Kentucky Governor Vetoed Anti-Trans Bill. GOP Lawmakers Overturned That
March 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
The anti-transgender bill, which USA Today labeled “among the nation’s toughest,” was protested by “hundreds,” but the Republican-dominated Legislature still decided to overturn Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto. The bill affects youngsters’ gender care and restricts their bathroom options.
Idaho Lawmakers Aim To Criminalize Helping With A Minor’s Abortion
March 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP reports Idaho lawmakers are considering making it illegal for an adult to help a minor get an abortion without parental consent, labeling this act “abortion trafficking” and using a legal trick to sidestep the constitutional right to travel between states. Florida’s proposed six-week abortion ban also advanced.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, March 30, 2023
March 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Efforts to combat drug overdoses, school gun violence, covid, abortion laws, prior authorizations, RSV, flu, and more are in the news.
Bipartisan Bill Introduced To Classify Xylazine As A Controlled Substance
March 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Lawmakers are moving to make the veterinary tranquilizer, commonly known as “tranq,” harder to access as its dangerous inclusion is on the rise in illicit drugs. Meanwhile, the head of the Department of Homeland Security told a Senate panel Wednesday that fentanyl is the “single greatest challenge” facing the U.S. currently.
3 Months, 79 Gun Deaths Or Injuries: An ‘Astronomical’ Rise In School Violence
March 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Using data from an independent research tracker, NPR reports that the 89 gun-related incidents on school campuses this year puts 2023 on pace to exceed last year’s record high. A separate analysis finds that guns are the leading cause of death for kids and teens in the U.S.
FDA Approves Over-The-Counter Sale Of Narcan To Combat Opioid Overdoses
March 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
The overdose antidote maker Emergent BioSolutions says that it expects its naloxone nasal spray to be available for purchase without a prescription by the summer but has not announced pricing yet.
First Edition: March 30, 2023
March 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
$50 Billion in Opioid Settlement Cash Is on the Way. We’re Tracking How It’s Spent.
By Aneri Pattani
March 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Spending the money effectively and equitably is a tall order for state and local governments, and a lack of transparency in the process is already leading to fears of misuse.
States Try to Obscure Execution Details as Drugmakers Hinder Lethal Injection
By Renuka Rayasam
March 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Pharmaceutical companies have put the brakes on many states’ ability to execute prisoners using lethal injections. Lacking alternatives, states are trying to keep the public from learning details about how they carry out executions.
Localize This: Public Reporting of Opioid Settlement Cash
By Aneri Pattani
Updated April 4, 2024
Originally Published March 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News’ recent investigation offers a great opportunity for reporters to investigate an important issue of government accountability from a state or local angle.
WHO Releases List Of Pediatric Antibiotic Formulations; Data Show Overuse Of Antibiotics In Hospitals
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Viewpoints: Doctors, Try Believing Your Patients; Don’t Say Period In Florida
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle these public health issues.
Fear In Trans Community As Nashville Shooter’s Gender Identity In News
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Prominent Republicans are suggesting gender identity played a role in the gun violence, despite research showing trans people are more likely to be victims of crimes rather than perpetrators, Insider reported.
FDA Explains How It Will Ensure Infant Formula Supplies
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Food and Drug Administration has announced a strategy to avoid the same sort of supply chain crisis that hit baby formula recently, including enhanced inspections and working with the industry on redundancy risk management plans. Separately, questions over probiotic supplements.
Kansas To Raise Tobacco-Buying Age To 21
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
The state Senate approved a bill lifting the legal age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21. Meanwhile, at trial, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison accused e-cigarette maker Juul of using “slick products, clever ads” to market its products to children. The opioid crisis is also in the news.
Florida Aims At Higher Penalties For Those Who Attack Hospital Staff
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
In other news, Walgreens said it won’t lift pharmacists’ pay any higher; union workers voted “no confidence” in Rhode Island’s Women & Infants Hospital management; and the Children’s Hospital of Michigan has a new CEO.
Sen. Warren Blames Private Medicare Insurance For Driving Up Costs
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren said that big insurers managing private Medicare plans are making health costs go up for seniors, Bloomberg reports. Stat, meanwhile, explains how a political battle over quality-adjusted life years metrics could hit drug-price negotiation efforts.
Shooter Had ‘Emotional Disorder,’ But There’s No ‘Red Flag’ Law In Tennessee
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Audrey Hale’s parents believed their child had sold one gun and did not own any others. In truth, Hale had legally bought seven firearms, police said. Hale had been seeing a doctor for an undisclosed disorder, but Tennessee does not allow police to confiscate weapons on the grounds of mental illness.
Georgia Supreme Court Considers Case Against The State’s Abortion Ban
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
The heart of the case is whether the abortion ban passed in 2019 was illegal from the start, leading to questions over whether it should remain in effect. Other abortion-related news is from Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Kentucky.