Here are the most important stories from Texas Tribune’s data visuals team in 2025
Read full article: Here are the most important stories from Texas Tribune’s data visuals team in 2025The Tribune’s team of data journalists produced a congressional redistricting tool, covered several education data releases, visualized the measles outbreak and more.
Virtual reality opens doors for older people to build closer connections in real life
Read full article: Virtual reality opens doors for older people to build closer connections in real lifeMany retirement developments serve as a tranquil refuge for older people who can no longer travel to faraway places or engage in bold adventures.
Organizers of Christmas Eve Super Feast say Houston Health Department made them throw out ‘significant’ amount of food
Read full article: Organizers of Christmas Eve Super Feast say Houston Health Department made them throw out ‘significant’ amount of foodThe City Wide Club of America, the organization that hosts the Christmas Eve Super Feast, says they are deeply concerned and frustrated after they say they were forced to throw out a significant amount of food after an inspection by the Houston Health Department.
Medicaid paid more than $207 million for dead people. A new law could help fix that
Read full article: Medicaid paid more than $207 million for dead people. A new law could help fix thatA new Department of Health and Human Services report reveals Medicaid programs made over $200 million in improper payments to health care providers between 2021 and 2022 for people who had already died.
Addiction-stricken community struggles to keep a syringe program going after Trump's order
Read full article: Addiction-stricken community struggles to keep a syringe program going after Trump's orderDecades of research show syringe programs are extremely effective at preventing infectious disease among intravenous drug users and referring them to treatment.
Trump's return brought stiff headwinds for clean energy. So why are advocates optimistic in 2026?
Read full article: Trump's return brought stiff headwinds for clean energy. So why are advocates optimistic in 2026?Dozens of energy developers, experts and politicians say there were some highs amid a lot of lows in a roller coaster year for clean energy as President Donald Trump worked to boost polluting fuels while stymying wind and solar.
Trump announces lower drug price deals with 9 pharmaceutical companies
Read full article: Trump announces lower drug price deals with 9 pharmaceutical companiesU.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that nine drugmakers have agreed to lower the cost of their prescription drugs in the U.S. Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis and Sanofi will now charge Medicaid what they charge in other developed countries.
These are Americans' biggest priorities for the government in 2026, according to a new AP-NORC poll
Read full article: These are Americans' biggest priorities for the government in 2026, according to a new AP-NORC pollA new AP-NORC poll finds that Americans are more likely to prioritize health care than they were last year.
Nodding off is dangerous. Some animals have evolved extreme ways to sleep in precarious environments
Read full article: Nodding off is dangerous. Some animals have evolved extreme ways to sleep in precarious environmentsAnimals that navigate extreme conditions and environments have evolved to sleep in extreme ways.
With ACA subsidies set to expire, Texas Republicans in Congress remain hazy about path forward
Read full article: With ACA subsidies set to expire, Texas Republicans in Congress remain hazy about path forwardTexas’ entire House GOP delegation voted this week for a health care package that lets the tax credits lapse. They will be forced to vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies in January.
Speaker Johnson was ready to move on from ACA subsidies. But his members had other plans
Read full article: Speaker Johnson was ready to move on from ACA subsidies. But his members had other plansSpeaker Mike Johnson has stayed on message that a Republican health care package will help all Americans and not just those on Affordable Care Act plans.
China sues after Missouri seeks to collect on $25 billion court judgment, prosecutor says
Read full article: China sues after Missouri seeks to collect on $25 billion court judgment, prosecutor saysMissouri’s top prosecutor says China is suing after the state pressed federal officials for help collecting on a roughly $25 billion court judgment related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Houston-area health officials warn of sharp rise in whooping cough cases
Read full article: Houston-area health officials warn of sharp rise in whooping cough casesHouston health officials are sounding the alarm over a dramatic spike in whooping cough cases, with over 3,500 reported across Texas this year.
How cutting transgender instruction at Texas medical schools undermines health groups’ recommendations
Read full article: How cutting transgender instruction at Texas medical schools undermines health groups’ recommendationsHealth providers and faculty members fear students will no longer understand the nuances of caring for transgender people, who tend to have higher rates of certain mental and physical health conditions.
States brace for Trump's push to make oil drilling cheap again
Read full article: States brace for Trump's push to make oil drilling cheap againA Republican push to make drilling cheaper on federal land is creating new fiscal pressure for states that depend on oil and gas revenue, most notably in New Mexico.
Meet the 4 Republicans who defied House Speaker Mike Johnson on ACA subsidies
Read full article: Meet the 4 Republicans who defied House Speaker Mike Johnson on ACA subsidiesFour moderate House Republicans have broken ranks with Speaker Mike Johnson by supporting a Democratic petition to extend health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
When measles hit West Texas, school absences soared and it wasn't just sick kids who were out
Read full article: When measles hit West Texas, school absences soared and it wasn't just sick kids who were outWhen a measles outbreak hit West Texas this year, school absences surged far beyond the number of children who likely became sick.
Blamed for the nation’s historic measles outbreak, West Texas Mennonites have hardened their views on vaccines
Read full article: Blamed for the nation’s historic measles outbreak, West Texas Mennonites have hardened their views on vaccinesMonths after public health officials say they caused the nation’s largest measles surge in 30 years, some West Texas Mennonites have grown more skeptical of the mainstream medical system.
House Speaker Johnson rebuffs efforts to extend health care subsidies, pushing ahead with GOP plan
Read full article: House Speaker Johnson rebuffs efforts to extend health care subsidies, pushing ahead with GOP planHouse Republican leaders are determined to push ahead with a health care bill that excludes efforts to address the soaring monthly premiums for Affordable Care Act recipients.
A New Year, A New Smile: How AI and OneArch are changing full-mouth restorations in Houston
Read full article: A New Year, A New Smile: How AI and OneArch are changing full-mouth restorations in HoustonA new smile can change everything. Dr. Michel Azer and the team at Texas Dental Implant Center are using AI smile design and the OneArch approach to deliver faster, more predictable full mouth restorations — often the same day.
Big retailers didn't pull ByHeart baby formula fast enough after botulism recall, FDA says
Read full article: Big retailers didn't pull ByHeart baby formula fast enough after botulism recall, FDA saysThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent warning letters to four top retail stores for failing to promptly pull contaminated infant formula tied to a dangerous outbreak from their shelves.
Like many holiday traditions, lighting candles and fireplaces is best done in moderation
Read full article: Like many holiday traditions, lighting candles and fireplaces is best done in moderationThe warm scents of gingerbread and pine are holiday favorites, but experts warn they can affect indoor air quality.
Higher cost, worse coverage: Affordable Care Act enrollees say expiring subsidies will hit them hard
Read full article: Higher cost, worse coverage: Affordable Care Act enrollees say expiring subsidies will hit them hardAmericans are feeling the strain already with less than three weeks to go until the expiration of COVID-era tax credits that have helped many people pay for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
King Charles III says his cancer treatment is being reduced as he promotes benefits of screening
Read full article: King Charles III says his cancer treatment is being reduced as he promotes benefits of screeningKing Charles III says that early diagnosis and treatment will allow doctors to reduce his cancer treatment in the new year.
Illinois becomes 12th state to provide medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill
Read full article: Illinois becomes 12th state to provide medically assisted suicide for the terminally illIllinois residents with terminal illnesses may choose to end their lives on their own terms under a law Gov. JB Pritzker has signed.
Winter virus season so far is not too bad, but doctors worry about suffering to come
Read full article: Winter virus season so far is not too bad, but doctors worry about suffering to comeIt may feel like you are surrounded by sniffles and coughs, but flu season activity is still low in many parts of the U.S. New government data posted Friday shows that as of last week, flu activity was high in four states — Colorado, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York — and minimal or low in most others.
Florida plows ahead with push to roll back certain vaccine mandates for schoolchildren
Read full article: Florida plows ahead with push to roll back certain vaccine mandates for schoolchildrenFlorida officials are plowing ahead with a proposal to roll back certain vaccine mandates for the state’s schoolchildren.
Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of Americans
Read full article: Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of AmericansThe Senate has rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year.
Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products
Read full article: Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart productsFederal health officials have expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to ByHeart baby formula to include any illnesses reported since the company began production in 2022.
How a rare drug made from scientists' blood saves babies from botulism
Read full article: How a rare drug made from scientists' blood saves babies from botulismAn infant botulism outbreak has sickened at least 39 babies across the U.S. and underscored the crucial role of a medication that treats the rare disease.
Appeals court rules New Jersey's medically assisted suicide law is for residents only
Read full article: Appeals court rules New Jersey's medically assisted suicide law is for residents onlyA federal appeals court has ruled that a New Jersey law that permits terminally ill people to seek life-ending drugs applies only to residents of the state and not those from beyond its borders.
Holiday glow-up alert: get 6 laser weight-loss treatments for just $800 at Innovative Lasers of Houston
Read full article: Holiday glow-up alert: get 6 laser weight-loss treatments for just $800 at Innovative Lasers of HoustonIf you’ve been thinking about resetting your health goals or giving yourself a confidence boost this holiday season, now is the time. Innovative Lasers of Houston is offering a limited-time Christmas Gift Special that makes it easier than ever to look and feel your best - without pain, without downtime, and without surgery.
Nursing loan caps could limit graduate students to about $20,500 a year; advocates warn of staffing shortfalls
Read full article: Nursing loan caps could limit graduate students to about $20,500 a year; advocates warn of staffing shortfallsA federal proposal to sharply limit how much graduate nursing students can borrow is raising alarm among students, educators and nursing groups say the change could worsen an already critical nursing shortage.
UN says world must jointly tackle issues of climate change, pollution, biodiversity and land loss
Read full article: UN says world must jointly tackle issues of climate change, pollution, biodiversity and land lossThe most comprehensive global environment assessment ever undertaken calls for a new approach to jointly tackle the most pressing environmental issues including climate change and biodiversity loss that threaten over 1 million plant and animal species with extinction.
Bullets in Luigi Mangione’s bag convinced police that he was UnitedHealthcare CEO killing suspect
Read full article: Bullets in Luigi Mangione’s bag convinced police that he was UnitedHealthcare CEO killing suspectMoments after Luigi Mangione was put in handcuffs at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, a police officer searching his backpack found a loaded gun magazine wrapped in a pair of underwear.
Affordable Care Act enrollment is slightly ahead of last year so far, despite expiring subsidies
Read full article: Affordable Care Act enrollment is slightly ahead of last year so far, despite expiring subsidiesInitial new federal data shows the number of Americans signing up for Affordable Care Act health insurance for 2026 is moderately higher than it was at a similar time last year.
Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids
Read full article: Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kidsMassachusetts’ highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state’s lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users.
Drive Sober. No Regrets: TxDOT Steps Up Holiday Enforcement to Prevent Drunk Driving
Read full article: Drive Sober. No Regrets: TxDOT Steps Up Holiday Enforcement to Prevent Drunk DrivingAs Texans head into the holiday season, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has launched a new public-safety campaign “Drive Sober. No Regrets” and announced increased law enforcement patrols from Dec. 12 through Jan. 1.
US vaccine advisers say not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birth
Read full article: US vaccine advisers say not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birthA federal vaccine advisory committee has voted to end a longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born.
How Texas’ voter-approved $3 billion dementia fund will fare in court
Read full article: How Texas’ voter-approved $3 billion dementia fund will fare in courtIn 2023, Texas overcame lawsuits that sought to prevent constitutional amendments from going into effect, but one that voters approved in 2021 is still blocked.