Author: Freedomwat.ch Staff

This author has written 1563 articles

Trump ally Duterte makes rape joke after ordering martial law

"President Rodrigo Duterte made a joke about rape as he urged soldiers to use the powers of martial law to take control of a besieged city in the southern Philippines. In the speech Friday, Duterte said he will pay the consequences if any soldiers are accused of abuses. He said: 'I will go to jail for you. If you happen to have raped three women, I will own up to it.' On Tuesday, Duterte imposed 60 days of martial law in the southern Philippines as government forces battle militants in Marawi, a city of some 200,000 people. Duterte is unapologetic about his manner of speech and liberally peppers casual statements with profanities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrump ally Duterte makes rape joke after ordering martial law

Trump hails ‘great win’ for politician who body-slammed Guardian reporter

"Greg Gianforte has won a special election for Montana’s sole seat in the House of Representatives, just one day after he was charged with misdemeanor assault for 'body-slamming' a Guardian reporter. Speaking at the G7 meeting in Sicily on Friday, Donald Trump called the victory a 'great win in Montana'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrump hails ‘great win’ for politician who body-slammed Guardian reporter

Trump reportedly calls Germans ‘very bad,’ threatens to end German car sales

"The president vowed to block German car exports to the U.S. during a meeting with top EU leaders on Thursday, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel. 'The Germans are bad, very bad,' Trump said, according to participants in the room who spoke to Der Spiegel. 'See the millions of cars they sell in the U.S., terrible. We will stop this.' The comments were said to have been made in a meeting with the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the European Council President Donald Tusk, who both showed support for Germany." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrump reportedly calls Germans ‘very bad,’ threatens to end German car sales

Aetna to Obamacare: We’re outta here

"Aetna is saying goodbye to Obamacare. The insurance giant announced Wednesday that it would not offer policies in Nebraska or Delaware next year, completing its exit from the exchanges. Earlier this year, Aetna said it would pull out of Iowa and Virginia in 2018. The company said it expects to lose more than $200 million in its individual business line this year, on top of nearly $700 million in losses between 2014 and 2016. Aetna withdrew from 11 of its 15 markets for 2017. It has 255,000 Obamacare policyholders this year, down from 964,000 at the end of last year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAetna to Obamacare: We’re outta here

Obamacare for some: 49% price hike since 2014, premiums of $14,300

"Millions of Obamacare customers who do not qualify for financial aid to lower the cost of their health insurance — or who opt not to apply for such assistance — pay the full cost of coverage for their plans. While the Republican Obamacare replacement bill pending in Congress would increase the number of people who would qualify for subsidies, the bill is also expected to increase average premiums over the next two years higher than they would be under Obamacare." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObamacare for some: 49% price hike since 2014, premiums of $14,300

California’s Single-Payer Health Plan Costs More Than the State’s Whole Budget

"The list of states that have tried to go single-payer is still a small sample size, but a fairly wide ranging one. It includes states with large populations and small ones. States with a variety of economies and tax systems. States that are growing quickly and those that aren't. Despite that range of variables, one thing remains constant: state-level single-payer health plans would require massive increases in tax revenue, equal or larger than the amount of revenue consumed by every other state-level program in a single year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia’s Single-Payer Health Plan Costs More Than the State’s Whole Budget

One of the world’s largest financial services firms is mining bitcoins

"Abigail Johnson, chief executive of Fidelity, announced that her customers would be able to see cryptocurrency balances on Fidelity’s website, if they held an account with Coinbase, one of the largest providers of storage and trading services in the cryptocurrency business. Johnson also revealed a number of other Fidelity projects underway to figure out how to harness the potential of bitcoin and other digital currencies. One of Fidelity’s projects is mining bitcoin and ethereum, which Johnson said was started for educational purposes, but now turns a tidy profit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOne of the world’s largest financial services firms is mining bitcoins

Centuries-old disfiguring plague breaks out due to the war in Syria

"Doctors in Lebanon are trying to control an outbreak of a centuries-old disease that has re-emerged because of the war in Syria. The 'Aleppo boil', named after the northern Syrian city, had largely been contained before the start of the conflict. Health workers treating refugees fear it could get worse." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCenturies-old disfiguring plague breaks out due to the war in Syria

A Story of Slavery in Modern America

"Lola’s travel papers had expired in 1969, five years after we arrived in the U.S. She’d come on a special passport linked to my father’s job. After a series of fallings-out with his superiors, Dad quit the consulate and declared his intent to stay in the United States. He arranged for permanent-resident status for his family, but Lola wasn’t eligible. He was supposed to send her back. Lola’s legal status became what Filipinos call tago nang tago, or TNT—'on the run.' She stayed TNT for almost 20 years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Story of Slavery in Modern America