Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Many Kids Hurt By Tear Gas, Pepper Spray During ICE Raids: Report
ProPublica: Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Has Harmed Scores Of Kids With Tear Gas, Pepper Spray
The children were walking to school in Broadview, Illinois, or leaving a shopping center in Columbus, Ohio. They were at home in Minneapolis, or sitting in a stroller in Chicago, or at an afternoon protest in Portland, Oregon, alongside dogs on leashes and older people pushing walkers. They were mostly going about their days when federal immigration agents shot tear gas or fired pepper spray near their homes and schools and into their family cars. The chemicals blew through the air, sometimes for blocks. (Song, Miller, Sanchez and Elba, 5/7)
The New York Times: His DNA Was Taken After His Arrest At An ICE Protest. Now, He’s Suing.
In a lawsuit, an Air Force veteran says that the federal government is sending a “chilling message” to people demonstrating against the immigration crackdown. (Meko, 5/6)
More news about the Trump administration —
Stat: FDA Begins Rebuilding A Year After DOGE: 6 Voices On What Was Lost
After defending the Trump administration’s dramatic health cuts as a solution to bureaucratic bloat, the health department’s leaders are beginning to realize that a demoralized, diminished workforce will not help them achieve their goals. (Lawrence, 5/7)
CIDRAP: KFF Poll Shows 41% Of US Adults Back MAHA Agenda
Four in ten US adults polled in a new KFF survey said they support the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, but an even wider swath of the American public is concerned about the regulation of chemical additives in foods and the use of pesticides in agriculture. The poll showed MAHA fans were largely (two-thirds) Republicans who aligned themselves with President Donald Trump. However, 75% of those polled said there is not enough regulation of chemical additives in food and 64% there’s not enough regulation of pesticides used in agriculture, issues championed by those on both sides of the aisle. (Soucheray, 5/6)
On the federal 9/11 healthcare program —
The New York Times: Giuliani Seeks To Have Health Care Covered By 9/11 Program
Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who has been diagnosed with pneumonia, is applying for free medical care through a federal program for emergency workers and others exposed to toxins following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to his lawyer. More than 152,000 people have been enrolled in the initiative, the World Trade Center Health Program, which pays for medical research and provides free medical care to people affected by the terrorist attacks. ... When the first tower toppled, Mr. Giuliani was two blocks away. As he walked north, ash dusted his head and shoulders. In the aftermath, he oversaw the cleanup of the collapsed World Trade Center and made frequent visits in the first three months after the attack. (Goldstein and Bromwich, 5/6)
From Capitol Hill —
The New York Times: Susan Collins Says She Has Long Had A Benign Tremor
Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican seeking re-election in one of the most hotly contested races in the nation, disclosed in an interview published Wednesday that she had long had what she called a benign essential tremor. “I have had it for the entire time that I have served in the United States Senate,” Ms. Collins, 73, told News Center Maine, a local outlet. “It has absolutely no impact on my ability to do my job or on how I feel each day.” (Glueck, 5/6)
CIDRAP: US Lawmakers Seek Answers On Blocked Funding For Gavi
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is calling on the Trump administration to restore US funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In a letter sent earlier this week, members of the Senate appropriations committee urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to restore the $600 million appropriated by Congress in fiscal years 2025 and 2026 for the public-private partnership, which help poor countries purchase and administer vaccines that protect children against 20 infectious diseases. The funding expires on September 30 if it’s not released. (Dall, 5/6)
