The New York Times: Should Coffee Come With Cancer Warnings? California Says No
In every cup of coffee, there is a chemical linked to cancer. That undisputed fact led a Los Angeles judge to rule this spring that coffee companies must provide cancer warnings to coffee drinkers. The ruling cast a shadow on a daily and often essential rite for more than 100 million Americans. (Hsu, 8/15)

In other public health news —

San Jose Mercury News: Recall Of Tainted Blood Pressure Drugs Alarms Some Consumers
Some people suffering from high blood pressure who take valsartan-containing medications have been frantically calling their pharmacies and doctors to find out whether they should stop taking their heart pills in the wake of the FDA’s recent recall. ... Consumers should start by comparing their prescription bottle to the FDA’s list to determine if their drugs have been recalled. (D'Souza, 8/15)

KQED: Breathing Fire: California's Central Valley Bears The Brunt Of Harmful Wildfire Smoke
Smoke from wildfires is undermining decades of gains made in reducing air pollution from exhaust pipes and power plants. The number of days each year that wildfires foul the air is increasing in parts of the West, with worse expected as temperatures continue to rise. (Miller and Hall, 8/15)

In other news from across the state —

Fresno Bee: California Health Officials Say Measles Is Out There
Measles cases continue to pop up in the United States. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that 107 people from 21 states, including California, have reported getting measles. (Anderson, 8/15)

Modesto Bee: Uber As A Tool To Fight Sex Trafficking? Here’s How That Would Work
With hundreds of area drivers giving rides at all times of the day, Uber can be a valuable tool in fighting human trafficking, an audience of largely criminal-justice professionals was told Wednesday. ... Through its driver app and its larger-market Greenlight hubs where drivers can get in-person support from Uber staff, the company has shared tips, hotline numbers and other information, he said. (Farrow, 8/15)

Los Angeles Times: 30 More Women Sue USC Over Former Gynecologist As New Interim President Welcomes Freshmen To Campus
An additional 30 women sued USC on Wednesday, claiming that the university failed to protect them from abuse and mistreatment by the longtime campus gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. The new claims bring the total number of patients suing USC to more than 340 and come as students return to the Los Angeles campus for the start of the fall semester. (Hamilton, 8/15)

KPCC: Adopting The San Diego Method When It Comes To Opioid Prescriptions, Ojai May Initiate Dark Skies, Westlake Gets Affordable Housing 
After the San Diego Medical Examiner's Office sent letters to doctors whose patients overdosed from opioids, Los Angeles considers a similar program. Plus, Westlake is getting pushback for a plan to replace rent-controlled bungalows with affordable housing. (Martinez, 8/15)

In other news on the crisis —

Los Angeles Times: Newport To Sue In Effort To Stop State-Approved Needle Exchange
Newport Beach plans to file its own lawsuit against the state to block a planned mobile needle-exchange service that recently received state approval to operate in nearby Costa Mesa and three other Orange County cities. Newport will be joining a wave of local resistance that includes legal action by Costa Mesa, Orange County, the Orange County Flood Control District, Anaheim and the city of Orange against the California Department of Public Health and the Orange County Needle Exchange Program. (Davis, 8/15)

The Washington Post: Senate Study Faults Government Care Of Migrant Children
The government has made only incremental improvements to its troubled efforts to care for thousands of migrant children detained entering the U.S. without their parents, perpetuating a problem the Trump administration has aggravated with its “zero tolerance” immigration crackdown, a bipartisan Senate report said Wednesday. The 52-page study said no federal agency takes responsibility for making sure children aren’t abused or used in human trafficking once the government places them with sponsors, who sometimes aren’t their parents or close relatives. (Fram, 8/15)

The Hill: Senate Dems Demand Immediate Reunification Of Remaining Separated Children 
A group of Senate Democrats is demanding that the Trump administration immediately work to reunify the more than 500 immigrant children in federal custody who were separated from their parents after crossing the southern border. The 17 Democrats, led by Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen calling for immediate action to reunite the families of 539 immigrant children still in government custody because of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. (Weixel, 8/15)

In other national health care news —

The New York Times: Bleak New Estimates In Drug Epidemic: A Record 72,000 Overdose Deaths In 2017
Drug overdoses killed about 72,000 Americans last year, a record number that reflects a rise of around 10 percent, according to new preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control. The death toll is higher than the peak yearly death totals from H.I.V., car crashes or gun deaths. Analysts pointed to two major reasons for the increase: A growing number of Americans are using opioids, and drugs are becoming more deadly. It is the second factor that most likely explains the bulk of the increased number of overdoses last year. (Sanger-Katz, 8/15)

The Washington Post: Fentanyl Use Drove Drug Overdose Deaths To A Record High In 2017, CDC Estimates
The increase was driven primarily by a continued surge in deaths involving synthetic opioids, a category that includes fentanyl. There were nearly 30,000 deaths involving those drugs in 2017, according to the preliminary data, an increase of more than 9,000 over the prior year. Deaths involving cocaine also shot up significantly, putting the stimulant on par with drugs such as heroin and the category of natural opiates that includes painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone. One potential spot of good news is that deaths involving those latter two drug categories appear to have flattened out, suggesting the possibility that opiate mortality may be at or nearing its peak. (Ingraham, 8/15)

The Washington Post: Officials Remove Special Rules For Gene Therapy Experiments
U.S. health officials are eliminating special regulations for gene therapy experiments, saying that what was once exotic science is quickly becoming an established form of medical care with no extraordinary risks. A special National Institutes of Health oversight panel will no longer review all gene therapy applications and will instead take on a broader advisory role, according to changes proposed Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration will vet gene therapy experiments and products as it does with other treatments and drugs. (Marchione, 8/15)

The New York Times: Report Finds Traces Of A Controversial Herbicide In Cheerios And Quaker Oats
An environmental research and advocacy group has found traces of a controversial herbicide in Cheerios, Quaker Oats and other breakfast foods that it says could increase cancer risk for children. The report comes amid longstanding debate about the safety of the chemical glyphosate, which federal regulators maintain is not likely to cause cancer. (Zaveri, 8/15)

The Associated Press: Best Buy To Buy A Provider Of Health Devices For The Aging
Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy is pushing more into the health field, acquiring a company that provides emergency response devices for the aging. Best Buy said Wednesday it's paying $800 million for GreatCall. The San Diego, California-based company, which has more than 900,000 paying subscribers, offers services like an easy connection to operators who can connect users to caregivers, answer questions, and more. (8/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Best Buy To Acquire Jitterbug Parent GreatCall For $800 Million
Best Buy on Wednesday said the deal would be neutral to its adjusted earnings in fiscal 2019 and 2020 and boost them by 2021. The electronics retailer said the deal is part of its Best Buy 2020 strategy, which aims to use technology to address key human needs, specifically among the U.S.’s aging population. Last year, Best Buy introduced Assured Living, a service that helps adult children remotely check in on the health and safety of their parents. That service is now available in 21 markets, Best Buy said Wednesday. (Barba, 8/15)

Reuters: Pfizer Bets On Biotech Flu Vaccine In $425 Million BioNTech Alliance
Pfizer has agreed to pay German biotech firm BioNTech up to $425 million (£334.33 million) in an alliance to develop more effective influenza jabs, the latest among several major pharma companies to bank on a promising new genetic approach. Privately-held BioNTech will receive $120 million upfront plus up to $305 million depending on certain development achievements as well as tiered royalties on futures sales in the double-digit percentage range, the two companies said in a statement on Thursday. (Burger, 8/16)

Reuters: Express Scripts Staking Out Million Dollar Gene Therapies
Express Scripts Holding Co built a multi-billion enterprise pressuring drug companies to lower their prices for U.S. patients. Now it is quietly building a side business: getting paid to help drug companies dispense a new generation of high-priced drugs. Express Scripts is in talks with biotechnology companies Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc, Spark Therapeutics Inc and Bluebird Bio Inc to have its specialty pharmaceutical business exclusively distribute their new gene therapies when they are expected to become available in 2019 and 2020, Chief Medical Officer Steve Miller told Reuters in an interview. (Tanouye and Tobin, 8/15)