Trump Tax Bill Progresses, But GOP Disquiet Over Medicaid Persists
A few weeks ago, hospitals, health insurers and health advocacy groups decried the House of Representatives' plans to approve major cuts to Medicaid spending, while hoping that the Senate would soften the blow. Instead, senators made the reductions to the health insurance program for low-income and disabled people even deeper as they passed their version of President Donald Trump's giant tax measure today.
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American Press
15 minutes ago
- American Press
Jim Beam column:Checks, balances don't exist
Republican President Donald Trump is close to making American federal government a one-man operation, which the father of our constitution warned us about.(Photo courtesy of PBS). Today's Republican members of Congress and conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have apparently forgotten about the checks and balances provided for in the Constitution. Under President Donald Trump, it is abundantly clear that the executive branch has almost complete control of the federal government. James Madison, the father of the Constitution, defended the checks and balances in that document that don't exist at the moment. Madison said, 'The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.' We are awfully close to that point today. Trump has pretty much ignored the rulings of federal courts. Republicans in Congress are so frightened Trump will fight them at the next election they are either doing his bidding or deciding not to run for re-election. The civics text that I used years ago said the three branches of government are not completely independent of one another. While each branch has its own distinct field of powers, it is subject to a series of constitutional checks which the other branches may exercise against it. The president, for example, may veto acts of Congress, but Congress has the right to override those vetoes by a two-thirds majority vote. Or Congress may refuse to appropriate funds requested by the president, which the current GOP Congress doesn't have the courage to do. Congress can also impeach the president, judges and other civil officers. Its members had the courage to impeach Trump twice during his first term — on Dec. 18, 2019, and Jan. 13, 2021. The first impeachment stemmed from a call Trump had with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. Trump wanted him to investigate the Bidens and some in Ukraine who interfered in the 2016 election. The second impeachment followed the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump was impeached for 'incitement to insurrection.' In each case, he was acquitted on all counts by the Senate. Conviction requires a two-thirds vote of senators present. When all 100 are there, it requires 67 votes. The votes on the two articles at the first trial were 48-52 and 47-53. The vote at the second trial was 57-43. Federal courts have the power to pass on the constitutionality of acts of Congress or actions of the president (judicial review). President Harry Truman in 1952 seized the steel industry to prevent a strike. However, the Supreme Court said that was a job for Congress, and that Truman had exceeded his powers. My civics text said the check and balance system makes compromise necessary, and compromise is of the essence in a democratic system. Unfortunately, compromise has pretty much become a lost art in today's hostile political climate. Many political scientists are convinced Trump was elected based on his promise to get control of immigration. The unrestricted flow along the nation's borders during the President Joe Biden administration bothered many Americans (Democrats and Republicans). Trump continues to insist getting illegal immigrants out of this country is his No. 1 priority. In order to do that, some members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have taken questionable actions when rounding up immigrants. Going back to that civics text, it says democracy cannot succeed except where all people are entitled to fair treatment under the law. It adds that both the national Constitution and constitutions of the various states contain numerous guarantees of fair treatment for those accused of crime. The 14th Amendment reinforces the guarantees against unfair treatment by the states. And the Writ of Habeas Corpus is a court order directing that a person being held be brought before the court so a judge can determine whether the prisoner is being illegally detained. That hasn't happened for many immigrants who have been rounded up and shipped to some country they have probably never heard of. The courts have tried to stop it, but the Trump administration throws up as many roadblocks as possible. Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under which ICE operates, during a Senate hearing in May said habeas corpus was 'a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country and suspend their rights.' Anyone who thinks this country's democracy isn't in trouble hasn't been keeping up with the news. Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or Reply Forward Add reaction
CNET
19 minutes ago
- CNET
Want Visible Abs? Start in the Kitchen, Not the Gym
Six-pack abs are the holy grail when it comes to many people's fitness goals, but getting them isn't an easy feat (and it's not a healthy pursuit for many people, either). YouTube videos with titles like "How to get a six-pack in one week" make people believe having visible abs is just a matter of doing 100 crunches a day. Hate to burst your bubble, but achieving a chiseled midsection requires much more than that. Whether you have those coveted abs has less to do with exercise and more with genetics and body fat percentage. Genetics are completely out of our hands, and body fat is a little harder to control than you might think. Still determined to try for six-pack abs, or want to learn why your exercise-filled attempts have never been successful? I spoke to Dr. John Morton, the head of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Yale Medicine, and together we'll tell you everything you need to know, including how to work toward your goal safely. Read more: The best home gym equipment What does body fat percentage mean? Body fat is partly determined by what you eat, but other factors are out of your control. Getty Images It may sound fairly self-explanatory, but your body fat percentage just measures how much of your body mass is fat. And don't look at fat like it's a bad word -- body fat percentage includes essential fat you need to survive. Body fat percentage is easy to get confused with body mass index, or BMI, but the two are quite different. BMI isn't the best measurement of health, since some people can have a "healthy" reading but actually be in danger for obesity-related illnesses because they have too little lean mass. There's a bunch of different ways you can measure your body fat percentage, and for the best readings you'll want to get it done at a doctor's or dietician's office. They'll have machines like an underwater weighing station or the ability to do a DEXA scan, which are far more accurate than anything you can do at home. However, if you don't have the resources to make the trip to a healthcare provider, you can get a fairly good estimate at home. The American Council of Exercise has a calculator where you can plug in some skinfold measurements for a rough idea of what your body fat percentage is. Read more: Best filtered water bottles for 2020 to remove bacteria, sediment and more What body fat percentage do I need for a six-pack? No matter how strong your ab muscles are, they're not going to show through unless you have a low enough body fat. That specific body fat number, though, is individual. Morton says you'll typically need to be below 15% body fat for a six-pack, though he stresses it's different for everyone. Some women on Reddit report that they can start to see a six-pack at around 20% body fat, while others are at 18% and don't see anything. The reason why the number varies for everyone is because we all have different body fat distribution -- some carry fat around their midsection, while others have an "hourglass" shape, where you carry fat in your chest and hips. Body fat distribution is determined in part by environmental factors, like alcohol intake and cigarette use, but it also has a strong genetic component. So, you may be at 18% body fat and carry weight on your hips, but I may be at 18% and carry it around my stomach -- in that case, you'll have a lot easier time getting a six-pack than I will. Read more: The best rowing machines in 2020 Morton also points to groups of people who have a harder time getting to a low body fat -- namely, Hispanics, African Americans and women. Depending on your individual situation, the body fat percentage needed for a six-pack may not even be healthy. Low body fat can disrupt menstruation and fertility, and can damage your heart, immune system or cause a ton of other serious conditions. Women will typically not want to go below 14% body fat, and men 8%, but for some people that number may be higher -- if you're experiencing health problems connected to your weight, contact your health care provider. Say you get to a low enough body fat percentage in a healthy manner -- I hate to break it to you, but you still might not have a six-pack. Your abs are actually one big muscle, called the rectus abdominis, and the six-pack look is created by the intersections of three lateral tendons and one horizontal one. While most people have this tendon pattern, some have two or four lateral tendons -- in that case, you'll have a four- or eight-pack. What workout should I do for a six-pack? I hope I haven't rained on your parade too much -- if you're still motivated to try, there are certainly steps you can take to maximize your chances of getting that coveted six-pack. The first thing you'll probably want to do is lose weight. But be careful -- weight loss doesn't automatically mean fat loss. Morton says to emphasize your protein intake instead of carbs and fat, and keep up your exercise and weight lifting during your weight loss journey. This way, you can ensure that you're primarily losing fat and not muscle or water. When losing weight, be sure to keep up the exercise. Westend61/Getty Images "Another helpful way to get a six-pack is to avoid the other six-pack," Morton says, referring to alcohol. There's a reason why it's called a beer belly -- alcohol intake usually puts weight around your midsection, so you'll definitely want to avoid overconsumption if you want a six-pack. Finally, don't neglect the core workout. Morton tells me that even if you aren't striving for a six-pack, core workouts are super important for preventing neck and back issues, as well as improving your posture. Certified physical therapist Jeff Cavaliere, known on YouTube as Athlean X, has a great workout routine video with some simple compound movements to develop your abdominal strength. Whatever workout you end up doing, you'll want to ensure you're incorporating whole body movements so you don't develop muscle imbalances. Just remember to make sure you're getting protein, avoiding too much alcohol and working out your abs -- if the genetic gods are kind to you, your hard work will get you where you need to be.
Bloomberg
23 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Mamdani Won't Fix Democrats' Working Class Problem
After the 2024 elections, at least some Democratic leaders and influencers recognized that the party's ideological coastal elites were damaging its brand with working-class voters. But a reckoning never came, and now a new ideological coastal elite is being heralded as the future of the party: Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist and Hollywood scion who won an upset victory in New York City's Democratic primary for mayor. The often breathless and gushing national media coverage of Mamdani by liberal journalists and pundits underscores the denialism that has been plaguing the Democratic Party and threatening its future. Headlines in Newsweek and the Guardian referred to Mamdani's win as a 'revolution.' New York Magazine trumpeted that ' Zohran Mamdani Just Remade American Politics.' A Washington Post reporter wrote that Mamdani offered 'a potential playbook for bewildered Democrats seeking a path back to national relevance,' and news and opinion articles in the New York Times offered similar takes.
