Sarah Todd

In its campaign against gender-affirming care, Trump administration seeks to clear a big legal hurdle A federal appeals court will hear arguments Friday in the Trump administration's effort to subpoena patient records on gender-affirming care

Federal judges have consistently quashed DOJ subpoenas on gender-affirming care, often using strong language to call the investigations an overreach executed “in bad faith.” Today, the DOJ got its first shot at an appeal against a small telehealth clinic. The stakes: www.statnews.com/2026/03/06/t...

More than 50 medical schools will expand nutrition education in agreement with RFK Jr. At a time when his vaccine policies are causing pushback from doctors, Kennedy's allies push nutrition education as an area of common ground.

More than 50 medical schools have committed to an RFK-led plan to expand nutrition education:

www.statnews.com/2026/03/05/m...

Jeffrey Epstein’s tissue samples ignited a furor in the Harvard lab of George Church Exclusive: Harvard geneticist George Church knew more about Jeffrey Epstein's activities than he has previously said, before accepting new donations from the sex offender.

Is Epstein's DNA "sitting in deep freezer somewhere at Harvard or its affiliated Boston hospitals in a state of suspended animation"? Stellar @mmolteni.bsky.social reporting on new details about Epstein & George Church's Personal Genome Project: www.statnews.com/2026/02/24/e...

Nature Medicine to investigate study that found cancer treatment is better in morning Nature Medicine starts an investigation into inconsistencies in a study that found it was better to have immunotherapy in the morning.

A study suggesting cancer immunotherapy is more effective when given in the morning made headlines -- and raised concerns the findings were too good to be true. A scientific journal is now investigating the study, @angusrohan.bsky.social reports for @statnews.com
www.statnews.com/2026/02/20/c...

Biohackers and wellness influencers are pushing nicotine as part of their ‘stacks’ As smoking rates fall in the U.S., startups and influencers are pushing the purported cognitive and health benefits of indulging in nicotine.

Nicotine is getting a reputational makeover as biohackers and wellness influencers embrace it for purported cognitive benefits. Startups are rising to meet the moment, while health experts worry about the consequences:

www.statnews.com/2026/02/20/n...

My biggest GLP-1 ethical problem: patients who don’t want to stop Some GLP-1 patients are begging to stay on the drugs just a little bit longer, presenting an ethical dilemma for doctors.

"There is such thing as too much weight loss" — a statement that should seem obvious but, in our current GLP-1-obsessed era, may not be to some patients susceptible to disordered eating and other issues. Great essay by endocrinologist Jody Dushay:

www.statnews.com/2026/02/19/g...

Should semen analysis become the Pap smear for men? Some men’s health experts say yes A "guy-necologist" makes a case that semen analysis should become a regular part of men's medical care.

Count on @missanabeem.bsky.social for good historical fun facts, including here: People in the 17th century thought sperm contained "a full, minuscule human, ready to be implanted and grow in the womb."

www.statnews.com/2026/02/19/s...

Drug injection fades as smoking grows more common, marking sea change in U.S. fentanyl epidemic Experts view a shift from injecting fentanyl to smoking it as a promising development that could cut overdose deaths and reduce needle-related harms.

More people who use fentanyl are switching to smoking rather than injecting the drug — a change that harm-reduction experts say is for the better. Read @levfacher.bsky.social :
www.statnews.com/2026/02/12/f...

Prasad overruled FDA staff to reject Moderna's flu vaccine application The rejection is the latest instance of Vinay Prasad overruling career FDA scientists to place vaccines under harsher scrutiny.

If you're not reading @lizzylawrence.bsky.social's stories on the FDA, you are missing out.

Today's scoop is that agency staff were poised to evaluate Moderna's flu vaccine application but were overruled by Vinay Prasad, who refused to review the submission.

www.statnews.com/2026/02/11/m...

BREAKING: @lizzylawrence.bsky.social reports that CBER director Vinay Prasad overruled career #FDA staff and unilaterally decided to refusal to accept #Moderna 's #flu vaccine submission. www.statnews.com/2026/02/11/m...

FDA to reassess the safety of BHA, a preservative used in popular snack foods Federal health officials will reassess the safety of a chemical called BHA used in foods including potato chips, cereals, frozen meals and meat products. The U.S.

apnews.com/article/fda-...
FDA to reassess the safety of BHA, a preservative used in popular snack foods

We tested the government’s official new A.I. nutrition tool: Grok Realfood.gov now features a chatbot tool that’s Elon Musk-affiliated — and rather skeptical of some MAHA initiatives.

"How many sticks of butter should I eat per day?} + more questions for Grok, the new AI tool on RealFood.Gov

www.statnews.com/2026/02/10/n...

The push to turn Big Food into the new Big Tobacco Can the anti-tobacco playbook work against ultra-processed food?

The push to turn Big Food into the new Big Tobacco

Excellent reporting by @sarah-todd.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/m...

Texas plant-based meat labeling law struck down by court The measure required companies to use a font for words like “meatless” or “analogue” that was as large or larger than the product name.

A win for plant-based meat:

www.fooddive.com/news/texas-p...

As STAT’s friendly neighborhood PhD chemist, I am here to remind you that everything is chemicals no matter where it comes from. “Natural” vanilla includes vanillin made from tree pulp waste, and just because a dye is “natural” doesn’t mean it’s necessarily squeezed from the teat of a beet. The FDA’s new working definition of “natural” dyes includes dyes that are manufactured via fermentation from yeast, algae, or fungi; mixed or reacted with other chemicals, or extracted from plants bred to maximize color production. —Brittany Trang

Proud of this contribution to today's Morning Rounds — and not just because I managed to get "squeezed from the teat of a beet" into the newsletter.

#chemistry #food #fda

Oregon 7-year-old still being held at Texas detention center amid measles outbreak Lawmakers and lawyers are working to get the family, which has a pending asylum claim, released.

7-year-old Diana Crespo was on her way to get emergency medical care when ICE grabbed her along with her parents. She's still being held in detention.

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

Fearing ICE crackdown, immigrants nationally are avoiding treatment, sometimes with dire consequences Doctors nationally are describing harrowing consequences for patients who put off medical care because of fears of ICE.

The ICE crackdown is having all kinds of far-reaching consequences — including on immigrants' health. @danielpayne.bsky.social reports on how patients are delaying or avoiding treatment because of the risks of leaving their homes, leading to unnecessary suffering

www.statnews.com/2026/02/03/i...

MAHA says its new food pyramid is affordable and healthy. We asked experts How affordable are the new dietary guidelines? Economists and nutrition experts weigh in.

Great analysis and resource on food prices resource from
@willmasters.bsky.social @tuftsnutrition.bsky.social.

As with many things MAHA, a mixed bag.

Via @sarah-todd.bsky.social @statnews.com

As male birth control gets closer to reality, men are lining up for clinical trials It was long believed that men wouldn't reliably use birth control, but many are signing up for clinical trials of experimental male contraceptives.

Three male birth control products are just a few years away from potentially going on the market — and men who want to help take the burden off women are lining up for clinical trials, @missanabeem.bsky.social reports:

www.statnews.com/2026/02/02/m...

Do mornings make cancer immunotherapy more effective? Study: Maybe A curious phenomenon seen by oncologists, that morning patients do better than those receiving afternoon infusions, gains credence in a clinical trial.

A small but intriguing randomized trial suggests getting immunotherapy in the AM is better for cancer patients:

www.statnews.com/2026/02/02/c...

Dogs might be the secret to getting some anxious patients in the dentist’s chair Been avoiding the dentist? Would knowing a dog is waiting for you make a difference?

Dogs at the dentist? Yes please: www.statnews.com/2026/01/28/d...

Endometriosis often takes years to diagnose. Startups want to change that At least a dozen biotech companies are developing tools to diagnose endometriosis more easily.

A dozen startups are working on diagnostic tools for endometriosis. An interesting caveat from one OB/GYN: "If every physician were trained in the signs and symptoms of endometriosis, a simple diagnostic tool likely wouldn’t be necessary." @theresagaff.bsky.social

www.statnews.com/2026/01/26/e...

Alex Pretti remembered by health care workers at a Minneapolis vigil as a ‘stand-up guy’ Health care workers brought flowers and wreaths, lit candles, and draped stethoscopes over a wooden cross as a makeshift memorial to nurse Alex Pretti.

Remembering Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse killed by Border Patrol this weekend: “He didn’t have to think about doing the right thing, it was just in his blood.” @mmolteni.bsky.social reports from the scene:

www.statnews.com/2026/01/26/a...

Top CDC vaccine adviser questions need for polio shot, other longstanding recommendations The chair of a federal vaccine advisory panel charted a new course for the committee in a podcast released Thursday, questioning longstanding recommendations.

So we are the point of questioning polio vaccines.

The chair of ACIP: “I think also, as you look at polio, we need to not be afraid to consider that we are in a different time now than we were then..."

www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/v...

What RFK Jr.’s milk mustache says about the historic power of dairy in the U.S. Milk is getting an AI-assisted push from federal officials. Will other foods favored by MAHA get similar treatment?

What RFK Jr.’s milk mustache says about the historic power of dairy in the U.S.  www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/n... by @sarah-todd.bsky.social @statnews.com

What RFK Jr.’s milk mustache says about the historic power of dairy in the U.S. Milk is getting an AI-assisted push from federal officials. Will other foods favored by MAHA get similar treatment?

Turns out there's a lot of historical precedent for the government's new milk mustache campaign! Dive in for some early 20th century eugenics history + 1990s throwback trivia:

www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/n...

Does hard work really pay off? In journalism, there are no guarantees that it will lead to raises or promotions. But that doesn't mean hard work is pointless.

Does hard work really pay off? It's a question a lot of journalists are mulling amid widespread layoffs and other sources of turmoil:

thewritethrough.substack.com/p/does-hard-...

Is 'shared decision-making' being hijacked by U.S. health officials to sow doubt about vaccines? Experts worry that health officials' use of 'shared decision-making' in new vaccine guidance distorts the concept's meaning and disregards the importance of evidence.

Shared clinical decision making was devised to help patients & their doctors make choices when the answer isn't clear cut. People who devised the approach fear it's being hijacked to undermine decades of study supporting #vaccines, @ericboodman.bsky.social writes. www.statnews.com/2026/01/20/s...

www.statnews.com/2026/01/16/a...

MAHA says its new food pyramid is affordable and healthy. We asked experts How affordable are the new dietary guidelines? Economists and nutrition experts weigh in.

Just how affordable are the new dietary guidelines? Food economists and nutrition experts weigh in on whether, and how, Rollins' claims of a $3 meal hold up:

www.statnews.com/2026/01/16/a...