Two-thirds of Americans now support Medicare for All, up from 50% in 2020. Even a third of Republicans are on board. This week, Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson break down the new KFF polling, why the topline number comes with a glass jaw, and what it means heading into the midterms.
The MAHA coalition keeps cracking. A group of RFK Jr’s former allies, including his ex-campaign fundraiser and former chief speechwriter, released a scorecard grading the Trump administration on its MAHA promises. The score: zero promises kept.
Sen. Ron Wyden is raising alarms over a possible quid pro quo between the kratom industry, RFK Jr.’s HHS, and a cabinet official with a financial stake in the market. In Florida, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo wants four vaccines dropped from the school schedule, and Rob explains what’s at stake.
We also recap two heated Senate debates. In Michigan, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed faced Mike Rogers, and both hosts give El-Sayed the edge for keeping the focus on voters while Rogers leaned on Islamophobic attacks. In Georgia, Sen. Jon Ossoff took on Rep. Mike Collins, and Rob calls his performance surgical for bringing the receipts without raising his voice. One of the reasons that these debates feel so different now: Democrats on stage genuinely don’t like their opponents, and Republicans are still in lockstep with Trump.
Then, our interview with Dr. Paul Offit. A pediatrician and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Offit helped develop a rotavirus vaccine that saves an estimated 165,000 lives a year worldwide. He sits down with Rob for a long-form conversation about the success of vaccines, where things stand today, and where they may be headed. It’s a timely listen as Florida moves to pull vaccines from its school schedule, and a good palate cleanser if you’re deep in the election news cycle.
LINKS
The Guardian’s live debate coverage (featuring quotes from Dr. Rob Davidson)
Rob interviewed by WDIV
The Collegiate: Supporters Crowd the street outside of the Senatorial Debate Prior to its Start
Trump in Arizona: I’m a frickin’ genius
Trump in Arizona: You’re collateral damage
KFF: KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Issues in the Lead-Up to the 2026 Midterm Election
The Hill: Poll: 43 percent support ‘Medicare for all’
NBC News: MAHA loyalists accuse Trump administration of ‘broken promises’
The Hill: GOP priorities alienate MAHA supporters
Daily Caller (via AOL.com): White House Denies Report Officials Told Attorney General To Stall Anti-Abortion Actions Until After Midterms
Just the News: ‘Fool’s gold’: Pro-life groups trash FDA abortion pill safety review as sham after details exposed
US Senate Committee on Finance: Wyden Investigates Trump and RFK Jr. Corruption Favoring Big Tobacco and Kratom Companies
Sen. Wyden’s letter to RFK Jr.
STAT: Senate inquiry suggests Trump administration softened kratom and tobacco policies in quid pro quo
WIRED: The Kratom Civil War Is Heating Up, and MAHA Has Picked a Side
The Hill: HHS endorses DEA move to schedule synthetic kratom extracts
Drug Enforcement Agency: DEA to Temporarily Schedule 7-OH and Related Substances to Protect Public Safety
POLITICO: Florida health officials meet amid fierce debate over childhood vaccine plans
ABC News: Florida surgeon general says state is moving to ‘end all vaccine mandates’
Florida Phoenix: Ladapo: Eliminating vaccine mandates isn’t about science, it’s about parents’ rights
Click Orlando: Florida Department of Health backs off vaccine exemption expansion
Dr. Paul Offit’s Substack
Dr. Paul Offit’s website
Dr. Paul Offit on LinkedIn
Dr. Paul Offit on Twitter/X
Dr. Paul Offit on TikTok
Dr. Paul Offit on Instagram
Dr. Paul Offit on Threads
Dr. Paul Offit on BlueSky
Dr. Paul Offit on Facebook
Beyond the Noise: Like the Velociraptors in Jurassic Park, RFK Jr. Is Learning
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