Jul 7
2025
Killing more innocents than the Holocaust
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This is what Hakeem Jeffries, minority leader of Congressional Democrats, said the other day on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives regarding the impact of Donald Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill on the nation’s health:
“People will die. Tens of thousands, perhaps year after year after year, as a result of the Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people. I’m sad. I never thought I would be on the House floor saying this is a crime scene.”
Tens of thousands of deaths are just the tip of the iceberg.
Huge cuts in foreign humanitarian aid made by Trump and Congressional Republicans could result in up to 14 million preventable deaths by 2030, one-third of them young children, according to research published in The Lancet, regarded as one of the top medical journals in the world.
At the urging of Elon Musk, the Trump administration has made deep cuts in USAID, credited with preventing more than 90 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. The impact of the funding cuts could be akin to a global pandemic or major war, the report says.
Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama are among those who have condemned the cuts.
Our J. Dale Shoemaker reported five weeks ago about ICE deporting Jordin Melgar-Salmeron back to El Salvador in violation of a court order. ICE has since said the deportation was a mistake, but the federal government is unwilling to take any steps to gain his release.
Melgar-Salmeron is believed to be held in the notorious Izalco prison in El Salvador. It’s the same prison where Kilmar Abrego Garcia was held after he, too, was deported in violation of a court order.
He has since been returned to the U.S., where he’s being held in Tennessee on charges involving the unlawful transporting of illegal immigrants for financial gain. The filing of the charges prompted the chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville to resign over his concerns that the charges were filed for political purposes.
A recent court filing submitted on his behalf described his treatment at the prison.
“Upon arrival at CECOT, the detainees were greeted by a prison official who stated, ‘Welcome to CECOT. Whoever enters here doesn’t leave,’” according to the account.
“Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was then forced to strip, issued prison clothing, and subjected to physical abuse including being kicked in the legs with boots and struck on his head and arms to make him change clothes faster. His head was shaved with a zero razor, and he was frog-marched to cell 15, being struck with wooden batons along the way.”
“By the following day, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia had visible bruises and lumps all over his body,” his lawyers continued.
Abrego said he shared a cell with 20 other people, who were forced to kneel overnight, “with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion.”
“During this time, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was denied bathroom access and soiled himself,” according to the account. “The detainees were confined to metal bunks with no mattresses in an overcrowded cell with no windows, bright lights that remained on 24 hours a day, and minimal access to sanitation.”
The Congress last week approved a huge boost in ICE’s budget that will not only make it the largest federal law enforcement agency but involves spending greater than all but 15 national militaries across the globe.
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Paramount, the parent company of CBS, capitulated to Trump last week by agreeing to a $16 million settlement for a lawsuit filed by the president. While most coverage has focused on the $16 million, there’s also a side deal for CBS to provide $15 million to $20 million in free advertising that Trump can use to promote his agenda.
Most legal experts considered the lawsuit frivolous, but Paramount is seeking a merger with another entertainment company and the sale requires the approval of the FCC, controlled by Trump appointees. Critics of the settlement say it amounts to a bribe and Democrats are talking about Congressional hearings.
Here’s analysis from the Empire Center and New York Focus on the impact of federal funding cuts on state programs. It’s likely to send the Legislature back to work to deal with the consequences on state finances.
Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group has his doubts about the merits of building a nuclear power plant in upstate. There’s a difference of opinion among clean energy advocates.
Donate to support our nonprofit newsroomStep aside, broadcast networks and streaming services. YouTube accounts for more television usage than any other platform or media conglomerate. Vulture explains how it happened.
Website traffic fell at 35 of the nation’s 50 most popular news organizations the past year. Traffic has fallen precipitously on cable sites including CNN, down 28 percent; Fox News, down 24 percent: and MSN, down 20 percent.
Declines at major newspapers include USA Today (27 percent), Washington Post (24 percent) and The New York Times (8 percent). The Times remains the most visited news website in the nation.
Traffic for Investigative Post is a fraction of the big boys cited above, but I’m happy to report that our pageviews in the first half of this year are very close to our total for all of last year and have surpassed traffic for 2023.
Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes called out his corporate bosses when Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, resigned in late April. In light of Paramount’s capitulation last week to Trump, Pelley’s worth hearing out.
