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Judd Legum Profile picture
@JuddLegum
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

Judd Legum Profile picture
Jan 7
1. The DOJ has not released 99% of the Epstein Files, in direct violation of the law

They claim the delay is necessary to review the files

But here is the thing: The DOJ previously claimed THE REVIEW WAS COMPLETE IN JULY Image
2. In an unsigned July 7 memo, the DOJ said the review of the Epstein files was complete.

The DOJ described it as an "exhaustive review" which involved "teams of agents, analysts, attorneys, and privacy and civil liberties experts"

Now the DOJ is pretending it never happened

popular.info/p/the-contradi…
3. In a January 5 letter to a federal judge, AG Bondi says 99% of the files have not been released yet because the review is ongoing and necessary to protect the privacy of the victims. This is the same task that Bondi said was initiated last February and completed in July.
Read 5 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Jan 6
1. Hundreds of corps that pledged to stop donating to members of Congress who voted to overturn the election on 1/6/21 have broken their promise over the last 5 years

But we've identified 10 promise keepers:

Farmers
Airbnb
Expedia
Nike
Clorox
Eversource Energy
Holland & Hart
Qurate
Whirlpool
Lyft
2. Notably, there has been no meaningful change in position among the current members who voted to undermine democracy. None has expressed regret.

So there is no principled justification to resume donations

popular.info/p/five-years-l…
3. Amazon resumed donations in September 2022, for example.

In a statement to Popular Information, it justified its change of position this way: "It’s been more than 21 months."

popular.info/p/amazon-puts-…
Read 6 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Jan 5
1. The military raid on Venezuela and ouster of Maduro will create a financial windfall for a Trump-supporting billionaire, investor Paul Singer.

Follow this thread for details.

🧵

popular.info/p/venezuela-ra…
2. In November 2025, Singer acquired Citgo, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-run oil company, for $5.9 billion. The sale was forced by creditors of Venezuela after the country defaulted on its bond payments.
3. Citgo owns three major refineries on the Gulf Coast, 43 oil terminals and other assets. By all accounts, Singer acquired these assets at a major discount. Advisors to the court that oversaw the sale valued Citgo at $13 billion.
Read 9 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Dec 18, 2025
1. The decision by all four broadcast networks to interrupt prime time for an explicitly political speech from Trump was a major break from precedent.

Biden and Obama were denied time in similar circumstances.

Trump gets special treatment.

popular.info/p/breaking-pre…
2. In 2014, major networks also refused to air a speech by Obama about immigration reform, claiming it was too "partisan."

In 2022, broadcast networks declined to air a prime time speech by Biden on threats to democracy, saying it was too "political"
3. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Trump would address the country “about all of his historic accomplishments over the past year” and “all that he’s done to bring our country back to greatness.”

The networks all aired it live.
Read 7 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Dec 15, 2025
1. Measles is ravaging South Carolina.

Over 100 people infected, and hundreds more in quarantine.

In response, RFK Jr., the nation's top public health official, has been SILENT

But it's much worse than that.

popular.info/p/as-measles-r…
2. In a March 11 interview on Fox News, Kennedy Jr. claimed the MMR vaccine “does cause deaths every year,” including “all the illnesses that measles itself causes, encephalitis and blindness, et cetera.”

(According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Kennedy’s claims are false.)
3. In a March 3 interview on Fox Nation, Kennedy Jr. said that it is “very very difficult for measles to kill a healthy person.” Therefore, the best way to prevent measles is “to keep themselves healthy.”

Healthy people can contract and die from measles.
Read 7 tweets
Judd Legum Profile picture
Dec 11, 2025
1. The AI industry has kicked off a $100 million+ scheme to influence the 2026 midterm elections

While they claim it's a "bipartisan" effort, it has all the markings of a campaign to benefit Trump and the GOP

🧵

popular.info/p/the-ai-indus…
2. The AI political influence campaign, known as Leading the Future, launched its first two ads yesterday. One of the ads PROMOTES a Republican running for Congress in Texas. The other one ATTACKS a Democrat running for Congress in New York. Image
Image
3. When Leading the Future was launched, the group said it would support Democrats and Republicans who opposed AI regulation.

Trump's political operation was incensed, calling it a "slap in the face" Image
Read 7 tweets

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