Rural hospitals stave off mass exodus of workers to vaccine mandate Nearly two dozen hospital officials and association leaders told POLITICO they've lost just a fraction of their staff to the federal immunization requirement. POLITICO

Rural hospital officials who expected Covid vaccine mandates to cause a staffing crisis are facing a pleasant surprise: Religious exemptions and education efforts for the hesitant are keeping almost all health care workers on the job.

Senate confirms Biden FDA pick Califf, despite objections to drug industry ties The Senate narrowly confirmed Dr. Robert Califf, a prominent cardiologist, as FDA commissioner, over objections to his pharmaceutical industry ties. Spencer Kimball CNBC

The Senate narrowly confirmed Dr. Robert Califf as Food and Drug Administration commissioner on Tuesday, over objections to his pharmaceutical industry ties and concerns he would not act aggressively enough to stem the opioid epidemic.