Mike Hixenbaugh
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Senior reporter @NBCNews | Author of THEY CAME FOR THE SCHOOLS | Co-creator of SOUTHLAKE & GRAPEVINE podcasts | Peabody winner & Pulitzer finalist
Articles by Mike Hixenbaugh
Local political polarization is rising sharply ahead of the midterms, survey finds Original
Oct. 6, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT Local officials from around the country are reporting a spike in political polarization within their communities in the months leading up to the midterm elections, with the high cost of living a top driver, a new survey shared first with NBC News has found.
How Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rights
Oct. 2, 2026, 5:30 AM EDT This article is part of “Disabled and Denied,” a series examining cuts to Medicaid home care and the fallout for disabled people and their families. In a secret meeting at the White House complex this summer, an aide to Stephen Miller laid out the plan: To make it easier for states to round up and institutionalize mentally ill homeless people, the Trump administration was pushing a drastic policy change that would weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans.
We want to hear how Medicaid caregiving cuts are affecting you Original
Sept. 8, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT This article is part of “Disabled and Denied,” a series examining cuts to Medicaid home care and the fallout for disabled people and their families. NBC News is looking to speak to people who rely on Medicaid-funded care at home, as well as family members, workers and advocates who support them. For decades, Medicaid home- and community-based services have helped millions of disabled and older Americans live independently rather than in institutions or nursing facilities.
A secretive computer algorithm is taking caregiving money away from disabled people
Cuts to Medicaid home care in Nebraska have left families afraid for the safety of their disabled loved ones.Dan Brouillette for NBC News Sept. 8, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT This article is part of “Disabled and Denied,” a series examining cuts to Medicaid home care and the fallout for disabled people and their families. LINCOLN, Neb. — The question haunted Susan Browne for decades: Who would care for her two disabled sons after she and her husband were dead? Just a moment.
We want to hear how Medicaid caregiving cuts are affecting you
Follow We want to hear how Medicaid caregiving cuts are affecting you Tue, September 8, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT Melissa Gonce holds her 28-year-old son Jason's hand at their home near Baltimore on May 4, 2026. Jason has a rare chromosome disorder that requires daily care. This article is part of "Disabled and Denied," a series examining cuts to Medicaid home care and the fallout for disabled people and their families.
They say their pastor abused them as children. This week, they confronted him in court.
July 16, 2026, 12:18 PM EDT This article is part of “Pastors and Prey,” a series investigating sex abuse allegations in the Assemblies of God. TULSA, Okla. — One after another, each witness stepped to the stand, raised their right hand and swore they were about to speak the truth, so help them God. They told of how their children’s pastor had won their trust before exploiting it behind closed doors. They described how he stalked them through church hallways, under pews, behind the baptismal.
Live updates: Trump set to deliver remarks in North Dakota at Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
NORTH DAKOTA REMARKS: President Donald Trump is set to travel to North Dakota to deliver remarks at the opening of theTheodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. COLORADO PRIMARIES: Anti-establishment Democratic candidates scored high profile victories in Colorado's primary election. Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated Rep. Diana Degette in Colorado's 1st Congressional District while Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser won the state's primary for governor. Sen.
How Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is boosting the rich and harming the poor
President Donald Trump signed his "big, beautiful bill" a year ago. It unleashed the biggest ever rollback of federal programs serving the poor, while extending trillions of dollars in tax breaks disproportionately benefiting the rich.
Paralyzed at 7, she fought for the life she wanted. Medicaid cuts threaten to take it away. Original
June 30, 2026, 5:15 AM EDT / Updated June 30, 2026, 9:32 AM EDT This article is part of “Disabled and Denied,” a series examining cuts to Medicaid home care and the fallout for disabled people and their families. CHICAGO — Rebecca Anger has spent much of her life chasing a dream. Not an extravagant one, but the sort that many Americans quietly work toward: a career with purpose, a home of her own and a spouse to share it with. At 41, despite extraordinary obstacles, she has largely built that life.
Years of ignored warnings freed a children’s pastor to sexually abuse girls, lawsuit says
This article is part of “Pastors and Prey,” a series investigating sex abuse allegations in the Assemblies of God. More than a decade before police found dozens of videos of naked children on the computer of longtime children’s pastor Tony Waller, girls at his Assemblies of God church in Arkansas repeatedly warned adults about what was happening behind closed doors, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
Years of ignored warnings freed a children’s pastor to sexually abuse girls, lawsuit says
May 22, 2026, 12:32 PM EDT This article is part of “Pastors and Prey,” a series investigating sex abuse allegations in the Assemblies of God. More than a decade before police found dozens of videos of naked children on the computer of longtime children’s pastor Tony Waller, girls at his Assemblies of God church in Arkansas repeatedly warned adults about what was happening behind closed doors, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
Families caring for disabled relatives face unthinkable choices as Medicaid cuts loom Original
May 15, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT / Updated May 15, 2026, 1:33 PM EDT This article is part of “Disabled and Denied,” a series examining cuts to Medicaid home care and the fallout for disabled people and their families. PARKVILLE, Md. — Melissa Gonce used to cry when her son came home from his day program soaked in urine, dehydrated and distressed.
Christian missionary hailed as ‘holiest man alive’ pleads guilty to abusing boys in Texas Original
May 7, 2026, 2:34 PM EDT / Updated May 7, 2026, 3:57 PM EDT This article is part of “Pastors and Prey,” a series investigating sex abuse allegations in the Assemblies of God. WACO, Texas — Daniel Savala, a former missionary whose influence inside an Assemblies of God-run college ministry persisted for years despite repeated warnings about his predatory behavior, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges that he sexually abused two boys.
Christian missionary hailed as ‘holiest man alive’ pleads guilty to abusing boys in Texas
The rocket company’s new semiconductor factory, called Terafab, is part of the billionaire’s increasing efforts to dominate artificial intelligence. The scale of Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to build a giant computer chip plant in Texas is becoming clear — and it is stunning. The first stage of the …
RFK Jr. draws backlash for ripping Medicaid programs that pay people to care for relatives Original
April 23, 2026, 11:41 AM EDT Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparked outrage among disability rights advocates with recent comments alleging widespread fraud in Medicaid programs that pay people to care for elderly or disabled family members — a system millions of Americans rely on to survive.
RFK Jr. draws backlash for ripping Medicaid programs that pay people to care for relatives
2 hours ago The View host Joy Behar has criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s testimony on Capitol Hill, accusing the Trump administration of "trying to kill us." The talk show panelists discussed the session, which saw the Secretary of Health and Human Services dismiss any suggestion that his vaccine skepticism has contributed to measles outbreaks across the U.S., instead placing the blame on immigrants. “Sometimes, I feel like they’re trying to kill us.
Una madre de cinco hijos detenida por inmigración en Texas fue trasladada a urgencias
Abr. 15, 2026, 11:37 PM EDT Por Suzanne Gamboa y Mike Hixenbaugh - NBC News Una madre de cinco hijos, detenida en un centro del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE) en Texas, fue trasladada a la sala de urgencias con un dolor “insoportable”, semanas después de que los funcionarios del centro le negaran una tomografía computarizada para examinar un bulto en el pecho, según su abogado.
Mom of 5 in immigration detention in Texas was taken to ER, sparking urgent calls for her release Original
April 15, 2026, 9:30 PM EDT A mother of five held at an ICE detention center in Texas was taken to the emergency room in “excruciating” pain, weeks after she was refused a CT scan by center officials for a lump in her chest, according to her attorney. The woman, Hayman El Gamal, has been pleading for medical attention for the abnormal growth, which has caused severe pain, since Feb. 17, according to a court document filed Wednesday by her attorney, Eric Lee.
9-year-old who pleaded to go to spelling bee released from ICE detention
Sullivan Martin Deiver Henao Jimenez with his parents. A 9-year-old boy who begged to be released from an immigration detention center so he could attend his state spelling bee has been freed with his family, their lawyer said Wednesday. Deiver Henao Jimenez made the plea during a video call this month with children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso.
Niño de 5 años que conoció a la animadora infantil 'Ms. Rachel' a través de Zoom sale de centro de detención de ICE
Mar. 24, 2026, 10:36 PM EDT Por Mike Hixenbaugh — NBC News Un niño de 5 años que no habla, cuya difícil situación en un centro de detención de inmigrantes del sur de Texas atrajo la atención nacional tras una videollamada con la animadora infantil Ms. Rachel, fue puesto en libertad y se encuentra con su familia, informó este martes su abogado.
Nonverbal 5-year-old who met Ms. Rachel over Zoom released from ICE detention Original
March 24, 2026, 7:53 PM EDT Listen to this article with a free account A 5-year-old nonverbal boy whose plight in a South Texas immigration detention center drew national attention after a video call with children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel has been released with his family, their attorney said Tuesday.
La animadora infantil ‘Ms. Rachel’ tiene una nueva causa: liberar a niños de los centros de detención de ICE
Mar. 21, 2026, 12:29 PM EDT Por Mike Hixenbaugh — NBC News El niño que aparecía en la imagen granulada del video lucía desesperado. “Ya no quiero estar aquí”, dijo. “Aquí nada está bien”. Desde principios de marzo, Deiver Henao Jiménez, de 9 años, había estado retenido junto a sus padres en el Centro de Procesamiento de Inmigrantes de Dilley, en el sur de Texas, donde los niños se han quejado de una educación limitada, luces que nunca se apagan y comida en mal estado.
Children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel has a new cause: Freeing kids from ICE detention
Children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel has a new cause: Freeing kids from ICE detention
Children's entertainer Ms. Rachel has a new cause: Freeing kids from ICE detention Original
March 21, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT The boy in the grainy video feed sounded desperate. “I don’t want to be here anymore,” he said. “Nothing is good here.” Since early March, 9-year-old Deiver Henao Jimenez had been held with his parents at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas, where children have complained of limited education, lights that never turn off and moldy food. Now he was on a video call with someone who said she wanted to help: Ms. Rachel.
Children's entertainer Ms. Rachel has a new cause: Freeing kids from ICE detention
4 hours ago If you’ve ever wished you could use OpenAI’s or Anthropic’s large language models without those companies tracking you—well, now, you can, thanks to Duck.ai Sure, when chatbots aren’t outright hallucinating, they can be helpful tools for gathering information, generating ideas, and completing …
Hundreds of children held in Texas ICE detention beyond 20‑day limit, data shows
NBC Universal, Inc. New data reviewed by NBC 5 Investigates shows hundreds of children detained with their parents at a Texas ICE detention center have been held longer than allowed under federal court rules. Senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman looks into why it’s happening, what officials say about the delays, and how extended detention is impacting the children.
'This Place Broke Something in Us': Kids Languish in ICE Detention Long Past 20-Day Court Limit
Children in an immigrant detention center. (photo: ACLU) The Trump administration has detained more than 900 children — including a boy with severe autism — for longer than allowed under a decades-old legal settlement. Soon after immigration officials arrested him along with his wife and kids at the U.S. border and dropped them off at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas, Aleksei began counting down the days. “OK, 20 days.
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