Judd Legum Profile picture
Jul 31, 2019 9 tweets 4 min read Read on X
1. You might know that the United States is the only developed country that does not have guaranteed paid maternity leave

But did you know that the average length of paid leave that new moms get in other developed countries is now 52 WEEKS!

popular.info/p/paying-for-y…
2. The Trump campaign is touting its support for paid leave as a way to win back female voters.

But Ivanka and her dad endorsed an actual proposal yesterday and (surprise!) the entire thing is a scam

popular.info/p/paying-for-y…
3. The proposal Ivanka endorsed yesterday allows new parents to take a $5,000 LOAN and then pay it back through increased taxes over the next 10 years.

This isn't paid leave.

This is paying for your own leave.

popular.info/p/paying-for-y…
4. Why is this plan so terrible?

Republicans insist any paid leave plan be REVENUE NEUTRAL

So you are left with rearranging the deck chairs

(Keep in mind these same Republicans just voted for $1 TRILLION in corporate tax cuts that had no offsets)

popular.info/p/paying-for-y…
5. The 5K loan endorsed by Ivanka would finance about 7 wks of leave for someone making a 35K salary

The average paid leave offered by developed countries was 17 weeks IN 1970

This is a worse plan than what other developed countries offered 50 YEARS AGO

popular.info/p/paying-for-y…
6. BTW, if you are interested in ACTUAL ISSUES like paid leave and not just horse race politics about polls (that don't mean anything at this point anyway) you might want to check out my newsletter, Popular Information

You can subscribe (free!) at popular.info
7. There was a detailed poll taken last year about paid leave. 80% of Americans support it.

Most voters want employers to at least share the cost of paid leave

The Ivanka plan, where employees pay for the entire cost, is supported by ONLY 2% of voters

popular.info/p/paying-for-y…
8. The idea, I think, is just to say that Trump supports paid leave and hope no one pays attention to the details.

But it's also astounding how modest even PROGRESSIVE paid leave proposals are in the United States

popular.info/p/paying-for-y…
9. The FAMILY Act would provide 12 weeks of leave for new parents. It would be paid for by a 0.2% payroll tax on employers and employees.

So it's much better than the Ivanka plan but still worse than other developed countries had it 50 years ago

popular.info/p/paying-for-y…

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More from @JuddLegum

Jun 5
1. President Trump is using various crypto schemes to shamelessly exploit the presidency for personal profit.

So why did 16 Senate Democrats provide crucial votes to advance legislation to make these schemes MORE PROFITABLE FOR TRUMP?

Follow the money.
2. USD1, a "stablecoin" recently created by the Trump-backed crypto firm World Liberty Financial, may be Trump's biggest payday.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to traditional assets. In the case of USD1, one American dollar.

popular.info/p/why-did-16-s…
3. Right now, stablecoins are kind of the wild west. money laundering, scams, sanctions evasion, and other illicit activities.

USD1 also offers the opportunity to curry favor with Trump.

Trump's company earns fees every time USD1 is used.

MGX, an investment firm owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates, used USD1 to make a $2 billion investment in the crypto trading platform Binance.

This could be just the beginning.
Read 10 tweets
Jun 2
1. Trump and his Republican allies say their budget cuts are targeted at waste, fraud, and abuse

But Trump's new 1,223-page budget proposal, quietly released on Friday afternoon, reveals the real target:

Poor children
2. The Trump administration is reducing funding that helps pregnant women, children, and breastfeeding mothers who are nutritionally at risk afford fruits and vegetables.

popular.info/p/the-war-on-p…
3. The monthly benefit for fruits and vegetables for pregnant mothers goes from $54 to $13. For young kids: $27 to $10.

The administration's budget document provides no justification for these cuts. But it impacts millions of infants and children under five. Previously, WIC has enjoyed bipartisan support. In the 50 years since the program was started, its funding has never been reduced.
Read 8 tweets
May 20
1. @Verizon's CEO @hansvestberg said the company was "fiercely committed to diversity and inclusion across all spectrums because it makes us and the world better."

THAT WAS A LIE.

The company abruptly ended all its DEI efforts last week in exchange for the Trump administration approving a merger.Image
Image
2. In a letter to FCC chair Brendan Carr, Verizon said it was "ending its DEI-related policies…effective immediately."

The company said it would eliminate all positions related to DEI, scrub DEI from its website, and end "workplace diversity goals"

popular.info/p/verizon-said…
3. Even the June 6, 2020 speech by @Verizon CEO @hansvestberg, where he declares that the company is "fiercely committed" to DEI has been scrubbed from the website. Image
Read 7 tweets
May 19
1. The "big beautiful bill" that Republicans advanced late last night is a massive transfer of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest

The bottom 20% of earners will see their income DECLINE BY 10%

The top 0.1% will get a GIGANTIC WINDFALL Image
2. BEAUTIFUL for millionaires and billionaires.

UGLY for anyone making $51,000 or less.

popular.info/p/the-ugly-tru…
3. This is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what Trump promised on the campaign trail.

"My plan will massively cut taxes for workers," Trump said at a rally the day before the election.
Read 6 tweets
May 14
1. In 2018, many CEOs boycotted Saudi Arabia's investment conference in protest of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi

Since then, US intel concluded the murder was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince MBS

Yesterday, many of those SAME CEOs traveled to Saudi Arabia to lunch with Trump and MBS

Let's name names

🧵
2. In 2018, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said: "I'm very troubled by the reports... about Jamal Khashoggi...unless a substantially different set of facts emerges, I won't be attending"

Since then, the facts have gotten worse

Yesterday, Khosrowshahi broke bread w/MBS

popular.info/p/the-murder-b…
3. Khosrowshahi did not mention Jamal Khashoggi.

Instead, appearing at a Saudi-US invesment forum that followed the lunch, he said: "The [Saudi] Kingdom represents one of our top growing markets.”
Read 8 tweets
May 13
1. Qatar is bribing Trump with a $400 million luxury plane that he can use as Air Force One and take with him after he leaves office

Qatar is not acting out of altruism

It wants policy concessions to bolster its economy and national security

Trump is exploiting those needs to line his pockets

🧵
2. Qatar is the 2nd-largest purchaser of US military equipment

Trump toured the Qatari plane in February

In March, the admin approved the sale of $2 billion in military equipment, including 8 Predator drones

popular.info/p/why-qatar-is…
3. Qatar is also home to Al-Udeid Air Base, "the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East" with about 13,000 American troops. The presence of the base serves as a security umbrella for the country and enhances its diplomatic stature in the region.
Read 7 tweets

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