“The Cost of Denial”, an ongoing series on NBC Nightly News that launched with the Tom Llamas Era, usually spotlights the struggles of individuals and families as they deal with private health insurance. A recent story calling light to potential Medicaid cuts, though, left out a major reason for potential shortfalls in the system. Tonight’s profile: a cerebral palsy patient from Maryland at risk of losing her home aides due to Medicaid cuts implemented in order to patch a budget shortfall. Here is part of that profile: WATCH: @NBCNightlyNews runs a "Cost of Denial" profile of someone at risk due to Medicaid cuts implemented on Maryland in order to patch a budget shortfall. But never is the word "fraud" mentioned. Here is part of that profile. GABE GUTIÉRREZ: Following a budget shortfall in… pic.twitter.com/Sg3y2nooNI — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) July 8, 2026 GABE GUTIÉRREZ: Following a budget shortfall in Maryland, $126 million were slashed from these programs. Wages for family caregivers and external aides were set to be cut on the first of this month. But after NBC News began asking about the changes, at the last minute, the state postponed the cuts by up to 90 days. ALEXIA FLORY:  I lose my life if these services go away. AIDE: Let me put your hat on because it is hot out here. ALEXIA FLORY: My aides who are helping me do all of these things will go away because they need to find other jobs. GUTIÉRREZ: If all of the proposed cuts take effect, Alexia's parents say they could lose at least $60,000 per year, money that helps keep her living at home. What does that mean for your family? MICHELLE FLORY: Uh, it means that we’re going to have to tap into our 401. We’re going to have to either sell this home and get something smaller. GUTIÉRREZ: They say Alexia's overnight caregiving hours have already been denied. MICHELLE FLORY: I bite my fingers every single night. I just -- I get anxiety. I cry out to God. God, this has got to end. You know, she qualified for everything for five years straight and then this year she doesn't qualify for overnight services, but- but she’s still the same Lexi. GUTIÉRREZ: In a statement, Maryland's Department of Health said costs for these programs skyrocketed by 144% over the last five years, adding the state needed to avoid overspending or risk violating federal guidelines which could jeopardize all of its funding. Alexia feels she and people like her are being unfairly sacrificed to balance the state's budget. Left unaddressed: why costs for home health workers for those who legitimately need them might have skyrocketed over the past five years. Thus is is that viewers are asked to contemplate a story about Medicaid with zero mention whatsoever of the biggest driver of cost overruns: fraud. And Medicaid Fraud is a thing in the Old Line State. A recent indictment, per the Attorney General’s Office: BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that an Anne Arundel County Grand Jury returned indictments for nine individuals alleged to have engaged in a coordinated scheme to defraud the Maryland Medicaid program. All of the defendants are related by either blood or marriage.   “Medicaid is a lifeline for thousands of Marylanders with developmental disabilities, helping them access critical care and live independently in their communities. Every dollar these defendants allegedly stole is a dollar that cannot go toward the care and support these residents need and deserve,” said Attorney General Brown. “Our Office will always fight to protect Medicaid and the vulnerable Marylanders it serves.”  A recent audit exposes even more wasteful fraud, abuse, and overall mismanagement. Per ABC7: ANNAPOLIS, Md. (7News) — A newly released state audit is raising serious questions about how Maryland is managing its multibillion-dollar Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to roughly 1.5 million residents across the state. The findings are drawing renewed attention to oversight within one of the state’s largest and most expensive public health systems, after auditors flagged what they describe as significant payment errors and long-standing administrative issues. The audit gave the Maryland Department of Health’s Medical Care Programs Administration an “unsatisfactory” rating for the second consecutive review cycle. According to the report, $9.2 million in Medicaid payments were issued for individuals who were deceased or incarcerated at the time services were billed. Auditors say those payments point to breakdowns in eligibility tracking and verification systems. $2.3 million was paid to recipients missing required income or citizenship documentation in 2024. The report also found Maryland spent approximately $145 million on recipients who appeared to qualify for Medicare, a federal program that could have shifted costs away from the state and reduced overall Medicaid spending. The redundant spending on potential Medicare beneficiaries alone could’ve covered the shortfall exposed by NBC News. But Senior White House Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez failed to even consider that angle. God forbid Big Government should be cast as incompetent or wasteful. In this case, though, that label was warranted. The patient who was profiled in the report has a legitimate need for assistance. This isn’t some fraudster using a “learing center” to milk the government out of millions. An American in need is at risk of losing access to an available government program due to systemic incompetence at the local level.  Rather than calling out the incompetence of the government in Maryland, Gutierrez tries to blame the Trump administration for unspecified future cuts. An opportunity was wasted in service of upholding a double standard.   Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday, July 7th, 2026: TOM LLAMAS: We're back now with our series "The Cost of Denial," where we investigate issues with people faced with insurance and health care. Tonight, Gabe Gutierrez reports on how looming cuts to Medicaid could spell disaster for the families who rely on it. GABE GUTIÉRREZ: For Alexia Flory, even just getting out of bed each morning… MICHELLE FLORY: All right. GUTIÉRREZ: …can be a struggle. MICHELLE FLORY: There you go. GUTIÉRREZ: The 33-year-old has cerebral palsy. MICHELLE FLORY: Down this side. GUTIÉRREZ: And requires her mom's constant attention. ALEXIA FLORY: It affects my muscles. It affects my leg muscles. GUTIÉRREZ: What is the hardest part of your day? ALEXIA FLORY:  The hardest part of my day is waiting for someone to help me get things done because there's so much I want to do that I can't do myself. GUTIÉRREZ: But for more than a decade, Alexia says she’s been thriving in the Baltimore suburbs, getting a college degree, and studying in a local seminary thanks to a Medicaid program that helps pay for two aides. HOME AIDE: Doing a great job, Lex. ALEXIA FLORY:  They are family in every sense of the word. MICHELLE FLORY: All right. What do you want for breakfast today? GUTIÉRREZ: And it also pays her parents- funding designed to keep people with disabilities out of institutions by allowing family members to care for them at home. But following a budget shortfall in Maryland, $126 million were slashed from these programs. Wages for family caregivers and external aides were set to be cut on the first of this month. But after NBC News began asking about the changes, at the last minute, the state postponed the cuts by up to 90 days. ALEXIA FLORY:  I lose my life if these services go away. AIDE: Let me put your hat on because it is hot out here. ALEXIA FLORY: My aides who are helping me do all of these things will go away because they need to find other jobs. GUTIÉRREZ: If all of the proposed cuts take effect, Alexia's parents say they could lose at least $60,000 per year, money that helps keep her living at home. What does that mean for your family? MICHELLE FLORY: Uh, it means that we’re going to have to tap into our 401. We’re going to have to either sell this home and get something smaller. GUTIÉRREZ: They say Alexia's overnight caregiving hours have already been denied. MICHELLE FLORY: I bite my fingers every single night. I just -- I get anxiety. I cry out to God. God, this has got to end. You know, she qualified for everything for five years straight and then this year she doesn't qualify for overnight services, but- but she’s still the same Lexi. GUTIÉRREZ: In a statement, Maryland's Department of Health said costs for these programs skyrocketed by 144% over the last five years, adding the state needed to avoid overspending or risk violating federal guidelines which could jeopardize all of its funding. Alexia feels she and people like her are being unfairly sacrificed to balance the state's budget. ALEXIA FLORY: People with disabilities are people too. We're- we’re not objects. We're people first. LLAMAS: You feel for that family, Gabe. The focus of your story is Maryland, but the issue is much bigger than that? GUTIÉRREZ: Yes, Tom. Disability advocates say with President Trump's so-called “One, Big Beautiful Bill” set to slash Medicaid funding by about a trillion dollars over the next decade, this could soon be an issue facing people with disabilities nationwide. Tom. LLAMAS: All right, Gabe. We thank you.  

After the new sexual assault allegations against Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner, Morning Joe’s Mika Brzezinski showed some skepticism about the allegations and continuously asked for “evidence” in a pretty combative interview with Politico reporter Adam Wren, whose outlet published the claims. Brzezinski also showed concern over Platner’s “due process” as he faced the allegations. Platner had appeared on Morning Joe many times during his campaign, including a love-fest interview in May where Joe Scarborough constantly smiled at Platner. During an interview from June, Scarborough asked Platner about his “so-called scandals.” Instead of direct questions on the details of the story, Brzezinski focused her questioning of Wren with skepticism over details in the story.   On Tuesday’s Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski seemed somewhat skeptical of the sexual assault claims against Graham Platner and combatively questioned Politico reporter Adam Wren for “corroborating pieces of evidence” against Platner. pic.twitter.com/YPbwxP5isR — Nick (@nspin310) July 7, 2026   In her opening question, she asked, “There's not a police report, correct? Correct me if I'm wrong. There's not a legal case playing out here for due process to see itself through. So, my question to you, given the very high standards Politico has before they write something like this and publish it, what aspects of this story brought it to the level of publishable?” Wren admitted there was no police report but noted evidence of message exchanges between the accuser and her therapist about Platner and said: “We found ultimately the number of corroborating pieces of evidence to support her story in a way that we could report it.” Brzezinski pushed Wren further and focused on “consent,” and asked if there were “Any conversations with Graham Platner at the time of it where she said, because apparently, as part of this story, she says she even confirmed to him that this was not consent. Do you have that? What do you have that actually connects this literally, Graham Platner, to raping this victim?” Wren said there were DMs, as Brzezinski injected and asked if they were “able to see those DMs,” as Wren explained she tried to recover them but couldn’t. She continued: “Did you actually physically see them? Did she produce them for you?” To note, the Politico report alleged Platner entered accuser Jenny Racicot’s home, “uninvited one night in late 2021, deeply intoxicated, and forced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop. “   To close Morning Joe's interview with Politico’s Adam Wren, Brzezinski questioned the “decision to publish” the Platner allegations and continued to question the story’s evidence along with its timing: “What ties this together and gives you the evidence to bring this story to… pic.twitter.com/6HerDWh7HI — Nick (@nspin310) July 7, 2026   At the close of the interview with Wren, Brzezinski continued her skeptical questioning and asked what made Politico decide to publish the story: What is the actual - is there evidence between her and him, evidence of a crime? Because he's being accused of rape. So, what put this over the edge? (...) What's the through line? What ties this together and gives you the evidence to bring this story to the point of publishable? Wren continued his defense and said, in part, “Politico stands by our reporting (...).”   Continuing her skepticism, Mika Brzezinski asked NH Senator Jeanne Shaheen for her thoughts on Platner and asked if she was “at all concerned about the timing of this accusation in terms of just fairness in politics and due process?” pic.twitter.com/aUhMCMdNKo — Nick (@nspin310) July 7, 2026   In a later interview with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Brzezinski also showed concern over “an accusation made in the media, not in the court of law” and Platner’s “due process”: And are you at all concerned about the timing of this accusation in terms of just fairness in politics and due process? Brzezinski had a history of defending Democratic politicians with combative remarks amid liberal media reports during controversies, as she defended then-President Biden after his disastrous debate in 2024 in a Biden call-in interview on Morning Joe in the aftermath. Clearly, in situations of Democratic controversies, she plays full defense, even with such horrible claims as those against Platner. With Joe Scarborough’s absence from Tuesday’s show, viewers will have to wait to see his reaction to the news, especially after he compared himself to Platner just under two months ago. The transcript is below. Click "expand": MS NOW’s Morning Joe July 7, 2026 6:09:19 AM Eastern (...) MIKA BRZEZINSKI:  Adam, I want to get right to the questions about this. The questions surrounding this on both sides of this debate. There's not a police report, correct? Correct me if I'm wrong. And there's not a legal case playing out here for due process to see itself through. So my question to you, given the very high standards Politico has before they write something like this and publish it, what aspects of this story brought it to the level of publishable? ADAM WREN: Yeah, you're correct here, Mika. There is no police report in this case. We spent a lot of time talking to Jenny, you know, asking her for corroborating evidence. She shared that she had confided into a number of people, including her therapist, and almost real time. And we reviewed email exchanges between she and her therapist, referring to what she called the sexual assault and her therapist sort of acknowledging that this is this had happened to her.  We talked to people who she confided in in the months after this happened. We asked her why she didn't file a police report. And she described sort of the insular nature of where she lives and her corner of Maine that she shares with Graham Platner. And she, you know, debated sort of how to handle this. And we found ultimately the number of corroborating pieces of evidence to support her story in a way that we could report it. BRZEZINSKI: So, what are some of those corroborating pieces of evidence? So you've got conversations with her therapist and people who she confided in. Any conversations with Graham Platner at the time of it where she said, because apparently, as part of this story, she says she even confirmed to him that this was not consent. Do you have that? What do you have that actually connects this literally, Graham Platner, to raping this victim? WREN: Yeah. She reached out to him the day after via Instagram and essentially, you know, told him that, you know, she didn't want to hear from again. She told him that morning as well. And, you know, we looked at messages that she had sent to others in the months after this happened through social media- BRZEZINSKI: But you were able to see those DMs?  WREN: She tried to recover those DMs. We did not - we were not able to review those DMs, but she described them to us. We also, long before he was a public - before he was a political candidate, we saw her essentially explain to others that he was, quote, in her words, “consensually careless,” end quote. And -  BRZEZINSKI: Right, but do you - were you able to see the interactions between Graham Platner and this alleged victim? Did you actually physically see them? Did she produce them for you? WREN: She attempted to uncover them. She - but was unable to. BRZEZINSKI: Willie? WILLIE GEIST: So, let's talk a little bit, Adam, about some of the timing of this. Some people have pointed out it's a week out from the date the Democrats now have to scramble and potentially find a new candidate. If Platner does indeed drop out, as he's expected to. We'll talk more about his support in the Democratic Party nationally at the state level has collapsed after these revelations. She was, Jenny, in that New York Times piece. She appeared in the piece a few weeks ago. So what's your sense of why she decided she wanted to go into more detail with you at this point? WREN: Yeah, Willie, she was frustrated with how that article landed. She told us she was frustrated with another woman that she knows who was quoted in that piece, how she how her story was received. She felt there was a lot of negative polarization around that, that anecdote that she was written off just because she was a Republican. And, you know, she wanted Maine voters to have sort of the full story here. And, you know, she sort of relayed all of this to us. (...) 6:16:43 AM Eastern BRZEZINSKI: So, Adam, in closing, obviously this is a huge political bombshell story, a story that might, probably will lead to the end of Graham Platner’s campaign. And I'm just - I'm going back to the decision to publish, and I'm curious what concrete evidence. You have conversations with therapists, conversations with friends. But what took this story beyond Graham Platner saying this was consensual, Jenny Racicot saying this was not consensual?  What took it over the edge and had you and your editors decide to publish, of course, kind of an earthquake in Democratic politics? What was the piece of evidence or pieces of evidence that made you sure of this story? WREN: Yeah. I mean, long before he was a political candidate, long before much of the country knew his name, Jenny, in her telling, had confided in a number of people. We saw screenshots that she shared of messages relaying this account to others. We viewed an email response from her therapist to her acknowledging that they had talked about – BRZEZINSKI: Those are the things I said, but those aren't - What is the actual - is there evidence between her and him, evidence of a crime? Because he's being accused of rape. So, what put this over the edge. WREN: Yeah, I mean - BRZEZINSKI: Because he says he didn't and he has people on his side who say he didn't. She says he did. And there are people, but none - There's - I'm trying - What's the through line? What ties this together and gives you the evidence to bring this story to the point of publishable? WREN: Yeah. You know, we interviewed her, you know, three separate times. Her story stayed consistent across those times. You know, we talked to people who she had spoken with contemporaneously about these attacks, and all of those stories lined up and checked out. And ultimately, you know, Politico stands by our reporting and we talked to, you know, people who corroborated her story, largely. (...) 6:20:39 AM Eastern BRZEZINSKI: Willie, this is -  Obviously, Graham Platner has been really dogged with different stories along the way, and there are a lot of analysts who are now saying, “Why did it take so long?” At the same time, this is an incredible moment in time to come forward, and some are questioning that as well. The tim-ing. (...) 7:13:21 AM Eastern BRZEZINSKI:. But I would like to ask you to weigh in on this latest news that broke in the past 24 hours, senator, and that's the accusation of rape made against Senate candidate Graham Platner.  To be clear, an accusation made in the media, not in the court of law. What is your take on what should happen? Should he step down due to this accusation? SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Well, good morning. And yes, I think he should step down. It's time, and the sooner the better. BRZEZINSKI: Have you been moved by this latest accusation, or all along, have you been concerned about this candidate? SEN. SHAHEEN: There are a number of issues that have surfaced with respect to Mr. Platner, and I think taken together, it means that the Democrats need to look for another candidate. BRZEZINSKI: And are you at all concerned about the timing of this accusation in terms of just fairness in politics and due process? And do you feel that an accusation should take down a candidate, or is there a bigger picture that you're talking about here, Senator? SEN. SHAHEEN: Well, again, I think if you take the issues broadly, it's more than just this one accusation, although certainly it sounds very serious. So, again, I think for the good of the seat, for the good of the Democratic Party, Mr. Platner should get out of the race. (...)  

On Tuesday, amid new scandals and calls to drop out of the race, Maine Senate Democrat nominee Graham Platner posted an “urgent” job opening for a Research Director. Among this director’s tasks is to “Anticipate opponent lines of attack and build comprehensive defense strategies and rapid response toolkits,” suggesting the possibility that more allegations are to come. By Tuesday afternoon, however, all job openings – including this one – had been deleted from the Senate candidate’s “Careers” webpage. Before-and-after screenshots of the webpage confirm that multiple positions had been listed on the website earlier in the day, before they were all scrubbed. The job was also posted on Daybook, a job site specializing in political and legal job openings, where it remains listed. Platner’s campaign is offering to pay this researcher between $7,000 and $11,000 a month, though the position’s long-term career potential appears dubious, as a growing number of his fellow Democrats are now calling for him to immediately withdraw from the race. Given the unlikelihood that all positions were filled in the short span of a few hours, Platner’s Senate campaign appears to have cancelled all plans to add new staff, including the urgently-needed Research Director – a foreboding sign for his campaign. On Monday,  Politico broke the news of Platner’s latest scandal: accusations by Jenny Racicot that Platner raped her in 2021 after entering her home uninvited while intoxicated. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Racicot alleged that Platner “Violated multiple layers of consent that night” and, when asked if what happened to her was rape, she responded, “By definition, yes, absolutely.” Multiple Democrats, including those who had enthusiastically endorsed Platner in the past, have rescinded their endorsements and called for him to leave from race. Vermont Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, one of Platner’s strongest supporters since October 2025, has called for Platner to withdraw over the allegations, according to an X post Tuesday: “I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In Light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.” Many other progressives, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), as well as Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), have also revoked their endorsements. Democrat leaders in the Senate have announced they will no longer support Platner, even if he remains the nominee. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and DSCC Chair Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) released the following statement on Monday: “The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing- violence, abuse, and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable. “Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins. The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.” Platner has until July 13th to withdraw from the race in time for Democrats to nominate a different candidate, which they then must do by July 27th, according to Maine election law. Former Democrat State Senate leader Troy Jackson is seen as Platner’s likely replacement. Platner had endorsed Jackson’s failed bid to become the Democrat candidate for governor and, until recently, had enjoyed Jackson’s endorsement for senator. On a call with Reporter Benjamin Kail of Bangor Daily News, Jackson reportedly revoked his endorsement and expressed his interest in taking Platner’s place as the nominee: "This is something I never considered, but if Graham's stepping away, I am very, very interested & think I'm the best person to replace him."  

As NewsBusters reported in late June, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was blocking Navy veteran Zachary Young from publishing his book American Spy, which was largely about his successful defamation case against CNN. NewsBusters has now obtained a copy of the letter sent by the CIA’s Author Review Office (ARO), and they were demanding so much more. According to a Samantha R. Overlong, the Agency was demanding that Young and his publisher “delete” everything about the book. Without acknowledging the fact that everything Young and co-author Scott McEwen (author of American Sniper)had written about his work with the CIA was already out in public due to the CNN trial, the letter engaged in some circular arguments as it scolded Young for not getting the manuscript approved before writing the manuscript: We must remind you that your nondisclosure agreement requires that you submit your draft manuscripts) to ARO and receive approval prior to sharing the material with anyone who is not subject to the same nondisclosure agreement and access prerequisites. To remain in compliance with your nondisclosure agreement you should not have shared the manuscript or the information within it with a co-author, literary agent, publisher, counsel, or any other third party until after you received approval from ARO. In issuing its “Final Determination,” the ARO barred the book’s publication and demanded Young delete everything having to do with the manuscript: The manuscript cannot be published or disclosed as written, because the manuscript is predicated upon sensitive information subject to your nondisclosure agreement. In issuing this denial, we reviewed the additional materials you submitted with the manuscript, but must stress that these materials did not constitute confirmation or acknowledgement by the organization of the information contained in the manuscript or alter the status of the sensitive information. Therefore, you must delete any and all copies containing the sensitive information. Electronic copies should be deleted from your hard drive, mobile device, the cloud, and any backup or remote storage locations. Ensure these items are also deleted from "Recycle Bin" and "Trash" folders. Please shred or burn hardcopies. You are also responsible for ensuring any third party with access to the manuscript, including co-authors, literary agents, publishers, and counsel, take the same steps to securely delete and destroy all copies of the manuscript. The ARO offered Young an appeal but seemingly tried to put him behind the eight ball at the same time. Young needed to get his appeal in “30 days of the date of this letter.” The letter was dated June 15, but Young had only received it on July 7; half the allotted time wasted with the letter in transit. Young lives in Austria. “The Agency's own press office confirmed my CIA background to a CNN reporter. The world watched two weeks of my trial testimony. And now, years later, the CIA is telling me to destroy the book I wrote about my own life and to force my publisher to destroy it too. I have nothing to hide. This story is already public. The only party trying to shut it down is the CIA,” Young said in a statement to NewsBusters. You can read the letter yourself in the provided images below.

In the eyes of the social media mob, you’re either damned if you do or damned if you don’t.  A-list Actress Anne Hathaway recently announced that she is expecting her third child. In a normal world, the birth of a new life would be a unifying cause for celebration. "You have such a beautiful family, and I see the internet mob get so angry about that, it seems like they're bitter."@RCamposDuffy and @Justine_Brooke ROAST miserable baby hating leftists