Latest news with #SaulLoeb
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Over 23,000 Are Floored By This Text About A MAGA Voter Who Supported Cutting Medicaid... Until He Realized His Children Use It
As you likely know, Donald Trump signed his One Big, Beautiful Bill into law earlier this month, which includes major reductions in federal support for Medicaid. Ultimately, as reported by NPR, this will lead to about 12 million more people being without health insurance by 2034. It doesn't take much brain power to understand why that would be a very, very bad thing. Saul Loeb / Getty Images Related: Regardless, some people still struggle with the concept. One such person is the focus of this text exchange that recently went viral on Reddit: In a retelling of a recent conversation between their brother and themself, this texter wrote, "I mentioned in the family chat that 300,000 kids in Iowa are on Medicaid - they will all lose coverage." "My brother is like: well it least it's not touching Hawk-i, that's what my kids are on," they continued. For those outside of Iowa, the state's Medicaid and children's health insurance program is largely known by its nickname: Healthy and Well-Kids in Iowa or... hawk-i. So, upon learning his children's healthcare is in jeopardy, the brother responds with, "What? They better not." Related: This is all made worse by the fact that the brother, apparently, has been a big proponent of cutting Medicaid. "Dude has been banging the drum for this stupid spending bill for weeks and didn't even realize he was rooting for his own kids losing their insurance," the texter concludes. Mining through the nearly 1,500 comments, a common frustration came from those who have seen stories of people voting against their own interests too many times before. "It's the same thing with people who love the Affordable Care Act, [but] hate 'Obamacare,' and didn't spend the five seconds required to realize that they're the same thing," user Successful_Jelly_213 wrote. Others questioned the brother's morality and wondered aloud why he was OK with children losing their health insurance (as long as they weren't his kids). "So just to clarify, he's good with the other 300,000 kids losing their healthcare, just not his own kids," Sharpymarkr posed. Related: "He never had a single thought about other people. The whole thing was about himself," Prosthemadera agreed. "Whether someone else's family will suffer, how many people will die, he doesn't give a shit." "If your first response to cutting healthcare is 'I'm not affected,' then you're just not a good person, and that doesn't change just because you suddenly care to be against it once you find out you are actually affected. You're just being a selfish, self-centered asshole who will vote Republican again next time because this was never about making the world better." Additionally, "I'm 57 years old, no children, not religious. I have never taken a dime in Medicaid, food stamps, Section 8, or any public programs. I've never even filed for unemployment. But I want my tax dollars to help that guy's kids get healthcare and schooling, and housing. Guess I'm a libtard," weenie2323 said. Elsewhere in the comments, people shared similar stories of dealing with their own MAGA family members: Related: "This is my mom," cheongyanggochu-vibe said. "My disabled brother is on Medicaid, which is supplemented by her state. She thinks that because he gets it from the state, he will be fine (even though the funds are majority federal)." "When he gets axed, she will blame her Democratic governor and lawmakers because she doesn't realize how profoundly she benefits from being in a blue state she hates the leaders of." "A colleague of mine lives in Utah, and he meets the threshold for Medicaid; everything is covered. I asked him, 'Say, aren't you worried about this bill working its way through Congress? You could lose your healthcare.' He said, 'What, no, that's for waste fraud and abuse, I'm on the state health care, not Medicaid.'" "I said, 'Uhh, that IS Medicaid, they just don't call it that because of the political stigma.' Absolute deadpan silence," BeautifulTall7833 said. Overall, little sympathy was expressed. "I hope cutting his own child's healthcare was worth it," WeirdProudAndHungry said. "Medicaid literally saved my life. Fuck these people," MidnightNo1766 added. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Solve the daily Crossword
Wall Street Journal
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Announces a New Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal. But Can it Succeed?
Trump Announces a New Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal. But Can it Succeed? President Trump says Israel agreed to the necessary conditions for a 60-day Gaza cease-fire. WSJ Middle East bureau chief Shayndi Raice on what comes next. Photo: WSJ; Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Reporting The Foreign Trust In Your Backyard
The US Treasury Department building is seen in Washington, DC, January 19, 2023. (Photo by SAUL LOEB ... More / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) Cross-border asset protection planning involves delicate balancing of ensuring that trusts are properly classified because foreign trusts carry significant and expensive reporting obligations that are generally best avoided unless the tax-efficiency and asset protection benefits outweigh the heightened tax and penalty exposure. A foreign trust, contrary to its identification, does not need to be located outside the United States. Some trusts, located domestically, can be classified as foreign trusts under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) which creates a plethora of generally undesired and unintended consequences. In 2024, the U.S. Treasury, issued long overdue regulations on foreign trust adding additional administrative reporting requirements, burdens, and qualifications on foreign trusts, highlighting the current importance of ensuring trusts are classified correctly. Defining Domestic and Foreign Trusts The Internal Revenue Code, Sec. 7701, defines any trust other than a trust that is a United States person, such as, a domestic trust, as a foreign trust. Under Treas. Reg. Sec. 301.7701-7(a)(2). a trust is considered domestic if it satisfies both the "court test" and the 'control test.' If a trust fails to meet either of these two tests, it would be classified as a foreign trust for U.S. tax purposes. Common Pitfalls Leading to Foreign Classification Some common trust drafting language that can result in a foreign trust qualification for even a trust located in a U.S. state include: Tax Implications of Foreign Trust Classification When a trust is deemed foreign, significant reporting and compliance oblgations are triggered upon U.S. persons associated with it, including grantors, beneficiaries, and trustees: Form 3520: This Annual Return To Report Transactions With Foreign Trusts and Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts requires U.S. persons with an interest in the trust to report certain transactions with foreign trusts, including transfers and distributions or face penalties of $10,000 or more based on a percentage of the gross reportable amount. Form 3520-A: This Annual Information Return of Foreign Trust With a U.S. Owner require foreign trusts with U.S. owners to file this return annually or face penalties of $10,000 or more based on the gross value of the trust assets attributed to the filer. The Risks of Misclassification Of A Domestic Trust As a Foreign Trust Suppose a U.S. family establishes a trust in Nevada, appointing a U.S. trustee and grants a foreign protector the power to replace the trustee. Regardless of the trust's domestic appearance, the foreign protector's authority over substantial decisions may subject the trust to foreign trust classification for failure to meet the control test and in addition to the reporting requirements, the filer may be subject to penalties and interest for failure to file in prior years also. Tips To Maintain Domestic Trust Status The following tips may support a trust to retain its domestic classification: Misclassification of a trust that is intended to be domestic can be dire and result in significant penalties which can be especially surprising for beneficiaries who do not expect to be subject to the complex U.S. foreign trust rules. The reporting requirements and penalties especially as detailed under the regulations released in 2024 can be expensive and administratively burdensome. Seeing penalty abatement for reasonable cause can also be time-consuming and expensive so preventing the misclassification is a better course of action. Following the case law and detailed criteria for trust classification and instituting best practices can safeguard individuals' trusts' domestic status and avoid unintended tax and liability consequences.
The Citizen
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
White House lays down terms for SA relations amid Afrikaner visit
US officials told Afrikaner representatives that condemning hate speech and exempting US firms from B-BBEE are key to restoring diplomatic relations. The first group of Afrikaners from South Africa to arrive in the US for resettlement on May 12, 2025. Picture: Saul Loeb / AFP Three Afrikaner representatives visited the White House in Washington to call for the normalisation of relations between South Africa and the US. Freedom Front Plus leader Corné Mulder, SA Agri Initiative (Saai) chair Theo de Jager and National Employers Association of South Africa (Neasa) chief executive Gerhard Papenfus said they held a constructive and high-level meeting with senior US officials, including representatives from the office of the vice-president, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council. Pre-conditions According to the trio, the officials communicated the pre-conditions for the normalisation of bilateral relations between the two countries. The conditions include the classification of farm attacks as a priority crime; a clear and unequivocal public condemnation by the ANC of Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer, whether used in song or any other context; and the exclusion of US entities from all broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) requirements. Any race-based legislation that may constitute a non-tariff trade barrier should not apply to US entities, they said. 'The delegation now has a clear understanding of the US administration's expectations.' A call to convey conditions clearly White House officials expressed concern that these conditions, despite being communicated multiple times to the South African government, have not been adequately addressed. ALSO READ: Amerikaners founder denies claims of 'struggling' South African 'refugees' in US They called on the Afrikaner delegation to convey these conditions clearly. Political analyst Rene Oosthuizen said the trio's statement concerningly highlights a new layer of complexity in SA-US relations. 'These pre-conditions for normalising bilateral trade, particularly the call for US entities to be exempted from B-BBEE and to limit land reform, directly challenge the core of our country's apartheid transformation agenda,' she said. Oosthuizen was concerned the statement underscores the real diplomatic economic risks facing the country if relations with the US deteriorate further. Not a good impression? Senior political lecturer at North-West University Benjamin Rapanyane said this does not at all create a good impression of the Afrikaner community in South Africa. 'First of all, who delegated them to the White House? No one delegated them to go them. Also, why would the White House officials agree to meet this group outside the normal diplomatic channels,' he asked. South Africa needed to be careful when addressing such matters with big economies like the US, otherwise the country will suffer terrible consequences unnecessarily, Rapanyane said. ALSO READ: Afrikaner 'refugees' continue to arrive in US on commercial flights – reports Political analyst Piet Croucamp said it was a common practice for cultural and language groups of interest to visit the United States and speak to individuals. The visit 'has no impact' 'Speaking to senior White House officials creates the impression that it does have an impact; a significant impact. I am hesitant to accept the statement because we haven't seen it covered in the foreign media, American media or Washington media,' he said. Croucamp said the trio must be careful not to create expectations of what can be achieved with the statements that they themselves have issued and the clever use of senior White House officials. 'However, it doesn't mean the visit was meaningless and shouldn't be done and that there was reason to criticise it, but it is important to see it for what it is. In the long run, it has no impact. 'Ramaphosa visited Washington and he spoke to US President Donald Trump. They really spoke to senior officials; you could see it – but even that had minimal impact,' Croucamp said. 'The same things were said and there is no indication that there has been influence specifically to a significant extent,' he said. NOW READ: WATCH: SA should know what leverage it has on the US and act on it, Rasool says
Newsweek
25-06-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Temperatures in 8 States Will Feel Hotter Than Hottest Place on Earth
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. At least eight states were expected to see temperatures that would feel hotter than those in Death Valley—often referred to as the hottest place on Earth—on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Why It Matters These forecasts come as the U.S. has been facing a widespread heat wave this week, which saw multiple temperature records surpassed. The heat index—also called apparent temperature—reflects how hot it actually feels to the human body when humidity is factored in with the air temperature, the NWS says. A person drinks from a canister near the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 2025, as a significant heat wave hits the region. A person drinks from a canister near the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 2025, as a significant heat wave hits the region. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images What To Know According to an NWS forecast for Furnace Creek—a community within Death Valley National Park—a peak heat index value of 103 degrees Fahrenheit is expected on Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, extreme heat warnings, issued when "a period of very hot temperatures, even by local standards, will occur," warned of "dangerously hot conditions" across parts of the Eastern U.S. Central and eastern parts of North Carolina were forecast to face heat index values climbing to 115 F. Across Virginia, areas in the central, southern, and eastern regions were projected to experience index levels of 110 or higher. According to the NWS, sections of east and southeast Pennsylvania were likely to reach heat index readings as high as 105. Areas in Delaware and Maryland were preparing for heat index values peaking at 108, while neighboring New Jersey faced projected highs near 107. Elsewhere, northeastern Kentucky, southeastern Ohio, and much of West Virginia's lowlands were all expected to see heat indexes nearing 104. The heat wave has seen multiple record temperatures broken, according to the NWS. The service's New York forecast office reported on Tuesday a "record setting day across the area." On Tuesday afternoon, temperatures at Newark International Airport hit 103 degrees, surpassing the previous June 24 record of 97 degrees set in 1966, it said. This also tied the monthly record for the warmest temperature recorded for the month of June. What People Are Saying The National Weather Service, Eastern Region, said on X on Tuesday: "There's no doubt about it many were feeling hot, hot, hot today in the Eastern United States! Many daily records were set. By the way, if you want to cool off you had better luck in Las Vegas, NV today which only reached 94 for a high!" NWS Mount Holly/Philadelphia said on X, Tuesday: "While the peak of the heat and humidity from the ongoing heat wave are past us, it will still be very hot on Wednesday with highs in the mid to upper 90s and heat indexes around 100-105°. We'll get a more noticeable break in the heat by Thursday." What Happens Next At the time of writing, the latest of the extreme heat warnings was in effect until 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday.
