• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

2

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

3

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

1

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

2

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

3

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
HealthBrainstorm Health

Merck CEO Resigns Trump Council, Google Buys Digital Health Firm, Obamacare Insurers Get More Time

By
Clifton Leaf
Clifton Leaf
and
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Clifton Leaf
Clifton Leaf
and
Sy Mukherjee
Sy Mukherjee
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 14, 2017, 11:35 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Good morning. Merck CEO Ken Frazier resigned earlier today from President Trump’s American Manufacturing Council, a group of more than two dozen corporate leaders who have been tapped to advise the president on his “job creation agenda.”

Frazier’s resignation comes in the wake of a violent rally by neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, where a 32-year-old woman was killed by a home-grown terrorist who drove his car into a crowd of counter-protestors—an act of hate-filled savagery that President Trump declined to squarely condemn. Trump instead laid the blame for the bigotry and murderous violence “on many sides.”

No other prominent Republican and Democratic leader equivocated in such a way. Virtually every Republican and Democratic leader—other than the President—denounced the attack for what it was: an act of terror.

“America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values,” said Frazier in announcing his resignation, “by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal.”

Trump had previously celebrated the support of the Merck CEO, one of the few African-American chief executives of a Fortune 500 company, in his manufacturing initiative. The president had sat Frazier next to him at the first gathering of his advisory council in February.

And again, at a meeting with drug company CEOs.

But after Frazier’s announcement this morning, the president shot back with an angry tweet: “Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!”

Merck’s stock promptly shot up nearly 1 percent in early morning trading.

Frazier’s full statement is below.

Clifton Leaf, Editor in Chief, FORTUNE
@CliftonLeaf
clifton.leaf@fortune.com

DIGITAL HEALTH

Google snaps up diagnosis firm Senosis. Google's newest M&A foray is for Senosis Health, a digital health startup whose technology can help diagnose various medical conditions with existing features on smartphones, according to the company. Senosis tech can reportedly measure lung function, detect jaundice in newborns, and even measure hemoglobin levels in the blood. (Fortune)

INDICATIONS

Zynerba shares crash on yet another trial failure. Cannabis-focused drug company Zynerba can't seem to catch a break. Following a devastating clinical trial setback earlier this month for its lead experimental product, a cannabidiol gel, in epilepsy, the firm reported another trial failure on Monday for the product in treating knee pain due to osteoarthritis. The company will now mull its options and discuss the way forward with the Food and Drug Administration. Zynerba shares were down about 10% in early Monday trading.

THE BIG PICTURE

Health insurers granted extra time to calculate 2018 Obamacare premiums. The Trump administration is giving companies that participate in Obamacare's individual insurance markets an extra three weeks to determine their 2018 premium rates. The decision was spurred by the uncertainty these companies are facing following Trump's threats to cut off federal payments to health insurers that help lower out-of-pocket medical costs for low-income Americans. (New York Times)

REQUIRED READING

Wall Street Is About to Get Over Its North Korea Panic, by Lucinda Shen

Amazon Could Probably Conquer Drug Stores, Too, by Megan McArdle, Bloomberg

The Era of 'Founder-Friendly' Startup Investing Is Over, by Erin Griffith

Elon Musk: AI Poses 'Vastly More Risk Than North Korea', by Lisa Marie Segarra

Produced by Sy Mukherjee
@the_sy_guy
sayak.mukherjee@fortune.com

Find past coverage. Sign up for other Fortune newsletters.
About the Authors
By Clifton Leaf
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Sy Mukherjee
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

mitch
North AmericaCongress
Mitch McConnell, 84, hospitalized with no details released; term ends in January
By The Associated PressJune 15, 2026
14 hours ago
target
HealthRecalls
FDA recalls Nara Organics baby formula after infant botulism cases in 3 states
By The Associated PressJune 15, 2026
15 hours ago
‘There simply isn’t enough product for the U.S. customer’: GLP-1 craze eats whey too much protein
RetailFood and drink
‘There simply isn’t enough product for the U.S. customer’: GLP-1 craze eats whey too much protein
By Dee-Ann Durbin and The Associated PressJune 14, 2026
2 days ago
Middle-aged adults taking GLP-1s for obesity can save over $192K on lifetime medical costs, higher if they don’t have college degrees, new study finds
HealthHealth
Middle-aged adults taking GLP-1s for obesity can save over $192K on lifetime medical costs, higher if they don’t have college degrees, new study finds
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 14, 2026
2 days ago
U.S.’s screwworm fix is still a year away, risking more spread
North AmericaAgriculture
U.S.’s screwworm fix is still a year away, risking more spread
By Ilena Peng and BloombergJune 13, 2026
2 days ago
Meet the lone star tick: the primary U.S. source of alpha-gal syndrome, which is a life-threatening meat allergy that’s on the rise
HealthHealth
Meet the lone star tick: the primary U.S. source of alpha-gal syndrome, which is a life-threatening meat allergy that’s on the rise
By Matthew Perrone and The Associated PressJune 13, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
Success
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
By Preston ForeJune 13, 2026
3 days ago
Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
Personal Finance
Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
By John W. Diamond and The ConversationJune 12, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
14 hours ago
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
Economy
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
By Nick LichtenbergJune 14, 2026
2 days ago
Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the engineer-turned-COO who runs SpaceX in platform heels and is now worth over $2 billion
Startups & Venture
Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the engineer-turned-COO who runs SpaceX in platform heels and is now worth over $2 billion
By Eva RoytburgJune 15, 2026
21 hours ago
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
Investing
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
By Adveith Nair and BloombergJune 14, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.