Le Journal

Doctors told us my grandson wouldn’t live past three months, but they didn’t know Elijah was capable of. Today he’s 7 years old, stubborn as ever and fighting every day to prove them wrong. Elijah was born with cerebral palsy. Caring for him is a full-time, all-hands-on-deck operation that includes in-home nurses, physical and occupational therapy, school support and a small pharmacy’s worth of medications. None of that care is optional. It’s what keeps him alive, learning, laughing and giving me attitude. Related Articles How abortion coverage threatens to prevent a congressional deal on health care subsidies Personalized cancer treatments show great promise, new UC San Diego study says Give Good Program lets blood donors support charitable partners COVID prepared California long-term care facilities for norovirus threat US flu activity fell for a second week. But experts worry the season is far from over It’s only possible because of Medi-Cal. Now California’s health care system — the system that keeps Elijah alive — is being pushed to the brink. With $100 billion a year in federal health care cuts barreling toward Americans, California is expected to lose about $30 billion a year in Medi-Cal funding. Families like mine are living in a state of panic. Elijah’s medications alone would run over $5,000 a month. That’s not a “tough choice” for a working family — that’s impossible. And the emergency rooms we rely on when his seizures hit? They may not even be open. This isn’t a hypothetical threat. This is my reality. It’s the reality of millions of Californians who depend on the care we’ve been promised. This disaster is preventable. There’s a simple, fair, no-nonsense solution on the table, the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act. I’m one of thousands of Californians fighting for it, as the campaign collects signatures to place the proposal on the ballot this year. As a nursing assistant, union member and grandmother battling to keep a special needs child healthy, I don’t have time for political games. I’m interested in what works, and this would work. The measure would create a one-time, 5% emergency tax on Californians worth more than $1 billion. That’s roughly 200 people, who together hold more than $2 trillion in wealth. The tax would be spread out over a five-year span. And because of loopholes in tax law, most of that money may never be taxed at all. This proposal would raise $100 billion for California. It would keep hospitals open, protect Medi-Cal, prevent layoffs of health care workers and keep 3.4 million Californians who are at risk insured. In other words, it would keep my grandson and many others alive. As for the billionaires, they honestly wouldn’t even feel it. I’ve heard some people say this tax is “punishing success.” Give me a break. Working families already pay our share. We pay it every time we choose which bills to pay. Every time we work a double shift. Every time we sit in an ER praying that the lights stay on long enough to keep our kids breathing. All we’re asking is for the tiny group who benefit the most from California’s economy, to pitch in one time to prevent a total health care collapse. That’s not punishment. That’s responsibility. Voters from across the political spectrum support this. When your child or parent is sick, politics matter a whole lot less than their survival. The ultra-wealthy and their lobbyists are already gearing up to fight this effort. They always do. They’re loud, they’re powerful and they’re used to getting their way. But I’ve got news for them: so am I. I’ve had to fight for Elijah since the day he was born. I’ve fought for my patients, my coworkers and my community for decades. I know how to stand my ground, and I know I’m not standing alone. California is at the cliff’s edge. We can either let the healthcare system fall, or we can pull together and pull it back. Josephine Rios is a nursing assistant at Kaiser Permanente. She wrote this for CalMatters.

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Evan Peters, 39; Skeet Ulrich, 56; Rainn Wilson, 60; Bill Maher, 70. Happy Birthday: Preparation is overrated if you’re procrastinating. Trust your instincts and move quickly. It’s time to pull everything together and deliver what you have to offer to the world. Take the initiative to follow through and turn your goals into concrete action. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Be the driving force and turn your ideas into opportunities. Plan, process and proceed with enthusiasm. Life, love and happiness are yours to behold. Your numbers are 3, 16, 20, 27, 34, 43, 46. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Think before you spend; financial spontaneity will meet with regret. Pay attention to the cost of living, and seek solutions to lower your overhead. Choose to do the work yourself instead of hiring someone to do something you can handle on your own. Physical action and activity will be good for your health and well-being. Share something special with someone you love. 4 stars TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You may gravitate toward personal or professional change, but observation and thinking your way past the start, all the way to the result, is the better route. Find out if there are any regulations or rules to address before you begin. Following proper protocol is essential if you want to remain in good standing. 2 stars GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Cautionary measures will help you dodge scammers, users and abusers. Let your intuition, experience and intelligence ward off anyone trying to take advantage of you. Go about your business and strive to learn something new and to achieve the objectives on your to-do list. Self-care, pampering and spending time with someone you love are favored. 5 stars CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your perspective will be out of whack. Hold off on making decisions that concern investments, health and legal matters. Bide your time, gather information and search for a minimalist solution. The “go big or go home” mentality will weigh you down rather than prop you up. Look for unique alternatives you can do and handle yourself. 3 stars LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You’ll have to juggle your time, money and personal needs wisely to avoid falling behind. Refuse to let anyone monopolize your time by convincing you their journey is more important than yours. Be good to yourself, and make it clear to others what you are willing to contribute. It’s time to change the dynamics of unequal relationships. 3 stars VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If you feel left out, do something about it. Socializing will deliver better perks than you expect. The people you encounter or the memories you make with those you care about most will encourage you to explore new possibilities and to incorporate what you enjoy most into your routine. Invest more time and energy in personal gratification. 3 stars LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Don’t let anger set in when action is required. Call on your emotions and intuition to lead the way, and surround yourself with people who make you think and inspire you to follow your creative dreams. Refuse to overload your roster with people and activities that drain you rather than give you purpose. Choose your bliss. 5 stars SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Tie up loose ends, and prepare to move on. Venture out into your community, and you’ll discover all sorts of opportunities to better and more efficiently use your skills and experience. You are overdue for a change. Joining forces with someone who shares your beliefs and direction will help you build momentum. 2 stars SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t overlook what’s obvious. Ignoring what you must do will slow you down, not help you excel. Deal with issues head-on so you can move forward freely. It’s time to use your imagination and intuitive insight to build a sound platform for testing what works best for you. Deal with and dump dead weight. 4 stars CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Put more energy behind your ideas, and see what happens. Turn an…

TODAY’S WORD — REALMS (RELMS: Kingdoms.) Average mark 18 words Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in REALMS? The list will be published tomorrow. YESTERDAY’S WORD — UPSHOT: posh post pout push shop shot shout shut soup south spot spout stop stoup hops host opus oust thou thus To purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last! RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at kzsaxe@gmail.c

If you read conservative media, you might have heard about a new danger stalking our besieged country. This week, Fox News warned about “organized gangs of wine moms” using “antifa tactics” against ICE. According to a column in the right-wing PJ Media, the “greatest threat to our nation” is a “group of ‘unindicted domestic terrorists’ who are just AWFL: Affluent White Liberal Women.” (The acronym is wrong, but never mind.) The Canadian influencer Lauren Chen — who had to leave the United States in 2024 after the Department of Justice accused her of working for a Russian propaganda operation, but was allowed back in by the Trump administration — wrote that the ideology of women like Renee Good is “almost wholly responsible for the decline of Western civilization.” It’s as if the right is speedrunning the Martin Niemöller poem that begins, “First they came for the Communists.” ICE’s invasion of Minneapolis started with the demonization of Somali immigrants. It took only weeks for conservative demagogues to direct their venom toward the middle-class women of the Resistance. We’re now seeing an outpouring of misogynist rage driven by both political expedience and psychosexual grievance. Related Articles Letters: Violence of Trump administration is creating fear Letters: States without minimum wage laws have low unemployment DOJ investigating after protesters disrupt Minnesota church where ICE official is a pastor Bruce Springsteen tells ICE to ‘Get the f— out of Minneapolis’ during set After ICE killing, Bay Area DAs question whether federal agents can be held to account One reason Renee Good’s death was such a shock is that we’re not used to seeing law enforcement violence against middle-class white mothers. The citizenry has broadly recoiled; her killing, in addition to being a human tragedy, has been a public relations disaster for the administration. According to an Economist/YouGov poll, most Americans have seen videos of the shooting, and only 30% believe it was justified. A plurality of Americans say ICE is making cities less safe, and more people support than oppose abolishing the agency. Mass disgust In the face of such widespread public revulsion, the administration and its enablers have been trying to invent a terrorist threat to justify their increasingly unpopular siege of Minneapolis. That’s why the Justice Department pushed for a criminal investigation of Good’s partner, Becca, leading six federal prosecutors to quit in protest. For authoritarian leaders, lying itself isn’t enough; they must act as if their lies are true. And the lies go far beyond Renee and Becca Good to smear the entire movement of which they were a part. Conservatives aren’t wrong to see furious women as an obstacle to their dreams of mass deportation. During President Donald Trump’s first term, many outraged women protested to their members of Congress. They put their faith in prosecutors like Robert Mueller, in investigations and impeachment. They thought the system could constrain a man they regarded as inimical to American values. They now know they were wrong and that no one is coming to save them. So many have turned to peaceful direct action, particularly against ICE, which they view, with good reason, as the tip of the authoritarian spear. I have more ICE whistles in my house than I can count, because my neighbors are constantly handing them out, most recently at my daughter’s dance recital. Similar bourgeois mobilizations are happening all over the country. CNN reported that Renee Good served on the board of her son’s charter school, which provided links to guides about opposing ICE. ICE watches are being organized in churches and neighborhood associations. In many ways they are manifestations of local civic health. They’re also a problem for the right. These activists both document ICE’s brutality and are often subject to it, demonstrating the casual violence that Trump’s paramilitary forces are bringing to American communities. Just…

Retrouvez les photos du 8e Rallye régional des Images – Thaon-les-Vosges, organisé les 16 et 17 janvier 2026 par l’ASA Mirecourt, ligue Grand Est. Photos réalisées par Louis Dodin.