Reuters: Abortion Providers Relieved, Wary As High Court Preserves Pill Access
Abortion rights supporters expressed relief on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court preserved access to a widely used abortion pill but warned of a long fight ahead as a legal challenge to the medication continues. The move by the court to halt new restrictions on the drug set by lower courts was welcome news less than a year after its conservative majority upended U.S. abortion access by overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide. (Bernstein, 4/24)

Bloomberg: Biden Vows To Fight After Supreme Court Keeps Abortion Pill Access For Now
President Joe Biden pledged to continue fighting “politically-driven attacks on women’s health” after the Supreme Court on Friday preserved access to a widely-used abortion drug until a lower court rules on the legal fight. (Sink and Rozen, 4/21)

The New York Times: In Abortion Pill Ruling, The Supreme Court Trades Ambition For Prudence 
The court’s order seemed to vindicate a commitment in last year’s decision in Dobbs: to leave further questions about abortion to the political process. (Liptak, 4/22)

AP: What Supreme Court Action On Abortion Means For Patients
For patients, there’s been confusion “about whether or not they can access their appointments,” said Dr. Becca Simon, a family medicine doctor in Pennsylvania who provides abortions. “We’re trying to just calm people.” ... Doctors and clinic operators worry that the decision earlier this month by a federal judge in Texas blocking the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the medication — and media coverage about it — have led some people to question the drug’s safety. “The language in the opinion that was used is very, very disturbing,” said Texas OB-GYN Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi. (Ungar, 4/21)

AP: Supreme Court Preserves Access To Abortion Pill Mifepristone 
The court’s action Friday almost certainly will leave access to mifepristone unchanged at least into next year, as appeals play out, including a potential appeal to the high court. The next stop for the case is at the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which has set arguments in the case for May 17. (Sherman, 4/21)

Also —

CNN: Details About Multimillion Dollar Stock Holdings Concealed In Abortion Pill Judge's Financial Disclosures 
The federal judge who issued a nationwide ruling blocking the approval of a common abortion medication redacted key information on his legally mandated financial disclosures, in what legal experts described as an unusual move that conceals the bulk of his personal fortune. In his 2020 and 2021 annual disclosures, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk wrote that he held between $5 million and $25 million in “common stock” of a company – a significant majority of the judge’s personal wealth. The name of the company he held stock in is redacted, despite the fact that federal law only allows redactions of information that could “endanger” a judge or their family member. (Tolan and Chapman, 4/21)

Politifact: Fact Check: Anti-Abortion Groups Claim 1 In 5 Patients Using Mifepristone Suffer Complications
The claim: “This case is about protecting women and girls from the dangers of chemical abortion drugs … The fact is these drugs are dangerous — 1 in 5 women will suffer a complication.” — Erica Steinmiller-Perdomo. Steinmiller-Perdomo is the attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom, the Christian legal group representing anti-abortion groups and doctors in the Texas lawsuit that seek to take the abortion pill mifepristone off the market. Politifact rating: False. (Putterman, 4/24)

The New York Times: Republicans Try To Keep Abortion Rights Off The Ballot 
The biggest and most immediate fight is in Ohio, where a coalition of abortion rights groups is collecting signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November. ... Republicans in the state legislature are advancing a ballot amendment of their own that would raise the percentage of votes required to pass future such measures to a 60 percent supermajority. The measure has passed the Ohio Senate and is expected to pass the House this week. The Republican measure — which would require support from only 50 percent of voters to pass — would go before voters in a special election this August. (Zernike and Wines, 4/23)

In related election news —

ABC News: Republicans Will 'Lose Huge' Without Finding 'Middle Ground' On Abortion, Nancy Mace Says
South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace on Sunday warned her conservative colleagues that they would "lose huge" with voters if they continue pursuing strict abortion bans at the state level rather than finding what she called a "middle ground" on the issue. Appearing on ABC's "This Week" two days after the Supreme Court paused a federal judge's ruling to restrict access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone, Mace told co-anchor Martha Raddatz she agreed with that move and urged others in the GOP to avoid extremes. (Axelrod, 4/23)

Politico: Trump Defends His Efforts To Combat Abortion 
Former President Donald Trump on Saturday defended his efforts to limit abortion in a video address to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. In his remarks, Trump cited his appointment of three justices (Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett) to the U.S. Supreme Court. All three voted in the majority in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationally. “Those justices delivered a landmark victory for protecting innocent life. Nobody thought it was going to happen,” the former president said. (Cohen, 4/23)

The Washington Post: In Iowa, Pence Draws Direct Contrast With Trump On Abortion
Former vice president Mike Pence on Saturday sought to draw a direct contrast with former president Donald Trump over abortion, rejecting the idea that laws on the procedure should be left solely to each state as he spoke at an event featuring current and prospective presidential candidates. Pence, who has made moves toward entering the Republican primary against the president under whom he served, directly referenced Trump in comments about abortion to reporters. “I do think it’s more likely that this issue is resolved at the state level, but I don’t agree with the former president, who says this is a states-only issue,” said Pence. “We’ve been given a new beginning for life in this country. I think we have an opportunity to advance the sanctity of life, move it ever closer to the center of American law.” (Wells, 4/23)

Also —

PBS NewsHour: Supreme Court’s Move On Abortion Pill In Line With Majority Of Americans
Roughly two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, oppose laws that ban access to medication abortion, in line with the Supreme Court’s move on Friday to maintain the status quo on the drug mifepristone for now. That’s according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, which was conducted while the high court considered whether it would permit restrictions that would have dramatically diminished the availability of the drug. (Santhanam, 4/24)

Reuters: U.S. Food Banks Warn Of Strain As Republicans Seek Food Aid Cuts 
Food banks across the United States are straining to meet spiking demand as high food costs and shrinking federal benefits drive scores of Americans to depend on free groceries, just as Republicans seek to narrow access to food assistance. President Joe Biden, who this week criticized Republicans' proposals to further cut benefits in order to shrink the country's deficit, pledged last year to end hunger in the U.S. by 2030. (Douglas, 4/21)

Reuters: Return To Pandemic Hunger Levels Could Signal Economic Fragility 
As economists and investors scour data on inflation, jobs, housing, banking and other bellwether indicators to determine whether the United States is headed for a recession, a visit to the nation’s largest food-bank warehouse offers some ominous clues. More than half of the shelves at the Atlanta Community Food Bank are bare, in part because of supply-chain issues, but mostly because demand for food assistance is as high as it was during the COVID-19 pandemic, the nonprofit’s executives said. They said two in five people seeking food assistance in the Atlanta region this year have not done so before. (Shiffman and Douglas, 4/23)

The Washington Post: Biden Is Running Out Of Time To Avoid Debt Ceiling Trouble
President Biden is running out of time and options to avert an unprecedented default on the federal debt, as House Republicans make increasingly clear that they are willing to court economic catastrophe unless they secure major policy concessions from the White House. (Stein, 4/22)

In related news from Alaska —

AP: 'People Are Suffering': Food Stamp Woes Worsen Alaska Hunger 
Thousands of Alaskans who depend on government assistance have waited months for food stamp benefits, exacerbating a long-standing hunger crisis worsened by the pandemic, inflation and the remnants of a typhoon that wiped out stockpiles of fish and fishing equipment. The backlog, which began last August, is especially concerning in a state where communities in far-flung areas, including Alaska Native villages, are often not connected by roads. They must have food shipped in by barge or airplane, making the cost of even basic goods exorbitant. Around 13% of the state’s roughly 735,000 residents received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits — or SNAP — in July, before the troubles began. (Thiessen and Bohrer, 4/23)

The New York Times: Sacklers Gave Millions To Institution That Advises On Opioid Policy 
For the past decade, the White House and Congress have relied on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, a renowned advisory group, to help shape the federal response to the opioid crisis, whether by convening expert panels or delivering policy recommendations and reports. Yet officials with the National Academies have kept quiet about one thing: their decision to accept roughly $19 million in donations from members of the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, the maker of the drug OxyContin that is notorious for fueling the opioid epidemic. (Jewett, 4/23)

More on the opioid crisis —

NPR: To Halt Fentanyl, U.S. Says It 'Infiltrated' Sinaloa Cartel 
U.S. officials say they've identified and infiltrated the Mexican drug organization that's largely responsible for the fentanyl crisis killing tens of thousands of Americans every year.In a sweeping series of indictments targeting two dozen leaders and kingpins, the Justice Department blamed much of the carnage on the Chapitos network, a faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel. (Mann, 4/21)

NPR: Gov. Newsom Sends National Guard, CHP To Tackle San Francisco's Fentanyl Crisis
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is directing the California Highway Patrol and National Guard to assist San Francisco authorities in combating the fentanyl crisis in the city. The two agencies will be partnering with the local police department and the district attorney's office to attempt to stem trafficking of the deadly synthetic opioid. (Kim, 4/22)

Dallas Morning News: Gov. Greg Abbott Says Fentanyl Is The Leading Cause Of Death For Americans 18-45. Is It?
The day before holding a “One Pill Kills” summit in Austin on the dangers of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has led to a surge in overdose deaths, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pointed out how deadly the drug has been. “Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans 18-45,” Abbott tweeted April 5. (Torres, 4/24)

AP: Dying Patients Protest Looming Telehealth Crackdown
Online prescribing rules for controlled drugs were relaxed three years ago under emergency waivers to ensure critical medications remained available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed a rule that would reinstate most previously longstanding requirements that doctors see patients in person before prescribing narcotic drugs such as Oxycontin, amphetamines such as Adderall, and a host of other potentially dangerous drugs. (Aleccia, 4/24)

CBS News: Paramedic Sentenced To Prison For Stealing Hospital's Fentanyl 
A judge sentenced Christopher Pattinson, a 41-year-old paramedic employed by a Denver hospital, to three years in federal prison last week for tampering with narcotics intended for the hospital's patients. Over four years, Pattinson stole approximately 1900 vials of fentanyl from the paramedic department's storage, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Denver. (Smith, 4/23)

KOCO: Families Try To Raise Awareness For Dangers Of Fentanyl By Putting Up Billboards In OKC
Families are trying to raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl by putting up billboards around Oklahoma City. It is a new way to remember loved ones who have died from a fentanyl overdose. For just a few seconds at the billboards across the city, you can see just 11 of the many people who have died from a fentanyl overdose. (Terrell, 4/23)

The Washington Post: Pinkeye Cases Rise In Allergy Season. It Might Be A Covid Symptom, Too
Pinkeye — an inflamed, itchy and painful eye — is common during allergy season. But now some doctors are concerned the ailment may also be associated with a new coronavirus subvariant. Health experts say they have not conclusively linked the condition, formally called conjunctivitis, to the subvariant Arcturus. But anecdotal reports suggest the subvariant may produce fever and conjunctivitis, mainly among children. “It’s occurring in the setting where they’ve documented community spread of this virus,” said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. (Bever, 4/21)

CIDRAP: WHO Elevates XBB.1.16 To Variant Of Interest As Levels Rise In US And Other Countries 
The World Health Organization (WHO) this week boosted the XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant to a variant of interest (VOI) from a variant under monitoring (VUM), based on the latest assessments from its technical advisory group on virus evolution. (Schnirring, 4/21)

CIDRAP: Researchers Detect 2 New SARS-CoV-2 Strains On Polish Mink Farms 
On two farms, the researchers uncovered two novel SARS-CoV-2 variants most closely related to the B.1.1.307 strain that circulated in humans in late 2020 and early 2021. The new variants, however, had at least 40 polymorphisms, which the authors said suggests that they originated in an unknown or undetected animal reservoir. The mink did not show symptoms. (Van Beusekom, 4/21)

On the vaccine rollout —

CIDRAP: New Data Show Safety Of Pfizer COVID Vaccine For Teens Ages 12 To 17
Today in Pediatrics researchers published the safety data of the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT-162b2) COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 17 years. After 1 year, very few serious adverse events were reported, and instances of myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle) were lower than initially reported. (Soucheray, 4/21)

NBC News: CDC Says Tinnitus Not Linked To Covid Vaccines
The CDC claims there is no evidence detailing a link between Covid-19 vaccines and tinnitus. The statement comes after more than 16,000 people who received the vaccine filed complaints with the organization. (Edwards, 4/21)

The Hill: How Will COVID Shots Be Paid For After Emergency Ends? 
while Americans with insurance are still expected to be able to get vaccinated free of charge, questions remain over how those without coverage can obtain them and the ease of the overall process. Moderna and Pfizer, the companies behind the two most commonly administered coronavirus vaccines in the U.S., are expecting the prices of their shots to increase by as much as four-fold but have stated that consumers should not expect to feel the impact themselves, regardless of insurance status. (Choi, 4/23)

More pandemic news —

The Washington Post: They Endured Covid. But Some Health-Care Workers Mistrust The Future.
More than any other single group, health-care workers bore the brunt of the covid-19 pandemic. In the early days and weeks of the crisis, doctors, nurses and emergency medical technicians were hailed as superheroes — immortalized in graffiti and balcony ovations from New York City to Paris and Madrid. But as the months and years passed, the astonishing casualties from covid-19 — more than 1 million lives lost in the United States and nearly 7 million globally — led to exhaustion, burnout and trauma, as well as infection and deaths among front-line workers. Workforce shortages and unrelenting stress added to their hardships, even as the public applause for their contributions faded. (Brooks and Stevenson, 4/22)

USA Today: Long COVID Crisis Exposes Disability Claims System In Disarray
Marie, who left a corporate job in Missouri after contracting COVID-19 in the first wave and then developing what came to be known as long COVID, received five months of short-term disability through her employer. It was “a life-saver,” she said. But in 2022, she caught COVID again, and this time it’s taken much longer to recover from the long COVID that followed. (Buhl, 4/21)

Stat: Chronicling The Failures Of The U.S. Response To Covid
A new book on the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic paints a picture of a country ill-prepared to cope with a dangerous biological foe, riven by partisan politics, and led by people who saw little political gain in taking ownership of managing the crisis. (Branswell, 4/24)

The New York Times: Chinese Censorship Is Quietly Rewriting The Covid-19 Story
Under government pressure, Chinese scientists have retracted studies and withheld or deleted data. The censorship has stymied efforts to understand the virus. (Hvistendahl and Mueller, 4/23)

The Wall Street Journal: Weight-Loss Drugmakers Lobby For Medicare Coverage 
Weight-loss drugmakers are lobbying Congress to grant them access to a monster payday for their blockbuster treatments: Medicare coverage. New drugs to treat diabetes and obesity are helping people shed pounds and generating huge sales for Novo Nordisk AS and Eli Lilly & Co. But they cost hundreds of dollars a month or more and Medicare doesn’t cover them to treat obesity. The law governing Medicare’s prescription-drug benefit excludes weight drugs. If that changed, demand from the 65 million older and disabled people insured through Medicare could push sales even higher. (Whyte, 4/24)

NBC News: Are Weight Loss Drugs Causing Hair Loss? Doctors Weigh In
As drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic soar in popularity for weight loss, pounds aren’t the only thing people report losing: Social media groups for people taking the medications include posts about losing hair, too. “What is really striking for folks is that there are no scalp symptoms. It doesn’t hurt, there’s no itching, but you can run your hands through your hair and you have a handful of hair. It can be really disconcerting to see that,” said Dr. Susan Massick, a dermatologist at Ohio State University, who has seen patients who have lost hair following weight loss surgery. (Sullivan, 4/22)

The New York Times: An Extreme Risk Of Taking Ozempic: Malnutrition 
Almost immediately after starting Ozempic, a diabetes medication known for inducing weight loss, Renata Lavach-Savy, 37, a medical writer in North Bergen, N.J., was left without any semblance of appetite. She started setting alarms to remind herself to eat. She was so exhausted that even after 10 hours of sleep, she would collapse onto her couch after work, unable to move. She left purses and clothes strewn across her bedroom floor, because she was so queasy all the time and worried that bending down to pick them up would make her vomit. Four months later, Ms. Lavach-Savy’s dietitian told her that she might be malnourished. (Blum, 4/21)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Reuters: Exclusive: Lilly Expects US Medicare To Reverse Course, Fully Cover Alzheimer's Drugs
Eli Lilly and Co expects the U.S. Medicare health plan to back down from strict coverage limits on new Alzheimer's drugs as more evidence emerges in coming weeks showing that clearing amyloid brain plaques can help patients, a company executive told Reuters. Lilly plans to release results from a trial of its experimental amyloid-targeting drug donanemab before the end of June. More study data on Leqembi, a rival drug from partners Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc, is also expected in the coming months. (Beasley and Steenhuysen, 4/21)

CIDRAP: Study: Single Dose Of HPV Vaccine Up To 98% Effective
A new study from researchers at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) showed a single dose of human papillomavirus virus (HPV) vaccine was highly efficacious in preventing HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer, in girls and women ages 15 to 20. (Soucheray, 4/21)

KFF Health News: US Officials Want To End The HIV Epidemic By 2030. Many Stakeholders Think They Won’t
In 2018, Mike Ferraro was living on the street and sharing needles with other people who injected drugs when he found out he was HIV-positive. “I thought it was a death sentence, where you have sores and you deteriorate,” he said. Ferraro learned of his HIV status through a University of Miami Miller School of Medicine initiative called IDEA Exchange, which sent doctors and medical students to the corner where he panhandled. He got tested and enrolled in the program, which also provides clean syringes, overdose reversal medications, and HIV prevention and treatment drugs. (Chang and Whitehead, 4/24)

Also —

Stat: Europe Braces For Legislation With Far-Reaching Impacts On Pharma
After more than two years of planning, the European Commission on Wednesday will release long-awaited draft legislation poised to transform the way medicines are brought to market and accessed across much of Europe. (Silverman and Joseph, 4/24)

Axios: CDC Reorganization Continues With Staff Trainings, Website Upgrades
Six months into an overhaul of the Centers for Disease Control, director Rochelle Walensky said Thursday the agency has made strides releasing timely data and retraining staff to ensure a nimble response to future crises. (Dreher, 4/21)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: HHS, CMS Unveil Hospice, Home Health Ownership Database
The Health and Human Services Department is taking another step to increase transparency in healthcare, this time by making it easier to determine the ownership of Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies. (Berryman, 4/20)

Modern Healthcare: DOJ Target 18 Providers In Massive Wrongful Billing, PPP Fraud Sweep
Dr. Anthony Hao Dinh allegedly bilked the federal government out of $150 million and lost most of it placing high-risk bets in the stock market. Dinh, an ear, nose and throat specialist who practices in Orange County, California, allegedly accumulated the $150 million after submitting $230 million in fraudulent claims to the Health Resources and Services Administration COVID-19 Uninsured Program, according to the Justice Department. (Kacik, 4/21)

Axios: What's Next On The No Surprises Act
The No Surprises Act may have shielded patients from unexpected medical bills, but it's left a bureaucratic mess, with providers and insurers fighting over who'll cover the costs and Congress weighing whether to step back in. (Dreher and Knight, 4/24)

Also —

Stat: HCA Bags Big First Quarter As Patient Volumes Soar
Patient volumes are back in a big way, at least for the country’s largest for-profit hospital operator. HCA Healthcare beat Wall Street’s expectations of profitability in the first quarter of 2023, as more people flocked to HCA’s hospitals, surgery centers, and physician clinics. (Herman, 4/21)

Modern Healthcare: HCA Healthcare Buys Land In Las Vegas, Salt Lake City As Earnings Rise
The Nashville, Tennessee-based for-profit system has two hospitals under construction in San Antonio, Texas, and owns land for new facilities in Austin, Dallas and some Florida markets, CEO Sam Hazen said Friday during HCA's first-quarter earnings call. HCA purchased land for new hospitals in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City during the quarter, he said. The system also continues to add to its outpatient network, which has grown to roughly 2,500 of those facilities. (Hudson, 4/21)

Stat: How A Small Hospital In Nebraska Has Thrived Through The Pandemic
Great Plains Health is a small hospital system in a part of Nebraska surrounded by agriculture, railroads, and retail distribution. But that doesn’t mean it’s powerless — in fact, the system is a highly profitable, influential mainstay in the area. (Herman, 4/24)

The Boston Globe: Virtual Communication Left Seniors Feeling Anxious, Depressed During Pandemic, According To Brigham And Women’s Study
Older adults who frequently used technology to connect with friends, family, and health care providers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic reported feeling more anxious and depressed than those who sought in-person visits, according to a new study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Among Americans over 65, virtual interactions — e-mail, phone, and video calls — were associated with increased mental health concerns, according to the study, which analyzed national survey data and was released earlier this month. (Kool, 4/21)

Fox News: Flu Diagnosis Could Significantly Raise Heart Attack Risk, New Study Finds
People who get influenza could be six times more susceptible to having a heart attack in the days following a flu diagnosis, a new study from the Netherlands has found. The study’s conclusions were scheduled to be presented on April 18 at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen, Denmark, as reported by Medscape. (Rudy, 4/23)

In other health and wellness news —

CNN: Kids Under 6 Ingesting Illicit Substances Rose After Covid-19 Outbreak, Study Shows
The outbreak of Covid-19 presented many dangers for children, and a new study suggests increased illicit substance ingestions were among them. In the first month of the pandemic in 2020, a 25% increase in overall ingestions occurred among children under 6 years old in the United States, according to the study published Friday in JAMA Network Open. (Holcombe, 4/21)

The Washington Post: Scientists Identify Thousands Of Unknown Viruses In Babies’ Diapers
Research involving Danish babies’ dirty diapers has provided a plethora of information on previously unknown viruses — and the best view yet of the makeup of the infant gut microbiome. Writing in the journal Nature Microbiology, an international team of researchers reports it has uncovered 10,000 new viruses in infant feces. (Blakemore, 4/23)

USA Today: Future Of IVF? Scientists Work To Create Babies Without Egg, Sperm
Scientists are getting closer to the possibility of making a new person from skin or blood cells, without the need for sex. This approach goes well beyond in vitro fertilization — which combines egg and sperm in a test tube — because it doesn't require natural eggs or sperm. (Weintraub, 4/23)

NBC News: Leg-Lengthening Surgery Gains Popularity Among Men Seeking To Be Taller
At 5'7", Alex considered himself short. The 26-year-old, who asked that his real name not be used to maintain his privacy, said he was sick of insults and jeering comments about his height. Shorter men “routinely get spoken down to just because of this trait that they can’t control,” Alex said. (Ede-Osifo, 4/23)

Reuters: 'It Totally Backfired': The Pitfalls Of Alzheimer's Genetic Testing
Wendy Nelson watched her mother slowly die of Alzheimer's disease, unable to move or swallow at the end. "All her pleasures of life were gone," Nelson said. Grief-stricken, terrified of facing the same death, Nelson ordered 23andMe DNA test kits for Christmas 2020 for herself and three adult daughters. A Boston-based biotech executive who is now 52, Nelson hoped the kits would provide reassurance. They delivered the worst possible result. Nelson has two copies of the APOE4 gene variant that increases the risk of Alzheimer's, which means her risk of developing the disease is eight to 12 times higher than people with the most common version of APOE. "It totally backfired," she said. (Steenhuysen, 4/22)

KFF Health News and ESPN: Pain, Hope, And Science Collide As Athletes Turn To Magic Mushrooms 
The boxer felt broken. Every day, he was waking up in pain. Some days, it was debilitating headaches. Other times, it was his back. Or his fists. His ribs. His nose. On top of that, he had mood swings. Depression. Anxiety. Mike Lee didn’t regret his career. He had been one of the best professional fighters in the world in his weight class. He’d gone 21-1 professionally and fought in Madison Square Garden and in front of millions on TV. (Hawryluk and Van Valkenburg, 4/24)

On the gun violence epidemic —

Politico: Gun Violence Is Actually Worse In Red States. It’s Not Even Close
Listen to the southern right talk about violence in America and you’d think New York City was as dangerous as Bakhmut on Ukraine’s eastern front. In October, ... In reality, the region the Big Apple comprises most of is far and away the safest part of the U.S. mainland when it comes to gun violence, while the regions Florida and Texas belong to have per capita firearm death rates (homicides and suicides) three to four times higher than New York’s. (Woodard, 4/23)

AP: For Transgender Kids, A Frantic Rush For Treatment Amid Bans 
The new laws have parents scrambling to secure the care their kids need. They worry what will happen if they can’t get the medications they’ve been prescribed, especially as their kids start puberty and their bodies change in ways that can’t be reversed. “My body’s basically this ticking time bomb, just sitting there waiting for it to go off,” said Asher Wilcox-Broekemeier, now 13. (Metz and Biraben, 4/22)

Politico: Health Care Access For Trans Youth Is Crumbling — And Not Just In Red States 
Even in states without bans, providers said death threats, harassment, fears of litigation and, in some cases, a lack of support from institutions have created a chilling effect that undermines their ability to provide care. “I got an email telling me that I’m evil, I’m foolish, my work is opposing God, that I harm children, that I’m going to hell, and that I should die,” said Meredithe McNamara, an assistant professor of pediatrics who specializes in adolescent medicine at Yale University. “The threats, the harassment, the constant fear of, ‘Did I say that right? Is that OK? Should I have said that differently? Did I present my position in a public space as effectively as possible, and also did I say anything that is going to get my family targeted in some way?’” (Messerly, 4/23)

Also —

NPR: Missouri Due To Be First State To Restrict Adult Gender-Affirming Care
Chelsea Freels has spent a good bit of time in 2023 trying to convince Missouri lawmakers to not vote for legislation barring what's known as gender-affirming care for transgender youth like her. Over and over, the 17-year-old from suburban St. Louis has heard GOP lawmakers talking about how they need to pass legislation to protect people like her. And over and over, she says she replies: "Protect me from what?" Freels says. " 'Oh no! The kid is getting better grades. Oh no! The scary transgender has friends! What are they going to do? Smile?' " (Rosenbaum, 4/24)

NBC News: GOP Candidates Pitch Iowa Evangelicals With Promises To Restrict Transgender And Abortion Rights
More than a half-dozen Republicans who are or may be running for president took their pitches to religious conservatives at an Iowa cattle call on Saturday that’s long been one of the premier stops on the GOP primary calendar. (Smith, 4/23)

Missouri Independent: Wash U Inquiry Finds Trans Center Allegations 'Unsubstantiated'
Allegations that physicians at the Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital failed to inform patients of potential side effects of treatment and overlooked their mental health needs are “unsubstantiated,” according to an internal investigation conducted by Washington University and released Friday. (Hanshaw, 4/21)

ABC News: Atlanta Police Investigating 3 'Violent Crimes' Against Transgender Women, Including Documentary Star 
Atlanta police said they are actively investigating three "violent crimes" against transgender women that occurred this year. The announcement comes after two Black transgender women were fatally shot a week apart in the city. The investigation into a January shooting that left a transgender woman in critical condition also remains open, police said. (Deliso, 4/22)

USA Today: Biden's Home State Of Delaware Is 22nd To Allow Recreational Marijuana
Marijuana, in the quantity of personal use, became legal starting Sunday. Delawareans [are] allowed to smoke joints, eat gummies and consume weed as they wish in private. It will still be illegal to consume marijuana in public, and employers are still allowed to have a zero-tolerance policy. Recreational weed will not be available for purchase in the state for at least 16 months. (Newman, 4/23)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

The New York Times: Black Smokers At Center Of New York Fight To Ban Menthol Cigarettes 
A push by Gov. Kathy Hochul to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes in New York has become the focal point of a fierce and expensive lobbying fight, pitting Big Tobacco against the medical community. Caught in the middle are Black smokers, who smoke menthol cigarettes at higher rates than white smokers, and are the main group the ban is meant to help. Decades of aggressive marketing by tobacco companies have caused Black smokers to consume menthol cigarettes, whose cooling sensation on the throat makes them more appealing and addictive. (Ferre-Sadurni, 4/23)

NPR: LA Mayor Karen Bass Says She Needs $1.3 Billion To Address Homelessness
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says she told President Biden that he could significantly reduce homelessness in the United States by helping to find shelter for the roughly 40,000 people in the city who are currently unhoused. "[I] basically said, 'If your goal, Mr. President, is to reduce homelessness in the United States by 25%, you can literally meet that goal in our city for such a massive problem that I absolutely believe is an emergency,'" Bass said in an interview with All Things Considered on Saturday. (Marx, 4/23)

Houston Chronicle: Clear Creek ISD Elementary Cancels Classes After 150 Get Sick
Clear Creek ISD canceled Friday classes at Hyde Elementary School after a stomach bug affected more than 150 students and some staff members. A Facebook post from Hyde Elementary PTA shows a letter Principal Suzi Saunders sent to parents Thursday night saying the school would be closed the next day due to a "gastrointestinal illness outbreak" and that it would be cleaned in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. (Orozco, 4/21)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Everyone's Going To Die. These St. Louis Residents Want To Help You Do It Better.
When Alan Jeude’s wife died in August, six years after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the first person he called wasn’t one of their children, or a hospice nurse, or even the crematorium. It was his death doula. (Schrappen, 4/23)

Minnesota Public Radio: Demand For Culturally-Aware Mental Health Providers Rises In A More Diverse Minnesota
Inside The Luminous Mind in Roseville, you’ll find Middle Eastern hospitality — free tea and coffee at the table in the waiting area. For owner and psychologist Layla Asamarai, comfort starts at the door. “In order to appreciate the decolonization of psychotherapy, one has to realize that psychotherapy is a colonized practice, as it is employed today in the world,” said Asamarai. (Thamer, 4/24)

On child labor laws —

The Washington Post: The Conservative Campaign To Rewrite Child Labor Laws
The Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based think tank and lobbying group, drafted state legislation to strip child workplace protections, emails show. (Gogage and Paul, 4/23)

Bloomberg: Mosquitoes Are Poised To Swamp Our Health Systems 
In many countries, mosquitoes are nothing more than a nuisance. But in others, they spread tropical diseases that kill at least 700,000 people a year — more than any other animal, according to estimates from the World Health Organization. Unfortunately, they’re likely to get deadlier. (Lara Williams, 4/24)

Los Angeles Times: Florida Wants To Bar 'Period Talk' From Schools. What Would Judy Blume Say?
Republican state Rep. Stan McClain acknowledged that a broadly restrictive sex education bill he sponsored would prohibit students younger than sixth grade from learning about or talking about menstruation at school. (Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, 4/23)

USA Today: Lost In The GOP's Abortion War: Mifepristone Actually Improves Fertility For Women Like Me
While the Republican Party has been busy fumbling over their words and positions on abortion, many women are silently suffering as the drug mifepristone has been hanging in limbo due an unprecedented federal court ruling that would ban the drug nationwide. (Ashley Pratte Oates, 4/21)

Stat: Vaccine Stockpiles Can Help Stop Potential Epidemics 
Marburg could soon become the second virus in the past year to have experimental vaccine candidates ready for testing under an emergency use listing. Until this point, no licensed vaccines or treatments are available for Marburg. (Seth Berkley, 4/24)

The New York Times: Is There Still Free Will In Addiction? 
Research now shows that addiction doesn’t ‌‌mean either being completely subject to irresistible impulses, or making totally free choices. Addiction’s effects on decision-making are complex. Understanding them can help policymakers, treatment providers and family members aid recovery. (Maia Svalavitz, 4/24)

Houston Chronicle: Will Medicaid Expansion Help Texas? Visit Texarkana
Eighteen percent of Texas Texarkanans younger than 65 are living without health insurance. That’s nearly double the national rate, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. For their Arkansas neighbors, the rate of uninsured has trended downward in recent years. It’s now about 12 percent. (4/24)

The Atlantic: The Pandemic’s Surprising Effect On Suicide Rates
During 2020—in the U.S. and in many other countries—suicide rates modestly declined, reversing a decades-long trend. We are learning that this is a pattern: Suicide rates typically go down in times of crisis. (Clancy Martin, 4/23)

Scientific American: How Our Team Overturned The 90-Year-Old Metaphor Of A 'Little Man' In The Brain Who Controls Movement
In my first neuroscience course at Columbia University, I learned about the homunculus. This “little man” is depicted as an upside-down representation of the human body moving from toe to head in a portion of the cerebral cortex that controls movement. (Nico U.F. Dosenbach, 4/21)