Good morning from the Mercury.
“Decisions about healthcare, including for transgender youth, should be made by families and their doctors — not the government. It’s important that every parent is able to get the healthcare that their child needs, no matter what kind of health insurance they have.” - ACLU of Virginia Senior Transgender Rights Attorney Wyatt Rolla
A crowd gathers outside of Virginia's Capitol on Feb. 10, 2025 to call on legislators to protect transgender people. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
By Charlotte Rene Woods
Federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program money can no longer be used for certain gender-affirming care to young people in Virginia and other states, after a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule took effect on Oct. 13.
This means that people under 18 on Medicaid and under 19 on CHIP would lose that financial assistance, but Virginia’s chapter of the American Civil Liberty Union argues Virginia’s state government could fund state-level coverage to replace it.
While patients with private insurance can still seek care where it is offered, the new HHS rule specifically prohibits young people using Medicaid or CHIP from having services like puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgery covered.
Republican U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (left) and Democratic challenger Elaine Luria are facing off again in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. (Photos courtesy of campaigns)
By Markus Schmidt
Democrat Elaine Luria holds a narrow lead over Republican U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans in Virginia’s closely watched 2nd Congressional District, according to a Christopher Newport University poll released Wednesday, but the three-point difference falls within the survey’s +/- 4 margin of error.
Luria received 46% support among likely voters in the district, compared with 43% for Kiggans, according to the university’s Wason Center poll. Another 10% were still undecided, and 2% favored another candidate.
Children playing at Peake Childhood Center in Newport News in October 2026. (Photo by Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury)
By Nathaniel Cline
A new report shows Virginia students’ kindergarten readiness rose six percentage points to 57% over the past year, with underserved students making notable gains, according to the Department of Education.
Last year, state lawmakers directed VDOE and the University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning to use Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program assessment results to determine how the state’s preschool initiative promotes school readiness.
By Ashley Murray and Jane Norman
A federal judge late Tuesday extended a block on a Trump administration ban of press passes for three news organizations, which will allow them to continue to enter the White House grounds while a legal challenge to the ban plays out.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly in a 26-page order rejected Department of Justice arguments that the revocation of passes for CNN, Politico and MS NOW was based on the administration’s concern over reporting that endangered national security.
NEWS TO KNOW
Our daily roundup of headlines from Virginia and elsewhere.
"Virginia’s AI rules don’t effectively weigh risks, report says." | The Virginian-Pilot
"Memo details how DCA plane crash traumatized Arlington first responders." | The Washington Post
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