Texas
D.C. Diagnosis: Why is Kamala Harris headed to Texas?
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
MAHA moment canceled — momentum still going
President Trump canceled his plan Tuesday to talk with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about chronic illnesses and their causes under the “Make America Healthy Again” banner. A spokesperson told STAT that it was due to scheduling conflicts. (Trump rallied Tuesday night in Greensboro, NC; the virtual town hall with RFK was slated for the afternoon).
But that doesn’t mean Trump’s throwing distance between himself and the MAHA world, to some former officials’ chagrin. The former president will tape an interview with Joe Rogan, host of the extremely popular “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, on Friday. Rogan this month also interviewed Calley Means, one-half of a sibling duo that has risen as public voices of the MAHA movement.
At the HLTH conference in Las Vegas, STAT’s Nicholas St. Fleur moderated a panel on longevity featuring the other half of that duo, Casey Means. She’s the founder of the metabolic health tracking company Levels. On stage, St. Fleur asked Means about her connections with Kennedy, Trump, and MAHA.
“I am so absolutely thrilled and heartened that at the presidential level — I don’t care who’s talking about it, Bobby Kennedy, Trump or Kamala — that these conversations are now making it into the mainstream,” Means said, praising in particular Kennedy’s views on regenerative agriculture, environmental toxins, PFAS, and phthalates.
After Kennedy halted his presidential campaign and moved to Trump’s team, he said that Casey and Calley Means are the type of people he would suggest putting in charge of the nation’s health agencies. When asked if she would take a Trump administration position, Casey said: “My greatest hope is…that we put chronic disease at the center of American health care policy. And if I can have a small part in that I’d be thrilled to do so.”
Harris heads to Texas. Why?
Vice President Harris will take the stage in Houston tomorrow night with Texas Senate candidate Colin Allred. It’s a state she’s projected to lose, though Allred is deadlocked with incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz. But it’s also a reminder of the stakes she wants to keep in front of voters: Abortion bans and the impact they’re having on health care.
This isn’t a last-ditch effort to turn Texas blue, but a bid at reigniting urgency in states she could actually swing, her surrogates say. (“We’re diverting out of the battlegrounds because we think it’ll help us in battlegrounds,” senior campaign adviser David Plouffe told AP).
There are already questions about how much Democrats’ reproductive rights arguments resonate with voters juggling the range of Harris’ and Trump’s political platforms. While many Americans seem to back abortion rights, they aren’t always voting for the Democrats championing them. Harris is clearly hoping to change that: Ahead of her Houston visit, she launched an ad Wednesday that tells the story of a Texas couple who lost their pregnancy at 16 weeks but were refused abortion care.
What to expect in a Harris presidency
So, what would a Harris presidency look like? DCD co-writer Rachel Cohrs Zhang delves into it with a breakdown of her platform on high drug costs, strengthening ACA, and broadening Medicaid coverage, to name a few.
In many ways, these are goals that Democrats couldn’t quite complete during President Biden’s tenure. But others — like canceling medical debt — are newer targets. Rachel expands on what Harris has said and how she might get it done here. (And expect a Trump edition soon!)
Health care issues to watch on Election Day
With less than two weeks until Election Day, it’s no surprise that Vice President Harris and former President Trump’s policy stances are dominating the headlines. But there is a lengthy list of health care proposals and down-ballot races that could heavily shape health policy in the coming years.
More than a dozen states are voting on health care ballots and pivotal races for congressional control. I wrote a rundown of key ballot measures and races that could transform state and federal health care and ignite new debates, from what happens to 340B to more legal psychedelics.
Lame duck cheat sheet
A lot of what happens on health care policy during the lame duck and the next Congress depends on election outcomes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare now by reading John Wilkerson’s cheat sheet on the health care policies to watch following the election.
Health care policies that could be in play during the lame duck include telehealth, Chinese biotech restrictions, Medicare payments for hospitals, and PBM reforms.
No matter what happens, or doesn’t happen, before newly elected officials take office in January, expect a major fight next year over expanded Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, both of which expire at the end of 2025.
State Medicaid programs coming around on GLP-1s
Most state Medicaid programs don’t cover the new class of drugs for obesity — but half of those holdouts are considering it, per a new KFF report.
The potential for expanded coverage of Wegovy and Zepbound under Medicaid comes as private plans are starting to aggressively crack down on covering the medications for obesity. Medicare prohibits coverage of the drugs for that indication, Tara Bannow writes.
Currently, just 13 state Medicaid programs cover GLP-1s for obesity; most others cite the drugs’ high cost. The report notes increased spending on the class of drugs starting in 2021. Dive into the findings.
Meet the new CDRH director
It’s official: Michelle Tarver will be the new leader of the FDA’s medical devices center, STAT’s Lizzy Lawrence scooped this week.
Tarver has temporarily served in the role since veteran devices head Jeffrey Shuren announced his departure in July. The agency conducted a nationwide search for Shuren’s replacement, but Tarver quickly seemed to be the top pick, shadowing Shuren at conferences and town halls, Lizzy writes.
Tarver joined the center in 2009, eventually becoming the director of the Office of Transformation and helping to launch the agency’s patient engagement advisory committee. Read more.
Jill Biden calls on industry to support women’s health
Addressing a packed main stage hall on the last day of the HLTH conference, Jill Biden touted her husband’s track record on womens’ health — and called on industry to investigate and fund key gaps in medical knowledge about womens’ health care.
“The potential in this space is too great to ignore,” Biden said.
As of Wednesday, Joe Biden-founded health agency ARPA-H has awarded $110 million — more than it had originally pledged — to a few dozen projects, the White House announced in conjunction with HLTH.
What we’re reading
- Frustrated with Change Healthcare breach, senators propose removing limits on HIPAA fines, STAT
- “Not Medically Necessary”: Inside the company helping America’s biggest health insurers deny coverage for care, ProPublica
- Opinion: Primary care physicians should receive abortion training, STAT
- CDC told McDonald’s about potential E. coli outbreak late last week, CNBC
Texas
Texas A&M Forward Transfer Seemingly on Visit to See Lady Vols Basketball | Rocky Top Insider

Lady Vols basketball is looking to add more pieces to its 2026-27 roster with high-level experience. After completing her junior season at Texas A&M, Fatmata Janneh has emerged as a Tennessee target for her final year of eligibility. According to her Instagram story on Sunday night, she is in Knoxville.
With the Aggies a year ago, the 6-foot-2 forward averaged 11.4 points per game on 43.3% shooting from the field. She also showed off an ability to hit from range, posting 1.1 makes per game on 33% shooting from three.
Perhaps Janneh’s biggest strength is her rebounding, though. She ripped down 9.7 boards per contest, good for the fifth-most in the SEC. This featured 2.6 rebounds on the offensive end per outing.
Janneh also averaged 1.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. She appeared in 27 games, starting in each.
More From RTI: How Watching The NCAA Tournament Drew Terrence Hill Jr. To Tennessee Basketball
Janneh started her career with a pair of seasons at St. Peter’s. As a sophomore, she averaged a double-double, posting 18.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. This made her a sought-after transfer in the portal before landing at Texas A&M as the nation’s leading defensive rebounder. As a freshman, she averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.
The forward is from London, England, attending Barking Abbey Sixth Form for her prep ball. She would be the second player from England to join the Tennessee roster if she committed. UT also added the commitment of incoming freshman and former Boston College signee Irene Oboavwoduo this offseason.
So far, Caldwell and the Lady Vols have landed five transfers in this portal cycle. This features Liberty guard Avery Mills, Northern Arizona guard Naomi White, Stanford forward Harper Peterson and Georgia forward Zhen Craft and guard Rylie Theuerkauf.
Tennessee will also roster a pair of incoming freshmen. Four-star recruit and top-50 prospect Gabby Minus is staying true to her signing despite the roster overhaul and assistant coaching changes, along with the addition of Oboavwoduo.
Texas
Texas needs at least $174 billion to avoid water crisis, state says
AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — Texas communities will need to spend $174 billion in the next 50 years to avert a severe water crisis, a new state analysis revealed Thursday. That’s more than double the $80 billion projected four years ago, when the Texas Water Development Board last passed a state water plan.
The three-member board presiding over the agency authorized the highly anticipated draft blueprint Thursday, the first administrative step toward adopting the water development board’s plans for the next 50 years. The plan, released every five years, encompasses the projects that 16 regional water planning groups in Texas said are the most urgent, water development board officials said.
The board’s latest estimates come as the state’s water supply faces numerous threats. Growing communities across Texas are scrambling to secure water, keep up with construction costs and cope with a yearslong drought. This week, Corpus Christi officials said the city may be just months away from declaring a water emergency. Meanwhile, other rural cities by the Coastal Bend are rapidly drilling wells to avoid a crisis. Residents in North Texas have also been bracing for groundwater shortages.
In an effort to restrain the crisis, lawmakers last year called an election in which voters approved a $20 billion boost for communities to use on water-related expenses. The water development board’s estimate shows that what lawmakers proposed on the ballot falls dramatically short of the needed cash, experts said.
“What this number tells me at the end of the day is if we don’t get serious about (funding water projects), there are going to be serious consequences for Texas,” said Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network. “Even with the billion-dollar-a-year plan kicking in, it’s not going to be enough to offset the costs of the projects that are going to have to be executed.”
The new estimate accounts for 3,000 projects, from regional infrastructure upgrades to smaller endeavors such as drilling new water wells. Texas’ water supplies are expected to drop by roughly 10% between 2030 and 2080, according to the water plan. In that same time frame, the maximum amount of water communities can draw is also expected to decline by 9%.
The 80-page plan notes approximately 6,700 recommended strategies that would add water to the state’s dwindling portfolio. The recommendations — which are not accounted for in the cost — include developing new supplies from aquifer storage and recovery, brackish groundwater, desalination and recycled water. It also calls for water conservation.
The report suggested that if Texas does not implement the plans and recommendations, the state is one severe drought away from an estimated $91 billion in economic damages in 2030.
The state’s plan attributes a variety of reasons for the bigger price tag, such as higher costs of construction due to inflation, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains, and a growing backlog of water supply projects.
“There’s a plan that can meet our needs,” said Matt Nelson, deputy executive administrator for the Office of Planning at the water development board, adding that they take their cues from the regional planning groups. “These are local projects that folks need to implement; they’re needed regardless of how they’re funded. It’s important to remember these are not top-down projects or state projects.”
Experts told The Texas Tribune that the board’s estimate is only a fraction of what Texas communities will need to ensure they have water in 50 years’ time, saying growth and development are outpacing the state’s ability to keep up.
“This is a bigger water plan in terms of volume strategies and capital costs compared to anything we’ve ever seen before,” said Jeremy Mazur, the director of infrastructure and natural resources policy at think tank Texas 2036.
Mazur suggested that the $174 billion only covers water supply projects and does not account for updating aging infrastructure, adding that the actual price could amount to a quarter of a trillion dollars.
“There’s a substantial magnitude with regard to the capital investment needed to both fix our aging and current systems and potentially develop the water infrastructure, water supply projects that we need.“
The report largely confirmed what many water experts have warned regarding threats to the state’s water supply, said Sarah Kirkle, director of policy at the Texas Water Association.
“Population growth, extreme weather, and economic development needs are all increasing demands on our infrastructure, and the state is going to need more water, sooner,” Kirkle said. “This is all while water projects are becoming more costly and complex because the easiest and cheapest local projects have already been developed.”
Fowler, with the infrastructure network, said he expects the Texas Legislature to take up the issue next year, when lawmakers meet for the 90th legislative session. He said the state should take a bigger role in ensuring that communities can afford their respective water projects.
“It’s going to have to be a top-down priority, there’s no way around it,” he said. “The challenges are so immense that it’s going to take all hands on deck.”
Texas residents have until the end of May to comment on the proposal. Water development board officials must adopt it by January 2027.
Alejandra Martinez contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at www.texastribune.org. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans – and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Texas
Co‑worker confesses to killing missing North Texas man and stealing his car, police say
A North Texas man reported missing earlier this week was found dead Friday, and police say a co‑worker has confessed to fatally shooting him and stealing his car.
The suspect, Gregory D. Lewis, 34, remains in custody and faces a forthcoming capital murder charge, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.
Lewis is accused of killing 31‑year‑old Thomas King, who had been last seen in his Taco Casa work uniform. King was reported missing on Tuesday after failing to return home Monday from the fast‑food restaurant in the 1100 block of Bridgewood Drive.
Car found at Arlington motel
Police said King’s car was found at the Quality Inn on I‑20 in Arlington, and surveillance video showed Lewis arriving in King’s vehicle shortly after King left work.
Detectives identified the man in the video and arrested him on unrelated charges.
Body discovered on Fort Worth’s East Side
King’s body was located on Friday in an open field on Fort Worth’s East Side, authorities said.
According to police, Lewis confessed to shooting the victim and stealing his car.
Medical examiner review pending
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.
CBS News Texas has reached out to Taco Casa for comment.
-
Nebraska21 seconds ago
Nebraska Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 5 on April 19, 2026
-
Nevada6 minutes agoArmed Robbery at the Tamarack Casino
-
New Hampshire12 minutes ago
NH Lottery Pick 3 Day, Pick 3 Evening winning numbers for April 19, 2026
-
New Jersey18 minutes ago
NJ Lottery Pick-3, Pick-4, Cash 5, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Sunday, April 19
-
New Mexico24 minutes agoLos Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
-
North Carolina30 minutes ago
NC Lottery Pick 3 Day, Pick 3 Evening results for April 19, 2026
-
North Dakota36 minutes agoWindy conditions fuel shop fire in rural Mapleton
-
Ohio42 minutes agoWanda Lou Bailey, Louisville, Ohio