First Edition: August 15, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Doctors Can Change Opioid Prescribing Habits, But Progress Comes In Small Doses
Research out Wednesday indicates that guidelines are making strides in cutting back the number of pain pills doctors offer after specific types of surgeries. (Appleby and Lucas, 8/14)
Reuters:
Thirteen U.S. States Sue Over New Rule To Limit Legal Immigration
A coalition of 13 U.S. states sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday, seeking to block a new rule that would drastically reduce legal immigration by denying visas to poor migrants. Some experts say the rule could cut legal immigration in half by denying visas and permanent residency to hundreds of thousands of people if they fail to meet high enough income standards or if they receive public assistance such as welfare, food stamps, public housing or Medicaid. (8/14)
The Associated Press:
Planned Parenthood Sets Exit From Family Planning Program
Raising the stakes in an ideologically charged standoff over women’s health, Planned Parenthood said Wednesday it will soon leave the federal family planning program unless a court puts a hold on Trump administration rules that bar clinics from referring patients for abortions. The administration responded that it is ready to operate the Title X family planning program without the organization that has been the largest provider. About 4 million women are served nationwide under the program, which distributes $260 million in grants to clinics. It’s unclear how many patients would be affected. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/14)
NPR:
Planned Parenthood To Withdraw From Title X, Unless Court Intervenes
In a statement to NPR on Wednesday afternoon, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson wrote, "To the extent that Planned Parenthood claims that it must make burdensome changes to comply with the Final Rule, it is actually choosing to place a higher priority on the ability to refer for abortion instead of continuing to receive federal funds to provide a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and services to clients in need of these services." (McCammon, 8/14)
The Washington Post:
Planned Parenthood Said It Would Leave The Title X Program On Aug. 19 Absent Court Action
The result of the agency’s withdrawal — unless the court should rule against the administration before Aug. 19 — will vary greatly by state, said Erica Sackin, a spokeswoman for the organization. Some states have pledged to make up the funds. But in others where that isn’t the case, especially rural areas where providers can be many miles from one other, the effect is likely to be “chaos,” she said. (Cha, 8/14)
The New York Times:
Steve King Asks If There Would Be ‘Any Population’ Left Without Rape And Incest
House Republican leaders broke from their August recess to publicly chastise him. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, and Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the minority whip, both said Mr. King’s comments underscored why he had been removed from his committees, though both stopped short of saying further action was necessary. (Stevens and Stolberg, 8/14)
Reuters:
Republican Congressman Steve King: Would Humanity Exist Without Rape, Incest?
King is opposed to exceptions for rape and incest in laws restricting abortion and has tried unsuccessfully to get legislation reflecting his position passed in the House. “It’s not the baby’s fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother,” he said. (O'Brien, 8/14)
Des Moines Register:
Steve King: 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates, Republicans Condemn 'Rape And Incest' Remarks
Both Republicans and Democrats condemned U.S. Rep. Steve King on Wednesday for comments the Iowa Republican made defending no abortion exemption even in cases of rape or incest. (Ta and Coltrain, 8/14)
Politico:
House GOP Leaders Condemn Steve King For 'Appalling' Rape Comments
Democrats in Congress and on the 2020 campaign trail reacted with fury, saying that King's comments amounted to excusing violence against women and disregarding the victims of rape and incest. (Ferris, 8/14)
The Washington Post:
Rep. Steve King Says Humanity Might Not Exist If Not For Rape And Incest
Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the third-ranking Republican in the House, responded to King’s comment by declaring, “It’s time for him to go.” ... King’s latest comment drew rebukes from both Republican and Democratic challengers in Iowa. J.D. Scholten, a Democrat who ran against King last year and is challenging him in 2020, said King’s remarks are “disrespectful to survivors and don’t reflect Iowan values.” “Yet again, Steve King puts his selfish, hateful ideology above the needs of the people of Iowa’s 4th district,” Scholten said in a statement. “Excusing violence — in any way — is entirely unacceptable.” (Sonmez, 8/14)
The Washington Post:
How Support For Abortion Overlaps With Votes
We probably don’t need to explain how views on the availability of abortion overlap with partisan politics. The issue has been one of the most polarizing in American politics for decades, with Democrats broadly advocating expanded availability and Republicans generally opposing the procedure. We can be more precise than that. Seventy percent of Democrats think abortion should be legal in all or most cases; 34 percent of Republicans agree. That’s from PRRI’s new national poll on the subject, published Tuesday. When PRRI polled on the subject in 2014, incidentally, the gap between the parties was narrower. Then, 67 percent of Democrats supported legal abortion, as did 39 percent of Republicans. (Bump, 8/14)
The Associated Press:
Public Vote On New Missouri Abortion Law Faces Time Crunch
Abortion-rights advocates beginning Wednesday can start collecting signatures to get a public vote on a new law restricting abortions, but they say a short deadline leaves them with an “impossible task.” Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Wednesday certified a petition to put the law on the 2020 ballot. That gives opponents of the law two weeks to gather the roughly 100,000 signatures needed to put it to a public vote. Most of the law, which bans abortions at and after eight weeks of pregnancy, takes effect Aug. 28. (Ballentine, 8/14)
The Associated Press:
Wisconsin Republicans Pushing Broader Birth Control Access
Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin found themselves in the unusual position Wednesday of breaking with anti-abortion groups and advocating for a bill that broadens birth control access, an area where Democrats typically lead. Republicans could undermine a key Democratic campaign issue by passing the bill, but they also find themselves in conflict with groups that are typically their allies. Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Family Action, a leading anti-abortion group, oppose the measure on moral and ethical grounds, saying increasing access encourages premarital sex and the odds of unintended pregnancies and abortions. (Bauer, 8/14)
The Associated Press:
FDA Approves TB Pill That Cures More Hard-To-Treat Patients
U.S. regulators Wednesday approved a new tuberculosis medicine that shortens and improves treatment for the hardest-to-treat cases, a worsening problem in many poor countries. It’s the first TB drug from a nonprofit group, the TB Alliance. Formed to come up with better treatments, the group developed pretomanid with help from charities and government agencies. The pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use with two other antibiotics. Decades of incomplete or ineffective treatment has resulted in TB strains that have become drug resistant and aren’t killed by long-standard medicines. (Johnson, 8/14)
The New York Times:
Scientists Discover New Cure For The Deadliest Strain Of Tuberculosis
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration effectively endorsed the approach, approving the newest of the three drugs used in the regimen. Usually, the World Health Organization adopts approvals made by the F.D.A. or its European counterpart, meaning the treatment could soon come into use worldwide. Tuberculosis has now surpassed AIDS as the world’s leading infectious cause of death, and the so-called XDR strain is the ultimate in lethality. It is resistant to all four families of antibiotics typically used to fight the disease. (McNeil Jr., 8/14)
The Washington Post:
New Antibiotic Approved For Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Some researchers hope TB Alliance can serve as a model for antibiotic drug development as health authorities warn about the growing danger of drug-resistant infections. The United Nations has projected such infections could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 if nothing is done. (Abutaleb, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Approves New Pill For Drug-Resistant TB
Developing new, more effective treatments has been a priority of public-health authorities alarmed by the rise of versions resistant to current antibiotics. One barrier has been a lack of interest from many for-profit drugmakers, partly because of the limited commercial market for such drugs. The FDA cleared Pretomanid using a relatively new pathway established under a 2016 federal law to spur the development of new antibiotics and antifungal drugs for infections that lack effective treatment. (McKay, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Advisers Are Wary As President Considers Gun Proposals
President Trump’s public push for gun-control measures is causing consternation among conservatives and some of his advisers, who have privately raised concerns about the political and policy fallout of the approach, according to White House officials and people familiar with the discussions. At least so far, Mr. Trump doesn’t appear to have been swayed by the concerns, and the president has indicated privately to aides that he wants to be seen taking action in response to back-to-back mass shootings earlier this month. Aides said he remains interested in pushing for legislative action to expand background checks and prevent mentally unstable people from possessing guns. (Ballhaus, Restuccia and Andrews, 8/14)
Politico:
Susan Collins And The GOP Court Trump On Guns
Susan Collins has watched countless gun debates stall out over the years. But this time, she says, will be different. The Maine moderate has long been a lonely voice on guns in the GOP. She’s one of just two Republicans left in the Senate who previously supported a bipartisan background checks bill and the only Republican serving who backed an assault weapons ban. Every time she’s gotten close to winning even modest new gun regulations, the effort collapses due to conservative opposition. (Everett and Levine, 8/14)
Politico:
Gillibrand Suggests Support For Mandatory Buyback Of Assault Weapons
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday suggested she supports a mandatory federal buyback program for assault weapons and criminal prosecution for gun owners who do not sell those firearms to the government — a proposal the vast majority of her fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have been reluctant to embrace. (Forgey, 8/14)
Politico:
House Panel Issues Subpoena To Compel Testimony From 8chan Owner
The House Homeland Security Committee issued a subpoena to force the owner of fringe online message board 8chan, which has been linked to mass shootings, to testify at a deposition next month on any efforts his platform has made to combat racist and violent content. (Lima, 8/14)
Politico:
Gun Control Groups To Rally In All 50 States To Pressure GOP
Gun control groups will hold rallies in all 50 states this weekend to urge the Senate to pass universal background checks, as well as a "red flag" measure aimed at potentially dangerous gun owners. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America — both funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — will also air nearly $1 million of TV and digital ads to pressure key GOP senators. (Bresnahan, 8/14)
The Washington Post:
‘This Will Be Catastrophic’: Maine Families Face Elder Boom, Worker Shortage In Preview Of Nation’s Future
Across Maine, families like the Flahertys are being hammered by two slow-moving demographic forces — the growth of the retirement population and a simultaneous decline in young workers — that have been exacerbated by a national worker shortage pushing up the cost of labor. The unemployment rate in Maine is 3.2 percent, below the national average of 3.7 percent. The disconnect between Maine’s aging population and its need for young workers to care for that population is expected to be mirrored in states throughout the country over the coming decade, demographic experts say. And that’s especially true in states with populations with fewer immigrants, who are disproportionately represented in many occupations serving the elderly, statistics show. (Stein, 8/14)
Stat:
Sanders And Cummings Renew Probe Into Generic Pricing They Say Was ‘Stonewalled’
Two members of Congress — Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — have asked three generic drug makers for documents as part of an investigation into price hikes, renewing an effort the lawmakers first began in 2014. In letters to Mylan, Teva Pharmaceutical, and Heritage Pharmaceuticals, Cummings and Sanders also asked for information about allegations the companies apparently attempted to “stonewall” their 2014 probe. The allegations surfaced this past May in a price-fixing lawsuit that was filed by 44 state attorneys general against 20 generic drug makers. (Silverman, 8/14)
Stat:
A Battle Over Verifying Online Canadian Pharmacies Goes To Court
As more Americans look to Canada for cheaper medicines, a company whose website devoted to verifying prescription drugs sold by online pharmacies is suing five organizations, including two with ties to the pharmaceutical industry, for allegedly running a campaign to manipulate and suppress information available to consumers. In its lawsuit, PharmacyChecker.com claims the groups, including the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, have essentially created a type of shadow regulation through private agreements with “key internet gatekeepers,” such as Google, to “choke off” information about importing medicines from online pharmacies in Canada and other countries. (Silverman, 8/14)
NPR:
Kids On Medicaid Who Start ADHD Drugs Aren't Getting Good Follow-Up Care
Most children enrolled in Medicaid who get a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder don't get timely or appropriate treatment afterward. That's the conclusion of a report published Thursday by a federal watchdog agency, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General." Nationwide, there were 500,000 Medicaid-enrolled children newly prescribed an ADHD medication who did not receive any timely follow-up care," says Brian Whitley, a regional inspector general with OIG. The report analyzed Medicaid claims data from 2014 and 2015. (Neighmond, 8/15)
The New York Times:
Lead Crisis In Newark Grows, As Bottled Water Distribution Is Bungled
Urgent new warnings from federal environmental officials about contamination in drinking water from aging lead pipes spread anxiety and fear across much of Newark, but the municipal government’s makeshift efforts to set up distribution centers to hand out bottled water were hampered by confusion and frustration. State and local officials said they were making free water available to 15,000 of the city’s 95,000 households, and hundreds of people waited in long lines in the summer heat to pick up cases of water. But officials had to halt the distribution temporarily after discovering that some of the water exceeded its best-by date. (Corasaniti, Kilgannon and Schwartz, 8/14)
Stateline:
Kids With Lead Poisoning Will Get Early Help In These States
Illinois and Ohio this year made children with even low levels of lead in their blood automatically eligible for physical, developmental and other therapies at an earlier age, when those interventions are likely to have the most impact. Except for Michigan, which adopted a similar policy several years ago, Illinois and Ohio are the first states to make the change, according to the Legal Council for Health Justice, a Chicago-based health advocacy group that pushed for the measure in that state. (Ollove, 8/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Defended A Pesticide Linked To Developmental Disorders. California Will Ban It
California regulators on Wednesday took formal legal steps to ban a widely used pesticide that had been rescued from elimination by the Trump administration. The move by the state Environmental Protection Agency is all but certain to draw legal challenges from Corteva Agriscience (formerly Dow AgroSciences), which has pushed back at attempts by environmentalists to ban the chemical, chlorpyrifos, on a federal level. The state is the largest user of chlorpyrifos — more than 900,000 pounds of it was applied in 2017 to almonds, grapes, citrus, alfalfa, stone fruit, cotton and other crops, according to state data. (Mohan, 8/14)
The Associated Press:
Vaping Companies Sue To Delay US Review Of E-Cigarettes
A vaping industry group sued the U.S. government on Wednesday to delay an upcoming review of thousands of e-cigarettes on the market. The legal challenge by the Vapor Technology Association is the latest hurdle in the Food and Drug Administration’s yearslong effort to regulate the multibillion-dollar vaping industry, which includes makers and retailers of e-cigarette devices and flavored solutions. (Perrone, 8/14)
The New York Times:
Dozens Of Young People Hospitalized For Breathing And Lung Problems After Vaping
Nearly three dozen young people have been hospitalized around the country in recent weeks for severe respiratory problems after vaping either nicotine or marijuana, stumping doctors treating them. The Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin public health departments are investigating these cases and at least 20 additional emergency admissions that doctors suspect are related to vaping some substance, possibly even illegal street drugs or adulterated liquids laced with T.H.C., the ingredient that produces marijuana’s high. (Kaplan, 8/14)
Reuters:
Novartis Replaces Top Scientists At Avexis After Drug Data Manipulated
Novartis AG said on Wednesday it replaced the two top research and development executives at its Avexis unit after some data was manipulated from early testing of a gene therapy for infants that costs more than $2 million. Avexis’ Chief Scientific Officer Brian Kaspar and Senior Vice President of Research and Development Allan Kaspar have not been involved in any operations at Avexis since early May 2019, Novartis said in a statement. ... Page Bouchard has taken on both those roles at Avexis as of Aug. 5, Novartis said. (8/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Novartis Replaces Two Researchers Amid Data Scandal
Zolgensma, which costs $2.1 million for a one-time infusion, treats babies with a devastating inherited disease known as spinal muscular atrophy. ... Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said data manipulation had taken place during company studies of Zolgensma, but that the drug should stay on the market as the manipulation involved a small portion of early-stage data on animals, rather than human clinical trials. Dr. Narasimhan has said the issue came to light internally in mid-March and that Novartis decided to hold off alerting the regulator until the company had completed its own investigation. (Roland, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
New York City Council Members Move To Expand Health Care For Uninsured
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson unveiled a health-care plan that would expand a program Mayor Bill de Blasio recently launched to reduce emergency-room visits at public hospitals and provide services for the uninsured. Mr. Johnson, as well as Councilman Mark Levine and Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, all Democrats, introduced a bill during a Wednesday council meeting that would require the city to create a new health-access program that would help the uninsured and fund primary-care providers. (Honan, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Vaccination Foes Ask Judge To Strike Down Law Banning Religious Exemptions
Antivaccination advocates packed a courtroom Wednesday in Albany and asked a state judge to stop a new law that bans religious exemptions to school-vaccination requirements. State lawmakers repealed the exemption in June in response to a measles epidemic. A group of 55 families sued to stop the law from taking effect, saying it was hostile to their religious beliefs and should be struck down. (Vielkind, 8/14)
The Associated Press:
California Alleges Doctor Killed 4 Patients With Opioids
California’s attorney general said Wednesday that he is charging a Northern California doctor with killing four patients by overprescribing opioids and narcotics, crimes he linked to the nationwide opioid epidemic. Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed multiple criminal charges against Dr. Thomas McNeese Keller, 72, of Santa Rosa related to nine of his patients. The charges include second-degree murder in four deaths and felony elderly abuse for a fifth patient who also died. The murder charges could bring a life sentence. (Thompson, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
States Adopt ‘Baby Boxes’ In Effort To Protect Unwanted Infants
For volunteer firefighters in Coolspring, Ind., a buzzing pager could mean a house fire, a trapped elevator, a highway wreckage—or a baby in a box. The township in northern Indiana is the site of a so-called Safe Haven Baby Box, an incubator-like device that can be found at a growing number of firehouses and hospitals around the country. ... In the past four years, Indiana, Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania have passed laws allowing parents to surrender their children without needing to interact with any medical or emergency personnel, face-to-face or otherwise. (Gershman, 8/15)
The Associated Press:
Experts Call For Steps To Stem Increases In Legionnaires'
Top U.S. science experts are calling for stronger policies to combat the growing Legionnaires’ disease problem. In a report released Wednesday, the experts said annual cases of Legionnaires’ jumped more than fivefold from 2000 to 2017, and that as many as 70,000 Americans get the disease every year. Legionnaires’ is caused by bacteria that can thrive in buildings with large water systems. About 20 outbreaks are reported each year, including recent ones at an Atlanta hotel and a hospital near Chicago. (Stobbe, 8/14)
NPR:
MDMA, Or Ecstasy, Shows Promise As A PTSD Treatment
The first time Lori Tipton tried MDMA, she was skeptical it would make a difference. "I really was, at the beginning, very nervous," Tipton remembers. MDMA is the main ingredient in club drugs ecstasy or molly. But Tipton wasn't taking pills sold on the street to get high at a party. She was trying to treat her post-traumatic stress disorder, with the help of licensed therapists. (Stone, 8/14)
The Washington Post:
The Art Of Working With Chronically Ill Kids, Creating ‘Emotional Portraits’ To Help Them Heal
At first glance, the mixed-media painting seems purely whimsical, with its quirky red chicken, bright flowers and fireflies bursting from a sky blue background. But the accompanying statement makes it clear that pain, uncertainty and a fragile strength are represented, too. The work, “Of Chickens & Fireflies” by Terry Sitz, is one of eight pieces in “Being Heard,” a new exhibition of empathetic art at the Children’s National Medical Center. On view through Sept. 27, the exhibition explores the role of art in creating a more compassionate, healing environment for children suffering from chronic illness. (McGlone, 8/14)
NPR:
In NYC, Cycling Deaths Increase But Gears Turn Slowly On Safety Measures
In New York City, eight people have been killed while riding their bikes since June, bringing the total number of deaths so far this year to 19. "My friends [and I] ... we are really in a weird time right now," [Jenny Jo] Marine said. "No one really wants to go ride even though it's the thing we love to do most. So we do it and hope we make it home safe." Bike deaths are on the rise across the United States, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. They recorded 840 cycling fatalities in 2016 — the highest they've been in 25 years. (Juhasz, 8/14)
USA Today:
California Mother Sues Los Angeles School District, Alleging Son Suffered Brain Damage After Bullying Attack
A California mother is suing a Los Angeles school district, alleging that her 12-year-old son was left with permanent brain and spinal injuries after another student assaulted him last year. The mother said her sixth-grade son was "brutally assaulted and strangled" last January by a 14-year-old boy who had allegedly been violent toward other students, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court. (Ravikumar,8/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Everything You Need To Know About Toxic Algae Blooms
Green pond scum floating on a lake is not just unsightly. As animal lovers have learned the hard way, it can be deadly. In recent days, three pet dogs in North Carolina and another in Georgia died after swimming in water contaminated with toxic organisms. Warm temperatures and an influx of nutrients from agricultural runoff or other sources can prompt toxic algae and bacteria to grow out of control. The result is a phenomenon called a toxic algae bloom. (De Marco, 8/14)