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Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake says he won't seek re-election, says 'heaven help us' in Senate floor speech
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Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election, according to The Arizona Republic. - photo by Herb Scribner
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake announced Tuesday will not seek re-election.

Flake said the "nastiness" of Republican politics as the main reason why he will not seek another term in 2018. He will serve out the remainder of his term, according to The Arizona Republic.

Flakes decision may hurt the Republican Party, which hopes to keep its 52-seat Senate majority after the midterm elections, according to the newspaper.

Flake announced his decision on the senate floor Wednesday. You can read his full speech at The Arizona Republics website.

Flake said in his speech to the Senate that theres a "flagrant disregard of truth and decency" in politics today.

Flake also said none of this is normal.

Heaven help us, he said.

"I have children and grandchildren to answer to, and so, Mr. President, I will not be complicit and silent," Flake said on the Senate floor, saying he plans to speak out and stand up against negative politics, which is something he's touched on before, according to The Atlantic.

He added, I have decided that I will be better able to represent the people of Arizona and to better serve my country and my conscience by freeing myself from the political considerations that consume far too much bandwidth and would cause me to compromise far too many principles.

Flake once again said that the country should combat Trumps politics and not remain so divided.

We will return to ourselves once more, and I say the sooner the better. Because to have a heathy government we must have healthy and functioning parties, he said. We must respect each other again in an atmosphere of shared facts and shared values, comity and good faith. We must argue our positions fervently, and never be afraid to compromise. We must assume the best of our fellow man, and always look for the good. Until that days comes, we must be unafraid to stand up and speak out as if our country depends on it. Because it does.

Before he announced his decision, he told The Arizona Republic, "there may not be a place for a Republican like me in the current Republican climate or the current Republican Party."

Flake has had a tumultuous relationship with President Donald Trump, who called the Arizona senator "toxic."

Politico reported earlier this year that White House officials met with Flakes potential opponents, potentially to endorse them in the midterm race.

And Vox reported that Trump was thinking of spending $10 million of his own money to support Kelli Ward, an opponent of Flake, in 2018.

Flake spoke out against Trump and his politics in his new book The Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle," in which he wrote that he hoped that Americans and Republicans would feel comfortable to stand up to Trumps politics.

Flake did, however, agree with Trump on 91 percent of political votes.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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