logo
Medicaid expansion advocates speak in Montgomery

Medicaid expansion advocates speak in Montgomery

Yahoo26-02-2025
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — People gathered in Montgomery for Medicaid Expansion Advocacy Day on Tuesday.
One group, Cover Alabama, said it wants lawmakers and the governor to expand Medicaid. It said nearly 200,000 Alabamians are in the coverage gap. Republicans said they would consider it, but the cost is a concern.
'Our state leaders have the power to fix this, to create a system that ensures people can see a doctor when they're sick, afford the medication they need and get care before a small health issue becomes a crisis,' said Debbie Smith of Cover Alabama.
Over 100 pharmacies walk out to support Alabama bill
'But the devil is in the details, right?' state Sen. Andrew Jones (R-Centre). 'We've seen a lot of federal money evaporate — grants disappear. We want to make sure that if we do this, we can sustain it, and we're not stuck paying a huge cost because we've got to fund state government. We've got to fund education.'
Attendees spoke with their lawmakers about the issue after holding a press conference.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Environmental concerns could halt construction at Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
Environmental concerns could halt construction at Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz'

Boston Globe

time16 minutes ago

  • Boston Globe

Environmental concerns could halt construction at Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz'

President Advertisement Environmental groups and a Native American tribe have sued over the facility, saying it was hastily set up without the environmental impact considerations needed for all federal projects, even though it deals with immigration, a federal matter. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'It just flies in the face of what NEPA requires,' said Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the environmental groups, referring to the National Environmental Policy Act. Florida and the Trump administration argue that the state is building and operating the detention center, so those rules about an environmental review don't apply. Adam Gustafson, an attorney for the federal government, said during the hearing's closing arguments Wednesday that the federal government only plays an advisory role at the facility. The judge last week said the center was, at a minimum, a joint partnership between the state and federal government. Advertisement The first phase of 'Alligator Alcatraz' opened in July atop a lightly used, single-runway training airport. Less than 1,000 detainees were being held there as of last week, and it's designed to eventually hold up to 3,000 people. Inside the compound's large white tents, rows of bunkbeds are surrounded by chain-link cages. People held there say worms turn up in the food, toilets don't flush, and floors flood with fecal waste, while mosquitoes and other insects are everywhere. At times, the air conditioners abruptly shut off in the sweltering heat. Detainees are said to go days without showering or getting prescription medicine, and can only speak to lawyers and loved ones by phone. Governor Ron DeSantis has said the location in the rugged and remote Everglades was meant as a deterrent against escape, much like the island prison in California that Republicans named it after. The detention center has an estimated annual cost of $450 million, according to a public database. When asked by the judge why a detention facility needed to be located in the middle of the Everglades, Jesse Panuccio, an attorney representing the state of Florida, referred to government officials' statements that the remote location and existing runway made it ideal for immigration detention. Williams pointed out that many other detention centers were operated safely and effectively in urban areas. 'Florida is lousy with airports,' the judge said. 'Why in the middle of the Everglades?' Witnesses for the environmental groups have testified that at least 20 acres of asphalt have been added to the site since the Florida Division of Emergency Management began construction. They said additional paving could lead to an increase in water runoff to the adjacent wetlands, spread harmful chemicals into the Everglades, and reduce the habitat for endangered Florida panthers. Advertisement Chris Ajizian, an attorney for the Miccosukee Tribe, said that neither the state nor federal government gave the tribe any notice of their plans for a detention facility, despite legal obligations and the tribe's incontrovertible connection to the Everglades. 'It is the lifeblood of their community, their history and their identity,' Ajizian said during the hearing's closing. The lawsuit was being heard as DeSantis′ administration was preparing to build a second immigration detention center at a Florida National Guard training center in the state's north. A second lawsuit claims detainees' constitutional rights are being violated because they are barred from meeting lawyers, are being held without any charges, and a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings. Over the weekend, a federal judge gave the state until late September to prepare arguments against an effort to get the civil rights litigation certified as a class action.

Indiana House Democrats join Texas House Democrats to stand against mid-decade redistricting
Indiana House Democrats join Texas House Democrats to stand against mid-decade redistricting

Chicago Tribune

timean hour ago

  • Chicago Tribune

Indiana House Democrats join Texas House Democrats to stand against mid-decade redistricting

Nine Indiana House Democrats joined Texas House Democrats in Chicago Wednesday to stand against mid-decade redistricting of congressional districts — which Texas Democrats are currently fighting against and Indiana Democrats could be fighting next. Indiana Black Legislative Caucus Chair State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, said he was elected to serve his constituents 'not to help a guy in Washington D.C.' The move to redistrict mid-decade will disenfranchise voters, particularly minority voters, Harris said. Indiana District 1, held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, could be considered for redistricting if Indiana Republicans choose to do so, Harris said. District 1 has a large population of minority voters, Harris said, whose voices would be stifled. 'Why are we disenfranchising voters — Black and brown voters — who chose the person we want to represent us? We need to stand here and fight, be here in this fight,' Harris said. Texas State Rep. Gene Wu said the state Democratic House Caucus left the state to stop 'a racist, unconstitutional and illegal gerrymandering effort in Texas.' Gerrymandering refers to politicians manipulating the boundaries of an electoral map in their party's favor. Texas Democratic lawmakers are in Illinois for a second week as Republicans are trying to reconvene the state legislature in a special session to vote on redrawing congressional maps in their party's favor. Redistricting occurs every 10 years following the release of census data. But the Trump administration has been pressuring states, most notably Texas, to redistrict ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. '(We're) stopping the D.C. swamp from dictating who we get to vote for. This is an effort to stifle Americans who have had enough because Republicans know that their agenda and what they have done is so unpopular … with all Americans,' Wu said. 'They need to cheat and rig the system so they can rig the system.' State Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis, said she was proud to stand with her Texas colleagues to 'protect our democracy.' 'While Texas is on the front lines of this fight, Indiana may be next in line,' Pryor said. Last week, Vice President JD Vance met with Gov. Mike Braun and state Republican leaders to discuss redistricting in Indiana. After the meeting, Mrvan said during a news conference that the Trump administration 'brought the circus' of redistricting to Indiana and that he believed the decision to redistrict Indiana was 'a done deal.' 'JD Vance and Donald Trump brought the circus to Indianapolis,' Mrvan, D-Highland, said. 'They are afraid of checks and balances. They are afraid of the polling that they see, and they want to redistrict things.' State Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, said Vance 'is engaged in Congressional-level shoplifting.' 'Never in my life did I think that the vice president of the United States would come to my state and ask our legislature to shoplift for Congressional districts — steal them off the shelf, run outside and wave them in front of the country,' DeLaney said. On Tuesday, Braun told the Indiana Capitol Chronicle that he hasn't decided if he'll call a special session on redistricting Indiana's congressional map, but that he and Republican legislative leaders are 'considering it seriously' as they watch what happens in Texas. 'It'll be interesting to see what Texas does because they don't have a supermajority, so … if that gets tripped up, it's gonna probably impact what happens elsewhere, because the rest of it doesn't add up to much,' he told the Capital Chronicle on Tuesday. 'I think mostly what happens here is going to depend on where Texas goes, because I think they've got five seats in play,' he said. Indiana was last redistricted in 2021, which left Congressional Republicans with seven seats and Democrats two seats. Pryor said Republicans want to redistrict early because they want to hold onto power despite policies like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Pryor called a 'Big Beautiful Mess,' hurting Americans. 'This behavior that we're seeing today, we would not expect that from this country. We would expect that from a dictatorship, not the United States of America,' Pryor said. 'Their greatest fear is that Americans are waking up and realizing that the Republican Party might not be making them better off; it's making them bankrupt.' Indiana Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Tallian said in a statement that mid-decade redistricting attempts 'prove the GOP knows it is losing support among voters.' 'This is a clear power grab by a Republican Party that knows it can't win the next election without changing the rules,' Tallian said. 'After 21 years of Republican rule in Indiana, utility bills and grocery prices are skyrocketing and our healthcare system is hanging by a thread — no wonder they'd rather cheat than face the voters fair and square.'

Zohran Mamdani greeted with jeers as he takes anti-Trump tour to Staten Island
Zohran Mamdani greeted with jeers as he takes anti-Trump tour to Staten Island

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

Zohran Mamdani greeted with jeers as he takes anti-Trump tour to Staten Island

He won't soon forget 'the forgotten borough.' A raucous chorus of obscene jeers greeted mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani as he took his weeklong, five-borough anti-President Trump tour to Staten Island on Wednesday. Infamous Staten Island artist-activist Scott LoBaido said he was arrested by cops after first trying to confront the Democratic socialist at the event in a Stapleton Heights restaurant — and continuing the protest outside with a bullhorn. LoBaido said he received three summonses for disorderly conduct, a sound violation and foul language. Advertisement 'I'll have to plead guilty on that one,' he said about the last violation. 'Foul language is my middle name.' The red, white and blue-clad protesters led by LoBaido backed the GOP mayoral nominee, carrying 'Curtis Sliwa for mayor' signs as they swarmed Mamdani in Istanbul Bay Authentic Mediterranean Restaurant. 'Let me tell you something f—bag, you are not welcome on this fucking island,' LoBaido yelled, childishly calling him 'Mamdandy.' Advertisement 'You hate this f—ing country, you hate this f—ing island.' 3 Mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani was greeted by jeers in Staten Island on Wednesday. Stephen Yang for the New York Post But the Democratic mayoral candidate just smiled blissfully and waved as LoBaido and his fellow protesters chanted 'F you' and 'Go home.' Advertisement Mamdani, in his remarks, railed against Trump's immigration crackdown — this time with only a brief mention of rival mayoral contender Andrew Cuomo, with whom he has been feuding for days. He said the Trump administration is attacking the very fabric of New York City, and vowed to keep it a sanctuary city for immigrants. 'We will continue to uphold that status and ensure that we do not allow ICE agents entry into New York City properties — be they schools, hospitals, or even the properties of New York City contractors — unless they can provide a judicial warrant signed by a judge,' he said. 3 Protesters lobbed obscene taunts at Mamdani. Stephen Yang for the New York Post Advertisement 3 Mamdani said the protesters won't dissuade him from visiting Staten Island or hearing their concerns. Stephen Yang for the New York Post Mamdani, when questioned on why he's campaigning in the heavily Republican Staten Island, said he's the Democratic nominee because he visited all parts of the Big Apple — and talked to Trump supporters along the way. He shrugged off the protesters. 'I will not let it dissuade me from continuing to come to Staten Island — no matter what politics they have, because I know just as there are Republicans who feel that way, there are Republicans who are sincere in their questions,' he said. Protesters outside the event including a a 65-year-old Staten Island resident from Florida, clad in an 'Alligator Alcatraz' T-shirt, who called off work to let Mamdani know 'he's not welcome here.' 'I told them it was a family emergency, this is a little bigger than that,' he said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store