Paging America

Purges and Implants and Grifting.. Oh My!

This week on the show, the Supreme Court has punted mifepristone access back to the notoriously hostile Fifth Circuit — a short-term win for advocates, but a longer-term gift to Republicans hoping to dodge the issue before the midterms. We break down what the ruling actually means and where Alito and Thomas signaled they want the case to go. Then we get into the chaotic state of public health leadership: the Trump administration tapped a penile implant specialist with a YouTube show called Erection Connection to front its hantavirus press conference. The surgeon general position remains vacant — until now, sort of, filled temporarily by a congressman’s wife. Plus: RFK Jr. is reclassifying hundreds of senior HHS career staff to strip their civil service protections, fired the leadership of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force without explanation, and his MAHA allies are celebrating after Sen. Bill Cassidy lost his Louisiana primary. We also look at stock trades suggesting Trump may have profited from insider knowledge on Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 drugs, the administration’s push to make European countries pay more for pharmaceuticals so Americans pay less, a quiet reversal on ACIP’s new charter, and TrumpRx’s new partnership with Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs. Plus, our interview with State Rep. Donovan McKinney, where he discusses Michiganders for Money Out of Politics, also known as Mop Up Michigan. It’s a ballot initiative to curb corporate influence in politics and address economic disparities. Representing the state’s lowest-income district, McKinney argues that corporate monopoly money stifles legislative action on crucial issues like rising healthcare costs and affordability. Background Reading: * The Hill: Supreme Court preserves abortion pill access over Alito, Thomas dissents [https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5879032-mifepristone-abortion-pills-ruling/] * ABORTION, EVERY DAY: Republicans Aren’t Done With Mifepristone [https://jessica.substack.com/p/republicans-arent-done-with-mifepristone] * CNN: Penile implant specialist with history of far-right comments led hantavirus presser [https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/15/politics/brian-christine-vaccine-skepticism-history] * KFF Health News: Trump Bought Stock in Drugmaker as His Government Boosted Its Obesity Drugs [https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/trump-stock-trades-eli-lilly-glp-1-weight-loss-drugs-invest-ethics-disclosures/] * The Hill: GOP House rep’s wife to perform duties of U.S. surgeon general [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5887225-stephanie-haridopolos-surgeon-general/] * STAT: Kennedy names interim surgeon general amid vacancies atop health department [https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/20/kennedy-names-stephanie-haridopolos-interim-surgeon-general/] * Bloomberg (via MSN): RFK Jr. taps Haridopolos as temporary surgeon general [https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/rfk-jr-taps-stephanie-haridopolos-as-temporary-surgeon-general/ar-AA23B7fx] * POLITICO: RFK Jr.’s department to make it easier to fire career staff [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/15/rfk-civil-service-job-protections-00925102] * POLITICO: RFK Jr. fires leaders of group that determines what insurers must cover [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/20/rfk-uspstf-preventive-care-task-force-00930447] * STAT: Top U.S. officials pressured Germany to pay more for prescription drugs [https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/15/trump-administration-presses-germany-presciption-drug-prices/] * Rep. Donavan McKinney’s House Dems webpage is HERE [https://housedems.com/donavan-mckinney/] * Planet Detroit: As Michigan insurance costs rise, ballot drive highlights Blue Cross lobbying [https://planetdetroit.org/2026/05/blue-cross-michigan-political-spending/] * The Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (Mop Up Michigan) website is HERE [https://mopupmichigan.org/] Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org [http://committeetoprotect.org/]. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org [feedback@pagingamerica.org] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe [https://www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Polling the MAHA Voter

With the midterm elections looming, a staggering 41% of Americans now identify with the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement. But who are these voters, and what do they actually want? Host Miles welcomes KFF Senior Survey Manager Lunna Lopes to go past the talking points and look straight at the data. Lunna shares surprising insights from KFF’s latest health tracking poll, revealing a diverse, cross-partisan electorate that cares deeply about kitchen-table issues like the cost of health care. Tune in to find out where these voters put their trust, how they view federal agencies like the FDA and CDC, and what both parties need to know to win them over in November. References: * The Washington Post: Why 41 percent of Americans say they identify with the MAHA movement [https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/05/06/maha-health-care-costs-poll/] * KFF Health Tracking Poll: MAHA and the Midterms [https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/kff-health-tracking-poll-maha-and-the-midterms/] Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org [http://committeetoprotect.org]. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org [feedback@pagingamerica.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe [https://www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

"Under-babied and over-medicated"

This week in health policy chaos: Mifepristone remains available for now after a series of last-minute court stays, but the Trump DOJ's silence in the case has legal experts baffled. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned rather than approve fruit-flavored vapes — beating Trump to the punch. A hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship exposed serious gaps in U.S. public health response, with CDC teams slow to act and the Vessel Sanitation Program gutted by DOGE cuts. RFK Jr. is reportedly exploring restrictions on widely used antidepressants like Zoloft and Prozac, while quietly running a sprawling investigation to link vaccines to chronic disease. And at a White House event for expectant mothers, Dr. Oz worried about America being "under-babied" and promoted "Trump babies," while RFK Jr. warned about declining sperm counts. Background reading: * The Hill: Supreme Court extends pause on abortion pill restrictions through Thursday [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5872986-abortion-pills-mail-access-supreme-court/] * NPR: With legal briefs in, Supreme Court weighs telehealth access for the abortion pill [https://www.npr.org/2026/05/07/nx-s1-5815294/abortion-pill-mifepristone-supreme-court-telemedicine] * NBC News: Trump weighs firing Dr. Marty Makary as FDA chief [https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-weighs-firing-dr-marty-makary-fda-chief-rcna344274] * The Hill: FDA approves some flavored vapes after reports of Trump pressure [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5864811-fda-approves-flavored-vapes/] * The New York Times: F.D.A. Commissioner Marty Makary Resigns After Weeks of Pressure [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/trump-fires-fda-commissioner-makary.html] * The New York Times: Hantavirus Response Shows How Trump Cuts Have Compromised U.S. Preparedness [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/health/hantavirus-americans-cdc.html] * The Hill: RFK Jr.: ‘We’re not worried’ about hantavirus spreading after cruise ship outbreak [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5872730-kennedy-hantavirus-situation-update/] * NBC News: U.S. departure from WHO could hinder hantavirus response [https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/us-trump-who-departure-hinder-hantavirus-response-rcna344031] * Futurism: The CDC Fired All Its Cruise Ship Inspectors Before the Hantavirus Outbreak [https://futurism.com/health-medicine/cdc-cruise-ship-inspectors-hantavirus-outbreak] * Reuters: Kennedy’s health officials explored US ban of some widely used antidepressants [https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kennedys-health-officials-explored-us-ban-some-widely-used-antidepressants-2026-05-08/] * CNN Health: RFK Jr. launches plan to address ‘overuse’ of psychiatric medications [https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/05/health/rfk-jr-overprescribing-psychiatric-drugs-wellness] * The New York Times: Kennedy Starts a Push to Help Americans Quit Antidepressants [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/science/rfk-antidepressants-ssris-hhs-maha.html] * The New York Times: Kennedy Is Driving a Vast Inquiry Into Vaccines, Despite His Public Silence [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/health/kennedy-vaccine-safety.html] * Moms.gov [https://moms.gov] * Dr. Oz’s “under-babied” comments are HERE [https://x.com/atrupar/status/2053859826665451840] * Dr. Oz’s “Trump babies” comments are HERE [https://x.com/atrupar/status/2053871965471969779] * PEOPLE: RFK Jr. Says Men in the ‘70s Had Twice as Much Sperm as Teenage Boys Today: ‘Existential Crisis [https://people.com/rfk-jr-says-men-in-the-70s-had-twice-as-much-sperm-as-teenage-boys-today-existential-crisis-11972098] Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org [http://committeetoprotect.org]. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org [feedback@pagingamerica.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe [https://www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

The Battle Over Medication Abortion: Courts & Chaos

This week, Miles and Dr. Rob open with a seismic shift in reproductive rights: a Fifth Circuit ruling that functionally banned mifepristone access via telehealth and through pharmacies, throwing medication abortion into chaos nationwide, even in states like Michigan where abortion rights are constitutionally protected. Dr. Rob sits down with Founding Director of the Center for Health Policy and the Law, Katie Keith, to break down the competing court deadlines around abortion medication, the Supreme Court’s options around the Fifth Circuit’s ruling, and the impossible political bind facing the Trump administration. In the second half of the show, Miles and Dr. Rob cover the collapse of Casey Means’ Surgeon General candidacy and the nomination of Fox News contributor, Dr. Nicole Saphier, a pandemic-era grievance podcaster already drawing fire from the MAHA coalition she was supposed to appease. They also discuss the FDA burying reports that are favorable to vaccines and new health care-related messaging guidance for Democrats. Background reading: * The Center for Health Policy and the Law at the O’Neill Institute’s website is HERE [https://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/centers/health-policy-and-the-law/] * Katie Keith’s bio [https://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/experts/katie-keith/] * Louisiana Illuminator: Louisiana sues Food & Drug Administration to stop mailing of abortion medication [https://lailluminator.com/2025/10/09/fda-abortion/] * Reuters: US judge pauses Louisiana’s challenge to FDA abortion drug rule [https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-pauses-louisianas-challenge-fda-abortion-drug-rule-2026-04-07/] * ABC News: RFK Jr. launches FDA review of abortion pill [https://abcnews.com/US/health-secretary-rfk-jr-launches-review-abortion-pill/story?id=125908299] * Center for Reproductive Rights: 5th Circuit Limits Telehealth Provision of Abortion Pill [https://reproductiverights.org/news/5th-circuit-limits-telehealth-provision-of-abortion-pill/] * CNN: Supreme Court temporarily restores ability to receive abortion drug mifepristone by mail [https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/04/politics/supreme-court-abortion-mifepristone] * AXIOS: Abortion pill rulings cause whiplash and confusion [https://www.axios.com/2026/05/05/abortion-pill-rulings-whiplash-confusion] * Stateline: Unpacking the fight over telehealth access to abortion medication [https://stateline.org/2026/05/07/unpacking-the-fight-over-telehealth-access-to-abortion-medication/] * PBS: Trump’s new surgeon general nominee has both praised and criticized his administration [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/trumps-new-surgeon-general-nominee-has-both-praised-and-criticized-his-administration] * Calley Means’ tweet [https://x.com/calleymeans/status/2049893588985638974] about his sister’s demise * RFK Jr.’s tweet [https://x.com/SecKennedy/status/2049921681129423149] about Casey Means’ demise * Julia Letlow’s tweet [https://x.com/jbletlow/status/2049922390465921124] about Casey Means’ demise * POLITICO: Casey Means: Murkowski sank my nomination [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/30/casey-means-murkowski-surgeon-general-rfk-maha-00902206] * Radiology Business: President Trump nominates radiologist to serve as surgeon general [https://radiologybusiness.com/topics/healthcare-management/leadership/president-trump-nominates-radiologist-serve-surgeon-general] * The Hill: Who is Nicole Saphier, new Trump surgeon general nominee? [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5857814-nicole-saphier-surgeon-general-nominee/] * The Guardian: Who is Nicole Saphier, Trump’s new nominee for US surgeon general? [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/04/who-is-nicole-saphier-trump-surgeon-general-nomination] * Drop Rx website [https://www.droprx.com/] * The Drop Rx About page [https://www.droprx.com/blank-1] * POLITICO: 4 facts about the new surgeon general nominee [https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-pulse/2026/05/01/4-facts-about-the-new-surgeon-general-nominee-00901976] * POLITICO: The new surgeon general nominee has a MAHA problem [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/02/casey-means-maha-surgeon-general-nicole-saphier-00903761] * The Washington Post: CDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits [https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/22/covid-vaccine-report-blocked-cdc-mmwr/] * The New York Times: F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/us/politics/fda-covid-vaccine-studies.html] * POLITICO: Dem pollster says party should do more to sell health care message [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/dem-pollster-says-party-can-do-more-to-sell-health-care-message-00894173] * Sen. Jon Ossoff’s ad “This Is Why Things Don’t Work For Ordinary People [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnj-2yfL13U]” Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org [http://committeetoprotect.org]. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org [feedback@pagingamerica.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe [https://www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

MAHA Got Played and Big Tobacco Got a Promotion

This week, Miles and Dr. Rob cover a week of troubling health care news: Senator Bill Cassidy goes soft on RFK Jr. at Senate hearings as he faces a tough Senate primary, a former tobacco executive lands a CDC deputy director role, and the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund is shaping up to be a corporate cash grab that leaves small rural clinics behind. They also unpack the Trump administration’s quiet rewrite of Title X, steering the country’s flagship family planning program away from contraception toward pro-natalist goals lifted straight from Project 2025, and close on a silver lining as the MAHA movement sours on Trump, with major influencers saying their followers feel lied to, even as the MAHA PAC is revealed to be funded largely by Big Pharma. Background reading: * MedPage Today: How ‘The Pitt’ Gets Emergency Medicine Right [https://www.medpagetoday.com/popmedicine/cultureclinic/114574] * NBC News: Cassidy clashes with RFK Jr. on vaccines and abortion medicine [https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/rfk-jr-set-face-cassidy-back-back-senate-hearings-rcna341251] * The Hill: Cassidy clashes with Kennedy over vaccine studies [https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5844049-vaccines-bill-cassidy-kennedy-senate-health-committee/] * POLITICO: Bill Cassidy’s still attacking RFK Jr. Now it’s about abortion. [https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/04/22/congress/cassidy-rfk-abortion-vaccines-00887782] * AP: RFK Jr. faced the Senate. One lawmaker’s competing loyalties were on display [https://apnews.com/article/bill-cassidy-rfk-jr-trump-vaccines-health-de23656aac2f41ec592c5243d83333b0] * The New York Times: MAHA Group Pledges $1 Million to Help Defeat Senator Cassidy in Louisiana Primary [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/us/politics/maha-cassidy-primary-louisiana.html] * STAT: Former tobacco executive joins CDC senior leadership, raising concerns over industry influence [https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/22/newly-appointed-cdc-official-has-tobacco-industry-ties/] * KFF Health News: Big Companies Position Themselves for Payday From $50B Federal Rural Health Fund [https://kffhealthnews.org/rural-health/rural-health-transformation-program-cms-state-contractors-ehr-patients/] * The New York Times: The Trump Administration Is Coming After Birth Control Access in a Terrifying New Way [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/opinion/trump-birth-control.html] * Newsweek: Stephen Miller’s Wife Condemns Teen Birth Rate Falling-‘Biological Destiny’ [https://www.newsweek.com/katie-stephen-miller-condemns-teen-birth-rate-falling-biological-destiny-11809217] * Katie Miller’s tweet [https://x.com/KatieMiller/status/2042226870201000428] lamenting falling teen birthrates * The New York Times: The ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Movement Is Cooling on Trump and Republicans [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/us/politics/maha-voters-midterms.html] * The Hill: Supreme Court hears Roundup case that could limit Americans’ ability to sue pesticide companies [https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5851268-supreme-court-monsanto-roundup-maha-pesticide-lawsuits/] * POLITICO: The groups backing RFK Jr. are running low on cash [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/24/rfk-maha-lyons-pac-midterms-00889913] Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org [http://committeetoprotect.org]. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org [feedback@pagingamerica.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe [https://www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]