Horizon Cutting-room links: Monday, 6 January 2025

Federal Offices in the Washington, DC area are Closed. Maximum Telework is in effect. Telework Employees are expected to work. Generally, telework employees may not receive weather and safety leave. Remote Workers are expected to work. Generally, remote workers may not receive weather and safety leave. Non-Telework Employees generally will be granted weather and safety leave for the number of hours they were scheduled to work. However, weather and safety leave will not be granted to employees who are on official travel outside of the duty station or on an Alternative Work Schedule (AWS) day off or other non-workday. Emergency Employees are expected to report to their worksite unless otherwise directed by their agencies. Employees on Preapproved Leave (paid or unpaid) or other paid time off generally should continue to be charged leave or other paid time off and should not receive weather and safety leave.

Snow. Cloudy, with a high near 29. Northeast wind 2 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible.

“U.S. Plans $8 Billion Sale of Arms, Including Bombs, to Israel,” Wall Street Journal

“The new weapons package includes some items that could draw objections from Democrats who have opposed the transfer of large bombs to Israel amid concerns over the civilian toll of the war in Gaza. The proposed sale includes a set of guidance kits designed to be fitted to large MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, as well as BLU-109 bunker buster bombs, one of the officials said. Also included are AMRAAM and Hellfire missiles and 155mm artillery rounds.”

“The planned weapons sale, which comes just weeks before President Biden hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, is the largest the U.S. government has authorized for Israel since the massive $20 billion weapons package the administration approved in August. Israel was also informed of the move, said an Israeli official, who said that the country expected the weapons to begin arriving in 2025.”

“The Sickest Patients Are Fleeing Private Medicare Plans—Costing Taxpayers Billions,” The Journal

“A Wall Street Journal analysis of Medicare data found a pattern of Medicare Advantage’s sickest patients dropping their privately run coverage just as their health needs soared. … Medicare Advantage insurers collectively avoided $10 billion in medical costs incurred by the dropouts during that period, the analysis found.

“A recent report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations found that Medicare Advantage plans had high denial rates for care in institutions where patients go after hospital stays. For the largest insurers, the rejection rates for such care were between about three and 16 times their denial rates for all services in 2022. In traditional Medicare, hospitals and nursing homes determine who gets such services.

“A spokeswoman for Elevance Health, [Anthem’s parent company,] said it uses prior authorization to ensure ‘the care our members receive is safe, medically necessary, high value, and appropriate.’ Decisions can be appealed, she said.”

“Jeju Air’s Problems Mount After Crash That Killed 179 People,” New York Times

“South Korean officials on Thursday raided the company’s offices and imposed a travel ban on Kim E-bae, the chief executive, as part of the investigation into the country’s worst air disaster in almost three decades.”

“Jeju Air emerged from a jumble of other small airlines to become the country’s leading low-cost carrier. It added routes across Asia, including stops outside of the traditional travel hubs, to serve increasingly wealthy South Koreans looking to vacation abroad.”

“In corporate filings, Jeju Air said it must repay roughly $165 million in short-term loans by the end of next September. That already exceeded its cash and cash equivalent balance of nearly $150 million. And this was before the run on cancellations that is expected to further crimp its cash balance.”

“Melanie [sic] Trump Documentary Coming to Amazon,” Variety

“Perhaps the most controversial element of the new project involves Ratner, who hasn’t worked on major Hollywood productions since 2017, when the ‘Rush Hour’ helmer was accused of sexual misconduct by six women in a Los Angeles Times expose. … He also was deeply involved in a sprawling sex scandal that led to Kevin Tsujihara stepping down from his CEO post at Warner Bros.”

“But friends of Ratner have told Variety that he saw a pathway back by directing a documentary, which requires little capital and no distributor until much later in the process.”

“Is Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite Worth The Extra Effort?,” One Mile at a Time

“You may find that the average Titanium member has better luck with upgrades than the average Platinum member. This won’t consistently be the case, but it’s logical that many hotels prioritize upgrades based on elite tier, even if the benefits are supposed to be the same.”

“Have I found Titanium status to be worth the incremental perks over Platinum status? I’m not sure, to be honest, because I’m also strategic about the destinations where I elect to stay at Marriotts.”