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Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist Maureen Dowd joins MSNBC’s Ari Melber to discuss Donald Trump’s second term, tariffs, and her …
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She looks fantastic rocking it at 73
Unbridled capitalism creates malignant narcissism and narcissism, the disease of being severed from one's own soul is epidemic in the USA. This is a serious disease. It makes Americans blind and stupid and gullible.
What is the difference between a statue and this woman? Say no to plastic surgery
sickening and scary
Soon the vibe shift will go very bad for Trump as his policies hit American pocketbooks and Americans realize the harm Trump has done to their reputation.
In the 3rd Reich Hitler believed he was best served by feuding in his minions …survival of the unfitest
From far away in another country it is painfully obvious that Americans seem to be not only susceptible to con men, but downright attracted to them and crave their bulltish!!! How anyone can not see that your Mr Trump is an obvious and pathological liar is beyond me. However it seems that most viewers of this network are probably the exception that proves the rule. I once heard a commentator here in Australia say that nearly every American he met and dealt with was an erudite and friendly individual, then added that the great American downfall was that you all think in the deepest recesses of your hearts that the rest of the world wants to be like you. There may have been a glimmer of truth to that in the past, but no one would like to be like America at the moment!
Flim Flam man in charge
No one ever said Americans were smart. No one. Ever.
gotta help correct the title: "Americans have always been susceptible to con men, ESPECIALLY THE MAJOR MEDIA OUTLETS!"
That's Maureen Dowd? …whoa.
The Orange is a REAL conman.
C'mon, Maureen. Each political party hates each other now. Trump is actually making strides in the right direction. As a Biden supporter, that is quite difficult for me to write. Biden did it to himself by surrounding himself with young, dumb woke morons and letting them lead him to THE END.
And women
Can someone ask Maureen why she hires so many young men from the Daily Wire?
Chump scape goat? I was conned by a better con man
When does any man get to meet a woman that smart and beautiful? The understatement of her comments lends them the credibility needed in this moment!
How much more CRIMINAL DESTRUCTION will Trump undoubtedly inflict on the U.S. and the world before Congress steps up and invokes the 25th Amendment???!!!! We will not survive until the mid-term elections, Congress must act NOW!
OMG. I just now looked up Dowd's age. I didn't think it possible that a woman that age could look that good!
The left is also susceptible to con men and we see this, too. Just have to look, and not all that hard. They say different things, but the ability to con people is embedded in human nature, not political affiliation.
Subject: Medicare fraud, sentence commuted by Trump
Trump commuted the sentence of former nursing home magnate Philip Esformes in late December. He was serving a 20-year sentence for bilking $1 billion from Medicare and Medicaid. An FBI agent called him “a man driven by almost unbounded greed.” Prosecutors said that Esformes used proceeds from his crimes to make a series of “extravagant purchases, including luxury automobiles and a $360,000 watch.”
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PBS News
Live
By —
Fred Schulte, Kaiser Health News
Trump’s pardons included health care execs behind massive frauds
Health
Jan 22, 2021 1:15 PM EDT
At the last minute, President Donald Trump granted pardons to several individuals convicted in huge Medicare swindles that prosecutors alleged often harmed or endangered elderly and infirm patients while fleecing taxpayers.
“These aren’t just technical financial crimes. These were major, major crimes,” said Louis Saccoccio, chief executive officer of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, an advocacy group.
The list of some 200 Trump pardons or commutations, most issued as he vacated the White House this week, included at least seven doctors or health care entrepreneurs who ran discredited health care enterprises, from nursing homes to pain clinics. One is a former doctor and California hospital owner embroiled in a massive workers’ compensation kickback scheme that prosecutors alleged prompted more than 14,000 dubious spinal surgeries. Another was in prison after prosecutors accused him of ripping off more than $1 billion from Medicare and Medicaid through nursing homes and other senior care facilities, among the largest frauds in U.S. history.
“All of us are shaking our heads with these insurance fraud criminals just walking free,” said Matthew Smith, executive director of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. The White House argued all deserved a second chance. One man was said to have devoted himself to prayer, while another planned to resume charity work or other community service. Others won clemency at the request of prominent Republican ex-attorneys general or others who argued their crimes were victimless or said critical errors by prosecutors had led to improper convictions.
Trump commuted the sentence of former nursing home magnate Philip Esformes in late December. He was serving a 20-year sentence for bilking $1 billion from Medicare and Medicaid. An FBI agent called him “a man driven by almost unbounded greed.” Prosecutors said that Esformes used proceeds from his crimes to make a series of “extravagant purchases, including luxury automobiles and a $360,000 watch.”
Esformes also bribed the basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania “in exchange for his assistance in gaining admission for his son into the university,” according to prosecutors.
Fraud investigators had cheered the conviction. In 2019, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association gave its annual award to the team responsible for making the case. Saccoccio said that such cases are complex and that investigators sometimes spend years and put their “heart and soul” into them. “They get a conviction and then they see this happen. It has to be somewhat demoralizing.”
Tim McCormack, a Maine lawyer who represented a whistleblower in a 2007 kickback case involving Esformes, said these cases “are not just about stealing money.”
“This is about betraying their duty to their patients. This is about using their vulnerable, sick and trusting patients as an ATM to line their already rich pockets,” he said. He added: “These pardons send the message that if you are rich and connected and powerful enough, then you are above the law.”
The Trump White House saw things much differently.
“While in prison, Mr. Esformes, who is 52, has been devoted to prayer and repentance and is in declining health,” the White House pardon statement said.
The White House said the action was backed by former Attorneys General Edwin Meese and Michael Mukasey, while Ken Starr, one of Trump’s lawyers in his first impeachment trial, filed briefs in support of his appeal claiming prosecutorial misconduct related to violating attorney-client privilege.
Trump also commuted the sentence of Salomon Melgen, a Florida eye doctor who had served four years in federal prison for fraud. That case also ensnared U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who was acquitted in the case and helped seek the action for his friend, according to the White House.
Prosecutors had accused Melgen of endangering patients with needless injections to treat macular degeneration and other unnecessary medical care, describing his actions as “truly horrific” and “barbaric and inhumane,” according to a court filing.
Melgen “not only defrauded the Medicare program of tens of millions of dollars, but he abused his patients — who were elderly, infirm, and often disabled — in the process,” prosecutors wrote.
These treatments “involved sticking needles in their eyes, burning their retinas with a laser, and injecting dyes into their bloodstream.”
Prosecutors said the scheme raked in “a staggering amount of money.” Between 2008 and 2013, Medicare paid the solo practitioner about $100 million. He took in an additional $10 million from Medicaid, the government health care program for low-income people, $62 million from private insurance, and approximately $3 million in patients’ payments, prosecutors said.
In commuting Melgen’s sentence, Trump cited support from Menendez and U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.). “Numerous patients and friends testify to his generosity in treating all patients, especially those unable to pay or unable to afford healthcare insurance,” the statement said.
In a statement, Melgen, 66, thanked Trump and said his decision ended “a serious miscarriage of justice.”
“Throughout this ordeal, I have come to realize the very deep flaws in our justice system and how people are at the complete mercy of prosecutors and judges. As of today, I am committed to fighting for unjustly incarcerated people,” Melgen said. He denied harming any patients.
Faustino Bernadett, a former California anesthesiologist and hospital owner, received a full pardon. He had been sentenced to 15 months in prison in connection with a scheme that paid kickbacks to doctors for admitting patients to Pacific Hospital of Long Beach for spinal surgery and other treatments.
“As a physician himself, defendant knew that exchanging thousands of dollars in kickbacks in return for spinal surgery services was illegal and unethical,” prosecutors wrote.
Many of the spinal surgery patients “were injured workers covered by workers’ compensation insurance. Those patient-victims were often blue-collar workers who were especially vulnerable as a result of their injuries,” according to prosecutors.
The White House said the conviction “was the only major blemish” on the doctor’s record. While Bernadett failed to report the kickback scheme, “he was not part of the underlying scheme itself,” according to the White House.
The White House also said Bernadett was involved in numerous charitable activities, including “helping protect his community from COVID-19.” “President Trump determined that it is in the interests of justice and Dr. Bernadett’s community that he may continue his volunteer and charitable work,” the White House statement read.
Others who received pardons or commutations included Sholam Weiss, who was said to have been issued the longest sentence ever for a white collar crime — 835 years. “Mr. Weiss was convicted of racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, for which he has already served over 18 years and paid substantial restitution. He is 66 years old and suffers from chronic health conditions,” according to the White House. Ok
John Davis, the former CEO of Comprehensive Pain Specialists, the Tennessee-based chain of pain management clinics, had spent four months in prison. Federal prosecutors charged Davis with accepting more than $750,000 in illegal bribes and kickbacks in a scheme that billed Medicare $4.6 million for durable medical equipment.
Trump’s pardon statement cited support from country singer Luke Bryan, said to be a friend of Davis’.
“Notably, no one suffered financially as a result of his crime and he has no other criminal record,” the White House statement reads.
“Prior to his conviction, Mr. Davis was well known in his community as an active supporter of local charities. He is described as hardworking and deeply committed to his family and country. Mr. Davis and his wife have been married for 15 years, and he is the father of three young children.”
CPS was the subject of a November 2017 investigation by KHN that scrutinized its Medicare billings for urine drug testing. Medicare paid the company at least $11 million for urine screenings and related tests in 2014, when five of CPS’ medical professionals stood among the nation’s top such Medicare billers.
This story was published January 22, 2021. You can find the original article here. Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
Maureen Dowd🔥💯💨
Dowd ask like a 50s pinup.
Trump can do many things at once. All bad. Very bad.
USA = Snake Oil Salesman Culture
It's obvious to me that most Americans prioritize superficiality over substance. See social media. Also obvious is that I'm not part of that herd of mindless sheep.
no surprise, they are primed to be conned.
Most Americans have been brainwashed since childhood
in firmly believing in a thousands years old con.
Does this guy ever shut up and let the woman speak ?
THE KING AND THE DUKE IN HUCK FINN
People are talking 'bout her looks…nobody talks about her intellect.
Dismantling our educational infrastructure is only going to make us more vulnerable.
Religions instill gullibility into Americans from cradle to grave.
“ trump is more PT, Barnum than Shakespearean” 😂😂😂
Yea,there called the Federal Reserve.
No other country has as many millionaire/billionaire charlatan pastors. Sky fairies don't need your money.
Con men, Clinton, Obama and BIden. The axis of con men
Maureen is incredible and appears super-incredible at 73! She’s certainly experienced, intelligent, articulate and tuned us all into reality. She certainly has the goods on the multitasking High-Chair KING. Long live Ms. Dowd!May you continue to truth tell all of your days, throughly enjoyed all your work and expressions for all these many years!
"THE HIGH CHAIR KING" ! ! ! "WE'RE BEING GOVERNED BY AN ID"! ! ! ! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 SO TRUE ! !
If they ever need to portray Maureen Dowd on film I'd suggest they pick Isla Fisher for the role. Very insightful interview.
will notzzee google censor this?
will notzzee google censor this?
Dowd ages like fine Scotch – Ari is from Seattle and quotes Rap
King Joffrey Trump
Too funny. When Ari said this is how the White House is trying to explain it, an ad popped up for some zombie game. The algorithm has a sense of humor.
its like the whole of USA and maybe world is realising what its like to have a Narcissistic partner or boyfriend. You love them until you realise you have to leave them or they will destroy you and everything you love. We are all in this together
In the road to defend democracy, we advance very little by rehashing how evil or stupid, or child-like Trump is. He is a piece of s**, but that's not the problem. The problem is that he was elected president by a majority of Americans. We are a culture that seeks individual gratification while discounting common interests. In 1921, after a visit "Einstein had described Americans as “uncommonly bored” and that men were “toy dogs for their wives.” Americans, Einstein had allegedly told the journalist, could be easily duped into believing anything if one tells them about something tremendous that will influence all future life" (Jimena Canales, "Einstein, Bergson and Time" p. 332
Well, when you are in a cult, you have control of them and their minds.
Americans are not susceptible to criminals ..They have a true fascination for that people : charlatans
gangsters , murderers , bandits and even traitors ( Robert E Lee and Trump , for example ) . You turn
these criminals into heroes in a flash . Your History is full of those examples . 👎