AP: Coronavirus Deaths In Kids Echoes Toll In Adults, CDC Says
A detailed look at COVID-19 deaths in U.S. kids and young adults released Tuesday shows they mirror patterns seen in older patients. The report examined 121 deaths of those younger than 21, as of the end of July. Like older adults, many of them had one or more medical condition — like lung problems, including asthma, obesity, heart problems or developmental conditions. Deaths were also more common among those in certain racial and ethnic groups, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC found 54 were Hispanic, 35 were Black, and 17 were white, even though overall there are far more white Americans than Black and Hispanic. (Stobbe, 9/16)

CNBC: The Coronavirus Has Killed At Least 121 Young People In The U.S., Mostly Minorities, CDC Says
The study comes days after reports surfaced alleging that Trump administration officials were interfering with the CDC’s process for publishing such studies. The researchers, which include a number of CDC personnel and officials from nearly 30 state health departments, said the study underscores the risk Covid-19 presents to young people, even though young people typically don’t become as sick as older coronavirus patients. They added that the data should be continually monitored as schools and child-care centers reopen. (Feuer, 9/15)

Stat: Covid-19 Complications Killed 121 Americans Under Age 21 Through July
There was a disproportionate burden among children and young adults with underlying health conditions and those who were Latinx, Black, or American Indian or Alaska Native. The report also found that 18- to 20-year-olds accounted for nearly half of the 121 deaths in the group during the time period studied — mid-February to the end of July — adding to the evidence that younger children generally are less likely to get seriously ill from Covid-19. Still, 10% of fatal cases occurred in children under 1 year old. (Joseph, 9/15)

NBC News: Underlying Conditions Common Among Kids And Teens Who Die Of Covid-19
Dr. Rishi Desai, a pediatric infectious disease doctor and chief medical officer at Osmosis, a medical education company, said the age distribution of the deaths wasn't surprising. People ages 18 to 20 are probably doing more risky activities, like going out to bars and parties, Desai said. "In general, their number of social contacts dramatically goes up." (Miller, 9/15)

AP: Seeping Under Doors, Bad Air From West's Fires Won't Ease Up
Dangerously dirty air spewing from the West Coast wildfires is seeping into homes and businesses, sneaking into cars through air conditioning vents and preventing people already shut away by the coronavirus pandemic from enjoying a walk or trip to the park. People in Oregon, Washington state and California have been struggling for a week or longer under some of the most unhealthy air on the planet. The acrid yellow-green smog may linger for days or weeks, scientists and forecasters said. (Cline and Flaccus, 9/16)

Los Angeles Times: 2020 California Fires Are The Worst Ever. Again.
Although fire season is a perennial challenge in California, the scale and destruction of fires in recent years feel worse than anything many can remember. To see whether that’s true, The Times analyzed decades of data tracking California wildfires and the destruction they’ve wrought. The analysis found that wildfires and their compounding effects have intensified in recent years — and there’s little sign things will improve. (Krishnakumar and Kannan, 9/15)

The New York Times: Some Of The Planet’s Most Polluted Skies Are Now Over The West Coast
The billowing wildfire smoke that has blanketed much of the West Coast with a caustic haze also began settling into the atmosphere thousands of miles away on Tuesday. While more favorable weather has allowed firefighters to make some progress against the devastating blazes in Oregon, the crisis was far from over: The largest fires were still mostly uncontained, the air has been some of the most polluted on the planet for a week, and the state was setting up a mobile morgue as crews continued to sift through the rubble for missing people. (Baker, 9/15)

The Washington Post: Hazardous Smoke From Wildfires Continues To Smother West Coast 
Thick, hazardous smoke could continue to smother the West Coast for days, hindering firefighters battling dozens of deadly blazes that continue to scorch the region. While a brief, long-awaited rain arrived along the Oregon coast on Tuesday, clearing up the skies in some parts of the state, officials warned that dangerous smoke will remain in the air through at least Thursday. (Schmidt and Livingston, 9/15)

USA Today: Smoke From Western Wildfires Reaches East Coast; Mount Wilson Observatory At Risk In California; At Least 36 Dead
Intense smoke from historic wildfires that is filling the lungs of millions of Westerners is clouding skies across the nation. AccuWeather meteorologist Matt Benz said you can draw a line from California through St. Louis and on to Norfolk, Virginia – pretty much everyplace north of that line is looking at smoke-tainted skies. Areas south of that line see less smoke because of air coming up from the Gulf. "Amazingly, that wildfire smoke has traveled thousands of miles and finally has reached the East," Benz told USA TODAY. "It looks like clouds, but it is smoke. And we are stuck with this until the weather pattern changes." (Bacon, 9/15)

Concerns grow over the short- and long-term effects of smoke inhalation —

Los Angeles Times: Your Questions About Air Quality Answered 
Experts recommend that you stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed. If you have one, run an air conditioner that recirculates indoor air and has a clean filter. Air purifiers can also help. You can make a DIY air filter out of a box fan, an air filter and duct tape (just be careful with it). Avoid strenuous physical activity, especially outdoors. People with lung conditions such as asthma, as well as the elderly and children, should take extra precautions. Here are the answers to Times readers’ questions. (Tseng, Roy and Ballinger, 9/15)

The Wall Street Journal: How To Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke
There are steps to protect against the smoke and the pandemic, according to health and environmental experts. Here’s what they say about the smoke’s dangers and steps to protect against them in the midst of the pandemic. (McCabe, 9/16)

National Geographic: How Breathing In Wildfire Smoke Affects The Body
When a healthy person breathes in air tinged with smoke from the fires, they may feel a sting in their eyes, and when they cough, they may have trouble recovering their breath. But what happens to that same individual when they breathe smoky air for extended periods every year is still unclear. “People were once exposed once or twice in a lifetime,” says Keith Bein, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Davis. “Now it’s happening every summer and for longer.” (Gibbens and McKeever, 9/15)

KATU: Long-Term Health Effects Of Wildfire Smoke Still Unknown
But what about the long-term effects of this wildfire smoke? Perry Hystad, an associate professor who studies wildfire smoke impacts at Oregon State University, said researchers have looked at health impacts in the days and weeks following exposure to high levels of smoke. He said they have studied how poor air quality over decades has impacted health outcomes in places like India or China. But, "We really haven’t done the studies needed to say what is a week-long, really high exposure mean for your health, when usually you are at a low-level," said Hystad. (Thomas, 9/16)

Also —

Reuters: Thousands Of Oregon Evacuees Shelter From Wildfires As U.S. Disaster Declared
Thousands of evacuees displaced by deadly wildfires in Oregon settled into a second week of life in shelters and car camping on Tuesday as fire crews battled on, and search teams scoured the ruins of incinerated homes for the missing. With state resources stretched to their limit, President Donald Trump approved a request from Oregon’s governor for a federal disaster declaration, bolstering U.S. government assistance for emergency response and relief efforts. (Bloom and Brooks, 9/15)

Kaiser Health News: Tough To Tell COVID From Smoke Inhalation Symptoms — And Flu Season’s Coming 
The patients walk into Dr. Melissa Marshall’s community clinics in Northern California with the telltale symptoms. They’re having trouble breathing. It may even hurt to inhale. They’ve got a cough, and the sore throat is definitely there. A straight case of COVID-19? Not so fast. This is wildfire country. (Kreidler, 9/16)

The New York Times: Trump, In Philadelphia, Says He ‘Up-Played’ The Virus, Then Downplays It
President Trump denied on Tuesday that he downplayed the threat of the coronavirus that has taken more than 195,000 lives in the United States, directly contradicting his own recorded words in which he admitted doing exactly that. And then he proceeded to downplay the pandemic even further. Appearing at a town-hall-style event in Philadelphia, Mr. Trump presented a view of the pandemic radically at odds with the view of public health officials, insisting again that the virus would disappear on its own and contending that “we’re rounding the corner” of the crisis. He cast doubt on the value of wearing masks, citing the wisdom of restaurant waiters over the counsel of his own medical advisers. (Baker, 9/15)

ABC News: Trump, Pressed During ABC Town Hall On Downplaying Pandemic Threat, Says Instead He 'Up-Played It' 
As evidence of his claim that he "up-played" the disease "in terms of action," Trump cited a pair of travel bans imposed against China and Europe in February and March. But pressed by ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos, who moderated the town hall, about "his own words" about the pandemic threat, Trump said, "We did a very, very good job when we put that ban on." "Whether you call it 'talent' or 'luck,' it was very important," Trump continued, "so we saved a lot of lives when we did that."(Bruggeman, 9/15)

AP: Trump Denies Downplaying Virus, Casts Doubt On Mask Usage
Face-to-face with everyday voters for the first time in months, Trump was defensive but resisted agitation as he was pressed on his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and why he doesn’t more aggressively promote the use of masks to reduce the spread of the disease. “There are people that don’t think masks are good,” Trump said, though his own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly urges their use. (Miller and Freking, 9/15)

The Washington Post: Trump, In Town Hall, Says He Wouldn’t Have Done Anything Differently On Pandemic 
Trump often praised his own performance and said problems were the fault of others. Trump blamed cities and states run by Democrats for any problems with the response to coronavirus, as well as for any crime or violence in the country, not accepting responsibility for problems that he sees as happening under political rivals. (Itkowitz, Dawsey, Sonmez and Wagner, 9/15)

USA Today: 'Herd Mentality': Trump Again Asserts Coronavirus Will 'Disappear'
ABC News' Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Trump whether the coronavirus "would go away without the vaccine?" "Sure, over a period of time. Sure, with time it goes away --" Trump responded. Stephanopoulos interjected: "--And many deaths." "And you'll develop, you'll develop herd -- like a herd mentality. It's going to be -- it's going to be herd developed - and that's going to happen. That will all happen," Trump said. (Behrmann, 9/15)

Politico: Trump Tells Town Hall He ‘Up-Played’ The Coronavirus Pandemic 
Another town hall participant confronted Trump on his “Make America Great Again” motto, pointing out that for many African Americans who have historically faced injustices because of racism, “we cannot identify with such greatness.” He confronted the president for declining to acknowledge that there is a “race problem in America,” a remark that caused the president to pause. “Well, I hope there’s not a race problem,” Trump said. “I can tell you there’s none with me, because I have great respect for all races.” (Choi, 9/15 )

The Hill: Trump Says He Doesn't Think He Could've Done More To Stop Virus Spread 
The president was asked by one prospective voter what the most difficult challenge of his presidency has been, and what he learned from it. "I learned that life is very fragile. I knew people that were powerful people, strong people, good people, and they got knocked out by this, and died -- six people," Trump said. ... "And it wasn’t their fault. It was the fault of a country that could have stopped it." (Samuels, 9/15)

In related news —

The Washington Post: Woodward Says There Was ‘Denial Across The Board’ In White House About Severity Of Coronavirus 
Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward said Tuesday that there was “denial across the board” among White House staffers about the severity of the coronavirus, and blamed President Trump for being a “bulldozer” who rejects opposing views. Woodward, whose new book, “Rage,” is based in part on 18 on-the-record interviews with Trump, made the comments in a Washington Post Live interview. (Sonmez, 9/15)

The New York Times: Michael Caputo, Trump Health Official, Apologizes For Facebook Outburst 
Michael R. Caputo, the assistant secretary of health for public affairs, apologized Tuesday morning to the health secretary, Alex M. Azar II, and to his staff members for a bizarre and incendiary Facebook outburst in which he accused federal government scientists working on the pandemic of “sedition” and warned of coming violence from left-wing “hit squads.” He is considering a leave of absence to address physical health problems, according to a person familiar with the situation. (LaFraniere, 9/15)

Politico: Caputo Apologizes To HHS Staff, Signals Desire For Medical Leave 
Caputo told staffers that his series of false accusations on Facebook Live this weekend — which included unfounded allegations that the Centers for Disease Control was harboring a “resistance unit” — reflected poorly on HHS’ communications office. He blamed his recent behavior on a combination of physical health issues and the toll of fielding death threats against his family. Caputo also acknowledged that he had never read one of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, despite his team's ongoing efforts to try to edit those documents. (Cancryn, Diamond and Owermohle, 9/15)

AP: Apology, No Firing: Official Said US Scientists Hurt Trump
The department is standing by Caputo so far in the face of calls by congressional Democrats for his dismissal — and for the resignation of his boss, HHS Secretary Alex Azar. But Caputo, a Trump loyalist and former New York political operative, has become a significant new problem for a White House that has struggled all year with its coronavirus response. He can be heard on an HHS podcast asserting that Democrats don’t want a coronavirus vaccine before the election in order to punish Trump. Although Trump has made the same assertion, with no evidence to support it, such broadsides are not in a department spokesman’s normal portfolio. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Lardner, 9/15)

The Hill: Top HHS Official Apologizes For Saying Scientists Are Politically Motivated, Considers Medical Leave 
Caputo reportedly expressed regret for embarrassing Azar and the agency at large for saying, among other things, that “there are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well, not until after [Democratic presidential nominee] Joe Biden is president.” According to an HHS official who confirmed the meeting to The Hill, Caputo also said some of his comments have been taken out of context and recommended his staff to listen to music by the Grateful Dead. (Moreno, 9/15)

Politico: HHS Chief Overrode FDA Officials To Ease Testing Rules 
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar led an escalating pressure campaign against his own Food and Drug Administration this spring and summer, urging the agency to abandon its responsibility for ensuring the safety and accuracy of a range of coronavirus tests as the pandemic raged. Then in late August, Azar took matters into his own hands. Overriding objections from FDA chief Stephen Hahn, Azar revoked the agency’s ability to check the quality of tests developed by individual labs for their own use, according to seven current and former administration officials with knowledge of the decision. (Cancryn and Owermohle, 9/15)

The Hill: Schumer Calls For Azar To Resign Over 'Chaos' In Coronavirus Response 
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) on Tuesday called on Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to resign, arguing he has failed to stand up to President Trump in the response to coronavirus. "It has become abundantly clear that the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services has allowed perhaps the most important federal agency right now to become subservient to the president's daily whims," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "So today, I am calling on Secretary Azar to resign immediately. We need a Secretary of Health and Human Services who will look out for the American people, not President Trump's political interests." (Sullivan, 9/15)

Reports of crisis mismanagement are shaking Americans' faith in their public health agencies  —

The Hill: Polls Show Trust In Scientific, Political Institutions Eroding
The American public is beginning to lose trust in political leaders and scientific institutions as the coronavirus pandemic drags into its sixth month, troubling signs that raise the prospect that millions of Americans may not take advice or get a vaccine once one becomes available. Two new surveys show most Americans still trust leading scientists and institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but that those levels of trust are beginning to erode. (Wilson, 9/15)

The CDC and FDA are criticized —

Stat: CDC Director Is Seen As Allowing Agency To Buckle To Political Influence
In his first address to the staff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Redfield called the Atlanta-based agency “the best science-based, data-driven agency in the world.” His voice breaking repeatedly as he tried without success to hold back tears, Redfield — named director of the CDC in March 2018 — told thousands of employees he had long dreamed of leading the prestigious institution, considered the gold-standard for public health agencies around the globe. (Branswell, 9/16)

The Hill: Bill Gates: CDC Being 'Written Out Of The Picture' On Coronavirus 
Bill Gates says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is “being written out of the picture” of the federal coronavirus response. Gates was asked in a Bloomberg Television interview published Tuesday whether he trusted the federal agency amid the pandemic. “The CDC is largely being written out of the picture,” he said, “because you have people at the White House who aren’t epidemiologists saying what a great job they’ve done, and so it’s no longer a set of experts.” (Coleman, 9/15)

The Hill: Bill Gates Questions Whether FDA Can Be Trusted On Vaccine 
Microsoft founder Bill Gates questioned whether a coronavirus vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could be trusted as safe and effective, telling Bloomberg TV the agency has been politicized under the Trump administration. Gates specifically cited FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn touting blood plasma as a potential treatment, only to reverse himself a day later. (Budryk, 9/15)

Politico: More Americans Lacked Health Insurance Last Year — Even Before Pandemic Hit, Census Reports
The ranks of the nation’s uninsured continued to grow last year, even before the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic that’s devastated the economy, new federal data show. Nearly 30 million Americans went without health coverage at some point in 2019, up by roughly 1 million from the previous year, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data. The figures show continued losses in health insurance under the Trump administration, slightly eroding coverage gains made following passage of Obamacare a decade ago. (Luthi, 9/15)

AP: While Income In The US Rose In 2019, So Did The Uninsured
In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic hit and the U.S. economy crashed, median household income was the highest ever on record, but the number of U.S. residents without health insurance also increased, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday. Median household income in 2019 was $68,703, an increase of 6.8% from the previous year. That figure surpassed past boom-before-the bust years in 2007, when it was $62,090 in 2019 dollars and in 1999, when it was $62,641 in 2019 dollars, according to the Census Bureau. The poverty rate in 2019 was 10.5%, a decrease from 11.8% in 2018. It was the fifth consecutive annual decline in the national poverty rate, according to the Census Bureau. (Schneider, 9/15)

The Hill: Uninsured Americans Increased Even Before Pandemic, Census Bureau Finds 
The number of uninsured Americans has been increasing for the past three years, after seeing a massive decline in the wake of the passage of the Affordable Care Act. According to the report, there has been an increase of more than 2 million uninsured people since 2016. The number of uninsured people decreased by 20 million after the law was passed in 2010. (Weixel, 9/15)

The Washington Post: More Americans Went Without Health Insurance Coverage Before Coronavirus Pandemic And Recession
Though the reasons are sharply debated, the new data signifies that the first three years of President Trump’s tenure were a period of contracting health insurance coverage. The decreases reversed gains that began near the end of the Great Recession and accelerated during early years of expanded access to health plans and Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act — the sprawling law that was a signature domestic achievement of President Barack Obama and has been derided by Republicans, including Trump, ever since. (Goldstein and Siegel, 9/15)

USA Today: Pelosi Says House Will Stay In Session Until Coronavirus Stimulus Deal Is Reached, Moderate Lawmakers Push For Compromise
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday the House will stay in session until a breakthrough is made on a coronavirus stimulus bill, while moderate lawmakers pressed leaders to come up with a relief deal before the November elections. "We are committed to staying here until we have an agreement, an agreement that meets the needs of the American people,” Pelosi said on CNBC Tuesday. Her words signaled relief talks between congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump's White House may be salvaged even though the two sides don't appear any closer to an agreement.  (Hayes, Wu and King, 9/15)

Roll Call: Despite Pressure For COVID-19 Relief Deal, Stalemate Continues
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday heeded a call from her members to commit to keeping the House in session until there’s a coronavirus relief deal, but the vow does little to break the stalemate in bipartisan negotiations that is at the heart of Democrats’ concerns. House Democrats have been fretting privately for weeks and more publicly since returning to Washington on Monday about being sent home to voters without any additional COVID-19 assistance enacted. (McPherson, 9/15)

In related news —

Roll Call: House Democrats Worry Pre-Election Schedule Lacks Coronavirus Relief
With only 11 legislative days scheduled before the November election, House Democrats are fretting about the possibility of going home to voters without any additional COVID-19 assistance enacted into law. The concerns are more about wanting to get aid into the pockets of struggling Americans as soon as possible than the optics of not securing relief before voters head to the polls, but the latter is starting to weigh on some members as hopes of a bipartisan deal have faded over the past month. (McPerson, 9/15)

The Hill: Pelosi Seeks To Put Pressure On GOP In COVID-19 Relief Battle 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday sought to heighten the pressure on Republicans to move a new round of coronavirus relief, announcing that the House will return to the Capitol next month to vote on another aid package if a bipartisan agreement is struck before the elections. Pelosi stopped short of promising a House vote on a new emergency stimulus proposal before the chamber recesses at the end of September — a tactic endorsed by a growing number of moderate Democrats concerned about the political optics of leaving Washington without acting to address the health and economic fallout of the deadly pandemic. (Lillis and Wong, 9/15)

Politico: Pelosi Faces Growing Democratic Unrest Over Covid Relief 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi faces growing calls from within her own ranks — including from some of her most vulnerable members — to take quick action on a coronavirus relief bill even if there’s no agreement with Republicans or the White House over the issue. But Pelosi, supported by her leadership team and most committee chairs, is refusing to back down from her demands for a bipartisan $2.2 trillion-plus stimulus package to boost the U.S. economy, which Republicans have repeatedly dismissed. (Caygle, Ferris and Bresnahan, 9/15)

New York Daily News: Jon Stewart Lashes Out Against Congress For Lack Of Funds For 9/11 Responders
Known for his passionate defense for 9/11 first responders, Jon Stewart as well as U.S. Sen. Kristin Gillibrand, and other 9/11 advocates called BS on Congress and the federal government again, this time on behalf of veterans and service members sickened by exposure to burning pits of toxic trash. “Welcome to another exciting episode of, ‘When is America going to start acting like the great country we keep telling ourselves we are?’" the former Daily Show host told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday. (McAuliff, 9/15)

CNN: Jon Stewart Says Congress Is Abandoning Veterans Who Inhaled Toxic Burn Pit Fumes 
Stewart, who previously backed a bill to help first responders that became sick as a result of their work on 9/11 to pay for health care through 2092, drew parallels between those sickened by 9/11 and veterans who went to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, pointing to jet fuel as being the common ingredient that has led to illnesses for both veterans and first responders. Stewart said that jet fuel was used as an accelerant for the burn pits and that the pits were as large as 10 acres and "burned 24/7." (Kim, 9/15)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Pelosi Calls For Probe Of Conditions At Georgia Immigration Detention
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on the Trump administration Tuesday to investigate a whistleblower complaint alleging deplorable conditions at a federal immigration detention center in South Georgia. Filed by a coalition of advocacy groups with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, the 27-page complaint alleges a high number of hysterectomies have been performed on detainees held at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla. (Redmon, 9/15)

The Hill: Democratic Lawmakers Call For An Investigation Into Allegations Of Medical Neglect At Georgia ICE Facility 
Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday called for an investigation into allegations detailed a day before in a whistleblower complaint over “jarring medical neglect” at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Georgia. The complaint alleges migrants and nurses at the Irwin County Detention Center reported “high rates of hysterectomies done to immigrant women,” with the whistleblower adding that there were also issues “of proper informed consent,” according to a copy of the complaint. (Klar, 9/15)

Also —

The Hill: GOP Senator To Quarantine After Coronavirus Exposure 
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said on Tuesday that she will quarantine after being exposed to an individual with the coronavirus. “I learned recently that I came into contact with an individual who tested positive for coronavirus. While the test result has not come back yet, I will be following CDC recommendations and the advice of the Capitol Attending Physician and will be quarantining for 14 days as a precaution,” Capito said in a statement. (Carney, 9/15)

NPR: COVID-19 Vaccine Becomes Heated Issue In Pivotal Senate Race
North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham said Monday during a debate that he would be "hesitant" to take a vaccine for COVID-19 approved by Election Day, leading Republicans nationwide to characterize him and Democrats as "anti-vaxxers." Cunningham, an attorney and former state legislator, is trying to unseat first-term Republican Thom Tillis. The race is one of the most closely watched this year and could decide which party controls the Senate. When asked a hypothetical question about a vaccine, Cunningham said "he has questions." (Harrison, 9/15)

Politico: Biden Campaign Manager On Trump's Return To Rallies: 'People Will Die' 
Joe Biden’s campaign manager attacked President Donald Trump and his team for the packed rallies they've recently resumed, warning that "people will die" because of the acute risk of coronavirus transmission at the largely maskless events. In a POLITICO Playbook interview, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon pointed to indoor campaign events Trump held this week, in direct contradiction with the coronavirus guidelines of his own administration. She also brought up the packed event on the South Lawn of the White House where Trump celebrated the normalization of relations between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. (Oprysko, 9/15)

NBC News: 'He's A Fool': Biden Mocks Trump Accusation That He's On Drugs
Joe Biden called President Donald Trump "a fool" Tuesday after the president said on "Fox & Friends" that he thought Biden was "taking something" during the Democratic presidential debates. "He's a fool. The comments were just foolish," Biden said in an interview with NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa. Earlier in the day, Trump repeated his calls for Biden to take a drug test ahead of their debate in two weeks in an interview on the Fox News morning show. (Gregorian, 9/15)

Politico: Biden Wants To Restore Obamacare. He May Have Trouble. 
Joe Biden may not be able to unwind everything President Donald Trump has done to diminish Obamacare. Despite Trump’s failure to repeal Obamacare, he’s forced changes on the health care system that Biden will find hard to immediately reverse, if at all. Trump’s expansion of skimpier health insurance alternatives to Obamacare, curbs on reproductive health funding and rollback of contraception coverage have been upheld in the courts. Efforts to reverse those policies are likely to draw legal battles in a court system that will bear the imprint of Trump’s conservative appointees for years. (Luthi, 9/15)

Battle Creek Enquirer: At Battle Creek Stop, Jill Biden Talks Education, Health Care
Jill Biden, wife of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stopped in Battle Creek on Tuesday for a listening session with military families and a conversation that focused on education and improving health care. "If I have the honor of serving as your first lady, one of my most important priorities will be making sure our veterans and our military members and the caregivers and survivors have what you need," Biden said. (Durnbaugh, 9/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: Kamala Harris Sounds Climate Change Alarm From Ruins Of California Fires: ‘This Is Not A Partisan Issue’ 
As she surveyed the devastation of the Creek Fire, Sen. Kamala Harris said she couldn’t help but notice how little the flames left behind. For some, all that remained standing were the chimneys. “Those chimneys remind me of tombstones,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee said. It’s a landscape that the West is likely to see more of if the country doesn’t accept the reality of climate change science and act accordingly, Harris said Tuesday as she redoubled the Democratic presidential ticket’s new emphasis on the threat that an unchecked output of greenhouse gases poses for people’s lives, health and property. (Gardiner, 9/15)

Also —

NBC News: Biden Receives Endorsement From Scientific American, Magazine's First In 175-Year History
Scientific American has endorsed Joe Biden for president, the first time the venerable science magazine has backed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. The endorsement was published in Scientific American’s October issue, in which the magazine’s editors explained their reasons for publicly supporting Biden, adding that they “do not do this lightly.” (Chow, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: Trump Outpatient Drug Plan May Depend On Upending Buy-And-Bill System
The Trump administration could move forward with a policy that ties Medicare payments for outpatient drugs to foreign prices by upending the buy-and-bill payment system, according to the administration's draft plan. President Donald Trump on Sunday signed an executive order calling for the HHS secretary to implement a rulemaking plan to tie Medicare outpatient drug payment to international prices. If the administration chooses to move forward with the regulatory process in an expedited manner before the November election, providers could be faced with implementation challenges. (Cohrs, 9/15)

Stat: Lawmakers Demand Drug Makers Stop Threatening To End Drug Discounts
Dozens of U.S. lawmakers sent sharply worded letters to the Trump administration and the pharmaceutical industry trade group to demand drug makers stop threatening to curtail discounts provided to a federal program for safety-net hospitals. The bipartisan effort comes in response to recent steps taken by at least five large drug companies to reduce discounts they offer to the 340B drug discount program. (Silverman, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: New CMS Guidance Encourages Value-Based Payment In Medicaid
CMS on Tuesday released guidance to help states increase the adoption of value-based care strategies through their Medicaid programs. The agency has committed to advancing value-based care in the Medicare program. It wants states to make a similar effort to reform their Medicaid programs because there is a significant overlap among Medicare, Medicaid and commercial providers. The guidance underscores the importance of multi-payer alignment in ensuring value-based care strategies lead to the healthcare delivery system's transformation. (Brady, 9/15)

Kaiser Health News: COVID Vaccine Trials Move At Warp Speed, But Recruiting Black Volunteers Takes Time 
Participation in clinical trials among Black people is low, according to Food and Drug Administration statistics. Still, including them in coronavirus vaccine trials has been a stated priority for the pharmaceutical companies involved, since African American communities, along with those of Latinos, have suffered disproportionately from the pandemic. The ongoing trials are moving at a pace that is unprecedented for medical research, with the Trump administration’s vaccine acceleration effort dubbed “Operation Warp Speed.” Yet recruiting minority participants requires sensitivity to a mistrust borne of past and current medical mistreatment. Trust-building cannot be rushed. (Farmer, 9/16)

In vaccine news from around the globe —

Reuters: Russia To Sell 100 Million Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine To India: Source 
Russia’s sovereign wealth fund has agreed a deal to sell 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik-V, to a major listed pharmaceutical company in India, a source close to the deal said on Wednesday. Clinical trials of the Russian vaccine in India are expected to follow and to be held jointly with this firm, the source said. Both the trials and supply deal depend on domestic regulatory approval. (9/16)

Reuters: In Coronavirus Vaccine Race, China Inoculates Thousands Before Trials Are Completed 
China is inoculating tens of thousands of its citizens with experimental coronavirus vaccines and attracting international interest in their development, despite expert concerns over the safety of drugs that have not completed standard testing. China launched a vaccine emergency use programme in July, offering three experimental shots developed by a unit of state pharmaceutical giant China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and U.S.-listed Sinovac Biotech SVA.O. A fourth COVID-19 vaccine being developed by CanSino Biologics 6185.HK was approved for use by the Chinese military in June. (Stanway and Kim, 9/15)

AP: Poland Seeks More Flu Vaccines Amid Shortage During Pandemic
The Polish government is trying to secure more flu vaccines from international producers amid a national shortage fueled by higher demand during the coronavirus pandemic, Poland’s health minister said Tuesday. Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said Poland generally has very low flu vaccinations rates and is seeing a vaccine shortage now because orders for this fall and winter were based on last year’s demand. He told Radio Zet that his ministry met Monday with key vaccine suppliers to explore the possibility of getting more vaccine shipments. (Gera, 9/15)

AP: Germany Boosts Own Vaccine Makers In Race For COVID-19 Jab
Germany says it is providing up to 750 million euros ($892 million) to support three domestic pharmaceutical companies that are developing vaccines against the new coronavirus. Science Minister Anja Karliczek said Tuesday that the government has already agreed to provide BioNTech and CureVac with 375 million euros and 230-million euros respectively to develop their mRNA-based vaccines. (9/15)

Fox News: South Korea To Provide Coronavirus Vaccines For 60% Of Population: Report
South Korea announced Tuesday its plans of $146 million to secure coronavirus vaccines for 60% of its population, according to a report. Uncertainties over any potential vaccine’s “safety, efficacy and development” curbed investment, though authorities prefer vaccination of the whole population, Reuters wrote, citing comments from Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at a cabinet meeting. (Rivas, 9/15)

ABC News: World Health Organization Announces Distribution Plan For COVID-19 Vaccine 
As the possibility of a widely available COVID-19 vaccine steadily approaches, initial limitations in supply have left experts worldwide asking: Who gets the vaccine first? The World Health Organization and its appointed Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, or SAGE, have released a worldwide vaccine distribution plan -- it pushes back on so-called vaccine nationalism, the idea that each country should prioritize its own citizens. (Harrison, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Test Charges Range From One Cent To $14,750, Study Finds
COVID-19 relief legislation that lets providers in some cases set their own prices on COVID tests has resulted in charges as high as $14,750, a new study finds. Providers billed insurers $144 on average for COVID diagnostic tests, with the prices ranging from one penny all the way up to $14,750, according to a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, which drew on about 182,000 claims for tests provided by independent laboratories and outpatient hospital settings. For comparison, Medicare's rate is $51. (Bannow, 9/15)

The New York Times: How Companies Are Getting Fast Coronavirus Tests For Employees 
As businesses try to recover from the pandemic’s economic blow while ensuring the safety of workers and customers, many have complained of two obstacles: access to coronavirus testing for their employees and long delays in receiving results. But some have found a reliable workaround. Through a growing number of intermediaries, they can generally obtain test results in one to three days, often by circumventing large national labs like Quest and LabCorp that have experienced backlogs and relying on unused capacity at smaller labs instead. (Scheiber, 9/15)

Kaiser Health News: Lack Of Antigen Test Reporting Leaves Country ‘Blind To The Pandemic’ 
More than 20 states either don’t release or have incomplete data on the rapid antigen tests now considered key to containing the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 6 million Americans. The lapses leave officials and the public in the dark about the true scope of the pandemic as untold numbers of cases go uncounted. The gap will only widen as tens of millions of antigen tests sweep the country. Federal officials are prioritizing the tests to quickly detect COVID-19’s spread over slower, but more accurate, PCR tests. (Pradhan, Weber and Recht, 9/16)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: New Testing Requirement Adds To Stress On Nursing Homes
From the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Georgia struggled to control a virus that can easily be passed by those who may not show symptoms. But as the state came to have one of the nation’s highest infection rates, August turned out to be the worst month for the state’s long-term care facilities, with their death toll climbing past 2,000. (Schrade, 9/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: Could Your Phone Indicate Whether You’ve Been Exposed To Coronavirus? Bay Area Trial Hopes To Find Out 
Anxiety about coranivus exposure is a reality everyone can relate to these days. And no one likes their privacy trampled. But if your phone could safely tell you that you’ve encountered an infected person, would it help? California public health officials not only hope it will, but are betting that such private alerts will prompt people to quickly call their doctor, get tested and quarantine. So, with the help of students and staff at UCSF and UC San Diego, they are preparing in the next few weeks to test a new app called “California COVID Notify” on those campuses they hope will make a dent in the pandemic. (Asimov, 9/15)

Testing woes continue in the U.K., as well —

AP: Shortage Of Virus Tests In UK Hurts Effort To Fight 2nd Wave
Hospitals in England say a shortage of COVID-19 tests in the U.K. is jeopardizing medical staffing and preparations for a potential surge in coronavirus cases this winter. Inadequate testing is leading to increased absences in the National Health Service as medical workers are forced to self-isolate while they and their family members wait for test results after possible exposures, according to NHS Providers, a group that represents hospitals. Last weekend hospital leaders in three different cities raised concerns about testing, said Chris Hopson, the group’s CEO. (Kirka, 9/15)

The New York Times: As Second Wave Builds, U.K. Enters New Coronavirus Testing Crisis 
With Britons fretting last week that a new six-person limit on gatherings would effectively cancel Christmas, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled what he called Operation Moonshot, an audacious plan to test 10 million people every day for the coronavirus and restore life to normal by winter. But by Tuesday, the reality of earthbound life in a pandemic reasserted itself: Before a second wave of the virus had even crested, unprocessed samples overwhelmed Britain’s labs and people waited in desperation for tests, while the reopening of the country’s schools and businesses hung in the balance. (Mueller, 9/15)

Stat: Court Rules New York Tax Drug Makers To Address Opioid Crisis
A U.S. appeals court upheld a controversial New York state law to require drug makers and distributors to fund a program for covering costs for treatment, prevention, and recovery related to the opioid crisis. Under the Opioid Stewardship Act, which was enacted three years ago, any manufacturer or wholesaler licensed to sell or distribute opioids in New York would pay a collective $100 million a year into a fund. At the time, state officials estimated that $600 million in surcharges would be collected over a stipulated six-year period. (Silverman, 9/15)

Stat: FDA Warns Sprout For Failing To Mention Risks In Radio Ad For Addyi
The Food and Drug Administration has admonished Sprout Pharmaceuticals for running a radio ad that omitted all possible risks associated with its controversial female libido pill and also for giving listeners a misleading impression about the extent to which it can improve a woman’s desire. In an Aug. 31 warning letter, the agency noted the ad for the pill, known as Addyi, failed to mention that women should avoid alcohol and certain antifungal medicines, which was described as “material information” that is found in a so-called black box warning on the product labeling. (Silverman, 9/15)

Stat: Compass Pathways Set To Become The First Psychedelic Biotech IPO 
Compass Pathways isn’t the first company to fashion FDA-regulated therapies out of psilocybin, but it intends to be the first one to go public. This week, the British company is seeking to raise about $100 million at a $570 million valuation. Compass, which counts Thiel Capital among its private investors, intends to sell 6.7 million shares for between $14 and $16 each. The funds will support an ongoing Phase 2b trial intended to prove that psilocybin-based therapy can help patients with treatment-resistant depression. (Garde, 9/15)

Stat: What Will It Take For Gilead To Break Even On Its $21 Billion Deal?
For years, investors have pestered Gilead Sciences with the same question in myriad phrasings: When are you going to buy something big? Now, before the ink has even dried on the company’s commitment to a $21 billion acquisition, they’re wondering just how Gilead can justify that price. (Garde, 9/15)

Stat: Pfizer Seeks To Paint A Picture Of A Research Turnaround
Pfizer has been making headlines because of its work developing a Covid-19 vaccine. On Monday and Tuesday, the company is hoping some of that buzz will rub off on its other research projects, which will be presented in a two-part investor day Monday and Tuesday. (Herper, 9/14)

ABC News: Texas Board Of Education Rejects Proposed LGBTQ Lessons As Part Of Sex Education Revision 
LGBTQ rights advocates are pushing back against the Texas Board of Education's recent rejection of a proposed curriculum to teach middle school and high school students about gender identity and sexual orientation. The Republican-dominated board rejected a batch of proposed curriculum changes last week, striking down mandates to require students to learn about the differences between gender identity and sexual orientation as well as a proposal to teach middle schoolers about consent. The board is expected to take a final vote on any changes in the sexual education curriculum in November. (Allen, 9/15)

Dallas Morning News: Garland ISD Teams Up With Nonprofit Group To Offer Free Eye Exams And Glasses To Students
Some students in Garland Independent School District will be able to receive free eye exams in October as part of a partnership between the district and the Essilor Vision Foundation, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization. The offer is available to students who attend in-person instruction as well as those in e-learning courses. (Strickland, 9/15)

In COVID-related news —

The Hill: LSU Football Coach Says 'Most Of Our Players Have Caught' Coronavirus 
Louisiana State University football coach Ed Orgeron said Tuesday he believes a majority of the team has already caught the coronavirus. "I think most, not all of our players, but most of our players have caught it," Orgeron told reporters Tuesday, according to The Advocate. "So hopefully they won't catch it again, and hopefully they're not out for games." (Budryk, 9/15)

Fox News: Coronavirus Cases Prompt Lock Down Of NYU Dorm: Officials 
Six cases of coronavirus in a freshman dorm at NYU caused the building to be placed on mandatory quarantine this week. This comes as the school ramped up testing protocols to help negate the transmission of the novel coronavirus.“Last week’s ongoing testing in Rubin Hall indicated six (6) positive cases out of the approximately 400 students living there. We have isolated all the students with positive findings and quarantined their close contacts, in line with our protocols. Out of an abundance of caution, we are also retesting all residents of Rubin Hall (and employees, too), and instructed them on Saturday to begin quarantining until at least Tuesday night," reads a Monday statement from NYU officials and the NYU COVID-19 Prevention & Response Team. (McGorry, 9/15)

CIDRAP: WHO, Partners: Safe School Reopening Top Priority 
Some of the world's top health and education officials today warned that delays in safely reopening schools will cause lasting damage and that many communities heading into winter months will face tough choices needed to keep schools open. In other developments, COVID-19 levels are rising to worrying levels in several Middle Eastern countries. The global total today climbed to 29,398,712 cases, and 930,910 people have died from their infections, according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard. (Schnirring, 9/15)

The Washington Post: Northern Virginia Schools Adjust To Online Learning 
One week into remote schooling, students, parents and teachers throughout Northern Virginia — where all major public school districts are conducting online-only learning — are slowly adjusting to their new, virtual reality. The first week of school-from-a-distance saw no massive technological or privacy failures, according to interviews with more than two dozen educators, parents and students. Just a whole lot of bizarre. (Natanson, 9/15)

Boston Globe: Baker Says State Is Keeping An Eye On College Coronavirus Testing And Tracing Efforts 
State officials worked together with the Broad Institute and the colleges and universities “to put together a very robust platform for testing and contact tracing in Massachusetts ... and we are currently reviewing all of the protocols associated with testing and tracing and isolation and quarantining and notification, and plan to engage with the colleges generally on this,” Baker said at a news briefing in Fitchburg. (Reiss and Finucane, 9/15)

CNN: US Coronavirus: Maine Wedding Is Linked To The Deaths Of 7 People Who Didn't Attend
A wedding in Maine is linked to 176 Covid-19 cases and the deaths of seven people who didn't attend the celebration, demonstrating just how easily and quickly the virus can spread at social gatherings, public health experts say. As officials continue to push preventive measures, such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing to keep infection rates low, they also have been vocal in warning against large gatherings. (Holcombe, 9/16)

NBC News: Coronavirus Death Toll From Maine Wedding Rises To 7, With Over 175 Infected
None of the seven people who have died attended the wedding or the reception. But among those who did attend the event was an employee of the York County Jail, where 72 cases have been linked to the gathering, health officials have said. Maine health officials have also said the wedding and reception are tied to the virus' spread at a Madison rehabilitation center. And, the state is investigating whether an outbreak at Calvary Baptist Church, whose pastor officiated at the wedding, is linked to the event. The church is tied to at least 10 cases. (Burke, 9/15)

In other public health news —

CIDRAP: Loneliness, Isolation Doubled Among Older Adults Early In Pandemic
Twice as many older adults—who are at high risk for serious COVID-19 outcomes—reported feeling lonely and isolated in the first months of the pandemic than in 2018, a new University of Michigan poll shows. The university's National Poll on Healthy Aging team asked a national sample of more than 2,000 adults aged 50 to 80 about changes in loneliness and the number of social interactions outside of their household from March to June. Chronic loneliness is associated with declines in memory, physical and mental health, and longevity. (9/15)

Reuters: Explainer: Reaching Herd Immunity In A Viral Pandemic
The novel coronavirus pandemic has brought “herd immunity” to the public consciousness, kindling hope the phenomenon can help slow or even end the outbreak. Herd immunity refers to a large portion of a community developing a degree of immunity to a virus, thereby reducing person-to-person spread. As a result, the whole community gains protection, not just those who are immune. (Sharma, Scarr and Wardell, 9/16)

Burlington Free Press: Flu Season 2020: When To Get Your Shot During The Pandemic.
While the flu season is not fully underway, leading Vermont Health Department officials are advising Vermonters to plan ahead for getting their shot. "A good time to get the flu shot would be any time in the rest of the month of September, or during October. I wouldn't want people to wait too much beyond that this year," said Health Commissioner Mark Levine during a news briefing Tuesday. The commissioner added that the flu vaccine has gradually arrived to Vermont medical practices and pharmacies, albeit not in large volumes. (Bakuli, 9/15)

Also —

ABC News: Latino Nurses Push Through COVID-19 Burnout, Sleepless Nights And Lost Loved Ones 
Six months since COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in the United States, Latino health care workers say they’re burned out as new information about the virus changes work protocols, and they're traumatized by the virus’s impact on those they’ve cared for and saddened by the way in which the virus has ravaged their community. “What I’m seeing now is the patients are coming in sicker and they’re taking longer to recover,” Mary Juarez, a registered nurse in Los Angeles, told ABC News. “It’s generally seen mostly in the Latino population, so of course, I am very, very aware of that. … My anxiety level is 100% more. My anxiety begins a day before going into work.” (Rivas, 9/16)

NPR: Poll: Latinos Struggle Financially As Pandemic Sweeps Through U.S. 
Working as a fast-food cashier in Los Angeles, Juan Quezada spends a lot of his time these days telling customers how to wear a mask. "They cover their mouth but not their nose," he says. "And we're like, 'You gotta put your mask on right.' "Quezada didn't expect to be enforcing mask-wearing. Six months ago he was a restaurant manager, making $30 an hour, working full time and saving for retirement. But when Los Angeles County health officials shut down most restaurants in March because of the spreading pandemic, Quezada lost his job. The only work he can find now pays a lot less and is part time. (Fortier, 9/16)

ABC News: Minority Homes Bear Financial Strain Amid COVID-19 
An unequal burden in America's COVID-19 pandemic has been borne by those most vulnerable to the virus, and most at risk to its economic fallout. Latino, Black and Native American households across the country already weathering the brunt of converging crises - coronavirus, and systemic racial inequality - now find the virus' havoc hitting home. (Pezenik, 9/16)

ABC News: San Francisco To Give $1,000 Monthly Stipend To Pregnant Black, Pacific Islander Women 
Pregnant Black and Pacific Islander women in San Francisco will get a $1,000 monthly supplement during and after their pregnancy in a first of its kind initiative meant to help improve health outcomes for both the mom and the baby. Starting next year, 150 women will receive the supplement for the duration of their pregnancy and the first six month of their baby's life. The new initiative, called the Abundant Birth Project, has the goal of eventually providing the supplement to women for up to two years after pregnancy. (Kindelan, 9/15)

CIDRAP: US Kids Gaining Ground On HPV Vaccine Coverage, But Gaps Remain
An analysis of 15 years' worth of US insurance data on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in nearly 8 million girls and boys found increasing uptake, but that levels are still shy of targets with differences that vary by state. A team based at Harvard University published its findings yesterday in Pediatrics. The investigators looked at HPV vaccination information from the MarketScan healthcare database from January 2003 to December 2017, examining one- and two-dose coverage by birth year, sex, and state. The team also examined associations between state vaccination policies and vaccine coverage. The study included 7,837,480 children. (9/15)

GMA: 'Certified Young Person' Paul Rudd Films PSA Urging Millennials To Wear Masks 
Paul Rudd teamed with the State of New York for a PSA encouraging young people to wear masks. In a video titled "Certified Young Person Paul Rudd Wants You to Wear a Mask," the actor wore a yellow sweatshirt and sweatpants with a matching skateboard in hand. He stood in front of a green screen of the New York City skyline and spoke all sorts of cool lingo to entice millennials to wear masks to stop the spread of COVID-19. (Houghton, 9/15)

Fox News: Health Care Services That Cover HIV In The South Disrupted By Coronavirus Pandemic 
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted health care services in America, especially in the South, where HIV continues to plague the region. The South accounted for more than half of the country’s roughly 37,000 HIV infections in 2018 and has been a focus of the Trump administration’s goal of eradicating the disease by 2030 by focusing on hot spots for the infection and getting people on drugs. (Miles, 9/15)

The New York Times: Bill Gates Sr., Who Guided Billionaire Son’s Philanthropy, Dies At 94 
[Bill Gates Sr.'s] principal focus after 1994 was the Gates foundation. During his tenure, he directed grants that created children’s vaccines; provided sanitation and clean water to impoverished rural areas in developing countries; distributed bed netting to reduce mosquito-borne malaria; supported the education of girls; and promoted contraceptive use, nutritional supplements and single-use syringes. In an age of income inequality, Mr. Gates Sr. argued that the purpose of wealth was not to pass it on to loved ones. (McFadden, 9/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Bill Gates Sr., Father Of Microsoft Founder, Dies At Age 94
Searching for a new mission after his wife died of cancer in 1994, [William H. Gates II] volunteered to help his son deal with increasingly frequent requests for donations. He later became co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has spent $53.8 billion over the past 20 years on its humanitarian missions, including the eradication of malaria and the provision of vaccines to children in poor countries. (Hagerty, 9/15)

The Washington Post: William Gates Sr., A Guiding Hand Of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dies At 94 
William H. Gates Sr., a Seattle law firm founder and civic leader who helped his son, tech billionaire Bill Gates, establish what became the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the largest private philanthropies in the world, died Sept. 14 at his home on Hood Canal, near Seattle. He was 94. He had Alzheimer’s disease, his family said in a statement announcing the death. (Bernstein, 9/15)

In related news —

The Hill: Bill Gates Urges Congress To Spend $4B For COVID-19 Vaccines In Poor Countries 
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is urging Congress to vote on spending at least $4 billion for COVID-19 vaccines in poorer countries. According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's 2020 Goalkeeper report, Gates said there had not been so many countries in a recession simultaneously since 1870, he told The New York Times. He cited the period between 1990 and 2020, where the global poverty rate — which is defined as living on less than $2 a day — fell to less than 7 percent from 37 percent. (Deese, 9/15)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Executive Order Paves Way For In-Person Nursing Home Visits In Georgia
Gov. Brian Kemp’s latest coronavirus order, issued late Tuesday, sets up a framework to allow visitors to return to long-term care facilities. The order will provide some comfort to loved ones who have complained about the inability to see family members in the facilities during the pandemic, but comes as Georgia still faces higher rates of infection and deaths among the state’s most vulnerable citizens. (Bluestein and Teegardin, 9/15)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Black Caucus Seeks Probe Into Ochsner's Hospice Practices For New Orleans Coronavirus Patients 
Louisiana's Legislative Black Caucus has called on Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health to investigate how the state's largest hospital system handled coronavirus surges this spring. The caucus laid out its concerns in a letter to Edwards after the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica published a story Sept. 2 that said Ochsner Health System was out of step with hospitals across the nation for sending coronavirus patients that doctors considered terminal home to die this spring. (Gallo, 9/15)

Detroit Free Press: EEE Suspected In Barry County, Michigan: Outdoor Events Canceled
An adult from Barry County is suspected of having the rare and dangerous mosquito-borne virus Eastern equine encephalitis, health officials announced Tuesday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services now urges people in 10 Michigan counties — Barry, Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Oakland — to cancel or postpone outdoor events that take place at or after dusk to prevent more people from contracting the virus, which is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes. (Shamus, 9/15) 

The Hill: New York's Positive COVID-19 Test Rate Rises To 1 Percent For First Time In Over A Month
New York state's COVID-19 positivity rate rose above 1 percent on Monday, the first time the rate has reached that level in more than a month. Out of 73,678 tests performed in the state Monday, 766 returned positive, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Twitter Tuesday. The state's positive test rate sat at 1.03 percent for the day. Cuomo's announcement comes just one day after the governor's office celebrated 38 straight days with a positivity rate below 1 percent. (Bowden, 9/15)

AP: Chicago Warns Against Wisconsin Travel, Cites COVID-19 Spike
Chicago officials cautioned city residents Tuesday about travel to Wisconsin, citing a recent COVID-19 spike in Illinois’ neighbor to the north. The Chicago Department of Public Health stopped short of adding Wisconsin to a travel advisory list. There are 16 states on the list, including Utah, which was announced Tuesday. City officials said Sith some exceptions, Chicago residents who travel to the states must quarantine for two weeks upon return. Visitors from those states are expected to quarantine while in Chicago. (9/15)

The Washington Post: St. Elizabeths Has Increased Usage Of Restraints On Patients, Report Says
A mental health advocacy group this week said the city-owned psychiatric hospital in Southeast Washington has increased its use of restraint and seclusion on patients despite regulations designed to limit such interventions. The nonprofit Disability Rights DC, the federally mandated advocate for people with disabilities in the city, said its review of St. Elizabeths Hospital’s incident reports showed it had “steadily increased its use of restraint and seclusion.” The report, released Monday, comes in a difficult year for the hospital amid the coronavirus pandemic, which killed several patients earlier in the year. (Moyer, 9/15)

In news from the West —

Fox News: Texas County To Pay Coronavirus Survivors For Plasma Donations 
Need fast cash? If you’re a survivor of the novel coronavirus and live in one Texas county, you may be in luck — if you donate plasma, that is. Officials in Bexar County, which San Antonio is a part of, are willing to pay survivors of the novel coronavirus money to donate their plasma to COVID-19 patients in need. One official said only a small number of COVID-19 survivors in the area have donated plasma, which has been touted as a potentially lifesaving treatment for those with severe infections. (Farber, 9/15)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Proposes Fewer Budget Cuts To Women’s Programs But Would Freeze Hiring Eligibility Workers
The state’s mega agency for health care and social services is rescinding proposed cuts to women’s health, family planning and domestic violence programs, it announced Tuesday. But the Health and Human Services Commission also said it’ll commence a hiring freeze for eligibility workers who screen needy Texans applying for safety-net programs, if elected leaders ratify its latest proposal. (Garrett, 9/15)

AP: 2 Oklahoma Inmates Die; Health Officials Probe Link To Virus
Two more state prison inmates in Oklahoma have died, and the deaths could be linked to COVID-19, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Corrections. One inmate was hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus, the department reported late Monday. The other was being treated for symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. (9/15)

WBUR: To Limit COVID-19, Navajo Leader Says: 'Listen To Your Public Health Professionals' 
Earlier this year, the Navajo Nation Reservation was a major hot spot for coronavirus cases. Now, it's seen a day without a single positive case. It's a turning point in its battle against the virus. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez attributes that to Navajo leaders and citizens heeding the advice of public health officials. (Pfeiffer. 9/15)

AP: 3 More COVID Cases Linked To American's Bar Crawl In Bavaria
Authorities in southern Germany have recorded three more COVID-19 infections in people who frequented bars visited by a 26-year-old American woman suspected of flouting quarantine rules in the Alpine resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The latest cases take the total number of recent infections in the town to 59, including 25 staff at a hotel resort where the woman worked that caters to U.S. military personnel. (Jordans and Rising, 9/15)

AP: 5M People Infected, India's Virus Outbreak Still Soaring
India’s total of coronavirus infections passed 5 million Wednesday, still soaring and testing the feeble health care system in tens of thousands of impoverished towns and villages. The world’s second-most populous country has added more than 1 million cases of infection this month alone and is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States, where more than 6.6 million people have been infected. (Sharma, 9/16)

AP: France Fast-Tracks Citizenship For Foreign Virus Fighters
France will reward foreign health care-workers and other front-line personnel who distinguished themselves in the fight against COVID-19 by fast-tracking citizenship applications for those who want to become French. Instructions this week from the Interior Ministry, seen by The Associated Press, ordered regional officials to prioritize naturalization requests from foreigners who “actively participated in the national effort, with devotion and courage” against the epidemic that has killed nearly 31,000 in France. (Leicester, 9/15)

The New York Times: As Covid-19 Cases Rise, Europe Enters ‘Living-With-The-Virus Phase’ 
In the early days of the pandemic, President Emmanuel Macron exhorted the French to wage “war” against an invisible enemy. Today, his message is to “learn how to live with the virus.’’ Much of Europe has opted for a similar strategy as infections keep rising, summer recedes into a risk-filled autumn and the possibility of a second wave looms over the continent. Having abandoned hopes of eradicating the virus or developing a vaccine quickly, people have largely gone back to work and school, leading lives as normally as possible amid a pandemic that has already killed nearly 215,000 in Europe. (9/15)

Also —

AP: The Latest: UN Assembly Head Warns Of Pandemic Unilateralism
The new president of the U.N. General Assembly is warning that unilateralism will only strengthen the COVID-19 pandemic and is calling for a new commitment to global cooperation including on the fair and equitable distribution of vaccines. Turkish diplomat and politician Volkan Bozkir, who took over the reins of the 193-member world body on Tuesday, announced that the General Assembly will hold a high-level special session on the COVID-19 pandemic in early November, though diplomats said the date may slip. (9/16)

Los Angeles Times: COVID Vaccine Maker Got $1 Billion In Aid But It's Boosting Prices 
One of the world’s largest drug companies has been aggressively raising prices even as it received hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. government aid to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. AstraZeneca, which the Trump administration has lauded for its vaccine work, boosted prices despite renewed promises by President Trump this summer to keep drug costs in check. (Levey, 9/14)

In news on Trump's drug-pricing order —

CNBC: Trump Advisor Kushner Defends Plan To Cut Drug Prices
President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Jared Kushner told CNBC on Tuesday he supports the president’s plan to cut drug prices, arguing that the U.S. shouldn’t pay more than other European countries for the same treatments. The comments by the president’s son-in-law came two days after Trump announced that he signed an executive order aiming to lower drug prices. ... “Right now, there’s a disproportionate burden being shared by America,” Kushner said on “Squawk Box.” “If you’re the largest customer from somebody, you should be getting the best price, not the worst price.” (Franck, 9/15)

Deseret News: Trump Signs Order To Lower Drug Prices. Here Are The Details
On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced he had “just signed” an executive order aimed at lowering prescription drug prices. The order states that its “most-favored-nation” policy is intended to ensure the United States “should not pay more for costly Part B prescription drugs or biological products.” (Parrott, 9/14)

The Hill: Trump Order On Drug Prices Faces Long Road To Finish Line 
President Trump is seeking a preelection boost on a top issue for voters — lowering drug prices — but there are doubts about when and if his latest move will bring down costs for patients. Trump signed a long-awaited executive order Sunday that aims to lower the amount Medicare pays for many drugs by tying the cost to the price tag in other developed countries. While the move could significantly cut the price for certain drugs, the timing of Trump’s action means implementation is unlikely before Election Day. (Sullivan, 9/14)

Stat: Trump's Drug Pricing Moves Are 'Savvy' Politics, But Unlikely To Lower Prices
With 50 days to go before the 2020 election, President Trump is taking his wildest swing yet at the pharmaceutical industry. He’s likely to miss, but that might not matter. (Florko and Facher, 9/15)

The Washington Post: Trump Issued Another Toothless Executive Order On Drug Prices 
President Trump proclaimed yesterday that he’ll go even bigger and bolder on a long-touted effort to lower drug prices in the United States.But he has yet to put any teeth into the effort, nearly two years after first announcing it.In a move widely regarded as a political play seven weeks before the election, Trump announced via tweet he had signed an executive order aiming to lower drug prices in the Medicare program through what is known as “the most favored nation policy.” If implemented, such an order would require drugmakers to accept the lowest price from the government for medicines paid by comparably wealthy countries in Europe and elsewhere — an aggressive move the pharmaceutical industry is fighting vociferously. (Paige Winfield Cunningham with Alexandra Ellerbeck, 9/14)

Poynter Institute: Will President Trump’s New Executive Order Lower Drug Prices? 
One thing I have learned after several decades in journalism is that when a headline writer writes a headline in the form of the question the answer is usually “no.” If the answer was “yes,” I would have written, “President Trump’s executive order will lower drug prices.” But in this case, we don’t know what this order will do. President Donald Trump says his new order will “ensure” lower drug prices. What the president does not say is that this only applies to some Medicare drug prices and that it may never take effect at all. The Washington Post and others say it is another “toothless” order weeks before an election. (Al Tompkins, 9/15)

Also —

Newsweek: Pharma Insiders Are Raking In Money Despite No Guaranteed COVID-19 Vaccine
On March 2, Joseph Kim, Inovio Pharmaceuticals' CEO, was one of a handful of pharmaceutical executives who met with President Donald Trump at the White House. Although Inovio had never brought a vaccine to market, Kim boasted at that meeting about his company's ability to quickly develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Inovio's stock skyrocketed—more than 220 percent—in the days after that meeting. That same week, Inovio's chief financial officer and chief science officer sold $400,000 worth of their combined company shares. Between March and July, top Inovio executives sold nearly $3.5 million in shares inflated by press releases portending hopes for vaccine development. (Gerald Posner and Margarida Jorge, 9/15)

(The Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier: Fix The Insulin Cost Problem
Millions of diabetics in the United States need insulin to survive. Unfortunately, the cost of this critical drug has risen relentlessly over the past three decades: Even with insurance and discounts, the annual out-of-pocket cost has increased from about $1,000 in 2007 to almost $6,000 today. In recent surveys, about one-fourth of the diabetic population has said it can’t afford to meet basic expenses and buy insulin. That’s a heartbreaking and incredibly difficult choice. (9/14)

The Washington Examiner: California Should Not Get Into The Drug Manufacturing Business
In an attempt to lower Californians' prescription drug costs, lawmakers just passed a bill that would allow the state government to contract with pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce generic drugs. Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature is all but guaranteed before the end of the month.Golden State politicians aren't the only ones looking to get the government into drug manufacturing. Back in June, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat from Illinois, introduced a bill that would direct the government to manufacture not just drugs but some kinds of medical devices. (Sally Pipes, 9/15)

The New York Times: Stop Expecting Life To Go Back To Normal Next Year
Anthony Fauci warned us last week that Covid-19 is likely to be hanging over our lives well into 2021. He’s right, of course. We need to accept this reality and take steps to meet it rather than deny his message. Many Americans are resistant to this possibility. They’re hoping to restart postponed sports seasons, attend schools more easily, enjoy rescheduled vacations and participate in delayed parties and gatherings .It is completely understandable that many are tiring of restrictions due to Covid-19. Unfortunately, their resolve is weakening right when we need it to harden. This could cost us dearly. (Aaron E. Carroll, 9/15)

The Washington Post: Nobody Wants Vaccine Trials To Fail. But They Just Might. 
To hear President Trump tell it, we’re on a glide path to an effective vaccine for covid-19. “We’re going to have a vaccine in a matter of weeks,” he said Tuesday on “Fox & Friends.” “It could be four weeks, it could be eight weeks.” Less rosy estimates of vaccine availability share the same basic assumption: At least one of the vaccines currently in clinical trials will prove to be effective and safe. But if that assumption proves faulty (and here’s hoping it doesn’t), all bets are off. There would then simply be no way to estimate when a successful trial might be completed and a vaccine available. (Peter J. Lurie, 9/15)

Columbus Dispatch: Rushed Vaccine Effort Could Backfire Badly
It would be the cruelest of ironies if Donald Trump’s great bid for redemption after so many coronavirus failures — by rapidly producing a vaccine — also fails because of mismanagement. The president is banking on acquiring what his campaign advisers call the “Holy Grail” by Election Day. It would be a totem of ultimate achievement over a virus that on Trump’s watch has wrecked the economy and killed 195,000 Americans, greater losses than any other nation in the world has suffered. (9/16)

The Washington Post: Trump Seems To Believe In Magic Over Science
President Trump doesn’t think Americans should put much stock in scientific consensus. He prefers to sprinkle our most intractable and urgent problems with pixie dust and promises that — presto! — they will simply vanish. The latest example of Trump’s magical thinking came Monday, when the president dismissed a suggestion that the dozens of fires raging across the West could be related to human-caused climate change. Although 2020 is on track to be one of the hottest years on record, the president told state and local officials in McClellan Park, Calif., that “it will start getting cooler. You just watch.” (Karen Tumulty, 9/15)

The New York Times: Clean Air Was Once An Achievable Political Goal 
Among the few remaining advantages that Americans can claim over other countries is the relative cleanliness of our air. Air pollution is a leading risk factor for early death; it is linked to an estimated four million premature fatalities around the world annually. But over the last 50 years, since Congress passed environmental legislation in 1970, air quality in the United States has steadily improved. Today, America’s air is significantly cleaner than in much of the rest of the world, including in many of our wealthy, industrialized peers. Well, not literally today, considering I needed an N95 mask to walk to the mailbox this morning. (Farhad Manjoo, 9/16)

USA Today: Trump's Indoor Rally Risks Becoming A COVID Superspreader Event
Sports are playing to empty stadiums. Theaters are dark. Restaurants are making do with take-out and outdoor dining. And schools are tying themselves in knots over how — and if — they can have in-person instruction. But one person thinks that he is so important that he can flout all of the precautions that governments, businesses and society as a whole have implemented to halt the spread of COVID-19. That person would be none other than President Donald Trump, who kicked off this week with a large indoor rally in Nevada featuring people sitting side-by-side and generally unadorned by masks. (9/15)

Stat: Medicaid Needs To Change Its Rules For Women Seeking Tubal Ligation 
For many women who don’t want to have more children, childbirth offers a safe and convenient time for adopting the permanent form of birth control known formally as tubal ligation, and informally as having your tubes tied. For women whose health care is covered by Medicaid, senseless bureaucracy can make this difficult. (Divya Dethier, Megan L. Evans and Erin Tracy Bradley, 9/16)

The New York Times: What’s At Stake For L.G.B.T.Q. Families In This Election
For me, a reminder that my big gay family matters right now was more than a pleasantry. It was like a message from heaven. For the last four years the message from Donald Trump has been the opposite: To him, we don’t matter at all. In so many ways, he’s made it clear he feels we’d be better off erased. The messaging began the first week of his administration, when mention of L.G.B.T.Q. rights disappeared from the White House website. This was just for starters. Later, he removed us from the 2020 census. He banned trans people from the military. On the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, he announced that his administration would roll back Obama-era health care protections for trans people. He prohibited embassies from flying the rainbow flag on flagpoles. For three out of four Junes he has failed to mention Pride Month — although one time he did take time out of his busy schedule to talk up National Homeownership Month. (Jennifer Finney Boylan, 9/16)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: An NRA Turncoat Could Turn Into America's Most Credible Asset For Gun Sanity
The former No. 2 executive at the National Rifle Association has performed a major about-face on gun control, effectively saying in a new book and recent interviews that he disagrees with the conservative group’s most stubborn positions on gun rights. Once having toed the NRA line on unbridled gun freedoms — even as children were mass-murdered in schools — Joshua L. Powell now says he favors gun control and is openly challenging what he terms its greed and high-level corruption. It would have been far more effective for Powell to have spoken such words while he was still at the NRA in order to put the lie to chief executive Wayne LaPierre’s mind-numbing defense of unrestricted gun rights. But better late than never. (9/14)

Orlando Sentinel/Tampa Bay Tribune: Vote With Children’s Needs In Mind — Support Medicaid 
With only a few weeks until Election Day, voters are feverishly hearing from candidates running for offices from your local town board to president of the United States. Though rallies, town halls and campaigning are mostly virtual this election season, candidates are articulating their visions and appealing to voters' interests. As an electorate, we are being demographically portioned into groups such as the “suburban” voter, the “millennial” voter or the “single-issue” voter. However, one major constituency is not being highlighted in the current debate, which is why, as a pediatrician, I plan to vote like children’s futures depend on it in November. Children are 20% of the population but 0% of the vote, and their problems don’t get addressed unless physicians, parents, teachers and those who care for kids make their issues are own. (Shetal Shah, 9/16)