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The Trump administration has withdrawn the proposed rule that would ban menthol in cigarettes and flavored cigars according to the regulatory docket. A menthol ban is something that the US Food and Drug Administration under the Biden administration had said was a “top priority.” (Christensen, 1/24)

For four years, the Environmental Protection Agency made environmental justice one of its biggest priorities, working to improve health conditions in heavily-polluted communities often made up largely of Black, Latino and low-income Americans. Now that short-lived era is over. President Donald Trump in his first week eliminated a team of White House advisors whose job it was to ensure the entire federal government helped communities located near heavy industry, ports and roadways. (Phillis and St. John, 1/26)

Noem will be in charge of executing one of President Trump's biggest priorities in his second term: cracking down on immigration. Following Saturday's confirmation vote, Noem officially resigned as South Dakota governor, according to a statement. Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden succeeds her in the state's top post. (1/25)

Poor medical care that preceded the 2023 death of an 8-year-old girl at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Harlingen “was not aberrant but consistent” with other incidents of inadequate medical care received by vulnerable migrants in federal custody, a U.S. Senate panel concluded in a report released Friday. (Serrano, 1/24)

Providers and industry watchers are concerned by a new directive from the Department of Homeland Security that allows law enforcement personnel to go into hospitals when looking for people without legal immigration status. On Monday, Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive that gives law enforcement permission to pursue people without legal status in or near sensitive areas, such as hospitals and medical clinics. That tactic had been prohibited under the Biden Administration. (Hudson, 1/24)

As President Donald Trump tightens the nation’s immigration policies, lawmakers in Democratic-led states are proposing new measures that could erect legal obstacles for federal immigration officials and help immigrants lacking legal status avoid deportation. The resistance efforts in California, New York and other states are a counterpoint to the many Republican-led states advancing measures to aid Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, highlighting a national divide. (Lieb, 1/25)