At 36, Star just took her first step toward gender-affirming care. She looked for Planned Parenthood clinics near her Ohio town. But when she looked online, her heart sank. Medicaid patients like her can’t use their insurance at Planned Parenthood anymore, unless their state covers it.

NEW: ICE is leasing offices throughout the US as part of a secret, months-long expansion campaign. WIRED is publishing dozens of these locations.

At 36, Star just took her first step toward gender-affirming care. She looked for Planned Parenthood clinics near her Ohio town. But when she looked online, her heart sank. Medicaid patients like her can’t use their insurance at Planned Parenthood anymore, unless their state covers it.

I'm so excited to share the winners of the 2026 American Mosaic Journalism Prize. It was my privilege as a judge to read so much outstanding reporting by freelance journalists that elevated the experiences of underrepresented groups. But the stories by Kavitha Cardoza and Oliver Whang stood out.

Star realized something important a few months ago: She didn’t want to waste time pretending to be someone else. So at 36, she sought out gender-affirming care. But since she's on Medicaid, she can't go to the one place near her Ohio town where she feels safe at the doctor: Planned Parenthood

Star realized something important a few months ago: She didn’t want to waste time pretending to be someone else. So at 36, she sought out gender-affirming care. But since she's on Medicaid, she can't go to the one place near her Ohio town where she feels safe at the doctor: Planned Parenthood

THIS IS STILL FREE TO READ IF YOU WANT TO LEAR ABOUT BAD BUNNY'S WORK!! (sorry we are excited about Benito Bowl)

Older gay men built their own hockey fandom. Then came ‘Heated Rivalry.’ @slooterman.bsky.social with such a delightful read for your Friday

so Heated Rivalry-pilled, I had to find the local angle about it 🏒🌈 New York’s queer hockey club is seeing a LOT more interest these days! (and so are leagues like it around the country.) new story from me:

I wanted to know the backstory of the executive order that defined "man" and "woman"—the foundation for the Trump admin's targeting of trans people. So I took a deep dive into the conservative strategy & distorted feminism behind it. And I talked to the author. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

"This is the story of an extraordinary effort by the second Trump administration to shape our ideas about who and what men and women are — a campaign that began targeting trans people but has vast implications for the rights of cisgender people as well."

In November, a trans woman was forced out of a restroom by an arcade manager at a pinball tournament in NC. The incident, and the way it was handled by the International Flipper Pinball Association, has fractured the community. 1/ For @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Epstein tracked #MeToo fallout and advised accused men behind the scenes, @gracepanetta.bsky.social reports. Behind the scenes, Epstein used his resources and influence to advise other men accused of sexual misconduct and wondered how the reckoning could impact him.

The defense secretary ordered a review of women in combat roles, claiming standards were compromised — but the requirements for women and men in combat roles are identical.

This story demonstrates collapse of safeguards—our brilliant tech press being fired by tech oligarch and fired brilliant journalist exposing deliberate and knowing harms of tech oligarch run platform.

Most of the footage you see from ICE observers in Minnesota comes from the core cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I talked to observers in the northern suburbs, who say they're taking on the same mission in very different conditions. (1) share.google/ei9giIFLsuEJ...

🚨BREAKING: Steve Bannon said Tuesday that the federal government is planning to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to patrol polling stations during this year’s midterm elections. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

If you are able, The Post's union has started a layoff fund for those fired by the world's fourth-richest man today. gofund.me/a310d0286

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the first major medical association in the U.S. to narrow its guidance on pediatric gender care amid a crackdown by the Trump administration.

"When Nekima Levy Armstrong was transported from the federal courthouse in St. Paul, Minn., to the Sherburne County Jail with three layers of shackles on her body — around her wrists, waist and feet — it was the closest, she said, that she had ever felt to slavery."

More than a year into his second term, Trump has appointed 27 judges to the federal bench. Only seven are women. None are women of color. @candicenorwood.bsky.social breaks it down here:

Look for the helpers in this great story from @bcrodriguez.bsky.social

This is absolutely insane: DHS claims the right to subpoena your emails and to send investigators to your house. In this case, because a retiree sent the mildest possible criticism to a prosecutor. No judges involved. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Tear gas is banned in international warfare, yet classified as a “riot control agent” that law enforcement can use for crowd control. “It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.

ICE tear gassed a bunch of children on Saturday. This was a massive escalation of force. They were shooting tear gas at the back of the crowd, it took these unmasked people maybe 3-5 minutes in the cloud of tear gas to escape in without trampling. www.theverge.com/policy/87278...

A newborn in Minneapolis hadn’t eaten for a day and a half. ICE agents took her mother when she went to work, trying to make money for diapers. Her 16-year-old and Bri, a local mother of two, saved that baby's life. @chabeli.bsky.social tells their story

A detail I don't want to get lost in this: So far, Bri and her network have helped more than 500 families with grocery deliveries and more than 300 with diapers and wipes. In just two months.

This GFM is linked to the piece, but wanted to highlight in case folks are moved to action. www.gofundme.com/f/help-singl...

Moms in Minneapolis have organized an expansive donation network in the city to support families ripped apart by ICE by providing necessities like groceries, diapers, wipes and, now, breastmilk.

A newborn in Minneapolis hadn’t eaten for a day and a half. ICE agents took her mother when she went to work, trying to make money for diapers. Her 16-year-old and Bri, a local mother of two, saved that baby's life. @chabeli.bsky.social tells their story

12 years ago today bill de blasio killed a groundhog on staten island nymag.com/intelligence...

Citing fear of ICE, pregnant immigrants in Minnesota are -skipping prenatal care -requesting home births, even when not medically advised -going w/o adequate food Many are experiencing complications providers say can be stress-onset: diabetes, high blood pressure, and even water breaking early

Pew has Trump's approval at 37%. And: "Only about a quarter of Americans today (27%) say they support all or most of Trump’s policies and plans, down from 35% when he returned to office last year. That change has come entirely among Republicans." www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

a lot of people (me) are asking this

Nurses saw themselves in Alex Pretti’s death. Now they’re demanding justice. Jean Stone, a maternal newborn nurse in Pennsylvania, was working a hospital shift when her husband sent a text: They’ve murdered another person. Must-read by my colleagues @chabeli.bsky.social + @bcrodriguez.bsky.social

Fear, faith and preparation as ICE closes in on an Ohio community — an incredibly moving story by my colleague @amandabecker.bsky.social In Springfield, faith-based coalitions are creating emergency hubs to care for children — and churches are preparing for their sanctuaries to be breached.

Disability groups are standing united for trans rights. That hasn’t always been the case. @slooterman.bsky.social reports on how disability rights advocates are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the LGBTQ+ community to extend civil rights protections — and the history of how we got here

As bad as rising health costs are for everyone, it's particularly bad for women and #LGBTQ communities. Health insurance costs are up. Women and LGBTQ+ people are paying the price. 19thnews.org/2026/01/high... by @shefali.bsky.social @bcrodriguez.bsky.social @oriion.bsky.social via @19thnews.org

wow An email from Trump’s leadership PAC says ICE agents will “track down” recipients if they don’t fill out a “Citizens Only Survey” — and they have to donate to submit it.

Health insurance costs are up. Women and LGBTQ+ people are paying the price —  as some dip into savings, take on second jobs or go without coverage at all. written with my colleagues @shefali.bsky.social @bcrodriguez.bsky.social

The first time it happened, a man was outside the day care recording. “There’s nobody here,” he was saying into the camera on his phone. “Can I help you?” she asked him. The man said he was there because of Nick Shirley’s video. He wanted to see the children. 19thnews.org/2026/01/minn...

Some are pushing off paying for retirement, or dipping into their savings. Some are looking for extra work to afford plans that they aren’t sure will actually cover their health care bills. Some are planning to go w/o insurance, hoping they won’t get too sick to manage medical expenses on their own.

Health insurance costs are up. Women and LGBTQ+ people are paying the price —  as some dip into savings, take on second jobs or go without coverage at all. written with my colleagues @shefali.bsky.social @bcrodriguez.bsky.social

In Minneapolis, far-right influencers posing as journalists are casting themselves as victims and labeling ICE-watch groups “terrorists.” Their big new evidence—“infiltrated” Signal chats—isn’t a secret, had no calls for violence and urged people to witness, not interfere. www.ms.now/news/minneap...

"Vonnegut found hope in books and heaped praise on librarians...dedicated professionals amid anti-democratic bullying and censorship." Take a moment today to read Kurt Vonnegut's admiration for one of the last promising places in America for people to feel: libraries and the people who work there.

New year, same mission. In a partnership with MuckRock, the @transjournalists.org has filed more than 300 public records requests to document the impact of anti-trans federal activities across the country. www.muckrock.com/news/archive...

these guys were stopped three times in ... a few hours? by Texas cops, then ICE, then more Texas cops, for the crime of driving around in the middle of the day to do journalism

1 in 6 queer and 1 in 3 trans U.S. adults smoke cigarettes. That’s compared with 1 in 9 straight adults. Recent federal cuts mean fewer people and resources are available to address this disparity — and researchers are starting to take matters into their own hands. Read more of my latest here:

I spoke to Orion about my long, tortured relationship with tobacco use. The administration's attacks on public health disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ folks in more far-reaching ways than the overt homo- and transphobic attacks we've seen reveal.

Alex Pretti died as he lived: taking care of other people. My colleague @amandabecker.bsky.social reflects on Alex Pretti and the profound loss of this moment