A heat dome — plus the "corn sweat" phenomenon in some areas — is bringing dangerous levels of heat and humidity to much of the country east of the Rockies this week.
Why it matters: Heat warnings and advisories stretch from Louisiana and the Florida panhandle up to Chicago and beyond as of Tuesday afternoon, covering nearly 85 million Americans.
Why it matters: The switch to cane sugar reflects the Make America Healthy Again movement's growing influence over the food industry's use of ultra-processed ingredients.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to overhaul government health programs is extending to the troubled U.S. organ donation system.
Why it matters: Congress and past administrations have tried to address problems like long wait times and cases of lost or destroyed organs. Kennedy is now latching onto dozens of instances in which organ removal for donation was reportedly started while donors still showed signs of life.
Why it matters: The judge's July 18 ruling strikes down the "recruitment" section of the 2024 law, which made it illegal for adults to "recruit" minors to get legal, out-of-state abortions.
The case highlights how speech has become a new battleground in the abortion debate.
Democratic attorneys general from 20 states and D.C. are suing the Trump administration over a policy change that restricted undocumented immigrants' access to community health centers, Head Start and other services they've used for decades.
The big picture: The AGs argue the changes put key social safety net programs at risk of closing.
Almost 2 million fewer people will lose their health coverage under Republicans' big domestic policy law than originally projected after a provision cracking down on undocumented immigrants was dropped, congressional scorekeepers said Monday.
Why it matters: The Congressional Budget Office estimate of 10 million uninsured people still illustrates the fallout from sweeping changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in the law and the attacks Democrats will make heading into next year's midterm elections.
Giving pedestrians a seven-second head start to cross the street ahead of cars can reduce walker injuries by one-third, according to new federally funded research from Columbia University's public health school.
Why it matters: Pedestrian injuries and deaths have increased sharply over the past decade. In 2023, more than 68,000 people were injured in the U.S.
An unusual public feud between the Food and Drug Administration and a maker of gene therapies for rare diseases could test the Trump administration's willingness to pull certain approved drugs from the market over safety concerns.
The big picture: The standoff with Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Sarepta Therapeutics burst into public view late Friday after the company refused an FDA request to withdraw its treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy following patient deaths from liver failure.
Hospitals are steadily buying small physician practices and, in the process, driving up the price of care, a new National Bureau of Economic Research study shows.
Why it matters: It's the latest evidence of consolidation in health care that's left more than three-quarters of U.S. doctors employed by health systems or corporations.
