World

Republicans once maligned Medicaid. Now some see a program too big to touch

Published

1 year ago

March 2, 2025

Republicans once maligned Medicaid. Now some see a program too big to touch

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every time a baby is born in Louisiana, where Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson handily won reelection last year, there’s more than a 60% chance taxpayers will finance the birth through Medicaid.

In Republican Rep. David Valadao ’s central California district, 6 out of 10 people use Medicaid to pay for doctor visits and emergency room trips.

And one-third of the population is covered by Medicaid in GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Alaska, one of the nation’s costliest corners for health care.

Each of these Republicans — and some of their conservative colleagues — lined up last week to defend Medicaid, in a departure from long-held GOP policies. Republicans, who already have ruled out massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare, are turning their attention to siphoning as much as $880 billion from Medicaid over the next decade to help finance $4.5 trillion in tax cuts.

But as a deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown nears, hesitation is surfacing among Washington’s Republican lawmakers — once reliable critics of lofty government social welfare programs such as Medicaid — who say that deep cuts to the health care program could prove too untenable for people back home.

“I’ve heard from countless constituents who tell me the only way they can afford health care is through programs like Medicaid,” Valadao said on the House floor. “And I will not support a final reconciliation bill that risks leaving them behind.”

And on Wednesday, President Donald Trump, too, made his position on Medicaid clear: “We’re not going to touch it.”

States and the federal government jointly pay for Medicaid, which offers nearly-free health care coverage for roughly 80 million poor and disabled Americans, including millions of children. It cost $880 billion to operate in 2023.

Johnson has ruled out two of the biggest potential cuts: paying fixed, shrunken rates to states for care and changing the calculation for the share of federal dollars that each state receives for Medicaid. Just a few years ago, Johnson spearheaded a report that lobbied for some of those changes during the first Trump administration.

Johnson insisted in a CNN interview that the focus will instead be ferreting out “fraud, waste and abuse, in Medicaid, although it’s unlikely to deliver the savings Republicans seek.

GOP pressure over Medicaid is mounting, with some state party leaders joining the calls to preserve the program. States are already struggling with the growing cost of sicker patients and could be left to cover more if the federal government pulls back. In some states, the federal government picks up over 80%.

More than a dozen Minnesota GOP lawmakers wrote the president recently warning that “too deep of a cut is unmanageable in any instance.” Gov. Joe Lombardo, R-Nev., told Congress in a letter that “proposed reductions would put lives at risk.” In Alaska, state Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, a Republican and nurse, cited “huge concerns” during a floor speech.

Nationally, 55% of Americans said the government spends too little on Medicaid, according to a January poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

“It’s now a very popular program that touches a very broad cross-section of American society,” said Drew Altman, president of the health care research firm KFF. “Roughly half of the American people say that they or a family member have at one time been served by the program.”

Significant changes to Medicaid are still on the table. They have to be for Republicans get the savings they need to pay for tax cuts.

Work requirements, which could save as much as $109 billion over the next decade, seem to have solid support among GOP members, with some individual Republican-led states already moving to implement them.

Republicans also could consider cuts in benefits or coverage, as well as eliminating a provider tax that states use to finance Medicaid, Altman added.

Democrats warn that reductions are inevitable and could be dire.

Starting Monday, TV ads will caution people across 20 congressional districts that hospitals are at risk of closing and millions of people could lose coverage if Republicans cut Medicaid “to fund massive tax cuts for Elon Musk and billionaires.” The Democratic super political action committee House Majority Forward has launched the seven-figure campaign.

Trump and Republicans have for years called to lower government spending on health care, but they have struggled to formulate a serious plan that gains traction. Trump, for example, has spent nearly a decade arguing for an overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. His efforts to repeal the Obama-era national health care law failed during his first term and in his most recent presidential campaign he offered only “concepts of a plan” to adapt the program.

Michael Cannon, a director of health studies at libertarian Cato Institute, believes Medicaid needs an overhaul because it is a significant part of the federal budget and a contributor to the nation’s growing debt.

But Republicans, he said, are not looking at serious ways to drive down the cost of health care.

“The only reason for the cuts right now is to pay for the tax cuts,” Cannon said. “None of them are talking about the need to do better health reform.”

___

Associated Press writer Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska and AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

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World

Sporticast: What’s Going On With LIV Golf?

Published

7 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

On the 544th Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the latest with LIV Golf. After spending more than $5 billion on the upstart pro golf circuit, Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF is now considering cutting funding, Sportico reported on Tuesday.

The hosts talk about the tension that’s been brewing inside LIV Golf for a while now. They also talk about some of the various winners (PGA Tour) and losers (Bryson DeChambeau), and what might be behind the potential new approach. Those possibilities include microeconomics—LIV Golf has lost hundreds of millions of dollars—and also more macro forces. The ongoing war in Iran, for example, has shifted some priorities across the Middle East.

Next the hosts talk about a lawsuit involving Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm, who has accused his parents of defrauding him. Bohm has made roughly $50 million in his MLB career and is the latest in a long list of high-profile athletes that have claimed to be misled financially by people that he trusted.

They close by talking about a hiccup in Amazon‘s broad sports streaming ambitions. The group’s feed of an NBA play-in game Tuesday night cut out with less than a minute left in overtime, a high-profile misstep for a company that had successfully changed the narrative on the reliability of sports streaming over the past few years, particularly with its NFL partnership. The mistake also comes amid heightening tension between sports streamers and more legacy sports media companies.

(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)

World

Russian missiles and drones bombard Ukraine in hourslong attack, killing at least 16

Published

9 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Russian missiles and drones bombard Ukraine in hourslong attack, killing at least 16

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Russia hammered civilian areas of Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in an attack that stretched for hours from daytime into the night, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 80 others as terrified residents cowered in their homes, officials said Thursday.

Russia launched nearly 700 drones and dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles, primarily targeting civilians, in its biggest aerial barrage in almost two weeks, authorities said.

Tetiana Sokol, a 54-year-old resident of Kyiv, said two missiles hit near her home and she took cover with her dog in the hallway as flashes lit up the night and windows shattered from the blast wave.

“On the third attack everything broke, everything flew, we were shocked, we didn’t know where to run. I grabbed whatever came to hand and ran away with the dog,” she told The Associated Press. “I still can’t find the cats in the house, they climbed out somewhere, I don’t even know. No windows, nothing, the dog is still walking around in stress.”

RUSSIAN WINTER STRIKE LEAVES NEARLY 800K HOMES WITHOUT POWER AND HEAT IN UKRAINE’S DNIPRO REGION

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in Kyiv after a Russian strike on April 16, 2026. Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at civilian areas across Ukraine, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 80, officials said. (Serhii Okunev / AFP via Getty Images)

Moscow’s forces have hit civilian areas almost daily since its all-out invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago, with the regular assaults occasionally punctuated by massive attacks. More than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have died in the strikes, the United Nations says.

Zelenskyy on a mission to improve air defenses

The latest bombardment came in the wake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 48-hour trip this week to Germany, Norway and Italy in an urgent search for more air defense systems that can stop Russian missiles.

Ukraine has developed a significant domestic arms industry, especially in the production of drones and missiles, but it can’t yet match the sophistication of U.S. Patriot air defense systems. Ukraine’s top diplomatic priority is securing allies’ help to buy and build more and better air defenses, Zelenskyy said this week.

Cash-strapped Ukraine also needs the speedy disbursement of a promised loan from the European Union of 90 billion euros ($106 billion) that has been blocked by Hungary.

Ukraine fears the Iran war is burning through stockpiles of the advanced American-made systems it needs, and has argued against a U.S. temporary waiver on Russian oil sanctions that Kyiv says is helping finance the Kremlin’s war effort.

US ACCUSES RUSSIA OF ‘DANGEROUS AND INEXPLICABLE ESCALATION’ IN UKRAINE WAR DURING PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

A woman walks her dog through the rubble of a house damaged in a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 16, 2026. Officials said Russian forces fired nearly 700 drones and multiple missiles in a sweeping attack on Ukrainian civilians that lasted from day into night. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

“Another night has proven that Russia does not deserve any easing of global policy or lifting of sanctions,” Zelenskyy said on X.

He thanked Germany, Norway and Italy for new agreements this week on supporting Ukraine’s air defense. Officials are also working with the Netherlands on additional supplies, he said.

At the same time, he noted that some partner countries haven’t followed through on pledges of military support.

“I have instructed the Commander of the Air Force to contact those partners who earlier committed to providing missiles for Patriot and other systems,” Zelenskyy said.

Other areas of Ukraine and Russia were also hit

The bombardment was the biggest in weeks. Last month, Russia fired 948 drones and 34 missiles in the space of 24 hours in the largest assault of the war on civilian areas.

At least four people were killed overnight in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old, with more than 50 others injured, according to authorities. Officials said the attack damaged 17 apartment buildings, 10 private homes, as well as a hotel, office center, car dealership, gas station and a shopping mall in the capital.

RUSSIAN DRONE ATTACK ON PASSENGER TRAIN IS AN ‘ACT OF TERRORISM,’ ZELENSKYY SAYS

Firefighters work at a building damaged in an overnight strike by Russia in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 16, 2026. Ukrainian officials said Russia’s hourslong aerial assault hit Kyiv, Odesa, the Dnipro region and Zaporizhzhia, damaging homes and other civilian sites. (Genya SAVILOV / AFP via Getty Images)

Nine people were killed and 23 injured in the southern port city of Odesa, three women were killed and around three dozen injured in the central Dnipro region, and one person was killed in Zaporizhzhia in the south.

“Such attacks cannot be normalized. These are war crimes that must be stopped and their perpetrators held to account,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.

Ukraine’s air force said air defenses shot down or disabled 667 out of 703 incoming targets, including 636 Shahed-type drones and other uncrewed aerial vehicles.

It said 20 strike drones and 12 missiles hit 26 locations.

Meanwhile, in Russia, Krasnodar regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev reported that a 14-year-old girl and a woman were killed in Ukrainian strikes in the Black Sea port of Tuapse.

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He said that attacks damaged six apartment buildings, 24 private houses and three schools. Drone fragments also fell near the port of Tuapse.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its air defenses downed 207 Ukrainian drones overnight.

World

Flights hit by Iran war? Europe’s handiest rail networks revealed

Published

10 hours ago

April 16, 2026

Press Room

Flights hit by Iran war? Europe’s handiest rail networks revealed

The oil crisis triggered by the war in Iran has threatened flight disruption this summer, with many holidaygoers now considering train travel instead — or even a mix of both.

But is it worth it? Europe in Motion looked at price differences on some of the continent’s routes.

Specifically, we looked at direct trains with the lowest price and with a reasonable journey length — meaning that the time difference between the cheapest and most expensive option doesn’t exceed one hour per trip.

Additionally, the departure time must allow passengers to reach the station from the city without using a car, meaning that public transport must be operating.

Train vs plane: What’s most convenient on similar routes?

British trains remain eye-waterlingly expensive. On the London-Edinburgh route, which typically takes between four and 4 1/2 hours, tickets (€153) can cost up to three times more than a one-hour and 20-minute low-cost flight (€53) in the same period.

The average price per kilometre is also roughly double that of other European routes of similar length.

Italy comes in second by a wide margin, based on the route between its two biggest cities, Rome and Milan – usually a three-hour journey by high-speed rail.

Here, train and plane tickets tend to level out, with flights sometimes edging slightly higher than trains (€93 vs 127), especially at the weekend.

Third-placed Germany offers a reasonable €0.15 per kilometre on the Berlin-Munich route, which typically lasts a little more than four hours.

If booking around a month in advance, trains are still slightly cheaper than planes (€91vs €137).

For those who aren’t in a rush, France seems even better value. On the Paris-Bordeaux route (around two hours and 15 minutes), we’re looking at €0.14 per kilometre — while flying over the same weekend might cost at least three times as much.

Prices look competitive on other major routes too, like Paris-Lyon or Paris-Marseille, thanks to strong competition on the rail network from private operators like Ouigo or Trenitalia.

That said, timing does matter. Prices can swing, and booking further ahead doesn’t always mean cheaper fares. The same Paris-Bordeaux route, booked three months in advance, can end up costing €50 more.

Madrid-Barcelona (three hours and 15 minutes) looks like the standout deal of them all, with a cost per kilometre of just €0.13. Fly over the same period and expect to pay more than double.

Greece also has competitive prices on the north-south Thessaloniki-Athens route, coming at €69 for a 500km-long journey lasting a little more than five hours.

How easy is it to travel and move around by train in Europe?

For those wondering how effective it is to move around Europe by train, we can look to Eurostat’s latest report on European transport for the answer — and yes, train travel is relatively easy.

Railway density on the continent is roughly 58 km of railways every 1,000 square kilometres.

Moving around is particularly easy in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, the European countries with the most extensive networks in Europe, with more than 100 km of railway per 100,000 square kilometres

Germany is also one of the countries where the network grew most in the past decade, up 6 km per 1,000 km² of land area.

Norway, Greece, and Finland, on the other hand, rank at the bottom with fewer than 20 kilometres. Hence, it may not be a surprise that Greece is the EU nation that travels the least by train, covering only about 70 km a year, domestically.

Which European citizens use trains the most?

In the EU, 95% of that traffic takes place on domestic railways.

The beating heart of the rail network lies on a central-western axis, as Austrian, Hungarian and French passengers rack up the most kilometres, between 1,400 and 1,500, according to Eurostat.

The average EU citizen travels around 1,000 km per year. The total kilometres travelled reach 443 billion. If you were to cover that distance in space, you could take 500 round-trips between Earth and Jupiter.

UK data is not included in the Eurostat report, but the average is very similar to the EU’s. Nevertheless, rail traffic there is mostly concentrated in London and the south east, according to the Office of Rail and Road 2025 data.