Mike Hixenbaugh

Mike Hixenbaugh

@mikehixenbaugh.com

NBC News senior reporter | Author of THEY CAME FOR THE SCHOOLS | Co-creator of SOUTHLAKE & GRAPEVINE podcasts | Retired t-ball coach www.mikehixenbaugh.com

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We’ve got the inside story of how Trump’s displeasure with seeing homeless people in D.C. became the first domino in a series of actions that culminated in the administration’s stunning decision to weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans to live in their homes and communities.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.

Mike Hixenbaugh reposted

The Ramaswamy ad has pushed the largest newspaper in Ohio, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, to reverse its position on endorsements. "A candidate who uses childhood sexual abuse as a weapon against the person who endured it has crossed a line that Ohioans should defend, whatever their party."

cleveland.comPlain Dealer/cleveland.com endorses Amy Acton for Ohio governorThe Plain Dealer editorial board endorses Democrat Amy Acton for Ohio governor, citing her preparedness and community engagement, while condemning opponent Vivek Ramaswamy's weaponizing of Acton's chi...

“It feels a little bit like Tinder, if the stakes of Tinder were: Do you get to take a shower tomorrow? Do you get to leave your house?” Here's my latest, on how the GOP's "war on fraud" has made it harder for disabled people in Ohio to find caregivers they need to live in their homes.

nbcnews.comOhio’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud cuts off care for some disabled peopleAs President Donald Trump promises a war on bad actors ripping off social welfare programs, people with legitimate needs say they have become collateral damage.
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“We all agree that fraud should be prevented and prosecuted, but the government is going after it with a sledgehammer when they should be using a scalpel,” Justin Martin said. “I’m the one, and so many other disabled people are the ones, paying the price.”

nbcnews.comOhio’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud cuts off care for some disabled peopleAs President Donald Trump promises a war on bad actors ripping off social welfare programs, people with legitimate needs say they have become collateral damage.

“It feels a little bit like Tinder, if the stakes of Tinder were: Do you get to take a shower tomorrow? Do you get to leave your house?” Here's my latest, on how the GOP's "war on fraud" has made it harder for disabled people in Ohio to find caregivers they need to live in their homes.

nbcnews.comOhio’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud cuts off care for some disabled peopleAs President Donald Trump promises a war on bad actors ripping off social welfare programs, people with legitimate needs say they have become collateral damage.
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And in a suburb near Columbus, a 30-year-old educator with cerebral palsy who recently bought a condo hoping to finally move out of his parents’ house, hasn’t been able to find the help he’ll need to live on his own.

nbcnews.comOhio’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud cuts off care for some disabled peopleAs President Donald Trump promises a war on bad actors ripping off social welfare programs, people with legitimate needs say they have become collateral damage.

They are among a dozen disabled Ohioans and family caregivers who told me that the state’s anti-fraud measures have left them without necessary care, forced relatives to fill gaps or threatened their ability to live safely in their own homes.

nbcnews.comOhio’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud cuts off care for some disabled peopleAs President Donald Trump promises a war on bad actors ripping off social welfare programs, people with legitimate needs say they have become collateral damage.

“It feels a little bit like Tinder, if the stakes of Tinder were: Do you get to take a shower tomorrow? Do you get to leave your house?” Here's my latest, on how the GOP's "war on fraud" has made it harder for disabled people in Ohio to find caregivers they need to live in their homes.

nbcnews.comOhio’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud cuts off care for some disabled peopleAs President Donald Trump promises a war on bad actors ripping off social welfare programs, people with legitimate needs say they have become collateral damage.

Outside Dayton, a 56-year-old woman with a progressive muscle disease couldn’t hire two people who offered to fill a long-vacant weekend caregiving shift, leaving her trapped in her wheelchair for days without anyone to move her to bed.

nbcnews.comOhio’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud cuts off care for some disabled peopleAs President Donald Trump promises a war on bad actors ripping off social welfare programs, people with legitimate needs say they have become collateral damage.

Mike Hixenbaugh reposted

😳 WOMAN REPORTER: Do sexual abuse allegations mean nothing to you, sir? TRUMP: Wait. Wait! Wait wait wait. Slow down. Who are you with? REPORTER: NBC, sir. But they are very serious sex abuse allegations TRUMP: Quiet! Isn't she a fresh person? You're a horrible little reporter, aren't you?

Mike Hixenbaugh reposted

My latest @nbcnews.com investigation dropped this morning -- We analyzed the YouTube watch histories of 11 students to look into how some students end up viewing over 5,000 YouTube videos in class, on school-issued laptops, in a single school year www.nbcnews.com/specials/hoo...

nbcnews.comHow YouTube junk is infiltrating classroomsSchools wanted educational videos. Students got clickbait. A first-of-its-kind analysis reveals how students are drawn into a platform that keeps them scrolling during class.

Mike Hixenbaugh reposted

We’re back with our second story about how Trump’s purge of the FBI killed a sweeping bribery probe in D.C. This time, we take you to South Carolina, where two powerful politicians escaped scrutiny: Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. James Clyburn. THREAD 👇

Leigh Wambsganss no longer labels herself “ULTRA MAGA” on social media. She has removed a large “Trump Endorsed” banner from her campaign website and replaced a photo of herself and the president with a photo of her family. Her new campaign slogan: “Putting working families first.”

texastribune.orgGOP candidate for Texas Senate downplays ties to Trump, MAGAIn a district Trump won by 17 points, Republican Leigh Wambsganss no longer describes herself as ultra-MAGA in her rematch with Democrat Taylor Rehmet.

EBT theft is the primary driver of SNAP fraud, this @propublica.org report shows. But Congress has failed to adopt a straightforward solution while the Trump administration instead chips away at enforcement while accusing food stamps recipients themselves of scamming the system

propublica.orgScammers Are Stealing Millions From Food Stamp Recipients. Congress Could Fix It — but Won’t.Fraudsters stole $470 million last year from Americans who need help paying for food. Adopting the same microchip that credit cards have had for years would prevent most of the theft, but Congress won...

Mike Hixenbaugh reposted

As the prophecy foretold

Chris Sommerfeldt@c-sommerfeldt.bsky.social

New: Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin have reached a deal to abolish NYC's horse carriage industry — a critical breakthrough in a decadeslong, politically fraught effort to ban the tourist attraction. www.politico.com/news/2026/10...

If you listened to our “Grapevine” podcast, about the fight to exalt Jesus and demonize LGBTQ people in a suburban school district, you might recall a right-wing board member bragging about having a list of “poison” teachers she was going after. Turns out the list was real and has now been released

nbcdfw.comGCISD dropped its lawsuit and released the “poison teachers” list people asked about for yearsGrapevine-Colleyville ISD released a list of 18 employees a former board member called “poison teachers” after years in court. Some say they were shocked to be named.

“Sometimes I just sit down and cry when I’m trying to figure out what you’re going to eat out of a can or something because you don’t have no meat,” Girvin said as her eyes welled with tears. “It’s just really bad, this economy.” www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

nbcnews.comHunger grips a rural community hit by Trump’s cutsThose on the front lines of feeding their neighbors in West Virginia’s coal country say they face unprecedented challenges brought on by Washington.

Mike Hixenbaugh reposted

I’ve covered death row cases for nearly a decade and witnessed several executions. What happened to Christa Pike wasn’t an anomaly. It could happen anywhere. With another execution planned for this week in Texas, let me explain why. THREAD 🧵

One of Jim Bakker’s final on-air segments was devoted to defending pastors accused of sex abuse and condemning their accusers as “tattletales.”

Mike Hixenbaugh@mikehixenbaugh.com

Televangelist Jim Bakker didn't respond as we investigated allegations that a pastor on his staff is a serial rapist. But in a broadcast last week, he called on Christians to forgive pastors who commit sex abuse, asking at one point, "How come there's such profit in being a tattletale?" Watch:

Mike Hixenbaugh@mikehixenbaugh.com

We spent 6 months investigating a children’s pastor accused of being a serial rapist. His accusers have spent 40 years fighting to stop him. Today he works for disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker and runs a secluded camp for kids in the Ozarks. My latest w/ @ahylton26.bsky.social for @nbcnews.com

As Chris Rufo considers "the Indian question" and X users debate if it's woke to study for spelling bees, I'm reminded of this moment from 5+ years ago I included in my book. Even before the backlash to "CRT" and DEI, suburban white folks were complaining about South Asians outdoing their kids.

Scoop: At a secret meeting this summer, an aide to Stephen Miller laid out Trump administration's plan to make it easier for states to round up and institutionalize mentally ill homeless people — by pushing a drastic policy change that would weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.
View full thread

The administration’s abrupt turn against Olmstead appears to trace back to one of President Donald Trump’s central fixations since his return to office: aesthetics and cleanliness in the nation’s capital. It began after Trump complained about unsightly tent encampments along his motorcade route...

Scoop: At a secret meeting this summer, an aide to Stephen Miller laid out Trump administration's plan to make it easier for states to round up and institutionalize mentally ill homeless people — by pushing a drastic policy change that would weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.
View full thread

In Florida, the Justice Department is seeking to roll back a court order it won to keep medically fragile children out of nursing homes. In Texas, the department walked away from a 16-year lawsuit aimed at helping people with developmental disabilities live in their communities.

To understand how the Trump administration reached this decision and its impacts, we interviewed five people familiar with internal discussions and a half-dozen former DOJ officials. Reporters also reviewed court filings and internal White House talking points prepared for the June meeting.

Scoop: At a secret meeting this summer, an aide to Stephen Miller laid out Trump administration's plan to make it easier for states to round up and institutionalize mentally ill homeless people — by pushing a drastic policy change that would weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.
View full thread

The 39-page DOJ opinion took a sledgehammer to that ruling. The June memo declared that states had no federal civil rights obligation to help disabled people stay in their homes through programs that millions of Americans rely on to live independently or to care for their loved ones.

The fallout has already begun. Since issuing the memo, the Justice Department has abandoned or weakened at least five investigations, lawsuits or settlement agreements rooted in Olmstead. This goes well beyond the administration's stated goal of forcing homeless people into treatment.

Scoop: At a secret meeting this summer, an aide to Stephen Miller laid out Trump administration's plan to make it easier for states to round up and institutionalize mentally ill homeless people — by pushing a drastic policy change that would weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.
View full thread

The meeting with advocates and conservative think tank leaders came two days before the Trump administration did exactly what Miller's aide previewed: The DOJ issued a sweeping legal opinion repudiating decades of federal disability policy rooted in the landmark Supreme Court ruling Olmstead v. L.C.

Hailed by lawyers and activists as the “Brown v. Board of Education of the disability rights movement,” the 1999 Olmstead ruling said that disabled people had a right to be integrated into their communities — not forced apart from society in institutions marred by a history of abuse and neglect.

Scoop: At a secret meeting this summer, an aide to Stephen Miller laid out Trump administration's plan to make it easier for states to round up and institutionalize mentally ill homeless people — by pushing a drastic policy change that would weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.

Hugo Dwyer, one of those seated around the wooden conference table, couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The strategy described by Miller’s aide threatened to roll back decades of progress in the disability rights movement — all to serve Trump's demands to clear homeless encampments in U.S. cities

“I really cannot support this,” Dwyer, an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities, recalled telling Wasserman. “You’re talking about forcing people into institutional settings.” He later told me: "I'm not sure how I got invited."

We’ve got the inside story of how Trump’s displeasure with seeing homeless people in D.C. became the first domino in a series of actions that culminated in the administration’s stunning decision to weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans to live in their homes and communities.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.
View full thread

The fallout has already begun. In Florida, DOJ is seeking to roll back a court order it won to keep medically fragile children out of nursing homes. In Texas, the department walked away from a 16-year lawsuit aimed at helping people with developmental disabilities live in their communities.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.

Not everyone at the secret White House meeting was on board with the plan to dismantle a cornerstone of the disability rights movement. “They pretty much thought that I was going to be on board with what they were doing,” one attendee told me. “I’m not sure how I got invited.”

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.

We’ve got the inside story of how Trump’s displeasure with seeing homeless people in D.C. became the first domino in a series of actions that culminated in the administration’s stunning decision to weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans to live in their homes and communities.

nbcnews.comHow Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rightsAfter issuing a memo making it easier to institutionalize homeless people, the Justice Department began abandoning cases protecting disabled people’s right to live in the community.

Two days before DOJ issued its memo abandoning the landmark Olmstead decision, Stephen Miller’s team previewed the broader strategy at a secret White House meeting with advocates and conservative think tank leaders.

If you buy this framing on what fueled the right wing school board backlash and national voucher push, I’ve got a book recommendation for you…

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Southlake Families PAC didn’t only conquer the school board

Erin Reed@erininthemorning.com

Southlake, a city outside of Dallas-Fort worth, TX, is attempting to block Pride from happening this October. Organizers will now have to host a pared-down, attendance-capped event. They are being denied a permit routinely issued for events of their size. Subscribe to support our journalism.