July 11, 2025 — Ithaca, Medicaid and the Big Beautiful Bill/Harmful algal blooms are back in town

Part I: President Donald Trump signed the "Big Beautiful Bill" into law July 4 — and with it, some of the largest ever cuts to federal Medicaid spending. The program provides health insurance for about 15% of Tompkins County residents. Megan Zerez and Ithaca Voice Editor-in-Chief Matt Butler go over the cuts and what they might mean for us locally.

Part II: Potential harms to rural and small city hospitals have been a topic of debate nationally. Matt Butler speaks with Kevin Kerwin, the president of a trade group representing dozens of small hospitals in our region and elsewhere upstate.

Part III: The first harmful algal blooms of the summer have arrived in Cayuga Lake with a bang. Megan Zerez and Ithaca Voice environment reporter Fernando Figueroa talk about what these increasingly common phenomena mean for our wate ...