Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Supporters Cheer Trump’s Car Ride; Medical Professionals Call It ‘Reckless’

Morning Briefing

Health concerns center on the risks to the Secret Service agents present in the hermetically sealed vehicle with a COVID-positive Donald Trump. The president opted to leave Walter Reed Medical Center for a few minutes Sunday night to wave to gathered supporters from the presidential SUV.

Trump Could Be Discharged Today; Treatments Suggest Severe Case Of COVID

Morning Briefing

Few and sometimes contradictory details about President Donald Trump’s health have been made public, despite press briefings from his doctors who say they are encouraged by his progress. Information that has been provided — such as dropping blood oxygen levels and aggressive treatments that include experimental drugs — hint that the president has been seriously sick.

Egypt Targets Gays, Lesbians With Arrests, Torture, Rights Group Says

Morning Briefing

Human Rights Watch says police and security officers routinely pick up suspected LGBT people off the streets and detain them in “inhuman conditions.” In other news, some Russian journalists are getting a new COVID vaccine there and an Irish court isn’t impressed with Subway’s bread.

Lawyers Claim Police Did Not Obstruct Breathing Of Prude

Morning Briefing

The medical examiner ruled Daniel Prude’s death a homicide. Lawyers say his interpretation was a medical one not a legal one. News is also on poverty and racism and Black physicians on the front lines.

Nearly 20,000 Amazon Employees Have Contracted COVID Since March

Morning Briefing

Documents on Amazon’s injury rates among the company’s warehouse workers are also revealed. Other news on public health focuses on body fat and longevity; salmonella and hedgehogs; and job loss among moms during the pandemic.

PhRMA Knocks President On Diversity Training

Morning Briefing

The powerful trade group very publicly attacks President Trump’s order to end diversity training. In other pharmaceutical industry news: Congress looks at a “cash cow” drug; and how the FDA should regulate artificial intelligence used in health care.

Traces Of Virus Detected In Water; Rapid Spit Tests Slow In Coming

Morning Briefing

There is no evidence water can spread the virus, but researchers say knowing where to look for the virus is key in dealing with future infections. News is on testing, contact tracing and more, as well.

An Unexpected Non-Perishable: Signed Trump Letter Inside Food-Aid Boxes

Morning Briefing

The letters are sparking outrage among advocates, and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is removing the letters. Other health news about the Trump administration is on visitors at federal prisons; the Navy SEAL ethos; and checking the facts on President Donald Trump’s COVID program for those who are uninsured.

House Passes $2.2 Trillion Stimulus Bill That’s Likely DOA

Morning Briefing

“Today’s package is another partisan exercise that will never become law,” said Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat from Virginia who voted no. Of the
Republicans, none voted for the plan.

What’s Next? Expect A Strange Election To Get Stranger

Morning Briefing

Concerns are raised that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and others at this week’s debate could have been exposed to the virus. But the news of President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 infection will shake up the 2020 race in many other ways as well.

Well Wishes, Prayers Flow In For Trumps From Leaders Across US, World

Morning Briefing

As President Donald Trump joins the list of world leaders who have contracted COVID, sympathy and hopes for a quick recovery were expressed by U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle as well as global heads of state and other public figures.