Vic and Marcus break down how MMA, politics, and media are increasingly intertwined, starting with Conor McGregor’s presidential bid and the UFC's political influence. They discuss the Fed’s economic outlook, inflation, tariffs, and consumer sentiment. In healthcare, they cover CMS reforms, Medicare Advantage scrutiny, hospital mergers, FTC shakeups, and major investments in senior care, pathology, and hospital-at-home models. The episode wraps with concerns over proposed HIV funding cuts and the long-overdue reckoning with U.S. deficit spending.
11:09 - Fed Dims Economic Outlook, Citing Uncertainty Over Tariffs WSJ
14:27 - Consumer Sentiment Tanks as Americans Expect More Pain Ahead WSJ
15:13 - Retail Sales Edge Up in February but Miss Expectations WSJ
17:08 - Trump Team Explored Simplified Plan for Reciprocal Tariffs WSJ
18:52 - Nasdaq Plans Second U.S. Headquarters in Texas WSJ
25:32 - Inspiren banks $35M to scale AI-powered senior living technology Fierce Healthcare
26:29 - Proscia pulls in $50M for digital pathology Axios
27:51 - Medalogix, Forcura Merge to Form a $1 Billion Healthcare Software Business WSJ
28:52 - The Israeli Startup That Just Inked the Largest Cybersecurity Deal Ever WSJ
30:18 - GSR Ventures spins out new US branch, Informed Ventures, with tenured partners Fierce Healthcare
31:05 - Dr. Oz describes changes he would bring to Medicare, Medicaid as CMS administrator HFMA
36:05 - Trump administration charts a new course at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation HFMA
36:53 - Startups Prep for Potential Medicaid Cuts WSJ
39:25 - Trump fires 2 Democratic FTC commissioners, Andrew Ferguson defends decision Fierce Healthcare
42:56 - FTC again pushes back on Indiana hospitals' 2nd merger attempt Fierce Healthcare
46:39 - RFK Jr.'s HHS picks up Biden admin legal fight against 340B rebates Fierce Healthcare
48:38 - Trump Administration Weighing Major Cuts to Funding for Domestic HIV Prevention WSJ
53:30 - Cigna closes $3.3B sale of Medicare plans to HCSC Fierce Healthcare
54:06 - Employers Get Big Drug Discounts Through Program For Hospitals That Serve Poor Patients WSJ
55:40 - Highmark posts $29.4B in 2024 revenue amid ongoing rise in utilization Fierce Healthcare
1:00:26 - Pfizer Has a New Playbook for Reviving Sales—and It’s Starting to Pay Off WSJ