Morning Breakouts

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Trump Ad Blitz Touts Efforts To Tackle High Drug Prices

Morning Briefing

With health care a top issue of the 2020 presidential contest, the social media ads signal how President Donald Trump will position his record. And the Trump campaign unveils branded face masks.

Trump’s Transgender Health Rule Paused By Federal Judge

Morning Briefing

U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block issued a temporary injunction against an HHS regulation, scheduled to take effect Tuesday, that would roll back Obama-era protections for transgender people seeking health care.

‘He Cannot Meet This Moment’: Convention Speakers Excoriate Trump’s Ability To Handle Pandemic

Morning Briefing

“He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is,” said former first lady Michelle Obama in the keynote speech of the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention. Other speakers who made waves are Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (Mich.) and Andrew Cuomo (N.Y.), as well as a woman who’s father died from COVID-19: His “only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump.”

Trump Nixes Pentagon Plan To Slash Billions From Military Health Care

Morning Briefing

“A proposal by Pentagon officials to slash Military Healthcare by $2.2 billion dollars has been firmly and totally rejected by me,” President Donald Trump tweeted, after the plan was reported by Politico.

In Just 8 Months, COVID-19 Rises To No. 3 Cause Of Death In U.S.

Morning Briefing

Coronavirus only lags behind heart disease and cancer. Meanwhile, nursing homes infections reach record levels and Texas joins a grim group of states that have reported more than 10,000 deaths.

Georgia Governor Backtracks On Mask Mandates

Morning Briefing

In other news from the states: Iowans and Californians struggle with power outages; a second person in Massachusetts has EEE; people are ignoring New York’s quarantine order; and more.

‘New Breed Of Summer Jobs’: No-Contact Lifeguarding And Working At COVID Testing Sites

Morning Briefing

Lifeguarding in the pandemic means contactless ocean rescues and lifeguards who carry hand sanitizer. And with traditional summer jobs like camp counselor positions gone, one local government is recruiting teens and young adults to help with virus testing coordination.

Confidence In Travel Still Weak

Morning Briefing

The travel industry struggles with wary customers and restaurant owners find themselves under scrutiny. As some customers refuse to wear masks or avoid large gatherings, the question is raised: Why denial is a coping mechanism for some people?

Summer’s Over: The Tans Will Fade But The Quarantine Will Last Two Weeks

Morning Briefing

Some families are changing end-of-summer vacation plans to avoid quarantining before the start of school. In other pandemic-school news: Massachusetts school officials reported dozens of families to social workers when kids missed remote learning, and parents with “no good choice” blame one another.

Evidence Emerging Of Lasting Immunity After COVID Infection

Morning Briefing

Several research projects find that the immune system stores information that helps fight off coronavirus again, even for people who only experienced mild symptoms. Meanwhile, drug trials for potential COVID treatments are taking longer than expected.

CDC: Infection Rate Among Children Rose ‘Steadily’ From March To July

Morning Briefing

News on children includes new developments in the South Korean study about kids’ transmission of COVID-19 and an uptick in fast food consumption, while news on pregnancy includes the virus’ spread among pregnant Latina women and the stress of a pandemic on a growing baby.