Decades of scientific investment have paid off just in the last month, with researchers announcing promising breakthroughs against cancers and other deadly afflictions.
Why it matters: They're all the product of a rigorous innovation system that delivers — though some have one important limitation: All they can do is buy someone a few more years.
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a copycat version of a heart drug didn't infringe on the brand-name equivalent's patents in a closely watched case over how generic medicines are labeled and sold.
Why it matters: The case focused on how to promote generic drug competition while also giving brand-name drugmakers the intellectual property protections they say they need to create new medicines.
The effort to remake America's packaged foods is extending beyond Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, as retailers and food companies respond to the public's growing scrutiny of ingredients.
Why it matters: More retailers and food manufacturers are voluntarily removing artificial dyes and other additives from products as shoppers pay closer attention to what's in their food.
Democratic states are pushing back on the Trump administration's rules for new Medicaid work requirements, warning that a chaotic rollout in the coming months could lead to even more people losing their coverage.
Why it matters: The first-ever work requirements in last year's Republican tax-and-spending bill were already controversial — but now there are new clashes over the way the administration wants to implement them.
