Adam Lynch, Alternet

Predatory, short-term insurance plans are waiting in the wings to scoop up desperate Americans losing their insurance this year, but consultants say most people should steer clear of them.

Thanks to efforts by President Donald Trump and the Republican party, Obamacare health subsidies are set to expire this year, leaving millions of people with soaring insurance costs. The Trump administration is suggesting newly abandoned Americans enroll in “short-term” plans as an alternative to plans sold under Obamacare, but unlike most insurance, these plans are not required to cover preexisting conditions or even basic needs such as maternity care and mental health.

“Their coverage is so full of holes that five states have banned their sale, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group. Even some major insurers have questioned whether relying on the short-term plans is a good idea, warning that many consumers could mistake them for comprehensive coverage,” the Post reports....

The Guardian reports roughly 30 Christian white clergy, including pastors, seminary students and other faith leaders, are filing or have already filed to be Democratic candidates in next year’s midterm elections.

“I … think the stereotypes of Republicans being pro-faith are bull—— …,” said Justin Douglas, who is running for a House seat in Pennsylvania. “We’re seeing a current administration bastardize faith almost every day. They used the Lord’s Prayer in a propaganda video for what they’re now calling the Department of War. That should have had every single evangelical’s bells and whistles and alarms going off in their head: this is sacrilegious.”

Douglas, 41, is among a new generation of the Christian left looking to evolve the Democratic brand beyond college-educated urbanites and connect it with white working-class churchgoers. This, said the Guardian, breaks the traditional racial divide between Republicans and Democrats with Black pastors who run for office typically bring Democrats and their white counterparts often Republicans. For years, that divide has strengthened the Republican brand among the religious right and evangelical voters....

The Washington Post reports Trump-style divisiveness is infiltrating the nation in its smallest communities.

Palmyra police chief Paul Blount reports a “growing sense of unease” in his tiny town of 1,719 tucked between Milwaukee and Madison.

“Given the climate and recent media headlines, we are taking the following precautionary measures for this weekend’s event,” Blount had warned members of the Palmyra board in the days before homecoming weekend. He’d even taken to using neighboring county drones to scan the rooftops for threats. “My team and I are proactively preparing for the worst-case scenarios while continuing to hope for the best.”...

Ten days since the 2025 elections and President Donald Trump and his allies are reeling, reports Newsweek columnist Jesus Mesa.

“… [a] series of political blows [have] left his allies rattled, his base divided, and his once-durable administration suddenly strained,” said Mesa, explaining that the pain began with different Republican factions clawing one another after a bad off-year election.

“We got our a—— handed to us,” said Trump ally and failed Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy of the 2025 elections....

NBC News reports the FBI threw cold water on a popular right-wing conspiracy that a former Capitol Police officer was a potential match for the suspect who planted pipe bombs at the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“In a letter to a Republican congressman who leads a new committee investigating Jan. 6, the FBI explained that it had been tracking a separate person of interest who took photos near the RNC on Jan. 5 and then took the Metro back to his friend's home, where he was staying to attend a Jan. 6 rally,” NBC reports. “The FBI said it had focused on the home because the person taking the photos used the homeowner's SmartTrip card on the Metro.”

That congressman, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), posted a section of the letter on X....