Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NYC Mayor Says Former City Leaders Lied About Toxic Air After 9/11 Attacks
The New York Times: Mamdani Accuses Former N.Y.C. Leaders Of Lying About 9/11 Air Quality
Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday accused previous New York City leaders of lying about air quality safety after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, resulting in residents and workers developing serious illnesses years later. “People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” he said at a news conference at City Hall, surrounded by politicians, relatives of those who died on Sept. 11 and advocates for the health of those now suffering from illnesses that surfaced years after the attacks. (Goldenberg, Agrawal and Goldstein, 9/8)
NBC News: Troves Of New 9/11 Docs Suggest NYC Officials Knew Of Air Quality Health Risks
New York City released about 170,000 pages of documents related to post-9/11 air quality and health risks on Tuesday — a trove of paperwork within which some notes suggest city officials knew of the potential environmental dangers and legal exposure in the early aftermath of the terror attacks. One undated internal document — a letter to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s deputy mayor, Robert Harding — listed various potential grounds for lawsuits against the city, including health advisories that caused people to return to the area too soon, causing toxic exposure, rescue workers being provided with faulty equipment, and police failing to secure businesses from looters. (Russo, 9/9)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The Washington Post: Woman Who Made False Child Welfare Report About Buttigieg Won’t Be Prosecuted
An Indiana prosecutor has declined to file criminal charges against the woman who made a false child welfare complaint against former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, which led investigators to the door of one of the country’s most prominent Democrats, resulting in his brief separation from his children. The caller has a long history of alcohol abuse and mental illness, E. Nelson Chipman Jr., a prosecutor in Indiana’s Marshall County, where investigators determined the call had originated, wrote to state police in a July 29 email outlining his decision. Her history includes “hallucinations and delusional thinking which includes frequently responding to voices only she hears,” he added. (George, 9/8)
AP: Audit Finds Child Protection Agency Made Progress, But Still Noncompliant
Two-year-old Ta’Naja Barnes’ 2019 death was so horrific that legislators passed a law in her honor to ensure the Department of Children and Family Services would provide abused and neglected kids with continued support services once they’re returned to their parents. When she died, Ta’Naja was filthy and had a body temperature too low to measure. Just months before her death, DCFS returned Ta’Naja’s care to her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, who pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the toddler’s death. (Hundsdorfer, 9/8)
Floodlight: America’s Air Monitors Are Disappearing. So Is Your Power To Expose Polluters.
Across several states, a quiet chemical industry campaign is making it harder to hold polluters accountable. (Alexander and Racino, 9/9)
The Wall Street Journal: Anti-Choking Devices Are Entering America’s Schools. Do They Work?
Dr. Henry Heimlich devised a new technique more than 50 years ago to stop people from choking. Simplicity, studies, shrewd promotion by its inventor—and a demonstration on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson—made the Heimlich maneuver a go-to method. Now, it is fighting for the stage. (McKay, 9/9)
MPR News: In Duluth, Advocates Say Wider Access To Naloxone Is Saving Lives
From a distance, the white van parked outside Duluth’s Damiano Center looks like a food truck. For the people lining up on this day, though, it’s there to meet a different kind of need. (Bari, 9/8)
Bloomberg: Nike Faces Investor Challenge Over Gender-Transition Surgery For Minors
A group of conservative investors is pressing companies to stop covering gender-transition surgery for minors in employee health plans, and Nike Inc. is their latest target. Inspire Investing, which oversees $5.4 billion, is leading an investor campaign that includes the Southern Baptists and the state of Nebraska against 242 large employers, saying that offering insurance coverage for gender-related surgery for minors may expose companies to legal trouble and reputational damage. (Green, 9/8)
Military.com: Ms. Veteran America Competition Puts Homeless Women Veterans, Their Kids First
Twenty female veterans will gather Oct. 11 in Tampa, Fla., for the 15th Ms. Veteran America competition, raising money to help other women who served find housing for themselves and their children. The competition at the Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel supports Final Salute Inc., the nonprofit founded by Ret. Army Maj. Jaspen “Jas” Boothe after cancer and Hurricane Katrina left her struggling to find a place to live with her young son. (Thomas LaBee, 9/8)
KFF Health News: Nonprofits Are Helping Musicians Pay For Insurance In Austin, Texas, And Beyond
Musician Zack Morgan jokes that when he lost his corporate job in 2015, it was like being pushed off a cliff. For years, he said, he’d been playing both sides of the Austin coin: tech worker by day, funk keyboardist by night. “Maybe this is my sign to try the full-time music thing,” Morgan recalled thinking. “Step one in that was: Get health insurance again.” (Aldridge, 9/9)
