TallGuyJohninBKK

Every action has its consequences, and the stupidest leaders either don't think about them in advance, or just don't care: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newsweek April 27, 2025 President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration is deepening a crisis in America's caregiving system, straining the already limited workforce that supports the country's rapidly aging population, experts have warned. Trump pledged to remove millions of undocumented migrants as part of his aggressive immigration agenda. Yet immigrants are integral to the U.S. care workforce, accounting for 28 percent of workers in nursing homes and 32 percent in home care, according to nonpartisan organization KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation). "The crisis in the home care industry is here, whether the elected officials choose to acknowledge it or not. It's no secret that we have a shortage of workers in the care industry and that immigrants play a critical role in filling that gap," Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Secretary-Treasurer Rocío Sáenz told Newsweek. (more) https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/elderly-americans-face-crisis-amid-trump-immigration-crackdown/ar-AA1DHoEH

Isn't Fox News the same Rupert Murdoch-controlled right-wing propaganda network that spent months promoting and echoing Trump's false claims about having won the 2020 presidential election and bogus voter fraud claims... only to later end up paying a record $787 million legal settlement to ballot machines maker Dominion Voting Systems? "Dominion focused on allegations made between November 2020 and January 2021 by hosts Maria Bartiromo, Tucker Carlson, Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, and Jeanine Pirro. Guests who often appeared with these hosts included Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, both of whom have also been sued individually by Dominion in federal court.[a] During pre-trial discovery, Fox News' internal communications were released, indicating that prominent hosts and top executives were aware the network was reporting false statements but continued doing so to retain viewers for financial reasons" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_Voting_Systems_v._Fox_News_Network

Detail and source posted above in my updated post... unlike your unsourced claim about one of the measles deaths.

The "unknown status" portion is a relatively small share of the cases, compared to the much larger known unvaccinated status. Nice try, but no cigar.... Per the CDC in its most recent April 24 measles outbreak report: "Overall, 771 (96%) patients have been unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status (77% were unvaccinated, and 14% had unknown vaccination status." https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7414a1.htm

More Trump tariff madness... As the article below further notes, about 30% of pharmaceutical imports to the U.S. in 2023 were ingredients used in U.S. manufacturing and then exported or sold in the United States. Meaning slapping tariffs on those imports would in turn hurt the competitiveness of, and raise prices for, the U.S.'s own domestic drug production. Encourage and promote U.S. domestic drug production, yes. But slap costly tariffs on imported drugs or raw materials and then raise drug prices for U.S. consumers, no thanks!!! Reuters April 25, 2025 Report commissioned by main US pharma lobby Warns 25% pharma tariff would add $51 bln a year to US drug costs - report estimates If fully passed on, tariffs would boost US drug prices by 12.9% LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - A 25% U.S. tariff on pharmaceutical imports would increase U.S. drug costs by nearly $51 billion annually, boosting U.S. prices by as much as 12.9% if passed on, a report commissioned by the industry's U.S. trade group and reviewed by Reuters shows. The analysis, conducted by Ernst & Young, found the United States imported $203 billion in pharmaceutical products in 2023, with 73% coming from Europe -- primarily Ireland, Germany and Switzerland. Total U.S. sales of finished pharmaceuticals that year were $393 billion. ... Pharmaceutical products have long been spared from trade wars due to the potential harms, but he [Trump] has repeatedly threatened a 25% tariff on pharmaceutical imports. Last week, the Trump administration announced probes into pharmaceutical imports, citing national security concerns over reliance on foreign drug production. (more) https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-pharma-tariffs-would-raise-us-drug-costs-by-51-bln-annually-report-finds-2025-04-25/

--To ensure that everyone, not only white people or men, have equal access to quality education. --To ensure that public education provides young people with a historically accurate understanding of the contributions and struggles of various non-white groups and women in the U.S., including past practices of racism, segregation, and discrimination, etc. --To encourage youngsters from diverse backgrounds to advance into professional and other careers, so that the country's workforce and future leaders are reflective of the country's diversity. etc etc etc.

Not surprisingly, Fiore seems to be a died in the wool MAGA nut and somewhat prominent figure in Nevada Republican Party circles: Trump pardons Fiore, clearing former Las Vegas councilwoman after fraud conviction Fiore, once dubbed the “Lady Trump,” was convicted last year of using donations intended for a fallen officer’s memorial for personal use. April 24th, 2025 ... Dozens of witnesses testified during the trial, including Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who said that Fiore had contacted him (while he was Clark County sheriff) seeking donations for the statue. His campaign account sent a $5,000 check to Fiore’s PAC, and an FBI agent testified that shortly after, $5,000 was transferred to Fiore’s daughter’s account to purchase a money order covering Fiore’s rent. Fiore, also a former Nevada assemblymember and the GOP’s nominee for state treasurer in 2022, first entered the Nevada political world in 2012 by winning her race for state Assembly and quickly rose up the ranks. She lost leadership positions before the 2015 session amid controversy regarding more than $1 million in tax liens. ... Fiore narrowly lost her 2022 state treasurer bid — during which she appeared in a campaign ad shooting beer bottles with the labels “vaccine mandate” and “CRT” (critical race theory). Fiore said she didn’t mind people bringing guns into courtrooms because “an armed society is a polite society.” (more) https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/trump-pardons-fiore-clearing-former-las-vegas-councilwoman-after-fraud-conviction

US measles cases climb higher, approach 900 April 26, 2025 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported 84 more measles cases, boosting the national total to 884, keeping the nation on pace to experience its worst year since the nation eliminated the disease in 2000. [emphasis added] So far, 30 jurisdictions have reported cases, up 5 from the previous week. One more outbreak was reported, bringing that total to 11, the largest one centered in West Texas. The CDC said 820 (83%) of the cases so far are part of outbreaks. Among those infected, 97% were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. So far, 94 patients have been hospitalized, and the number of deaths remains at 3. [emphasis added] (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/us-measles-cases-climb-higher-approach-900

Drain the Trump swamp!!! But hey, crooks and grifters like Trump are naturally going to extend a hand to other like-minded crooks! Associated Press April 25, 2025 LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned a Nevada Republican politician who was awaiting sentencing on federal charges that she used money meant for a statue honoring a slain police officer for personal costs, including plastic surgery. Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas city councilwoman and state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for state treasurer, was found guilty in October of six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was out of custody ahead of her sentencing, which had been scheduled for next month. ... Federal prosecutors said at trial that Fiore, 54, had raised more than $70,000 for the statue of a Las Vegas police officer who was fatally shot in 2014 in the line of duty, but had instead spent some of it on cosmetic surgery, rent and her daughter’s wedding." (more) https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-michele-fiore-nevada-fraud-cf56ef8b302b8111e47cf52d5a606d19

I haven't been following it very closely, but from what I've read and been hearing, the targets seem to be primarily students who have opposed Israel's war on Gaza and others who come from Trump's personal list of non-white "sh--hole" countries.

Judge blocks Trump efforts to eliminate DEI in public schools 04/24/25 A federal judge on Thursday blocked actions by President Trump’s Department of Education that aimed to force public universities and K-12 schools to get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. Federal Judge Landya McCafferty issued a preliminary injunction against a “Dear Colleague” letter that told universities they could be at risk of civil rights investigations if they have DEI programs on campus, a certification requirement for K-12 schools that DEI programs were eliminated and actions against schools reported through the Education Department’s “DEI portal.” “Today’s ruling allows educators and schools to continue to be guided by what’s best for students, not by the threat of illegal restrictions and punishment,” said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association. “The fact is that Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and [Education Secretary] Linda McMahon are using politically motivated attacks and harmful and vague directives to stifle speech and erase critical lessons to attack public education, as they work to dismantle public schools,” she added. (more) The Hill https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5265780-judge-trump-dei-public-schools-k-12-colleges-mcmahon/

Court ruling further complicates Trump’s anti-DEI push April 26, 2025 "President Trump’s plans to rid the country’s education system of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) were thrown further into chaos this week when a judge ruled against the Education Department’s directives. States, fiercely divided on the issue, were already dealing with a delayed certification deadline and murky enforcement mechanisms before federal Judge Landya McCafferty issued her preliminary injunction on Trump’s anti-DEI measures. “Thankfully, many schools and districts and colleges and universities have been waiting to see what would happen because they knew and understood that what they were being asked to do was blatantly unlawful and nonsensical,” said Liz King, senior director of education equity at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights." (more) The Hill https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/court-ruling-further-complicates-trump-s-anti-dei-push/ar-AA1DEMg7

I'd put it down mostly under the Trump "repressive" category! Question I've been wondering -- when is the U.S. going to start revoking student visas deporting international students who speak publicly or demonstrate in favor of Russia and their illegal invasion of Ukraine? Nope, that's not gonna happen. All of this is simply blatant partisan politics-inspired repression.

Associated Press April 26, 2025 CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Nineteen states that refused to comply with a Trump administration directive aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools went a step further Friday, filing a federal lawsuit challenging what they consider an illegal threat to cut federal funding. The lawsuit filed in Massachusetts by Democratic attorneys general seeks to block the Department of Education from withholding money based on its April 3 directive ordering states to certify their compliance with civil rights laws, including the rejection of what the federal government calls “illegal DEI practices.” States also were told to gather signatures from local school systems certifying their compliance by April 24. Instead, the plaintiffs informed the government that they stand by their prior certifications of compliance with the law but refuse to abandon policies that promote equal access to education. (more) https://apnews.com/article/trump-education-lawsuit-dei-public-schools-bc8c075e974f033629bb20a391d7232d

Trump DOJ Backs Down On International Student Visas: 1,500 Will Be Restored April 25, 2025 The Trump administration is reversing course on its termination of over 1,500 international student visas Friday, according to multiple outlets, making the decision after being slammed with lawsuits that challenged the abrupt cancellations. ICE is working on a new policy for the review and termination of student visas, the AP reported, citing a government statement provided to a lawyer who is representing a student in federal court. Until the new policy is established, student visas will be left unaffected or restored if they were revoked by the government, impacting over 1,500 visas targeted by ICE, according to The New York Times. (more) Forbes https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/trump-doj-backs-down-on-international-student-visas-1500-will-be-restored/ar-AA1DD9Cm