Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Jill Biden Feared Her Husband Was Having Stroke During 2024 Presidential Debate: Report
CNN: Jill Biden Says She Worried Joe Biden Was Having A Stroke During 2024 Debate
Former first lady Jill Biden says former President Joe Biden’s performance in his 2024 debate against Donald Trump “scared me to death,” and she worried her husband was having a stroke. “I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” Jill Biden told CBS News in an interview slated to air Sunday. CBS published a clip from the interview Wednesday. “I don’t know what happened,” she said. “As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.” (Bradner, 5/27)
Updates from the Trump administration —
Politico: Pam Bondi Recovering From Thyroid Cancer Treatment
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is recovering from treatment for thyroid cancer, just weeks after leaving the Justice Department. Bondi told CNN she had surgery a few weeks ago and is still undergoing treatment, but is “doing well.” President Donald Trump ousted Bondi in April, having criticized her for failing to bring lawsuits against his perceived political foes. (Daniels, 5/27)
Stat: Trump’s Drug-Pricing Deals Set To Be Tested By New Product Launches
The public is about to get its first look at the prices of drugs launched since President Trump struck his most-favored-nation deals with 17 drugmakers. (Wilkerson, 5/28)
NPR: How A Health Clinic In South Africa Is Navigating Trump's Cuts To HIV Funding
Community health programs in South Africa have been heavily impacted by U.S. cuts to global aid. Which means there are fewer community and health workers to support low-income people with HIV and AIDS. We recently visited one of those programs, called We Care, to learn more about the experiences of the few employees who still remain. (Ozug, Zamora and Burnett, 5/27)
The New York Times: A Powerful H.I.V. Drug Lands In Zambia. But Will It Reach Those Who Need It?
Dozens of students freshly trained as recruiters streamed into the dormitories on the sprawling green campus of the University of Zambia on a muggy morning in March. They wended their way past piles of papers, laundry and instant noodle packages, pouncing on any classmate who slowed long enough to listen to their pitch: “Come with me, right now, and get an injection! It will protect you from H.I.V. infection for the next six months. It will take two minutes! And it’s free!” (Nolen, 5/26)
On the immigration crisis —
The Washington Post: Pregnant Woman From Ghana Detained With Child At Dulles, ACLU Says
Immigration authorities have detained a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old son at Washington Dulles International Airport for over a week, after the pair arrived from Ghana on a tourist visa seeking medical treatment and were then taken into custody, their lawyers allege in a court filing. Anabella Gyasi, 38, arrived in the United States on May 19 after securing a visa and an appointment for her son at Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio, where she hoped her son would get care for a physical abnormality affecting his hands, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. (Wu, 5/27)
AP: Therapy Dog Comforts Kids After Minneapolis ICE Crackdown
The little girl approached the therapy dog outside the school library, reaching out to touch her fluffy blond coat. Social worker Nicole Herje leaned in. “How does it feel when you pet Sage?” Herje said. “I like it,” the girl said. “In Ecuador, I had a dog.” A few months earlier, this girl and many of her classmates at Valley View Elementary were staying off the streets to avoid the immigration officers flooding their suburban Minneapolis community. Attendance plummeted as families kept their kids from school during the Trump administration’s enforcement surge. (Balingit and Steiner, 5/28)
