Episode #46 Deep Dive – Justice on the Ballot in Wisconsin
A deep dive into this week's episode of Paging America
››› Casey Means’ Surgeon General nomination may be in trouble
Following her weird and wild Senate confirmation hearing last week, several outlets are reporting that her chances of becoming Trump’s pick for “the Nation’s Doctor” are all but certain.
Senators of both parties pressed Means on her views about vaccines at the hearing. Means did not commit to promoting them and now has to convince at least two skeptical Republicans to back her nomination: Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who told POLITICO they haven’t decided how they’ll vote. [...]
The Republican-controlled Senate has turned back very few of Trump’s nominees. But one of the first was Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… The White House withdrew the nomination of former Florida GOP Rep. Dave Weldon last March after Murkowski and Collins raised concerns about his vaccine views.
You may recall that Collins was particularly concerned about Means’ promotion of magic mushrooms during the hearing.
››› James Talarico wins the Democratic US Senate primary in Texas
The Austin, Texas state representative beat out U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett by nearly seven points. Talarico will now face off against the winner of the May 26th Republican runoff election, either incumbent John Cornyn or conservative supervillain Ken Paxton. Cornyn is considered an establishment Republican at a time when voters on the right are done with the establishment.
Serving in congressional leadership used to be considered an advantage back home and a badge of honor. But President Trump’s hard-right base despises the political establishment. To many of them, Mr. Cornyn’s leadership record makes him a card-carrying member of the detested “uniparty,” which they see as a Washington cabal of politicians looking out for themselves rather than their constituents.
Paxton has been the Texas Attorney General for over a decade and as extreme as a Republican can get. He’s also as corrupt as they can get and was actually impeached by the Texas House of Representatives in 2023. He’s particularly extreme when it comes to abortion access and even gave his employees a paid vacation day when Roe v. Wade was overturned. He has sued several out-of-state abortion providers for providing abortion pills to Texas women and is pressing Congress to pass a federal law to stop shield laws in abortion-friendly states.
Talarico, in very sharp contrast to Cornyn and Paxton, is strongly in favor of codifying Roe and is strong on a wide array of health care-related issues like:
Health care as a right
Medicare for All
Protecting and improving the ACA
Reforming the prior authorization system
Protecting rural hospitals
Addressing the medical debt crisis
Click HERE to see what he recently said about his positions on health care.
Transcript:
REPORTER: If you had to tell voters about one vote you’ve taken or one idea you’ve championed as they’re voting in this primary, what would you tell them?
TALARICO: I’m a Type 1 diabetic. When I was first diagnosed, my insulin cost me $684. I worked across the aisle with Republicans to pass the first ever cap on insulin co-pays in state history, capping insulin at $25 per prescription. I beat Big Pharma by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to pass real reform. And that’s the kind of action we need in the US Senate
REPORTER: How do you handle healthcare if elected, you know, to the US Senate?
TALARICO: Well, I think we need universal coverage. We need to make sure that we protect rural hospitals. We need to make sure that everyone can see a doctor when they need one. That’s what I’ll fight for as our next US senator.
››› It’s been another week of RFK Jr. saying and doing bizarre things…
Let’s review. First, during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast last week, he told Rogan, “I think I was born with ADHD, and back then they weren’t diagnosing it,. But I was bouncing off walls and I did so poorly in school.”
But then he found heroin, apparently…
Then, Kennedy had his “Let them eat steak” (as long as it’s CHEAP steak) moment. During an event hosted by MAHA Action, he said people should eat liver and cheap cuts of steak to address affordability concerns of eating healthy. “Most of the cheap cuts of meat are very inexpensive… If you buy, you know, a porterhouse steak, it’s going to, it is going to take you back. You can buy liver or the cheaper cuts of steak that are very, very affordable.”
Finally, Kennedy used his official government Twitter account to show his utter lack of seriousness by promoting a fake RFK Jr. action figure.
It’s no wonder that prestigious medical journal The Lancet excoriated Kennedy in an op-ed titled, “Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure”, saying, “The destruction that Kennedy has wrought in 1 year might take generations to repair, and there is little hope for US health and science while he remains at the helm.”
››› Deductibles for ACA plans could be as high as $31K for families
The Trump administration’s proposed new rules for Obamacare plans next year would shift more health care costs to Americans, with much higher deductibles that could lead to larger medical bills. [...]
Dr. Oz’s new proposal would allow one kind of health plan to raise the annual deductible to more than $15,000 for an individual and $31,000 for a family… The individual deductible would be eight times the average for someone with job-based insurance.
The Orange County Register reports that:
CalOptima, Orange County’s health insurance program for the poor, has seen a plunge in membership since summer, which advocates attribute to the effects of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies and sweeping changes to Medi-Cal.
More than 26,500 CalOptima members have left since the start of the year, dropping the total enrollment to roughly 822,000 in mid-February, according to data shared by the agency. Some 15,000 people dropped from the health plan just in February.
Meanwhile, JD Vance claims that rural hospitals closing is Biden’s fault:
REPORTER: Rural hospitals in Wisconsin are struggling. Closures are creating healthcare deserts. What can be done federally to keep hospitals open?
JD VANCE: Unfortunately, this, like so much of what’s going on in the country right now, is a problem we inherited from the previous administration
Links for a deeper dive on Episode #45
POLITICO: Trump’s surgeon general pick, Casey Means, still lacks votes for confirmation
Sign the Committee’s letter to stop Casey Means from becoming Surgeon General: ProtectMed.org/caseymeans
AXIOS: James Talarico wins Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas
The New York Times: Three Reasons John Cornyn Is Fighting for His Political Life
Houston Public Media: AG Ken Paxton sues more out-of-state providers for allegedly shipping abortion pills to Texas
James Talarico on health care
Rep. James Talarico discusses health care costs, term limits in run for U.S. Senate
MedPage Today: RFK Jr. Says He Has ADHD
The Hill: RFK Jr. suggests buying liver or ‘cheap cuts’ instead of steak
RFK Jr. promotes fake action figure HERE
The Lancet: Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure
The New York Times: New A.C.A. Plans Could Increase Family Deductibles to $31,000
The Orange County Register: CalOptima reports steep membership drop as providers brace for surge in uninsured patients
JD Vance blames rural hospital closures on Biden HERE
State Court Report: State Supreme Court Races to Watch in 2026
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: In the Supreme Court race between Taylor and Lazar, ‘undecided’ leads
Marquette Today: New Marquette Law School Poll finds large majorities of Wisconsin voters undecided on candidates for state Supreme Court, governor
Spectrum News 1: State Supreme Court candidates look ahead to April election
PBS Wisconsin: Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor face off in the 2026 election for an open Wisconsin Supreme Court seat
Ballotpedia: Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2026
Donate to Judge Chris Taylor’s campaign HERE
Volunteer to help get out the vote for Judge Chris Taylor’s campaign HERE
Dr. Kristin Lyerly’s Substack is HERE