First Edition: March 14, 2024
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
They Were Injured At The Super Bowl Parade. A Month Later, They Feel Forgotten
Jason Barton didn’t want to attend the Super Bowl parade this year. He told a co-worker the night before that he worried about a mass shooting. But it was Valentine’s Day, his wife is a Kansas City Chiefs superfan, and he couldn’t afford to take her to games. ... So Barton drove 50 miles from Osawatomie, Kansas, to downtown Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife, Bridget, her 13-year-old daughter, Gabriella, and Gabriella’s school friend. When they finally arrived home that night, they cleaned blood from Gabriella’s sneakers and found a bullet in Bridget’s backpack. (Sable-Smith and Lowe, 3/14)
KFF Health News:
Montana, An Island Of Abortion Access, Preps For Consequential Elections And Court Decisions
A years-long battle over abortion access in a sprawling and sparsely populated region of the U.S. may come to a head this year in the courts and at the ballot box. Challenges to several state laws designed to chip away at abortion access are pending in Montana courts. Meanwhile, abortion rights advocates are pushing a ballot initiative that would add extra protections to the state constitution. (Zionts, 3/14)
KFF Health News:
Exclusive: Social Security Chief Vows To Fix ‘Cruel-Hearted’ Overpayment Clawbacks
The Social Security Administration’s new chief is promising to overhaul the agency’s system of clawing back billions of dollars it claims was wrongly sent to beneficiaries, saying it “just doesn’t seem right or fair.” In an interview with KFF Health News, SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley said that in the coming days he would propose changes to help people avoid crushing debts that have driven some into homelessness and caused financial hardships for the nation’s most vulnerable — the poorest of the poor and people with disabilities or persistent medical conditions or who are at least age 65. (Clasen-Kelly, 3/13)
The Washington Post:
HHS Opens Probe Into UnitedHealth’s Cybersecurity As Hack Fallout Continues
The Biden administration is opening an investigation into UnitedHealth Group following a cyberattack on a subsidiary that has crippled health-care payments and probably exposed millions of patients’ data. The Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday said its probe would focus on identifying the extent of the breach and compliance by UnitedHealth and its subsidiary, Change Healthcare, with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act — widely known as HIPAA — which is intended to protect patients’ private data. (Diamond, 3/13)
The New York Times:
Kamala Harris Will Visit Abortion Clinic, In Historic First
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to meet with abortion providers and staff members on Thursday in the Twin Cities, a visit that is believed to be the first stop by a president or vice president to an abortion clinic. Ms. Harris plans on Thursday to tour the center with an abortion provider and highlight what the administration has done to try to preserve access to the procedure as conservative states enact growing restrictions. Minnesota has become a haven for abortion seekers since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ushering in restrictive laws and bans in neighboring states. (Lerer and Nehamas, 3/13)
The Hill:
New York Republican Becomes First GOP Member To Support Bill Protecting IVF
Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) announced Wednesday that he was cosponsoring a bill to protect access for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, becoming the first Republican to back the care. In a statement, Molinaro said he would be cosponsoring the Access to Family Building Act, with Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.). It had companion legislation introduced in the Senate by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). (Irwin, 3/13)
Politico:
Becerra Leaves The Door Open To Drug Testing Welfare Recipients
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday didn’t shut the door to drug testing welfare recipients, a policy San Francisco voters approved earlier this month. Becerra, former California attorney general, said that he didn’t want to tell cities, counties or states what actions they should take but that all options should be on the table when considering how to address the drug crisis facing the nation. (Messerly, 3/13)
The Hill:
Harris To Host Marijuana Reform Roundtable With Kentucky Governor, Rapper Fat Joe
Vice President Harris will convene a roundtable on marijuana reform Friday with rapper Fat Joe, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and individuals who received pardons for marijuana convictions. A White House official said Harris will highlight actions the Biden administration has taken to pursue criminal justice reforms, including by pardoning tens of thousands of Americans with federal marijuana possession charges. (Samuels, 3/13)
CNN:
All Eligible People At Chicago Migrant Shelter Have Been Vaccinated For Measles In ‘Unprecedented Operation’
The Chicago Department of Public Health said Wednesday that everyone who is eligible for vaccination at the temporary shelter housing migrants at the center of a measles outbreak has now been vaccinated. (Christensen and Musa, 3/13)
Chicago Sun-Times:
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Confirms Migrant Evictions Coming, Despite Measles Outbreak And Protests
Amid a burgeoning measles outbreak and one day after 18 Chicago City Council members signed a letter urging him to call off his 60-day eviction policy for city migrant shelters, Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to forge ahead with an untold number of evictions on Saturday. (Spielman and Loria, 3/13)
NPR:
Blood Test Can Detect Colorectal Cancer Early, New Study Finds
The results of a clinical trial, published Wednesday, in The New England Journal of Medicine, show that the blood-based screening test detects 83% of people with colorectal cancer. If the FDA approves it, the blood test would be another screening tool to detect the cancer at an early stage. ... Dr. Barbara Jung, president of the American Gastroenterological Association says the test could help improve early detection of colorectal cancer. "I do think having a blood draw versus undergoing an invasive test will reach more people, " she says. (Aubrey, 3/14)
NBC News:
In Two Early Trials, Blood Cancer Treatment Appears Promising For Deadly Brain Tumor
Two early trials published Wednesday showed promise in treating one of the deadliest types of cancer, glioblastoma. The aggressive brain cancer, which took the lives of John McCain and Beau Biden, is only diagnosed at stage 4, and the five-year survival rate is around 10%. ... The two clinical trials published Wednesday were extremely small, conducted on just nine patients in total, and much more research is needed, with larger trials, to determine how effective the therapy might be in the long run. (Sullivan, 3/13)
AP:
Early Results Show Lower Cancer Rates Than Expected Among Air Force Nuclear Missile Personnel
The Air Force is reporting the first data on cancer diagnoses among troops who worked with nuclear missiles and, while the data is only about 25% complete, the service says the numbers are lower than what they expected. The Air Force said so far it has identified 23 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer, in the first stage of its review of cancers among service members who operated, maintained or supported silo-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. (Copp, 3/13)
CNN:
This Risk Assessment Tool Helped Olivia Munn Discover Her Breast Cancer
A tool that’s available as an online calculator played a key role in actress Olivia Munn’s discovery that she had breast cancer – even after she had “a normal mammogram,” according to a social media post. (Howard, 3/13)
Stat:
RaDonda Vaught Links Vanderbilt Hospital Issues To Patient Death
Speaking before a virtual audience of CommonSpirit Health employees, RaDonda Vaught, the former nurse who accidentally killed a patient by administering the wrong medication, listed the outside factors she claims contributed to her fatal error. Among them: a missing drug order, a faulty medication dispenser, and a hurricane that hampered the drug supply. (Bannow, 3/13)
Modern Healthcare:
Mayo Clinic Launches Solutions Studio To Develop Programs Faster
Mayo Clinic Platform said it has developed a program designed to speed the introduction of new digital healthcare solutions. Solutions Studio, announced at HIMSS, seeks to help digital health companies deploy solutions faster by giving them access to curated, de-identified data along with analytic and training tools in one centralized platform, Mayo Clinic said in a news release. (DeSilva, 3/13)
AP:
Arizona's Most Populous County Has Confirmed 645 Heat-Associated Deaths In Metro Phoenix Last Year
Public health officials in Arizona’s most populous county on Wednesday reported they confirmed a staggering 645 heat-associated deaths last year — more than 50% higher than 2022 and another consecutive annual record in arid metro Phoenix. The numbers in the preliminary report by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health alarmed officials in America’s hottest big metro, raising concerns about how to better protect vulnerable groups such as homeless people and older adults from the blistering summer heat. (Snow, 3/13)
USA Today:
Nebraska Lawmakers Fail To Override Veto Of 'Safe Needles' Bill
The Nebraska Legislature could not override Gov. Jim Pillen’s veto of a “safe needles” bill on Tuesday, losing by just three votes. Thirty supporters were needed to override the veto, but only 27 voted to do so despite previous broad bipartisan support for the bill that would’ve established a syringe service program (SSP) to reduce HIV and other blood-borne infections by distributing clean syringes and creating touchpoints to access addiction treatment. (Marchel Hoff, 3/13)
Los Angeles Times:
Some Mentally Ill People Are Stuck In L.A. Jails, Report Says
People with mental illnesses who are in conservatorships are being held in Los Angeles County jails even after their criminal charges are dropped, according to a report released Tuesday by Disability Rights California. Similarly, they are staying months in county psychiatric hospitals after doctors have agreed that it’s safe for them to leave, the report said. The issue is partly one of capacity. (Cosgrove, 3/13)
CalMatters:
California Legislature Wants To Promote Happiness
A new select committee on happiness holds its first hearing to figure out how to make Californians happier. (La, 3/12)
Politico:
Massachusetts Governor Proposes Sweeping Marijuana Pardons
Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday proposed a blanket pardon of misdemeanor marijuana possession convictions in Massachusetts in what she described as the broadest action taken by a governor to forgive past marijuana crimes since President Joe Biden handed down federal pot pardons. Healey’s move to wipe out all past adult state court misdemeanor convictions for possession of marijuana comes seven years after the state legalized cannabis. The pardons will be mostly automatic, she said, and could potentially clear the charge from hundreds of thousands of people’s records. (Kashinsky and Garity, 3/13)
Community News Collaborative:
Sarasota Nonprofit Helps Veterans With PTSD Heal With Alternative Therapies
Operation Warrior Resolution is seeing success treating post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues with a holistic method called brain-based healing. (Owens, 3/13)
Politico:
Stuttering Advocates Have Words For Donald Trump
Trump’s ridiculing of Biden comes as advocates have built broader acceptance of speech impediments. (Gardiner, 3/12)
The Boston Globe:
Potential TikTok Ban Passes House, But Some Say Worry It's Too Narrow
As TikTok users flooded Congress with calls opposing a bill that could ban the popular video app in the United States, Representative Jake Auchincloss said his office received one so disturbing that it convinced him the legislation was needed. “We got a voicemail from a young individual threatening suicide if we banned TikTok. That is a case in point . . . of the deleterious impact that these apps are having on our youth,” the Newton Democrat said. ... “I mean, Congress needs to get a grip on this.” (Puzzanghera, 3/13)
NBC News:
Playing With Dogs Helps People Concentrate And Relax, Brain Recordings Show
Plenty of research has investigated the bond between humans and dogs, demonstrating that canine companions can improve people’s moods, reduce blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. ... But few past studies have pinpointed what happens in people’s brains when they interact with a furry friend. A study published Wednesday did exactly that. ... The results indicated that walking the dog made the participants feel more relaxed, brushing her improved concentration, and playing with her yielded both of these effects. (Bendix, 3/13)
AP:
What To Know About Dangerous Amoeba Linked To Neti Pots, Nasal Rinsing
For years, scientists have known people who use neti pots can become infected with a brain-eating amoeba if they use the wrong kind of water. On Wednesday, researchers linked a second kind of deadly amoeba to nasal rinsing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report that for the first time connects Acanthamoeba infections to neti pots and other nasal rinsing devices. Officials also renewed their warning that extremely rare, but potentially deadly, consequences can come from flushing nasal passages with common tap water. (Stobbe, 3/13)
NPR:
Man In An Iron Lung Since Age 6 Dies At 78
Polio struck Paul Alexander in 1952, when he was just 6 years old. Within days, the disease robbed him of the use of his body. But he fought through the illness, using an iron lung for more than 70 years — and inspiring people with his determination to live a full life. He painted, wrote a book and worked for years as an attorney. ... Alexander died on Monday at age 78. ... "I'm crippled in most people's minds, except mine," he said, adding later, "I'm Paul Alexander, human being." (Chappell, 3/13)