5 high-level CDC officials are leaving in the latest turmoil for the public health agency

NEW YORK (AP) — Five high-level officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are leaving. The departures were announced Tuesday at a meeting of agency senior leaders. This means close to a third of the agency’s top management is leaving or left recently. The announcements come a day after the White House announced it is nominating Susan Monarez to be CDC director. But it’s not clear how much, if any, influence that had on the leaders’ decision to leave. The Atlanta-based CDC has two dozen centers and offices.

Appeals court allows Trump admin. to suspend approval of new refugees amid lawsuit

WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to stop approving new refugees for entry into the U.S. as a lawsuit plays out over the president’s executive order halting the nation’s refugee admissions system. Refugees conditionally approved before President Donald Trump took office must still be processed under the Tuesday order from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but it allows the Republican administration to suspend new approvals. The appeals court panel halted a ruling from U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle. Whitehead found that Trump could not nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the program. Whitehead said the president does have substantial discretion to suspend refugee admissions but the authority is not limitless.

Frank Bisignano gets his confirmation hearing to lead Social Security

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nominee to lead the Social Security Administration has faced tough questions at his confirmation hearing about efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency to shut down field offices and cut back on phone service. Frank Bisignano was called to account by the Senate Finance Committee for recent upheaval at the beleaguered agency. The Social Security Administration has taken center stage in the debate over DOGE cuts to taxpayer services. Bisignano is a Wall Street veteran and one-time defender of corporate policies to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. He said he has “never heard a word” about Social Security being privatized and had never thought about it.

Consumer confidence is sliding as Americans’ view of their financial futures slumps

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence continued its sharp 2025 decline as Americans’ views about their financial futures fell to a 12-year low, driven by rising concerns over tariffs and inflation. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell 7.2 points in March to 92.9, the fourth straight monthly decline. The Conference Board’s report Tuesday said that the measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market fell 9.6 points to 65.2. That’s the lowest reading in 12 years and well below the threshold of 80, which the Conference Board says can signal a potential recession in the near future.