What's Happening
Politics
What's the Cost of Medicaid Work Requirements? Georgia Offers Clues
What's going on: In a push to pass the so-called “big, beautiful bill” before President Donald Trump’s July 4 deadline, the Senate began a “vote-a-rama” on Monday morning, giving lawmakers the chance to propose unlimited amendments. It had stretched more than 19 hours by early Tuesday. Democrats and critics seized the moment to stall, air grievances (though not as animatedly as Elon Musk), and force votes on controversial issues — including sweeping changes to health care. One such amendment aims to offset tax cuts by adding work requirements for certain Medicaid recipients. The proposal would require adults aged 19 to 64 to spend 80 hours a month working, training, studying, or volunteering — and prove it twice a year to stay covered (with some exemptions, like for pregnant people). The problem? Georgia already tried something similar — and it’s been a mess, according to ProPublica.
What it means: Georgia remains the only state with an active Medicaid work mandate, after Arkansas scrapped its version when more than 18,000 people lost coverage in just a few months — with no uptick in employment. Georgia’s rollout hasn’t gone much better. The state has faced enrollment issues, staffing shortages, costly verification systems, and long waits to approve benefits. Former state Medicaid officials told ProPublica that if Congress follows Georgia’s lead, taxpayers could be on the hook for hundreds of millions in administrative costs — and up to 16 million Americans risk losing coverage. While the Congressional Budget Office estimates 10 million low-income people in the US could lose health insurance, Republicans say kids, pregnant people, and elderly Americans in poverty would keep their coverage.
Related: To Build More Housing, California’s Rolling Back Key Environmental Rules (Politico)
US News
Texas Closes Major Loophole in Sexual Assault Prosecutions
Disclaimer: The following story mentions sexual assault, which could be triggering to some readers.
What’s going on: A legal loophole that made it nearly impossible for some rape and sexual assault survivors in Texas to seek justice has been closed. A new law, named after survivor and advocate Summer Willis, expands the state’s definition of consent. Willis says she was drugged and raped at a fraternity party in 2014, while she was a student-athlete at the University of Texas. Prosecutors told her the case didn’t qualify as sexual assault because she had accepted a drink — one she believes was laced — before the assault. Under the new measure, sexual assault now includes cases where “the other person cannot consent because of intoxication or impairment by any substance.” The change is part of a broader overhaul of Texas’s consent laws and takes effect this fall.
What it means: Texas’s move signals renewed cultural momentum at a time when the #MeToo movement has faced several setbacks. Earlier this month, Harvey Weinstein’s case in New York ended in a mistrial. And more men implicated in sexual misconduct have also begun suing for libel… and winning. Meanwhile, the new law could pave the way for more change, with at least 20 states still having intoxication loopholes, according to CNN. It’s also giving many survivors hope by acknowledging how often assaults happen in party settings, particularly on college campuses. As Willis put it: “I’ll never get justice from this bill. It’s not retroactive, but I know that every victim from the day of the signing … won’t have to be told it doesn’t count.”
Related: Jury Deliberations in the Diddy Trial Almost Immediately Hit a Roadblock (AP)
Politics
Trump's Big, Connected Citizenship Database
What's going on: The Trump administration quietly built a tool to check the citizenship status of every voter in America. According to NPR, the Department of Homeland Security upgraded a system originally used to verify immigration status for public benefits — enabling officials to cross-check entire voter rolls against immigration and Social Security data. It’s the first time the US has created a centralized, searchable database for verifying voter citizenship, according to NPR. And it’s part of a broader push from Trump’s team to build massive federal data systems — including DOGE and Palantir-powered tools that link records across agencies like the IRS, DHS, and more. The move also fits a narrative Trump has pushed for years: that widespread voter fraud by noncitizens is rigging elections — a claim with no evidence behind it.
What it means: The new tool could help confirm voter eligibility without asking people to produce passports or birth certificates. But it also raises red flags for civil rights and privacy advocates. Election officials and legal experts warn that the data may be unreliable, especially for newly naturalized citizens, since the systems were never designed for this purpose. A flawed check could wrongly flag voters, delay registrations, or even lead to unlawful purges. “If I believed this database was accurate… you’re damn right I would use it,” one election official said. “The question is, is the data usable?”
Related: DOJ Ramps Up Efforts To Strip Citizenship From Naturalized Americans With Criminal Records (The Guardian)
Your Political Briefing
The week in political chaos.
Original-ish: You’ve heard of the GOP’s “Project 2025.” Now, some Democrats are laying the groundwork for a “Project 2029.”
Big money: The Supreme Court’s jumping into another campaign finance fight — this time, over GOP efforts to lift limits on party spending. Brace for more ads.
“Noticeably Tweaked”: Disney’s Magic Kingdom officially unveiled its new Trump animatronic. Park-goers already have thoughts.
Watch Now
Settle This
This photo of Jessica Alba and her daughter looking unimpressed is going viral. Where are they?
(This poll is no longer available)
Extra Credit
Stream
Where there’s smoke, there’s a twisted new thriller. Based on real events chronicled in the popular Firebug podcast, the latest Apple TV+ series — aptly titled Smoke — follows Dave (Rocketman’s Taron Egerton), an arson investigator who teams up with troubled-yet-sharp detective Michelle (Lovecraft Country’s Jurnee Smollett) to hunt down two serial arsonists setting fire to the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Umberland. Created by novelist and screenwriter Dennis Lehane (of Shutter Island and Mystic River fame), expect cat-and-mouse chases, breathless twists, and slow-burning secrets.
For more recs...
Check out the Daily Skimm Weekend newsletter, in your inbox every Saturday and Sunday. We'll help you spend your leisure time well.
Game Time
Start your Tuesday off right with Typeshift, a fun new game that challenges you to create words from a set number of letters. Warning: It’s very addicting. Start playing.
Photos by Al Drago and Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images, Brand Partners, Apple TV+
Design by theSkimm
*PS: This is a sponsored post.
†Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription injection for temporary improvement in the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines) in adults less than 65 years of age. Please read full Important Safety Information, including Distant Spread of Toxin Effect Boxed Warning, linked here. This ad does not present a "fair balance" of information about the drug's risks compared with its benefits because the ad does not contain the required Brief Summary of information that includes the boxed warning and the important risks listed in the FDA-approved prescribing information.
‡Based on subject self-assessment. The onset of response at day 1 was 15% (16/105) in GL-1 and 33% (65/200) in GL-3. In the DREAM study, the onset of response at day 1 was 33% (66/200).
§GL-1 and GL-3 evaluated subjects for at least 150 days following treatment. Based on a ≥1-Grade GLSS improvement from baseline utilizing data from 2 double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled pivotal studies (GL-1, GL-3) in a post hoc analysis.
References:
1. Dysport prescribing information. Galderma Laboratories, LP; 2023.
2. Schlessinger J, Cohen JL, Shamban A, et al. A multicenter study to evaluate subject satisfaction with two treatments of AbobotulinumtoxinA a year in the glabellar lines. Dermotol Surg. 2021;47(4):504-509.
3. Rubin MG, Dover J, Glogau RG, Goldberg DJ, Goldman MP, Schlessinger J. The efficacy and safety of a new U.S. Botulinum toxin type A in the retreatment of glabellar lines following open-label treatment. J Drugs Dermatol. 2009;8(5):439-444.
4. Monheit GD, Baumann L, Maas C, Rand R, Down R. Efficacy, safety, and subject satisfaction after abobotulinumtoxinA treatment for moderate to severe glabellar lines. Dermotol Surg. 2020;46(1):61-69.
5. Brandt F, Swanson N, Baumann L, Huber B. Randomized, placebo-controlled study of a new botulinum toxin type A for treatment of glabellar lines: efficacy and safety. Dermotol Surg. 2009;35(12):1893-1901.
6. Data on file. MA-35497. Post hoc analysis. Fort Worth, TX: Galderma Laboratories, L.P., 2017.
Important Safety Information
Indication: Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription injection for temporary improvement in the look of moderate to severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines) in adults less than 65 years of age.
WARNING: DISTANT SPREAD OF TOXIN EFFECTS
What is the most important information you should know about Dysport? In some cases, the effects of Dysport and all botulinum toxin products may affect areas of the body away from the injection site. Symptoms can happen hours to weeks after injection and may include swallowing and breathing problems, loss of strength and muscle weakness all over the body, double vision, blurred vision and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, or loss of bladder control. Swallowing and breathing problems can be life threatening and there have been reports of death. You are at the highest risk if these problems are pre‐existing before injection. These effects could make it unsafe for you to drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.
Do not have Dysport treatment if you: are allergic to Dysport or any of its ingredients (see the end of the Medication Guide for a list of ingredients), are allergic to cow’s milk protein, had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product, such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Botox® (onabotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA), have a skin infection at the planned injection site, under 18 years of age, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The dose of Dysport is not the same as the dose of any other botulinum toxin product and cannot be compared to the dose of any other product you may have used.
Tell your doctor about any swallowing or breathing difficulties and all your muscle or nerve conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease], myasthenia gravis, or Lambert‐Eaton syndrome, which may increase the risk of serious side effects including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing. Serious allergic reactions have occurred with the use of Dysport. Dry eye has also been reported.
Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you have surgical changes to your face, very weak muscles in the treatment area, any abnormal facial change, injection site inflammation, droopy eyelids or sagging eyelid folds, deep facial scars, thick oily skin, wrinkles that can’t be smoothed by spreading them apart, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant or breastfeed.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins and herbal and other natural products. Using Dysport with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines while taking Dysport without talking to your doctor first.
Especially tell your doctor if you: have received any other botulinum toxin product, such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Botox® (onabotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA), in the last four months or any in the past (be sure your doctor knows exactly which product you received), have recently received an antibiotic by injection, take muscle relaxants, take an allergy or cold medicine, or take a sleep medicine.
Common Side Effects
The most common side effects include nose and throat irritation, injection site pain, upper respiratory infection, blood in urine, headache, injection site reaction, eyelid swelling, eyelid drooping, sinus infection, and nausea.
Ask your doctor if Dysport is right for you.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1‐800‐FDA‐1088.
Please see Dysport Full Prescribing Information including Medication Guide at DysportUSA.com.
Live Smarter
Sign up for the Daily Skimm email newsletter. Delivered to your inbox every morning and prepares you for your day in minutes.