RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel to review shots for children

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s newly remade federal vaccine advisory panel will examine the cumulative effect of the childhood and adolescent vaccine schedule, the panel’s chair said Wednesday. 

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will also weigh recommendations for vaccines that have long been on the market, including those for measles and hepatitis B.

Martin Kulldorff made the announcement at the start of th...

More than 30 celebrities come out against SNAP, Medicaid cuts in GOP megabill

More than two dozen members of the entertainment industry issued an open letter to members of Congress on Wednesday urging them to reject sweeping cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid in the GOP's "big, beautiful" spending bill.

The open letter, released by Feeding America, was signed by 31 people, including high-profile Hollywood stars like Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Williams, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, Sheryl Crow, ...

Who is NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani?

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani pulled off a surprising win in Tuesday's Democratic primary.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded to Mamdani on Tuesday after the state Assembly member won over voters with his platform pushing for rent freezes, city-owned grocery stores and free buses.

In the ranked choice election with a field of 11 candidates, Mamdani earned 43.5 percent of first-place votes compared to Cuomo, who won 36.3 percent, accor...

Key GOP senator warns Medicaid cuts could spell political disaster for Republicans

Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.), one of the most vulnerable Senate Republican incumbents facing re-election in 2026, warned Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) bluntly in a private meeting Tuesday that deep cuts to Medicaid could cost Republicans control of the House and Senate, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

Tillis, who has kept relatively quiet about the hundreds of billions of dollars in Medicaid cuts proposed by the Senate Finance Committee, blaste...

House GOP moderates tell leadership they won’t back Senate tax bill over Medicaid cuts

More than a dozen House Republicans warned they won’t support the Senate’s version of the tax and spending bill because the proposed Medicaid cuts are too steep. 

Led by Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), 15 other vulnerable Republicans sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) saying they support the Medicaid reforms in the House version of the legislation, but the Senate Finance Committee proposal went too far.&nbs...

Trump drops an f-bomb on live TV

President Trump dropped an f-bomb on live television at the White House on Tuesday while addressing the fragile detente between Israel and Iran after the rivals appeared to waffle on their temporary truce.

"We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f‑‑‑ they're doing," Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a NATO summit at The Hauge.

The remarks came just hours after Trump announced ...

Advocates warn against cuts to science funding

*{box-sizing:border-box}body{margin:0;padding:0}a[x-apple-data-detectors]{color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important}#MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none}p{line-height:inherit}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{mso-hide:all;display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden}.image_block img+div{display:none}sub,sup{font-size:75%;line-height:0}#converted-body .list_block ol,#converted-body .list_block ul,.body [class~=x_list_block] ol,.body [class~=x_list_block] ul,u+.b...

HHS promotes insurer pledge to scale back prior authorization

Federal health officials on Monday touted pledges they have received from the health insurance industry to streamline and reform the prior authorization process for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care and Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace plans which account for most insured Americans.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz took part in a roundtable discuss...

GOP leaders face internal pushback, doubts on ‘big beautiful bill’ vote

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is moving full speed ahead toward a planned vote this week on his chamber’s version of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” despite pushback from GOP colleagues and serious doubts about his prospects.

Republicans say Thune and other Senate GOP leaders have told them the bill is on track for a vote before the July 4 recess in the face of misgivings from colleagues about the impact on Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistan...

David Hogg doubles down after controversy: ‘I’m not going anywhere’

David Hogg is making it clear he’s not going anywhere — whether Democrats like it or not.

The 25-year-old gun control activist opted not to run again for his post at the Democratic National Committee after his decision to get involved in primaries sparked intense backlash. But Hogg has continued to be active on the political scene, meeting with New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and encouraging primary challenges for Democrats who support U.S. intervention in Ir...