Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Taps Fiserv's Frank Bisignano To Head Social Security Administration
The New York Times: Trump Picks Frank Bisignano To Lead Social Security Administration
President-elect Trump announced on Wednesday night that he had chosen Frank Bisignano, the chairman of the payment processing behemoth Fiserv, to be the commissioner of the Social Security Administration, a sizable federal agency with more than 1,200 field offices and almost 60,000 employees. (Kim, 12/4)
The Washington Post: Hegseth’s History With Alcohol Shadows Pentagon Selection
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick as secretary of defense, would lead a military that has severe penalties for being intoxicated on duty. ... Trump has stood by numerous aides and appointees accused of sexual assault or indiscretion, but he has long disdained the abuse of alcohol by those around him dating back to the death of his brother, Fred Trump Jr., who suffered from alcoholism and died from related diseases at the age of 42. (Kranish, Lamothe, Ellison and Hudson, 12/4)
NBC News: Trump’s Pick For FBI Director Promoted Vaccine 'Detox' Supplements
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, promoted a supplement line this year that purports without evidence to help people “detox” from Covid vaccines. Patel plugged the supplements in posts on Truth Social — the social media platform owned by Trump Media & Technology Group — in February and April. (Bendix, 12/4)
Also —
The Guardian: Mexico Announces Record Drug Seizure One Week After Trump Threatens Tariffs
Mexican security forces have impounded more than a ton of fentanyl pills in what officials have called the biggest seizure of the synthetic opioid in the country’s history. Soldiers and marines found the fentanyl at two properties in the northern state of Sinaloa, late on Tuesday – exactly a week after Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico unless the two neighbouring countries cracked down on the flow of immigrants and drugs across their borders with the US. (12/4)
The New York Times: Trump Has ‘Lost Faith’ In N.R.A., Says Gun Group Official
President-elect Donald J. Trump has “lost faith” in the National Rifle Association, according to a top official at the gun organization, who argued in a recent letter to fellow board members that the N.R.A. needed to regroup so that it could help protect the Republican Party’s new edge in Congress in the midterm elections in 2026.Bill Bachenberg, the group’s first vice president and a staunch Trump ally, also told fellow board members that during this year’s election Mr. Trump was upset that the N.R.A. had not committed to doing more to help him win. (Hakim, 12/4)
ProPublica: What Could Happen To Texas’ Medicaid Program Under Trump
State leaders have shown a decadeslong antipathy toward the health insurance program. If Trump makes severe reductions, it’s unlikely leaders would have the political will to make up any lost federal funds with state money, experts say. (Kriel and Priest, 12/4)
