A new study shows that the health of U.S. children has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to experience obesity, chronic diseases and other problems. The research was published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought children's health to the forefront of the national policy conversation. His agency's report in May described kids as undernourished and overmedicated. But outside experts who reviewed the new study say the Trump administration's decision to make cuts to federal health agencies, Medicaid and scientific research are not likely to reverse the trend.

People with immune system health problems continue to take precautions against COVID-19 five years into the pandemic. The threat of infection is a governing force in their lives while others speak of the coronavirus in the past tense. They protect themselves from the virus with masks and isolate themselves in small family bubbles. In online support groups, they trade research about the danger of repeat infections and cognitive impairment. They miss the empathy they felt during the early days of the pandemic. Some have lost friendships, but they strive to maintain the social ties important to mental health.