CNN: Biden Will Travel To Michigan Over July 4th Weekend To Celebrate Progress In Covid-19 Fight 
President Joe Biden will travel to Traverse City, Michigan, on Saturday as the White House looks to use the July Fourth holiday weekend to mark progress in the fight against Covid-19 after more than a year of the pandemic, according to a White House official. The White House's theme for the holiday weekend is "America's Back Together," according to the official, and the administration is looking to promote the idea that the country is returning to a pre-pandemic normal. First lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and members of Biden's Cabinet will also travel across the country over the holiday weekend. (Sullivan, 6/28)

CIDRAP: White House Begins Final COVID-19 Vaccine Push 
The White House launched a week-long blitz to encourage vaccination against COVID-19 this weekend, 1 week before the Fourth of July holiday, which the president has said will mark the country's independence from the pandemic. The administration had hoped 70% of Americans over age 18 would have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by Jul 4, but last week officials said they miss that mark. (Soucheray, 6/28)

Houston Chronicle: First Lady Jill Biden Joins Astros In Vaccines-For-Tickets Giveaway Tomorrow
President Joe Biden has scored a compromise on a major infrastructure package, has taken his first major foreign trip and has dispatched Vice President Kamala Harris to the Texas border. But through it all his administration is making it clear with first lady Jill Biden’s trip to Texas on Tuesday that it’s not easing up on its No. 1 campaign promise to quell COVID-19. Jill Biden will make stops in Dallas and Houston on Tuesday to encourage more people to get vaccinated at splashy events with big sports themes. In Houston, the first lady and Doug Emhoff, vice president Kamala Harris’s husband, will attend a Houston Astros event to give free vaccinations to all who show up, along with tickets to the game or a future game. (Wallace, 6/28)

Axios: Axios-Ipsos Poll: Vaccine Makes Americans Ready To Celebrate July 4 Again 
Just four in 10 Americans say attending a Fourth of July celebration this year feels risky — about half as many as a year ago, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. Our weekly national survey finds broad awareness and concern around the emerging Delta variant. But people's behaviors really aren't changing in the face of that threat. (Talev, 6/29)

In more news about the vaccine rollout —

WUSF Public Media: Manatee Commissioner Will Not Face Criminal Charges For VIP Vaccination Event 
A Manatee County commissioner will not face charges for her role in setting up a controversial vaccination event that appeared to benefit her constituents. The investigation followed public criticism when it was revealed that Vanessa Baugh directed county health officials to secure vaccinations for herself, political donors, and likely voters for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who hosted the event in Lakewood Ranch. The vaccination event allowed some residents of the wealthy subdivision to secure shots and bypass the county's vaccine lottery system. (Carter, 6/28)

Georgia Health News: A Disturbing Number Of Hospital Workers Still Unvaccinated 
Tim Oswalt had been in a Fort Worth, Texas, hospital for over a month, receiving treatment for a grapefruit-sized tumor in his chest that was pressing on his heart and lungs. It turned out to be stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Then one day in January, he was suddenly moved from his semi-private room to an isolated one with special ventilation. The staff explained he had been infected by the virus that was once again surging in many areas of the country, including Texas. “How the hell did I catch COVID?’” he asked the staff, who now approached him in full moon-suit personal protective equipment (PPE). (Goodman and Miller, 6/28)

AP: Make-A-Wish Clarifies Policy After Confusion On Vaccinations
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is disputing what it calls a “misinformation” campaign about whether children who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 will be eligible to have their wishes granted. The foundation says these children are in fact still eligible. An edited video of Make-A-Wish Foundation CEO Richard Davis that went viral on social media over the weekend caused a stir by seeming to suggest that only vaccinated children would be eligible to have wishes granted. Stars like actor Rob Schneider and numerous donors declared that if the foundation had decided not to grant wishes to unvaccinated children, they would no longer support it. (Gamboa, 6/28)

Stateline: Yes Some People Really Are Faking Their COVID Vaccine Cards
More than 150 million Americans have been handed a small white card with a federal logo showing that they’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In some areas, that card is required to get into concerts, sporting events and workplaces. But the cards can easily be fabricated by fraudsters and are being sold to people who don’t want to get vaccinated but want to show a record that they have been. This thriving black market in fake vaccine cards has alarmed law enforcement officials—and prompted some state legislators to act. (Bergal, 6/29)

KHN: Without Enough Boots On The Ground, California’s Vaccination Efforts Falter 
Gov. Gavin Newsom routinely boasts that California has “one of the highest vaccination rates in the United States of America.” But Newsom, facing a recall election this fall, rarely mentions that the state’s covid vaccine uptake has largely stagnated in Black and Latino neighborhoods hardest hit by the coronavirus, and in rural outposts where opposition to vaccines runs rampant. In these communities, deep distrust of government and the U.S. health care system has collided with the state’s high-stakes effort to finish vaccinating its 34 million vaccine-eligible residents. (Hart, 6/29)

Modern Healthcare: U.K. Study Reports Mixing AstraZeneca, Pfizer Vaccines Produces Better Immunity
A vaccine study in the United Kingdom reports that getting a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine four weeks after a dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca produced a much stronger immune response than two doses of AstraZeneca. The results are similar to those reported earlier this year from small studies in Germany and Spain and will reinforce the decision to mix and match vaccines in much of Canada. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization in Canada said June 1 there was enough evidence about the safety of mixing two vaccines to tell that provinces could begin to offer Pfizer or the other mRNA vaccine from Moderna as a second dose to people who got AstraZeneca first. (6/28)

Reuters: Mix-And-Match Approach Boosts Immune Response Of AstraZeneca Shot, Study Finds 
A mixed schedule of vaccines where a shot of Pfizer's (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine is given four weeks after an AstraZeneca (AZN.L) shot will produce better immune responses than giving another dose of AstraZeneca, an Oxford study said on Monday. The study, called Com-COV, compared mixed two-dose schedules of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, and found that in any combination, they produced high concentrations of antibodies against the coronavirus spike protein. (Smout, 6/28)

The New York Times: Why More People Are Getting Two Different Coronavirus Vaccines 
Mixing vaccines — scientists call it “heterologous prime-boost” — is not a new idea, and researchers have experimented with it in fighting a handful of other diseases, like Ebola. Scientists have long theorized that giving people two slightly different vaccines might generate a stronger immune response, perhaps because the vaccines stimulate slightly different parts of the immune system or teach it to recognize different parts of an invading pathogen. (Anthes, 6/28)

In other news about covid vaccine development and manufacturing —

The Daily Beast: AstraZeneca Vaccine Creator Gets An Emotional Standing Ovation At Wimbledon
Dame Sarah Gilbert, one of the scientists who developed the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, received a resounding standing ovation Monday on Wimbledon’s Centre Court for her groundbreaking work. Before the opening match between Novak Djokovic and Britain’s Jack Draper, an announcer told spectators that Monday’s guests included “leaders who have developed the anti-COVID vaccines.” A huge cheer rose up in the arena before he could say anything more. (Ubiera, 6/28)

The Boston Globe: Sanofi Dives Into Messenger RNA Technology
After the spectacular success of two COVID-19 vaccines that rely on messenger RNA technology, the French drug giant Sanofi said Tuesday it will invest more than $475 million a year to develop vaccines that use the same approach against other infectious diseases, and much of the work will be done in Cambridge. Sanofi plans to create a vaccines mRNA Center of Excellence that will employ 400 people in Cambridge and Lyon, France. The French pharmaceutical firm, which has about 4,200 employees in Massachusetts, declined to say how many will work in Cambridge at the center. But Sanofi hopes to have at least six potential vaccines to test in clinical trials by 2025 against a range of diseases. The effort is getting underway this summer. (Saltzman, 6/29)

The Guardian: The Oxford Vaccine: The Trials And Tribulations Of A World-Saving Jab
n January 2020, when most of the world slept soundly in ignorance of the pandemic coming its way, a group of scientists at Oxford University got to work on a vaccine to save the planet. They wanted it to be highly effective, cheap, and easy to use in even the poorest countries. Prof Sarah Gilbert, Prof Andrew Pollard and others pulled it off. With speed crucial, they designed it and launched into trials before bringing in a business partner. The giant Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca would manufacture it, license it around the world – and not make a profit until the pandemic was over. (Boseley, 6/26)

AP: LA County Recommends Indoor Masks, Regardless Of Vaccines
Health officials in Los Angeles County now strongly recommend that people wear masks indoors in public places — regardless of their vaccination status — to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus. The move comes two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom reopened California and lifted the statewide mask mandate. (Dazio, 6/29)

CNN: Delta Variant Is Forcing Officials To Rethink Covid-19 Measures, Even For The Vaccinated 
The more dangerous and more transmissible Delta variant has spread to nearly every state in the US, feeding health experts' concern over potential Covid-19 spikes in the fall. The variant was first identified in India and is now considered a variant of concern by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning scientists believe it can spread more easily or cause more severe disease. (Holcombe, 6/29)

In related news about the delta variant —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Delta Variant Found In Nevada COVID Cases Has Tripled
The variant, first identified in India, made up about 46 percent of the analyzed cases in the latest data. Last week, it made up only about 16 percent. “Its frequency among positive cases in Nevada has tripled,” said Mark Pandori, director of the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine. “The viruses that unvaccinated people are facing right now are the Olympic champions of infecting people.” The latest report shows the Delta variant is now the most widespread variant in Nevada. Previously it was the Alpha variant out of the U.K., which made up about 31 percent of cases analyzed in the past two weeks. (Scott Davidson, 6/28)

Los Angeles Times: Highly Contagious Delta Coronavirus Variant Spawns Delta-Plus 
The Delta variant of the coronavirus has spawned a variant of its own that has gained considerable attention since being dubbed “Delta-plus” in India. It is slightly different from the original Delta variant that also was first identified in India. The original Delta variant is perhaps twice as transmissible as other strains of the coronavirus — meaning unvaccinated people are more likely to become infected if they are exposed to it. The United Kingdom was forced to delay a new phase of reopening its economy as the variant began to spread among unvaccinated people there, causing an uptick in cases and hospitalizations. (6/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Contact Tracers Race Against Delta Variant In The U.S. 
As the pandemic slows in the U.S., public-health departments say they are finally able to reach for the traditional goal of contact tracing: stopping new outbreaks.“We want to contain it completely,” said Michael Mendoza, commissioner of the Monroe County Health Department in Rochester, N.Y. During surges over the past year, rapid transmission of the virus in much of the U.S. made it nearly impossible to identify or contact every patient. Public-health workers struggled to do their part to slow the spread. (McKay, 6/29)

Fox News: Which COVID-19 Variants Are Circulating In US?
Public health officials are urging Americans who haven’t yet been vaccinated against the coronavirus to seek out a shot amid concern regarding the Delta variant which is spreading rapidly in some parts of the U.S. Early data on the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines suggest receiving two doses offers a higher level of protection against variants than one, but a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee recently said there isn’t enough data to predict if, when or even who might need an eventual booster shot. (Hein, 6/28)

The Atlantic: Why A Variant’s Deadliness Is So Hard To Define
The coronavirus is on a serious self-improvement kick. Since infiltrating the human population, SARS-CoV-2 has splintered into hundreds of lineages, with some seeding new, fast-spreading variants. A more infectious version first overtook the OG coronavirus last spring, before giving way to the ultra-transmissible Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant. Now Delta (B.1.617.2), potentially the most contagious contender to date, is poised to usurp the global throne. (Wu, 6/28)

CIDRAP: COVID Hospital Cases Rose After States Reopened In 2020, Data Show
An estimated 5,319 more US COVID-19 patients were hospitalized each day after states began allowing nonessential businesses to reopen in spring 2020, but a rise in the death rate lagged by more than a month, a study late last week in JAMA Health Forum finds. (Van Beusekom, 6/28)

In other news about the spread of covid —

Fox News: CDC Reports 4,115 Breakthrough COVID-19 Cases Involving Hospitalizations Or Deaths
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received reports of 4,115 patients with COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases who were hospitalized or died. Of those cases, 26% of hospitalizations were reported as asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19, and 19% of the 750 fatalities were reported as asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19. The data, which includes information through June 21, is amid a backdrop of 150 million people who are fully vaccinated in the U.S. Nearly half of the breakthrough cases, or 49%, involve females, and 3,124, or 76%, occurred in patients ages 65 years and older. (Hein, 6/28)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 95% Of Those Who've Died From COVID-19 In Wisconsin Since March Weren't Vaccinated Or Fully Vaccinated, Officials Say
Nearly all Wisconsinites who recently have died of COVID-19 were unvaccinated — or not fully vaccinated — state health officials said Monday. And just 1% of all confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases since Jan. 1 have been among those who were fully vaccinated, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health Services said. The stark news came as Wisconsin finally reached a significant milestone Monday, with 50.1% of the state's population having received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. (Spicuzza, 6/28)

Bay Area News Group: Contra Costa County Publishing COVID Rates By Vaccination Status
Contra Costa’s public health department is now reporting COVID-19 case rates separately for the vaccinated and unvaccinated people who live in the county. The data shows that case rates for unvaccinated residents are about 10 times higher than the rate for vaccinated residents. The 7-day average daily case rate per 100,000 fully vaccinated residents has remained below 1 since early May, while the rate for everyone else has fluctuated from a low of 5.8 to a high of 8.1 in the same period of time. (Blair Rowan, 6/28)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: State Covid Hospitalizations Top 300 For First Time Since March
Arkansas' count of coronavirus cases rose by 966 from Saturday through Monday, with the number of people hospitalized in the state with the virus rising above 300 for the first time since March, according to information released by the state Department of Health on Monday. Each increase was significantly larger than the one a week earlier. Altogether, the increase over three days was larger by almost 500. After rising by 21, to 312, as of Saturday, then to 325 as of Sunday, the number of covid-19 patients in Arkansas hospitals fell to 314 as of Monday, according to the Health Department. (Davis, 6/28)

Houston Chronicle: New Chart Reveals Sobering Look At COVID-19's Impact On Texas Deaths
More than 51,000 Texans have died of COVID-19, according to the state’s latest tally. That is larger than the capacity of Minute Maid Park, though it represents less than two-thousandths of Texas’ 29 million residents. So, was the virus, which killed less than 2 percent of the Texans with documented cases, responsible for anything more than a blip in historical death trends? An examination of Texas the past 50 years reveals the answer: Unequivocally yes. Deaths in Texas historically are cyclical, explained Mark Hayward, a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies mortality trends. They peak in winter with the annual flu season and ebb in summer, and steadily increase overall as the state’s population grows. (Despart, 6/28)

Also —

The Boston Globe: Hospitals Are Still Restricting Visitors For Patients, Especially Those Sick With COVID
More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals are still limiting visitors for patients, especially those sick with COVID-19, even as more than 4.1 million people in Massachusetts are fully vaccinated and society shifts toward normalcy. Very often, visitors are capped at one or two at a time per patient, a reminder that infection prevention is still a great concern for hospitals that were swarmed with COVID patients for much of the past 15 months and contended with outbreaks among their staff. Patients who are hospitalized for COVID often cannot have any visitors — unless the patient is dying, so that family members can say goodbye. Nearly 100 people in Massachusetts remain hospitalized for COVID, about one quarter of them in intensive care. (Dayal McCluskey, 6/28)

NPR: Key To Ending Pandemic Could Be Protecting The Immuno-Compromised
There's mounting research to suggest that protecting people who are immuno-compromised from getting COVID is important not just for their sake – it could be critical in the effort to end the pandemic for everyone. The evidence comes from two separate strands of studies. Dr. Laura McCoy has been doing the first type. She's an infectious disease researcher at University College London. "The group of people that I'm particularly interested in are those living with HIV," she says. She's been studying how well their immune systems respond to vaccines against COVID-19 — specifically the Pfizer vaccine. So far, it's worked quite well for HIV-positive people. (Aizenman, 6/28)

CIDRAP: Point-Of-Care COVID Antibody Test Is Accurate, Adaptable, Low Maintenance
Duke University researchers developed a point-of-care test (POCT) that can detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and four other coronaviruses with 100% accuracy, according to initial test results from a small cohort published in Science Advances late last week. The test is called DA-D4 POCT, with DA standing for double-antigen and D4 being the assay platform recently developed to detect Ebola infections 1 day faster than typical polymerase chain reaction tests. (6/28)

KHN: Analysis: Why We’ll Likely Never Know Whether A Covid Lab Leak Happened In China 
Early in this century, post-SARS, and in a period when China started allowing more students and scientists to study abroad, collaboration and exchange between American and Chinese scientists blossomed. Many of China’s top scientists today were educated in the West. These include George Gao, the head of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, who trained and taught at Oxford and Harvard, and Shi Zhengli, who directs the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and received her Ph.D. in France. (Rosenthal, 6/29)

The Charlotte Observer: $40 Million Settlement Announced In North Carolina Case Against E-Cigarette Giant Juul
State attorneys announced a settlement agreement Monday morning that subjects e-cigarette giant Juul Labs to pay $40 million and forces it to change how it does business in North Carolina. “North Carolina is now the first state in the nation to hold Juul accountable for its instrumental role in creating a youth vaping epidemic, “ said Attorney General Josh Stein after a Monday morning court hearing on the settlement. (Bridges, 6/28)

The Washington Post: Juul Agrees To Pay North Carolina $40 Million To Settle Vaping Accusations 
The consent order also imposes several marketing restrictions, including barring the company from engaging in most social media advertising, having outdoor advertising near schools, and sponsoring sporting events and concerts. Juul has been voluntarily adhering to many of those restrictions, but the consent order gives them the force of law in North Carolina. (McGinley, 6/28)

AP: Juul To Pay $40M In N. Carolina Teen Vaping Suit Settlement
Teen use of e-cigarettes skyrocketed more than 70% after Juul’s launch in 2015, leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to declare an “epidemic” of underage vaping among teenagers. Health experts said the unprecedented increase risked hooking a generation of young people on nicotine, an addictive chemical that is harmful to the developing brain. “Juul sparked and spread a disease — the disease of nicotine addiction. They did it to teenagers across North Carolina and this country simply to make money,” Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, said after a brief court hearing. “Today’s court order will go a long way towards ensuring that their e-cigarettes product is not in kids’ hands, its chemical vapor is out of their lungs, and that the nicotine does not poison or addict their brains.” (Robertson, 6/28)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Type 2 Diabetes In Children Doubled At OLOL Last Year, In Latest Sign Of COVID Impact On Louisiana
A study suggesting a recent increase in Type 2 diabetes in Baton Rouge children is flashing another warning sign related to the coronavirus pandemic's effect on Louisiana children's health. Cases of Type 2 diabetes that required hospitalization more than doubled during the last year — and also increased in severity — according to research presented Friday at a virtual meeting of the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Daniel Hsia, a researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, compared new hospitalizations of children for Type 2 diabetes from Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge from March to December 2019 to the same time period in 2020. (Woodruff, 6/28)

CIDRAP: New 6-Case Salmonella Outbreak Tied To Tainted Shrimp
Late last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new Salmonella Weltevreden outbreak linked to frozen cooked shrimp that has sickened six people in two states. In interviews with five of the patients, all reported eating shrimp before getting sick. Two patients have been hospitalized for their illnesses, but no patient has died. Nevada has recorded four cases and Arizona two, with symptom onsets ranging from Feb 26 to Apr 25. (6/28)

Axios: Misinformation On Adverse Effects A Factor In HPV Vaccine Refusal
More than 25% of parents in 2019 who refused the human papillomavirus vaccine for their child cited concerns of safety or adverse effects, a study in JAMA Pediatrics shows. This type of refusal greatly increased from 5% in 2008, showing "disinformation campaigns aimed at hampering vaccine trust are thriving," the authors write. (Fernandez, 6/29)

In news about worker burnout and returning to the office —

The Washington Post: America’s Workers Are Exhausted And Burned Out — And Some Employers Are Taking Notice
Employers across the country, from Fortune 500 companies such as PepsiCo and Verizon to boutique advertising firms and nonprofit organizations, are continuing pandemic benefits such as increased paid time off and child- or elder-care benefits as well as embracing flexible work schedules and remote work in recognition that a returning workforce is at high risk of burnout. (Youn, 6/28)

CNBC: Return To Office And Vaccines: How Companies Can Drum Up Enthusiasm
As companies design plans to bring workers back into the office, chief human resources officers are contending with a plethora of issues. Do they mandate vaccines or simply urge employees to get them? How should hybrid schedules be decided and does innovation suffer when people continue to work from home? (Cohen, 6/26)

Axios: A New Kind Of Co-Working Space Wants To Focus On Wellness 
A co-working space called The Ring is taking the healthy workplace concept up a notch. As people return to work after the pandemic, some office spaces are betting that workers would prefer to spend their days in health-conscious spaces. "Our goal is to be the world's healthiest co-working space," says Christopher Murphy, community manager at The Ring, which occupies two floors of an 11-floor building in downtown Clearwater. (Hart, 6/29)

Modern Healthcare: Biden Wants To Tweak Obamacare Marketplaces To Expand Coverage
The Biden administration is proposing several changes aimed at boosting access to high-quality, affordable health insurance through Affordable Care Act marketplaces, according to a proposed rule released Monday. CMS wants to give people an additional 30 days to enroll in marketplace plans by expanding the annual enrollment period. It currently starts on November 1 and ends December 15, but the new plan would give people until January 15 to enroll in coverage beginning in 2022. The agency also plans to establish a monthly special enrollment period to allow people with low incomes more opportunities to enroll in a premium-free silver plan. (Brady, 6/28)

Bloomberg Law: Biden Obamacare Proposal Reverses Trump Waiver Of HealthCare.Gov
An HHS proposed rule released Monday would do away with a Trump-era policy allowing states to bypass HealthCare.gov when seeking enrollees for Obamacare plans. The Department of Health and Human Services is also proposing to extend the annual regular open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act plans by an additional month, from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15 as compared with the current end date of Dec. 15. (Johnson, 6/28)

The New York Times: Obamacare’s Survival Is Now Assured, But It Still Has One Big Problem
Some Democrats are eager to build on their Affordable Care Act victories in the Supreme Court by filling a gaping hole created along the way: the lack of Medicaid coverage for millions of low-income Americans in 12 states. But so far, Republican leaders in those states are refusing to use the health law to expand Medicaid, despite considerable financial incentives offered under the law and sweetened under the Biden administration. Some are trying to defy the will of their own voters, who passed ballot initiatives calling for expansion. And in Washington, Democrats who want to act are divided about when and how. (Kliff, 6/28)

In other news from the Supreme Court —

Modern Healthcare: Supreme Court Won't Review HHS' Site-Neutral Pay Rule
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal challenging HHS' site-neutral pay policy, allowing the regulation to move forward. A trial court initially struck down the controversial policy in 2019, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed that decision in 2020. The appellate panel said the cuts to off-site outpatient departments were legal because the changes were volume-control measures that don't have to be budget-neutral. The American Hospital Association and Association of American Medical Colleges claimed the D.C. Circuit gave HHS too much authority to interpret the law. The groups estimated the 2019 rule would cost providers about $380 million in 2019 and $760 million from a separate 2020 site-neutral rule. (6/28)

CNN: Supreme Court Gives Victory To Transgender Student Who Sued To Use Bathroom That Corresponded To His Gender Identity 
The Supreme Court on Monday left in place a decision that allowed a transgender student to use the bathroom that corresponded to his gender identity, a victory for the LGBTQ community that has been fearful the high court would take up the case and reverse a lower court opinion. The case concerns the scope of Title IX that prohibits schools from discriminating "on the basis of sex." It began when Gavin Grimm, a transgender male who was then a high-school student, challenged the local school board's decision to require him to use either a unisex restroom or a restroom that corresponds to the sex, female, he was assigned at birth. (de Vogue and Duster, 6/28)

NBC News: Clarence Thomas Says Federal Laws Against Marijuana May No Longer Be Necessary
Clarence Thomas, one of the Supreme Court's most conservative justices, said Monday that because of the hodgepodge of federal policies on marijuana, federal laws against its use or cultivation may no longer make sense. "A prohibition on interstate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the federal government's piecemeal approach," he wrote. (Williams, 6/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Costly New Alzheimer’s Drug Could Force Medicare To Restrict Access 
The recent approval of a high-price Alzheimer’s drug raises the prospect that the federal Medicare system could threaten to sharply curtail which patients will qualify for a medicine that has limited clinical benefit but is likely to cost billions of dollars in coming years. Biogen Inc. priced the drug Aduhelm at $56,000 a year. Wall Street analysts estimate it could eventually surpass $5 billion in yearly sales, mostly paid by Medicare, while some health economists warn the bill would be multiples higher. (Walker and Burton, 6/28)

Stat: Will Biogen’s New Alzheimer’s Drug’s Burden On Medicare Be Big, Huge, Or Catastrophic?
Medicare spending on Aduhelm isn’t just an abstract number. Precisely how big spending ends up being will have financial consequences for all taxpayers, and for all Medicare patients who could see higher monthly premium payments. ... The interactive below shows exactly how big that impact could be, depending on how many people take it, compared to the Medicare program’s current spending on every single drug administered by doctors, across the entire country. (Cohrs and Parker, 6/28)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Eyes Expanding Home Health Value-Based Pilot Nationwide
CMS on Monday proposed expanding its home health value-based purchasing program nationwide. The CMS Innovation Center first tested the model in January 2016. The program shifts paying for Medicare home health services based on volume to a system that pays for value and quality. Currently, all Medicare-certified home health agencies in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee and Washington participate in the program. (Christ, 6/28)

Axios: Medicare Beneficiaries Spent More On Advertised Drugs, Study Finds 
Prescription drugs with some of the highest Medicare spending also had the highest level of direct-to-consumer advertising, a recently-released GAO report found. The GAO found the Medicare program and its beneficiaries spent nearly $324 billion on prescription drugs advertised to beneficiaries and other consumers between 2016 and 2018. (Reed, 6/28)

Modern Healthcare: Most Americans Unaware Of CMS Price Transparency Rule
More than 90% of Americans are unaware of a CMS rule allowing patients to view and compare treatment costs on hospital websites so they can shop for lower priced care, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey. While only 9% of seniors have researched treatment prices online, they are more likely to know about the rule change than any other age group. Households with incomes over $90,000 are also more likely to know about hospitals' requirement to disclose pricing data. But these wealthier households spent less time researching prices than those with incomes under $40,000. (Gellman, 6/28)

In  news from state Medicaid programs —

The New York Times: Democrats Are Divided Over How To Expand Medicaid In 12 States.
Some Democrats are eager to build on their Affordable Care Act victories in the Supreme Court by filling a gaping hole created along the way: the lack of Medicaid coverage for millions of low-income Americans in 12 states. But so far, Republican leaders in those states are refusing to use the health law to expand Medicaid, despite considerable financial incentives offered under the law and sweetened under the Biden administration. Some are trying to defy the will of their own voters, who passed ballot initiatives calling for expansion. (Kliff, 6/28)

CBS 17: More Than A Million Medicaid Patients Moved To New Plan, Many Unaware 
Changes to North Carolina Medicaid patients go into effect July 1. Some people may now be re-assigned to new providers without knowing so. The state is shifting more than a million people are shifting to the a Medicaid managed care program. “I’m not lying to you when I say I’m really scared about the health of the patient,” said Bart Fiser, Vice President of Corporate Revenue Cycle and Managed Care at Cape Fear Valley Health. (Retana, 6/28)

AP: Louisiana Kicks Off New Search For Medicaid Contractors
Louisiana has restarted its bid process for multibillion dollar Medicaid contracts managing the health care of nearly 1.6 million people, trying to end its patchwork of emergency contracts after a legal dispute scuttled the last attempt at new deals. (6/28)

The Tennessean: Advocates For Elderly Ask Tennessee To Help Caregivers With Federal Funds
Harris, alongside others at the Tennessee Coalition for Better Aging, are recommending the state allocate $157 million from its federal Medicaid funding, to advance home-based and community-based state services for Tennesseans who need these services. The money would come from the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal COVID-19 relief package with money awarded to each state. The coalition called on Gov. Bill Lee and TennCare to file an action plan through Medicaid for funding before the July 12 deadline.  (Martin, 6/28)

AP: Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit Launches July 1
Virginia is expanding its Medicaid program to provide a comprehensive dental benefit to poor adults, meaning more than 750,000 Virginians will be eligible for the benefit starting Thursday. (6/28)

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Medicaid To Begin Covering Gender-Affirming Health Care After Class-Action Lawsuit
Gender-affirming health care will soon become a covered benefit for Alaskans on Medicaid. The change is the result of a settlement in a lawsuit filed against the state health department that challenged the legality of excluding transgender Alaskans from health coverage related to their gender transitions. Last year, three Alaskans sued the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum and the department, arguing the state’s refusal to cover transition-related health care was a civil rights violation. (Berman, 6/28)

Fox News: Oregon Lawmakers Pass Bill To Make Illegal Immigrants Eligible For Medicaid, Dem Gov Expected To Sign Into Law
Oregon’s State Senate on Saturday passed a bill that would make illegal immigrants in the state eligible for Medicaid-funded medical services -- sending the legislation to Democratic Gov. Kate Brown for signature. The bill, HB 335, expands eligibility to adults who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid-funded state medical assistance program but are excluded due to their immigration status. It passed 17-11 in the Senate, after having passed the House 37-21 earlier this week. (Shaw, 6/27)

Politico: Biden Op-Ed: Infrastructure Deal Is One ‘American People Can Be Proud Of’ 
President Joe Biden on Monday pitched the bipartisan infrastructure deal as one “American people can be proud of,” while cautioning that there was a lot of work ahead to finish the final product. “This deal is the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure in nearly a century,” Biden wrote in an op-ed on Yahoo News. “Economists of all stripes agree that it would create good jobs and dramatically strengthen our economy in the long run.” (Ward, 6/28)

Read President Biden's editorial:
Americans Can Be Proud Of The Infrastructure Deal

The New York Times: As Infrastructure Deal Gathers Steam, Democratic Cracks Begin To Show
Liberal House Democrats, squeezed between President Biden’s personal lobbying for a bipartisan infrastructure deal and their own ambitions for a far more expansive domestic agenda, are warning that they will not hesitate to bring down the accord without action on their long-sought priorities. The brewing fight, which pits progressives against moderates more aligned with the president’s tactics, is exposing cracks in the party’s fragile strategy for enacting its economic plans. (Weisman, 6/29)

CNN: Biden's Frantic Weekend Saves Infrastructure Deal But Leaves Him On Thinner Political Ice
On the infrastructure bill, much will now depend on whether Republicans who support spending more than $1 trillion on infrastructure repairs still also perceive a political upside to their continued support. It's unclear whether there are 10 Republican votes needed to vault the measure over a Senate filibuster to send it to an uncertain fate in the House, where progressives think it's insufficient. (Collinson, 6/28)

Yahoo News: Poll: 6 In 10 GOP Voters Favor New $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan, Boosting Biden’s Hopes Of A Big Bipartisan Win
For years, numerous pundits have insisted that bipartisanship is effectively dead in Washington, with the parties too polarized — and the disincentives too steep — for most lawmakers to cross the aisle on big legislation. But now, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, 6 in 10 Republican voters say they favor the new $1.2 trillion infrastructure package negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators and endorsed by the Biden White House. (Romano, 6/28)

AP: EXPLAINER: Infrastructure Deal Targets Lead Pipes
Included in the bipartisan infrastructure deal reached with President Joe Biden last week is a plan to eliminate the country’s remaining lead pipes and service lines, which for decades have posed a risk for contaminated water in millions of homes and schools. Lead can enter drinking water when water utility pipes or the service lines that connect to homes corrode. It is considered harmful at any level, and children are particularly vulnerable because it can slow growth, cause anemia and result in learning and behavior problems. (Naishadham, 6/28)

The New York Times: Becerra Says Care Of Migrant Children Improving, Urges Congress To Act 
Xavier Becerra, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, pressed Congress on Monday to overhaul the nation’s immigration system after he visited an emergency shelter for migrant children on the Fort Bliss military base near El Paso. “I would really encourage our colleagues in the House and the Senate to consider taking that proposal on so we can get to a system that works,” Mr. Becerra said on a call with reporters, referring to a plan that President Biden offered early in his administration. Passing a measure is becoming increasingly unlikely. (Sullivan, 6/28)

Dallas Morning News: Health And Human Services Secretary Tours Emergency Shelter For Migrant Children In El Paso
Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services said Monday the number of unaccompanied migrant children at the Fort Bliss emergency shelter has fallen sharply to 790 boys, from over 4,000 children in May. But he stopped short of calling for the closure of the controversial site because of “the fluid situation” on the ground. Becerra said after a visit to the temporary shelter that the government can’t close the site yet because of the need to ensure that children have a place to stay when they arrive at the border other than Border Patrol facilities. “When we demobilize is something that we’re working on,” he said. (Ramos Pacheco and Corchado, 6/28)

AP: US: Big Drop In Migrant Kids At Largest Emergency Shelter
The number of migrant children housed at the Biden administration’s largest emergency shelter for those who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone has dropped by more than 40% since mid-June, a top U.S. official said Monday, touting progress at the facility that has been criticized by child welfare advocates. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters that 790 boys were housed at Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas, and the last girl left Monday. All the girls were reunited either with relatives in the U.S. or a sponsor such as a family friend or sent to licensed facilities, which have a higher standard of care, according to the agency responsible for caring for migrant children. (Watson and Taxin, 6/29)

In related news about the immigration crisis in Texas —

Politico: New Border Fight Pits Texas Against Biden Over Care For 4,500 Migrant Kids
The Biden administration is in an escalating battle with Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott over a state plan to close shelters housing roughly 4,500 unaccompanied immigrant children. Abbott, who has positioned himself as a chief Biden antagonist on immigration ahead of a potential 2024 presidential bid, plans to revoke the licenses of any shelter that continues to serve migrant kids beginning Aug. 31 — a move that threatens to upend the refugee resettlement effort and has left federal health officials threatening to sue. (Cancryn, 6/28)

Dallas Morning News: Irate That Abbott Could Tap COVID Relief Fund For Border Wall, Texas Dems Seek Ruling From Yellen
Texas Democrats in Congress are irate that Gov. Greg Abbott can divert federal funds intended for COVID-19 relief to build a border wall. On Monday, they asked Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to step in and block the state from using any of its $15.8 billion windfall for this “costly monstrosity.” “We are concerned by the prospect of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s potential misuse of these funds to continue the misguided plans of President Trump to extend a wall along the border between Texas and Mexico,” the 13 Texas lawmakers wrote. (Gillman, 6/28)

The Wall Street Journal: House Passes Bipartisan Bill To Boost Scientific Competitiveness, Following Senate 
The House on Monday approved its version of a legislative package aimed at boosting U.S. scientific competitiveness to keep pace with China, setting the stage for final negotiations with the Senate, which passed its own $250 billion bill earlier this month. The House approved the main piece of its package by a vote of 345-67. That bill, known as the National Science Foundation for the Future Act, provides major increases for federally-funded science and technology research, and establishes a new division within the NSF for advanced technologies and other cutting-edge research. (McKinnon, 6/29)

The Hill: House Passes Bills To Boost Science Competitiveness With China
"We must significantly boost funding for science. For years, we have allowed millions of dollars of excellent research go unfunded," said House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas). "We are at a critical juncture in our nation's history and we need to be more focused on the role of science in our society." The first bill, called the National Science Foundation for the Future Act, passed 345-67, while the second measure, titled the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act, passed 351-68. (Marcos, 6/28)

The New York Times: House Passes Bills To Bolster Scientific Research, Breaking With Senate
William A. Reinsch, the Scholl chair in international business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said with sections on public health challenges and the STEM work force, the House had taken “a broader definition of how to get our innovation capabilities up and running.” (Edmondson, 6/28)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson Defends News Conference On COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects
Facing a backlash that he was presenting misleading medical information, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson defended his Monday news conference in which five people disclosed what they said were serious side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine. After detailed and at times emotional statements from participants assembled in the Federal Courthouse in Milwaukee, Johnson said, "You witnessed these stories?" "Do you think that's reckless and irresponsible?," he added, pushing back at a jibe from Gov. Tony Evers. "I think it's called compassion. I think it's showing concern for your fellow human beings who have stepped up." (Glauber and Fauber, 6/28)

Roll Call: Onetime Backer Of Drug Pricing Bill Turns Foe
Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., says he’ll vote against a sweeping budget reconciliation package that expands health care coverage, defrays child care and college expenses and more if party leaders include drug price negotiation provisions in it to help offset the multitrillion-dollar cost. Peters led a group of 10 House Democrats on a letter recently calling for any legislation aimed at lowering drug costs to be bipartisan. But his outright opposition to so-called international reference pricing language, which Peters confirmed in an interview, is notable considering he voted for similar provisions in 2019 and 2020 as part of broader health care legislation. (Cohn, 6/28)

Modern Healthcare: Nearly 70% Of U.S. Physicians Now Employed By Hospitals Or Corporations, Report Finds
Almost seven in 10 U.S. physicians are now employed by hospitals or corporations like private equity firms and health insurers as the COVID-19 pandemic drove doctors away from independent practice, a new report finds. Between Jan. 1 2019 and Jan. 1, 2021, 48,000 physicians quit private practice to take jobs at hospitals or other companies, Avalere Health researchers concluded in the study. These employers now own almost half of the country's medical practices. (Bannow, 6/29)

Modern Healthcare: Escape Rooms Show Value In Training Health Workers Infection Control Safety
Researchers say the same team-building and problem-solving skills individuals foster while playing escape room simulation games can be used to help healthcare staff improve their adherence to infection control measures. Central Texas Veterans Health Care System staff nurses Gracia Boseman and Kristy Causey in 2017 created a zombie-themed high consequence infectious disease escape room as a way of boosting attendance to voluntary infection prevention and control education programs. The escape room led to a sharp rise in attendance to training. Participation went from an average of 20 clinical staff members per session to 189 clinical and non-clinical workers, training a total of more than 1,100 employees over three years. But the scenario Boseman and Causey created also led to increased adherence to infection control practices. (Ross Johnson, 6/28)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Legal Battle Over Joel Freedman’s Hahnemann Hospital Real Estate Heating Up
Two years after Hahnemann University Hospital went bankrupt, the legal war over proceeds from the eventual sale of the hulking Center City property is heating up, with an early skirmish expected at a Wednesday court hearing. The latest conflict arises from the split of the Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s real estate from the hospitals, which filed for Chapter 11 protection starting on June 30, 2019. The real estate was kept out of the bankruptcy. Some saw that split as an insidious move by Joel Freedman, the California businessman who paid $170 million — all of it borrowed — in 2018 for Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, to ensure that he would make money no matter what. (Brubaker, 6/29)

Axios: The WHO Lays Out Ethical Principles For The Use Of AI In Health Care 
A broad new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) lays out ethical principles for the use of artificial intelligence in medicine. Health is one of the most promising areas of expansion for AI, and the pandemic only accelerated the adoption of machine learning tools. But adding algorithms to health care will require that AI can follow the most basic rule of human medicine: "Do no harm" — and that won't be simple. (Walsh, 6/29)

In health care industry news from Oregon, Connecticut and West Virginia —

Modern Healthcare: Feds, States Aim To Bolster Healthcare M&A Oversight
The Oregon legislature passed a bill that would bolster healthcare merger and acquisition oversight, with a focus on preserving services for underserved communities. Oregon regulators would have to sign off on any merger, acquisition or affiliation that would increase a healthcare organization's net patient revenue by $1 million or more. The Equal Access to Care Act would apply to healthcare entities that reported at least $25 million in net patient revenue the three years preceding the proposal. (Kacik, 6/28)

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Kanawha-Charleston Health Department Executive Director Resigns
Dr. Sherri Young, health officer and executive director at the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, announced her resignation from the agency Monday after more than a year of leading the county’s COVID-19 response. Young was named health officer on July 1, 2019, becoming the first woman and the first doctor of osteopathic medicine to hold the position. According to a news release from the health department announcing the move, Young is leaving for “a new opportunity.” She will remain as interim health officer until the position is filled. (Coyne, 6/28)

The CT Mirror: Report: CT Must Improve Health Data Collection On Race And Ethnicity
Connecticut has no statewide standards for the way its medical facilities gather, report and use patient data on race, ethnicity and language – an important step in addressing equity in health care, according to a new report commissioned by the Connecticut Health Foundation. Advocates have cautioned that collecting data on race, ethnicity and language won’t by itself solve health disparities, but by gathering and analyzing the information, providers can target gaps in care experienced by people of color. (Carlesso, 6/28)

The Oregonian: Hospitals See Sharp Spike In Heat-Related Illness Visits As Oregon Temperatures Break Records 
Oregon hospitals saw a massive spike over the weekend in the number of people experiencing heat-related illnesses, the Oregon Health Authority has confirmed. Delia Hernández, a spokesperson for the agency, said 128 people visited Oregon hospitals for heat-related illnesses on Sunday. That compares with just 24 heat-related hospital visits Friday and 56 such visits Saturday. (Ramakrishnan, 6/28)

The Oregonian: Portland Pools, MAX Service, Schools Closed Due To Extreme Heat
As Portland gets ready for another day of record-setting heat, many schools, services and businesses have closed due to high temperatures expected to reach 114 degrees. Among the most devastating of the closures may be the shuttering of Portland Parks & Recreation outdoor swimming pools. The agency explained in a recent email that temperatures will be too hot for their employees and guests to be outside. (Stein, 6/28)

NPR: The Pacific Northwest Has Limited A/C, Making The Heat Wave More Dangerous
As record highs are being broken throughout the Pacific Northwest, the lack of air conditioning in many homes in such cities as Portland and Seattle could make an already brutal heat wave even more dangerous. The temperature in Portland spiked on Sunday to 112 degrees Fahrenheit, easily smashing the previous record of 108 from just the day before. The high in the city this time of year averages in the 70s. In Seattle, it was so hot that the city closed a community pool due to "unsafe, dangerous pool deck temperatures," The Associated Press reports. (Neuman, 6/28)

Bloomberg: Ruthless Heat Wave Baking U.S. Northwest Triggers First Blackout
The unrelenting heat wave that shattered temperature records across the U.S. Pacific Northwest on Monday and threatens to smother the region for another six straight days has begun to trigger rolling blackouts in some parts. For the first time in the company’s history, Avista Corp. -- which supplies electricity to nearly 340,000 homes and businesses in the Northwest -- instituted rotating outages after parts of its system overloaded. The blackouts, which were affecting about 9,300 customers late Monday, are expected to last into Tuesday. Across all of Washington and Oregon, more than 30,000 customers were in the dark, according to PowerOutage.US, which compiles utility outage data. (Chediak, Sullivan and Saul, 6/28)

And in Arizona, California and Maryland —

AP: Maricopa County Investigates 53 Deaths During Heat Wave
Officials in Arizona’s largest county are investigating 53 suspected heat deaths during a weeklong hot spell earlier this month. Recently released Maricopa County data shows 53 deaths occurred during the week of June 12-19, which coincided with the heat wave that pushed temperatures up to 118 (48 Celsius). Those 53 deaths have been added to another 20 suspected heat deaths from earlier this year for a total of 73 under investigation so far for 2021. (Snow, 6/29)

San Francisco Chronicle: The Heat Wave Shattered Records In California, Too: 121 In Coachella, 90 In Tahoe
The heat wave baking the Pacific Northwest — pushing Portland and Seattle into record-setting triple digit weather on consecutive days last week, also made its way into the northernmost parts of California — according to the National Weather Service. Northern California counties including Lake, Shasta, Butte, Modo and Lassen experienced triple-digit heat. On top of an excessive heat warning, Oregon-bordering Siskiyou County was also issued a red flag warning — which refers to critical fire weather conditions including strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures. South Lake Tahoe hit 90 degrees Sunday, breaking the previous heat record by three degrees, set in 1981. (Shaikh Rashad, 6/28)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Health Officials Announce ‘Code Red’ Heat Advisory For Tuesday And Wednesday 
With the heat index forecast to reach the triple digits in Baltimore this week, city officials announced the first “Code Red” heat advisory of the season for Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 90s through Wednesday, but it’ll likely feel more like 100 degrees at times, according to the National Weather Service. (Eberhart, 6/28)

Burlington Free Press: Vermont Removes 'Tampon Tax,' Making Menstruation Products Tax-Exempt
Menstruation products will become tax-exempt in the state of Vermont starting July 1. The House and Senate approved the change as part of a tax bill, H.436, on May 21, and Gov. Phil Scott signed it into law on June 8.Tampons, panty liners, menstrual cups, sanitary napkins and other menstrual products are included in the tax exemption, according to the bill. Vermont's Legislative Joint Fiscal Office estimates that the sales tax exemption on these products will result in a $685,000 reduction in tax revenues in the Education Fund. (Ruehsen, 6/28)

North Carolina Health News: As A Blood Shortage Unfolds In NC, Many Gay And Bisexual Men Are Still Barred From Donating
Lee Storrow was a proud regular platelet donor for years, a service to the community he began after a representative spoke to his biology class at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill about the importance of donating. But Storrow became instantly ineligible when he had sex with a man. (Thompson, 6/29)

In news from California —

AP: California Governor To Weigh Budget That Nixes Pandemic Cuts
In some ways, the new spending plan approved by the California Legislature on Monday is about going backward: Back to a time before the pandemic, when California’s roaring economy fueled budget surpluses. The $262.6 billion proposal now on its way to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk would restore spending cuts to public schools, colleges and universities, the courts, child support services and state worker salaries — all things that were cut last year when state officials thought they were facing a record budget deficit because of the coronavirus. (Beam, 6/29)

Los Angeles Times: California Bans Government Travel To States With Laws Deemed Discriminatory To LGBTQ People
California is expanding to 17 the number of states to which it is restricting government-financed travel because of laws deemed to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the state attorney general said Monday. The states added to the sanctions list are Florida, Montana, West Virginia, Arkansas and North Dakota, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said. Bonta said new laws in those states are part of a recent wave of bills harmful to LGBTQ people, including a Florida law that he criticized for preventing transgender women and girls from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity. (McGreevy, 6/28)

AP: GOP's Cox: California Should Force Homeless Into Treatment
John Cox, a Republican candidate for California governor, said Monday that he would force homeless people into mental health or addiction treatment before providing them with housing as part of his effort to cut homelessness in half in five years. In his second bid for governor, Cox also said he would step up enforcement against people living on the streets and work to speed housing construction. If elected, he would likely face resistance to many of his proposals in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature. (Ronayne, 6/28)

Capital & Main: Street Medics Battle Bureaucracy To Bring Health Care To The Homeless 
Circling the streets of East Los Angeles in their red family minivan, physician assistants Brett and Corinne Feldman find their patient where they thought he would be: crumpled on a bus stop bench in Monterey Park. The Feldmans, who lead the street medicine team at the University of Southern California, kneel in front of Johnny in “servant’s pose,” placing him in control of the interaction as they examine a burn that seared his cheeks and knuckles the color of summer strawberries. Johnny’s gout medicine makes his skin light sensitive, and he lives outside, with little respite from the Los Angeles sun. “The new skin coming in, it’s like baby skin,” Corinne Feldman says. “It’s going to burn really easily. That’s why we wrap it.” (Ross, 6/28)

In news about drug use in Michigan, Mississippi, West Virginia and Montana —

Detroit Free Press: Michiganweed Market Reaches $3.2 Billion, New Study Finds
Michigan's market for cannabis has exploded since legalization, totaling $3.2 billion in 2020, according to a new industry study. The study by the Anderson Economic Group — and commissioned by the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association (MCMA) —  also found that the state is home to nearly 400 licensed medical provisioning centers and 300 licensed adult-use retail stores. “The Anderson Economic Group study reflects a vibrant regulated marketplace with unlimited economic potential,”  Shelly Edgerton, MCMA board chair, said in a  news release. (Fogel, 6/28)

AP: Mississippi Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Medical Marijuana
Two prominent Mississippi physicians urged lawmakers Monday to put “guardrails” in place if medical marijuana is legalized in the state, warning that officials should be careful about making a product available that has not been thoroughly tested by the FDA — especially when it comes to children. Meanwhile, a patient advocate told the stories of three Mississippi children who experience seizures and want to be able to access medical marijuana as a treatment. The advocate said they have tried FDA-approved pharmaceutical drugs, and none have helped. (Willingham, 6/28)

AP: Needle Exchange Law In West Virginia Halted Amid Lawsuit
A judge in West Virginia has granted a group’s request to stop a law tightening requirements on needle exchange programs from being implemented next month. The American Civil Liberties Union’s West Virginia chapter filed a federal lawsuit last week. A judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday and scheduled a July 8 hearing on the issue. The law was set to take effect July 9. (Raby, 6/28)

Billings Gazette: Fentanyl-Related Deaths Up In Montana
Fentanyl-related deaths in Montana doubled from 2019 to 2020 and this year's deaths have already outpaced the tally from two years ago. There were 41 fentanyl-related deaths last year, a dramatic jump from 19 in 2019. This year there have been 22 fentanyl-related fatalities confirmed by the state crime lab, according to a press release Monday. Eleven of those deaths were in April, the release from the state health department and Department of Justice said. (Michels, 6/28)

Yahoo Sports: Olympics 2021: Breastfeeding Athletes Likely Can't Bring Babies, Organizers Say
Aliphine Tuliamuk, the U.S. Olympic marathoner who doubles as a new mom, has said that she "cannot imagine" going to the 2021 Games without her breastfeeding daughter, Zoe. Olympic organizers, however, say she'll probably have to. An International Olympic Committee spokesperson told Yahoo Sports on Monday that it is "highly unlikely" that "unaccredited people from overseas" — which would include infants and caregivers — will be granted entry into Japan for the Games. (Bushnell, 6/28)

AP: Canadian Basketball Player Being Forced To Choose Between 'Being A Breastfeeding Mom Or An Olympic Athlete'
A Canadian basketball player is being “forced to decide between being a breastfeeding mom or an Olympic athlete.” Kim Gaucher says COVID-19 rules prevent her from bringing her daughter, Sophie, who was born in March, to the Tokyo Olympics next month. In an Instagram video, she adds that she has tried appeals but “nobody can do anything.” The 37-year-old Gaucher is looking into options, such as shipping milk, but has run into complications. (6/24)

In other Olympics news —

The Guardian: Surge In Covid-19 Cases In Tokyo, Less Than A Month Out From Olympics
A rise in daily cases of the coronavirus in Tokyo has triggered fears of a possible fifth wave of infections, less than a month before the city is due to host the Olympics. Tokyo reported 317 infections on Monday – an increase of 81 from the same day last week and the ninth week-on-week same-day rise in a row. (McCurry, 6/29)

Agence France-Presse: Japan’s Olympics Chief Says There Is ‘No Way’ To Prevent Covid-19 Cases Among Visiting Teams
Japan’s Olympic chief on Monday said there was “no way” to ensure zero coronavirus cases among teams arriving for the Tokyo Games, as officials prepare to tighten screening procedures. Japanese Olympic Committee president Yasuhiro Yamashita said “thorough measures” would be necessary at airports, after two members of Uganda’s team tested positive last week following their arrival in Japan. (6/28)

NBC News: Ahead Of Tokyo Olympics, Japan Vaccination Rate Far From The Mark
Japan’s vaccination drive has gone from a marathon to a sprint as the country rushes to protect as many of its 126 million people as possible from Covid-19 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Less than a month away from the lighting of the ceremonial torch, the Japanese government recently announced that it had hit the benchmark of vaccinating 1 million people in a single day. (Siemaszko, 6/28)

Elsewhere around the globe —

Bloomberg: Mexico’s Supreme Court Removes Ban Against Smoking Marijuana
Mexico’s Supreme Court has removed the nation’s prohibition against consuming marijuana, allowing anyone who wants a permit for recreational use of cannabis to be able to receive one. The decision eliminates all legal obstacles for the Health Ministry to authorize planting, harvesting, possession and transportation of pot for personal use by adults, the court said in a statement. The ruling doesn’t decriminalize the sale of cannabis, or its use without a permit. (Averbuch, 6/29)

Bloomberg: UK Covid Lockdown Lifting 'Very Likely' On July 19 Despite Delta: Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson’s government is preparing to lift all remaining coronavirus restrictions for England on July 19, despite the delta variant sending infections soaring to their highest daily rate since January. In his first statement to members of Parliament since taking up his new job, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he was “very confident” curbs could be lifted in three weeks as planned. “No date we choose comes with zero risk from Covid,” he said. “We have to learn to live with it.” (Ross and Ashton, 6/28)

Reuters: 'Despicable': UK's Chief Medical Adviser Harassed
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday condemned the "despicable" harassment of the government's top medical adviser, Chris Whitty, after footage emerged on social media of two men grabbing him around the head as he walked down the street. Jeering loudly and grinning at the camera, the men are seen in the film, published on Twitter, manhandling Whitty, 55, who has become one of the nation's most prominent officials because of his regular appearances at coronavirus pandemic briefings. (6/29)

The Washington Post: Europe Faces ‘Chaos’ At Airports Without Coordinated Coronavirus Vaccine Certificate Rollout, Travel Groups Warn 
Airports across Europe could face “chaos” this summer as countries struggle to coordinate the rollout of a covid-19 digital certificate for travel on the continent, industry representatives warned European Union leaders this week. The certificate, designed to show a traveler’s vaccination or infection status, will be available for all E.U. member states beginning July 1. (Cunningham, 6/29)

AP: Hong Kong To Ban Passenger Flights From UK To Curb Virus
Hong Kong says it will ban all passenger flights from the U.K. starting Thursday as it seeks to curb the spread of new variants of the coronavirus. It said in a statement Monday that the U.K. has been classified as “extremely high risk“ because of the “recent rebound of the epidemic situation in the U.K. and the widespread delta variant virus strain there.” (Soo, 6/29)

In other global developments —

AP: Australia Offers All Adults AstraZeneca To Speed Up Rollout
Australia is offering AstraZeneca to all adults in a bid to rapidly ramp up sluggish vaccination rates as more of the country on Tuesday locked down against the spread of COVID-19. The government late Monday agreed to indemnify doctors who administer the AstraZeneca vaccine that has been blamed for at least two fatalities from a rare blood clot complication in Australia since April. (McGuirk, 6/29)

Reuters: India's Vaccine Shortage Eases As Inoculations Outpace New Registrations 
India has administered more COVID-19 vaccine doses in the last two weeks than the number of people who signed up for shots during the period, government data showed on Tuesday, signaling improving supplies after widespread shortages. Indians struggled to book scarce inoculation slots after Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened up vaccinations to all of the country's 930-940 million adults last month without a corresponding rise in output. Many immunisation centres ran out of vaccine shots and closed temporarily. (Das, 6/29)

Reuters: Indonesia's COVID-19 Situation Nears 'Catastrophe' - Red Cross
Indonesia's COVID-19 surge is on the edge of a "catastrophe" as the more infectious Delta variant dominates transmission and chokes hospitals in Southeast Asia's worst epidemic, the Red Cross said on Tuesday. Indonesia has reported record daily COVID-19 infections of more than 20,000 in recent days, in a new wave of infections fueled by the emergence of highly transmissible virus variants and increased mobility after the Muslim fasting month. (6/29)

Bloomberg: Abu Dhabi Covid Rules To Restrict Public Spaces To Vaccinated People
The oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates plans to restrict entry to public spaces and schools to people who have been vaccinated. Access to universities, schools, nurseries, gyms and shopping centers in Abu Dhabi will be restricted from August 20, the Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee said late on Monday. The decision won’t apply to people who are exempt from taking a vaccine and to children aged 15 and under. (Nair, 6/29)

And the United States is sending Pfizer vaccines to Peru —

CNN: US Ships First Pfizer Vaccine Doses Abroad, Donating 2 Million To Peru 
The United States on Monday will begin shipping its first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine abroad as part of the Biden administration's pledge to donate millions of vaccine doses to other countries, a White House official told CNN. The first of 2 million Pfizer vaccine doses will be shipped to Peru on Monday, the official said, as part of President Joe Biden's initial commitment to share 80 million doses of the US' vaccine supply with the world. Biden has since reached a deal with Pfizer to purchase and share with the world an additional 500 million doses over the next two years. (Diamond, 6/28)

Yahoo News: Americans Can Be Proud Of The Infrastructure Deal
I have always believed that there is nothing our nation can’t do when we decide to do it together. Last week, we began to write a new chapter in that story. After weeks of negotiations, a bipartisan group of United States senators forged an agreement to move forward on key portions of my American Jobs Plan — a once-in-a-generation investment to modernize our infrastructure that will create millions of good-paying jobs and position America to compete with the world and win the 21st century. (President Joe Biden, 6/28)

Bloomberg: Crispr Gene-Editing Breakthrough By Intellia (NTLA) Is A Big Deal 
Sam Fazeli, a Bloomberg Opinion contributor who covers the pharmaceutical industry for Bloomberg Intelligence, answers questions after Intellia Therapeutics Inc. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. released promising findings from the first human clinical trial using gene-editing Crispr technology in the body to treat a disease. Intellia shares surged more than 40% on the news. The conversation has been edited and condensed. (Sam Fazeli, 6/28)

Georgia Health News: Natural Gas Can Harm Health 
Here in the Southeast, natural gas is a fossil fuel that provides electricity for our homes and business. We use it daily to heat our homes in the winter, power our air conditioners in the summer and cook our food. In fact, natural gas accounts for 46 percent of our electricity in Georgia, compared to the national average of 34 percent. It affects the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. As a physician, I know the environment is of vital importance in improving the health of patients. Switching from fossil gas to clean energy sources is necessary when it comes to protecting our health. (Dr. Linda Walden, 6/28)

Stat: Confronting A Legacy Of Scarcity In U.S. Funding For Public Health 
Public health in America is in crisis, a sad fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has made impossible to ignore. Decades of chronic underfunding and a failure to invest in the public health workforce, the physical infrastructure of state and local health departments, and critical data systems have left Americans vulnerable to calamities like Covid-19 and other pathogens that lie just around the corner. (William Eger and Margaret House, 6/28)

Newsweek: Drug Companies Hold Enormous Sway Over Our Health Care 
If you haven't heard of the Sackler family, chances are you know someone who has been affected by their business. The Sacklers founded the drug company Purdue Pharma and built a multibillion-dollar fortune by aggressively marketing the opioid painkiller OxyContin. Purdue is widely viewed to have fueled the early stages of the national overdose crisis that kills more than 80,000 Americans each year. (Scott E. Hadland and Brandon D. L. Marshall, 6/28)

CNN: Worried About Your Kid's Development? Turn To Your Doctor Before The Internet Or Friends. 
If you're worried about whether your child is hitting developmental milestones on time— like walking, socializing or talking— you might be relieved to know that you are like many other parents and that feeling worried is okay. Nearly a quarter of parents suspect some degree of delay when it comes to their child, according to a new national University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital poll on children's health. But the nearly one in five parents who worried that their child was behind in hitting milestones didn't seek advice from a professional. (Dr. Neha Chaudhary, 6/28)

Los Angeles Daily News: Decriminalize Psychedelics In California 
Our current system fails to acknowledge the medical uses of psychedelics. Veterans have spoken to the value that psychedelic treatments have had on combating their trauma, both physical and mental, from serving our country. For a group whose suicide rates are 1.5 times higher than the average US adult population, we should be exploring these options, not criminalizing them. SB 519 is grounded in research. Pioneering research from Johns Hopkins University and University of California Los Angeles have found that psychedelics can be effective at treating anxiety, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Psychedelics can even be effective where other traditional mental health treatments have failed. (Diane Goldstein, 6/28)

CNN: US Covid-19 Response Faces Doozy Of A Challenge: Vaccinating Kids 
Weeks after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents, the United States hit a crucial milestone: More than half of the US population age 12 and older is now fully vaccinated. While this was a remarkable accomplishment, it was actually the easy part. The next challenge in the US vaccination program is a real doozy: vaccinating little kids. (Kent Sepkowitz, 6/28)

The Washington Post: There’s No Reason To Think Covid-19 Vaccines Could Cause Infertility. But It Matters How We Talk About It
The White House acknowledged Tuesday that the United States will not reach President Biden’s goal of getting 70 percent of adults vaccinated with at least one dose by the Fourth of July. While the vaccination rate among Americans age 30 and up has hit this benchmark, it remains much lower for those 18 to 29. And one major reason for that is misinformation about the coronavirus vaccines. We can lament how misinformation can affect the health-care decisions of millions of people, but that won’t solve the problem. What we can do instead is fight bad information with good information. (Leana S. Wen, 6/28)

The New York Times: Vaccine Mandates Are Needed In The U.S.
It would be nice if the United States could reach herd immunity with just vaccination incentives like tickets to ballgames and free beer. Americans don’t like to be told what to do, and public officials would almost always rather hand out cash than have to punish. Some even view vaccine mandates as un-American, but they are part of our foundational fabric. During the Revolutionary War, inoculation against smallpox was common in Europe. Because of this, the British Army was largely safe from the disease, but the colonists’ army was not. (Aaron E. Carroll, 6/28)

Chicago Tribune: Nations Must Act Urgently On Delta Variant In COVID Response 
Over the weekend, Sydney was put under a mandatory stay-at-home order for two weeks in response to the risk posed by the Delta variant of COVID-19. This came as a surprise to many, especially those who rightly view Australia as having been among the best in managing COVID-19, with its very low infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Australia was not the only recent COVID-19 surprise in advanced countries. Israel, long a vaccination leader, reimposed an indoor mask requirement last Friday. Once again, the catalyst was the Delta variant. Then there was the United Kingdom, which, other than India, has been battling longest against Delta. According to government reports, the number of Delta infections rose 46% in just one week. Indeed, whether it is the evidence from there or the reactions of Australia and Israel, four issues should be front and center for many more countries, including the U.S., which need to realize that new COVID-19 risks are likely and do not respect borders. (Mohamed A. El-Erian, 6/28)

Kansas City Star: With Delta Variant Spiking In Missouri, Those Who Got J&J Vaccine May Need A Booster
Infectious disease experts say those who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may need a booster shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, particularly to fight off the more contagious delta variant that’s raging here in Missouri. Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not yet recommending such boosters, some doctors who specialize in infectious disease and got the J & J vaccine are already getting them. Stanford professor Dr. Michael Lin is among those arguing that getting one not only makes sense but is a “no-brainer.” (6/29)