Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
MAHA Report Review Finds Erroneous, Made Up References; AI Use Suspected
CNN: Trump Administration’s MAHA Report On Children’s Health Filled With Flawed References, Including Some Studies That Don’t Exist
The first report from the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again Commission, released last week, appears to be rife with errors, including some studies that don’t exist. Touted by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a milestone, the report lays out the government’s priorities for addressing chronic health problems in children, which it ascribes to poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, overprescribing of drugs and exposure to environmental chemicals. (Goodman, Howard and Klein, 5/29)
The Hill: White House Will Fix Errors In Kennedy's MAHA Report
The White House on Thursday said it will fix errors in its “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, report after a news outlet’s investigation found that it cited sources that don’t exist. ... White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the issues of nonexistent sources and said the administration has “complete confidence” in Kennedy, who spearheaded the report. “I understand there were some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed, and the report will be updated,” Leavitt said during the daily press briefing. (Weixel, 5/29)
More administrative actions —
AP: Trump Administration Halts Plans To Close 34 Mine Safety Offices
The Trump administration is dropping plans to terminate leases for 34 offices in the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the agency responsible for enforcing mine safety laws, the Department of Labor said Thursday. Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency, created by President Donald Trump and run by Elon Musk, had targeted federal agencies for spending cuts, including terminating leases for three dozen MSHA offices. Seven of those offices were in Kentucky alone. Ending the MSHA leases had been projected to save $18 million. (Raby, 5/30)
Stat: FDA Denies Barth Syndrome Drug Approval, Suggests Accelerated Pathway
For the past decade, Stealth BioTherapeutics has ridden a roller coaster trying to convince the Food and Drug Administration to approve its ultra-rare disease drug. Now, the company has encountered yet another twist — an unexpected regulatory rejection that will not only delay access and strain its finances, but ensure some of the most vulnerable patients are denied the treatment. (Silverman, 5/29)
Stat: Solicitor General Urges Supreme Court Not To Review Oklahoma Law On PBMs
In a boost for pharmacy benefit managers, the U.S. solicitor general advised the Supreme Court not to review an appeals court ruling that struck down key parts of an Oklahoma law regulating the retail networks created by these controversial middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain. (Silverman, 5/29)
In related White House news —
NPR: Deaf Advocacy Group Sues The White House For Lack Of ASL Interpreters
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has filed a federal lawsuit against the White House over a lack of American Sign Language interpreters at media briefings. The NAD says the White House abruptly stopped providing ASL interpreters during press briefings and other public events when President Trump returned to office for a second term. (Wright, 5/29)
Politico: Cancer Doc’s $50B Ask To Trump
Dr. Wafik El-Deiry, a cancer researcher and associate dean for oncology at Brown University, has an unlikely sales pitch for President Donald Trump: Pick me to lead the nation’s cancer research and give me a lot more money to spend on it. Despite slashing billions in health research grants and proposing further cuts in next year’s budget, Trump is considering El-Deiry to lead the National Cancer Institute after a recent interview for the job. (Schumaker and Reader, 5/29)
Bloomberg: Elon Musk’s DOGE Exit Won't Stop Pain From Federal Layoffs
Brendan Demich and his team of research engineers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Pittsburgh were racing to complete a virtual reality program to help train miners on what to do in an emergency underground. They feared that soon, time would run out, and Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency would throw them out of work. (Mann, 5/29)
The Hill: White House Attacks Jill Biden Over Joe Biden Health ‘Cover-Up’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attacked former first lady Jill Biden on Thursday over allegations that individuals around then-President Biden intentionally kept information about his health issues a secret. Republicans are calling on two dozen former senior Biden administration officials to appear before the Senate and answer questions about the former president’s health amid allegations that the White House deliberately did not disclose his cognitive and physical decline. (Gangitano, 5/29)
