Indy Digest: May 12, 2025
In the coming days, round one of a battle to cut the insurance of millions of underserved Americans will take place in Congress.
A massive change could soon be in the works for the 71 million Americans on Medicaid, with House Republicans unveiling new legislation on Sunday that would require many enrollees in the government health care program to prove they are either working, volunteering or in school to receive coverage.
The proposal is part of an effort by House Republicans to find $880 billion in savings over the next decade to help pay for President Trump’s tax bill, which will extend his 2017 tax cuts while introducing some new reductions, like eliminating taxes on tips.
Because President Trump has vowed not to touch Medicare—the health insurance program for people 65 and older—Republican lawmakers have turned their sights to Medicaid, which provides health coverage for low- and middle-income households. GOP lawmakers contend that Medicaid should be scrutinized because it’s prone to financial waste, and that, by doing so, the program will be better able to serve the people who need it.
“Medicaid is hugely problematic because it has a lot of fraud, waste and abuse,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said in February. Rooting out waste “preserves the programs, so it is available for those who desperately need it.”
Some policy experts and Democrats in Congress warn that slashing Medicaid would hurt many vulnerable Americans, with millions likely to lose coverage if the bill passes, while also posing a financial risk to some hospitals that rely on the program.
Some local health organizations are sounding an alarm over the danger these cuts could have.
Over the weekend, DAP Health sent out a call to action regarding the proposed cuts. The letter, from CEO David Brinkman, said, in part:
Congress is considering cuts to Medicaid that would jeopardize care for more than 15 million Californians—including 80% of the 88,000 patients we see at DAP Health.
These cuts would:
• Slash funding for community health centers like ours, which serve as a lifeline for patients regardless of income, insurance, or immigration status.
• Jeopardize prenatal and postpartum care, addiction treatment, mental health services, and more.
• Force families to delay care or end up in overcrowded ERs — driving up health costs for everyone.
This is not a partisan issue. Health care is a human issue. A human right!
We are calling on supporters like you to join a bipartisan campaign to stop these cuts—before they harm the people who rely on us most.
Democrat Raul Ruiz’s office issued a statement today expressing full-throated opposition to the cuts, saying they would “throw millions of hardworking families off their coverage, shutter rural hospitals, and kick seniors out of nursing homes. The latest research shows that, under this Republican plan, millions will lose coverage, and thousands could die each year.”
Ken Calvert has not specifically addressed the latest proposal (at least that I could find), but in the past, he has signaled that he’s a-OK with towing the GOP line on such matters. In a statement to KESQ News Channel 3 after an April protest at his office, he said: “Republicans in Congress are committed to protecting Medicaid benefits for Californians and other Americans who rely on the program, including children, mothers, and the disabled. One of the best ways to safeguard Medicaid and taxpayers is to root out waste, fraud and abuse wherever it exists in the program.”
Stay tuned—and, oh, by the way, the number for Rep. Calvert’s Palm Desert office is 760-620-0041.
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
CV History: Cabot Yerxa Revealed to the World the Trait That Makes Desert Hot Springs one of the World’s Most Unique Geological Places
By Greg Niemann
May 12th, 2025
The area which became Desert Hot Springs was homesteaded in the early 20th century, most notably by Cabot A. Yerxa, who spent more than 20 years building his now-famous Indian pueblo.
A Play With Power: The Bent’s Production of ‘The Inheritance: Part One’ Absorbs the Audience From Beginning to End
By Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume
May 12th, 2025
The show, about the challenges faced by several generations of gay men in the aftermath of the AIDS crisis, was hailed as “the most important play of the century”—and The Bent is now producing Part One.
Copycat Kernels: ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ Borrows Too Much From Previous Horror Films
By Bob Grimm
May 11th, 2025
If you haven’t seen It or Terrifier (or watched a John Wayne Gacy documentary), well, then this has a shot at being your favorite killer clown movie. That is, until you see It or Terrifier.
Home Cooking: Netflix’s ‘Nonnas’ Covers Well-Worn Territory—but With a Lot of Heart
By Bob Grimm
May 11th, 2025
Joe (Vince Vaughn) loves his mama, and after she dies, he pledges to let her legacy live on by opening a restaurant on Staten Island. The twist is that the kitchen will be piloted by senior women who are also kickass cooks.
An Oppressive Time: ‘One to One: John & Yoko’ Looks at a Key Event Between the Beatles’ Breakup and Lennon’s Death
By Bob Grimm
May 9th, 2025
One to One: John & Yoko, while using footage from the One to One concert as a connective thread, also uses clips of John, Yoko and notable news events of the era to paint a picture of what that time was like for Lennon and Ono.
Crime and Comedy: ‘Poker Face’ Is Finally Back, but What Other TV Gems Are Streaming?
By Bill Frost
May 9th, 2025
Poker Face is finally back—but you’ll be hungry for another comedic mystery when it’s over. Here are a few TV shows that fit the profile.
More News
• So now the president is accepting a free plane from Qatar for use as Air Force One. What in the heck? Politico notes that this free plane would wind up being far from free: “President Donald Trump insists he’s getting a ‘free, very expensive airplane’ from Qatar’s royal family. But it’s not much of a gift for the American taxpayer. The Qatari Defense Ministry is talking to the White House about transferring the luxury-configured Boeing jet to the Pentagon, which would oversee its retrofitting into a makeshift Air Force One. But a private contractor would have to rip it apart to turn the jet into a flying White House for the president with secure communications and classified upgrades, according to former Air Force officials and lawmakers, an expensive and complicated prospect that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. ‘This isn’t really a gift,’ said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees executive airlift. ‘You’d basically have to tear the plane down to the studs and rebuild it to meet all the survivability, security and communications requirements of Air Force One. It’s a massive undertaking—and an unfunded one at that.’”
• Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing California cities to crack down more on homeless people’s encampments. Our partners at Calmatters report: “Gov. Gavin Newsom has a new strategy to eliminate the large, long-standing homeless encampments that have been a thorn in his side throughout his administration: Push cities to make them illegal. The governor on Monday called on every local government in the state to adopt ordinances that restrict public camping ‘without delay.’ He provided a hypothetical model ordinance that lays out exactly what he’d like to see banned: Camping in one place for more than three nights in a row, building semi-permanent structures such as make-shift shacks on public property, and blocking streets or sidewalks. ‘There’s nothing compassionate about letting people die on the streets,’ Newsom said in a statement. ‘Local leaders asked for resources—we delivered the largest state investment in history. They asked for legal clarity—the courts delivered. Now, we’re giving them a model they can put to work immediately, with urgency and with humanity, to resolve encampments and connect people to shelter, housing, and care. The time for inaction is over. There are no more excuses.'”
• If Kamala Harris decides to run in California, she’ll launch her campaign in pretty good shape. That’s one takeaway from a recent poll. The Los Angeles Times says: “Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is expected to decide by the end of the summer whether she runs for California governor in 2026, has near universal name recognition among California voters, and 50% view her favorably, according to a survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by The Times. In contrast, California voters, notably residents of the city of Los Angeles, are more likely to view Mayor Karen Bass unfavorably. In the aftermath of the devastating fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades earlier this year and criticism of the city’s response, Bass’ approval ratings are dire among Angelenos, who are overwhelmingly Democratic. Voters’ unhappiness with the mayor could create difficulties for her reelection campaign next year if the mood persists.”
• This article, written by a political scientist/free-speech expert for The Conversation, depressed the heck out of me. The headline: “From defenders to skeptics: The sharp decline in young Americans’ support for free speech.” Eek. Some details: “According to a March 2025 report by The Future of Free Speech, a nonpartisan think tank where I am executive director, support among 18- to 34-year-olds for allowing controversial or offensive speech has dropped sharply in recent years. In 2021, 71% of young Americans said people should be allowed to insult the U.S. flag, which is a key indicator of support for free speech, no matter how distasteful. By 2024, that number had fallen to just 43%—a 28-point drop. Support for pro‑LGBTQ+ speech declined by 20 percentage points, and tolerance for speech that offends religious beliefs fell by 14 points. This drop contributed to the U.S. having the third-largest decline in free speech support among the 33 countries that The Future of Free Speech surveyed—behind only Japan and Israel.”
• Gannett, the parent company of The Desert Sun, continues to do shady stuff with AI—or, as a Futurism headline puts it, “Gannett Is Using AI to Pump Brainrot Gambling Content Into Newspapers Across the Country.” Details: “The media giant Gannett, the largest owner of American local newspapers and the publisher of USA Today, is using AI to churn out a nationwide torrent of automated articles about lottery results that often pointedly direct readers toward a gambling site with which Gannett has a financial relationship, giving the company a financial kickback when readers visit it. Gannett appears to have started publishing the automated gambling posts around February of this year, with the articles published en masse by dozens of local newspapers across many US states—an eyebrow-raising editorial move, especially during an explosive rise in gambling addiction that Gannett itself has covered extensively. In many cases, the posts are outfitted with vague bylines, attributed to simply a paper’s ‘Staff’ or ‘Staff reports.’ Other times, the posts are attributed to a Gannett editor or digital producer, suggesting at first glance that the articles were written by humans.”
• And finally, today’s recall news involves … various ready-to-eat food products! The Los Angeles Times reports: “A Southland food company has yanked several of its premade food offerings from businesses across California and three other states after federal regulators found a strain of listeria on its equipment linked to an outbreak first identified last year that has sickened at least 10 people. Fresh & Ready Foods, based in San Fernando, voluntarily recalled several of its premade sandwiches and protein snacks, including several varieties of ham and turkey sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, tuna pasta, and a street corn dipper snack. The items were sold under three brands: Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go, and Fresh Take Crave Away. The voluntarily recalled food was distributed between April 18 and 28 this year in California, Nevada, Arizona and Washington. It was to be sold in vending machines and other settings in hospitals, hotels, convenience stores and airports, and by airlines. The recalled items have ‘Use by’ dates from April 22 through May 19.” Ew!
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