
Republican divisions over changes to Medicaid — the federal health care program for poor, elderly and disabled Americans — are becoming the chief hurdle to getting President Trump's major tax, immigration and energy agenda through Congress. GOP...
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Jimmy Dore
Come see us live in Los Angeles, Buffalo, Toledo, Montreal, Ottawa, Glasgow, Manchester, Belfast, Dublin, London, Liverpool, Birmingham. Go to Jimmy Dore.com for a link for tickets. Hey, this is Jimmy. Who's this?
Gavin Newsom
Jimmy, how are you? This is the Governor of the great state of California, Gavin Newsom, calling in from the State House here in Sacramento.
Jimmy Dore
Oh, hey, Governor. I don't believe we've spoken before.
Gavin Newsom
I don't believe we have either. And you know what? I'm going to take the blame for that. I have admittedly been remiss in not calling you in the past. But, Jimmy, what we're trying to do now at the Governor's office is establish dialogues.
Jimmy Dore
You know what, Governor? I bet you could do a mean JD Prixinger. But anyway, new. Huh? I gotcha.
Gavin Newsom
New dialogues. Unprecedented dialogues.
Jimmy Dore
Oh.
Gavin Newsom
Dialogues with what I like to call CCVs or crucial California voices.
Jimmy Dore
Oh, okay.
Gavin Newsom
And, Jimmy, in the past few years, you've firmly established yourself as one of California's most crucial voices.
Jimmy Dore
Definitely.
Gavin Newsom
So I am thrilled for this opportunity for us to finally have a chat.
Jimmy Dore
Well, what do you want to chat about, Jack?
Gavin Newsom
Because I am of the mind that that's what leadership is, is really about. Reaching out and listening. Time to listen to the people and their concerns. What's going on at the street level.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
So these chats are crucial, in my opinion.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
I make a point to constantly be talking to my fellow Californians about what's on their mind. So much so that my voice is constantly hoarse. I know that's from all the conversations I have on a daily basis, and not because I'm purposely trying to sound like a young Bill Clinton without the hillbilly accent.
Jimmy Dore
Ah. Because you're going to be running for president. That's me doing you.
Gavin Newsom
So after this call, my voice, it's going to be even hoarser from all the listening I'm going to be doing.
Jimmy Dore
Well, I'm glad you called, Mr. Governor, because I've always wanted to ask you.
Gavin Newsom
Jimmy, you probably know about our actions on Monday, where we urge local municipal governments here in California to ban what we have called persistent camping. While we want to be humane and empathetic, of course we need to say enough is enough with the homelessness problem here in California.
Jimmy Dore
Persistent camping. Okay, well, what's your plan to do about the persistent camping?
Gavin Newsom
Exactly, Jimmy, we are tired of this constant landscape of human misery.
Jimmy Dore
Sure.
Gavin Newsom
Let's be honest with ourselves. It's time to take back the streets. It's time to take back the sidewalks. Take back the curbs.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
Take back the Driveway aprons.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
Take back that little grassy section between the curb and the sidewalk. I don't know if there's a name for that patch specifically, but we need to take it back.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah, I agree. I'm with you on this.
Gavin Newsom
We all, we all agree. Yeah, we all agree that these homeless encampments that I personally have allowed to grow and swell like out of control algae blooms in a lake.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
Need to be swept away so that people from respectable tax brackets no longer have to see them anymore.
Jimmy Dore
But Governor, how could you have possibly allowed this problem to get so out of hand in the first frickin place?
Gavin Newsom
Jimmy, I hear your question and it's a vital one.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
It does need to be answered.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah, sure.
Gavin Newsom
The reason I've decided to solve this problem now.
Jimmy Dore
Oh, yeah.
Gavin Newsom
Because we have finally achieved the level of state and municipal cooperation that is required to finally see a lasting and permanent solution to this crisis.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah, that didn't answer my question at all.
Gavin Newsom
And Jimmy, to address the second part of your question.
Jimmy Dore
There's no second part of my question. It's just a one part.
Gavin Newsom
Excuse me. Excuse me. To address the second part, I'd have to say that. Yes, to perhaps the cynical minded, it might appear suspicious that I followed up coming close to criminalizing homelessness in California with the announcement that illegal aliens or undocumented whatever would not have access to free medical care in the state of California.
Jimmy Dore
Right.
Gavin Newsom
I fully understand that to my political opponents that gives them fodder. That the successive targeting of two of society's most vulnerable groups, the unhoused and the undocumented, gives the appearance of brazen political opportunism.
Jimmy Dore
It does.
Gavin Newsom
A rapid fire assault on the weak solely for the purpose of appealing to the right wing.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
So to build a larger political support base nationwide and to lay the groundwork for larger political aspirations.
Jimmy Dore
Well, yeah. Is that the case?
Gavin Newsom
The small minded among us might even ask, is that case?
Jimmy Dore
Is that.
Gavin Newsom
Obviously such a question does not even warrant a response. But if I were asked that, I would have to say no, no and no. And point out these measures that we've taken in the last week were, so were practical measures undertaken for pragmatic reasons. I want to ever sugarcoat, okay, we have substantial problems here in California and they need to be addressed. And that's what we are doing. I have time for one more question.
Jimmy Dore
Are you running for president?
Gavin Newsom
Look, Jimmy, I am the governor of California.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
And that means all of the state of California. So I cannot play favorites with my teams. But yes, growing up in The Bay Area. And I've made no secret about this in the past, the 49ers will always be my team in my heart. But I do not allow that to affect how I govern. When I'm in Dodger Stadium, I am the biggest Dodgers fan in the world, and so on and so forth. I'm a California fan.
Jimmy Dore
Wow. You know, I've heard politician dodging questions before, but politicians answering questions that no one even actually asked, That's a new and bold strategy. So.
Gavin Newsom
Thank you.
Jimmy Dore
Well, I don't think that I've really learned much at all really so far. But thanks for calling and establishing a dialogue.
Gavin Newsom
Jimmy, I've always said at the end of the day, the best thing you can do is to have your final long winded, meaningless platitude start out with at the end of the day. Yeah, it sounds wise. It sounds final, yet gentle. Really puts the landing gears down on your bullshit.
Jimmy Dore
Well, thank you, Governor Newsom.
Gavin Newsom
I agree with you 100%.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Gavin Newsom
Now I gotta go get the. Out of my hair.
Jimmy Dore
Why? Why? Get it out?
Gavin Newsom
Yeah, I actually can't. It's permanent.
Kurt Metzger
Okay.
Jimmy Dore
So they're cutting, they're going to try and cut Medicaid. Right. And so now I told you that most of the half the countries gets their health care from the government. About 80 million people get Medicare. That's actually not from the government. That's. They paid into it their whole Life. And then 70 million people get Medicaid. Right. So that's like half the country. And now they're trying to cut that. So that's. They didn't cut any money from the Pentagon. So Doge was all the smokescreen because all the money that they cut or saved you, first of all, they didn't even vote on it. Second of all, all that money that Doge supposedly saved you, Trump has given right back to the war machine, which is where that money came from in the first place.
Scott Santens
The same machine that stole 23 trillion.
Jimmy Dore
The same machine that stole 21 trillion from you. So now House Republicans push forward a plan to cut taxes, Medicaid and food aid. So. But the big story is that a lot of Republicans are against this. Why? Because they know a lot of MAGA people rely on Medicaid. And here's Josh Hawley, that there's no bigger conservative than Josh Hawley. I would say he's certainly hawkish on a lot of things. He's very right wing. And here's what he has to say about it. Cade, do you agree with the Speaker? Is his Bill, not a cut to Medicaid.
Josh Hawley
Well, the right thing to do is not to cut Medicaid. So I'm glad to hear him say that. Manu. It ought to be just a basic foundational principle. It is wrong to cut health care for the working poor. And that's what we're talking about here with Medicaid. My state is a Medicaid export expansion state. Over 20% of Missourians, including hundreds of thousands of children, are on Medicaid and mono. They're not on Medicaid because they want to be. They're on Medicaid because they cannot afford health insurance in the private market. These are working people and their children who need health care. And it's just wrong to go and cut their health care when they're trying to make ends meet, trying to help their kids, trying to make sure that they're able to provide for their families. So I hope that the House GOP and the Senate GOP will get the message here. By the way, President Trump has said the same thing. No Medicaid benefit cuts.
Jimmy Dore
Well, he said it, but now they're trying to do it. So good for Josh Hawley for saying that and reminding people that a lot of the people on Medicaid are working. The working poor who can't afford it. So they're working and so what? Big part of it, they're trying to put work requirements into Medicaid, which is dumb for a lot of reasons because a lot of the people are already working. And second of all, you go on Medicaid when you lose your job. A lot of people have to go on Medicaid because they just lost their job. And there's myriad other reasons why that's dumb to put work requirements in there. It sounds good. It makes people feel good. Oh yeah, mega. More. Again, it's just a dumb idea that we don't have universal healthcare for anyone. But here's Steve Bannon. Hey, Scott. Kurt. What? I'm sorry, Kurt. What? Say it again.
Scott Santens
You were better that we half ass it. So half the people do have it and the other people pay too much for it.
Jimmy Dore
It's right.
Scott Santens
And then nobody gets the proper service. That's our amazing.
Jimmy Dore
That's our amazing. So here's Steve Bannon and here's what he says about the meat ax and cut Medicaid. You just can't go to a meat ax and cut Medicaid. Why? We just can't go in with a meat ax and cut Medicaid. You got to be very smart about this. Why as I've been saying for a long time, just look at it. There's a ton of maga of working class folks, Hispanic, black and whites that are on Medicaid that are working, not sitting there gaming the system, not asking for a handout. Why? Because the jobs don't pay enough. But the problem is the economy. The problem isn't people on Medicaid. The problem is that we've outsourced all our good paying jobs to China and other places with slave labor so that the people at the top can make more money. Now, China made a lot of money off us doing that too. Guess what China did with their money? They invested the money they made off that deal by producing our goods that cheap. They took that money and invested it into high speed trains, into school, into health care, into infrastructure. Their cities are beautiful. We didn't, we put it in the pockets of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates and people like that. So, so there's two right wingers. So again, this isn't lefty Jimmy Dore. And here he talks about how Trump said he's against it. Here's, here's Trump saying that he's against it. Let's watch. Spending bill that passed last night aims to cut $2 trillion. Can you guarantee that Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security will not be touched?
Donald Trump
Yeah, I mean, I have said it so many times. Times. You shouldn't be asking me that question. Okay, this will not be read my lips. It won't be read my lips anymore. We're not going to touch it.
Jimmy Dore
So he's talking about George Herbert Walker Bush who said, read my lips. No new taxes. And then he gave us new taxes. So that's a big part of why he didn't get reelected. And Trump is saying this is, no, you don't have to read my lips. We're not going to touch it. So, but his Republican lawmakers are trying to do that, just that.
Scott Santens
Does Trump know it's even in there? Does Trump even know it's in there? Because I watch another guy lie to him about that Supreme Court decision and tell him the exact opposite of what the decision was on camera.
Jimmy Dore
We saw him. I know. We'll see. So just to let you know, this measure, they're putting this in. So Trump, So Trump's still going to extend his 2017 tax cuts. So this makes up for that budget shortfall. Some of it. The measure would extend Mr. Trump's 2017 tax cut and temporarily enact his campaign pledges not to tax tips or overtime pay cuts to Medicaid food stamps and subsidies for clean energy would partly offset the roughly 3.8 trillion cost of those tax measures. I'm all for them cutting the. Yeah, I'm all for them cutting the subsidies for clean energy. I'm all for that.
Scott Santens
Yeah.
Jimmy Dore
Because as Michael Moore, as Michael Moore's movie proved that it's counterproductive that you create a bigger carbon footprint just trying to get clean energy. So until they figure that out, I'm against the subsidies for it. So they're so there. This is taking money from the poor and the working poor and giving it to the rich, because that's what the tax cuts for. So that's what this is about. Okay. The non. So guess what? The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that at least 7.6 million fewer people, at least. So that means probably more than 7 1/2 million people are going to lose their health insurance with this. Now, if you listen to the people in favor of this that want to cut it, they say, oh, we're just going to cut out the illegal aliens who are on Medicaid. That's gonna, that's only a million people. So this is seven and a half. And Josh Hawley and Steve Bannon just told you it's not illegal aliens. A lot of maga who are workers can't afford health care.
Scott Santens
And I'm not, I'm not confident in your ability to discern the difference between illegal aliens and not illegal aliens based on, you know, how they handle the illegal aliens.
Jimmy Dore
Right. The CBO also gave lawmakers. So the nonpartisan CBO also gave lawmakers a preliminary analysis showing that 3 million fewer people each month would participate in SNAP, which is food, food stamps. So poor people were taking away their food and we're taking away their health care. So for, so we could do what? So we could extend his 2017 tax cuts for, for rich people. The majority of those tax cuts went to the upper 20% of income earners. Just so you know, what if we.
Scott Santens
Didn'T make the military budget a trillion.
Jimmy Dore
Dollars and they're not cutting any. And they're not, not only are they not cutting from the military, Donald Trump is proposing we spend all the money that Doge saved. We give it just right back to the war machine.
Scott Santens
So you Doge hit up the Pentagon.
Jimmy Dore
They didn't go to the Pentagon. They didn't do that. And I told, I showed you before. Steve Bannon said they have to go cut the Pentagon. And if they don't do that, then, you know, they're not serious. And and they're not serious. Doge was never serious and that's the that's the bad news about Doge I.
Scott Santens
Was taking as Trump don't have the power to cut the Pentagon I was rooting literally does not have the power to do it.
Jimmy Dore
I was well he does he has the power to not propose more money for them House thank you so how so this is the quick this is what happened on Wednesday. House Republicans pushed forward at major legislation delivered President Trump's domestic agenda moving over the opposition of Democrats to advance tax cuts, Medicaid and food assistance. After slogging through all night and an all day drafted the votes in three committees were crucial step for Mr. Trump has labeled the big beautiful bill so he's behind this. Trump is behind this. He calls it a big beautiful bill. Hey, how about we just do a medium sized so so bill how about that he's and that Republicans hope to push through the House by the end of next week. Even as the committee approved the slices in their plan and party on party line votes House Republican leaders face dissent from who Republicans. Republicans from high tax states like New York were furious about a provision that would increase the limit on the state and local tax deductions to $30,000 from a $10,000 cap they regard as far too low and which is still being negotiated. The plan is also facing Republican opposition in the Senate. I saw you, I showed you. Josh Hawley is one of them. Senators Rand Paul is another. Ron Johnson is another. They say the current bill is fiscally irresponsible. Susan Collins of Maine, she opposes at least one Medicaid provision in the legislation. And there's Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri described the bill's changes to the government health program for the poor as a non starter, saying they amounted to taxing the poor to give to the rich. This is opposite of what Trump said he was going to do. This is real Medicaid benefit cuts. Josh Hawley said in an interview I can't support it. No Republican should support that. We're the party of the working class. We need to act like it. Okay.
Scott Santens
That's what Bannon said.
Jimmy Dore
That's what Bannon said. Republicans are using a process known as budget reconciliation to shield the measure from a filibuster. So they're going to try and make it filibuster proof and they're going to push it through Congress with a simple majority with all Democrats opposed to it. They can only afford to lose three votes in the House and three votes in the Senate. So almost all The Republicans have to vote for this for it to pass. Democrats have aimed most of their criticism at the bill's health care provisions, which they believe will be politically damaging to Republicans who back them. Believe me, it will. Steve Bannon already told you it will. Josh Hawley already told you it will. More than 8 million Americans are estimated to lose insurance coverage if the bill comes law. The the Agricultural Committee, which took a break from debate on Tuesday night and reconvened for nearly 12 hours on Wednesday, approved major cuts to food assistance programs through increased work requirements by shifting some of the program's costs to the states from the federal government. Democrats repeatedly bashed the Republican proposal as a scheme to take basic necessities from children and families in order to cut taxes for wealthy Americans and corporations. That's it. Because that's what it is. The Energy and Commerce Committee, whose portion of the bill includes major funding cuts and policy changes to Medicaid, plowed ahead through Tuesday night and into Wednesday afternoon before approving its part of the package. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the committee's proposed changes, which are concentrated on health care, would save more than $900 billion over the next 10 years. You could just cut a couple of hundred billion dollars off the Pentagon and get the same savings, but no, they're going to cut it off. Working people's health care Much of the discussion centered on work requirements. And I'm going to tell you why workers are stupid. Most people are working. Another thing is a lot of people have to go on Medicaid when they lose their job. The policy, which will begin in 2029, is expected to push millions of Americans off the program and achieve spending significant spending reductions under the position Medicaid beneficiaries would need to submit paperwork every month that worked, that they worked at least 80 hours or qualified for an exemption. So do you see what this means? They're going to spend more money on bureaucracy and paperwork every month. So that's where the money so they're going to spend more money on bureaucracy. This is a bad idea. This whole bill is bad idea.
Scott Santens
Let's look at a conservative from a conservative perspective. Why should a private business have to pay for your health care for working there? That seems like an unjust socialist thing to impose that on the employer, right? Shouldn't your government, you pay taxes to presumably for some kind of service, do that for you? Shouldn't they?
Jimmy Dore
Democrats assailed the provisions, arguing that its complex reporting rules would cause eligible people to lose health coverage. Republican committee aides were asked to Answer detailed questions about what would happen if a person failed to file required paperwork while hospitalized. So you're in the hospital and you can't file the paperwork. They just get rid of your Medicaid. You know, this, this is so outrageous, Jimmy. I just keep thinking, I'm like, well, let's first start cutting Congress's health care. Let's cut all of theirs. That's right.
Scott Santens
They don't get Obamacare, by the way.
Jimmy Dore
They get the best. They get a special health care. The congresspeople. Many of the de details of the work requirement were modeled on a program in Georgia that has resulted in lower enrollment and higher administrative costs. So they have a version of this plan already in place in Georgia. And what did it. It resulted in working people losing their health care and higher administrative costs. That's what I just said. Because they have to every month submit this paperwork. Studies, studies suggests that most Medicaid beneficiaries who would be subjected to the new work rules already work. They're already working. So now we're going to spend way more money on paperwork and bureaucracy and administration of costs to make sure the people already working are already working. And nevertheless, those work requirements cause those people who are already working to lose their health care. Representative Brett Guthrie, a Kentucky Republican who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee, said Republicans have crafted this bill carefully to avoid the issues. Okay, yank, yank. We absolutely don't want people to qualify for Medicaid to not receive Medicaid because of red tape, particularly when they're trying to work. They are working. They're not trying, they're working. Debate also focused on a new co payment requirement for some Medicaid patients to go to the doctor, a change that some Democrats characterize as a sick tax that would prevent low income people from seeking care. GOP Medicaid cuts are. So this is. The numbers are clear. Nursing home recipients depend on Medicaid. How many of them? 63% of nursing home care in the United States is funded by Medicaid. So you got to do is pull the plug on those people. Some states are even more dependent on Medicaid than the than a national app. For example, West Virginia, 77% of nursing home care is funded by Medicaid. So this is, this is our society, our country, taking care of elderly sick people. And if you don't do that, you're not a country. You're more of a. What's the word I'm looking for? I can't think of it. Political reported on the morning of May 15th that after a marathon markup session lasting 26 hours. The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation that would slash Medicaid spending by hundreds of billions of dollars. These cuts would directly impact nursing home residents and their families. So you're going to have to pay more for your parents who are in nursing homes. Working people are going to have to pay more. And what is this for? This is so we can give more money to the Pentagon that nobody wants to do no American citizens vot for. And this is so they could give a tax cut to the richest 20% of Americans. The nursing home residents coverage will be at risk. Either the home itself will have to make so either people will have to make up for that loss in some way, or they will simply have to say we can no longer support people on Medicaid and kick them out. And then it falls on families. While the Medicaid cuts would hurt nursing home patients, they would also severely impact those who receive care at home, often referred to as home and community based care. According to NPR Radio, Medicaid pays for care at home for roughly four and a half million Americans. The Medicaid cuts that passed the Energy and Commerce Committee would devastate America's family caregivers. As Medicaid also funds caregiver respite programs and caregiving training. The cuts would hurt our most vulnerable and their families. Where are the citizens on the. Where are, where are our citizens? So where do Americans, how do they feel about this? Most Americans are opposed to this. Most Americans, including Republicans, are opposed to this.
Scott Santens
Well, democracy isn't real.
Jimmy Dore
So nobody, again, nobody voted for this. As Steve Bannon said, nobody had this platform. No, he didn't. Trump ran on not touching Medicaid. In fact, there is support for more spending on Medicaid. People want you to spend more money. Of the government's polling from Kaiser published in March of this year found that 42% want to see an increase in Medicaid spending just under 3 and 4. So 73% of people polled say that Medicaid is important to their local communities. Three out of four people, Democrats 83%, independent, 74% and the overwhelming majority of Republicans, 64, 61% of they see Medicaid as very important to their local community. That's the overwhelming majority of Americans. Here's a lady to tell you how it's going to affect rural people.
Alexis
My name is Alexis. I'm a nurse in Southern California. I'm not a politician. I'm not a CEO. I'm someone who wakes up every day and goes to work caring for the people in my community. And I'm here specifically to speak out because what is happening to our health care system, especially in regards to long term care facilities and rural hospitals, is not just wrong. It is very dangerous. I'll just say it plainly. Medicaid cuts will kill people in specific populations, rural communities, disabled folks and the elderly. Those cuts hit the hardest.
Scott Santens
Wow, just like the COVID Yeah, just like Covid therapy.
Jimmy Dore
Okay, so we'll see what happens with this. I hope that the Republicans in the Senate will stop it and I hope the Republicans will convince Trump to go after the Pentagon, which is what most people want them to do, and cut that. But that, that, you know, that just shows you who's running the government. The war machine is still running the government. As Trump seeks peace, which is good. He's also wanting to explode the Pentagon budget. The Pentagon budget should be in half. We don't have anybody out there looking to attack us. We don't have anybody. There's no one looking to attack the United States. Nobody. This is all, this is all welfare to Raytheon and Booz Allen and Boeing. This is all, this is welfare to big corporations. That's what the war budget is. And they're not going to cut that because they are the ones who actually control those people. Okay, we'll keep an eye on this. And you should make sure that Trump and the Republicans listen to MAGA and listen to the workers. Listen to the overwhelming majority of Americans. Listen to Josh Hawley. Okay, Jimmy, how do you want to respond to this rumble? Bro says right now Jimmy's talking about this Medicaid disaster bill yet wants universal government health care. Your response? Yeah. You know why? Because we now pay twice as much as the rest of the world for worse outcomes. Not so. When I say twice as much, I mean you are paying 100% more for your health care than the rest of the world. The rest of the Western world.
Scott Santens
Who's this health care? I'd like to know, where do you get your health care?
Jimmy Dore
And then when you go to use it, they screw you anyway and they don't give you your coverage. So, so this is, this is the worst system in the world that we have. So people are brainwashed because the people who run health care and pharma, the health insurance companies and big pharma, they own the, the TV stations too. They own the newspapers and the news outlets. And so people get brainwashed into thinking that somehow we have a good health care system. We have the worst health care system in the world.
Scott Santens
I'm only for government run bombing of other people's countries.
Jimmy Dore
That's right. So again, it's not government run health care. Medicare. If your parents, your grandparents are on Medicare, they go to a private doctor in a private hospital and they go to a private pharmacy and the government pays the check. And why that's better than the system we have now is because the government person doesn't have a financial incentive to deny you health care. Right now the private health insurance company has an incentive to deny you health care. The government guy who would be writing that check doesn't. The private health insurance guy who writes that check does. And a third of the money that you spend on healthcare right off the top is take skimmed right off the top and goes to a middleman that we don't need a third of that money that we spend. So I think we spend like $21 trillion or something like that on healthcare in America. A third of that. What's a third of 21? 7. What's 30% of 21? I don't. 3 times 21 is 3 times 7. 7 is 21. Yeah, 3. So it would be like $7 trillion goes right off the top.
Scott Santens
How come Elon can't doge private health care since it's so intertwined with the government itself as it is? So right now you do have government run health care. Just for the record, the government runs it horribly and you get the worst of all worlds in one system.
Jimmy Dore
Hey, you know, here's another great way you can help support the show is you become a premium member. We give you a couple of hours of premium bonus content every week and it's a great way to help support the show. You can do it by going to jimmy door comedy.com clicking on join premium. It's the most affordable premium program in the business and it's a great way to help put your thumb back in the eye of the bastards. Thanks for everybody who was already a premium member. And if you haven't, you're missing out. We give you lots of bonus content. Thanks for your support. So we know that James Comey tweeted this out. 86:47, which means originally was invented by the mob. Meaning take someone eight miles out of town, put him six feet under, and 47 is the number. He's the 47th president. So James Comey tweets that out, pretends he doesn't. Yeah, I wasn't calling for violence against the president. So the President Trump has now responded. President Trump has responded. Here we go.
Donald Trump
He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination, and it says it loud and clear. Now, he wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant. And he did it for a reason. And he was hit so hard because people like me and they like what's happening with our country. Our country has become respected again and all this, and he's calling for the assassination of the President.
Jimmy Dore
Obviously, he apologized and said he doesn't.
Donald Trump
Apologize for violence, but look, he's a very big.
Jimmy Dore
What do you want to see happen? What do you want to see happen?
Donald Trump
I don't want to take a position on it, because that's going to be up to Pam and all of the great people. But I will say this. I think it's. It's a terrible thing. And when you add his history to that, if he had a clean history, he doesn't. He's a dirty cop. He's a dirty cop. And if he had a clean history, I could understand if there was a leniency, but I'm going to let them make that decision.
Jimmy Dore
And so there is the President calling him a dirty cop, saying he knew exactly what he was doing. And Trump's right about both those things. And if you want to know. So here's what he said. I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. You really. The thing, the term that was invented by the mob. A guy who's prosecuted the mob doesn't know this. The head of the FBI doesn't know it. I knew it.
Scott Santens
You investigate an American citizen for making that about Biden or whatever.
Jimmy Dore
Of course they would.
Scott Santens
His whole job was running cover for the Clintons. That's the whole job of the FBI.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Scott Santens
So a drug cartel, Basically.
Jimmy Dore
So. And especially what Trump was a victim of two assassination attempts.
Scott Santens
Well, now makes sense that maybe those peace deals are real if he wanted him killed over it.
Jimmy Dore
So Insurrection Barbie tweeted out this. This video. She says, everyone needs to watch this and remember who Comey really is. So this is about four minutes long. I want you to. So I covered this when it happened. He did an interview with Chris Wallace about Russiagate and all the lies that the FBI were caught telling because they had an inspector general do an investigation. And the inspector general said, hey, turns out the FBI lied to the FISA court 17 times. To get taps on Trump's phones. You remember when they made Trump sound like he was crazy when he said that, that Obama had tapped his phones?
Scott Santens
Shut up.
Jimmy Dore
Obama's the. Yeah. Who said that?
Scott Santens
Bill Maher. He goes, shut up, Trump. No, he didn't. Bill Maher is like, you know, he's sneering when he.
Jimmy Dore
Of course. And of course, it turned out that Trump was right about that, that they did lie to the FISA court 17 times so they could get a tap on not only Trump's phone, but everybody in his campaign and everybody who was associated with the campaign.
Scott Santens
I mean, that is what the FISA courts for, to be fair. It's for them to corrupt.
Jimmy Dore
To corrupt everything. So. So. And the inspector general found many instances of that. And here's James Comey getting dismantled. So he. He does that I'm a. I'm the Boy Scout look. He has that earnest look.
Scott Santens
And I got from Jesuit school, and.
Jimmy Dore
I'm trying to be the. I'm the guy who's on the up and up here, the head of the FBI. So watch Chris. Watch Chris Wallace dismantle him. Let's watch.
H
I don't see the disconnect between the two of us, and I'm sorry that I'm missing it here.
Kurt Metzger
Are you and the Inspector general, Michael Horowitz, answering the same question? Do you think this is vindication?
H
It is. I mean, the FBI's had to wait two years while the President and his followers lied about the institution. Finally, the truth gets told.
Jimmy Dore
So he's asked about the inspector general's report, and he says, is this vindication of you and the FBI? And he said, yes, it is. And the President and his cohorts have lied about us. Well, that's not what the inspector general says. Here's the same question to the inspector general who wrote the report that James Comey says it vindicates him and the FBI. Here's the inspector general, the guy who wrote the report is what he says.
H
Report vindicate Mr. Comey.
Jimmy Dore
It doesn't vindicate anyone at the FBI who touched this, including the leadership.
Kurt Metzger
The IG says you should feel no vindication.
H
Well, maybe it turns upon how we understand the word.
Jimmy Dore
What I mean is that I understand it to mean that I get to lie and pre. And twist the meaning of the word vindication. Vindication. I thought it meant. Okay, I thought it meant that nobody's ever going to hold me account. To account it for this. That's what I thought it meant. What is. What do you think it means, Chris? Here we go.
H
The FBI was accused of treason, of illegal spying, of tapping Mr. Trump's wires illegally.
Jimmy Dore
They did all those things.
Scott Santens
Been treasonous for quite some time.
Jimmy Dore
They did that. They did all those things. The FBI did out those things. But no one's going to prosecute them. That doesn't mean they didn't do them, and that doesn't mean that the inspector general didn't find that he did.
H
Opening an investigation without justification of being a criminal conspiracy to unseat, defeat and then unseat a president, or all of that was nonsense.
Kurt Metzger
Here is what you said about the FISA process and what the Inspector General Horowitz said this week.
H
Take a look at total confidence that the FISA process was followed and that the entire case was handled in a thoughtful, responsible way by DOJ and the FBI.
Jimmy Dore
We identified significant inaccuracies and omissions in each of the four applications. Seven in the first application and a total of 17 by the final renewal application. So what that means is that the FBI lied to the FISA court. Now, remember, the FISA court was set up after 9, 11, so we could get terrorists. They were using the FISA court, and you don't get to. So the FISA court, you don't get to have a defense counsel. You don't even get to be made aware of the charges. A prosecutor goes to a secret court in secret, and they were lying to the FISA judges in secret court. And the inspector general said they lied to them 17 times in total.
Scott Santens
Why are we better than China again?
Jimmy Dore
Yeah. And somehow we're better than China. Good point. Here we go.
Kurt Metzger
17 significant errors in the FISA process, and you say that it was handled in a thoughtful and appropriate way.
H
He's right. I was wrong. I was overconfident in the procedures that the FBI and Justice had built over 20 years.
Jimmy Dore
I was overcon. Do you see how these guys are scummy? This is exactly what the head of the CIA does. They use these words that they can then weasel out of. He goes, yeah, I was overconfident in the process that the FBI had built up over. I was over. No, no, what you were doing was lying.
Scott Santens
You're not. Yours is the head of the FBI.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah, you're the head of the FBI. You are overconfident in the process. No, you were lying. And the people underneath you were lying and you were lying to the FISA court. The FBI was, and you knew it. You.
Scott Santens
He knew all the earmarks of a Russian thing.
Jimmy Dore
That's right. He knew that Russia gave was. Was a complete hoax. He knew it.
Scott Santens
I just. It's the kind of thing Russia does. So the press is who ran with it.
Jimmy Dore
Yes. Okay, so here's more.
Kurt Metzger
Again, here's your version. And again, here's the inspector general.
H
My recollection was it was part of a broader mosaic of facts that were laid before the FISA judge to obtain a FISA warrant.
Jimmy Dore
So he's talking about the Steele dossier. He's saying, well, that was just part of a larger mosaic that we laid before, after it got debunked that the Spizer, the P. Dossier, the Steele dossier was all made up, by the way, it was paid for by Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton paid Steele, the spy from England, to put together the dossier that smeared Trump. She paid for it, lied to the FBI for a year that she paid for it. And then when she got caught lying about it, she paid a fine. She didn't go to jail for lying to the FBI. She didn't get. She wasn't pilloried in the press, and nobody even knows about it. But that's what. So he's there saying that, oh, yeah, well, so the Steele dossier was completely discredited. It was made up. It was paid for by Hillary Clinton to smear her political opponent. And we, by the way, the FBI knew that. And he's saying, well, it wasn't. That wasn't the centerpiece of our case to the FISA court to get a tap on Donald Trump and his entire campaign's phones. That was just one piece. That's not true. Because watch this. We concluded that the Steele reporting played a central and essential role in the decision to seek a FISA order. It was a central. It was central and critical role. It was the. It was all based on Steele dossier. There's James Comey saying, no, it was just one of the things. Well, the inspector general finds the exact opposite.
Scott Santens
It was. What were the other reasons besides that? Any word?
Jimmy Dore
So let's watch.
Kurt Metzger
Horowitz says it wasn't part. As you told Bret Baier, it wasn't part of a broader mosaic. He said it played an essential role.
Jimmy Dore
You see his face, you see Comey's face.
Kurt Metzger
In establishing probable cause. In fact, he says if it hadn't been for the Steele dossier, the FBI probably wouldn't have even submitted a FISA application.
Jimmy Dore
That.
H
I'm sure he and I are saying different things.
Jimmy Dore
Well, you see that face? That's that. I'm trying to be honest. I'm being honest. I'm really, I'm honestly. He goes, I don't think we're saying different things. Of course you are.
Scott Santens
I thought he said we're saying different things.
Jimmy Dore
No, he says, I'm not sure we're saying different things. That's what he's saying. He's saying me and the inspector general are not. I'm not sure we're saying different things. I'm trying. Look how earnest I look. I practice this. This is my lie face.
Scott Santens
Did you go to Fauci school?
Jimmy Dore
Yeah, he went to Fauci School.
Kurt Metzger
There's the issue of how reliable the Steele dossier in fact was. On January 6, 2017, in the Trump Tower, you brief Donald Trump president elect about the Steele dossier. That same month, the FBI talks to Steele's main Russian contact, the main person on whom he based the dossier, who says, according to the IG report, quote, Steele misstated or exaggerated the primary subsource's statements in multiple sections of the reporting. Director Comey, not only do you fail, but to go back to the president elect or president after January 20 and tell him, oh, you know that report I briefed you on? Turns out it's bunk. But the FBI goes back and renews its FISA application three more times, and by this point, the FBI knows that the Steele reporting is not credible. Did you know all of this?
H
All of what?
Jimmy Dore
All of what? What all of what? Did you know all this? All of what? You mean you know the stuff I'm talk. I'm saying to you right now, to your face, that that's the.
Scott Santens
What is the head of the FBI? The guy who. Where the buck stops with you?
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Scott Santens
Jerk off.
Jimmy Dore
So this is the kind of liar and criminal that he is.
Kurt Metzger
Everything that we're talking about here. Did you know that in fact, the Steele report was the key for probable cause. Did you know that the FBI had talked to the Russian contact and he said what the Steele said he had told him was not true? Did you know this? You're the FBI director first.
H
Again, the report will speak for itself. I don't believe the FBI concluded that Steele's reporting was bunk after talking to a subsource. But no, I didn't. As the director, you're not kept informed on the details of an investigation. So, no, in general, I didn't know what they'd learned from the subsource. I didn't know the particulars of the investigation.
Kurt Metzger
But this is some investigations. This is an investigation of the campaign of the man who is the president of the United States. Then there is, left for last, the worst misconduct. In August of 2016, just two weeks into the investigation, the CIA tells the FBI that it actually has a relationship with Carter Page. That when he has these meetings with the Russians, he actually goes back and he.
Jimmy Dore
So Carter Page was a guy working for the Trump campaign, and they use that. They said, oh, he has meetings with Russians. So they presented that to the FISA court and saying, oh, this is why you should give us a tap on Trump's phone and his campaign's phone, because Carter Page is. Carter Page was working for the CIA when he was meeting with those Russians.
Scott Santens
I have a question.
Jimmy Dore
And he. Wait. And he told the CIA that he had those meetings. And guess what? The FBI didn't tell the FISA court that, even though they knew that. And they lied to everybody saying Carter Page was working with these Russians. And so he's confronting him with that right now. And let's see what he says tells.
Kurt Metzger
The CIA about it. But you never tell the FISA court that. And in fact, in 2017, an FBI lawyer doctors a document. The CIA said, oh, Carter Page, he's a source. And he puts in the application, he's not a source.
H
Yeah, I got to take issue with one of the. I'll answer the question.
Jimmy Dore
So then a lawyer from the FBI literally doctored an email to lie to the f. To the FISA court. And so here he's going to lie about it. Watch.
H
One of the predications to your question. The inspector general did not find misconduct by any FBI people. He found mistakes and negligent and oversight.
Kurt Metzger
No, no, no, that's not true. In the case of Kevin Kleinsmith, he has referred it for a criminal investigation.
H
Right, but that's not been resolved. This business with the lawyer, changing some email to a partner on the team.
Kurt Metzger
I mean, you make it sound like it's not much. No, no, it's very important.
H
It's very.
Kurt Metzger
I mean, a source to not a source is a big deal.
H
Remember how we got here? The FBI was accused of criminal misconduct. Remember I was going to jail and lots of other people were going to jail. People on this network said it over and over and over again. The inspector general did not find misconduct by FBI personnel, did not find political bias, did not find illegal conduct. Inspector general found significant mistakes. And that is not something to sneeze at. That's really important.
Scott Santens
Important.
H
But the American people, especially your viewers, need to realize they were given false information about the FBI. It's honest. It is not political, it is flawed.
Jimmy Dore
It's unclear what the motivations were. On the one hand, gross incompetence, negligence.
Kurt Metzger
On the other hand, intentionality gross negligence, or they intended to do it. They intended to lie to the FISA court.
H
And I'm just confused. I don't see the disconnect between the two of us. And I'm sorry that I'm missing it.
Scott Santens
That's amazing. That's how you get to the top.
Jimmy Dore
That's how you get to the top.
Scott Santens
So this pee tape that kicked off this whole investigation, because I was like, I don't really know what's on it. The video in question reportedly shows Trump in the presidential suite at Moscow's posh Ritz Carlton Hotel watching two prostitutes pee on a bed the Obamas supposedly slept in. What?
Jimmy Dore
What?
Scott Santens
How would that even be a thing to get a warrant for anything? So you heard Obama went to a hotel and saw prostitutes pee on a bed? That Obama said. What on earth would that.
Jimmy Dore
So what they're saying is that the Russians have this tape so they can now use that to blackmail the President of the United States, and that's how they got him. So we need to investigate if Trump is actually working for the Russians because they have kompromat on him or they have blackmail on him.
Scott Santens
Again, my question stands. How is that kompromat on any level that's like, do you think people wouldn't have voted for Trump anyway if that happened?
Jimmy Dore
No.
Scott Santens
Went to Russia and saw two hookers pee on a bed. Do you think that would in any way be useful as blackmail?
Jimmy Dore
So these are the criminals that keep calling Trump a criminal. And my whole, you know, I've talked about this before. If you think that they hate Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. if you think the establishment hates him because he went to Washington, D.C. and he started lying. He's a politician who lies in Washington, D.C. in the Sacred house. I've got a vaccine I'd like to sell you. They're all criminals.
Scott Santens
How could he lie in the house of honesty?
Jimmy Dore
Yes. Oh, my God. There's gambling happening here. I can't believe it.
Scott Santens
It's a White House because of how honest it is.
Jimmy Dore
Because. Yeah, that's right. So Trump knows he's a dirty cop. And of course he is. He's worse than dirty. He's a criminal of the highest order. He tried to over. He tried to undermine a democratically elected president with a complete hoax of a conspiracy theory called Russiagate, and they. And they lied to courts to do it, and then they're lying to reporters that's what he looks like when he's lying. You see that face? But he gets away with it because half the country hates Donald Trump. So they don't care.
Scott Santens
Disconnect here, Jimmy.
Jimmy Dore
They don't care.
Scott Santens
I'm not seeing it.
Jimmy Dore
They don't care if he's lying. They don't care if someone lies about Trump.
Scott Santens
Yeah, just tell me one bad thing about Trump.
Jimmy Dore
Just tell me bad things. I don't care if it's true. I told you, I saw that comedian say that in, like, 2017. I just watch Rachel Maddow every night. Tell me something bad about Trump. I don't care if it's true. She said it on stage.
Scott Santens
I look down on religious people, but I'm, like, in something far worse than religion.
Jimmy Dore
That's right. Far worse. And so it just goes to show you that the people who hate Trump are hating their own shadow. As Carl Jung would say. They're hating their own shadow, and they're triggered by Trump because that part of them that they see in Trump, they've completely split off from their own psyche, and they put it in their unconscious.
Scott Santens
I'd take it a step further, Jimmy. I'd say they are Trump's shadow. I think they mistake themselves as the one who trumps the shadow. But all I'm seeing is he's the less shadowy one. And that's saying a lot.
Jimmy Dore
That's saying a lot. I know, okay. But all. All my old friends in Hollywood will hate me for telling the truth about this, because they're in a cult, and.
Scott Santens
They were never your friends, and they.
Jimmy Dore
Were never my friends.
Scott Santens
If they do that, then they're not your friends.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah, they were just. They're. Yes. All right, guess what. You know, you remember when Luigi Mangione shot that guy, the United Healthcare guy, in the street? Remember that? Well, guess what? Now the Justice Department is investigating that insurance company, United. United Health. I thought they were a victim. UnitedHealth is under criminal investigation by the Justice Department for possible Medicare fraud. Really? Wow. An insurance company is under investigation for fraud? I thought they only investigated the United States for insurance fraud. Right. So, citizens. So anyway, what made. What made the Justice Department suspicious? The United Healthcare CEO being executed in the middle of the street like he was Paul Castellano from the Gambino family. You think that had anything to do with.
Scott Santens
Was, like, the steakhouse shooting?
Jimmy Dore
Yeah, here it is. United Health under criminal probe for possible Medicare fraud. The U.S. department, the United Health, said it had not been notified by the Department of Justice about the supposed criminal investigation. Really? And the company stood by the integrity of our Medicare Advantage program. The stock fell 8% after the report of this. 8%. Wow. Okay. The health insurer has been under pressure for months. On Tuesday, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty stepped down unexpectedly and the company simultaneously suspended its 2025 financial forecast due to rising medical costs. Oh. So now people are looking at UnitedHealthcare and they're noticing that they've been screwing people illegally, criminally denying them health care coverage that they paid for. And so now they're like, oh, you know what? We're going to stop doing that for a while because now the Department of Justice is looking at what we're doing. So we're going to stop doing all that shady stuff we've been doing and screwing over people and denying them health care so we can put more money in our pocket. The announcement sends shares plunging nearly 18% to a four year low. Look at that. Good.
Scott Santens
That CEO killed more people than Hamas, by the way.
Jimmy Dore
That's right. Stephen Hemsley, who led the company for more than a decade until 2017, is taking back the reins following setbacks, including the December murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of the insurance unit, which catapulted UnitedHealth into the public consciousness. It's such a shame when a company suffers a setback, you know, like the CEO being gunned down in the street. That's just a setback.
Scott Santens
Wait, it catapulted them into public consciousness? They're the largest insurer in the United States of United States citizens.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Scott Santens
So how would you. I think people were conscious they were getting screwed before that.
Jimmy Dore
The Department of Justice Health Care Fraud Unit is overseeing the criminal investigation, which focuses on the company's Medicare Advantage business practices. While the exact nature of the potential criminal allegations against UnitedHealth is unclear, it's been an act. It's been. It has been an active probe since at least last summer, the newspaper said. And that's not a Diddy probe, that's a real probe. In February, the Journal reported a civil fraud investigation into United Health's Medicare practices. The company had then said it was unaware of any probe. In the same month, Chuck Grassley. U.S. senator Chuck Grassley launched an inquiry into the UnitedHealth's Medicare building practices. Really requesting detailed records of their compliance program and other related documents. United Health shares went down about 40% for the year. This is good. This is good news. The Department of Justice earlier this month filed a lawsuit accusing three of the largest US Health insurance of paying hundreds of millions of dollars in Kickbacks to brokers in exchange for steering patients into their insurers Medicare Advantage plans. So the brokers who are supposed to be there to make sure everything's on the up and up, are taking bribes.
Scott Santens
What is this? The vaccine industry?
Jimmy Dore
Right. Nearly half of the 65 million people covered by Medicare, the United States program for people age 65 and older or with disabilities, are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans run by private insurers. You know, instead of calling it health care, they should just call it health. Who gives a shit? That maybe wouldn't be so angry and get so shooty.
Scott Santens
Yeah, I thought somebody cared.
Jimmy Dore
The insurers are paid a set rate for each patient, but can be paid more if patients have multiple health conditions. Standard Medicare coverage is managed by the government. This is from the New York Sun. The CEO of embattled UnitedHealth Group, Andrew Whitty, who caused an uproar after defending the policies that led Luigi Mangione to allegedly murder the CEO of subsidy UnitedHealthcare abruptly handed in his resignation on Tuesday. So he sees what's happening. He goes, he doesn't want to be around for the bloodletting. He doesn't want to be around for the criminal investigation. He wants to get as far away as he can. He wants to leave town. That's what, that's a. So the guy who's running this criminal organization called a health care company is now. He's skipping, he's out of town.
Scott Santens
Change their ways after the shooting? They didn't. From what I understand, they kind of went, kept going the same way they were going.
Jimmy Dore
Well, it looks like they're, they're, they're not breaking. Luigi Mangioni appointed as special Prosecutor United Nice. UnitedHealthcare sued by shareholders over reactions to CEOs killing what? UnitedHealth shareholders are angry that the company was not able to pursue the aggressive anti consumer tactics required to achieve earning goals. So they're not. Kurt. So they're, they're not screwing people as hard as they were before the shooting. Isn't that weird? And the shareholders are now upset that UnitedHealth isn't screwing their customers quite as hard. To be scarier though, the shareholders are upset that UnitedHealth isn't screwing their customers anymore out of health care as hard as they were. Because why? Because then their, their stock shares go down.
Scott Santens
They didn't achieve earnings goals. So you know what that means.
Jimmy Dore
Yeah.
Scott Santens
These dickheads bet ahead of time that the same amount of bill gotten gains would come in. So they've already made those bets ahead of time. So they have to hit those numbers or else. I bet the consequences are worse than Luigi Mangioni.
Jimmy Dore
So the shareholders are such scumbags that they're actually launching a lawsuit to try to get UnitedHealth to keep screwing people who paid them for health coverage. That's what this says.
Scott Santens
Here's a fun fact the most One of the major shareholders of that company is. Her name's Tish of the Tisch family. She was appointed the new police commissioner to make the one Luigi Manjo came in with all those 20 cops. That was her order. She just came in and because her family's a major shareholder.
Jimmy Dore
That's right.
Scott Santens
That's probably to make sure he gets stitched up nice and real good.
Jimmy Dore
So the shareholder group argued that the public backlash prevented the company from pursuing, quote, the aggressive anti consumer tactics that it would need to achieve its earning goals. Do you see? They want them to do anti consumer. They want them to screw their customers so they can make more money. So much so that they're suing them to try to force them to screw their customers out of health care. That's the kind of maniacs who are the shareholders of UnitedHealth. As such, the company was deliberately reckless in doubling down its previously issued guidance. The suit reels. What?
Scott Santens
I don't. Wait, that seems to contradict that, doesn't it?
Jimmy Dore
No, I don't see it. I don't as James.
Scott Santens
Are they saying, like.
Jimmy Dore
If they were any shadier, it'd be nighttime? That's all I'm saying. So outside of tax, it is a little bit crazy that Investors are suing UnitedHealth because Luigi Mangioni actually succeeded in getting the company to be less greedy and more patient friendly. Yeah. This is not a meme coin. This is UnitedHealth stock down 70% since Luigi Mangioni murdered their CEO. Wow, wow, wow. And hit. That's the guy who put the pop back into pop hero Luigi Mangione.
Scott Santens
We don't really know that he's guilty, by the way. It's pretty tenuous, right? I don't believe this thing where they have a manifesto on their person at all times. I don't believe the the killer's diary. I don't know why people still fall for that.
Jimmy Dore
It seems like there's a lot of sketchy things happening around the Luigi Manzioni arrest and prosecution already. As Kurt pointed out, the person in charge appointed to do the prosecution, her family has a lot of money invested in United. Hell, what doesn't seem shady at all.
Scott Santens
Southern District of New York by any chance? Yeah.
Jimmy Dore
And so I wouldn't be surprised, I would not be surprised if Luigi Mangioni was set up. I wouldn't be surprised at all. Anyway, there you go. Good for the Department of Justice at least. We'll see what happens. They're. They're now going after UnitedHealth criminally. And it looks like the market's already spoken. Hey, Become a premium member. Go to jimmy door comedy.com sign up. It's the most affordable premium program the business. All the voices performed today are by the one and only, the inimitable Mike McCray. He can be found at mikemcrae.com that's it for this week. You be the best you can be and I'll keep being me. Out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Do not freak out. I'm not giving. Do not. Do not.
Scott Santens
I'm not.
Jimmy Dore
I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not.
Scott Santens
Freak out.
Jimmy Dore
Don't freak out. Do not freak out.
Summary of "Republicans REVOLT Against Bill Cutting Medicaid!" – The Jimmy Dore Show
Release Date: May 19, 2025
In this episode of The Jimmy Dore Show, host Jimmy Dore delves deep into the contentious issue of Republican-led efforts to cut Medicaid funding. The discussion is enriched by an unexpected phone call from California Governor Gavin Newsom, followed by analyses of internal Republican dissent, the implications of proposed legislation, critiques of the healthcare system, and a critical examination of the FBI's handling of Russiagate investigations.
Timestamp: [00:20] - [07:24]
The episode opens with a surprising phone conversation between Jimmy Dore and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Governor Newsom initiates the dialogue by emphasizing the administration's efforts to combat persistent homelessness in California through measures like banning "persistent camping." He states:
"Persistent camping. I bet you could do a mean JD Prixinger. But anyway, new. Huh?" ([00:35])
As the discussion unfolds, Newsom admits to the complexities of addressing homelessness and hints at conflating political motives with policy decisions:
"Yes, to perhaps the cynical minded, it might appear suspicious that I followed up coming close to criminalizing homelessness in California with the announcement that illegal aliens or undocumented whatever would not have access to free medical care in the state of California." ([04:16])
However, when pressed by Dore about potential presidential ambitions, Newsom sidesteps, focusing instead on his role as governor.
Timestamp: [07:27] - [20:46]
Jimmy Dore shifts the focus to the core topic: Republicans' attempts to reduce Medicaid funding. He outlines the scale of Medicaid's reach, noting that approximately 70 million Americans rely on it. Dore criticizes the Republican strategy, asserting that despite President Trump's assurances, the proposed cuts threaten millions of Americans' health coverage.
Highlighting internal Republican dissent, Dore cites Senator Josh Hawley, who opposes the cuts, emphasizing that Medicaid supports "working people and their children who need health care." Hawley voices his concerns against what he perceives as an attack on vulnerable populations:
"It is wrong to cut health care for the working poor. And that's what we're talking about here with Medicaid." ([08:51])
Steve Bannon is also mentioned as a proponent of the cuts, advocating for a more strategic approach rather than drastic reductions:
"You just can't go to a meat ax and cut Medicaid. Why? We just can't go in with a meat ax and cut Medicaid. You got to be very smart about this." ([10:25])
Dore criticizes the Rational for the cuts, arguing that they primarily serve to bolster the Pentagon's budget rather than addressing fiscal responsibility.
Timestamp: [20:46] - [30:50]
The conversation delves into the specifics of the proposed cutting of Medicaid, referencing the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) estimates that suggest up to 7.6 million Americans could lose their health insurance. Dore underscores the disparity between the public's support for Medicaid and the Republican agenda to reduce its funding.
Dore also highlights the procedural maneuvering by Republicans using budget reconciliation to pass the bill with a simple majority, bypassing potential filibusters. This tactical approach intensifies the stakes, making the passage of the bill contingent on unanimous Republican support, which is not forthcoming.
Furthermore, Dore brings attention to the broader implications of Medicaid cuts, including increased administrative burdens and the potential loss of coverage for nursing home residents, who heavily rely on Medicaid funding.
Timestamp: [12:07] - [18:04]
President Donald Trump's stance on Medicaid cuts is scrutinized, especially in light of his contradictory statements versus the actions of his Republican allies. While Trump vows not to touch Medicare, Medicaid is portrayed as a different entity targeted for reductions.
Trump responds to criticisms of James Comey's tweet suggesting an assassination plot against him, reiterating his disapproval:
"I think it's. It's a terrible thing." ([32:09])
However, Dore points out the inconsistency between Trump's promises and the House Republicans' actions, emphasizing that despite Trump's assurances, the proposed legislation seeks substantial cuts to Medicaid.
Timestamp: [35:15] - [47:31]
The episode takes a critical turn as Dore addresses the controversial actions of former FBI Director James Comey. He scrutinizes Comey's tweet referencing the number "86:47," interpreting it as a veiled threat against President Trump. Dore argues that Comey's actions and the FBI's handling of the Russiagate investigation were marked by deceit and misconduct.
Referencing the inspector general's report, Dore highlights significant inaccuracies in the FBI's applications to the FISA court, asserting that these misrepresentations undermined the legitimacy of the investigation:
"We identified significant inaccuracies and omissions in each of the four applications. Seven in the first application and a total of 17 by the final renewal application." ([37:22])
Critiquing Comey's defense, Dore emphasizes that the inspector general did not find misconduct justifying a vindication of Comey's actions, countering Comey's claims of adhering to protocols.
Timestamp: [50:01] - [57:31]
Shifting focus to the healthcare sector, Dore discusses the Department of Justice's criminal investigation into UnitedHealth Group for potential Medicare fraud. He connects this to a purported incident involving the alleged murder of UnitedHealth's CEO, Luigi Mangioni, drawing parallels to organized crime dynamics.
Dore criticizes the insurance giant's business practices, suggesting that UnitedHealth prioritized profits over providing adequate healthcare coverage:
"Rep and defeat and then unseat a president, or all of that was nonsense." ([37:30])
He underscores the broader systemic issues within the American healthcare system, emphasizing the disproportionate influence of large insurers and pharmaceutical companies.
Timestamp: [57:31] - [61:24]
In wrapping up, Jimmy Dore reiterates the critical nature of the Medicaid cuts, emphasizing their detrimental impact on millions of Americans, especially the working poor, elderly, and disabled. He calls for increased vigilance and advocacy to protect healthcare coverage and criticizes both political parties for their roles in perpetuating systemic failures.
Dore concludes with a strong stance against the proposed legislation, urging listeners to recognize the broader implications for American society and the importance of maintaining robust healthcare support systems.
Notable Quotes:
Gavin Newsom on Homelessness:
"We all, we all agree that these homeless encampments... need to be swept away so that people from respectable tax brackets no longer have to see them anymore." ([03:31])
Josh Hawley on Medicaid Cuts:
"It is wrong to cut health care for the working poor... They're on Medicaid because they cannot afford health insurance in the private market." ([08:51])
Steve Bannon on Medicaid Strategy:
"You just can't go to a meat ax and cut Medicaid. You got to be very smart about this." ([10:25])
Donald Trump Defending Medicare:
"We're not going to touch it." ([12:07])
James Comey on Inspector General's Report:
"The report will speak for itself. I don't believe the FBI concluded that Steele's reporting was bunk after talking to a subsource." ([46:07])
Final Thoughts:
Jimmy Dore's comprehensive analysis underscores a pivotal moment in American politics, where internal Republican conflicts and strategic legislative maneuvers threaten to reshape the nation's healthcare landscape. By weaving together political discourse, legislative details, and systemic critiques, Dore provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the stakes involved in the ongoing Medicaid debate.