+4%) this year compared to last year.
THE NUMBERS:
• 2024 Spending: ~$6.75 Trillion
• 2025 Spending: ~$7.01 Trillion
Source: Congressional Budget Office
mercenaries don’t come cheap
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/09/ukraine-war-briefing-donbas-cowboy-russians-jailed-for-killing-us-volunteer-on-their-side
tortured and murdered by the Russians he went to help- that’s who trump wants to ally with
Slava Ukraine, Putin Huilo
Boom Over Brains.
That’s what this drug-boat demolition policy really is. We keep watching vessels blown up, then acting shocked when we can’t climb up the supply chain.
When you incinerate a boat, you don’t just destroy “contraband.” You erase GPS logs, phones, fingerprints, packaging methods, ledgers, and every scrap of data investigators use to connect dots.
You also erase the people on board who could name bosses, routes, financiers — the human intel that actually collapses networks.
Cartels aren’t scared of pyrotechnics. They’re scared of evidence, and they’re terrified of witnesses who talk. Our current approach vaporizes both. It’s great theater, terrible strategy, and the kind of chest-thumping that leaves us dumber, not safer.
If the mission is dismantling cartels instead of staging explosions, maybe stop choosing Boom over Brains.
if you’re going to use ai to write, at least flag it
A Randy Elf on the shelf
I can’t help myself with this one. Base funny. And, sad that it is created due to the imbecile in the Oval Office.
Had to take an RMD from my account because I just passed the mile-marker birthday. Would’ve been a nice Xmas gift to myself except more than half of it got taxed.
If I don’t have your address, please email. jessied44@gmail.com
I still address envelopes with cursive.
Here’s the live feed, Trump in PA lying about the economy…
Ivy
If it makes you feel better, my son just retired and with all the governmental shenanigans he is getting hit with a rather large lump sum covering all his various retirement and savings accounts switching from one government hand to another government hand. He’ll probably get a nice return at some point, but it is ugly on this end.
I believe that’s the old FIFA Cup they gave to Don-Old. They upgraded. The winning team gets a replica.
Still wondering if the real Resolute Desk is still in the OO or if it’s actually in MAL?
Another afternoon of trying to figure out ACA. Finally got a call from someone in my Rep’s office. He thinks they are NOT the standard, Biden-era tax credits on the website, but are the premium tax credits that expire in December, so would not be applicable for 2026…but he wasn’t sure.
Someone else, yesterday, said their were still the original, Biden-era tax credits available for 2026.
I can’t risk owing thousands instead of hundreds, and the deadline to sign up is the 15th.
Last visual of Resolute is in Florida. Unless he has burned it. Once mangomoron is room temperature retrieving stolen goods should be easier.
zombie hands and a distorted world
perfect metaphor for our times
so you just don’t pay and they cancel your policy
re-up if you need the insurance
https://www.newsweek.com/project-2026-heritage-foundation-document-11183162
Heritage Foundation Project 2026 Plan Released: Read in Full
The priorities listed in the plan for 2026 are: Counter the CCP, Eliminate Regulation, Inflation and Spending, End the Border and immigration Chaos, Ensure Election Integrity, Expand Education Freedom, Restore Digital Sovereignty, Put Family First, Root Out the Deep State, and Unleash American Energy.
According to its website, the foundation is “fighting to restore self-governance so that all Americans can live the good life.”
*What kind of Nazi-Newspeak is this?
*Can folks please take it seriously this time?
“Heritage will push for decoupling key supply chains and key sectors of the U.S. economy from Chinese influence.”
*Well, China is doing trade deals without the US; soybeans from Argentina; ports in both sides of Mexico with a railroad in between. Thanks to Taco Don. He’s kind of decoupled the US from China and beyond.
“Government spending, regulations, and inflation are a tax on all Americans, especially working families who struggle to make ends meet. Prudent fiscal decisions can enable American families to flourish without politicians and bureaucrats controlling our lives. Reforming environmental and energy regulations will result in more affordable electricity and transportation and attract manufacturing back to America.”
*The Big, Ugly Law jacked up the defect and the tax burden in all it the very richest, so this is absolute BS. Republicans are terrible for the economy. As for deregulation, get ready for toxic air and water, and
being stripped of public lands.
*Read it and weep…and be infuriated.
Trump on stage at link above
Craig
I’ll let you keep track.
btw, I bought eggs yesterday for 1.25 a dozen, gas was under 2.50 but my property taxes were up 12% and my health ins was up15%.
They say natural gas prices have close to doubled that is probably why I don’t see any benefit from the $11000 I spent to up grade my furnace to a high efficiency model.
Jack
Bid, what Anon said, you real risk is not having insurance and needing it. Then it will be a choice between owing or death. If they do cancel you I believe that you may have a 90 day option to renew or catch up if a major health crisis happens in that time period.
Jack
https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/club-world-cup/usa-2025/trophy-explore
*Yep, Orange Adolf got the old, gnarled-hands cup. There’s a sleek, new cup this year. Rings that move to create a flat disc, taking inspiration from the Voyager disc.
Just like Qatar offloaded an obsolete jet to feed his ego, FIFA gave him what they didn’t want anymore.
if you find a shameful that your elected representatives are comfortable with you having to play a game of chicken with your own anxiety when making healthcare decisions, I don’t disagree
Jesus Christ, the pageantry these billionaires build around inflated balls
and the people eat it up
lol it’s not a coincidence that trump is addressing PA’s biggest dummies
guaranteed i know someone there 😭
collective IQ on that dais is less than 130 Trump included
fuckin’ bonkers that we handed this clown our society
Biden wrote him a cute note🙄
every male on that dais looks like a potential assassin lol
well i hope I never run into that scary “Persians for Trump” guy 😳
Jack is correct, there is a grace period. You can float it, and exercise it (within the window) if you have an incident.
Poconos is hillbilly territory.
Has it been noted anywhere that in soccer the hands are not to make contact with the ball, except for the goalie. Is that FIFA Knick-knack trophy a bunch of goalies?
Or maybe It looks like a bunch of zombie hands clawing at the earth.
Trump rally speech in Pennsylvania not going so well. Local papers…
it’ll play with the base
and it’s all base up in them hills
There’s no Democrat who can do what Trump did and just ramble for three hours. It’s laughable, but it’s also effective.
Sturg – You are correct & it is an odd and homely trophy…so they dumped it on Drumpf.
The new one looks kind of cool.
why is it never a cup
i guess the new one is a plate, halfway to the proper tableware
Three hours? Just him? How much speed did they pump into him? Will he sleep through most of tomorrow’s goings on?
JD & Mitler have to be getting their ducks in a row, knowing Adolf’s (functioning) days are drawing to a close.
Will Mitler’s wife try to usurp the widow Kirk’s spot in the new administration?
Usha’s days are numbered; JD refers to their kids as Usha’s kids, perhaps because they are brown and/or they were conceived via IVF.
For all of the big-talkers and groups like Anonymous, nobody has hacked and exposed anything nor anyone.
https://www.newsweek.com/billionaire-wants-to-bring-back-public-executions-11174343
The billionaire co-founder of the data analytics and software giant Palantir has called for the U.S. to bring back public hangings for repeat violent offenders.
Joe Lonsdale defended open-air executions in a series of posts on X, saying their reintroduction would be an example of the “masculine leadership” the country is sorely lacking.
“If I’m in charge later, we won’t just have a three strikes law. We will quickly try and hang men after three violent crimes. And yes, we will do it in public to deter others,” he wrote. “Our society needs balance. It’s time to bring back masculine leadership to protect our most vulnerable.”
*If HE’S IN CHARGE later? Does Peter Thiel plan to throw JD to the dogs?
*Our most vulnerable are victims of this toxic masculinity. It’s why we choose the bear.
*I’d expect verbal assaults against women to get worse now that Dementia Don has lost that part of his filter, or just chooses to not bother with it anymore.
ok if what craig said at 7:10 is accurate then trump rambled for two hours, sorry, seemed like 20
yeah im not dismissing your kirk musings
like is said, Nuzzi almost succeeded in something similar and that was just her individual effort
Here is the history of the world cup trophy.
From Wikipedia
The first design was a cup, it was replaced by the current design in 1974.
The wiki link gives you pictures of both.
I agree with Sturg, the sculpture at the UN Genevia headquarters, that was the model for the Trump participation trophy does look a bit like either zombies or the dead coming to life to destroy the earth. The artist was from Azerbaijan. What can we say.
Jack
https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/dec/09/palantir-the-worlds-scariest-company-podcast
Why do some consider Palantir the world’s ‘scariest company’ and who is its chief executive, Alex Karp?
Michael Steinberger, the author of The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir and the Rise of the Surveillance State, describes Karp’s origin story to Nosheen Iqbal and the way that his political positions have changed over the years. The pair also discuss how Palantir was established as a company, the services that it offers, its close relationship to the US military and how Karp has been navigating the second Trump presidency.
hey Craig, if you watched that rally tonight the dais behind Trump reminds me of the last scene of the Sopranos
“PA’s scariest creeps, assemble!”
He knows what they want to hear and this is it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/us/politics/trump-somalis-immigrants.html
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