Spare me the make believe indignation from Republicans about the Afghanistan evacuation.
1/ Here's the story of the relentless Republican effort (led by President Trump) to undermine and destroy the programs that help bring Afghan refugees to the U.S.
2/ Over the last decade, Republicans have pushed to intentionally create a massive backlog in the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program - the one we use to bring Afghan partners to America, by putting onerous conditions on the applications.
3/ In 2016, Obama asked to increase the cap for the SIV program. Senate Republicans objected.
Then, the Trump Admin started slowing down SIV processing. When Biden took over, there were 10,000 unfilled visas, despite 17,000 applications in the pipeline.
4/ This dovetailed with the assault by Trump and Republicans to destroy other refugee programs that bring Afghans to the U.S..
Obama admitted over 2,700 Afghan refugees. Trump admitted 400, bc he had dismantled the refugee system. Biden had to rebuild it.
5/ And today Trump Republicans are making it clear they will oppose bringing more Afghan refugees to the U.S..
Steven Miller: "Resettling [Afghans] in America is not about solving a humanitarian crisis; it’s about accomplishing an ideological objective to change America,”
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Private equity looted 3 Connecticut hospitals. Services cut, nurses buying their own supplies etc. They will do it to your hospital if we don't stop this trend right now.
1/ Today I'm releasing a report on the truth about private equity in health care. tinyurl.com/adangerouspros…
2/ In 2016, private equity backed Prospect Medical Holdings bought three cash-strapped hospitals in Connecticut with the promise they'd invest in upgrades.
The plan was to shore up the hospitals so they could offer better care for patients. It was sold as a win-win. They lied.
3/ Instead, private equity deployed the “buy, strip, flip” playbook. It’s exactly as destructive as it sounds.
Buy a vulnerable hospital.
Strip it of staff, services and assets - scam and squeeze every dollar possible out of patients.
2/ This meeting essentially accepts Russia back into the club of legitimate major nations. And that's unacceptable, because Putin is committing war crimes in Ukraine - purposely murdering innocent people and kidnapping young children.
The photo op alone is a disaster for peace.
3/ How could the meeting become an even bigger disaster? Easy.
If there is no ceasefire (and there can't be, because Ukraine isn't even attending!), and Trump doesn't immediately announce sanctions AND new weapons for Ukraine.
The story of how Trump sells access to the White House - to benefit himself and his family financially and to benefit his political operation - is shocking and sordid.
No President has ever monetized access like Trump has.
1/ It's a story you need to know.
2/ The primary way to get to Trump is at his golf clubs. Reportedly, a $5 million donation to Trump's political operation gets you a one-on-one meeting. $1 million will get you a group private dinner.
3/ One crypto CEO who paid the $1 million price explained to the @nytimes that after his meeting with Trump, his idea to make money off the federal government was suddenly "making the rounds...so mission accomplished from my view.” nytimes.com/2025/08/02/us/…
2/ The most significant claim Trump made in the "announcement" was a $550 billion Japanese investment fund in the U.S. where the U.S. would split profits with Japan 90/10.
Trump called it a "signing bonus".
"They gave us $550B up front, 100 percent," he said.
3/ The press reported it straight even though it sounded absurd.
$550 billion is 13% of Japan's entire GDP! Who believes Japan is investing 13% of its GDP in the U.S. and giving the U.S. 90% of the profits?
It made no sense. And of course we find out - Trump made it up.
I told you that the SCOTUS's ban on national injunctions would supersize Trump's lawlessness.
Well, it's starting.
1/ Let me break some news for you: Trump is stealing money to build facilities like Alligator Alcatraz - from an account earmarked for the OPPOSITE of detention.
2/ I'm the top Democrat on the sub-committee that writes the budget for DHS. I know that budget.
Since 2019, the budget always includes a line item for detention beds AND a line item for the Shelter and Services Program ("SSP"). They are very different programs.
3/ The detention account funds secure beds for immigrants who are detained. But many asylum applicants are released into the U.S. as their cases are processed.
SSP provides small grants to help local communities provide shelter or services to those people.
2/ First, let's just understand how wildly illegal and devastating this funding cut is. This is money authorized by Congress for after school programs. Not a new program; schools get it every year. In many low income districts, their programs cannot run without these federal $.
3/ This fall, over a million kids could have no after school option. In Umatilla, OR - a low income rural town - notice just went out that the programs would shut down. Low income parents will have to find expensive (and likely far away) alternatives, or cut back working hours.