Walker Grooms
@camnovios.bsky.social
Alabamian in DC (#Statehood). Latin America. Labor. Climate. Military Industrial Complex. Kurdistan. DIY. Views mine. he/él/ele/ew
"“They’re holding our rural health as a hostage, essentially, for these broader policy goals, and that’s a problem,” said Priya Sundareshan, a Democratic state senator in Arizona, one of the dozen states that refused to adopt SNAP restrictions."
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
‘Sort of blackmail’: Billions in rural health funding hinge on states passing Trump-backed policies
Democrats and health advocates described the strategy as highly unusual, and some fear it could be wielded to favor political allies.
www.politico.com
December 8, 2025 at 12:47 AM
"“They’re holding our rural health as a hostage, essentially, for these broader policy goals, and that’s a problem,” said Priya Sundareshan, a Democratic state senator in Arizona, one of the dozen states that refused to adopt SNAP restrictions."
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Walker Grooms
NEW: The Pentagon inspector general says Hegseth’s Signal use endangered U.S. troops and missions and the department still lacks a secure messaging platform.
Pentagon watchdog says Hegseth’s Signal chats put troops at risk
The inspector general produced two reports on the Defense secretary’s use of the messaging app to discuss sensitive Yemen strike plans.
www.politico.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:53 PM
NEW: The Pentagon inspector general says Hegseth’s Signal use endangered U.S. troops and missions and the department still lacks a secure messaging platform.
Reposted by Walker Grooms
December 6, 2025 at 1:46 PM
"the policy could burden already overwhelmed hospitals if immigrants skip preventive care b/c they lack health ins. & end up in the emer room. [Health pol. experts & imm. rights advocates] also predict it'll make it harder to control both outbreaks of infectious diseases & chronic health conditions"
ICYMI: The Trump admin is moving to allow immigration officers to deny green cards to legal immigrants who use safety net programs including Medicaid. Studies on the impact of the policy during Trump's 1st term found it made Covid's racial disparities worse. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Trump revives policy penalizing immigrants for using safety net programs
The change will make it harder for legal Medicaid enrollees to obtain a green card.
www.politico.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:35 PM
"the policy could burden already overwhelmed hospitals if immigrants skip preventive care b/c they lack health ins. & end up in the emer room. [Health pol. experts & imm. rights advocates] also predict it'll make it harder to control both outbreaks of infectious diseases & chronic health conditions"
Reposted by Walker Grooms
"Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough"
" The best way to prevent whooping cough is by receiving the Tdap or DTaP vaccine, which protects against three bacterial infections — diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, say public health experts." kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
" The best way to prevent whooping cough is by receiving the Tdap or DTaP vaccine, which protects against three bacterial infections — diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, say public health experts." kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough • Kentucky Lantern
A third unvaccinated infant in Kentucky has died of pertussis as public health officials urge Kentuckians to get vaccinated against the disease.
kentuckylantern.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:24 AM
"Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough"
" The best way to prevent whooping cough is by receiving the Tdap or DTaP vaccine, which protects against three bacterial infections — diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, say public health experts." kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
" The best way to prevent whooping cough is by receiving the Tdap or DTaP vaccine, which protects against three bacterial infections — diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, say public health experts." kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/25/t...
Reposted by Walker Grooms
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
British mum detained by ICE agents in California as six-month old baby and stunned husband watch on | LBC
Katie Paul, 33, was in the process of applying for a green card when she was ambushed by immigration agents
www.lbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 11:13 AM
ICE arrests, detains British woman with US husband and newborn when she shows up for her green card interview. She’s now in a detention center, separated from her 6-month-old. No criminal record. She had overstayed her visa.
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
www.lbc.co.uk/article/brit...
Reposted by Walker Grooms
Organizers told me that at least 7 faith leaders were among those arrested on Friday.
In a statement posted on X, DHS referred to demonstrators as "imbeciles" who need to "get a job."
One pastor told me "this is our job," adding, "to advocate for the oppressed. religionnews.com/2025/11/15/a...
In a statement posted on X, DHS referred to demonstrators as "imbeciles" who need to "get a job."
One pastor told me "this is our job," adding, "to advocate for the oppressed. religionnews.com/2025/11/15/a...
At least seven faith leaders arrested at Broadview ICE facility protest
(RNS) — 'I've got bruises all over my body,' the Rev. Michael Woolf, who was thrown to the ground and arrested by police, told RNS.
religionnews.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Organizers told me that at least 7 faith leaders were among those arrested on Friday.
In a statement posted on X, DHS referred to demonstrators as "imbeciles" who need to "get a job."
One pastor told me "this is our job," adding, "to advocate for the oppressed. religionnews.com/2025/11/15/a...
In a statement posted on X, DHS referred to demonstrators as "imbeciles" who need to "get a job."
One pastor told me "this is our job," adding, "to advocate for the oppressed. religionnews.com/2025/11/15/a...
Reposted by Walker Grooms
Republicans see RFK Jr. as an asset for the midterms.
Democrats -- looking at recent polling on his vaccine moves as measles outbreaks proliferate -- are confident he'll be a liability.
My latest -->
Democrats -- looking at recent polling on his vaccine moves as measles outbreaks proliferate -- are confident he'll be a liability.
My latest -->
‘You can't eat if you're dead’: Dems eye RFK Jr. as their 2026 boogeyman
Inside Democrats’ effort to attack RFK Jr.’s vaccine moves without angering his base.
www.politico.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Republicans see RFK Jr. as an asset for the midterms.
Democrats -- looking at recent polling on his vaccine moves as measles outbreaks proliferate -- are confident he'll be a liability.
My latest -->
Democrats -- looking at recent polling on his vaccine moves as measles outbreaks proliferate -- are confident he'll be a liability.
My latest -->
Reposted by Walker Grooms
PBS NEWS WEEKEND has been cancelled and 34 jobs will be cut at WETA in Washington D.C.
The NEWS HOUR West Coast bureau will also close and the updated daily West Coast broadcast will end.
“We cannot fully compensate for the scope of the federal funding loss.”
current.org/2025/11/weta... #PBS
The NEWS HOUR West Coast bureau will also close and the updated daily West Coast broadcast will end.
“We cannot fully compensate for the scope of the federal funding loss.”
current.org/2025/11/weta... #PBS
WETA to cut staff, cancel ‘PBS News Weekend’ and close News Hour West bureau
The restructuring includes the elimination of 34 positions, following another round of cuts made in September.
current.org
November 16, 2025 at 12:36 AM
PBS NEWS WEEKEND has been cancelled and 34 jobs will be cut at WETA in Washington D.C.
The NEWS HOUR West Coast bureau will also close and the updated daily West Coast broadcast will end.
“We cannot fully compensate for the scope of the federal funding loss.”
current.org/2025/11/weta... #PBS
The NEWS HOUR West Coast bureau will also close and the updated daily West Coast broadcast will end.
“We cannot fully compensate for the scope of the federal funding loss.”
current.org/2025/11/weta... #PBS
Reposted by Walker Grooms
Avelo is an ICE Air charter, transporting shackled detainees on deportation flights. You'll not be shocked to learn that the flights are a fiasco: loss of cabin pressure, slow evacuations, dangerous cargo onboard, no safety checks, long tarmack delays.
Great piece by Gillian Brockell:
Great piece by Gillian Brockell:
ICE Air’s Sloppy, Dangerous Deportation Flights - The American Prospect
Poor planning, mechanical issues, serious safety lapses, and the shutdown are taking a toll on Avelo, America’s most famous deportation airline, internal documents show.
prospect.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Avelo is an ICE Air charter, transporting shackled detainees on deportation flights. You'll not be shocked to learn that the flights are a fiasco: loss of cabin pressure, slow evacuations, dangerous cargo onboard, no safety checks, long tarmack delays.
Great piece by Gillian Brockell:
Great piece by Gillian Brockell:
Reposted by Walker Grooms
I know fewer local people on here but if you live in Alabama and in particular are in driving distance to Birmingham, the APT board of directors is meeting to decide whether to cut PBS, if you can make it out on Tuesday to show them how important PBS is to you it would be very helpful.
November 16, 2025 at 11:08 PM
I know fewer local people on here but if you live in Alabama and in particular are in driving distance to Birmingham, the APT board of directors is meeting to decide whether to cut PBS, if you can make it out on Tuesday to show them how important PBS is to you it would be very helpful.
Extremely minimally hopeful that, w/ things like the Mamdani win, hagiographic garbage like this is on its way out. Bush-Cheney set us on the course toward the Tr*mo nightmare & Obama/Biden didn’t do nearly enough to break w/ it. Show me Joe’s tweet a/b what a great family man Darth Vader was next.
November 5, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Extremely minimally hopeful that, w/ things like the Mamdani win, hagiographic garbage like this is on its way out. Bush-Cheney set us on the course toward the Tr*mo nightmare & Obama/Biden didn’t do nearly enough to break w/ it. Show me Joe’s tweet a/b what a great family man Darth Vader was next.
Reposted by Walker Grooms
Capt. White, who oversaw detention of unaccompanied minors during Trump's 1st term, told me that the ICE's current dragnet and plans for a massive expansion of detention "cannot be made humane or healthy or safe no matter how many people you throw at it.” www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
ICE is hiring dozens of health workers as lawsuits, deaths in custody mount
Nearly as many migrants have died in detention so far this year than over the four years of the Biden administration.
www.politico.com
October 20, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Capt. White, who oversaw detention of unaccompanied minors during Trump's 1st term, told me that the ICE's current dragnet and plans for a massive expansion of detention "cannot be made humane or healthy or safe no matter how many people you throw at it.” www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
“The larger problem is that this is a system to abduct & detain people w/o meaningful due process. That is inherently harmful & can't be made humane or healthy or safe no matter how many ppl you throw at it.”
CDR Jonathan White, oversaw detention of undocumented, unaccompanied minors-1st Trump admin
CDR Jonathan White, oversaw detention of undocumented, unaccompanied minors-1st Trump admin
NEW with @ruthreader.bsky.social: Nearly as many migrants have died in custody so far this year than over the 4 yrs of the Biden admin. ICE is hiring dozens more medical workers, but former insiders are skeptical the deaths will stop w/o more fundamental reforms. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
ICE is hiring dozens of health workers as lawsuits, deaths in custody mount
Nearly as many migrants have died in detention so far this year than over the four years of the Biden administration.
www.politico.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:47 AM
“The larger problem is that this is a system to abduct & detain people w/o meaningful due process. That is inherently harmful & can't be made humane or healthy or safe no matter how many ppl you throw at it.”
CDR Jonathan White, oversaw detention of undocumented, unaccompanied minors-1st Trump admin
CDR Jonathan White, oversaw detention of undocumented, unaccompanied minors-1st Trump admin
"the admin isn't having conversations a/b offering subsidies to companies that provide fertility benefits to employees, according to another senior official, & no employer will be required to offer [them]..
..new policies also don’t directly address [IVF cost] other than the 1 pricey fertility drug"
..new policies also don’t directly address [IVF cost] other than the 1 pricey fertility drug"
Trump promised while campaigning to make IVF free -- either paid for directly by the government or fully covered by insurance. Today's announcement does not do that (though it could expand access to some patients). It's also angering anti-abortion groups.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
Trump unveils IVF policies, but no new funding or coverage requirements
The moves, to lower the cost of a drug prescribed to women going through IVF and boost employer coverage, follow Trump’s campaign promise to make fertility care more accessible.
www.politico.com
October 19, 2025 at 6:49 PM
"the admin isn't having conversations a/b offering subsidies to companies that provide fertility benefits to employees, according to another senior official, & no employer will be required to offer [them]..
..new policies also don’t directly address [IVF cost] other than the 1 pricey fertility drug"
..new policies also don’t directly address [IVF cost] other than the 1 pricey fertility drug"
"“If you’re a researcher..conducting research w/ ppl seeking abortion care, even ppl seeking maternal health care, & you provide them w/ details a/b abortion services, are you aiding & abetting..? There’s a lot of confusion. There’s a lot of fear.”
The FDA did not respond to a request for comment."
The FDA did not respond to a request for comment."
The Trump admin's recent warnings against pregnant women taking Tylenol, Covid shots and antidepressants clash with the mainstream medical consensus. But they also highlight a dangerous data vacuum -- one that's gotten worse since the fall of Roe v. Wade.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
RFK Jr.’s got advice for pregnant women. There’s limited data to support it.
Women of reproductive age have long been missing from clinical trials. It’s getting worse where abortion is banned.
www.politico.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"“If you’re a researcher..conducting research w/ ppl seeking abortion care, even ppl seeking maternal health care, & you provide them w/ details a/b abortion services, are you aiding & abetting..? There’s a lot of confusion. There’s a lot of fear.”
The FDA did not respond to a request for comment."
The FDA did not respond to a request for comment."
Reposted by Walker Grooms
Big protest from immigrant organizers in the Wilson Building today demanding an end to MPD cooperation with ICE. A spicy banner, too.
October 8, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Big protest from immigrant organizers in the Wilson Building today demanding an end to MPD cooperation with ICE. A spicy banner, too.
Reposted by Walker Grooms
Some video from earlier, multiple journalists bloodied in the scrum. This is just 90 seconds of over 10 minutes of extremely aggressive LAPD response tonight
August 9, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Some video from earlier, multiple journalists bloodied in the scrum. This is just 90 seconds of over 10 minutes of extremely aggressive LAPD response tonight
"Health policy experts and patient advocates who expressed relief that the Trump administration opted to defend Obamacare remain concerned that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials will now deploy that power to reshape what services must be covered by insurance without copays."
Health policy experts and patient advocates who expressed relief that the Trump administration opted to defend Obamacare remain concerned that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials will now deploy that power to reshape what services must be covered by insurance without copays.
Supreme Court preserves Obamacare coverage of preventive health care
It’s the fourth time in the past 13 years that the high court has rejected major challenges to the 2010 health law.
www.politico.com
June 27, 2025 at 9:21 PM
"Health policy experts and patient advocates who expressed relief that the Trump administration opted to defend Obamacare remain concerned that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials will now deploy that power to reshape what services must be covered by insurance without copays."
Reposted by Walker Grooms
An group representing immigrants fighting President Trump’s birthright citizenship order has already launched a workaround legal strategy after their Supreme Court setback: Convert the case into a class action lawsuit.
Group suing over Trump’s birthright order seeks to convert case to a class action lawsuit
It’s among several of the workarounds that Trump adversaries are poised to seize on after the justices’ Friday ruling.
www.politico.com
June 27, 2025 at 4:48 PM
An group representing immigrants fighting President Trump’s birthright citizenship order has already launched a workaround legal strategy after their Supreme Court setback: Convert the case into a class action lawsuit.
Understanding this admin's war on us:
DHS Ass. Sec.: saying senior care relies on immigrant labor is "grossly false & lazy."
Pure projection.
"When asked specifically a/b workers w/ TPS & humanitarian parole — who entered the country legally after being vetted & sponsored — [DHS] did not respond."
DHS Ass. Sec.: saying senior care relies on immigrant labor is "grossly false & lazy."
Pure projection.
"When asked specifically a/b workers w/ TPS & humanitarian parole — who entered the country legally after being vetted & sponsored — [DHS] did not respond."
The Supreme Court gave Trump permission yesterday to strip legal status from half a million immigrants. Tens of thousands of them work in health care.
"t’s going to affect the whole health care system, and I fear the quality of care will be poor.” www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
"t’s going to affect the whole health care system, and I fear the quality of care will be poor.” www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
‘They are the backbone’: Trump’s targeting of legal immigrants threatens health sector
Federal policy changes are having spillover effects on everything from disease outbreak mitigation to long-term care
www.politico.com
May 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Understanding this admin's war on us:
DHS Ass. Sec.: saying senior care relies on immigrant labor is "grossly false & lazy."
Pure projection.
"When asked specifically a/b workers w/ TPS & humanitarian parole — who entered the country legally after being vetted & sponsored — [DHS] did not respond."
DHS Ass. Sec.: saying senior care relies on immigrant labor is "grossly false & lazy."
Pure projection.
"When asked specifically a/b workers w/ TPS & humanitarian parole — who entered the country legally after being vetted & sponsored — [DHS] did not respond."
Reposted by Walker Grooms
FEMA cuts emergency training as hurricane season looms - Reuters apple.news/AOlxt5_QtSka...
Exclusive: FEMA cuts emergency training as hurricane season looms — Reuters
The U.S. federal disaster agency FEMA has sharply reduced training for state and local emergency managers ahead of the start of the hurricane season on June 1, according to current and former official...
apple.news
May 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM
FEMA cuts emergency training as hurricane season looms - Reuters apple.news/AOlxt5_QtSka...
More #ConstitutionalCrisis:
“If the law requires u, the executive, to do this work, u have..thumbed your nose at Congress by firing the ppl who are actually necessary to get that work done. The exec. branch is supposed to execute..It doesn’t have the right to determine where..& how much $ is spent”
“If the law requires u, the executive, to do this work, u have..thumbed your nose at Congress by firing the ppl who are actually necessary to get that work done. The exec. branch is supposed to execute..It doesn’t have the right to determine where..& how much $ is spent”
HHS insists legally-required programs are still running. Workers on those programs tell us otherwise.
“The idea that you can have a program with no people in it and no money in it, and that somehow, then you have not eliminated it — that’s just smoke and mirrors”
www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
“The idea that you can have a program with no people in it and no money in it, and that somehow, then you have not eliminated it — that’s just smoke and mirrors”
www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
RFK Jr., DOGE gutted legally required offices. Courts may undo it all.
Federal workers, Democratic lawmakers, state officials and independent legal experts say keeping offices afloat in name only – with minimal or no staff – is an unconstitutional power grab.
www.politico.com
May 13, 2025 at 9:17 PM
More #ConstitutionalCrisis:
“If the law requires u, the executive, to do this work, u have..thumbed your nose at Congress by firing the ppl who are actually necessary to get that work done. The exec. branch is supposed to execute..It doesn’t have the right to determine where..& how much $ is spent”
“If the law requires u, the executive, to do this work, u have..thumbed your nose at Congress by firing the ppl who are actually necessary to get that work done. The exec. branch is supposed to execute..It doesn’t have the right to determine where..& how much $ is spent”
Reposted by Walker Grooms
Reminder as House Republicans propose defunding Planned Parenthood as part of financing their sweeping tax bill — it would cost a lot more money than it saved, primarily because a lot of low-income people would lose access to contraception. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
The DOGE plan that could cost millions
www.politico.com
May 12, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reminder as House Republicans propose defunding Planned Parenthood as part of financing their sweeping tax bill — it would cost a lot more money than it saved, primarily because a lot of low-income people would lose access to contraception. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
"..indicates an emerging pattern in his admin’s legal strategy, following the DOJ’s move earlier this year to defend a core ACA provision.
..both surprised many by backing policies favored by Dems, but @ [base] are about preserving exec. power & preventing courts from 2nd-guessing agency decisions"
..both surprised many by backing policies favored by Dems, but @ [base] are about preserving exec. power & preventing courts from 2nd-guessing agency decisions"
I am not surprised by this stance, which several of my sources predicted. I am surprised, however, by how scathing the Trump DOJ was about the arguments put forward by Idaho, Kansas and Missouri for banning the pills.
www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
www.politico.com/news/2025/05...
May 9, 2025 at 4:16 PM
"..indicates an emerging pattern in his admin’s legal strategy, following the DOJ’s move earlier this year to defend a core ACA provision.
..both surprised many by backing policies favored by Dems, but @ [base] are about preserving exec. power & preventing courts from 2nd-guessing agency decisions"
..both surprised many by backing policies favored by Dems, but @ [base] are about preserving exec. power & preventing courts from 2nd-guessing agency decisions"