{
  "id": 1978154,
  "title": "Trump picks Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, to lead the Food and Drug Administration",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/trump-picks-dr-heidi-overton-a-top-white-house-aide-to-lead-the-food-1978154",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T16:53:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/fda-donald-trump-heidi-overton-marty-makary-a54907d62a2482bd462410c0778266b9"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Dr. Heidi Overton, a prominent White House aide, will lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Serving as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Overton has been a trusted figure within the administration and a strong supporter of President Trump's health initiatives. In her new role, she will face the challenge of balancing a complex set of priorities, including Trump's advocacy for rapid cures, innovation, and reduced drug costs, as well as the anti-regulatory stance of traditional Republicans and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-corporate views.\n\nOverton, a medical doctor, earned her medical degree from the University of New Mexico and a doctorate in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining Trump's second administration, she worked as the chief policy officer at the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute. Recently, Overton has been seen with the president to promote various projects, such as negotiations with drug companies to lower prices and a recent vaccine order that divided the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into three separate immunizations - a move that faced criticism from medical experts.\n\nDuring a press event to promote the vaccine order, Overton stood alongside Trump and made false claims about potential links between vaccine timing or numbers and the rise in autism spectrum disorder. Despite scientific consensus and decades of research proving no such link, Overton defended the president's position. As the new FDA commissioner, Overton will need to navigate these competing interests and address unfinished projects left by her predecessor, Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May.",
  "summary": "Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, has been picked to lead the Food and Drug Administration , President Donald Trump…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Mexico rejects latest Trump administration crackdown that is leaving migrants in other countries",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/mexico-rejects-latest-trump-administration-crackdown-that-is-leaving",
        "published": "2026-08-19T16:22:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CityNews",
        "title": "Trump picks Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, to lead the Food and Drug Administration",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/trump-picks-dr-heidi-overton-a-top-white-house-aide-to-lead-the-food-1988146",
        "published": "2026-08-19T16:31:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Trump picks Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, to lead the Food and Drug Administration",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/trump-picks-dr-heidi-overton-a-top-white-house-aide-to-lead-the-food",
        "published": "2026-08-19T16:31:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}