FDNY Honors 39 Who Died This Year From 9/11-Related Illnesses; HHS ‘Chaos’ Delays WTC Health Program
September 11, 2025
Morning Briefing
Plus, three more victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were recently identified using DNA. The New York City medical examiner’s office is still working to identify about 1,100 victims.
Partisan Division Over Gun Control Erupts In US House After Kirk Slaying
September 11, 2025
Morning Briefing
Leaders across the political spectrum have decried Wednesday’s fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 31, at a political event in Utah. But in the House, a moment of silence led to a shouting match, with at least one conservative blaming liberals for the shooting and Democrats demanding that Republicans “pass some gun laws!”
First Edition: Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025
September 11, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Affirmative Action Critics Refuse To Back Down in Fight Over Medical Bias Training
By Ronnie Cohen
September 11, 2025
KFF Health News Original
A nonprofit fighting affirmative action in medicine and a Los Angeles ophthalmologist have launched a long-shot legal appeal aimed at ending California’s requirement that every continuing medical education class include training to recognize and address unconscious bias.
Climate Activists Cite Health Hazards in Bid To Stop Trump From ‘Unleashing’ Fossil Fuels
By Jim Robbins
September 11, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Buoyed by a Montana court ruling upholding state residents’ right to a “clean and healthful environment,” nearly two dozen people ages 7 to 24 hope to block the Trump administration’s executive orders on energy.
Watch: Patient Numbers at NIH Hospital Tumble After Trump Cuts
By Rachana Pradhan
September 11, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Fewer people are seeking care at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, a renowned research hospital, under the second Trump administration.
CMS Delays Medicare Advantage Rule Requiring Reminders Of Unused Perks
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The agency says it needs time “to address logistical concerns and reevaluate current requirements” regarding a notification policy about unused benefits. Plus, UnitedHealth’s intentions for Medicare Advantage plans.
HHS Report Lays Out Health Priorities For Kids, Omits Biggest Cause Of Death
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
HHS Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday released the “Make Our Children Healthy Again” plan, which mentioned several dozen issues that the federal government aims to tackle, such as poor diet, chemical exposures, and excess prescription medications. But the report didn’t mention gun violence, which is the leading cause of death for people younger than 18.
US Death Rate Fell 4% In 2024; Covid No Longer A Top 10 Cause, CDC Says
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Heart disease and cancer remain the leading causes of death, a report indicates, but overdoses and other unintentional injuries along with suicides ticked up last year. Plus: Another group recommends covid vaccines; HHS officials want to scour health data for ill effects of covid shots; and more.
White House Steps Up Enforcement Of Rules For Pharma Ads On TV, Online
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive action to crack down on misleading ads. Separately, 340B Drug Pricing Program spending grew 565% from 2010 to 2021, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Also: Novo Nordisk is cutting 9,000 jobs.
CDC Infectious-Disease Data Project Put On Hold Indefinitely
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The user-friendly website would have made access to information on numerous diseases readily accessible. Also: Ex-CDC Chief Susan Monarez will testify at a Senate committee hearing on Sept. 17.
Wildfire Fighters Will Now Be Provided With Masks For Smoke Protection
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The move, which reverses a decades-long ban, comes after a series of articles in The New York Times describing health crises among wildfire fighters. Also in the news: California, Ohio, New York, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, Rhode Island, Maine, Alaska, and elsewhere.
Marijuana Use May Be Linked To Birth Defects, Miscarriages, Study Finds
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The study, published Tuesday, links high levels of THC with changes in how eggs mature and a possible increase in chromosome malformations. Plus: a new test for HPV-linked head and neck cancer; brain iron levels linked to cognitive impairments; and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, September 10, 2025
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
We’d like to speak with personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies about what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message us on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or get in touch here.
First Edition: Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
RFK Jr. Said ‘Everybody Can Get’ a Covid Vaccine. Is That True?
By Grace Abels, PolitiFact Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact
September 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Although the FDA has approved the vaccines for anyone 65 or older and anyone at least 6 months old who is at risk of a severe covid infection, barriers to coverage and access persist.
Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Were Aimed at ‘Able-Bodied Adults.’ Hospitals Say Kids Will Be Hurt.
By Phil Galewitz
September 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.
