The Dictatorship
Trump’s IVF announcement was the final blow to one of his wildest campaign promises
During the 2024 presidential campaignPresident Donald Trump claimed he would make in vitro fertilization free for people in the U.S. His official plan, laid out Thursday, should be a wake-up call for anyone who still believed he’d follow through. Instead, the president’s plan primarily focuses on somewhat reducing the cost of IVF — at the same time that the administration is pursuing policies that will increase what people pay for health insurance.
Starting in August 2024 — only after Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee — Trump began claiming on the campaign trail that he would make IVF free if he won. “Under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” he told NBC News. At a Michigan event a day later, he claimed: “Your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment.”
Any cost savings from IVF drugs could be eaten up by increasing monthly premiums.
Once in office, Trump signed an executive order in February directing aides to submit within 90 days “a list of policy recommendations on protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment.” The 90-day deadline came and went. In August, officials admitted to The Washington Post that the administration had no plans to require insurance coverage of IVF but that it would work to lower costs.
On Thursday, the White House announced that the administration will issue guidance to encourage more employers to cover IVF and that it had negotiated with one drug manufacturer and two specialty pharmaciesCVS Specialty and Express Scripts, to lower costs of prescription fertility drugs used in IVF.
To be clear, the guidance does not make insurers cover IVF. Instead, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren put itthe White House’s idea is to “politely ask companies to add IVF coverage out of the goodness of their own hearts — with zero federal investment and no requirement for them to follow through.” And while 60% of people under 65 have insurance through their jobs, that leaves the remaining 40% who either have public coverage, buy their own plans or go without insurance.
And while getting lower prices for some IVF medications is certainly a good thing, it won’t make the treatment affordable for most people who pay out of pocket for fertility services. That’s because drugs are not the main source of IVF costs, which can run about $15,000 to $20,000 per cycle and include lab visits, genetic testing and an embryo transfer procedure. Per the White House’s own fact sheet, the prescription drugs needed to complete the process make up about 20% of that cost. The administration suggested that, with new discounts, people could save up to $2,200 on the drugs per cyclebut that would still leave people with bills of more than $10,000.
“The Federal government has the power to meaningfully improve IVF access, but the recommendations it announced [Thursday] are not nearly enough,” said Center for Reproductive Rights President Nancy Northup in a statement. Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, told The New York Times: “I think it is a whole lot less than he promised in the campaign.”
To make matters worse, Trump announced this plan on Day 16 of a government shutdown, in which a central issue is Republicans’ refusal to extend enhanced subsidies for people who buy their own insurance on the Obamacare marketplace. That means any cost savings from IVF drugs could be eaten up by increasing monthly premiums — if people can afford to purchase health insurance at all.
Even though Trump’s plan doesn’t mandate IVF coverage, anti-abortion leaders were not pleased.
And insurance costs are expected to increase even for people with other kinds of health plans, thanks to the GOP budget law that passed this summer. The bill is designed to kick millions of people off Medicaid, which will result in hospitals taking on more “uncompensated care.” Health policy experts warn that hospitals will raise their rates as a result, and that will increase costs for everyone across the country.
If Trump wanted to require insurers to cover IVF, he could back a bill sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a combat veteran who welcomed two children through IVF. Her Right to IVF Act would create a right to access fertility services, including IVF, and would require employer-sponsored plans and public insurance including Medicaid and military TRICARE plans to cover the treatments. Republicans blocked Duckworth’s bill twice in 2024.
Instead, Thursday’s announcement was another example of Trump trying to appease voters who supported him on a pledge to lower costs while also attempting to mollify religious conservatives who strongly oppose abortion and IVF. But even though Trump’s plan doesn’t mandate coverage, anti-abortion leaders were not pleased. Many in that movement oppose IVF because they believe life begins at fertilization and the treatment involves the creation of multiple embryos, genetic testing and routine destruction and storage.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, wrote on social media“I’m thankful there’s no new healthcare mandate forcing coverage for the destructive IVF industry, but IVF, as it’s practiced, still destroys countless humans in the embryonic stage.” Hawkins said it was the “second disappointment in two weeks from his team,” referring to the FDA’s approval of a new generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone. Live Action founder Lila Rose was more critical, claiming after Trump’s announcement that “IVF kills more babies than abortion — millions of embryos are frozen, discarded, or destroyed.”
At a press conference Thursday, Trump claimed to be unaware of anti-abortion opposition to IVF. “I’m just looking to do something because, you know, pro-life,” he said. “I think this is very pro-life. You can’t get more pro-life than this.”
It’s worth remembering that Trump only took up the IVF issue during the 2024 campaign after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that IVF embryos can be considered children for the purposes of wrongful death lawsuits. Trump had repeatedly bragged about nominating three of the Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, but that ruling allowed states and judges (like in Alabama) to define life as beginning at fertilizationlimiting access to fertility treatments. Trump didn’t want to be associated with those consequences, so he criticized the ruling — and once Harris entered the race, he made his wild promises. Some voters believed him.
And now here we are with a plan that falls far short of his pledges, barely makes a dent in affordability, and has still angered conservatives. As is so often the case with Trump, everyone loses while he claims victory.
SUSPAN goals
Susan Rinkunas is an independent journalist and co-founder of Autonomy News. Her work has appeared in Jezebel, The New Republic, The Guardian, Slate, The Nation and more.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrainand Kuwaiton Sunday following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the warif Washington continues its attacks.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuzwithout Iran’s oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Omanfor inbound and outbound traffic.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the claim that Tehran must govern the strait to the Persian Gulfthat once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas.
“Any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension,” Araghchi said.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite its location in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters. In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels going through a route near the Omani side.
A Pakistani official involved in the technical talks between the U.S. and Iran told MS NOW Sunday that talks between the sides are on hold given the ongoing fighting between the two sides. The source, who did not want to be named to discuss the sensitive matter, said the U.S., Iran, Pakistan and Qatar all have representatives currently in Switzerland to restart discussions when instructed to do so.
But the Trump administration said nothing has been canceled and technical talks are on track for the coming days.
Talks include arrangements around the strait, the removal of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran, and the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two sides have 60 days from their signing of the memorandum of understanding earlier this month to work out details.
Continued conflict in Lebanon threatens the agreement, which says fighting must end on all fronts before certain issues can be discussed.
Strikes target Gulf states hosting US military
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kuwait, which hosts a major U.S. military base, said air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the U.S. strikes in Iran. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Bahrain said the Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport and no one was killed. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The damaged building was not near its headquarters.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression.”
Later on Sunday, Qatar said a civilian had been killed, and another person was hurt, by shrapnel related to “military operations in the area” after a vessel didn’t return at its scheduled time on Saturday. It did not give details.
Trump accuses Iran of violating ceasefire
The U.S. military said it struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship on Saturday. The Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku carried crude oil for the state-run energy company of Qatar, another key mediator.
U.S. President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating the deal and warned of a point where the U.S. may “be forced to militarily complete the job.”
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote.
The exchanges of fire began when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vesseloff Oman on Thursday and the U.S. military retaliated.
Ship traffic on the strait had increased over the past 72 hours, “despite the elevated threat environment,” the multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, adding that “U.S.-assisted commercial transits continued uninterrupted.”
It said 89 such transits had been made, below the historical average of 138 vessels a day.
Iran calls for new ‘conflict control unit’ in Lebanon
Last week, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreementto end the latest fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, which began two days after the Iran war started when Hezbollah fired at Israel. Israel has responded with an invasion of southern Lebanon and it has said it will not withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed.
The agreement did not include Iran or Hezbollah, which has criticized itand rejected calls to disarm.
On Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister again said the U.S. must force Israel to halt attacks and withdraw. Israel occupies around 600 square kilometers (231 square miles) in southern Lebanon, which it says it needs as a security buffer.
Sporadic clashes have continued, and Hezbollah’s leader said Saturday that the group would continue fighting until Israel withdraws from Lebanon.
Key Iranian negotiator and parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday that a meeting of a new “conflict control unit” formed among Iran, the United States and Lebanon should meet as soon as possible, Iran’s state broadcaster reported.
Two strikes hit southern Lebanon on Sunday morning — one in Taybeh town and the other in the Nabatiyeh area, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Overnight, Hezbollah militants killed an Israeli soldier in Deir Siryan village in southern Lebanon, according to Israel’s military. Hezbollah did not comment.
Israel targets a village in Syria
Israel’s military targeted Abdin village in southern Syria’s Daraa province with artillery shelling Sunday evening, Syrian state media reported. There was no immediate report of casualties.
State news agency SANA earlier reported that residents had blocked the road into the village with stones to prevent Israeli forces from entering it again after they had entered and withdrawn.
Earlier Sunday, Israel’s military said it had killed several armed men in southern Syria but gave no details. There was no statement from Syrian officials.
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024 following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially called the move temporary, but more recently they have said they plan to occupy the zone indefinitely.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a message for political opponents using him as the new face of the Democratic Party: “Let them.”
Recent primary races in New York turned into a proxy war between progressives, including democratic socialists like Mamdani, and establishment Democratic politicians after candidates endorsed by Mamdani faced off against those endorsed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. After all three of Mamdani’s endorsements bore fruit, a national spotlight shone on the mayor as a growing influence in the Democratic Party.
Asked on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday how he felt about Republicans making him the “poster child” for the Democratic Party, Mamdani said, “Let them. We don’t have to ask ourselves what life looks like if a socialist wins. I won last November, and over the course of these last six months, what we’ve delivered for working people are the very things we were told were impossible.”
He touted recent campaign promises he delivered on, including freezing rents for nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments, expanding free child care and filling potholes across the city.
“I think we are seeing a hunger that is not just felt by New Yorkers, but frankly by Americans from coast to coast for a new politics, one that puts working people at the heart of it,” Mamdani told ABC.
Mamdani dismissed criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Jeffries, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, said last week that he and the mayor “agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements, and he’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward.” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said, “The effort to nationalize New York is going to fail.”
Mamdani said he’s focused on the three congressional candidates he has already endorsed: Brad LanderDarializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez. But he didn’t rule out future endorsements outside of New York.
“It’s not just New York City where working people are asking themselves ‘why can’t I afford my rent, why can’t I afford my groceries, why can’t I find enough money in my pocket for childcare no matter how hard I work?,’” Mamdani said.
When asked about a recent manifesto penned by a number of moderate House Democrats and Democratic candidates, promoting capitalism over socialism, Mamdani doubled down on his vision for the party.
“I’m not interested in writing a manifesto, or frankly, in reading one,” the mayor said. “I’m interested in delivering.”
Mamdani also criticized Democrats who continue to make antagonizing Trump the center of their politics rather than working people.
“You’ve got to have something that you are not just willing to stand up for, but that you’re also willing to explain how this is relevant to working people,” he said. “And I think this just comes back to the fact that I’m leading a city that’s the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. I could end the sentence there and say that life is great for 8.5 million people. But it’s also a city where one in four are living in poverty. And for far too many Americans, those contradictions have become their day to day life.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Despite remaining undefeated in the initial round of the World Cupthe Iran national team is going home after failing to secure enough points to advance. But they do not leave quietly.
Iran’s tumultuous journey in the World Cup has been the subject of widespread attention amid the U.S. war with Iran, with the United States being one of three countries hosting matches. The Iranian team captain, Mehdi Taremi, blamed FIFA, saying, “It’s a disaster World Cup. A disaster.”
“I mean, FIFA, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately they could not solve it since the beginning,” Taremi said at a press conference Friday after his team drew with Egypt, knocking Iran out of the tournament.
He pointed to the team’s biggest obstacle. “We don’t have our logistics people here. They don’t have a visa,” Taremi said, adding, “We always complain about these things but no one helps. No one.”
The Trump administration denied visas to key Iranian staff and severely restricted players’ travel. The team’s base camp was moved from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, where it was required to return immediately after each game.
“How is it possible we always have to travel from Tijuana? We love the people in Tijuana. We love Mexico,” the Iran team captain said, but added, “It’s not fair.”
Throughout the tournament, the Football Federation of Iran lamented the number of issues, threatening to lodge a formal complaint against FIFA. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei called his team the “most oppressed” in the tournament. A few days before Iran’s final match against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, the U.S. loosened travel restrictions to allow players to enter the United States two days before the game.
“The Iran team will still be required to leave the day the match ends,” the Department of Homeland Security said ahead of the match. “The overall security measures and protocol are the same. We remain committed to providing the safest tournament possible for players, staff, and fans alike.”
Still, Iran finished Group G in third place with three points earned after drawing in its matches against Belgium, New Zealandand Egypt. Under FIFA’s new 48-team format, the top eight of third-place teams move on to the next round, but Iran narrowly fell short.
The team initially seemed poised to advance when it was tied with the same amount of points as Algeria, which scored a goal in stoppage-time against Austria Saturday night. But moments later, Austria tied the game, guaranteeing Iran’s elimination.
Off the field, tensions with Iran heightened Friday when the U.S. struck Iran despite signing a memorandum of understanding meant to halt hostilities in order to finalize a peace deal.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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