EPA to put microplastics on study list of contaminants in drinking water Pharmaceuticals will also join candidate list of pollutants By Associated PressApril 2, 2026

https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/02/microplastics-in-water-epa-contaminant-list/

Neurocrine Biosciences to buy Soleno Therapeutics in $2.9B deal Neurocrine will acquire approved drug for rare disease that leaves people with insatiable hunger

https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/06/neurocrine-biosciences-soleno-therapeutics-acquisition-prader-willi-vykat/ By Allison DeAngelisApril 6, 2026 Biotech Startups and Venture Capital Reporter

How a four-month FDA delay forced a small biotech company to close its doors Kezar Life Sciences, developing a rare disease drug, blames agency dysfunction By Elaine ChenApril 6, 2026

How a four-month FDA delay forced a small biotech company to close its doors Kezar Life Sciences, developing a rare disease drug, blames agency dysfunction By Elaine ChenApril 6, 2026 Elaine Chen, a national biotech reporter, is the co-author of The Readout, a newsletter about the business, science, and politics of biotech. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/06/fda-delay-cited-in-closure-kezar-life-sciences-biotech-startup/

UnitedHealth Group is making a $3 billion bet on AI. What does it mean for patients? AI could change how important decisions about patients’ care are made By Casey RossApril 6, 2026

https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/06/unitedhealth-group-massive-artificial-intelligence-push-patient-implications/

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION +++ +++

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Modern Healthcare: Trump Budget Request Seeks HHS Cuts, Moves 340B Program Under CMS https://www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-regulation/mh-trump-budget-request-hhs-340b-cms/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--OZv7TTlZvOmc5Ld-ol3ZxPB29sAOmlEuzKDJ-EjOzUaW6Z_v-4TpNDJv6wpUZkZNvqwhywwHc8lGti9mIAQtTGOdGQQ&_hsmi=412346811&utm_content=412346811&utm_source=hs_email The White House is redoubling its efforts to overhaul the Health and Human Services Department and cut its funding by 12.5%, according to an outline for its fiscal 2027 budget proposal issued Friday. President Donald Trump is seeking to reduce HHS funding and revive last year’s efforts to reorganize the department, chiefly by moving the 340B Drug Pricing Program under the purview of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The administration also wants to establish a new agency that would oversee health priorities currently managed by multiple agencies. (Early, 4/3) Stat: NIH Would Get $5 Billion Cut Under Trump’s 2027 Budget, But Congress Unlikely To Go Along https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/03/trump-budget-nih-5-billion-cut-in-2027/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8B-bTRoukxAVRcpusuOvyDT1WGc4J0sXKFz0VGlgxxTGNDRaCicKbyXMamxIT41-A5vekYSE66aLTdLAtnML3NyeCN2A&_hsmi=412346811&utm_content=412346811&utm_source=hs_email Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine who chairs the appropriations committee, called the funding cuts to biomedical research “unwarranted” in a statement responding to the president’s proposed budget. ... In January, Congress offered a near total refutation of the administration’s plan, slightly increasing the NIH’s budget for the current federal fiscal year. In that funding package, legislators included language intended to prevent the NIH from implementing a 15% indirect-cost reimbursement cap. (Molteni and Oza, 4/3) CIDRAP: CDC, Health Groups Spent Millions To Buy Ads On Websites Flagged For Misinformation https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/anti-science/cdc-health-groups-spent-millions-buy-ads-websites-flagged-misinformation?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9C0_HaGKa5tshFNt3C8DzRbf_Vt4msQWuhQEzNSGMyFa21WVo1_UmeaL7YT4GvttixqsccDq1kvTVY-D8mKiTAAewh8Q&_hsmi=412346811&utm_content=412346811&utm_source=hs_email Government agencies, health advocacy groups, and health-related businesses spent nearly $37 million over four years to advertise on news websites accused of promoting misinformation, a new study shows. Although authors of the report question the wisdom of financially supporting websites whose content undermines public health, marketing experts say it’s important to reach vaccine-hesitant consumers, wherever they’re found. (Szabo, 4/3) Montana Free Press: Tribes In Montana Lose Millions After USDA Kills Farm Grants https://apnews.com/article/usda-farm-grants-terminated-piikani-lodge-e3e99c00bb4382d881ab8d389f57ceb8?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9jmUaGJDf9-ZldVhGK_om8fBgwHpTBj1fj6ti9Yz-9SLkDEk6j0jgTFmgAsBEWoxSSNBv7WQrig9x2o1U-n5TdgC3_Hw&_hsmi=412346811&utm_content=412346811&utm_source=hs_email Kim Paul, executive director of the Piikani Lodge Health Institute, a nonprofit on the Blackfeet Reservation that promotes health and well-being, saw the email notification flash across her computer screen as she was working late last week. It was the U.S. Department of Agriculture saying a nearly $9 million grant contract with Piikani Lodge had been terminated. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture has determined that awards under this program involved discriminatory preferences based on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and wasteful spending that did little to further lawful agricultural land purchases,” the USDA wrote. (Mabie, 4/3) AP: Toddler Suffered Alleged Abuse While In Federal Immigration Custody https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-trump-detention-abuse-b799ace25087c594339298685438e888?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--W_IPOOnXAad2w3M_wqG9Ni09BEgZ_NHiKKewNq9Evu-GidAoWiqxRcUMxHDCAyoPYo9OD153Bb9Mm7NmsqqcKaGXe6A&_hsmi=412346811&utm_content=412346811&utm_source=hs_email For five months, the young father waited for his 3-year-old daughter’s release from federal custody after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her mother, hoping through delays for their safe reunion. Only when he turned to the courts as a last resort did he learn that the girl had suffered alleged sexual abuse at the foster home where she’d been placed after immigration officials separated her from her mother. (Gonzalez, 4/5) Stat: What The Peptide Craze Reveals About Americans’ Relationship With Risk https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/06/rfk-jr-apparent-contradiction-peptides-vaccines-medical-libertarianism/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_kWQ-ov17oQBMRit6wgr1-61EuF14DvLqlyx6eNK0UMy05TXdrrIJ4BG8-KnGXk556hbl1v_X3s9lKe8e5V1hZ4i2Mxw&_hsmi=412346811&utm_content=412346811&utm_source=hs_email RFK Jr.'s apparent contradiction on vaccines and peptides reflects a deeper belief: Americans have a right to try and can choose their own risks. (Todd, 4/6)

Viewpoints: For Rural Communities, Rural Health Program Could Be Their Downfall; HRT Is About Living Better

https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/viewpoints-for-rural-communities-rural-health-program-could-be-their-downfall-hrt-is-about-living-better/

White House Budget Would Cut HHS Funding By 12.5%, Move 340B To CMS

White House Budget Would Cut HHS Funding By 12.5%, Move 340B To CMS The proposed budget includes cuts to several other agencies, including a $5 billion cut for the National Institutes of Health, which Stat reports Congress is unlikely to support. https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/white-house-budget-would-cut-hhs-funding-by-12-5-move-340b-to-cms/