Axios

Management of special needs and nutrition programs, as well as student loans, will move from the Department of Education to other federal agencies, President Trump said on Friday.

Why it matters: Trump is delegating the Department of Education's responsibilities the day after signing an executive order aimed at shutting it down.

The America First Policy Institute — the think tank founded and staffed by Trump officials to advance his vision for the country — has written a new paper making the case against what it calls pharmaceutical "global freeloading" and outlining various policy measures to address it.

Why it matters: The policy paper — well-timed to the political moment and shared exclusively with Axios — signals that Trumpworld is serious about addressing the fact that the U.S. pays way more for prescription drugs than other countries.

The Trump administration's attacks on universities have come swiftly and forcefully: grants slashed, thousands of jobs cut and anxiety through the roof.

Why it matters: Universities produce a great deal of the scientific and technological research that drives America forward.

OptumRx is changing the way it pays pharmacies, reimbursing them more for branded drugs and less for generics, the company announced.

Why it matters: Drug supply middlemen like Optum are facing more criticism for using anticompetitive tactics that steer business to their own affiliates and can disadvantage independent pharmacies.

Prospective cuts to domestic HIV prevention efforts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could widen health disparities and weigh heaviest on young Black and Hispanic men in the South, public health officials say.

Why it matters: A Health and Human Services plan reportedly under consideration that would scrap the agency's HIV prevention division and transfer its functions elsewhere would mark a significant shift from President Trump's first term, when he pledged to end HIV in the U.S. by 2030.

Pharmaceutical companies and other health interests are increasingly using terminology associated with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s public health movement as they seek to work with the new administration.

Why it matters: It's common for businesses and organizations to shift their communications strategy when a new administration takes office. But Kennedy's high-profile push to upend the public health care system and take on corporate influences in medicine makes the communications pivot more urgent for health organizations.