By Adam Cancryn, Sarah Owermohle, CNN
(CNN) — The Trump administration is vetting a first-term health official to lead the Food and Drug Administration who has criticized vaccine policies championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Dr. Norman Ned Sharpless, who ran the National Cancer Institute during President Donald Trump’s first term, is one of a handful of outside candidates under consideration for the permanent job, four people familiar with the matter said.
Sharpless won broad praise for his work at NCI, which he led for the entirety of the Trump administration and part of the Biden administration before leaving government in 2022.
He also served briefly as Trump’s acting FDA commissioner in 2019 — a seven-month stint that could prove valuable for senior Trump officials trying to stabilize the embattled agency after months of upheaval, the people familiar with the situation said.
That Sharpless is being considered to run the FDA is the latest sign of the administration’s willingness to spurn the Make America Healthy Again movement in favor of more conventional leaders it believes can shore up a health department now seen as a political weakness for the GOP.
He has no clear ties to Kennedy or the MAHA movement, which Trump credited with aiding his 2024 presidential win — but that has more recently seen its influence wane as the administration repositions ahead of November’s midterms.
Since leaving government, Sharpless co-founded a venture cital fund that invests in biotechnology companies. He has been a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. While there, he signed onto a letter opposing planned changes to some of the FDA’s recent vaccine policies.
We are deeply concerned by sweeping new FDA assertions about vaccine safety and proposals that would undermine a regulatory model designed to ensure that vaccines are safe, effective, and available when the public needs them most, Sharpless and a dozen other former FDA leaders wrote last December, calling them the latest in a series of troubling changes at the FDA.
The oncologist is one of several candidates that Trump health officials have discussed, and the people familiar with the matter cautioned that the search process is still ongoing. Senior officials had hoped to submit a recommended nominee to Trump in the first half of this month, though that timeline may slip as they continue to sift through candidates.
Sharpless did not respond to a request for comment.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the administration is reviewing a large pool of highly qualified candidates interested in serving in key leadership roles across HHS, including the FDA. The focus remains on experienced leaders who can strengthen agency operations, continue advancing significant reforms, and maintain public trust.
Contenders line up
In another indication of MAHA’s loosening grip on personnel decisions, Trump health officials involved in the FDA commissioner search have also eyed longtime pharmaceutical executive Richard Pops, three of the people familiar with the matter said.
Kennedy and the MAHA movement have frequently targeted the industry as a corrupting force within the nation’s health system.
Pops, who is set to step down as CEO of Alkermes, a drug company, later this summer, is a well-regarded figure within the pharmaceutical industry, which clashed frequently with Marty Makary, the recently-ousted FDA commissioner, over the agency’s drug proval process.
Alkermes did not respond to a request for comment.
Several people close to the administration, in meantime, have pressed Trump officials to make acting FDA commissioner Kyle Diamantas the permanent nominee, arguing that this would be the simplest path toward stability at the agency.
Diamantas, the FDA’s top food executive, has impressed officials inside and outside the agency since taking over as acting chief three weeks ago and retains credibility within the MAHA movement for his efforts to advance policies to encourage healthier eating.
But Diamantas has scant experience on drug issues, which could undercut his chances ahead of a midterm where Trump has sought to tout his efforts to lower the cost of medicines, according to some of the people familiar with the search.
The wide-ranging search has taken on a high priority within HHS and parts of the White House, as officials try to plug key vacancies within a department juggling multiple public health threats alongside initiatives viewed as core to Trump’s affordability agenda.
Earlier this year, the White House oversaw a shakeup of Kennedy’s senior leadership team in hopes of improving operations and cutting down on messaging missteps that had frustrated Trump aides and some GOP lawmakers over the last year.
Officials have also encouraged a shift away from Kennedy’s most controversial priorities, downplaying his politically unpopular attempts to overhaul vaccine policies in favor of wider-peal rhetoric focused on lowering health care costs.
The White House has since chosen more conventional candidates to fill HHS’ top ranks. In ril, Trump nominated public health veteran and vaccine supporter Erica Schwartz to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The White House then dropped Casey Means, a close Kennedy ally, as surgeon general nominee after it became clear she couldn’t be confirmed. Fox News contributor Dr. Nicole Shier has been picked instead. Shier had no prior relationship with Kennedy and a history of criticizing him and some of his policies.
Confirmation pressures
Last month, Makary became the latest top health official to leave the administration, after it became clear he’d lost support within the White House and alienated key factions of the Republican Party and health care industry.
Several Makary allies subsequently stepped down or were fired, creating more high-level vacancies within an agency that had already suffered months of turnover, staffing cuts and infighting over policy decisions.
Senior health officials have since sought to fill those roles quickly, seeking candidates who can command instant credibility with FDA staff and the broader public.
Yet even as they cast a net that extends well beyond the MAHA movement, the people familiar with the search said it could still prove challenging to settle on a pick for FDA commissioner with the attributes needed to win both Kennedy and Trump’s proval — and speed through confirmation in a closely divided Senate where an expanding group of GOP lawmakers have shown a willingness to buck the administration.
Several Republican senators have pressed the FDA to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone by reversing a Biden-era change that allowed prescriptions to be sent through the mail. Makary was noncommittal about if or when the FDA would make those changes, fueling criticism from anti-abortion advocates who eventually celebrated his departure.
It could prove a tricky GOP litmus test for whoever succeeds him as well. Sharpless joined six other FDA commissioners and acting chiefs in 2023 to argue that the agency made sound, scientific decisions when easing access to mifepristone.
Diamantas, meanwhile, scrambled shortly after he was named acting commissioner to quell anti-abortion advocates’ concerns about his stance on mifepristone and prior work defending Planned Parenthood in a property dispute.
In a tacit acknowledgement of that difficult path ahead, HHS has taken steps to strengthen ties with GOP senators who might be key to confirming Trump’s new health nominees — including Sen. Bill Cassidy, who chairs the committee responsible for advancing the department’s picks.
Cassidy has been at odds with Kennedy for months, and lost his primary race after Trump endorsed a rival candidate. Trump publicly celebrated Cassidy’s defeat, writing on social media: It’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!
But shortly afterward, Kennedy’s chief counselor, Chris Klomp, arranged a private meeting with the Louisiana senator, said two people familiar with the previously unreported episode.
Among the overarching goals, said one of those people: To thaw tensions and try to smooth the path ahead for the department’s forthcoming nominees.

New York City is using AI to help with administering SN benefits, officials testified before the City Council on Thursday.
The tech was developed with consulting firm McKinsey & Company, which the city is formally ending its contract with at the end of the fiscal year. That work will then be brought in-house as the city’s Department of Social Services looks toward rolling it out further, according to Human Resources Administration official Scott French.
The AI is being used to help identify mismatches in calculations before someone processes a case, French said, with an aim at improving the error rate, which measures the accuracy of eligibility and benefit determinations.
The McKinsey contract was among those highlighted by Mayor Mamdani as unnecessary spending that could help close the city’s budget g. Cutting the contract is part of a total $1.7 billion in savings found by chief savings officers across different city agencies.
The Trump administration has implemented changes to the food benefits programming that threaten thousands of New Yorkers’ access and complicate funding the program for states.
Those changes include a revamped funding formula that grants states money for the programming based on their payment error rate, with higher rates meaning states must shoulder more of the costs.
New federal work requirements also threaten access to benefits for roughly 40,000 New Yorkers, Mamdani administration officials said. The administration announced earlier this week it was ramping up canvassing and phone-banking efforts to notify those at risk of losing SN.
Mamdani touted scrping the $9 million contract with McKinsey in a video in March, saying: A contract with McKinsey at the Department of Social Services. No more. That’s $9 million that we won’t be spending next year.
The city is using the AI technology, from AWS, to flag potential issues to workers and to actually determine, is something not aligning, or is it — and if they do need to make changes, they can make those changes before they officially submit that, French said.
Around 70 staffers are testing the tech to see if there are any unintended consequences and, if so, make fixes before the technology is rolled out further.

Buffalo Wild Wings’ recent social media post is falling flat … ’cause the restaurant chain just offered the kid who ran onto the court during Game 1 free food for the rest of the NBA Finals — and a lot of folks think it’s weird to “reward” such behavior.
B-Dubs went to X in search of the individual on Thursday … saying it’s trying to track him down so he can tune in to the rest of the Finals “on us” after he was handed a lifetime ban from NBA arenas over the Victor Wembanyama selfie stunt.
We took a peep at the replies … and the wing joint is getting fried like a chicken.
“So you wanna make this a trend!?” one user wrote. “commit a crime we will reward you here in Buffalo Wild Wings !! Trash.”
“Holy L. Why would we reward this guy?” another said.
There’s more — “Probably shouldn’t be encouraging others to do something like this…” a concerned fan added.
You get the idea.
As TMZ Sports reported, not only is the juvenile no longer welcome at NBA games, he’s also facing two charges after being arrested as a result of the incident — criminal trespass and disrupting meeting or procession.

WASHINGTON, June 4 () – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ​told Bolivian President ‌Rodrigo Paz in a call on Thursday that the ​Trump administration was ​ramping up emergency assistance ⁠and support to help ​with food and medical ​shortages amid weeks of social unrest and mass protests in ​the South American country, ​the department said.
“Rubio reaffirmed that ‌the ⁠Trump Administration will continue to stand with Bolivia as it works toward ​stability, ​security, ⁠and a better future for all ​Bolivians,” U.S. State ​Department ⁠Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
Sign up here.
Reporting by ⁠Christian ​Martinez in ​Los Angeles; Writing by Ismail Shakil; ​Editing by Dhne Psaledakis

GRAND RIDS, MI —A new affordable housing development in Grand Rids has been completed on a site that once housed a Black-owned grocery store, marking a new chter for a location once central to the Madison Square neighborhood.
ICCF Community Homes hosted a ceremonial ribbon cutting Thursday for the Tate & Thomas artments, named for Wilson Tate and Frank Thomas, the late owners of Madison Food Center. The $18 million low-income housing development includes 45 units across two buildings at 1309 Madison Ave. SE and 415 Adams St. SE.
Michelle Covington, ICCF’s vice president of advancement, said Madison Food Center — opened by Tate and Thomas in 1983 — was more than a place to buy groceries.
It became a gathering place, a source of pride and a center of community life, she said.
The new housing development carries forward that vision, Covington said, serving the community by providing affordable housing at a time when such units are in high demand. Like the grocery store before it, the artments are intended to be a place where neighbors can connect, belong and thrive.
In a neighborhood built on community and belonging, we celebrate a new chter today, Covington said. Forty-five families will soon call this place home. It is a place rooted in a rich history, strengthened by the people who came before us and filled with endless possibilities for the future.
The Tate & Thomas artments are reserved for residents earning up to 80% of Kent County’s area median income, or about $59,760 annually for a one-person household. The project was financed using state low-income housing tax credits, said Ryan VerWys, president and CEO of ICCF Community Homes.
VerWys said ICCF chose to name the development after Tate and Thomas because of the site’s history and the example they set as community leaders and loving neighbors.
He recalled a story shared by one of Tate’s sons, who said his father, when arriving at the grocery store early in the morning, would occasionally find a person experiencing homelessness sleeping near the entrance. Instead of sending the person away, Tate would invite them inside, offering food and a warm drink.
The Tate and Thomas families have been loving neighbors in this community, VerWys said. So it’s fitting that we would, thankfully, have the permission to name these buildings after them, which honors that legacy of taking in and not turning away.
Grand Rids Mayor David LaGrand said the development will help strengthen the Madison Square neighborhood while building on other nearby investments.
We’ve got a grocery store here, we’ve got churches here, we’ve got neighborhood restaurants here, he said. So getting more people in this neighborhood is going to be a virtuous cycle. We are going to reinvest, and we are going to reinforce all of the good things that have been going on.
VerWys said the two artment buildings took about 18 months to complete. The building at 415 Adams St. SE has received its occupancy permit, while the building at 1309 Madison Ave. SE is still awaiting its permit. Residents are expected to begin moving in within the coming weeks.
We’re going to try and get these leased up as quickly as possible, VerWys said, noting demand is expected to be high because life’s getting more and more expensive.
According to a news release, the artments include a community room with a kitchenette, a fitness room, package rooms, in-unit laundry and shared laundry facilities. The development also includes electric vehicle charging stations and rooftop solar and is seeking LEED Gold certification.
The site at 1309 Madison Ave. SE has long been home to a grocery store.
According to Gary Burge, a historical consultant and church liaison at ICCF, an A&P Food Store opened there in 1939. It later became Eberhard Super Food and Madison Food Town before Tate and Thomas purchased it in 1982. They moved the store in 1989 to the Madison Mall at 1226 Madison Ave. SE, now the site of Great Giant Supermarket.
After Madison Food Center moved, the building was occupied by several other users, including a childcare center, mosque and African community center. The building was eventually demolished to make way for the new artments.
For the families whose names now mark the buildings, the recognition carries deep meaning.
It was a source of pride for the Black community, said Wanda Thomas, 85, reflecting on the grocery store’s legacy.
Carolyn Tate, 89, described the new housing as a continuation of that legacy of service.
This is progression to fulfill a need of the community, she said.