dueling messages around the National Mall

Love the “at stake” focus —

Close your eyes, imagine being paralyzed… unable to breathe Imagine being stuck in a claustrophobic iron lung, to breathe Maybe we all need to time travel, to appreciate how science & public health save us, every single day?

Repeal Obamacare” has failed. So now what? — GOP is sprinting to create ACA alternatives (again) — Economists warn Trump’s plan won’t work — Democrats say the best, popular path is to just extend expiring ACA subsidies At stake: millions of people’s health care w @paigecunningham.bsky.social

finally understanding all those stories about mass celebrations when they got rid of New Coke

sometimes I think I’m still hip, I’m with it, and then I read something that makes me feel like I’m aging with every word

The arrest of Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff is getting the headlines But my phone is suddenly blowing up with messages about Sean McCluskie, who served as HHS chief of staff to Becerra during the Biden years, and was not always a popular figure in the building

I love this lede from NYT's Victor Mather on the death of the penny

Trump officials are taking aim at Dulles’s “people movers.” - a Trump nominee to the board overseeing Dulles says he wants to kill the distinctive shuttles - the White House signaled support for the plan Tuesday, criticizing the “notorious” vehicles

time is a flat circle

scoop: RICHARD PAZDUR set to be named FDA's top drug regulator He'd initially turned down job leading agency's CDER but reconsidered

I read the screenshot first and your commentary second, and, yes, I really needed the Oxford comma there. But also, the show that existed in my imagination for a minute would probably be far better than any of the three shows actually described here.

During an event on Thursday, Donald Trump seemed to repeatedly struggle to keep his eyes open. A Washington Post analysis of multiple video feeds found that Trump spent roughly 20 minutes battling to keep his eyes open. New video w/ @ddiamond.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Trump’s new health-care proposal — to give insurers’ ACA subsidy money directly to Americans — would require an act of Congress that’s wildly unlikely. (They can’t even agree on much smaller ACA changes.) But it’s his latest bid to pressure Democrats as shutdown drags. With @maeganvaz.bsky.social

The president who regularly mocks “Sleepy Joe Biden” appeared to fight sleep himself in the Oval Office for nearly 20 minutes this week. We watched the tape. With @riegerreport.bsky.social.

sometimes an Oxford comma can make all the difference

I was focused on one specific, provable fact, and how it got warped. In terms of Trump's viral photo — it's evocative. It speaks for itself. But it appears to be a split-second shot. You can see from the video — Trump immediately stood up and turned to look. (RFK Jr, meanwhile, did go to get help)

A man collapsed in the Oval Office yesterday. The internet got the story wrong. My experience struggling to correct the record — including on Bluesky! — and the warning signs as AI, aggregation, and social media increasingly drive our news consumption.

My theory is that he was concerned about the man's collapse, and he wanted to know if he was okay.

Scoop: There is more than one person in the world named "Gordon."

One more bit — **Novo Nordisk confirmed to my colleague that their employee Gordon Findlay was not in the Oval Office today.**

Seeing some false reports about the man who collapsed in the Oval Office. It was *not* Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Findlay. It was a patient who uses Lilly GLP-1 drug, per multiple sources. I hear he's OK now.

Drug pricing law/policy experts have many questions going into this announcement. For those watching, here are just a few important ones. 1. What's the form of the "deal"? Is it a model through CMMI (as suggested in @ddiamond.bsky.social's reporting)? How enforceable is the deal (and by whom)? 1/6

One thing that public health and pharma industry people are watching today: whether Trump will *again* question if the GLP-1 drugs work, even as he touts his price-cut deal. (There's considerable evidence they work.) Here's an example of Trump's skepticism:

Trump has long been fixated on the "fat pill," the "fat drug," the "fat shot," the "fat killer" — you get the idea. (He's also questioned if the drugs work.) Today Trump will announce a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk in the Oval Office to lower the price of some of their drugs. More to come.

One parent said she dropped off her child moments after the teacher was taken away and stumbled upon a chaotic scene. “I walked into a room of crying kids, crying parents and crying teachers,” she said. “It was traumatizing.” by @arelisrhdz.bsky.social

White House schedule is teasing an "announcement" by Trump tomorrow at 11 am — which is this deal with Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk on GLP-1 drugs.

A sleepy Senate Commerce hearing on transportation nominees devolves into a heated fight between Sens. Jacky Rosen (D) and Bernie Moreno (R), with Rosen accusing Moreno of tracking her team’s car VIN numbers. Rosen: That seems a little creepy Moreno says he’s exposing hypocrisy

Markey pushes on this in a Senate hearing today focused on labor issues. "The White House could have exposed workers and passerbys to deadly asbestos," @markey.senate.gov suggests, saying he still hasn't received any answers to his questions on asbestos protections.

Trump is set to announce deal Thursday to lower price of Lilly, Novo obesity drugs for some Medicare beneficiaries. Part of "most favored nation" pricing push — with potential for public health impact. (On a separate note: Trump calls these drugs "the fat pill" and has questioned if they work.)

My wife and I knocked out BABY BOOM in 40-min increments the last three nights. Keaton is so great in it. Not a perfect movie, but a charming and hopeful one. Recommend it — especially if you don’t know the various twists.

Wow: George Tidmarsh, brought in by Trump admin to lead FDA’s drug division, is on leave after he says he questioned FDA’s plan to speed drug approvals, @by-cjewett.bsky.social reports Also says he clashed with Vinay Prasad and blames him for a toxic environment at FDA

A daylight saving time patch that everyone should support: move the time change to FRIDAY NIGHT so we have an extra 24 hours to get used to it before the work week starts. (This is more of an issue when we set the clocks forward.)

Story about why our clocks are still falling back an hour today, despite politicians’ efforts to end it →

we need a snap poll on like six World Series plays, Scott

(I wanted to see Kershaw pitch)

guy on the left: how I thought my night was gonna go guy on the right: this game

Trump celebrates his new project: an overhaul of the Lincoln bathroom. Meanwhile, the government is still closed, many workers haven't been paid, and SNAP benefits are set to expire tomorrow. with @emilydavies.bsky.social

"It is one of the most beautifully crafted and most heartbreaking pieces of writing I have ever encountered." - @RuthMarcus on Marjorie Williams's 2004 essay about Halloween. Read it here - no paywall. wapo.st/4oKNBPd

Every year around this time, you can always count on some member of Congress pushing their legislation that would enact “more hours of daylight” — The sun must have a hell of a lobbying team, otherwise it would have to…work longer hours??

Trump vowed to end the nation’s clock changes. But like past politicians, he discovered: the politics of daylight-saving time are hard. And the GOP won’t vote in lockstep with him. FYI: set your clocks back an hour on Sunday.

“One takeaway here is that the demolition of the East Wing is unpopular. But another is that this, too, has collapsed into a partisan framework.”

Met a woman named Quynh outside the White House today, holding this sign. She said she was a "proud DC resident" who had been doing a daily vigil to contrast the risk of SNAP benefits expiring vs the construction of Trump's $300M ballroom.

ED MARKEY is demanding answers about whether Trump’s East Wing tear-down created asbestos risks. He joins public-health advocates spooked by rapid demolition of old building and photos of clouds of dust. White House has said it mitigated risks before demolition. w @oliviacgeorge.bsky.social

Trump’s demolition of the East Wing + construction of his ballroom is broadly unpopular. 56% of Americans oppose the project, compared to 28% who support it, per new Post-ABC-Ipsos poll. with @abtran.bsky.social @jonathanreports.bsky.social @sfcpoll.bsky.social

Andrew Cuomo was getting paid $40g(!) a month(!) for his podcast?! -- www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/n...

New: Democrats are ramping up probes into Trump's $300M ballroom. @schiff.senate.gov sent a letter to the White House, demanding a “complete accounting” of the ballroom's financing and terms for donors @blumenthal.senate.gov demanding info from the contractors more w @jonathanreports.bsky.social

Scoop - Trump has fired all the sitting members on the Commission on Fine Arts, an independent agency expected to review his construction projects.

“Washington is not just another city. It is a symbol to the whole free world,” read the quote from Elizabeth “Libby” Rowe, who was appointed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. “Our problem is to permit the necessary development, but to keep the character of our city and the surrounding area.”

An obscure DC planning board is set to decide 👍 or 👎 on whether Trump can build his ballroom. Trump has stocked it with his allies. w @jonathanreports.bsky.social