HUMORLESS QUEERS

We discuss Trump sabotage, from the Affordable Care Act to the Iran deal. We also talk what Kade’s been up to in Boston city elections.

BONUS CONTENT

COMRADE! Get the bonus episode just for Patreon subscribers about COMRADE KETTLEBELL here. 

MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

Trump’s acting like Obamacare is just politics. It’s people’s lives. Fewer people will have insurance — and the government will spend more. By Sarah Kliff (Vox)

Senator John Cornyn opposes the ACA sabotage, as is Sen. Rounds (SD) and GOP Rep Charlie Dent (PA)

Vague Rules Let ICE Deport Undocumented Immigrants as Gang Members by Ali Winston (The Intercept)

Monopoly Man Crashes Equifax Hearing to Protest Forced Arbitration

Image via Will Russell on flickr (CC BY 2.0)

The post Trump sabotage (E39) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

The post Trump sabotage (E39) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

Trumpcare is back, but it’s even worse than before. The GOP has until September 30th to pull a hail Mary on Trumpcare with a HORRIFIC bill called Graham-Cassidy. We discuss what it is, how it would shred our healthcare and put an end to Medicaid as we know it, and what we need to do to stop it! 

MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

Call your Senators! 202-224-3121

Call Mitch McConnell: 202-224-2541  Say: “I’m calling to tell Leader McConnell not to bring Graham/Cassidy up for a vote until it is properly debated and goes through regular order in the Senate.”

Live in a state with two democratic senators? Call progressives in red states and ask them to call their senators: https://www.trumpcareten.org/calls-to-kill-trumpcare

States where we need to exert the most pressure:  Arizona, Arkansas, Maine, Louisiana, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, and Ohio. (Bolded states would lose Medicaid dollars under the bill.)

Graham-Cassidy factoids:

Protections against charging people more for their preexisting conditions: gone.

Lifetime cap prohibition: gone.

Swiss cheese policy prohibition: gone.

Eliminates coverage for an estimated 32 million people.

Sends premiums through the roof in just a year: up 20% by 2018. $17,320 insurance premium surcharge for pregnancy, $8,490 for depression.

Cuts or eliminates tax credits for middle-income people buying individual market plans.

Cuts benefits for people with opioid addiction by billions of dollars.

Endangers rural hospitals, because they are dependent on medicaid, and this bill…

Ends medicaid as we know it.

Ends medicaid expansion for millions of low-income adults.

Caps and cuts medicaid for seniors, people with disabilities, and children.

Replaces the medicaid expansion with a block grant that ends in 2026. Here’s the nitty gritty: Starting in 2020, the Cassidy-Graham bill would eliminate both the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies and the enhanced federal funding that underwrites the expansion of Medicaid in 31 states & D.C. The bill would then establish a “block grant,” handing money directly to the states for helping people to pay for health care.  This would shrink the federal investment in health care programs by about $400 billion over the next ten years. Starting in 2027, the money would vanish altogether. (see details from HuffPost or the the Center on Budget).

DO YOU TWEET? RT THE GOOD TWEETS! 

https://twitter.com/SenSanders/status/909855742596927488– this one is helpful because of the facts in the graphic.

Graphic with info about premiums spiking: https://twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/909882054262890496

AARP quote pointing out how premiums will spike, pointing to the bill text: https://twitter.com/AARPadvocates/status/909879113619578880

 

The post All Out to Stop Graham-Cassidy, Trumpcare 3.0 (E38) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

The post All Out to Stop Graham-Cassidy, Trumpcare 3.0 (E38) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

We talk Equifax: the data breach, the company’s insane response, and what to do about it. We also discuss the recent cowardice of Harvard University when it comes to who is and isn’t allowed to remain a fellow. And Kade tells us about a lawsuit the ACLU and EFF filed on behalf of 11 travelers whose smartphones and laptops were searched without warrants at the U.S. border.

In this week’s BONUS episode, we also shame ESPN and one of their dork analysts for their treatment of their colleague Jemele Hill. And Kade gives more fitness tips. Get the bonus episode by becoming a Patreon patron here.

MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

Please donate to the Mass Bail Fund! https://massbailfund.org

ACLU & EFF SUE OVER WARRANTLESS PHONE AND LAPTOP SEARCHES AT U.S. BORDER

Email your Member of Congress and ask them to WITHDRAW H.R. 2359, a bill that makes life easier for credit-reporting agencies that screw up. You can use this tool to generate a template email & send it.

 

The post What DIDN’T Equifax Screw Up? (E37) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

The post What DIDN’T Equifax Screw Up? (E37) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

We talk with Chase Strangio, staff attorney at the ACLU, about their lawsuit against Trump over the trans military ban. We also discuss Trump ending DACA.

The post Trump Ends DACA; Chase Strangio on the Trans Ban (E36) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

Eugene Puryear, author of "Shackled and Chained," joins us as guest host to discuss Charlottesville, confederate memorials, Trump's presser, and acts of resistance.

The post Charlottesville, the Aftermath, and the Resistance (E35) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

We discuss the recent events of resting evil face Stephen Miller, and examine his long history of racism.

The post Stephen Miller Won’t Pick Up His Trash (E34) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

The BCRA, Straight Repeal, and Skinny Repeal versions of Trumpcare ALL FACE PALMED Thursday night/Friday morning. We're gonna recap reactions from us and from listeners, as well as talking about what's next.

The post HOORAY Trumpcare Imploded (E33) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

Who is Anthony Scaramucci, Trump’s new communications director? We talk about his history in finance, the long con we think he’s playing, and how much money you needed to go to his SALT conference.

ALSO: In April, the Trump administration and GOP congress killed one of Obama’s most important achievements: Federal Communications Commission regulations that would have barred internet service providers like Charter and Comcast from selling your sensitive information without your consent. State lawmakers from both parties in nearly thirty states leapt into action, introducing bills to fill the gap. We’ll talk about how Comcast is lying in order to stop these bills, debunking the dishonest arguments they and other ISPs are making as they try to kill these bills, and how we can fight back against this particular part of the corporate takeover of the US government.

Betsy DeVos has continues to be up to no good, giving garbage speeches and pursuing bad policy. But many people are fighting back, including one of our awesome listeners!

And finally, since it’s the summer and maybe you’re fortunate enough to get to travel, we’re going to talk about airport security.

The post Comcast is lying to you (E32) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

The post Comcast is lying to you (E32) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

Betsy DeVos just keeps getting sued!  We talk to Eileen Connor from the Project on Predatory Student Lending at Harvard Law about just ONE of their lawsuits against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. We will also talk about the very strange and Kafkaesque story of how Boston law enforcement officials used a warrantless surveillance order to try to unmask a government critic, and then pressed to keep that order COMPLETELY SECRET for more than five years. The ACLU of Massachusetts recently sued to crack the secrecy around the case.

And we also have some special BONUS content for Patreon-ers! Kade discusses learning to love Crossfit (again). If you want access to this bonus audio, you can nab it on Patreon for as little as $1 a month. You’ll help us keep the show going!

MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

ACLU Sues over secret, warrantless surveillance documents related to Occupy Boston

TheProject on Predatory Student Lending

(Follow them at @LSCatHarvardLaw on Twitter)

Public Citizen and Project on Predatory Student Lending Represent Students Suing to Stop Education Department’s Illegal Delay

18 States Sue DeVos Over Student Loan Protections (NYTimes)

Court Orders Education Department to End Delay in Ruling on Loan Discharge

 (Image via Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0))

The post Suing Betsy DeVos (E31) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

The post Suing Betsy DeVos (E31) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

Trumpcare has stalled in the Senate today, but the fight is just getting started. We CELEBRATE but then get right to talking about what we need to do next. We also dive into some wonky details about why Trumpcare, if it passes, will gut Medicaid forever -- and the dangers that we ALL face, however we get our insurance, from this evil Trumpcare bill.

The post Let’s Stop Trumpcare for Good (E30) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.