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Trump changes mind on surgeon general pick, tapping wellness influencer close to RFK Jr.

Trump changes mind on surgeon general pick, tapping wellness influencer close to RFK Jr.

USA Today07-05-2025
Trump changes mind on surgeon general pick, tapping wellness influencer close to RFK Jr.
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Trump praises Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin during Carney presser
During a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, President Donald Trump appeared to mistake ice hockey player Alex Ovechkin as Canadian.
President Donald Trump is reversing himself on who should be the next U.S. surgeon general, tapping a wellness influencer who is close to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the role just one day before the scheduled Senate confirmation hearing for his first pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat.
In a May 7 post on Truth Social, Trump touted Dr. Casey Means' credentials as a functional medicines physician while also announcing he was pulling Nesheiwat's nomination.
"Casey has impeccable 'MAHA' credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans," Trump said in a Truth Social post, referring to the "Make America Healthy Again" slogan.
Trump said Nesheiwat - the sister-in-law to former national security adviser Michael Waltz - would instead be working in "another capacity" at the Department of Health and Human Services
Means is the sibling of Calley Means, who works as an advisor to Kennedy.
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What is Legionnaires' disease and how do you get it? Pneumonia-like outbreak sweeps Harlem, killing two
What is Legionnaires' disease and how do you get it? Pneumonia-like outbreak sweeps Harlem, killing two

New York Post

time17 minutes ago

  • New York Post

What is Legionnaires' disease and how do you get it? Pneumonia-like outbreak sweeps Harlem, killing two

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Hey Jane expands to Michigan, offering telehealth medication abortions, other online care
Hey Jane expands to Michigan, offering telehealth medication abortions, other online care

Yahoo

time24 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Hey Jane expands to Michigan, offering telehealth medication abortions, other online care

New York-based Hey Jane has expanded its telehealth business to Michigan, offering abortion pills and emergency contraception, also known as the morning-after pill or Plan B, as well as birth control and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, yeast infections, urinary tract infections and more. "We really do view it as an important step to increase access for reproductive and sexual health care in the states, and in particular, in states that have taken really significant action to protect (abortion) care," said Kiki Freedman, co-founder and CEO of Hey Jane, which now operates in 22 states and the District of Columbia. "We ... want to be sure Michiganders have as many options as possible." The expansion of Hey Jane into Michigan comes as access to in-person abortion and other reproductive health care shrinks in the state — despite a 2022 ballot initiative that amended the Michigan constitution to protect the right to legal abortion. 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Then in July, Congress passed the sweeping "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," and President Donald Trump swiftly signed the legislation into law. Among the provisions: a one-year ban on federal Medicaid payments to any large, nonprofit health center that also provides abortions. That meant that Planned Parenthood affiliates would be unable to get Medicaid reimbursements even for such services as cancer screenings, family planning visits, counseling, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. Federal law already prohibited the use of Medicaid dollars to pay for abortions, except in very limited circumstances. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, called it "a backdoor abortion ban" that would force the closure of as many as 200 more of its health centers. Did Medicaid funding stop for Planned Parenthood affiliates? Yes, for a little while. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah sued the Trump administration on July 7, saying the law violated their First Amendment and equal protection rights. The same day, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a temporary halt to the funding freeze, but the order expired after 14 days. Planned Parenthood said some of its health centers had to stop billing Medicaid, Reuters reported, when the temporary injunction expired. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the attorneys general of more than 20 other states, the District of Columbia and New Jersey Gov. Josh Shapiro, also sued. 'The Trump Administration's push to strip funding from these providers is an unlawful political tactic aimed at undermining care, even in states like Michigan, where the right to reproductive freedom is protected by our constitution," Nessel said in a statement. National Right to Life President Carol Tobias, however, said the Planned Parenthood affiliates' federal lawsuit was a "desperate attempt" to take public dollars. 'Planned Parenthood's priority is abortion — not women's health, not compassion, and certainly not life,' Tobias said in a statement. On July 28, Talwani issued another ruling, finding in favor of the Planned Parenthood affiliates. She said the federal government "shall take all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed." White House spokesperson Harrison Fields called her decision "not only absurd but illogical and incorrect," Reuters reported, noting that the Trump administration had appealed an earlier decision in the same case. "It is orders like these that underscore the audacity of the lower courts as well as the chaos within the judicial branch," Fields said in a statement. "We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue." 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UB Neurosurgery and Ambulatory Neurosurgery Center (ANSC™) in partnership with NOVA Neuro, Awarded First-of-Its-Kind Grant to Decode Brain Aneurysm Risk Powered by Artificial Intelligence
UB Neurosurgery and Ambulatory Neurosurgery Center (ANSC™) in partnership with NOVA Neuro, Awarded First-of-Its-Kind Grant to Decode Brain Aneurysm Risk Powered by Artificial Intelligence

Business Wire

timean hour ago

  • Business Wire

UB Neurosurgery and Ambulatory Neurosurgery Center (ANSC™) in partnership with NOVA Neuro, Awarded First-of-Its-Kind Grant to Decode Brain Aneurysm Risk Powered by Artificial Intelligence

BUFFALO, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a historic fusion of cutting-edge, powerful artificial intelligence (AI), neurotechnology, and neuroscience, University at Buffalo Neurosurgery (UBNS) and ANSC™ has been awarded $144,500 grant to launch the world's first multi-omics research initiative aimed at predicting the risk and rupture potential of intracranial aneurysms (IA) using artificial intelligence. This is the first grant in the world to apply powerful AI to study brain aneurysms, integrating clinical and molecular data using proprietary multimodal models powered by high-performance computing. Share NOVA Neuro, in partnership with UB Neurosurgery, ANSC™, and Prima Mente – a breakthrough precision multi-comics neuroscience company – has assembled a multidisciplinary team integrating clinical and molecular data using proprietary multimodal models powered by high-performance computing. This model will drive and accelerate predictive modelling developing the world's first personalized aneurysm rupture risk assessment tool. Leveraging methodologies pioneered by world leaders in AI-driven precision biology and neural modeling, this project represents a new frontier in brain health prediction. This is the first grant in the world to apply powerful AI to study brain aneurysms by analyzing a wide range of biological data, including genes, proteins, and other molecular information. 'This isn't just research – it's a movement to finally answer the question every family member of an aneurysm patient asks: 'Am I at risk?'' explains Elad I. Levy, MD, MBA, FAANS, FACS, Chair of Neurosurgery at UBNS, ANSC™ Head of Research, Co-PI. 'With an AI-driven, data-intensive approach, we hope to unlock the neurogenomics of rupture before it's too late,' explains Rosalind Lai, MD, FAANS, UBNS Attending, Co-PI. An estimated 6.5 million Americans (1 in 50), live with an unruptured brain aneurysm. Women are disproportionately affected, and the risk triples when a first-degree relative has had an aneurysm. Brain aneurysm ruptures lead to death in 50% of cases. No diagnostic tools exist to stratify risk using biological data. This project seeks to change that. The Missy Project was founded by Mary and Enidio Magel after their 12-year-old daughter Marisa 'Missy' Magel passed away suddenly while at summer camp. 'Missy's name and legacy lives on through this project, which has the potential to protect countless families from enduring the pain, we did. It's a promise to her, and a hope for others,' said Mary Magel, Executive Director of The Missy Project and Missy's mother. 'This incredible grant represents our deepest hope, to spare another family from what the Magel's endured,' says Aimee C. de Gaetano, PhD (ABD), MPH, RD, Co-Founder NOVA Neuro, ANSC™ Emerging Technologies, Co-PI. 'To honor her legacy, our goal is to name the predictive risk model after Missy.' 'For too long, families affected by brain aneurysms have lived in uncertainty, with no clear way to understand their risk to take preventive action. This research is a critical step toward changing that reality,' says Craig Kemper, MD, FAANS, FACS, Neurosurgeon, Sub-PI, Missy Project Medical Advisory Board Member. This initiative sets a new precedent in how neurological conditions, like intracranial aneurysms, may be predicted. 'For the first time, we have the ability to combine biological and clinical signals to model the hidden processes that drive aneurysm rupture,' said Ravi Solanki, CEO of Prima Mente. This collaboration has attracted significant attention from the international scientific community and investors for its bold convergence of AI, precision medicine, and compassionate neuroscience. About UB Neurosurgery (UBNS) and ANSC™ global leader, pioneer in neurosurgical innovation, first full-service outpatient neurosurgery center, and clinical research leader. About NOVA Neuro a division of Alts Ventures, advancing neurological conditions, brain health, and patient outcomes through data, discovery, cutting-edge innovation and disruptive technologies.

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