Gavin Newsom warned that billionaires will 'permanently relocate' if California wealth tax passes

Read the letter celebrity lawyer Alex Spiro wrote to Gavin Newsom, warning that his clients will 'permanently relocate' if California wealth tax passes

Jack Newsham,Madeline Berg

A proposed billionaire tax in California has the wealthy threatening to flee, according to a letter written by power lawyer Alex Spiro to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In a December 11 letter that was obtained by Business Insider, Spiro lays out his opposition to the proposed tax on behalf of his clients, whom he calls "California residents who would be subject to the proposed Billionaire Tax Act."

"It will trigger an exodus of capital and innovation from California," Spiro wrote. "Our clients have made clear they will permanently relocate if subjected to this tax."

The measure proposes that California residents with assets exceeding $1 billion be subject to a one-time 5% tax on the value of their assets. If the proposal receives enough signatures, it will appear on the state ballot in November 2026. If passed, it would apply retroactively to all California residents as of January 1, 2026.

New Medicare Part B bill more than doubled. From $185 to $443.30

Stephen Miller: "So we're going to ignore these stupid white Hippies..."

"and tell them to go home and take a nap."

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm a bit offended by that comment!

Trump official revises Statue of Liberty poem to defend migrant rule change

I know this isn't current news, but it's shocking nonetheless.

I was curious to know if the Felon had plans to revise our Statue of Liberty in any fashion.

Sure enough, in 2019:

Trump's 'height' defies medical odds as images next to Musk, Vance and Prince William spark doubts

American media doesn't seem interested in the Liar in Chief's bullshit.
He doesn't weigh 224 pounds, and he isn't taller than Elon Musk.
He told people what they needed to say to keep their jobs and keep him just under the "Obesity" definition.

Trump's 'height' defies medical odds as images next to Musk, Vance and Prince William spark doubts



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That puts him at exactly the same height he was listed as during a physical examination nearly a decade ago. In September 2016, a letter from Trump's personal physician said he was in "excellent physical health," despite his then-236-pound weight and 6'3" height putting him at the high end of what is considered overweight and just shy of obese.

Not only is Trump not getting shorter, but he's actually grown an inch, according to a copy of his New York driver’s license obtained by Politico in 2016. The license listed Trump as 6ft 2".

The 2016 health report also came just a year after Trump's former doctor, Harold Bornstein, put out a statement declaring that Trump had undergone a medical exam that showed "only positive results". The doctor didn't detail Trump's height and weight in the 2015 letter but said that "his physical strength and stamina are extraordinary," adding: "If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."

But in 2018, Dr Bornstein confessed to CNN that Trump "dictated the whole letter". He said: "I didn't write that letter. I just made it up as I went along." Now, Trump's latest health report has also raised doubts.
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https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-height-weight-age-35051880

Greenland is estimated to have some of the world's largest untapped oil and gas resources.

Greenland’s fossil fuel ban is up in the air after recent election

US president Donald Trump thrust Greenland to the centre of global politics when he proposed to buy the vast, icebound island at the start of the year. With the world watching, Greenlandic voters went to the polls on March 11 2025 and delivered a landslide victory for a party that told Trump, “We are not for sale.”

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and its struggle for independence is a major political battleground. Both the right-wing Demokraatit (Democrats), now the largest party, and the socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) that they recently decimated are pro-independence. However, they also want a slower independence process than the populist-nationalist Naleraq, which also did well in the election.

While foreign observers may have had their attention drawn to Greenland by Trump, they shouldn’t look away now. The outcome of this election has made a fossil-fuelled future for Greenland more likely, just when the escalating climate crisis demands an urgent global transition to renewable energy.

Crucial to Greenland’s future is its base of economic production. Greenland is estimated to have some of the world’s largest untapped oil and gas resources.

https://theconversation.com/greenlands-fossil-fuel-ban-is-up-in-the-air-after-recent-election-252071#:~:text=Greenland%20is%20estimated%20to%20have,Greenland%20about%20half%20of%20that.

Sigh. CeraWeek: Big Oil Gathering in Texas praises Trump Cabinet, Policies.

🌈 Hawai'i Statewide Energy Flowcharts! Love 'em. 🌺

I'm a big fan of LLNL Sankey Diagrams and learned yesterday during a planning session with the State Energy Office and AES about this new page.

Play with all the buttons and settings to reveal energy flows for different sources and end uses.

Holy damn, jet fuel!!!

https://energy.hawaii.gov/what-we-do/energy-landscape/statewide-energy-flowchart/

I turn 68 in March, what time of year do higher benefits kick in?

I know what my calculated benefits will be at each age.

Please help me understand if benefits change each January or at each birthday.

If I file this April after my March birthday when I turn 68, I get $3,318, same as filing today.

If I chose to wait for the higher $3,613 benefit, do I need to wait until next January or file after my next birthday?

I collect fountain pens and pocket watches, does anyone else on DU?

I am crazy for mechanical clocks and have six pocket watches, including three "railroad" watches.

And I've collected fountain pens since age 11 and attend pen shows and shop on eBay regularly.

Does anyone else on Du have an interest in pens or pocket watches, or mechanical clocks generally?