President Donald Trump’s administration plans to overhaul Head Start, a key early education program for the nation's poorest children. Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services say the changes posted online Thursday would encourage more local decision-making by eliminating many federal regulations. Critics argue this could undermine Head Start's effectiveness. The program currently serves around 700,000 vulnerable children, including those who are homeless or in foster care. The proposed changes would replace extensive federal regulations with state and local requirements. Officials claim this could save more than $2 billion and expand the program's reach, but experts warn it may lower standards. The public has 60 days to weigh in.

A Senate committee has voted along party lines to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress over his refusal to answer questions at a hearing on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The vote Thursday sets up a referral to the Department of Justice for potential investigation over whether the country’s longtime top infectious disease official properly exercised his constitutional rights. That would leave it up to the U.S. attorney in Washington to decide whether to investigate or potentially attempt to prosecute Fauci for contempt. A referral from Congress doesn't compel prosecutors to act. Democrats are questioning whether the referral would be valid if the full Senate was bypassed.

Parasitic illness cases in 15 states have been linked to iceberg lettuce. Cyclospora cases have been reported in at least 47 states this year, and investigators have continued to probe how many could be linked to a common contaminated source. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday the number of states tied to the deadly outbreak had grown from nine to 15. Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina were added to the list. Investigators initially narrowed in on lettuce served at Taco Bell. Federal officials subsequently said they are focused on Taylor Farms as the source.

Dr. Erica Schwartz has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 54-year-old Schwartz becomes the 22nd leader of the Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats. Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, and a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard. The CDC has been in turmoil since President Donald Trump returned to office last year. Largely due to layoffs and resignations, the agency has lost 3,000-plus employees, more than one-quarter of its workforce.

The world’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in Congo is still spreading faster than efforts to track it, according to the head of the World Health Organization. “We all agree that we must urgently and massively scale up all our efforts across all pillars of the response and by all partners,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. Aid workers say there have been 3,874 confirmed cases and 1,751 deaths as of Monday. Health workers in the outbreak's epicenter are striking over unpaid wages, worsening access to healthcare. The U.S. government has also announced it will provide an additional $242 million in funding for immediate Ebola response.

Scientists at a biotech company have used gene editing to create two hypoallergenic beagles that don't trigger allergies. Using a Nobel Prize-winning editing tool called CRISPR, they switched off a gene that produces the main allergy-causing protein in dogs. The pups Alfie and Bailey were born healthy and are still going strong almost two years later. It'll take years before such pooches could be available at pet stores because scientists need to make sure the approach is safe and affordable. It's the first time this technique has been successful in dogs. Findings were published on Wednesday in the CRISPR Journal.

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment before Congress will be put to the test this week. A Republican-led Senate committee is preparing to vote on holding Fauci in contempt of Congress. A contempt finding could open the door to a federal investigation into whether Fauci had a valid constitutional right against self-incrimination when he refused to answer lawmakers' questions at a hearing on the COVID-19 pandemic. Republican senators insist a pardon Fauci received from Democratic President Joe Biden left him ineligible for Fifth Amendment protections. But the clemency is by its nature limited, and some legal experts say Fauci has reason to invoke the Fifth Amendment.