Democrats eye 2028 for bigger health care push

WASHINGTON — As Democrats vie to take control of Congress in the midterms this fall, their main message on health care policy is fairly straightforward: undo Republicans’ Medicaid cuts and restore the health care subsidies that lapsed at the end of last year.

But some analysts and lawmakers say momentum is growing for a bigger health care push in 2028.

Health care has historically been a winning issue for Democrats. Polling conducted by KFF earlier this year shows that the party has an advantage over Republicans when it comes to key health care issues such as Medicaid, Medicare and prescription drug pricing.

For the midterms, Democrats aim to make the case that the Republicans’ actions on health care this Congress — including the Medicaid cuts in the 2025 reconciliation law and the expiration of the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits — are raising health care costs for Americans. Democrats hope to harness the issue of affordability in their case against Republicans.

—CQ-Roll Call

How Kristi Noem and her husband both pursued MAGA beauty ideals

Even before Kristi Noem became Donald Trump’s homeland security chief, critics say she began trying to curry favor with the president by becoming transparent about altering her appearance to conform to what’s become known as a recognizable MAGA beauty aesthetic.

That meant wearing cascading hair, heavy makeup, puffed-up lips and undergoing any other surgical enhancements needed to achieve a uniform, ultra-feminine appearance, as cultural critics at Mother Jones, The New York Times and other news outlets have observed.

At the same time, Noem’s longtime husband Byron was apparently exploring his own obsession with a version of the MAGA beauty aesthetic, but in an extreme, fetishized way that he also appropriated for himself in private settings, according to this week’s bombshell report in the Daily Mail.

During his wife’s controversial leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, Byron Noem, 56, communicated online with female porn performers from the “bimbofication” scene. In describing this corner of the adult-entertainment world, the British tabloid said that participants on fetish sites would transform themselves into “real-life Barbie dolls” by surgically enhancing their breasts to extreme XXL sizes.

—The Mercury News

Trump Truth Store temporarily closes on account of low sales amid Iran war

Just a few months after opening, the controversial Trump Truth Store in Crystal Lake, Illinois, has temporarily shut down, citing a drop in sales amid the ongoing Iran war.

In a notice to customers, business owner Lisa Fleischmann posted on Facebook on March 26 that the MAGA-themed shop “is closed until further notice.”

“I am not even making ½ of my rent,” she said on the social media site. “I never did this for the money but I don’t know how much longer I can last with paying for all the stuff.”

In an interview with the Tribune, Fleischmann blamed poor sales on the ongoing U.S.-Israeli-led war in Iran, saying business tanked shortly after the military operation began on Feb. 28.

—Chicago Tribune

Pope Leo leads Good Friday procession in Rome, carries cross

ROME — Pope Leo XIV lead the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum in Rome and carried the cross himself as the religious rites for Easter continue at the heart of the Catholic Church.

The new pontiff carried the cross during the Stations of the Cross, which commemorates Jesus' path of suffering to Golgotha, or Calvary, the site outside ancient Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified. Messages were read out at the various stations in the presence of the pope.

Referring to the wars of today, one of the texts stated that every authority would one day have to give an account to God of how it had exercised the power entrusted to it.

Leo's predecessor Francis, who died on Easter Monday last year, did not do this. In recent years, he had to forgo the Stations of the Cross entirely for health reasons.

—dpa