A Pennsylvania court on Monday said that the state's constitution guarantees a right to abortion while striking down a decades-long law banning the use of state Medicaid funds to cover abortion costs. The ruling by a divided seven-judge panel of the appellate-level Commonwealth Court is a major victory for Planned Parenthood and abortion clinic operators...
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) said Monday he underwent surgery to remove gallstones and will return to Capitol Hill as soon as possible. Grassley, 92, wrote on the social platform X that he underwent the surgery “over the weekend in Iowa.” The nine-term incumbent, who is the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, added that he...
Podcaster Joe Rogan joined President Trump and others in the Oval Office on Saturday as he signed an executive order accelerating research for certain psychedelic drugs used to treat mental health disorders. “Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier...
President Trump's selection of a longtime civil servant and public health veteran to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the strongest signal yet that the administration is shifting away from a rhetoric of vaccine skepticism ahead of the midterm elections. Trump on Thursday tapped Erica Schwartz, the deputy surgeon general during his first term, to...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Friday said he demands answers from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding comments the secretary made in an interview in 2024 about Black children on certain Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medications being "re-parented." "We’ve known RFK Jr. has been unfit to serve as Secretary, but...
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday apologized for past comments he made about Black children being "re-parented," while maintaining that he didn't make those remarks despite there being a recording of him doing so. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) asked Kennedy whether he could admit to saying that he had...
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), who is running to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R), is pushing to expand access to birth control as the race for the open Senate seat heats up. The Iowa congresswoman has long supported efforts to improve access and reintroduced legislation late last month aimed at reducing barriers to contraception, particularly...
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Congress on Tuesday that he has not faced pressure from the White House to scale back his vaccine skepticism, even as a top Trump health adviser recognized "ongoing conversations about where to prioritize." The denial contradicts a mounting body of reporting from sources inside...
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) advised the next Democratic president to focus on passing universal healthcare, a policy measure that has been hotly debated within the party in recent years. “We have to figure out, once we move in a progressive way, once we see a Barack Obama win, once we see a Congress win,...
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. snapped at Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) on Tuesday after the lawmaker said he wished Kennedy would spend “less time talking about whale heads, bear heads and raccoon parts.” The exchange came as Carter’s time for questioning wound down during a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing...
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is seeking to remake an influential but little-known task force that determines what preventive medical services insurers must cover for free. The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday issued a call for nominations to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The notice did not specify how many members of the 16-person panel will be appointed. The call for nominations comes just days...