The New York Times: An Advocate For Women Or A Threat? As Hearings Begin, Differing Views Of Kavanaugh Emerge
Two wildly different portraits of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh are set to emerge on Tuesday when he appears on Capitol Hill for the opening of his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. One is a champion for women; the other a threat to women’s rights. Republicans will present Judge Kavanaugh to the nation as an experienced, independent-minded jurist with a sparkling résumé, and as an advocate and mentor for women in the judiciary. Among the cases they will cite: his 2009 ruling in favor of Emily’s List, the group that backs Democratic women who support abortion rights. (Stolberg, 9/3)

The Washington Post: Hours Before Kavanaugh Nomination Hearings, Bush Lawyer Releases 42,000 Pages Of Documents To Judiciary Committee
Hours before the start of hearings on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, the lawyer for former president George W. Bush turned over 42,000 pages of documents from the nominee’s service in the Bush White House, angering Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, who issued what is certain to be a futile call to delay the proceedings. “Not a single senator will be able to review these records before tomorrow,” Schumer (D-N.Y.) tweeted Monday evening. (Barbash and Kim, 9/3)

The Associated Press: What To Watch For As Senators Consider Kavanaugh Nomination
Republicans who mostly back President Donald Trump's pick are focusing on Kavanaugh's 12-year career as an appellate court judge, which has produced more than 300 opinions. Democrats are expected to take a more pointed tack, grilling the 53-year-old conservative on hot-button issues that could swing the court's majority rightward. Four days of hearings begin Tuesday. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer fumed Monday night over the committee receiving more than 42,000 pages of documents about Kavanaugh's years with the Bush administration the night before the hearings get underway. He called for a delay until Kavanaugh's records could be reviewed. (Mascaro, 9/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Key Question In Senate Hearings: Would Kavanaugh Overturn Supreme Court Precedents?
With Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings set to begin Tuesday, partisans on both sides are focusing on one of the most consequential questions surrounding his nomination: Whether he would stand firm with precedents set by landmark rulings or be willing to overturn them. Liberals warn that key rulings on abortion, affirmative action and gay rights could be weakened or reversed by a court that leans further to the right. Many conservatives, on the other hand, hope those precedents will be limited by future rulings and eventually crumble, even if Judge Kavanaugh moves carefully rather than tearing through established doctrine. (Kendall, 9/3)

Politico: Democrats’ Last Shot At Stopping Trump’s Supreme Court Pick
The long-shot path to killing Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination runs through the heart of the American health care system — and right into the November midterm elections. Senate Democrats prepping for this week’s marathon confirmation hearings are zeroing in on the health care views of the man who could pull the nation’s high court to the right for a generation — and determine the fate of abortion rights, the social safety net and Obamacare itself, possibly within months. (Cancryn, 9/3)

Politico: Keeping Up With Kavanaugh's Confirmation: Top Buzzwords Decoded
Opponents of the conservative judge so far do not appear poised to block him from receiving the 50 Senate votes he needs to win confirmation to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. So Democrats are hoping to find fodder during the hearings to convince abortion-rights supporters in both parties to oppose President Donald Trump's nominee. (9/4)

Politico: Dems Hunt For A Win As They Struggle In Kavanaugh Battle
"This game is a long way from over," Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said in an interview last week. “In fact, we haven’t really gone out on the field yet." Republicans are likely to have a 51-49 margin in the Senate by the time Kavanaugh comes to a final vote, thanks to the imminent announcement of a replacement for the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). That would mean Democrats have to stay united and pick off two GOP votes in order to defeat Kavanaugh — a tall order, despite their success in driving down public polling on the nominee. (Schor, 9/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Key Things To Watch For In Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court Nomination Hearings
Here are some facts about the hearings and things to watch. (Tau, 9/4)

The Washington Post: Who Is Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Pick For Supreme Court?
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday begins what is expected to be a four-day hearing on President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to be the Supreme Court’s 114th justice. The senators and Kavanaugh will make opening statements on Tuesday. Kavanaugh will answer questions the next two days. And those supporting and opposing his nomination will testify after that. (Barnes, 9/3)

The Associated Press: Kavanaugh's Life Seems Scripted For A Supreme Court Role
Judge Brett Kavanaugh's life seems as carefully constructed as the Supreme Court arguments he will hear if he is confirmed to the high court. He checks all the boxes of the ways of Washington, or at least the way Washington used to be. He's a team player — the conservative team — stepping up to make a play at key moments in politics, government and the law dating to the Bill Clinton era and the salacious dramas of that time. (Woodward, 9/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Brett Kavanaugh’s Record Shows Push To Restrain The Regulatory State
A look at [Kavanaugh's] writings reveals what senators will likely find: a consistent push to restrain the regulatory state. That was clear in a Senate questionnaire item asking him to list his most significant opinions as a federal judge. Judge Kavanaugh, who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, chose a 2008 dissent in which he suggested the high court erred in its unanimous 1935 decision upholding the constitutionality of independent agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission. (Bravin and Kendall, 8/31)

Politico: Why Trump Won’t See A Kavanaugh Bump
Donald Trump won’t get to reset his frenzied presidency two months before the critical midterm elections – no matter how smoothly Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings go this week. (Cadelago, 9/4)

Modern Healthcare: ACA Court Case Causing Jitters In D.C. And Beyond
For months, congressional Republicans have ignored the Texas-led lawsuit seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act. With the midterm elections looming, talk of the case threatened to reopen wounds from failed attempts to repeal the law. Not to mention that legal experts have been panning the basis of the suit. But that's all changing as the ACA faces its day in court … again. The queasy feeling of uncertainty that surrounded the law just one year ago is back. The level of panic setting in for the industry and lawmakers is pinned to oral arguments set for Sept. 5 in Texas vs. Azar. (Luthi, 8/31)

Kaiser Health News: A Texas Lawsuit Being Heard This Week Could Mean Life Or Death For The ACA
In February, 18 GOP attorneys general and two GOP governors filed the suit in federal district court in the Northern District of Texas. They argue that because the Supreme Court upheld the ACA in 2012 by saying its requirement to carry insurance was a legitimate use of Congress’ taxing power, eliminating the tax penalty for failure to have health insurance makes the entire law unconstitutional. “Texans have known all along that Obamacare is unlawful and a divided Supreme Court’s approval rested solely on the flimsy support of Congress’ authority to tax,” Paxton said in a statement when the suit was filed. “Congress has now kicked that flimsy support from beneath the law.” (Rovner, 9/4)

In other health law news —

NPR: Analysts Predict Health Care Marketplace Premiums Will Stabilize In 2019
Consumers who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act markets may be pleasantly surprised this fall as average premiums are forecast to rise much less than in recent years. The price of a 2019 policy sold on the ACA exchanges will increase less than 4 percent according to an analysis of preliminary filings from insurers in all 50 states by ACASignups.net, a web site and blog run by analyst Charles Gaba that tracks ACA enrollment and insurer participation. (Kodjak, 9/3)

The Hill: Lieberman: McCain's Vote Against ObamaCare Repeal Was A Vote Against ‘Mindless Partisanship’ 
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Saturday defended his friend and former colleague, the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), for voting against the Republican ObamaCare repeal last year. Lieberman spoke during McCain’s funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday, saying the senator's notorious thumbs-down vote was a vote against "mindless partisanship." (Gstalter, 9/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Voters Focus On Economy, Health Care And Immigration In Midterms
When Lou Hurst heads to the polls this November, two issues will be at the top of her mind as she casts her vote in the 2018 midterm election: the economy and health care. While she acknowledges that a low unemployment rate and other indicators point to a strong economy, Ms. Hurst said she is worried about wealth inequality and stagnant wage growth. She also is concerned that Republicans, if they keep total control of Congress, would again try to repeal or gut the Affordable Care Act. (Duehren, 9/3)

Politico: GOP Leaders Scramble To Avoid Pre-Election Day Shutdown
Congressional Republicans return to Washington on Tuesday with a singular goal for September: avoid a government shutdown. But with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, that’s easier said than done. (Bade and Bresnahan, 9/3)

Politico: Immigrants, Fearing Trump Crackdown, Drop Out Of Nutrition Programs
Immigrants are turning down government help to buy infant formula and healthy food for their young children because they’re afraid the Trump administration could bar them from getting a green card if they take federal aid. Local health providers say they’ve received panicked phone calls from both documented and undocumented immigrant families demanding to be dropped from the rolls of WIC, a federal nutrition program aimed at pregnant women and children, after news reports that the White House is potentially planning to deny legal status to immigrants who’ve used public benefits. Agencies in at least 18 states say they’ve seen drops of up to 20 percent in enrollment, and they attribute the change largely to fears about the immigration policy. (Bottemiller Evich, 9/3)

The Hill: Immigrants Turning Down Infant Formula, Food Aid Out Of Fear Of Trump Policies: Report 
Some immigrants have avoided purchasing infant formula and food for their children through a federal nutrition program out of concern the Trump administration may block them from obtaining legal status, Politico reported Monday. The news outlet reported that documented and undocumented immigrants have called local health providers asking to be taken off of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a federal nutrition program that assists pregnant women and young children. (Samuels, 9/3)

In other news —

WBUR: 3 Separated Children Were Sexually Abused At Shelters, El Salvador Says
Three children from El Salvador were sexually abused at shelters in Arizona after they were separated from their families, Salvadoran officials said Thursday. ... The allegation follows a July ProPublica report which found that in the past five years, police responded to at least 125 calls alleging sex offenses in shelters where mainly migrant children stay. (Ingber, 8/31)

The New York Times: You’ll Never Guess Which Company Is Reinventing Health Benefits
It’s hard to think of a company that seems less likely to transform health care. It isn’t headquartered in Silicon Valley, with all the venture-backed start-ups. It’s not among the corporate giants — Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase — that recently announced, with much fanfare, a plan to overhaul the medical-industrial complex for their employees. And it is among the most hated companies in the United States, according to many surveys on customer satisfaction. It’s Comcast. (Abelson, 8/31)

Stat: Berkshire Hathaway Investors See Another Blockbuster For Warren Buffett
Inside Berkshire Hathaway, some investors think legendary CEO Warren Buffett may be laying the groundwork for a blockbuster business opportunity, spawned from the health care venture he recently formed with the leaders of Amazon and JPMorgan Chase. While most of the national discussion about the high-profile venture has focused on its potential to reshape the U.S. health care system, interviews with two long-time Berkshire shareholders show that within Buffett World, it’s also seen as a chance to develop profit-making lines of business and new investment ideas. (Ross, 9/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Johnson & Johnson Heads Health Care List In Management Top 250
Johnson & Johnson took the top spot among health-care and life-sciences companies in the Management Top 250. The New Brunswick, N.J., company was No. 4 overall, lifted in particular by its scores in innovation, social responsibility, and employee engagement and development. In those three areas of management effectiveness, J&J scored in the top 1% of all companies analyzed for the ranking. It also got high marks in the financial-strength category, where it was in the top 4% of companies. (8/31)

San Francisco Chronicle: Latest Perk For Tech Companies: Doctor Visits At Work
Not only are companies providing in-office meals for their employees, but they’re also bringing in doctors — so nobody has to leave work to get examined. ...They usually handle non-emergencies, like physicals, allergic reactions or minor wounds — conditions that typically might send patients to an urgent care clinic. (Ho, 9/3)

Modern Healthcare: As Consumers' Out-Of-Pocket Costs Grow, Will The Patient Bill Of Rights Movement Rise Again?
Emergency physician Dr. Matthew Wetschler was body surfing off Ocean Beach in San Francisco last November when a wave slammed him head-first onto the ocean floor, breaking his neck and paralyzing him. Another surfer pulled him out of the water just before he drowned. He was taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the closest hospital that was well-equipped to treat him, where neurosurgeons performed surgery to fuse five vertebrae and maintain blood flow to his spinal cord. After months of physical therapy at Santa Clara Medical Center and Valley Medical Center, he's walking, but still has no feeling in his hands. (Meyer, 9/1)

The New York Times: Sick River: Can These California Tribes Beat Heroin And History?
For thousands of years, the Klamath River has been a source of nourishment for the Northern California tribes that live on its banks. Its fish fed dozens of Indian villages along its winding path, and its waters cleansed their spirits, as promised in their creation stories. But now a crisis of opioid addiction is gripping this remote region. At the same time, the Klamath’s once-abundant salmon runs have declined to historic lows, the culmination of 100 years of development and dam building along the river. (Del Real, 9/4)

The New York Times: ‘It’s Like, Who’s Next?’: A Troubled School’s Alarming Death Rate
When four former students from the same school died within months of one another in 2015, it seemed random, a morbid coincidence. Then the number kept growing. At least seven more died the next year. Their fellow alumni, feeling more anxious with each death, started to keep count. By the time a classmate in Ohio died of a heroin overdose in October, the toll had reached at least 87. (Wilson, 9/2)

Here's a look at what's coming down the line in Congress —

CQ: Fall Legislative Preview: Opioids
The House passed more than 50 bills and a bipartisan legislative vehicle (HR 6) to carry them in late June. The legislative package is mainly composed of changes to the Medicaid and Medicare programs, but also includes other measures such as ways to prevent the importation of illicit drugs and accelerate research at the National Institutes of Health to find a nonaddictive painkiller. (Raman, 9/4)

Other news on the national drug crisis comes out of Virginia, Pennsylvania and California —

The Washington Post: In Va., Kaine And Stewart Offer Differing Views On The Opioid Crisis
Something both candidates in Virginia’s U.S. Senate race can agree on is the fact that opioid addiction has torn through the state, with 1,229 people dead from overdoses last year and thousands more in prison for crimes related to addiction. Where Republican Corey A. Stewart and Sen. Tim Kaine (D) disagree is the cause behind the growing problem and how to fix it, differences the candidates have highlighted while touring areas of the state that have been hit hardest by what officials deemed a public health emergency in 2016. (Olivo, 9/3)

Philadelphia Inquirer: For Parents Of Teenagers In Addiction, Treatment Is Expensive, Daunting — And Increasingly Hard To Find
Learning that their child is struggling with a substance-use disorder is any parent's nightmare. But, especially if the child is still a minor, that realization is often coupled with another overwhelming question: Where can you turn for help? (Whelan, 9/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: Safe-Injection Legal Battle Brewing In SF — Health Intervention Or Drug Den?
If Gov. Jerry Brown goes along, San Francisco plans to establish what could be the nation’s first legal, supervised safe injection site for drug users. But there’s a potentially serious legal obstacle: a 3-decade-old federal law that was directed at shutting down dens of crack cocaine dealers and users. (Egelko, 9/2)

Stat: AmerisourceBergen Must Ship Opioids To "High-Volume" Pharmacy, Court Rules
For a year, lawmakers here have made bogeymen of pharmaceutical wholesalers, accusing the corporations of accelerating the opioid crisis by callously dumping addictive pain drugs into small towns that didn’t need them. But now, a federal court is flipping the script. The U.S. District Court in Alaska ruled this month that the drug distributor AmerisourceBergen must continue to ship opioids to a pharmacy in Anchorage, Alaska, even though the distributor itself flagged the orders as excessive and suspicious. (Facher, 8/31)

The Associated Press: DeVos Says She Won't Take Action On Funding To Arm Teachers
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Friday that she has "no intention of taking any action" regarding any possible use of federal funds to arm teachers or provide them with firearms training. DeVos' comments came after a top official in her department, asked about arming teachers, said states and local jurisdictions always "had the flexibility" to decide how to use federal education funds. (8/31)

The Washington Post: Potential Foster Parents Weigh The Risks Of Children Who Have Suffered Trauma
“Raise your hand if you think every child deserves a loving home,” the social worker said. She held up a photo of five brothers and sisters, all teenagers. I glanced around the room and tried to read the eyes of other potential foster-care parents at the information session. A dozen couples and a handful of singles ranging in age from late 20s to mid-50s sat in the conference room of a private nonprofit agency in Maryland that handles foster placements. Did they feel as uncertain as I did? (Rough, 9/1)

Stat: FluMist Should Be Avoided In Favor Of Shots, Pediatrics Group Says
The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending children be vaccinated with injectable flu vaccine for the coming season, rather than the nasal spray vaccine FluMist, unless a child will only be vaccinated if he or she can forgo a needle, or if a doctor runs out of flu shots. “The AAP feels that the flu shot should be the primary vaccine choice for all children,” said Dr. Henry Bernstein, a pediatrician and an ex-officio member of the AAP’s committee on infectious diseases. (Branswell, 9/3)

NPR: Raising Free-Range Kids In An Age Of Helicopter Parenting Is Tough
Walking through the woods alone can be a scary prospect for a kid, but not for 7-year-old Matthew of Portland, Oregon. He doesn't have much of a backyard at his condo, so the woods behind his house essentially serve the same purpose. He spends hours out there: swinging on a tire swing, tromping across the ravine to a friend's house, and using garden shears to cut a path. He lays down sticks to form a bridge across the small stream that flows in the winter. And he does all of this without any adult supervision. (Prichep, 9/3)

Kaiser Health News: Over Past 20 Years, The Percentage Of Children With ADHD Nearly Doubles
The number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has reached more than 10 percent, a significant increase during the past 20 years, according to a study released Friday. The rise was most pronounced in minority groups, suggesting that better access to health insurance and mental health treatment through the Affordable Care Act might have played some role in the increase. The rate of diagnosis during that time period doubled in girls, although it was still much lower than in boys. (Bluth, 8/31)

WBUR: Michigan Child's Death Puts Spotlight On Clash Between Medicine And Religion
Seth Welch and his wife, Tatiana Fusari, both 27, were charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse after their daughter, Mary, died earlier this month from malnutrition and dehydration, an autopsy revealed. The parents said they didn't seek medical help for their daughter because of their religious beliefs, though they declined to define their religion. (Raphelson, 8/31)

The New York Times: A Debate Over ‘Rational Suicide’
On a March morning in 1989, Robert Shoots was found dead in his garage in Weir, Kan. He had run a tube from the tailpipe of his beloved old Chrysler to the front seat, where he sat with a bottle of Wild Turkey. He was 80. His daughter wishes he had mentioned this plan when they spoke by phone the night before, because she didn’t get to say a satisfying goodbye. But she would not have tried to dissuade him from suicide. Years earlier, he had told her of his intentions. (Span, 8/31)

The New York Times: Preventing Muscle Loss Among The Elderly
“Use it or lose it.” I’m sure you’re familiar with this advice. And I hope you’ve been following it. I certainly thought I was. I usually do two physical activities a day, alternating among walking, cycling and swimming. I do floor exercises for my back daily, walk up and down many stairs and tackle myriad physical tasks in and around my home. (Brody, 9/3)

Kaiser Health News: Creating Rituals To Honor The Dead At Long-Term-Care Facilities
One by one, their names were recited as family members clutched one another’s hands and silently wept. Seventeen men and women had died within the past year at Gray Health & Rehabilitation, a 58-bed nursing home. Today, their lives were being honored and the losses experienced by those who cared for them recognized. Death and its companion, grief, have a profound presence in long-term-care facilities. Residents may wake up one morning to find someone they saw every day in the dining room gone. Nursing aides may arrive at work to find an empty bed, occupied the day before by someone they’d helped for months. (Graham, 9/4)

Columbus Dispatch: Malnutrition Is A Leading Cause Of Illness, Death Among Seniors
As many as half of older Americans are at risk of becoming malnourished, and as the nation ages, the problem of getting nutritious food to seniors is poised to get worse. ...With advocacy groups reporting that as many as half of older Americans are at risk of becoming malnourished, an Ohio commission is recommending the expansion of programs that provide seniors with the food and nutritional support they need. (Viviano, 9/2)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Stroke Can Double The Risk Of Dementia, Study Says
Researchers from the University of Exeter recently conducted a study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, to explore the link between memory loss and stroke. ...After analyzing the results, they found that stroke patients were more likely to be diagnosed with dementia. In fact, history of stroke upped the risk by 70 percent and doubled the possibility for those who had suffered from a stroke recently. (Parker, 9/1)

Boston Globe: Troubled Massachusetts Nursing Home Chain In ‘Dire’ Straits, Court Monitor Warns
The state attorney general’s office says it will scrutinize a troubled Massachusetts nursing home chain for allegedly leaving many of its employees without health insurance after deducting premiums from their paychecks but failing to pay the insurer. The coverage lapse affected workers at all 10 of Synergy Health Centers’ nursing homes, according to court records and a letter sent to employees by the insurer that was obtained by the Globe. (Lazar, 9/1)

The New York Times: Scientists Are Retooling Bacteria To Cure Disease
In a study carried out over the summer, a group of volunteers drank a white, peppermint-ish concoction laced with billions of bacteria. The microbes had been engineered to break down a naturally occurring toxin in the blood. The vast majority of us can do this without any help. But for those who cannot, these microbes may someday become a living medicine. (Zimmer, 9/4)

The New York Times: From 0 To 10 Million: Vaping Takes Off In The U.S.
Some experts have suggested that e-cigarettes can help wean people off regular cigarettes; others believe that they reinforce the smoking habit and increase the user’s exposure to nicotine. But there’s no dispute that e-cigarettes have grown popular since their introduction in 2004. Now a nationwide survey has found that 10.8 million adults in the United States are vaping. (Bakalar, 8/31)

Modern Healthcare: Better Data Needed To Tackle Maternal Mortality
Back in 2006, state officials and providers in California were alarmed by the rising maternal mortality rates being reported nationally. The problem was California didn't have the data to understand how the issue was playing out in its own state. There was no uniform system tracking maternal mortality. So, with grant funding, the state formed a review committee called the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative that has played a critical role in state efforts to reduce maternal mortality. (Castellucci, 9/1)

Stat: First CRISPR Clinical Trial Backed By U.S. Companies Launches
The first clinical trial of CRISPR-Cas9 sponsored by U.S. companies has launched, testing the genome-editing technique in patients with the blood disorder beta thalassemia, according to an announcement posted Friday on the U.S. clinical trials website. The Phase 1/2 clinical trial, co-sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and using an experimental treatment from CRISPR Therapeutics, will be conducted at a single hospital in Regensburg, Germany, and aims to recruit up to 12 adults with the inherited disease. (Begley, 8/31)

The Associated Press: Warnings Over Pollution Met With A Shrug In Coal Country
It's coal people like miner Steve Knotts, 62, who make West Virginia Trump Country. So it was no surprise that President Donald Trump picked the state to announce his plan rolling back Obama-era pollution controls on coal-fired power plants. (Knickmeyer and Raby, 9/4)

The Washington Post: Stretching, Vigorous And Slow, Recommended For Pre-Workout Warmup
Myles Schneider, 74, a semiretired podiatrist who lives in Reston, stretches for 60 minutes, six times a week. Schneider, who also walks briskly for 45 minutes twice weekly and runs three times a week for 45 minutes in the deep end of a pool, spends more time stretching than he does in actual exercise. An hour of slow stretching may seem excessive, but it works for Schneider. (Cimons, 9/1)

The New York Times: Tricky Ads From A Vitamin Company That Talks Up Openness
The online vitamin and supplement marketplace is fierce, star-studded and murky. The Kardashians endorse gummies they say promote hair health. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website pushes pills and liquids in the name of holistic wellness. Even the conspiracy website Infowars is partly funded through the sale of potions and powders. (Maheshwari, 9/2)

Boston Globe: Under The Radar, College Students With Chronic Conditions Face A Stiff Burden
This fall, thousands of students like [Jacob] Nangle will begin their college education at New England’s many undergraduate institutions, making a major transition while dealing with a chronic disease that can seem invisible to the rest of the world. Universities in recent years have made adjustments to better accommodate these students, but their struggles persist largely under the radar. (Capelouto, 9/3)

The Washington Post: Body As Work Of Art Exhibit Puts You In Other's Skin
Empathy is said to be found by walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. But what if you could walk a mile in a stranger’s body instead? You might learn to appreciate the different curves of their skin, the scars, moles and features that make their body unique. You’d recognize their idiosyncrasies, too: asymmetrical features, body parts shaped by genetic conditions and life experiences. (Blakemore, 9/2)

The Associated Press: Study Shows Health, Reaction-Time Declines In Firefighters
Randy Brooks' son had a request three years ago: What could his dad do to make wildland firefighting safer? To Brooks, a professor at the University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources who deals with wildland firefighting, it was more of a command. His son, Bo Brooks, is a wildland firefighter who a few days earlier during that 2015 fire season fled a wall of flames that killed three of his fellow firefighters in eastern Washington. (Ridler, 9/1)

Saint Cloud Times: Organ Donation: Federal Government Says Family Leave Can Be Used
If taking leave from work is your main barrier to donating a kidney or part of your liver, there's good news from the U.S. Department of Labor this week. The department issued a new opinion letter Tuesday that states a healthy organ donor can use medical leave, as it's laid out in the Family and Medical Leave Act. (Hertel, 8/31)

The Washington Post: Claire Wineland, Who Inspired Millions On YouTube Chronicling Her Cystic Fibrosis Battle, Has Died After A Lung Transplant
Claire Wineland spent nearly every hour of her two decades alive preparing for the end. The California native was diagnosed at birth with cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that overloads the organs with an excess of mucus. The illness meant a life of painful treatment, hospital stays, and likely a premature death. But instead of wallowing in her situation, Wineland used social media platforms, like Instagram and YouTube, to pipe out the difficult details of her life to the public. Her videos and posts pulled in millions of viewers drawn to the magnetic teenager’s plucky humor and candor about living on the edge of death. (Swenson, 9/4)

The Wall Street Journal: The World Isn’t As Bad As Your Wired Brain Tells You
Ever wonder why people’s perception of the incidence of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and other violent acts is often much higher than the reality? Why the U.S. is becoming a low-trust society? Why Americans are collectively in a funk? A big part of the answer, according to experts in social science, psychology and computer science, is that the biases that were once useful to our primitive forebears have become—like the craving for sweet foods—detriments in our modern world. Instincts that may once have saved us from real dangers have now, thanks to global instantaneous communication, turned us all into Chicken Littles. (Mims, 8/31)

Los Angeles Times: Caught In A Political Echo Chamber? Listening To The Opposition Can Make Partisanship Even Worse
Dwelling in a political echo chamber — where you only encounter people who agree with you — is hardly conducive to a healthy democracy. But it turns out that broadening your horizons by perusing opposing points of view on social media may just make the partisan divide worse. That’s the depressing result of an unusual experiment involving 909 Democrats and 751 Republicans who spend a lot of time on Twitter. (Kaplan, 8/31)

The New York Times: Microwave Weapons Are Prime Suspect In Ills Of U.S. Embassy Workers
During the Cold War, Washington feared that Moscow was seeking to turn microwave radiation into covert weapons of mind control. More recently, the American military itself sought to develop microwave arms that could invisibly beam painfully loud booms and even spoken words into people’s heads. The aims were to disable attackers and wage psychological warfare. (Broad, 9/1)

In other international health news —

The New York Times: Ebola Attacked Congo Again. But Now Congo Seems To Be Winning
The month-old Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which emerged unexpectedly in a dangerous region and quickly soared to over 100 cases, now appears to be fading. Only a handful of new cases appear each week, and the region's two treatment centers, full until recently, now have fewer than 30 patients in their 78 beds. (McNeil, 9/2)

Reuters: California Hospital Chain With Ties To Billionaire Files For Bankruptcy
Verity Health System of California Inc, a non-profit operator of six California hospitals managed by billionaire former surgeon Patrick Soon-Shiong's NantWorks LLC, filed for bankruptcy on Friday to help resolve a cash crunch while it seeks a buyer. (8/31)

Politico: Los Angeles Billionaire's Hospital System Declares Bankruptcy
The filing was meant to "facilitate a court-supervised sale of some or all of the hospitals" while addressing debts and claims that have built up over two decades, CEO Rich Adcock said in a letter. Verity is struggling under long-term debt of $500 million, according to recent financial disclosures. Soon-Shiong took over management of the system in July 2017, promising to provide "the highest level of care with the best outcomes at lowest cost for all Californians." (Tahir, 8/31)

San Jose Mercury News: Owner Of Four Struggling Bay Area Hospitals Seeks Bankruptcy Protection
“After a diligent process of assessing all possible options alongside our financial and legal advisors, Verity Health has made the best strategic decision for all of our patients, employees and other stakeholders,” Verity CEO Rich Adcock said in a statement posted online Friday. “Despite many efforts over the last decade to create opportunities for success,” Adcock continued, “we can no longer swim against the tide of our operating reality.” He blamed “a legacy burden” of more than a billion dollars of bond debt and unfunded pension liabilities, a need for significant expensive seismic upgrades and an aging infrastructure.(Woolfolk, 8/31)

Sacramento Bee: Why Dignity Nurses Are Challenging Merger With Catholic Health Care Giant
The California Department of Justice will take comment Thursday in Woodland on whether it should approve the pending merger of San Francisco-based Dignity Health with health-care giant Catholic Health Initiatives, and this meeting, like others before it, is expected to draw a sea of red-shirted Dignity nurses opposing the deal. (Anderson, 9/1)

ProPublica: Prominent Houston Judge Quits St. Luke’s Board After Heart Transplant Troubles Revealed
Carolyn Dineen King, a senior U.S. Circuit Court judge, confirmed that she stepped down from the St. Luke’s board on May 30, two weeks after the investigation was published. King joined the board in January 2014 and chaired the committee that oversees quality and patient safety at the hospital. (Hixenbaugh and Ornstein, 9/4)

The Washington Post: Board Of Providence Hospital Overhauled Amid Plans To End Acute Services
The management of the District’s Providence Hospital has overhauled its board of directors amid controversy over plans to end acute-care services at the facility by the end of the year. A spokesman for Ascension, which owns the hospital and is the world’s largest Catholic-run health-care system, on Friday confirmed a shake-up of the board of directors first reported by the Washington City Paper. (Nirappil, 8/31)

Chicago Tribune: Little Company Of Mary Hospital To Stop Pediatric Inpatient Services
Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park plans to close its pediatric inpatient unit, joining an ever-growing list of Chicago-area hospitals doing the same. The hospital has filed an application with the state Health Care Facilities and Review Board to discontinue its 20-bed pediatric unit by Nov. 1. The hospital cited declining demand for the services in its application, saying pediatric patients spent 680 days in the unit last year, compared with 722 days the year before. (Schencker, 8/31)

Boston Globe and USA Today: Bed Sores, Neglect, Alleged Abuse: Inside One Of The Lowest Rated Veterans’ Nursing Homes In The Country, The Bedford VA
Located at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, it is among just 11 nationwide to earn a one-star rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs based on both overall quality and the results of surprise inspections. Bedford’s rating reflected an array of problems caring for the more than 200 veterans who live there, including bed sores, high rates of medication, and general decline of veterans’ health, according to documents obtained by The Boston Globe and USA Today, which have been jointly investigating VA nursing homes. (Estes and Slack, 9/4)

The Washington Post: Gender Pay Gap: Plano Doctor Gary Tigges Says It's “Fair” Because Women In Medicine Don’t Work As Hard
A doctor in Plano, Tex., apologized Sunday after sparking outrage for saying that female physicians make less than men because they “don't work as hard” and prioritize “something else … family, social, whatever." Medical professionals had taken Gary Tigges to task on social media for views they say are discriminatory and disproved by most research. Some have criticized the Dallas Medical Journal for highlighting the remarks; others have praised the monthly magazine for exposing them. (Telford, 9/3)

The Hill: Texas Physician Tells Medical Journal Women 'Do Not Work As Hard' 
"Nothing needs to be 'done' about this unless female physicians actually want to work harder and put in the hours. If not, they should be paid less. That is fair,” his comments continued. The salaries of the female doctors’ salaries included in the report was equivalent to about two-thirds of the male doctors, the Journal noted. (Gstalter, 9/2)

The Associated Press: Detroit Is Latest Big School District To Turn Off Tap Water
Some 50,000 Detroit public school students will start the school year Tuesday by drinking water from coolers, not fountains, after the discovery of elevated levels of lead or copper — the latest setback in a state already dealing with the consequences of contaminated tap water in Flint and other communities. Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti expects the closure of water fountains and other drinking fixtures in all 106 schools to go smoothly because the district — Michigan's largest — had previously turned off the tap in 18 schools. (9/3)

The Associated Press: Amid Crisis, San Francisco Using Data To Track Homeless
San Francisco is turning to big data to help ease its homeless crisis. The city has been quietly crafting a system to closely track every homeless man, woman and child, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday. The purpose is two-fold: to tailor housing, rehabilitation and other services to them, but also to eliminate wasteful duplication of those efforts. (9/1)

Dallas Morning News: Controversial 'Abortion Is Self-Care' Billboard Asks Dallas To Trust Black Women
Another roadside abortion message is stirring up controversy in North Texas. A billboard put up by the Dallas-based Afiya Center proclaims "abortion is self-care" and includes the hashtag #TrustBlackWomen. Posted at Interstate 35E and Illinois Avenue in Oak Cliff, the billboard follows another recent abortion message, the Black Pro Life Coalition's assertion that "abortion is not healthcare." The Afiya Center promotes abortion access, along with HIV programming and maternal mortality research, focusing on black women and girls in Texas. (Coello, 9/1)

Columbus Dispatch: Programs To Reduce Infant Deaths Visit Pregnant Women, New Mothers In Homes
[Kara] Terry visits about once a month as part of Columbus Public Health’s My Baby & Me program, through which trained community-health workers help Franklin County women get the information and resources they need for a healthy pregnancy, birth and first two years of their babies’ lives. It’s one of a number of programs in the county that use free, in-home visits in an effort to reduce the county’s abysmal infant-mortality rate and strengthen families. (Viviano, 9/2)

The Associated Press: Lawsuit: Surgeon Left Needle Inside Patient, Who Later Died
The family of a Tennessee man who died shortly after a surgeon left a needle inside his chest cavity has sued the hospital. The Tennessean reports 73-year-old John Burns Johnson had open heart surgery at TriStar Centennial Hospital on May 2017. After about nine hours of surgery, a surgeon closed his chest only to discover one of his needles was missing. An X-ray revealed it was inside Johnson. The surgeon then tried to retrieve the needle but was unsuccessful. (9/1)

The Oregonian: Premera Blue Cross Data Breach Victims Say Insurer Destroyed Evidence
Consumers suing health insurer Premera Blue Cross for negligence after it disclosed being victim to a huge data breach in 2015 now allege that the company intentionally destroyed a key computer that was compromised and data loss logs that likely held evidence for their case. The consumers want a federal judge to issue sanctions against the insurance company for destroying the evidence after lawsuits were filed. (Bernstein, 8/31)

The Associated Press: Synthetic Pot Exposure Sickened Pennsylvania Prison Workers
Pennsylvania officials say a substance that has sickened more than two dozen corrections employees in the past month and led to an ongoing statewide prison lockdown is believed to be a clear, odorless chemical known as synthetic marijuana. (8/31)

KCUR: Kansas City Daycare For Children With Weakened Immune Systems Could Be Nation's First 
Kansas City soon could be home to the nation's first daycare designed specifically for children with weakened immune systems. Children undergoing cancer treatment or with other health problems such as genetic disorders are sometimes stuck at home because pathogens at their schools or daycare centers are too dangerous, says Karen Anthony, president of the nonprofit overseeing the project. That isolation breeds loneliness and can stunt educational and social development, she says. (Haxel, 9/3)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: BP Disaster Victims Petition To Have Thousands Of Medical Claims Paid 
People who filed claims that they were harmed by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill hope a petition will revive efforts to settle thousands of medical claims that remain unpaid, more than eight years after the disaster. Cleanup workers, first responders and other coastal residents say they've gathered more than 94,000 signatures supporting compensation from BP. On Friday (Aug. 31), they took their petition to the New Orleans office of Herman, Herman and Katz, one of two law firms that led the massive BP oil spill litigation. (Baurick, 8/31)

Los Angeles Times: Invasive Mosquitoes Are Spreading Across Los Angeles County. Have You Been Bitten?
Have you experienced an unusual number of mosquito bites this summer? Have they landed mostly below the knee and especially around your ankles? And did the six-legged perpetrator fly off unnoticed, like a mosquito ninja, after feasting on your blood? (Netburn, 9/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: State Prison Officials Investigating Inmate Construction Project For San Quentin Executive
California prison officials are “investigating the circumstances” surrounding a construction project that used inmate labor to build a family playhouse for a high-level official on San Quentin State Prison grounds. The canary yellow, Victorian-styled structure sits next door to the on-site home of the prison’s health care chief, Stephen Harris. (Cassidy, 8/31)

The Oregonian: OHSU Sued By Former Cardiologist On Claims Of Sex Discrimination
A cardiac specialist has accused Oregon Health and Science University and the head of its cardiology department of forcing her out of a job in a civil rights lawsuit. Dr. Rupa Bala, a cardiac electrophysiologist who left the Portland hospital in 2017, contends she was subjected to sexual and racial discrimination by the hospital and two of its executives over her style of communication, which some "perceived as too strong and direct." Her suit also contends her complaints about the "substandard quality of care" in the electrophysiology/cardiology department opened her up to retaliation. (Harbarger, 8/31)

WBUR: Clergy Sex Abuse Survivors Face Lifelong Financial Burdens
Being sexually abused as a child can shape someone's entire life, including their health, relationships, spirituality and finances. The loss of income can be enormous. Yet, of the more than 1,000 victims documented in the Pennsylvania grand jury report on Catholic clergy sex abuse, just a handful can bring civil lawsuits which could lead to financial restitution. (Boden, 9/3)

The Star Tribune: HealthPartners To Study Community Health Interventions 
The HealthPartners Institute is embarking on a study to help determine whether health workers who encourage people to live healthier lives can drive down long-term emergency or hospitalization costs for heart ailments. Many health systems and public health agencies are employing community health workers who meet clients at home and coach them on improving their medication compliance and diets and exercising more, as well as pointing them to social services that deal with larger issues such as housing and employment. (Howatt, 8/31)

Nashville Tennessean: Program Shows The Power Of Music For Kids' Mental Health
That's the thought that motivates Music Takes You Places, a new Middle Tennessee nonprofit focused on engaging kids at an emotional level through music. Latavius Mulzac, the organization's founder, is a musician at heart. He has toured with the BB King All Star Band, Lady Antebellum, Silk, and more. But last year, he shifted focus and started this music camp — a place where he could help kids understand the role music can play in their mental health and well being. (Bliss, 9/2)

The CT Mirror: Worker Illness In Connecticut Declines, But Still Above National Average
The Occupational Disease in Connecticut 2018 report, which focuses on 2016 data, shows that on-the-job illnesses fell by 2 percent since the previous year. It found Connecticut had an overall illness rate of 17.4 cases per 10,000 workers. (Silber, 9/3)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Covington Pair Made Millions On Fraudulent Medical Reimbursement Scheme: Indictment
A federal grand jury has indicted a Covington couple on charges of operating a fraudulent medical reimbursement program that resulted in a $40 million loss to the Internal Revenue Service and participants in the program, authorities said Friday (Aug. 31). The 34-count indictment - which includes charges of wire fraud and money laundering - was leveled Thursday against Denis and Donna Joachim, both 52, and their company, The Total Financial Group Inc. (Rhoden, 8/31)

The Washington Post: To Fight Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Montgomery Co. Offers Condoms In Some High School Clinics
With sexually transmitted infections surging in Montgomery County, leaders in the Maryland suburb are for the first time offering condoms in several high school health clinics and considering expanding to more than 20 other schools. The move comes as Montgomery looks to reverse a spike in gonorrhea and chlamydia that the county’s health officer has called “a public health crisis,” with the jump in cases in the county outstripping statewide in­creases. (St. George, 9/3)

The New York Times: Get Sick, Go Bankrupt And Die
Let’s be honest: Despite his reputation as a maverick, John McCain spent most of his last decade being a very orthodox Republican, toeing the party line no matter how irresponsible it became. Think of the way he abandoned his onetime advocacy of action to limit climate change. But he redeemed much of that record with one action: He cast the crucial vote against G.O.P. attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That single “nay” saved health care for tens of millions of Americans, at least for a while. (Paul Krugman, 9/3)

The Hill: Why We Can’t Let The GOP Upend A Key Part Of McCain’s Legacy
While our political views differed in many areas, I gained a new level of respect for Sen. McCain the night he saved ObamaCare with a simple thumbs down. It is a gesture that now serves as a bookend for his Senate career and one that saved the health coverage for millions of Americans, particularly those with mental health and substance use challenges.  While the rest of the country pauses to honor his legacy, many on Capitol Hill are already focused on undoing it by urging the governor of Arizona to appoint a senator to McCain’s seat who they can trust will repeal ObamaCare. While we are having no shortage of political issues that we need to mobilize behind, I urge mental health advocates to keep up the fight against those looking to strip away care that took more than a century and a half to obtain.  (Daniel E. Dawes, 9/2)

The Wall Street Journal: ObamaCare’s Hotel California
Democrats say they’re champions of health care for all, but that narrative needs a reality check. Progressives around the country are working to outlaw insurance products that could cover Americans who have no other affordable options. On Governor Jerry Brown’s desk is a bill that bans the sale of short-term, limited-duration insurance in California. The Trump Administration recently issued rules on the plans, which don’t have to comply with Affordable Care Act mandates. The coverage can now last up to a year, which was the norm before the Obama Administration limited the options to three months. Plans also can be renewed for up to 36 months. (9/3)

Los Angeles Times: Healthcare Isn't A Game. The Texas ACA Lawsuit Could Be Catastrophic For Public Health
Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, America’s access to healthcare has improved dramatically. Roughly 20 million Americans have gained health insurance coverage. Medicare beneficiaries can now get free preventive care and pay less for prescription drugs. And no one can be denied coverage based on preexisting conditions. And yet, a group of 20 Republican governors and attorneys general are trying to accomplish in court what Republican lawmakers repeatedly failed to do in Congress: removal of the ACA and its vital protections for consumers. (Georges C. Benjamin, 9/4)

Stat: Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Isn't Going Away. That's A Good Thing
America’s current system of employer-sponsored health insurance is an accident of history that emerged from the Great Depression and the Second World War. But that doesn’t mean it’s going away in this era of rebuilding, or at least rethinking, health care. In fact, I believe that employer-sponsored health insurance offers a model for the future.No other industrialized nation’s health care system is dominated by employers. Then again, no other industrialized country lacks a public health insurance system that covers almost all of its citizens. As a doctor who has seen patients harmed by a lack of insurance or uncertain coverage, I support the idea that government-sponsored health insurance for all could be a promising alternative to our current system. (Rajaie Batniji, 9/4)

The Hill: 3 Ideas That Beat Single-Payer To Reform Health Care
No issue is more important to the American people — or more turbulent — than what to do about health care in our nation. As the national discussion on health care continues, very publicly and at all levels of government and within the populace, we need focus on what is realistic and what will work. Most progressives, and a large percentage of would-be presidential candidates on the Democratic side, have pledged to try to adopt a single-payer option. Single-payer has failed in experiments, such as those attempted in Vermont and Colorado, and at the moment it’s not where progressives should focus their resources. (Former Gov. Ed Rendell, 9/2)

The Washington Post: Where Did Our Raises Go? To Health Care.
It’s wages vs. health benefits. On this Labor Day, just about everything seems to be going right for typical American workers, with the glaring and puzzling exception of wage stagnation. The unemployment rate is 3.9 percent, near its lowest since 2000. The number of new jobs exceeds the peak in 2008 by about 11 million. Then there’s wage stagnation. Corrected for inflation, wages are up a scant 2 percent since January 2015, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The gain is roughly one-half of 1 percent annually. Little wonder that many workers feel they’re not getting ahead. They aren’t. (Robert J. Samuelson, 9/2)

The New York Times: Yes, There’s Hope For Health Care Reform
The political divide over the insurance provisions of the Affordable Care Act looks to be unbridgeable for now, but out of public view, Republicans and Democrats are quietly forging a consensus on an even more consequential aspect of medical care: improving its value for all Americans by increasing its quality and lowering its cost. (Lanhee J. Chen and James C. Capretta, 8/31)

The Wall Street Journal: The Insurer Will See You Now
For the latest example of unintended consequences in the U.S. health-care system, consider preauthorization. Before paying to cover a treatment, insurers increasingly require doctors to seek their approval. That’s meant to cut waste and ensure quality. Instead it causes delays and deprives patients of care they need. Many patients recently have sued their insurers over preauthorization disturbances of this sort, and Democratic Rep. Ami Bera and GOP Rep. Phil Roe have formally asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to review its preauthorization rules for the Medicare Advantage program. (Richard Menger, 9/3)

The Baltimore Sun: Don't Blame Fentanyl For Overdose Deaths, Blame Barriers To Treatment
The single biggest solution to ending this overdose epidemic is not complicated: access to medical treatment that includes the option for medication. Effective in stabilizing people in recovery, and FDA approved, medications such as buprenorphine (also known as Suboxone) have proven to cut the death toll by 50 percent or more. But government restrictions — requiring doctors to obtain a waiver to prescribe these life-saving medications and capping the number of patients they can treat — limit access for the vast majority of those in need. The states in the lead on reducing the death toll have worked within these restrictions, prioritizing increased access to medication assisted treatment. Think of the lives we could save nationwide if these senseless restrictions were lifted. (Jessie Dunleavy, 9/3)

Chicago Tribune: How To Prevent Overdose Deaths — And How Not To
Illicit opioid users often die of overdoses because, in an unregulated black market, they can’t be sure of what they are purchasing. As a result, they sometimes unwittingly inject more than their bodies can tolerate. They also die because they use drugs in places where there is no one to help if they stop breathing.Public health experts have devised a way to address these problems. “Supervised consumption sites” are spaces where people can obtain sterile syringes and inject drugs in the presence of medical personnel who can save them if they overdose. They can also get referrals for treatment. (Steve Chapman, 8/31)

Detroit News: Opioid Crisis Not Helped By Panic
Fear of opioids propels drug prohibition, the black market, and rising overdoses from heroin and fentanyl. It also drives the misguided prohibition on prescribing pain medication, causing patients to suffer and destroying lives. (Jeffery A. Singer, 9/2)

The New York Times: What The Experts Want Us To Know About Public Health
The United States receives tremendous benefits from public health spending — with far more value per dollar than with most other types of health care spending. We reviewed those benefits in a recent article, suggesting that more such spending should be considered. Then Upshot readers weighed in with their choices of what public health campaigns they’d like to see. Those included more help for mothers and babies (the Nurse-Family Partnership), and a greater focus on diabetes, nutrition, gun deaths (including suicide), loneliness and the harms of sharing hypodermic needles. (Austin Frakt and Aaron E. Carroll, 9/4)

USA Today: School Shootings And Armed Teachers: Sending A Child To School In 2018
Across my social feeds, children of friends across the country have held up signs as they've embarked on their first days of schools in America in 2018. How many have Kevlar backpacks? How many will attend schools with armed guards on patrol? How many will take part in active shooter drills? I feel sorry — wretchedly sorry — for Caroline and her peers posing in all those Instagram and Facebook photos. The days of fretfulness around a stuffed animal will surely seem golden soon. They'll give way to worries about reading and writing, addition and subtraction and lunch and the playground soon enough. But when will those worries give way to a nightmare beyond belief? What then? (Ed Forbes, 9/2)

Boston Globe: The Abortion Debate Doesn’t Change, But The Science Of Abortion Does
As the Senate prepares to consider President Trump’s latest nomination to the Supreme Court, and as legal scholars evaluate the various ways that a Justice Brett Kavanaugh could alter abortion access, science has changed the backdrop against which the political and legal drama is playing out. (Chelsea Conaboy, 8/31)

The Washington Post: CRISPR Safety Calls For Cautious Approach
In the movie “Rampage,” the character played by Dwayne Johnson uses a genetic engineering technology called CRISPR to transform a gorilla into a flying dragon-monster with gigantic teeth. Although this is science fiction, not to mention impossible, the movie captures the recent interest and fascination with one of the newest scientific technologies. (Jianhua Luo, 9/3)

The New York Times: Yes, Mr. Trump, Hurricane Maria Was A ‘Real Catastrophe’
It has become customary to gauge the scale of calamities by the official count of the dead. In this perspective, Puerto Rico’s revision of the death toll from last September’s horrific Hurricane Maria to 2,975 from 64 elevates the storm to one of the greatest catastrophes of recent times in the United States, far exceeding Hurricane Katrina and nearly equaling the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. (9/2)

Bloomberg: Making Tampons Free Can Make Them Safer, Too 
Women in America face two challenges that should embarrass any country, let alone one of the world’s wealthiest: At least one in five can’t afford the tampons and pads required to manage their monthly menstrual cycles, and nobody knows how safe the products really are.In their efforts to address the first, governments can help solve the second, too. Providing infrastructure for public health and hygiene — clean water, sanitation, toilets — is a fundamental government responsibility. Yet the recurring need of roughly half the population for menstrual supplies often goes unrecognized. (Laura Strausfeld, 8/31)

The Wall Street Journal: A Tale Of Two Public Health Crises
Do liberals only care about the poor when it’s politically convenient? Consider the contrasting reactions to the lead poisoning crises in Flint, Michigan, and New York City’s Housing Authority (Nycha). If you haven’t heard about the problems in New York public housing, you’re not alone. The shocking details have been all but ignored by Democrats and the national media. (8/31)

Philadelphia Enquirer: The Test Philadelphia Can’t Afford To Fail
Considering the lifelong consequences for those affected by childhood lead poisoning, we're not doing enough to prevent it in this toxic city. The consequences include the significant cost of care to support afflicted children with special education services and medical care. (Donna Cooper and Phil Lord, 8/31)