Receive the latest updates in health and medicine every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here.
The weather is so scorching that open fire hydrants are a common sight in New York City.
What else is gaining attention? STAT’s outstanding, award-winning journalism. We appreciate your continued support.
Could Anthony Fauci face imprisonment?
During a recent hearing on the Covid-19 pandemic, Anthony Fauci opted not to respond to questions regarding his involvement in the preparation and handling of the crisis. Consequently, a Senate committee voted to hold him in contempt.
The full Senate is set to vote on whether to hold Fauci in contempt. If they do, the Justice Department will then determine if he should be prosecuted — a process that could result in fines up to $100,000 and a prison sentence ranging from one to 12 months.
When asked whether the DOJ should prosecute Fauci, President Trump commented, “They prosecuted Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, two decent people over something that was never prosecuted before. … When you see that happen, you think maybe he should. What he did is far more serious than a lot of crimes.”
Fauci had previously been granted a “preemptive” pardon by President Biden, who anticipated that the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers might target Fauci. This foresight has been validated. How did we reach this point? STAT’s Daniel Payne delivers the details.
Advocates criticize Trump administration’s plan to ‘streamline’ Head Start
In an effort to “reduce federal bureaucratic burden,” the Trump administration proposed changes on Thursday that would significantly alter the early education program for children from low-income families. Health and disability advocates argue these modifications could severely degrade the program’s quality.
The proposed changes would eliminate over 1,400 regulatory provisions, favoring a streamlined, state-specific approach — essentially a “roll-back of almost every quality and implementation standard not explicitly in the law,” claimed one advocate.
English-only instruction will now be mandatory, and states will no longer need to meet critical benchmarks related to nutrition, curriculum, and teacher qualifications. These changes could prove detrimental for children with disabilities, as state requirements for services typically fall short of Head Start’s federal mandates.
It may take some time before any changes are implemented. Stay tuned for updates.
CDC’s status one year after shooting
On Aug. 8, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta experienced what seemed like a routine Friday. That changed abruptly. Daniel Jernigan was in his office when he heard sounds resembling hammering outside. Why was the building shaking? Construction didn’t seem plausible, especially on a Friday afternoon close to quitting time.
It turned out to be an active shooter.
A year after a shooter discharged hundreds of rounds into CDC buildings, Jernigan reflects on that day’s events and why it led him to resign shortly thereafter from his position as the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.
How does the agency stand now? “CDC was built to respond to the world’s threats, and as made real by the shooting, the agency now remains the target of threats.” Read more from Jernigan.
Third clinic settles with DOJ over transgender care
A third hospital has reached a settlement agreement with the Justice Department regarding the provision of gender-affirming care to young transgender individuals. Connecticut Children’s Medical Center — which halted gender-affirming care for patients under 19 last summer following pressure from the Trump administration — will continue to withhold this care for an unspecified period, pay an unspecified fine, and allocate $500,000 for anyone who feels harmed by prior care. (Notably, pediatric gender-affirming care remains legal in Connecticut.)
Questions linger about the demand for such compensation or for the detransition services that federal and state authorities have required from Texas Children’s and Cleveland Clinic. (Transgender individuals constitute a small fraction of the American population, and detransition is infrequent.)
Regarding the Texas settlement: The complete agreement, unveiled Wednesday, mandates the hospital to maintain a confidential “Break the Glass List” for 10 years, encompassing patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria or gender identity disorders. The hospital must also compile a list of individuals who could have potentially received gender-affirming care, based on related diagnostic codes. Monthly updates to the list are required, and individuals cannot be removed from the list regardless of any changes in their medical records. This stipulation, absent in the Cleveland settlement, could raise concerns about patient privacy as the DOJ continues to press other hospitals for patient data. — Theresa Gaffney
HHS intensifies crackdown on organ donor network
The Trump administration seeks to shut down a Kentucky organ donation organization accused of proceeding with organ retrieval plans from patients who unexpectedly showed signs of life.
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described the nonprofit Network for Hope as “a bad apple” and accused it of “persistent” safety failures — marking the latest effort in a campaign to reform the organ transplant system. Allegations include that Network for Hope’s predecessor pressured a local hospital to withdraw life support and retrieve organs from a man, despite signs he was waking from a drug overdose. (The man survived.)
The nonprofit “strongly disagrees” with Kennedy’s decision to decertify it and intends to appeal. Read more.
What we’re reading
- Trump administration considers directive on autism and vaccines, Bloomberg
- Rand Paul’s release of Fauci’s diary exposes individuals’ medical histories, NOTUS
- Study discovers new function for tau, a key target in Alzheimer’s drug development, STAT
- Sydney Towle, who shared her cancer journey on TikTok, passes away at 26, the New York Times
- Bank of America allocates $250 million annually for GLP-1 drugs for employees, CEO states, CNBC
