# The State of Scientific Research and Medi-Cal

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875/the-state-of-scientific-research-and-medi-cal
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875/the-state-of-scientific-research-and-medi-cal.md
Podcast: [Political Breakdown](https://stenobird.com/podcast/political-breakdown-683875)
Published: 2026-07-09T22:54:00+00:00
Episode link: https://next.kqed.org/news/12090338
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC3138365872.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/political-breakdown-683875/episodes/the-state-of-scientific-research-and-medi-cal
Duration seconds: 1892

## Resource

President Trump’s H.R. 1 policy bill made deep cuts to Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid. After weeks of debate in Sacramento over how to fund the program, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget with a tax plan that could raise premiums by $100 a year for privately insured Californians. KQED’s Lesley McClurg and Guy Marzorati discuss why this has become such a political battleground.  Then, Lesley talks with KFF’s chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner about the state of scientific research. The Trump administration is moving to give political appointees more power over who receives federal science and health grants, blocking funding for research that doesn’t align with the president’s policy priorities. Plus, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has escalated his fight with medical journals, calling them “corrupt” and threatening to prosecute them.  Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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## Transcript

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