The TV doctor set to take over CMS

Mehmet Oz, the surgeon turned television superstar, first publicly aligned himself with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016. Now, he's poised to take the helm at CMS, the $1.5 trillion agency that oversees health care programs for millions of Americans.

Oz has made his name in part by touting supplements and warning against GMO food. But those close to Oz see a more complicated figure, STAT's Tara Bannow reports.

They describe an ambitious, energetic and sharp person who left medicine and became a household name for daytime TV viewers. He's kept a decidedly low profile since his nomination to lead CMS, but Tara digs into his history, his critics and his bastions of support. Read more.

campaign finance

No, Sanders and Warren aren't swimming in pharma industry cash

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump's health secretary nominee, levied a surprising accusation last week against two senators, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), traditionally seen as pharma foes: That they are bought and paid for by the industry.

Kennedy's backers swiftly amplified the claim, tweeting figures from campaign finance website OpenSecrets. But as my colleagues Lev Facher and Rachel Cohrs Zhang report, the numbers don't tell the full story.

In fact, Sanders has received no cash at all from pharmaceutical industry PACs or top execs, while Warren has received a small amount, with the last donation coming in 2015.

Lev and Rachel explain how OpenSecrets is contributing to the misinformation, and dig into who's actually backing Sanders and Warren. Read more.

on the hill

Senate panel to vote on RFK Jr. today

The Senate Finance Committee will vote this morning on advancing RFK Jr.'s nomination for HHS secretary to a full Senate vote. He's expected to make it out of the committee; the wild card is tight-lipped Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who had some stark words for RFK Jr. last week after he refused to denounce the claim that vaccines cause autism.

Cassidy said then that he had a lot to consider over the weekend. He declined to shed light on his thinking on Monday, telling reporters only that "I really am not discussing RFK. I just keep saying that," according to CNN.

Four Republicans (and every Democrat) would need to vote against RFK Jr. to end his bid to lead HHS, and other potentially pivotal senators are not showing their cards either. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who previously warned against questioning the polio vaccine, declined this weekend to say how he would vote. McConnell has already cast a "no" vote on another Trump nominee, the since-confirmed Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.

trade policy

How Trump's tariffs could raise health care costs

President Trump on Saturday ordered import taxes on goods from Canada, China, and Mexico, though he later paused the levies on Canada and Mexico to give the countries time to negotiate. If they do go into effect, the tariffs could quickly raise costs for consumers, especially in health care, John Wilkerson reports.

China is a large and ever-growing producer of pharmaceutical ingredients, and prices could go up for finished drugs if costs for their ingredients increase. Mexico is the top source of medical devices used in the U.S., according to industry group AdvaMed.

Hospitals also could feel the impact. They rely on imports for many everyday supplies, such as gowns, gloves, and syringes. Big-ticket items like CT scanners and X-ray equipment also are often imported. Read more.

public health

CDC advisers press on data disappearance

Top CDC advisers are asking the agency's acting director to explain the abrupt removal of information and data from the agency's websites, and demanding to know when it will be restored, STAT's Usha Lee McFarling reported this weekend.

In a sharply worded letter sent Saturday, the advisory board asked CDC's acting director about the rationale and legality of removing databases on sexual orientation, HIV, social vulnerability indexes, and information about the agency's advisory panel on vaccines.

Some of those pages have been restored. Others haven't. Atop the CDC's website, a light yellow banner now states: "CDC's website is being modified to comply with President Trump's Executive Orders." More from Usha.

research policy

Nobel laureates rally against Trump attacks on science

Some of the country's most acclaimed scientists are fighting back against the "unprecedented" approach the second Trump administration is taking to scientific and medical research, STAT's Megan Molteni reports.

Megan reached out to two dozen of the nation's top life scientists, including 17 Nobel laureates, about the recent freeze on communications, pause on new research, and a host of policies to restrict gender-affirming care and diversity-driven studies.

"Science should not have a political litmus test" said one laureate. More from Megan's reporting.

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What we're reading

Here is how we know that vaccines do not cause autism, STAT
Trump administration's data deletions set off 'a mad scramble,' researcher says, The Associated Press
Removal of DEI content from a microbiology group's website shows reach of Trump executive orders, STAT
CDC orders pullback of new scientific papers involving its researchers, source says, Reuters
Democratic senator says he will stall Trump nominees until USAID is back, Wall Street Journal