Here are this morning’s headline stories:

For a long time, California’s Central Valley has been a bastion of conservative political support; the red spot in a state that’s awash in blue. However, there are signs that support for the right could be wavering, as President Trump’s policies on trade and immigration are impacting livelihoods in the Central Valley; and some of the biggest progressives in the country are eyeing the region as a place that is ready for change.
Since Covered California went into effect more than ten years ago, millions of state residents have relied on the program to obtain healthcare, year after year. However, the trust that Californians have put into the program may start to fray, after a CalMatters investigation revealed that Covered California is sending people’s personal information to private companies.

Progressives Make Play for Bakersfield as Residents Demand Answers from Republican Lawmakers

The Central Valley turned out big for Donald Trump in 2024. The region also voted red in contentious congressional races last year. Voters there elevated former State Assemblyman Vince Fong to represent District CA-20 in the House. They delivered a win for Rep. David Valadao in a rematch race against his democratic opponent for District CA-21. They also turned out for veteran congressman Tom McClintock, who managed to fend off a challenge to his District CA-5 seat.

The trio has been instrumental in keeping the Republicans’ edge in the House, and smoothing the way for President Trump’s policies to reach the Senate.

That is not playing well with Central Valley voters, who are becoming increasingly vocal about their problems with certain White House policies, and how Republicans have offered little pushback on these issues–and progressives are eager to take advantage of what may be a groundswell of opposition.

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Covered California is Sharing Sensitive Medical Data With Private Companies

The website that millions of Californians have to go through in order to get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act has been sending users’ sensitive health data to LinkedIn.

That’s according to an investigation by CalMatters, which did a forensic deep dive into Covered California’s website, coveredca.com.

While visitors to the website had to fill out forms to register for medical coverage, what they were typing was being tracked and reported to LinkedIn. This includes information about users’ disabilities, sexual orientation, pregnancy, prescription history, and even whether someone was a victim of domestic abuse.

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