Harv's Corner

So starts the Trump campaign. I am looking for an agenda, but I need help finding it. Let me know immediately if you see one that will help the country and its people.

TRUMP TIES HIS FATE TO RIOTERS
Presidential candidate’s new running mates — ‘horribly and unfairly treated Jan. 6 hostages’
Story by MARIANNE LEVINE, ISAAC ARNSDORF and CLARA ENCE MORSE • Photo by SCOTT MUTHERSBAUGH • Washington Post

​Shortly after Donald Trump walked onstage at a recent rally, the announcer instructed the crowd to rise "for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6th hostages." Trump saluted, and the loudspeakers blasted a rendition of the national anthem performed by people accused or convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump then kicked off the rally with a promise to help the defendants — a group that includes violent offenders he has glorified as "patriots" and "hostages" and pledged to pardon if he returns to power.

"We're going to be working on that the first day we get into office," Trump said at the rally this month in Dayton, Ohio.

That vow is part of a broader renewed emphasis by Trump to align himself with Jan. 6 rioters, as he intensifies his use of dark, graphic and at times violent language as he has closed in on and secured the GOP nomination. Until November, he called the Jan. 6 defendants, some of whom have been detained by court order or are serving sentences, "political prisoners" before introducing the term "hostages," according to a Washington Post analysis of his speeches in this campaign cycle.

The analysis also showed an uptick in his references to Jan. 6 defendants, as well as the word "criminals," which Trump has used to describe prosecutors, political opponents, the press and undocumented immigrants.

The escalation overlaps with his own mounting legal jeopardy — a more than $450 million bond his lawyers say he has been unable to finance, while he appeals a civil fraud verdict against his businesses, and four separate criminal cases charging him with paying hush money to an adult film star, mishandling classified documents, and interfering with the 2020 election results.

"Every time there is a big event that is 'negative Trump lawsuit,' he'll do something to distract attention from that," said Kim Lane Scheppele, a professor at Princeton University who studies the rise and fall of constitutional government.

"These outbursts with language that's just unacceptable in U.S. politics happen when he is under pressure."

While Trump quickly secured the GOP nomination, defeating his rivals by wide margins in early contests and driving them to withdraw from the race, some Republicans are voicing concerns that his misrepresentations of the Jan. 6 attack and the people involved could weaken him with general election voters.

"It's not the way that I would talk about it. I was there," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said of Jan. 6. "We want to broaden our support, we want to broaden, at least that's the way I would look at it." Rounds added that Trump is "probably not going to take my advice."

In December, Trump said he'd govern as a "dictator" on "Day One" to "close the border" and drill for oil — a remark he went on to repeat, later claiming he was making it in jest. In a March social media post, he added to those two promised first acts that he would also "Free the January 6 Hostages."

In January, Trump warned of "bedlam" if he lost, and declined to rule out violence by his supporters. In March, he threatened a "bloodbath" after he spoke about promising to enact tariffs. (Allies and his campaign argued he was speaking figuratively about the economy.)
Nightly vigil

On Friday, Trump on social media promoted a flyer for the nightly vigil outside the Washington jail supporting Jan. 6 defendants housed there, led by the mother of slain rioter Ashli Babbitt. Babbitt's mother, Micki Witthoeft, said at Wednesday's vigil that Trump called her that day about "setting these guys free when he gets in." She added, in remarks that were livestreamed online: "He said to pass that on to the guys inside that they're on his mind, and when he gets in they'll get out."

Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt drew a connection between the prosecutions of Trump and his supporters. Local authorities brought two of the cases against Trump with no evidence of coordination, and a special counsel acting independently of the White House brought the two federal cases against him. Asked in an email whom Trump was referring to when talking about "hostages" and promises of pardons, Leavitt did not directly answer.

"President Trump will restore justice for all Americans who have been unfairly treated by Joe Biden's two-tier system of justice," she said.

Since January, Trump has made reference to Jan. 6 "hostages" more frequently at his rallies, mentioning the term so far at every rally this month, the Post analysis showed. He has advanced other arguments that have also alarmed experts and critics.

Dating back to November, Trump has sought to portray Biden as a "threat to democracy," seeking to turn the tables on Democrats' arguments against him and concerns among some experts that a second term would be more extreme than his first.

He used the phrase in most of his speeches in January, and in every speech in February and March, according to the Post analysis. He has also increasingly used the word "criminal" more at each rally — up to eight times a rally on average in March.

Trump opened his first 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas, last year, while saluting to the song with Jan. 6 defendants titled "Justice for All." He routinely plays it on the patio at Mar-a-Lago, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about private interactions. Trump played it at Mar-a-Lago the night he was arraigned last spring in New York. He also saluted to the song at a November 2023 rally in Houston.

'Proud political dissident'
At a recent rally in Greensboro, N.C., Trump discussed his legal problems in similar terms to how he has described people charged with or convicted of crimes related to Jan. 6. "I stand before you today not only as your past and hopefully future president, but as a proud political dissident and as a public enemy of a rogue regime," he said.

"The J6 hostages, I call them because they're hostages," he added at the same rally. "They're put in jail for extended periods of time, for very long periods of time.

They're hostages. You heard them singing. You heard the spirit that they have, the spirit is unbelievable. That song became the number one song."

Although the cause of Jan. 6 defendants has become popular in the MAGA movement and among Trump-aligned GOP officials, others who condemned him after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol criticized his use of that term or avoided the topic altogether.

Asked if it was appropriate for Trump to call the defendants "hostages" or "patriots," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who recently endorsed Trump, replied: "I'm going to avoid talking about the presidential election."

A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll in December found that 58% of Americans said protesters entering the U.S. Capitol threatened democracy, compared to 12% who said they defended democracy. Some 50% categorized the protesters as "mostly violent," while 28% said they were "equally peaceful and violent" and another 21% said they were "mostly peaceful." The poll also found that 72% of Americans say punishments of people who broke into the U.S. Capitol have been fair, though that declined from 78% in 2021. (A smaller majority of Republicans said the punishments were fair.)

A Post analysis published on the third anniversary of the attack found that federal judges have sentenced more than half of the roughly 1,200 people charged with breaking the law on Jan. 6. For nearly every defendant convicted of a felony, judges ordered prison time.

About half of those convicted of misdemeanors received some jail time. The Post found that in the vast majority of the sentences up until that point, judges issued punishments below government guidelines and prosecutors' requests.

"Calling them hostages is offensive in the extreme," said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who voted to convict Trump twice in his impeachment trials. "He says outrageous things day after day and people just get used to it and dismiss it as being him the way he is."

Harv's Corner

Health Care providers rely on computer efficiency for everything from medical assistance to billing.

A cyber warning for health care Attack on UnitedHealth Group owned company has had a broad, harmful impact. The company has faced criticism from providers for its response, and now should step up.
The email from a Star Tribune reader had the word "Desperate" in the subject line. The author: Karin Olson, 76, of Richfield, who has Type 1 diabetes and depends on her Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring system to manage this serious condition.

Olson, a former registered nurse, recently found herself facing a potential care crisis through no fault of her own. The sensors on her Dexcom system are designed to last for up to 10 days before needing replacement, and monthly costs range from $440 to $470, according to GoodRx. com. Medicare typically covers the supplies she needs. But after a recent cyberattack on a medical claims-processing company acquired by Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group in 2022, Olson couldn't get new sensors at her local Walgreens or anywhere else.

"Now I'm in panic mode. No pharmacy is willing to refill my sensor supplies because Medicare can't reimburse them as a result of the recent hacking. I'm running out of supplies. This is a life-threatening situation for me and others with Type 1 diabetes," Olson wrote on Thursday morning. As for just paying for the supplies herself, Olson told an editorial writer that she's on a fixed income with limited resources.

Fortunately, by Thursday afternoon, ongoing efforts by Walgreens and UnitedHealth appeared to have resolved this snag. In a phone call, a Walgreens district manager told Olson that a workaround had been found, and her prescription was ready for pickup with the usual copay.
Even though it ended well, Olson's plight merits a broad spotlight and deeper understanding by policymakers and the public, with Congress in particular needing to explore how the cyberattack happened and how to prevent another one. At a minimum, a high-profile hearing is in order.

Vulnerabilities to outages and nefarious hackers are inherent in this digital era for any industry, but they are especially alarming in health care. As Olson's case illustrates, a ransomware attack on a company she'd never heard of could swiftly impact her and other patients. An attack like this can also jeopardize the financial well-being of health care providers, with widespread claims-processing delays putting medical providers in a cash-flow crunch.

The UnitedHealth-owned company targeted is called
"Change Healthcare".

It's helpful to think of it like the Visa or MasterCard of the health care world, handling a broad array of claims and related financial transactions.

The attack on the company resulted in the process of billing and paying for health care in many areas across the nation coming to a virtual standstill.

The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) merits praise for giving early warning to the nation about the cyberattack's potentially dire financial impact on providers. "We could be fast approaching a financial cliff," MHA CEO and president Dr. Rahul Koranne said on Thursday.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., whose involvement drew praise from the state's medical providers this week, clearly understands the urgency.

"This cyber-attack by apparent foreign operatives threatens access to lifesaving care and underscores the urgency of strengthening our cybersecurity systems," she said in a statement to an editorial writer on Friday.

"I have also raised this issue directly with senior officials at the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure they are taking direct and immediate action to protect the health care community. United- Health Group must do everything in its power to swiftly address this situation and ensure patients can continue to access the medications and care they need."

Klobuchar's leadership is welcome. The Star Tribune Editorial Board also urges her to take the lead in congressional follow-up. She's authored a book about antitrust issues. The cyberattack's broad, harmful impact deepens concerns about ongoing consolidation within health care. It's important to note that federal officials challenged United's $13 billion acquisition of the company.
​
Klobuchar's ending comment about UnitedHealth is on point. Late Thursday afternoon, UnitedHealth announced "substantial progress" in mitigating the cyberattack's impact on consumers and care providers.

"Electronic prescribing is now fully functional with claim submission and payment transmission also available as of today," the statement said.

Electronic payment functionality will be available for connection beginning March 15, 2024 the company reported. And, "We expect to begin testing and reestablish connectivity to our claims network and software on March 18, 2024 restoring service through that week." UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty also said in the statement that "We are determined to make this right as fast as possible."

That's commendable, but the American Hospital Association and other providers have been far from satisfied with United's assistance to them so far. "We need real solutions — not programs that sound good when they are announced but are fundamentally inadequate when you read the fine print," the American Hospital Association's president said in a Monday letter to United leadership.

In 2023, United "saw an adjusted profit of $22.38 billion on revenue of $371.6 billion," the Star Tribune reported. This well-run Minnesota corporation has the financial resources to better assist struggling providers.

This crisis will pass, but what will be remembered long afterward is how United rose to the challenge of helping those affected by the cyberattack.There's work yet to do.
​

Harv's Corner 

Charitable gifts offer more than tax breaks CHRIS FARRELL

Tis the traditional season for charitable giving. Taxpayers get a break on what they owe so long as their charitable contributions are made before year-end. The number of people who can itemize their charitable giving is down significantly after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect in 2018. The legislation sharply increased the standard deduction and fewer taxpayers have enough deductions for itemizing to make sense.

There are still plenty of taxadvantaged ways to give away money for those with means. Among them: Contributing appreciated stock, real estate, and other assets to charities, a tax-effective way to give; opening a donor-advised fund at a financial institution or community foundations; and making qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) directly from IRAs for those age of 70 ½ and older.

Charitable giving by individuals fell last year, although individuals still account for a majority of charitable donations.

The latest "Giving USA 2023: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2022" calculates that giving by individuals fell by 13.4% after adjusting for inflation in 2022 compared with 2021. Charitable giving has dropped only three other times in the last 40 years in current dollars. First in 1987, the year of the Black Monday stock market crash and during the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009. Last year's decline probably reflected a combination of economic uncertainty, stock market volatility, and the end of the 2020 pandemicdriven surge in giving.

There is much more to charitable giving than tax breaks at year-end, of course. I like the poem "When Giving Is All We Have" by Alberto Rios, named Arizona's first poet laureate in 2013. Rios writes: "Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet, Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.

Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too, But we read this book, anyway, over and again:"

Giving repeatedly and regularly makes a difference to ourselves and our community.

One theme of mine is that giving is the underappreciated foundation of good money management. The amount of money given away typically pales compared to retirement savings contributions and mortgage payments.

What matters in the mindset.

When we give away money, we're actively showing what matters to us. The mindfulness of giving and the connections the act forges in our community can also inform the rest of our personal finance decisions, including spending and investing.

Chris Farrell is senior economics contributor, "Marketplace"; commentator, Minnesota Public Radio.