Locator: 48771ARCHIVES.
Mideast
Israel:
- running out of defensive weapons; running out of fuel; country's largest refinery has been "temporarily" shut down;
- there's a reason the US is rushing air to Israel right now
- remember the 1973 Yom Kippur War
- Israel says it will take out Fordow without need for USAF B-2 "bunker buster"
- watch:the 35th Paratroopers Brigade consists of three regular battalions, each named after a venomous snake:
- 101st Paratroopers Battalion "Fatan/Cobra" (interesting numerical designation)
- 202nd Paratroopers Battalion "Tzapa/Viper"
- 890th Paratroopers Battalion "Efea/Echis"
Iran: crossed a "red line" --
- ballistic missile direct strike on Israel's largest hospital in the south and one of the largest hospitals in all of Israel
- direct strike hit just as Trump making "go / no-go" decision.
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Politics
Tea leaves: top issues that will decide elections in 2026 and particularly in 2028
- women's issues: men in women's sports; the entire trans issue;
- undocumented:
- housing; and,
- healthcare.
ChatGPT: $370 / day. Housing and direct associated costs. Does not include health care, etc.
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Health Care
Progressive governors around the country have extended state-funded healthcare to undocumented immigrants, aiming to get closer to universal insurance coverage.
Now, some are being forced to roll back or freeze the programs because of budget woes and unexpectedly high enrollment.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed freezing enrollment of undocumented adults into the state’s Medicaid program for the poor and disabled. Instead of receiving essentially free coverage, those already enrolled would be required to pay $100 monthly premiums starting in 2027. Newsom floated his proposal after the state program, Medi-Cal, went $6.2 billion over budget this year.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently signed off on a state budget that cut funding for health coverage of undocumented adults ages 42-64. Benefits will end for that group at the end of June. The program was initially expected to cost $112 million annually, but quickly ballooned to a projected $800 million a year that was “unsustainable,” a spokesman for Pritzker said.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the former Democratic vice presidential nominee, agreed to end a health insurance program for undocumented adults in a deal with state Republicans to pass a new budget this month.
The age group that requires the least healthcare in this country: age 42 - 64.
- healthiest compared to the elderly; those age 42 - 64 not expected to require much healthcare; and,
- over 42 years of age -- no pregnancy or female reproductive services required.
What else does the Prizker decision tell us? Think about it. Remember, the estimate was $100 billion; quickly ballooned to almost $1 billion. Not sustainable. But what do those numbers tell us about Pritzker's budget team? Think about it. If I remember, I'll come back to this question. It's fairly obvious.
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Los Angeles Riots
Tea leaves: this next weekend -- in three days -- will be a re-play. The word on the street:
- court says Trump's "national guard call-up" was unconstitutional and must be stopped now;
- local law enforcement says they will be overrun without additional resources
- hot spots:
- several "towns, cities" in addition to Los Angeles
- major highway thoroughfares
