Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Affordable Care Act enrollment projected to plunge by 5 million as costs spike, analysis shows | PBS News
The projected drop-off, much starker than initial federal data suggested, reveals how rising health costs, in part due to the Jan. 1 expiration of subsidies that had helped the vast majority of enrollees pay for their coverage, are forcing Americans to make tough decisions mid-year about whether to keep or go without health coverage...
NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights | PBS News
Launched on Tuesday, the "Out of Bounds" campaign urges prospective Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to "withhold athletic and financial support" from major public universities in states that "have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation."…
New York Times sues Pentagon again over ‘utterly unreasonable’ press restrictions
“Now, to ask even one question, Barnes and other reporters must call or email for an appointment, wait for a response, get an escort, ask their question, and return to the library outside the Pentagon – only to repeat the process for the next source...”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/18/new-york-times-pentagon-press-restrictions-lawsuit
Some Utah cities commit to bringing renewable power to their homes : NPR
"Instead of just saying, 'Hey, we held up a sign, but nothing happened,'" Cartin said, "we made this change in one of the most conservative states in the country." It's something, he said, "the community can take pride in."
The Utah coalition's work is getting noticed. Cartin said he's fielding questions from communities in other states about how they could do something similar. "
That's been the really interesting part of being able to present in Montana and Idaho," Cartin said, "being like, 'Hey, we figured this out. You can figure it out, too.'"…
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/19/nx-s1-5734480/renewable-energy-utah
States sue to stop student loan limits on some healthcare degrees : NPR
In implementing the changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Trump administration has scaled back the types of graduate degrees that qualify as "professional" and for which students can borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 overall. It is limiting those exempted programs to 11 categories: chiropractic, clinical psychology, dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, theology and veterinary medicine. Nursing, physical therapy and nurse anesthesia are some of the many healthcare-related programs excluded from that short list of professional degrees…
"This Department of Education has chosen to make it harder for nurses to advance their education and their careers," Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, said in a statement. She continued: "Make no mistake, this is not a technicality or a footnote. This rule will be felt in real communities, for example, in rural areas where nurse practitioners, midwives, and nurse anesthesiologists are often the only providers of core care services."…
Trump officials plan to repeal limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water
Public health advocates on Monday condemned the EPA.
“Zeldin and Kennedy are trying to sell potions out of the back of a covered wagon,” said Dr Anna Reade, director of Pfas advocacy at Natural Resources Defense Council. “The millions of Americans demanding safe drinking water are not going to fall for their hocus pocus.”
The move is widely viewed as at odds with Donald Trump’s pledge to eliminate toxic chemicals from drinking water…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/18/trump-administration-epa-pfas-water
Trump keeps claiming victory in Iran. Our new poll shows voters aren’t buying it. - POLITICO
A 41 percent plurality of Americans say Trump does not have a plan for resolving the conflict with Iran, virtually the same as last month. And even as the president has claimed victory and suggested the war may be winding down, just 15 percent of respondents say he has achieved his goals for intervening. Forty percent say Trump will either never achieve his goals in Iran or doesn’t have explicit goals at all...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/17/trump-iran-war-poll-voters-midterms-00877754
Top Treasury lawyer exits amid $1.8B Trump ‘anti-weaponization’ fund - POLITICO
Brian Morrissey, who was confirmed by the Senate in October and served as Treasury’s top legal officer, stepped down on Monday. His departure came the same day the Trump administration announced it would create that $1.776 billion fund to resolve Trump’s lawsuit, an unusual arrangement that has provoked bipartisan criticism...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/19/morrissey-treasury-anti-weaponization-irs-00927843
President says he’s adding ‘over 600’ prescription drugs to TrumpRx site
Despite the rollout and expansion of TrumpRx, some experts argue the platform is “not a solution” for many patients.
Speaking to the Guardian earlier this year, Sean Sullivan, a professor of health economics and policy and former dean of pharmacy at the University of Washington, said: “Consumers can probably get a cheaper version of these medicines through insurance and their pharmacies, or via cash pay services like Cost Plus Drugs than by the deals offered through TrumpRx.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/18/trumprx-site-prescription-drugs
Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘lawfare’ fund is making Republicans nervous - POLITICO
“There is no level below which these folks will not go,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I) said in an interview. “It is just disgusting, having come off Law Enforcement Week, to have set up a slush fund to pay off people who attack police officers.”…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/19/trump-settlement-fund-jan-6-00928221
Steep drop in number of people with Affordable Care Act health coverage, analysis finds
A major reason for the sharp drop in enrollment is that enhanced premium tax credits for these health plans expired at the end of last year. Congress came close to a compromise to extend the extra federal money that helped keep premiums down, but the deal fell apart...
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/19/nx-s1-5825887/affordable-care-act-health-insurance-price
Michigan will get up to $240 million in settlement over PCBs, Nessel says
“Despite being banned for years in the United States, PCBs leave a toxic legacy that continues to threaten our health and environment,” Nessel said in a statement released Monday by her office. “This settlement directly supports our efforts to hold corporations accountable for the pollution caused by their products and ensures we have the resources needed to remove these chemicals from our state.”…
Israel expels Palestinians based on archaeology claims, building rules : NPR
The process of transforming this area where many Palestinian families have lived for generations into a Jewish neighborhood has accelerated under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, which includes two cabinet ministers who are settlers themselves.
Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem and U.N. human rights experts say Israeli actions to force increasing numbers of Palestinian families out of East Jerusalem and the West Bank amount to ethnic cleansing. Human rights advocates say this has expanded since Israel's wars in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon have drawn away much of the world's attention…
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/19/nx-s1-5823861/israel-palestinians-east-jerusalem
The evangelical primary has already started. Rubio has the early edge on Vance. - POLITICO
For many in these circles, it comes down to a simple calculus: Rubio has spent decades earning their trust on faith and policy — while Vance, despite his platform and base, has left key anti-abortion and pro-Israel constituencies on edge...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/19/evangelicals-2028-rubio-vance-00926613
Justice Department expands Trump settlement to cover his tax audits - POLITICO
However, a one-page document posted on the DOJ website early Tuesday includes a sweeping release under which the IRS is “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing “examinations” of Trump, “related or affiliated individuals,” and related trusts and businesses.
The waiver specifically encompasses “tax returns filed before the effective date” of the settlement, which was Monday…
John Koskinen, the former IRS commissioner from 2013 to 2017, said the expanded settlement set a “terrible precedent” that could effectively generate a windfall for Trump.“It makes you wonder what the President has to hide in those tax returns. He’s apparently been actively trading in the stock market and, since he knows a lot more about situations than the average investor, he’s probably generated significant taxable earnings,” he said in an emailed statement. “Not auditing his returns is the same as giving him an easy way to, in effect, receive money from the government.”…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/19/trump-irs-settlement-tax-returns-00927911
U.S. government agrees to drop tax claims against Trump in broadening of IRS lawsuit settlement | PBS News
The settlement, which marks an extraordinary use of executive power, goes beyond resolving litigation and effectively helps shield the president from further examination of his finances and legal conduct…
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Democrats intend to "fight every element of this self-dealing settlement."
"Not only is this another heinously corrupt act by the most corrupt administration in history, it's clearly a violation of the law that prohibits interference by executive branch officials in IRS audits."
LIVE DEBATE [God is Fiction] 3-4-2026 (Justin at DZ Debates on YouTube)
TIMESTAMPS
14:13 Matt [Panentheist] - Philbro; Caller keeps talking over Venus; Makes an argument akin to the contingency argument; The eternal universe and consciousness
1:05:10 Zack [Atheist] - Caller wants help talking to his sister about her fear of Hell
1:21:25 Toadboi - Starting to deconstruct; Justin covers some contradictions in the Bible and the question of genealogy of Jesus
1:50:50 YouTuber Ultimated Biblic Judeo-Christian - Presupp; Fights over the definitions of knowledge vs belief
2:10:35 Truth Ninja - Asks one question and suddenly leaves
2:19:08 David - The reason for life; Kind of wanders around and then leaves
2:32:18 vesius - Extremely rude to Venus; Atheists don’t understand the idea of divine permission vs. permissive will; Is 1 Samuel 15:3 a command (wiping out the Amalekites)? Caller: no, it isn’t a command
3:02:40 Arif [Muslim] - Is the universe eternal? Caller gets offended and leaves
3:18:40 dxrosjos [Atheist] - Does Justin get upset when people argue for slavery?
3:20:48 Seth [Jewish] - The Oral Torah allows is to better understand the written Torah and helps solve some mysteries/problems; Is the Torah reliable?
3:59:15 bos - Prophecy in Revelation in regards to the Middle East; Prophecy of a ruler from the line of David (Micah 5:2); The loon Ron Wyatt and archeology
4:44:40 Philly Sports Live - Cyber and Jmike join; God is real because of the Dead Sea Scrolls and look at the trees
4:55:20 Superchats and wrap-up
Interview:
14:13 Matt [Panentheist] - Philbro; Caller keeps talking over Venus; Makes an argument akin to the contingency argument; The eternal universe and consciousness
1:05:10 Zack [Atheist] - Caller wants help talking to his sister about her fear of Hell
1:21:25 Toadboi - Starting to deconstruct; Justin covers some contradictions in the Bible and the question of genealogy of Jesus
1:50:50 YouTuber Ultimated Biblic Judeo-Christian - Presupp; Fights over the definitions of knowledge vs belief
2:10:35 Truth Ninja - Asks one question and suddenly leaves
2:19:08 David - The reason for life; Kind of wanders around and then leaves
2:32:18 vesius - Extremely rude to Venus; Atheists don’t understand the idea of divine permission vs. permissive will; Is 1 Samuel 15:3 a command (wiping out the Amalekites)? Caller: no, it isn’t a command
3:02:40 Arif [Muslim] - Is the universe eternal? Caller gets offended and leaves
3:18:40 dxrosjos [Atheist] - Does Justin get upset when people argue for slavery?
3:20:48 Seth [Jewish] - The Oral Torah allows is to better understand the written Torah and helps solve some mysteries/problems; Is the Torah reliable?
3:59:15 bos - Prophecy in Revelation in regards to the Middle East; Prophecy of a ruler from the line of David (Micah 5:2); The loon Ron Wyatt and archeology
4:44:40 Philly Sports Live - Cyber and Jmike join; God is real because of the Dead Sea Scrolls and look at the trees
4:55:20 Superchats and wrap-up
Interview:
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