Very big deal, she has a legitimate shot to flip the seat, maybe better than any Dem other than NC or ME www.axios.com/2026/01/06/m...

Thune on what needs to be in an ACA subsidy deal: "You'd have to deal with the income limits, you'd have to deal with the $0 premium issue.. some sort of a bridge to HSAs.. And then finally, you've got to deal with the Hyde issue." That last restricting abortion coverage is a deal killer for Dems.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune re Trump threats after Venezuela: "I think other countries in this hemisphere who are cooperating with narco terrorists or in league with China and Russia and Iran and countries like that need to be on notice."

IDAHO has the LEAST-expensive *full price* #ACA premiums in 2026. It's also the only state where the FINAL deadline to enroll in 2026 coverage already passed back on 12/15/25. Here's how much the benchmark Silver plan went up for various Idaho households as of January:

FPF and @404media.co got access through a FOIA lawsuit to the agreement giving ICE access to Medicaid patients’ data. On Tuesday, ICE will be allowed to continue using Medicaid data in deportation cases. Read the agreement here:

Please share - @pewresearch.org wants to hire a data archivist who will be an advocate for data users, helping to ensure that our datasets are easy to discover and reuse by researchers, journalists, and the public. pewtrusts.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CenterExtern...

County health officials there and across the country are bracing for an estimated 10 million newly uninsured patients over the next decade in the wake of Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

About 17,000 nurses in New York City and on Long Island could still go on strike as soon as Monday. Most of those work for big health systems -- Northwell, New York-Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, Montefiore. More details here. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...

The CDC's announcement that it no longer recommends flu shots for all children comes as nine kids have already died from influenza this season. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa has died. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress last night. A special election in Texas on Jan. 31 will put in another Democrat in office. Mike Johnson's House majority is almost non-existent. Next month, he can only lose one vote.

BREAKING: Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court struck down laws, including the first U.S. ban on pill abortions.

Absolutely fucking tremendous from the FT.

Some autistic children and adults have called ABA torture and abuse

Jan. 6, Sen. Peter Welch is going up to every Capitol police officer he can find and having a quiet word, shaking their hands.

This is great data viz except it looks like Connections

One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...

Notice that Pete Hegseth is doing this by administrative action, and not trying this via military justice and court-martial. www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...

NEW: @davidingram.bsky.social and I talked to some of the right-wing influencers who are showing up to day cares in Washington and Ohio, trying to replicate Nick Shirley's video from Minnesota Advocates for day care workers and immigrants call it a "witch hunt" www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...

“[Stepmother] Chandler emphasized that being healthy does not guarantee protection. ‘She was healthy, and now she’s gone,’ she said. Chandler said losing Ryleigh feels like losing a piece of herself…. Ryleigh did not receive a #flushot this year.” #FightFlu #Ivaccinate2protect

Oh www.wsj.com/livecoverage...

Anyone advocating regime change in Venezuela is implicitly advocating for a long, bloody, expensive commitment—whether they acknowledge it or not. ICYMI @markhertling.bsky.social:

I’ve begun evaluating license plates based on how funny they would be to be the last thing you see

The consequences of RFK's first year in office will unfold over years--decades, even. Some hints of how his HHS overhaul will affect the health of Americans be more immediately evident. For my latest @opinion.bloomberg.com , pointed out a few metrics that I'll be watching in 2026 (🎁):

So glad to discuss my Venezuela reporting with a smart, engaged, fun interviewer like @reedgalen.bsky.social…

NEW: House Dems want DCCC to back Latino candidates in 2026 BOLD PAC’s Linda Sanchez said she “made my point to [DCCC] several times” “Let’s see if they take that to heart or not,” she added DCCC has declined to support Hispanic candidates in the past www.notus.org/2026-electio...

“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever,” is what a US Education Department spokesperson wrote to one of our reporters, @megomatz.bsky.social, after she repeatedly tried to get comment from the department and its officials. My column on the condemnation of good journalism.

Clinicians who actually saw the horrors of COVID (and didn’t get infected, because masks fucking work 🤷🏻‍♂️) are pretty pissed at this. Especially the @newyorker.com - I expect better 🤦🏻‍♂️

NEW Economist/YouGov % saying that a year from now they and their household will be better off financially Democrats Jan 26-28: 18% Dec 20-22: 19% Republicans Jan 26-28: 67% Dec 20-22: 47% today.yougov.com/economy/arti...

There’s double incentive for donors to give to the ballroom & other Trump projects & groups: 1) major donors have benefited from actions by Trump/his administration. 2) some corporations & individuals fear that if they don’t give, they could be targeted.

Scientists have developed a robotic hand exoskeleton that can passively train expert pianists to play faster keystrokes and overcome the ceiling effect in motor skills. Read more in #ScienceRobotics: https://scim.ag/3N3bJil

About the card Jeffrey Epstein purportedly sent to Larry Nassar: * The postmark is from Virginia, not New York where Epstein was jailed * The return address is incorrect and doesn't include his register number * FBI sought a handwriting analysis. Don't know outcome. www.reuters.com/world/us/jus...

“PEN America found that 6,870 book bans were enacted during the 2024-2025 school year across 23 states and 87 public school districts. Some 4,000 different titles were targeted, though many bans attack the same books — often those highlighted by Moms for Liberty.” www.bloomberg.com/opinion/feat...

The House passage of an alternative healthcare bill pretty much dooms the enhanced ACA subsidies. There is still a chance in January, but that has plenty of challenges.

And.. The House passes its healthcare bill. 216 to 211, with the R No, 6 lawmakers not voting, 3 each side. It won't go anywhere in the Senate. The CBO estimates it kicks 100,000 people a year off of health insurance.

Maybe giving the speaker unilateral adjournment/recess authority wasn’t such a great idea.

Democrats are trying to make this vote as hard as possible on Republicans, detailing how many constituents of each speaker will see premium hikes. Then there is also mockery of the chaos we have seen. This from Rep. Nanette Barragan.

cc @ringwiss cos the procedures get opaque to me fast. Apparently 1988 is the last time this happened says @steventdennis.bsky.social

Rep. Jim McGovern says 4 Republicans have signed the Democrats' discharge petition to extend ACA subsidies for 3 years. That vote could not happen until next year, so the Dems are trying a procedural move to get a vote today. Unclear how that will go. then there's still a filibuster block in Senate

NEW: Humanitarian officials staged a last-minute plea to Trump officials at their fancy hotel to re-start food aid $ for a huge refugee camp in Kenya. The Trumpers blew it off and babies starved. @annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy www.propublica.org/article/keny...

Dems at this Rules hearing keep saying 100,000 people will lose healthcare under the GOP bill, not 100,000 per year. I feel like some staffers should be on that.

Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.): "The Affordable Care Act needs to be rewritten. The worst thing that ever happened to it is someone starting to call it Obamacare, because then it became about Obama instead of about the law."

Just decline the peer review invitation. What are you people even doing?

Republicans entering winter of discontent as things feel more like Trump 1.0 - More personnel drama, daily chaos: Trump attacking Reiner, Wiles interview - Senators worrying more about losing House - if “election was today, we’d be cooked," says person close to WH www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

CBO clarifies that the House health bill would decrease the number of people with health insurance by an average of 100,000 PER YEAR over the 2027-2035 window. (the number being cited in the Rules hearing is 100,000 total, but is apparently a big understatement. www.cbo.gov/publication/...

praps getting ready for the Rules Committee ruling ACA amendments out of order

INBOX: Former NIAID director Jeanne Marrazzo is suing the Trump administration. She alleges the NIH violated her constitutional rights and illegally fired her after she blew the whistle on actions that jeopardized public health and violated federal law.

Interesting exchange at Rules on association health plans between back Tim Walberg (R) and Joe Neguse (D). (Dems call association plans junk insurance.) N: Are you on an AHP? W: I'm not, I don't have to be What do you mean? I have insurance otherwise What kind of insurance? Good insurance

E&C Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) at Rules Committee meeting on the GOP healthcare bill, says of the expiring enhanced ACA tax credits: "They were passed not once, but twice without a single Republican vote."

After Mike Lawler calls it "political malpractice" and "bullshit" to not vote on ACA subsidies, Mike Johnson told reporters: "Mike Lawler is a very dear friend..Ironically, week before last, I was in NY in his district on Long Island and we were campaigning together." *Lawler is not from Long Island

Ok, here's the unlocked version of the NYT summary of the VF piece: 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/u...