The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to proceed with cuts to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of National Institutes of Health grants tied to diversity, equity and inclusion studies.
Why it matters: The order boosts Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to reshape the biomedical research agency, including cutting funding for research the administration says doesn't support NIH's mission.
California public health officials are investigating and warning against the plague after a resident tested positive this month.
Why it matters: The plague is nothing to scoff at. Though medical advancements have made the deadly disease fairly treatable compared to its peak in the Middle Ages, it hasn't been eradicated completely, with rare cases popping up every year.
Federal health workers' pent-up frustration with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is boiling over in the aftermath of an attack on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Atlanta headquarters that they believe he helped stoke with inflammatory rhetoric and misinformation.
Why it matters: After eight months of upheaval, layoffs and grant terminations, more than 750 Health and Human Services employees went public on Wednesday in a letter to Kennedy and members of Congress that accused Kennedy of contributing to harassment and violence against government employees.
Western states appear most at risk for COVID-19 cases right now, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the "stratus" variant and other versions of the virus circulate nationally.
The big picture: Wastewater viral activity for COVID-19 has shifted from "moderate" to "low" this month, though some states in the West buck the trend.
More than 750 current and former federal health workers on Wednesday accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of contributing to harassment and violence against government employees they said manifested itself in the Aug. 8 attack on CDC's Atlanta headquarters.
Why it matters:A letter from the workers to Kennedy and members of Congress shows a broad anger and frustration among federal workers over the climate they believe led to the incident.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton predicted that the Supreme Court will "do to gay marriage what they did to abortion" and send it back to states to decide.
The big picture: The high court was recently asked to overturn its decade-old decision in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case. While the court could surprise legal experts, LGBTQ+ advocates told Axios the justices are unlikely to hear the case.
An ad-hoc group of infectious disease doctors and health researchers on Tuesday held a public meeting to review recent studies on the safety and effectiveness of COVID, RSV and flu vaccines, in the belief the data isn't being adequately considered by federal health officials.
Why it matters: The unusual online gathering of the newly formed Vaccine Integrity Project was intended to provide an evidence base for doctors and public health officials as they update recommendations for kids, pregnant women and immunocompromised people.
Big employers who've tried to insulate workers from rising health costs are preparing to share the pain next year in the form of higher premiums to reflect year-over-year increases of as much as 10%.
Why it matters: The added costs will hit workers already reeling from inflationary pressures and reflect a change in thinking for corporations that have tried to maintain generous benefits in tight labor markets.
