Layla A. Jones
@laylaayanna.bsky.social
Current political reporter at TPM | past economic equity reporter @ the Philadelphia Inquirer; Knight-Bagehot Fellow @ Columbia; Billy Penn & WHYY; Philadelphia City Council; The Philadelphia Tribune
Trump's anti-DEI crusade hit healthcare when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, under Dr. Mehmet Oz, removed race questions from its kidney failure patient form. The problem is, those questions weren't about DEI. That data informed actual medical breakthroughs talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-m...
The Trump Admin’s War on Data Is Compromising Major Health Advancements for Black Americans
Thanks to a 2009 medical breakthrough, researchers could be on the precipice...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Trump's anti-DEI crusade hit healthcare when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, under Dr. Mehmet Oz, removed race questions from its kidney failure patient form. The problem is, those questions weren't about DEI. That data informed actual medical breakthroughs talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-m...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
6/ from the record keeping because it counted as "DEI". So it's put all these advances in jeopardy. This specific case has gotten remarkably little press attention for something that affects so many people. But sure to read @laylaayanna.bsky.social's report.
November 21, 2025 at 3:27 AM
6/ from the record keeping because it counted as "DEI". So it's put all these advances in jeopardy. This specific case has gotten remarkably little press attention for something that affects so many people. But sure to read @laylaayanna.bsky.social's report.
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
5/ The data the government collects (having unique access to all data) is key for that study and other efforts to deal with the huge toll of kidney disease in the African American community. But back in June Mehmet Oz, the head of CMS which runs the dialysis program removed race/ethnicity ...
November 21, 2025 at 3:27 AM
5/ The data the government collects (having unique access to all data) is key for that study and other efforts to deal with the huge toll of kidney disease in the African American community. But back in June Mehmet Oz, the head of CMS which runs the dialysis program removed race/ethnicity ...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
4/ they account for roughly a third of dialysis patients. Some of that may be accounted for disparate access to health care earlier in life. But it seems clear there is a genetic component. And there are studies now zeroing in on how to grapple with that improve and improve health outcomes.
November 21, 2025 at 3:27 AM
4/ they account for roughly a third of dialysis patients. Some of that may be accounted for disparate access to health care earlier in life. But it seems clear there is a genetic component. And there are studies now zeroing in on how to grapple with that improve and improve health outcomes.
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
3/ disease. Because the whole population is in the system. The other fact is that African-Americans suffer from end stage kidney disease at dramatically higher rates than the rest of the population. @laylaayanna.bsky.social reports that while African-Americans make up ~13% of the US population ...
November 21, 2025 at 3:27 AM
3/ disease. Because the whole population is in the system. The other fact is that African-Americans suffer from end stage kidney disease at dramatically higher rates than the rest of the population. @laylaayanna.bsky.social reports that while African-Americans make up ~13% of the US population ...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
2/ It's a fascinating and intricate set of interconnections. End stage kidney care (dialysis) is basically the only part of health care in the US covered entirely by the federal govt. In addition to the health care provision that creates a critical source of data about people with end stage kidney..
November 21, 2025 at 3:27 AM
2/ It's a fascinating and intricate set of interconnections. End stage kidney care (dialysis) is basically the only part of health care in the US covered entirely by the federal govt. In addition to the health care provision that creates a critical source of data about people with end stage kidney..
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
Really important article about how the White House's anti-DEI crusade is cutting off data for new potential breakthroughs for African-Americans who disproportionately suffer from end-stage kidney disease. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-m...
The Trump Admin’s War on Data Is Compromising Major Health Advancements for Black Americans
Thanks to a 2009 medical breakthrough, researchers could be on the precipice...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Really important article about how the White House's anti-DEI crusade is cutting off data for new potential breakthroughs for African-Americans who disproportionately suffer from end-stage kidney disease. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-m...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
Data on race and ethnicity has put us on the cusp of breakthroughs in treating kidney failure, which disproportionately affects Black Americans. But the Trump administration has halted that data collection as part of its war on supposed "DEI." Important new story from @laylaayanna.bsky.social
The Trump Admin’s War on Data Is Compromising Major Health Advancements for Black Americans
Thanks to a 2009 medical breakthrough, researchers could be on the precipice...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Data on race and ethnicity has put us on the cusp of breakthroughs in treating kidney failure, which disproportionately affects Black Americans. But the Trump administration has halted that data collection as part of its war on supposed "DEI." Important new story from @laylaayanna.bsky.social
RIP Joan Didion, you would've hated this Olivia Nuzzi saga.
November 14, 2025 at 6:06 PM
RIP Joan Didion, you would've hated this Olivia Nuzzi saga.
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history came to an end Wednesday night after 43 days.
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/house-v...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/house-v...
House Votes to End Government Shutdown Following Senate Deal
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history came to an end Wednesday...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:36 AM
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history came to an end Wednesday night after 43 days.
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/house-v...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/house-v...
Wednesday's SCOTUS hearing about Trump's sweeping tariffs saw liberal justices troll conservatives using two of their own most favored legal doctrines -- most often employed against Democratic presidents -- to imperil the validity of the tariffs talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-i...
Liberal Justices Cheekily Use Conservatives’ Favorite Legal Theories to Push For a Ruling Against Trump On Tariffs
Wednesday’s Supreme Court oral arguments on President Donald Trump’s use of an...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Wednesday's SCOTUS hearing about Trump's sweeping tariffs saw liberal justices troll conservatives using two of their own most favored legal doctrines -- most often employed against Democratic presidents -- to imperil the validity of the tariffs talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-i...
"It is not a coincidence." The Trump admin is stalling the rollout of a new race and ethnicity policy. Experts warn the delay could interfere with the 2030 census, ultimately helping the GOP in high-stakes fights over redistricting.
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-r...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-r...
On Project 2025’s Recommendation, Trump Admin Targets New Census Initiative With Widespread Potential Impact
Quyen Dinh didn’t even remember that, in 2024, she was selected as...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:11 PM
"It is not a coincidence." The Trump admin is stalling the rollout of a new race and ethnicity policy. Experts warn the delay could interfere with the 2030 census, ultimately helping the GOP in high-stakes fights over redistricting.
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-r...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-r...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
“The attempt to revive classical architecture under current political condition" is about dismantling "the institutions of civil rights. And so it speaks silently the language of white nationalism...That’s why it’s so effective, because it’s easily deniable.”
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
Trump Is Using ‘Classical Architecture’ as ‘A Dog Whistle for White Nationalists’
One of President Donald Trump’s final actions in his first administration was...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:03 PM
“The attempt to revive classical architecture under current political condition" is about dismantling "the institutions of civil rights. And so it speaks silently the language of white nationalism...That’s why it’s so effective, because it’s easily deniable.”
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
Columbia architectural historian Reinhold Martin tells @laylaayanna.bsky.social Trump's attempt to assert control over civic architecture is an offshoot of Project 2025’s goal to gut public welfare and government services.
“It’s a project of demolition."
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
“It’s a project of demolition."
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
Trump Is Using ‘Classical Architecture’ as ‘A Dog Whistle for White Nationalists’
One of President Donald Trump’s final actions in his first administration was...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 21, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Columbia architectural historian Reinhold Martin tells @laylaayanna.bsky.social Trump's attempt to assert control over civic architecture is an offshoot of Project 2025’s goal to gut public welfare and government services.
“It’s a project of demolition."
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
“It’s a project of demolition."
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
Trump has
-ordered that new federal structures be built in the “classical” style
-paved over the Rose Garden
-ordered that 2 DC Confederate statues be restored
-proposed a triumphal arch in Arlington
-demolished part of the WH to make room for his $200M ballroom
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
-ordered that new federal structures be built in the “classical” style
-paved over the Rose Garden
-ordered that 2 DC Confederate statues be restored
-proposed a triumphal arch in Arlington
-demolished part of the WH to make room for his $200M ballroom
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
Trump Is Using ‘Classical Architecture’ as ‘A Dog Whistle for White Nationalists’
One of President Donald Trump’s final actions in his first administration was...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 21, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Trump has
-ordered that new federal structures be built in the “classical” style
-paved over the Rose Garden
-ordered that 2 DC Confederate statues be restored
-proposed a triumphal arch in Arlington
-demolished part of the WH to make room for his $200M ballroom
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
-ordered that new federal structures be built in the “classical” style
-paved over the Rose Garden
-ordered that 2 DC Confederate statues be restored
-proposed a triumphal arch in Arlington
-demolished part of the WH to make room for his $200M ballroom
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-c...
The Trump admin says the shutdown costs the economy $15B/week. But the healthcare program the GOP won't fund is around $35B/year. If money were really the issue, Republicans would be better off funding the vital health care program at the heart of the shutdown. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/governm...
What GOP Lawmakers Are Costing the US Economy to Avoid Funding Healthcare
Trump administration officials have been parrotting a $15 billion-per-week figure to estimate...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 20, 2025 at 3:13 PM
The Trump admin says the shutdown costs the economy $15B/week. But the healthcare program the GOP won't fund is around $35B/year. If money were really the issue, Republicans would be better off funding the vital health care program at the heart of the shutdown. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/governm...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
"Penn follows Brown University, which similarly said no to the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education on Wednesday, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which rejected the proposal last week." www.inquirer.com/education/pe...
Penn rejects Trump compact offered to colleges
Brown and MIT have also rejected the proposal, which would have given the White House influence over the universities' operations in exchange for preferential consideration in federal funding.
www.inquirer.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:39 PM
"Penn follows Brown University, which similarly said no to the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education on Wednesday, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which rejected the proposal last week." www.inquirer.com/education/pe...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
Talking Points Memo is turning 25 and I wrote a little encomium to early blogging, which I sometimes miss: talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/what-...
What Made Blogging Different?
Whether I like it or not, the first line of my obituary...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Talking Points Memo is turning 25 and I wrote a little encomium to early blogging, which I sometimes miss: talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/what-...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
Here’s an incomplete list of federal data and statistics that’ve been deleted or tampered with since Trump took office.
A Shortlist of Federal Data the Trump Administration Has Tampered With or Destroyed
The scale and scope of federal data and statistics that have been...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 8, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Here’s an incomplete list of federal data and statistics that’ve been deleted or tampered with since Trump took office.
With only 1 of the 2,000+ Bureau of Labor Statistics staffers now able to work, the government shutdown creates a unique opportunity for Trump to further interfere with data he doesn't like talkingpointsmemo.com/news/governm...
The Government Shutdown Is Helping Trump Obscure Federal Economic Data
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been forced to halt the publishing...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 2, 2025 at 7:59 PM
With only 1 of the 2,000+ Bureau of Labor Statistics staffers now able to work, the government shutdown creates a unique opportunity for Trump to further interfere with data he doesn't like talkingpointsmemo.com/news/governm...
Reposted by Layla A. Jones
THIS is why you should follow @laylaayanna.bsky.social
Every Living Former Fed Chair is Urging the Supreme Court to Stop Trump from Removing Lisa Cook
Every living former Federal Reserve Chair, from Alan Greenspan to Janet Yellen,...
talkingpointsmemo.com
September 26, 2025 at 2:05 AM
THIS is why you should follow @laylaayanna.bsky.social
A new trend or more of the same? After speaking to Trump voters in swing states, two things are clear: While national elites are spiraling, everyday Republicans are willing to reason away Trump's violations of free speech and absolve the president, again. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/maga-fr...
MAGA Elite Are Split on Protected Speech. Trump Voters, Not So Much
You could almost hear the gears turning in Owen Strickland II’s head...
talkingpointsmemo.com
September 24, 2025 at 6:38 PM
A new trend or more of the same? After speaking to Trump voters in swing states, two things are clear: While national elites are spiraling, everyday Republicans are willing to reason away Trump's violations of free speech and absolve the president, again. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/maga-fr...
Congress could've pushed back against Trump's inflationary tariffs, but instead House Republicans have repeatedly voted to block their own authority. It's one more way the GOP is ceding more power to the president talkingpointsmemo.com/news/republi...
Republicans Could Stop Trump’s Tariffs, But Keep Voting to Make Themselves Powerless
If Congress wanted to push back against President Donald Trump’s tariffs, it...
talkingpointsmemo.com
September 18, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Congress could've pushed back against Trump's inflationary tariffs, but instead House Republicans have repeatedly voted to block their own authority. It's one more way the GOP is ceding more power to the president talkingpointsmemo.com/news/republi...
New data shows the Black unemployment rate spiked while unemployment for every other racial group stayed about the same. That's NOT typical, even before a recession, and signals a "different kid of downturn." talkingpointsmemo.com/news/black-u...
Why the Spike in Black Unemployment Is an Alarming Sign of What’s to Come
Troubling and unusual unemployment numbers for Black Americans are signaling that the...
talkingpointsmemo.com
September 10, 2025 at 7:35 PM
New data shows the Black unemployment rate spiked while unemployment for every other racial group stayed about the same. That's NOT typical, even before a recession, and signals a "different kid of downturn." talkingpointsmemo.com/news/black-u...
President Donald Trump learned the hard way Friday morning that firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t change the facts: the economy is cooling, the unemployment rate is going up, and the number of job openings isn’t keeping pace.
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/new-job...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/new-job...
New Jobs Report Shows Trump Can’t Control Data by Firing People He Doesn’t Like
President Donald Trump learned the hard way Friday morning that firing the...
talkingpointsmemo.com
September 5, 2025 at 2:05 PM
President Donald Trump learned the hard way Friday morning that firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t change the facts: the economy is cooling, the unemployment rate is going up, and the number of job openings isn’t keeping pace.
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/new-job...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/new-job...