CIDRAP: 180 Million Americans Have Had At Least 1 COVID Vaccine Dose
Today during a White House press briefing, Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 coordinator, said 180 million Americans now have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and White House Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci, MD, reassured the country that the three vaccines with emergency use authorization in the United States are likely effective against the Delta (B1617.2) variant. "Going into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Americans have good reason to celebrate," Zients said, explaining that 67% of adults have at least one shot, 3% short of President Joe Biden's goal of 70% of Americans ages 18 and up having at least one dose. (Soucheray, 7/1)

CNBC: Covid Vaccine: Why U.S. Won't Hit Fourth Of July Goals
All the free beer, doughnuts and baseball tickets won’t be enough to keep up the pace of vaccinations. President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one shot in the arms of 70% of U.S. adults before the Fourth of July holiday is set to fall short. At the current pace of vaccinations administered, about 67% of adults will be at least partially vaccinated by then, according to a CNBC analysis of CDC data. (Dickler, 7/1)

WUSF Public Media: Florida Falling Short Of Biden’s July Fourth Vaccination Goal 
Florida is not going to match President Joe Biden’s goal of vaccinating at least 70 percent of all U.S. adults by July Fourth. So far, about 64 percent of those over the age of 18 have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though the country as a whole is coming close to meeting Biden’s updated goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adults 27 and older by the end of the holiday weekend, Florida has a ways to go. (Marlow, 7/1)

Los Angeles Times: Delta Variant Impedes Biden's July 4 COVID-19 Vaccine Goal
Los Angeles County’s top public health official expressed growing alarm about increasing circulation of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, particularly as the region grapples with an uptick in new infections. While the situation in the nation’s most populous county is nowhere near as dire as over the fall and winter, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the increases seen recently are nevertheless concerning — and are at the heart of this week’s recommendation that even residents vaccinated for COVID-19 should resume wearing face coverings in public indoor settings as a precaution. (Money and Lin II, 7/1)

And the delta variant shows no sign of slowing —

Politico: CDC Director: Delta Variant Is Growing Threat To Unvaccinated People
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky issued her gravest warning yet Thursday about the highly contagious Delta variant, which has driven a sharp increase in new Covid-19 cases across the country. Nearly 25 percent of new infections have been linked to Delta, she said, up from 6 percent in early June. (Banco, Cancryn and Goldberg, 7/1)

USA Today: US COVID-19 Cases 10% Higher This Week
New cases of COVID-19 are on the rise compared to last week as the delta variant spreads throughout the U.S., health officials said Thursday. The weekly average of new daily cases was 10% higher, even though cases were down 95% from the nation's peak in January, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a briefing. The delta variant, which is thought to be more contagious, is the second-most prevalent variant circulating in the U.S. and is expected to become the most common "in the coming weeks," Walensky said. (Aspegren and Hauck, 7/1)

AP: Arkansas Again Has Biggest Daily Virus Case Jump In 4 Months
For the second day in a row, Arkansas reported Thursday its biggest one-day spike in four months of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, an increase officials have blamed on the delta variant of the virus. The state reported 700 new virus cases, bringing its total since the pandemic began to 350,085. The state’s active cases, meaning those that don’t include people who have recovered or died from the virus, increased by 496 to 4,199. (7/1)

Des Moines Register: Delta Variant Of Coronavirus Gains Strength In Iowa, Lab Tests Suggest
The highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus appears to be gaining strength across Iowa, according to test results from the Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory. In each of the past two weeks, the delta variant accounted for more than half of positive coronavirus tests from Iowa that included variants of the virus, the Iowa Department of Public Health said. The variant, first discovered in India, was confirmed to have arrived in Iowa on May 4. (Leys and Coltrain, 7/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Cases Up More Than 20% In Bay Area, California Since June 15 Reopening
New coronavirus cases have jumped more than 20% in California and the Bay Area since the state’s June 15 reopening — a sign that even as residents embrace a return to normalcy, the virus can still spread among unvaccinated people and will likely linger for months to come. Statewide, new cases crept up from about 900 on June 15 to nearly 1,100 on June 30, according to seven-day averages of new daily infections. In the Bay Area, cases ticked up from 187 to 225 during the same period, according to Chronicle data. (Ho, 7/1)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada To Seek Federal Help As COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Rise
Nevada will ask for more federal assistance to combat increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases, stagnating vaccination rates and a growing threat from the delta variant, particularly in the Las Vegas region, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced late Thursday. Specifically, the governor said the state would seek help with outreach efforts to increase vaccination rates in Clark County. “We must continue to leverage resources at the federal, state and local level to increase access and confidence and get as many Nevadans protected from this deadly virus as possible,” Sisolak said in a news release. (Hynes, 7/1)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Area Health Officials Urge All Residents To Wear Masks Indoors As Delta Variant Takes Hold
Health officials for St. Louis, St. Louis County and Jefferson County are recommending that all residents, regardless of vaccine status, wear a mask during indoor gatherings as the more infectious and dangerous delta variant takes hold across Missouri. “For vaccinated individuals, the health departments advise residents to wear masks or other face coverings whenever they are indoors with other people whose vaccination status is unknown,” the St. Louis and St. Louis County health departments said Thursday about their joint health advisory. Jefferson County also on Thursday released a similar advisory. (Munz, 7/1)

In related news about July Fourth safety —

Indianapolis Star: Public Safety: Do Not Fire A Gun Into The Air On The Fourth Of July
If you're thinking about shooting your gun in the air to celebrate this July Fourth, police have some advice: Don't. "Shooting a gun into the air is not only reckless, but it's extremely, extremely dangerous," Sgt. Michael Wood, spokesperson for Indiana State Police, said. While it can be easy to adopt the "out of sight, out of mind" attitude toward shooting a gun in the air, bullets are not exempt from the laws of gravity. "What goes up must come down," Sgt. Shane Foley, spokesperson for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, said. (Rafford, 7/1)

Indy Star: Fourth Of July Safety Tips: 14 Ways To Stay Healthy
For many, last year’s Fourth of July didn't go quite as planned. Countless families were forced to modify their usual celebrations because of the pandemic. But this year, things are different. With COVID restrictions being lifted, including in Indiana, Hoosiers are ready to celebrate this holiday season pre-pandemic style. That means family barbecues, fireworks and the usual festivities. (Vilfranc, 7/1)

The Hill: White House To Send 'Surge Teams' To Delta Variant Hot Spots
The White House is readying COVID-19 "surge teams" to send to communities with low vaccination rates to help combat the rapidly spreading delta variant of the coronavirus, officials announced Thursday. The teams will work with local public health authorities to conduct contact tracing, and will distribute supplies as needed or requested by states, such as therapeutics and additional tests. The teams will also help augment staffing at local vaccination sites. (Weixel, 7/1)

Reuters: White House Prepares For COVID-19 Outbreaks Due To Highly Contagious Delta Variant 
The White House on Thursday said it would send out special teams to hot spots around the United States to combat the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant amid rising case counts in parts of the country where vaccination rates remain low. The speedy U.S. vaccination campaign has dramatically reduced COVID-19 cases among residents. The peak seven-day-average of more than 250,000 cases per day in January fell to around 11,000 in mid-June. (O'donnell and Shalal, 7/1)

The Washington Post: ‘Now We Are Trying To Figure Out How To Live With It’: Inside Biden’s Push To Crush Covid
Jeff Zients picked up a copy of the “National Strategy for the Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness,” a bound document clocking in at around three pounds, and dropped it on the table with a loud thud. “That’s how we spent the transition, putting together that plan,” he said, chuckling at his own theatrics. To draft this playbook, Zients and his Covid-19 Response Team had considered how to rebuild trust in government, set up mass vaccination sites, reopen schools and deal with racial inequities exacerbated by a global pandemic. One thing Zients hadn’t considered: just how difficult it would be to print the thing. (Terris, 7/2)

In other news on the vaccine rollout —

The New York Times: Military And V.A. Struggle With Vaccination Rates In Their Ranks
Denis McDonough, the secretary of veterans affairs, said this week that he was considering a move to compel workers at V.A. hospitals to get vaccinated, fearing that centers with low vaccination rates were risking the health of veterans seeking care. The military is also struggling to fully vaccinate more troops across all service branches. While the Army and Navy are outpacing the civilian population in vaccine uptake, the Air Force and the Marine Corps have faced greater challenges. About 68 percent of active-duty members have had at least one dose, officials said. (7/2)

WUSF Public Media: Outreach Program, Health Dept. Team Up To Bring Vaccines To Pinellas Black Community 
The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County and local outreach program Not My Son (NMS) are teaming up to make it easier for Black families in St. Petersburg to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. NMS helps prevent criminal activity and gun violence among school-age children during the summer, according to the Rev. Kenneth Irby, director of Community Intervention at the St. Petersburg Police Department. (Manna-Rea, 7/1)

Philadelphia Inquirer: 1 Million Pennsylvanians Have Missed Their Second Shot. They’ll Need It Against The Delta Variant
More than one million Pennsylvanians have missed their second coronavirus shots, a no-show rate among the nation’s highest and a gap that could prove critical as the country braces for the spread of the newer, more transmissible Delta variant. By June’s end, 70% of Pennsylvania adults should have been fully vaccinated. Instead, the state had only reached 60%, meaning many who got their first doses in May skipped the second shots. (McDaniel, McCarthy and Williams, 7/2)

The CT Mirror: CT Closes Mass Vaccination Sites, Efforts Shift To Vulnerable Populations
During the height of the pandemic, Hartford HealthCare’s vaccination site at the Connecticut Convention Center was administering 1,600 vaccines a day. On Wednesday — the last day of operation for state’s first mass vaccination center — that number had trickled to a mere 37 shots. (Altimari and Pananjady, 7/1)

The Baltimore Sun: With Crowds Gone, Maryland’s Mass COVID Vaccination Sites Reach The End Of The Line 
There were nurses, needles and all the other staff and equipment necessary to vaccinate thousands of people against COVID-19. At M&T Bank Stadium, one of the biggest of the state’s mass vaccination sites, the only things in short supply were arms. The drop in demand for shots has led Maryland officials to close this and another dozen or so mass vaccination sites. Friday is the end of the line for M&T. (Cohn, 7/2)

CNN: J&J Covid-19 Vaccine Lasts At Least 8 Months, Protects Against Delta Variant, Studies Find 
The Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine provides immunity that lasts at least eight months, and it appears to provide adequate protection against the worrying Delta variant, the company said in a statement Thursday night. "Current data for the eight months studied so far show that the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generates a strong neutralizing antibody response that does not wane; rather, we observe an improvement over time," Dr. Mathai Mammen, head of research and development at J&J's Janssen vaccine arm, said in a statement. (Fox, 7/1)

NPR: Johnson & Johnson's COVID Vaccine Is Effective Against The Delta Variant, Studies Find
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine offers strong protection against the delta variant of the coronavirus, the company said Thursday. And the protection appears to last at least eight months. The results follow similar announcements about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, in the fight against the fast-spreading delta strain. In one small laboratory study, researchers observed what happened to the blood of eight vaccinated individuals when it was exposed to the delta variant. And they found that antibodies and immune system cells in the blood were highly effective at neutralizing the virus. (Campbell, 7/1)

In other vaccine development news —

CIDRAP: MRNA Vaccines Ease Breakthrough COVID; Novavax Helps Block Variant 
The few adults who receive a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine but still become infected have a milder, shorter illness and lower viral RNA loads than their unvaccinated peers, finds a real-world US study yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The journal also features a UK study confirming that the Novavax vaccine offers 90% overall effectiveness and protects against the highly transmissible and potentially more deadly Alpha (B117) SARS-CoV-2 variant. (Van Beusekom, 7/1)

Fox News: COVID-19 Vaccines Reduce Viral Load, Severity In Breakthrough Cases, Studies Find
Fully vaccinated individuals who then go on to contract COVID-19 are likely to have milder symptoms, a shorter infection time and a lower viral load, ongoing studies suggest. The data, compiled by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers, included 3,975 participants across two studies, and saw just five fully vaccinated individuals develop SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to 156 unvaccinated individuals. The researchers also noted 11 infections among participants who were partially vaccinated. Participants who had been vaccinated had received either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines. Infections detected in fully vaccinated individuals are considered "breakthrough cases." Among those cases, researchers noted a viral load about 40% less than what was detected in unvaccinated individuals who had been infected. They also were only able to detect the virus in infected vaccinated individuals for about a week, whereas unvaccinated individuals remained infected for two or more weeks. (Hein, 7/1)

The Atlantic: Is Heart Inflammation A Hurdle To Vaccinating Kids?
The most reliable way to inflame the heart is to bother it with a virus. Many types of viruses can manage it—coxsackieviruses, flu viruses, herpesviruses, adenoviruses, even the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Some of these pathogens bust their way straight into cardiac tissue, damaging cells directly; others rile up the immune system so overzealously that the heart gets caught in the crossfire. Whatever the cause, the condition is typically mild, but can occasionally be severe enough to permanently compromise the heart, requiring lifesaving interventions including ventilators or organ transplants; in very rare cases, it’s fatal. (Wu, 7/1)

Politico: D.C. AG Subpoenas Facebook In Escalating Probe Of Covid-19 Misinformation 
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine has subpoenaed Facebook for records related to the platform’s handling of coronavirus misinformation as part of a previously undisclosed investigation into whether the tech giant is violating consumer protection laws. What he is demanding: Racine, a Democrat, is calling on Facebook to release by the end of next week an internal study it conducted looking into vaccine hesitancy among its users, as first revealed by news reports in March. (Lima, 7/1)

Bloomberg: Facebook Probe By DC Official Targets Vaccine Misinformation
Facebook Inc. is under investigation by the attorney general for the District of Columbia over whether it has taken adequate steps to curb the spread of misinformation about vaccines. Attorney General Karl Racine is seeking internal documents that show how the social media giant penalizes users who violate its misinformation policies around vaccines, as well as materials related to a Facebook study about vaccine hesitancy among users, according to a copy of a subpoena issued by Racine’s office last month. The subpoena also demanded data on the total volume of content that has been removed or demoted by Facebook for violating its vaccine misinformation policies. (Yaffe-Bellany, 7/1)

In updates on the origins of the coronavirus —

AP: Experts Question If WHO Should Lead Pandemic Origins Probe
As the World Health Organization draws up plans for the next phase of its probe of how the coronavirus pandemic started, an increasing number of scientists say the U.N. agency it isn’t up to the task and shouldn’t be the one to investigate. Numerous experts, some with strong ties to WHO, say that political tensions between the U.S. and China make it impossible for an investigation by the agency to find credible answers. They say what’s needed is a broad, independent analysis closer to what happened in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. (Cheng and Kang, 7/2)

Stat: Could Editing The Genomes Of Bats Prevent Future Pandemics? 
Amid the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, two researchers are proposing a drastic way to stop future pandemics: using a technology called a gene drive to rewrite the DNA of bats to prevent them from becoming infected with coronaviruses. The scientists aim to block spillover events, in which viruses jump from infected bats to humans — one suspected source of the coronavirus that causes Covid. Spillover events are thought to have sparked other coronavirus outbreaks as well, including SARS-1 in the early 2000s and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). (Hayden, 7/1)

In other covid research —

Reuters: Sick As A Dog? Pets Often Catch COVID From Humans, Study Finds 
If you think you have COVID-19, it might be best to stay away from your pets, says the author of a Dutch study that found a surprising number of dogs and cats may be getting infected. "About one out of five pets will catch the disease from their owners," said Dr Els Broens of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, although there are no known cases of the disease spreading from pets to humans. "Luckily, the animals do not get very ill from it." (7/1)

CIDRAP: COVID Spread In Households Early In The Pandemic
COVID-19 transmission was most commonly identified in households early on in the pandemic, but interviews also show an association with healthcare settings, according to a study yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. In a convenience sample of 202 COVID-19 patients from 16 states, the researchers looked at transmission factors from Jan 14 to Apr 4, 2020. COVID patients ranged from infantile (younger than 1 year) to 95 years. Almost all were symptomatic (96.5%), with symptoms more likely to develop in parents of index case-patients than other members, and one in three were hospitalized for symptoms. (7/1)

AP: Trump-Era Law On Surprise Medical Bills Advances Under Biden
The Biden administration on Thursday began putting in place consumer protections against “surprise” medical bills enacted in bipartisan legislation signed last year by former President Donald Trump. Regulations jointly issued by four federal agencies spell out protections for insured patients against surprise billing in medical emergencies, and unexpected charges from out-of-network doctors at an in-network facility. Out-of-network clinicians and service providers would also be barred from billing patients for the difference between their charges and what insurance paid. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/1)

CNN: Most Surprise Medical Bills To End Under New Rule
The interim final rule starts the process of filling out the No Surprises Act, a contentious and long-delayed bill Congress passed in December and former President Donald Trump signed into law after much lobbying from both insurers and providers. Subject to a 60-day comment period, the rule is the first of several the Biden administration will roll out to implement the law. Under the rule, patients would be responsible only for their in-network cost-sharing for both emergencies and certain non-emergencies where they are unable to choose in-network providers. (Luhby, 7/1)

Fox Business: Biden Begins Implementing Trump-Era Ban On Surprise Medical Bills
The rule, set to go into effect in 2022, bans surprise billing for emergency services, high out-of-network cost-sharing, out-of-network charges for ancillary care at an in-network facility, and other out-of-network charges without advance notice. "No patient should forgo care for fear of surprise billing," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "Health insurance should offer patients peace of mind that they won't be saddled with unexpected costs." (De Lea, 7/1)

In news from the Biden administration —

CNBC: Unemployed Can Now Get Zero-Premium Health Insurance Via Marketplace
Anyone who is receiving — or already received — unemployment benefits in 2021 could discover they now qualify for no-cost or low-cost private health insurance. As of Thursday, zero-premium health plans that come with minimal or no cost-sharing — i.e., deductibles and copays — are available through the Affordable Care Act marketplace to individuals collecting unemployment at any point this year. The financial help was authorized in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, which was signed into law in March by President Joe Biden. (O'Brien, 7/1)

The New York Times: Justice Dept. Pauses Federal Executions, Reversing Trump Policy
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Thursday imposed a moratorium on federal executions pending a review of the Justice Department’s policies and procedures, reversing the Trump administration’s decision to resume executions of federal death row inmates last year after a nearly two-decade hiatus. “The Department of Justice must ensure that everyone in the federal criminal justice system is not only afforded the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States, but is also treated fairly and humanely,” Mr. Garland said in a memo to Justice Department leaders. “That obligation has special force in capital cases.” (Benner, 7/1)

CIDRAP: ICE Has Worked To Address COVID, GAO Report Says
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has worked to develop responsive COVID-19 protocols around facility intake processes, screening and testing, social distancing, and more, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report published yesterday. In 2020, ICE tested 80,200 detainees for COVID-19, identified 8,622 cases (10.8%), and recorded 8 deaths. As part of its COVID response in 2020, the ICE also classified 14,729 detainees as high-risk, of whom 529 (3.6%) developed COVID-19 infections. As of March 2021, ICE confirmed more than 10,000 cases but the same number of deaths. (7/1)

The Hill: Biden EPA To Reassess Trump-Era Chemical Health Findings
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will reassess findings under the former Trump administration about the safety and use of several chemicals. In a statement released Wednesday, the EPA said it would make changes to the risk evaluation for the chemical 1,4-dioxane and may also add new information to evaluations for six others. (Frazin, 7/1)

ABC News: US Jobless Claims Fall To 364,000, A New Pandemic Low 
The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell again last week to the lowest level since the pandemic struck last year, further evidence that the job market and the broader economy are rebounding rapidly from the coronavirus recession. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims dropped by 51,000 to 364,000. Applications for unemployment benefits have fallen more or less steadily since the year began. The rollout of vaccines has sharply reduced new COVID-19 cases, giving consumers the confidence to shop, travel, eat out and attend public events as the economy recovers. (Wiseman, 7/1)

CNN: 'Never Give Up Hope': Biden Reprises Role As Consoler-In-Chief During South Florida Visit 
President Joe Biden, whose empathy amid loss is his chief political characteristic, traveled Thursday to console families in Florida enduring the excruciating search for loved ones inside a seaside condo that suddenly collapsed a week ago. "Never give up hope," he told the anguished relatives of those still missing, who had gathered in a hotel ballroom to hear from a President whose own reckoning with grief has colored his personal and political lives. Later, Biden told reporters the families were "going through hell" as they question whether they'll ever be able to recover their loved ones' remains. (Liptak, 7/1)

AP: 'Waiting Is Unbearable': Biden Consoles Surfside Families
The Bidens arrived in Florida a week after the collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South beachfront condominium killed at least 18 people and left 145 missing. Hundreds of first responders and search-and-rescue personnel have been painstakingly searching the pancaked rubble for potential signs of life. No one has been rescued since the first hours after the collapse. ... “There’s gonna be a lot of pain and anxiety and suffering and even the need for psychological help in the days and months that follow. And so, we’re not going anywhere,” Biden said. (Jaffe and Lemire, 7/1)

The Washington Post: Biden Talks Of His Own Anguish As He Meets Family Members In Florida 
President Biden on Thursday recalled the anguish of the hours after a car crash killed his first wife and infant daughter, and not knowing whether his two sons would survive — just as relatives now are desperately hoping their loved ones are still alive amid the rubble of a collapsed condo building. “It just brought back so many, so many memories,” Biden said, his tone serious, his cadence slow. “It’s bad enough. It’s bad enough to lose somebody. But the hard part, the really hard part, is to not know whether they’re surviving or not, just not having any idea.” (Sullivan and Gearan, 7/1)

Also —

NBC News: Miami Condo Collapse Stirs Painful Memories For Families Of 9/11 Victims
Monica Iken-Murphy has barely slept through the night since the collapse of Champlain Towers South last week. She has been glued to cable news coverage of the disaster every day, often breaking down in tears. She is experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The reports from the scene fill her with sorrow and rage. "It's pure torture for me," Iken-Murphy said in a phone interview Wednesday. The building collapse has devastated the community of Surfside, Florida, and gripped much of the nation. But the pain is particularly acute for Iken-Murphy, whose first husband was working inside the World Trade Center's South Tower on 9/11. (Arkin, 7/1)

NBC News: 72 Units Of Central Florida Condo Complex Deemed Unsafe, Residents Relocated
Residents at a condominium complex in Central Florida were forced to relocate Wednesday after an inspection deemed the structure unsafe because walkways were at risk of collapsing, authorities said. Osceola County officials said 72 units in multiple buildings were deemed safety threats at Images Condominiums in Kissimmee, about 20 miles south of Orlando. (Plan as, 7/1)

The Washington Post: House Passes $760 Billion Transportation And Water Bill, Making Its Pitch On Infrastructure
The House passed a roughly $760 billion transportation and water infrastructure bill Thursday, a measure that stakes out the chamber’s position in a debate over how to rebuild the nation’s roads, transit networks, water pipes and sewers. The package provides $343 billion for roads, bridges and safety programs, $109 billion for transit agencies and $95 billion for rail. It also includes $117 billion for drinking water programs and $51 billion for wastewater infrastructure. Amendments adopted over two days of debate added at least $44 billion to the bill’s price tag, mostly to support the adoption of electric vehicles. (Duncan and Laris, 7/1)

CNN: House Passes $715 Billion Transportation And Water Infrastructure Bill 
The vote was 221-201 with two Republicans voting with Democrats in favor. House Democrats say the bill -- known as the INVEST in America Act -- will deliver on key priorities in President Joe Biden's American Jobs Plan, and they hope the legislative text can be used to negotiate with the Senate and the White House to determine what specific policy proposals can be included as part of the recently announced bipartisan infrastructure framework. (Foran, 7/1)

The New York Times: House, Setting A Marker For Talks, Passes $715 Billion Infrastructure Bill
Democratic leaders see the bill as a baseline for talks with the Senate aimed at producing the largest investment in infrastructure since Dwight D. Eisenhower began the interstate highway system. The House measure, which would authorize a 50-percent increase over current spending levels, passed by a vote of 221-201, largely along party lines, a break from past infrastructure bills and a mark of how polarized Congress has become. It would devote $343 billion to roads, bridges and safety. Its $109 billion for transit would increase federal spending by 140 percent. An investment of $168 billion in funds for wastewater and drinking water includes a new program to forgive the unpaid water bills of Americans struggling through the pandemic, and then to help pay bills in the future, much as the government helps pay home heating and air conditioning costs. (Weisman, 7/1)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

Politico: CBO Projects $3T Budget Gap This Year Thanks To Pandemic
The federal budget gap will widen to $3 trillion this year, nearly triple the shortfall recorded just two years ago as the pandemic continues to grow the deficit, the Congressional Budget Office said in its latest 10-year projections released Thursday. The shortfall is significantly wider compared with earlier projections, due to enactment of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package which Democrats approved in March without Republican support. (Emma, 7/1)

Roll Call: GOP Anti-Abortion Riders In Foreign Aid Bill Fall Short 
After several hours of debate and votes on 10 amendments, House Appropriators on Thursday advanced to the floor annual foreign aid spending legislation that would make history with its repeal of a decades-old anti-abortion provision and significant increases in family planning funding. That’s if the language can survive contentious negotiations in the Senate where lawmakers who support abortion rights will need to contend with the Republican filibuster, which could lead to the watering down of the abortion access provisions that House Democrats are proudly championing this budget cycle. (Oswald, 7/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Upholds Arizona Election Rules 
The Supreme Court upheld a pair of Arizona voting rules against Democratic claims that the state discriminated against minority voters, a decision that could make it more difficult to challenge new state efforts to tighten election regulations. The court, in a 6-3 opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, ruled Arizona was on solid legal ground in enforcing rules that prohibit third parties from collecting mail-in ballots and disallow votes cast in the wrong precinct. (Kendall and Bravin, 7/1)

The Hill: Kagan Rips Colleagues In Blistering 41-Page Voting Rights Dissent 
Justice Elena Kagan ripped her conservative colleagues on the Supreme Court on Thursday in a blistering 41-page dissent, accusing them of ignoring the legislative intent of the 1965 Voting Rights Act as well as the high court’s own precedents. ... Kagan said the court in its 6-3 decision penned by stalwart conservative Justice Samuel Alito gave “a cramped reading” to the “broad language” of the voting law and used that reading to uphold two Arizona voting restrictions “that discriminate against minority voters.” One is a 2016 Arizona law that prohibits the transporting of another person’s absentee ballot to election officials unless done by a family member or caregiver, a practice which critics call “ballot harvesting” but proponents say is necessary to give voters with limited mobility or in remote areas access to the polls.

The Hill: Supreme Court Ruling Shocks Voting Rights Activists, Academics
Political scientists and voting rights advocates reacted with horror on Thursday after the Supreme Court upheld two Republican-backed voting restrictions in Arizona, the latest in a series of blows the high court has dealt to the 1965 Voting Rights Act under Chief Justice John Roberts. One of the Arizona provisions allowed election officials to discard provisional ballots cast if a voter showed up at the wrong precinct. Another barred so-called ballot harvesting, when third-party groups collect and deliver absentee ballots. (Wilson, 7/1)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Board To Investigate Working Conditions At Pharmacies After Hundreds Complain 
The Missouri Board of Pharmacy is forming a task force to examine working conditions inside pharmacies across the state, after hundreds of pharmacists alleged they have been overworked, pressured to meet corporate metrics and haven’t had time to fill prescriptions safely. Some said they were at times unable to take a break or go to the restroom during shifts. “I’ve heard pharmacists say that they don’t drink anything before they go on shift because they’re afraid they may not get a bathroom break,” said Ron Fitzwater, CEO of the Missouri Pharmacy Association. “That’s not even healthy, much less a good business practice.” (Merrilees, 7/1)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Worker Shortages Are Real In The Philly Region’s Nursing Homes
Nursing homes have long had a problem attracting staff. Now, arguably, it’s gotten harder. As employers in just about every service industry struggle to hire workers, nursing home operators in New Jersey are facing a special challenge of increased staffing requirements for nursing assistants under a law that took effect Feb. 1. The new standard requires one certified nursing assistant for every eight residents during the day, with lower ratios for evening and night shifts. Increasing staff is seen as a clear way to improve care for patients. The New Jersey Department of Health has already cited eight facilities for not meeting the regulation. (Brubaker, 7/2)

Dallas Morning News: Nurses To Gather In Dallas Over Complaints Against Tenet Healthcare
Striking nurses from Massachusetts will travel to Tenet Healthcare’s Dallas headquarters on Wednesday to deliver a petition calling out the hospital company’s “complete disdain for its nurses” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nurses, along with the Massachusetts Nurses Association, plan to make a direct appeal to Tenet CEO Ronald Rittenmeyer to address what they call a patient safety crisis at the company’s St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester caused by a lack of sufficient PPE and understaffing. The group decided to come to Dallas after Tenet threatened to permanently replace the striking nurses. (Lieberman, 7/1)

Modern Healthcare: As Nurses Strike, U.S. Lawmakers Demand Details Into Tenet's COVID-19 Grants
Four Massachusetts Democratic lawmakers are demanding that Tenet Healthcare disclose how it spent COVID-19 relief funds, accusing the health system of enriching its executives and shareholders instead of supporting its providers and communities. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Edward Markey, Rep. Jim McGovern and Rep. Lori Trahan blast the company for accepting federal money while shortchanging its workers, including nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, who currently are on strike. (Bannow, 7/1)

The New York Times: Frontline Health Care Workers Aren’t Feeling the ‘Summer of Joy’
A largely unmasked nation will celebrate the nation’s return to near-normalcy this weekend with a ticker-tape parade in New York City, a dazzling fireworks display over the Washington Monument and countless Independence Day gatherings in cities and towns across the country. “A summer of freedom. A summer of joy,” is how the White House tried to promote a new national mood in a letter encouraging local officials to hold public events during the July 4th holiday. ... But the summer is turning out to be fairly joyless in places like CoxHealth Medical Center in Springfield, Mo., where nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists have been grappling with a resurgence in coronavirus cases that forced the hospital to reopen the 80-bed Covid unit it had shuttered in May. (Jacobs, 7/1)

In other news about health care personnel —

Modern Healthcare: Medical Societies, Associations Silent On Vaccine Mandates
When Penn Medicine announced its vaccine mandate May 19, the health system didn't do so because it had received guidance from professional medical societies or national trade associations. At the time, they hadn't made any. "Professional societies' positions have not come into play honestly. Not many have staked out a position," said Dr. Patrick Brennan, chief medical officer and senior vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which is part of Penn Medicine. "It's not that it didn't matter. We would have liked to have them on board." (Christ, 7/1)

The Washington Post: A Doctor Was Penalized For Wearing Hoop Earrings During Her Med School Exam 
How do you define “professionalism” in the workplace? That’s a conversation being had among women of color in medicine after a tweet about a Latina doctor being docked for wearing hoop earrings during a practical exam in medical school went viral. For Briana Christophers, a fourth-year MD-PhD student at the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program in New York, the story resonated. “There’s a big movement to police women of color and how they present themselves in medical spaces,” said Christophers, who identifies as Latina. “I think in part it’s as a way of trying to make people who don’t usually fit the mold, fit the mold.” (Hatzipanagos, 7/1)

Stat: In New Role At Maven, Neel Shah Wants To Ensure New Parents Aren’t ‘Lost’
When celebrated Boston OB-GYN Neel Shah first learned of the chance to help build a health platform that could impact hundreds of times more babies than he could ever deliver, he thought he had just the right person for the job. But after fully planning to recommend the position — as the first chief medical officer of maternal and family virtual care platform Maven Clinic — to a colleague, Shah decided it was a job he personally couldn’t pass up. He hopes to use the title, which he made official on Thursday, to develop a scalable service that fosters trust while delivering more equitable care. (Brodwin, 7/1)

Stat: Old Medicare Rules Threaten Access To Home Medical Equipment 
Pandemic-related breaks in global supply chains for drugs and essential medical supplies are affecting the more than 4.5 million people who receive health care at home and the companies they count on to provide and service their oxygen machines, wheelchairs, hospital-style beds, prosthetic devices, and other durable home medical equipment. Compounding the crisis are federal rules that have long underpaid companies providing home medical equipment and that are now forcing them to swallow the pandemic-related cost increases they’re facing. If those rules don’t change, countless people could lose access to home care. (Marx, 7/2)

In news about digital health care —

Stat: How A Flurry Of Deals Is Shaping The New Digital Health Landscape
Teladoc’s blockbuster merger with Livongo in 2020 would’ve been unthinkable just a few years ago. Health technology companies didn’t typically command enormous valuations, and they certainly didn’t sell for $18.5 billion. The deal’s timing, in the depths of the pandemic, wasn’t just fortuitous for Livongo and Teladoc shareholders. Rather, it set the stage for a wave of mergers and acquisitions that have ultimately ushered in a new era in virtual care. (Brodwin, 7/2)

Modern Healthcare: Shifting Priorities Stall Insurers' Digital Transformation
Health insurers are digitizing their operations by taking notes from, say, people who shop at Warby Parker. But while member claims can provide a window into a patient's health, personalizing coverage and healthcare is not as simple as picking up a pair of spectacles. A recent Deloitte survey of 35 technology leaders at health plans with 50,000 members or more highlighted this challenge, with 49% of respondents saying a lack of clear vision around how to best engage patients and providers presents the biggest blind spot in their digital transformation. (Tepper, 7/1)

Modern Healthcare: FTC Antitrust Probes Eye Hospitals, PBMs And Drug Companies
The Federal Trade Commission is focusing its antitrust sights on the healthcare industry, primarily hospitals, drug companies and pharmacy benefit managers. The agency on Thursday voted to prioritize investigations into healthcare, tech and digital platforms over the next decade and authorized the use of subpoenas and other "compulsory" methods to obtain information. No further details were announced about specific companies it would investigate. (Hellmann, 7/1)

In other health care industry news —

Axios: COVID-19 Vaccines Raise Walgreens' Foot Traffic, Profits 
Walgreens has given out 25 million COVID-19 vaccinations in its stores this year, including 17 million from March through May. Walgreens executives said the vaccines were the main reason why the company recorded higher foot traffic, sales and profits in the quarter. But this boost may be short-lived, as demand for vaccines has slowed down considerably since late April. (Herman, 7/1)

Axios: Drug And Device Companies Slow Down Doctor Payments During Pandemic 
Pharmaceutical and medical device companies paid $9.1 billion in consulting fees, hotel stays, meals and royalties to physicians and teaching hospitals in 2020, a 16% drop from 2019, according to new data released by the federal government. The industry reeled back payments as the pandemic halted travel, speakers' programs and other junkets. But experts say, and data show, that the billions of dollars still may create inappropriate relationships and sway doctors to prescribe those companies' medications and devices. (Herman, 7/1)

North Carolina Health News: Patients, Providers Wait To See How Medicaid Managed Care Goes 
Dave Richard woke up at midnight on July 1, sent a few emails to legislators and to people on his work team, and went back to sleep. It was a rather unremarkable evening, and by his account, a peaceful sleep for Richard, given that something remarkable was happening. Midnight was the time that the state’s Medicaid plan made the big switchover from being a state-run and managed program to care for millions of low income North Carolinians to being a program managed by private insurance companies. (Hoban, 7/2)

Modern Healthcare: HCA Closes On Brookdale Majority Stake. Here Are Five Things To Know
HCA Healthcare said Thursday it has closed on its purchase, announced in February, of a majority stake in Brookdale Senior Living's home health, hospice and outpatient therapy arm. Here are five things to know: 1) Nashville-based HCA bought an 80% equity stake in Brookdale Health Care Services for $400 million. Brookdale owns the remaining 20%. 2) Going forward, HCA and Brookdale Senior Living will operate Brookdale Health Care Services as a joint venture, which HCA says will boost quality, patient experience and access to services. (Bannow, 7/1)

WSB-TV Channel 2- Atlanta: Judge Says Class-Action Lawsuit Against Atlanta-Based Health Share Ministry Can Go Forward 
A federal judge has ruled that a class-action lawsuit can move forward against an Atlanta company Channel 2 Action News has been investigating for more than two years. Aliera Companies has always maintained it is not an insurance company. That’s how it avoids following federal and state rules and laws that governor insurers. But a judge disagreed. (Gray, 7/1)

KHN: Hospital Prices Must Now Be Transparent. For Many Consumers, They’re Still Anyone’s Guess. 
A colonoscopy might cost you or your insurer a few hundred dollars — or several thousand, depending on which hospital or insurer you use. Long hidden, such price variations are supposed to be available in stark black and white under a Trump administration price transparency rule that took effect at the start of this year. It requires hospitals to post a range of actual prices — everything from the rates they offer cash-paying customers to costs negotiated with insurers. (Appleby, 7/2)

Stat: Scientists Create A Temporary Pacemaker That Can Be Absorbed By The Body
Scientists have designed a temporary, battery-free pacemaker that can be broken down by the patient’s body when its work is done, the latest advance in the emerging field of bioelectronics. In a paper published this week in Nature Biotechnology, researchers report that the device reliably kept the heart’s pace in check in tests on mice, rats, and other animals, as well as in human heart tissue in a dish. And while the research is still in the early stages, the scientists say the pacemaker was able to overcome key limitations of existing devices. (Lin, 7/2)

Stat: Researchers Question Genetic Risk Scores To Pick ‘Healthier’ Embryos
As more people turn to in vitro fertilization for help with conceiving, a host of companies is capitalizing on the opportunity by offering screening services that allow hopeful parents to select embryos least likely to result in a baby with genetic abnormalities or life-threatening diseases. But in a report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, a group of researchers is questioning the strength and ethical implications of such risk screening services, especially as some companies seem to be pushing beyond disease prediction to screen for traits such as cognitive ability. (Lopez, 7/1)

Stat: Regeneron's George Yancopoulos Talks CRISPR, Obesity, And Antibodies
The discovery of a rare genetic mutation that seems to protect certain people from becoming obese may one day lead to drugs that can help people lose weight or prevent other complications like diabetes and heart disease, said Regeneron Pharmaceuticals co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos. Regeneron scientists and other collaborators published new findings about this protective mutation in the journal Science. (Tirrell, Feuerstein and Garde, 7/2)

And in pharmaceutical industry news —

Stat: U.S. Cancer Drug Prices Were Higher At Launch Than In 3 European Countries
In the latest bid to compare drug costs, a new study finds that prices for dozens of cancer medicines were substantially higher when introduced into the U.S. market compared with three wealthy European countries — and they continued to climb at a rate faster than inflation over a decade. At the same time, the prices in those three other countries — Germany, England, and Switzerland — decreased after accounting for inflation. Moreover, there was no association found between the clinical benefit of the 65 solid tumor and blood cancer medicines, the launch prices, or subsequent price changes in any of the countries, according to the study in JAMA Oncology. (Silverman, 7/1)

AP: Does New Alzheimer's Drug Work? Answers May Miss 2030 Target
When a controversial Alzheimer’s drug won U.S. approval, surprise over the decision quickly turned to shock at how long it might take to find out if it really works — nine years. Drugmaker Biogen has until 2030 to complete a study confirming whether its new drug Aduhelm truly slows the brain-destroying disease. That’s under the terms of the Food and Drug Administration’s conditional approval of the drug, a decision that has been praised by patients as overdue and condemned by the agency’s own outside experts. But both camps agree: 2030 is far too long to wait for answers on the $56,000-a-year drug. (Perrone, 7/1)

Bloomberg: Carcinogens Still Vex Drug Industry Years After Recalls Began
Years after millions of blood-pressure pills were recalled for containing potentially cancer-causing chemicals, U.S. regulators are still grappling with curbing contaminants that keep turning up in tainted drugs. A task force of Food and Drug Administration chemists, toxicologists and analytical lab staff have been meeting regularly since 2018 to find out how the chemicals, called nitrosamines, get into drugs, how widespread the issue is -- and how to eliminate them from medicines. (Edney, 7/1)

Stat: Nestlé To Split Profits From Seres Microbiome Drug, If Approved
Seres Therapeutics has announced a new deal with its longtime partner, Nestlé Health Science, to bring Seres’ lead experimental microbiome drug to the U.S. market. That drug, SER-109, has been tested to treat the potentially lethal bacteria C. difficile. The deal, announced Thursday, is worth $175 million upfront, with more than $300 million more in milestone payments. Each company will split the profits from the drug sales down the middle. (Sheridan, 7/1)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Un-Trumping The ACA 
The Biden administration this week proposed a series of changes aimed at boosting insurance enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, undoing changes made by the Trump administration and adding a few new ones. Meanwhile, Congress is launching investigations of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Aduhelm, a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease that may (or may not) slow its progression. The drug’s price — an estimated $56,000 per year — and the fact that most Alzheimer’s patients are on Medicare mean the federal program could end up footing most of the drug’s bill, threatening the finances of the rest of the health program. (7/1)

In news about opioids and other drug use —

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Cabell County, Huntington Rests At Opioid Trial; Judge Weighs Defense's Dismissal Request
After resting its months-long case in which the city of Huntington and Cabell County accused drug distributors of helping to cause the opioid crisis in the area, the municipalities faced their biggest obstacle Thursday — satisfying an inquisitive judge. The trial stemmed from the local governments’ accusations against AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health and McKesson Co., which they accuse of fueling the opioid epidemic by shipping 127.9 million dosage units of opioids to the community over eight years, before a reduction of shipments made people with substance use disorder turn to illicit drugs. (Hessler, 7/1)

Axios: States Want To Study Possible Mental Health Benefits Of Psychedelics 
More states are opening the door to psychedelics, with seven states already passing laws over the last several months to allow research or decriminalize its use and another 11 considering similar measures. There's a growing body of research suggesting psychedelic compounds with psychotherapy can be effective for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder where other therapies have failed. (Fernandez, 7/2)

KHN: California Lawmakers Push Feds To Allow A Therapy That Pays Meth Users To Abstain
In his multiple attempts to overcome a methamphetamine addiction that ground through two decades of his life, Tyrone Clifford Jr. remembers well the closest he came. “The most success I had,” he said, “is when my dealer was in jail.” Then Clifford walked into a rehab clinic in San Francisco called PROP, the Positive Reinforcement Opportunity Project. There, he encountered an approach so simple he sounds slightly bemused explaining it. The secret? The program paid him to show up and stay clean. (Kreidler, 7/2)

CBS News: Hundreds Of Deaths Blamed On Heat Wave In U.S. And Canada 
Hundreds of deaths in Canada and the U.S. are being blamed on a historic heatwave broiling the West.  About 100 deaths have been confirmed so far in the Western U.S., while in British Columbia, Canada, nearly 500 sudden deaths have been reported. Officials believe the fatalities are likely linked to the extreme weather. "I worried that people were just going to think of it as a nuisance but it really has been life-threatening," said Multnomah County health officer Dr. Jennifer Vines. (Luciano, 7/1)

AP: Hundreds Believed Dead In Heat Wave Despite Efforts To Help
Many of the dead were found alone, in homes without air conditioning or fans. Some were elderly — one as old as 97. The body of an immigrant farm laborer was found in an Oregon nursery. As forecasters warned of a record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada last weekend, officials set up cooling centers, distributed water to the homeless and took other steps. Still, hundreds of people are believed to have died from Friday to Tuesday. (Selsky, 7/2)

The Oregonian: Heat-Related Death Toll Rises To 79 In Oregon 
The Oregon State medical examiner on Thursday reported another 16 deaths likely due to heat, bringing the statewide toll from the spate of extreme weather to 79. In Multnomah County, a total of 52 deaths are now linked to the severe heat. The preliminary cause of death is hyperthermia, county officials said. (Crombie, 7/1)

The Oregonian: Gov. Brown Was Unaware Of Heat Deaths During Oregon’s Reopening Celebration 
As the state celebrated its grand reopening Wednesday in Portland, medical examiners were working on a grim tally of the lives lost during Oregon’s record-breaking heat wave. “Welcome back, Oregon,” Brown said, as she ended her speech at Providence Park around noon Wednesday, pumping her fist in the air. “Let’s make it happen.” (Acker, 7/1)

Also —

Reuters: U.S. West Faces Little-Known Effect Of Raging Wildfires: Contaminated Water
Early this spring, water bills arrived with notes urging Fort Collins Utilities customers to conserve. The Colorado customers may have thought the issue was persistent drought in the U.S. West. But the problem was not the quantity of water available. It was the quality. Utilities are increasingly paying attention to a little-known impact of large-scale fires: water contamination. (Bryson, 7/1)

WLRN 91.3 FM: Health Effects Of Extreme Heat Underscore Equity Gap 
In May, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava appointed a chief heat officer. The position is the first of its kind statewide and nationally. Levine Cava says the role was created due to the rising heat index and its disproportionately adverse effects on marginalized communities in South Florida. The rising heat index is part of the overarching issue of climate change in South Florida. Extreme heat affects all Floridians on some level. (Salazar, 7/1)

The Washington Post: CDC Probes How People Contracted Dangerous Infection Found In Tropics Without Leaving U.S. 
When a 63-year-old Texas man who had not left the United States in 30 years sought treatment for a fever, chest pain and difficulty breathing in November 2018, doctors discovered a surprising culprit: a bacteria that is endemic to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Nearly three years later, doctors and researchers remained flummoxed by the man’s melioidosis diagnosis, because nothing in his medical or personal history suggested that he had been exposed to soil or water infected with the disease-causing bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei. (Shepherd, 7/1)

CIDRAP: CDC Issues Alert About 3 US Melioidosis Cases
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday warned health providers about three melioidosis cases involving patients in three states that appear to be linked, though investigators are still looking for the source. In a Health Advisory Network (HAN) notice, the CDC said the patients affected by the rare infections don't have a foreign travel history. They are from Kansas, Texas, and Missouri. Two are adults, and one is a child. The first illness was identified in March, and the patient—who had underlying risk factors—died. Two others were identified in May, and one is still hospitalized, while the other was discharged to a rehabilitation facility. (7/1)

In other public health news —

NPR: Pinterest Bans All Weight Loss Ads
Pinterest is saying goodbye to weight loss ads. It's banning them altogether, becoming the first major social platform to do so. The National Eating Disorders Association guided Pinterest in updating its policy as searches for healthy eating, healthy lifestyle and fitness tips grew within the past year. "A lot of people are facing challenges related to body image and mental health, particularly as we're emerging from COVID restrictions," says Sarah Bromma, the company's head of policy. "People are now feeling added pressure to rejoin their social circles in person for the first time in a year." (Sicurella, 7/1)

NPR: Boy Scouts Of America Reaches Historic Settlement With Sexual Abuse Survivors
The Boy Scouts of America has reached an $850 million settlement with more than 60,000 men who sued the iconic institution over alleged sexual abuse by adults in scouting over several decades. The agreement, announced on Thursday, is the first legal settlement in a long list of lawsuits against the Boy Scouts, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2020. (Romo, 7/2)

The New York Times: Teenager In ‘Slender Man’ Stabbing Is Ordered Released From Mental Hospital 
A Wisconsin judge on Thursday ordered a 19-year-old woman released from a psychiatric hospital where she has been held for more than three years for her role in the nearly fatal stabbing of a friend, a crime she said was carried out to gain the favor of a sinister fictional character called Slender Man. The 2014 attack, involving a pair of 12-year-old girls from Waukesha, Wis., who lured a 12-year-old friend to a park and stabbed her 19 times, shocked parents in the upper-middle-class suburb of Milwaukee. (Paybarah, 7/1)

AP: Report: Fatal Assisted Living Fire Linked To Cleaning Ritual 
A father and son charged in a deadly fire at a suburban New York assisted living facility had been performing a pre-Passover cleaning ritual that involves heating kitchen utensils to burn off traces of forbidden food, the Journal News reported. It remains unclear what specific role Rabbi Nathaniel Sommer of Monsey and his son, Aaron Sommer, allegedly played in the March 23 fire at Evergreen Court Home for Adults in Spring Valley that killed a resident and a firefighter, the newspaper reported. (7/1)

NBC News: Florida's Ban On Vaccination Proof Requirements Complicates U.S. Cruise Line Comeback
Despite the law, two of the biggest cruise lines, Carnival and Norwegian have decided to impose proof-of-vaccination requirements, according to information published on their websites. Violations of the Florida law come with a maximum $5,000 penalty per violation. “No corporation is above the law,” DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said in an email. “A couple of the biggest cruise lines have revised their policies, and we expect others to follow their example.” (Siemaszko, Watkins and Morris-Guity, 7/1)

Also —

The Advocate: Reports: LSU's Sha'Carri Richardson Tests Positive For Marijuana, Might Not Run 100 At Tokyo Olympics
U.S. track and field star Sha'Carri Richardson, a former runner at LSU, failed a drug test and could miss the Olympic Games this month in Tokyo, according to multiple media reports. The news broke Thursday and was first reported by the Jamaica Gleaner, a leading newspaper in that country. It was later confirmed by Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Tyler Dragon. Quoting a source, Dragon reported that Richardson did not test positive for a performance-enhancing drug but for marijuana. (Dragon, 7/1)

Reuters: High Levels Of Cancer-Causing Chemical Found In Parts Of Houston -Report 
High levels of a cancer-causing chemical have been detected in air monitors in Houston neighborhoods near the busiest U.S. petrochemical port, according to a report issued on Thursday by Houston health officials and environmental groups. The report by the Houston Health Department and One Breath Partnership said concentrations of formaldehyde were found at levels 13 times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s minimum level for health threats. (Seba, 7/1)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Urges TCEQ To Tighten Emissions Rules Following Study Of Formaldehyde In City's Air
Residents who live along the Houston Ship Channel are more likely to develop cancer and other health issues than the average population, according to city officials and a coalition of environmental groups that found heightened levels of formaldehyde during a recent year-long air monitoring study. The federally funded study measured formaldehyde levels from September 2019 through September 2020 at sites in Cloverleaf, Galena Park and just east of Channelview. All three sites registered concentrations of formaldehyde, a potent carcinogen, that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s baseline of 0.17 parts per billion — the point at which air pollutants would generate one additional cancer case per million people. (Scherer, 7/1)

In news from California —

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Backs New Restrictions On Homeless Encampments
Over the objections of activists, advocacy groups and two of their colleagues, Los Angeles City Council members on Thursday approved a new package of restrictions on encampments near homeless shelters, day-care centers and an array of other public facilities. With some arguing the measure would further criminalize homelessness and others saying the city took too long to act, council members voted 13 to 2 to enact rules regulating sitting, sleeping and storing property near fire hydrants, building entrances, driveways, libraries, parks, elementary schools and several other locations. (Zahniser and Oreskes, 7/1)

Bay Area News Group: Federal Agency Demands Closure Of Massive San Jose Homeless Camp
Federal officials are demanding San Jose shut down one of the Bay Area’s largest homeless encampments, complicating an already tense situation as pandemic rules relax and local agencies take a more critical look at the region’s growing tent cities and shantytowns. The Federal Aviation Administration says the city needs to remove hundreds of people camped on vacant land near the Mineta San Jose International Airport or risk losing federal funding for future airport projects — a threat airport representatives worry could have “significant financial implications.” (Kendall, 7/1)

AP: California Homicides Jump 31% In 2020, Most In 13 Years
Homicides in California jumped 31% last year, making it the deadliest year since 2007, and Black people accounted for nearly one-third of all victims as the nation’s most populous state struggled with the coronavirus pandemic and concerns over racial injustice, according to reports released Thursday. The 2,202 homicides last year were 523 more than in 2019, while the rate increased by a similar margin — from 4.2 to 5.5 homicides per 100,000 people. (Thompson, 7/2)

KHN: Unprecedented Lobbying Effort Scores Big Win For California Public Health
After more than a decade of fruitless entreaties from public health advocates, Democratic lawmakers have secured a landmark agreement that promises $300 million a year in new state funding to fortify and reimagine California’s hollowed-out public health system, a complex network of services shouldered largely by the state’s 61 local health departments. The deal, outlined this week as the Democratic-controlled legislature approved a record $262.6 billion state budget for fiscal year 2021-22, marked a dramatic reversal for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had rebuffed requests the past three years to bolster annual spending on public health, arguing that federal funding would suffice. At Newsom’s insistence, the infusion for public health won’t kick in until July 2022. (Hart, 7/2)

In news from Alaska —

Anchorage Daily News: Budget Politics Threaten Alaska’s Federally Funded Health Insurance Relief Program
The Alaska House of Representatives reversed course June 28 to make sure the whole state government won’t shut down July 1, but politics will still leave many longstanding and broadly popular programs unfunded for the foreseeable future, including one that has been successful in reducing private health insurance premiums. Legislators on the budget conference committee attempted to pressure their colleagues to vote for Permanent Fund dividends of about $1,100 per person by tying the larger amount to funding the Power Cost Equalization subsidy for rural residents, the state’s school bond debt payments to local governments and $114 million in oil and gas tax credits; paying the oil and gas tax credits has been supported by many of the Republican advocates for larger PFDs. (Brehmer, 7/1)

AP: India Confirms 400K Dead, Half In Past 2 Months
India has confirmed 400,000 deaths from COVID-19, half of them in the past two months as the virulent delta variant infected hundreds of thousands daily. Still, the grim figure announced Friday is believed to be a fraction of the true total. It is second only to the United States and Brazil. (7/2)

Fox News: 'Black Fungus' Infections Robbing India's COVID-19 Survivors Of Sight
Thousands of COVID-19 patients in India have been diagnosed with mucormycosis, or so-called "black fungus" that’s leaving some with vision loss. The rare but serious fungal infection is caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes, which live throughout the environment and typically do not agitate otherwise healthy people, but can be problematic in those who have health issues or take medications that lower the body’s ability to fight off germs and sickness. In India, a health care system overwhelmed by recent coronavirus surges and short medical supplies may be contributing to the spread, as may attempts to treat COVID-19 with steroids in patients with undetected or uncontrolled diabetes. (Hein, 7/1)

Axios: The Growing Threat Of Drug-Resistant, Invasive Fungi 
Large numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations and more immunocompromised people in general are fueling a global spread of a different threatening microbe: invasive fungi. These infections cause more than 1.6 million deaths worldwide every year, and the microorganisms responsible for them are starting to evade the small supply of antifungal drugs. (O'Reilly, 7/1)

In other global developments —

Bloomberg: 6 Fully Vaccinated People Died Of Covid-19 In Seychelles, Most-Vaccinated Nation
The coronavirus has killed six fully vaccinated people in the Seychelles, which is suffering heightened Covid-19 infections despite inoculating a greater proportion of its people than any other nation. Of those, five had taken Covishield, a version of the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine made in India, and one had been given Sinopharm, Jude Gedeon, the island nation’s public health commissioner said at a press conference on Thursday. Covishield has mainly been reserved for people over 60 in the Seychelles. All of those who died had serious underlying conditions, he said. (Gappy and Sguazzin, 7/1)

AP: Africa's COVID-19 Envoy Blasts EU, COVAX Over Vaccine Crisis
The African Union special envoy tasked with leading efforts to procure COVID-19 vaccines for the continent is blasting Europe as Africa struggles amid a crushing third surge of infections, saying Thursday that “not one dose, not one vial, has left a European factory for Africa.” Strive Masiyiwa also took aim at the global effort meant to distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries, accusing COVAX of withholding crucial information including that key donors hadn’t met funding pledges. He didn’t name which donors. (Anna, 7/1)

CNN: Vaccine Inequality Is Hurting Asia's Poor -- And The Rest Of The World 
Crowded factories in Asia's manufacturing hubs seemed curiously immune to coronavirus as it spread through most of the world last year. By the end of 2020, Thailand and Vietnam had reported fewer than 200 deaths between them, and Cambodia and Laos didn't report any at all. But that changed this spring as many parts of Asia battled stubborn Covid-19 outbreaks that have infiltrated factories and other businesses critical to the global supply chain, threatening to disrupt the already strained flow of international trade. (Yeung, 7/1)

Bloomberg: Thailand Needs Sinovac Vaccine Due To AstraZeneca Exports To Meet Goal
Thailand won’t be able to meet its monthly vaccination target of 10 million doses as deliveries from AstraZeneca Plc, the backbone of its inoculation program, will be 40% to 50% fewer than expected because some supplies are allotted for export. AstraZeneca will deliver 5 million to 6 million doses per month for use in Thailand starting in July because a portion of local production by Siam Bioscience Ltd., its manufacturing partner in Southeast Asia, will be shipped to other countries in the region, Nakorn Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute, said at a seminar on Friday, citing a letter from the company. (Thanthong-Knight, 7/2)

CNBC: Three Middle East Countries Led The World On Vaccines Early. Then They Went In Different Directions
Vaccination campaigns in several Middle East nations raced ahead of the rest of the world at the beginning of 2021. Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain topped the list when it came to doses administered per 100 people at the start of the year. Six months later, all three are still among the top 10 most vaccinated countries — but charts show their Covid infection trends have varied greatly. (Ng, 7/2)

Bloomberg: Wuhan Lab's Last–And Only–Foreign Scientist Speaks Out On Covid Origins Debate
Danielle Anderson was working in what has become the world’s most notorious laboratory just weeks before the first known cases of Covid-19 emerged in central China. Yet, the Australian virologist still wonders what she missed. An expert in bat-borne viruses, Anderson is the only foreign scientist to have undertaken research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s BSL-4 lab, the first in mainland China equipped to handle the planet’s deadliest pathogens. Her most recent stint ended in November 2019, giving Anderson an insider’s perspective on a place that’s become a flashpoint in the search for what caused the worst pandemic in a century. (Fay Cortez, 6/27)

AP: Amish Put Faith In God's Will And Herd Immunity Over Vaccine
When health care leaders in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country began laying out a strategy to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, they knew it would be a tough sell with the Amish, who tend to be wary of preventive shots and government intervention. Early on, they posted flyers at farm supply stores and at auctions where the Amish sell handmade furniture and quilts. They sought advice from members of the deeply religious and conservative sect, who told them not to be pushy. And they asked three newspapers widely read by the Amish to publish ads promoting the vaccine. Two refused. (Seewer, 6/28)

The New York Times: 8-Year-Olds In Despair: The Mental Health Crisis Is Getting Younger 
When Marie, 11, called a suicide prevention hotline in October, nobody saw it coming. Not even Marie herself, who had been bottling up feelings of loneliness and sadness for months without telling anyone. Her relationships with some of her closest friends had started to suffer when school went online last year, and she worried about losing other people in her life, too. What if they moved away? What if they died? (Caron, 6/28)

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The New York Times: ‘Death Doulas’ Provide Aid At The End Of Life
As parents of a child with a progressive and potentially fatal illness, Maryanne and Nick O’Hara lived on hope. Hope that their daughter, Caitlin, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age 2, would prove the statistics wrong and live longer than the 46 years expected. Hope that she would receive the lung transplant she spent two and a half years waiting for in her early 30s. Hope that her body wouldn’t reject it. That hope faded on Dec. 20, 2016, when Caitlin O’Hara died of a brain bleed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, two days post-transplant. She was 33.Shattered, her mother decided to try to give meaning to her grief. And so she signed up for a certificate program at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine to become an end-of-life doula, or “death doula,” working with individuals and families as they moved from this life into whatever is next. (The terms “end-of-life doula” and “death doula” are used interchangeably, though some find the latter a little too blunt.) (Ellin, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Two Co-Workers Donate Kidneys To Each Other’s Husbands 
Tia Wimbush and Susan Ellis have been co-workers for a decade, and while they didn’t know each other well, they learned two years ago that their spouses each needed a kidney transplant. Then in August, something remarkable happened. The women saw each other in a restroom at work and started chatting as they washed their hands. They had a lot in common, both working in information technology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and dealing with the same medical stress at home. (Free, 6/29)

The Washington Post: Eating Disorder Experts Say This Jaw-Locking Weight-Loss Device Is Dangerous 
Researchers in New Zealand and the United Kingdom said they were fighting the “obesity epidemic” — by locking people’s jaws 2 millimeters from shut via a magnetic contraption installed in the mouth. The goal is to restrict wearers to a liquid-only diet. The device has an emergency key to unlock it — just in case users have a panic attack or choke. (Anders, 6/29)

ABC News: 'A Bully In Your Brain': What It's Like To Live With Body Dysmorphic Disorder 
Robyn Stern, a licensed clinical social worker in New York, has missed weeks and months of her life due to body dysmorphic disorder, an illness in which a person is overly worried about imaginary or minor physical flaws. "I missed a semester in college because I couldn't leave my house for a month," Stern told "Good Morning America." "I've had three to four medical leaves of absence [from my job] because I couldn't function optimally." (Kindelan, 6/30)

The Washington Post: Rhabdomyolysis: What Is It And How Do You Avoid It? 
This spring, when Justin Urban, 41, a slender hotel waiter and covid-19 survivor from Falls Church, Va., reentered his condo building’s gym for his first workout in months, he committed to nothing more than five minutes of power walking on a treadmill. His caution was the result of what happened to him in 2018, the last time he hit the gym after a long hiatus: He was hospitalized for a week after completing 40 negative pull-ups. Urban’s symptoms included stiff, sore elbows and a bout of brown urine (“the color of Coke,” he said). He was diagnosed with a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis (frequently shortened to rhabdo). Rhabdo results from overexertion typically brought on by repetitive, unfamiliar movement that stresses muscle cells to the point at which they essentially burst and die. (Morgan, 6/28)

The Washington Post: Free Fridges Are Popping Up On Sidewalks To Help Feed The 20 Million Americans Who Don’t Have Enough To Eat 
Darrell Brokenborough opened the bright yellow refrigerator that stood on the sidewalk outside a row home at 308 N. 39th St., smiled and said, “It’s full.” He balanced on his cane so he could take a closer look at the apples, yogurt, greens, pasta, cheese and chicken inside. On the front of the fridge was written: “Free food” and “Take what you need. Leave what you don’t.” Brokenborough grabbed several bags of apple slices to slip in his slim over-the-shoulder bag. He tried to stuff some applesauce containers in his pouch but returned the applesauce for someone else. His favorite groceries are fresh bagels and cream cheese, which weren’t there this time. (Long, 6/28)

The New York Times: ‘It’s Tough To Get Out’: How Caribbean Medical Schools Fail Their Students
Last summer, when Dr. Sneha Sheth went online to begin filling out applications for residency — the next stage of her training after medical school — she was hit with a jolt of disappointment. Of the 500 residency programs she was considering, nearly half had been labeled unfriendly to international medical students, like her, by the website Match a Resident, which helps medical students abroad navigate the U.S. residency application process. Dr. Sheth submitted her applications in September and spent months on edge. Then came the distress of rejections from numerous programs, and no responses from others. (Goldberg, 6/29)

ABC News: Survivors And Activists Speak Out 40 Years After Discovery Of AIDS
On Valentine's Day 1982, Dab Garner was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco. He was 19. As the U.S. reaches its 40-year milestone since the discovery of the virus, survivors like Garner are taking time to reflect on the lives and the stigma carried by those who remain. Garner and about 75 million others worldwide have been affected by HIV/AIDS. (Lawson, 6/27)

The New York Times: The ‘Double Closet’: Why Some Bisexual People Struggle With Mental Health 
When Brooke Lindley was 13 and first came out to her family as being attracted to both boys and girls, she didn’t even know the term “bisexual.” It was 2003, and her parents responded dubiously. “Just wait ’til you get a boyfriend,” she remembered her mother saying. A few years later, Ms. Lindley did get a boyfriend, but she found she was still also attracted to women. She would print bisexual fan fiction and read it at night, thinking to herself, “This is totally me.” Still, she said, her father told her she was just confused. High school friends who had come out to her as gay didn’t believe her when she told them that she was bisexual, citing her past relationships with men. (Blum, 6/30)

CBS News: Disability Activists Push For More Inclusive Pride Celebrations
The coronavirus pandemic changed how the United States and countries around the world celebrate Pride month. This summer, many American cities opted for a hybrid celebration, hosting socially distanced marches or completely virtual events. But activists are still pushing organizers to make events accessible for the disabled community. Annie Segarra, a disability activist, who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and uses a wheelchair, said things like video captions, translators and audio descriptions of visual events can mean the world to disabled individuals who want to join the celebrations but are afraid of being left out. (Jones, 6/29)

The Boston Globe: Feeling Lonely? You’re Not Alone 
Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, America had a loneliness problem. Data from 2011 showed that nearly a quarter of adults 65 and older who were not in long-term care were socially isolated. A few years later, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, in his first stint as America’s doctor, from 2014 to 2017, embarked on a listening tour of the country. He anticipated hearing about opioid addiction and heart disease but was not prepared to discover that another scourge was undermining the mental and physical welfare of millions of Americans: a lack of human connection. The epiphany inspired Murthy to declare loneliness a public health crisis and to write a book, published last year: “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. ”Today, loneliness has become “so much more prevalent and dire,” says Caitlin Coyle, a research fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, who studies aging. And as it always has been, it is especially bad for older people. (Elizabeth Preston, 7/1)

Newsweek: The Filibuster Is An Assault On Our Health Care. End It
Every American should have access to health care. I'm a cancer survivor, and the treatments I went through saved my life. The chemotherapy and radiation I endured led me to remission, and the Affordable Care Act provided health insurance to pay for it. However, the ACA is imperfect and leaves too many uncovered or unable to afford care today. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act, it's time we build on the successes of Obamacare and deliver legislation to expand health care to more Americans. (Laura Packard, 7/1)

Scientific American: Transgender Patients Deserve Better Medical Care 
"This isn’t something I do. ”Patients do not want to hear this from doctors. Yet, sadly, many of my transgender patients have heard this from at least one medical provider. (David Rosenthal, 7/1)

The Charlotte Observer: Medical Marijuana Bill Proposed In NC Isn’t Expansive Enough 
The fact that N.C. legislators are finally considering legalizing medical marijuana is reason to celebrate. (July 1) But it is being used for political gain. One sponsor, Sen. Bill Rabon, a cancer survivor, says use should be restricted to those with cancer, PTSD, and a few other conditions. Unfortunately, many of us who deal with crippling daily chronic pain (for many reasons) are not included. (7/1)

The Washington Post: D.C. Balances Public Health And Racial Sensitivities In Its Menthol Ban
The D.C. Council voted Tuesday to ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products — including fruity e-cigarette liquids, candy-tinged cigars and menthol cigarettes — entering a thicket of racially charged controversy and emerging with a reasonable compromise plan to promote public health. The legislation began as a proposal targeting flavored e-cigarette liquids such as bubble gum and mango, which were obviously designed to appeal to children. But if the council banned only flavored e-cigarette liquids, they could push children, particularly those already hooked on nicotine, toward far more dangerous products still permitted to be flavored, such as combustible cigarettes cut with menthol, an additive that ameliorates the harshness of cigarette smoke. So council members moved to ban those, too. (7/1)

The New York Times: The Covid Delta Variant: How Dangerous Is It? 
When a wave of coronavirus infections crashed over India in the spring, scientists wondered whether a new variant, Delta, was partly to blame. Time appears to have answered the question: Having spread to at least 85 countries, the Delta variant is now fueling outbreaks around the world and prompting new lockdowns — even in countries that seemed to have the virus under control. “The Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate Covid-19,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week. What makes the Delta variant so concerning, and how will it affect the course of the pandemic? Here’s what people are saying. (Spencer Bokat-Lindell, 7/1)

USA Today: Rejecting COVID Vaccine Is Unpatriotic. Take It From George Washington
The Founding Fathers defined a vision of American liberty for future generations when they officially adopted the Declaration of Independence 245 years ago on July 4. As we emerge from the worst pandemic in a century – a public health crisis during which the word “freedom” was weaponized for political gain – it is important to remember how our Founders viewed public health in the context of freedom. While some anti-vaccination groups use the term "medical freedom" to reject preventive measures against COVID-19, our nation’s first leaders were strongly committed to public health, including vaccinations. George Washington ordered mass inoculation of his troops against smallpox to secure a victory against the British in the Revolutionary War.  James Madison did the same during the War of 1812 and went a step further, signing into law a statute to promote wider vaccination of the general public – one of the nation’s first public health bills. (Lorenzo Servitje, Martha Lincoln and Dr. Gavin Yaney, 7/2)

The New York Times: The FDA Should Fully Approve Pfizer And Moderna's Vaccines 
Here’s a paradox: A new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, aducanumab, gets approved by the Food and Drug Administration through an accelerated process without sufficient data, although there was limited evidence that it works, leading three advisory board members to resign in protest. Meanwhile, mRNA coronavirus vaccines are not yet fully licensed despite massive evidence of their benefits. In December 2020, the F.D.A. approved the distribution of mRNA coronavirus vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna under the agency’s emergency use authorization provision, which permits an accelerated approval process for medications and treatments during a public health emergency. The approvals were granted after the agency reviewed the results of clinical trials that involved more than 70,000 participants. Until the coronavirus pandemic, the agency had never given an E.U.A. to a new vaccine. (Eric J. Topol, 7/1)

Stat: The Health Care Workforce Is Understaffed For Life After Covid-19 
As the U.S. gradually unburies itself from the Covid-19 pandemic, some people have been sounding the alarm about looming shortages of physicians and nurses. They should be equally worried about shortages of others in the health care workforce, like medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, dental assistants, and more. (Jaime Nguyen, 7/2)