Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NIH Halts Anti-DEI Policy That Was Required To Get New Research Grants
Stat: NIH Rescinds, At Least For Now, Its DEI Ban On Grants To Institutions
The National Institutes of Health has, for now, walked back a policy requiring universities and other research institutes to certify that they do not have unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion programs or boycotts of Israel in order to receive research dollars. (Oza, 6/9)
AP: Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Enforcing Anti-DEI Executive Orders
A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders in grant funding requirements that LGBTQ+ organizations say are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said Monday that the federal government cannot force recipients to halt programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion or acknowledge the existence of transgender people in order to receive grant funding. The order will remain in effect while the legal case continues, although government lawyers will likely appeal. (Har, 6/9)
The Boston Globe: Williams College To Pause Receipt Of New NIH, NSF Grants
Leaders at Williams College have temporarily paused accepting federal research grants while they review recent ultimatums put forth by the Trump administration about diversity, equity, and inclusion bans, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. The elite college in Western Massachusetts is seemingly the first college or university to make such a move since the Trump administration imposed new restrictions this spring pertaining to the perceived promotion or advancement of DEI initiatives, in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws. (Alanez, 6/9)
Minnesota Public Radio: MDH Cancels Some Layoffs After Lawsuit To Block Funding Cuts
In late March, the Minnesota Department of Health announced layoffs and reductions in public health services due to cuts to federal grants made by the Trump administration. Now, some layoff notices have since been rescinded. Health officials said that only current staff members have retained their jobs. The rescission of layoff notices does not apply to temporary staff or contractors who were laid off in the spring. (Zurek, 6/9)
Also —
Bloomberg: Academic Publishers Sign AI Deals As Trump Cuts Research Funding
Academic publishers are rushing to sign licensing deals with artificial intelligence companies, carving out a new revenue stream as US research funding cuts dim their outlook. Informa Plc’s Taylor & Francis signed a $10 million deal with Microsoft Corp. last year to provide the tech giant access to part of its library to train large language models, or LLMs. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is looking to “monetize academic content through AI deals,” it said in its latest set of results, while John Wiley & Sons Inc. announced partnerships with Amazon Web Services and Perplexity earlier this year. (Meley, 6/10)
KFF Health News: As Federal Health Grants Shrink, Memory Cafes Help Dementia Patients And Their Caregivers
Rob Kennedy mingled with about a dozen other people in a community space in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. The room, decorated with an under-the-sea theme, had a balloon arch decked out with streamers meant to look like jellyfish and a cloud of clear balloons mimicking ocean bubbles. Kennedy comes to this memory cafe twice a month since being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease in his late 50s. (McFarlane, 6/10)
Politico: ‘It’s Made Up’: Democrats Say Rubio Isn’t Playing It Straight About Foreign Aid Cuts
Democrats are accusing the Trump administration of lying about the state of America’s top global health program following massive cuts to foreign aid led by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. ... President Donald Trump has shut down the agency that signed off on most PEPFAR spending and fired other staffers who supported it. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Democrats’ concerns are overblown, considering that PEPFAR remains “85 percent operative.” (Paun, Friedman and King, 6/9)
In other news —
AP: US Reports The Arrest Of Another Chinese Scientist With No Permit To Send Biological Material
Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving in the U.S. at the Detroit airport, the second case in days involving the alleged smuggling of biological material, authorities said Monday. The scientist is accused of shipping biological material months ago to staff at a laboratory at the University of Michigan. The FBI, in a court filing, described it as material related to certain worms and requires a government permit. (White, 6/9)
