HHS Chief Seeks To Rally Support For Trump’s Drug Plan; Interim VA Chief Nominated For Permanent Job

The Hill: Trump Official On Defensive As Critics Scoff At Drug Plan
President Trump's health chief is struggling to show that the administration is serious about taking on drug companies after its proposals for lowering prices last week left big companies relieved and even spurred an uptick in their stock prices. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar insists that the companies are misreading the administration's plan and that it will bring down drug prices. (Sullivan, 5/19)

The New York Times: Trump’s New Health And Human Services Secretary Is A Joyful Regulator
Alex Azar, President Trump’s new man running health policy, was waving a Pilot ballpoint in front of a room full of reporters. “This pen has a lot of power,” he said, smiling at his own joke. He is right. As Health and Human Services Secretary, Mr. Azar does have a lot of power to change health policy, without having to go through Congress. And in a sharp break from his predecessor — and from most Trump cabinet secretaries — he seems to be relishing the chance to write new regulations, rather than just crossing out Obama-era ones. (Sanger-Katz, 5/18)

USA Today: Trump Picks Robert Wilkie As The Next Secretary Of Veterans Affairs
When he became acting secretary, the VA put out a statement hailing his leadership in uniting everyone at the agency around shared goals after a tumultuous few months, when Shulkin had been feuding with a group of top political appointees. "Under Acting Secretary Wilkie’s leadership, senior VA officials are now on the same page, speaking with one voice to Veterans, employees and outside stakeholders, such as Congress and veterans service organizations, and are focused on a number of key priorities in the short term," VA press secretary Curt Cashour said. (Slack and Jackson, 5/18)

The Washington Post: Oliver North, Incoming NRA Chief, Blames School Shootings On ‘Culture Of Violence’
Two days after a 17-year-old opened fire in his Texas high school, killing at least 10, incoming National Rifle Association president Oliver North said students “shouldn’t have to be afraid” to go to school and blamed the problem on “youngsters who are steeped in a culture of violence” in which many young boys have “been on Ritalin” since early childhood. “They’ve been drugged in many cases,” he said. (Stead Sellers and Scherer, 5/20)

The Wall Street Journal: The Spillover Effects Of State Gun Laws
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania had a hunch about gun laws: A place with strict laws surrounded by states with lenient ones would have more shootings. But the data revealed something different. Counties in states with tight gun laws weren’t affected by the loose laws of neighboring states—but counties in states with loose laws had lower rates of firearm homicide when nearby states had tight laws. “It’s a halo effect,” said Elinore J. Kaufman, lead author of the study. “If you lived in a state with lenient laws but neighboring states had stronger laws, you were a little bit protected.” (McGinty, 5/18)

The Hill: Adult Entertainment Industry Group Trolls Trump With Letter Explaining Difference Between HIV And HPV
The top trade association for the adult entertainment industry is trolling President Trump with an open letter explaining the difference between HIV and HPV. The letter from the Free Speech Coalition comes after recently released footage of Bill Gates revealed his claim that Trump had asked him in two previous meetings to explain the difference between the two viruses. (Thomsen, 5/19)