Here is what we know about Delaware’s first medical school, and its potential impact on the state’s healthcare landscape.
A federal taxpayer grant, for at least five years, will pay for Delaware’s medical school. But state officials have said that following those five years, the medical school will be able to sustain itself. (Just like the Port?)
The grant, the Rural Health Transformation Program, is aimed at improving rural health across the country. It was created last summer to court Republican senators hesitant to support more than $900 billion in cuts to Medicaid, which could disproportionately impact rural communities and their healthcare facilities.
In plans submitted to the federal government, Delaware budgeted more than $100 million to run its medical school for five years. But Neil Hockstein, chair of the Delaware Health Care Commission, said the signed contract allows Jefferson to run the school for $78 million.
Asked how the state is required to spend the remaining funds, he said Delaware is allowed to reallocate that money to any of its other 14 RHTP initiatives.
Hockstein added the state intends to spread those leftover funds across multiple different programs instead of reallocating them to just one initiative.
Additionally, Hockstein said when the federal money runs out for the medical school, it would be “self-sustaining without an influx of state dollars.” Still, he said he hopes the state’s philanthropic ventures would help to support the medical school’s future. (Oh.)
Students in that first cohort receiving free education would be allowed to leave the state for their residency, but would be required to return to Delaware following that post-graduate education (what happens if they don’t?). For that first cohort, Delaware officials said that tuition would be funded through the federal grant.
This seems redundant:
For those who heard news that Delaware would be opening its own medical school, some within the state may have asked about existing state programs meant to place Delawareans into medical education.
The Delaware Institute of Medical Education and Research, better known as DIMER, is the state’s most prominent medical education program. Currently, it places Delaware students into nearby medical schools like Jefferson and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM).
It appears, however, that DIMER will continue to operate as normal, but may evolve in the coming years. At a Delaware Healthcare Commission meeting on Thursday, Hockstein said the medical school and DIMER programs serve different purposes.
“One is to give Delawareans an opportunity to get into medical school, and the other is to bring students from around the country to Delaware, where they can train,” Hockstein said during the meeting. (Oh.)
So. The article raises as many questions as it answers. Which is precisely what it was intended to do. Great reporting.
Trump Goes To New York. Knicks Lose.
As the Knicks have romped through the N.B.A. playoffs this spring, their embattled fans, desperate for their beloved team’s first title in more than 50 years, wondered what — if anything — could spoil the good vibes.
For many New Yorkers, the arrival of President Trump, who attended Game 3 of the finals at Madison Square Garden against the San Antonio Spurs, seemed like an answer. Heightened security at the arena meant that some fans waited more than an hour to enter. Entire blocks nearby were closed to pedestrians. The popular watch party outside the Garden was canceled because of safety concerns.
The fans in deep-blue New York City responded with rancor. Mr. Trump smiled and saluted in the face of deafening boos when he briefly appeared on the arena’s video board during the playing of the national anthem. The ire quickly turned to cheers as the screen shifted to Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ all-star point guard.
Upstairs at Madison Square Garden, Mr. Trump sat in a suite above the scorer’s table with a group of allies that included Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff; Interior Secretary Doug Burgum; and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
He was the guest of James Dolan, the unpopular Knicks owner and a longtime friend of the president. Mr. Dolan told ESPN in 2018 that he got married at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club in Florida.
“They’re really great, a great team,” Mr. Trump said last week to reporters, discussing his support of the Knicks. “I’m happy for Jim.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani also attended, wearing a striped shirt that included the Knicks’ colors. He watched from a standing-room section farther away from the action than Mr. Trump, with a group of state representatives from New York. He said he paid about $1,000 for his own ticket.
On Sunday, the Secret Service announced heavy restrictions for fans on account of Mr. Trump’s attendance. Entrances had the unpleasant vibes of airport security, with members of the Transportation Security Administration on hand to help with the extensive inspections, even opening and checking the purses and wallets of media members.
Everything he touches turns to shit. Perhaps even the Knicks. Should they lose this series, Trump will be remembered and reviled in NYC. As he should be. And as he is. Have I mentioned lately that I live for snark?:
— Nita Cosby (@5-2blue.bsky.social) 2026-06-09T03:52:17.221Z
From TPM Reader BP …
As a Mainer, I have been waiting (and waiting and waiting:-) for you to weigh in on Platner, since I respect your opinion so much and this whole thing has been crazy. I have been amazed at the over the top reactions and use of new info to verify black and white priors from so many in the media and on socials. Most of that is from people outside Maine. In my little corner here:
1. Mainers REALLY respect the hard work Platner is putting in. Quiet hard work is highly valued here. It’s not just 80 town halls. He goes anywhere and everywhere to talk with any group that invites him, walks any picket line he’s invited to. It’s probably hundreds of meetings, town halls, and just showing up for a cause at this point in the campaign. He appears with other candidates to boost their visibility, and has helped the three best candidates (in my opinion) form a ranked choice coalition in the tight governor’s race.
2. The first time I saw him last September, he insisted the race isn’t about him (ironic I know!). He said it was about 40 years of the system being designed to concentrate power with a few, and it would take decades of hard work beyond individual candidates and campaigns to undo it. As part of that, he asked people in the audience to volunteer to defeat a voter restriction referendum and pass a red flag law referendum. The campaign had info on how to support that work at the event. He then led his volunteer networks in days of action door knocking, phone calling etc. before election day. Polls showed tight margins, but we ended up winning those battles in landslides. Likewise, his support has helped get funding for a rape kit bill that Mills had pocket vetoed and left to languish. Whether you believe he is sincere or not, his volunteers are notching impressive progressive victories in the state for good causes at a time when many of us were feeling totally hopeless and ineffectual.
3. Good lord, the fixation on the tattoo. I was a history minor and history TA in college. I’ve watched documentaries and war movies for 40+ years. I never knew what a Totomkopf was till I saw and heard about it during this campaign. The hysteria about this and insisting he is some closet Nazi, when he has 1300 Reddit posts out there with plenty of stupid shit in them but not one espousing any support for Nazis is insane. If the guy had any fascist tendencies, it would have shown up there. Now about that misogyny . . .
4. Honestly, it’s a cliche, but people really need to get offline and go out and touch grass. Or build some furniture. Or plant a garden. People just living their lives in Maine are deeply concerned about the price of gas, groceries, and especially, our unsustainable property tax hikes. Lack of home health care for elders, maternity wards closing down, food banks being overrun with clients . . . all this stuff weighs heavily on us every day, and Collins’s schtick is wearing quite thin. Will she win again? Who knows. But having lived through Gideon’s campaign as a 2nd District resident, Platner is an infinitely stronger candidate. Plus Collins is much frailer, older, and more Trump aligned this time. I doubt she will debate Platner, given how uncontrolled her tremors are (definitely Biden debate potential there).
More may come out that’s truly disqualifying, but so far none of this is it. Democrats really want Collins gone, and the state has trended bluer in the past few years. I wish everyone would calm down and focus on the policy issues. If they do, Platner wins. If Democrats online want to win some self-righteous battle on the internet with a bunch of strangers about a tattoo or a 12 year old toxic relationship … they might as well get paid by some Leo outfit because they are only boosting Collins. Eyes on the prize.
I’m a subscriber. Which is why I’m allowed to post the whole thing. Might I suggest a subscription for you too?
What do you want to talk about?