22 Blue States Signed Secret Pact To Defy Trump Immigration Efforts, Coordinate Legal Strategies

 Attorneys general from 22 blue states along with Washington DC and San Francisco signed a secret agreement just 3 days after President Trump won the 2024 election for a coordinated response to resist Trump's anticipated actions to end birthright citizenship.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)

According to an investigation by the Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project, the 22 AGs agreed to legal collaboration and communication to defy Trump's immigration enforcement initiatives, including any deemed confidential or privileged.

All shared information would be used to coordinate various legal schemes, as well as pre-lawsuit investigations, litigation strategies, complaints, dispositive motions, merits briefs, and amicus briefs. The agreement also bars third parties from accessing any of this shared information, which is defined as all documents, materials, information, and communications exchanged between the attorneys generals’ offices prior to the agreement. 

The agreement does allow for public records requests, but requires any AG to give five days' notice to the other AGs about the request before it was due.

"The Parties have agreed that they have a common interest in developing potential litigation to challenge executive action related to ending or curtailing birthright citizenship," according to the agreement.

As AZ Free News notes further, the other attorneys general to enter the secretive agreement oversaw California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, as well as Washington, D.C.

The city and county of San Francisco, California also joined the agreement last month. 

Trump issued an executive order ending birthright citizenship during his first day in office. The order extends to children born of illegal immigrant parents in the U.S. It prohibits the federal government from issuing or accepting citizenship documents from persons born under those circumstances after its effective date, which is scheduled to take place later this month. 

“[T]he Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment has always excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof,’” read the order. 

The order flies in the face of longstanding court precedent on the matter.

That precedent led three federal judges in separate cases to block Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. The first two occurred in Washington and Maryland, with the third occurring on Monday in New Hampshire. 

Mayes joined Arizona to the case blocked in the Washington district court earlier this month. Based on the timeline of the secretive agreement and the filing of their lawsuit, it appears the case emerged directly from that agreement.

“The court’s decision to block this illegal executive order nationwide protects the basic right to birthright citizenship guaranteed by the 14th Amendment,” said Mayes. “I will keep fighting to protect the Constitutional rights of all Arizonans from the Trump administration’s illegal actions.”

Several of those states signed onto the secretive agreement — Washington, Oregon, and Illinois — were partnered on the lawsuit with Mayes. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/22-blue-states-signed-secret-pact-defy-trump-immigration-efforts-coordinate-legal

"It's A Different World" - CNN Admits Trump Is Massively More Popular Now Than First Term

 by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

CNN’s resident data reporter Harry Enten highlighted Monday how President Trump has experienced a huge surge in popularity this time around compared to his first term, noting “Trump’s doing what he promised to do.”

Several polls have found Trump has a net positive approval rating, with a CBS News poll putting him at 53 percent approval, his highest across both terms.

“It’s not just CBS … I like to take an average of the polls. And holy smokes. I mean, look at what the difference is between now versus eight years ago during the first Trump term, right?” Enten stated, looking at the numbers.

“This is Trump’s net approval rating on February 10th,” Enten said, explaining “You go back to 2017, Trump was already underwater at minus five points in the net approval rating, that’s approval minus disapproval. What a difference eight years makes. He’s on the positive side of the ledger at plus four points.”

He continued, “And again it’s not just the CBS News poll. We’re talking about the Gallup poll. We’re talking about the Ipsos poll. We are talking about the Pew poll. All of these respective pollsters have Trump in a better position now than they did eight years ago.”

“The bottom line is, Americans are far more likely to say they like what they’re seeing now versus what they felt during Trump‘s first term,” the number cruncher emphasised.

Enten also specified how rare it was for Trump to hold a net positive rating throughout his first term.

“I want you to take a look at this plus sign, right? Compare that to the negative sign, being on the plus side of the ledger, right. In positive net approval territory. A positive net approval rating for Donald Trump. Again, whoa whoa whoa whoa,” the data reporter said. 

“Entire first term. Just 11 days. Just 11 days Donald Trump had a net positive approval rating. Compare that to the second term just so far. Just so far,” he urged.

“Every single day of Trump’s second term so far, he has been on the positive side of the ledger, 21 days, all three weeks. That’s already 10 more days than he was in his entire first term,” he stressed.

When asked to explain why Trump is so much more popular, Enten replied “I think one of the things that’s so important for politicians is for folks to believe what they‘re saying and that they’re keeping their campaign promises. So I think this gives you a pretty gosh darn good idea of what may be going on, Trump’s doing what he promised to do.”

 “You go back to April of 2017. It was just 46 percent of all Americans who said that Trump was doing what he promised to do. Compare that now to February of 2025,” he added.

“We’re living in a different world,” Enten reasoned, noting that “70 percent of Americans say Trump is doing what he promised to do.”

He added that “When Americans are 24 points more likely to say that you‘re doing what you promised to do, it’s no wonder that your net approval rating is much more likely to be on the positive side of the ledger than on the negative side.”

“And so far, what we’re seeing again is Americans 21 days so far versus just 11 days during his entire first term that Trump has a positive net approval rating. Quite a different world,” Enten concluded.

Leftists can’t cope with it and are eager to point out that ‘Hitler was popular too’.

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https://www.zerohedge.com/political/its-different-world-cnn-admits-trump-massively-more-popular-now-first-term

'Is Humana dropping your Medicare Advantage plan?'

 Health-insurance giant Humana is dropping a staggering 550,000 of its less profitable Medicare Advantage customers, or about 10% of the total, this year as it tries to restore its stock price and its profits.

"We now anticipate full year Individual MA membership losses of approximately 550,000, inclusive of plan and county exits," Chief Executive Jim Rechtin told investors in a statement to coincide with the company's quarterly earnings report.

"We're shedding unprofitable plans, we're resetting expectations and lower margin plans, and we are shifting our membership mix with a focus on sustainable long-term value," he then explained to analysts during a conference call. "The membership losses that we've experienced have largely been consistent with our strategy."

Humana (HUM) won't be alone in cutting back on its Medicare Advantage offerings. Other insurers, including CVS (CVS) and Centene (CNC), have also warned that they are cutting back on lower-profit or no-profit customers in the troubled program.

Humana's news comes in the middle of Medicare Advantage's annual open enrollment period, which runs from Jan. 1 to March 31 each year and during which customers are free to switch plans.

The cuts will mean turmoil and confusion for many beneficiaries, as well as the risk of higher premiums, fewer benefits or both.

But there may be a silver lining. Many of those losing their Medicare Advantage plans may also get a rare and valuable chance at a do-over, allowing them to join traditional government-run Medicare instead and get supplemental Medigap coverage at beneficial regulated rates.

"It really depends on the circumstances," says Meredith Freed, a senior policy manager at the health policy nonprofit KFF and an expert in Medicare.

Broadly speaking, she says, if your Medicare Advantage insurer - whether that's Humana or any other company - quits your county completely or drops your plan and stops offering any other plans that are similar to yours, then you may be eligible for what is known as a "guaranteed issue right." That effectively means that you could join traditional, government-run Medicare under pretty much the same terms that were available when you turned 65.

On the other hand, if your Medicare Advantage insurer stays in your county and automatically transfers you to a similar plan - from one health-management organization plan to another HMO plan, for example - you may not have that option, Freed says.

"The people affected by this move should be getting a letter [from the insurer] saying whether they're being assigned to another plan or not," she says.

This option may matter to many people. Traditional, or original, Medicare - under which you are insured by the federal government - typically pays for 80% of your medical costs. Most people on the program pay for a private insurance plan, known variously as a supplemental or Medigap plan, to cover the other 20%.

When you first qualify for Medicare at age 65, you have a six-month window during which you can buy Medigap plans under favorable conditions. Insurers who offer such plans have to offer them to everyone who is eligible, under strict regulations.

But it's a one-time deal. If you don't take up the offer and instead opt to go with a fully privatized Medicare Advantage plan, the window closes. Generally speaking, if, in the years ahead, you want to switch from Medicare Advantage to the government plan, you won't have any guarantees when it comes to finding a Medigap plan. You may have to pay through the nose - that is, if you can get a plan at all.

But plan closures like those being announced now offer a rare chance. In many cases, says Freed, that Medigap window may reopen if you want to move to traditional Medicare.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the government department that runs Medicare, did not respond to a request for comment.

The latest turmoil again raises the question of whether most of us are better off simply sticking with traditional government-run Medicare instead of putting ourselves at the mercy of a private company whose executives, and stockholders, have interests that are different from our own. For years the insurers have argued that Medicare Advantage was a "win-win-win" for customers, stockholders and taxpayers. But the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the panel of medical experts that advises the government on the program, pointed out last year that there was a simple reason Medicare Advantage programs could apparently offer customers a better deal: It was billing taxpayers an extra $83 billion a year.

"Medicare Advantage plans are facing an extended period of reckoning," says Philip Moeller, the author of a book titled "Get What's Yours for Medicare: Maximize Your Coverage, Minimize Your Costs." The insurers, he said, have been on a "gravy train for years."

As customers have just been reminded, a private insurance company with stockholders has to keep them happy.

Meanwhile, it says something that when the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund spoke to Medicare Advantage brokers themselves, many said that they personally intended to stick with the government plan.

https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20250211124/is-humana-dropping-your-medicare-advantage-plan-heres-what-you-need-to-know

Medpace shares plunge as 2025 guidance disappoints

 Medpace Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDP) reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations, but its shares plunged 8.3% in after-hours trading Monday as the company's 2025 revenue guidance fell short of estimates.

The contract research organization posted adjusted earnings per share of $3.67 for the fourth quarter, surpassing the analyst consensus of $2.94. Revenue came in at $536.6 million, slightly above the $534.86 million analysts had projected and up 7.7% from $498.4 million in the same quarter last year.

However, Medpace's outlook for 2025 disappointed investors. The company forecasts full-year revenue between $2.11 billion and $2.21 billion, below the $2.238 billion analysts were expecting. This guidance implies growth of 0.0% to 4.8% over 2024 revenue of $2.109 billion.

For the fourth quarter, Medpace reported net new business awards of $529.7 million, down 13.8% year-over-year, resulting in a net book-to-bill ratio of 0.99x. The company's backlog increased 3.2% to $2.90 billion as of December 31, 2024.

Medpace also announced its board approved a $600 million increase to its stock repurchase program. The company repurchased 527,160 shares at an average price of $330.43 per share for a total of $174.2 million during the fourth quarter.

https://www.investing.com/news/earnings/medpace-shares-plunge-8-as-2025-guidance-disappoints-93CH-3860259

Edwards Pops On Fourth-Quarter Beat As Heart-Valve Replacements Top $1 B

 Edwards Lifesciences (EW) stock surged late Tuesday — and could retake its 50-day and 200-day lines — after beating fourth-quarter forecasts for its heart-valve replacements.

Across all products, Edwards earned an adjusted 59 cents per share on $1.39 billion in sales. On a strict, as-reported basis, sales rose more than 9%. Both metrics topped forecasts for 55 cents and $1.36 billion, respectively.

The company is known for its transcatheter aortic heart-valve replacements, or TAVR. This is a means of replacing a faulty heart valve without resorting to open-heart surgery. During the fourth quarter, TAVR procedures generated $1.04 billion in sales, growing 6% year over year, or 5% in constant currency. That easily beat forecasts for $1.01 billion, according to FactSet.

Edwards also came up with strong sales of its mitral and tricuspid therapies. These products are for other parts of the heart that can become diseased and, ultimately, replaced. Sales came in at $105 million, ahead of projections for $94 million.

The surgical segment generated $244 million, up 6% — or 5% excluding exchange rates — and narrowly topped the Street's call for $243 million.

For the year, the company guided to earnings of $2.40 to $2.50 per share and 8% to 10% sales growth, excluding the impact of exchange rates. Analysts forecast earnings of $2.44 per share and $5.84 billion in sales.

https://www.investors.com/news/technology/edwards-lifesciences-stock-edwards-lifesciences-earnings-q4-2024/

DOGE Investigating Feds Whose Net Worths Have Exploded After Samantha Power Bombshell

 DOGE head Elon Musk said on Tuesday that DOGE is going to investigate federal employees whose net worths have exploded despite their comparatively low pay.

Elon Musk, with his son X, speaks with President Donald Trump and reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The announcement comes after a bombshell report that Samantha Power, former head of USAID, saw her net worth explode to $30 million despite an annual salary under $250,000.

Power, a former ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama, and was sworn in as head of USAID in May of 2021, reported a net worth between $6.7 million-$16.5 million in January of 2021 on a disclosure form. Her net worth is now estimated as high as $30 million, according to the website Biden's Basement.

According to various reports, Power's sources of income have varied over the years. After serving as UN Ambassador, she reportedly made $471,000 per year as a Harvard professor, and made $351,000 from speaking engagements with major firmst such as Nestle, Google and UBS, along with $1 million in book royalties.

Most notably, however, was an $11.73 million gain in her investment holdings.

If we had to venture a guess, DOGE's access to information from the Treasury, USAID, and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), run through Palantir's intelligence apparatus (including AI), will quickly unravel graft hidden through multiple layers of organizational fog.

Meanwhile, there's the issue of lawmakers who have become unbelievably 'lucky' when it comes to growing their net worth via insider trading.

Screenshot via Quiver Quant

In July, a bipartisan group of senators including Josh Hawley (R-MO) came to an agreement on a renewed effort to ban members of Congress from trading stock.

"Congress should not be here to make a buck," Hawley said at the time. "There is no reason why members of Congress ought to be profiting off of the information that only they get."

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https://www.zerohedge.com/political/doge-investigating-feds-whose-net-worths-have-exploded-after-samantha-power-bombshell

Wearable cardiac device maker Kestra Medical Technologies files for a $100 million IPO

 Kestra Medical Technologies, which makes a wearable cardioverter defibrillator for higher-risk cardiac arrest patients, filed on Monday with the SEC to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering.

Kestra is commercializing its Cardiac Recovery System platform, a comprehensive and advanced system that integrates monitoring, therapeutic treatment, digital health, and patient support services into a single, unified solution. The cornerstone of the platform is the ASSURE WCD, a next generation wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) used to protect patients at an elevated risk of sudden cardiac arrest. As of January 31, 2025, Kestra's system is actively being prescribed by more than 550 hospitals across the US (~20% of the country's WCD prescribing hospitals) and has been worn by over 17,000 patients since it was fully commercially launched in August 2022.

The Kirkland, WA-based company was founded in 2014 and booked $46 million in sales for the 12 months ended October 31, 2024. It plans to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol KMTS. Kestra Medical Technologies filed confidentially on August 25, 2021. BofA Securities, Goldman Sachs, Piper Sandler, Wells Fargo Securities, and Stifel are the joint bookrunners on the deal. No pricing terms were disclosed.

Relevant Profile: KMTS

https://www.renaissancecapital.com/IPO-Center/News/109287/Wearable-cardiac-device-maker-Kestra-Medical-Technologies-files-for-a-$100-