Marco's Morning Report — Sunday, May 24, 2026

Section A — Top Stories

Knicks 121–108 over Cavaliers in ECF Game 3 — one win from the Finals

Brunson 30, Bridges 22, Anunoby 21. Knicks led wire-to-wire in Cleveland, shot 55.8% from the field with 11 threes and 24-of-27 from the line. Series 3–0; Mobley 24, Mitchell 23, Harden 19 for the Cavs. Mikal Bridges has been the steadying second engine alongside Brunson all series. (ESPN recap · NBA.com live updates)

First Finals trip since 1999 is on the table. NYK has won 10 straight; Game 4 is the closeout opportunity in Cleveland.

For Marco: If the Knicks finish the sweep tomorrow, the Finals open with the West not yet decided — a clean week of Knicks-only basketball before you fly to Madrid.

Senga rehab start: 3⅓ IP, 97 mph, mid-June return on the board

Kodai Senga made his first rehab appearance Friday for Single-A St. Lucie — 64 pitches, 3⅓ innings, 2 R / 4 H / 2 K / 1 BB, and crucially, he reached 97 mph. Manager Carlos Mendoza is bringing him back to New York for evaluation. He's been on the IL since April 27 with L4–L5 lumbar inflammation. (Metsmerized · CBS Sports)

After Holmes' fractured fibula moved to 60-day IL, Senga back in mid-June is the only meaningful pitching reinforcement in sight. The 97 mph readout is the headline — velocity, not pitch count, was the question with a lumbar inflammation diagnosis.

Talking point: Mets are 22–30 and just lost a second straight at loanDepot — they need this return to actually happen, not just trend toward happening.

Cuba: Díaz-Canel rallies Anti-Imperialist Tribune as Raúl indictment lands

Friday's "Tribuna Antiimperialista" — organized by the Communist Youth Union outside the Palace of Justice / Moncada — drew a crowd to defend Raúl Castro after the May 20 DOJ superseding indictment over the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown. Gerardo Hernández Nordelo (of the Cuban Five) read a message from Raúl thanking international solidarity; Díaz-Canel framed the charges as a continuation of the 1902 Platt Amendment posture. (Granma context · Cuba Headlines on Díaz-Canel's defense · Cubadebate Saturday roundup)

This is the regime's first organized public response to a U.S. indictment of a Castro — running on the same news cycle as 20+ hr/day blackouts in Havana and a fresh ~1,900 MW peak-hour deficit forecast from Unión Eléctrica.

Family note: Worth watching whether the rally posture holds through next week — the Cuban-press lens has shifted from "energy crisis" to "Platt Amendment" framing in 72 hours.

Section B — The Debate

Should Medicare expand site-neutral payment cuts to hospital outpatient departments?

CMS finalized a 60% cut to drug-administration rates at off-campus HOPDs starting in 2026 and floated further expansion in the 2027 OPPS proposed rule. AHA CEO Rick Pollack's letter ran in the New York Times May 16 responding to a May 4 op-ed pinning health-cost growth on hospitals; House Ways & Means chair Jason Smith held an affordability hearing last week pressing hospital CEOs to give ground.

For (expand the cuts)

Joseph Antos & James Capretta — American Enterprise Institute

Medicare today pays a hospital-owned clinic substantially more than an unaffiliated physician office for the exact same code, and that gap is the engine behind hospital systems buying up community practices. CBO estimates full site-neutrality saves $157 billion over a decade, with seniors' Part B premiums and coinsurance falling alongside program spending. The argument isn't that hospitals don't serve sicker patients — it's that the payment system shouldn't reward acquisition for its own sake. (AEI; cited in The Hill, May 21)

Against (don't expand)

Rick Pollack — President & CEO, American Hospital Association

Hospital expenses rose 7.5% in 2025, with labor, drugs and supplies leading; Medicare and Medicaid already reimburse below cost; insurers delay or deny payments at an accelerating rate. HOPDs treat older, sicker, more medically complex patients than freestanding offices, while carrying EMTALA obligations, 24/7 staffing, and stricter safety regulation. Cutting them on a "same code, same price" theory ignores who walks through the door and what the building has to be able to do. (AHA letter in NYT, May 16)

Where it might land: CMS's 2027 OPPS proposed rule lands this summer; the next concrete fight is whether the inpatient-only list keeps shrinking and whether off-campus HOPD rates compress further.

Section C — On My Radar

Mets drop second straight in Miami, 4–1. Max Meyer one-hit them over 7 IP; Liam Hicks first career multi-HR game off Freddy Peralta. Mets 22–30, lost 4 of 5. (ESPN)

Iran nuclear talks, Round 5 in Rome, ended without a breakthrough May 23 — both sides agreed to continue. Trump told reporters the agreement is "subject to finalization"; Tehran says enrichment remains non-negotiable; Pakistan's Asim Munir is in Tehran as mediator while the EU moves toward Hormuz-related sanctions. (Al Jazeera live)

SHM J-1 waiver advocacy now in national press cycle. April 28 SHM letter to HHS on the Exchange Visitor Waiver backlog is being cited as a direct threat to July 1 hospitalist starts in rural and underserved hospitals. (SHM letter PDF)

340B claims-data fight: AHA proposes a neutral clearinghouse to Lilly (May 13) — pushing back on manufacturer-direct claims-data demands that hospitals say undermine the discount program. Watch whether other manufacturers follow Lilly. (AHA News)

Mandalorian & Grogu — 64% on Rotten Tomatoes (mixed reviews, Pascal and the score get the praise, the plot doesn't). Fine Memorial-Day-weekend choice if you want something light. (RT first reviews)

Florida property-tax special session pushed. DeSantis says a dedicated session will be called by end of July after the 18-day budget special wraps May 29; a 6-year "glide path" phase-out is the live proposal, not full elimination. (Florida Politics)

WHO hantavirus advisory referenced in Cuban press May 23 — 12 cases, 3 deaths internationally; Cubadebate flagged it in the Saturday press roundup alongside the energy deficit forecast. Worth a heads-up if any of your post-acute Cuban-Florida patients ask. (Cubadebate)

Section D — Trends to Watch

Site-neutral has crossed from "if" to "how." The 2026 60% off-campus HOPD drug-administration cut is live; the next OPPS rule lands this summer. Whatever you think of the policy, the legislative posture in DC shifted in the last 60 days — hospitals are now negotiating the slope, not the principle.

Cuba arc keeps compounding on the energy axis. Eastern provinces dark for full days, Unión Eléctrica forecasting ~1,900 MW peak-hour deficit, and the regime's response is rallies and rhetorical escalation rather than a fuel announcement. Watch for whether Venezuelan or Russian shipments restart this week.

Streaming-era spy thrillers are aging poorly on the big screen. "Jack Ryan: Ghost War" landed at 36% on Rotten Tomatoes — the lowest-rated entry in Krasinski's run. The Mandalorian opening soft (~$45M previews) and the Jack Ryan flop together suggest Amazon/Disney's "TV brand to theatrical pivot" playbook is wobbling. (ScreenRant)

Section E — Ideas & Opportunities

Memorial Day weekend movie pick: If you want a no-think option with Havana or the parents, Mandalorian & Grogu does the job at 64% — Pedro Pascal carries it. Skip Jack Ryan: Ghost War (36% RT). For something more interesting and quiet: "The Stranger" (91% RT) is on streaming if you didn't catch it Tuesday.

Sepsis order-set check: Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2026 guidelines (Springer / Intensive Care Medicine, March) shipped with 129 statements, 46 of them new versus 2021 — antimicrobial stewardship and de-escalation language is more prescriptive than the 2021 version. Worth pulling for the next sepsis committee review when you're back from Spain. (2026 SSC guideline)

If site-neutral ever comes up in your group: Your hospital's mix of HOPD vs. off-campus billing is the dollar-impact question — not the policy theory. Worth one quiet conversation with the CFO's office before the 2027 proposed rule drops this summer.