First Edition: May 12, 2022

KHN: Is Paxlovid, The Covid Pill, Reaching Those Who Most Need It? The Government Won’t Say 
As the nation largely abandons mask mandates, physical distancing, and other covid-19 prevention strategies, elected officials and health departments alike are now championing antiviral pills. But the federal government isn’t saying how many people have received these potentially lifesaving drugs or whether they’re being distributed equitably. Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill, along with Merck’s molnupiravir, are aimed at preventing vulnerable patients with mild or moderate covid from becoming sicker or dying. More than 300 Americans still die from covid every day. (Recht, 5/12)

KHN: Census Undercount Threatens Federal Food And Health Programs On Reservations 
The 2020 census missed nearly 1 of every 17 Native Americans who live on reservations, an undercount that could very well lead to insufficient federal funding for essential health, nutrition, and social programs in remote communities with high poverty rates and scarce access to services. The census counted 9.7 million people who identified as a Native American or an Alaska Native in 2020 — alone or in combination with another race or ethnicity — compared with 5.2 million in 2010. But the Indigenous population on the nation’s approximately 325 reservations was undercounted by nearly 6%, according to a demographic analysis of the census’s accuracy. Indigenous people on reservations have a history of being undercounted — nearly 5% were missed in 2010, according to the analysis. (Graf, 5/12)

KHN: Why Won’t More Older Americans Get Their Covid Booster?
Even as top U.S. health officials say it’s time America learns to live with the coronavirus, a chorus of leading researchers say faulty messaging on booster shots has left millions of older people at serious risk. Approximately 1 in 3 Americans 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers have dismayed researchers, who note this age group continues to be at the highest risk for serious illness and death from covid-19. (Szabo, 5/12)

The New York Times: Republicans Who Support Abortion Rights Have Come Up With Their Own Bill
The two Senate Republicans who support abortion rights, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have raised objections to the Democrats’ bill that is the subject of Wednesday’s vote, and they are promoting alternative legislation. ... Ms. Collins and Ms. Murkowski introduced their own bill, which they describe as codifying Roe v. Wade, in February. Called the Reproductive Choice Act, it is only three pages long and was written without the consultation of reproductive rights groups, according to representatives from those organizations. (Karni, 5/11)

Politico: Alito’s Draft Opinion Overturning Roe Is Still The Only One Circulated Inside Supreme Court 
The Supreme Court is set to gather Thursday for the first time since the disclosure that it voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, and there’s no sign that the court is changing course from issuing that ruling by the end of June. Justice Samuel Alito’s sweeping and blunt draft majority opinion from February overturning Roe remains the court’s only circulated draft in the pending Mississippi abortion case, POLITICO has learned, and none of the conservative justices who initially sided with Alito have to date switched their votes. No dissenting draft opinions have circulated from any justice, including the three liberals. (Gerstein, Ward and Lizza, 5/11)

CNN: Justices Will Meet For First Time Since Leak Of Draft Opinion On Roe Shook The Foundations Of The Court 
The Supreme Court is set to meet behind closed doors on Thursday for the first time since the astonishing leak of a draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.The justices plan to discuss pending petitions and outstanding cases -- but they're also likely to grapple with the aftermath of that remarkable breach of the court's confidential operations. While the draft opinion calling for the reversal of a near-50-year-old landmark precedent stunned the country, the leak itself stunned the court. (de Vogue, 5/12)

NBC News: The First Women Who'd Be Personally Affected If Roe Is Overturned Are Already Pregnant
If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the decision would most immediately and directly affect more than 300,000 women who are pregnant now or will be before July in the 13 states with so-called trigger laws. That's the number of people who — according to an NBC News analysis of 2017 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights — would see their states’ abortion policies change while they’re still at points in pregnancy when they might have otherwise been eligible for abortions. The laws that determine their options, in other words, would transform almost overnight. (Bendix, 5/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom Announces Plan To Lure Businesses To California From States That Ban Abortion
California Gov. Gavin Newsom previewed a plan to lure businesses to California from states that ban abortion on Wednesday, as well as new proposed spending on abortions. Newsom said his plan aims to “solidify California’s leadership on abortion rights.” “California will not stand idly by as extremists roll back our basic constitutional rights,” he wrote in a statement. “We’re going to fight like hell, making sure that all women — not just those in California — know that this state continues to recognize and protect their fundamental rights.” (Bollag, 5/11)

The Washington Post: Youngkin, Hogan Ask Justice Dept. To Halt Protests At Justices’ Homes
The Republican governors of Virginia and Maryland, where the homes of Supreme Court justices have become the targets of protests, are demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland enforce a federal law that forbids demonstrations intended to sway judges on pending cases. Demonstrators have gathered over the past week at the homes of several conservative justices, spurred by the leak of a draft opinion suggesting that the high court is preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision guaranteeing access to abortion nationwide. (Vozzella, Cox and Morse, 5/12)

The Boston Globe: Women Politicians Are ‘Spitting Mad’ About The Leaked Roe Draft Opinion — And They’re Actually Showing It
Senator Elizabeth Warren rarely minces words. But as she stood before the Supreme Court last week, protesting a draft decision that would roll back the right to abortion, she showed a churning, incandescent rage, her voice gritty and determined even as it shook with fury. “I’ve never seen you so angry,” a reporter observed to the senator in a widely shared video. The unprecedented leak last week of a Supreme Court draft decision has produced a rare moment in American politics: Women in high office, long cautioned to avoid public displays of rage lest they be labeled hysterical or worse, are unleashing unapologetic, uncompromising anger. (Platoff, 5/11)

The New York Times: Why The Justice Department Is Unlikely To Investigate The Supreme Court Leak 
Law enforcement officials for the executive branch have legal tools for extracting information, including the ability to issue grand-jury subpoenas to compel the disclosure of testimony and records, like logs of communications held by phone companies. But it is far from clear that the justices want agents of the executive branch grilling their clerks and relatives and going through the computers in their chambers and the cellphones of their associates. As a matter of constitutional principle, they are a coequal branch of government. And none can be sure whether the leaker, if identified, will turn out to be a liberal or a conservative. (Savage, 5/11)

ABC News: 5 Myths About Abortion Debunked As Supreme Court Decides Future Of Roe V. Wade 
Ahead of the final decision, which is expected in either June or July, ABC News spoke to public health experts about five common myths surrounding abortion and what the statistics actually show. (Kekatos, 5/12)

The New York Times: Fact-Checking Samuel Alito’s Opinion Overturning Roe V. Wade 
In the nearly 100-page decision, Justice Alito made or quoted assertions about fetal development, abortion procedures and international laws that have been disputed or are open to interpretation. Here is a fact check. (Qiu, 5/11)

AP: Debate Set On Bill That Could Jail Women Who Get Abortions 
A bill scheduled for debate Thursday in the Louisiana House would make women who get abortions subject to criminal prosecution and prison — a position that has drawn opposition from Louisiana’s anti-abortion governor and groups including Louisiana Right to Life and the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops. Republican Rep. Danny McCormick is pushing the bill despite the crescendo of opposition from traditional supporters of abortion rights allies, for the moment, with some opponents of legal abortion. (McGill, 5/12)

AP: Louisiana Gov Slams Bill That Could Jail Women For Abortion
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat with a history of opposing abortion rights, came out Wednesday emphatically against legislation that could subject women to prosecution and prison for getting abortions. Edwards told a Baton Rouge civic club he would veto a measure by Rep. Danny McCormick, an Oil City Republican, according to news outlets. Later, he issued a statement calling the bill “anti-woman.” (5/11)

AP: NJ Looks To Expand Abortion Access 
New Jersey would expand abortion access and require insurance companies to pay for the procedure under legislation proposed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday. Murphy vowed state agencies also won’t cooperate with other states that might try to prosecute New Jersey abortion providers or women who seek abortions here. (5/11)

ABC News: Major US Abortion Pill Producer Says It Has Ample Supply If Demand Soars 
A major producer of the abortion pill in the U.S. says it has ample supply if demand suddenly soars in the wake of a Supreme Court decision and that it's working with federal regulators to make the drug available in pharmacies by the end of the year. "We are prepared for any surge," said the spokesperson for Danco Laboratories, which manufactures the brand-name drug Mifeprex."Our supply is stable and plentiful." (Flaherty, 5/11)

Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Bans Off Our Bodies' Abortion Rights Protest To Be Held Cincinnati
"Bans Off Our Bodies" protests will take place in cities across America on Saturday, including Cincinnati. The protests are part of a national response after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion revealed considerations to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. The Cincinnati protest, organized by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, will be held at 11:30 a.m. at Fountain Square. Kersha Deibel, president of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, said the Supreme Court draft decision confirmed what many have long feared. (Endale, 5/11)

Politico: U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Surpass 107,000 Last Year, Another Record
The rapid spike in overdose fatalities — deaths are up nearly 50 percent in two years — presents a grave challenge to the Biden administration as it seeks to manage the twin crises of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and worsening opioid epidemic. Drug policy experts argue the administration needs to apply the same urgency to stopping opioid deaths that it’s brought to its Covid-19 response. “We need to learn to walk and chew gum at the same time,” said Jerome Adams, former U.S. surgeon general and a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Opioid Crisis Task Force. “Covid is not going to go away.” (Mahr, 5/11)

USA Today: Illicit Fentanyl Propels Overdose Deaths In US To New Record
Though the numbers are subject to change as medical examiners finish death investigations and report all cases nationwide, experts say the figures underscore the powerful and dangerous reach of predominately illicit drugs and drug combinations. While prescription painkillers and heroin drove the nation's overdose epidemic last decade, the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl is now responsible for most overdose deaths. Overdose deaths from fentanyl climbed to 71,238  last year from 57,834 in 2020, according to the CDC. (Alltucker, 5/11)

CBS News: Biden Commemorates 1 Million American Lives Lost To COVID-19 
President Biden is commemorating the 1 million American lives lost to COVID-19 early Thursday, hours before he hosts the second Global COVID Summit at the White House, a virtual gathering of world leaders, non-governmental organizations and private sector companies. In recognition of the disease's high toll, Mr. Biden will be issuing a proclamation ordering flags to be flown at half-staff. In remarks he recorded for the opening of the summit, Mr. Biden will speak about those Americans who have died as a result of the two-year-long coronavirus pandemic. (Cordes, Tin, Van Dercook and Brown, 5/12)

Reuters: A Million Lives Lost
The pandemic tore apart families and divided an already politically polarized nation. COVID-19 laid bare the economic inequities between white-collar workers who could work safely from home and essential workers in grocery stores, fire stations and hospitals who had to go out and risk exposure to help others each day. Reuters photographers witnessed the devotion of doctors and nurses as they tackled a virus none of them had ever seen before. They stood beside the beds of patients sickened by the virus and unable to breathe. A year into the pandemic, they captured the joy and hope vaccines offered and the grief and despair as mostly unvaccinated Americans continued to die by the thousands each day. Here are some of the key moments during the pandemic. (Perkins, 5/11)

Politico: How We Got To 1 Million Covid Deaths – In Four Charts
Patricia Dowd, 57, died of Covid-19 on Feb. 6, 2020.She is believed to be the first pandemic death. In the 27 months since, nearly 1 million people in the U.S. have succumbed to the coronavirus, a figure so large that it engulfs individual stories like Dowd’s into a national maw of grief with which the country is struggling to reckon. It’s as if the entire population of Delaware, Montana or Rhode Island, or all of Austin, vanished in just two years’ time. (Goldberg and Choi, 5/11)

AP: Biden Marks 1M US COVID Deaths, To Co-Host 2nd Global Summit
President Joe Biden will appeal for a renewed international commitment to attacking COVID-19 as he convenes the second global COVID-19 summit at a time when faltering resolve at home jeopardizes that global response. Eight months after he used the first such summit to announce an ambitious pledge to donate 1.2 billion vaccine doses to the world, the urgency of the U.S. and other nations to respond has waned. (Miller and Cheng, 5/12)

Modern Healthcare: AHA, AMA Ask HHS For COVID-19 Emergency Extension
Leading healthcare organizations want the federal government to maintain its pandemic posture for at least a few more months, they wrote in a letter delivered to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra Tuesday. The American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and fourteen other healthcare organizations urge Becerra to extend the department's COVID-19 public health emergency until the global outbreak has subsided. The public health emergency designation allowed federal agencies to relax numerous policies for healthcare providers and state governments, including permitting continuous Medicaid enrollment and additional Medicare reimbursement for treating COVID-19 patients in hospitals. (Goldman, 5/11)

The New York Times: Moderna Vaccine Provokes Strong Immune Response In Children 6 To 11
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine elicits a strong immune response in children aged 6 to 11, researchers reported on Wednesday — another signpost in what has become a long and tortuous road to protecting young children against the virus, even as cases again inch upward. On Monday, Moderna requested authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for the vaccine’s use in this age group. But authorization, if granted, is unlikely to bump up the low immunization rates among young children by much. (Mandavilli, 5/11)

CIDRAP: Mix-And-Match MRNA COVID Vaccines May Offer More Omicron Protection
Researchers in Singapore discovered that a Moderna COVID booster following a two-dose Pfizer vaccine series induced a stronger neutralizing antibody response against the Omicron variant in adults compared with an all-Pfizer series, according to a study today in Clinical Infectious Diseases. (5/11)

CIDRAP: Kids' Odds Of Spreading COVID-19 In Households Rising With New Variants
A systematic review and meta-analysis published today in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that while children account for less household COVID-19 transmission, their infectiousness appears to be on the rise as new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge. (5/11)

Axios: Deaths From COVID Begin To Rise Again
Deaths from COVID-19 are on the rise again after several weeks of upward ticking case rates sparked by Omicron variants. The U.S. averaged roughly 365 daily deaths, up 7% from about 342 two weeks ago. That's still a fraction of where things stood several months ago when the daily average was in the thousands. The increase in deaths comes after several weeks of declines. While increasingly transmissible Omicron variants have generally not appeared to cause more serious illness, some people are still dying. (Reed and Beheraj, 5/12)

AP: Hawaii Public School Students To Remain Masked For Summer
Public school students in Hawaii will be required to wear masks while indoors for summer classes and related activities. State officials said at a news conference Wednesday that the measure is meant to keep students and families safe. Hawaii is the only state in the nation that still has a universal indoor mask requirement for public school students. (Jones, 5/11)

AP: Guardians Hit With COVID-19 Outbreak, Manager Francona Out 
The Cleveland Guardians are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that has sidelined manager Terry Francona and several of the team’s coaches, leading to the postponement of Wednesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. ... It’s the first coronavirus-related postponement since the season started on April 7. (5/11)

The Washington Post: Medical Scans Are Latest Casualty Of China Supply Chain Breakdowns 
Doctors in the United States are prioritizing only the most critical patients and hospitals are rationing supplies of a crucial drug after a covid lockdown in China temporarily closed a GE Healthcare factory that is a vital source for a key ingredient in medical imaging. The shutdown of the facility in Shanghai in April halted production of contrast media, an iodine solution that medical staff inject into blood vessels to allow a device such as a CT scanner or fluoroscope to see inside the body. Contrast media, also known as dye, is used virtually every hour in hospitals across the country to help measure arterial blockages around the heart, guide placement of stents in catheter labs, diagnose and treat strokes, and more. Oncologists use contrast to monitor cancerous tumors. (Rowland, 5/11)

The New York Times: Common Medications Can Prolong Back Pain When Overused, Study Says 
The very treatments often used to soothe pain in the lower back, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is the most common type of pain, might cause it to last longer, according to a new study. Persistent use of pain-relieving steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, can actually turn a wrenched back into a chronic condition, the study found. (Kolata, 5/11)

Modern Healthcare: Advocate Aurora Health, Atrium Health To Form $27 Billion System
Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health will form a $27 billion health system spanning seven states, making it the sixth largest health system in the country, the not-for-profit providers said Wednesday. The combined organization would have 67 hospitals—40 from Atrium and 27 from Advocate Aurora—and nearly 150,000 employees across Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. The health system will use both the Advocate Aurora and Atrium brands, but transition to Advocate Health for the parent company. Its headquarters will be in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a strong presence in Chicago and Milwaukee, the company said. (Kacik, 5/11)

Bloomberg: Hospital Labor Costs More Than A Third Higher Since Pandemic
Hospital labor costs have soared by more than a third during the pandemic, a new report shows, the latest evidence of the pressures it has exacted on health-care providers. Labor costs rose 37 percent per patient between 2019 and March 2022, according to health-care consultancy firm Kaufman Hall, which called the first quarter of this year “a perfect storm of expense, volume, and revenue pressures.” The costs are weighing on even some of the largest chains, with HCA Healthcare and Universal Health Services recently warning that higher wages will continue to eat into profits. But while the biggest chains are still profitable, Kaufman Hall previously forecast that more than one third of US hospitals would lose money last year. (Coleman-Lochner, 5/11)

AP: Idaho Hospital Sues Ammon Bundy And Associate For Defamation 
An Idaho hospital that went on lockdown in March after far-right activists protested outside is suing Ammon Bundy, Diego Rodriguez and their various political organizations for defamation and “sustained online attacks.” St. Luke’s Health System filed the lawsuit Wednesday against Bundy, his gubernatorial campaign, and his People’s Rights Network organization. The hospital system is also suing Diego Rodriguez — the grandfather of the child involved in the protection case — as well as Rodriguez’s website Freedom Man Press and the Freedom Man political action committee. Rodriguez is an associate of Bundy’s who has been active in Bundy’s political campaign. (Boone, 5/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Abbott Could Restart Baby Formula Production Within Two Weeks 
Abbott Laboratories said it could resume infant formula production within two weeks at a Michigan manufacturing plant that has been shut since February because of bacterial contamination concerns, exacerbating a nationwide formula shortage. The Illinois-based company said Wednesday it would resume production pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration, which has been conducting an investigation into whether bacterial contamination at the plant caused the illnesses of four babies, two of whom died, after being fed Abbott-brand formula. The babies were infected by a bacteria called cronobacter sakazakii, which is known to survive in dry foods such as infant formula powder. (Walker, 5/11)

Houston Chronicle: Is Homemade Baby Formula Safe? Pediatricians, Nutritionists Weigh In
Some desperate parents have been turning to the internet for homemade baby formula recipes amid a nationwide shortage. But pediatricians and nutritionists have a word of advice for anyone who is considering making formula at home: Don’t. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has strict regulations to ensure baby formula meets nutritional and safety requirements, and advises against making it at home. That’s because it’s “extremely difficult” for parents and guardians to mimic the nutrition levels, said Dr. Amy Hair, the program director of neonatal nutrition at Texas Children’s Hospital. (MacDonald, 5/11)

Bloomberg: Moderna CFO Lasts One Day On Job After Probe At Former Company
Moderna Inc.’s chief financial officer stepped down just one day after starting his new job, becoming the latest high-ranking executive to leave the Covid-19 vaccine maker as it faces questions about its long-term growth. Jorge Gomez departed after his former employer, the dental-supply company Dentsply Sirona Inc., said Tuesday it was investigating the use of incentives to sell products to distributors, as well as other actions to achieve executive-compensation targets. Gomez, 54, had been Dentsply Sirona’s CFO for almost three years. (Langreth, 5/11)

AP: Arkansas Sues Drug Companies Over High Insulin Prices 
Arkansas on Wednesday sued several drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers over the cost of insulin for diabetes, accusing the companies of conspiring to inflate the price of the medication. The lawsuit filed in state court accuses manufacturers Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Eli Lilly of conspiring with pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts, Caremark and Optum and violating Arkansas’ deceptive trade practices law with the high insulin prices. (DeMillo, 5/11)

Stat: Seven Health Insurance CEOs Raked In A Record $283 Million Last Year
The CEOs of America’s seven largest publicly traded health insurance and services companies cumulatively earned more than $283 million in 2021 — by far the most of any year in the past decade. Soaring stock prices overwhelmingly fueled executives’ fortunes, according to a STAT analysis of annual proxy disclosures from UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health, Anthem, Cigna, Humana, Centene, and Molina Healthcare dating back to 2012. (Herman, 5/12)

The New York Times: California Can’t Keep Semiautomatic Guns From Young Adults, Court Rules 
An appeals court panel ruled on Wednesday that California’s ban on the sale of semiautomatic weapons to adults under the age of 21 violated the right to bear arms found in the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Judge Ryan Nelson, writing for a two-to-one majority in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, struck down a ruling by a federal judge in San Diego that upheld what Judge Nelson called an “almost total ban on semiautomatic” rifles for young adults. (Thrush, 5/11)

AP: North Carolina Sees Increase In Child Homicides, Suicides 
The number of North Carolina children who died by either homicide or suicide has more than doubled over the past decade, and a report released this week shows homicide was the leading cause of death among children from age 1 to 17 in 2020. The state Child Fatality Task Force’s report said that in 2020, 92 children died as a result of homicide, making it the leading cause of death for that age group. It was the second-leading cause of death among children aged 1 to 4, news outlets reported. (5/11)

The Boston Globe: Advocates Renew Call For Suicide Prevention Barriers On R.I. Bridges After Latest Incident
A co-founder of Bridging the Gap for Healing and Safety, Bryan Ganley, said three people have jumped from the Newport Pell Bridge in the past three months. “Those three suicides show us there is a deficit in our ability to keep our people safe in this state,” he said. “There is something seriously wrong.” Ganley – a 40-year volunteer for The Samaritans of Rhode Island who has been advocating for suicide-prevention barriers on local bridges since a friend took his own life in the 1980s – called for state officials or the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority to put up temporary barriers while they pursue a more permanent solution. (Fitzpatrick, 5/11)

AP: New Report Addresses Barriers Faced By Massachusetts Latinos 
While the diverse Latino population in Massachusetts continues to struggle through the pre-pandemic issues of reduced educational and economic opportunity, and health care disparities, there is reason for optimism, according to a new report released Wednesday. Even though Massachusetts is among the nation’s wealthiest states, Latino communities have struggled economically relative to Latinos nationwide, according to an introduction to the report by Boston Indicators, the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at UMass Boston, and the Latino Equity Fund. (5/11)

The Washington Post: 911 D.C. Call Taker Put On Leave After Entering Wrong Address For Call 
A D.C. 911 operator has been put on leave after sending help to the wrong address on Monday, delaying an emergency response to a call in which a woman was found dead, according to District officials. The D.C. fire department and Office of Unified Communications, which runs the District’s 911 center, are investigating. (Hermann, 5/11)

AP: Fired Connecticut Health Commissioner Alleges Discrimination 
A former Connecticut health commissioner who was fired in the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic has filed a lawsuit against the state, accusing the governor of discriminating against her, a Black woman, by elevating several white people to lead the crisis response. Renee Coleman-Mitchell, who was ousted on May 12, 2020, says in her a federal court filing that she was never provided severance pay or consideration for another position as promised by Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat. She said she has been unable to find another job because of the damage done to her reputation. (5/11)

AP: New Georgia Law Requires Recess, But Has Several Exceptions
A new Georgia law requires daily recess for most elementary students, but doesn’t say how long recess should last and includes some exceptions. Gov. Brian Kemp signed the law, which covers students through fifth grade, on Monday, news outlets reported. “It is time for our students to get moving and learn how to play with each other again,” state Rep. Demetrius Douglas, the Stockbridge Democrat and former Georgia football player who sponsored the bill, told WSB-TV. (5/11)

Los Angeles Times: LAUSD Passes Controversial Deaf Education Plan Despite Opposition
The vote capped weeks of controversy and close to three hours of public debate over Resolution 029-21/22, which will create a new deaf and hard-of-hearing education department within the district’s special education program. The vote also will pull American Sign Language into the district’s dual-language and bilingual program. But by far the most controversial change will be to make ASL-English bilingual education the districtwide standard for early intervention with deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Supporters say the move addresses the district’s urgent need for language equity. Opponents decry it as a violation of their parental rights.(Sharp, 5/11)

NBC News: Barbie Unveils Its First Doll With Hearing Aids
Barbie is releasing a new collection of dolls to be more inclusive of all children — starting with its first doll that wears hearing aids. ... The company announced the addition of new dolls to the Fashionista collection. The line includes the first Barbie with behind-the-ear hearing aids, a Ken doll with vitiligo and a doll with a prosthetic leg. (Sung, 5/11)

Bloomberg: North Korea's Kim Jong Un Orders Covid Lockdown On First Confirmed Case
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered all cities to be put under lockdown after the state for the first time Thursday said it has Covid-19 in its borders. “A serious situation has been created due to the introduction of a stealth omicron mutant virus into our precincts,” its official Korean Central News Agency said. At a party meeting attended by Kim, authorities elevated the country’s national quarantine measures to “maximum emergency,” it added. (Lee and Cha, 5/12)

AP: EU Lifts Mask Recommendation For Air Travel As Pandemic Ebbs 
The European Union will no longer recommend medical masks be worn at airports and on planes starting next week amid the easing of coronavirus restrictions across the bloc, though member states can still require them, officials said Wednesday. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it hoped the joint decision, made with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, would mark “a big step forward in the normalization of air travel” for passengers and crews. (Jordans, 5/11)

Politico: Trudeau Government Funds Abortion Services Amid Fallout From Roe V. Wade Disclosure 
The Canadian government has announced funding to improve access to abortions as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces questions about his direction on abortion rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court disclosure on Roe v. Wade. Trudeau is under pressure to make good on his promises to expand access to abortion services since POLITICO reported last week on a draft of a majority opinion that would overturn the landmark decision. (Forrest, 5/11)