The Hill: Scalise: GOP Eyeing Medicaid Work Requirements For ‘Early 2027’
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Monday that Republicans are eyeing early 2027 as the target date for the new Medicaid work requirements in the large budget package intended to advance and solidify President Trump’s agenda. The timeline for the bill’s new work requirements remains up in the air, as Republican leadership continues to negotiate with warring factions of the conference over details of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which would extend Trump’s tax cuts and boost his border funding priorities while reforming Medicaid and food assistance programs. (Fortinsky, 5/19)

AP: Trump Heads To Capitol Hill To Push 'Big, Beautiful' Bill
President Donald Trump is heading to Capitol Hill early Tuesday to seal the deal on his “big, beautiful bill,” using the power of political persuasion to unify divided House Republicans on the multitrillion-dollar package that is at risk of collapsing ahead of planned votes this week. Trump has implored GOP holdouts to “STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE.” But negotiations are slogging along and it’s not at all clear the package, with its sweeping tax breaks and cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs, has the support needed from the House’s slim Republican majority, who are also being asked to add some $350 billion to Trump’s border security, deportation and defense agenda. (Mascaro, Freking and Askarinam, 5/20)

Politico: Debt Cloud Suddenly Hangs Over Megabill Talks
Republicans knew they’d have to overcome fierce internal divisions, thorny policy trade-offs and rock-solid Democratic resistance to pass their massive domestic policy bill. They didn’t count on a Wall Street backlash, too. A softening Treasury bond market and surprise downgrade Friday of U.S. creditworthiness are the latest forces weighing on the GOP megabill — an unmistakable nudge to lawmakers that investors are growing increasingly concerned about legislation that could pile trillions of dollars more onto an already staggering national debt. (Guggenheim, Sutton and Lee Hill, 5/19)

Axios: This Is A Fight Over Obamacare, Again
The Medicaid battle being waged by House Republicans is just the latest iteration of a long-running fight to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Millions of Americans stand to lose health coverage if the Medicaid cuts in the latest version of the reconciliation bill become law. (Peck, 5/20)

AP: Trump Signs The Take It Down Act. What Is It?
President Donald Trump on Monday signed the Take It Down Act, bipartisan legislation that enacts stricter penalties for the distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery, sometimes called “revenge porn,” as fell as deepfakes created by artificial intelligence. The measure, which goes into effect immediately, was introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and later gained the support of First Lady Melania Trump. Critics of the measure, which addresses both real and artificial intelligence-generated imagery, say the language is too broad and could lead to censorship and First Amendment issues. (Ortutay, 5/20)

On RFK Jr. and 'MAHA' —

Politico: Kennedy Set For Another Hill Face-Off 
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will again make the case this week for an unprecedented downsizing of federal agencies — this time before a Senate Appropriations panel on Tuesday. The panel’s chair is someone who’s already found fault with the downsizing: West Virginia Republican Shelley Moore Capito. ... Kennedy will need Capito, whose state still has a significant mining industry, on his side to enact President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal 2026. It calls for a more-than-$30 billion cut to HHS’s budget — more than a quarter of the agency’s funding. (Zeller, 5/19)

Politico: MAHA To Reveal Plan On Kids' Chronic Diseases
The Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again commission is set to release its much-awaited report this week that should shed light on its strategy to combat the chronic disease epidemic among American children. The report, to be released Thursday, is expected to identify the key drivers of chronic childhood illness, such as asthma and autoimmune diseases, in the U.S. It could indicate how HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might shift key health policy and research focuses within the nation’s health agencies as he seeks to further his MAHA agenda. (Hooper and Cirruzzo, 5/19)

Bloomberg: RFK Jr.’s Food Dye Ban Effort Gets Pushback From Dum Dums Maker Spangler
The US government is pushing food companies to switch their bright synthetic dyes to natural colors — but the maker of Dum Dums lollipops and Sweethearts candy hearts is in no rush. Kirk Vashaw, chief executive officer of Spangler Candy Company, said a key problem with changing ingredients is taste. Take beet juice: “That’s a nice red, but it tastes like beets,” he said. (Kubzansky, 5/19)

KFF Health News: This News Might Ruin Your Appetite — And Summer
It’s a marvel of food technology: ice cream that resists melting. In a video explaining the science behind it, a seller of food chemicals shows scoops of ice cream holding their shape under hot lights. The super ingredient? Polysorbate 80. ... Recently, such ingredients have been showing up in scientific studies for another reason: Researchers say they may cause a variety of health problems. (Hilzenrath, 5/20)

More from the Trump administration —

Stat: Trump OSTP Director Calls For Return To 'Gold-Standard Science' 
President Trump’s science adviser, Michael Kratsios, called for a return to reproducible and transparent research to kickstart what he characterized as years of stalled scientific progress, in his first detailed public remarks on science policy since taking office in March. (Wosen, 5/19)

KFF Health News: How The Trump Administration Aims To Slash Health Care Spending
Health care has proved a vulnerable target for the firehose of cuts and policy changes President Donald Trump ordered in the name of reducing waste and improving efficiency. But most of the impact isn’t as tangible as, say, higher egg prices at the grocery store. One thing experts from a wide range of fields, from basic science to public health, agree on: The damage will be varied and immense. “It’s exceedingly foolish to cut funding in this way,” said Harold Varmus, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and former director of both the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. (Rosenthal, 5/20)

KFF Health News: Trump Exaggerates Speed And Certainty Of Prescription Drug Price Reductions
President Donald Trump expressed high hopes for an executive order to reduce drug prices. On May 11, the day before he held a White House event to sign the executive order, Trump posted on Truth Social, “Prescription Drug and Pharmaceutical prices will be REDUCED, almost immediately, by 30% to 80%.” However, the executive order’s text, unveiled May 12, undercut the president’s description of how soon consumers could experience this potential boon. (Jacobson, 5/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Joe Biden Had Unrivaled Medical Care. How Did His Cancer Go Undetected?
How was Joe Biden’s cancer not caught earlier? The news that the former president is battling an aggressive, stage-4 prostate cancer that has spread to the bone ignited a public debate about why a person with peerless access to medical care was diagnosed at such an advanced stage with a disease that is quite common in men his age. (Abbott and Linskey, 5/19)

NBC News: Biden’s Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Is Unusual But Not Unheard Of, Doctors Say
Most cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed at an early stage, often with the help of routine screenings involving blood tests or rectal exams. But in around 8% of cases, the cancer has already metastasized — or spread to other organs — by the time it’s diagnosed. At that point, the patient has likely had prostate cancer for several years to a decade, multiple oncologists said.  In Biden’s case, “we definitely would anticipate that he has had prostate cancer for many, many years,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society. (Bendix, 5/19)

NBC News: Trump Allies Suggest Biden Hid Cancer Diagnosis
An initial wave of bipartisan sympathy for Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis has started to ebb, giving way to suggestions from Donald Trump’s allies that the former president’s inner circle masked his condition while he was in office to create an illusion that he was still up to the job. In a social media post Sunday showing a picture of Biden with the caption, “Politics aside, we wish him a speedy recovery,” the president’s eldest son, Don Trump Jr., wrote, “Agreed 100%.” Come Monday, he posted a darker message: “Everyone was in on the coverup! Who was running the country? We need accountability!” (Nicholas and Korecki, 5/19)

The Hill: Biden Thanks Supporters For Support Amid Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
Former President Biden expressed gratitude Monday morning for the outpouring of support following the news of his prostate cancer diagnosis over the weekend. “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Biden, 82, wrote Monday morning in a post on the social platform X, along with a photo of him, former first lady Jill Biden and their cat, Willow. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.” (Crisp, 5/19)

The Washington Post: Biden’s Cancer Renews Debate About Prostate Screenings For Older Men
Former president Joe Biden’s newly diagnosed prostate cancer, an aggressive form that has spread to his bones, has renewed the debate about who should receive annual screenings for signs of the disease. Prostate cancer, the second most common cause of cancer deaths for men, kills 35,000 a year. ... His medical records as president do not indicate whether his blood tests included screening for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which, when elevated, can indicate a higher risk of prostate cancer. (Eunjung Cha and Achenbach, 5/19)

In other cancer research —

The Washington Post: New Clues Point To Why Colorectal Cancer Is Rising In Young People
While the overall numbers are still relatively low, colorectal cancer will become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s by 2030. Get concise answers to your questions. New evidence suggests the reason may trace back to early childhood. In a study recently published in Nature, scientists unveiled a link between the rise in young colorectal cancers and a toxin called colibactin. For years, we’ve known that colibactin, produced by certain strains of bacteria like E. coli, can mutate our DNA and potentially cause colorectal cancer. (Pasricha, 5/19)

Boston Herald: Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research: Study Provides Glimmer Of Hope 
A new study by Mass General Brigham researchers provides a glimmer of hope for patients with glioblastoma, the most common and deadly form of brain cancer in adults. The researchers found that glioblastoma patients who received a common anti-seizure and pain drug — gabapentin — ended up living longer. (Sobey, 5/19)

Bloomberg: Pfizer Licenses 3SBio Cancer Drug From China For Record $1.2 Billion
Pfizer will pay $1.25 billion upfront to license an experimental cancer drug out of China, in a deal that underscores multinational drugmakers’ growing enthusiasm for Chinese biotech innovation. The deal grants Pfizer rights to develop and commercialize a drug from Shenyang-based 3SBio Inc. currently in clinical testing for multiple tumor types, according to a press release. In addition to the upfront payment — which sets a new record for China licensing deals — 3SBio is eligible for up to $4.8 billion in downstream fees if the drug hits all milestones. (Tong and Cha, 5/20)

Stat: WHO Members Adopt Pandemic Treaty, As U.S. Shuns Meeting
World Health Organization members on Tuesday adopted a treaty aimed at preparing for and responding to future pandemics, what countries say is both a tangible example of how they’re learning the lessons of Covid-19 and a marker for the continued importance of international collaboration. (Joseph, 5/20) 

AP: After US Cuts Funding, WHO Chief Defends $2.1B Budget Request By Comparing It With Cost Of War
Stripped of U.S. funding, the World Health Organization chief on Monday appealed to member countries to support its “extremely modest” request for a $2.1 billion annual budget by putting that sum into perspective next to outlays for ad campaigns for tobacco or the cost of war. After nearly 80 years of striving to improve human lives and health –- which critics say it has done poorly or not enough -- the U.N. health agency is fighting for its own after U.S. President Donald Trump in January halted funding from the United States, which has traditionally been WHO’s largest donor. (Keaten, 5/20)

On covid and measles —

Bloomberg: FDA To Unveil Covid Shot Policy As RFK Jr. Eyes More Tests
President Donald Trump’s administration is slated to lay out its approach to Covid vaccination at an event Tuesday that could spell major changes in what is required to get regulatory approval for immunizations. The US Food and Drug Administration’s YouTube channel is featuring an upcoming town hall, set to begin Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Washington, titled “An evidence based approach to Covid vaccination.” The two speakers listed are FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Vinay Prasad, an outspoken critic of the drug industry who was recently appointed to lead the agency’s division that oversees vaccines. (Smith and Cohrs Zhang, 5/19)

Bloomberg: Texas Measles Outbreak Slows After Vaccine Shot Push
The rate of new measles infections in Texas has slowed as immunity to the virus builds and vaccinations rise. Texas – the epicenter of the outbreak in the US this year – reported just one new measles infection on May 16, bringing the state’s total to 718 cases. (Nix, 5/19)

CIDRAP: Poll: 83% Of Americans Say Benefits Of MMR Vaccines Outweigh Risks
A new Annenberg Poll shows that 87% of Americans say the benefit of childhood measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination outweighs the risk, and 67% say they know that MMR vaccines don't cause autism. 2025 may see the highest measles case count in the United States since the disease was officially eliminated in 2000. (Soucheray, 5/19)

Military.Com: Veterans' VA Referrals To Private Medical Care Will No Longer Require Additional Doctor Review
The Department of Veterans Affairs has changed its process for veterans to get medical care from non-VA providers, removing a requirement that a referral to community care be reviewed by another VA doctor. The VA announced Monday that it is enacting a provision of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act that will help ease veterans' access to medical services from private providers. (Kime, 5/19)

Fierce Healthcare: Ascension Operations Improving Since Cyberattack, But Remain Red
Ascension reported Monday a $466 million loss from operations (-2.3% operating margin) and $195 million of net income for the nine months ended March 31. The large nonprofit painted these results progress as it adjusts its hospital portfolio and recovers from last year’s major cybersecurity attack. The performance is a step back from the $238 million operating loss (-1.1% operating margin) and $343 million net income Ascension had logged across the first nine months of its prior fiscal year, even when including that period’s more substantial net impairment and nonrecurring losses ($85 million in nine months of FY 2025 versus $253 million in nine months of FY 2024). (Muoio, 5/19)

Modern Healthcare: New Mountain Capital Partners Form Smarter Technologies
Three of private equity firm New Mountain Capital's portfolio companies have combined to form Smarter Technologies, which offers an artificial intelligence-powered revenue cycle management platform. Access Healthcare, SmarterDx and Thoughtful.ai each provide services to operate the platform, the private equity firm said in a Monday news release. All three companies earlier this year received strategic growth investments from New Mountain Capital. Financial details were not disclosed. (DeSilva, 5/19)

Modern Healthcare: Penn Medicine, Sutter Make Business Case For Patient Experience
Health systems and insurers are devising ways to improve the patient experience and outcomes while generating a real return on investment for their companies. They are changing the way care is scheduled, expanding communication platforms and improving training. The initiatives aren’t happening just because it’s the right thing for organizations to do. They are often tied to specific metrics and are expected to benefit the bottom line. (Perna and Berryman, 5/19)

Modern Healthcare: Lifepoint Health's David Dill Plans Aggressive Expansion Strategy
Lifepoint Health is confident about its plans for expansion into new markets and existing investments, even as federal policy uncertainty has forced some systems to cut jobs and reassess construction projects. Brentwood, Tennessee-based Lifepoint operates 60 community hospitals, more than 60 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals and 250 other care sites, including managed acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities. (Hudson, 5/19)

WUSF: AdventHealth Orlando's $1 Billion Investment In Main Campus Includes A New Medical Tower
AdventHealth Orlando has announced plans to erect a $660 billion, 14-story medical tower on its main campus that includes expanded specialty treatments. It’s part of a long-term, multiphase $1 billion investment that the nonprofit health system calls Central Florida’s “largest single investment in health care.” (Mayer, 5/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: Health System Bad Debt Piles Up: 5 Things To Know
U.S. hospitals and health systems in many regions are seeing a sharp rise in uncompensated care, with new data showing big increases in bad debt and charity care deductions during the first quarter of 2025. “Disruptions in health insurance coverage can drive increases in bad debt and charity care deductions for U.S. hospitals and health systems. According to the latest data from Q1 2025, health systems across the country already experienced significant increases in bad debt and charity deductions in recent years,” noted Strata in its “Healthcare Performance Trends: Q1 2025” report. (Dyrda, 5/19)

Bloomberg: 23andMe Sells Gene-Testing Business To DNA Drug Maker Regeneron
Bankrupt genetic-testing firm 23andMe agreed to sell its data bank, which once contained DNA samples from about 15 million people, to the drug developer Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for $256 million. The sale comes after a wave of customers and government officials demanded that 23andMe protect the genetic data it had built up over the years by collecting saliva samples from customers. Regeneron pledged to comply with 23andMe’s privacy policy, which allows customers to have their personal information deleted upon request. (Church and Smith, 5/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: Mayo Clinic Discovery May Extend Donor Heart Preservation: 4 Study Notes
Researchers from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with researchers from Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan, have identified a potential path to improving donor heart preservation, according to a study published May 19 in Nature Cardiovascular Research. Here are four notes on the study: The team found that mineralocorticoid receptor proteins within heart cells “clump together” during cold storage in a process called liquid-liquid phase separation,” according to a May 19 news release from the health system. (Gregerson, 5/19)

Modern Healthcare: J&J’s Biosense Webster Ordered To Pay For Antitrust Violation
A California federal jury ordered Johnson & Johnson’s medical technology unit Biosense Webster to pay $147 million after finding it violated federal and state antitrust laws by refusing to provide clinical support to hospitals that used third-party reprocessed catheters. The lawsuit was initiated by Innovative Health, a company that sells reprocessed catheters regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. (Dubinsky, 5/19)

MedPage Today: Best Intensive Care Unit Sedative? Head-To-Head Trial Weighs In
Alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonists didn't get critically ill patients off the ventilator quicker than propofol in the head-to-head A2B trial. (Phend, 5/19)

CIDRAP: Better Outcomes Found In Hospitalized Pneumonia Patients Treated With Azithromycin
An observational study of hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) found that azithromycin was associated with lower mortality and more hospital-free days compared with doxycycline in combination with beta-lactams, Mayo Clinic researchers reported late last week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. With macrolide resistance rising, doxycycline in combination with beta-lactams has become a frequently used alternative treatment for hospitalized CAP patients, but data on its effectiveness are limited. (Dall, 5/19)

AP: Nebraska To Ban Soda And Energy Drinks From SNAP Under First USDA Waiver
Nebraska is the first state to receive a federal waiver to ban the purchase of soda and energy drinks under the benefit program for low-income Americans long known as food stamps. The move, announced Monday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, would affect about 152,000 people in Nebraska enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps families pay for groceries. “There’s absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks,” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement. (Aleccia, 5/20)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Reverses Course, Will Continue To Cover Cost Of Weight-Loss Drugs Like Wegovy For State Employees 
Colorado has reversed course and decided to continue covering the cost of GLP-1 medications for state employees who are already using the class of drug for weight loss — with an asterisk. Starting July 1, their copay will increase to $120 from $30. (Paul, 5/20)

Modern Healthcare: Florida Blue Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Case: Judge Sides With HHS
A federal judge dismissed Florida Blue’s plea to raise its Medicare Advantage star ratings after a major rainstorm impacted its operations. Judge Amit Mehta, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, granted the Health and Human Services Department’s motion for a summary judgment to uphold its rule allowing for some measure of ratings relief during public health emergencies, or what the agency calls "extreme and uncontrollable circumstances." In the same ruling, Mehta denied the Guidewell subsidiary’s motion for a summary judgment. (Tepper, 5/19)

North Carolina Health News: NC Works To Expand Availability Of Donor Breast Milk As Demand Rises
Demand for pasteurized donor breast milk is rising. More than 10 percent of babies born in North Carolina are premature, according to state data. In 2023, that meant 12,885 premature infants. Breast milk helps protect premature babies’ guts and helps facilitate their growth. The increased demand is due to growing recognition of the health benefits, as well as an uptick in premature infants in North Carolina receiving the milk. (Crumpler, 5/20)

New Hampshire Public Radio: NH Lawmakers Aim To Expand Parental Rights. Some Fear That Could Harm Young Sexual Assault Victims. 
Nurses who treat young sexual assault victims are worried recent changes to parental rights legislation in the New Hampshire State House could jeopardize victims’ care and the collection of evidence for a criminal investigation. Under the new provision, parents would have to agree to medical care for their child — except in the case of an emergency — and to the collection of the child’s DNA and blood for an investigation. But medical experts say there is limited time to collect that evidence and treat sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy in the case of a sexual assault. (Timmins, 5/19)

Politico: Cuomo Campaigns On Covid
Mayoral front-runner Andrew Cuomo has hit the airwaves, leaning into his record on an issue his opponents are trying to use against him. This morning, Cuomo released a six-figure, 30-second ad titled “Crisis,” which emphasizes his leadership during the pandemic. “It was the greatest health crisis in our history — and when New Yorkers were desperate for leadership — Andrew Cuomo delivered,” a narrator says in the ad, which will appear on digital and streaming platforms. (Beeferman, 5/19)

The Washington Post: Fertility Clinic Bombing Spotlights ‘Nihilistic’ Extremism Threat, Experts Say
The FBI said the 25-year-old man suspected of detonating a bomb outside a Southern California fertility clinic that injured four people over the weekend was “nihilistic” — a term U.S. authorities are increasingly using to describe violence simply for the sake of it, or to hasten the demise of society. Nihilistic violent extremism has been a growing domestic threat in recent years, with a number of incidents defying common ideological markers. The bombing outside of an American Reproductive Centers clinic in Palm Springs, California, shows how difficult the diffuse movement is to combat, say experts. (Edwards, 5/20)

Minnesota Now: Study Finds Medical Cannabis Provided Relief For Those With Obstructive Sleep Apnea 
Sleep apnea is a condition that affects millions of people, often without them even knowing it. It’s more than just loud snoring or restless nights. It can have serious health consequences. And the state Office of Cannabis Management has new data about using cannabis to treat the condition. They conducted the largest survey on record about the condition and cannabis. And their findings show it could really help patients. (Moini and Finn, 5/19)

Bloomberg: Azo, Uristat UTI Drug’s Health, Cancer Risks Show FDA's Troubles
Many women have, for decades, taken a drug called phenazopyridine to control pain from urinary tract infections. Sold under such brand names as Azo and Uristat, it’s available in most US pharmacies or groceries with a well-stocked health aisle and doesn’t require a prescription. Target Corp. and Walmart Inc. both offer their own generic versions. Given the ease of purchase, it’s a good bet many users assume the drug has been vetted by US regulators and found to be safe and effective. It hasn’t. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration 20 years ago raised questions about whether it truly works, as well as its potential to cause cancer. (Edney, 5/19)

Newsweek: Menstrual Cycle Syncing: Experts Explain 'Empowering' Health Trend
"Menstrual cycle syncing" and "hormonal syncing" are terms used to describe adjusting lifestyle habits to optimize health and wellness at every point of a woman's menstrual cycle. New research by women's health and PMS relief brand Cycl Health has found that there has been a 1,484 percent uptick in global interest in people searching for information about the topic in the last five years, which the brand told Newsweek indicates "a clear intrigue for a more holistic approach to women's self-care." (Willmoth, 5/19)

The New York Times: A Genetic Clue To Why Men Are Taller Than Women
Men are taller than women, by an average of about five inches. But why? It’s not a genetic inevitability — there are many species in the tree of life where females outclass males. A new study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that involved genetic data from a million people, has found a partial explanation. (Kolata, 5/19)

The Washington Post: Kennedy’s Placebo Requirement For Vaccine Testing Could Cost Lives 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his hearing before Congress last week doubled down on his plans to revamp the vaccine approval process. The health and human services secretary claimed that no vaccines other than the coronavirus shots had been tested against a placebo, which he vowed to “remedy.” (Leana S. Wen, 5/20)

The CT Mirror: The Immigration Debate Endangers The Psychological Safety Of Our Kids
The other day, I was walking through a school and overheard a student say to a classmate, “Shut up, before I have to call ICE on you.” You hear murmurs about what’s going on in schools across our nation. But I heard this negative comment in a school in Connecticut. It shows just how much these types of antics and negative behavior have become the norm in our society under the current administration. These types of comments make people feel unwelcome and unsafe. (Kevin L. Booker Jr., 5/19)

Stat: FDA Sunscreen Reform: Treat Sunblock Like A Cosmetic, Not A Drug
One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by age 70. Yet regulators in the United States have not approved sunscreens that can more effectively prevent the disease. Such safetyism makes little sense. Americans receive more diagnoses for skin cancer than for all other forms of cancer combined. (Sally C. Pipes, 5/20)

Stat: Biden Cancer Diagnosis: Veteran Presidential Health Reporter Weighs In
News of former President Biden’s aggressive and incurable prostate cancer has surprised the public (and presumably him). Based on the public record of Biden’s medical care and standard medical recommendations, as recently as a year ago there was no reason to perform screening tests for the disease, despite his age, 81 at the time. The diagnosis underscores the fact that cancers can sometimes pop up suddenly, even among recipients of the most sophisticated care doctors can offer. (Lawrence K. Altman, 5/19)

Stat: Are Seed Oils Healthy? The Research Is Unclear 
For decades, mainstream nutrition guidelines have recommended that Americans replace animal fats like butter or lard with polyunsaturated fats, especially seed oils such as soybean, corn, and sunflower oils. These oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids and now make up a significant portion of the fat consumed in the standard American diet. But recently, the conversation has shifted. (Jane Zhao, 5/20)