Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Georgia's Daycare Quality Rating System Endangers Kids: Report
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Children Suffered Burns And Beatings. Georgia Calls It Quality Daycare.
Laura Scott’s mind raced as she studied the bright red rash and blisters on her daughter’s arms. Daycare workers suggested that her 1-year-old could be having an allergic reaction to pineapple. But Scott knew that wasn’t true. (Hogan, Landergan and Price, 10/13)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Los Angeles Times: L.A. Makes It A Crime For Cannabis And Tobacco Retailers To Sell Nitrous Oxide
L.A. is banning the sale of nitrous oxide at stores selling cannabis and tobacco products, and setting criminal penalties for violations. (Gomez, 10/13)
KFF Health News: California’s Billionaire Tax Promises Healthcare Relief. The Fine Print Is Murkier
The pitch behind California’s billionaire tax proposal is simple: Tax the richest residents in the nation’s wealthiest state to offset steep federal cuts to healthcare, food assistance, and education. But if approved by voters in November, it’s unclear how much money the ballot initiative would raise, how quickly the funding would become available, and how lawmakers would spend it. (Fortiér, 10/14)
Axios: AI's Extreme Heat Challenge Is Moving From Prediction To Protection
Cities and researchers are using AI to map and predict extreme heat risk, but new research suggests it's used far more to identify where people are in danger than to help officials respond. (Falconer, 10/14)
The Washington Post: Rep. Omar Investigation Focuses On Birthdate, Citizenship Papers, People Familiar Say
The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship, three people familiar with the matter said. Omar — a Minnesota Democrat who was born in Somalia and fled civil war there with her family before eventually immigrating to the United States in 1995 — has repeatedly rejected such allegations, which have circulated in conservative media for years. She dismissed them again in a statement Monday as “baseless lies and smear campaigns.” (Hesson and Roebuck, 10/13)
On social media and teen mental health —
The New York Times: States Now Have To Decide How To Spend Meta’s Settlement Billions
After Meta agreed to pay as much as $17 billion to settle claims that it had built Instagram and Facebook to hook children, attorneys general in several states outlined how the money should be spent. The funding should “repair the harms of unhealthy social media use,” expand youth crisis intervention and restore the mental health and safety of children, they declared in news releases. But the settlement with Meta in August cements little in required allocations toward those goals. (Alcorn, 10/13)
ABC News: 1 In 6 Teens Report Anxiety Symptoms And Many Go Without Help. What Parents Need To Know
An estimated one in six teenagers in the United States have moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday. Nearly two-thirds of adolescents who reported severe anxiety symptoms also met criteria for severe depression, nearly half reported suicidal thoughts, and nearly one-third reported substance abuse, the study found. (Deshmukh, 10/13)
