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A jury on Wednesday found that Meta and YouTube are liable for creating products that led to harmful and addictive behavior by young users, a landmark decision that could set a legal precedent for similar allegations brought against social media companies. The jury awarded $3 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages to the lead plaintiff in the case, a woman named Kaley. Identified in court filings by her initials "KGM," she alleged that using YouTube and Instagram from a young age led to addictive use of the platforms and contributed to her mental health problems, including depression, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts. (Cunningham and Pandise, 3/25)

In related news —

The findings suggest that supportive family relationships may help buffer the mental health burden associated with problematic social media use. (Malesu, 3/25)

Tired of seeing its elementary-school children struggle with online temptations, the town of Greystones proposed a "no smart devices" code. Most everyone bought in. (McGrane, 3/25)

The White House has delayed nominating a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is continuing a search, according to officials, as the Trump administration navigates mounting political and operational risks that have already complicated other high-profile health appointments. The responsibilities of leading the agency will remain with Jay Bhattacharya, the head of the National Institutes of Health, who has been serving as acting CDC director since last month. However, because of rules around temporary positions, he will no longer officially hold the title of acting director because his position as acting director expires at the end of Wednesday. (Sun, Roubein and Diamond, 3/25)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: CDC’s Acting Chief Promises A Return To Stability In A Tumultuous Moment
President Donald Trump will soon nominate a permanent director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its acting chief, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, told agency employees at a Wednesday staff meeting. According to a recording obtained by �������ýҕ�l Health News, Bhattacharya at one point suggested to CDC staff that Trump could name a new leader for the agency as soon as Thursday. “But if not, I don’t think much will change,” he said. (Gounder, 3/25)

The federal government has not yet replaced the bullet-pocked windows that serve as a grim reminder of an attack at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than seven months ago, the agency’s acting chief acknowledged Wednesday. CDC employees asked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya about the broken windows during a staff meeting, noting that the panes were papered over. (Stobbe, 3/25)

More health news about the Trump administration —

Wellness influencer Dr. Casey Means’ nomination to be U.S. surgeon general is stalled a month after senators of both major political parties grilled her on vaccines and other health topics during a tense confirmation hearing, deepening doubts about her ability to secure the votes she needs for the role. The nomination has languished despite ongoing efforts from the White House and Make America Healthy Again activists, revealing how intractable rifts over health policy can be even when Congress has shown deference to President Trump. It’s become the latest snag in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda after two legal setbacks last week. (Swenson, 3/25)

The Trump administration gave San Jose State University 10 days to resolve what the U.S. Education Department has deemed are Title IX violations involving transgender athletes, saying the school will face legal action and the possible loss of federal funding if it fails to comply. The department in January found that the university had discriminated against women by letting a transgender athlete play on the women’s volleyball team. The department issued its ultimatum in a Tuesday letter. (3/25)

An empty lot between a fire station and a soccer field just outside Albuquerque soon will be the home of a federal medical center first promised to Native American patients more than 30 years ago. Earlier this month, Santa Ana Pueblo Gov. Myron Armijo took officials from the U.S. Indian Health Service and the Department of Health and Human Services on a tour of the location where patients are to receive everything from dialysis and diabetes care to optometry services. (Peters, 3/26)

The United States Army has officially raised its enlistment age limit to 42 from 35 and eased restrictions for people with marijuana convictions, a move that comes years after a period in which it struggled to meet its recruitment goals and as the country is engaged in a war with Iran. (Wolfe, 3/25)

Cuban health care was once the pride of the island. Now the U.S. oil blockade is upending even basic medical care. (Augustin and Nicas, 3/26)

Millions of dollars’ worth of contraceptives that have been stranded in Belgium since the Trump administration dismantled American foreign aid are no longer usable, according to a newly obtained memo written for a Trump administration official. About $9.7 million of contraceptives purchased by the United States Agency for International Development and originally destined for low-income nations in Africa got stuck in Belgium after the Trump administration shut down the agency last year. (Smialek and Nolen, 3/26)

From Capitol Hill —

The House Ethics Committee on Thursday will hold a rare public "trial" for Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, who is accused of stealing $5 million in federal pandemic funds and using some of the money to boost her congressional campaign. (Yilek, 3/26)

CVS Health subsidiary Aetna, Elevance Health and Humana must face a civil lawsuit alleging they paid kickbacks to online brokerages for Medicare Advantage enrollments, a federal court ruled Wednesday. A whistleblower initiated the case in 2021, which the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts unsealed last year after the Justice Department intervened. (Tepper, 3/25)

Contract disputes between insurers and health system networks are reaching the breaking point more than ever. Burdened by cost inflation, labor shortages and uncompensated care, providers are demanding rate increases plus relief from prior authorizations and other red tape. Health insurance companies, clamoring to soothe apprehensive investors, are raising premiums and enacting strict utilization management policies to tamp down spending. (Tong, 3/25)

A state investigation has found that a Denver assisted living facility took 13 minutes to locate a resident who collapsed and begin CPR -- failures regulators say placed all residents in "immediate jeopardy." The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment concluded that The Argyle assisted living facility violated multiple rules in connection with the January death of 73-year-old Robert Dutkevitch. The violations were classified at the CDPHE's most serious level, indicating 125 Argyle residents were at immediate risk of harm, according to the agency. (Maass, 3/25)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that more than half people over age 65 will need help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing or eating at some point, either for an extended period or the rest of their lives. Some research suggests that share may be as high as two-thirds. Yet relatively few older Americans have private long-term care coverage. AHIP, a trade association representing the U.S. health insurance industry, estimates that only 3% to 4% of Americans over 50 have an active policy that covers extended care. Medicare, the main health insurance program for older Americans, generally does not pay for continuing support services in a nursing home or assisted-living community. (Sweet, 3/25)

A North Carolina surgeon has raised concerns about an innovative procedure that reanimates a dead body to enable organ transplants. (Still, 3/25)

Also —

For about a decade, Shay Taylor-Allen walked the halls of Yale New Haven Hospital pushing a janitor’s cart. She mopped patient rooms, disinfected surfaces and emptied the trash. Soon, she’ll walk the halls of the hospital again, this time wearing a white coat. Taylor-Allen, 32, recently matched into an anesthesiology residency at Yale New Haven Hospital — where she spent most of her adult life working as part of the cleaning staff. “I still can’t believe it,” she said. “It is surreal.” (Page, 3/26)

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a new medicine from Denali Therapeutics for a condition called Hunter syndrome, a notable decision by the agency as it has recently taken tougher stances on rare disease drugs. (Joseph and Mast, 3/25)

More pharma and tech developments —

Merck has reached a nearly $6 billion cash deal to buy the cancer biotech Terns Pharmaceuticals and its promising leukemia treatment. If it proves to work safely, the experimental drug would give Merck a boost as the company prepares for its top-selling drug, Keytruda, to lose patent protection. (Loftus, 3/25)

A large, new study found that the stimulant methylphenidate, such as the drugs Ritalin and Concerta, may lower the risk of psychosis when prescribed to younger children with ADHD. Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have been identified to be at greater risk of developing psychotic conditions such as bipolar or schizophrenia, compared with neurotypical kids. Some studies have suggested a link to stimulants prescribed for ADHD. (Cox, 3/25)

A growing proportion of antipsychotic prescriptions for older adults were written by nonphysician clinicians, reflecting shifts in the mental health care workforce and prescribing practices, cross-sectional data showed. (Monaco, 3/25)

A combination of two blood tests improved Alzheimer's disease triaging and reduced overdiagnosis in people with asymptomatic Alzheimer's pathology, a prospective cohort study showed. (George, 3/25)

Hearts need oxygen. Heart attacks are the most dramatic example of this hunger, when blocked coronary arteries starve muscles of the oxygen they need to keep beating. Less sudden is heart failure, when lagging levels of oxygen consumption can mean the heart doesn’t pump blood through the body as well as it should. (Cooney, 3/25)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Taking A GLP-1? Doctors Say Not To Forget About Movement And Mental Health
Severe ankle pain drove Jelon Smart to start taking a weight loss injection a year and a half ago. Smart was 285 pounds and worked as a caterer in Savannah, Georgia. After she’d been standing on her feet for long hours, her ankles would be “as swollen as a football,” she said. She was walking with a limp. An orthopedic doctor diagnosed her with Achilles tendinitis and recommended losing weight to mitigate the symptoms. Smart began taking the brand-name GLP-1 Ozempic. The appetite suppression resulted in her shedding pounds quickly, at first. (Siner, Anthony and Farmer, 3/26)

Two states are suing a company that stores newborn stem cells, claiming that it has misled parents about the medical value of its expensive services. The company, Cord Blood Registry, houses more than a million samples of umbilical cords in Tucson, Ariz., charging families thousands of dollars in fees. CBR claims on its website that keeping those cells on ice is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” because they have the “potential to treat 80+ conditions.” (Kliff and Ghorayshi, 3/25)

In abortion updates —

Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) bill to revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the drug mifepristone for use in terminating pregnancies is picking up Senate Republican support, as the push to stop its shipment across state lines is becoming a top priority of the anti-abortion movement. Hawley’s bill, which would make distributing and labeling mifepristone for abortions a violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, has quickly picked up the support of three other GOP senators: Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), Ted Budd (N.C.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.). (Bolton, 3/25)

Two Miami Valley state lawmakers want to compel abortion providers in Ohio to inform patients that they might be able to “reverse” their decision after taking the first of two doses in a medication abortion. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved such a treatment, and the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists says the treatment is “not based on science” and does “not meet clinical standards.” (Kreemer, 3/24)

A Coastal Georgia district attorney and a Superior Court judge said Monday they were doubtful that enough evidence exists to move forward with a malice murder charge against a 31-year-old Camden County mother arrested earlier this month for an alleged illegal abortion, paving the way for a possible reduction or dismissal of charges. (Gibbs, 3/25)

The University of Oregon recently announced the school will begin offering abortion pills to its students beginning in the fall. The Lund Report, an independent outlet that covers health news for Oregon and southwest Washington, reported the school will start offering mifepristone and misoprostol to students at the university health center only. (de Guidice, 3/25)

A measles outbreak in Washtenaw County, Michigan, has expanded to seven cases now under investigation – a mix of children and adults, all of them who were unvaccinated against measles. The Washtenaw County Health Department gave an update on the outbreak on Wednesday, saying the most recent case, involving a young child, might have resulted in measles exposure at a hospital in Ypsilanti. (Wethington, 3/25)

On Medicaid coverage —

As many as 10 million people could lose Medicaid coverage in 2028 following the rollout of new work requirements established under H.R. 1, a new study shows. Analysts at the Urban Institute, a left-leaning think tank, estimate that between 4.9 million and 10.1 million individuals would lose access to Medicaid, depending on how intensive eligibility checks ultimately become. The study estimates that between 2 million and 3.1 million will lose their Medicaid coverage because their eligibility would be checked more frequently, while between 3 million and 7 million would lose coverage due to the work requirements alone. (Minemyer, 3/25)

Indiana is barring one of the nation’s most expensive autism-therapy providers from billing the state’s Medicaid program two weeks after the company’s practices were detailed in a Wall Street Journal article, state officials said. The autism-therapy provider, Piece by Piece Autism Centers, received the highest per-patient payments in the country in 2023—about $340,000 on average—according to a Journal analysis of Medicaid billing records. (Weaver, 3/25)

More health news from across the U.S. —

West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park is temporarily shutting down its patient care amid a yearlong financial crisis, village and hospital officials said. Walk-in patients were no longer accepted after 4 p.m. Wednesday, and Oak Park Fire Department officials were informed the hospital’s emergency room was no longer accepting ambulances. (Hardy, 3/25)

San Francisco could empower its permanent supportive housing facilities to evict residents for using drugs, a move proponents say would help the people struggling to get sober in city-funded buildings. Permanent supportive housing aims to combine subsidized housing with individualized support services, especially for the formerly homeless. The city currently follows state guidance — which provides that the use of alcohol or drugs can’t be the sole reason for eviction — as a blanket rule across its more than 15,000 units. (Hodgman, 3/25)

Missourians struggling with a substance use disorder while lacking stable housing were 50% less likely to use an illicit drug within 30 days thanks to a specialized free app. That's according to a Washington University School of Medicine study. (Lewis-Thompson, 3/25)

A new report looks to shed some light on how environmental factors in Iowa could affect cancer rates. The report by the Iowa Environmental Council and the Harkin Institute summarizes peer-reviewed scientific research surrounding cancer risk and environmental factors, like nitrate, PFAS, radon and pesticides. (Krebs, 3/25)

El Paso and Los Angeles were among the most polluted areas in the United States last year, according to a new air quality report that evaluated pollution levels around the world in 2025. The report is the latest iteration of a global analysis that the Swiss technology company IQAir publishes annually. This one centered on some of the causes of declining air quality worldwide, including wildfires, which the report's authors cited as a leading driver of the downward trend. (Czachor, 3/25)

New research from Argentina suggests a potential link between a commonly used herbicide and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In a study published this week in Frontiers in Microbiology, a team led by researchers from the University of Buenos Aires assessed resistance to glyphosate in environmental bacteria from soil and bacteria collected from Argentinian hospitals. (Dall, 3/25)

Setidegrasib showed promising efficacy in patients with previously treated advanced KRAS G12D-mutated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), results from a phase I trial suggested. (Bassett, 3/25)

An intervention designed to promote high fluid intake failed to reduce symptomatic stone recurrence in patients with a history of urinary stone disease, a randomized trial showed. (Bassett, 3/23)

A hormone traditionally used to treat bone loss may hold the key to stopping chronic back pain at its source, according to a new study. Chronic back pain is often linked to the deterioration of spinal discs and vertebral end plates, which are the thin layers of tissue separating the discs from the vertebrae, according to medical sources. (Quill, 3/25)

The concept of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance during CPR hit a wall when tested for the first time in a randomized trial. For patients who were in a prolonged out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and very sick upon arrival to an emergency department (ED), subsequent performance of TEE-guided CPR with compression site adjustment was no better than standard CPR. (Lou, 3/23)

FDA scientists warn that some popular peptides are ineffective and potentially dangerous. (3/24)

By her second period, Leah Chapman could not get out of bed. She was 12, on vacation with her family in Colorado, and the pain was so severe she stayed inside while everyone else went out. It would take 20 years before someone formally diagnosed her with endometriosis. (Sarah Berg, 3/26)

The latest effort to make healthy women believe they are ill is a new movie on perimenopause, “The M Factor 2: Before the Pause,” which debuted March 19 on PBS. The film is a sequel to “The M Factor,” a movie that not only medicalized menopause, but lost accreditation as an education activity for physicians after our project coordinated a complaint that was co-signed by international women’s health experts. (Patricia Bencivenga and Adriane Fugh-Berman, 3/26)

The Affordable Care Act (ACA)  core goals are to make healthcare available to more people, improve the quality and accessibility of care, and lower overall healthcare costs. It aimed for a fundamental transformation of the U.S. healthcare system by focusing on shared responsibility, consumer protection (like pre-existing conditions), and innovation.  (Howard A. Selinger M.D., 3/25)

It is indefensible that a health insurer can award eight-figure salaries while households absorb devastating premium hikes. (Barbara Hoare, 3/26)