Lower-income families with school-age kids can get help from the federal government paying for groceries this summer, unless they live in one of the 14 states that have said no to joining the program this year. The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges … Read more
RICHMOND, Va. — John Clair, the police chief of a small Appalachian town in southwest Virginia, spends his days consumed by a growing problem: the frequency with which his officers are tapped to detain, transport and wait in hospitals with people in the throes of a mental health crisis. Officers from Clair’s 21-member Marion Police … Read more
ATLANTA — Georgia sued the Biden administration Friday to try to keep the state’s new health plan for low-income residents, which is the only Medicaid program in the country with a work requirement, running until 2028. Georgia Pathways launched in July and is set to expire at the end of September 2025. The suit filed … Read more
ORLANDO, Fla. — Disney on Thursday appealed a judge’s dismissal of its free speech lawsuit over what it described as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ retaliatory takeover of Walt Disney World’s governing district, as the Florida governor separately called any appeal “a mistake.” “They should move on,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Jacksonville a day … Read more
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi could allow Medicaid coverage earlier in pregnancy in an effort to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies in a poor state with the nation’s worst rate of infant mortality. With wide bipartisan support, the state House passed a bill Wednesday to allow up to 60 days of “presumptive eligibility” for … Read more
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has joined a nascent nationwide effort to improve outcomes for more prisoners who return to society through an approach focused on education, health care and housing. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed an executive order Monday that seeks to reduce recidivism through formal training and workforce tools for incarcerated people … Read more
WASHINGTON — When IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel met privately with senators recently, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee asked for his assessment of a startling report: A whistleblower estimated that 95% of claims now being made by businesses for a COVID-era tax break were fraudulent. “He looked at his shoes and he basically said, … Read more
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi has improved some of its poor health outcomes, but its people are more likely to die unnecessarily than residents of any other state, the state’s top health official said Thursday. State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney urged legislators who just began this year’s session to work with health officials to improve … Read more
NEW YORK — Student and legal advocacy groups are petitioning the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lift the interview requirement for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants to receive food aid. The groups argue the interview requirement is burdensome and prevents those who qualify for food aid from receiving it. The National Student Legal Defense … Read more
TOKYO — Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike was asked Tuesday to stop a disputed $2.45 billion project to convert a city park district, renowned for its rows of 100-year-old ginkgo trees, into a largely commercial area anchored around three skyscrapers. The plan for the Jingu Gaien area calls for razing a famous baseball stadium where Babe … Read more
