Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 190
Trump Is Everywhere
“The Trump administration is crafting plans that would allow the temporary sale of certain previously restricted peptides as federal health officials hammer out new regulations around the controversial products,” the Washington Post reports.
“Such a move would allow some compounding pharmacies to dispense certain peptides marketed as new medical treatments and wellness products even as the claims for what they treat have not been fully safety tested.”
“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who has long questioned the safety of vaccines, is planning a broad federal effort to address vaccine injuries, including a new research clinic at the National Institutes of Health and a new billing code to reimburse doctors for filing reports of serious vaccine side effects,” the New York Times reports.
“An accelerating measles outbreak in Pennsylvania is now the country’s biggest since 1991—as declining vaccination rates have made parts of the country vulnerable to surges of a disease that was eliminated more than two decades ago,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Back in the summer, physician and former Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup and Trump-aligned pollster John McLaughlin offered coaching to House Republicans on how to talk about health care: Lean in,” the Washington Sun reports.
“Republican strategists say the party has treated the topic as Democratic turf for years, and such advice may sound counterintuitive a year after Republicans passed $1 trillion in federal health care budget cuts.”
“But some GOP lawmakers are taking it, running ads on targeted health care subjects in swing districts in states like Iowa, New York and New Jersey, where candidates and strategists recognize they need an affirmative response — especially as open-enrollment season opens this month for millions of Americans.”
KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”
“Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health officials said Monday, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades,” MS NOW reports.
“The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 reported cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nation has seen eight reported measles-associated deaths in the past two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades.”
“The White House is monitoring reports of a suspected plague case and a related quarantines in Russia, a Trump administration official told Axios on Sunday,” Axios reports.
“Russian health authorities have taken precautionary measures in response to the death of a woman who worked at an anti-plague research factility, but have not confirmed that she contracted plague.”
Mother Jones: Reports of a lethal virus outbreak in Russia follow the death of a researcher.
The Economist: “On the night of the midterm elections in 2018, Nancy Pelosi, preparing to reclaim her position as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, said Democrats’ victory was about two things: restoring Congress as a check to Donald Trump, then in his first term, and stopping ‘assaults’ on health care.”
“The year before, Republicans had attempted to repeal Barack Obama’s signature health-care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Democrats jumped on the issue; one analysis found that it was the most common topic of their ads in the months before the election.”
“President Trump is putting a half-billion dollars in the mail — and making sure Americans know who to thank for it,” the New York Post reports.
“About 950,000 Obamacare enrollees in 30 states will receive $500 checks as early as this week — premised on the Biden administration’s alleged overcharging of user fees to health insurance companies, which in turn charged consumers higher rates.”
“Pennsylvania’s health department reported 943 measles cases as of Wednesday, according to its website, as the state grapples with a growing outbreak of the highly contagious disease,” Reuters reports.
“President Donald Trump’s pick for surgeon general cleared a major hurdle Wednesday as the Senate health committee voted to advance her nomination to the floor,” the Washington Post reports.
“In a 12-11 party line vote, Nicole Saphier — a former Fox News contributor and radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York — took a step closer to becoming the nation’s top doctor. The move marks Trump’s third attempt to fill the role.”
“Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic effort on Tuesday to overturn a Trump administration rule they say will make it harder for people to enroll in Affordable Care Act health insurance plans and raise costs for existing participants,” the Washington Sun reports.
“Democrats forced a vote to undo the regulation under the Congressional Review Act, which failed 48-50, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) joining with Democrats to support the measure.”
CBS News: “The summer was marred by a massive foodborne outbreak that sickened scores of people and and the recall of tens of thousands of pounds of imported meat, turning the safety of the U.S. food supply into a topic of national conversation and a political cause.”
“Late-night talk show hosts joked about symptoms that included explosive diarrhea. As a precaution, chain restaurants such as Chipotle and Taco Bell yanked lettuce, jalapeños, and other suspected products from menus. Some food safety scientists blamed the outbreaks on federal cuts to public health.”
“These dynamics collectively have raised questions about whether it’s safe to order a salad or burger.”
“The Trump administration is holding back Covid vaccines for all children in at least 11 states and one U.S. territory, and officials have not indicated when or whether the shots will become available,” The Guardian reports.
“It’s the latest step by top officials to restrict vaccines in America – and it sets a precedent for holding back other immunizations.”
“Vice President JD Vance and administration officials are set to announce Tuesday that they are removing hundreds of thousands of people from Affordable Care Act coverage, saying that they were fraudulently enrolled in the government health program,” the Washington Post reports.
Bloomberg: Trump administration to remove 750,000 from Obamacare rolls.
“The willingness to confront powerful health care interests is becoming a litmus test for candidates in congressional battleground races with six weeks to go before the midterm elections,” Axios reports.
“Forget the old Affordable Care Act wars. Anxiety over health care costs is driving a new brand of populism, as Republicans and Democrats try to outdo each other with tough messages about taking on drug companies, insurers, pharmacy benefit managers and other industries.”
“Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Sunday urged the president to be ‘radically honest’ when he’s speaking about vaccines, as the U.S. this year has recorded the most measles cases in more than three decades,” CBS News reports.
Said Cassidy: “I would just ask the president to be aware that people are listening to him — if he discourages immunization, there’ll be fewer people immunized, and if we’re speaking of measles, there’ll be more people sick in the hospital or even die.”
“The Trump administration’s confidential deals with pharmaceutical companies to lower U.S. drug prices include inducements to raise drug prices overseas and promise protection from President Donald Trump’s tariffs,” the Washington Post reports.
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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