Why you haven't heard about a historic low for smoking rates

Government data released without analysis is leaving experts to fill in gaps left by federal cuts. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

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MATTHIEU DELATY/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Smoking rates are at a historic low. You're not hearing about it from the government CDC data shows 9.9% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in 2024. Because of budget cuts, government gathered the data, left it to others to analyze. By Sarah Todd STAT+ | NIH grant awards are again lagging far behind historical averages, analysis shows NIH grant funding is well behind historical pace. Analyst says a once 'pretty well-oiled machine' is hampered by layoffs, shifting priorities By Anil Oza STAT+ | White House digs in on 'most-favored nation' drug pricing despite Congress' cool reception White House turns up pressure on lawmakers on turning voluntary MFN deals into law. 'We're gearing up for war,' White House official says. By Daniel Payne Andrew Harnik/Getty Images STAT+ | NIH will spend its full budget this year, agency director promises House appropriators NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya promises Congress his agency will spend its full $48.7 billion budget after a slow start in approving grants. By Jonathan Wosen Federal judge stalls health secretary RFK Jr.'s overhaul of vaccine policy Pediatricians challenged RFK Jr.'s hand-picked vaccine advisers. Attorney called ruling a 'victory for science, for public health, and for the rule of law.' By Anil Oza, Chelsea Cirruzzo, and Daniel Payne STAT+ | For decades, they've set the record straight in biology. Next up: science's reproducibility crisis With an eye on tackling science's reproducibility crisis, researchers launch a new effort called Benchmarking, Evaluation, and Assessment Consortium for Science. By Brittany Trang NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images Opinion: Semaglutide is going off-patent in India. But will people who need it be able to get it? South Asians face greater cardiometabolic risk at lower BMI than the largely white Americans considered when determining eligibility. By Aditi Kantipuly and Peter Singer Opinion: The greatest threat to federally qualified health centers may not be federal funding cuts Safety-het hospitals have been hit hard by federal funding cuts. But their problems go much deeper than that. By Courtney McFarland

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