Groups Seek Broader Scope Of Order Blocking Protections For LGBTQ+ Kids
Arguing the effort to identify individual schools that its members' children attend is too cumbersome, the Republican-leaning Moms for Liberty asks the court if they can instead identify counties where they think the anti-discrimination rule can be blocked.
AP:
An Order Blocking A Rule To Help LGBTQ+ Kids Applies To Hundreds Of Schools. Some Want To Block More
A federal judge’s order blocking a Biden administration rule for protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination applies to hundreds of schools and colleges across the U.S., and a group challenging it hopes to extend it further to many major American cities. U.S. District Judge John Broomes’ decision touched off a new legal dispute between the Biden administration and critics of the rule, over how broadly the order should apply. (Hanna, 7/16)
Roll Call:
With Roe Overturned, Trump's GOP Turns To Transgender Health Care
When he ran for office in 2016 and 2020, Donald Trump focused heavily on abortion, vowing to nominate Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade — which he did as president. But this year, with Roe now overturned, the 2024 GOP presidential nominee and the Republican Party have a new health-related social issue: transgender care. (Cohen and Raman, 7/16)
Reuters:
Trump Will Protect Gun Rights Despite Assassination Attempt, Adviser Says
Donald Trump will safeguard gun rights by appointing federal judges who oppose new firearm limits if he is elected in November, despite narrowly surviving an assassination attempt, a senior adviser to his presidential campaign said on Tuesday. "We'll see a continuation of supporting and defending the Second Amendment, and really where that comes into play is, you know, the judiciary," Chris LaCivita said at an event hosted by the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, a gun rights group, at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. (Reid, Coster and Layne, 7/16)
AP:
FACT FOCUS: Trump Falsely Claims Babies Can Be Seen To Change 'Radically' After Vaccination
In an excerpt of a recent conversation between former President Donald Trump and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted online, Trump suggested vaccines given to children to protect them from disease are harmful. He also exaggerated the number of vaccines given to children and he falsely claimed they lead to sudden, visible changes. Neither campaign has responded to requests for comment. (7/16)
Reuters:
Fact Check: Project 2025 Did Not Propose A ‘Period Passport’ For Women
Online posts suggesting that the conservative Project 2025 plan would make it mandatory for women to keep track of their menstrual cycles originated from a satirical social media account. Posts online said: “The Project 2025 group says women should be mandated to carry ‘period passports’ that track their menstrual cycles and must be kept up to date, and women must present these to police officers during random ID checks to monitor pregnancies.” (7/16)
KFF Health News:
J.D. Vance, Trump's VP Pick, Says Media Twisted His Remarks On Abortion And Domestic Violence
During the Republican National Convention’s opening night, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) spoke to Fox News for his first interview as former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee. Sitting in the Fiserv Forum, the convention’s Milwaukee venue, Vance took questions from host Sean Hannity and addressed criticism about his previous comments on domestic violence, abortion, and his 2016 disapproval of Trump. A couple of times, Vance accused the media of twisting controversial comments about violent marriages and abortion exemptions. We took a closer look at four of his claims. (Ramirez Uribe, 7/16)
Also —
Reuters:
US House Panel To Hold Hearing With Pharmacy Benefit Managers On Healthcare Costs
The U.S. House of Representatives oversight panel said on Tuesday it will hold a hearing with executives from U.S. pharmacy benefit managers on the role of the firms in rising healthcare costs. The hearing will include Adam Kautzner, president of Evernorth Care Management and Express Scripts; David Joyner, executive vice president of CVS Health and president of CVS Caremark; and Patrick Conway, CEO of OptumRx, the panel's chair, Representative James Comer, a Republican, said in a statement. (7/16)
Stat:
Pharma Lobby Weakened Drug Patent Reform Bill, Some Experts Say
A clutch of headlines last week suggested the U.S. Senate had achieved a breakthrough in the battle to prevent pharmaceutical companies from abusing the patent system, an issue that has been blamed for boosting prescription drug costs for Americans. But while the Senate bill clearly represents a step forward, the impact will not be nearly as great as originally intended by lawmakers due to industry lobbying. (Silverman and Zhang, 7/17)
Stat:
Sen. Bob Menendez Found Guilty, Pharma Industry May Lose Key Ally
A New York jury on Tuesday found Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts for bribery, extortion, and fraud charges. Calls for Menendez’s resignation quickly followed. Whether or not he immediately listens to them, Menendez is unlikely to continue his regular congressional activities given that he’s now been convicted — among other charges — of acting as a foreign agent on behalf of Egypt. Without Menendez, the pharmaceutical industry will lose an important friend in Congress. (Merelli, 7/16)
AP:
Judge Refuses To Extend Timeframe For Georgia's New Medicaid Plan, Only One With Work Requirement
A federal judge ruled that the Biden administration complied with the law when it declined to grant an extension to Georgia’s year-old Medicaid plan, which is the only one in the country that has a work requirement for recipients of the publicly funded health coverage for low-income people. The state didn’t comply with federal rules for an extension, so the Biden administration legally rejected its request to extend the Georgia Pathways to Coverage program’s expiration date from September 2025 to 2028, U.S. Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ruled Monday. (Thanawala, 7/16)
Reuters:
US FDA Declines To Approve Orexo's Opioid Overdose Drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has declined to approve Orexo AB's (ORX.ST) high-dose prescription drug for opioid overdose, the company said on Tuesday. The health regulator, in a so-called complete response letter, has sought an additional Human Factors (HF) study and additional technical data on the final commercial product, the company said. Orexo said the FDA's request for additional technical data was unexpected, and added that it will work with the agency to enable a resubmission of the drug's marketing application. (7/16)
Stat:
FDA Official: Applesauce Lead Contamination Was Unavoidable
The FDA’s top food regulator contended Tuesday that the agency could not have done much more to prevent the recent contamination of children’s applesauce with lead. (Florko, 7/16)
