Medicaid Work Requirements: Trump's War on the Poor Expands, One State at a Time

[t]   Wednesday, April 25, 2018 [t r u t h o u t] [View Recent Newsletters]( [Tell a friend about Truthout!]( [Donate Today!](   Truthout is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; donations are tax deductible.   BuzzFlash McConnell Fast-Tracks Approval of Trump's Federal Judges Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: The federal judiciary is being stacked with right-wing extremists. 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[Donate Now]( [Medicaid Work Requirements: Trump's War on the Poor Expands, One State at a Time]( Michael Corcoran, Truthout: Unlike the highly publicized battle over Trumpcare, the Republican attack on Medicaid is happening one state at a time, with minimal scrutiny. Last week two state legislative bodies passed bills that would make Medicaid available only to people who meet stringent work requirements, bringing the total number of states pursuing work requirements to 12. Now, activists across the country are challenging "welfare 2.0," which threatens to leave people who are already struggling without health insurance. [Read the Article]( [US Waits for Trump to Tackle Drug Prices as Big Pharma Goes on Lobbying Blitz]( Mike Ludwig, Truthout: President Trump postponed a speech on bringing down prescription drug prices this week after promising to roll out a set of sweeping policy proposals with help from his health czar, Alex Azar. Trump has talked tough about reining in drug prices, but critics point out that Azar is a former pharmaceutical executive and real price controls would require policy changes the industry doesn't like. [Read the Article]( [Two Court Cases Will Determine if the Judicial System Will Enforce the Constitution in the Face of Trump]( Miriam Aukerman, Truthout: Today, two courts will have to decide whether to uphold our country's system of checks and balances, limiting the damage the Trump administration has done and will do to the thousands of people facing deportation, in detention or being refused entry to the US. Will the courts defend the Constitution even in the face of an executive branch determined to ignore it? [Read the Article]( [Defending Nuclear Pact, Iran's Rouhani Says Trump Has "No Clue" About International Treaties or Law]( Jon Queally, Common Dreams: In response to comments by both Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron about amending the nuclear deal with Iran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani firmly rejected any possibility of negotiation. Critics warn Trump's threat to torpedo the deal puts the US and Iran on a direct path to war. [Read the Article]( [Eight Years After BP Oil Spill, Sick Cleanup Workers Still Waiting for Day in Court]( Julie Dermansky, DeSmogBlog: Thousands of workers whom BP hired to clean up the spill that polluted the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 have claimed that exposure to oil and the dispersant has made them sick. The cleanup workers, who have not yet had their day in court, are calling for federal judge Carl Barbier to reverse his decision to delay hearing the remaining cases of cleanup workers indefinitely. [Read the Article and View the Photos]( [How Mike Pence Enshrined Life-Threatening Catholic Hospital Religious Practices Into Indiana Law]( Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!: Catholic hospitals across the US are imposing outrageous and sometimes life-threatening mandates on their patients, including requiring fetal burial after a miscarriage and restricting access to contraception, abortion, fertility treatments and gender-affirming care for transgender patients. And now, right-wing politicians like Vice President Mike Pence are pushing to enshrine these dangerous practices into law. [Watch the Video and Read the Transcript]( [Toronto and Tennessee: Two White Suspects, No Trump Tweets]( Matthew Roza, Salon: Since the Nashville Waffle House shooting early Sunday morning, Trump has tweeted about many things. Notably absent was any reference to either of the attacks that have been dominating headlines, and that have left two countries shaken. The president’s habit of being silent on violent crimes when the attackers are white continues. [Read the Article]( [The Only Work the Farm Bill Will Create Is Paperwork]( Stephanie Land, TalkPoverty.org: By severing the link between food stamps and programs like free school lunches and assistance with utility bills, the 2018 Farm Bill would force people to submit applications for several kinds of benefits separately, creating paperwork headaches aimed at pushing people off public benefits. [Read the Article]( [Fox in the Hen House: Why Interest Rates Are Rising]( Ellen Brown, Ellen Brown's Blog: On March 31, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the sixth time in three years and signaled its intention to raise rates twice more in 2018. If the Fed follows through with its plans, projections are that by 2027, US taxpayers will owe $1 trillion annually just in interest on the federal debt. That is enough to fund President Trump's original trillion-dollar infrastructure plan every year. [Read the Article]( [Want to strengthen Truthout and help us plan for the future? Click here to become a monthly sustainer.]( [The Newspaper Guild] Please add messenger@truthout.org to ensure you receive our messages Truthout is a proud member of the Newspaper Guild/CWA, Local 36047 [Subscribe]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy](