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To: Les H who wrote (50795)1/16/2026 8:15:44 AM
From: Les H  Respond to of 51255
 
Texas spent more than $1 billion spent on noncitizen hospital costs in fiscal 2025

Story by Bethany Blankley

More than $1 billion spent on noncitizen hospital costs in fiscal 2025

It's been reported that there is medical tourism in both directions at the border. My brother's mother-in-law came from Istanbul to have a brain tumor removed and then left after a short convalescence at his home.

The Affordable Care Act does help reduce the burden of uncompensated car at hospitals by citizens ($ 3.1 billion) as well as non-citizens ($ 1 billion). Insurance premiums for Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance will rise to cover the gap from non-renewal of ACA.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has had a mixed impact on uncompensated care costs. While the ACA aimed to reduce the number of uninsured individuals and improve access to healthcare, the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies has led to a significant increase in premiums for many Americans, resulting in a decline in coverage.



To: Les H who wrote (50795)1/16/2026 8:59:06 AM
From: Les H  Respond to of 51255
 
First US sale of Venezuelan oil goes to Vitol: Its trader donated to Trump’s re-election campaign

FP News Desk January 16, 2026

The first US sale of the Venezuelan crude oil was to a company whose senior member had donated to US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. The sale was conducted last week to a company called Vitol, The Financial Times reported. Interestingly, John Addison, a senior trader at Vitol, donated $6 million to political action committees backing Trump’s re-election campaign.

He also attended the meeting Trump had with oil executives at the White House and was also involved in his company’s efforts to secure a $250 million deal for Venezuelan crude. The deal kick-started the S president’s controversial plan to sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil.

First US sale of Venezuelan oil goes to Vitol: Its trader donated to Trump’s re-election campaign – Firstpost

Deal details:

$500 million to startThe White House and sources from the U.S. Department of Energy announced the completion of the first sale of Venezuelan oil reserves (seized or controlled following recent events in Caracas), totaling $500 million. Washington plans to sell between 30 and 50 million barrels. The sale was conducted at $50 per barrel, a price Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed is 30% higher than what the previous Maduro government was achieving.

Beneficiaries:

Vitol, Trafigura, and millions in donationsThe Financial Times revealed that the two companies chosen to carry out the sales were commodity trading giants Vitol and Trafigura. Texas businessman John Addison, owner of Vitol, has emerged as a major political donor to Trump, having contributed nearly $6 million to pro-Trump political action committees. He also participated in a closed-door meeting at the White House last week with energy executives, where he pledged to Trump that his company would secure the “best possible price” for Venezuelan oil for the United States. As a result, his company won a $250 million deal to purchase Venezuelan crude oil. Trafigura, which received a similar share ($250 million), has reportedly spent lavishly on lobbying and political pressure activities in Washington over the past two years.

Sales mechanism and legal controversy

The two companies purchase oil from the US government and resell it to their customers worldwide. The proceeds are deposited into a bank account in a Gulf state (reports indicate Qatar) under US government supervision. While White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers described these deals as “historic” and in the best interests of both the American and Venezuelan people, legal experts have raised questions about the legality of Washington selling another country’s sovereign resources and controlling the revenue. They also described the move as violating established international norms.

America sells Venezuelan oil worth 500 million



To: Les H who wrote (50795)1/16/2026 9:23:03 AM
From: Les H  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 51255
 
Kristi Noem DHS Podium Phrase Sparks Nazi Slogan Claims—Here's What It MeansOnline outrage and historical claims collide after a controversial phrase appears at a DHS press briefing.

By Chelsie Napiza
Published 01/13/26 A

No Verified Nazi Origin Of The Exact Words

Historians and researchers reviewing the claim have found no evidence that 'One of ours, all of yours' was ever a documented slogan used in Nazi propaganda, official speeches or German-language communications from the Third Reich.

While the phrase has been linked rhetorically to historical practices of collective punishment employed by Nazi forces in World War II, the exact English wording does not appear in archives of Nazi orders, speeches or documented slogans.

The concept of collective retaliation was historically practised by German forces, especially in occupied Europe.

For example, after the assassination of SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich in 1942, the Nazis destroyed the Czech village of Lidice and executed its male population in retaliation, with women and children either killed or deported. This atrocity became a stark symbol of Nazi collective punishment.

Additionally, the Nazi regime implemented policies of Sippenhaft, kin liability, which extended punishment to family members of accused individuals, reflecting a broader principle of collective responsibility rather than a specific motto.

Kristi Noem DHS Podium Phrase Sparks Nazi Slogan Claims—Here's What It Means | IBTimes

"One of Ours, All of Yours"

It's also called disproportionate retribution as often used against Palestinian villages who are targeted by settlers. If the goal is to acquire more territory, proportionality isn't sufficient to achieve it.



To: Les H who wrote (50795)1/16/2026 11:15:54 AM
From: Les H  Respond to of 51255
 
Trumps floats tariffs if countries don't go along with giving away Greenland

Trump floats new tariffs in push to acquire Greenland



To: Les H who wrote (50795)1/16/2026 5:05:44 PM
From: Les H  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 51255
 
Family of man shot by ICE in Minneapolis disputes key aspects of DHS account

Story by Angie Orellana Hernandez, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, January 16, 2026

Family of man shot by ICE in Minneapolis disputes key aspects of DHS account

It sounds consistent with the recent Good shooting where an officer shot someone who was fleeing, which is in violation of the Fourth Amendment. This kind of situation is created when a law enforcement force believes it's above the law, and that posture is reinforced by their superiors in ICE, DHS, and all the way up to the White House who display the same attitude.