Big tobacco has been ordered to pay a historic $32.5 billion in compensation under a settlement approved by the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario. This landmark agreement—the largest in Canadian history and the third-largest worldwide—holds tobacco companies financially accountable for the healthcare costs tied to smoking-related diseases. The settlement resolves multiple lawsuits that claimed some tobacco giants knew since the 1950s their products were causing cancer and other illnesses and failed to warn consumers adequately.

The Louisiana Department of Health says it will no longer promote mass vaccination. The state’s Surgeon General noted that conversations about specific vaccines are best held between an individual and their health care provider.

Department of Health and Human Services lead Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a controversial plan to ban TV drug ads in America. Currently, the United States and New Zealand are the only two countries that have direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertisements on television. Annually, the pharmaceutical industry pays out $4 billion in advertising dollars to media organizations.

After decades of limited research, the Centers for Disease Control has made a landmark announcement: it will investigate a potential link between vaccines and autism. This marks a profound shift in public health policy and scientific transparency. The CDC recently reported that 1 in 36 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder— a 350% increase since the year 2000.

The US Department of Health and Human Services, together with the FDA, have launched“Operation Stork Speed”—a plan to remove contaminants from baby formula. The initiative will include a comprehensive update and review of infant formula nutrients, the first such effort by the agency since 1998.

President Trump announced that Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (co-author of The Great Barrington Declaration) will serve as the director of the National Institutes of Health during his second term in the White House. “If confirmed, I will establish a culture of respect for free speech in science and scientific dissent at the NIH.”  -Jay Bhattacharya at his Senate hearing.

The National Institutes of Health will be terminating more than 40 grants focused on vaccine hesitancy and ways to increase vaccine acceptance. According to their internal notice, “It has been determined they do not align with NIH funding priorities related to vaccine hesitancy and/or uptake.”

Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, halts clinical trials of the latest experimental, multimillion-dollar COVID-19 vaccine from US biotech company Vaxart. Kennedy said that pausing the work order on the experiment was necessary due to “failed oversight” by Biden administration officials.

The Crown has withdrawn all Quarantine Act charges against a group of Ontario Amish clients. The withdrawal follows nearly six months of legal efforts and successful negotiations between The Democracy Fund lawyers and Crown prosecutors, who acknowledged there was “no reasonable prospect of conviction.”

Utah is poised to be the first state to ban fluoride in public water systems. Governor Spencer Cox confirmed his intention to sign Bill 81 into law. Nearly three quarters of the US population on community water systems receives fluoridated water.

The Florida Senate has passed a bill (SB 56) banning geoengineering and weather modification, repealing existing licensing and reporting requirements, and prohibiting activities that alter temperature, weather, or the intensity of sunlight within the state’s atmosphere.

The CDC has shut down its “Wild to Mild” campaign, which encouraged flu vaccination, especially among pregnant women and children. The move follows a directive from the US Department of Health and Human Services, urging the CDC to shift toward messaging that emphasizes informed consent in vaccine decisions after drug safety advocates criticized the campaign for its theatrics and its failure to mention potential risks.

An 18-year-old Ontario student has been acquitted of hate speech and mischief charges after posting flyers at his high school that contained a link to a video warning students about the risks of gender reassignment surgery. According to the student’s defence, funded by The Democracy Fund, the video did not meet the legal threshold for hate speech.

Environmental and health groups are celebrating a recent ruling from the Federal Court that found Health Canada’s 2022 decision to approve the glyphosate-based herbicide Mad Dog Plus was “unreasonable.” In their legal challenge, the groups argued that the federal regulatory agency failed to conduct a rigorous scientific assessment and that science reports have linked glyphosate-based end-use products to cancers, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative and reproductive toxicity, and harm to ecosystems.

The Government of Canada announced its decision to label per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals,” as toxic. These harmful substances are found in everyday products like clothing, food packaging, cookware, carpets, textiles, and water. PFAS exposure is linked to a range of serious health issues, including immune dysfunction, hormone disruption, metabolic disorders, and developmental harm—particularly for children.