The US Senate voted three times last week to repeal Trump's terrible tariffs. Senator Kaine led that successful effort, and joined us to tell us how they got it done.....
Millie Polli Haskell....Simon, Thank you for having this conversation with Tim Kaine. I love Him! My Sister and I had a brief encounter with him when he was running for Vice President and Hillary Clinton was running for President! Too bad that never occurred.
"RELEASE: Reps. Gottheimer, Bacon, Suozzi, Hurd Release Bipartisan Principles to Temporarily Extend and Reform Affordable Care Act Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
Nov 03, 2025
Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, November 3, 2025, Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Don Bacon (R-NE), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), and Jeff Hurd (R-CO) released a statement of principles for lowering health care costs and temporarily extending and reforming the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits (APTCs). The principles focus on a temporary extension with reasonable income caps and reform.
Gottheimer, Bacon, Suozzi, and Hurd released the following quote:
“Congress is gridlocked, and too many Americans have lost faith that we can work together. But here’s the truth: Democrats and Republicans can sit down, listen to one another, and find common ground, especially when it comes to lowering health care costs.
We may not agree on every ideal outcome, but we’ve identified a fair, reasonable path forward on the future of the Affordable Care Act’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits. Compromise isn’t rocket science, and it shouldn’t be treated like a weakness.
Our hope is that this shared statement of principles will inspire bipartisan collaboration across Washington and help get Congress back to work for the American people.”
Below, find the statement of principles:
Principles to Temporarily Extend and Reform Affordable Care Act Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
Temporary: A two-year extension of APTCs.
Income Cap: An income cap phased out between $200,000 and $400,000.
Reform: Guardrails to prevent improper payments of APTCs.
Prevent “Ghost Beneficiaries”: Requirements that ACA marketplaces confirm recipient eligibility with the Death Master File.
Crack Down on Fraud: Establish a “preponderance of evidence” standard of proof to determine when an agent or broker should be allowed to continue operating in the ACA marketplaces.
Enhance Delivery Clarity: Requirements that marketplaces better notify recipients the value of APTCs they are receiving from the federal government."
“[Trump] fights that battle with everything he’s got, and then he’s done, and then he goes to bed, and he wakes up the next day, and voilà, it’s a new life. It’s a new battle. It’s a new moment, and these individual battles or fights, or you could even see them as DEALS [emphasis mine], each one of them is separate from the next, and they don’t add up. They don’t create a long-term story, so he can say one thing on Monday, he can say the opposite on Wednesday, and on Friday, he’ll not even remember what he said on Monday and Wednesday because it’s as if somebody else said them, as if they were part of a different life. This makes him both unpredictable in a positive way and also maddeningly problematic in a negative way…”
- Professor Dan P. McAdams [Business Talk Radio (7-24-20): “The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning” - YouTube auto-generated transcription with punctuation by Apple Intelligence]
“[I]f it were up to [Stephen] Miller, there’d only be 100 million people in this country, and they’d all look like Miller.” - Donald J. Trump (2024)
Here are Professor Barbara Walter’s five suggestions for fighting authoritarianism:
To understand why Dolos places our country at risk for being its leader, just listen to this excellent 2020 interview of Dr. Dan P. McAdams, the author of “The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning” (timestamps - 3:02, 3:23*, 5:23, 6:54, 8:20, 9:53**, 11:53, 25:44*, 26:24**, 27:15***, 28:32, 37:43**, and 38:14**): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIxkC340wzs. Dr. McAdams is world-renowned for his studies on personality development. In his work and research over three-plus decades, he has concluded that Dolos is probably sui generis. For his specific personality defect, there might have been one other with such high levels on “Openness” and low levels on “Agreeableness” (read meaningfully engagement with other people).
Relative to measuring the narcissism of Dolos, he breaks the scale because each day is a new “battle”. What we consider pathological lying, Dolos thinks of as just words to win his argument for the moment or for the day. Truth (i.e. pravda in Russian) is irrelevant. The Doctor concludes that Dolos has no empathy (e.g. 42 million vulnerable SNAP recipients), and he has no conscience (i.e. the numerous accusations of assault or abuse).
It must be understood that Dolos seems comfortable declaring Democrats as his enemy. He must be a “winner” in every context. This situation is not healthy for the country.
One is glad (strong sarcasm) that he is so certain about the need to do more nuclear testing. Is the citizenry of the country sure that the nation CAN TOLERATE THREE MORE YEARS? I’m asking for a friend.
Remember that Vlad Vexler, the Oxford-trained political philosopher, suggests that Dolos will take the country into “post-truth populism” (timestamp - 9:33): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdS-lwb58KU&list=PLBI2ujnsinbAXN8HYKYaSlK-hm2vjwqYD. Could we be there already? Not unlike the Tsar of present-day Russia, it must be understood that Dolos will put his well-being (conveniently, defined by himself) ahead of the citizens of this nation - EVERY TIME.
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
Thanks for the great interview. At some point, I hold out hope that Republicans will push back and maybe even remove him from office. I know it is unlikely, but if he does something really dumb regarding Venezuela or Nigeria (not on anyone's bingo card), who knows. I hope we get a positive ruling from the Supine Court. Not holding my breath but I'm hoping.
I recently heard that Article 2 - Section 4 of the Constitution states that the President, his VP, and all his regime can be removed for treason, bribery, extortion, and other lawless acts.
Can you, Simon, tell me if this is a true statement?
In addition to the President and VP, Federal judges, including SCOTUS, ambassadors and cabinet secretaries are among those who can be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, be subject to a trial in the Senate, a conviction, and sentencing for removal from office and disqualification from holding future federal office. Impeachment is a separate process for each individual accused of Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Members of Congress are not civil officers eligible for impeachment. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S4-1/ALDE_00000282/ and
Members of Congress can be removed by a different process under Article I, section 5 of the United States Constitution: expulsion for disorderly behavior, with a 2/3 vote of their chamber. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45078 Historically, that has included 14 expelled during the Civil War for supporting the Confederacy and one other expulsion. Another possible reason is corruption. Here's a list of charges to date, and some resulted in resignation. https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/expulsion.htm
Thank you for giving hope in this post. I was heartened last week when I learned of the first vote, then another and another. Taking a stand is a wonderful step. Now to get the house freeloaders off their duffs and back to work. Not holding out anything resembling courage from them. Living in the red causes despair and sadness.
He's my Senator! Texting for Abigail now! Thank you, Simon!
Love this Senator!
Keep it up, pleas
Thanks Simon for keeping us informed
Great AMerican who actually is doing something and challenging without "poll-testing"
Millie Polli Haskell....Simon, Thank you for having this conversation with Tim Kaine. I love Him! My Sister and I had a brief encounter with him when he was running for Vice President and Hillary Clinton was running for President! Too bad that never occurred.
This is how you do it. Plodding, day-to-day, taking power wherever you have it. Thank you Senator Kaine. So proud of your service.
Love that we’ll be having a full moon for our big day of voting. 🌕
Simon, anyone -- comments on this?
https://gottheimer.house.gov/posts/release-reps-gottheimer-bacon-suozzi-hurd-release-bipartisan-principles-to-temporarily-extend-and-reform-affordable-care-act-enhanced-premium-tax-credits
"RELEASE: Reps. Gottheimer, Bacon, Suozzi, Hurd Release Bipartisan Principles to Temporarily Extend and Reform Affordable Care Act Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
Nov 03, 2025
Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, November 3, 2025, Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Don Bacon (R-NE), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), and Jeff Hurd (R-CO) released a statement of principles for lowering health care costs and temporarily extending and reforming the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits (APTCs). The principles focus on a temporary extension with reasonable income caps and reform.
Gottheimer, Bacon, Suozzi, and Hurd released the following quote:
“Congress is gridlocked, and too many Americans have lost faith that we can work together. But here’s the truth: Democrats and Republicans can sit down, listen to one another, and find common ground, especially when it comes to lowering health care costs.
We may not agree on every ideal outcome, but we’ve identified a fair, reasonable path forward on the future of the Affordable Care Act’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits. Compromise isn’t rocket science, and it shouldn’t be treated like a weakness.
Our hope is that this shared statement of principles will inspire bipartisan collaboration across Washington and help get Congress back to work for the American people.”
Below, find the statement of principles:
Principles to Temporarily Extend and Reform Affordable Care Act Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
Temporary: A two-year extension of APTCs.
Income Cap: An income cap phased out between $200,000 and $400,000.
Reform: Guardrails to prevent improper payments of APTCs.
Prevent “Ghost Beneficiaries”: Requirements that ACA marketplaces confirm recipient eligibility with the Death Master File.
Crack Down on Fraud: Establish a “preponderance of evidence” standard of proof to determine when an agent or broker should be allowed to continue operating in the ACA marketplaces.
Enhance Delivery Clarity: Requirements that marketplaces better notify recipients the value of APTCs they are receiving from the federal government."
Another great interview, thanks! Love Tim Kaine--a wonderful Senator and human being.
AGAIN FROM EARLIER TODAY:
“[Trump] fights that battle with everything he’s got, and then he’s done, and then he goes to bed, and he wakes up the next day, and voilà, it’s a new life. It’s a new battle. It’s a new moment, and these individual battles or fights, or you could even see them as DEALS [emphasis mine], each one of them is separate from the next, and they don’t add up. They don’t create a long-term story, so he can say one thing on Monday, he can say the opposite on Wednesday, and on Friday, he’ll not even remember what he said on Monday and Wednesday because it’s as if somebody else said them, as if they were part of a different life. This makes him both unpredictable in a positive way and also maddeningly problematic in a negative way…”
- Professor Dan P. McAdams [Business Talk Radio (7-24-20): “The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning” - YouTube auto-generated transcription with punctuation by Apple Intelligence]
“[I]f it were up to [Stephen] Miller, there’d only be 100 million people in this country, and they’d all look like Miller.” - Donald J. Trump (2024)
Here are Professor Barbara Walter’s five suggestions for fighting authoritarianism:
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/the-hidden-battle-that-decides-whether .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/authoritarian-power-is-mostly-performance .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/how-dictators-lose-control-of-the .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/4-storms-and-streets-break-regimes .
https://barbarafwalter.substack.com/p/5-how-to-break-a-tyrant .
Epstein, Epstein, Epstein. NATIONAL SECURITY. NATIONAL SECURITY. NATIONAL SECURITY. Representatives Khanna and Massie now have the numbers to get the files released in the House: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5520512-massie-grijalva-epstein-petition/ . Let’s remember that this is now a NATIONAL SECURITY issue (i.e. think kompromat): https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/insider-claims-prince-andrew-s-alleged-s-x-tapes-in-russia-s-possession-could-bury-the-royal-family-over-epstein-ties/ar-AA1KaQbC .
Folks:
To understand why Dolos places our country at risk for being its leader, just listen to this excellent 2020 interview of Dr. Dan P. McAdams, the author of “The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning” (timestamps - 3:02, 3:23*, 5:23, 6:54, 8:20, 9:53**, 11:53, 25:44*, 26:24**, 27:15***, 28:32, 37:43**, and 38:14**): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIxkC340wzs. Dr. McAdams is world-renowned for his studies on personality development. In his work and research over three-plus decades, he has concluded that Dolos is probably sui generis. For his specific personality defect, there might have been one other with such high levels on “Openness” and low levels on “Agreeableness” (read meaningfully engagement with other people).
Relative to measuring the narcissism of Dolos, he breaks the scale because each day is a new “battle”. What we consider pathological lying, Dolos thinks of as just words to win his argument for the moment or for the day. Truth (i.e. pravda in Russian) is irrelevant. The Doctor concludes that Dolos has no empathy (e.g. 42 million vulnerable SNAP recipients), and he has no conscience (i.e. the numerous accusations of assault or abuse).
Referencing the observations of Dr. McAdams, please READ the transcript of the 47th President of the United States in his extended interview with “60 Minutes” (curious, no mention of Epstein or the East Wing or FLOTUS): https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/read-the-full-transcript-of-60-minutes-interview-with-president-trump/ar-AA1PG0bI. Also, remember that he communicates at a 4TH GRADE LEVEL: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-fire-and-fury-smart-genius-obama-774169 . Please note the assertion by McAdams that Dolos (who as a second grader supposedly punched his music teacher in the face) never “graduated” to adulthood.
It must be understood that Dolos seems comfortable declaring Democrats as his enemy. He must be a “winner” in every context. This situation is not healthy for the country.
One is glad (strong sarcasm) that he is so certain about the need to do more nuclear testing. Is the citizenry of the country sure that the nation CAN TOLERATE THREE MORE YEARS? I’m asking for a friend.
Remember that Vlad Vexler, the Oxford-trained political philosopher, suggests that Dolos will take the country into “post-truth populism” (timestamp - 9:33): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdS-lwb58KU&list=PLBI2ujnsinbAXN8HYKYaSlK-hm2vjwqYD. Could we be there already? Not unlike the Tsar of present-day Russia, it must be understood that Dolos will put his well-being (conveniently, defined by himself) ahead of the citizens of this nation - EVERY TIME.
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
Thanks for the great interview. At some point, I hold out hope that Republicans will push back and maybe even remove him from office. I know it is unlikely, but if he does something really dumb regarding Venezuela or Nigeria (not on anyone's bingo card), who knows. I hope we get a positive ruling from the Supine Court. Not holding my breath but I'm hoping.
I recently heard that Article 2 - Section 4 of the Constitution states that the President, his VP, and all his regime can be removed for treason, bribery, extortion, and other lawless acts.
Can you, Simon, tell me if this is a true statement?
Here is my understanding, for what it's worth.
In addition to the President and VP, Federal judges, including SCOTUS, ambassadors and cabinet secretaries are among those who can be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives, be subject to a trial in the Senate, a conviction, and sentencing for removal from office and disqualification from holding future federal office. Impeachment is a separate process for each individual accused of Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Members of Congress are not civil officers eligible for impeachment. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S4-1/ALDE_00000282/ and
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/article-2/section-4/offices-eligible-for-impeachment
Members of Congress can be removed by a different process under Article I, section 5 of the United States Constitution: expulsion for disorderly behavior, with a 2/3 vote of their chamber. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45078 Historically, that has included 14 expelled during the Civil War for supporting the Confederacy and one other expulsion. Another possible reason is corruption. Here's a list of charges to date, and some resulted in resignation. https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/expulsion.htm
Thank you for giving hope in this post. I was heartened last week when I learned of the first vote, then another and another. Taking a stand is a wonderful step. Now to get the house freeloaders off their duffs and back to work. Not holding out anything resembling courage from them. Living in the red causes despair and sadness.
Simon, thank you for the special event! fascinating!
Fabulous, Fabulous, Fabulous! So great and inspiring to hear you discuss the tariffs with Senator Kaine. Keep up the amazing work and we will too!! 👍