The U.S. Coast Guard recommended on Monday that ships update their cybersecurity in the wake of a malware attack on a “deep draft vessel” in February that “significantly degraded” its computer system.

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In a marine safety alert, the Coast Guard wrote that the vessel involved in the February cyber incident was inbound to the Port of New York and New Jersey during an international trip when it reported that its onboard network was being impacted by a cyber incident. 

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The Coast Guard responded, and after an analysis conducted alongside an “interagency team of cyber experts” concluded that while the functionality of the boat’s computer system was impacted, control systems were not. The computer system was used for managing cargo data and communicating with the Coast Guard and shore-side facilities.

The Coast Guard noted, however, that “the vessel was operating without effective cybersecurity measures in place, exposing critical vessel control systems to significant vulnerabilities.”

While the Coast Guard wrote that the overall state of cybersecurity on ships and other vessels is “unknown,” this incident highlighted the dangers faced in a time of increasing digitization.

“With engines that are controlled by mouse clicks, and growing reliance on electronic charting and navigation systems, protecting these systems with proper cybersecurity measures is as essential as controlling physical access to the ship or performing routine maintenance on traditional machinery,” the Coast Guard wrote. 

As a result, the agency recommended that other vessels take steps to bolster cybersecurity including segmenting networks to make it harder for malicious actors to gain access, creating network logins for every employee onboard instead of a general login, patching vulnerabilities and installing antivirus software. 

“Maintaining effective cybersecurity is not just an IT issue, but is rather a fundamental operational imperative in the 21st century maritime environment,” the Coast Guard said.

Senators from both parties are unhappy with new Trump administration rules giving political appointees at two government agencies more power to review public information requests, and they say they may craft legislation to fix it.

The new rules for considering Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests at the Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency have provoked complaints from the media and outside groups, and the senators say they go in the opposite direction in terms of providing access to government records.

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“In a self-governed society, the people ought to know what their government is up to,” said Sen. Charles GrassleyCharles (Chuck) Ernest GrassleyHillicon Valley: Trump gets pushback after reversing course on Huawei | China installing surveillance apps on visitors’ phones | Internet provider Cloudflare suffers outage | Consumer groups look to stop Facebook cryptocurrency GOP senators press Pompeo on Boeing satellite sales to Chinese firms GOP lawmakers press Trump to cut deal with China at G-20 MORE (R-Iowa), who has led the charge on this issue and is considering legislation. 

“Transparency laws like the Freedom of Information Act help provide access to information in the face of an opaque and obstinate government. Unfortunately, a recent Supreme Court ruling and new regulations at EPA and the Department of Interior are undermining access,” he said in a late June speech on the Senate floor.

“The public’s work ought to be public. So, I’m working on legislation to address these developments and promote access to government records.”

Sen. Ed MarkeyEdward (Ed) John MarkeyUN official: US can’t ignore that climate change will force 120 million people into poverty Lawmakers talk legislation in response to FOIA changes Study touts planting 1 trillion trees as most effective climate change solution MORE (D-Mass.) is also considering legislation in response to the new rules.

“We are exploring our options, including legislative, to limit awareness review and supplemental awareness review,” a spokesperson for his office told The Hill.

The new rules ushered in at Interior and the EPA could give the agencies more flexibility to deny public document requests.

Interior during the government shutdown in December proposed a new rule that allows political appointees the option to see requests related to them before they are released. The new rule is called an “awareness review.”

The EPA at the end of June released a final FOIA rule that, among other things, expands the number of political appointees who can approve or deny FOIA requests. The agency argued the rule did not have to be subjected to a public comment period and that the changes were not substantial.

The same week, the Supreme Court issued a blow to FOIA advocates, ruling that private businesses did not have to divulge proprietary information under public information act requests regardless of whether there was any anticipated harm from the release.

The new FOIA rules at Interior and the EPA have alarmed environmental groups, who are calling for Congress to get involved.

“We’ve seen some really troubling attacks on transparency and the Freedom of Information Act, specifically of late,” said Emily Manna, a policy analyst at Open the Government, a group that’s been working with Grassley’s office on possible legislation.

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“It’s important to us to try to achieve some bipartisan FOIA reform to achieve those issues. We’ve been working closly with FOIA champions in the Senate and House to come up with those solutions,” she said.

It’s not clear what other senators might be working with Grassley, though several of his colleagues signed on to a letter earlier this year decrying moves away from transparency in the FOIA process.

Grassley and Sens. Patrick LeahyPatrick Joseph LeahyLawmakers talk legislation in response to FOIA changes Senate Democrat: Interior secretary ignored questions about funding for Trump’s July 4 celebration Border aid fallout tests Pelosi-Schumer relationship MORE (D-Vt.), John CornynJohn CornynLawmakers talk legislation in response to FOIA changes Senate GOP raises concerns about White House stopgap plan to avoid shutdown GOP senator threatens to change banks after Bank of America cuts ties with detention centers MORE (R-Texas) and Dianne FeinsteinDianne Emiel FeinsteinLawmakers talk legislation in response to FOIA changes Senate Democrats wish talk on reparations would go away Democratic senator introduces bill to ban gun silencers MORE (D-Calif.) in March raised concerns about what they deemed a culture of secrecy coming from the federal government.

In a letter to the Justice Department’s Office of Information Policy, the senators highlighted a number of issues, including a lack of response from agencies over requests and month-long delays that often lead to FOIA lawsuits.

“We write to express concern about recent trends in FOIA compliance and reports indicating a continued culture of reflexive secrecy across the government,” the letter read.

Manna pointed to the fact that EPA did not provide a public comment period for its FOIA rule as one of the troubling trends her group would like to see addressed in any FOIA amendment. She also noted the recent Supreme Court FOIA case as an issue they’d like to address.

“FOIA champions and folks who are supportive of FOIA transparency in general, share the concern that the Supreme Court decision is going to severely limit the kinds of information the public can get from private companies who are giving info to the federal government — that is very troubling,” she said.

It is not uncommon for the laws that set the basis for FOIA to be amended. Congress passed the latest version of the FOIA law in 2016. It was that bill that EPA is using as the basis for its updated FOIA regulations.

But reforming the FOIA rule to bind the influence of political appointees across government agencies could come in various forms, experts say.

“FOIA has specific deadline provisions. What a legislative fix could do is specify what conditions are not legal, for those deadlines to be met. They could specify that only under these exceptions could these deadlines be pushed back. A legislative fix could also explicitly provide for the fact that political appointees are not allowed to take part in FOIA determinations,” said Yvonne Chi, associate attorney for Earthjustice.

“It would definitely be an amendment to FOIA, those aren’t that uncommon,” Kevin Bell, staff counsel for the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, on what shape a bill would have to take. 

“With an amendment there’s a lot of ground to cover. I think a lot of people looking at this are thinking, ‘What is my wish list.’”

Bell said the fact that Republicans are involved show that support for open records laws spans both sides of the aisle.

“I think that Republicans in Congress are aware of the fact that no matter who is in control of the presidency, they want a strong Freedom of Information Act law. There is always something that you can be FOIAing someone for, whether you are left or right,” he said. 

“Once a new administration comes down the line sometime, I think that everyone knows that they are going to want to be able to ask the same questions and be guaranteed by the statute they will get answers.”

 

 

North Korea has reportedly appointed a former ambassador to head denuclearization talks with the U.S., a diplomatic source in South Korea told Reuters on Friday. 

The source reportedly told the new organization that the North Koreans told the Americans at their Sunday meeting that former ambassador to Vietnam Kim Myong Gil would become a courterpart to U.S. Special Representative Stephen Biegun.

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South Korean media, also citing anonymous diplomatic sources, reported Thursday that Kim Myong Gil would take on the role previously held by Kim Hyok Chol, who was Biegun’s counterpart at the U.S.-North Korea summit in Vietnam that failed to produce a deal between the countries.  

During their Sunday meeting, President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump considering executive order on citizenship question for Census US women’s soccer star Alex Morgan says verdict on Trump White House invite will be team decision China renews demands that US lift all tariffs for trade deal MORE and North Korean Leader Kim Jong UnKim Jong UnBiden: There will be ‘no NATO’ if Trump is reelected North Korea appoints former ambassador as new point man in US negotiations: report Trump’s Independence Day salute: Five things to watch MORE agreed to start talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 

“Speed is not the object. We want to see if we can do a really comprehensive, good deal,” Trump told reporters. “This was a great day. This was a very legendary, very historic day.”

According to Reuters, he also said that Kim was putting someone in charge of the negotiations “who we know and like”, but did not name the person.

Leaders from the two countries previously met in February, but negotiations broke down.

British marines reportedly seized an Iranian oil tanker Thursday for attempting to transport oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.

The tanker was impounded in Gibraltar on the southern tip of Spain after sailing around Africa, according to Reuters.

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Though the ship flies a Panama flag and is listed as managed by a Singaporean company, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador to declare “its very strong objection to the illegal and unacceptable seizure.”

The Gibraltar government said it had good reason to believe the tanker was carrying crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria.

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“That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria,” Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told Reuters. “With my consent, our port and law enforcement agencies sought the assistance of the Royal Marines in carrying out this operation.”

Europe has banned oil shipments to Syria since the start of its civil war in 2011 but has never before seized a tanker.

“This is the first time that the EU has done something so public and so aggressive. I imagine it was also coordinated in some manner with the U.S. given that NATO member forces have been involved,” Matthew Oresman, a partner with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman who advises firms on sanctions, told Reuters.

“This is likely to have been meant as a signal to Syria and Iran — as well as the U.S. — that Europe takes sanctions enforcement seriously and that the EU can also respond to Iranian brinkmanship related to ongoing nuclear negotiations.”

The EU’s sanctions on sending oil to Iran are separate from stringent U.S. sanctions imposed against Iran’s oil industry and top Iranian officials. 

The news comes as the EU tries to work with Tehran to keep it within the bounds of the Obama-era nuclear pact from which President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump considering executive order on citizenship question for Census US women’s soccer star Alex Morgan says verdict on Trump White House invite will be team decision China renews demands that US lift all tariffs for trade deal MORE withdrew the U.S. last year.

Tehran recently announced that it would continue enriching uranium beyond the limitations of the agreement amid skyrocketing tensions with Washington, alarming several European signatories of the deal.

Trump warned Iran about making threats over its uranium enrichment in a Thursday morning tweet.

Facebook is being dragged into the scandal surrounding a secret group of border patrol agents who shared racist and sexist content on its platform targeting migrants and several members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezSecond CBP-linked Facebook group shows derisive images of migrants: report CNN: Texas CBP agents made migrant walk with ‘I like men’ sign Biden: Mainstream Democrats win general election fights MORE (D-N.Y.).

Democrats are demanding that Facebook hand over posts from the group and enforce its community standards against the members.

Rep. Elijah CummingsElijah Eugene CummingsFacebook finds itself dragged into border controversy The Hill’s Morning Report – Sanders falters as rivals rise Top Muslim advocacy organization calls for congressional hearing over Border Patrol agents’ Facebook posts MORE (D-Md.), the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, wrote to Facebook CEO Mark ZuckerbergMark Elliot ZuckerbergFacebook finds itself dragged into border controversy House Democrats call for Facebook to halt cryptocurrency project House Democrats to hold hearing next week on treatment of migrant children MORE on Tuesday requesting that the company preserve the records from the group and turn them over to the committee ahead of a hearing with the heads of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The controversy comes as Facebook already faces heat over a variety of issues, including a video edited to falsely suggest Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiFacebook finds itself dragged into border controversy How much do you know about your government? A July 4 civics quiz  Poll: 45 percent of Americans say Trump should be impeached MORE (D-Calif.) was drunkenly slurring her speech, and threatens to overshadow the company’s efforts to crack down on hate speech. 

The news broke a day after Facebook touted a progress update on its civil rights audit, a project aimed at addressing criticism from minority groups over how it handles hate speech. 

Madihha Ahussain, a lawyer with the group Muslim Advocates, said the recurring issue of hate speech on both the platform’s public and private spaces is emblematic of institutional problems at Facebook.

“This is not just about Facebook, it’s obviously a much bigger problem. It just felt so raw that we’re seeing this literally the day after they released their audit report,” Ahussain said of the secret CBP group in a phone interview with The Hill.

The firestorm is also putting Facebook in a harsh light amid a pivot to change its business focus to creating a more private platform, an effort which puts a greater emphasis on groups. 

“We want everyone using Facebook to feel safe,” Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said in a statement to The Hill. “Our Community Standards apply across Facebook, including in secret groups. We’re cooperating with federal authorities in their investigation.”

Stone would not say whether Facebook plans to comply with the Oversight and Reform Committee’s request or if the secret group violated its standards against hate speech.

The demand from lawmakers creates a new headache for Facebook as it now must decide whether to hand over private information about its users to the government. If it doesn’t, critics will likely question the company’s commitment to tackling hate speech, a problem that has plagued the platform and is one of many issues prompting scrutiny from governments around the world.

The details of the secret Facebook group emerged from a report by the nonprofit news outlet ProPublica at a time when Democratic lawmakers are pushing for greater scrutiny of CBP’s treatment of migrants. And it coincided with reports of the conditions faced by detained migrants.

The DHS Inspector General’s Office issued a report this week detailing overcrowding in the agency’s detention centers along with shocking sanitary conditions.

The ProPublica report revealed that CBP agents had used their secret group, called “I’m 10-15” after the agency’s code for having a migrant in custody, to share offensive content that may violate Facebook’s content policies and CBP’s conduct standards.

Screenshots shared with ProPublica showed that group members joked about dead migrants and made lewd and racist comments about Ocasio-Cortez and other Hispanic lawmakers.

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“Reporting this week highlighted disturbing & inexcusable social media activity that allegedly includes active Border Patrol personnel. These statements are completely unacceptable, especially if made by those sworn to uphold the @DHSgov mission, our values & standards of conduct,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said on Twitter on Wednesday morning.

Facebook on Sunday released a progress report on a long-running civil rights audit.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said in a blog post that it showed there is much more work to be done and that the company would be convening a task force to tackle civil rights issues.

“We know these are the first steps to developing long-term accountability,” Sandberg wrote. “We plan on making further changes to build a culture that explicitly protects and promotes civil rights on Facebook.”

But the progress report fell short for many rights groups that had been pushing the company to make significant changes to both the platform and its corporate structure.

Muslim Advocates on Wednesday called for Zuckerberg and Sandberg to step down from their seats on the company’s board of directors in order to allow for better oversight. Ahussain said their dual roles insulate the executives from checks on their authority and that the board lacks “the diversity that is representative of Facebook’s global users.”

“This type of behavior and speech is found all over the platform,” she said. “The reality is we see so much more work to be done and they’re falling so short of addressing these problems.”

The city of Anchorage, Alaska, canceled its July 4 fireworks display this week over an extreme heat wave.

The Anchorage Fire Department put out a burn ban and said that any use of fireworks could result in a fine.

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“Just a reminder per MOA Code 14.70.180 it is unlawful to knowingly sell, possess, or use any explosive fireworks or stench bombs to which fuses are attached or which are capable of ignition by matches or percussion, without permission of that municipal official charged with issuing permits for such activities,” the department said in a statement. “Violation of this section shall be punishable by a civil penalty of $300.”

Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city by population, is expected to surpass an 85-degree temperature record, according to the National Weather Service.

“Southern Alaska’s ongoing #heatwave is expected to intensify significantly over coming week. Strength of high-pressure ridge at mid-levels of atmosphere may exceed all-time records over much of state. Surface temperatures may also reach all-time records in southern areas,” Daniel Swain, a University of California, Los Angeles, climate scientist, tweeted this week. 

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is pushing for an African American soldier to be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day.

The CBC, along with Sen. Chris Van HollenChristopher (Chris) Van HollenCongressional Black Caucus wants posthumous Medal of Honor for African American soldier Graham: ‘I will not invest a dime’ in Mideast peace plan that results in one state Senate Democrat: Interior secretary ignored questions about funding for Trump’s July 4 celebration MORE (D-Md.), sent a letter to acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy Wednesday asking him to open a formal review of Cpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr., an Army medic assigned to the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion. They said he continued to work to save lives for 30 hours on Omaha Beach after he was wounded.

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“Cpl. Woodson went above and beyond the call of duty by spending 30 grueling hours saving the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of his fellow soldiers,” the letter reads. “Cpl. Woodson was a war hero who has been inadequately recognized for his actions on D-Day.”

Woodson was part of a balloon battalion that was the only African American combat unit to land on Normandy. Its duty was to set up explosive-rigged balloons to deter German planes during the famous assault.

The letter’s signatories say he was not awarded for his bravery “because of the color of his skin.” 

“We respectfully ask the Army to rectify this historic injustice and appropriately recognize this valorous Veteran with a posthumous recommendation for the Medal of Honor,” they wrote.

Woodson died in 2005. Van Hollen became involved in his case in 2015 when his widow, who lives in Maryland, contacted him. 

“He needs to be given credit for what he did,” Joann Woodson told The Associated Press. “It’s never too late to correct something or to recognize something that should have been done.”

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) is turning down a Harvard research fellowship amid public backlash over the university choosing the governor, who was widely criticized for his handling of the Flint, Mich., water crisis. 

Snyder tweeted Wednesday that he notified the Harvard Kennedy School of his decision. 

“It would have been exciting to share my experiences, both positive and negative; our current political environment and its lack of civility makes this too disruptive,” Snyder tweeted. “I wish them the best.”

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Doug Elmendorf, dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, confirmed Snyder has withdrawn from the fellowship. 

 

“I believe the Kennedy School needs to study both failures and successes of government, and we anticipated that students would have learned from engaging with and questioning Governor Snyder about his consequential role in decisions regarding Flint and many other issues during his eight years in office,” Elmendorf said. “We appreciate Governor Snyder’s interest in participating in such discussions in our community, but we and he now believe that having him on campus would not enhance education here in the ways we intended.”

 

He added that he has been “deeply moved my the personal and thoughtful messages” he received from Flint residents. 

 

Elmendorf said the school will continue to search for ways to address failures of government in Flint and elsewhere. 

Harvard was criticized last week after it announced Snyder would be a fellow. 

Mari Copeny, the 11-year-old known as “Little Miss Flint” who gained attention after writing to former President Obama and convincing him to visit the town, led the call against the school on Twitter with the hashtag “#NoSnyderFellowship.”

“Harvard has to be smarter than this #NoSnyderFellowship #SnyderForPrison #FlintWaterCrisis,” Copeny tweeted. 

Others joined in with the hashtag, criticizing the university’s appointment. 

In its announcement, Jeffrey Liebman, a Harvard professor and director of the school’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, where Snyder was appointed, said Snyder would bring “tremendous value to us and our students.”

“Governor Snyder brings his significant expertise in management, public policy, and promoting civility to Harvard Kennedy School,” Liebman had said.

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Rep. Betty McCollumBetty Louise McCollumWhite House insists Trump’s ‘Salute to America’ won’t be political Interior spending bill holds Trump administration accountable for 2017 promises House Dems call on Trump to cancel plans to speak at July Fourth celebration MORE (D-Minn.), who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees Interior Department spending, threatened on Wednesday to investigate the reported use of National Park Service entrance fees to finance President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump appears to contradict officials, calls reports on 2020 census ‘fake’ Fox’s July 4 coverage to highlight charity for families of wounded, fallen service members Why Kim gets Trump’s love and Khamenei doesn’t MORE‘s July Fourth celebration on the National Mall.

“Mr. Trump’s event is on federal grounds. The National Mall belongs to all of us. I’m prepared to use my full oversight authority as Chair of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Committee to determine how this decision was made and hold the responsible parties accountable,” McCollum said in a statement. “This administration needs to be reminded that the power of the purse belongs to Congress.”

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Trump’s military-style Independence Day celebration, which he’s calling “Salute to America,” has drawn criticism for its price tag, use of military equipment such as tanks and fighter jets and the forced closure of nearby Reagan National Airport during a portion of the festivities.

Critics also argue that Trump is politicizing July 4 by creating a VIP area for GOP donors and appointees to observe his speech from the Lincoln Memorial at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The Interior Department is reportedly diverting $2.5 million from National Park Service entrance fees to help pay for the event.

The agency used entrance fees earlier in the year to keep parks open as long as possible during a record-long partial government shutdown, something McCollum said she disagreed with and may have been illegal. The Government Accountability Office is conducting a review on those actions.

A congressional investigation of the Salute to America funding would add to the pile of inquiries into Trump initiated by the Democratic-controlled House.

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Welcome to Wednesday’s Overnight Health Care.

There’s a holiday coming up but the health care news won’t stop. A federal judge temporarily blocked Ohio’s ‘heartbeat’ abortion law and President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump appears to contradict officials, calls reports on 2020 census ‘fake’ Fox’s July 4 coverage to highlight charity for families of wounded, fallen service members Why Kim gets Trump’s love and Khamenei doesn’t MORE is seizing on Democrats’ support for health care for undocumented immigrants. 

And a quick programming note: Overnight Health Care will be off Thursday and Friday, but we’ll be back after the long Fourth of July weekend on Monday. Let’s start in Ohio…

 

Judge blocks Ohio’s ‘heartbeat’ abortion law

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked an Ohio law that would have banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

The law, which bans abortions after a “fetal heartbeat” is detected, was signed earlier this year by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) and challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood.

It was slated to take effect this month, but U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett, a George W. Bush, appointee, issued a preliminary injunction, blocking it from taking effect while it is being challenged in court. 

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“Today the Court has upheld the clear law: women in Ohio (and across the nation) have the constitutional right to make this deeply personal decision about their own bodies without interference from the State,” said Freda Levenson, legal director for the ACLU of Ohio.

From the ruling: Barrett wrote that the law places an “undue burden” on a woman’s right to obtain an abortion before the fetus is viable, violating Supreme Court precedent. Abortion rights groups also argue many women do not yet know they are pregnant at that point. 

“A woman with irregular periods likely will be denied the opportunity to seek an abortion altogether because she will not realize that she is pregnant in time to choose her fate,” Barrett wrote. 

Why this matters: Five other states have also passed “heartbeat” abortion bans this year, and most are being challenged in court. 

Anti-abortion groups have been clear in their intent: to force the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established a woman’s right to abortion. 

From Ohio Right to Life, an anti-abortion group involved in the law’s passage: 

“While it is certainly disappointing that Judge Barrett would issue a preliminary injunction, it is certainly not surprising. The heartbeat bill has the potential to be the vehicle that overturns Roe v. Wade,” said Mike Gonidakis, president of the organization. 

“We know that this preliminary injunction is just a step in the process to finally seeing Roe reconsidered.” 

Read more here.

 

GOP sees potent Trump attack line on health care for immigrants

Democrats running for president handed Donald Trump a potent attack line last week when they promised that their government health insurance plans would cover undocumented immigrants.

It merged two of President Trump’s favorite campaign issues — health care and immigration — and could help him in battleground states where white, middle-class voters are worried about both.

“It gives Donald Trump’s campaign a very simple message when it comes to health care: Your plans are getting worse, your premiums and deductibles have gone up, and these Democrats say they want to raise your taxes to pay for free health care for illegal immigrants,” said Scott Jennings, a GOP strategist who advised former President George W. Bush and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMcConnell urges Nike to release ‘Betsy Ross’ shoes: ‘I’ll make the first order’ GOP sees potent Trump attack line: health care for immigrants Democratic group raises more than .1 million against McConnell MORE (R-Ky.).

“The Democrats are living in a bubble on illegal immigration. They don’t quite understand how it’s being viewed in Middle America,” Jennings added.

All 10 Democrats raised their hands during one of last week’s debates when asked by moderator Savannah Guthrie if their health care plans would cover people who are in the country illegally.

Why it matters: Trump has already seized on this, telling reporters Monday that Democrats want to treat “the illegals” “better than they treat the citizens of our country.” 

And polls show the majority of Americans disagree with Democrats. A CNN poll conducted after last week’s debates showed that only 38 percent of respondents said health insurance coverage provided by the government should be available to undocumented immigrants. 

What’s next: Expect Trump to hit this message in his upcoming campaign rallies. 

Read more here.

 

Study finds California’s vaccine laws helped reduce number of unvaccinated students

A medical journal study published Wednesday found California’s laws limiting vaccine exemption restrictions has increased the number of vaccinated kindergartners. 

The number of unvaccinated students entering kindergarten decreased by nearly 5 percent between 2013 and 2017, after the state cracked down on restrictions, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

California lawmakers sought to modify exemptions after a 2013 measles outbreak.

California had seen an uptick from 7.8 percent of unvaccinated students in 2000 to 9.84 percent in 2013, according to the study.

The state passed bills limiting “personal belief exemptions” and launched an educational campaign surrounding vaccinations. 

Why it matters: The results are pertinent in 2019, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting the country’s worst measles outbreak in more than 25 years. 

There have been 1,022 cases confirmed as of June 6 across 28 states. 

Read more here. 

 

Democratic voters cite health care, gun violence as top ‘important’ issues: poll

A new poll showed that health care and gun violence are top issues for Democrats.  

The Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 89 percent of respondents who are Democrats or who lean Democratic said that health care is either one of the single most important issues or a very important issue, followed by 85 percent who said that of gun violence.

These issues were trailed by issues of special concern to women, as well as immigration and climate change, which were labeled as a single most important or very important issue by 83 percent, 82 percent and 80 percent of respondents respectively. 

Health care and climate change led the poll when respondents were asked which were some of the issues of single-most importance, with 29 percent saying that health care was an issue of single-most importance while 25 percent said climate change was an issue of single-most importance.

Why it matters: Democrats running for their party’s presidential nomination know their audience and have spent a lot of time on the campaign trail talking about how they would expand access to health care. Democrats have been less vocal about gun violence, though Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenWarren, Harris surge into tie with Biden in new Iowa poll Poll: Biden holds 11-point lead among registered voters following debate Marianne Williamson knocks Vogue for not including her in photoshoot of women running for president MORE (D-Mass.) said during last week’s debate that it is a “national health emergency” and should be treated like one. 

Read more here. 

 

Title X updates: Judges allow Title X rules to go in effect in Maine, Maryland 

District Court Judge Lance Walker, a Trump appointee, on Wednesday denied a request to block the Trump administration’s Title X changes from going into effect in Maine. 

The changes would ban abortion providers from the federal family planning grant program and block providers from referring women from abortions. 

The Center for Reproductive Rights made an emergency request to block the rule after a federal appeals court overrode lower courts’ preliminary injunctions. Walker denied that request. 

“We are disappointed that the court did not recognize the harms that this will cause to people in Maine,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. 

“But this isn’t the end – we will keep fighting this gag rule to protect the family planning clinics and the many low income and rural communities where these clinics are the only healthcare option.”

And a panel of judges on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a lower court’s injunction on the rule last night in Maryland. 

Why it matters: The administration can now enforce the rules in all 50 states, after a panel of judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals threw out lower courts’ injunctions last week. Still, these rulings have been based on whether injunctions are appropriate, not on the merits of the case. The administration hasn’t indicated when or if it will enforce the rules, but plaintiffs are seeking emergency relief from a larger panel of the ninth circuit court of appeals. 

 

What we’re reading

Would Medicare For All mean hospitals for none?  (The Washington Post)

Some Democrats talk about cosmetic surgery insurance. It doesn’t exist. (The New York Times)

Nonprofit Christian hospital suspends debt collection lawsuits amid furor over suing its own employees (ProPublica) 

 

State by state

For the first time, Delaware Highmark looks to lower its ObamaCare marketplace rates (Delaware News Journal) 

Newly blue Maine expands access to abortion (Kaiser Health News)

 

Op-eds in The Hill 

We want to change marijuana policy, but it’s not always based on scientific knowledge

What the left gets wrong about health spending and outcomes 

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