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Administration Promotes Speculative Lab Leak SARS-CoV-2 Origin Theory
Visitors to the Covid.gov and Covidtests.gov websites are now being were websites directed to White House webpage dedicated to promoting the lab-leak theory of the origins of SAR-CoV-2. There is no direct scientific evidence to support this speculative theory, or any other Covid-origin theory.
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Experts Cast Doubt on State’s Report That Undocumented Immigrants Cost Texas Hospitals $122M in a Month
Texas hospitals incurred $121.8 million in health care costs in November from patients who were not “lawfully” permitted to be in the country, according to data released by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Policy experts say undocumented immigrants’ cost to hospitals is a small fraction of the total cost from uninsured Texans.
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From Help to Harm: How the Government Is Quietly Repurposing Everyone’s Data for Surveillance
The data that people provide to U.S. government agencies for public services such as tax filing, health care enrollment, unemployment assistance and education support is increasingly being redirected toward surveillance and law enforcement.
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Reinvigorating Naval Shipbuilding: Meeting the President's Challenge
To respond to the Trump administration’s call for the reinvigoration of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, policymakers should examine past failures, seek an improved shipbuilding workforce, and consider enlisting the help of close allies like Japan and South Korea.
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Trump Denies Disaster Aid, Tells States to Do More
In the wake of recent natural disasters, state leaders across the country are finding that emergency support from the federal government is no longer a given, as the White House says states must have an ‘appetite to own the problem.’
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The Trump Administration Says It Wants a “Nuclear Renaissance.” These Actions Suggest Otherwise.
For nuclear advocates, it’s an open question whether the Trump administration’s energy officials recognize the scale of the effort that would be required to achieve their purported ambition for a nuclear revival. In fact, some of the actions the administration has taken, such as tariffs and a shake-up at the Tennessee Valley Authority, could be getting in the way of such revival.
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Trump Touts Manufacturing While Undercutting State Efforts to Help Factories
Tariffs, spending cuts and the winding down of state-based manufacturing aid could hurt small factories.
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EPA Plans Target Climate Change Initiatives
A Harvard expert in environmental law said a recent set of Trump administration regulatory changes targeting initiatives in the climate change battle will reverse progress made over decades.
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For-Profit Immigration Detention Expands as Trump Accelerates His Deportation Plans
The Trump administration is moving quickly to dramatically expand the nation’s capacity for detaining immigrants who do not have legal authorization to be in the United States. States may not be able to limit or block new contracts with private companies.
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“Not Just Measles”: Whooping Cough Cases Are Soaring as Vaccine Rates Decline
Declining vaccination rates have caused the Texas measles outbreak, and vaccination rates for other childhood diseases have fallen as well. Deep cuts to public health jobs and funding, and HHS’s ambivalent messaging about vaccines, make it harder for agencies to fight outbreaks and prevent disease with vaccines.
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Some Measles Response Plans Crash to a Halt after Trump Cuts
Cities and states fighting a historic measles outbreak find themselves undermined by the Trump administration as they struggle to provide crucial vaccinations and overcome disinformation.
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Public Health Groups Call for Kennedy to Resign or Be Fired as Biomed Sector Airs Concerns
In the wake of dramatic cuts to US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) staff, cutbacks for state public health efforts, and mixed messages on battling measles and other infectious diseases, two public health groups called for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign or be fired.
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Trump Aims to Shut Down State Climate Policies
President Donald Trump has launched an all-out legal attack on states’ authority to set climate change policy. Climate-focused state leaders say his administration has no legal basis to unravel their efforts.
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Nearly 1 Million Facing Deportation Released into U.S. Through CBP One App
More than 900,000 illegal foreign nationals who were unlawfully released into the country by the Biden administration through a now defunct CBP One phone app have been notified that their parole status is terminated and have been instructed to leave the U.S. immediately, or face deportation.
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FEMA Moves to End One of Its Biggest Disaster Adaptation Programs
In an internal FEMA memorandum obtained by Grist, the Trump administration announced its plans to dismantle the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.
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The long view
A Shining Star in a Contentious Legacy: Could Marty Makary Be the Saving Grace of a Divisive Presidency?
While much of the Trump administration has sparked controversy, the FDA’s consumer-first reforms may be remembered as its brightest legacy. From AI-driven drug reviews to bans on artificial dyes, the FDA’s agenda resonates with the public in ways few Trump-era policies have.