George Texs blog

Saying it was another example of the state cutting unnecessary red tape and eliminating unwieldy regulations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came to a wine shop in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday to sign legislation that will allow Floridians to purchase bottles of wine up to 15 liters in size. Under current state law, wine distributors and manufacturers are allowed to sell wine to other distributors and manufacturers in containers of any size, but regular Floridians are prohibited from purchasing wine in containers larger than one gallon. Under the new law ( HB 583 ), wine will be allowed for purchase up to 15 liters, which is almost four gallons, according to the legislation. “Prior to signing this bill, a bottle like this was not able to be sold in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said, pointing toward larger sized bottles ranging from 6 to 15 liters. “We want our businesses to thrive, we want our consumers to be happy, and if that means that they want to buy and sell a big ‘ole bottl...

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Thursday that two articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be sent to the U.S. Senate in early April when senators return from recess. “We call upon you to fulfill your constitutional obligation to hold this trial,” Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, wrote in a  letter  to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. “The American people demand a secure border, an end to this crisis, and accountability for those responsible,” said Johnson. “To table articles of impeachment without ever hearing a single argument or reviewing a piece of evidence would be a violation of our constitutional order and an affront to the American people whom we all serve.” With Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate, it’s unlikely Mayorkas will be removed from office. But the push for a trial is a mark of House Republicans’ escalation of their opposition to the White Ho...

Americans are still worried about their financial stability even as their recession fears lessen. High prices at the grocery store and consumers’ memories of their pre-pandemic budgets may be playing a role. Here’s what financial and economic experts have to say about what this week’s economic indicators tell us about people’s perception of the economy. What is driving consumer confidence? The Consumer Confidence Index,  released  by the business nonprofit and research organization the Conference Board, is a survey indicating how optimistic or pessimistic consumers feel about their financial well-being and the economy. The Consumer Confidence Index fell slightly in March from 104.8 to 104.7, well below some economist expectations of  106.5 . Although consumers’ perception of the likelihood of a recession fell this month, consumers were less confident about their family’s financial situation in the next six months. The percentage of consumers who expected their incomes to fall...

Gov. Ron DeSantis has claimed victory now that a federal trial court has upheld his demolition of a Black-controlled Congressional District in North Florida, but the price includes a withering denunciation: That he was willing to cut Black voting strength to put more Republicans in office. A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida ruled Wednesday that the organizations and individual voters challenging the governor’s congressional redistricting plan two years ago had failed to demonstrate that the Legislature acted out of racial discrimination. Ron DeSantis. Credit: Governor’s office But Judge Adalberto Jordan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, who participated in the lower court proceedings, concluded in a concurring opinion that DeSantis “acted with race as a motivating factor (among others) in drawing and pushing through” his congressional redistricting plan. Another panel member, Allen Winsor of the Norther...

Suspense over the future of the proposed abortion-rights state constitutional amendment deepened Thursday when the Florida Supreme Court let the day pass without ruling on whether the measure can appear on the November ballot. The same applies to a separate proposed amendment to allow adult use of cannabis. The rulings were highly anticipated on the day of the week when the court typically releases written opinions, but the court’s press office issued a notice at 11 a.m.: “There are no Florida Supreme Court opinions ready for release today, March 28, 2024.” The Florida Constitution gives the court a deadline of April 1 to rule on whether any citizens’ initiative meet the requirements for that November’s ballot placement — Monday. The court will be closed on Friday in observance of Good Friday. “We can expect an out of calendar opinion release,” Democratic House member Anna Eskamani of Orange County wrote on X — meaning all bets are off in terms of timing. The text of the ...

Smallpox was certified eradicated in 1980, but I first learned about the disease’s twisty, storied history in 1996 while interning at the World Health Organization. As a college student in the 1990s, I was fascinated by the sheer magnitude of what it took to wipe a human disease from the earth for the first time. Over the years, I’ve turned to that history over and over, looking for inspiration and direction on how to be more ambitious when confronting public health threats of my day. In the late 1990s, I had the opportunity to meet some of the health care professionals and other eradication campaign workers who helped stop the disease. I came to see that the history of this remarkable achievement had been told through the eyes mostly of white men from the United States, what was then the Soviet Union, and other parts of Europe. But I knew that there was more to tell, and I worried that the stories of legions of local public health workers in South Asia could be lost forever....

Bart Klion, 95, and his wife, Barbara, faced a tough choice in January: The upstate New York couple learned that this year they could keep either their private, Medicare Advantage insurance plan — or their doctors at Saratoga Hospital. The Albany Medical Center system, which includes their hospital, is leaving the Klions’ Humana plan — or, depending on which side is talking, the other way around. The breakup threatened to cut the couple’s lifeline to cope with serious chronic health conditions. Klion refused to pick the lesser of two bad options without a fight. He contacted Humana, the Saratoga hospital, and the health system. The couple’s doctors “are an exceptional group of caregivers and have made it possible for us to live an active and productive life,” he wrote to the hospital’s CEO. He called his wife’s former employer, which requires its retirees to enroll in a Humana Medicare Advantage plan to receive company health benefits. He also contacted the New York StateWide...

Count U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor among Floridians disappointed that the Florida Supreme Court has yet to weigh in on two major issues regarding abortion rights. Start with the much-anticipated decision about whether a constitutional amendment on abortion rights will be on the ballot this November. The high court informed the public shortly after 11 a.m. on Thursday that there would not be any legal opinions released that day, despite rampant speculation that the time to decide would finally be at hand. At about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the court reported on X that the Florida Supreme Court will release “out-of-calendar opinions” at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 1, 2024. That could mean an abortion ruling related to a constitutional amendment on abortion rights as well as an amendment on adult use of recreational cannabis. In addition, it’s also been more than six months since the Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding the legal challenge to the 15-week abortion ban that wa...

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ authoritarian approach to governing is losing relevance with Floridians, and the tide seems to be turning in Florida. A year ago, we saw bill after bill restricting our freedoms being fast-tracked through the legislature and signed into law by DeSantis. These laws were part of the governor’s “anti-woke” crusade — including government restrictions on speech and expression, government restrictions on access to health care, and government censorship in public schools, workplaces and our institutions of higher education. Bills passed that created barriers to voting, targeted our immigrant communities, and banned books. These laws were unpopular with Floridians and the rest of the country. And they have caused tremendous harm to Floridians, our workforce, and our freedoms. But this year’s session was different. The backlash against the governor’s extremist agenda has been loud and fierce. After seeing the devastating impacts of government control over reproduc...

A bill introduced in the Alabama House would make it a crime for those helping individuals under the age of 18 get an abortion without informing a parent or guardian. HB 378 , sponsored Rep. Mark Gidley, R-Hokes Bluff, would make it as Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, “for any person, with the intent to conceal an abortion from a minor’s parents or guardian to harbor or transport a minor girl and obtain, or aid and abet her in obtaining, an abortion or abortion-inducing drug.” Parents would also have the right to sue under the measure. Gidley said over the phone Wednesday that there are changes being made to the bill, and he wouldn’t be able to discuss the bill until next week, when the Legislature returns from spring break. “I’m not at a place where I can discuss the bill yet,” he said. Medical emergency cases or with a judicial waiver of the consent would be exempt, and minors would also be exempt from criminal penalties or civil liability against ...

Céline Gounder, KFF Health News’ senior fellow and editor-at-large for public health, discussed the 2024 U.S. measles outbreak on WAMU’s “A1” on March 26. Click here to hear Gounder on “A1.” KFF Health News former senior editor Andy Miller discussed Medicaid expansion on the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Politically Georgia” on March 22. Click here to hear Miller on “Politically Georgia.” Read Miller and Renuka Rayasam’s “ Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirements Costing Taxpayers Millions Despite Low Enrollment .” KFF Health News rural health care correspondent Arielle Zionts discussed Montana as an island of abortion access on WVON 1690AM’s “America’s Heroes Group podcast” on March 16. Click here to hear Zionts on “America’s Heroes Group podcast.” Read Zionts’ “ Montana, an Island of Abortion Access, Preps for Consequential Elections and Court Decisions .” KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and...