The New York Times: Supreme Court Confirms Leak But Says Text Is Not Final
The Supreme Court on Tuesday confirmed that a leaked draft ruling to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision was authentic but not final, even as the disclosure triggered political upheaval with potentially broad electoral and legal consequences. While protesters gathered outside the court, chanting loudly enough for members of Congress to hear at the Capitol across the street, Democrats led by President Biden vowed to make abortion rights a defining issue of the fall midterm elections. Republicans accused liberals of orchestrating the leak to intimidate the court while Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. ordered an investigation. (Baker, 5/3)

Roll Call: Senate Democrats Look To Write Abortion Rights Into Law, But May Lack Votes
Senate Democrats plan to try to pass a narrowly focused bill making abortion rights part of federal law even though they don't appear to have the votes to change the chamber’s rules to eliminate the filibuster threat. "It's a different world now. The tectonic plates of our politics on women's choice and on rights in general are changing," Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Tuesday. "Every senator now under the real glare of Roe v. Wade being repealed by the courts, is going to have to show which side they are on." (Lesniewski and Hellmann, 5/3)

The Hill: GOP Avoids Promises In Cautious Response To Roe Thunderbolt
Republicans on Tuesday took a decidedly cautious stance in response to a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, a political thunderbolt that would realize longtime GOP ambitions but risks alienating voters before the midterm elections. Rather than promising to seek specific federal restrictions on abortion that could be newly legal with the end of Roe, Republicans largely pointed to states to take action, redirected attention to the leak itself, and accused Democrats of taking the extreme position. (Brooks, 5/3)

The New York Times: Overnight, Midterms Get A White-Hot New Focus: Abortion
A leaked draft of a Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade instantly propelled the debate over abortion into the white-hot center of American politics, emboldening Republicans across the country and leaving Democrats scrambling to jolt their voters into action six months before the midterm elections. Although the Supreme Court on Tuesday stressed that the draft opinion was not final, the prospect that the nation’s highest court was on the cusp of invalidating the constitutional right to abortion was a crowning moment for Republicans who are already enjoying momentum in the fight for control of Congress, statehouses and governor’s offices. Republican state leaders on Tuesday announced plans to further tighten restrictions on the procedure — or outlaw it outright — once the final ruling lands in the coming months. (Glueck and Epstein, 5/3)

AP: Biden Blasts 'Radical' Roe Draft, Warns Other Rights At Risk
President Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted a “radical” Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling t hat has stood for a half century. The court cautioned no final decision had been made, but Biden warned that other privacy rights including same-sex marriage and birth control are at risk if the justices follow through. Chief Justice John Roberts said he had ordered an investigation into what he called the “egregious breach of trust” in leaking the draft document, which was dated to February. Opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process, and a final ruling has not been expected until the end of the court’s term in late June or early July. (Miller and Gresko, 5/3)

Reuters: In Supreme Court Shadow, Biden Urges Voters To Protect Abortion Rights
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday appealed to voters to protect abortion rights by backing candidates who support them in November's elections after a leaked Supreme Court draft showed it could soon overturn its 1973 decision legalizing abortion. Biden said his administration would respond once the Supreme Court formally rules but stopped short of calling for more radical changes - including a push to have the Senate change its rules to allow a simple majority to pass a law guaranteeing access to abortions. (Holland, Mason and Shalal, 5/4)

The 19th: Kamala Harris Makes Forceful Defense Of Abortion Rights, Voting
Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night urged Americans to stand up in the fight for abortion rights, delivering the Biden administration’s most forceful public statements since Politico published a leaked draft opinion that shows the majority of Supreme Court justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that guaranteed abortion access. “We have been on the front lines of this fight for many years, all of us in this together, and now we enter a new phase. There is nothing hypothetical about this moment,” Harris said at the annual gala for Emily’s List, which backs Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights. “Women’s issues are America’s issues, and democracies cannot be strong if the rights of women are under attack. So to all here I say, let us fight for our country and for the principles upon which it was founded, and let us fight with everything we have got.” (Kutz, 5/3)

KHN: Historic ‘Breach’ Puts Abortion Rights Supporters And Opponents On Alert For Upcoming Earthquake
For an eventuality that’s been forecast and fought over for decades, no one truly has any idea what would happen if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. It was fairly clear when the court heard arguments in December over whether Mississippi could ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy that at least five justices supported upholding Mississippi’s law. It also seemed likely that they favored going significantly further to chip away at the right to abortion that women have been guaranteed since Roe was decided in 1973. (Rovner, 5/3)

The Washington Post: The Supreme Court’s Draft Opinion On Overturning Roe V. Wade, Annotated
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of the draft opinion, which is written by Justice Samuel Alito, in Dobbs. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. But he emphasized that it “does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.” He said the court is investigating the extraordinary breach. That said, Politico reported that five justices — Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — have agreed to overturn the half-century-old precedent, and the draft opinion by Alito, one of the court’s two staunchest conservatives, could serve as a road map for how they would eventually do it. (Blake, 5/3)

The 19th: Democrat-Led States Pass Laws To Codify Abortion Protections
Even as Republican-led states have passed an onslaught of abortion restrictions in recent years, some Democrat-controlled legislatures have gone in the opposite direction, working to codify protections and, in a few cases, even increase access. A leaked draft decision that shows the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade prompted several Democratic governors and state lawmakers to highlight those efforts. But while they may have shored up access in their states, many of those recent actions do not address a projected surge of people who will travel from other states to access an abortion. And with many part-time legislatures done for the year, time may have run out for further action. (Luthra and Rodriguez, 5/3)

The Guardian: How Soon Could US States Outlaw Abortions If Roe V Wade Is Overturned? 
If the draft decision remains substantially unchanged, it would return the issue of abortion to the states, 26 states stand poised to ban or greatly restrict it. Until the court issues a final decision, the right to abortion is protected under federal law. That right was established in the landmark 1973 case Roe v Wade. Roe found pregnant people have a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy up to the point a fetus can survive outside the womb, roughly considered 24 weeks gestation, and a legal principle called “viability”. (Glenza, 5/3)

KHN: What’s Next If ‘Roe V. Wade’ Falls? More Than Half Of States Expected To Ban Or Restrict Abortion
If the Supreme Court’s conservative majority affirms the leaked decision overturning abortion rights in the U.S., the effects would be sweeping for 40 million women in more than two dozen states where Republican-led legislatures have been eagerly awaiting the repudiation of the right to terminate a pregnancy. Long before the Supreme Court heard challenges to Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, seminal decisions that affirmed a federally protected right to abortion, conservative lawmakers in 14 states had crafted so-called trigger laws that would automatically go into effect in the event a nationwide right to abortion were struck down, according to a KFF analysis. The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, has identified an additional dozen states likely to restrict or ban abortion without Roe. (Varney, 5/3)

The Washington Post: Majority Of Americans Say Supreme Court Should Uphold Roe, Post-ABC Poll Finds
A majority of Americans say the Supreme Court should uphold Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion, a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted last week finds. With the Supreme Court poised to overturn the right to abortion, the survey finds that 54 percent of Americans think the 1973 Roe decision should be upheld while 28 percent believe it should be overturned — a roughly 2-to-1 margin. (Guskin and Clement, 5/3)

Mississippi's law is at the center of the case —

Dallas Morning News: Here Are The Key Differences Between Mississippi’s Abortion Law And Texas’ Senate Bill 8
What are the key differences between the laws passed by Mississippi and Texas? Gestational age ... Mississippi’s “Gestational Age Act” bans abortion after 15 weeks except in cases of medical emergency and in cases of severe fetal abnormality. Texas’ Senate Bill 8, bans abortion after six weeks except in cases where there is medical emergency. Neither ban has provisions for incest or rape. Enforcement and penalties ... Mississippi’s law allows medical licensing officials to take away licenses of those who violate. The law says those who violate commit “an act of unprofessional conduct and his or her license to practice medicine in the State of Mississippi shall be suspended or revoked pursuant to action by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure.” (Hollers, 5/3)

NBC News: Abortion Clinic At Center Of Mississippi Case May Move To N.M. If Roe Is Overturned
Shannon Brewer, the director of Mississippi’s only abortion clinic, said she is prepared to move to New Mexico if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Brewer, the director of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the clinic at the center of the case currently before the Supreme Court, emphasized in an interview on Tuesday — her first remarks since a leaked draft opinion was revealed — that the facility will continue operating as usual in the wake of the draft suggesting its days could be numbered. (Harris, 5/3)

From the states —

The Texas Tribune: Texas’ Restrictive Abortion Law Previews A Post-Roe America 

Chicago Tribune: If Roe Falls, Illinois Abortion Providers Plan For Influx Of 20,000 To 30,000 More Patients Traveling Here Each Year. ‘We Will Fight For What Little Is Left Of Abortion Access.’

AP: Washington Governor Promises To Defend Abortion Rights

The Boston Globe: Assembly Leaders Vow To Defend R.I. Law Protecting Abortion Rights

Colorado Sun: More Abortion Patients, More Money Predicted In Colorado

CalMatters: How California Created The Nation’s Easiest Abortion Access — And Why It’s Poised To Go Further

And in separate abortion legal moves —

The New York Times: Oklahoma Bans Abortions After About Six Weeks Of Pregnancy
Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma on Tuesday signed a bill prohibiting abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, the latest attempt by Republican lawmakers in the state to find legal avenues to ban abortions that will withstand judicial challenges. The law, the Oklahoma Heartbeat Act, was modeled on the one that came into force in Texas last year, with both banning abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected, and requiring enforcement from civilians rather than government officials. (Fuller, 5/3)

ABC News: Oklahoma Governor Signs 6-Week Abortion Ban Into Law
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an abortion bill Tuesday that is modeled after a controversial Texas law. The bill, formally known as S.B. 1503, creates the "Oklahoma Heartbeat Act," which bans abortions after cardiac activity or a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which typically occurs around six weeks -- before a woman often knows she is pregnant. There are exceptions when the mother's life is danger but not for rape or incest. (Kekatos, 5/3)

ProPublica: In A Post-Roe America, Expect More Births In A Country Where Maternal Mortality Continues To Rise
If the U.S. Supreme Court does as its leaked draft opinion says and strikes down Roe v. Wade, researchers expect that in the following year, roughly 75,000 people who want, but can’t get, abortions will give birth instead. They’ll do so in a country where pregnancy and childbirth continue to become more dangerous. Government data released this year shows that U.S. maternal deaths increased significantly in the first year of the pandemic, going from 754 in 2019 to 861 in 2020, a 14% jump. The death rate for Black women was almost three times higher than that for white women. (Fields and Gallardo, 5/4)

NBC News: Biggest Health Risks Of Overturning Roe V. Wade Abortion Decision
Research suggests the bans and restrictions would have manifold effects on maternal health. For one, if more pregnant people can't get the abortions they seek, they'd shoulder the risk of the U.S.'s relatively high — and rising — rate of death from pregnancy-related causes, which is particularly elevated among people of color. "There are going to be women that will die from pregnancy because of this decision, period," said Dr. Amy Addante, an OBGYN in Illinois and a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health. In addition, pregnant people would face the risk of prosecution for seeking to end pregnancies in states where abortion is banned, and research has shown that unwanted pregnancies have many harmful long-term consequences for mothers, including a higher chance of financial hardship and a severe toll on mental health. (Bendix and Varinsky, 5/4)

AP: With Abortion In Jeopardy, Minority Women Have Most To Lose
When it comes to the effect on minority women, the numbers are unambiguous. In Mississippi, people of color comprise 44% of the population but 81% of women receiving abortions, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which tracks health statistics. In Texas, they’re 59% of the population and 74% of those receiving abortions. The numbers in Alabama are 35% and 69%. In Louisiana, minorities represent 42% of the population, according to the state Health Department, and about 72% of those receiving abortions. “Abortion restrictions are racist,” said Cathy Torres, an organizing manager with Frontera Fund, a Texas organization that helps women pay for abortions. “They directly impact people of color, Black, brown, Indigenous people ... people who are trying to make ends meet.” (Wagster Pettus and Willingham, 5/4)

Fortune: Abortions Were Already Expensive. Now They're Likely To Get Even Pricier
While the implications of the Court’s decision are just now being digested, one thing is clear: Abortions will become increasingly expensive in the U.S.Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, an associate professor at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and research director for the University of California Global Health Institute’s Center of Expertise in Women’s Health, Gender, and Empowerment, told Fortune that a federal abortion ban would force women in many states to travel significant distances in order to find the reproductive care they need, greatly increasing the average cost for an abortion. (Daniel, 5/3)

Axios: The Women Getting Abortions In America As The Supreme Court Is Poised To Curtail Access
The number of U.S. women who get abortions has decreased dramatically in recent decades, with typical patients now tending to be in their 20s and living in blue states. Abortion access is likely to be drastically curtailed in red states should a leaked draft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision hold, gutting the federal right to an abortion. But the profile of abortion patients has trended older since that right was established, and the vast majority of procedures tend to be early in pregnancies. In 2019, nearly 630,000 abortions were reported to the CDC, reflecting a rate of about 11.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years. (Owens, 5/4)

AP: US Abortion Trends Have Changed Since Landmark 1973 Ruling
The abortion landscape has changed in the United States since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. A leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision suggests a majority of justices support throwing out that ruling, which legalized abortion nationwide. The most comprehensive abortion data is collected by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also compiles data but not all states, including California, submit reports. (Tanner, 5/3)

Modern Healthcare: Supreme Court Abortion Draft Creates Tangle Of Issues For Big Hospital Systems
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, health systems, hospitals, physician groups and clinics that work across state lines would have to navigate a confusing patchwork of state laws that pose an array of legal and ethical dilemmas. Multistate organizations may wind down some obstetrics services as a result, limiting access and reducing the already relatively low quality of maternal care. "It is going to create significant confusion among providers, especially those who work in multiple jurisdictions," said Mark Silberman, chair of the white collar, government investigations and regulatory practice compliance group at the law firm Benesch. (Goldman and Kacik, 5/3)

The Washington Post: Democrats Push To Ensure Women Get Free Birth Control Promised By ACA
Senate Democrats launched a new push Tuesday to ensure that women can obtain the free birth control required by the Affordable Care Act, framing the policy as imperative if the Supreme Court should move to strike down abortion rights, as is widely expected after a draft ruling leaked Monday night. Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who chair the health and finance panels respectively, said they were opening an investigation into complaints that health insurers are denying patients’ requests for birth control and forcing them to pay out of pocket. (Diamond, 5/3)

The Hill: Democrats Warn Repealing Roe Could Erode Host Of Privacy Rights
Democratic policymakers are sounding the alarm that a Supreme Court decision to repeal Roe v. Wade would trigger a domino effect resulting in the erosion of court-sanctioned liberties extending well beyond abortion rights. Because the Roe decision hinged on the argument that women have a constitutional right to privacy, the Democrats warn rescinding those protections would threaten other freedoms resting on a similar legal basis, including the right to gay marriage, consensual sexual activity, parental independence and access to birth control. (Lillis, 5/3)

USA Today: Abortion Draft Opinion Fallout: Could Rights To Same-Sex Marriage, Contraception Be Next?
Whenever the Supreme Court hands down its final ruling in this year's blockbuster challenge to Roe v. Wade, the bulk of the decision will be focused on interpreting what the Constitution says – or doesn't say – about abortion. But lurking just below the surface of that already fraught debate are questions about other rights experts say could be implicated if the high court overturns its landmark Roe decision, including access to contraception and the legality of same-sex marriage. (Fritze, 5/3)

The Washington Post: Speculation On Same-Sex Marriage Surrounds SCOTUS Abortion Draft
A leaked draft opinion suggesting that the Supreme Court will eradicate the national right to abortion has set off a wave of conjecture that the justices could also roll back the right to same-sex marriage, erasing decades of activism by the LGBTQ community. The speculation was prompted by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s narrow interpretation of what constitutes a fundamental right and his repeated references to the idea that any right not mentioned in the Constitution must be “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition” to be recognized. (Iati, 5/4)

Los Angeles Times: Where Roe Went Wrong: A Sweeping New Abortion Right Built On A Shaky Legal Foundation
Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court’s best-known decision of the past 50 years, is also its most endangered precedent.It gave women a nationwide legal right to choose abortion, but the backlash reshaped the nation’s politics. The landmark ruling now faces being overturned by conservative justices appointed by Republican presidents to do just that.What went wrong with Roe? Why did the court’s effort to resolve the abortion controversy in 1973 lead instead to decades of division? Legal scholars and political scientists point to major missteps at the start that left the decision vulnerable. (Savage, 5/3)

From corporate America —

Axios: Abortion Challenges Corporate America's Political Activism
The Supreme Court's forthcoming abortion ruling will put Corporate America in a vise, squeezed between employees pressuring companies to speak out and state governments that might punish them if they do. Companies have gotten significantly more outspoken on a host of political and social issues. Abortion was a tougher one to begin with, and a Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade is likely to come just as big corporations are growing more afraid of how much their activism can cost them. (Markay and Peck, 5/4)

Bloomberg: Levi’s Calls On Businesses To Protect Abortion Access
In a statement, apparel maker Levi Strauss & Co. encouraged corporations to “act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights.” The company pointed to research findings that women who have access to safe and legal abortion are more likely to stay in the workforce and less likely to fall into poverty. “Protecting access to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion, is a critical business issue,” the San Fransisco-based company said. “Efforts to further restrict or criminalize that access would have far-reaching consequences for the American workforce, the U.S. economy and our nation’s pursuit of gender and racial equity.” (5/3)

CNBC: Disney, Walmart, Big Companies Silent On High Court's Abortion Draft
As protesters gathered and politicians scrambled to speak out, the country’s largest corporations remained largely silent Tuesday after a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision indicated that conservative justices are poised to overturn a landmark ruling that guarantees access to legal abortions. Dozens of companies, including Walmart, American Airlines and Disney, have yet to issue statements or respond to CNBC requests for comment. The Business Roundtable, a trade group that’s made up of top CEOs, said in a statement that it “does not have a position on this issue.” Microsoft, JPMorgan and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce all declined to comment. (Repko and Feiner, 5/3)

AP: 'Still In Shock.' Abortion Defenders, Foes Stunned By Leak
The owner of an Alabama clinic was flying home from a conference for abortion providers Monday night when a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion began ricocheting around the world. As Dalton Johnson read it, he was struck by the bluntness of the language that would end the constitutional right to an abortion, shuttering clinics in about half of American states, including his. “I’m still in shock,” Johnson said Tuesday. People on both sides of the abortion divide have been expecting the Supreme Court this summer to reverse the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. But many said the draft opinion was nevertheless stunning, forcing them to reckon with the reality the nation is likely to enter soon. (Santana, Wagster Pettus and Galofaro, 5/3)

The New York Times: Abortion Rights Supporters Are Protesting In Cities Nationwide
Protesters across the country expressed their fury on Tuesday night about the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that strongly suggests Roe v. Wade will soon be overturned. Crowds marched and chanted in support of abortion rights in San Francisco and New York, in Chicago and Atlanta, in Houston and Salt Lake City. In Los Angeles, videos shared on social media showed some confrontations between police officers and demonstrators. Smaller protests took place in cities like Louisville, Ky., where a few dozen people held signs in front of the courthouse square. Jane Jones, 38, a public-school teacher, said she had become disillusioned with the Supreme Court and was angry about the apparent ruling. “Bodily autonomy is important to the sanctity of our democratic process,” she said. (Baker, Glorioso and Gaffney, 5/3)

The Hill: Obamas Issue Strong Statement On Leaked Roe V. Wade Opinion
Former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama issued a strong statement criticizing the draft Supreme Court opinion knocking down the Roe v. Wade decision, saying it would limit U.S. freedoms just like other past actions by the court. “Today, millions of Americans woke up fearing that their essential freedoms under the Constitution were at risk,” the couple said in the joint statement on Tuesday. (Oshin, 5/3)

The 19th: Tensions High Outside Of Supreme Court After Roe V. Wade Draft Opinion Leak
Two stark realities were represented outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday morning: Abortion advocates stood somberly holding signs, their chants overtaken by the shouts of an adjacent group of anti-abortion activists chanting plans to “dance on the grave” of Roe v. Wade. By Tuesday evening the dynamic had flipped: Most of the protesters outside of the Supreme Court were chanting in favor of Roe, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision granting a federal right to abortion. Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, after many abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion activists had already stayed past midnight the previous night. (Norwood and Rummler, 5/4)

KHN: On The Steps Of The Supreme Court, Tears And Glee, Bitterness And Smiles
On Tuesday morning, emotions were raw on the sidewalks and street separating the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court building — a microcosm of the reactions rippling across the country after Politico published a news bombshell Monday night. The story detailed a leak of a majority draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito that suggested the high court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the court case that guarantees the constitutional right to abortion. (Knight, 5/3)

AP: LA Abortion Rights Protest Turns Violent
A Los Angeles protest over the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would throw out Roe v. Wade briefly turned into a skirmish with police, who say one officer was injured. A citywide police tactical alert was declared after a Tuesday night confrontation near downtown’s Pershing Square. Authorities say about 250 people had been marching peacefully for abortion rights before the clash. LAPD Chief Michel Moore says some demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at officers. One officer was struck with a baton. There was no immediate word of any arrests and the crowd mostly dispersed after a large police presence was called in. (5/4)

International leaders reacted to the U.S. news —

The Hill: UN Calls Reproductive Rights ‘Foundation’ Of Equality For Women And Girls
The United Nations (U.N.) secretary-general believes that women’s rights are “fundamental” to pursuing gender equality, according to a spokesman who was speaking about the U.N. chief’s response to the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade. When asked for a response to the news from the high court, Farhan Haq, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, refused to “speculate what will happen” in regard to the overturning of the landmark Supreme Court case. He did, however, say that the U.N. chief believes that sexual and reproductive health and rights are “foundational” to women’s equality and empowerment. (Beals, 5/3)

Axios: World Leaders Express Alarm About Possible Roe V. Wade Overturn
World leaders are voicing their support for the right to an abortion after a draft of a Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked. The leak has rocked the United States, setting into motion an abortion fight that could define the midterms. Abortion would immediately become illegal in at least 13 states if Roe v. Wade was struck down, and more would likely follow. (Chen, 5/3)

New York Times: In Europe, Possible Roe Reversal Elicits Concern And Criticism
On Tuesday, news that the US Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade triggered criticism and concern across Europe, a continent that in recent decades has consistently moved toward freer access to abortion. A referendum in San Marino last year overwhelmingly supported the legalization of abortion. In Northern Ireland, it was legalized in 2019, and in Ireland in 2018. In recent months, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have all taken steps to ease access to the procedure. Poland is the only country in Europe that has tightened abortion laws since 1994, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. (Bubola, 5/3)

Reuters: Canada Leaders Affirm Right To Choose After Leak Of Draft U.S. Ruling Overturning Abortion Rights
Canada's Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister affirmed on Tuesday their support of women's right to choose after a leaked draft ruling suggests the U.S. Supreme Court is prepared to strike down a landmark decision legalizing abortion. The Bloc Quebecois, a federal political party, also moved a motion in Canada's Parliament Tuesday to recognize a woman's "free choice in the matter of abortion." (Mehler Paperny, 5/3)

AP: As US Poised To Restrict Abortion, Other Nations Ease Access
As women in the United States find themselves on the verge of possibly losing the constitutional right to abortion, courts in many other parts of the world have been moving in the opposite direction. That includes in a number of traditionally conservative societies — such as recently in Colombia, where the Constitutional Court in February legalized the procedure until the 24th week of pregnancy, part of a broader trend seen in parts of heavily Catholic Latin America. It’s not yet clear what impact there will be outside the United States from the leaked draft opinion suggesting the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. (Suárez and Sherman, 5/4)

CNN: FDA Officials Say Annual Covid-19 Shots May Be Needed In The Future
The United States might need to update its Covid-19 vaccines each year, according to a trio of top US Food and Drug Administration officials, and "a new normal" may include an annual Covid-19 vaccine alongside a seasonal flu shot. "Widespread vaccine- and infection-induced immunity, combined with the availability of effective therapeutics, could blunt the effects of future outbreaks. Nonetheless, it is time to accept that the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is the new normal. It will likely circulate globally for the foreseeable future, taking its place alongside other common respiratory viruses such as influenza. And it likely will require similar annual consideration for vaccine composition updates," Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; Principal Deputy Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock; and new FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf wrote in a paper published in the medical journal JAMA on Monday. (Howard, 5/3)

AP: Pfizer Hopes To Submit Little-Kid Vaccine Data By Early June
Pfizer now hopes to tell U.S. regulators how well its COVID-19 vaccine works in the littlest kids by late May or early June. Pfizer is testing three extra-small doses of its vaccine in children under 5 after two shots didn’t prove quite strong enough. Initial results had been expected last month but the company laid out the latest timeline Tuesday during its discussion of quarterly financial results. Currently in the U.S., only children ages 5 or older can be vaccinated, using Pfizer’s vaccine -- leaving 18 million younger tots unprotected. (5/4)

CNN: Fewer Than 1 In 5 US Parents Say They'll Get Covid-19 Vaccines For Kids Under 5 As Soon As They Can, Survey Finds 
US children under 5 are getting closer to authorized Covid-19 vaccines, but most parents may be reluctant to actually get them when they become available, a new survey found. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's Vaccine Monitor survey, published Wednesday, only 18% of parents of children under 5 said they would vaccinate their child against Covid-19 as soon as a vaccine was available. Nearly 40% of parents of young children said they would "wait and see" before vaccinating their child, 11% said they would get the vaccine only if required, and 27% said they would "definitely not" vaccinate their child against Covid-19. (Langmaid, 5/4)

On the rising threat of omicron subvariants —

CNN: Newer, Fitter Descendants Of Omicron Variant Begin To Drive Their Own Coronavirus Waves
There's no denying the numbers: Even with spotty reporting, Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising again in the United States. ... Average daily hospitalizations are up about 10% since last week, according to data collected by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The culprit this time appears to be a spinoff of Omicron's BA.2 subvariant called BA.2.12.1, which was first flagged by New York state health officials in April. BA.2.12.1, which is growing about 25% faster than its parent virus, BA.2, accounts for nearly 37% all Covid-19 cases across the US, according to new estimates from the CDC.BA.2 caused an estimated 62% of all Covid-19 cases last week, down from 70% the week before. (Goodman, 5/3)

Los Angeles Times: BA.4, BA.5 Coronavirus Variants Reinfecting Omicron Survivors
“It really came out of the blue over the weekend. We were already settling down with BA.2.12.1, and then BA.4 and BA.5?” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco. “It just seems like the latest chapter of a never-ending saga.” The rapid growth of BA.4 and BA.5 in South Africa has implications for a potential future surge in California and the U.S. Until now, scientists had been reassured that people who survived the first Omicron variant over the winter, BA.1, were unlikely to be reinfected by the even more infectious subvariant BA.2, which is now dominant nationwide. (Lin II and Money, 5/3)

NBC News: What The Latest Omicron Subvariants Mean For Reinfection Risk
The U.S. has acquired a high level of immunity from Covid, health officials say, through a combination of vaccinations, boosters and prior infection. Nearly 60 percent of people in the country had been infected by February, including roughly 75 percent of children and teens. Still, research shows antibodies obtained from vaccination or infection gradually wane over time, and each new omicron subvariant, though still a part of the larger omicron family tree, is slightly different from the last, meaning a person's ability to fight off infections from the virus can shift. (Lovelace Jr., 5/3)

In news on covid trends —

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area COVID Cases And Hospitalizations Rise Again As New Infections Swell In April
An upturn in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the Bay Area is beginning to gather steam, as new COVID-19 infections in the region have risen 167% in the same month that saw the state dropping most mitigation measures, including vaccine verification and mask requirements for schools and public transit. All nine Bay Area counties now have a “high” level of coronavirus transmission, according to metrics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means each county reported more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents last week. (Vaziri, 5/3)

CBS News: COVID-19 Cases Could Soon Be At 'Medium Risk' Level In Chicago
As COVID-19 cases slowly rise in Chicago, city health officials say the city could be at "medium risk" level in a matter of days. When the city moves to medium risk, the Chicago Department of Public Health will recommend wearing masks indoors again, saying up-to-date with vaccines and boosters, and having a plan for rapid testing. DuPage, Lake, and suburban Cook counties moved to medium risk within the last two weeks. (5/3)

The Hill: Puerto Rico COVID Cases Surge After Restrictions Dropped
COVID-19 cases in Puerto Rico are climbing and have been since mid-March, around the time the island dropped its pandemic-related restrictions. Puerto Rico has had 26,273 new cases in the last week, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. While cases are still far from highs seen during the surge of the highly contagious omicron variant in January, numbers steeply increased last month after hovering around 200 new cases per day for much of March. (Beals, 5/3)

In other covid developments —

Bloomberg: Pfizer Says Patients Who Relapse After Covid Pill Can Repeat Treatment
Pfizer Inc. executives said patients who suffer a relapse in Covid-19 symptoms after taking a full course of Paxlovid should take more of the treatment, though current U.S. guidelines limit use to five consecutive days. “Paxlovid does what it has to do: it reduces the viral load,” Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in an interview. “Then your body is supposed to do the job.” But for unknown reasons, the CEO said, some patients aren’t able to clear the virus with the first course of treatment. In cases where virus levels do rebound, Bourla said, “then you give a second course, like you do with antibiotics, and that’s it.” (Griffin, Muller and Langreth, 5/3)

The Washington Post: CDC Reiterates Importance Of Masks On Airplanes, Public Transportation
Federal health officials on Tuesday repeated their recommendation that masks be worn on airplanes, buses and in other public transportation settings where large numbers of people congregate. Despite a federal judge’s order last month striking down the federal transportation mask mandate, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said masks continue to be an important tool for stopping the spread of the coronavirus. (Aratani, 5/3)

AP: Even As COVID Cases Rise, Mask Mandates Stay Shelved
An increase in COVID-19 infections around the U.S. has sent more cities into new high-risk categories that are supposed to trigger indoor mask wearing, but much of the country is stopping short of bringing back restrictions amid deep pandemic fatigue. For weeks, much of upstate New York has been in the high-alert orange zone, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designation that reflects serious community spread. The CDC urges people to mask up in indoor public places, including schools, regardless of vaccination status. But few, if any, local jurisdictions in the region brought back a mask requirement despite rising case counts. (Caina Calvan and LeBlanc, 5/3)

Stat: A Compromise On Patent Waivers For Covid-19 Vaccines Takes A Key Step At The WTO 
A controversial proposal before the World Trade Organization to waive patent rights for Covid-19 vaccines is taking a significant step forward, as a recently reached compromise draft agreement is slated to be sent next week to the agency’s General Council for review. The move follows an informal session held in Geneva, Switzerland, where various provisions were discussed. Several weeks ago, the European Union, South Africa, India, and the United States came to a tentative understanding about advancing the proposal, which was first introduced in late 2020 to widen access to Covid-19 medical products. (Silverman, 5/3)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Kemp Signs Bill To Ban COVID-19 ‘Vaccine Passports’
Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Tuesday that would ban any state or local agency, government or school from requiring anyone to get a COVID-19 vaccination. The legislation, Senate Bill 345, passed on a party-line vote with Kemp’s support. “We will always stand up for the rights of our people against government overreach,” the governor said. (5/3)

The Hill: Sinema Defends Filibuster In Statement Criticizing Decision To Overturn Roe V Wade
Centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) released a statement Tuesday pledging her support for abortion rights but gave no indication that she would change her opposition to reforming the Senate’s filibuster rule to pass legislation codifying Roe v. Wade.  Sinema, along with fellow centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), voted against an effort by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic colleagues in January to weaken the Senate’s filibuster rule to allow voting rights legislation to pass. (Bolton, 5/3)

Politico: Collins, Manchin And Other Lawmakers React To The Supreme Court Draft Opinion
Here’s a roundup of notable responses from members of Congress. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) “If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice [Neal] Gorsuch and Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office,” Collins said in a statement. “Obviously, we won’t know each Justice’s decision and reasoning until the Supreme Court officially announces its opinion in this case.” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) “The filibuster is the only protection we have in democracy,” Manchin said. “I’m not going to comment on a leak from the Supreme Court.” (Ward and Forgey, 5/3)

The Boston Globe: Senator Susan Collins Suggests Supreme Court Justices Hid Their Roe Views
Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a moderate Republican, suggested on Tuesday she felt misled by two of the conservative justices who signed onto the leaked draft opinion eliminating the Constitutional right to an abortion as she faced renewed scrutiny for her votes for them on Tuesday. Collins, who supports abortion rights, attracted heat on the left for voting to confirm Donald Trump appointees Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court in recent years, after saying she felt confident from their discussions and public statements they would not vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, the precedent that protects the right to an abortion. (Baskar, 5/3)

On covid spikes after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner —

The New York Times: Handful Of Covid Cases Emerge After White House Correspondents’ Dinner
A handful of coronavirus cases have emerged among people who attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend, the president of the correspondents’ association said on Tuesday. Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio, who leads the White House Correspondents’ Association, said the cases he knew of so far numbered in the “single digits.” Among those who tested positive after the gala — an annual event that skipped two years because of the pandemic — was Steve Herman, a chief national correspondent for Voice of America. Jonathan Karl, ABC News’s chief Washington correspondent, also tested positive, according to a person familiar with the matter. (Patil, 5/3)

On the Republican Party and drug pricing —

Axios: GOP Dials Back Its Drug Price Goals
House Republicans are dialing back their drug pricing goals and abandoning direct government negotiations and other signature policies from the Trump years. A new GOP plan to lower drug costs won't become reality as long as Democrats are in charge but sets key parameters with Republicans poised to flip control of the House in the mid-term elections. (Bettelheim, 5/3)

CIDRAP: Severe COVID-19 May Cause 10-Point IQ Drop, 20-Year Brain Aging
Cognitive impairment from severe COVID-19 is equivalent to losing 10 IQ points or 20 years of aging, and any recovery is slow at best, suggests a small study published late last week in eClinicalMedicine. A team led by Imperial College London and University of Cambridge researchers tested 46 COVID-19 patients admitted to a single hospital 6 to 10 months earlier, from Mar 10 to Jul 31, 2020, and matched controls. Sixteen of the COVID-19 patients (34.8%) had required mechanical ventilation. Participants underwent computerized cognitive assessment at an average follow-up of 6 months after their initial infection. The researchers transformed scores from patients and controls into standard deviations (SDs) from expected scores for participants' age and demographic characteristics and calculated global accuracy and response time composites. (5/3)

Reuters: COVID Worsens Asthma In Children
Asthma in children may worsen after an infection with the coronavirus, doctors warn. They studied nearly 62,000 U.S. children with asthma who had PCR tests for the virus in the first year of the pandemic, including more than 7,700 who tested positive. Infected children had significantly more asthma visits, hospitalizations, emergency inhaler use, and steroid treatments during the six months after their illness compared to children who tested negative and to their own prior history, researchers reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Children who tested negative for the virus "had improved asthma control for the next six months, meaning fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations for asthma, and less asthma treatment," said Dr. Christine Chou of Children's Health of Orange County, in California. (Lapid, 5/4)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Tied To Adverse Maternal Outcomes, Preterm Birth
A surveillance study of more than 6,000 women who gave birth in Canada during the pandemic suggests that those infected with COVID-19 were at higher risk for hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) admission than those of nonpregnant women of childbearing age. University of British Columbia researchers led the observational study, which also found that infected pregnant women may have been at significantly increased risk for preterm birth compared with their uninfected peers. (Van Beusekom, 5/3)

In other covid-related developments —

CIDRAP: Mayo Study Finds COVID Vaccine Materials Written At Too-High Reading Level
COVID-19 vaccine informational material is written at more than a 10th-grade reading level and thus is far too difficult to understand for the average American, researchers from the Mayo Clinic concluded in a study published today in Vaccine. At least 25% of the US population currently has very low-level reading skills and is unable to comprehend a bus schedule or medication and cleaning-product labels, the authors said. (5/3)

Reuters: Booster After Infection Not As Beneficial Vs Omicron
Among people who were previously infected with the coronavirus, a third dose of an mRNA vaccine from Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech (22UAy.DE) or Moderna (MRNA.O) may not boost their protection against the Omicron variant of the virus, according to new data. Researchers studied nearly 130,000 people tested for COVID in Connecticut from November 2021 through January 2022, including 10,676 with Omicron infections. Roughly 6% to 8% had been infected with previous versions of the coronavirus, according to a report posted on medRxiv ahead of peer review. Two doses of an mRNA vaccine did help protect against Omicron among people with prior infections, but "we did not detect an additional benefit of receiving a third booster dose among this population," said Margaret Lind of Yale University. (Lapid, 5/4)

Scientific American: Nose Spray Vaccines Could Quash COVID Virus Variants
To block infections entirely, scientists want to deliver inoculations to the site where the virus first makes contact: the nose. People could simply spray the vaccines up their nostrils at home, making the preparation much easier to administer. There are eight of these nasal vaccines in clinical development now and three in phase 3 clinical trials, where they are being tested in large groups of people. But making these vaccines has proven to be slow going because of the challenges of creating formulations for this unfamiliar route that are both safe and effective. What could be most important about nasal vaccines is their ability to awaken a powerful bodily defender known as mucosal immunity, something largely untapped by the standard shots. (Broadfoot, 5/3)

Also —

St. Louis Public Radio: Sleep Apnea Correlates With Increased Traffic Accidents For Older Adults, Sleep Expert Says 
A new study out of Washington University shows a correlation between sleep apnea and traffic accidents in older adults. Sleep apnea occurs when breathing is interrupted at least five times an hour during the night, and it affects an estimated 30% to 50% of older adults. Since it prevents people from reaching a state of deep sleep, it puts people in chronic states of sleep deprivation, which can lead to risky behavior on the road. Dr. Brendan Lucey, an associate professor of neurology at Washington University and the director of its Sleep Medicine Center, is one of the authors of the study. He and his team studied more than 100,000 driving trips to explore a connection between sleep interruptions and unsafe driving practices. (Mather-Glass, 5/3)

Stat: Biogen To Replace CEO As It 'Substantially' Curbs Spending On Aduhelm
Biogen is replacing CEO Michel Vounatsos, the company said Tuesday, ending a five-year tenure in which he presided over the disastrous approval and rollout of its Alzheimer’s treatment, Aduhelm. The company also said it is “substantially eliminating” all spending on Aduhelm just 10 months after securing U.S. approval — a concession from the struggling biotech that the drug had become a financial liability following a Medicare decision to restrict patient access and payment. (Feuerstein and Garde, 5/3)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Stat: Clash Over Online Adderall Prescriptions Raises Questions About Telehealth
Online pharmacy startups have pledged to make it faster and easier than ever to get needed medications. But a high-profile series of setbacks is calling into question whether the realities of drug prescribing are clashing with those promises. In recent weeks, major brick-and-mortar pharmacy chains have stopped filling prescriptions for Adderall and other controlled stimulants sent in by telehealth providers including Cerebral, an online mental health company that has come under fire for its prescribing practices and its online advertisements touting an easy way to get treated for ADHD. On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Truepill — Cerebral’s “preferred pharmacy partner,” which completes online orders for drugs prescribed by Cerebral’s clinicians — would also stop filling those stimulant prescriptions out of an “abundance of caution.” (Ravindranath, 5/4)

Forbes: Health Plans Brace For Specialty Drugs Eclipsing 50% Of Prescription Spending
As more expensive specialty drugs from Alzheimer treatments to new drugs for cancer hit the U.S. market, those handling prescriptions and their claims are bracing for an even larger focus on these costly medicines. Health plans and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that manage drug costs speaking at this year’s Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas say specialty drugs now account for 50% or greater of the total prescription spending they manage. In some cases, employer clients are seeing specialty costs account for 60% or even greater of their total drug spending. (Japsen, 5/3)

Reuters: Bayer Wins U.S. Priority Review Of Drug Against Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Bayer's (BAYGn.DE) Nubeqa drug won priority review status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as the German drugmaker seeks to widen the use of the prostate cancer drug from an early disease stage to metastatic cases. The priority status was granted as the U.S. regulatory body accepted Bayer's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the use of Nubeqa, jointly developed with Finnish drugmaker Orion (ORNBV.HE), against metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, Bayer said in a statement on Tuesday. (5/4)

On industry financial and corporate matters —

Stat: Gates Foundation CEO Expects Melinda Gates Will Remain Co-Chair 
In the most extensive public comments about the stewardship of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since the founders announced their divorce a year ago, the philanthropy’s chief executive said there was now “zero expectation” for Melinda French Gates to step down as co-chair after two years as they both had agreed if the partnership was not working out. CEO Mark Suzman told STAT that even as they work through “the personal stuff,” Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates remain “deeply, passionately committed” to the foundation, often participating together on virtual meetings. He said he hears from them “often multiple times a day” on matters ranging from the pandemic response to microbiome research to combating malaria. (Berke, 5/3)

Bloomberg: Aspen May Close Covid Vaccine Line in Weeks as Talks Drag
Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. needs clear commitments within weeks from African governments for orders of its Covid-19 vaccine or will recommit that production line to more in-demand anesthetics. The continent’s biggest drugmaker has been let down by the lack of interest in the shots -- a locally made version of Johnson & Johnson’s dose, according to head of strategic trade, Stavros Nicolaou. (Kew, 5/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Welltower Made All-Cash Offer For Healthcare Realty Trust
Welltower Inc., the big healthcare-focused real-estate investment trust, made a nearly $5 billion all-cash bid for Healthcare Realty Trust Inc. shortly after the smaller REIT agreed to merge with a rival earlier this year, according to people familiar with the matter. Welltower remains interested after its bid was rejected and plans to say as much to Healthcare Realty this week, the people said. (Lombardo, 5/3)

The Boston Globe: Heywood Hospital In Talks To Join UMass Memorial Health
Heywood Hospital is looking to join the UMass Memorial Health system, a move that would bring the two-hospital organization into the growing Worcester-based health system. The two health systems signed a letter of intent to conduct due diligence for a deal, a process the groups said could take up to a year. If the pair sign a definitive agreement, the deal would require Health Policy Commission review. (Bartlett, 5/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Sales Soar On Covid-19 Vaccine Sales
Pfizer Inc. expects demand for its Covid-19 antiviral drug to increase as governments return to replenish their supplies and seek to thwart surges as the pandemic virus continues to evolve. The treatment, a pill called Paxlovid, brought in $1.5 billion in sales during Pfizer’s first quarter, while its vaccine totaled $13.2 billion, reflecting the need for tools to combat the virus despite a slowdown in cases and a growing sense of life trying to return to normal. (Hopkins and Seal, 5/3)

Crain's Detroit Business: United Physicians Creates Joint Venture With Agilon Health
United Physicians Inc. has created a joint venture with Texas-based service organization Agilon Health to boost outcomes and profit margins for care of its 37,000 Medicare Advantage patients. Under the deal, Agilon will put money in escrow for United's Medicare Advantage patients so the providers can enter into contracts under Medicare that tie their payments to outcomes and costs, a practice known as full-risk, value-based care. (Walsh, 5/3)

Modern Healthcare: Banner Health Invests In Atlas Healthcare Partners
Banner Health is investing in ambulatory surgical center developer Atlas Healthcare Partners, the companies announced Tuesday. The deal builds on the four-year-old Banner Surgery Center collaboration between the two Phoenix-based companies and will enable Banner Health to double the number of ambulatory surgical centers in its not-for-profit system by 2025, according to a news release. The partners didn't disclose financial terms. (Abrams, 5/3)

Also —

Modern Healthcare: How To Bring Language Interpreters Into Telehealth Visits
Telehealth has improved care access for many patients, making it easier to reach a doctor at home or on the go—but it's posing new challenges for others. More than 5 million U.S. households, or 4%, speak limited English, according to the most recent U.S. Census estimates. Patients who don't speak English or who have limited English skills can run into challenges when seeking care via telehealth, despite federal protections. (Kim Cohen, 5/3)

The Hill: Indigenous Americans See Five-Fold Increase In Fatal Opioid Overdoses Over Two Decades, Study Says
Fatal overdoses among Indigenous Americans are spiking as the U.S. remains mired in a worsening opioid crisis. A new study published this week in the journal BMJ Open found opioid overdose deaths among American Indian and Alaska Native communities increased five-fold from 1999 to 2019, while the number of drug overdoses overall in the U.S. has quadrupled since 1999. ... The study’s authors looked at overdose deaths attributed to opioids alone, opioids in combination with other drugs and alcohol, and deaths linked to specific types of opioids among American Indians and Alaska Natives ages 12 and As Benito Luna-Herrera teaches his seventh-grade social studies classes, he is on alert for signs of inner turmoil. And there is so much of it these days..  (Guzman, 5/3)

Axios: Opioid Settlements Could Lead To Naloxone Shortages
Recent opioid settlement agreements Teva Pharmaceuticals struck with three states could create shortages of treatment and opioid reversal drugs in the rest of the country, a pair of House lawmakers warned Attorney General Merrick Garland. Letting a single company provide free treatments to entire patient populations could limit competition and undercut physicians. As part of a settlement of claims it helped fuel the opioid epidemic, Teva agreed to give Texas, Florida and Rhode Island more than $220 million of the overdose drug naloxone and other opioid treatments in lieu of monetary compensation. (Bettelheim, 5/3)

The Washington Post: Fewer People With Mental Health, Substance Use Disorders Are Smoking
Depression and substance use disorders stereotypically come with a side of smoking. New data, however, suggests the number of people with mental health and substance use disorders who smoke is falling quickly. A study in JAMA finds “significant declines” in cigarette smoking among people with depression, substance use disorder or both between 2006 and 2019. (Blakemore, 5/3)

ABC News: The Fentanyl Trip: How The Drug Is Coming To America
As fentanyl overdoses and deaths have been on the rise across America, investigators have been setting their sights internationally to stop the flow. Police and other experts say fentanyl and fentanyl-laced pills have been illegally imported from as far out as China and even smuggled through the U.S.-Mexico border. "I've been doing this for almost 10 years now. And at one time, we would never find fentanyl. Now we're catching it all the time -and it is coming in different forms," Robert Meza, an import specialist with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, told ABC News. (Ordonez ,Luna, Salzman and Pereira, 5/3)

AP: Washington Reaches $518M Settlement With Opioid Distributors
Months into a complex trial over their role in flooding Washington with highly addictive painkillers, the nation’s three largest opioid distributors agreed Tuesday to pay the state $518 million, with the vast majority being directed toward easing the addiction epidemic. Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the deal, noting that it’s worth tens of millions of dollars more than Washington would have received from the companies if it had signed onto a national settlement reached last summer involving the distributors and Johnson & Johnson. (Johnson, 5/3)

On the developing news about hepatitis in children —

Stat: Disease Detectives See Clues In Viral Hepatitis Cases In Kids
When medical professionals think they’re seeing something new, or an unusual spike in cases of something known, disease detectives — epidemiologists — are generally tasked with solving the mysteries of the case. Some of these seeming events turn out to be nothing more than coincidence. Some, however, are very real and teach us more about what a known disease agent can do or introduce us to a new bug that poses a hitherto unrecognized threat. ­­Increasingly, it appears that the mounting reports of unusual pediatric hepatitis cases will turn out to be the latter type of event. At least 18 countries have reported nearly 200 cases of pediatric hepatitis of unknown etiology or origin. Roughly 10% of the children have required liver transplants and a handful or so have reportedly died. The question is no longer “Is this real?” but “What is triggering severe liver inflammation in previously healthy little kids?” (Branswell, 5/4)

The New York Times: What Scientists Know About The Unusual Hepatitis Cases In Children
At least 16 countries and 10 U.S. states have either identified or are investigating reports of unusual hepatitis cases in otherwise healthy children. The cases remain extremely rare, with about 200 children affected worldwide, according to a report issued last week by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. But even these small clusters are unusual. In Britain, where most of the cases have been reported, two pediatric liver units have already had at least as many admissions for acute, unexplained hepatitis in 2022 as they typically have in an entire year, according to a briefing from the U.K. Health Security Agency. (Anthes, 5/3)

CBS News: Mystery Liver Disease Kills Three More Children After "Unexpected Significant Increase" In Cases Reported
Three children in Indonesia have died from a mysterious liver disease, the country's health ministry said, raising to at least four the global death toll of a fatal ailment puzzling doctors from the U.S. to Asia. This severe strain of acute hepatitis has been identified in nearly 170 children across 11 countries in recent weeks — raising concerns from the World Health Organization (WHO) of the disease's "unknown origin." The symptoms afflicting the children include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain — before their livers showed signs of inflammation. At least one death was previously reported by WHO. (5/3)

In other public health news —

Press Association: Measles Outbreak: Vaccinations Fall As Disease Spreads
There is an "epidemic" of measles, global health leaders have warned, as cases of the potentially deadly disease appear to be on the rise. The World Health Organisation (WHO) urged parents to get their children vaccinated against the highly infectious disease. It raised concerns that a dip in vaccination uptake during the Covid-19 pandemic could be behind a rise in cases compared to what would usually be expected in the first two months of the year. (Pickover, 5/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Alzheimer’s Patients Now Less Likely To Receive Biogen’s Aduhelm Treatment
People with Alzheimer’s disease will be less likely to receive Biogen Inc.’s Aduhelm treatment because of the company’s decision to slash commercial support for the drug in the face of restricted reimbursement by the U.S. Medicare program and other insurers. The Cambridge, Mass., company said Tuesday that it is eliminating its “commercial infrastructure” for Aduhelm. It will maintain minimal resources to provide the drug for patients currently on the treatment at no cost. (Loftus, 5/3)

Axios: Purchases Of Food With Added Sugar Drop With Increased Tax Credits
The temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 coincided with greater food security and may also have reduced children's consumption of sugary foods and beverages, according to a study in Health Affairs. The observational study, led by the University of South Carolina, used surveys from nearly 600 households, as well as one taken three months later, to see how the monthly tax credits were being used. Among participating parents, about half said they used the additional money for food and beverage purposes and more than 60% of those who were "very" food insecure used the money for food. (Reed, 5/3)

The Hill: California Pushes Ahead With Kids’ Online Safety Proposals As Washington Stalls 
A California state panel advanced a proposal that would hold tech companies responsible for features that can be addictive and harmful, a measure that, if passed, could put California at the forefront of the fight for kids’ online safety as Washington stalls. All but one member of the California Assembly Judiciary Committee voted to advance the bill, A.B. 2408, with Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley, who is running for Congress, abstaining. (Klar, 5/3)

KHN: Even When IVF Is Covered By Insurance, High Bills And Hassles Abound
After years of trying to have a baby without success, Brenna Kaminski and her husband, Joshua Pritt, decided to try in vitro fertilization. Only 15 states require insurance to cover fertility treatments, and Florida, where Kaminski and Pritt live, isn’t one of them. Still, the couple’s insurance, from Pritt’s job at an energy company, did — putting them among the fortunate minority of Americans whose insurance plan covers the pricey fertility procedure. Kaminski and Pritt gamed out what their share of the cost would be for one round of IVF: $2,700, the out-of-pocket maximum under their policy. (Galewitz, 5/4)

ABC News: Most Children Who Have Socially Transitioned Still Identify As Transgender Years Later: Study
Amid a political debate about offering​ gender affirming medical care to transgender children, a new study suggests that among children who have already socially transitioned very few are likely to "retransition" to their gender at birth. The study, published Wednesday in the journal Pediatrics, followed 317 socially transitioned children who had already been living as their authentic gender for more than a year, finding that almost 95% continued to identify as transgender five years later. (Kennedy Meltzer, 5/4)

AP: Early Transgender Identity Tends To Endure, Study Suggests
Children who begin identifying as transgender at a young age tend to retain that identity at least for several years, a study published Wednesday suggests. The research involved 317 youngsters who were 3 to 12 years old when they were recruited to the study. Five years later, at the study’s end, 94% were living as transgender and almost two-thirds were using either puberty-blocking medication or sex hormones to medically transition. Most children in the study were from white, high-income families who supported their transitions. On average, the kids began identifying as transgender at around age 6. (Tanner, 5/4)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Children’s Chief's Exit Triggers Fear From Trans Community
Some parents of transgender children are expressing fear and disappointment after the sudden resignation of Texas Children’s Hospital’s chief pediatrician, who has been a vocal advocate for continuing care for transgender patients being targeted by a recent statewide order. Dr. Catherine Gordon, who served as the hospital’s chief pediatrician for seven months, has been aligned with the broader medical community in supporting care that helps children transition from their assigned sex at birth to their affirmed gender. (Gill, 5/3)

On other transgender matters —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: GHSA To Vote On Transgender Athletes’ Ability To Play High School Sports
The Georgia High School Association will vote Wednesday on a proposal to define an athlete’s gender based on birth certificate and ban transgender athletes from choosing sports consistent with their gender identity. If passed by the GHSA’s 75-member executive committee, the proposal would replace bylaw 1.47 (b), which allows each GHSA member school to make its own rule determining gender for sports. “We’re approaching this as a competitive-balance issue,” said GHSA executive director Robin Hines, who submitted the proposal. “We don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but that includes biological girls. There are competitive imbalances generally between biological females and biological males.” (Holcomb, 5/3)

The Boston Globe: Three Patient Deaths, And Many Others In Misery, Prompt $250,000 In Fines At 5 Mass. Nursing Homes
One woman suffered a cardiac emergency and died waiting for staff to summon properly trained help. Another died after nursing home staff failed to prevent her from developing pressure sores. And a third perished from bowel complications. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey cited the grim details Tuesday, along with repeated instances of neglect, in settlements with five nursing homes that required them to pay fines and upgrade their staff training. (Lazar, 5/3)

The CT Mirror: Three Extensive Bills Targeting Children's Mental Health Win Final Passage
The legislature gave final passage Tuesday to three wide ranging measures that would expand access to and boost resources for children’s mental health, with some lawmakers calling it the defining issue of Connecticut’s 2022 legislative session. The Senate approved House Bill 5001, a proposal that focuses on services in the medical sector and in the community. The House passed Senate Bill 1, which features resources for schools, and Senate Bill 2, which concentrates on early childhood interventions. All three now head to the governor’s desk for his signature. (Carlesso, 5/3)

The CT Mirror: CT Legislature Expands Medicaid To Undocumented Children Under 13
Children 12 years old and younger whose guardians meet the qualifying income limit will be eligible for Medicaid coverage regardless of their immigration status beginning Jan 1. Included in the state budget that was adopted by the House and Senate Tuesday was an expansion of the Medicaid program, known as HUSKY in Connecticut. Last year, lawmakers opened the program to children 8 and younger — regardless of immigration status — who come from households earning up to 201% of the federal poverty level (for a family of four, that’s $55,778). Kids from households earning between 201% and 325% of the federal poverty level also qualify but are subject to an asset test. (Carlesso, 5/3)

Dallas Morning News: These North Texas Cities Rank Among Worst For New Mothers, Study Says
A new study by LawnStarter compared 180 U.S. cities to see which are the best — and worst — at supporting new mothers. Two North Texas cities rank near the bottom of the list, it found. Grand Prairie ranked third worst, and Mesquite was fifth worst. Others fared only a bit better. Garland ranked 15th worst and Arlington 19th worst. In fact, no North Texas cities made the top 50 places for new mothers. Frisco topped the list locally at No. 63. McKinney came in at No. 71 and Plano at No. 99. Irving landed at No. 133. (Bahari, 5/3)

North Carolina Health News: NC Dental Board Gets Robust Response To Proposal To Change Sedation Rules 
A widow’s push to change the sedation rules for North Carolina dentists has struck a nerve in the dental profession. The North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners has been considering a proposed rule change that among other things would require dentists and oral surgeons to have a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) or an anesthesiologist in the room any time a patient is put under deep sedation. Bobby White, chief executive officer of the board, said recently that such a prospect not only had inspired rigorous debate, it also prompted a robust response during the comment period that is part of the process for any proposed rule change. (Blythe, 5/4)

Chicago Tribune: South Side Woman Suing Advocate Christ Hospital, Alleging Racial Discrimination When She Brought In Her Son 
When Jillian Robinson brought her 10-month-old son to Advocate Christ Medical Center because of a strange mark on his ear, doctors thought it was a bruise and assumed, that because she was Black, she had abused him, Robinson alleges in a lawsuit filed late last month. The mark on Robinson’s son’s ear turned out to be a likely birthmark — not a bruise, according to the lawsuit, which was filed April 20 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Yet doctors at Advocate Christ in Oak Lawn involved the Department of Children and Family Services shortly after meeting Robinson last year, before they knew, for sure, what the mark was, the lawsuit alleges. They then performed medically unnecessary tests on her son, such as a head CT and bone scan to “support their presumption of child abuse after making a DCFS report,” the lawsuit alleges. (Schencker, 5/3)

Kansas City Star: Diagnosed With A Fatal Illness, She Opened A Kansas City Bar 
The test came back positive: Heather Hamilton had the gene for Huntington’s disease, a degenerative brain disorder with no known cure. It was all but certain to shave a couple decades off her life. Hamilton, 47 years old, absorbed the tidal wave of the news. Then she and her husband, Sean Smith, 51, started making plans. Everything had changed. In the long term, it was bad. But the short term? Maybe the short term could be really good. “It was that feeling of, well, our retirement isn’t gonna look like what most people’s retirement will look like,” Hamilton said, “so let’s do the things we want to do now, even if it’s a ton of work.” (Hudnall, 5/4)

Los Angeles Times: 'Gimme Shelter': Why Mold And Sewage Complaints Evade L.A. Apartment Inspectors
Earlier this year, code enforcement officials at the city of Los Angeles cleared the Chesapeake Apartments in South L.A. after a required inspection that was supposed to ensure its rental units were habitable. The complex has 425 apartments and takes up multiple city blocks. But the city’s clean bill of health belied the numerous problems with mold, sewage leaks, faulty smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and other issues that tenants say have plagued the massive complex for years. Beyond that, a 2020 investigation in LAist found Chesapeake Apartments’ owner has been accused by tenants and multiple government agencies of allowing similar conditions across a more than $1-billion real estate empire that’s centered in Southern California. (Dillon, 5/3)

The Texas Tribune: Texas National Guard Guidance Discouraging Soldiers From Saving Drowning Migrants Draws Scrutiny
The recent death of a National Guard soldier who drowned trying to save migrants in the Rio Grande has led to increased scrutiny of the Texas Military Department’s policy discouraging service members assigned to Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s border mission, from engaging in water rescues. Hours after The Texas Tribune and Military Times reported that troops along the river — including Spc. Bishop Evans, who died last month trying to rescue a migrant — lacked flotation devices and rescue training, the agency’s leader Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Suelzer told lawmakers that troops are advised not to jump in the water to avoid risks. (Barragan, 5/3)

Reuters: WHO To Hold Urgent Meeting On Ukraine Invasion's Health Impact
A World Health Organization spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed that its European region would hold a special meeting next week on the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on health and healthcare. "There will be a meeting on 10 May on the impact of war on Ukraine health system," said Tarik Jasarevic at a Geneva press briefing. Reuters reported last week that Kyiv had requested the meeting, citing a letter written by the Ukraine diplomatic mission in Geneva signed by some 38 other countries. read more Russia, one of the 53 members of WHO's Europe region, has not yet responded to a Reuters' request for comment on the event. (5/3)

Reuters: Main Negotiators Reach 'Outcome' On COVID Vaccine IP Waiver, WTO Says
The four main parties to negotiations on an intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines have prepared an "outcome document" for approval by the broader membership, the WTO said on Tuesday, with its chief hoping for a final deal by June. WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who has made vaccine equity her top priority since taking office in 2021, has been working for months to broker a compromise between the United States, the European Union, India and South Africa to break an 18-month-long impasse. (Farge, 5/3)

AP: UN: Obesity Levels In Europe At 'Epidemic Proportions'
The World Health Organization says the rates of people who are obese and overweight in Europe have hit “epidemic proportions,” with nearly 60% of adults and a third of children in one of those categories. In a report issued Tuesday, the U.N. health agency’s European office said the prevalence of obesity among adults is higher across the continent than any other world region — except for the Americas. “Alarmingly, there have been consistent increases in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the WHO European region and no member state is on track to reach the target of halting the rise in obesity by 2025,” the report said. Among the countries it counts in its Europe region, WHO said the highest rates of obesity were seen in Turkey, Malta, Israel and Britain. (5/3)

Reuters: India Releases 2020 Death Data Ahead Of WHO COVID Mortality Study It Objects
India registered about 475,000 more total deaths in 2020 than the previous year, government data released months ahead of schedule on Tuesday showed, as the World Health Organization readies its estimates of excess COVID-19 deaths whose methodology New Delhi has opposed. Some experts estimate India's actual COVID death toll is as high as 4 million, about eight times the official figure, especially as a record wave driven by the Delta variant killed many people in April and May of last year. The WHO's estimate will be published on Thursday. (Das, 5/4)

AP: Beijing Closes 10% Of Subway Stations To Stem COVID Spread
Beijing on Wednesday closed around 10% of the stations in its vast subway system as an additional measure against the spread of coronavirus. The subway authority in a brief message said only that the measure to shut 40 mostly downtown stations was being taken as part of epidemic control measures. No date for resumption of service was given. Beijing has been on high alert for the spread of COVID-19, with restaurants and bars limited to takeout only, gyms closed and classes suspended indefinitely. Major tourist sites in the city, including the Forbidden City and the Beijing Zoo, have closed their indoor exhibition halls and are operating at only partial capacity. (5/3)

Bloomberg: China Covid: Beijing Hardens Virus Rules To Avoid Shanghai Fate
China’s capital is deploying an increasingly hardcore playbook to contain its nascent Covid-19 outbreak, from repeat testing of most residents to barring access to public places without a negative result as it seeks to avoid the chaos seen in Shanghai. Beijing halted dining-in at restaurants for the duration of the May Day holiday, which runs through Wednesday, made entry into places like parks and monuments dependent on a negative Covid test and has shuttered gyms. Officials on Tuesday urged residents not to leave the city unnecessarily, with only people with green health codes and who have received a negative Covid test within 48 hours able to leave. (5/3)

Bloomberg: Vietnam Reports First Day Without A Covid Death Since Aug. 21
Vietnam on Tuesday reported its first day without an official death from Covid-19 since Aug. 21 as recorded daily infections have dropped significantly in recent weeks, the health ministry’s publication Suc Khoe Doi Song said on Wednesday. Vietnam’s seven-day local infection average dropped to 5,121 a day on Tuesday, down from a seven-day average of 75,319 reported on April 3, according to the health ministry. The nation’s seven-day average of deaths dropped to two a day from 42 a day a month earlier. (Ngoc Chau, 5/4)

Bloomberg: EU Ready To Spend $2.6 Billion On Hub For Health-Care Data
European Union patients will be allowed to move their health-care data across the bloc, part of a wide-ranging proposal unveiled by the European Commission. The EU’s European Health Data Space aims to get citizens access to their e-prescriptions and health records online, according to an announcement from the European Commission on Tuesday. This system, to start by 2025, will be connected with all 27 EU member states, meaning people can travel around the EU and still access their health information. (Deutsch and Pronina, 5/3)

NPR: Republican State Lawmakers Are Working To Restrict Access To Abortion Pills. 
For most of the almost 50 years since the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion nationwide, clinics have been the focus of the battle over abortion rights. Protesters gather outside on sidewalks. And Republican state lawmakers try to regulate what happens inside — through laws restricting which healthcare providers can perform abortions, the kind of counseling required and which procedures are allowed. But now, more than half of abortions are taking place with pills. (McCammon, 3/29)

ScienceDaily: Combination Of Drugs For Obesity And Type 2 Diabetes May Be More Effective Than A Single Therapy 
Researchers have identified new drug combinations to treat people with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The goal is to develop personalized prescriptions that are more effective than single drugs and that can potentially replace more invasive treatments such as bariatric surgery, especially for children. (5/3)

Stat: Inflation Caused 'Unprecedented' Drops In Net Drug Prices, Analysis Finds
Amid ongoing turmoil over the cost of prescription medicines, a new analysis finds that brand-name drugmakers increased their wholesale prices by 4.4% in the last quarter of 2021, up slightly from 3.8% a year earlier. But when accounting for inflation, wholesale prices fell by 2.3%. (Silverman, 3/29)

CIDRAP: Moderna COVID Vaccine May Have Slight Edge Over Pfizer In Infections Only 
Relative to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna version confers slightly more protection against infection—but not hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, or death—90 days after the second dose, suggests a modeling study of more than 3.5 million fully vaccinated Americans published today in Nature Communications. (Van Beusekom, 5/2)

The Lancet: Remdesivir And Three Other Drugs For Hospitalised Patients With COVID-19
The Solidarity trial among COVID-19 inpatients has previously reported interim mortality analyses for four repurposed antiviral drugs. Lopinavir, hydroxychloroquine, and interferon (IFN)-β1a were discontinued for futility but randomisation to remdesivir continued. Here, we report the final results of Solidarity and meta-analyses of mortality in all relevant trials to date. ... Remdesivir has no significant effect on patients with COVID-19 who are already being ventilated. Among other hospitalised patients, it has a small effect against death or progression to ventilation (or both). (5/2)

Stat: Don't Let CDC's Guidelines Be 'A Bridge To Nowhere' For Chronic Pain Patients
The CDC began working on an update to its pain guidelines two years after they were published, largely because of criticism that the guidelines advocated less use of opioids but provided few alternatives for patients living with pain and that they were not always applied correctly. The agency’s first step was to commission the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to systematically review new evidence on opioids, complementary and alternative treatments for pain, and non-opioid painkillers. AHRQ’s review found that a number of complementary and alternative therapies can decrease pain — and even improve function — as much as pain medications do, with significantly fewer risks, for common pain conditions. (Shravani Durbhakula and Joshua M. Sharfstein, 4/29)

Missouri Independent: Capping Prescription Drug Costs Is Not A Substitute For Lowering Prices 
Lawmakers in Congress have been promising to tackle rising drug prices for years, but so far there’s been little action. Now, Congress may be running out of time as bigger issues like the war in Ukraine and inflation crowd out long-standing issues with more immediate concerns. The outrageous price of medicines has made prescription drug reform a top issue for years now as well as one that attracts bipartisan support. A recent poll showed that 91% of voters considered lowering drug prices a very important issue in the upcoming election, ranking it above COVID worries. (Tully Olson, 4/27)

Tampa Bay Times: Feds Need To Ramp Up COVID Treatment 
The nation’s response to the pandemic has taken on a new phase, as mask mandates and social distancing give way to home-based testing and outpatient treatments. That’s why it’s essential the Biden administration get its new “test-to-treat” program up to speed. With new infections rising in Florida and nationally, the program is vital for helping a fatigued nation manage this ongoing outbreak. (4/26)

Stat: Pharma Investors, Shareholders Should Not Determine Global Health 
What could go wrong when pharmaceutical company shareholders and investors shape the public health response to Covid-19? Everything, of course, including perpetuating the pandemic with immense avoidable suffering and death. And that’s exactly what happened last week at the annual shareholder meetings of Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. (Els Torreele, 5/3)

The Washington Post: Alito’s Draft Opinion Would Imperil Far More Than Abortion Rights
The deeply regrettable leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would strike down the right to abortion doesn’t tell us how the case will ultimately be decided. A draft is precisely that — a first attempt by the writer (in this case, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.) to express the views of a majority of the court’s members. A draft can go astray and lose the majority. (David Von Drehle, 5/3)

The Baltimore Sun: Johns Hopkins Deans: Maryland’s Abortion Bill Good News For Health Care
The Maryland state legislature approved a bill last week that expands insurance coverage of reproductive health care and lifts unnecessary restrictions on who can provide abortions. It’s now on the governor’s desk. This bill is good news — for health. (Ellen J. MacKenzie and Sarah L. Szanton, 5/4)

The Baltimore Sun: If Roe V. Wade Is Ultimately Overturned, Maryland Must Become A Sanctuary State For Abortion
If U.S. Supreme Court justices indeed overturn Roe v. Wade and send the issue of abortion access back to the states — as promised by a leaked draft opinion obtained and published Monday by Politico — roughly half of the U.S. would act swiftly to end or significantly restrict the procedure. It would be a devastating rollback of reproductive rights affecting the country as a whole, through increased poverty, maternal mortality, reliance on social safety nets and poor socioeconomic outcomes for thousands of children. (5/3)

The Star Tribune: Roe Never Settled The Abortion Issue — And Overturning It Won't, Either 
The row over Roe v. Wade is heating up and the U.S. Supreme Court is powerless to stop it. In fact, it just added fuel to the fire. This week's report of a leaked draft opinion indicates the Supreme Court is prepared to overturn Roe. This leak in itself is shameful — a tragic and historic breach of trust and integrity for the Supreme Court. The case at hand is Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which concerns a Mississippi law banning most abortions after 15 weeks. Under Roe, no state can prohibit abortions before a fetus is viable outside the womb at 24 weeks. (Steven D. Reske, 5/3)

Bloomberg: Roe V. Wade Supreme Court Ruling Could Send Women Back To The 1960s
Within hours, Kardashian’s moment in the spotlight was obscured by a much less glamorous ghost of the past: Roe vs. Wade. Politico released a leaked first draft of a majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, that would completely overturn the landmark ruling on abortion. (Jessica Karl, 5/3)

Miami Herald: Roe V. Wade Abortion Overturn Would Set Women Back In Florida 
The U.S. Supreme Court’s potential reversal of Row v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion is a rude awakening. The rights we assumed were ingrained in the fabric of our country are in peril, and not just on abortion. What was once considered settled could be upended by efforts, decades in the making, to put our court system under conservative ideological control. Florida — where cultural wars are launched these days — is ground zero for a Republican experiment to reshape the nation. (5/4)

Modern Healthcare: Criminal Charges Should Not Be A Remedy For Medical Errors
As the country was buckling under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare staff worked tirelessly around the clock, placing themselves and their families at risk of contracting a deadly virus while frequently being subjected to abusive behavior, which has led to record-high levels of burnout. They continued to come to work each day sharply focused on doing the right thing for their patients at a time when their communities needed them most. Not once did they waver. Not once did they fail to answer the call to mission. (Kevin Mahoney and Antonia Villaruel, 5/3)

Los Angeles Times: Omicron Won't Be The Last Coronavirus Variant To Haunt Us 
The virus that brought us COVID-19 is now going through accelerated evolution. Our vaccines must do the same. The Omicron wave was by far the worst yet for the United States, with, at its peak, well over 1 million new cases a day, nearly 160,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations, and almost 4,000 deaths per day. That was attributed to the BA.1 variant, the most densely mutated version of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus since the pandemic’s origin. About 40% to 50% of Americans were likely infected with this virus in the brief span of 10 weeks. (Eric J. Topol, 5/4)

The CT Mirror: Talking About Mental Health Is The Difficult First Step
A classmate of mine was recently presenting a paper to our writing class. It addressed many of her struggles with mental health and how she was able to push through them to be the person she is today. Hearing it would have been fantastic for the class, but the professor’s question did not allow the student to get past the introductory paragraph. “Would you like to talk about this in private?” The professor’s heart may have been in the right place, but there’s still a problem with this situation. In trying to bring the topic of mental health into an everyday conversation, the student attempted to chip away at a longstanding stigma. The professor, not being ready for the change, shut her down. (Jeff Palma, 5/4)

Stat: Should Clinicians Use Emojis When Communicating With Each Other? 
When a colleague of mine wanted to discuss a new and somewhat out-of-left-field research project that centered around the use of emojis in digital health care communication, I blanched. To the best of my recollection, I blurted, “Emojis have no place in medicine.” I’m a practicing ear, nose, and throat physician and also serve as the chief medical officer for a company that provides communication technology for health care organizations. My experience in one world often informs my decisions in the other. In this instance, thinking about doctors and nurses exchanging emojis as part of caring for patients triggered an immediate “BAD IDEA” alert in my brain. (Rodrigo Martinez, 5/4)

Modern Healthcare: What’s Diminishing The American Lifespan? 
There’s an ongoing discussion about lifespan vs. “healthspan”—can a long life be accompanied by high quality of life? This is one place where the social determinants of health can enter the equation, correct? (Dr. Jay Want and Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, 5/3)