paying

A fast-growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has crossed borders, raising alarms far beyond Central Africa. This time, the virus is a strain with no approved vaccine or treatment. As cases rise and governments scramble to respond, can the outbreak be contained before it spreads further?

In this episode: 

• Catherine Soi (@cate_soi), Al Jazeera Correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé and Sarí el-Khalili with Spencer Cline, Tamara Khandaker, Jana Dabliz, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Tamara Khandaker. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Rick Rush mixed this episode. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. 

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When Congress passed the big, ugly bill known as HR 1 last year, most Americans understood it meant cuts to Medicaid, the safety net program millions rely on for medical insurance.

But few Californians realized just how much it will affect the Golden State when its provisions really kick in, starting after the midterms (the Republicans aren’t that dumb) and continuing on in cascading cuts for the next few years.

Millions of Californians — not just low-income folks — are going to feel the effects, whether through a loss of insurance, fewer providers able to keep their doors open, or rising premiums and costs.

“This problem trickles up,” state Senate leader Monique Limón (D-Goleta) told me. “This is not just going to impact the people that have a public healthcare plan. When you see a hospital close, when you see medical providers no longer being able to practice, it is absolutely going to impact everybody, the middle class included.”

Added to the loss of federal funds, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s most recent budget plan (which the Legislature has to debate in coming weeks) includes cuts at the state level. This is in part to contend with the loss of federal money, but also because healthcare costs keep rising and even in this wealthy state, we can’t afford the bills — at least not without some changes.

What those changes are — and who should bear the brunt of them — is a complicated and largely ignored debate happening right now. While our candidates for governor have been grilled on whether they support single-payer healthcare or not, (Becerra is a sort-of, Steyer is a yes) the real question isn’t how is the next governor going to expand access to care — but how are we going to keep the whole system from collapsing right now.

“This is not hypothetical, this is what’s coming down the line,” Limón said.

The problem

About 15 million adults and children, or about 1 in 3 of our state’s residents, rely on Medi-Cal, which is what California calls its Medicaid program.

Through a creative bit of state financing called the Managed Care Organization, or MCO, tax, the federal government has been paying for a big chunk of the costs of that insurance, about $7 billion a year. President Trump’s HR 1 makes that money go bye-bye by greatly reducing the MCO, leaving the state to figure out how to backfill that cash. And that’s just one of the ways the big, ugly bill hurts California. Yes, it’s complicated.

The number of Californians losing health insurance coverage could roughly double in the next four years. Above, a patient undergoes treatment for tongue cancer at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on March 6, 2026.

(David McNew / Getty Images)

Newsom’s budget plan relies in a not-small way on restructuring the MCO tax to fit HR 1’s new rules. But here’s the problem with that — any fix will require approval from the Trump administration, which has repeatedly shown the welfare of Californians is not a high priority. In fact, the Trump administration in March rejected California’s request to update another fee related to hospitals that also generates billions for Medi-Cal.

So maybe Newsom will be able to negotiate a plan that saves the MCO and California healthcare. But wouldn’t it be much better for the GOP, with a presidential election looming, to watch California (and her presidential-contender governor) tumble off a healthcare cliff? Few states rely on an MCO tax the way ours does, which means our pain is going to be far more visible and profound if we lose this funding.

That means if Newsom’s budget is approved by the state Legislature with the MCO fix, the state is taking a gamble. If the feds don’t approve some new version of the MCO tax, “it would have major implications,” Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto told me. She’s a senior policy fellow with the nonpartisan California Budget and Policy Center.

Sort-of solutions

What’s the fourth-largest economy in the world to do? Limón would like to see the state stop subsidizing corporations who pay so meagerly that their employees qualify for Medi-Cal.

“We don’t have the luxury of being able to provide these tax subsidies,” Limón said.

Turns out, 42% of Medi-Cal enrollees are full-time workers, according to a new report by the UC Berkeley Labor Center. Although most big corporations offer some sort of health insurance, it’s often tied to working a certain number of hours (which they then make sure not to schedule) or it has prohibitive costs or other barriers.

In 2022, the Labor Center found, 34% of low-wage workers received their health insurance through employers, compared with 69% of higher wage workers — meaning California is picking up insurance costs because low-wage employers are finding ways out of them.

“Over the decades, Medi-Cal has really undergone a significant transformation. It’s shifted from a program that primarily served the disabled and indigent and elderly folks to one that largely supports folks that work in low-wage industries,” Tia Orr, the executive director of SEIU California, told me. “Medi-Cal has now become a program where folks that work every single day have to rely on it. The idea that someone can work every day and qualify for food stamps and Medi-Cal, it should be eye-opening to folks.”

Right now, she points out, California taxpayers are paying about $7,800 a year for each person on Medi-Cal.

“The corporations that they work for don’t have to pay one dollar of that, right?”

Limón and her Senate colleagues would like to change that. They have proposed the “Fair Share” plan that would impose a tax on the state’s largest and wealthiest corporations whose employees rely on public assistance. It’s more of an idea than a fleshed-out policy at this point, but as ideas go, it ain’t a bad one. It’s been done in Massachusetts, and New Jersey’s governor has suggested it.

In California, it deserves more attention than it’s currently being given.

To be fair, Newsom’s plan also would also limit state corporate tax credits to $5 million, as my colleague Taryn Luna points out, or 50% of a firm’s tax liability, whichever is greater. That change could bring in $850 million next year to state coffers and grow to $1.8 billion by the end of the decade. That’s still not nearly enough to cover healthcare costs.

To add to the drama, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office predicts all this will get worse — that the number of Californians losing health insurance coverage could roughly double in the next four years. The Newsom administration projects federal Medi-Cal changes could push off 44,000 people in 2026-27, growing to 1.3 million people by 2029-30.

That means more people getting sick and dying because they can’t afford a doctor. It means more doctors, clinics and hospitals losing income vital to keeping their doors open, and more emergency rooms being overloaded because it’s the only option.

“The worst is yet to come,” Rachel Linn Gish, interim deputy director at Health Access California, a consumer healthcare advocacy coalition, told me. “If you wait to take action until it gets bad, it’s already going to be way too late.”

She’s right, and however you look at it, a fix should include corporations paying their fair share.

What else you should be reading

The must-read: Justice Department sues UCLA for the third time, alleges antisemitism against students
The deep dive: The $400 Million Showdown Between a Billionaire and a California Mayor
The L.A. Times Special: Garden Grove crisis exposes Southern California’s hidden industrial risks

Stay Golden,
Anita Chabria

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On a recent weekday morning inside a studio in the heart of Hollywood, Rachel Lindsay and Van Lathan, co-hosts of The Ringer’s “Higher Learning,” were getting ready to roll.

By the time the podcasters came into the Spotify Sycamore Studios for their show, which covers all things in Black culture and politics, the overhead lights were set, and the cameras were precisely angled. Decorative books were propped up between their seats and a big red “Higher Learning” logo stood behind them.

As soon as everyone silenced their phones, the hosts began to banter like two old friends. Lindsay complimented Lathan on his recent foray into stand-up comedy at the Netflix is Joke Fest at the Laugh Factory.

“I just have to say … basically a star is born,” said Lindsay, grinning. “I have to talk about it. Now I never doubted you.”

The pair helms one of the many shows on The Ringer podcast network, known for its roster of A-list celebrity hosts and sports and culture commentators that recently moved into Spotify’s newest podcasting studios.

The 11,000 square-foot space on Sycamore Avenue was designed as both a home base for The Ringer’s production and a video podcasting hub for select Spotify creators.

Since its opening earlier this year, the space has welcomed more than 25 podcasters and shows, on top of the dozens of shows that still record at Spotify’s Mateo studios in the Arts District.

The company estimates that over the last five years it has contributed more than $10 billion to the podcasting industry, including payouts to creators and investments in new content.

Podcasts are just one arm of Spotify’s business, as the audio giant has over 100 million songs and 700,000 audiobooks on its platform. But video podcasts have become an increasingly important way for the company to keep listeners tuned in — and paying for subscriptions amid growing competition from Apple Music and YouTube Music. Despite a surge in profits in the first quarter, Spotify’s share price has fallen 25% this year as investors worry about a slowdown in subscriber growth.

Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay record their podcast, “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay,” at Spotify’s Sycamore Studios in Hollywood on May 7. The podcast is distributed on Spotify through The Ringer.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

One of the main drivers behind opening the Sycamore studios was to create a central hub for The Ringer, a media company Spotify acquired for $250 million in 2020.

Geoff Chow, Spotify‘s head of podcast studios and The Ringer’s managing director, said the investment is already paying off “in terms of the productivity and the quality of the content we’re able to produce from here.”

The Ringer is one of the streamer’s most popular assets. Spotify includes nine Ringer shows in its list of the top U.S. podcasts.

“They’re pouring into this space and their creators,” Lathan said, before recording a new “Higher Learning” episode. “We really have the freedom to do so much.”

He and Lindsay said the studio has elevated their show by switching up their workflow and increasing in-person work.

Thanks in part to its centralized location, tucked between the offices of SiriusXM and music and sports entertainment company Roc Nation, they say guests are more eager to visit and record in person. Lathan joked that even while walking down the street, he’ll run into radio personalities like Sway Calloway, who hosts his own successful “Sway in the Morning” show on SiriusXM, and convince them to come up for a tour of the space.

Sycamore has already seen guest appearances from Snoop Dogg on “Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay” and “Project Hail Mary” author Andy Weir on “House of R.”

“This street is so cool,” Lindsay added. “It’s just a different energy here.”

The duo first started recording at Spotify’s Arts District campus, which is more focused on audio-driven programs. But as the podcasting landscape evolves and video becomes a more important element, “Higher Learning” is now able to maximize on the new studio’s video-first capabilities.

Chris Thomas, studio operator, works in the control room on the podcast, “Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay.”

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Spotify also employs a combination of full-time employees and freelancers that staff each show, including sound engineers, lighting specialists and set designers who help keep the place running.

The Ringer, founded by media mogul Bill Simmons, exists online as a website, a podcast network and video production house, anchored in sports, pop culture and politics coverage. Some of its most popular programs include “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” “The Rewatchables” and the inaugural Golden Globe winner “Good Hang with Amy Poehler.”

Many of the hosts overlap within The Ringer’s podcasting ecosystem. Just between Lathan and Lindsay, they host and appear as regular guests on as many as five shows, so they work from the studio three to five times a week. By being in close quarters together, a greater sense of collaboration has enveloped The Ringer’s team. Chow said there are some days when Simmons will walk onto four shows a day, just to share his thoughts on a topic.

“This is my dream of what The Ringer is. We’re all here talking, we’re all existing together,” Lathan said. “We’re all popping in and out of different rooms all the time.”

Exterior view of the building that houses Spotify’s new Sycamore Studios. The company takes up one floor of the facility.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

The Ringer was first founded in 2016. At the time, Simmons had recently been ousted from ESPN due to a strained relationship with higher-ups. Simmons had spearheaded the network’s Grantland sports blog, which focused on cultural commentary that is similar to what The Ringer does today. The Ringer soon established itself as one of the fastest-growing independent podcast networks.

The brand still keeps its roots in fandom — whether it’s through football or “Game of Thrones,” said Chow. So, to have a space that reflects the diversity of its programming often makes recording more fruitful, especially during key moments like the NFL draft or awards season.

As The Ringer continues to expand its roots in Hollywood, the network remains focused on maximizing its content.

In January, The Ringer started airing select podcasts on Netflix to reach a wider audience. Chow said the partnership is off to a promising start. Each of the five recording studios at the Sycamore site is fully equipped with live-streaming technology — making the weekly Netflix live shows possible.

“Podcasts have become like a cultural hub and curator of things that are happening in the world,” Chow said. “We always want to innovate and test. That’s something that was exciting to us to think about bringing our audience new content in different places.”

Kath Cross and Stuart Hall have been living full-time in their campervan and have travelled over 25,000 miles on their epic adventures

A couple sold all their possessions to buy a campervan and travel the world – for just £30 a day. Kath Cross, 49, and Stuart Hall, 48, have travelled over 25,000 miles on epic adventures through the Sahara desert, Europe and Scotland in their make-shift home.

The pair have been living in their 7.5m Mercedes Sprinter ever since Kath sold all her possessions and stopped paying rent four years ago. To date they have toured over 15 countries – and will have exceeded 20 by the time they get back from their current trip to Montenegro.

The couple work on the road full-time under the name Vanavigation – where they create, write and share travel content. Though their spending plan varies slightly depending on which country they are residing in, the pair say on average they spend around £900 to £1,200 a month – cheaper than Kath’s old house rental in Cardiff.

This means they budget around £30 to £40 a day for their lifestyle – with half spent on fuel. Kath, from Cardiff, said: “It was a choice we made between one life and another – and we don’t regret a second of it.

“When I sold my possessions, it made me realise that you are supposed to own things – not them own you. When you have a mortgage, a car payment, you are owned by society, fixed because you have to stay where you are and pay your bills.

“The more of my stuff I sold the more free I felt – the more I am realising those possessions owned me and pinned me in one place. Life owns you and you are supposed to own it.”

Kath and Stuart bonded over their shared love of nature and the outdoors after meeting in a South Wales walking group back in 2021. They hiked over 105 peaks in the UK during their first year of dating and Kath decided that Stuart was the person she wanted to travel the world with.

She soon after decided to pack up her four-bed rental house and sell all of her possessions back in 2022 when her daughters left home. Stuart and Kath have since travelled over 25,000 miles – including their first trip all the way to the Sahara desert, which Kath described as her “lifelong dream”.

Kath said: “I had an idea that when my kids left home I wanted to drive to the Sahara – it was a dream I’d had for years. Stu already owned the van, and we had been together a few months when we visited Scotland for a month in the campervan. We didn’t kill each other and got on very well.

“So that winter I decided that I was going to downsize my life, my kids had left home, the four-bed rental was too much for me and I just didn’t want it anymore. It was taking every penny that I earned just to keep the rental going – but we knew we could live cheaper on the road.

“A lot of people are scared of the big adventure, but Stu was up for the idea and so we drove to the edge of the Sahara desert and haven’t looked back.”

READ MORE: Ryanair passengers with flights booked to Portugal issued EES updateREAD MORE: Gran ‘trapped’ in her own home after handing over £13K to rogue builders

The mother-of-two is able to ensure a steady monthly income for the pair after she set up her own business online back in 2012. As a single parent, Kath wanted to ensure she could earn a living while being at home with her children – and her copywriting and freelance work saw her amass 1.6million followers on Facebook in 2014.

Stuart, who works for an agency as a truck driver, works when they visit the UK after trips to help top up their money before their next adventure. Her and Stuart are both work together to produce content for Vanavigation – releasing weekly Youtube episodes, travel guides and insightful blogs across social media on how to travel the world.

Kath said: “Life really is a lot cheaper in the van – you don’t need two wages. We were away for 101 days and our average spend was £1000 a month – this is less than my rent used to be in Cardiff and we lived like kings and queens.”

Despite more than half their budget being on fuel, the pair say they don’t live like they are on holiday – and mostly cook in the van and only pay for a few activities a month. Kath said: “As fuel prices have gone up we have just slowed down!

“We just drive a bit slower and make a few less stops – which means we extend the trip really. When you’re in North Macedonia and paying 130 a litre for diesel, there is no point rushing back to pay whatever horrifying price it is in the UK at the moment.”

The pair are able to live in their fully-equipped campervan which boasts a full working set up including: a shower, toilet, king-size bed, sink, and a fully working kitchen with an oven, gas burner. Stuart, who converted the inside of the van shortly after purchasing it, said: “We can even do a roast dinner.”

So far, the pair have driven 3,000 miles to Denmark and back, 7,000 miles around Spain and Portugal, 2,000 miles to Scotland and 8,000 miles to the Sahara. They are currently in Montenegro, and are just shy of 5,000 miles on their trip which has seen them drive through France, Italy, Albania, Greece, North Macedonia and Kosovo.

Their next stops are Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and France. Kath and Stu said their Sahara trip has been one of their many highlights – which also include their visit to the Atlas mountains, Kosovo and Denmark.

Stuart, from Southampton, said: “We drove to the edge of the sand dunes and were drinking coffee out of own mugs from home. Then we opened up the curtains and there were 40 camels outside – it was totally surreal. I had only ever been on package holidays before.”

Kath said they also loved their visit to the Atlas mountains because of the scenery and people they met during their trip and volunteering. She said: “There are communities there that have nothing, and they just want to help you.

“We helped a guy stuck in the snow and he wanted to take us to his village, which had 66 houses and a mosque. His family made us food and drinks and the kids in the village came to meet us and it was only a few months after the earthquake. It was so special connecting with the local communities.”

The pair are strong advocates for following your dreams and travelling the world in a mindful and sustainable way. Stuart said: “We choose to step lighter on this earth.

“My big diesel van has much less of a carbon footprint than a three-bed house where people leave the lights on. We don’t buy new stuff, we wear clothes until we can’t wear them anymore and we live light on plastics. We love this life and we learn so much about people.”

Kath said: “You can’t dream yourself into this life, you have to make intentional decisions to get here. You have to let go of other things to get here. We left the rat race – and we’re really glad about it.”

You can follow their adventures here: “https://www.facebook.com/vanavigationuk/

Latest warning comes as Iranian state media reports Tehran has presented new peace proposal to US.

The United States has warned that any shippers paying tolls or other fees to Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz risk being sanctioned.

The warning on Friday comes as a US naval blockade of the strait continued for its third week, amid stalled US-Iran ceasefire talks. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called the ongoing siege on the country’s ports “intolerable”.

Iran’s influence over, and ability to effectively close, the Strait of Hormuz emerged as a key point of leverage shortly after the US and Israel began launching attacks on Iran on February 28.

About one-fifth of the global crude oil and liquefied natural gas maritime shipments pass through the arterial waterway.

In its past proposals to end the war, Iran has proposed charging fees or tolls for vessels seeking to pass through the state. Washington has repeatedly rejected the prospect.

The advisory from the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Iran may offer shippers fiat currency, digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments.

It said those also included payments framed as charitable donations, including to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Bonyad Mostazafan, or Iranian embassy accounts.

“OFAC is issuing ‌this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting ‌guarantees ‌from, the Iranian regime for safe passage,” it said.

“These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said.

Both the government of Iran and the International Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remain under US sanctions.

The advisory on Friday came as Iranian state media reported that Tehran had sent a new proposal for a lasting ceasefire to the Trump administration.

A White House spokesperson said it does not “detail private diplomatic conversations”, declining to confirm receipt of the proposal.

The spokesperson, Anna Kelly, added that “Trump has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and negotiations continue to ensure the short- and long-term national security of the United States”.

Both sides have largely halted attacks since reaching a tentative agreement to pause fighting on April 7. Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume attacks amid the stalled negotiations.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that Tehran remains open to diplomacy with the US if Washington alters its “expansionist approach” and “threatening rhetoric”.

MSE, founded by Martin Lewis, has shared the handy trick online

Money Saving Expert (MSE) has shared a handy trick that could help you get more items on board your next flight. This means you may not need to pay for extra luggage.

On its website, the financial experts have said that anyone flying with easyJet may be able to boost their luggage allowance in a post-security “loophole”. MSE wrote: “If you don’t want to pay for a second bag, there is a loophole to get one on for free.

“It lies in post-security shopping. In addition to your standard hand luggage allowance,easyJet allows you to take one shopping bag on board.” It directs people to the easyJet website, where it notes under ‘Accessories’ that passengers are “allowed to bring some extra things into the cabin. e.g. umbrella, overcoat, crutches, walking stick, one standard bag of goods bought at the airport.”

MSE, founded by Martin Lewis, continued: “It’s worth noting that easyJet says this must be “one standard bag of goods bought at the airport” – and of course, we’re not suggesting you purchase unnecessarily. But if you do have a carrier bag from duty-free or similar, it’ll give you some room for manoeuvre when you walk through the departure gate.

“Some passengers report they’ve been able to stuff the odd item which won’t fit in their hand luggage into it, or even a handbag – others say they’ve successfully boarded with a carrier bag they brought with them specially.” Currently, each easyJet passenger, including children and infants, may purchase up to three checked (hold) bags. A standard checked bag allows 23kg, and you can add extra weight in 3kg increments up to a maximum of 32kg per bag.

If you’re travelling with family or friends on the same booking and flight, you can combine your total weight allowance. This allowance can be distributed across all booked bags, provided no single bag exceeds 32kg. The maximum total dimensions (length + width + height) must not exceed 275cm.

This means it’s good news for travellers. If you’ve picked up a few extras after passing through security, you may now have space to bring a bit more on board.

A brazen scammer allegedly charged a British tourist a staggering £1,500 for a kebab – and police near Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeirom said the man was arrested

An unsuspecting tourist was hit with an eyewatering £1,500 charge for a kebab on a hugely popular tourist beach.

A scammer was arrested on the world famous Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after he and another person allegedly changed the price on a payment terminal and overcharged the victim by a staggering amount. The Brit reportedly ended up paying £1,480 (10,000 reais) for the meaty treat that should have set her back just £15 (100 reais). Police said the machine was allegedly tampered with and ended up charging the victim a much higher price than what she was told.

This comes as a wave of brazen conners have hit the popular Brazilian beaches in shallow attempts to swindle visitors. Brazilian police, in a statement, said: “We have arrested a criminal that carried out a card machine scam against a British female tourist in Copacabana.”

The detained man was reportedly part of an organised fraud scheme that targeted foreigners, mostly in Rio’s famous Ipanema and Copacabana areas, according to O Globo.

The head of Rio’s tourist police, Patricia Alemany, said her team (named DEAT) were working to find and detainee the people trying to con tourists out of their money, she told the Brazilian site.

She said: “DEAT has been repeatedly arresting these criminals. However, there is no oversight of street vendors on the beach, which creates an environment of public disorder and greatly facilitates this type of crime.”

Another woman was charged nearly £3,000 (20,000 reais) for corn on the cob which had been smothered in margarine. The woman, from Argentina, should have just paid £3 (20 reais) for the food. She said: “I don’t understand numbers in Portuguese. I don’t speak Portuguese.”

Another tourist, from Colombia, was shockingly charged about £400 (2,500 reais) for a caipirinha – a Brazilian cocktail made with a spirit, sugar and lime.

This comes after another shocking scam hit some tourists in Brazil. Last year, cases of “Goodnight Cinderella” spiking scams were reported, where holidaymakers fall for glamorous looking women, especially in Brazil, before they put powerful sedatives in victims’ drinks and then rob them once they pass out.

The scams led to several Brits finding themselves with money, belongings and passports taken by the women who often work in gangs in popular tourist locations like Rio da Janeiro.

Police in Brazil said that British tourists are seen as “easy prey” as they could be unaware to the dangers, often have expensive items on them as well as cash, and do not know the local area well.

A 21-year-old Brit spoke out about how he passed out after taking just a few sips of a drink on his holiday. He was later recorded collapsing unconscious on a Brazilian beach but was rescued by a Good Samaritan. The student revealed he was offered a Capriahna cocktail by a trio women before the incident.