President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to declassify files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Why it matters: The files relating to JFK's killing have been the focus of decades of speculation.
Axios has obtained a copy of the memo from HHS directing a pause in federal health agencies' public communications that was first reported earlier this week by the Washington Post.
Why it matters: The blackout has been met with outrage in some medical and science circles, while other sources have said it's more or less routine for a new administration, if not clumsily handled.
What they're saying: "HHS has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health," the department said in a statement.
"This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization. There are exceptions for announcements that HHS divisions believe are mission critical, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis."
Between the lines: The exact scope of the directive remains murky, along with whether it affects content like the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The FDA, for example, on Wednesday issued a safety warning about allergic reactions to a multiple sclerosis drug.
Public Citizen called for the communications pause to end by Feb. 1, saying: "There is zero reason for standard public health communications that people rely on to stay safe to be paused, and for scientific meetings to be postponed or cancelled."
Violent crime in 40 U.S. cities dropped in 2024 to at or near pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report out Thursday that shows the COVID-era crime wave evaporating.
Why it matters: President Trump has falsely asserted that immigration caused rising crime nationwide, but the new report suggests crime fell dramatically in President Biden's last two years — even below levels of Trump's last year in office.
A federal website on reproductive rights that became inaccessible following President Trump's inauguration on Monday was captured for posterity by the media company theSkimm, which reproduced the content on its own site.
Why it matters: ReproductiveRights.gov, launched by Health and Human Services in 2022, provided a one-stop shop for information on abortion rights and coverage of birth control and other reproductive and women's health services.
Menopause is going from taboo to trendy as online influencers and celebrities like Naomi Watts and Drew Barrymore increasingly discuss their experiences and how to manage them.
Why it matters: Menopause has been undergoing a rebrand, particularly as millennials, the generation that doesn't want to grow up, approach the menopausal transition.
But as the market for care and treatments surges, experts worry that some of the promoted solutions lack scientific backing.
HHS Secretary designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. earned $326,000 from the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense and a $100,000 licensing fee for use of the Make America Healthy Again brand, according to financial disclosure forms posted by the Office of Government Ethics.
Why it matters: The forms offer a detailed picture into Kennedy's extensive financial holdings and how he'd resolve potential conflicts of interest if he's confirmed.
President Trump on Tuesday ordered key federal health agencies to pause all external communications, multipleoutlets reported and Axios confirmed.
Why it matters: The health agencies' website updates, advisories, and scientific reports provide the public with critical information on a variety of medical issues, including food recalls, infectious diseases and new drug approvals.
The spread of influenza A, COVID and RSV is "high" or "very high" across much of the U.S. at the same time norovirus cases are well above normal levels, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wastewater surveillance data shows.
Why it matters: The result is a "quad-demic" of illness hitting simultaneously in what's shaping up to be a more active virus season than last year.
Vaccinating pregnant women against RSV reduced the risk of infection in their infants by 61% compared with newborns with unvaccinated mothers, new data from Epic Research shows.
Why it matters: RSV is most common cause of hospitalization of children under the age of 1 in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration in 2023 approved Pfizer's Abrysvo for use from 32 to 36 weeks into a pregnancy.
Republicans from swing states and districts are ducking questions about their openness to cutting Medicaid in order to help pay for an extension of President Trump's tax cuts.
Why it matters: Republican leadership can lose only a handful of votes, making cuts to the safety net program a high-stakes loyalty test that could deliver an early legislative win but result in millions of people losing their health coverage.
President Trump's decision to start withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization puts global health programs in a serious financial squeeze just as disease threats are multiplying.
Why it matters: Trump's reluctance to pay the freight for the global health partnership could come back to bite him if surveillance efforts break down and a regional outbreak turns into another pandemic.
Los Angeles residents dealing with wildfire aftermath have yet another obstacle in front of them: toxic ash.
Why it matters: The danger of breathing ash could "top anything that you were breathing in the moment when the fires were burning," says Michael Kleeman, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis who's studied air quality in California for more than 30 years.
