Armed Israeli settlers on Tuesday beat an AFP photographer, leaving him requiring hospital treatment, as he covered ongoing violence by settlers against West Bank olive farmers. u.afp.com/S9Fe
Arielle Zionts
@ajzionts.bsky.social
✏️: Rural Health Reporter @KFFHealthNews.org 📍: Rapid City ✉️: ariellez@kff.org 🚨 Signal: Zionts_RuralHealthNews.22 😍: Story ideas, outdoors, animals, reading, history, art, gravel+mtn biking ❗️: RT means worth reading/knowing, not agreement
Two-thirds of the public favor Medicare-for-All — the highest share since KFF began polling on the topic in 2016 — but public opinion is highly malleable and support shifts when competing claims from critics and proponents are heard: https://on.kff.org/4zgJv6z
There are new and specific numbers in this story, so it’s worth reading. I continue to resent the lack of credit to Nick Schwellenbach at @pogo.org, Dan Friedman at @motherjones.com, and me, who have previously reported every other aspect of this story, including that the sale prices were very high.
About 68% of rural Make America Healthy Again supporters say President Donald Trump’s health policies have had a negative impact or no impact where they live, per a new KFF-Associated Press rural voter poll.
KFF Health News@kffhealthnews.org · 7d ago“It’s a big ship to try and turn around,” says an Iowa pastor in the Make America Healthy Again movement on health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts. https://kffhealthnews.org/rural-health/kff-ap-poll-rural-voters-maha-make-america-healthy-again-local-impact-midterms/
One of the more annoying trends is that some states are posting which organizations got funding and their award amounts — but not what the orgs are going to do with their money!
Arielle Zionts@ajzionts.bsky.social · last mo.The $50B Rural Health Transformation Program lacks transparency, which could make it difficult to protect against fraud, identify successful projects+ensure the program delivers on its promise to transform the system. Groups are calling for CMS to post more info. kffhealthnews.org/rural-health...
NEW COMMENTARY: Prison media access is piecemeal across states, meaning incarcerated journalists are best positioned to shine transparency on prisons and jails. But they worry a potential FCC policy to jam cellphones could cut off their line of reporting. objectivejournalism.org/2026/09/pote...
Cellphone jamming threatens to silence incarcerated journalists
Free press advocates must rally against the Federal Communications Commission effort to limit incarcerated journalists’ ability to report.
objectivejournalism.org
The story came out, Netenyahu denied it, now new sources are confirming it; he was warned about the imminent attack that became October 7th and failed to inform subordinates because he worried it would jeopardize Saudi Arabian recognition of Israel www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/w...
Netanyahu Said to Have Been Warned by Emirati Leader About Hamas Attack Before Oct. 7 (Gift Article)
The warning from the leader of the United Arab Emirates, which lacked specific details about the nature of an attack, never reached the chiefs of Israel’s security establishment, Israeli officials sai...
nytimes.com
Doctors in Pennsylvania estimate at least six babies have been born with measles
Doctors in Pennsylvania estimate at least six babies have been born with measles
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
share.google
We don’t try to predict car accidents; we use seat belts and guardrails. Some experts say it’s time to treat suicide prevention with the same universal safety mindset. https://kffhealthnews.org/mental-health/suicide-prevention-guns-firearms-red-flag-laws-nra-maryland-eleven-minutes/
It's Hard To Predict Who Will Be Suicidal. It's Easier To Ensure People Can't Shoot Themselves. - KFF Health News
Some mental health experts favor suicide prevention steps that are applied broadly, with protections that aren't tied to an individual's specific risk.
kffhealthnews.org
“It’s nerve-racking,” says Joshua Durham, a primary care physician who is going uninsured, along with his family. “It just takes, you know, one little accident, and then you got a big fat bill.”
As Health Insurance Costs Soar, Healthcare Workers Also Feel the Pinch - KFF Health News
Like many Americans, Joshua and Ashley Durham saw their health insurance premiums rise by hundreds of dollars a month this year. Despite being healthcare practitioners all too aware of the risks, they chose to go uninsured. Others, though, can't afford ...
kffhealthnews.org
NEW exclusive from me: Health officials moved money out of the Office of Minority Health to help pay for the ballooning costs of RFK Jr.'s security gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Exclusive | RFK Jr.’s Enhanced Security Was Funded With Money From Minority Health Office
The cost of the health secretary’s security grew from roughly $10 million in fiscal year 2025 to $17 million in fiscal year 2026.
wsj.com
Turkish police on Sunday raided gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ activists, arresting at least 60 people. Turkey's LGBTQ community has frequently been targeted by the government, with President Erdogan calling it a "deviant movement" of "perverts" u.afp.com/SjmJ
HHS is canceling infant mortality and postpartum grants to focus instead on research related to what the department says are “root causes” like sperm counts and erectile dysfunction. https://www.notus.org/health-science/hhs-cancels-infant-mortality-postpartum-grants-focus-infertility
HHS Cancels Infant Mortality, Postpartum Grants to Focus on Sperm Counts, ED
Officials at the Office of Minority Health told grantees that they’re prioritizing “root causes” of infertility and promoting exercise.
notus.org
Yesterday, McClatchy laid off more than 90 unionized media workers across 17 publications. The departure of these talented reporters, visual journalists & writers will immediately leave gaping holes in local coverage for dozens of communities across the US.
NEW: Our analysis found that from 2020 to 2025, the rate of deaths involving ectopic pregnancies nearly doubled compared with the previous six-year period. The uptick was steeper in states with abortion bans.
Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Nearly Doubled. It’s Worse in States With Abortion Bans.
With prompt and appropriate medical care, experts say, people shouldn’t die from an ectopic pregnancy. Women in Texas and Oklahoma have sued over delays in care, which, coupled with our new analysis, ...
propublica.org
Many states have rolled out dashboards tracking Rural Health Transformation Program spending. But not all share how the money will be used. By @ajzionts.bsky.social https://kffhealthnews.org/rural-health/rural-health-transformation-program-transparency-50-billion-dollars-state-tracking/
$50B Rural Health Transformation Program Needs More Transparency, Groups Say - KFF Health News
States must submit Rural Health Transformation Program progress reports to the federal government, but they aren’t required to proactively post those reports, or related information, publicly.
kffhealthnews.org
“The Times interviewed 8 people Mr. Marshall sued between 2003 &2015. Most described themselves as living paycheck to paycheck, often deciding between paying medical bills or buying groceries. Two said that the bills Mr. Marshall pursued in court stemmed from late miscarriages that required surgery”
Roger Marshall Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator.
Patients sued by Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas were routinely charged 18 percent interest, The Times found. Some had bank accounts garnished.
nytimes.com
Also, drought, which causes crop failures, animal deaths and financial losses which in turn can trigger mental health issues. The South Dakota ag department made a post about this, with general and ag-related mental health resources: www.facebook.com/SDDANR/posts...
facebook.com
Larry Levitt@larrylevitt.bsky.social · 4w agoMany farmers are facing a double whammy this year: Rising diesel prices, plus higher health insurance costs after Congress allowed enhanced ACA premium subsidies to expire.
The $50B Rural Health Transformation Program lacks transparency, which could make it difficult to protect against fraud, identify successful projects+ensure the program delivers on its promise to transform the system. Groups are calling for CMS to post more info. kffhealthnews.org/rural-health...
$50B Rural Health Transformation Program Needs More Transparency, Groups Say - KFF Health News
States must submit Rural Health Transformation Program progress reports to the federal government, but they aren’t required to proactively post those reports, or related information, publicly.
kffhealthnews.org
Great Plains Youth Club, a white supremacist group, hung up recruitment posters in downtown Rapid City. Some of their posters make their ideology clear but others mention issues (anti-zionism, anti-flock cameras) meant to draw non-white supremacists into their movement.
This is Karyann Parkinson and her five kids. She just received a 6-month suspended jail sentence and is now on Virginia's child abuse registry. Her crime: letting her 5-year-old, Sam, walk a half-mile alone in their gated community. She's not the first. A thread.
Local angle: South Dakota rejected my public records request+appeal to release its unredacted RHTP budget. But it (likely accidentally) shared a letter from an SD official to CMS saying that he hoped the agency would keep SD's application from public view: kffhealthnews.org/wp-content/u...
kffhealthnews.org
Arielle Zionts@ajzionts.bsky.social · last mo.The $50B Rural Health Transformation Program lacks transparency, which could make it difficult to protect against fraud, identify successful projects+ensure the program delivers on its promise to transform the system. Groups are calling for CMS to post more info. kffhealthnews.org/rural-health...
The $50B Rural Health Transformation Program lacks transparency, which could make it difficult to protect against fraud, identify successful projects+ensure the program delivers on its promise to transform the system. Groups are calling for CMS to post more info. kffhealthnews.org/rural-health...
$50B Rural Health Transformation Program Needs More Transparency, Groups Say - KFF Health News
States must submit Rural Health Transformation Program progress reports to the federal government, but they aren’t required to proactively post those reports, or related information, publicly.
kffhealthnews.org
People who’ve read The Gales of November, a newish book about the Edmund Fitzgerald: Me, my dad, my husband, my husband’s dad, my former editor, my kayaking guide.
NEW: Flock has said for years its cameras don’t identify or track people. We obtained the code for its police AI and rebuilt parts of it. The tool can find witnesses, surface associates, search people by race or physical description, and flag vehicles by how they move. W/ @dell.bsky.social
Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code
Flock’s surveillance cameras have already sparked outrage. WIRED reconstructed its next-generation AI system, already in use by some police, to confirm it goes much further than tracking license plate...
wired.com
The Israeli military acknowledged firing on a car carrying 5-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza after earlier denials as it opens a criminal probe into the January 2024 killing. https://cnn.it/3U6I6jU
Japan split its MMR shot in the 1990s. Mumps coverage fell to a third of kids. I spoke with New York magazine's Nia Prater. Save and send: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/trump-childhood-vaccine-mmr-order-celine-gounder-interview.html Read & subscribe for free: celinegounder.com
The feds+states are pushing AI through the Rural Health Transformation Program despite the lack of studies on AI in rural health settings. It's unclear how many states will be collecting+sharing outcomes. And rural people I spoke w/ were skeptical of AI. kffhealthnews.org/rural-health...
Patients Wary of Governments, Companies Pushing AI as a Rural Healthcare Solution - KFF Health News
The $50 billion federal Rural Health Transformation Program is set to flood rural America with new AI health tools. That’s despite little evidence on whether health-related AI can improve access to ca...
kffhealthnews.org
Historically, the NIH funded studies evaluating the health impacts of policies like Medicaid expansion, firearm regulations, and abortion limits. Now, top officials are flagging dozens of these grants as "lobbying" and leaving them in administrative limbo.