Like Fauci, Francis Collins now seen as divisive

After decades of public service, earning respect along the way from politicians in both parties, Francis Collins, the former director of the National Institutes of Health, has found himself on the wrong side of President Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.

In an exclusive interview, Collins tells STAT's Anil Oza that he hired security at his home over concerns that he's putting himself in danger by publicly criticizing the Trump administration's policies toward the NIH. Collins came face to face with that reality on Friday, when he was confronted by an angry protester at the "Stand Up for Science Rally" in Washington, where he spoke out against the cuts being made by the administration at the NIH. Read more from Anil and STAT's Katherine MacPhail.

food industry

Critics say Milk and Mayo don't pair well

A partnership between dairy farmers and the Mayo Clinic, one of the top-ranked health systems in the U.S., is drawing criticism, according to Sarah Todd, who covers commercial determinants of health at STAT.

For years, the public didn't take much notice of the collaboration, which involves research on dairy's impact on cardiovascular health and outreach to "help debunk dairy myths and help consumers maintain confidence in dairy foods."

Then came a podcast on dairy as part of Mayo's Cardiovascular Continuing Medical Education. That caught the attention of a physician who believed the partnership gave the dairy industry an opportunity to present an unbalanced perspective and who in turn spoke out.

Now others are expressing concern about the arrangement. Get the low-down from Sarah here.

congress

GOP's stopgap government funding bill includes telehealth, hospital subsidies

Republicans over the weekend introduced a stopgap government-funding bill that would extend through September basic health care programs, including Medicare telehealth authorities and subsidy programs for hospitals.

The so-called continuing resolution would for the most part fund the government at last year's levels, though it increases defense spending somewhat and lowers nondefense spending. Republicans wrote the bill without Democrats, who want to restrain Elon Musk from firing government employees and cutting congressionally appropriated funding for programs at the NIH and elsewhere. If they stick together, Republicans can pass the continuing resolution in the House without Democrats, but they'll need some Democrats to help them pass it in the Senate.

Government funding expires at midnight on Friday. If Republicans fund the government, they can return to negotiating among themselves on the separate budget reconciliation that they will almost surely use to try to cut Medicaid funding to offset the cost of tax cuts.

health equity

Downplaying DEI

The website for Google Health used to profess a dedication to "diversity, equity, and inclusion." Now, the company is committed to "improving health for everyone, everywhere," my colleague Mario Aguilar writes.

It's a change that normally would not garner much attention. The meaning of the two phrases are arguably the same.

But the timing is notable given the Trump administration's attack on DEI initiatives, whether related to such efforts or not. Read more here about other changes that Mario snooped out on Google's health website.

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