FBI Solicits Info On Those Providing Gender-Affirming Care For Minors

The Hill: FBI Seeks Tips On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
The FBI is urging people to report health care providers who may be assisting transgender minors with gender-affirming care, as part of the Trump administration’s mission to “protect children.” “As the Attorney General has made clear, we will protect our children and hold accountable those who mutilate them under the guise of gender-affirming care,” the FBI’s official account wrote on the social platform X on Monday, urging followers to “report tips of any hospitals, clinics or practitioners performing these surgical procedures on children” to its phone and web tip lines. (Crisp, 6/2)

Military.Com: Veterans With Mental Health Conditions Face Challenges Getting Care Outside VA, Study Finds
Veterans with mental health disorders consistently rated their experiences with private care as less satisfactory than those without a mental health condition -- a finding that indicates a need for better care coordination by the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to new research. VA researchers examined survey results of 231,869 veterans who received VA-covered medical services from non-government providers and found that those with mental health conditions expressed lower satisfaction rates across nine categories than veterans without a mental health diagnosis. (Kime, 6/2)

CIDRAP: NIH Must Better Track Unused Research Funds, Act On Late Progress Reports, GAO Says
In its oversight of roughly $35 billion in 65,000 external biomedical research awards in 2023, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) didn't consistently track unused funds or act when financial and progress reports from grant recipients were late, a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says. These findings, released late last week, could compromise the NIH's ability to detect misspending and ensure that its grants are awarded in appropriate amounts, the authors said. (Van Beusekom, 6/2)

KFF Health News: Trump Administration Is Ending Multiple HIV Vaccine Studies, Scientists And Officials Say
The Trump administration has moved to end funding for a broad swath of HIV vaccine research, saying current approaches are enough to counter the virus, several scientists and federal health officials say. Notifications that the funding would not be extended were relayed May 30 to researchers, who were told by National Institutes of Health officials that the Department of Health and Human Services had elected “to go with currently available approaches to eliminate HIV” instead. (Gounder and Tin, 6/3)

Regarding AI, tariffs, and funding cuts —

Becker's Hospital Review: FDA Deploys AI Tool Agencywide: 4 Notes
The FDA on June 2 launched a generative artificial intelligence tool agencywide to improve internal workflows and staff efficiency. Four things to know. 1. The AI tool, Elsa, is currently being used to speed up the review of clinical trial protocols, reduce the time needed to analyze scientific data and identify the agency’s most urgent inspection priorities. (Murphy, 6/2)

Becker's Hospital Review: Why Biden-Era Supreme Court Rulings Could Thwart Trump Tariffs: 4 Notes
President Donald Trump’s comprehensive tariffs might be stymied by a legal argument the Supreme Court employed to former initiatives put forth by President Joe Biden’s administration, Bloomberg reported May 31. Here are four notes: During Mr. Biden’s presidency, the Supreme Court ruled that federal agencies cannot make major political and economic decisions without clear congressional authorization. The argument was used by the court to block the Environmental Protection Agency from enforcing strict pollution limits and prevented the Education Department from cutting student loans for 40 million people. (Murphy, 6/2)

Stat: How Countries Are Adapting To Deep U.S. HIV/AIDs Funding Cuts
In countries around the world, the Trump administration’s drastic cuts to HIV/AIDS funding have left health officials scrambling for ways to deliver preventative care and life-saving treatments. But not here. Almost every day, sex workers in Bangkok’s oldest red-light district have been going to saunas, bikini bars, and massage parlors, testing their peers for HIV. Their work is made possible by the Thai government, which funds marginalized communities, including migrants, LGBTQ individuals, and people who use drugs, to lead HIV/AIDS outreach and health programs. (Bajaj, 6/3)

KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’ Podcast:: Live From AHCJ: Shock And Awe In Federal Health Policy
This episode was taped live on Friday, May 30, at the annual conference of the Association of Health Care Journalists in Los Angeles. ... The panelists discussed the national, state, and local implications of funding cuts made over the first 100 days of the second Trump administration and the potential fallout of reductions that have been proposed but not yet implemented. The panelists also took questions from health reporters in the audience. (Rovner, 6/2)