Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Deadly Heat Grips US and Europe, Biden Warns Of Climate Emergency
The Hill: Biden Labels Climate Change An ‘Emergency,’ Stopping Short Of Declaration
“As president, I have a responsibility to act with urgency and resolve when our nation faces clear and present danger. And that is what climate change is about,” Biden said. “This is an emergency.” “As president, I’ll use my executive powers to combat the climate crisis in the absence of congressional action,” he added. (Frazin and Chalfant, 7/20)
The Wall Street Journal: Biden Is Pressed To Declare Emergencies After Climate, Abortion Setbacks
The president is facing calls to declare a public-health emergency to expand access to abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. He is also being pressed to use a national-emergency declaration and other emergency powers to tackle climate-related priorities after they were stripped out of Democrats’ budget bill because of opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.). (Parti, 7/20)
NBC News: As Heat Waves Kill Thousands, Biden's Office For Climate Health Risks Is Broke
As deadly heat waves bear down across the globe, the Biden administration is warning that its office for dealing with climate change’s health impacts has no money. (Lederman, 7/20)
Meanwhile, nearly 1 in 3 Americans is under a heat alert —
The Wall Street Journal: More Than 100 Million Americans Face Dangerous Heat Wave
More than 100 million Americans were in the path of a dangerous heat wave Wednesday, from the West to the Northeast, officials said. Temperatures in the triple digits were recorded from Arizona to Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service. (Ansari and Lukpat, 7/20)
The Washington Post: U.S. Heat Wave: Over 100 Million People Under Alerts In 28 States
Dallas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa could all approach 110 degrees in the days ahead, and some locations have blown past that. The top reading came from Mangum in southwest Oklahoma, which hit 115 degrees at 5:55 p.m.(Cappucci and Kornfield, 7/20)
The Hill: Where The Scorching July Heatwave Is Hitting The US Hardest
At least 28 states issued heat warnings on Wednesday, as states like Oklahoma and Texas recorded temperatures as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Beyond the two states, areas in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri all experienced temperatures more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit above historical averages for this time of year, according to maps posted by Tropical Tidbits based on NWS data. (Schonfeld, 7/20)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Weather: Baltimore Health Commissioner Declares Code Red Ahead Of Expected Hottest Temperatures Of Year
A heat wave is expected to bake Baltimore for the next couple of days, leading the city health commissioner to declare a Code Red Extreme Heat Alert. Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa issued the alert for Thursday through Sunday. (Ho, 7/20)
A death in Spain, hard-hit in Europe's heat emergency, is an example —
AP: Spanish Worker's Death Shows Need To Adapt To Climate Change
When José Antonio González started his afternoon shift sweeping the streets of Madrid, the temperature was 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) amid a heat wave gripping Spain. After a long time without a job, González couldn’t afford to pass up a one-month summer contract to sweep the city, where he lived in a working-class neighborhood. Three hours later, the 60-year-old collapsed with heat stroke and was found lying in the street he was cleaning. An ambulance took the father of two to the hospital, where he died on Saturday. (Redondo and Hatton, 7/20)
