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Alice Miranda Ollstein

@alicemiranda.bsky.social
11K followers 473 following 947 posts

Health Care Reporter for POLITICO focused on sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, contraception and STIs. Author of the forthcoming book "Side Effects" with The New Press. www.politico.com/staff/alice-mirand…

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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 16h
NEW from me & @gardnerlm19.bsky.social: The Trump's admin's abortion pill study is using software developed by a researcher whose opposition to Covid mitigation measures & push to roll back vaccine recs has made him a lightning rod. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
subscriber.politicopro.com
POLITICO Pro: Trump admin turns to controversial vaccine researcher’s software for abortion pill study
The TreeScan analysis, the FDA said in a recent court filing, will surface any unknown safety concerns in data the agency has on patients who've taken mifepristone.
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Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 15/10/2026
President Donald Trump has changed the geography of inflation. After years of consumer prices rising faster in big cities, his tariffs and war against Iran mean rural America is now hardest hit (via Bloomberg Opinion)
bloom.bg
Trump Has Brought Inflation Back to the Heartland
President Donald Trump has changed the geography of inflation. After years of consumer prices rising faster in big US cities, Trump’s war against Iran and global tariffs have made rural America ground zero for the fallout from the inflation bomb — and at a particularly tricky time for Republicans as they try to defend their House and Senate majorities in the midterm elections that are less than three weeks away.
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gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Fascinating tidbit in this interview with former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), he says that Texas Republicans anti-transgender ads aren't "resonating." "What Republicans are talking about is just not what the swing voter is really interested in." www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
DP: We’re still running transgender ads. It’s just not resonating. $100 million in ads, $125 million in ads, and nothing’s moved the needle here in Texas in a month in the Senate race. Let’s be honest. The 8 to 10 percent of voters in the middle who are going to decide this election, when they hear stuff about boys in girls’ sports, they don’t even know what you’re talking about. This never happened in their communities, and they’ve been hearing about it for so many years, and so many other people have been accused of it. What Republicans are talking about is just not what the swing voter is really interested in.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
NEW: A Texas mom is suing the anti-abortion group Students for Life for violating the state's ban on ordering abortion pills from out-of-state doctors. Students for Life filmed a video of themselves ordering the pills in Houston in an attempt to show how easy it is to circumvent the law.
wearethemeteor.com
They Helped Pass a Merciless Abortion Ban—Then Had the Gall to Break It
Students For Life, an anti-abortion organization that aggressively lobbied for a 2025 law targeting abortion pills, set a trap for desperate women. Now they're being sued.
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Politico @politico.com · 12/10/2026
‘Furious’ judge halts Trump admin’s tree demolition at DC’s East Potomac golf course politi.co/4rXF12k
politico.com
‘Furious’ judge halts Trump admin’s tree demolition at DC’s East Potomac golf course politi.co/4rXF12k
‘Furious’ judge halts Trump admin’s tree demolition at DC’s East Potomac golf course politi.co/4rXF12k
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Ian Weissman, DO @drianweissman.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
U.S. surpasses 4,000 measles cases with infections confirmed in 45 states. Most cases are among those unvaccinated or with an unknown status. abcnews.com/Health/us-su...
abcnews.com
US surpasses 4,000 measles cases with infections confirmed in 45 states: CDC
Measles cases in the United States have surpassed 4,000 this year, according to data updated Friday from the CDC.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Schrödinger’s abortion pill review: Speculation is running rampant as activists & lawmakers try to guess what's inside the black box that is the FDA review of mifepristone. Depending on who you ask, Trump admin is either stringing along abortion opponents or is plotting a post-midterms crackdown.
politico.com
RFK Jr. launches vaccine injury probe
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a department-wide effort Thursday to study and treat possible vaccine injuries, days after quietly unveiling it at the National Institutes of Health’s ...
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Julie Rovner @julierovner.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
On this week's #WTHealth pod: @alicemiranda.bsky.social, @annaedney.bsky.social, and @paigecunningham.bsky.social on health and the midterms, more Medicaid cuts, and that FDA study of the abortion pill. kffhealthnews.org/podcast/what...
kffhealthnews.org
Midterm Madness - KFF Health News
A new KFF poll suggests that health costs are still a top concern for voters and that Democrats have the edge over Republicans on the issue. And in an apparent attempt to close the gap, President Dona...
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Darius Tahir @dariustahir.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A team of financiers, techies, and government officials are talking on a government-run chat room about how to get Americans to use medical AI apps, turn over their medical records — and for the companies to profit. From Amanda Seitz, Maia Rosenfeld, ad myself: www.cbsnews.com/news/ai-tech...
cbsnews.com
AI, tech leaders are lobbying Trump health officials in a government-run chat room
A Slack workspace has served as a war room for AI industry insiders and Trump administration officials to launch a rapid campaign aimed at persuading Americans to manage their healthcare and medical r...
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Los Angeles Times @latimes.com · 09/10/2026
Mold, larvae and dehydration: New report paints grim picture inside Adelanto ICE facility
latimes.com
Mold, larvae and dehydration: New report paints grim picture inside Adelanto ICE facility
In a court filing, immigrant law and advocacy groups said the Adelanto facility has violated the court's order.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Also, the point of reading to a baby isn't to impart information -- it's to build an association of reading with love and safety and family. A robot voice kind of defeats the purpose, no?
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
I've been reading to my 3 nephews since they were born. The oldest is now 12. It's so fun to see them react to my favorite books -- gasping at the plot twists, trying predict what will happen next, asking for the definitions of words and expressions. Best part of my week.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Abortion opponents are pissed that the Trump admin is punting its abortion pill review til March, calling last night's court-ordered update "alarming" & "disappointing." SBA accused FDA of "trying to peddle fool’s gold" Students for Life posted: "Inaction. Inadequate. Indifferent to the destruction"
subscriber.politicopro.com
POLITICO Pro: Trump admin punts abortion pill review until March, angering activists who wanted swift bans
The court-ordered disclosure comes as multiple federal agencies and judges weigh the fate of the medication.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The full text is here: litigationtracker.law.georgetown.edu/wp-content/u...
litigationtracker.law.georgetown.edu
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
In the filing, the government also rejects demands from anti-abortion to impose restrictions on abortion pills *before* the review is completed.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
BREAKING: The filing is in. Little detail but the Trump admin says it it will issue a report on the safety of the abortion medication "not later than March 2027."
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Maya Kaufman @mayakaufman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Bronx residents will be exempted from new Medicaid work requirements due to the county's high unemployment rate. New York notified CMS that it intends to implement this hardship exemption. The threshold = 8% unemployment rate or 1.5x the national average (whichever is less).
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Abortion rights groups aren't happy either, and are blasting FDA for launching what they see as a “sham review” w the predetermined goal of restricting the drug despite its extensive safety record. As is often the case with abortion, trying to please everyone results in pissing off everyone.
politico.com
FDA faces court test on abortion pill review
The FDA faces a court-ordered deadline today to update a federal judge in Louisiana on the status of its ongoing review of the abortion drug mifepristone, potentially shedding light on a secretive pro...
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The Trump admin must update a federal court in Louisiana TODAY on the status of its ongoing review of mifepristone, a drug used in most abortions. Ahead of the filing, anti-abortion groups aired grievances ab the agency's narrow scope, slow speed & secrecy. They're unlikely to be satisfied today.
politico.com
FDA faces court test on abortion pill review
The FDA faces a court-ordered deadline today to update a federal judge in Louisiana on the status of its ongoing review of the abortion drug mifepristone, potentially shedding light on a secretive pro...
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Law360 @law360.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
A former FBI agent has come forward with a claim that when U.S. Circuit Judge Emil Bove was at the U.S. Department of Justice, he directed the Los Angeles field office to illegally investigate protesters. www.law360.com/artic...
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"In the back of the police car and while being booked, he asked four times about the well-being of his dog, Frankie. He did not ask about the condition of the man he had shot."
nytimes.com
They Argued About Trump at a Dog Park. Then They Pulled Their Guns.
What happened between two dog owners one April afternoon in Ohio will soon be scrutinized by a judge and jury as both men grapple with the consequences.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Jackson again hits Collins for voting Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" out of committee (though she voted against it on the Senate floor): "We're losing our health care in Maine because she needed to make sure that Elon Musk and billionaires got more money."
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Collins again brings up her role in creating the Rural Health Transformation Fund and hits Jackson on supporting #MedicareforAll: "What we don't need is for big government to take over health care." He responds that hospitals are still closing despite the fund & patients can't afford care.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Collins hits back, brings up Jackson's prior anti-abortion views and votes as a state legislator more than a decade ago: "There is only one of us on this stage who has always been pro-choice. That is me."
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Given the chance to ask Collins a Q, Jackson asks "What will it take to admit that you were wrong" on confirming Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court given his role in overturning Roe v. Wade. She said she doesn't agree w his ruling on Dobbs, notes she also voted to confirm the justices who dissented.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A heated exchange over OBBBA. Collins said she voted it out of committee so she could get an amendment in there creating the $50B Rural Health Fund. Jackson responds that it's a "pittance" compared to the bill's other cuts to Medicaid, calls her an "arsonist" who offers "a few cups of water"
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The first #MESen debate is kicking off now. Collins opens by touting all the money she brought to the state as a top appropriator in the Senate. Jackson opens by slamming Collins for confirming Kavanaugh. "Would you trust her to pick the next Supreme Court Justice?" www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7UM...
youtube.com
Sen. Collins, Troy Jackson face off in CBS13/FOX23 U.S. Senate debate
YouTube video by CBS 13 News
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Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
apnews.com/article/iran... US Soldiers seriously wounded in Iranian drone strike tell AP the military's medical system failed them
apnews.com
Soldiers seriously wounded in Iranian drone strike tell AP the military's medical system failed them
Some U.S. soldiers gravely wounded in the deadliest Iran strike on American troops say the military medical system failed them.
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Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 06/10/2026
NEW: Trump's HHS just gave nearly $9 million in federal family planning grants to groups with anti-abortion ties. The recipient of a $3 million grant to train family planning providers has a history of discouraging the use of hormonal birth control. read @garnethenderson.com in @autonomynews.co
autonomynews.co
Nearly $9 Million in HHS Grants Go to Groups With Anti-Abortion Ties
Millions in family planning funds are earmarked to create training centers, including one dedicated to infertility. The recipients have links to crisis pregnancy centers, the Heritage Foundation, and ...
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KFF @kff.org · 06/10/2026
A month before the midterms, health care and gas costs tie as voters' top affordability worries. A quarter say they are "very worried" about affording each, ahead of food, utilities and housing. More in our new Health Tracking Poll: on.kff.org/4zgJv6z
Chart shows that Democrats hold a nearly 2-to-1 advantage over Republicans on handling the cost of health care.
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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
NEW FROM PP The Trump admin keeps denying immigration agents are grabbing Americans, so we tracked it 500+ Americans detained 70+ kids, some cuffed or zip-tied 60+ held after filming 36+ held for day+ w/o access to lawyer ~12 deported (yes, deported) projects.propublica.org/american-cit....
projects.propublica.org
More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown — ProPublica
The government doesn’t track how often immigration officers detain U.S. citizens. So ProPublica did. We’ve found more than 500 Americans who were held against their will during this Trump administrati...
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STAT @statnews.com · 06/10/2026
Federal appeals court judges didn’t take kindly to the Trump administration’s arguments Monday in a hearing on Humana’s lawsuit against the government over its rules for auditing Medicare Advantage plans. www.statnews.com/2026/10/05/humana-…
statnews.com
Judges skewer HHS arguments in hearing over Medicare Advantage audits lawsuit
Federal judges pushed back against the government's arguments in a Medicare Advantage case.
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Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Pennsylvania confirms more than 1,000 measles cases. Experts say the true size of the outbreak could be five times larger. www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/penn...
cidrap.umn.edu
Pennsylvania confirms more than 1,000 measles cases
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Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
UPDATE: After deciding this weekend to block Politico from riding on Air Force One, White House staffers called numerous outlets to ask one to fill the primary print slot for the out-of-town pool rotation. Each of those outlets declined to step in. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
White House blocks Politico from Air Force One trip, cannot secure replacement
President Donald Trump will travel without a primary print pool reporter for the first time in recent memory.
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Mr. Dan Zak @mrdanzak.com · 04/10/2026
A Haitian man legally immigrated to Ohio, then was given an ankle monitor bc Trump withdrew his status. He threw himself in front of truck. The trucker, who voted for Trump, is haunted. “Pierre was doing what he was supposed to do. We did not do right by him.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
theatlantic.com
A Reckoning in Springfield
A truck driver out on his route confronts what the country has become.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Coming to you live from the LA studio in about an hour!
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C Black @catblack69.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“That squeeze is hitting many Americans now due to a combination of state and federal moves. And while the biggest changes to Medicaid won’t land until after the midterms, state lawmakers and hospitals are making deep cuts to benefits and services now as they brace for a dropoff in federal funding.”
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Dems worried last year that this delayed implementation of the deep Medicaid cuts in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' would defang their attacks on the campaign trail, leaving voters unmoved by the message that a health care apocalypse was just around the corner. But for many, it has already arrived.
politico.com
Republicans tried to punt health care cuts until after the midterms. It didn’t work.
While most GOP-enacted cuts to Medicaid and other safety net programs won’t happen until 2027, Democrats are speaking to the voters already feeling the squeeze.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
In Springfield, OH, nearly 1,400 workers were laid off at truck factory just days before Trump rally. Layoffs were large enough to basically erase an entire year of job growth in the greater Dayton, Ohio, area. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
A gut punch in Ohio: Nearly 1,400 laid off at truck factory just days before Trump rally
President Donald Trump is trying to rally voters in the Dayton, Ohio, area on Saturday. But days ago, 1,400 workers were laid off from a truck factory there.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Dems worried last year that this delayed implementation of the deep Medicaid cuts in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' would defang their attacks on the campaign trail, leaving voters unmoved by the message that a health care apocalypse was just around the corner. But for many, it has already arrived.
politico.com
Republicans tried to punt health care cuts until after the midterms. It didn’t work.
While most GOP-enacted cuts to Medicaid and other safety net programs won’t happen until 2027, Democrats are speaking to the voters already feeling the squeeze.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Honored to have the first excerpt of my book published by @politico.com! Out everywhere on Oct. 27. politico.com/news/magazine/2026/10/03/abortion-doctors-politics-roe-dobbs-01105039
politico.com
The Fall of Roe Changed Doctors. Now They’re Changing Politics.
State-level abortion debates have activated physicians as a political force like never before.
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Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
WaPo - More than a year after the Trump administration attempted to dismantle Voice of America, it is paying an estimated $1.6 million a week to keep 420 of its staffers on administrative leave. wapo.st/4j1UpbF
wapo.st
Trump administration is paying $1.6 million a week to keep Voice of America staff on leave
Hundreds of VOA staffers have been on paid leave since the agency sidelined them in March 2025.
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NPR @npr.org · 01/10/2026
Starting Oct. 1, many immigrants who are here legally lose their Medicaid coverage because of the Republican budget bill passed last year. n.pr/4z0FPpq
n.pr
'It's a nightmare.' Former refugee, professor on Trump's new Medicaid policy
Starting Oct. 1, many immigrants who are here legally lose their Medicaid coverage because of the Republican budget bill passed last year.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
My nephews loved Cool Runnings, Matilda (90s) and Heavyweights. We just started ET. What should I show them next?
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Joan Alker @joanalker1.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The state of Nebraska has released data on the 1st few months of Medicaid work reporting requirements Over 1,000 people have lost/been denied coverage Vast majority are losing not bcuz they aren't working but bcuz they can't get thru the red tape My new blog: ccf.georgetown.edu/2026/09/30/n...
ccf.georgetown.edu
Nebraska Releases First Data on Medicaid Work Reporting Requirement: As Expected, Coverage Losses Start to Mount Due to Red Tape
At a recent Medicaid Advisory Committee meeting, the state of Nebraska, the first in the nation to implement what will soon be a mandatory Medicaid work reporting requirement (WRR), shared the first d...
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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The 988 suicide prevention hotline's Press 3 option — which provides specialized services to LGBTQ callers — has been restored more than a year after the Trump administration shut it down. Confirmed by HHS and the office of Senator Tammy Baldwin, who led on legislation that forced its restoration
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Kelcie Moseley-Morris @kelciemmorris.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
NEW: Amid ongoing lawsuits seeking to revoke nationwide access to abortion drug mifepristone, AGs in Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama have filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to strike down shield laws in states with abortion access.
stateline.org
Republican AGs sue abortion ‘shield law’ states in U.S. Supreme Court • Stateline
BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and the attorneys general in Arkansas and Alabama filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. Supreme Court, suing California, Massachusetts and New Y...
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It's important to track not only which new website the government launches, but which ones it gets rid of.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Right! Difference between using it to help you do something versus having it do it for you.
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Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"About 8 in 10 rural voters — an important voting bloc for Trump and fellow Republicans — said the Trump administration’s policies have had a negative effect or no impact on the health of people where they live." apnews.com/article/rura...
apnews.com
Rural MAHA followers say Trump hasn't improved health of their communities, an AP-KFF poll finds
A new AP-KFF poll finds that the Make America Healthy Again movement has a substantial following among rural voters, but most don't think President Donald Trump's healthcare policies have benefited th...
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