As midterm elections draw near and President Donald Trump nears the halfway point of his term, he is devoting much of his time to campaign rallies for fellow Republicans — which often serve as rallies for the president himself. At these events, banners and professionally made identical signs are ubiquitous, claiming “Promises made, promises kept.” But in an administration run by a man who has made more than 5,000 demonstrably false claims, really only the first half of that slogan is...
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Trump Midterm Report Card: Incomplete and Failing
As midterm elections draw near and President Donald Trump nears the halfway point of his term, he is devoting much of his time to campaign rallies for fellow Republicans — which often serve as rallies for the president himself. At these events, banners and professionally made identical signs are ubiquitous, claiming “Promises made, promises kept.” But in an administration run by a man who has made more than 5,000 demonstrably false claims, really only the first half of that slogan is...
Trans people suffer from higher rates of suicide. Why are hospitals letting them down?
Lying in a psychosis ward bed, Amelia Perry couldn’t shake thoughts of suicide. The noise blaring from other patients in the hallway and the bright lights above felt like too much. Perry, a 25-year-old trans person, was in the hospital seeking help.
Days earlier, Perry (who asked at admission to be identified by gender-neutral pronouns ze and hir) had been discharged from another nearby hospital following a week-long stay after attempting suicide. That’s how Perry ende...
States waste hundreds of thousands on drug testing for welfare, but have little to show for it
In 2017, states spent more than $490,000 to drug-test 2,541 people who had applied for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, which yielded just 301 positive tests.
While the costs for these programs has dropped somewhat over the past three years, the number of positive tests has also declined.
This year, ThinkProgress also asked states to provide the questionnaires used to determine whether there is “reasonable suspicion” that their applicants/recipients ar...
Wisconsin seeks to bring costly, ineffective drug testing to Medicaid
Over the past several months, Wisconsin lawmakers have waged a war on the state’s Medicaid program by requesting federal permission to add time-limits, work rules, and drug tests. But new data obtained by ThinkProgress suggests these drug tests are especially costly and virtually ineffective at enabling care. And if the Trump administration green-lights Wisconsin’s request, taxpayers will have to pay for it.
Requiring people who depend on government benefits to pee in a ...
These are the obscure Trump staffers who are systematically dismantling the federal government
In August 2016, a day after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump announced some of his economic plans, he called in to Fox Business Network to discuss those plans with host Maria Bartiromo. In their conversation, Trump insisted his assault on government programs would not have any negative ramifications. “We’re going to be doing smart budget cuts, budget cuts that will make it just as good or better than it is right now but for a lot less money,” he vowed.
Congress has no...
The lead crisis: Tackling an invisible, dangerous neurotoxin
Community awareness and action are key to enacting solutionsArtwork by Diana Ofosu
As Howard Mielke makes his way down the streets of his tree-lined New Orleans neighborhood toward the Bayou St. John, his walk is careful and deliberate. The canal’s waters are calm and glassy, reflecting the wisps of clouds above, and revealing none of the dangers below where alligators sometimes lurk.
Mielke is a...