DEA Nominee Chronister Bows Out

The Washington Post: Trump’s Pick To Head DEA Withdraws After GOP Criticism Of His Covid Policies 
Chad Chronister, the Florida sheriff tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday he would not seek the post, the second Trump pick to abandon his bid to serve in the Republican administration. Chronister, a career law enforcement officer who has spent little time on the national stage, announced his withdrawal from consideration on social media early Tuesday evening, just three days after Trump’s selection. Chronister said he planned to continue serving as the sheriff in Hillsborough County. (McDaniel, Ovalle and LeVine, 12/3)

In other Trump administration news —

Axios: Trump's Immigration Crackdown Could Reduce Caregiving Workforce
Some of the earliest and lasting effects from President-elect Trump's promised immigration crackdowns would be in home health and long-term care, both of which rely on a substantial number of immigrants and undocumented workers. (Reed, 12/4)

KFF Health News: 9 States Poised To End Coverage For Millions If Trump Cuts Medicaid Funding
With Donald Trump’s return to the White House and Republicans taking full control of Congress in 2025, the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion is back on the chopping block. More than 3 million adults in nine states would be at immediate risk of losing their health coverage should the GOP reduce the extra federal Medicaid funding that’s enabled states to widen eligibility, according to KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News, and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. (Galewitz, 12/4)

MedPage Today: Long List Of Tasks Awaits New CDC Director, Experts Say 
Former representative Dave Weldon, MD (R-Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the CDC, will have his work cut out for him, one infectious disease expert says. Anne Schuchat, MD, former principal deputy director of the CDC, said that among the critical duties for Weldon, should he be confirmed by the Senate, will be: Assuring high-quality, nimble, and expert support to state and local public health authorities; Protecting Americans from new and re-emerging threats (both infectious and noninfectious, natural and man-made, arising at home or abroad); Modernizing data systems and capacities for public health; sustaining or where needed improving high-quality scientific expertise, in-house and through partnerships; and Assuring laboratory excellence (quality and safety). (Frieden, 12/2)

On RFK Jr., vaccines, and nutrition —

Stat: Nonprofit Paid RFK Jr. $20,000 A Week Before His Leave Last Year
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made over $20,000 per week as chairman of Children’s Health Defense before stepping away from the nonprofit in 2023 to run for president, new tax filings show. (Cueto, 12/3)

NPR: How RFK Jr.’s Nonprofit Uses Legal Tools To Fight Vaccines
In November 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr took the stage at a conference put on by Children's Heath Defense, the anti-vaccination nonprofit he chairs and from which he's been on leave since announcing plans to run for president. "I feel like I've come home today to this organization," he told the cheering crowd. In a winding, nearly hour-long speech, Kennedy recounted his path to anti-vaccine advocacy and his vision for the government, including calling for a "break" in infectious disease research. (Bond, 12/4)

The Wall Street Journal: ‘Crunchy Moms’ Found A Hero In RFK Jr. 
When Tess Smith was 18 and pregnant with her first child, she started weighing the pros and cons of pretty much everything: Should she use disposable diapers or cloth ones? Should she breast-feed or buy formula? Should she vaccinate her baby boy, or not? Should she use fluoride-free toothpaste? And what about seed oils? Smith, who lives near Houston, was suddenly becoming a “crunchy mom.”  Once reserved for granola-loving hippies, the term has been embraced by a range of women who are pursuing a more natural way of life. Many of these women, who cut across partisan lines, say they’ve found a champion in Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (O'Brien, 12/2)

The Atlantic: America Stopped Cooking With Tallow For A Reason
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s latest spin on MAGA, “Make frying oil tallow again,” is surprisingly straightforward for a man who has spent decades downplaying his most controversial opinions. ... Cardiologists shuddered at the thought. Conventional medical guidance has long recommended the reverse: less solid fat, more plant oils. But in recent years, a fringe theory has gained prominence for arguing that seed oils are toxic, put into food by a nefarious elite—including Big Pharma, the FDA, and food manufacturers—to keep Americans unhealthy and dependent. (Tayag, 12/2)

Los Angeles Times: How The FDA Allows Secret Ingredients Into Our Food Supply
It’s a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule that most Americans know little about, yet gives corporations the license to add potentially harmful ingredients to foods without regulatory oversight or public notice. For decades, the FDA’s “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, designation has allowed food makers to decide for themselves whether certain novel ingredients are safe or not — even without providing evidence to agency scientists. (Kaplan, 12/4)