Roll Call: Trump, Officials Link Tylenol To Autism As Medical Community Balks
President Donald Trump and White House officials announced that the administration will advise against taking acetaminophen, the medicine in Tylenol, during pregnancy, citing widely discredited concerns that it could cause autism, in the latest effort rebuking long-standing public health guidance. Top medical organizations and lawmakers have widely panned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for promoting the theory as he looks to fulfill his promise to find the root causes of autism. (Cohen, 9/22)

Politico: Co-Author Of Study Linking Tylenol To Autism Says Pain Reliever Still An Option
A researcher whose work linking Tylenol to autism was cited by the Trump administration in cautioning pregnant women against taking acetaminophen says the drug still can be used for treating maternal pain and fevers. University of Massachusetts epidemiologist Ann Bauer reviewed existing research in a paper published last month in the journal Environmental Health with Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, the dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She told POLITICO that while pregnant women should be informed that high-quality studies show a correlation between acetaminophen use and autism, Tylenol and generic versions should remain a pain relief and fever-reduction option for them. (Gardner, 9/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Kenvue Braces For Wave Of New Lawsuits Over Tylenol’s Potential Link To Autism
Kenvue is preparing for an explosion of litigation over its popular pain reliever Tylenol after the Trump administration warned that the drug’s active ingredient is a potential cause of autism. The finding by President Trump’s health officials, which Kenvue and some medical societies dispute, could provide ammunition to plaintiffs’ attorneys who are seeking to reverse losses in older lawsuits alleging the medicine caused the neurodevelopmental disorders. And it could unleash thousands of new lawsuits in the coming years, people familiar with the matter say. (Loftus, 9/22)

More reaction from people in the autism community —

USA Today: 'We've Regressed So Horribly': Autism Groups Respond To Trump Administration's Tylenol Claims
The oversimplification of a complex developmental difference that exists on a spectrum of many different abilities and experiences is dehumanizing at best and dangerous at its worst, autism experts, advocacy groups and members of the community told USA TODAY. Shannon Rosa, senior editor of Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, said that while different autism groups disagree about a number of things, they've all agreed that the White House's latest claim is nonsensical. "It feels to me like we've regressed so horribly and intentionally by the administration, because as they've demonstrated constantly, they have no interest in actual science," she said. "They have no interest in research, they have no interest in the welfare of autistic people and their families. They are only interested in whatever people whispering into their ears have told them they should do." (Walrath-Holdridge, 9/22)

KFF Health News: ‘Sick To My Stomach’: Trump Distorts Facts On Autism, Tylenol, And Vaccines, Scientists Say
Ann Bauer, a researcher who studies Tylenol and autism, felt queasy with anxiety in the weeks leading up to the White House’s much-anticipated autism announcement. In August, Bauer and her colleagues published an analysis of 46 previous studies on Tylenol, autism, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Many found no link between the drug and the conditions, while some suggested Tylenol might occasionally exacerbate other potential causes of autism, such as genetics. (Maxmen, 9/22)

The Washington Post: Trump Gave Medical Advice About Tylenol. Here’s What Medical Experts Say.
At the news conference Monday, Trump said there was “no downside” in not taking Tylenol, and he repeatedly warned pregnant women to only use the medication if they had a high fever or felt they “can’t tough it out.” Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, the past president of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and professor of maternal-fetal medicine at UC San Diego Health Sciences, said the concerns about autism and Tylenol have overshared well-established risks of untreated fevers in pregnancy. “If you don’t take Tylenol when you have a fever, especially in the first trimester, we know that is detrimental to the fetus,” Gyamfi-Bannerman said. (Masih and Cha, 9/23)

More on leucovorin —

The New York Times: F.D.A. To Relabel Leucovorin For Autism Treatment 
Dr. Marty Makary, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, announced on Monday that the agency would be modifying the label of a relatively obscure medicine so that “it can be available for children with autism. ”He was referring to leucovorin, or folinic acid, a modified version of vitamin B9, also known as folate — which is naturally found in beans, leafy greens, eggs, beets and citrus. (Caron, 9/22)

The Washington Post: The Drug Trump Plans To Promote For Autism Shows Real (And Fragile) Hope
When Nathaniel Schumann entered the clinical trial for children with autism, he was 8 years old and considered nonverbal. He communicated through gestures and sounds, which his parents were skilled at interpreting. But two weeks after receiving his first dose of the study pill, Nathaniel began to speak — not just words, but full sentences. ... Anecdotes such as Nathaniel’s have begun to circulate with increasing urgency through online parenting forums and autism support networks. At the center of these accounts is a decades-old drug, leucovorin, a form of vitamin B9, which is also known as folate. It has been traditionally used as an antidote to toxic effects of a certain cancer drug. (Cha, 9/22)

On vaccine timing —

The New York Times: For Trump, Who Has ‘Strong Feelings’ About Autism, The Issue Is Personal
Mr. Trump’s interest in autism dates at least to December 2007, when he hosted leaders of the advocacy group Autism Speaks at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. He theorized then that babies were getting too many shots at once; a few months later, he said that he and his wife, Melania, had slowed down the vaccine schedule for their son Barron, then about 2. “What we’ve done with Barron, we’ve taken him on a very slow process,” Mr. Trump said at the time. “He gets one shot at a time, then we wait a few months and give him another shot, the old-fashioned way.” (Stolberg, 9/22)

Stat: Trump Questions Vaccine Safety, Urges Changes To Timing
President Trump on Monday suggested an overhaul to how children get vaccinated after claiming, without evidence, that many vaccines are unsafe as currently given. The president said he has talked with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his proposed changes.... The extraordinary remarks included Trump suggesting changes to how many shots children get and the time periods over which they get them. The president did not provide any evidence to support changes — instead, he shared personal feelings of revulsion at the number of shots that babies receive, and recounted an anecdote of a child he said was injured by a vaccine. (Payne, Oza and Cirruzzo, 9/22)

The New York Times: Trump To Address U.N. As He Jettisons Aid And Recasts U.S. Role 
President Trump plans to address the 80th session of the United Nations’ General Assembly Tuesday morning, laying out his vision for how America should wield — or decline to wield — its power abroad. In the speech, Mr. Trump plans to target “globalist institutions” that have “significantly decayed the world order,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. “He will articulate his straightforward and constructive vision for the world,” she said. (Broadwater, 9/23)

On the FTC and consumer protections —

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Allows Trump To Fire Democratic Member Of Trade Commission 
The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to fire the sole remaining Democrat on the Federal Trade Commission, the latest victory in his aggressive push to exert greater control over the federal bureaucracy. The justices overturned a lower-court injunction that reinstated Rebecca Slaughter to her position with the agency that oversees antitrust and consumer protection issues while litigation over her removal works its way through the courts. (Jouvenal, 9/23)

More health news from the Trump administration —

The New York Times: Defense Department Delays Cleanup Of ‘Forever Chemicals’ Nationwide 
The Department of Defense has quietly delayed its cleanup of harmful “forever chemicals” at nearly 140 military installations across the country, according to a list of sites analyzed by The New York Times. The Pentagon has been one of the most intensive users of these chemicals, which are also known as PFAS and are a key ingredient in firefighting foam. For decades, crews at U.S. military bases would train to battle flames by lighting jet-fuel fires, then putting them out with large amounts of foam, which would leach into the soil and groundwater. (Tabuchi, 9/23)

CBS News and the Post and Courier: White House Slashes Medical Research On Monkeys And Other Animal Testing, Sparking Fierce New Debate 
The Trump administration has canceled nearly $28 million of federal grants for animal testing as major federal health agencies are phasing out research on live animals in favor of new alternatives, a joint investigation by CBS News and The Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina, has found. "We're witnessing a watershed moment right now," said Justin Goodman, the senior vice president of White Coat Waste, an animal rights nonprofit. "We have an administration that's skeptical of spending, skeptical of establishment science. … We are trying to slash and burn as much animal testing funding as possible." (May, Axelrod and Thompson, 9/22)

KFF Health News: As The Trump Administration And States Push Health Data Sharing, Familiar Challenges Surface
The Northeast Valley Health Corp. in Los Angeles County could be a poster child for the benefits of sharing health data electronically. Through a data network connecting its records system with other providers, the health center receives not just X-ray and lab results but real-time alerts when hospitals on the network admit or discharge its patients who have diabetes or asthma, enabling care teams to troubleshoot and significantly drive down emergency room visits. (Kwon, 9/23)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Navy Doctor Removed From Role Over Social Media Profile
A San Diego Navy doctor has been removed from her leadership role and is now under investigation after her social media profile caught the attention of a right-wing activist and the U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. U.S. Navy Cmdr. Janelle Marra, who has served on active duty in the Navy for 17 years, was the medical services director of Expeditionary Medical Facility 150 Bravo, a Navy unit in San Diego trained to provide medical care to support military operations. (Fox, 9/22)

Bloomberg Law: White House Says Doctors May Win Reprieve From H-1B Visa Fee
Doctors could qualify for exemptions from the Trump administration’s new $100,000 fee for high-skilled H-1B visa applications, the White House said Monday, after some of the biggest medical bodies called out the risk to rural America where there’s already a dearth of providers. ... “The Proclamation allows for potential exemptions, which can include physicians and medical residents,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in an email Monday to Bloomberg News. “Ultimately, the Trump Administration defers to the language in the proclamation.” (Zhang, Tozzi and Nix, 9/22)

Bloomberg: Trump’s $100,000 Visa Fee Threatens To Worsen Doctor Shortages
The Trump administration’s $100,000 fee for high-skilled visa applicants threatens to worsen a shortage of US doctors and make it harder for rural hospitals to operate, medical groups warned. The fee for H-1B visas “risks shutting off the pipeline of highly trained physicians that patients depend on, especially in rural and underserved communities,” said American Medical Association President Bobby Mukkamala, a Michigan head and neck surgeon. (Tozzi, Porzecanski, Kang and Zhang, 9/22)

More health industry news —

Newsweek: ER Deaths Surged In US Hospitals Taken Over By Private Equity
Patient deaths have been found to increase in U.S. hospitals after being acquired by private equity firms, according to one study. The death rates rose in the emergency departments of these hospitals, in comparison to similar hospitals not acquired by private equity, the study says. This nationwide study of hundreds of hospitals by researchers at Harvard Medical School, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago builds on previous evidence demonstrating the link. (Millington, 9/22)

Modern Healthcare: Urban Hospital Closures Fueled By Staffing Shortages, Costs: GAO 
Aging hospital infrastructure, staffing shortages and expanding competitors contributed to the shuttering of some urban hospitals. The Government Accountability Office in a Friday report outlined a range of factors that brought about the financial decline of five unnamed hospitals that closed in 2022 and 2023. The analysis included for-profit and nonprofit hospitals, with independent and system-owned locations represented. (Kacik, 9/22)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Release Hospital Readmission Penalties For Fiscal 2026 
The number of hospitals faced with readmissions penalties of at least 1% come Oct. 1 is set to rise to the highest number since fiscal 2022. Prior to fiscal 2026, the number of hospitals facing readmissions penalties of 1% or more had dropped for five consecutive years. But preliminary data released Friday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services showed the number of hospitals set to pay penalties of 1% or more under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program will increase to 8.1%, or 240 hospitals, in fiscal 2026 compared to 7%, or 208 hospitals, in fiscal 2025. (Eastabrook, 9/22)

Fierce Healthcare: Premier, Inc. To Go Private In $2.6B Purchase Deal
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Premier Inc. has agreed to a $2.6 billion acquisition that will take the healthcare group purchasing, technology and intelligence organization private under an affiliate of healthcare investment firm Patient Square Capital. The definitive agreement, announced Monday morning, is subject to regulatory approvals as well as shareholder sign-offs but is expected to close by the first quarter of 2026. (Muoio, 9/22)

Fierce Healthcare: Aetna Expands Partnerships Under Clinical Collaboration Program
Aetna unveiled plans to further expand a key program in working with hospitals. The Aetna Clinical Collaboration Program aims to improve outcomes for members in Medicare Advantage plans by reducing hospital readmissions and unnecessary emergency room visits. Through the program, Aetna places nurses on-site to assist hospital staff with care transitions. (Minemyer, 9/22)

Modern Healthcare: CVS’ Omnicare Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Reorganization 
CVS Health subsidiary Omnicare, a pharmacy services provider for long-term care businesses, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization Monday, less than three months after it was ordered to pay $949 million as a result of a whistleblower case. In the filing, made in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, the company said it is exploring next steps, which could include a restructuring or sale. (Tong, 9/22)

The Washington Post: Wegovy And Zepound Can Cut Future Health Costs. The Fight Is Over Who Pays Now. 
Millions of Americans who could benefit from GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are caught in the middle of a battle between drug companies and insurers over their costs, leaving them without coverage even as evidence mounts that the drugs could stave off expensive health complications in the future. Insurance coverage for the drugs has barely budged in the last year. Eli Lilly said in August that around 50 percent of employers had chosen to cover its weight-loss drug, Zepbound, little changed from a year earlier. Novo Nordisk said last month that about 40 million people have access to anti-obesity drug Wegovy through commercial insurance, roughly the same as at the end of 2023. (Gilbert, 9/22)

Colorado Sun: UCHealth's Biobank Aims To Find When Genes And Drugs Don't Mix
Way back in 1994, Jim Jensen went to his doctor to try a new drug called Imitrex to treat his migraine headaches. Within minutes, he knew something was wrong. “They asked me how it was going, and I said, ‘I have pain between my shoulder blades, maybe you should check my heart,’” Jensen recalled recently. (Ingold, 9/23)

Stat: Few AI Device Manufacturers Disclose Payments To Physicians 
Artificial intelligence has danced around the fringes of prostate cancer for years, but in 2024, it got a profile-raising boost: An AI tool that could use biopsy images and clinical data to predict therapy benefits and a patient’s prognosis was recommended in a set of widely used guidelines for oncology care. “I remember being so impressed,” said David-Dan Nguyen, a urology resident at the University of Toronto who focuses on prostate cancer. But he was also curious: How exactly does a new device make it into clinical standards? He started to look into whether its manufacturer had made any payments to hospitals or doctors in the leadup to its guideline inclusion — to support research, perhaps, or to cover fees for consulting or marketing. (Palmer, 9/22)

NPR: Rheumatoid Arthritis Filled Her Life With Pain. This Implant Set Her Free
For more than four years, Lynn Milam's life was bound by the pain that radiated from her swollen joints. "My children could not hug me," she says. "I couldn't hold my husband's hand." Milam also couldn't climb stairs or help raise her teenage son. She spent most days on the couch. The reason was rheumatoid arthritis, which occurs when the immune system starts attacking the lining of joints. (Hamilton, 9/22)

Stat: Apple Watch’s Hypertension Alert Misses Half Of Cases. Experts Still Think It Will Boost Treatment
Experts say sensitivity rate may be low, just 41%, but that any feature that nudges people toward blood pressure care is a good thing. (Aguilar, 9/23)

NBC News: Girl Shot In Head During Minneapolis Annunciation Catholic School Shooting Making 'Miraculous' Recovery
A girl who had a bullet lodged in her brain after the Annunciation Catholic School shooting last month is making what her family has called a "miraculous" recovery and will this week leave an acute care ward and join an inpatient rehab program. Seventh grader Sophia Forchas, 12, was shot in the head when a gunman opened fire during a school-wide mass at the Annunciation Catholic Church on the morning of Aug. 27. Surgeons performed a decompressive craniectomy, essentially removing the left half of her skull so her brain could swell. (Smith, 9/23)

More health news from across the U.S. —

WUSF: Hospitals Challenge Florida Proposal About Approving Organ Transplant Programs
Three major hospital systems have challenged a new state proposal about approving organ-transplant programs, alleging it does not include adequate safeguards for quality of care. Tampa General Hospital, UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville and Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami filed the challenges after the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration in August issued a proposed rule for transplant programs. The challenges, filed this month at the state Division of Administrative Hearings, came after years of debate and disputes about approving transplant programs. (Saunders, 9/23)

Chicago Tribune: Committee Recommends State Part Ways With Feds On Vaccines
Illinois health leaders should part ways with the federal government when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines and recommend the shots for all adults and many children, an influential state committee voted Monday. The Illinois Department of Public Health Immunization Advisory Committee voted unanimously Monday to recommend updated COVID-19 vaccines for all Illinois residents ages 18 and older. And they voted to recommend the shots for all children ages 6 to 23 months old. (Schencker, 9/22)

NBC News: Family Of Boy Killed In Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber Fire Files Lawsuit
The parents of a boy killed in January in a fiery explosion inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber filed a lawsuit Monday, alleging the 5-year-old perished as a result of “corporate greed.” The suit filed in Oakland County circuit court in Michigan calls Thomas Cooper’s death the result of “callous indifference to human life” by the manufacturer of the oxygen chamber and the alternative medicine clinic that operated it. It said Thomas’ parents, who live in Royal Oak, Michigan, were not adequately warned that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could pose a serious risk of death should a fire break out, and said the hyperbaric chamber was designed without an effective way to extract someone during an emergency. (Chuck, 9/22)

The Washington Post: After Decades, DNA Test On Identical Twins Cracks Cold Case 
Investigators in Prince William County, Virginia, used an advanced test to distinguish the DNA of identical twins and solve a decades-old rape case. (Wu, 9/22)

KCCI Des Moines: Iowa Public Health Leaders Confirm Second Death Linked To Legionella Outbreak In Marshalltown
A second person's death has now been linked to a Legionella outbreak in Marshalltown, state health officials say. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Monday that an elderly adult with multiple underlying health conditions died on Sept. 18. This is the second death associated with the Legionella outbreak. A retired Catholic priest, the Rev. Bernard "Bernie" Grady, was the first reported fatality of this outbreak. The exact cause of the outbreak has not yet been confirmed, but officials believe cooling towers are the "most likely source of the outbreak." (Wingert, 9/22)

More public health news from Iowa —

Iowa Public Radio: Iowa Health And Human Services Director Kelly Garcia To Step Down Next Month
Kelly Garcia, the director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, will step down next month. Gov. Kim Reynolds made the announcement on Monday in a statement, saying after nearly six years of heading the state's largest agency, Garcia plans to leave the state at an unspecified day in October. (Krebs, 9/22)

On screwworm, measles, and valley fever —

CIDRAP: New World Screwworm Confirmed In Cow Just 70 Miles South Of US-Mexico Border 
Yesterday, Mexico confirmed a case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Sabinas Hidalgo, in a cow in Nuevo Leon state, less than 70 miles from the US-Mexico border. The flesh-eating parasitic infection, carried by the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly, a type of blowfly, is causing a large outbreak in Central America. NWS can infect any warm-blooded animal, but human cases are rare. So far this year, US officials haven't confirmed any cases in animals. (Van Beusekom, 9/22)

NBC News: Measles Outbreak Growing In Parts Of Arizona And Utah, Health Officials Say
One of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. is now centered in bordering areas of southwestern Utah and Arizona. In Southwest Utah, all but one of the 23 confirmed cases are among unvaccinated, school-age kids, the Southwest Utah Public Health Department reported. In Mohave County, Arizona, which health officials believe is connected to the Utah outbreak, there have been 42 confirmed cases of the highly contagious virus. (Kopf, Fattah and Murphy, 9/22)

USA Today: Growing Fungal Disease Outbreak Spreads Through Dust And Dirt
Once limited to the Southwest, valley fever now threatens vast swaths of the U.S. It's often misdiagnosed, and it can lead to terrible disease. (Cuevas, 9/22)

Good News Network: Depression Patients Treated With Psychedelic Mushrooms 5 Years Ago Are Still 'Symptom-Free'
Patients with clinical depression and treated with naturally-occurring psychedelic compounds are still free of symptoms five years later, according to new research. ... The study involved participants from a trial published in 2021 that found psilocybin—the primary psychedelic substance produced by mushrooms—was effective at treating major depressive disorder when combined with psychotherapy in adults. (Corbley, 9/16)

AP: A Robot Programmed To Act Like A 7-Year-Old Girl Works To Combat Fear And Loneliness In Hospitals
Days after Meagan Brazil-Sheehan’s 6-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, they were walking down the halls of UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center when they ran into Robin the Robot. “Luca, how are you?” it asked in a high-pitched voice programmed to sound like a 7-year-old girl. “It’s been awhile.” Brazil-Sheehan said they had only met the 4-foot-tall (1.2-meter-tall) robot with a large screen displaying cartoonlike features once before after they were admitted several days earlier. (Golden, 9/19)

Today: An Uber Driver Stayed By His Side When He Was Alone In The ER. 7 Years Later, They're Still Friends
Seven years ago, a college freshman named Joey Romano was skateboarding near the University of Texas at Austin when he swerved to avoid a car and slammed into a ditch, breaking his wrist. Romano made a choice that would change his life, though he couldn’t have known it at the time: He called an Uber instead of an ambulance. “I didn’t have very good insurance, and I was worried about the cost,” Romano, now 29. (Abrahamson, 9/16)

North Carolina Health News: Cedar Oaks Clinic Is Reimagining What Mental Health Care Can Look Like
Adam, who has a history of childhood trauma and treatment-resistant depression, had never felt understood by any of his mental health providers. “Appointments were 15 to 30 minutes tops, and I felt that I was just part of an assembly line … like one in, one out,” he said. “I felt like no one wanted to get to know me, to find out what was going on.” At Cedar Oaks Clinic, a mental health practice in Wake Forest, N.C., Adam found people who he said took the time to listen and understand him. “They’re the most kind and caring providers I’ve ever had in my entire life,” he said. (Knopf, 9/23)

MSN.com: Scientists Hacked The Glue Gun Design To Print Bone Scaffolds Directly Into Broken Legs (And It Works)
Imagine a surgeon fixing a shattered bone not with screws or plates, but with a device that looks like a craft-store glue gun. Instead of hot glue, it extrudes a custom mix of biodegradable plastic and minerals. These scaffolds fuse to broken bones, release antibiotics, and slowly dissolve as the body heals. This new invention, known as a portable “in situ bone printer,” bypasses the months-long process of designing and fabricating bone implants outside the body. (Puiu, 9/16)

Gizmodo: Gizmodo Science Fair: A Non-Toxic Alternative To 'Forever Chemicals'
A pair of engineers has won the 2025 Gizmodo Science Fair for creating a non-toxic, recyclable, and compostable replacement for plastic and toxic “forever chemicals”—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—in food packaging. (Lapointe, 9/22)

The New York Times: ‘That Was Shocking’: Four Experts React To Trump’s Autism Announcement 
On Monday, President Trump suggested that vaccines were contributing to the increase in autism and told parents to space out their children’s vaccine schedule. Mr. Trump and top health officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., linked Tylenol to autism. Trump said pregnant women should only take it if they couldn’t “tough it out.” (Helen Tager-Flusberg, Alison Singer, Brian K. Lee, and Eric Garcia, 9/23)

The New York Times: What The Government Autism Announcement Got So Wrong
I wasn’t looking for a diagnosis in April of 2004 when I began reading a New York Times article on Asperger’s syndrome — then psychiatry’s label for a less-disabling form of autism. But soon after reading it, I had a whole new way of understanding myself. (Maia Szalavitz, 9/22)

The Washington Post: Peddling Shoddy Autism Science Helps No One And Insults Moms
A rule of thumb: The more certainty a person expresses regarding the causes of autism, the less knowledgeable they are. President Donald Trump and his advisers expressed excessive certitude on Monday about this complex neurodevelopmental disorder. (9/22)

Stat: The Wellness Industry Needs To Stop Scaring People
I’m a psychiatrist, a mother, and an increasingly anxious wellness enthusiast. And I have a confession: some of the worst anxiety I’ve experienced came not from my clinical work or child-rearing responsibilities, but from reading too many articles about what might be harming my health. (Ana Ivkovic Smith, 9/23)

Kansas City Star: Kansas Pastor Lost Mom To COVID-19; Now Denied Vaccination
Five years ago, the Rev. Shelly McNaughton-Lawrence performed her first funeral for a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic — her own mother. LuAnn McNaughton was buried in a sealed coffin without being embalmed, because the family made a decision to minimize the risk of COVID exposure for the mortuary workers. (Dion Lefler, 9/23)