Mere hours after birth, most newborns are tested for two things: whether they have signs of hearing loss and whether they have any of a range of rare conditions that could severely impact their health and their lives. If they test positive for either, they qualify for a number of interventions that can dramatically improve their prospects over their lifetime. But both tests could soon undergo dramatic changes because of drastic cutbacks at federal health agencies that public-health advocates say imperil both programs. These cutbacks could mean that certain states will not test for and respond to conditions that currently set services into motion in every state. Advertisement “There are a lot of worthy causes that fall by the wayside when there isn’t some kind of centralized government support,” says Karl White, director of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University. The dismantling of a critical division The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program (EHDI) is run partially out of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program helps states coordinate newborn hearing screening and respond to infants who fail the hearing tests. It falls under the CDC’s Disability and Health Promotion branch. But this entire branch was eliminated in the April 1 cutbacks at CDC that slashed about 2,400 employees. EHDI had eight full-time workers and one fellow; all but one were eliminated in the cutbacks, according to current and former staff. EHDI worked with states to analyze data to help communities follow up with families so that babies born deaf or hard of hearing get support as early as possible.

Whooping cough has been on the rise in the U.S. for years—and cases are continuing to soar in 2025. Meanwhile, fewer Americans are getting vaccinated against it. Here’s what to know about the ongoing surge in whooping cough cases. A bad year for whooping cough In 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,116 cases of whooping cough. In 2024, it reported 35,435 cases. So far this year, there have been 7,111 reported cases of whooping cough, according to an analysis by ProPublica. That’s more than double the number of cases reported by the same time in 2024.

Not all apologies are created equal. While a good one can’t always fully undo the damage that’s been done, apologies help people on the receiving end feel validated, emotionally heal, and even ease a desire for revenge, says Seiji Takaku, a professor of psychology at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, Calif., who has researched forgiveness. If you’re on the receiving end of a sorry attempt to make amends, on the other hand, it might feel just as offensive as the original transgression. How someone apologizes will determine how you respond. We asked experts what to say in a variety of situations—including when you want to accept the apology, when you definitely don’t, and when you simply need more time to forgive.

The number of abortions provided in most of the U.S. increased slightly in 2024 from the year before, according to new data released on April 15. The research was conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, which studies and supports sexual and reproductive health and rights. The organization uses both a statistical model and survey responses from providers to estimate the number of abortions provided by clinicians in states without near-total bans for its Monthly Abortion Provision Study. The data released on April 15 show that nearly 1,038,100 abortions were provided in 2024 across all states without near-total bans—a less than 1% increase from 2023 to 2024. Advertisement While that number is relatively steady compared to the year before, researchers noted that the finding “masked substantial variability across individual states,” with some states experiencing significant decreases and others seeing notable increases. For instance, there were roughly 12,100 fewer abortions provided in Florida in 2024 than in 2023, which researchers attributed to the state implementing a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, a policy that went into effect in May 2024. Similarly, South Carolina provided about 3,500 fewer abortions in 2024 than in 2023. Researchers attributed this to the state’s six-week ban, which was upheld by the state Supreme Court in August 2023. At the same time, researchers found that the number of abortions provided in Wisconsin increased from about 1,300 in 2023 to about 6,100 in 2024—an increase of 388%. Abortion access in the state became largely unavailable after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 until late 2023, when a Wisconsin judge ruled that an 1849 law that had been interpreted as a ban didn’t make abortion illegal. Arizona, California, Kansas, Ohio, and Virginia also saw significant increases in the number of abortions provided in 2024 compared to the year before.

If you’re really into the TV show you’re bingeing, you might spend an entire weekend afternoon tearing through episodes—taking stretch breaks or refreshing Reddit or ordering takeout while you’re at it. Now, imagine taking it up a level. If you’re hyperfixated on that show, you’ll be so engrossed you’ll forget to eat or get up to go to the bathroom; you won’t check for new messages on your phone or collect the groceries the delivery guy dropped off, emerging only after you’ve finished the entire series. Advertisement “Hyperfixating is focusing on something with intensity,” says Saba Harouni Lurie, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles. “It could be an interest, it could be a person, it could be a hobby, it could be a place—and when you’re very involved with it, often that means other things are going to be disregarded or won't be as interesting.” We asked experts what it really feels like to hyperfixate, and how to address it

About half of Americans have a gun in the home, and hunting is a major reason why. When hunting season rolls around each fall, guns suddenly become more visible: hunters take firearms out of storage, clean and maintain them, and go to the store to purchase more guns and ammunition. As researchers, we wondered if this has any effect on gun injuries: not just during hunting, but overall. To our surprise, it did—in a big way. Published April 16 in the BMJ, our study of four consecutive deer-hunting seasons used data from the Gun Violence Archive, which records firearm incidents from police reports and news outlets and has proven useful for epidemiological study. We looked at different types of firearm incidents across both rural and urban settings. Despite hunting being an activity that is often associated with rural communities, about 75% of deer hunters actually live within metropolitan areas. Advertisement We found that across 10 states, the start of deer hunting season was associated with an uptick in overall firearm incidents—about a 12.3% increase from baseline. There was, not surprisingly, a 566% uptick in hunting-related firearm incidents, but despite this enormous increase, these were still quite rare compared to other incident types.

Hearing that you smell really stinks. If somebody wrinkles their nose and tells you it’s time for a shower, or subtly slides a mint your way, you might become defensive. Yet that’s not the best way to proceed. “The first thing you should do is thank them,” says Sara Jane Ho, an etiquette expert and host of Netflix’s Mind Your Manners. Gratitude? For insulting your hygiene? That’s right. “Every time somebody tells you something, 50 people are thinking it but didn’t tell you,” Ho says. Hence the importance of uttering those two little words: thank you. Advertisement Instead of stewing over the remark, reframe it as an opportunity for self-improvement, Ho advises. It’s essential not to take the feedback personally—though she acknowledges that’s easier said than done. “This is when you really see a difference between an insecure person and a secure person, because secure people don't take critical feedback personally to their core,” she says. Those who struggle with insecurity, meanwhile, tend to get defensive, sometimes lashing out at whoever brought up their hygiene. Building self-esteem, practicing self-compassion, and seeking professional advice can help. Read More: How to Respond to an Insult, According to Therapists Like Ho, etiquette coach Akilah Siti Easter touts the power of saying “thank you” in response to hygiene feedback. If someone lets her know she might want to brush her teeth, “I actually tell them I appreciate that,” she says. “Thanks for not letting me embarrass myself in front of more people, you know?” Easter considers the fact that the person felt comfortable approaching her a sign of close friendship. “They’re trying to protect me as I’m engaging with other people,” she says. “So I say ‘thank you so much,’ and I'll probably go rinse my mouth.”

Calvin Sun was a healthy 37-year-old when a full-body MRI scan showed a cyst in his kidney. Sun saw a urologist who was cautiously optimistic that it wasn’t cancerous and offered him a surgery appointment several weeks away to inspect the kidney and operate if necessary. “I was like, how about tomorrow?” Sun recalls. As an ER doctor, Sun is used to decisive problem-solving. It’s the “right mindset” for undergoing a whole-body MRI, he says. “You have to be willing to take 100% responsibility for the consequences, good and bad.” Advertisement Instead of traditional scans, like CTs or MRIs of a specific part of the body, full-body MRI scans require just an hour to image you from head-to-toe. Celebrities and influencers are holding them up as a pillar of preventive health to catch problems early on, wherever they’re hiding—before they become hard-to-treat diseases. Dwyane Wade, for example, recently credited a whole-body MRI with alerting him to an early-stage kidney cancer. However, most medical experts are more wary. “The odds that you’re going to be hurt are higher than the odds you’re going to be helped,” says Dr. Matthew Davenport, professor of urology and radiology at the University of Michigan. Here’s what to know about this relatively new technology—both its promise and shortcomings.

Over the last few years, there has been increasing pressure on the U.S. health care system: this includes issues related to hospital staffing, as well as financial and operational challenges that have led to many health care facilities closing and reducing vital services like emergency and obstetric care. On a daily basis, many of the nation’s largest health systems have either announced major deficits or are cutting costs. For instance, one of the nation’s premier health systems, Mass General Brigham (MGB), recently reported a 72-million-dollar operating loss in fiscal 2024 despite an intensive focus on cost management. (The response has included layoffs of approximately 1,500 employees or roughly 2% of its workforce.) Other large healthcare systems such as Vanderbilt, Yale New Haven Health, the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Orlando Health, and many others have been affected by similar cost issues and have had to lay off people or downsize services. The most fragile level of health delivery encompasses our rural facilities. A February Chartis review reported that 432 rural hospitals are at risk of closing in 2025. Advertisement Now, health care is facing yet another obstacle: tariffs. President Trump’s announcement of an increase in tariffs on imports into the U.S. only stands to hurt our already fragile health care system. Many of the supplies that our patients and hospitals depend upon to safely operate are imported, including basic and necessary supplies such as medicines, gloves, gowns, and IV supplies. Tariffs will not only lead to higher prices for those goods but will astronomically add costs for the patients we care for.

Commenting on someone else’s hygiene is one of the more delicate conversation topics. You are, after all, critiquing a person’s body and health habits. But it’s a thorny road to go down: Hygiene issues can stem from medical or even financial issues. “Someone with bad breath could have something going on with their dental work—maybe they can't afford to go to the dentist, so they're stuck with something in their mouth that's making it not smell so good,” says Katie Moore, a clinical psychologist in Irvine, Calif. Advertisement Is it worth risking the potential awkwardness and saying something? Context matters, Moore says: If you’re never going to see the person again, she recommends staying mum. But if it’s a close friend or partner, and a recurrent problem? You’re probably not the first to notice, so you could be doing them a favor by bringing it up. The key is proceeding with tact—sometimes humor, sometimes concern. Talk to them face-to-face and privately, don’t approach the conversation with disgust, and use a line that meshes with how you typically interact with that person. We asked experts exactly what to say when you feel compelled to bring up someone’s hygiene but want to avoid offending them forever.