Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Blocks Preventive Services Panel From Meeting — Again
The New York Times: Key Health Care Panel Is Again Blocked From Meeting Under RFK Jr.
For the fourth time, the Trump administration has prevented an important public health panel from meeting as planned. The panel, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, has not met in person since March 2025. ... The delay of a meeting scheduled for this month was announced in an email last week to people who work with the panel. It was confirmed on Monday by Emily Hilliard, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services. (Astor, 7/6)
More Trump administration news —
The New York Times: Efforts To Help Smokers Quit Stall Under Trump
The ads were jarring: a man with a hole in his throat where his larynx, or voice box, had once been. A woman whose teeth and jaw had been removed after oral cancer. Another woman speaking in a robotic voice, which was altered when her larynx was removed: “I wish I’d never seen a cigarette in my entire life.” A black screen followed, saying she died two days later. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 14-year ad campaign, called Tips From Former Smokers, was highly memorable and, research shows, highly effective in motivating people to quit. Last year, though, as tobacco companies gave millions to political organizations related to the Trump administration, the campaign went dark. (Jewett, 7/6)
NBC News: Is Testosterone Therapy A Fix For Aging? The Trump Administration Proposes Easing Prescription Rules
American men may soon find it easier to get testosterone therapy under a new federal proposal that would loosen restrictions on prescriptions. (Sudhakar, 7/6)
The 19th: How Government Agencies Are Targeting Gender-Affirming Care For Youth
The United States is using the full power of the federal government to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth. (Rummler, 7/6)
The Hill: Trump Pardons Clean Air Act Violators
Trump pardoned nine people who were found to have either tampered with equipment in trucks used for emissions control, or sold aftermarket parts disabling those controls and bypass the mandatory parts. Federal law prohibits removing or modifying emissions control devices in vehicles. So-called defeat devices can be used to get around a vehicle’s emissions controls. The Trump administration previously said it would generally stop prosecuting people who sell them. (Frazin, 7/6)
On the immigration crisis —
AP: Ex-Afghan Ally Died In ICE Custody After Allergic Reaction, Document Says
An Afghan national who fought alongside U.S. forces died from an allergic reaction while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, one day after he was detained for deportation proceedings, his death certificate shows. Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, suffered “an adverse drug reaction” to an unidentified substance, which triggered anaphylaxis and exacerbated his asthma, according to the document. His March 14 death at a Dallas hospital was ruled to be an accident. (Foley, 7/6)
ProPublica: Deportations Of Unaccompanied Minors Have Tripled Under Trump
A first-of-its-kind analysis of Immigration and Customs Enforcement data found that unaccompanied minors living in the U.S. are being detained and removed at about three times the rate they were during the last time President Donald Trump was in office. In addition, a ProPublica analysis of court data found that immigration judges, who report to the Justice Department, have issued more than 10,000 removal and voluntary departure orders each month for immigrant minors who either migrated alone or with relatives, a rate that is nearly four times higher than in Trump’s last term. (Rosenberg and Ernsthausen, 7/6)
Updates from the Supreme Court —
The Washington Post: Supreme Court Lets Texas Enforce Law That Restricts App Purchases By Kids
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to pause enforcement of a Texas law that restricts which apps children can download from online stores, in a case that involves the balance of online safety for kids and the Constitution’s free-speech guarantees. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the law last year in an effort to give parents more control over their kids’ app downloads and in-app purchases. It requires users to verify that they’re at least 18 years old; if they are not, minors must receive consent from their parents for every download or in-app purchase. California, Louisiana and Utah have passed similar age-verification laws for app stores. (Mark, 7/6)
The New York Times: A Supreme Court Case On AR-15s Could Hinge On Their ‘Common Use’
We all may know what makes a gun dangerous, but what makes it both dangerous and unusual? Largely lost amid the Supreme Court’s decisions on birthright citizenship, asylum and campaign finance was its announcement last Tuesday that it would take up that enigmatic question, which is at the heart of the country’s struggle to balance the rights of gun owners against the specter of mass shootings. The court’s decision could be a watershed moment. (McIntire, 7/7)
