Evening Roundup, May 20
Featuring Rep. Ritchie Torres & Katie Phang; Jeff Nesbit; Meredith Blake; Brian O'Neill; Josh Levs; Democracy Movement; and Nick Anderson. In case you missed it: Jared Bernstein & Paul Krugman LIVE
Katie Phang and Congressman Ritchie Torres on GOP's calamitous cuts to Medicaid
Congressman Ritchie Torres joins Katie Phang to discuss the GOP’s plan to decimate Medicaid support for millions of people while putting cash in the pockets of billionaires.
Don't lose sight of the pain Trump is passing on to American consumers
By Jeff Nesbit
Many people have stopped paying attention to the harms. They shouldn't. It's coming for their pocketbooks, and maybe worse.
Saturday Night Live concludes 50th season at a crossroads
Saturday Night Live concluded its landmark 50th season with a finale that had the potential for greatness.
Romania. Poland. Portugal.
By Brian O’Neill
One weekend, three elections—and the same global question: Can democracy still hold the line?
How to dismantle the media’s bothsidesism
Our society is plagued by legacy media’s profound failures. Big news agencies regularly refuse to fact check, leave out context, give certain crucial topics scant attention, and put their own political concerns ahead of right and wrong.
The Contrarian covers the Democracy Movement
Every day (Monday-Friday), we’ll update this space with protests, signs and other public demonstrations against the actions of the administration. Keep checking to see how Americans all across the country are protecting and defending democracy. Tuesday: Protests in Kansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, and more!
Back the blue*
Nick Anderson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist whose cartoons have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and elsewhere. Find him on Substack at nickanderson.substack.com.
And in case you missed it, enjoy “Let’s Do Lunch” with Jared Bernstein and Paul Krugman (for paid subscribers)
Trump was at the Capitol today, trying to button hole support for the disaterous budget. I've been writing about the Medicare aspect.
From Heather Cox Richardson last night : "...12 swing-state Republicans who don’t want drastic Medicaid cuts, and 31 hardliners who do. House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) can afford to lose only three Republican votes on the measure. Nicole Lafond of Talking Points Memo reported today that Trump will go to Capitol Hill tomorrow to talk Republicans into voting for the measure."
We need to encourage Don Bacon R. NE. and other Republicans who are standing up to Trump and MAGA Mike. He and Reps. David Valadao, R-Calif., Don Bacon, R-Neb., Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., Rob Bresnahan Jr., R-Pa., Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., Jen Kiggans, R-Va., Young Kim, R-Calif., Robert Wittman, R-Va., Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., and Jeff Hurd, R-Colo signed a letter:
“Many hospitals — particularly in rural and underserved areas — rely heavily on Medicaid funding, with some receiving over half their revenue from the program alone,” the representatives wrote. “Providers in these areas are especially at risk of closure, with many unable to recover. When hospitals close, it affects all constituents, regardless of healthcare coverage.”
Besides the Medicaid issue, Republican Reps have called out Trump/Musk on national security and tariffs.
On MSNBC Saturday, Velshi asked Bacon about tariffs. He said, in essence, any Reagan Republican would remove Trump tariff authority. To do that, they need all of the House Dems.
Plus Bacon said Trump has a "moral blindscape" re Ukraine. Retired General. Russia is not a superpower. Mexico with nuclear weapons.
Says anyone who served has to oppose Hegseth, SIGNAL.
Says we are better than any other country in agriculture. Says Trump has broken free trade. In essence, we are losing the trade war
When Trump and his bootlicking stooges are finally out of office, we will need something like the Nuremburg Trials here in the USA. There must be accountability. Well-publicized accountability – and severe penalties. So how would that work? Congressional hearings like Watergate?