Weekly Perspective

  Heather Cox Richardson Jun 3                The Republicans’ giant budget reconciliation bill has focused attention on the drastic cuts the Trump administration is making to the American government. On Friday, when a constituent at a town hall shouted that the Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid, the federal healthcare program for low-income Americans, meant that “people will die,” Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) replied, “Well, we are all going to die.” The next day, Ernst released a video purporting to be an apology. It made things worse. “I made an incorrect assumption that everyone in the auditorium understood that, yes, we are all going to perish from this Earth. So, I apologize. And I’m really, really glad that I did not have to bring up the subject of the tooth fairy as well. But for those that would like to see eternal and everlasting life, I encourage you to embrace my lord and savior, Jesus Christ," she said. Ernst blamed the “hyster...

  As we embrace June here at the Daily Outsider, our team wanted to pay homage to all around the World, courtesy of the Committee to Protect Journalists, BBC Persian  who struggle to bring the truth to all and a snapshot of the discourse that was courtesy CNN and the Coop Scoop in America, as we look forward to continuing to serve:                Gaza journalists speak out about Hamas intimidation, threats, assaults A Palestinian youth takes photos with his phone during an anti-Hamas protest, calling for an end to the war with Israel, in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on March 26, 2025. (Photo: AFP) Journalists in Gaza recently told CPJ they face intimidation, threats, and assaults by Hamas — abuses that often go unreported due to fear of retaliation.   For almost two decades, CPJ has  documented  multiple press freedom violations by Hamas — as well as all the other warring parties in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Terri...

How to Take Medicaid from Millions of Americans, in Less Than 72 Hours There’s a reason Republicans are in such a rush to get Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” through Congress. Jonathan Cohn May 18     Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) stops outside the House chamber to speak to reporters in the Capitol on May 15, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) THE REPUBLICAN EFFORT TO  slash Medicaid  stalled on Friday, when legislation cutting more than  $625 billion  from the program failed to get through a key House committee. GOP leaders said they hope to try again on Sunday night. That presumably means they are spending the weekend frantically negotiating in private, trying to secure votes from a handful of holdout Republicans—all in the hopes of keeping Donald Trump’s “ big, beautiful bill ” of spending reductions and tax cuts moving through the House. Delays like this have plagued the Republican effort ever since House Speaker Mike Johnso...