• District of Columbia/New York: The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has filed to voluntarily dismiss its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision to cut Medicaid funding for abortion providers. PPFA originally filed the lawsuit last year after President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law. OBBBA includes a provision that disallows federal funding for abortion providers, and PPFA sought to have it declared unconstitutional. A network of medical clinics in Maine filed a similar lawsuit last year, but the plaintiffs were denied a requested preliminary injunction and halted legal proceedings in October before filing a notice of voluntary dismissal in December. Because of the unfavorable legal outcome in the Maine case, PPFA also decided to voluntarily dismiss its own lawsuit. However, even with the lawsuit's dismissal, PPFA president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said that the organization's mission had not changed. "Through every attack, Planned Parenthood has never lost sight of its focus: ensuring patients can get the care they need from the provider they trust. That will never change. Care continues, as does our commitment to fighting for everyone’s freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures," McGill said. (Choi, The Hill, 2/2)
• Georgia: According to new CDC data, U.S. life expectancy increased to 79 years in 2024, the highest it has ever been. For decades, U.S. life expectancy increased slightly almost every year, and previously peaked in 2014 just below 79 years. However, after 2014, life expectancy remained largely flat before declining to under 76.5 years in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, U.S. life expectancy has been increasing again, thanks to the end of the pandemic and declining death rates. In 2024, around 3.07 million people died in the United States, around 18,000 fewer than the year before. Death rates also declined in both men and women and across all racial and ethnic groups. Although death statistics for 2025 have not yet been finalized, preliminary data indicates that fewer deaths were recorded than in 2024, suggesting further improvement. "It's pretty much good news all the way around," said Robert Anderson, from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. (Associated Press/STAT, 1/29)
• Pennsylvania: Eli Lilly is planning to open a new $3.5 billion manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. The facility, which will be built in Fogelsville, will produce weight-loss drugs. According to the Wall Street Journal, Pennsylvania is investing $100 million in the project, including tax credits and grant money, to help prepare the location for construction. The facility will create 2,000 construction jobs and 850 permanent positions over the next five years as the facility ramps up production. In addition to Pennsylvania's $100 million investment, Lilly is also pledging $5 million to create a pharmaceutical manufacturing training center at a local school to ensure a pipeline of future workers. In February 2025, Lilly pledged to increase its investments in domestic manufacturing, committing $27 billion for new manufacturing facilities. Aside from the new Pennsylvania facilities, Lilly has also announced locations in Alabama, Texas, and Virginia. (Chen, Wall Street Journal, 1/30)

Explore who makes up the aging population, how their health and financial status has changed over time, and what labor force supports them.