Over 17,000 Docs Reject RFK Jr.; Trump’s Disease-Border Plan; Afib and Eye Strokes

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A letter signed by more than 17,000 doctors urges Senators to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary, calling the nomination a “slap in the face.” (CBS News)

Meanwhile, a Biden appointee at the VA who advocates treating mental health disorders with psychedelic drugs, wants to join forces with Kennedy. (Politico)

The death toll from the Los Angeles fires has now reached 10. (NPR)

Several hospitals and medicals centers have been forced to temporarily close offices and clinics as the wildfires continue to spread. (ABC News)

In related news, Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024 and breached a key threshold, weather monitoring agencies announced. (AP)

Advisors to president-elect Donald Trump are trying to identify a disease that will help them enact Title 42 to close the border to immigrants, similar to the restrictions enacted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. (New York Times)

A Texas physician said she had to scrub out mid-surgery as UnitedHealthcare called to ask if a cancer patient’s breast reconstruction procedure was necessary. (Newsweek)

Overdose death rates in the U.S. remain higher — by a substantial margin — than in other countries, according to a report from the Commonwealth Fund.

China detected a cluster of the new clade Ib mpox strain. (Reuters via MSN)

Enrollment at U.S. medical schools reached an all-time high for 2024-2025, though first-year enrollees from groups underrepresented in medicine declined, reversing a decade-long trend, data from the Association of American Medical Colleges showed.

Belgium’s food agency is warning citizens not to eat their Christmas trees. (New York Times)

Meanwhile, a small town in Italy is forbidding its citizens from getting sick due to a lack of resources. (CNN)

Here’s what to know about healthcare when traveling abroad. (New York Times)

Lead and cadmium were found in many types of protein powders, according to a report from the Clean Label Project.

Peter Fenwick, MD, a neuropsychiatrist who was an expert on near-death experiences, died last year at age 89. (New York Times)

Atrial fibrillation was associated with an increased risk of retinal stroke in older adults, a large cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries found. (JAMA Network Open)

Former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck, who died a year ago after an apparent fall at his house, had stage III chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of his death. (USA Today)

Kentucky will receive $110 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the Kroger grocery chain of helping fuel the opioid epidemic. (AP)

In New Mexico, the Supreme Court struck down local ordinances that restricted access to abortion. (AP)

A New York county is warning its residents about a surge in rabies. (WABC)

Healthcare advocates in California are advocating for a change in a Medi-Cal rule they say hurts low-income seniors. (Cal Matters)