Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Disability Advocates: DeVos' Lack Of Knowledge On IDEA Is 'Disturbing And Offensive'
USA Today: Trump Education Nominee Opposed By Special Ed Advocates
President Trump’s nominee for education secretary will likely get a thumbs-up on Tuesday from a Senate committee, advancing her nomination to the Senate floor. But Michigan billionaire and philanthropist Betsy DeVos faces fierce opposition from education and civil rights groups, many of whom have stood up to oppose her in just the past few days. ... Groups that advocate for students with disabilities, among others, oppose her confirmation, saying in a few cases that they doubt DeVos even understands the details of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the 1975 law that guarantees a “free appropriate public education” to disabled students. (Toppo, 1/30)
The New York Times: Questions Raised About Brain Centers Backed By Betsy DeVos
A group of brain performance centers backed by Betsy DeVos, the nominee for education secretary, promotes results that are nothing short of stunning: improvements reported by 91 percent of patients with depression, 90 percent with attention deficit disorder, 90 percent with anxiety. The treatment offered by Neurocore, a business in which Ms. DeVos and her husband, Dick, are the chief investors, consists of showing movies to patients and interrupting them when the viewers become distracted, in an effort to retrain their brains. ... But a review of Neurocore’s claims and interviews with medical experts suggest its conclusions are unproven and its methods questionable. (Fink, Eder and Goldstein, 1/30)
Meanwhile, the president is set to announce his Supreme Court nominee early —
Reuters: Trump Set To Name U.S. High Court Pick As Democrats Plan Fight
President Donald Trump said he will announce his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday as he looks to quickly put his stamp on the court by restoring its conservative majority, even as Democrats geared up for a Senate confirmation fight. Trump, set to fill the lingering vacancy on the nation's highest court left by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, said on Monday he will reveal his choice at the White House at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, two days earlier than previously planned. (1/30)
