Sexual health specialist up for big HHS role
Senators this week will hear from a doctor specializing in male sexual dysfunction who, if confirmed, will oversee Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s public health agenda.
Brian Christine, a longtime GOP donor and two-time losing candidate for office in Alabama, will make his case Wednesday to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that he's qualified to be the Department of Health and Human Services' assistant secretary for health.
Why it matters: Christine's remit at HHS would include areas of keen interest to Kennedy: a vaccine advisory committee and advisory panels on dietary guidance and physical fitness, among other responsibilities.
The assistant secretary's office will likely see a major overhaul. Its previous mandate had included combatting health inequities among racial groups — a measure that President Donald Trump and Kennedy deemed divisive and ultimately ended.
Christine is a urologist who specializes in erectile dysfunction and penile implant surgery. The Wall Street Journal reported in March that he'd advertised his services to transgender men.
His predecessor in the job, Dr. Rachel Levine, was the highest-ranking openly transgender person to serve in the federal government and used the position to promote gender-affirming care.
Despite his past ads, Christine said he'd never provided services to transgender men, and he's separately argued against the gender-affirmation model that major U.S. medical associations have embraced in treating transgender youth. Instead, he's urged 'corrective care' to help young people overcome gender dysphoria — the discomfort some transgender people experience when their bodies don't align with their gender.
What's next? Before Christine can begin the job, the HELP Committee must vote to recommend him to the full Senate, which would then vote on whether to confirm him.
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WORLD VIEW
The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, on Monday said countries in the bloc can implement their own national bans for minors on social media, our Eliza Gkritsi reports.
The move comes after member states, including France, Denmark and Spain, have called for social media restrictions, with some criticizing the EU for not acting quickly enough.
France and the Netherlands have supported an outright ban of social media for minors under 15. Greece has said it thinks parental consent should be required for children under a certain age. Denmark, which currently helms work in the Council of the EU, is pushing for stronger EU-level actions.
The commission also released technical specifications for an age verification app that could help verify if users are over 18 by using IDs and even facial recognition.
In the U.S.: Utah became the first state to require app stores, like Apple's and Google's, to check the age of people seeking to download social media apps. Kids under 18 have to get parental permission.
A number of other states are considering similar bills and Rep. John James (R-Mich.) has proposed an age verification bill in Congress. But despite a lot of interest, Washington hasn't settled on a plan to protect kids online.
Still, concern that social media is contributing to mental illness among children is widespread, with former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and a bipartisan group of 39 state attorneys general calling for warning labels last year.
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