After four years at POLITICO I'm making some moves:

I'm joining @chrissyfarr.bsky.social 's Second Opinion Media, to bring more tech policy coverage, analysis, and scoops to the great work she is already doing there AND I'll be taking on some long term projects @truth.bsky.social

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‘I share your outrage’: Democrats woo MAHA moms ahead of the midterms Democrats hope the Trump administration's recent pesticide move will sway voters in their direction.

NEW with @ruthreader.bsky.social: Some Democrats see an opening to win over MAHA voters ahead of November as the movement's frustrations with the Trump administration reach a breaking point www.politico.com/news/2026/03...

‘We Go to the Same 12-Step Meetings’: Why This Kennedy Cousin Isn’t Ripping RFK Jr. Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy is teaming up with his cousin on a new mental health initiative, even as many in his family want HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign.

Sat down with Patrick Kennedy to talk about his alliance with cousin RFK Jr. to address mental health www.politico.com/news/magazin...

The letter is yet another escalation in a long brewing fight over how to make patient data more accessible while also keeping it safe. More on this soon

The letter follows a recent lawsuit from Epic, that alleges several companies misrepresented themselves on two data networks — Carequality and The Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement— in order to get rapid access patient data.

Last night some 60 health systems wrote a letter to the CEO of the Sequoia Project, a nonprofit that influences governance for two large health data sharing networks, asking for concrete actions to counter fraud. A copy was sent to ONC leadership subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...

Very curious what people think about this Epic lawsuit.

For those who are familiar with Epic’s dispute with Particle Health over Integritort, this lawsuit represents another argument in favor of tighter restrictions over health data. But there's also increased pressure to find a middle ground.

Epic is not the only plaintiff in this suit. It is joined by OCHIN, a nonprofit that supports technology for federally qualified health centers, as well as by health systems Reid Health, Trinity Health, and UMass Memorial Health.

The lawsuit comes amid efforts by President Trump to make such health data more easily accessible to a variety of technologies that his administration believes will make Americans healthier. It also comes as a debate wages on over how to protect health data and free it up.

This morning, Epic filed a lawsuit against Health Gorilla, a platform that connects health institutions with health data, along with several smaller telehealth companies, for fraudulently accessing patient data. t.co/xfYKPMnhOy

RFK Jr. says to eat more protein, less sugar in new dietary guidelines The new recommendations blend MAHA-influenced changes with long-standing nutrition advice.

The government's latest nutrition advice recommends eating more protein, less added sugar, beef tallow and more whole foods -- meshing long-standing nutrition advice with #MAHA goals.

For @politico.com with @ruthreader.bsky.social

www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

Trump admin doles out billions for rural health Montana and California will receive near equal amounts in 2026, despite their massive size disparity.

NEW with @ruthreader.bsky.social: Small states and states that adopt policies favored by the Trump admin (such as restrictions on SNAP) got a much bigger windfall from the fund Congress created to "transform" rural health care.

Alaska received more than California, which has 40x its population.

‘Sort of blackmail’: Billions in rural health funding hinge on states passing Trump-backed policies Democrats and health advocates described the strategy as highly unusual, and some fear it could be wielded to favor political allies.

The Trump admin offered states a deal: Want more $ for rural health care? Pass pro-MAHA laws.

“They’re holding our rural health as a hostage, essentially, for these broader policy goals," one Arizona lawmaker told me.

www.politico.com/news/2025/12... with the great @ruthreader.bsky.social

In DFD today: Some parents are concerned that schools have become over digitized t.co/Au4BFrOvvU

ICE is telling Dem lawmakers they can’t visit detention centers during the shutdown — citing no money or staff to support visits, says our @kyledcheney.bsky.social.


Read the exclusive story on how the Trump administration is using the shutdown to limit oversight: ow.ly/fL0b50XjLWv

This KFF line graph compares the gap in life expectancy between the U.S. and peer nations. The chart shows that the U.S. saw a significant drop in life expectance during the pandemic, rebounded in 2023, but remains far below peer countries.

Our analysis shows the U.S. generally performs worse in long-term health outcomes (like life expectancy), certain treatment outcomes (like maternal mortality), some patient safety measures, and health system capacity: https://on.kff.org/42I5t4R

Here's How Many People May Use ChatGPT During a Mental Health Crisis Each Week OpenAI released initial estimates about the share of users who may be experiencing symptoms like delusional thinking, mania, or suicidal ideation, and says it has tweaked GPT-5 to respond more effecti...

NEW: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said earlier this month that ChatGPT now has 800 million weekly active users. The company’s estimates therefore suggest that every seven days, around 560,000 people may be exchanging messages with ChatGPT that indicate they are experiencing mania or psychosis.

It's time

ICE is hiring dozens of health workers as lawsuits, deaths in custody mount Nearly as many migrants have died in detention so far this year than over the four years of the Biden administration.

NEW with @ruthreader.bsky.social: Nearly as many migrants have died in custody so far this year than over the 4 yrs of the Biden admin. ICE is hiring dozens more medical workers, but former insiders are skeptical the deaths will stop w/o more fundamental reforms. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Inside the NIH whistleblower complaints

Politico Future Pulse: Inside the NIH whistleblower complaints Erin Schumaker spoke with Debra Katz, legal counsel for Drs. Marrazzo and Neuzil

politi.co/3JUSWEw
@erinlschumaker.bsky.social‬

@ruthreader.bsky.social

Meta to launch California super PAC focused on AI The tech giant plans to spend tens of millions backing candidates in state races.

www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

TODAY: PEN Guild heads to arbitration over POLITICO’s contract-breaking use of AI. This fight could set the standard for how AI is used in newsrooms across the country.

✍️ Sign our petition and help us go into arbitration with full support: bit.ly/PENGuild

The Plastic Surgery Procedure Booming Among Washington Men Chiseled jawlines are in everywhere, but in Washington, D.C., people have even more reasons to go under the knife (or at least the needle).

The speed with which I clicked on this headline 🏃🏃🏃 www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Thomas Keane is the new assistant secretary for technology policy subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

Politico’s Newsroom Is Starting a Legal Battle With Management Over AI Politico has rules about AI in the newsroom. Staffers say those rules have been violated—and they’re gearing up for a fight.

We're proud our AI agreement has safeguards for journalists jobs-and company ethics, to allow AI use in a way that works for us, not against us. @politico.com already agreed that AI-generated content should be subject to the same standards as human-written articles. It needs to follow the contract

Popping in from vacation for a scoop: Less than four years out of high school, Peter Bowman-Davis is the acting chief AI officer at the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Yale undergrad was recently a fellow at Andreessen Horowitz
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

Thanks Casey :)

Per our PM Pulse newsletter yesterday afternoon:

If you subscribed to POLITICO you would have gotten this news yesterday