The Useful Idiots Fueling the Right-Wing Transphobia Panic: Centrist and liberal journalists are falling for dubious accounts of children undergoing gender transition that any sensible person would be skeptical of. Read Ryan Cooper on how their willful ignorance is fueling the right-wing transphobia panic.

Private Health Care Companies Are Eating the American Economy: A new analysis from The Center for Health and Democracy sheds light on how private health insurance companies make their money at the expense of adequate care, and what can be done to rein in this trillion dollar industry. Ramenda Cyrus has the story.

University of California Under Fire for Blackstone Involvement: The University of California system has invested $4.5 billion into Blackstone’s real estate trust this year. Luke Goldstein reports on how university unions are calling for divestment from the private equity giant and the housing crisis it has fueled.

West Virginia Wanders Away From Coal: Coal still generates an overwhelming majority of West Virginia’s power. But, Lee Harris describes, as electricity costs rise and the state struggles to attract larger companies that use clean energy, its hardened bloc of coal supporters is showing cracks.

The Junk Fees Biden Hasn't Talked About: The Biden administration has been persistent in eliminating junk fees ubiquitous throughout many sectors of the economy. But as David Dayen writes, there are still many overlooked areas where these fees are still prevalent.