Rachana Pradhan

Author's posts

Sen. Ron Wyden Seeks Answers on RFK Jr.’s Purge of FOIA Staff

“Citizen oversight is a cornerstone of a functioning democracy,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding answers to more than two dozen questions, including who was involved in decisions to fire staff who handled Freedom of Information Act requests.

In Reversal, FDA Rehires Staff Tasked With Releasing Public Records

At least some workers who process public records in response to Freedom of Information Act requests have been reinstated, agency employees say.

Trump Restores Title X Funding for Two Anti-Abortion States — While Wiping It Out Elsewhere

The Biden administration shut off federal family planning grants to Tennessee and Oklahoma after the states directed clinics not to provide abortion counseling. The Trump administration restored the money, claiming two lawsuits were settled. They weren’t.

RFK Jr.’s Purge of FOIA Staff at FDA Spares People Working on Covid Vaccine Lawsuits

A purge of FDA staff spared some people tasked with responding to a judge’s orders to disclose government records on covid vaccines, according to agency employees. The FOIA litigation was brought by Aaron Siri, an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s who represents anti-vaccine interests.

CDC Firings Undermine Public Health Work Far Beyond Washington

The Trump administration’s sudden firings have gutted training programs across the nation that bolstered state and local public health departments.

At Catholic Hospitals, a Mission of Charity Runs Up Against High Care Costs for Patients

Many Catholic health systems, which are tax-exempt, pay their executives millions and can charge some of the highest prices around — while critics say they scrimp on commitments to their communities.

Inside Conservative Activist Leonard Leo’s Long Campaign To Gut Planned Parenthood

Anti-abortion groups and their allies secured a generational victory in 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned “Roe v. Wade.” A lawsuit in Texas demonstrates how those same forces threaten access to other health services, including birth control and screenings for cancer and sexually transmitted infections.

Cyberattack led to harrowing lapses at Ascension hospitals, clinicians say

Problems caused by the attack included delayed or lost lab results, medication errors, and an absence of routine safety checks to prevent potentially fatal mistakes, doctors and nurses told reporters.

Conservative Justices Stir Trouble for Republican Politicians on Abortion

Republicans are learning the admonition “be careful what you wish for,” as conservative judges cause them political problems over abortion in a crucial election year.

Anti-Abortion Groups Shrug Off Election Losses, Look to Courts, Statehouses for Path Forward

Anti-abortion groups have lost seven consecutive elections on state ballot measures about abortion. They say they’re unfazed and plan to keep focusing on lawmakers and courts to notch wins.