The Guardian reports an unknown respiratory disease, possibly Covid, has spread among detainees at the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention camp in the Florida Everglades. Defense attorney Eric Lee who represents detainee Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez, a Venezuelan national, says conditions in the facility deteriorated recently after a large number of detainees were transferred there by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
(“Petri Dish for Disease: Attorney Raises Alarm of Possible Covid Outbreak at ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’” Guardian, Aug. 12, 2025)
Rural America is preparing for deep cuts to the nation’s Medicaid program, which funds most mental health care in small town communities. Health experts say Trump and the Republicans’ draconian federal budget that slashed social safety net programs while giving billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans will lead to a dangerous new mental health crisis. Under new Medicaid rules, millions of low-income patients will lose their health insurance coverage causing many rural health centers to close amid rising demand for services from uninsured patients.
(“Medicaid Cuts Are Likely to Worsen Mental Health Care in Rural America,” Stateline, July 22, 2025
The BBC reports thousands of North Korean laborers have been sent to Russia, working under harsh conditions, to fill a labor shortage caused by Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Since Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia has turned to North Korea for ammunition, artillery shells, drones and soldiers to assist in their war effort.
(“North Koreans Tell the BBC They were Sent to Work ‘Like Slaves’ in Russia,” BBC News, Aug. 12, 2025)
