Alice Miranda Ollstein
@alicemiranda.bsky.social
Health Care Reporter for POLITICO focused on sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, contraception and STIs.
Author of the forthcoming book "Side Effects" with The New Press.
https://www.politico.com/staff/alice-miranda-ollstein
Author of the forthcoming book "Side Effects" with The New Press.
https://www.politico.com/staff/alice-miranda-ollstein
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
January 5, 2026 at 11:24 PM
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
“ChatGPT started coaching Sam on how to take drugs, recover from them and plan further binges. It gave him specific doses of illegal substances, and in one chat, it wrote, ‘Hell yes—let’s go full trippy mode’”
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
A Calif. teen trusted ChatGPT for drug advice. He died from an overdose.
"Who on earth gives that advice?"
www.sfgate.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:28 PM
“ChatGPT started coaching Sam on how to take drugs, recover from them and plan further binges. It gave him specific doses of illegal substances, and in one chat, it wrote, ‘Hell yes—let’s go full trippy mode’”
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Venezuelan government launches wave of repression after Maduro’s ousting ft.trib.al/W74hPLd
Venezuelan government launches wave of repression after Maduro’s ousting
Armed militias patrol the streets and journalists are arrested as crackdown on dissent widens
ft.trib.al
January 5, 2026 at 10:25 PM
Venezuelan government launches wave of repression after Maduro’s ousting ft.trib.al/W74hPLd
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Maria, a Mississippi resident from Honduras, said she and her two children have missed routine doctors’ appointments because they are “terrified” to leave the house. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/immigration-deportation-risk-immigrants-avoid-health-care-new-orleans-mississippi/
Call 911 or Risk Losing the Baby? Raids Force Some Immigrants To Avoid Care - KFF Health News
More immigrants in New Orleans and Mississippi are skipping important health care appointments and experiencing heightened stress amid federal immigration raids.
kffhealthnews.org
December 18, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Maria, a Mississippi resident from Honduras, said she and her two children have missed routine doctors’ appointments because they are “terrified” to leave the house. https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/immigration-deportation-risk-immigrants-avoid-health-care-new-orleans-mississippi/
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
I put in a public records request with HHS on November 25, and just got a response saying they have a backlog of more than 10,000 records requests. So I will not be getting that information anytime soon.
After promising transparency, RFK guts public records teams at HHS
Despite promises for "radical transparency," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid off many staff on teams that fulfill public records requests at health agencies.
www.npr.org
January 5, 2026 at 5:24 PM
I put in a public records request with HHS on November 25, and just got a response saying they have a backlog of more than 10,000 records requests. So I will not be getting that information anytime soon.
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Health minister says Canada can’t rely on U.S. health institutions anymore
kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/12/26/h...
kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/12/26/h...
Health minister says Canada can't rely on U.S. health institutions anymore
An editorial published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in July argued the Trump administration is dismantling the country's public health and research infrastructure.
kitchener.citynews.ca
January 5, 2026 at 2:29 AM
Health minister says Canada can’t rely on U.S. health institutions anymore
kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/12/26/h...
kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/12/26/h...
"The idea that because drugs are coming from a country it justifies an invasion and a change of administration in that country basically gets rid of any kind of limits on the use of force." www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
The Brazen Illegality of Trump’s Venezuela Operation
A scholar of international law on the implications of the U.S. arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.
www.newyorker.com
January 4, 2026 at 6:01 PM
"The idea that because drugs are coming from a country it justifies an invasion and a change of administration in that country basically gets rid of any kind of limits on the use of force." www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Scoop by @benlefebvre.bsky.social, @zcolman.bsky.social and James Bikales: Trump has a use-it-or-lose-it demand for oil companies thinking of returning to #Venezuela: They go back in NOW, and spend billions of $, or forget about compensation for their seized assets.
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Trump’s message to oil companies on Venezuela: 'You gotta go in'
The White House has told companies they must to rebuild Venezuela's crude-pumping infrastructure if they want compensation for assets seized by Caracas.
www.politico.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Scoop by @benlefebvre.bsky.social, @zcolman.bsky.social and James Bikales: Trump has a use-it-or-lose-it demand for oil companies thinking of returning to #Venezuela: They go back in NOW, and spend billions of $, or forget about compensation for their seized assets.
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Trump’s drug-pricing deals won’t benefit most Americans today. They could over time.
Trump’s drug-pricing deals won’t benefit most Americans today. They could over time.
Most Americans, who have private insurance, likely will not benefit immediately from efforts to lower prescription drug prices. Administration officials expect effects to spread as markets are reshaped.
dlvr.it
January 4, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Trump’s drug-pricing deals won’t benefit most Americans today. They could over time.
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Ms. Machado had “gone out of her way to please [Trump], calling him a ‘champion of freedom,’ mimicking his talking points on election fraud in the United States and even dedicating her Peace Prize to him.
“It was in vain.”
@nytimes.com 🇻🇪
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...
“It was in vain.”
@nytimes.com 🇻🇪
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...
January 4, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Ms. Machado had “gone out of her way to please [Trump], calling him a ‘champion of freedom,’ mimicking his talking points on election fraud in the United States and even dedicating her Peace Prize to him.
“It was in vain.”
@nytimes.com 🇻🇪
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...
“It was in vain.”
@nytimes.com 🇻🇪
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
President Trump said on Saturday that Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president and would act as a partner in letting the U.S. run the country. Less than two hours later, Rodríguez made clear she viewed the U.S. as an illegal invader that must be rejected.
Venezuela’s Interim Leader Defies Trump and Calls Maduro the ‘Only President’
President Trump said that Venezuela’s new leader, Delcy Rodríguez, would help the United States run Venezuela. She quickly said the opposite.
nyti.ms
January 3, 2026 at 11:55 PM
President Trump said on Saturday that Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president and would act as a partner in letting the U.S. run the country. Less than two hours later, Rodríguez made clear she viewed the U.S. as an illegal invader that must be rejected.
Marjorie Taylor Green said this about Trump earlier this week. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/m...
January 3, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Marjorie Taylor Green said this about Trump earlier this week. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/m...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
The brutal respiratory infection has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 13 people in the U.S. in 2025
Whooping Cough Deaths Rise in U.S. as Surge in Infections Continues
The brutal respiratory infection has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 13 people in the U.S. in 2025
www.scientificamerican.com
December 30, 2025 at 7:33 PM
The brutal respiratory infection has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 13 people in the U.S. in 2025
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
When officials in first Trump admin war-gamed the ousting Maduro, they predicted "chaos for a sustained period of time with no possibility of ending it.'
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
January 3, 2026 at 5:20 PM
When officials in first Trump admin war-gamed the ousting Maduro, they predicted "chaos for a sustained period of time with no possibility of ending it.'
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Jack Smith in newly released testimony: "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power." @glennthrush.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/u...
In Hearing Transcript, Jack Smith Defends Decision to Indict Trump
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Jack Smith in newly released testimony: "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power." @glennthrush.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/u...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day www.statnews.com/2025/12/30/n... via @statnews.com
NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day
A deal between NIH and groups that sued the Trump administration over delayed DEI-related grant proposals is already bearing fruit
www.statnews.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:19 AM
NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day www.statnews.com/2025/12/30/n... via @statnews.com
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
EXCLUSIVE: @laurenweberhp.bsky.social & I have spent the last year collecting school+county-level vaccination data from across the US and found that only about 28% of counties now have herd immunity for kindergartners from measles—that leaves about 5.2mn kids unprotected.
Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43
Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43
U.S. vaccination rates are plunging. Look up where your school stands.
Take a look to see what the kindergarten measles vaccination rates are in your area.
wapo.st
December 31, 2025 at 2:29 PM
EXCLUSIVE: @laurenweberhp.bsky.social & I have spent the last year collecting school+county-level vaccination data from across the US and found that only about 28% of counties now have herd immunity for kindergartners from measles—that leaves about 5.2mn kids unprotected.
Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43
Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43
NEW with @natsfert.bsky.social: Some states are spending hundreds of millions to make up for federal cuts to Obamacare aid. They warn it won't be enough to stop millions of people from becoming uninsured. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
States step into the breach as Obamacare subsidies lapse
Even state governments that want to help can’t completely cover rising insurance premiums.
www.politico.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:46 PM
NEW with @natsfert.bsky.social: Some states are spending hundreds of millions to make up for federal cuts to Obamacare aid. They warn it won't be enough to stop millions of people from becoming uninsured. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
The Trump admin just doled out billions for rural health.
Some states are warning it won't come close to making up for the massive amount they're losing to Medicaid cuts.
AZ Gov Hobbs: “The math doesn’t work."
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Some states are warning it won't come close to making up for the massive amount they're losing to Medicaid cuts.
AZ Gov Hobbs: “The math doesn’t work."
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Trump admin doles out billions for rural health
Montana and California will receive near equal amounts in 2026, despite their massive size disparity.
www.politico.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:33 PM
The Trump admin just doled out billions for rural health.
Some states are warning it won't come close to making up for the massive amount they're losing to Medicaid cuts.
AZ Gov Hobbs: “The math doesn’t work."
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Some states are warning it won't come close to making up for the massive amount they're losing to Medicaid cuts.
AZ Gov Hobbs: “The math doesn’t work."
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
This article notes several choices CMS made that benefit or penalize states on rural health $ based on unrelated legal/institutional structures. Whether the legislature is in/out of session, whether policy change can be made by a governor or requires legislation, etc can be worth millions.
NEW with @ruthreader.bsky.social: Small states and states that adopt policies favored by the Trump admin (such as restrictions on SNAP) got a much bigger windfall from the fund Congress created to "transform" rural health care.
Alaska received more than California, which has 40x its population.
Alaska received more than California, which has 40x its population.
Trump admin doles out billions for rural health
Montana and California will receive near equal amounts in 2026, despite their massive size disparity.
www.politico.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:28 PM
This article notes several choices CMS made that benefit or penalize states on rural health $ based on unrelated legal/institutional structures. Whether the legislature is in/out of session, whether policy change can be made by a governor or requires legislation, etc can be worth millions.
NEW with @ruthreader.bsky.social: Small states and states that adopt policies favored by the Trump admin (such as restrictions on SNAP) got a much bigger windfall from the fund Congress created to "transform" rural health care.
Alaska received more than California, which has 40x its population.
Alaska received more than California, which has 40x its population.
Trump admin doles out billions for rural health
Montana and California will receive near equal amounts in 2026, despite their massive size disparity.
www.politico.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:14 PM
NEW with @ruthreader.bsky.social: Small states and states that adopt policies favored by the Trump admin (such as restrictions on SNAP) got a much bigger windfall from the fund Congress created to "transform" rural health care.
Alaska received more than California, which has 40x its population.
Alaska received more than California, which has 40x its population.
It’s giving
December 28, 2025 at 11:31 PM
It’s giving
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
SUVs and big Utes "are 44 per cent more likely to kill an adult pedestrian or cyclist in a crash compared with a sedan, and 82 per cent more likely to kill a child" www.theage.com.au/national/vic...
Pedestrian fatalities reach 17-year-high. This trend could be why
Fifty-one pedestrians had been killed on the state’s roads this year as of Saturday – the most in any calendar year since 2008.
www.theage.com.au
December 27, 2025 at 9:30 PM
SUVs and big Utes "are 44 per cent more likely to kill an adult pedestrian or cyclist in a crash compared with a sedan, and 82 per cent more likely to kill a child" www.theage.com.au/national/vic...
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Hundreds of residents signed up for FEMA buyouts after Hurricane Helene. Not one has been approved.
Hundreds of residents signed up for FEMA buyouts after Helene. Not one has been approved.
More than a year after applying for a federal buyout, many North Carolina homeowners have heard almost nothing definitive.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Hundreds of residents signed up for FEMA buyouts after Hurricane Helene. Not one has been approved.
Reposted by Alice Miranda Ollstein
Doctors interviewed 21 deported mothers. More than half said ICE never asked if they had children before deporting them, leaving babies and young children behind in the U.S.
sanfernandosun.com/2025/12/24/d...
sanfernandosun.com/2025/12/24/d...
Deportations Have Caused Growing Crisis of Family Separations - The San Fernando Valley Sun
Last month, a young woman stepped off a plane and set foot in her native Honduras for the first time in at least 15 years. But this wasn’t a happy […]
sanfernandosun.com
December 26, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Doctors interviewed 21 deported mothers. More than half said ICE never asked if they had children before deporting them, leaving babies and young children behind in the U.S.
sanfernandosun.com/2025/12/24/d...
sanfernandosun.com/2025/12/24/d...