Trump's DERP State

[toomuchbaloney]

Confirmation Hearings for the Trump's incredibly bad choices for cabinet leadership positions.  Traitors, drunks, rapists, pet killers and television personalities were the first choice of the mentally ill old man.  

My Senator, Dan Sullivan is all over his social media singing the praises of these folk so we should expect most of them to be confirmed.   

Hegseths hearing should be starting about now.  

 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Here's the story about the illegal immigrant truck driver.  

https://abcnews.go.com/US/truck-driver-country-illegally-influence-drugs-california-crash/story?id=126804313

This is when perhaps it came to light, but it's been an issue for a while.  I think it depends on who you ask.  There are stories that truck drivers with legal working visas and illegal immigrants take lower wages and displace Americans.  

The truck driver shortage though has been out there probably as long as the nursing shortage and just like bringing in Filipino RNs  was one way to ease it, getting rid of the English requirement and allowing foreign born drivers access.  They were indeed filling a need that Americans weren't filling.

Taking these drivers off the road will make the situation worse.

https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/no-millions-foreign-truck-drivers-arent-flooding-us

https://refugees.org/the-loss-of-americas-truckers-the-revocation-of-commercial-drivers-licenses-from-refugees-and-asylees/

Apparently though it is a problem that besides people with legal status there are undocumented immigrant truckers and there has been a crackdown against them.  Back in August here in Florida DeSantis helped with the crackdown but I can't find how many drivers were caught.  Noem says Indiana found 140.  

At the end of the day, and this has always been my stance, if you're undocumented then that's a problem and deportation is the law.  For me though if someone is undocumented and has been working here contributing to society for a decade or longer then there should be a way to let them stay.

I was curious and there are 3.5 million truckers (2024 figure and that's dropped some from 2023) and it's a huge industry.  Not sure how many are undocumented but a quick Google AI search says

"There are no exact figures for the number of undocumented immigrants working as truck drivers in the United States, but they represent a portion of the undocumented workforce in the "Transportation & Warehousing" sector, which is estimated to be around 471,000 workers as of August 2025. The trucking industry is heavily reliant on foreign-born drivers, with about 18% of U.S. truck drivers being foreign-born, a number that is not limited to those who are undocumented. "

 https://www.trucking.org/economics-and-industry-data

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

The military has enough money to shoot up fishing boats, but can't feed troops? That is just messed up. 

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-dfac-government-shutdown/

The dining hall at Fort Leavenworth is closed due to the government shutdown, leaving junior enlisted soldiers with few options to eat. They have funds deducted from their pay to cover meals in the "campus-style" dining halls. Nice work, Sec. Def. Kegseth. 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

nursej22 said:

The military has enough money to shoot up fishing boats, but can't feed troops? That is just messed up. 

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-dfac-government-shutdown/

The dining hall at Fort Leavenworth is closed due to the government shutdown, leaving junior enlisted soldiers with few options to eat. They have funds deducted from their pay to cover meals in the "campus-style" dining halls. Nice work, Sec. Def. Kegseth. 

I think at this point we're starting to see things trickle down and affect people more and more.   People on the ACA are seeing their new premiums, people working without pay, programs  such as Head Start here in Florida are starting to close, and here in the airport announced a reduction in Flights by 10% due to the government shutdown.  

I think the anger about the shutdown is starting to bubble.  Trump's strategy seems to be to let people suffer and blame Democrats while the Democrats are pointing out the problems and blaming republicans.   

And here we are.  

Polls are starting show that people support the extension of the ACA subsidies which is what this is all about.  So framing it that Democrats want healthcare for undocumented immigrants isn't working.

Quote

Yes, multiple recent polls show that a majority of Americans, including most Republicans and supporters of the "Make America Great Again" movement, support extending the enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A key poll from KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) found that 78% of the public wants Congress to extend the enhanced tax credits, with majorities across political parties agreeing. 

High overall support: About three-quarters of the public (78%) believe Congress should extend the enhanced subsidies, according to a recent KFF poll.

Bipartisan agreement: Majorities within each political party favor the extension, including 91% of Democrats, 80% of independents, and 59% of Republicans.

MAGA support: Even within the Republican party, a majority of those who identify with the "Make America Great Again" movement support extending the subsidies.

Voter motivation: A survey of competitive congressional districts found high support for extending the policy, with voters expressing concern that people could lose their health insurance. 

New topic that merged with this one:

Love her or hate her, there is no denying Pelosi had a stellar career and as speaker she was one of the most powerful women in the country.

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/06/g-s1-96674/nancy-pelosi-retire

[Beerman, BSN]

Tweety said:

I think at this point we're starting to see things trickle down and affect people more and more.   People on the ACA are seeing their new premiums, people working without pay, programs  such as Head Start here in Florida are starting to close, and here in the airport announced a reduction in Flights by 10% due to the government shutdown.  

I think the anger about the shutdown is starting to bubble.  Trump's strategy seems to be to let people suffer and blame Democrats while the Democrats are pointing out the problems and blaming republicans.   

And here we are.  

Polls are starting show that people support the extension of the ACA subsidies which is what this is all about.  So framing it that Democrats want healthcare for undocumented immigrants isn't working.

New topic that merged with this one:

Love her or hate her, there is no denying Pelosi had a stellar career and as speaker she was one of the most powerful women in the country.

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/06/g-s1-96674/nancy-pelosi-retire

It's not being framed that Democrats want free healthcare for illegal immigrants.  While that rhetoric has been repeated occasionally, especially in the early going, it's not something I have heard with any frequency.

I do agree that more and more will be getting angry about the shutdown  

And, the election is over, too.

I expect an agreement is coming soon. 

 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Tweety said:

Love her or hate her, there is no denying Pelosi had a stellar career and as speaker she was one of the most powerful women in the country.

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/06/g-s1-96674/nancy-pelosi-retire

Quote

Nancy Pelosi is considered a gay icon due to her long-standing record as a strong ally and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights

. Key actions include championing legislation like the Respect for Marriage Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), spearheading the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and consistently supporting increased funding for HIV/AIDS research and prevention. Her support for the community is also visible in her public presence, including attending events like San Francisco Pride. 

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/11/06/staunch-lgbtq-ally-nancy-pelosi-announces-retirement-after-decades-in-congress/

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Beerman said:

It's not being framed that Democrats want free healthcare for illegal immigrants.  While that rhetoric has been repeated occasionally, especially in the early going, it's not something I have heard with any frequency.

I do agree that more and more will be getting angry about the shutdown  

And, the election is over, too.

I expect an agreement is coming soon. 

 

The analysis is that the election emboldened Democrats who were feeling the heat to cave but now dug their heels in deeper for a while at least.  

I agree, it was late September when Vance lied and mid October when congressperson Jason Smith made the suggestion that "“Democrats shut down the government in order to put illegal immigrants ahead of Americans, attempting to undo vital reforms that Republicans enacted just three months ago. Hardworking Americans should not be paying taxes in order to subsidize the health care of those here illegally. But that's exactly what Democrats are demanding in order to reopen the government.”

That rhetoric has been toned down because it's a lie and people didn't fall for it.  So yes, it's being reframed and my statement is true:  their framing of the shutdown didn't fly.  

Even Trump seems to agree and said  "I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans.  And they say that I wasn't on the ballot was the biggest factor, but I don't know about that." 

Even though he's inventing polls that don't exist he seems to concede that Republicans handling of the shutdown isn't working in their favor.  

Speaking of healthcare:

Quote

 President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a new agreement with two major drugmakers to cut the cost of some of their weight-loss medications in what marks the latest development in his full-force campaign to lower prices and ensure Americans are not paying more for drugs than those in other countries. 

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/coastal/news/2025/11/06/trump-announces-deal-with-two-drugmakers-to-lower-prices-of-weight-loss-drugs-zepbound-and-wegovy

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Beerman said:

It's not being framed that Democrats want free healthcare for illegal immigrants.  While that rhetoric has been repeated occasionally, especially in the early going, it's not something I have heard with any frequency.

I do agree that more and more will be getting angry about the shutdown  

And, the election is over, too.

I expect an agreement is coming soon. 

 

The president today said the Democrats want to spend a trillion or 1 1/2 trillion dollars on heathcare for illegals. 

 

[Beerman, BSN]

nursej22 said:

The president today said the Democrats want to spend a trillion or 1 1/2 trillion dollars on heathcare for illegals. 

 

Yep, he did say it.  And they still have a point by point case made for it on the WH website.  It seems it's their analysis or belief more than a lie.  Most other analysis disagrees.

It is interesting that MSNBC , Fox, or anyone in between doesn't seem to give it any attention.  That wasnt even the purpose of the tweet you shared.  So either way, to @Tweety point, that rhetoric isn't getting any traction. 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Beerman said:

So either way, to @Tweety point, that rhetoric isn't getting any traction. 

Yes, that was my point but not for lack of trying.  It was such a lie that struck a nerve with me perhaps I belabored it to the point that perhaps you thought I meant it was still their main talking point.   They clearly see the Democrats want to fund the ACA subsidies for citizens. 

ACA has been here for 15 years and I think some Republicans are beginning to understand it's here to stay, warts and all.  My friend that watches Bill Maher said Marjorie Taylor Greene even called the rise in insurance rates for recipients a problem.  Although she said, and this was six days ago " American taxpayers were even having to pay for illegal aliens' health insurance. That's completely wrong.”

I tried to see what their talking points are now but it seems to be "we've voted many times to open up the government but the Democrats want to keep it closed".  

Now they are saying "we'll talk about it later, let's reopen the government". 

Quote

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has promised Democrats a floor vote to prevent the enhanced subsidies from expiring at the end of the year. But Senate Democrats are splintered over how much stock to put into Thune's commitment, given the South Dakota Republican has also said he cannot guarantee an outcome of any such vote.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/07/obamacare-subsidy-negotiations-government-shutdown-00641600

[Beerman, BSN]

Tweety said:

Love her or hate her, there is no denying Pelosi had a stellar career and as speaker she was one of the most powerful women in the country.

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/06/g-s1-96674/nancy-pelosi-retire

And don't forget what amazing stock trader she is.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/politics/stock-tracker-nancy-pelosi-investors

https://finance.Yahoo.com/news/nancy-pelosi-crushing-p-500-153246932.html

 

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Beerman said:

And don't forget what amazing stock trader she is.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/politics/stock-tracker-nancy-pelosi-investors

https://finance.Yahoo.com/news/nancy-pelosi-crushing-p-500-153246932.html

 

Actually I didn't know this.  It is interesting to see how the net worth of career politicians have risen over their careers...hmmm.  Interesting that just by her making a trade the impact it has.  Like I said, the rose to the top as one of the most powerful women in the country and stayed there.

I also see a lot of her trades they talked about were in the AI sector. Those were good investments for a lot of people.  People are wondering about that bubble.  

I also found this part of the article interesting.  

Quote

Pelosi reaffirmed her support for a congressional stock-trading ban earlier this year, even after Senate Republicans renamed one of the bills the "PELOSI Act.” That hasn't stopped her family from trading, including a recently disclosed transfer of at least $100,000 in Apple stock by her husband on Oct. 22. The shares were donated to a Catholic university in Washington, DC.

"She does impact the markets when her trading is disclosed,” Weiskopf said. "Her retirement is notable, but there are plenty of other members of Congress who will continue the trend.”

 

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Pelosi's husband owns and operates Financial Leasing Services, Inc., a San Francisco–based real estate and venture capital investment and consulting firm.  He's the one listed as making trades in this article: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/politics/stock-tracker-nancy-pelosi-investors

Jared Kushner got 2 billion investment from Saudis post working in government.

Were in the wrong profession, although my utility investments in nuclear power plants has exploded with AI boom.