First Edition: March 1, 2022

KHN: J&J-Vaxxed, MRNA-Boosted, And Pondering A Third Shot 
Yes, we are all exhausted by the covid pandemic. Flummoxed by the constantly shifting science and guidelines. Worried about a succession of scary new variants, each with its own name, like hurricanes. But a sizable minority — nearly 17 million U.S. residents, including me — has its own special quandary. Our initial vaccine was Johnson & Johnson, which was just one shot, and that has many of us confused. Are we fully vaccinated, even with a booster, or should we get a third shot to catch up with the 92 million vaccinees who got two doses of Pfizer or Moderna early on and have since been boosted? Since J&J has largely disappeared from the public eye, actionable information is in scarce supply — not to mention that the guidance is constantly shifting, for everybody. (Wolfson, 3/1)

KHN: ‘American Diagnosis’: From Church Rock To Congress, Uranium Workers Are Still Fighting For Compensation
People living on and near the Navajo Nation have been grappling with the legacy of 40-plus years of uranium mining. According to Environmental Protection Agency cleanup reports and congressional hearings, mines were abandoned, radioactive waste was left out in the open, and groundwater was contaminated. This episode is the second half of a two-part series about uranium mining on the Navajo Nation. Part I discusses the history and economic forces that brought mining projects to Indigenous land. It also explores working conditions uranium miners faced, and the response of the federal government when workers exposed to harmful radiation spoke out. (3/1)

KHN: Biden’s Blanket Statement — ‘No More Surprise Billing’ — Doesn’t Quite Cover It 
During a Feb. 10 speech about lowering health care costs, President Joe Biden made a sweeping declaration that Americans would no longer need to worry about surprise medical bills. “No more surprise billing. No more,” said Biden. “Millions of hardworking Americans will no longer have to worry about unexpected medical bills.” (Knight, 3/1)

KHN: A Dog Day At The Dentist’s: North Carolina Regulates Pups In Dentistry
The first time 11-year-old Levi McAllister had a tooth pulled, he screamed, kicked, and struggled so much that his mom had to hold him down. So when Levi returned to Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry in January to get two more teeth pulled, dental hygienist Barb Kucera had a surprise for him: a friendly yellow Labrador retriever named Atkins. (Crouch, 3/1)

CNN: Senate Republicans Block Bill That Would Preserve The Right To Abortion 
The bill, dubbed the Women's Health Protection Act, aimed to "protect a person's ability to determine whether to continue or end a pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider's ability to provide abortion services." The House had passed the legislation in a nearly party-line vote in late September -- even though the bill was not expected to have the necessary votes to pass the 50-50 Senate, as legislation in the chamber requires Republicans to join Democrats to get at least 60 votes to break a filibuster. The bill's failure to advance in the Senate comes as Republican-led states have introduced and advanced bills across the nation that make it harder for women to access abortions and threaten health-care providers who perform the procedure. (Mizelle, Zaslav and Barrett, 2/28)

Politico: Democrats’ Signature Abortion Rights Bill Falls Short As SCOTUS Ruling Looms
The Senate failed to advance the Women’s Health Protection Act on Monday night — leaving Democratic advocates and lawmakers wondering what else, if anything, the party can do to protect abortion rights as they come under attack from federal courts and Republican-led states. The 46-48 vote comes just a few months before the Supreme Court is to rule on half-century old protections for the procedure and before the midterm elections, when many expect Democrats to lose control of one or both chambers of Congress. (Ollstein, 2/28)

AP: Noem's Abortion Pill Limit Headed To South Dakota Senate 
South Dakota Republican senators on Monday advanced a proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem that aims to make the state one of the hardest places to get abortion pills, though its actual enactment depends on a federal court ruling. Every Republican on the Senate Health and Human Services committee voted to advance the bill for a vote in the full chamber, even as one GOP lawmaker cautioned the Legislature on getting involved in the practice of medicine. The lone Democrat on the committee opposed it. (Groves, 2/28)

Louisville Courier Journal: Planned Parenthood CEO Vows To Keep Up Fight For Abortion Rights
Battling for abortion rights might seem a tough slog, especially in state like Kentucky where lawmakers have enacted multiple restrictions in recent years, including a "trigger law" to outlaw abortion should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. But Rebecca Gibron, interim CEO of a six-state Planned Parenthood group that includes Kentucky, said her organization will keep fighting for reproductive rights even as she predicts the Supreme Court will overturn the 1973 landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide. (Yetter, 2/28)

AP: Biden To Launch Ambitious Overhaul Of Nursing Home Quality
President Joe Biden will use his State of the Union speech to launch a major overhaul of nursing home quality, including minimum staffing levels and steps to beef up inspections while continuing to keep COVID-19 at bay. White House officials on Monday outlined more than 20 separate actions, many of them sought by advocates and opposed by the industry. One major missing element: New sources of federal financing to pay for the ambitious upgrade. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 3/1)

Modern Healthcare: Biden To Announce Nursing Home Reforms In State Of The Union Address
Under Biden's directive, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will publish regulations addressing safety and quality. That will include minimum staffing requirements, standards to reduce overcrowding, rules to address the overuse of antipsychotic medications and stepped up inspections and enforcement, including financial penalties for noncompliant nursing homes. Biden previously proposed minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, along with a requirement that a registered nurse be on duty at all times. The administration wants Congress to empower CMS to publicly hold nursing home chain owners—with histories of safety and quality failures—to account. CMS also will investigate the consequences of private equity firms owning nursing homes, which has been linked to poorer care. (Hellmann and Goldman, 2/28)

Politico: Biden Wants To Declare A New Chapter In The Covid Fight. He’s Trigger Shy
Coronavirus cases are plummeting. Mask mandates are coming to an end. And for the first time in months, the pandemic threat that hung over Joe Biden’s presidency appears to be receding. But as he readies his first State of the Union address, Biden isn’t planning a victory declaration — at least not yet. (Cancryn and Owermohle, 2/28)

Axios: Axios-Ipsos Poll: Americans Are Over COVID, But Give Biden Little Credit 
Americans are abandoning COVID-19 fears and precautions, a sea change in the past few weeks as severe illnesses fell, states dropped mandates and the CDC relaxed guidelines, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. As President Biden gives his State of the Union address tonight, more people feel the worst is behind them — but they aren't giving him credit. That's a devastating miss for a leader who won election on his promises to move the nation beyond the pandemic. (Talev, 3/1)

The Washington Post: 140 Million Americans Have Had Coronavirus, According To Blood Tests Analyzed By CDC 
More than 140 million Americans have had the coronavirus, according to estimates from blood tests that reveal antibodies from infection — about double the rate regularly cited by national case counts. The estimates, compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that about 43 percent of the country has been infected by the virus. The study shows that the majority of children have also been infected. (Keating, 2/28)

Stat: Pfizer Covid Vaccine Is Far Less Effective In Kids 5 To 11, Study Finds
Newly emerging data suggest the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine works substantially less well at preventing infection and hospitalizations in children aged 5 to 11 than it does in those aged 12 to 17 — a finding that is raising questions about whether the companies chose the wrong dose for the younger children. The data, from New York state, show a rapid and substantial decline in protection after vaccination in children in the younger age group, with efficacy against infections dropping off more quickly and dramatically than the declines seen in children aged 12 to 17. The study also found a significant, but less steep, decline in protection against hospitalizations. (Branswell, 2/28)

NPR: Pfizer Vaccine Is Less Effective Against Infection For Kids 5-11, Study Says 
In all cases, the vaccine proved to provide strong protection against becoming seriously ill. The preprint study looked at data collected from more than 1.2 million fully vaccinated children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 from Dec. 13 to Jan. 30. Researchers from the New York State Department of Health found the ability of the vaccine to protect children who got the lowest dose — kids ages 5 to 11 — from catching the virus dropped the most, falling from 68% to just 12%. Those children received an injection containing just 10 milligrams, one-third of the dose given to older children, adolescents and adults. (Romo and Stein, 2/28)

Stat: Pfizer Made Trump’s Vaccine Push Harder, Per New Warp Speed Book
Pfizer may have been the first company to deliver on the promises of former President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed, but it was an exceedingly rocky road for the drugmaking giant and the administration’s team, according to a sweeping new book from a former official. “Of all the companies in which we invested, Pfizer was both the least transparent and least collaborative,” writes Paul Mango, the federal health department’s deputy chief of staff under Trump. (Florko, 3/1)

The Washington Post: Moderna Faces New Lawsuit Over Lucrative Coronavirus Vaccine 
Moderna faces yet another patent challenge over its coronavirus vaccine after Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences, both small biotechnology companies, filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging Moderna hijacked its technology to develop the multibillion-dollar vaccine. Arbutus and Genevant said in their lawsuit that Moderna infringed on their patent for what is called lipid nanoparticle technology, which they say was key in the development of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine and took scientists from Arbutus and Genevant “years of painstaking work to develop and refine.” The suit had been expected after Moderna lost a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling last year in the protracted patent battle. (Abutaleb and Rowland, 2/28)

AP: Illinois COVID-19 Mask Mandate Ending For Most Indoor Spaces 
The need for face coverings in most indoor spaces in Illinois was ending Monday as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic eases. Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier announced that he would lift the mandate for masks to slow the spread of the deadly virus as the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations fall. The Democratic governor intended that the requirement remain in effect for schools, where students and staff are more closely congregated, but other government action has invalidated that order. (3/1)

Bloomberg: New Yorkers Should Make Their Own Covid Choices, Hochul Says
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Monday that choices about masks and vaccines should shift from the state back to individuals and localities as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations ebb. “Individuals should make their own decisions,” Hochul said following a weekend decision to lift an indoor school mask mandate on March 2. “Any locality can have stricter requirements than the state.” (Diaz, 2/28)

AP: Honolulu To End Vaccine Proof Mandate For Eateries, Gyms
Honolulu will no longer require businesses including restaurants and fitness centers to verify employees and customers are fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test. Mayor Rick Blangiardi said Monday he will allow the emergency order that mandated vaccination proof or negative tests to expire on Saturday. (2/28)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin COVID-19 Hospitalizations Continue To Drop To New Lows
Fewer than 100 patients remain in intensive care with COVID-19, according to Wisconsin Hospital Association data Monday. This is the lowest level this year and the lowest since last summer. The WHA also reported that just more than 500 total patients remain hospitalized with COVID-19, which is the lowest total this year and fewest since last summer. (Bentley, 2/28)

AP: Nevada Emphasizes Therapeutics As New COVID-19 Cases Plummet
As Nevada’s COVID-19 case rates plummet to their lowest levels since last summer, state health officials are turning more attention to therapeutic treatments for those who can’t get vaccinated or are most at risk of severe illness or death. It’s the latest step in the evolution of a nearly two-year effort to combat the virus after the omicron variant pushed caseloads to new highs in January, said Julia Peek, deputy administrator for Nevada’s Division of Public and Behavioral Health. It comes as governments across the country lift restrictions and move away from emergency measures. (Sonner, 2/28)

USA Today: COVID-19 Lockdowns Linked To 26% Surge In Dementia Patient Deaths
Deaths among older adults with Alzheimer’s disease accelerated at a faster pace during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic as routine care was disrupted for many with memory and cognitive problems, according to a study published Monday by the journal JAMA Neurology. In a study of nearly 27 million adults enrolled in Medicare from March through December 2020, deaths among patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia surged 26% compared with the same period in 2019. Deaths among Medicare-age patients without the disease increased 12% during the first year of the pandemic, the study found. (Alltucker, 2/28)

AP: Kentucky Health Chief Warns Of COVID Complications In Kids
Kentucky parents should be aware of the risk of developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children who have been infected with COVID-19, Kentucky’s public health commissioner says. “This condition is rare but serious, ” Dr. Steven Stack said Monday at a news conference. It occurs about two to six weeks after the COVID-19 infection itself, he added, and can occur after mild or even asymptomatic COVID-19. (3/1)

CIDRAP: Study: 90% Of Young ECMO-Eligible COVID Patients At A US Hospital Died Amid Rationing
Nearly 90% of adult COVID-19 patients who were eligible for—but didn't receive—extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) during the height of the pandemic died in the hospital owing to a lack of resources, even though they were young and had few underlying health issues, according to a natural experiment published late last week in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 2/28)

Bangor Daily News: New Variant Of Omicron Detected In Maine
Maine health officials have identified a new “lineage” of the COVID-19 omicron variant called BA.2 in two instances. Early data suggest the BA.2 variant is more contagious than the original omicron variant, identified as BA.1, according to Nirav Shah, the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. According to Shah, the differences in transmissibility appear to be smaller than the difference between the original strain of omicron and delta. (Whaley, 2/28)

CIDRAP: New Lineage Of SARS-CoV-2 Detected In Canadian Deer
An investigation led by Canadian Food Inspection Agency scientists has identified a new and highly divergent lineage of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in white-tailed deer (WTD) in that country. The findings, which are not peer-reviewed, are published as a preprint study on bioRxiv. (2/28)

AP: White House: 40% Of Free COVID Tests To Low-Income Areas 
The White House says 40% of COVID-19 tests ordered through its program to distribute free at-home rapid tests have gone to Americans in distressed areas. That’s an upward revision from an estimate of around 20% of free tests ordered by people in “high vulnerability Zip Codes” that White House officials had earlier provided to The Associated Press. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/28)

ABC News: Births Decreased In First Half Of 2021, Likely Linked To Pandemic: CDC
The number of births declined in the U.S. in 2021 and the COVID-19 pandemic played a role, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday. Researchers from the National Center for Health Statistics -- a branch of the CDC -- compared provisional data from the first half of 2021 to final data from the first half of 2020. (Kekatos, 3/1)

CBS News: More Abbott Baby Formula Recalled After Reports Of Illnesses 
Abbott has issued a recall for another lot of baby formula after an additional child who is believed to have consumed the formula fell ill and later died, the FDA said Monday. The recall affects one lot of Similac PM 60/40 that was made at Abbott Nutrition's Sturgis, Michigan, facility. Parents should check any purchased formula for the lot code # 27032K80 (can) or # 27032K800 (case) and throw it away if it matches, the FDA said. Consumers can also use this link to check if they should throw away their formula. (Jones, 2/28)

PolitiFact: What To Know About The CDC’s Updated Developmental Milestones For Infants And Young Children
In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released developmental milestone checklists for infants and young children to help parents track their child’s development and intervene if it seemed a child was delayed. The benchmarks, part of the CDC’s "Learn the Signs. Act Early" developmental monitoring program, remained unaltered for decades. But that changed on Feb. 8, when the agency, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, announced that the milestones had been revised. (Putterman, 2/28)

Newsweek: Fact Check: Did CDC Lower Speech Standard For Children Because Of Masking?
A discussion is raging on social media regarding whether mask mandates and isolation as a result of COVID measures have caused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lower speech standards for children. Several social media users are misleadingly linking a recent CDC guidance update to face masks and other virus-countering restrictions introduced in the U.S. since the COVID pandemic began. (Lea, 2/24)

KOLD: Experts Concerned After CDC Changes Developmental Milestone For Kids
For the first time in 20 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its developmental milestones for kids to help parents spot delays sooner. However, some experts are raising concerns as the new guidelines pushed back some benchmarks. “With all the developments we have in the medical field, in everything, it feels we should be farther ahead instead of going backwards,” said mother of four Jacqueline Vaughn. (Ramirez, 2/28)

Stat: New Research Sheds Light On How Often Breast Cancer Is Overdiagnosed
Catching cancer early in a mammogram can be life-saving — smaller tumors are  easier to remove surgically, and therapy often has a much greater effect. But paradoxically, breast cancer screening also sometimes picks up tumors that would have caused less harm if they’d remained hidden. These cases, known as “overdiagnoses,” may never go on to pose a threat to a patient’s health for a number of different reasons. A new study, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests they occur in 1 of 7 breast cancer cases detected during screening. That new estimate comes as a relief to breast cancer clinicians, who say that the study should reinforce the idea that the benefits of mammography generally outweigh its risks. Still, experts said, it doesn’t minimize the real danger of overdiagnosis or the need to effectively communicate the risks and benefits of screening to patients. (Chen, 2/28)

Modern Healthcare: Duke Estimates 15% Of Breast Cancer Cases Are Overdiagnosed
One in seven women who are diagnosed with breast cancer after a mammogram with no previous symptoms are overdiagnosed and likely overtreated, according to a new estimate from researchers at Duke University. The new estimate published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday provides doctors and their patients a closer estimate of how likely women will end up dying of other causes than their diagnosed breast tumors. (Gillespie, 2/28)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Approves Cell-Based Multiple Myeloma Therapy Discovered In China 
U.S. drug regulators approved a new customized, cell-based treatment for blood cancer from Johnson & Johnson that is the first such therapy in the U.S. to be developed initially in China. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared the therapy, named Carvykti, for the treatment of multiple myeloma in adult patients whose disease has worsened despite prior treatments with other drugs. (Loftus, 2/28)

Stat: FDA Approves Second CAR-T Cancer Therapy To Treat Multiple Myeloma
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a new CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma, a move that could ease strain on limited supplies of potentially lifesaving cancer therapies. The treatment, called cilta-cel and developed by Janssen and Legend Biotech, involves taking immune cells from a patient’s own body and engineering them in a lab to fight a patient’s cancer. Since the first such treatment for multiple myeloma was approved last year, manufacturing challenges have severely hamstrung supply — leaving eligible patients waiting for weeks or months to receive the engineered cells. (Chen, 2/28)

AP: Amazon's Voice Assistant Alexa To Start Seeking Doctor Help 
If there is no doctor in the house, Amazon’s Alexa will soon be able to summon one. Amazon and telemedicine provider Teladoc Health are starting a voice-activated virtual care program that lets customers get medical help without picking up their phones. The service, for health issues that aren’t emergencies, will be available around the clock on Amazon’s Echo devices. Customers can tell the voice assistant Alexa that they want to talk to a doctor, and that will prompt a call back on the device from a Teladoc physician. (Murphy and D'Dinnocenzio, 2/28)

The New York Times: Viatris Settles EpiPen Antitrust Litigation For $264 Million 
Viatris, the drugmaker previously known as Mylan, announced on Monday that it had agreed to pay $264 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged the company was involved in an illegal scheme to monopolize the market for epinephrine auto-injector devices known as EpiPens, which are used to treat severe allergic reactions. The proposed settlement, which needs to be approved by a judge, would resolve a legal battle that began after Mylan, in 2016, raised the price for a pack of two EpiPens to $608 from $100, the price since 2007, according to court documents. (Jimenez, 2/28)

Stat: Why A Big Compounding Pharmacy Recently Recalled All Its Products
Last December, a little-known compounding pharmacy recalled all of its products due to “process issues that could lead to a lack of sterility,” according to a statement issued at the time by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Now, the extent of those problems has been made clear after the agency posted a 28-page report by its inspectors, who last fall found a plethora of filthy conditions at a facility run by Edge Pharma, which compounds numerous medicines for hospitals, surgery centers, and clinics for more than a dozen different therapeutic areas including urology, ophthalmology, and neurology. (Silverman, 2/28)

The Boston Globe: Nurses Union Survives Vote To Remain At Saint Vincent Hospital After Bitter 9-Month Strike
Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester fought off an effort to oust their union from the hospital and voted overwhelmingly Monday to remain members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The decision is a victory for the union, which held a historic nine-month strike at Saint Vincent last year before winning a new labor contract. “The honor and integrity of our union is strong, as the Saint Vincent nurses have reaffirmed our right to maintain a powerful voice in our advocacy for our patients and our work life,” Marlena Pellegrino, a nurse and co-chair of the bargaining unit, said in a statement. “We now look forward to working with all our colleagues to truly begin the healing process and to build a positive future for Saint Vincent Hospital.” (Dayal McCluskey, 2/28)

Stat: Oregon Withdraws A Waiver Request To Run A Closed Medicaid Formulary 
In response to a raft of concerns, Oregon has withdrawn a request made to federal officials to restrict medicines covered by the state Medicaid program, which is currently required to provide coverage for all treatments. However, state officials are still seeking to exclude certain drugs from Medicaid when effectiveness evidence is lacking. By seeking a so-called closed formulary, the same approach to coverage taken by private health insurers, Oregon officials had hoped to lower expenses by only covering one drug for each therapeutic class. So far, though, only Tennessee has been granted a waiver to use a closed Medicaid formulary and the Biden administration is reviewing that decision, which was issued by the Trump administration. (Silverman, 2/28)

AP: New Mexico Bill Allows Testing To Prevent Fentanyl Deaths 
New Mexico is allowing broad access to test strips that can detect the presence of the potent opiate fentanyl and potentially help avoid deadly overdoses, under legislation signed Monday by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The bill from Democratic legislators in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos lifts restrictions on public access to devices that can test for drug impurities. It also gives state health health officials new authority to intervene and rein in the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis that can be transmitted through intravenous drug use. (3/1)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Moves Forward With Low-Cost Drug Program
Nevada is moving ahead with joining a multi-state consortium for prescription drug purchasing that could help Nevadans save on generic and brand name drugs. The state is joining the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium operated by Oregon and Washington, the stater Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday, following Gov. Steve Sisolak’s preview of the move in an address last week. “This is a great opportunity for the people of Nevada who face high costs for their vital prescription medications,” said Dr. Beth Slamowitz, the department’s senior policy adviser on pharmacy, in a statement. Enrollees can save an average 80 percent on generics and up to 20 percent on on brand name drugs, the department said in announcing the action. (Dentzer, 2/28)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Debates Lowering Threshold For Providing Alcohol To Minors
Parents "who turn a blind eye" to underage drinking would be easier to prosecute if a bill proposed by two Ohio Republicans becomes law. House Bill 418 would lower the legal threshold for charging the owner or occupant of a home or business with allowing underage drinking from knowingly to recklessly because it is "easier for a prosecutor to prove that a person acted recklessly." "With the knowingly standard, people are gaming the code," state Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, said. "I may have let 10 teenagers into my basement, and I may have stocked the fridge downstairs with beer. I may have taken keys at the front door, but I didn't know what they were doing down there. I didn’t know they were drinking." (Staver, 2/28)

AP: House Republicans Block Bill To Speed Retail Marijuana Sales
Republicans in the Virginia House blocked a measure Monday that would have allowed limited retail sales of recreational marijuana to begin later this year. On a 5-3 party-line vote, the subcommittee voted to continue to 2023 the measure that had cleared the Democrat-controlled Senate earlier this month, effectively defeating it. The action marks the end of the road for the issue this year, said the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Sen. Adam Ebbin. (Rankin and Lavoie, 2/28)

Stateline: Workers Who Legally Use Cannabis Can Still Lose Their Jobs
So far, 14 states and Washington, D.C., have banned employers from discriminating against workers who use marijuana for medical reasons. New Jersey and New York ban employers from discriminating against workers who legally use marijuana medically or recreationally. And Nevada bans employers from refusing to hire someone solely because they fail a marijuana test. The laws generally make exceptions for certain employers and occupations. But bills have stumbled elsewhere because of opposition from business groups and disagreements over how to measure marijuana intoxication. A bill filed in Washington state this session already has been tabled. A California bill faces an uphill battle. And, in light of opposition, a Colorado bill will be softened to studying the issue. (Quinton, 2/28)

Detroit Free Press: Consultants Shift Blame As Flint Water Crisis Lawsuit Trial Begins
Two companies with expertise related to engineering and drinking water issues should be held responsible for professional negligence for their roles in the lead poisoning of Flint's drinking water supply, an attorney told a federal jury Monday. Officials at both companies knew the water was not safe to drink but they either said nothing or falsely told city residents the water was safe, Corey Stern told a jury of seven women and three men in U.S. District Court in Ann Arbor. (Egan, 2/28)

Oklahoman: Bill To Ban Nonbinary Gender On Oklahoma Birth Certificates Moves Ahead
Oklahoma Republican legislators moved on Monday to no longer allow nonbinary designations on state-issued birth certificates. After a 7-3 vote in the Senate's Health and Human Services committee, Senate Bill 1100 passed despite procedural and legislative opposition by Senate Democrats. The bill is intent on removing the ability of the Oklahoma State Department of Health to accept requests and amend birth certificates to reflect a person's gender preference. As part of a legal settlement stemming from a lawsuit filed in 2020, Kit Lorelied, 46, is the recipient of the state's first gender-neutral birth certificate, where an "X" denotes their sex designation instead of a male or female gender marker. (Gore, 2/28)

The Washington Post: Humanity Has A ‘Brief And Rapidly Closing Window’ To Avoid A Hotter, Deadly Future, U.N. Climate Report Says
In the hotter and more hellish world humans are creating, parts of the planet could become unbearable in the not-so-distant future, a panel of the world’s foremost scientists warned Monday in an exhaustive report on the escalating toll of climate change. Unchecked greenhouse gas emissions will raise sea levels several feet, swallowing small island nations and overwhelming even the world’s wealthiest coastal regions. Drought, heat, hunger and disaster may force millions of people from their homes. Coral reefs could vanish, along with a growing number of animal species. Disease-carrying insects would proliferate. Deaths — from malnutrition, extreme heat, pollution — will surge. (Kaplan and Dennis, 2/28)

The New York Times: Time Is Running Out to Avert a Harrowing Future, Climate Panel Warns
The report released Monday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of experts convened by the United Nations, is the most detailed look yet at the threats posed by global warming. It concludes that nations aren’t doing nearly enough to protect cities, farms and coastlines from the hazards that climate change has already unleashed, such as record droughts and rising seas, let alone from the even greater disasters in store as the planet keeps heating up. Written by 270 researchers from 67 countries, the report is “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership,” said António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general. “With fact upon fact, this report reveals how people and the planet are getting clobbered by climate change.” (2/28)

AP: 1 Million Sputnik Coronavirus Vaccines Expire In Guatemala 
Health authorities in Guatemala say over a million doses of the Russian Sputnik coronavirus vaccine have expired, because nobody wanted to take the shot. Francisco Coma, the country’s health minister, said Monday that there was a “rejection” among the population toward the vaccine, even though a lot of Guatemalans remain unvaccinated. (3/1)

Bloomberg: Ukraine Seeks Safe Zone As Russian Military Nears Biggest Nuclear Plant
The head of Ukraine’s nuclear-power utility called on international monitors to intervene to ensure the safety of the country’s 15 atomic reactors as an advancing Russian invasion nears Europe’s largest nuclear plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency will convene an emergency session on Wednesday in Vienna to assess the situation. The watchdog has been warning for days that the war threatens to trigger a wider tragedy by damaging nuclear power infrastructure. (Tirone, 3/1)