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◼︎ GOVERNMENT
Trump Chief of Staff Accused of Blocking Healthy-Food Policies to Attract Donations
Calley Means, who resigned as a top federal health official two weeks ago after clashing with the White House, on Friday accused President Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, of bowing to “unrelenting” pressure from industry lobbyists while prioritizing political fund-raising over Americans’ health.
In a two-hour interview with the podcaster Joe Rogan, Mr. Means said that Ms. Wiles withheld support from his efforts to make children’s diets healthier, citing the need for sugar industry money. He said her team demanded more approvals of flavored e-cigarettes, a top priority for major tobacco companies that donated at least $20 million to the G.O.P. in 2026. And he said they gave in to heavy lobbying from the kratom industry to relax proposed restrictions on products often referred to as “gas station heroin.”
“Susie said to me many times: ‘We need money for the midterms, Calley. We need money for the midterms,’” Mr. Means said. In recent days, Ms. Wiles has become a target of criticism and finger-pointing in an escalating blame game after Republicans’ stunning losses in the midterm elections. In a post on Truth Social on Friday afternoon, Mr. Trump announced that Ms. Wiles would leave her post on Monday and Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser, would replace her.
Trump Names Stephen Miller His New Chief of Staff, Replacing Susie Wiles
President Donald Trump announced Friday that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles will step down this week, with Stephen Miller replacing her.
“I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said Wiles has “done an outstanding job” and “will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff — She has done a great job!” Moments later, Wiles wrote in a post on X that Friday would be her last day as chief of staff.
MAHA Leader Open to Working With Democrats Who Won’t Fight RFK Jr.
A top leader in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement said he is willing to work with Democrats if they share his vision, after Republicans were trounced out of power in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Tony Lyons, a key ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who runs several MAHA political committees, said Wednesday that the movement must work with anyone who shares its goals. To move forward, “we partner with absolutely everyone who’s willing to partner with us — companies who will listen, politicians who will work with us from any party, activists, influencers, MAHA moms in every corner of the country,” Lyons said during a virtual call with supporters.
“There are good people across the political spectrum who want to be part of this, and we’re going to find every last one of them and fight with them,” Lyons added.
Two ‘Forever Chemicals’ Associated With Higher Risk of Aggressive Breast Cancer in NIH Analysis
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported:
Women with higher blood levels of two common per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also familiarly known as PFAS, were more likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative, or ER-negative, breast cancer, according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
PFAS are a large group of chemicals used in common consumer products. Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS do not break down easily in the environment and can remain in the body for years. The study found that women with higher blood plasma levels of two of these substances, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), were associated with a higher incidence of ER-negative breast cancer. No clear association was observed between the two chemicals and breast cancer risk overall.
“Women deserve clear answers about how chemicals in their environment may affect their health,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “This NIH study links two forever chemicals to a higher risk of ER-negative breast cancer and demands further investigation. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will pursue the evidence, confront environmental health risks, and give women the information they need to protect their health.”
How Amendment 3, Vaccine Mandates and School Vouchers Will Shape Florida Under the Leadership of Byron Donalds
In the midst of what pundits are calling a blue tsunami nationwide, Florida remained resolutely red, electing Republican Byron Donalds as its first Black governor and sending Republican Ashley Moody back to the U.S. Senate. Donalds ran on a promise to continue the legacy of his predecessor, Gov. Ron DeSantis.
His victory was not as easily won as polls had predicted. In the week leading up to the election, polls put him at 4 points over his opponent, Democrat David Jolly. In the end, Donalds won by 1.3 points – about 107,000 votes. I’m a political scientist who has lived in Florida for almost two decades and seen the powers of the governor’s office grow. We can see based on Donalds’ campaign promises the direction in which he plans to lead the state.
Donalds’ term as governor will start with a major change: On Nov. 3, Floridians voted to pass Amendment 3 to the state constitution. This will cause a shift in the state’s long-standing commitment to home rule, the principle that local governments, such as cities and counties, should be able to set policy on local issues.
◼︎ CHILDREN’S HEALTH
Measles, Mumps and Misinformation: How Crunchy Moms Became ‘The Most Dangerous’ Group on Facebook
As a measles outbreak spread through Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in August, a parent turned to a massive public Facebook group, Crunchy Moms, for advice. They were considering getting their three-year-old vaccinated, in part to protect their six-month-old. “I’m nervous for my baby,” the parent wrote.
“First of all your children cannot die of measles. It is literally impossible,” one member responded. “Do not do it,” advised another. Others said the vaccine would spread measles or that it would be like “injecting poison”. At the end of the post, Facebook’s AI system – run by its parent company Meta — summarized the 589 responses, writing in part that commenters “claim the vaccine is unnecessary or even harmful.”
None of those claims are true. Pennsylvania has reported six measles-associated deaths this year, including two babies in Lancaster county. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective. Health officials say it is the best defense against measles spreading and injuring or killing people.
Lawsuit Claims Google AI Chatbot on School Chromebook Helped Teen Prepare Suicide Plan
Parents are suing technology giant Google, alleging the AI Gemini chatbot offered on school Chromebooks helped a young teen prepare plans for a suicide attempt and her funeral. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in California Superior Court and claims a 13-year-old girl —dubbed “Emma” — chatted with Gemini over the course of several months, prompting a “severe psychological crisis.” The complaint alleges Google’s top executives knew Gemini was dangerous but released the chatbot anyway.
“As her Gemini chats grew more frequent … Emma became convinced that she was afflicted by a battery of major psychological disorders and that suicide was her only way out,” the EdTech Law Center, representing Emma and her parents, wrote in a press release.
Lawyers said she exchanged “thousands of messages” with Gemini and after three months asked the chatbot about various ways to commit suicide. The chatbot allegedly told Emma how to hide her mental health and self-harm from people around her and helped plan her funeral.
Social Media Companies Sue California Over New Law Restricting Use for Children
The Los Angeles Times reported:
Technology companies Google, Meta and Tik Tok sued the state of California on Wednesday to block a new law that restricts companies from targeting children younger than 16 with “addictive” social media content that can keep them scrolling for hours.
Assembly Bill 1709, introduced by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), bars social media sites from providing features such as autoplay and recommended content displays to teenagers and young children.
The social media companies, which filed separate lawsuits in federal court, cited their 1st Amendment right to free speech and the Communications Decency Act, which protects online platforms from being sued over content posted by third parties.
Meta Platforms, as well as Google and YouTube, filed lawsuits in the Northern District of California. TikTok filed in the Central District.
◼︎ BIG PHARMA
As Hormone Use Increases, Some Doctors Warn Slight Cancer Risk Is Being Overlooked
As more women turn to hormones to relieve menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, some physicians and scientists say not enough attention is being paid to the small increase in breast cancer risk associated with certain systemic therapies.
The link between breast cancer and hormone therapy has been the subject of heated debate for decades. In 2002, panic ensued after a large study, called the Women’s Health Initiative, found that older women taking a combination hormone pill were developing breast cancer at higher rates. (There was no risk with estrogen-only treatment, used only after a hysterectomy.)
Prescriptions for combination hormone therapy plummeted to 5.3 million in 2003, down from 18.8 million in 2001.
