• District of Columbia: The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s nomination for HHS secretary to the full chamber. Last week, Kennedy faced two days of congressional hearings from the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. According to the Washington Post, the finance committee's vote fell along party lines, with the panel's 14 Republicans voting to confirm Kennedy and the 13 Democrats voting against. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who previously indicated he had serious reservations about Kennedy, said he decided to vote for Kennedy after having "very intense conversations" with Kennedy and the White House over the weekend. "With the serious commitments I've received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes," Cassidy said. So far, it's not clear when Kennedy's confirmation will go before the full Senate, but it could be as soon as next week if his nomination follows the pattern of some of the other newly confirmed Trump officials. (Korecki/Santaliz/Zadrozny, NBC News, 2/4; Diamond et al., Washington Post, 2/4)
• Georgia: Following executive orders from President Donald Trump targeting information on gender and diversity, equity, and inclusion, CDC and other health agencies removed thousands of webpages related to a broad array of topics, such as adolescent health, LGBTQ+ rights, and HIV. However, some of CDC's pages have since reappeared, in part due to widespread media coverage, backlash from scientists, and concern about public health. According to several doctors, the disappearance of certain CDC pages, including guidelines for contraception and vaccine information statements, has already impacted medical care. "This just seems like a purposeful removal of important information providing safe contraception, which I view as terrifying," said Jessica Weyer, an obstetrician-gynecologist in New Hampshire. "It sounds like they want to control women, not defend women." Currently, some experts are examining the legality of the Trump administration deleting information from federal websites, as well as pulling papers written by CDC scientists. (Mandavilli/Rabin, New York Times, 2/3)
• Illinois: According to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics, there was an almost 12% increase in sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs) between 2020 and 2022. Although the researchers found that overall infant mortality rates have decreased by 24% from 1999 to 2022, sleep-related infant deaths are still disproportionately high among Black, Native American, and Pacific Islander infants compared to white and Asian infants. Several factors, such as preterm birth, can contribute to SUID risk, but other factors, such as safe sleep practices, breastfeeding, and limiting exposure to nicotine can help lower the risks. Although the study did not determine a cause of the recent increase in SUIDs, experts said that it could be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, rising maternal opioid use, or unsafe sleeping practices promoted on social media. (Murphy, Becker's Clinical Leadership, 1/29)

President-elect Donald Trump has named his picks for three top health positions: CDC director, FDA commissioner, and U.S. Surgeon General. Here's what you need to know.