Trump’s Gain-of-Function Plan; Is Anyone in Charge at CDC? Andie MacDowell’s Dx

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The Trump administration is crafting an executive order that would halt federal funding for gain-of-function research. (Wall Street Journal via MSN)

Meanwhile, Trump is cracking down on telework with a return-to-work order and MedPage Today plans to write about federal workers at health agencies who will be affected. Contact us here to tell your story.

House Republicans passed a “born alive” abortion bill; a similar bill in the Senate was blocked by Democrats. (The Hill)

Facebook and Instagram are reportedly blurring, blocking, and deleting posts of abortion pill providers. (New York Times)

Lawmakers in GOP-led states are pursuing bills that would treat abortion as a homicide. (The Guardian)

In Mississippi, a state senator introduced the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act,” a bill that would make it “unlawful for a person to discharge genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo.” (WLBT3)

Due to budget concerns, Colorado is planning to limit coverage of GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss for state employees. (Colorado Sun)

Nobody seems to know who’s in charge of the CDC. It’s expected that someone outside the agency will be tapped to serve as acting director. (CBS News)

UnitedHealthcare has a new CEO. (CNBC)

The World Health Organization is planning to cut costs and reprioritize after the U.S. withdrawal, set to take place on Jan. 22, 2026. (Reuters)

Soldiers who fire certain powerful weapons are exposed to blast waves that can injure the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the brain. (NPR)

The FDA granted clearance with a CLIA waiver for the cobas liat sexually transmitted infection (STI) assay, Roche announced; the point-of-care testing system can diagnose one of multiple STIs with a single sample in 20 minutes or less.

Actress Andie MacDowell revealed she suffers from piriformis syndrome, a condition that causes pain, numbness, or tingling in the buttocks and down the back of the leg. (USA Today)

For the past 3 years, a young woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been using social media to tell her story and raise awareness of the disease. (People)

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