The U.S. Senate has approved the Trump administration's $9 billion rescission package, a major step toward ending nearly six decades of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 51-48 in the early hours this morning to approve the plan. It now goes back to the House for one final vote. NPR has more on the vote and reactions to it here. Now, back to local news: Calling for help: Massachusetts mental health advocates are denouncing the end of specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth on the 988 national suicide lifeline. Starting today, the Trump administration is shutting down the so-called "press 3" option for LGBTQ+ youth, almost exactly three years after the hotline first launched. Rep. Seth Moulton, who filed the original bill to create the simplified 988 hotline, put the impact in stark terms. "Kids are gonna die," the Massachusetts congressman said yesterday on MSNBC."This is actually the kind of thing Republicans should care about if they really care about American kids, because an extraordinary percentage of people who call this lifeline in a moment of crisis say it saved their lives." - The backstory: Anyone who called 988 in recent years would get a few options for special services: press 1 for veterans, press 2 for Spanish and press 3 for LGBTQ+ youth. That's because the original 988 bill, which Trump signed in 2020, instructed the government to have specialized 988 services for groups that have a higher risk of suicide, specifically mentioning LGBTQ+ youth. (A survey last year by The Trevor Project found 39% of LGBTQ+ youth had contemplated suicide and 12% had attempted suicide in the last year.) The "press 3" option was added in September 2022, a few months after 988's initial launch.
- By the numbers: According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 988 has fielded nearly 1.5 million calls from LGBTQ+ young people — including a record monthly high of 69,057 calls this past May.
- So, why are they ending it? The changes come as the Trump administration aggressively moves to roll back diversity programs and the recognition of transgender people. In a statement last month that notably left out the last two letters of the commonly used LGBTQ+ acronym, SAMHSA said it will "no longer silo LGB+ youth services." Instead, it plans to "focus on serving all help seekers" with "skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors."
- Now what? Kathy Marchi, the CEO of the Boston-based suicide prevention group Samaritans, which is among the contractors that runs Massachusetts' 988 hotline, worries fewer LGBTQ+ youth in need will reach out. "Similar to the veterans line, having a line for veterans to speak to veterans, or people who are highly trained in the experience of veterans, helps them reach out for support," she told WBUR's Dan Guzman. "I wouldn't want that taken away either."
- PSA: Marchi stresses LGBTQ+ youth should still feel comfortable using the 988 hotline, or their youth peer-to-peer text line, Hey Sam. "The folks on our lines are ready to share resources for LGBTQ+ youth who call and text us," Marchi said, adding that, "988 isn't going anywhere. Neither are we."
Fall River fallout: Fall River plans to hire more firefighters in the wake of Sunday's deadly fire at the Gabriel House Assisted Living Facility, following criticism the department was understaffed. WBUR's Patrick Madden and Christine Willmsen report that, as a short-term fix, the city will offer more overtime so they can increase the number of fire engines staffed with four firefighters from two to six. And in the next two years, the city aims to hire 15 to 20 new firefighters to help reach national standards. On Beacon Hill: State Rep. John Lawn, a Watertown Democrat, is set to be arraigned this morning on charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of property damage. Police say Lawn crashed his GMC Yukon into a parked vehicle near the State House early Wednesday morning and drove away. He was arrested shortly after at 1:45 a.m. WBUR's Walter Wuthmann has more details from the police report here. One step closer: The Massachusetts House passed its version of a bill to add new protections for local abortion and gender-affirming care yesterday by a 136-23 vote. The bill is slightly different than what the Senate passed last month, so the two chambers will need to settle on final language before sending it to the governor. P.S.— Part two of this month's downtown Red Line closure begins tonight at 8:30 p.m. Shuttle buses will replace subway service between Kendall/MIT and JFK/UMass through Sunday, but there are other free train and bike alternative options, too. |
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