Preliminary data show homicides in the nation's largest cities fell by 21% in the first three months of 2025 from the same period of last year, as overall violent crime continued its post-pandemic drop.
Why it matters: Stats compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) indicate that the COVID-era crime wave has almost faded away — even as some officials, including President Trump, falsely claim that immigrants are driving increased crime rates.
The White House is withdrawing the nomination of Janette Nesheiwat to be surgeon general and instead nominating wellness influencer Casey Means, President Trump wrote on social media Wednesday.
Why it matters: The move is the second time the Trump administration has pulled a health nominee, following the withdrawal of Centers for Disease Control director-designate Dave Weldon in March.
All Rite Aid stores will close or be sold to a new owner in the coming weeks and months as the struggling retailer goes through its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
Why it matters: The Philadelphia-based drugstore chain is looking to sell both its pharmacy business and its stores, according to bankruptcy protection documents.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) joined a group of Democratic lawmakers to urge Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. not to make the "reckless" move of eliminating LGBTQ+ youth crisis services.
The big picture: An internal Trump administration budget proposal, first reported on by The Washington Post last month, sought to cut funding for the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ+ youth specialized services, which have seen more than 1.2 million contacts since 2022.
A vast majority of Americans say the increased focus on race and racial inequality after George Floyd's killing did notlead to changes that improved the lives of Black Americans, a new Pew Research Center survey finds.
Why it matters: Floyd's 2020 murder by Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck sparked international protests and calls to tackle systemic racism, but five years later, that momentum appears all but gone.
A bipartisan group of senators warned Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday that cuts to the federal health care workforce are threatening Native Americans and other beneficiaries of Indian Health Services care.
Why it matters: HHS is obligated to provide health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives — serving about 2.8 million Americans from a population that experiences disproportionate disease burdens, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wrote.
President Trump's threat of pharmaceutical tariffs is driving a surge of exports of drugs and medical products from Europe to the U.S. as manufacturers look to build up stockpiles before duties hit.
The big picture: The explosion in shipments helped swell the U.S. trade deficit by 14% in March as drugmakers joined other industries bracing for the impacts of the trade war, the Commerce Department reported on Tuesday.
First-time U.S. mothers were an average of 27.5 years old in 2023, per CDC data.
Why it matters: That's up from 21.4 in 1970 — a notable shift over the decades, reflecting major societal changes in women's priorities, expectations, access to birth control and fertility treatments and more.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday evening it's investigating "recent incidents" of antisemitic "violence" at the University of Washington (UW) and its affiliates.
The big picture: The review by the departments of Education and Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration follows the arrest of some 30 pro-Palestinian protesters on Monday after they occupied a UW engineering building in Seattle and "set fire to dumpsters," per a statement from the college.
