CNN: RFK Jr.’s New CDC Advisers To Study Childhood Vaccination Schedule, Guidelines For Hepatitis B, Measles Shots
At the first meeting of a controversial new group of vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the committee announced new plans to study established vaccine guidelines. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will create new work groups to study the cumulative effects of the childhood and adolescent vaccine schedules, the hepatitis B vaccine dose given at birth and the combination measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccine, new chair Dr. Martin Kulldorff announced at Wednesday’s meeting in Atlanta. (Tirrell, Goodman and Christensen, 6/25)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Protesters Rally As New CDC Vaccine Panel Meets In Atlanta
The meeting of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee in Atlanta on Wednesday was unlike anything Dr. Deblina Datta had ever seen during her 10 years of working, on and off, with the world-renowned committee. The carefully chosen group of 17 scientists and doctors from the committee’s last meeting was gone, ousted two weeks ago by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Hart, 6/26)

CIDRAP: 4 In 5 Americans Support Childhood Vaccine Requirements, Poll Finds
A poll released today shows that 79% of US adults support requiring children to be vaccinated against preventable infectious diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella to attend school, with even two thirds of Republicans and those who support the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement agreeing with such measures. The poll of 2,509 adults, conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation, also found that, among the 21% who don't support school vaccine mandates, their reasoning focused more on parental choice than on safety concerns. (Wappes, 6/25)

More about ACIP —

The New York Times: C.D.C. Vaccine Panel Loses A Member Ahead Of First Meeting 
Dr. Michael Ross, a physician licensed in Virginia who is a former professor of obstetrics and gynecology, withdrew from the committee. He was not included in the list of voting members posted on the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. (Mandavilli, 6/24)

CNN: What To Know About Thimerosal, A Target Of RFK Jr.’s New CDC Vaccine Advisers 
A century ago, one of the biggest safety concerns about vaccines involved bacterial contamination. In 1916, four young children died in South Carolina after receiving typhoid vaccine that had been contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Twelve years later, 12 children in Queensland, Australia, died from tainted immunizations against diphtheria. (Tirrell, 6/25)

MedPage Today: CDC Experts Make The Case For Maternal COVID Vaccination
CDC experts emphasized the need for COVID vaccination during pregnancy, showing that children under 6 months are vulnerable to severe disease from infection, as are their mothers -- and vaccination can mitigate that. In its discussions for the upcoming 2025-2026 respiratory virus season, the COVID vaccination workgroup of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) considered recommendations that all children 6 to 23 months and people ages 2-64 years at high risk of severe COVID be vaccinated -- including pregnant women. (Fiore, 6/25)

More vaccine developments —

Politico: RFK Jr. Says US Won’t Donate To Global Vaccine Effort
The United States won’t contribute anymore to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, until the global health organization has “re-earned the public trust,” U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday. In an inflammatory video speech delivered to the Gavi pledging summit, seen by POLITICO, Kennedy accused Gavi of neglecting vaccine safety, making questionable recommendations around Covid-19 vaccines and silencing dissenting views. (Chiappa, 6/25)

CBS News: CDC To Hire Former Head Of Anti-Vaccine Group Founded By RFK Jr.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is hiring Lyn Redwood, a nurse and the former head of a group critics have denounced as anti-vaccine, to work in its vaccine safety office, multiple CDC officials tell CBS News. Redwood was the president of the group now called Children's Health Defense, which lists as its founder Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who now oversees the CDC as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Children's Health Defense has sued to curb vaccine requirements, petitioned federal agencies to revoke vaccine authorizations and spread misinformation about vaccines. (Tin, 6/25)

AP: FDA Requires Update Warning About Rare Myocarditis Risk With COVID Shots
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it has expanded existing warnings on the two leading COVID-19 vaccines about a rare heart side effect mainly seen in young men. Myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation that is usually mild, emerged as a complication after the first shots became widely available in 2021. Prescribing information from both Pfizer and Moderna already advises doctors about the issue. (Perrone, 6/25)

AP: CDC Nominee Monarez Affirms Vaccines But Sidesteps Questions About RFK Decisions
Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told senators Wednesday that she values vaccines, public health interventions and rigorous scientific evidence, but largely sidestepped questions about widespread cuts to the agency, elimination of programs and whether she disagreed with any of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s actions to date. “The secretary is doing the important work of leading a complex agency,” Monarez told members of a Senate health committee that will decide whether to advance her nomination. (Aleccia, 6/25)

On the federal research cuts and reorganization —

Stat: NIH Halts Grant Terminations 'Effective Immediately' 
Days after a federal judge ordered the restoration of more than 1,000 biomedical research grants, the National Institutes of Health is halting further terminations of grants, an internal email shows. (Oza, 6/25)

Stat: Eric Green's Forced Exit From NIH Remains Unexplained 
Three months later, it’s still unclear why Eric Green became the first institute director at the National Institutes of Health ousted by the Trump administration, and who ordered it — even to him. (Oza, 6/26)

Stat: Cancer Data In Danger As CDC Cuts May Threaten Tracking Efforts 
State workers who for decades have been pivotal in identifying U.S. cancer trends, curbing new cases, and improving screening fear their federally funded programs could be deeply cut or eliminated altogether come July. By next week, state and local programs that work on cancer are supposed to find out if their annual allocations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be renewed. (Cueto, 6/26)

Stat: To Tackle Race In Clinical Guidelines, Researchers Seek Private Funding
Over the last five years, health systems, medical societies, and their clinicians have been working to unravel the role of race in clinical practice. After clinical algorithms that use race as a variable came under scrutiny in 2020, several commonly used tools have been revised to align with medicine’s understanding that race is not a biological construct, but a social one. (Palmer, 6/26)

KFF Health News: At Some Federal Beaches, Surf’s Up But The Lifeguard Chair’s Empty 
When Azania Lane-Majestic arrived at the beach with her family, her initial excitement gave way to concern. No lifeguards could be seen despite heavy, pounding surf. So she held the hand of her 8-year-old daughter whenever they went in the water. And, just in case, she went online and looked up how to spot and escape a riptide. “The presence of lifeguards provides an extra level of security,” said Lane-Majestic, of Pittsburgh. “Lifeguards are an important extra set of eyes.” (Armour, 6/26)

On immigration and health care —

The Washington Post: Immigration Fuels Population Growth As Americans Age, Census Shows 
Immigration is driving U.S. population growth and helping offset a broader demographic shift as the baby boom generation ages, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. children outnumber older adults, but older adults’ share of the population is growing, the census data released Thursday shows. (Sheinerman and Mourtoupalas, 6/26)

KFF Health News: Dual Threats From Trump And GOP Imperil Nursing Homes And Their Foreign-Born Workers
In a top-rated nursing home in Alexandria, Virginia, the Rev. Donald Goodness is cared for by nurses and aides from various parts of Africa. One of them, Jackline Conteh, a naturalized citizen and nurse assistant from Sierra Leone, bathes and helps dress him most days and vigilantly intercepts any meal headed his way that contains gluten, as Goodness has celiac disease. “We are full of people who come from other countries,” Goodness, 92, said about Goodwin House Alexandria’s staff. Without them, the retired Episcopal priest said, “I would be, and my building would be, desolate.” (Rau, 6/26)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Spending On Health Care For Immigrants Under Review
The Trump administration is launching an investigation into Colorado Medicaid spending on undocumented immigrants, an extensive data request from federal officials reveals. (Brown, 6/25)

Scripps News: People In Wheelchairs Zip-Tied And Escorted Out Of Capitol Hill Office Building During Medicaid Cuts Protest
U.S. Capitol Police detained a group of peaceful protesters on Wednesday, including several people in wheelchairs, during a protest over proposed cuts to Medicaid spending. Scripps News footage shows a crowd of people, some of them in wheelchairs, being zip-tied and escorted out of the Russell Senate Rotunda. The room is part of a Senate office building on Capitol Hill. U.S. Capitol Police told Scripps News 34 people were arrested during the demonstrations, including one person who was arrested outside the building. (Reed and Koraganie, 6/25)

The Hill: Senate Republicans Battle Over Rural Hospital Relief Fund To Offset Medicaid Cuts
Senate Republicans including Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) say a new proposal to create a $15 billion relief fund for rural hospitals is not adequate to make up for tens of billions of dollars in federal Medicaid funding cuts included in the Senate megabill to enact President Trump’s agenda. Collins told reporters Wednesday that the $15 billion relief fund floated by the Senate Finance Committee is likely not the final offer from Senate Republican leaders to address the concerns of several senators who worry the bill’s cap on health care provider taxes could put scores of rural hospitals out of business around the country. (Bolton, 6/25)

Stat: Health Care Looms Large As Deadline Nears On One Big Beautiful Bill 
With days to go before Congress is set to leave town, lawmakers are still at odds over key Medicaid provisions in the tax bill touted by President Trump. Republicans across the House and Senate are still working out significant disagreements on restrictions to provider taxes and state-directed payments, as well as the size and scope of a rural health fund meant to make up for the deep cuts proposed in the bill. (Payne, 6/25)

The Washington Post: Gym Memberships May Become HSA-Eligible Under GOP Tax Bill 
A provision of Republicans’ massive tax and spending bill could help Americans meet their workout goals, by treating gym memberships as a medical expense. Fitness companies are lobbying lawmakers for a larger piece of the nearly $150 billion that Americans have stashed in their Health Savings Accounts. HSAs — which allow people with high-deductible health plans to set aside pretax money to cover certain medical, dental and vision expenses — have skyrocketed in popularity since they came into being in 2004 as the definition of “qualified medical expense” has expanded well beyond co-pays and prescription refills to include meal delivery services, sunblock, lip balm, electrolyte drinks, baby monitors and wearable health trackers. (Weil, 6/25)

Becker's Hospital Review: The States Most Vulnerable To Healthcare Job Losses Due To Medicaid Cuts
California, New York and Texas are projected to lose the most healthcare jobs stemming from federal Medicaid spending reductions included in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to a June 23 brief from the Commonwealth Fund. The budget reconciliation bill, passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, reduces federal funding for Medicaid by $863 billion over the next decade. (Emerson, 6/25)

Politico: ‘Uniquely Vulnerable’: Louisiana Girds For Megabill Fallout 
MAGA support runs deep here in House Speaker Mike Johnson‘s home turf. But Louisiana officials from both parties are increasingly worried about the consequences for their constituents of the Johnson-led megabill that’s being fiercely debated on Capitol Hill. That still-evolving proposal would overhaul health care and food assistance programs to pay for tax cuts and other aspects of President Donald Trump’s agenda. Louisiana is poorer, sicker and hungrier than most states, and the deep cuts to Medicaid have a growing number of Republicans in Louisiana worried that Congress and the White House are going too far. (Crampton, 6/25)

Also —

Fierce Healthcare: Congress' Digital Health Hearing Obscured By Reconciliation
Digital health companies testified to the House Ways and Means health subcommittee Wednesday morning about the benefits of using wearables and remote monitoring devices to track personal health data. The discussion about healthcare technology was dwarfed by conversation about healthcare cuts in the reconciliation bill, which is moving through the Senate this week. (Beavins, 6/25)

Modern Healthcare: US Health Spending Projected To Hit $8.6T By 2033
U.S. households, businesses and governments will spend $8.6 trillion on healthcare in 2033, when the sector will comprise just over one-fifth of gross domestic product, according to a federal report issued Wednesday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of the Actuary attributes its forecast to factors such as a rapidly aging population and high demand for healthcare. The independent CMS division published its analysis in the journal Health Affairs. (Early, 6/25)

More health care industry updates —

San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Health To Lay Off 200 Workers, Citing ‘Financial Challenges’
UCSF Health will eliminate approximately 200 positions across its network, officials said Wednesday, citing “serious financial challenges” and the need to safeguard long-term patient care. The layoffs, which represent about 1% of the organization’s workforce, span part-time and full-time roles, with roughly half of the affected full-time employees holding management positions, UCSF Health said in a statement to the Chronicle. (Vaziri, 6/25)

Modern Healthcare: Prospect Medical Systems Layoffs To Hit 125 Employees
Prospect Medical Systems, a management services organization and subsidiary of Prospect Medical Holdings, plans to lay off 125 workers in California. Prospect Medical Systems will lay off the Orange, California-based employees by July 1, according to a June 20 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filing. Prospect Medical Systems’ parent company, the four-state hospital chain headquartered in Los Angeles, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. (Kacik, 6/25)

Bloomberg: Envision Healthcare Inks Debt Deal With Lenders Amid Turnaround
Envision Healthcare Corp. agreed to a deal with its lenders that will cut the company’s borrowing costs in the midst of a turnaround for the business. The physician staffing firm will refinance its roughly $400 million term loan into a $295 million term loan, according to people familiar who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter. The new loan will be priced at 6.5 percentage points over SOFR at a discount of 99 cents on the dollar, which is cheaper than the original loan, the people added. (Shah and Basu, 6/25)

In pharmaceutical developments —

Modern Healthcare: CVS Caremark Must Pay $95M In Overbilling Case, Court Rules
CVS Health must reimburse the federal government at least $95 million after a court ruled the company’s pharmacy benefit manager subsidiary overcharged Medicare for generic drugs. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania decided a whistleblower lawsuit that originated in 2014, when an executive at the health insurer Aetna — now a CVS Health subsidiary — alleged CVS Caremark inflated Medicare Part D drug prices to offset higher costs in other lines of business. (Tepper, 6/25)

TBIJ: Generic Cancer Drugs Fail Quality Tests At Alarming Rate, Investigation Shows 
Vital chemotherapy drugs used around the world have failed quality tests, putting cancer patients in more than 100 countries at risk of ineffective treatments and potentially fatal side effects, an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) reveals. (Eccles, Milivojevic and Sapkota, 6/25)

The Guardian: Hundreds Of Weight Loss And Diabetes Jab Users Report Pancreas Problems
Hundreds of people have reported problems with their pancreas linked to taking weight loss and diabetes injections, prompting health officials to launch a study into side-effects. Some cases of pancreatitis reported to be linked to GLP-1 medicines (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) have been fatal. (Bawden, 6/25)

Axios: Women Drive Rise In GLP-1 Weight-Loss Use: New Data
Women are being prescribed GLP-1 weight-loss drugs at higher rates than men, new data shows. This is another cultural moment when women, especially those approaching menopause, are paying more for their well-being. (Mallenbaum, 6/25)

AP: A Judge Resisted Trump’s Order On Gender Identity. The EEOC Just Fired Her
The federal agency charged with protecting workers’ civil rights has terminated a New York administrative judge who opposed White House directives, including President Donald Trump’s executive order decreeing male and female as two “immutable” sexes. In February, Administrative Judge Karen Ortiz, who worked in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s New York office, called Trump’s order “unethical” and criticized Acting Chair Andrea Lucas — Trump’s pick to lead the agency — for complying with it by pausing work on legal cases involving discrimination claims from transgender workers. (Savage, 6/25)

The 19th: Supreme Court's Gender-Affirming Care Ruling Opens Door For New Legal Strategy
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to uphold a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth dealt a painful blow to families of trans kids — but the fight is not over. LGBTQ+ rights attorneys say that even as the Trump administration makes it harder for trans Americans to live without fear of discrimination, there are still openings — some left by the court ruling itself — to fight gender-affirming care bans and other anti-trans laws. (Rummler, 6/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Medicine Halts Gender-Affirming Surgeries For Youths
Stanford Medicine has stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 years old — becoming the second major health care provider in California to scale back transgender care for youths amid efforts by the Trump administration to restrict access to the specialized care.  (Ho, 6/24)

More health news from California —

Bloomberg: California Reaches Budget Deal Boosting Hollywood, Cutting Free Health Care
California Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers struck a budget agreement that provides $750 million in tax credits for Hollywood while scaling back free health care for undocumented immigrants. The $321 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1, marks Newsom’s third consecutive year facing a deficit, forcing trade-offs between the progressive policies he has championed and pro-business priorities. The agreement avoids higher levies on corporations and includes tax incentives for the film industry as well as cuts to some social programs. (Kamisher and Oxford, 6/25)

Bloomberg: Drug-Overdose Deaths Fall By Record 22% In Los Angeles County
Drug-related overdose deaths and poisonings dropped by a record 22% in Los Angeles County last year, driven by a decline in fatalities tied to fentanyl — the synthetic opioid that has fueled a national crisis. Deaths specifically tied to fentanyl tumbled 37%, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said Wednesday. Fentanyl deaths totaled 1,263 last year in the nation’s most populous county, the lowest since 2020 but still almost three times the 2019 tally. (Fleischmann, 6/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: This 117-Year-Old San Francisco Neighborhood Pharmacy Is Closing
It seemed like a belated reunion was unfolding Wednesday at 4494 Mission St. Outside, the old men and women visiting were greeted by the familiar red neon words in cursive as they entered the dimly-lit drug store many of them had frequented for decades. It wasn’t long before laughter rang through the building while the sounds of clinking bottles and package rustling aired in the backdrop. In less than a month, against many of the community’s wishes, the Central Drug Store will permanently shutter. (Wu, 6/25)

From North Carolina, Oregon, and Missouri —

CIDRAP: North Carolina, Oregon Confirm First Measles Cases
North Carolina has reported its first measles case of the year. The child was visiting Forsyth and Guilford counties from a country where measles outbreaks have recently been reported, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Oregon has also confirmed its first measles case of the year, in an unvaccinated adult from Multnomah County who recently returned from international travel. (Soucheray, 6/25)

North Carolina Health News: NC House's “Mini Budget” Has No Healthy Opportunities Money
The North Carolina House of Representatives passed its own “mini” budget on June 25, a day after the Senate approved a stopgap spending proposal that would keep state operations running until deadlocked lawmakers can agree on a full budget. It’s looking more likely that state lawmakers will leave Raleigh without approving a state budget before the new fiscal year starts on July 1. Now, leadership may be at an impasse over competing “mini” budget provisions as well. (Vitaglione, 6/26)

St. Louis Public Radio: St. Ann Woman Died In The Heat After Ameren Shut Off Her Power 
Police and family found a woman dead in a hot apartment Monday evening in St. Ann. St. Ann Police Maj. Blake Carrigan said Shauna Thomas’ apartment did not have air conditioning running when officers arrived. “We found that it was very hot in the apartment,” Carrigan said. Ameren Missouri had shut off the 55-year-old’s electricity for nonpayment on June 11, Carrigan said the utility told police. (Grumke, 6/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: UC Davis Study: Disposable Vapes May Be More Toxic Than Cigarettes
Some popular disposable e-cigarettes emit toxic metals at levels that surpass those found in traditional cigarettes and earlier generations of vapes, according to a new study by researchers at UC Davis. The study, published Wednesday in ACS Central Science, found that a single day’s use of one disposable device released more lead than nearly 20 packs of conventional cigarettes. (Vaziri, 6/25)

The Hill: Nitrate In Water Tied To Low Birth Weight, Preterm Birth
Exposure to a common agricultural contaminant in drinking water, even in small doses, may be linked to increased risks of preterm birth, a new study has found. The pollutant, called nitrate, is also associated with low birth weight in infants whose mothers consumed affected water during pregnancy, according to the study, published on Wednesday in PLOS Water. (Udasin, 6/25)

CNN: Deaths From Heart Attacks Are Way Down. Here’s What’s Killing Us Instead 
Heart disease is the leading cause of death around the world. However, overall heart disease death rates over the past five decades dropped by 66% in American adults age 25 and older, according to a new study. Even better, deaths from heart attacks dropped by nearly 90%. (LaMotte, 6/25)

The Hill: A Deadly Tomb Fungus May Be Able To Help Fight Cancer
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have turned a deadly fungus into a potent cancer-fighting compound after isolating a new class of molecules from it. Aspergillus flavus is a toxic crop fungus that has been linked to deaths in the excavation of ancient tombs. It was recently used in a test against leukemia cells and resulted in those cells being killed. “Fungi gave us penicillin,” said Dr. Sherry Gao, senior author of the study. “These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found.” (Perkins, 6/25)

CIDRAP: Study Highlights Optimal Strategies For Fecal Transplantation In C Diff Patients 
In one of the most comprehensive real-world analyses to date, Danish researchers report that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was most effective against Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) when administered as multidose capsules or via colonoscopy and after an extended period of antibiotic pretreatment. The study, published late last week in eClinical Medicine, also found that, in patients for whom FMT was initially unsuccessful, repeat FMT was more effective than antibiotic treatment alone. (Dall, 6/23)

MedPage Today: Could Brain Scans Improve RA Treatment? 
Functional MRI brain imaging could one day help identify rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients most likely to respond to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and perhaps other targeted therapies, researchers said. In a randomized trial, 57% of RA patients with "high-volume" brain activity on such scans achieved low disease activity on treatment with the TNF inhibitor certolizumab pegol (Cimzia), compared with 44% of patients with low-volume activity, according to Georg Schett, MD, of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität in Erlangen, Germany, and colleagues. (Gever, 6/24)

Stat: Study Finds GLP-1 Drug Cut Migraine Frequency By Nearly Half
GLP-1 drugs could treat more than just diabetes and obesity. They may also reduce migraine frequency. That is according to the findings of a study presented on Friday at the European Academy of Neurology congress. The pilot study found that GLP-1 agonists reduced monthly migraine days by almost half. The authors hypothesized that the drug lowers migraine frequency by reducing intracranial pressure. (Paulus, 6/20)

MedPage Today: Ozempic Shows Benefit In Type 1 Diabetes Patients With Obesity 
Semaglutide (Ozempic) reduced glucose levels and weight among patients with type 1 diabetes and obesity, a randomized trial showed. In this 26-week, double-blind trial of 72 adults, 36% who received 1 mg of the GLP-1 receptor agonist weekly achieved the trial's primary composite outcome by week 26 compared with no patients in the placebo group. (Monaco, 6/23)

Stat: Dosing Questions Surround Novo Nordisk Next-Gen Weight Loss Drug 
Novo Nordisk’s next-generation obesity injection targeting the amylin hormone showed substantial weight loss in an early study, but similar efficacy across different doses and high rates of side effects raise questions about which dose Novo will pursue going forward. (Chen, 6/20)

Stat: Will Medicaid Cuts Really Kill People? Expert Says Evidence Is Weak 
As part of the GOP’s megabill ambitions, Congress may be on the cusp of making the most substantial changes to Medicaid in decades. Lawmakers are considering a raft of proposals — including work requirements for non-elderly, able-bodied adults; more frequent eligibility checks for certain enrollees; and crackdowns on state financing gimmicks — designed to rein in federal Medicaid cost growth and refocus the program on the most vulnerable populations. Debating the pros and cons of these proposals is critical, but one dubious claim keeps getting tossed around: reforming Medicaid will kill people. (Liam Sigaud, 6/26)

Chicago Tribune: Ending LGBTQ+ Youth Support Puts Chicago Teens At Risk
On July 17, President Donald Trump’s administration will remove the LGBTQ+-specific “press 3” option from the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. It’s a move that, while framed as a technical adjustment, cuts far deeper than bureaucratic policy. Since 2022, the “press 3” feature has offered LGBTQ+ youths direct access to counselors trained to understand and support their specific struggles — from identity-based bullying to family rejection, homelessness or the terrifying weight of simply existing in a world that too often denies their humanity. (Abhinav Anne, 6/25)

Stat: Private Sector, Philanthropy Can’t Replace Trump Administration Science Cuts 
The United States’ public health and biomedical research enterprise has arguably been the greatest effort of its kind in modern history, whether you measure it in Nobel Prizes, drugs developed, or patents granted. No other country comes close to this American achievement. For generations, it has been a boon for the health of all Americans and the world. Yet this amazing example of American creativity and caring is now being destroyed. (James Alwine and Gregg Gonsalves, 6/26)

Kansas City Star: Now Is The Time To Speak Up On Disability Rights, Healthcare 
The debate over the reconciliation bill in Congress, with its deep cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, is causing shock and despondency for people with disabilities and their family members who have spent decades in the disability rights movement. The reconciliation bill — which its supporters call the “Big Beautiful Bill” — proposes brutal cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and other essential health programs. Many families are overwhelmed and openly asking each other: “What’s the point in speaking up if Washington isn’t listening?” (Gary H. Blumenthal, 6/26)

Stat: Americans Must Stop Subsidizing The Price Of Drugs In Other Countries 
President Trump is right that Americans often pay too much for prescription drugs, and that other countries aren’t pulling their weight. The status quo isn’t merely unfair — it’s unsustainable. But to fix the problem without deterring the massive research investments that spur economic growth, job creation, and health gains, policymakers will need to address the true drivers of high prices here at home, while simultaneously pressing our allies to contribute more abroad. (Stephen J. Ubl, 6/26)