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

Dec 15
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
Dec 11
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
Dec 9
1. Paramount's hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros exposes Jared Kushner's game

It's not a private equity fund. It's an influence peddling operation.

It's spelled out on page 42 of Paramount's new SEC filing.

popular.info/p/kushner-and-…
2. Paramount says its hostile takeover bid is structured to avoid review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

Even though the Saudis and other Middle Eastern governments are putting up $24 BILLION -- most of the equity financing.
3. Paramount says they've avoided any regulatory hurdles because Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi have voluntarily agreed to waive their governance rights. And one other party has agreed to waive governance rights: JARED KUSHNER. Image
Read 6 tweets
Dec 3
1. Kushner's trip to Moscow yesterday was not just unethical; it was illegal.

You cannot accept millions from foreign governments and simultaneously conduct diplomacy for the U.S.

It's right in the Constitution.

popular.info/p/kushners-mos…
2. Kushner is trying to evade legal restrictions by not accepting a formal role in the administration.

But the DOJ is clear: It's not what you SAY, it's what you DO

Kushner is acting like a Special Government Employee so legally, he's a SGE
3. Kushner is engaged in activities that can ONLY be conducted by government officials. The Logan Act bars private citizens from engaging in negotiations w/foreign governments w/o authorization. Kushner is acting under Trump’s direction, and that creates a host of legal issues.
Read 8 tweets
Nov 25
1. In Tennessee, public libraries have closed for a week to facilitate a Trump-inspired book purge

Tennessee's Secretary of State ordered most of the state's public librarians to remove children's books w/LGBTQ characters

popular.info/p/tennessee-pu…
2. Hargett has cited Trump's executive order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism." Executive orders are not federal law and generally do not apply to state or local governments.

Tennessee libraries do receive some federal funding, but not for book purchases.
3. In the letters, Hargett singled out a children’s book called Fred Gets Dressed by Peter Brown. The book, which was written by a straight, cisgender man, does not feature any LGBTQ characters. It is based on a childhood experience of the author in which he tried on his mom's clothes.Image
Read 6 tweets
Nov 25
1. EXCLUSIVE

Musk’s xAI has secretly built its AI supercomputer, Colossus, using Chinese transformers, leaving it vulnerable to espionage or sabotage

Colossus performs sensitive work for the U.S. military

oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/musks-ai-sup…
2. For more exclusive reporting about the world's wealthiest and most powerful people, subscribe to Oligarch Watch.

It's free to sign up.

oligarchwatch.substack.com/subscribe
3. An April report published by the security firm Gladstone AI noted that Chinese transformers "can be used as back-doors for sabotage operations. Indeed back-door electronics are known to have been installed in Chinese-made transformers.”
Read 6 tweets

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