Medicaid Work Rules (U.S.): North Carolina is set to require most Medicaid adults ages 19–64 to complete at least 80 hours a month of work, school, training, or community service to keep coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027, with other major changes rolling out first—tighter noncitizen eligibility, twice-yearly renewals, and shorter retroactive coverage. Medicaid Eligibility (U.S.): Separate reporting details how federal rules tied to H.R. 1 will tighten Medicaid access for certain noncitizens starting Oct. 1, with only specific statuses (including COFA migrants from Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau) continuing to qualify. Mental Health & Homelessness (U.S.): SAMHSA awarded $42.3 million to states and territories to expand a “Treatment First” approach for homelessness and addiction, aiming to move people from crisis into treatment and stable recovery. Social Protection (Pacific, incl. Marshall Islands): A UN DESA policy brief says social protection coverage is below 30% in the Marshall Islands and several other Pacific SIDS, leaving people highly vulnerable to climate and economic shocks; it urges stronger, phased social protection systems. Rights & Nuclear Legacy (Marshall Islands): A UN special rapporteur warns Marshallese rights defenders face long-term impacts from nuclear testing, climate threats, displacement, and limited access to information, despite generally open conditions for human rights work.