Politics/Religion Consolidated Megathread Extravaganza

[Herman]

This is just common sense. It's time to implement this and fix our broken immigration system.

[Brent]

Here the Democrats go again.

Democrat Representative Al Green has announced he will file articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump before Christmas.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Green told supporters he would introduce the measures as a privileged motion before Congress breaks for the holidays.

"There will be articles of impeachment filed before the Christmas break, this I will pledge to you," Green said.

He did not provide further details about the plan.

Speaking to Newsweek, Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at City University of New York, said: "Based on what has occurred thus far, I don't think these articles of impeachment will go very far."

[Herman]

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered Texas Republicans some good news on Friday, temporarily reinstating the Republican-friendly congressional map they passed in August.

After Texas Republicans surmounted weeks of obstruction by their Democratic colleagues, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ultimately signed the "One Big Beautiful Map into law" on Aug. 29, leaving the Lone Star Sate with a congressional map that could net the GOP five extra seats in the midterm elections.

[DKG]

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has taken aggressive action this week against Sharia law, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Yet critics are demanding to know why, during his time in office, millions in taxpayer-funded grants have been allocated to alleged Islamist organizations based in Texas.

Abbott announced on Tuesday that he had designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. The following day, Abbott urged local district attorneys to investigate potential Sharia "courts" operating in Texas and defying state and federal laws to push Islamic codes.

Despite Abbott's recent actions, some have faulted the governor for allowing taxpayer dollars to be used to fund the uptick in Islamic mosques in Texas, citing a June report from the Middle East Forum. The article claimed Texas gave "over $13 million of federal and state monies to mosques and community groups aligned with Islamist movements such as Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as hostile foreign regimes."

Of the 18 organizations that received funds, a dozen were said to have "extremist links."

[DKG]

Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Ted Cruz appear to be headed for more disappointment.

Those keen to wrest control of the GOP from MAGA conservatives and to resume the course charted by the party prior to President Donald Trump's 2016 election have their work cut out for them.

A new poll conducted by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics revealed that Vice President JD Vance presently towers over his potential 2028 GOP primary opponents — including Calgary-born Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is poised to run as the kind of George W. Bush-era Republican that Trump crushed in the 2016 and 2024 primaries.

When asked whom they would vote for if the election were held this month, 57% of respondents said that they would support Vance; 9% said Secretary of State Marco Rubio; 7% said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; 4% said Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy; 4% said former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nimarata "Nikki" Haley; 4% said Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; 1% said Ted Cruz; and 1% said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Two percent of respondents signaled they would vote for someone else, and 10% said they were unsure.

[Lokmar]

Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Ted Cruz appear to be headed for more disappointment.

Those keen to wrest control of the GOP from MAGA conservatives and to resume the course charted by the party prior to President Donald Trump's 2016 election have their work cut out for them.

A new poll conducted by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics revealed that Vice President JD Vance presently towers over his potential 2028 GOP primary opponents — including Calgary-born Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is poised to run as the kind of George W. Bush-era Republican that Trump crushed in the 2016 and 2024 primaries.

When asked whom they would vote for if the election were held this month, 57% of respondents said that they would support Vance; 9% said Secretary of State Marco Rubio; 7% said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; 4% said Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy; 4% said former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nimarata "Nikki" Haley; 4% said Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; 1% said Ted Cruz; and 1% said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Two percent of respondents signaled they would vote for someone else, and 10% said they were unsure.

Nikki is pure Bush era bullshit. Fuk that bitch!
Ted, he needs to be a judge maybe. He's a bit squishy at times.
Ron DeSanctis is da man!!!!! Needs to be POTUS one day for sure!!!

Having these three in an article that presents them as similar of mind is way off base.

[Brent]

Nikki is pure Bush era bullshit. Fuk that bitch!
Ted, he needs to be a judge maybe. He's a bit squishy at times.
Ron DeSanctis is da man!!!!! Needs to be POTUS one day for sure!!!

Having these three in an article that presents them as similar of mind is way off base.

They are all very different Republicans. I hate Nikki Haley. I don't know enough about Ted Cruz, but I like Ron Desantis. I like JD Vance better than all of them.

[Lokmar]

They are all very different Republicans. I hate Nikki Haley. I don't know enough about Ted Cruz, but I like Ron Desantis. I like JD Vance better than all of them.

Admittedly, I need to learn about JD's political track record. I'm very familiar with DeSantis since I have kids and parents in Florida.

[Brent]

Six Democratic lawmakers are facing federal inquiries after they recorded a video urging military service members not to follow unlawful orders, a message President Trump alleged was "seditious."

"Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders. ... You must refuse illegal orders," said the Democrats, all of whom served in the military or worked for U.S. intelligence agencies.

Mr. Trump responded on Truth Social last week: "Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

Days later, the Pentagon said it was reviewing "serious allegations of misconduct" against one of the lawmakers, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, and may recall the retired naval captain to active-duty status for "court-martial proceedings or administrative measures." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later said that Kelly was the only lawmaker who falls under Pentagon jurisdiction since the others either worked for the CIA or didn't retire from the military.

[DKG]

Representative Randy Fine (R–Florida) has just introduced a proposal that instantly split both parties down the middle: removing ALL non-citizens from SNAP, Medicaid, and Housing Section 8. No exceptions. No transition period. No gray zones. Cut. Wipe. Gone. Immediately. Supporters are cheering it on. They say it's time for America to "tighten the leaking budget valve," that taxpayer money should go exactly where it belongs: to U.S. citizens. Not immigrant workers. Not visa holders. Not refugees. Not lawful permanent residents who haven't naturalized.

[Herman]

How can anyone trust the Liberals on housing and healthcare after what's happened in the past ten years?

[Herman]

Republicans in Indiana have developed a redistricting map that could lead to two more seats for their party in the US House if they are able to pass it into law.

[Herman]

Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) has garnered a 46% overall approval rating in a Quinnipiac University poll, reflecting strong support from Republicans at 62%, while facing declining approval from Democrats, with 54% disapproving compared to 33% approving. Independents remain evenly split in their opinions. Fetterman's divergence from Democratic Party positions, particularly on key votes, has prompted renewed scrutiny, with some party leaders expressing concerns about his alignment ahead of the 2026 midterms.

[DKG]

Much like in Canada, health care is eating up a growing share of government budgets.

Medicare is the second-largest program in the federal budget, topping $1 trillion last year. In 2023, it accounted for 14% of federal spending — a share projected to reach 18% by 2032. After years of ballooning costs, something is finally being done to slow the growth. A new Medicare pilot program, the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction model, borrows a successful private-sector tool: prior authorization. And that's good news.

Medicare Part B premiums now sit at $185 per month — up 28% from five years ago and a staggering 76% since 2015. Last year, 12% of the 61 million Americans enrolled in Part B spent more than a tenth of their annual income on premiums. That burden is unsustainable.

WISeR, set to launch in Ohio, Texas, Washington, New Jersey, Arizona, and Oklahoma, will require prior approval for a short list of "low-value" services — procedures that research shows are frequently overused, costly, and sometimes harmful.

To some, the idea of Medicare reviewing certain treatments before covering them may sound like red tape. But when done correctly, prior authorization is not a barrier. It is a guardrail — one that protects patients, improves quality, and helps ensure that both tax dollars and premiums are spent appropriately.

Prior authorization directly targets some of the most persistent problems in health care. Medicare spends billions each year on low-value services. A 2023 study identified just 47 such services that together cost Medicare more than $4 billion annually. Those are taxpayer dollars that could be put to better use.

The private insurance market shows the same pattern: unnecessary imaging, avoidable specialist referrals, and brand-name drugs chosen over generics all contribute to rising premiums. Prior authorization, when used properly, reins in this waste by ensuring coverage lines up with medical necessity and evidence-based best practices. Research from the University of Chicago shows that Medicare's prior authorization rules for prescription drugs generate net savings even after administrative costs.

Consider one striking example. Medicare Part B covers wound-care products known as skin substitutes. But an Office of Inspector General report found that expenditures on these products skyrocketed over the past two years to more than $10 billion annually. Meanwhile, Medicare Advantage plans — which rely heavily on prior authorization — spent only a fraction of that amount for the same treatments.