Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to walk back his past anti-vaccine and pro-abortion rights stances in his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday as he fielded questions from both sides of the aisle.
The big picture: In his hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Kennedy characterized himself as pro-vaccine, despite years of denialism, and took a Trump-aligned, leave-it-to-the-states stance on abortion.
U.S. students had record-low reading comprehension scores last year in a learning loss trend exacerbated by the pandemic, according to a national education reportreleased Wednesday.
Why it matters: Students across age groups demonstrated continued declines in reading comprehension, despite efforts to reverse the slip. Gaps between high- and low-achieving students have also widened.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump's controversial pick for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), faced abarrage of questions from lawmakers at his first confirmation hearing Wednesday.
Driving the news: Kennedy seemed to struggle when Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) pushed him on what reforms he would propose for Medicaid, a program that provides coverage to some 72 million Americans.
A Trump administration freeze on grants and other federal funding paralyzed state Medicaid agencies and some health providers for most of Tuesday until a federal judge in D.C. issued a temporary injunction.
Why it matters: With hundreds of billions of dollars at stake, health care providers and officials are still sorting through conflicting memos as significant portions of their federal assistance sit in limbo.
The success of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s first confirmation hearing Wednesday "kind of depends on which Bobby Kennedy shows up," as one Trump administration source working on his nomination put it.
Why it matters: Whether Kennedy becomes the next Health and Human Services secretary likely hinges on his ability to convince a handful of Republican senators that he's not the version of himself that was on public display only a few months ago — or at least that he can hold those instincts back once confirmed.
Some states have far more to lose than others if the second Trump administration cuts federal health and science funding.
Why it matters: President Trump's executive orders effectively freezing some public health and science work has scientists, researchers and others worried about the administration's commitment to the fields, and about the politicization of science — especially given the looming threat of a bird flu outbreak.
For Lunar New Year, many people in Asia and around the world are eating foods that look like money, sound like good fortune and represent wholeness.
Why it matters: "The Chinese believe that you have to have a really positive attitude going into the new year," says Grace Young, a cookbook author, culinary historian and activist who works to preserve America's Chinatowns.
Caroline Kennedy on Tuesday urged senators to reject her cousin's nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, saying Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "preys on the desperation of parents of sick children."
Why it matters: Caroline Kennedy's critique, laid out in a letter to senators a day before RFK Jr's confirmation hearings begin, could shore up Democratic opposition to his nomination.
The gap in average life expectancy between Black and white Americans shrank significantly in the decades before the COVID-19 pandemic, though there was wide variation between states, new findings from the Urban Institute show.
Why it matters: It's one more data point that suggests who you are and where you live in the United States is a major determinant of health — and how long one can expect to live.
Fewer than half of U.S. adults in a new poll trust health recommendations from President Trump and his picks to lead federal health policy, but Republicans are about as likely to trust them as they are their own doctors.
Why it matters: Democrats, independents and Republicans have all lost trust in medical professionals and government health agencies over the past 18 months.
The Trump administration has already moved to end the recognition of transgender people by the federal government. But even more consequential policies may be on the way that focus on blocking federal funds for any transgender care.
Why it matters: The strategy could resemble the one abortion foes used to get the Hyde Amendment enacted and tracks with the principles laid out in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, advocates say.
President Trump reinstated members of the military who were dismissed because they refused to receive the COVID vaccine in an executive order late Monday.
Why it matters: The order reverses the dismissals by the Biden administration, restoring thousands of service members to their previous rank and providing them with back pay and benefits.
