Faulty reasoning signals

• Negativity Bias - 53.3%
• Biased Writer Voice - 37.8%
• Framing Effect - 32.1%

Article text

Newsom's Medi-Cal Backfill Plan and the White House's Grip on Science Funding

A proposed tax bill could raise premiums on privately insured Californians, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes aim at medical journals.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hold a news conference about the government prescription drug program TrumpRx.gov in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on May 18, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Trump's H.R. 1 policy bill made deep cuts to Medi-Cal, the state's version of Medicaid. After weeks of debate in Sacramento over how to fund the program, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget with a tax plan that could raise premiums by $100 a year for privately insured Californians. KQED's Lesley McClurg and Guy Marzorati discuss why this has become such a political battleground.

Then, Lesley talks with KFF's chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner about the state of scientific research. The Trump administration is moving to give political appointees more power over who receives federal science and health grants, blocking funding for research that doesn't align with the president's policy priorities. Plus, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has escalated his fight with medical journals, calling them "corrupt" and threatening to prosecute them.

Check out ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Political Breakdown's weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠⁠⁠, delivered straight to your inbox.