From the States
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CA has doubled its spending on drugs since 2018 due to weight loss drugs, illegal immigrants
Gavin Newsom’s administration has reported that half of the doubling in Medi-Cal costs over the past six years has been from expanding coverage to illegal immigrants.
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IMF says global economy to slow as Trump re-orders global trade with tariffs
The IMF report projected global growth will reach 2.8% this year and 3% next year, a cumulative downgrade of about 0.8 percentage points relative to the IMF's January update.
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GA Senator Warnock accused of ethics violation regarding his 'luxury home'
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, an ethics organization, is accusing Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of accepting housing from his church and not including it on financial disclosures.
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Florida state troopers, Homeland Security have enforcement pact in Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis says deal allows state law enforcement officials to execute the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement's power to deport.
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Meth seizures continue at southern Arizona port
Between both seizures, the “estimated street value” is nearly $154,000.
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Illinois quick hits: Chicago mayor to testify about sanctuary status
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer said that the mayors of Chicago, Boston, Denver and New York City have confirmed their attendance to testify at a full committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on March 5.
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Vital helicopter tracking system was turned off at time of plane collision in DC, Cruz says
The Federal Aviation Administration describes the system as “advanced surveillance technology that combines an aircraft’s positioning source, aircraft avionics, and ground infrastructure to create an accurate surveillance interface between aircraft" and air traffic control.
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Bill to remove medical debt from credit scores in Washington moves forward
Senate Bill 5480 doesn’t erase medical debt completely but it "declares a medical debt void and unenforceable if it is reported to a consumer credit reporting agency or credit bureau,” according to a Senate Bill Report.
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Federal officials visit California to evaluate Los Angeles fire recovery
Rick Grenell, who represented the White House, apparently lashed out after hearing that subcontractors for debris removal were being delayed by trying to find “the right mix” in terms of diversity requirements.
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California town proposes spending $81K per unsheltered homeless, only 8% on shelter
Notably, only 8% of the proposed $9.1 million budget is for homeless shelters, with a third of the money going to rental assistance payments, a quarter to the police department’s homeless outreach team and another sixth going to case management.
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State AG says CA hospitals must continue transitioning minors, citing anti-discrimination laws
CA AG Rob Bonta issued guidance warning hospitals that withholding “hormone therapies” and “gender-affirming surgeries” from minors are in violation of state law if they offer similar interventions to “cisgender” individuals.
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New strain of bird flu infections found in Nevada herds of dairy cattle; 1st time in US
Bird flu can be transmitted from infected birds to other animals and potentially humans directly from the birds, virus-contaminated environments or an infected animal, according to the CDC.
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US taxpayer dollars have supported foreign competition of domestic shrimpers
Fishermen and shrimpers in the United States have been in a decades-long battle with the very institutions meant to protect them, specifically the U.S. Treasury Department and its World Bank delegation.