David Machledt

Thank you!

These two D.C. workers pick up the city's dead animals A deceased deer, a run-over rat, a headless goat: someone has to get rid of them.

Yeah, we've all had our brushes with D.C. rats. But did you know there's only TWO (2!!!) city workers tasked with removing all the dead ones? (And any other deceased animals?)

Meet Joseph Shelton and Terrence Robinson. 51st.news/dc-who-colle...

The US could see a 30-40% decline in new international student enrollment, resulting in nearly $7 billion in lost revenue and more than 60,000 fewer American jobs. https://www.nafsa.org/fall-2025-international-student-enrollment-outlook-and-economic-impact

The bill includes a timeline by which the Commanders will have to develop the non-stadium parcels of land, which will be used for retail and housing. Some 6,000 homes could be built, roughly one-third affordable. And D.C. won't provide any more subsidies for the housing.

Other things aside, it’s the Urban Institute, not League. And it’s over 5 MILLION, not 100,000. About 30% of the Medicaid expansion. Don’t let them write off the millions of people with disabilities, caregivers, and low-income workers who will lose their health care from these stupid penalties.

I continue to hold the lane going about 18. I approach a crosswalk with one of those little yellow dividers in the middle. There's a street to the right and ahead another parked car. I know what's about to happen. As soon as I clear the crosswalk, the driver floors it around me. It's a close pass.

Revisiting Managed Care Sanctions This issue brief is part of the National Health Law Program’s ongoing work on accountability in Medicaid managed care. It updates our research on Medicaid managed care sanctions by revisiting the stat...

📢 NEW: Our latest @NHeLP_org issue brief finds states still rarely hold Medicaid Managed Care plans accountable.
💰 Sanctions remain low compared to profits
📊 Enforcement varies widely
📄 MCPARs offer limited transparency
More here: healthlaw.org/resource/rev...

Commanders deal would cost District $6.6 billion in public dollars, says District itself View this post on ggwash.org

DC Council Chair Mendelson’s proposed Commanders deal amounts to lipstick on a pigskin. Councilmembers should vote no on this $6.6 billion boondoggle.

About 12 Million Households Receive Both Medicaid and SNAP. The Reconciliation Bill Puts Them At Risk. Households that rely on both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are spread throughout the country.

🥗 About 12 Million Households Receive Both Medicaid and SNAP. The Reconciliation Bill Puts Them At Risk.

Jonathan Schwabish for
@urbaninstitute.bsky.social

www.urban.org/urban-wire/a...

KFF bar chart showing the distribution of proposed 2026 rate increases among 105 ACA Marketplace insurers in 19 states and D.C. The chart shows that the median proposed increase is about 15%.

ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing the biggest premium increases since 2018 — a median jump of 15%, per our analysis.

They cite rising health care costs, the expected expiration of enhanced tax credits, and the impact of tariffs as key factors: on.kff.org/3TIMVwq

States Pursuing Medicaid Work Requirement Waivers Must Make Changes: How the OBB Changed the Landscape for Medicaid Work Requirements The new budget reconciliation law (aka OBBB — the One Big Beautiful Bill) makes the largest Medicaid cut in history ($990 billion over ten years). It will likely take health insurance away fr…

Leo Cuello and I blogged on the new Medicaid work requirements

DONT apply in 8 states (AL, FL, KS, MS, SC, TN, TX, WY)

The new provision is not waivable + takes effect in 2027

Any states currently seeking waivers (GA for example) now have to comply w/ new rules

ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/07/23/s...

Picture of US Capitol with podium and candles

Sun rising over hour 57 of our SIXTY hour Protect Medicaid Vigil. It’s been an honor & privilege to pull this event together with our incredible team & partners. I am exhausted, emboldened and so damn proud of the power we are showing as we hold those who cut Medicaid accountable.

This moment from today’s Medicaid vigil is so powerful…

Question: What do you say to the people who voted to cut Medicaid? Be honest.

Samantha Phillis: They voted against my child’s life.
#MedicaidCutsKill

A Cut by Any Other Name: How "Strengthening" Asset Tests Hurts Medicaid Medicaid asset tests hurt enrollment, waste state resources, discourage financial stability, and have a discriminatory impact on people of color, older adults, and individuals with limited English pro...

Medicaid asset tests:
❌ Hurt enrollment
❌ Waste resources
❌ Discourage savings
❌ Disproportionately harm people of color, older adults & LEP individuals
Project 2025 calls to "strengthen" them, but the facts say otherwise.
📄 By Shandra Hartly: healthlaw.org/resource/a-c...
#ProtectMedicaid

Just stay out of our local business already! I’m so over Republican “small govt” hypocrisy.

He Came to the U.S. to Support His Sick Child. He Was Detained. Then He Disappeared. Like most of the more than 230 Venezuelan men deported to a Salvadoran prison, José Manuel Ramos Bastidas had followed U.S. immigration rules. Then Trump rewrote them.

NEW: Of the 230+ Venezuelans deported to El Salvador:
• Almost half had immigration cases that were not yet decided
• More than 60 had pending asylum claims, some just days away from final hearings

These men had followed U.S. immigration procedures. Then Trump changed the rules.

The Most Interesting Email I Ever Received: Remembering the Incredible Life of DIY Geneticist Jill Viles In 2013, ProPublica reporter David Epstein was contacted by a woman with a wild story and a batch of photos she believed were clues to the mystery of her condition. Turns out, she was right.

NEW: Remembering the Incredible Life of DIY Geneticist Jill Viles

In 2013, ProPublica reporter David Epstein was contacted by a woman with a wild story and a batch of photos she believed were clues to the mystery of her condition. Turns out, she was right.

I sure wish someone had been shouting about this from the rooftops for a year now…

“Disabled people just don’t wanna work”

“Oh you want us to hire disabled people?……………………………..No.”

Not good.

Contracts Show Millions of Dollars and Diverted Disaster Resources Were Used to Build DeSantis’ ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ TPM has obtained and analyzed over a dozen contracts and invoices related...

Contracts Show Millions of Dollars and Diverted Disaster Resources Were Used to Build DeSantis’ ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ talkingpointsmemo.com/news/contrac...

Tracking the price of coffee, eggs, meat and other staple US grocery items | CNN Business CNN is tracking price trends for various household staples each month as new factors threaten to increase costs.

Via this really excellent price tracker by CNN's Matt Stiles (@stiles.bsky.social): www.cnn.com/2025/02/08/b...

GOP Wrecking Ball Slams Through Medical System Hospitals are shutting down, slashing programs, and laying off staff. And the worst parts of the spending law haven’t even hit yet.

superb reporting from @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social, the Trump mega-bill is already leading to mass layoffs of doctors and nurses, closures of clinics/hospitals, with much more to come: prospect.org/health/2025-...

From a friend who is an immigration attorney:

My client was told he was going to Krome on Tuesday and then he disappeared in the system. I got a call from him today that he's at the camp in the Everglades and the story about the transfer is horrific.

[cont.]

We knew this one was coming back. Still infuriating.

(I feel like I say that a lot these days—I’m not surprised, but I’m still infuriated.)

Donald Trump's bill makes your life more expensive this year, next year, the year after that, and the year after that.

Trump just made It OK to continue paying disabled workers peanuts In many states, the push to end the subminimum wage continues.

“If anyone...agrees sheltered workshops should continue, [they] obviously never worked at one."

For @motherjones.com, I spoke with disabled workers who used to be paid subminimum wage about Trump admin nixing the plan to end it for disabled people federally.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Important to know how soon these Medicaid and Marketplace health insurance cuts will land. See this helpful explainer.

Austin, TX: ACA benchmark Silver plan net premiums for various households at various income levels if IRA subsidies expire

Again, when I say MASSIVE premium hikes, here's some examples (based on 2025 benchmark Silver plans in Austin, TX; actual rates/changes will vary widely):

--A single 50-yr old earning $40K/yr will see a 67% premium hike

--A single parent earning $50K/yr will see their premiums DOUBLE