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Joe Biden

Medicare Advantage industry 'scare tactics' and lobbying intensify over efforts to curb fraud

In the wake of numerous studies and investigations detailing the staggering level of fraud in the privately run Medicare Advantage program, the Biden administration proposed a new rule aimed at cracking down on upcoding—a common industry practice whereby plans describe patients as sicker than they actually are to reap larger payments from the federal government.

The rule, finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year, sparked a furious lobbying blitz that has only intensified in recent weeks, with the for-profit insurance industry's most powerful players leading the fight against the proposal and other policy changes that they have falsely characterized as Medicare Advantage "cuts."

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'Bullhorn antisemitism': Critics shoot down Rudy Giuliani’s George Soros airport anecdote

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani traveled to Ukraine in 2019 and brought back a tale about liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros that he was recorded sharing in a podcast appearance that made its way to the internet on Wednesday night.

Recall that Giuliani's Ukraine visit – which included a stop-off in Budapest, Hungary – was to speak with prosecutors in Kyiv "for a documentary series meant to bolster unproven and debunked claims of corruption," CNN explained at the time. That refers to ex-President Donald Trump's failed efforts to blackmail Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into giving him dirt on then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, which led to his first impeachment.

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Dilbert's back — in a right-wing, racist framework

Writing for The Nation on Wednesday, author Norman Solomon flagged that "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams is trying to recover from his tirade calling for racial segregation, a moment that got the right-wing cartoonist pulled from every major newspaper and dropped by his syndicate, by relaunching the cartoon and leaning into his new reputation.

"The death of Dilbert — greatly exaggerated when its creator suddenly fell from media grace in late February — has led to a swift resurrection," reported Solomon. "Last week, the cartoonist and author Scott Adams launched the same daily comic strip under the name Dilbert Reborn via the right-wing online platform Rumble, which touts itself as 'immune to cancel culture.' Adams has arrived at a logical destination, a milieu of privilege decrying its own martyrdom."

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Watch: Jordan Klepper finds small crowd but big delusions at Manhattan MAGA rally

Jordan Klepper acknowledged that Tuesday’s sparsely attended Manhattan MAGA rally was in most ways like no other.

“This was an unusual MAGA rally,” the Daily Show correspondent said in a segment the program posted on its YouTube channel.

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Check thief hits pay dirt at expense of nation's oldest business PAC

The Business Industry Political Action Committee — the nation's oldest federal business PAC and friends with some of the biggest names in corporate America — just became the latest political committee to fall victim to thieves.

In all, BIPAC on Feb. 27 lost $14,156.89 to "an individual not associated with" the committee, according to new documents filed with the Federal Election Commission and reviewed by Raw Story.

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'Character counts': Republican shreds 'shameful' GOP for electing 'criminal' Trump

Veteran Republican political consultant, author, and Lincoln Project senior advisor Stuart Stephens appeared on Tuesday night's edition of MSNBC's Alex Wagner Tonight and explained to the namesake host and her audience why the GOP deserves to bear the scars of former President Donald Trump's legal predicaments.

Wagner had just finished reviewing an NBC News poll which showed that a third of Republican primary voters are choosing loyalty to Trump over the party. She wondered if the survey indicated that the GOP is "making a mistake when they assume that defending Trump is their only option?"

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TikTok users protest proposals for US ban at Congress

US authorities say TikTok poses a national security threat

Washington (AFP) - A group of TikTok content creators descended on the US Capitol Wednesday to protest against calls for a ban on the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app, amid fears that it presents a national security threat.

Lawmakers and government officials have complained that TikTok's parent company ByteDance is able to pass users' data to the government in Beijing and are calling for it to be removed from app stores unless it is sold to a US firm. 

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Watch: Fed Chair Jerome Powell dismantles Fox Business reporter's inflation claims

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell pushed back against a Fox Business correspondent who tried to link inflation to government spending.

At a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Fox Business reporter Edward Lawrence suggested President Joe Biden's budget added to inflationary forces.

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'I hate being factually wrong': Tucker Carlson owns up to spreading fake 'dead voters' story

Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson poured his heart out over his leaked text messages trashing former President Donald Trump and his lies about the 2020 election during a call-in to Tuesday's edition of Bo Snerdly's Rush Hour.

"Tucker, listen, I've had a number of people saying they read all these things in the paper -- 'you hate Trump blah, blah, blah.' But this it – does Tucker like Trump's policies, any policies of his? What's the deal with you and Donald Trump?" host Bo Snerdly queried.

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Judge wraps up hearing in Dominion defamation suit against Fox; no ruling

By Jack Queen and Helen Coster

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - A Delaware judge wrapped up a two-day hearing in the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox Corp over vote-rigging claims aired by Fox News, but did not immediately rule on requests by both sides that he decide the case in their favor without moving to a full trial.

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A Trump mugshot might be too good for his rivals to resist

President Joe Biden and other Democrats have no appetite for getting mixed up in the potential prosecution of Donald Trump.

The ex-president apparently expects to be indicted in Manhattan on charges related to a hush-money scheme involving porn actress Stormy Daniels, but the current president and Democratic lawmakers aren't eager to discuss the Manhattan case or Republican efforts to push back.

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‘Our best face’: How Trump-backing Jan. 6 ‘marshals’ ditched their pink vests and staged an insurrection

Former President Donald Trump’s tweet on Dec. 19, 2020 — it summoned his supporters to “be there” for Congress’ Jan. 6 certification of the electoral vote and promised that it would be “wild” — electrified far-right militants.

One person who answered the call was Joseph Pavlik, a 65-year-old retired firefighter from Chicago.

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Biden teases 2024 White House run while rocking with Bruce Springsteen

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden hasn’t officially announced his 2024 plans yet, but in off-the-cuff remarks Tuesday at the White House, he hinted that he’s planning another presidential run next year.

Biden was presiding over a ceremony to honor National Medal of Arts and Humanities recipients, including household names such as rocker Bruce Springsteen, fashion icon Vera Wang, and "former President Selina Meyer," as Biden quipped about actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

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