Florida Department of Health cuts to HIV, AIDS program enacted as thousands risk losing access

Health officials blamed rising health care costs and lack of federal funding. (Elisa Schu/picture alliance via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- An emergency rule from the Florida Department of Health went into effect on Sunday that could restrict tens of thousands of people from accessing HIV medication.

The state issued cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a federal-state partnership that provides free FDA-approved HIV medication for low-income, uninsured or underinsured people.

Under the emergency rule, eligibility for ADAP was lowered to include those at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, which equals about $20,345 per year for a one-person household, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Previous eligibility was at or below 400% of the poverty level, which equals about $62,600 per year for a one-person household, according to HHS.

Additionally, the emergency rule limits insurance coverage of Biktarvy, a once-daily pill to treat HIV and used by about 60% of those enrolled in ADAP.

HIV advocates estimate that as many as 16,000 of the 30,000 Floridians enrolled in ADAP could be at risk of restricted access.

"These cuts will impact communities throughout the state, will threaten the lives of people with HIV and will lead to spikes in new HIV diagnoses and a rise in health care costs as people with HIV develop serious infections requiring hospitalization," said Dr. Anna K. Person, chair of the HIV Medicine Association, a community of health care professionals that works toward advancing the response of the HIV epidemic, in a statement.

"HIV treatment disruptions of this magnitude will result in a public health disaster. Florida must follow due process and work with health care professionals, people with HIV and the state legislature to address any funding challenges," the statement continued.

The new emergency rule is only in effect for 90 days and cannot be renewed unless a rule is proposed to implement the changes through formal administrative rulemaking.

Health officials have cited the "rising health care insurance premiums nationwide" and lack of federal funding as reason for the cuts. Officials said the adjustments will prevent a shortfall of more than $120 million for the state.

The Florida Department of Health did not immediately return ABC News' request for comment.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Democratic reaction to Iranian airstrikes

Democratic reaction to Iranian airstrikesTYLER – Democratic Party representatives and officials from East Texas and across the country are speaking out against military escalation on Saturday, following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Our news partner KETK spoke with Interim Smith County Democratic Party Chair Cam Ray about the strikes on Saturday. She called the attacks “Deeply disturbing” and questioned what United States President Donald Trump’s end goal would be in a war with Iran.

“It’s deeply disturbing that we are now diving into another endless war from our president, who has said he’s the peace president. First there was Venezuela. Now there’s Iran and this is our seventh war that the President has started since he’s been in office, which is just barely over a year,” Ray said. “So how long is this going to continue? And what is the end goal for Iran? We had a deal in place that President Trump withdrew from and so what is the goal for for bombing Iran now?” Continue reading Democratic reaction to Iranian airstrikes

Republicans praise Iran strikes

Republicans praise Iran strikesEAST TEXAS — East Texas GOP leaders are voicing strong support for U.S. military strikes against Iran, calling the action necessary to confront terrorism, protect American national security and stand alongside Israel as tensions escalate in the Middle East. According to our news partner KETK, U.S. officials say the strikes, that were carried out in coordination with Israel, targeted Iranian military infrastructure to deter future attacks linked to Iran-backed forces.

The action follows months of increasing regional conflict, threats against U.S. and allied interests, and concerns over Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions. The operation, called Operation Epic Fury, prompted swift reactions from lawmakers nationwide, including East Texas leaders who voiced support and concern for deployed U.S. troops. Continue reading Republicans praise Iran strikes

Balloon collides with tower

Balloon collides with towerLONGVIEW – Two people have been rescued from a hot air balloon basket after it crashed into a cell phone tower in Gregg County on Saturday morning. According to the Longview Fire Department and our news partner KETK, multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the intersection of State Highway 300 in north Gregg County at around 8:15 a.m. after reports came in that a hot air balloon had crashed into a 920-foot cell tower.

First responders started climbing the tower by 8:50 a.m. through the use of multiple rope systems. The climbers contacted two people who were stuck inside the hot air balloons basket at around 10 a.m. on Saturday. Longview Fire Marshal Marcus Delaney told KETK News that both people have been removed from the basket. The two balloonists were both uninjured in the crash.

Police seek man missing since Valentine’s

Police seek man missing since Valentine’sHENDERSON — The Henderson Police Department is seeking the public’s help in locating a man who has been missing for almost two weeks. Joseph Shelton, a 23-year-old man, was last seen on Feb. 14 in the area of Van Buren Street in Henderson. He is described by the police department as being approximately 5 foot, 8 inches tall and weighing 157 pounds.

Though there is no clothes description at this time, Shelton is believed to have a gaming system and a laptop, the police department said.

Anyone with information regarding Shelton’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Henderson Police Department by calling 903-657-3512.

Probation for abuse of special ed students

Probation for abuse of special ed studentsLONGVIEW – Two former Longview ISD administrators were sentenced to 10 years of probation on Friday in connection to the abuse of Longview ISD special education students in the 2021-2022 school year. Cassandra Renee James and Linda Kaye Brown Lister were both found guilty of injury to a child by a Gregg County jury on Friday. James and Lister were two of six women arrested in 2022 after video of special education students being mistreated at J.L. Everhart Elementary School was shown to Longview ISD officials.

According to our news partner KETK, their indictments show that James and Lister were charged for “swinging a paddle toward and near the head” of a child and not voluntarily delivering them to an emergency infant care provider.

Longview ISD said James and Lister both resigned from their roles instead of being terminated after the video came to the district’s attention. Continue reading Probation for abuse of special ed students

Search for crashed vehicle driver

Search for crashed vehicle driverTYLER – The Tyler Police Department is currently searching for the driver of a truck that allegedly crashed into an apartment building off of South Broadway Avenue. According to our news partner KETK and the Tyler PD, the crash happened at around 5 p.m. on Friday after a black truck crossed over a concrete barrier and hit the side of the Broadway Reserve apartment building. The crash did minimal damage to the building but according to officials, the driver fled the scene of the crash. Tyler Police are currently investigating the crash and searching for the suspected driver.

UT Tyler voting poll

UT Tyler voting pollTYLER – The University of Texas at Tyler Center for Opinion Research recently surveyed 1,117 Texas voters about their views ahead of the March 2026 primary election, with topics covering hypothetical political matchups and important state issues. In the survey conducted Feb. 13 – 22, 959 of those voters reached indicated they were “likely” or “certain” to vote in this primary election.

In the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, Jasmine Crockett led James Talarico 58% to 37% among likely voters. “Despite the national attention this race has received, 43% of voters say they have only heard a little about what makes each candidate different from the other,” said Dr. Ken Wink, UT Tyler professor and interim center director. “The Democratic primary voters in this survey also indicated they believed Crockett would be as electable in the November general election as Talarico.”
Continue reading UT Tyler voting poll

US surpasses 1,000 measles cases for the 3rd time in 26 years: CDC

A sign outside a mobile clinic offering measles and flu vaccinations on February 6, 2026 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) -- Measles cases have topped 1,000 in the United States for the third time in 26 years.

At least 154 new measles cases have been confirmed in the last week for a total of 1,136, according to updated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

So far this year, cases have been confirmed in 27 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Just six measles cases were reported among international travelers so far this year, according to CDC data.

About 92% of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, CDC data shows.

Meanwhile, 4% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 4% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.

The current measles situation in the U.S. is partly being driven by a large outbreak in South Carolina that began last year, with 979 cases recorded as of Friday, according to state health officials.

Last year, the U.S. recorded 2,281 measles cases, which is the highest number of national cases in 33 years, according to the CDC. Before that, the last time measles cases rose above 1,000 was 2019 -- CDC data showed 1,274 that year. Recorded cases dropped to a low of 13 in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also marked the first U.S. deaths recorded from measles in a decade, two among school-aged unvaccinated children in Texas and a third of an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico.

The CDC currently recommends people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, according to the CDC.

However, federal data shows vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2024-2025 school year, 92.5% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 92.7% seen in the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019-2020 school year, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sexual assault suspect poses as student

Sexual assault suspect poses as studentTYLER – The UT Tyler Police Department is currently investigating a sexual assault case that was reportedly committed in student housing by a person pretending to be a student. The case was reported to UT Tyler police on Wednesday but occurred in student housing between 9 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday. A UT Tyler notification said the suspect in the sexual assault is known to them. The suspect reportedly pretended to be a student associated with UT Tyler in an online chat group before meeting up with a female student at their dorm room, where they were sexually assaulted, according to UT Tyler PD.

UT Tyler PD detectives are actively investigating this case and temporary measures to improve campus safety have been put in place. Continue reading Sexual assault suspect poses as student

Police chief assaulted after city council meeting

Police chief assaulted after city council meetingKILGORE — The Kilgore Police Chief is currently recovering from injury after he was involved in a confrontation following Tuesday’s city council meeting. According to Chief Todd Hunter, who posted about the incident on Wednesday evening, several firefighters and himself were recognized during the council meeting for their years of service to the Kilgore community. Our news partner KETK reports, Hunter said that during the meeting, a person who had been confronting officers for more than a year for his social media content was in attendance and mockingly booed Hunter as he was being recognized for his 15 years of service to the community.

After the recognition portion of the meeting was complete, Hunter went into the lobby, where he began visiting with residents and colleagues. This is where he was reportedly approached by the individual who had been heckling him during the meeting. Hunter said the individual sought him out in a room full of people and proceeded to aggressively bump the chief in the chest. Hunter quickly brought the person to the ground and placed him under arrest with the help of officers in the area.

Following the incident, Hunter said he did sustain a shoulder injury. The alleged agitator, Eric Brian Trotter, 39, of Kilgore, is facing two felony charges. Continue reading Police chief assaulted after city council meeting

School worker jailed on sex charge

School worker jailed on sex chargeTYLER – A Pennsylvania middle school employee was arrested Thursday in Philadelphia on a Smith County warrant accusing him of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 15, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. According to our news partner KETK, U.S. Marshals said that 43-year-old Michael Robinson, traveled to Tyler in Aug. 2024 to meet a child under 15 who he had previously met online. Authorities allege the child was sexually assaulted over the course of the weekend when he visited Tyler that August.

In Dec. 2025, the Smith County District Attorney’s Office indicted Robinson on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child. A warrant was issued and assigned to the U.S. Marshals Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force for execution. Investigators later determined Robinson was employed as a paraprofessional at Radnor Township Middle School in Pennsylvania. Members of the task force located Robinson at about 7:30 a.m. Thursday in Philadelphia and arrested him without incident.

A single word to describe today’s Democrats.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., center, reacts as President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

 

churlish:’ch?r-lishadj 1 : marked by a lack of civility or graciousness : SURLY
2 : difficult to work with or deal with : INTRACTABLE

The word “churlish” – a word you might not use every day – came to my mind Tuesday night as I watched congressional Democrats make fools of themselves (again) at the president’s State of the Union address.

My goodness, what is it with these people? Why do they keep doing the same things again and again expecting different results?

The performance art that we have come to expect from the Dems got off to an early start with Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green’s requisite act of getting himself thrown out of the House chamber. (Al Green and Jasmine Crockett both come from my beloved State of Texas. Imagine my pride.)

You might recall that last year during President Trump’s address to a Joint Session of Congress Rep. Green got himself booted for shouting and shaking his cane at the president. Tuesday night, it was because he brought in a sign that was critical of Trump, signs being something expressly forbidden on the House floor under long-standing rules.

As the evening progressed, we were treated to an outburst from Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and an F-bomb lapel pin from fellow “squad” member Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.

Throughout it all, we got to watch as Democrats refused to stand and applaud as a current Coast Guardsman and a 100-year-old World War II veteran were each awarded the Medal of Honor. We got to watch Democrats sit on their self-righteous butts as President Trump rope-a-doped them into refusing to stand in agreement that the first duty of government is to protect its own citizens. What then, is government’s first duty by their estimation? (And they’re going to love the campaign ads that are already in production.)

Churlishness is a lot of things. It’s unpleasant. It’s childish. It’s almost always inappropriate.

One thing it certainly isn’t is policy.

But when is the last time the Democrats offered any policy? I’m happy to take any of my policy beliefs – from illegal immigration to welfare fraud to the need for voter ID to protect the integrity of elections – and debate them with any Democrat. I’m happy to say, “Tell me how I’m wrong. What is your better idea?”

But when the answer is, “You’re a white supremacist, a racist, a fascist and your mother is a ‘ho,”  there’s no hope for any substantive debate on policy aimed at improving the lives and fortunes of ordinary people.

It wasn’t always like this. I can remember when the Democratic Party was populated by thoughtful, principled men. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, Sam Rayburn of Texas and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut are among those that come to mind. All of them would have deplored the behavior of their colleagues on the House floor Tuesday night. Certainly none would have worn an F-bomb lapel pin.

One might have disagreed with them. One might have had principled differences with them. But one would never have called them churlish.

Principled debate between competing parties is the crucible from which good policy emerges. We don’t have that now and we need it.

We need for someone to come along and Make Democrats Great Again.