1 President Nominates Dr. Heidi Overton To Head FDA
President Trump announced yesterday that he is nominating Dr. Heidi Overton, a physician and deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy, to be the next head of the Food and Drug Administration. Overton, who earned her medical degree from the University of New Mexico, has worked closely with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In a post on Truth Social, Trump credited her with helping deliver what he called the most transformative health agenda in history. He said she would work to deliver faster cures, more American innovation, clinical trial reforms, and lower drug prices. She will need Senate confirmation; the FDA has been led by an acting commissioner since Dr. Marty Makary resigned in May amid internal tensions.
2 Pennsylvania State Police Helicopter Collides With Small Airplane
A Pennsylvania State Police helicopter and a small airplane collided in midair near the Carlisle airport in the state's Cumberland Valley last night, according to the FAA and state officials. The Cessna 150 airplane and Bell 407 helicopter collided around 7:50 p.m. local time; two people were aboard the helicopter, while the number of people on the plane was not immediately known. The Carlisle airport is an uncontrolled field, meaning it has no air traffic control tower, so planes and helicopters coordinate their movements on a shared radio frequency. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the crash; at a press conference last night, it was confirmed by officials that the airplane pilot was killed in the crash, and may have been the sole occupant of the craft.
3 National Debt Hits $40-Trillion
The U.S. national debt surpassed a record $40-trillion yesterday, a staggering milestone driven by defense costs, social programs like Social Security and Medicare, and interest on the growing deficit. The figure came just five months after the debt hit $39 trillion in March, which itself followed the $38 trillion mark five months earlier. The milestone highlights competing priorities, from funding Trump's nearly six-month war in Iran to lowering the cost of gas and groceries. A White House spokesman said the administration is focused on cutting waste and boosting economic growth, but experts warn the exploding debt is already raising borrowing costs for mortgages and cars, lowering wages, and making goods more expensive. The debt has grown across several administrations, ballooning during the COVID-19 pandemic under both Trump and Biden, and rose further after last year's Republican tax cut and spending law. Analysts expect the U.S. to hit its $41.1 trillion debt limit sometime in 2027, forcing another congressional vote.