Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Despite Medical Groups' Opposition, Fla. Might Again License Naturopaths
MedPage Today: Florida Close To Licensing Naturopaths
Florida looks to be the latest state to license naturopathic doctors (NDs), albeit not without serious concerns from medical organizations. Legislation to license and regulate NDs has moved through the Florida Legislature, passing its Senate floor vote (33 to 3) last week and its House floor vote (85 to 22) on Wednesday. (Henderson, 3/12)
Updates from California —
AP: Lawyers In Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial Make Final Appeals To The Jury
After about a month of hearing from addiction experts, therapists, platform engineers and executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, 12 jurors heard closing arguments before deciding whether social media companies should be liable for harms caused to children using their platforms. Closing statements in the trial began Thursday at the Spring Street Courthouse in Los Angeles. Lawyers representing the plaintiff, a 20-year-old woman, and those representing the two defendants, Meta and Google-owned YouTube, made their respective cases to the jurors. TikTok and Snap were also named defendants in the lawsuit, but they each settled before the trial began. (Huamani and Ortutay, 3/12)
The Hill: California's Zero-Emission Vehicle Law Challenged By Trump Administration In New Lawsuit
The Trump administration announced Thursday the departments of Transportation and Justice have filed a suit against the state of California that argues the state’s zero-emission vehicle and tailpipe greenhouse gas emission rules are superseded by federal law. (Spears, 3/12)
Politico: Newsom Opens Commanding Lead Over Harris In 2028 California Primary Poll
Gavin Newsom is trouncing Kamala Harris in their home state in a new presidential primary poll by POLITICO and its partners. The California governor leads Harris, the former vice president, 28 percent to 14 percent among voters leaning toward voting in California’s Democratic presidential primary, the UC Berkeley Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research-POLITICO poll found. (Jones, 3/12)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa Senate Committee Approves One-Time Tax Increase On Certain Health Insurance Plans
The Iowa Senate Ways and Means Committee advanced a measure Wednesday that would impose a one-time tax increase of $173 million on health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in order to address budget shortfalls in Iowa Medicaid. (Opsahl, 3/11)
ProPublica: Nevada Issues Fines For Peptide Injections At RAADFest, Where Two Women Fell Ill
Nevada regulators have fined three people who played a role in offering peptide injections last year at a Las Vegas anti-aging conference where two women became critically ill following treatment. Last month, the Nevada Pharmacy Board levied $10,000 fines against a doctor and a pharmacist who are licensed in California but who don’t have permission to practice in Nevada. It imposed a $5,000 fine against a third man who describes himself as an “integrative health coach” but who doesn’t appear to be a licensed health care practitioner. (Damon, 3/13)
Iowa Public Radio: Disabled Iowans Say Medicaid Income Caps Limit Their Ability To Work. But Efforts To Remove Barriers Keep Failing
Erica Carter’s job is her passion. For more than a decade, she has worked as a finance manager for the Omaha Nation School District in Nebraska. It’s in one of the lowest income counties in the state. (Krebs, 3/12)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Students With Disabilities Struggle To Qualify For Extra School Voucher Funds
Henry Herzog struggles with ADHD, anxiety and hypersensitivity to crowds and noise. The 7-year-old has a physician’s note to prove it. The medical diagnosis will give Henry priority when Texas decides which students may receive private school vouchers for the 2026-27 school year. (Edison, 3/12)
CIDRAP: Avian Flu Strikes More Indiana Poultry Facilities
Indiana continues to be a hotbed of avian flu activity, according to this week’s reports from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The state had eight outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu in the past week in three counties, Elkhart, Lagrange, and Jay. Jay County had the largest outbreak, involving 20,600 birds on a commercial turkey meat farm. Elkhart County had four separate outbreaks, three of which involved duck meat facilities. (Soucheray, 3/12)
On the gun violence epidemic —
The Washington Post: Islamic State Sympathizer Opens Fire At Old Dominion University In Virginia, Killing One
A man who once tried to assist the Islamic State opened fire Thursday in a classroom at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, killing one person and injuring two others before students subdued him, according to the FBI, which said the shooting was being investigated as an act of terrorism. The university’s police chief said officers found the suspect dead when they arrived minutes after reports that people were being shot inside Constant Hall, where business classes are held. Officials did not describe how the man, identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, died. (Hermann and Daniels, 3/12)
Austin Current: Surviving A Deadly Shooting: An Austin Mother And Daughter Learn How Trauma Lingers
Ashley Fairleigh sat on her couch in the Sunday morning light, scrolling through the headlines on her phone. National news. State news. Story after story slid past her thumb. Suddenly, she froze. Her stomach lurched. It was March 1. Around 2 a.m. that morning, Fairleigh read, a shooter drove to Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden and fired into the crowds. Two people died at the scene. More than a dozen were injured. Police killed the suspected shooter. (Ball, 3/12)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Firm Pitches Drone Response To School Shootings
On an overcast day in Central Texas, drones buzzed through the halls of an otherwise quiet Champion High School. In place of students, who were still on winter break, the school was filled with law enforcement officials — police officers, sheriffs, state troopers, first responders and even federal officials who gathered to take part in emergency response training with a new technology aimed at preventing mass shootings. (Hartman, 3/12)
