Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Incoming Governors Should Take These Health-Related Steps; High-Cost Nutritious Food A Gamble For Low-Income Parents
Stat: New Governors Must Prioritize 3 Things On Health
As former state health leaders, we know the challenges and opportunities facing the 21 new governors stepping into their roles on Jan. 1. Health is what lets people go to work, raise their kids, and enjoy the years they’ve earned. Health is also the largest line item in most state budgets and a primary driver of the affordability crisis for American families. (Mandy Cohen and Ellen Montz, 11/12)
Stat: Low-Income Parents Can’t Afford Nutritious Food Kids Won’t Eat
As high food costs and cuts to food assistance squeeze families’ budgets, concerns are growing about whether low-income parents will be able to keep putting food on the table. But these financial pressures threaten to do more than increase hunger. They also risk harming children’s diets and health in the long run — by making nutritious foods not only harder to afford, but also increasingly risky for parents to buy. (Priya Fielding-Singh and Darcy Cherlin, 11/11)
Stat: MAHA Is Standing By Russell Brand. That’s No Surprise
The British comedian Russell Brand is a major figure in health secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement. He regularly joined conference calls organized by the super PAC MAHA Action, on one occasion dialing in naked from a bath tub. He was a keynote speaker alongside Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz at the September 2026 MAHA Summit. He is also a convicted rapist who was just sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail. (Gavin Yamey, 11/11)
Stat: The Complicated Relationship Between MAHA And Black Voters
When one thinks about the key supporters of MAHA, they likely don’t envision Black people, and rightfully so. A 2025 poll from KFF and The Washington Post found that only 30% of Black Americans support the MAHA movement, compared with 43% of white Americans. But the data belie a stark reality: On an issue-to-issue basis, Black people are strikingly aligned with MAHA, at least in terms of their concerns around the movement’s tentpole issues. I’ve been studying why, or rather how, this came to be. (Jerel Ezell, 11/12)
Bloomberg: Vitamin K Shot Refusal Puts Babies At Risk. RFK Jr. Isn’t Helping
The growing number of American infants going without a potentially lifesaving intervention — the vitamin K shot — should be a clarion call to top US health officials. (Lisa Jarvis, 11/11)
