Trump’s Elon Musk Problem is Worse Than You Think, Ms. Rachel Attacked, & Today’s News
PDS Published 06/04/2025
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There is a mutiny brewing among Republicans over Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill — including among Republicans who literally already voted for it.
Right, yesterday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made big waves when she admitted on X that she hadn’t read over the bill she voted for in full, but if she had, she wouldn’t have voted for it.
With her specifically flagging a provision of the bill that would ban states from regulating AI for the next 10 years, writing:
“I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there.”[]
And adding, “This needs to be stripped out in the Senate. When the OBBB comes back to the House for approval after Senate changes, I will not vote for it with this in it. We should be reducing federal power and preserving state power. Not the other way around.”
Okay, so, a few things to unpack here.
First of all, it’s important to note that it’s not at all uncommon for lawmakers to stuff big bills like this with various unrelated measures — especially now, given how polarized Congress is and how hard it is to even get a bill to the floor in the first place.
And while sometimes more controversial provisions are quietly slipped into a bigger bill and intentionally buried at the last minute, that was not at all the case here.
Right, the inclusion of the AI provision got a TON of attention: lawmakers openly discussed it on the floor, and it was a MASSIVE front page news story — we even covered it on the show the week before last.
Though, very notably, it also appears to have been a major blind spot for right-wing media.
According to an analysis of the initial news coverage by Ground News, just 4% of the outlets reporting on the story leaned right.[]
But that’s more of an interesting aside — I’m not at all trying to excuse her actions here: she’s a sitting lawmaker, she has an obligation to understand the legislation she’s voting for.
And that is a point that we saw many people making on X after her post went viral.
This including numerous Democratic lawmakers, with Rep. Eric Swalwell really summing up a lot of the responses, writing:
“You have one job. To. Read. The. Fucking. Bill.”[]
You also had Rep. Ted Lieu (Loo) saying he had read the AI provision before the vote and it was one of the reasons he voted against the bill, adding:
“PRO TIP: It’s helpful to read stuff before voting on it.”[]
Beyond that, we also saw others arguing that this highlights fundamental issues with the way House Republicans went about passing this bill, with Rep. Yvette Clarke (ee-vet) posting:
“Reading is fundamental! Maybe if your colleagues weren't so hellbent on jamming a bill down our throats in the dead of night, and bending the knee to Trump, you would've caught this, Sis!” []
Right, and that’s something that’s been echoed by a lot of others who have slammed House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders for ramming this bill through the House to meet their self-imposed Memorial Day deadline.
Noting that Johnson was haggling with members of his party and making changes to the bill to get their support until the last minute.
So the final version of the legislation wasn’t even finished and moved to the floor until 10:40 P.M., giving representatives just eight hours to read a 1,000+ page bill.
Which is why you had many people arguing that these admissions just prove that Johnson and his leadership team intentionally rushed through a problematic bill before members could read it because they knew it wouldn’t pass otherwise.
With Steve Benen, the editor of MSNBC’s MaddowBlog, arguing that Johnson and his team “completed the legislative work in the most irresponsible ways possible.”
Accusing GOP leadership of crafting the bill “in the middle of the night” and making changes based on “private backroom deals, far from public view.”
Though, notably here, Benen also claimed that the responsibility also falls on the rank-and-file GOP members, saying that the admissions by MTG and Flood “reflect an important breakdown in governance.”
And arguing that when party leaders try to rush bills and force their members to vote “effectively blindfolded,” those members need to use their leverage to slow down the process and refuse to vote for major legislation without knowing the contents.
Now, I do want to push back on that a little and note that, at least when it comes to MTG, the AI provision she opposed was essentially part of the conversation from the get-go.
Right, the initial text was released on May 11 — the same day the rest of the first BBB draft was unveiled, and well over ten days before Congress voted on the legislation.
And when you also consider the fact that the provision was debated on the floor and got so much media coverage, she really doesn’t have a good excuse for her and her team not knowing about this.
Especially if she claims that AI regulation is such an important issue to her that she would have voted against the will of Dear Leader Daddy Trump.
But, at the same time, she also isn’t the only House Republican who has made this kind of admission.
Right, last week, Rep. Mike Floodadmitted during a town hall meeting that he didn’t know the BBB had a provision that limited the power of judges to hold people who violate court orders in contempt.
With him also saying that if he had known about that measure, he wouldn’t have voted for the bill at all — drawing boos and jeers from the crowd.
nd while both lawmakers got a lot of flak for this, their comments do actually carry some real weight.
Right, the BBB only passed the House by a single vote, so if the bill passes the Senate and is sent back to the House to reconcile the inevitable changes, these two could actually sway the outcome here.
Though, that said, it’s also possible that GOP leaders will just cave to their demands to get them on board since they aren’t actually related to the substance of the bill.
Or the Senate could also determine that those provisions violate the strict rules governing what can and can’t be included in a reconciliation bill — and there’s already speculation that both the AI and contempt measures might need to go.
But regardless, this still underscores how tenuous the bill’s future is, and how easily it could be torpedoed — and not just by MTG and Flood.
Right, they aren’t the only notable conservatives who have been vocal about their opposition to the BBB in recent days.
Right, literally just half an hour after Greene’s post yesterday, we saw Elon Musk also writing on X:
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”[]
With him also making another post later where he seemed to imply that he would support efforts to unseat Republicans who voted for the BBB in the 2026 midterms, writing:
“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people”
And then today, he took it even further, responding to a post made by Sen. Mike Lee asking if anyone would support an amendment that made all members of Congress “ineligible for reelection” anytime the deficit is over 3%.
With Musk writing:
“💯This is the way”[]
Now, with all that, Musk’s comments aren’t exactly surprising — right, last week, he openly criticized the bill, saying he was “disappointed” it increased the deficit and didn’t include DOGE cuts.
Though you also had sources telling multiple outlets he really opposed the bill because it would cut EV tax credits that massively helped Tesla.
And because he’s salty at Trump for other things, like not keeping him on staff when the 130-day time limit for his role expired, and withdrawing the nomination of a key ally who had been tapped to lead NASA.
But, regardless, you had many noting that his remarks here are significantly different from what we’ve seen in the past for a few reasons.
First of all, his Musk’s attack is much sharper than before when he just said he was “disappointed,” with TIME arguing that the comments “marked Musk’s most public break yet with the President.”
And then there’s just the sheer magnitude of the posts — right, I just read a few of them, but he has been making constant posts criticizing the bill, so much so that it was basically all that was on his timeline as I was recording.
But, perhaps most significant is simply the fact that, just days after leaving the White House, Musk is now trying to use his power to blackmail or coerce Republicans into opposing a package that is literally just full of Trump’s top legislative priorities.
I mean, that is an insanely dramatic shift, but the real question is: will it actually do anything?
Right, Musk was able to successfully tank a spending bill back in December after a similar shit-storm of posts and threats to Republicans.
But that was also in large part thanks to the fact that Musk’s tweet-o-mania eventually influenced Trump, who joined his position.
But this time, he is against Trump, and beyond that, Musk has lost a significant amount of popularity, influence, and political capital since he started DOGE-ing everything up — and even more so now that he has left his post in the administration.
Now, that said, we have seen some Republicans already coming out and echoing Musk’s remarks about the BBB.
This including everyone’s favorite independent thinker, MTG, who was asked in an interview if she agreed with Musk’s criticism, and she responded by saying that she supports Elon and DOGE.
Claiming that she ran for Congress because she was mad at the GOP for supporting big spending and adding:
“So I fully understand what Elon is saying, and I agree with him to a certain extent.”
But then going on to say she also wants Trump to get his legislative priorities passed, because that’s “what the American people voted for.”
Beyond that, we’ve also seen some Republican Senators chiming in and saying they agree with Musk, including some fiscal hawk Senators like Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and Ron Johnson. [][][]
But all of those Senators had already voiced reservations or opposition to the House version of the bill because of the deficit increases, with some even indicating they won’t support the bill at all unless massive additional cuts are made.
So it’s not like Musk and his threats actually changed their opinions…
Which is why you had both the White House and Speaker Johnson mostly just brushing off Musk’s remarks.
But, as far as what happens next, we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out in the Senate.
And there, you have Republicans divided about how cuts to Medicaid and other programs could impact their constituents and their own political livelihoods.
Right, it’s been widely expected that Senate Republicans will need to revise the House version of the bill in order for it to have a shot at passing the upper chamber without the help of Democrats.
For instance, Sen. Josh Hawley saying that major cuts to Medicaid would be “both morally wrong and politically suicidal.”
But then others like Ron Johnson arguing that there needs to be even DEEPER cuts to justify the fact that the bill is expected to raise the deficit by nearly $4 trillion over the next decade.
So there’s a lot up in the air, and for now, we’ll just have to keep an eye on this and wait and see how it all plays out.
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Ms. Rachel is willing to put her career on the line to speak up for children in Gaza.
That is what she just said during an episode of NPR’s “Here and Now” where she explained why she decided to publicly address this war in the first place.
Right, because if you are unfamiliar with Ms. Rachel, she has a massively successful YouTube channel where she sings educational songs for young kids to help with language development.
She is basically God to the under-five community, but on social media platforms like Instagram, where millions of parents and others follow her, she branches out from that content and speaks about Gaza frequently.
“Leaders, be so ashamed of your silence, be so ashamed that you have seen images and videos that we have all seen, but they haven’t moved you to do the right thing.”[]
“Be so ashamed that you normally speak out for human rights, you normally speak out for children everywhere, but you won’t now because they are Palestinian.”
And while speaking to NPR, she was just asked if she has suffered any financial consequences for using her platform this way:
“Q: You are now a brand, you sell merchandise like toys and books. Has there been any pushback from your financial backers who are nervous about your brand becoming politicized?”A: "There has been, but I wouldn't be Ms. Rachel if I didn't deeply care about all kids. And I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them. It's all about the kids for me." (7:22-8:00)
And that question came up because, like many who speak about this war, she has been facing backlash and criticism.
Last year, when she announced she was doing a fundraiser with Save the Children’s Emergency Fund to help kids in conflict zones, including Gaza, some accused her of not caring about the Israeli children who were impacted by October 7.[]
And she has addressed that backlash not noting she cares for all children, no matter who they are or where they come from, []
But some have still labeled her as antisemitic, and one group has even asked the DOJ to investigate her, accusing her of spreading pro-Hamas propaganda. []
And she was again able to push back on this narrative again while talking to NPR, saying:
"I care so deeply about every child. As a teacher, you have children from many different places, especially in New York City, and you care exactly the same about them. That's the basis of everything for me, is that children are equal.” (6:14-6:34)
“I recently sat down with someone who has a family member that was taken hostage, and sitting with her and hearing the harrowing accounts. Feeling her pain, the anguish, the desperation to get that loved one home, where that loved one belongs, and have the family be complete. It’s, if you sat with her as well, if you just sat with her, you would want more than anything for that family to be whole again and them to not be suffering immensely." (6:41-7:18)
And it is worth noting that while she has dealt with her fair share of critics, many have also supported and applauded her for speaking out. []
And she actually cited her own two children as the reason she felt so compelled to use her voice here, and to amplify the voices of those in Gaza:
“As a mom, just the daily things I do with them thinking, 'Moms in Gaza can't do this.’ Like, right now, my little one is hungry, and I feed her right away, and she's crying, and I'm able to comfort her and we have a peaceful environment. And it just shakes me to my core that I’ve met a mother, I’ve met two mothers that weren't able to help their little ones.” (2:30-2:58)
And I would love to know your thoughts on this one, on Ms. Rachel’s comments, on the backlash she has faced, on her willingness to sacrifice her career to speak out for what she believes in, anything here, I would love to know what you think.
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Or, more specifically, the company Aylo, which is owned by a Canadian private equity firm called Ethical Capital Partners, is suspending access to three of its main adult websites in the country – including not only Pornhub, but also Youporn and RedTube.
With all this being a way of protesting a French law requiring adult websites to have users confirm their age with details like a credit card or ID document.
Right, the law was actually passed in 2023, but the deadline for companies to implement their age verification solution?
It’s this Saturday, June 7th.
So rather than complying, Aylo is just turning off the lights – and its websites will instead be displaying a famous painting depicting the half-nude personification of liberty.
With the company saying it’s “is communicating directly with the French people to tell them how dangerous, how potentially privacy-infringing, and how ineffective the French law is” []
And with that, notably, the company claims it is “extremely” supportive of age verification as a concept. []
It just says this isn’t the way to go about it – arguing instead that countries should implement age verification by targeting the developers of operating systems like Microsoft’s Windows, Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android.
With one exec saying:
“Google, Apple and Microsoft all have the capability built into their operating system to verify the age of the user at the operating system or device level.” []
And to do it without requiring users to share sensitive data with multiple websites – adding:
“I understand that those three entities are large and they’re powerful, but that is not an excuse for France to do what they have done.” []
WIth all that, though, the French law does require platforms to offer a third-party “double-blind” option that would keep at least the companies themselves from seeing users’ identifying information. []
With the agency responsible for regulating digital communications also saying there “are numerous technical solutions on the market that allow users' age to be verified while ensuring the protection of their personal data.” []
And with that, you have France's digital minister accusing Aylo of being dishonest, and saying:
"Lying when one does not want to comply with the law and holding others hostage is unacceptable. Adults are free to consume pornography, but not at the expense of protecting our children.” []
And then, the country’s culture minister adding:
“Good riddance!”
“There will be less violent, degrading and humiliating content accessible to minors in France.” []
And so we’ll have to wait and see how long Aylo will hold out.
Though, notably, the French audience is Pornhub's second-largest in the world, after the United States.
With another key factor being that it isn’t only under pressure from the French government.
Right, just last week, the European Commission opened an investigation into Pornhub and three other major adult websites it said don’t have the "appropriate" tools to verify age –
Saying they’re not doing enough to avoid "negative effects on children as well as users' mental and physical wellbeing." []
And then, over here in the US?
19 states home to more than a third of all Americans have already passed laws requiring pornographic sites to confirm a user’s age by checking a government-issued ID or scanning their face, among other methods. []
With the issue now having been heard by the Supreme Court – which should release its decision this summer.
Though, in the US case interestingly, the argument against age verification is more about free speech than privacy.
So we’ll have to see how that plays out well and in the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. What are your thoughts? What side do you fall on?
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As many of you, and now the head of FEMA, are aware, hurricane season officially began on Sunday.
With NOAA predicting there will be 13 to 19 storms by the end of November, including three to five major hurricanes. [Image and quote, find “19” and “five”]
Which is above the historical average, and for that you can thank climate change. [B roll, 00:37]
So knowing whether a storm’s gonna hit you ahead of time could make the difference between life and death for any one of you. [Same B roll]
Which is why local weather forecasters have long been some of the most trusted and beloved voices on American television.
But this year John Morales, a veteran meteorologist with NBC Miami, says he can no longer remain confident in his predictions. [B roll]
Right, and you may remember him as the guy who broke down in tears on live TV last year while covering Hurricane Milton. [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 00:18 - 00:30]
But this latest clip of him that’s gone viral is less sad than it is urgent.
Right, so he says that in the past, he could either warn viewers about a storm that’s coming their way, or reassure them that one will dissipate or turn away before it reaches them. [B roll, 00:12]
With him playing footage from 2019 of him doing the latter for Hurricane Dorian, confidently and correctly predicting that it would turn before reaching the Florida coast. [Same B roll]
But then telling his viewers today: [Lead B roll into clip]
[Clip, 01:10 - 01:23, 01:45 - 01:53] Caption: “And I am here to tell you that I am not sure I can do that this year, because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general. … Did you know that central and south Florida National Weather Service offices are currently basically 20 to 40 percent understaffed.”
With him adding that there’s been a nearly 20 percent reduction in weather balloon launches. [COntinue B roll]
Saying that as a result, the quality of forecasting has become degraded. [Same B roll]
[Clip, 02:16 - 02:33] Caption: “There’s also a chance because of some of these cuts that NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft will not be able to fly this year, and with less reconnaissance missions we may be flying blind. And we may not exactly know how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline.”
And as an example of what that looks like, he pointed to Hurricane Otis.
Saying that in 2023, just 24 hours before landfall, the National Hurricane Center predicted it would be a 70 mile-per-hour tropical storm. [Quote, find “70”]
But when it struck Mexico, it turned out to be a monster 165-mile-per-hour category 5 cyclone. [Same quote]
With Morales writing, “a big reason the forecast was so badly botched was not having timely reconnaissance data, because the hurricane hunters didn’t reach Otis as it was developing.” [Quote same link]
Then adding about this season: “Never have we faced the combustible mix of a lack of meteorological data and the less accurate forecasts that follow, with an elevated propensity for the rapidly intensifying hurricanes of the manmade climate change era.” [Quote same link]
Now this week, the National Weather Service told the Hill it was looking to rehire 126 people fired by DOGE. [Quote, find “128”]
Adding that it’s conducting “short-term Temporary Duty assignments,” and is trying to fill roles at field locations with the “greatest operational need.” [Quote same link]
And saying lastly, “a targeted number of permanent, mission-critical field positions will soon be advertised under an exception to the Department-wide hiring freeze to further stabilize frontline operations.” [Quote same link]
But even with all that, the service is still down hundreds of employees from where it was last year.
So Morales ended his monologue by pleading with viewers to call their representatives and demand they reverse the DOGE cuts.
Warning that otherwise, this hurricane season could be uglier and deadlier than it needs to be.
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Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinians heading to a new food distribution site for the third time in three days – killing at least 27 people yesterday according to The Red Cross and the Gaza Health Ministry.
While on Sunday, Israeli soldiers killed at least 31 Palestinians near the same distribution site – along with another three on Monday morning – according to local officials.
With one young boy – who said his brother had already been killed – also saying his mother was among those killed trying to access aid in recent days:
“Nothing but humiliation comes from it. Either we receive aid with dignity, or not at all. Today my mother was martyred and before her, my brother was martyred. And only God knows who’s next. Right now, our lives aren’t guaranteed.”
“We’re not holding anything. No weapons. We’re not going to fight. We’re civilians. We’re civilians, not fighters” (0:05-0:14, 0:27-0:36)
But with that, in each case, we’ve seen the Israeli military denying or downplaying what others have said happened.
With the incident yesterday, for example, saying its forces had fired near “a few” people who had strayed from the designated route and who didn’t respond to the warning shots.
Also describing the individuals as “suspects” and claiming they “posed a threat” to soldiers.
Though, notably, a military spokesperson declined to explain the nature of the perceived threat. []
And another spokesperson suggested that the casualty figures provided by aid groups and health workers were inflated –
While also declining to reveal how many people the military believed had been killed or wounded. []
And of course, all of this is as aid agencies say Gaza faces the threat of widespread starvation in the wake of the 80-day Israeli blockade on food deliveries that technically ended in mid-May.
With Israel then subsequently implementing a plan to put a newly created US-based organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in charge ofv aid distribution.
Right, this group, the GHF? It’s reportedly paying mostly American contractors to hand out food from sites in areas patrolled by Israeli troops.
This after Israel said the new system was needed to prevent Hamas from stealing, stockpiling, and selling food at inflated prices to finance its war effort.
Though, notably, UN officials said there was no evidence of this happening at a widespread scale in the first place. []
And in fact, with that, the UN is boycotting the system – arguing that the position of the distribution points, mostly in Israeli-occupied areas of southern Gaza, could facilitate the displacement of the population of Northern Gaza.
And also, notably, claiming that it would endanger civilians by forcing them to walk for miles to get food on a route that goes past Israeli military lines. []
With a UN memo sent around before the system’s launch actually warning that Israeli forces or private contractors might “use force to control crowds.” []
Which, of course, has been proven accurate by the past few days.
Though, even without all that, the whole thing has been something of a disaster for a number of reasons.
Just a few hours before the GHF was set to begin operations, for example, its executive director actually resigned, claiming the group wouldn’t be able to operate independently and impartially.
Also saying it would be impossible for the group to fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to “humanitarian principles.” []
And on top of that, Boston Consulting Group – which helped design and run the GHF operation?
It has now terminated its contract with the group and placed one of the senior partners leading the project on leave.
And all this as despite risking being shot at, many are reportedly still not getting anything to eat.
Right, with it being reported that huge crowds of hungry Palestinians have been arriving early each morning hoping to get some food – often walking several miles in the dark.
With some witnesses describing a violent scramble for whatever boxes of food are available, rather than orderly handouts. []
Which may be because the organization has only announced four aid distribution points so far – compared with 400 under the UN-led system.
Not to mention most of the new sites haven’t been operational on most days. []
And in fact, to that point, the group announced that it would not be giving out any provisions today.
With the Israeli army also warning that roads leading to distribution centres were considered “combat zones”.
And now even the GHF is asking Israel to do more – specifically urging the military to "guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks"; develop clearer guidance for civilians; and enhance training to support civilian safety. []
But ultimately, of course, we’ve only been seeing the situation somehow getting worse and worse, so we’ll have to see if there’s any way for things to change
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If you’re a doctor, the last thing you want to do is make a mistake, but sometimes a mistake turns out to be a miracle.
Just ask Karla Flores; she’s not a doctor, but she is the patient, and her story is nothing short of miraculous. [Image]
Right, because while she was learning to drive a couple years ago, just an 18-year-old girl who liked video games, cats and horror movies, she says she started seeing strange things. [Image]
Stuff like two stripes on the road where there was only one, two cars up ahead instead of one, basically double vision.
So her primary-care doctor thought she might just be forgetting to wear her glasses, but they ordered a scan just in case.
And when the picture came back, there was a large mass pressing against her left eye.
In other words, code red.
Right, and it turned out to be a chordoma, an extremely rare, malignant tumour that affects only about 300 Americans a year.
So Flores went to a neurosurgeon, doctor Mohamed Labib [Luh-beeb], and he came up with a plan to remove the tumour in two, consecutive surgeries. [Image, man on left]
He would remove a piece of her skull, then go in through her nose, and take out the tumour — pretty standard, as far as neurosurgery goes.
But on the morning of the first operation, the mistake happened.
The MRI technician reportedly positioned the camera just a little lower than necessary, and thank god they did.
Because when Labib surveyed the scans, he saw something terrible.
Flores had not one, but two tumours, and the second one was way back at the base of her skull, wrapped around her spinal cord. [Image]
Meaning if this one grew, it could paralyze her, or even worse, kill her. [Same image]
But despite the startling discovery, Lebib went ahead with first surgery to remove the first tumour.
Then, in between operations, he took the opportunity to observe the second tumour more closely.
If he blasted it with radiation, he figured, that could just allow the cancer to grow back more quickly. [Quote, find “blast”]
Alternatively, he could cut through the back of her neck, but he said most of the tumour was in front of the spinal column, so it would be obstructed. [Quote same link, find “obstruct”]
So what about going through her mouth? Well, there are lots of germs there, making an infection more likely. [Quote same link, find “mouth”]
And doing the nostril again, like the first surgery, would leave his path limited by sections of the palate and upper jaw. [Same quote]
Then, Labib got a crazy idea.
What if he went through her eyeball?
Right, he’d actually done it once before, dubbing the procedure the “third nostril” approach, but he didn’t go anywhere as far as the spinal column.
It would be hard; he’d have to specially modify his instruments for the operation, and it would be risky as all hell.
Right, not only would he risk damaging her eye; if he was off by just a few millimeters, Flores could lose all movement below the neck or suffer a fatal brain-stem stroke. [Quote, find “stroke”]
So he practiced for weeks in the lab, performing the operation on cadavers over and over again to perfect his method. [Image]
Then, in the hospital’s chapel, Labib sat down and prayed, his last ritual before scrubbing his hands for surgery. [Quote, find “chapel”]
And just before they wheeled her into the operating room, Flores said goodbye to her mom and dad, not knowing whether she would ever see them again. [Quote same link, find “goodbye”]
Then, they got to work.
With Labib’s team cutting through the membrane that protects the eye inside the lower eyelid, as well as taking out the bottom of her' eye socket and a portion of her cheekbone. [Image and Quote, find “eyelid”]
Then, they drilled through her vertebrae to reach the tumor. [Quote same link, find “drilled”]
Dissecting it carefully, removing it bit by bit until all of it was finally gone.
But they weren’t done; they still had to rebuild her eye socket with a titanium plate and reconstruct her cheek with bone from her hip. [Quote same link, find “rebuilt”]
But finally, after some 20 hours, according to Labib, they finished.
And yeah, Flores had to stabilize her vertebrae, get radiation treatment, and go through extensive physical therapy, but she’s alive.
So now it’s been nearly a year and reportedly her cancer’s still gone.
Though of course because this is America, she tells CBS she’s now in medical debt to the tune of 600,000 dollars. [Quote same link, find “600,000”]
With her older sister setting up a GoFundMe to help cover it, but she says they’ve only raised a few thousand dollars so far. [GoFundMe]
So I’m gonna use my platform to try to get that number higher; I’ll put her fundraiser in the description, and y’all can pitch in if you feel inclined.
Because despite our fucked up health insurance system, this is a good story, and we can make it even better for her.
Also, now that Labib’s innovative surgical procedure’s been proven to work on Flores, it could be an option for many other patients too.
With him telling CBS:
“I think this opens a new corridor for approaching tumors that are in the upper cervical (or high part of the) spine. I think this third nostril approach is a smaller, easier and cleaner approach, and I think it's going to really take on these difficult tumors in front of the spinal cord.” [Quote same link]
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