Before last year, the public monthly meetings of the board of Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Florida, were sleepy affairs, typically drawing just a handful of attendees. The hospital, a 98-year-old public healthcare system that serves more than a million patients a year, was considered a crown jewel of the community: A highly rated public […]
Author: Kiera Butler
The Christian Groups Fighting Against the Indian Child Welfare Act
Editor’s note: This short piece accompanied “Forever Home” in the March/April 2023 print edition of Mother Jones. This spring, the US Supreme Court will hear a case that could decide the future of the Indian Child Welfare Act, the 1978 landmark law that strengthened tribes’ rights to keep Native children out of the foster care […]
The Far-Right Bounty Hunter Behind the Explosive Popularity of “Died Suddenly”
Illustration by Shira Inbar On January 5th, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) tweeted about the unexpected passing of Quentin Williams, a Democratic member of the Connecticut House of Representatives. “Terrible news today of Q Williams sudden death,” he wrote. “I’m sending every good thought I have to his family and friends today.” Most of the replies […]
Meet Ron DeSantis’ New “Public Health Integrity Committee”
Earlier this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called for a grand jury to investigate “wrongdoing” on the part of pharmaceutical companies and government officials who promoted Covid-19 vaccines. DeSantis detailed his grand jury plans during a highly-publicized press conference—the kind that has become a trademark of his tenure as governor. During the conference, he also […]
Why Did Florida Divest Billions From BlackRock? A “Woke” Conspiracy Theory.
On December 1, the Florida Treasury announced it would divest $2 billion worth of state funds from the financial services company BlackRock. The firm, Florida chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis alleged, didn’t have its investors’ best interests in mind. “Florida’s Treasury Division is divesting from BlackRock because they have openly stated they’ve got other goals than […]
Hospitals Are Full of Kids Sick With RSV—And Anti-Vaxxers Think It’s a Hoax
Across the country, children’s hospitals are reporting record numbers of admissions—not just from Covid, but also from a host of other seasonal respiratory viruses. Particularly worrisome among these is respiratory syncytial virus, more commonly known as RSV. The illness, which can make breathing difficult for young children and elderly adults, can be fatal, typically killing […]
DeSantis’ Policies Are Terrible for Moms. He Convinced Them Otherwise.
On Election Day, the much-hyped red wave didn’t crest quite as high as some polls predicted it would, with Democrats scoring key victories in several states. Yet it was far from a total wash for Republicans—and in a few places, they made historic advances. In Florida, for instance, incumbent Governor (and likely presidential candidate) Ron […]
Polio? Measles? Florida Is Flirting With an Anti-Vaccine Apocalypse
Dr. Mobeen Rathore has spent the better part of his career trying to protect the children in his practice from contracting deadly diseases like measles, whooping cough, and polio. As chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, Rathore remembers a time—just a few decades […]
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s District Is Bluer Than You’d Think
Deep in northwest Georgia, in what was once a patchwork of forest and farms, sits Paulding County, a quiet collection of towns that straddle two worlds. Less than an hour’s drive southeast is the sprawl and thrum of Atlanta; just to the north are the state’s mountainous rural communities, where life still moves at a […]
DeSantis Is Slamming Covid Vaccines. Here’s Why.
It wasn’t so long ago that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was publicly singing the praises of Covid vaccines. “If you are vaccinated—fully vaccinated—the chance of you getting seriously ill or dying from Covid is effectively zero,” he said at a July 2021 press conference. “These vaccines are saving lives.” Fast forward a year or so […]