Morning Briefing

Reuters: North Carolina Attorney General Launches Probe Into E-Cigarette Maker Puff Bar

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein on Tuesday launched a state-wide investigation into e-cigarette maker Puff Bar, citing concerns over kid-friendly flavors and youth marketing. Stein also filed a lawsuit against Juul Labs Inc founders James Monsees and Adam Bowen, seeking civil penalties and damages, alleging they personally participated in Juul's marketing strategy of attracting young users to their product. The probe also takes aim at other companies that manufacture tobacco-free cigarettes and at retailers across the state that sell flavored e-cigarettes, including many located near schools. (11/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Working To Open Supervised Drug Use Site By Spring, Possibly In Building Near The Tenderloin

San Francisco Mayor London Breed is pushing to open a site as early as the spring where people can use drugs under the supervision of medical professionals, and she’s working to acquire a building near the Tenderloin that could house the program. Even though supervised consumption sites are currently illegal under federal and state law, Breed is trying to open one in San Francisco. The move comes as she faces increased pressure to address the city’s overdose crisis, which has killed a record number of people since last year. (Thadani, 11/16)

AP: Corrections Boss Defends Care Provided In Arizona Prisons

Arizona’s corrections chief testified at a trial on Tuesday over the quality of medical and mental health care in state prisons that incarcerated people often have greater access to health services than people who aren’t locked up. The defense by Corrections Director David Shinn of the health care system for prisoners came after the state has faced years of complaints about poor health care behind bars and has been fined $2.5 million for not complying with a settlement over the issue. (Billeaud, 11/16)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Board Rejects Proposed Sex Ed Materials For Middle And High Schoolers

The ongoing battle over “inappropriate content” in Texas public schools raged on Tuesday as the State Board of Education declined to preliminarily adopt middle and high school health instructional materials that addressed such topics as contraception, gender identity and self-harm. The decision could leave school districts to fend for themselves on how best to address new health curriculum standards approved just a year ago — in a less fevered environment. (Smith, 11/16)

AP: DC To Drop Most Indoor Mask Requirements Next Week

The District of Columbia will lift its indoor mask requirement starting next week, as local COVID-19 infection cases continue to trend downward. Starting Monday, Nov. 22, masks will no longer be required in many indoor spaces. A statement from the city Health Department announced that masks will still be required in certain settings, including schools, libraries, public transportation, ride-share vehicles and group-living facilities like nursing homes, dorms and jails. Private businesses will still be able to require customers to wear masks. (Khalil, 11/16)

Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court on Tuesday said it would lift a stay on its order voiding the state’s school mask mandate, but not until Dec. 4 — when Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration could implement a new requirement, according to the court. It wasn’t clear Tuesday evening what the court’s decision would mean for the future of the school mask requirement, which has been hotly debated in a number of communities. (Hanna, 11/16)

WUSF Public Media: Parents' Bill Of Rights Could Be Strengthened To Include Bans On School Mask Mandates 

During a special legislative session this week to push back against pandemic-related mandates, Republican lawmakers also aim to expand an existing law known as the “Parents' Bill of Rights” to include a ban on school mask requirements. State lawmakers approved the Parents' Bill of Rights during the 2021 legislative session this spring, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure in June. (Dailey, 11/16)

AP: Florida Woman Who Sued For Ivermectin Dies From COVID

A Florida teacher hospitalized with COVID-19 has died after her husband unsuccessfully sued to force doctors to treat her with ivermectin, a drug popular among some skeptics of accepted coronavirus treatments despite a lack of studies proving its effectiveness. Tamara Drock died Friday, 12 weeks after being admitted to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Ryan Drock told the Palm Beach Post. He sued the hospital last month in an attempt to require doctors to administer ivermectin, a drug used to treat conditions caused by parasitic worms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the drug to treat COVID-19, saying it hasn’t proved effective in pre-clinical trials. (11/16)

Dallas Morning News: Doctor In Ivermectin Lawsuit Resigns From Houston Hospital Following Suspension

The doctor involved in a lawsuit over ivermectin treatments for a Fort Worth coronavirus patient has resigned from a Houston hospital after the hospital suspended her last week. Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a private-practice ear, nose and throat doctor who had provisional privileges to practice at Houston Methodist Hospital, was suspended Friday after spreading COVID-19 misinformation, the hospital said. (Prosser, 11/16)