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RFK Jr.’s Very Bad Week

Episode 437

March 12, 2026

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had another tough week. In addition to Kennedy having rotator cuff surgery, the nomination of his ally to become surgeon general is teetering, the controversial head of the FDA's vaccine center is resigning next month, and a new survey shows Americans trust government health officials less than they do former Biden official Anthony Fauci. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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A man works with a polishing tool on the edge of a countertop. Dust can be seen flying in the air around the tool. Some of the dust has settled in the man's hair.

As Lung Disease Threatens Workers, Lawmakers Seek Protections for Countertop Manufacturers

Crystalline silica, which is released into the air when workers cut and polish engineered stone, can scar human lungs beyond repair. Kitchen countertops made with this stone have triggered an increased rate of this fatal illness, doctors say.

By Céline Gounder

March 12, 2026

Two photos shown side by side: On the left, a young boy has a bloody gauze in his mouth. On the right, a hand holds an extracted tooth.

More Kids Are in ERs for Tooth Pain. Trump Cuts and RFK Jr.’s Anti-Fluoride Fight Aren’t Helping.

Dentists, hygienists, and researchers say a shortage of rural dental care professionals and worsening oral hygiene since the covid-19 pandemic mean more kids are ending up in the emergency room for tooth decay.

By Farrell Brenner and Angela Y. Zhang

March 10, 2026

California governor Gavin Newsom stands before an American flag

Newsom Picks a Dogfight With Trump and RFK Jr. on Public Health

Scientists are cheering California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he builds a public health bulwark against health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine stance and President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization. Still, federal cuts have sapped morale and left local health departments less prepared for outbreaks.

By Angela Hart

March 9, 2026

The Week in Brief

The NIH Workforce Is Its Smallest in Decades. Here’s the Work Left Behind.

Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.

By Rachana Pradhan and Katheryn Houghton

March 6, 2026

Bill Cassidy sits behind the dais in a Senate hearing room. He is speaking while holding both his glasses and a pencil in his left hand.

This Doctor-Senator Who Backed RFK Jr. Now Faces a Fight for His Job — And His Legacy

A year after Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, warily cast the vote ensuring Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ascension to Health and Human Services secretary, his life’s work — in medicine and in politics — is unraveling.

By Amanda Seitz

March 6, 2026

What the Health? From ��ýҕ�l Health News

40 Years of Health Policy

Episode 436

March 5, 2026

This month is 40 years since host Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent for ��ýҕ�l Health News, began reporting on health policy in Washington. To mark the anniversary, Rovner is joined by two longtime sources to discuss what has — and has not — changed since 1986.

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Turquoise paint peels off of a metal pole. Trees are out of focus in the background.

Federal Aid for Lead Cleanup Is Receding. That’s a Problem for Cash-Strapped Cities.

Congress and the Trump administration are rolling back some lead remediation resources. Case studies of two cities and a state that faced lead contamination problems could give cash-strapped cities ideas of how to address such pollution themselves.

By Halle Parker, Verite News

March 3, 2026

��ýҕ�l Health News On Air

ICE, ALS, Addiction Medicine, and Robotic Ultrasounds: Journalists Sound Off on All That and More

��ýҕ�l Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Feb. 28, 2026

What the Health? From ��ýҕ�l Health News

What About the State of Health?

Episode 435

Feb. 26, 2026

Health care got barely a mention in President Trump’s State of the Union address. Ahead of the midterms, the Trump administration has presented few concrete plans to address what Americans say is the biggest problem with health care: its skyrocketing costs. Meanwhile, Trump’s pick for surgeon general, Casey Means, got her long-delayed nomination hearing in the Senate, where she faced skeptical questions from Democrats and Republicans alike. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

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Hospitals Fighting Measles Confront a Challenge: Few Doctors Have Seen It Before

As the number of cases grows to about 1,000 in the Carolinas, health care workers who’ve never seen the vaccine-preventable disease can get caught by surprise.

By Andrew Jones

Feb. 24, 2026

A woman sits on a couch with a young baby in her left arm and her right hand petting a brown dog sitting beside her. She smiles at the camera.

New Orleans Brings Back the House Call, Sending Nurses To Visit Newborns and Moms

Louisiana is one of the worst-performing states when it comes to health outcomes of mothers and infants. New Orleans is trying to catch health issues early and get families off to an easier start by adding health visits during the crucial first months of life.

By Rosemary Westwood, WWNO

Feb. 23, 2026

What the Health? From ��ýҕ�l Health News

Turnarounds and Shake-Ups

Episode 434

Feb. 19, 2026

The twists and turns continue at the nation’s health agency, where this week’s announcements included notice that the FDA will review Moderna’s new flu vaccine after all and that a handful of top agency officials are getting new jobs. Those developments and others can be traced to a White House looking to shake things up before the midterms — and win over voters on health care. Tami Luhby of CNN, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Mary Agnes Carey to discuss these stories and more.

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��ýҕ�l Health News On Air

Journalists Unpack Impact of ICE Arrests on Families and Caffeine’s Effect on Dementia Risk

��ýҕ�l Health News journalists made the rounds on national or local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Feb. 14, 2026

A photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at his confirmation hearing in a Senate hearing room.

RFK Jr. Made Promises in Order To Become Health Secretary. He’s Broken Many of Them.

Before being confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told U.S. senators he would not cut funding for vaccine research or change the nation’s official vaccine recommendations. He did both.

By Amanda Seitz

Feb. 13, 2026

What the Health? From ��ýҕ�l Health News

New Flu Vax? FDA Says No Thanks

Episode 433

Feb. 12, 2026

It’s been a busy week at the FDA, with a political appointee overruling agency scientists to reject an application for a new flu vaccine. Meanwhile, anti-abortion Republicans on Capitol Hill complain the agency is dragging its feet on reviewing the abortion pill mifepristone. Jackie Fortiér of ��ýҕ�l Health News, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join ��ýҕ�l Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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A view of a bridge crossing a muddy river with another bridge in the background

Louisville Found PFAS in Drinking Water. The Trump Administration Wouldn’t Require Any Action.

After detecting a sudden spike in PFAS in its drinking water, the city traced it upstream along the Ohio River to a factory in West Virginia. But the EPA has relaxed Biden-era plans to regulate PFAS levels. So what happens next?

By Morgan Watkins, Louisville Public Media

Feb. 12, 2026

A box of ivermectin tablets is shown in a pharmacy.

US Cancer Institute Studying Ivermectin’s ‘Ability To Kill Cancer Cells’

At a January event organized by allies of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., National Cancer Institute Director Anthony Letai said results may be released “in a few months.” Ivermectin, used to deworm horses and other animals, has become a symbol of resistance against the medical establishment among supporters of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and many conservatives.

By Rachana Pradhan

Feb. 10, 2026

Four uniformed U.S. Public Health officers look out of frame.

Public Health Workers Are Quitting Over Assignments to Guantánamo

U.S. Public Health Service doctors and nurses are being deployed to Guantánamo and other detention centers as President Donald Trump escalates mass arrests in his campaign to curb immigration. Some have resigned in protest. Others offer a rare look into bleak conditions.

By Amy Maxmen

Feb. 9, 2026

An aerial view of the wreckage at Unicoi County Hospital after it flooded.

This Ballad Hospital, Flooded by Hurricane Helene, Will Be Rebuilt for $44M in a Flood Plain

Ballad Health, the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, plans to rebuild Unicoi County Hospital on land that two climate modeling companies say is at risk of flooding.

By Brett Kelman

Feb. 9, 2026

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