Science, Medicine, & Education

Capital & Main is an award-winning publication that reports from California on economic, political and social issues. In her home state of Michigan, Amway heiress Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, has been a fierce proponent of taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, arguing that “choice” would fix the state’s ailing public education system. […]

President Trump’s out-of-the-box pick to lead the Education Department survived another hurdle, overcoming an attempted Democratic filibuster in a rare pre-dawn vote Friday. A final vote is slated for Monday. Democrats have made Betsy DeVos, the pick, one of their chief targets as they try to score a scalp from among Mr. Trump’s Cabinet nominees,

This week Donald Trump said something that has many terminally ill patients applauding the president. Meeting with pharmaceutical executives at the White House on Tuesday, Trump signaled that he would be pushing for some significant changes, including altering Food and Drug Administration regulations to allow smaller drug companies to compete with larger companies. Related, here

BERKELEY, Calif. — The University of California, Berkeley was just mopping up after what appeared to be a small group of violent protesters from off campus shut down the speech of conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos — an appearance university leaders had staunchly defended despite hundreds of requests to ban him. Then came the tweet from

W ASHINGTON – President Trump will keep, for the time being, the same White House doctor who had cared for former President Barack Obama since 2013. Dr. Ronny Jackson, a rear admiral in the US Navy, will continue to serve as physician to the president, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told STAT. Jackson was

BERKELEY, Calif. — A speech by conservative firebrand and British writer Milo Yiannopoulos was canceled at the University of California, Berkeley on Wednesday amid violent protests that sparked a fire in a campus plaza. University officials called off the event about two hours before Yiannopoulos was to speak at the student union, where more than

BERKELEY, Calif. — After a series of embarrassing sexual harassment scandals at the University of California, Berkeley, a campus committee is recommending major changes to how Cal investigates and disciplines faculty members accused of misconduct, from giving victims a greater say in the outcome to eliminating a “three-year rule” that set a time limit on

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is facing his most serious Cabinet confirmation battle yet after two GOP senators on Wednesday announced that they will be voting against his nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos. In speeches on the Senate floor, both Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said they were

This story was co-published with NPR’s Shots blog. If the last few years are any guide, one group that may find itself in the crosshairs of Rep. Tom Price, President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is an influential panel of medical experts. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force, a

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos to become his education secretary was sent Tuesday morning to the full U.S. Senate for confirmation on a tight 12-11 party-line vote in committee after a fractious debate over her qualifications. The vote on the nomination of DeVos, a controversial figure in Michigan politics and education,

W ASHINGTON – President Trump on Tuesday broadly pledged to encourage more competition to drive down drug prices and vowed to oppose any measure that would make it difficult for smaller drug companies to enter the market. Trump, speaking from the White House before a meeting with pharmaceutical executives, also said he would streamline and