The Washington Post: HHS Revives Childhood Vaccine Safety Panel Sought By Anti-Vaccine Activists
The Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday it is reviving a long-defunct task force aimed at improving the safety of childhood vaccines, fulfilling a demand of anti-vaccine activists. The resurrection of the panel appears to be the first concrete step to achieve HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s longtime goal of upending the current childhood immunization schedule, which recommends which shots children receive and when. (Roubein and Sun, 8/14)

MedPage Today: Groups Call For RFK Jr. To Be Impeached. Here's What That Would Take
As calls for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign have gone unheeded, opponents are stepping up their game and calling for him to be impeached -- though experts question the move's validity as a path forward. Last week in an Instagram post, pediatric allergist Zachary Rubin, MD, called for Kennedy's impeachment, which garnered tens of thousands of likes. And today, Stand Up for Science launched a petition to impeach Kennedy. (Fiore, 8/14)

The Hill: Blumenthal Demands Firing Of Vaccine Adviser Robert Malone
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is demanding Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “immediately” fire a key ally from his role as vaccine advisor on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel due to “escalating and violent” rhetoric in the wake of an attack on CDC headquarters. Blumenthal wrote a letter to Kennedy on Wednesday calling for him to fire Robert Malone from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). (Weixel, 8/14)

The Washington Post: A Gunman Shot At The CDC, Killing An Officer. Trump Hasn’t Said A Word.
Things President Donald Trump talked about publicly this week: Sylvester Stallone’s body, the $200 million ballroom he wants to build at the White House, receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, not receiving a Kennedy Center lifetime achievement award and taking over the police force in the nation’s capital. Something Trump hasn’t talked about: a gunman, upset by coronavirus vaccines, who on Aug. 8 killed a police officer while firing hundreds of bullets at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Edwards and Bensen, 8/15)

More on 'Make America Healthy Again' —

AP: WK Kellogg Company Plans To Eliminate Artificial Dyes From Its Breakfast Cereals
WK Kellogg Co. plans to remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals in the next two and a half years, according to the company and the attorney general of Texas. The maker of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks gave the timeline as U.S. food producers face increasing pressure from the U.S. government and consumers to phase out synthetic colorings from their products. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that Kellogg had signed an agreement assuring his office that the Michigan-based company would “permanently remove toxic dyes” from its cereals by the end of 2027. (Grantham-Philips, 8/14)

The New York Times: Draft Of ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Report Suggests RFK Jr. Won’t Push Pesticide Regulations 
A highly anticipated White House report on the health of American children would stop short of proposing direct restrictions on ultraprocessed foods and pesticides that the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has called major threats, according to a draft of the document that was reviewed by The New York Times. The report, if adopted, would be good news for the food and agriculture industries, which feared far more restrictive proposals than the ones outlined in the draft. Through his “Make America Healthy Again” movement, Mr. Kennedy has sought to overhaul the nation’s diet by pushing those industries to make major changes. (Blum, Mueller and Callahan, 8/14)

NBC News: FDA Warns About Unapproved Thyroid Pills — Then Says It'll 'Ensure Access' To Them
An unusual about-face that played out at the Food and Drug Administration over the last week illustrated the power of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, particularly with its focus on “natural” drugs. Last Thursday, the agency published a statement saying it had concerns about the safety and effectiveness of unapproved thyroid medications made from animal tissue after it received complaints from patients and reports of adverse events. As a result, the FDA said it had notified drugmakers of its “intent to take action” against the products, but added that it wouldn't do so immediately to give patients time to switch medications. (Lovelace Jr., 8/14)

WLRN Public Media: Florida's Surgeon General Says He Supports The 'Freedom' To Drink Raw Milk 
On a social media post, Dr. Joseph Ladapo wrote that he supports the consumption of raw milk to reap what he calls "potential health benefits," but cautions consumers about the risks. (Gillespie, 8/13)

The Hill: Judge Blocks Donald Trump's Birth Control Mandate
The Trump administration’s religious and moral carve-outs to an ObamaCare requirement that all employer health plans cover contraception at no cost were blocked on Wednesday by a federal judge. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia issued a summary judgment that the rules were arbitrary, capricious and an overreach of the authority of the agencies that wrote them in 2017. Under the rules, essentially any for-profit or nonprofit employer or insurer was allowed to exempt themselves from following the birth control mandate on moral and religious grounds. The rules also let publicly traded companies obtain a religious exemption, but not a moral one. (Weixel, 8/14)

Bloomberg: Costco Won't Sell Abortion Pill As Religious Investors Focus On CVS, Walgreens
Costco Wholesale Corp. has decided not to dispense the abortion pill mifepristone at its more than 500 pharmacy locations, a decision hailed by a group of faith-based activists who urged the retailer to avoid selling the drug. Costco said in a statement that it hasn’t seen consumer demand for the pill, and had no comment on whether the conservative group had any role in its decision. (Green and Nix, 8/14)

Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawaiʻi Providers Fear RFK Jr. Could Roll Back Access To Abortion Pill 
Women in remote and rural parts of Hawaiʻi have long struggled to access abortion care. (Valera, 8/13)

KFF Health News: Maryland Taps Affordable Care Act Fund To Help Pay For Abortion Care
Maryland is the first state to tap into an old fund connected to the Affordable Care Act to help solve a new problem: helping pay the expenses of patients who travel to Maryland for an abortion. With abortion now restricted or illegal in 22 states, jurisdictions like Maryland have become a destination for patients from as close as neighboring West Virginia to as far as Texas. (Maucione, 8/15)

Also —

The Guardian: Abortion Drug Could Help Reduce Risk Of Breast Cancer, Group Of Medics Says 
A drug used in medical abortions could help prevent women at high risk of breast cancer from developing the disease, according to an international group of doctors and scientists. However, “stigma” around mifepristone is stopping pharmaceutical companies from investigating its potential as a new treatment doctors could offer to reduce the risk of breast cancer, they say. Companies appear reluctant to carry out trials despite the fact that three previous studies all found that the drug shows promise as a way of slowing down the growth of cancerous cells. (Campbell, 8/14)

Stat: Eli Lilly Says It Will Raise Drug Prices In Europe To ‘Make Them Lower’ In U.S.
Eli Lilly said Thursday that it would increase the prices of medicines in Europe and other developed markets “in order to make them lower” in the U.S., an apparent response to the Trump administration’s calls to do so. It singled out the list price of its popular weight-loss drug in the U.K. as part of that effort. (Chen and Payne, 8/14)

The New York Times: Trump’s Tariffs Set To Hit Ireland, Where Drugmakers Play Tax Games
President Trump’s planned 15 percent tariff on medicines from Europe has shined a spotlight on Ireland, which sends the United States tens of billions of dollars’ worth of cancer medications, weight-loss drug ingredients and other pharmaceutical products each year. No other country sends more. Manufacturing blockbuster medications there offers tax benefits for American drug companies. But the appeal of Ireland for the industry goes deeper: Drugmakers have long shifted their patents and profits there, as well, to avoid billions of dollars in taxes. (Robbins, 8/14)

On immigration and homelessness —

AP: Judge Halts Access To Personal Information Of 79M Medicaid Enrollees
A federal judge ordered the nation’s health department to stop giving deportation officials access to the personal information — including home addresses — of all 79 million Medicaid enrollees. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services first handed over the personal data on millions of Medicaid enrollees in a handful of states in June. After an Associated Press report identified the new policy, 20 states filed a lawsuit to stop its implementation. (Seitz and Kindy, 8/14)

Tampa Bay Times: The Next ‘Alligator Alcatraz’? DeSantis Announces New Florida ‘Deportation Depot’
The DeSantis administration is making arrangements to hold immigrant detainees at a North Florida prison as a federal judge weighs whether to temporarily shut down Alligator Alcatraz, the makeshift immigration detention camp in the Everglades. “We are calling this the deportation depot,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference on Thursday. “This will be operational soon, it is not going to take forever, but we are also not rushing to do this right this day.” (Ceballos, 8/14)

The New York Times: Federal Authorities Are Targeting Homeless Camps In Washington As Trump’s Takeover Continues.
Federal authorities were attempting to clear homeless encampments in northwestern Washington on Thursday night as part of President Trump’s sprawling takeover of the city’s law enforcement apparatus, after city officials and advocates had spent much of the day urging unhoused people to go to shelters or risk arrest. A federal operation that had been expected to start at 6:30 p.m. seemed to get underway only after dark. At around 9 p.m., federal agents from the F.B.I. and the U.S. Secret Service arrived at Washington Circle in the Foggy Bottom area to remove a few tents where homeless people had long stayed, according to Wes Heppler of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. They retreated after a woman presented a city notice saying she had until Monday to leave. (Robertson and Bogel-Burroughs, 8/14)

On DEI and research funding —

AP: Judge Leaves Alabama Anti-DEI Law In Place
A federal judge on Wednesday declined a request to block an Alabama law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public schools and the teaching of what Republican lawmakers dubbed “divisive concepts” related to race and gender. U.S. District Judge David Proctor wrote that University of Alabama students and professors who filed a lawsuit challenging the law as unconstitutional did not meet the legal burden required for a preliminary injunction, which he called “an extraordinary and drastic remedy.” The civil lawsuit challenging the statute will go forward, but the law will remain in place while it does. (Chandler, 8/14)

Stat: Inside Trump's NIH: Political Control, Stalled Grants, And 'Code 19' 
Last November, in the days following Donald Trump’s election, leaders at the National Institutes of Health began discussing how to prepare for the coming administration. Any presidential transition comes with uncertainty. But with the conservative policy playbook known as Project 2025 proposing that “the NIH monopoly on directing research should be broken,” rumors had begun to fly. (Oza, Molteni and Chen, 8/15)

Stat: With Science Funding At Risk, An Advocate Sees ‘Light At The End Of The Tunnel’
For most of Mary Woolley’s career, science and politics have existed harmoniously. On only a few occasions have they become misaligned, said Woolley, who has served as president and CEO of the research advocacy group Research!America since 1990. Those occasions include a movement to slash the budget of the National Institutes of Health in the mid-1990s, a wave of skepticism of science during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Trump administration’s current slashing of research funding. (Paulus, 8/15)

Stat: Why The U.S. Use Of 'March-In' Rights Seems Like A Distant Threat For Pharma
In an unexpected move, the Trump administration signaled recently that it may rely on a controversial federal law to sidestep Harvard University patents that emerged with the help of U.S. government funding. (Silverman, 8/14)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What The Health?': Trump Further Politicizes Science 
A new executive order from President Donald Trump has potentially broad implications for the future of the federal research enterprise by transferring direct funding decisions away from career professionals to political appointees. And a gunman, reportedly disgruntled over covid vaccines, attacked the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, highlighting how increasingly inflammatory rhetoric from health critics endangers the public health workforce. (8/14)

Military.com: Caregivers Sue VA Over Denial Of Benefits
Two survivors of veterans who died from military-related illnesses are challenging the Department of Veterans Affairs' practice of dropping family caregiver application appeals once a veteran passes away. The daughter of an Army Vietnam veteran who cared for her father in his final years and the wife of a separate Vietnam-era veteran filed a potential class-action suit Monday in federal court arguing that their cases should still be considered by the Board of Veterans Appeals even though their veterans had died. (Kime, 8/14)

The Hill: Veterans May Be Denied Food Stamps Under Trump’s New Tax Law
Veterans will no longer be exempt from work requirement rules for food stamps under President Trump’s “big, beautiful” spending and tax law, leaving many worried about how they will find employment. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is the federal aid program formerly known as food stamps, currently allows work exemptions for veterans, but that will soon end under legislation signed into law last month. (Samee Ali, 8/14)

In Medicaid and Medicare news —

AP: Maine Clinics Fight Trump Administration To Restore Medicaid Funding
A network of clinics that provides health care in Maine asked a judge Thursday to restore its Medicaid funding while it fights a Trump administration effort to keep federal money from going to abortion providers. President Donald Trump’s policy and tax bill, known as the “ big beautiful bill,” blocked Medicaid money from flowing to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. The parameters in the bill also stopped funding from reaching Maine Family Planning, a much smaller provider that offers health care services in one of the poorest and most rural states in the Northeast. (Whittle, 8/14)

The Beacon: Rural Hospitals In Missouri Face Medicaid Cut Challenges 
Missouri’s 67 rural hospitals are pondering a dramatically different future under President Donald Trump’s new budget plan. The recently approved budget bill will slash federal Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. By some estimates, it could lead to 8.6 million people nationwide losing health coverage. (Cunningham, 8/13)

KFF Health News: Breaking Down Why Medicare Part D Premiums Are Likely To Go Up
Medicare enrollees who buy the optional Part D drug benefit may see substantial premium price hikes — potentially up to $50 a month — when they shop for next year’s coverage. Such drug plans are used by millions of people who enroll in what is called original Medicare, the classic federal government program that began in 1965 and added a drug benefit only in 2006. The drug plans are offered through private insurers, and enrollees must pay monthly premiums. (Appleby, 8/15)

Fierce Healthcare: Trump's HHS Just Embarked On A Thorny Journey In Health IT
As the Trump administration tries to make Medicare more modern through the use of digital health apps, it faces a horde of unresolved policy issues that could present challenges to its stated goal to "stop theoretical debates and start delivering real results." On July 30, 60 healthcare and tech companies committed to engage in a Health Tech Ecosystem Initiative led by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS') Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D. The CMS will create an app store of vetted digital health solutions, require apps to use modern identity solutions and integrate AI chatbots to give beneficiaries information about healthcare access. (Beavins, 8/14)

More on health insurance coverage and costs —

San Francisco Chronicle: Californians Could See Higher Health Insurance Premiums In 2026
Health insurance premiums for Californians buying coverage through Covered California will rise by an average of 10.3% in 2026, the state marketplace announced Thursday. Officials warned that costs could climb even higher if Congress allows enhanced federal subsidies to expire at the end of next year. The projected increase — up from a 7.9% hike in 2025 — is driven largely by rising medical and prescription drug costs. (Vaziri, 8/14)

The Hill: Insurance Company Reverses Claim Denial For Boy's Life-Saving Brain Surgery
Born in September 2024, Cameron is the child that Alyssa and Brad Casacci always wanted. But within hours of Cam’s birth, their world was turned upside down. “They did an MRI on this 1-day-old baby and kind of confirmed the worst: He had a very large stroke on the left side of his brain. [Additional] seizure activity was secondary to that injury,” Alyssa told Nexstar’s WIVB. The family was then transferred to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, New York, where they spent the next 19 days holding out hope for a miracle to save their baby boy. (Morello and Petree, 8/14)

NBC News: Why A Michigan Man Waited Over A Month In The Hospital For Stroke Rehab
When John Karadell was admitted to the hospital after a stroke, his doctors quickly pushed for him to begin an intensive form of rehabilitation — the sooner the better. “They used words like, ‘This is crucial. This is essential to your recovery,’” said Karadell, 58, of Howell, Michigan. ... But after 11 days in a hospital bed with no word on when he’d be transferred to the facility, Karadell said he learned his health insurer, Aetna, had denied coverage for what’s known as acute post-stroke rehabilitation. (Lovelace Jr., Kane and Thompson, 8/14)

Bloomberg: Buffett Buys $1.6 Billion Stake In UnitedHealth, Sells T-Mobile
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. bought shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. in the second quarter, sending the health insurer’s stock soaring in post-market trading. The chief executive officer of the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate acquired 5 million shares in UnitedHealth, granting Berkshire a stake worth $1.6 billion, according to a filing Thursday. (Rajbhandari, 8/14)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth Group Buys Amedisys For $3.3B
UnitedHealth Group’s Optum closed its $3.3 billion acquisition of home health company Amedisys. Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Amedisys disclosed the completion of the $3.3 billion deal Thursday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A spokesperson for Optum said the company is pleased to finally finish the purchase, which was subject to months of antitrust scrutiny from the federal government. (O’Connell-Domenech, 8/14)

More health industry developments —

The Wall Street Journal: Nike Co-Founder Phil Knight Gives $2 Billion To Oregon Cancer Center In Record Gift
Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny Knight, are donating $2 billion to Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute—the largest known single gift to a U.S. university, coming at a time when colleges’ public funding is under siege. The gift will roughly double the size of the cancer center, expanding its capacity to treat patients and conduct research. (Bachman and Subbaraman, 8/14)

Modern Healthcare: Penn Medicine, Saint Francis Health To Start Hospital-At-Home
Penn Medicine and Saint Francis Health System recently received federal go-ahead to launch hospital-at-home programs, despite the program’s uncertain future. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver is set expire at the end of next month. Congress still must decide if it will extend or end the program, which provides Medicare reimbursement at the same rate for in-home care as in-facility care. Still, CMS approved waivers about two weeks ago for Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Saint Francis Health System’s program at two facilities. (Eastabrook, 8/14)

Bloomberg: FTC Probes Complaints About Hims & Hers’ Ads, Cancellation Practices
For more than a year, the Federal Trade Commission has been investigating Hims & Hers Health Inc.’s business practices, including whether it has made it too hard for customers to cancel subscriptions, according to people familiar with the probe. The company, which hasn’t been formally accused of wrongdoing, didn’t respond to a Bloomberg request for comment. Hims House, a Hims investor community, said in a post on X that it received an official statement from the company saying the inquiry was previously disclosed. (Muller and Nylen, 8/14)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore County Woman Pleads Guilty To Impersonating Nurses
A Baltimore County woman pleaded guilty Thursday to federal identity theft charges for impersonating a nurse at 40 healthcare facilities across Maryland, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. (Schumer, 8/14)

In tech news —

Modern Healthcare: Philips To Invest Over $150M In US Manufacturing, Research
Health technology company Philips announced plans Thursday to invest more than $150 million in U.S. manufacturing, research and development. Part of the plan involves expanding its Reedsville, Pa., manufacturing facility, which produces AI-enabled ultrasound systems for hospitals. The company is also expanding its image-guided therapy facility in Plymouth, Minn. More projects similar to these will be announced in the next several years, according to the company. (Dubinsky, 8/14)

Modern Healthcare: AI Vendors Integrated With EMRs See More Success With Hospitals
Health systems say connectivity with their electronic medical record vendor determines which AI solutions they are choosing to adopt. That’s one of the findings suggested in a report published in July from industry group the Healthcare Financial Management Association and Eliciting Insights, a healthcare strategy and research firm. The report, “Health System Readiness for Artificial Intelligence,” surveyed 233 health systems on a wide range of topics, including how they’re selecting solutions from AI vendors. (Broderick, 8/14)

Bloomberg: Whoop Refuses To Pull Blood Pressure Tool After FDA Warning
Whoop Inc., the maker of screen-less fitness bands, said it will not disable its blood-pressure tracking tool despite a request from the US Food and Drug Administration. The FDA last month sent a warning letter to Whoop stating that the company’s Blood Pressure Insights feature, or BPI, which both measures blood pressure and provides related feedback, means that the Whoop is operating as a medical device. (Kelly, 8/14)

CNN: New Blood Pressure Guidelines Recommend Skipping Alcohol And An Earlier Start To Treatment 
The next time you get your blood pressure checked, expect your medical provider to be a bit more aggressive about high levels. And if you like a glass of wine with dinner or a cocktail on the weekends, brace yourself: New guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released Thursday suggest you abstain. (Christensen, 8/14)

Stat: Another Reason To Lower Blood Pressure: Reduced Risk Of Dementia 
A study in rural China demonstrating the power of intensive blood pressure control clinched the deal. The large, cluster-randomized controlled trial convincingly demonstrated that well-controlled blood pressure — below 130/80 mm Hg — lowered the risk of dementia by 15% and cognitive impairment by 16%. (Cooney, 8/14)

In other health and wellness news —

Stat: Antibody Drug Triggers 'Amazing' Tumor Disappearance In Small Trial 
In a small study, an engineered antibody showed “amazing” promise in countering metastatic cancer. That is, according to a Phase 1 clinical trial published Thursday in Cancer Cell. Researchers directly injected the drug, which stimulates the immune system to attack cancer cells, into 12 patients’ tumors. Six of the patients had significant tumor reduction even in non-injected sites, with two experiencing complete remission. The research could lay the groundwork for new treatments for the most advanced cancer patients. (Paulus and Russo, 8/14)

MedPage Today: Mousse Sunscreen Makers Get Warning From FDA
The FDA is cracking down on foaming, mousse sunscreen products. This week the agency posted a handful of warning letters that it sent to companies over the marketing of such products. The companies were U.S.-based companies Supergoop!, Vacation, and Fallene along with Stockholm-based Kalani Sunwear and K & Care Organics from Israel. In the warning letters, the FDA called attention to the fact that the companies' respective products are "intended for use as an over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen drug product" but have no FDA-approved application in effect. (Henderson, 8/14)

MedPage Today: Quitting Smoking Tied To Better Odds Of Recovery From Other Addictions
Smokers with substance use disorders (SUDs) who quit cigarettes were more likely to report recovery from their other addiction, according to a nationally representative cohort study. Among more than 2,600 individuals followed for 4 years, a fully adjusted model showed that a change in smoking status from "current" to "former" was associated with a 30% increase in the likelihood of SUD recovery (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.07-1.57), reported Wilson Compton, MD, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues. (Firth, 8/13)

Newsweek: Obesity Before Pregnancy Linked To Autism-Like Behavior In Kids
A mother's weight before pregnancy could be linked to autism-like behaviors in her children. This is the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, who found that obesity can trigger metabolic shifts that cause lasting epigenetic changes in a mother's eggs. (Millington, 8/14)

AP: Drinkmate Recalls Over 100,000 Carbonation Bottles Due To Explosion Risk
More than 100,000 Drinkmate carbonation bottles are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada because they can explode during use, with several consumers reporting cuts and other impact injuries. According to a Thursday notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the recall covers certain “Drinkmate 1L Carbonation Bottles” sold individually or as part of the sparkling water maker’s “OmniFizz” starter kits. That includes about 106,200 bottles in the U.S., the safety regulator noted, as well as 5,000 in Canada. (8/14)

Also —

Stat: Brain-Computer Interface Researchers Decode Internal Monologues 
Inner speech — the internal monologue in your brain as you think about what to say — can be decoded by computers and might one day help people unable to speak to express themselves, according to a study published Thursday. (Broderick, 8/14)

AP: Legionnaires’ Disease In New York City: 4th Person Dies After Dozens Sickened In Harlem
A fourth person has died in connection with a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City, health officials disclosed Thursday as they revealed that some cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria are in city-run buildings. The outbreak in Central Harlem has sickened dozens since it began in late July. Seventeen people were hospitalized as of Thursday, according to the health department. The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease had been discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital and sexual health clinic, health officials said. (8/15)

ABC News: What To Know About Congenital Syphilis After 3 Infants Die In New York
The New York State Department of Health (NYDOH) is warning about the risks of congenital syphilis after three infant deaths related to the disease have been reported in the state so far this year. The deaths occurred outside of New York City and are part of "a concerning rise" in congenital syphilis cases in the state and across the nation, according to the NYDOH. (Kekatos and Cobern, 8/15)

More health news from across the U.S. —

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Clears Way For Miss. Law Requiring Parental Consent To Use Social Media 
The Supreme Court cleared the way for a Mississippi law that requires age verification to use social media and parental consent before minors can create accounts, a setback for the technology group that challenged the measure. A trade group representing some of the internet’s most powerful social media companies said the law presents “grave First Amendment harms” because it imposes burdens on teens and adults to access protected speech and to use a powerful tool for making their voices heard. (Jouvenal, 8/14)

The Texas Tribune: Kratom Poisoning Calls Climb In Texas
As Texas lawmakers debate a ban on the synthetic THC industry, another unregulated, but deadlier synthetic drug known as kratom is lying in wait to take over the ever-growing statewide demand for recreational drugs. (Simpson and Keemahill, 8/15)

CIDRAP: Colorado, Idaho Report New Measles Cases In Unvaccinated Kids
Colorado has reported a measles case in an unvaccinated child from Adams County who had recently traveled to Chihuahua state, which is Mexico's measles hot spot. The child is under 5 years old and is hospitalized. In July, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said there were 2,597 cases and 9 measles deaths in Mexico, with most of the cases recorded in Chihuahua state. This case raises Colorado's 2025 total to 17, with 5 patients requiring hospitalization. (Soucheray, 8/14)

NBC News: Massachusetts Health Officials Warn About Potentially Deadly Bacteria In Coastal Waters
Health officials in Massachusetts are warning the public about a potentially deadly bacteria in coastal waters after a person was infected. The state’s Department of Public Health issued a warning Wednesday about Vibrio bacteria following what it called "an extremely rare case" of Vibrio vulnificus infection. Officials said the person was most likely exposed to it while at a beach on Buzzards Bay. (Burke, 8/14)

NBC News: Connecticut Scientists Warn Of Invasive Longhorned Tick Carrying Debilitating Ehrlichiosis Infection
An invasive tick species is creeping its way into more parts of the country as warming temperatures help it spread a little-known infection that can leave people with debilitating symptoms and, in rare cases, dead. In May, scientists at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven discovered for the first time that the longhorned tick had become a carrier for the bacterium that causes the Ehrlichiosis infection. With cases already on the rise, that was a big cause of concern. (Bork, 8/14)

On air pollution and 'forever chemicals' —

AP: Pennsylvania County Boosts Air Quality Checks After US Steel Plant Explosion
The Pennsylvania county where an explosion at a U.S. Steel plant south of Pittsburgh killed two people and injured more than 10 others announced Thursday that it is stepping up air quality monitoring in the area of the sprawling facility that has a troubled environmental record. The Allegheny County Health Department announced that mobile air units provided by the state and Carnegie Mellon University will be stationed in the Mon Valley where the plant is Thursday and Friday. The county said these measures are part of its ongoing investigation into Monday’s explosion at Clairton Coke Works. (Casey, 8/15)

The Baltimore Sun: Salisbury Class-Action PFAS Contamination Suit Against Perdue Farms To Proceed
After a federal judge blocked Perdue Farms’ attempt to dismiss a class-action lawsuit over PFAS pollution from its Salisbury facility, the company and the plaintiffs are beginning to chart a way forward. (Schumer, 8/14)

The Washington Post: Her Dogs Kept Dying. Then ‘Forever Chemicals’ Turned Up In Her Water. 
Residents of Elkton, Maryland, worry about the “forever chemicals” in their water but say W.L. Gore & Associates has always been a good neighbor. (Ajasa, 8/14)

The Washington Post: Kids Hated The Presidential Fitness Test. Researchers Aren’t Fans, Either.
The once-nationwide fitness test for young people etched itself into people’s memories, according to experts in exercise testing, physiology and behavior. (Reynolds, 8/10)

The New York Times: Disabled Amtrak Riders See Progress, But Still ‘Feel Like Freight’
Passengers are facing blocked wheelchair space, getting stuck in doors and suffering other indignities 35 years after the Americans With Disabilities Act became law. (Castro-Root, 8/14)

The Washington Post: How Lithium Went From 7Up To Treatment For Mental Illness — And Maybe Alzheimer’s
The original formulation of the soft drink 7Up contained lithium; the drink was marketed under the name Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. The lithium was removed in 1948 after the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of lithium citrate in soft drinks. (Johnson, 8/9)

The New York Times: Treating Chronic Pain Is Hard. An Experimental Approach Shows Promise.
A guitarist in a death metal band was one of several people who found that personalized deep brain stimulation eased their pain and helped them reduce pain medication. (Belluck, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Meet The Parents Raising ‘Carnivore Babies,’ Swapping Puréed Fruit For Rib-Eye 
When Dariya Quenneville’s infant daughter was ready for solid food, she skipped the mushed up avocado and banana. On the menu instead? Raw egg yolk and puréed chicken liver. (Petersen, 8/12)

The Guardian: Buoyant, The Size Of A Lentil And Almost Impossible To Recover: How Nurdles Are Polluting The Oceans
Nurdles, a colloquial term for the plastic pellets, are the raw material used for nearly all plastic products. Lentil-sized, at between 1-5mm, they can be devastating to wildlife, especially fish, shrimps and seabirds that mistake them for food. They also act as “toxic sponges,” attracting so-called forever chemicals such as PCBs and PFAs in seawater on to their surfaces, and also carry harmful bacteria such as E coli. (McVeigh and Shaii, 8/12)

Capital & Main: Tracking The Chaos Of Trump 2.0
Erin Kissane a group of about 80 volunteers launched “Unbreaking” in May, a digital project focused on “mapping the damage done [by the Trump administration] and its human costs.” The website monitors a growing number of issues, including the defunding of food safety programs and Medicaid. (Pratt, 8/11)

The Washington Post: U.S. Scientists Are Seeing Their Research Upended
Since the start of the second Trump administration, I have heard from colleagues in the medical research community about their experiences. Many are afraid to speak openly but want the public to understand the effects of these policy decisions on the future of science. I am sharing some of their stories here, while respecting their wishes to omit details that would identify them. (Leana S. Wen, 8/14)

Chicago Tribune: Organ Donors Should Be Dead First
Several days after a drug overdose, Kentuckian TJ Hoover was declared brain dead. Doctors prepared him for organ removal surgery, and as the procedure was about to begin, Hoover woke up. Reports indicate that hospital professionals allegedly disregarded signs that Hoover was still alert, and opted to move forward with harvesting anyway until it was undeniable that their patient was not dead. (8/14)

Modern Healthcare: Blocking Physician Input On Vaccines Endangers Patients
The recent decision by federal health officials to exclude voluntary liaisons, including the nation’s leading physician organizations, from the process of reviewing and informing vaccine recommendations threatens patient and public health. (8/15)

The New York Times: Boy Crisis Of 2025, Meet The ‘Boy Problem’ Of The 1900s 
Since 2010, suicide rates among young men have risen by a third — they are now higher than they are among middle-aged men. The share of college degrees going to men has fallen to 41 percent, lower than the women’s share in 1970. One in 10 men aged 20 to 24 is effectively doing nothing — neither enrolled in school nor working. That’s twice the rate in 1990. (Robert D. Putnam and Richard V. Reeves, 8/15)

The New York Times: I'm In Addiction Recovery And I Still Drink Wine
The scarcity of recovery stories like mine distorts drug policy. It bolsters the continued dominance of abstinence-only rehabs and recovery housing, which deters many people who could benefit from seeking help. It enables most residential treatment and recovery homes to reject long-term use of the addiction medications like buprenorphine and methadone — the only treatments proven to cut opioid overdose deaths in half — based on the mistaken idea that taking them means a person isn’t really sober or in recovery. (Maia Szalavitz, 8/14)