Stat: Kamala Harris' Health Care Views Win Backing From Progressives 
President Biden’s announcement Sunday that he would be dropping out of the presidential race left Democrats scrambling to rally around the next likely candidate on the 2024 ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris. The former California senator and attorney general found swift support from progressive and reproductive rights groups that championed her record on abortion policy and maternal health care, two longtime Harris policy priorities that Democrats hope will resonate with voters. (Owermohle and Zhang, 7/21)

San Francisco Chronicle: Can Kamala Harris Unite Democrats? Here’s What’s Working In Her Favor — And What’s Not
Part of the reluctance to embrace Harris can be traced to her failed 2020 presidential campaign, which began spectacularly with the candidate announcing her run at a rally before 20,000 people in downtown Oakland but never caught on with voters. Her campaign was seen as erratic as she toggled between the moderate and progressive wings of the party, with neither fully embracing her. While she was progressive on some issues such as her support for debt-free college tuition, many on the left couldn’t let go of her history as a career prosecutor. Harris was polling fourth in her home state before she ended her campaign in December 2019. (Stein and Garofoli, 7/21)

The Washington Post: Kamala Harris Has A Career Of Comebacks. She Has 107 Days To Do It Again.
Throughout her history-making and often rocky ascent to the summit of American public life, Kamala D. Harris has shown an uncanny ability to revive her political fortunes. Now she is on the verge of a more momentous test: With just over 100 days before the presidential election, can she revive the fortunes of the Democratic Party? (Jamison and Wootson Jr., 7/21)

San Francisco Chronicle: With Harris Out Front, It's The Border Vs. Abortion Election
Now that discussion of President Joe Biden’s age is off the table after he  ended his candidacy Sunday, the race for the White House will now be a battle over the issue that each side feels is their strongest:  It’s the border vs. abortion election. (Garofoli, 7/21)

Politico: Dem Ticket Shakeup Breathes New Life Into Abortion-Rights Fight 
The country’s biggest abortion-rights groups quickly rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, either explicitly backing her bid for president in the wake of Joe Biden's announcement or, at the very least, praising her record. All argued that Harris’ ability to speak bluntly and forcefully on abortion rights — and her record on the issue as California attorney general, senator and vice president — give her an edge, particularly as her GOP opponents seek to dodge the issue. (Ollstein, 7/21)

Seeking Alpha: Kamala Harris' Potential Impact On Health Care Stocks  
Kamala Harris has engaged in issues involving health care since her days as California Attorney General. One of her most significant came in July 2016 when she joined 11 other state attorneys general to sue a proposed merger between Cigna International (NYSE:CI) and Anthem, now known as Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV). That deal eventually fell apart. A year earlier, she questioned the interest of Prime Healthcare, an operator of for-profit hospitals, in buying Daughters of Charity Health System, a safety-net system. Though the deal went through, there were hundreds of conditions attached. (Block, 7/21)

Axios: Biden's Exit Makes Trump The Oldest Nominee In U.S. History
President Biden's endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination could defuse the age question dogging the Democrats: Harris will be 60 on Inauguration Day — 22 years younger than Biden. Why it matters: Concerns over Biden's age and mental fitness were central to calls for his replacement as the Democratic nominee. Trump, at 78, becomes the oldest nominee in U.S. history if Harris or someone else younger than Trump succeeds Biden atop the Democratic ticket. (Rubin, 7/21)

Axios: Biden's Fragile Legacy On Health Care
President Biden — who was propelled into office in no small part by his health care agenda — realized Democrats' decades-long dream of allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, and came closer to achieving his party's equally elusive goal of universal health coverage than any other Democratic president before him. (Owens and Bettelheim, 7/22)

HuffPost: How History Might Remember Joe Biden's Presidency
Biden’s signature achievement is the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping legislation that passed Congress on a party-line vote and that the president signed in August 2022. ... One big piece of the Inflation Reduction Act — and one that, in spirit, hews closer to the name of the legislation — is a series of measures designed to reduce the price of health care, including pharmaceuticals. The Inflation Reduction Act allows the federal government to negotiate directly with manufacturers, imposes penalties for rapid price hikes, and imposes a $35 cap on insulin for seniors and people with disabilities. Most of the provisions affect only Medicare, and even then only some drugs. But the law gives the federal government authority that counterparts abroad have long had, and that U.S. lawmakers in the future can expand. (Cohn, 7/21)

The Hill: Joe Biden Faces Heavy Lift With Pledge To End Medical Debt
President Biden’s promise to eliminate medical debt at a rally earlier this month was welcomed by advocates and will likely appeal to plenty of indebted voters — but it won’t be easy given Americans currently owe about a quarter trillion dollars in medical arrears. Earlier this month in Detroit, Biden issued the campaign promise during a speech in which he laid out his plans for his first 100 days in office if he’s reelected to a second term. (Choi, 7/20)

USA Today: How Nursing Home Staffing Mandate From Biden Saves Lives
A new federal rule could save nearly 13,000 lives a year, researchers say, despite pushback from nursing home officials who argue the updated staffing standards could lead to home closures. At the request of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, University of Pennsylvania researchers estimated the number of lives that would be saved under the Biden administration's finalized minimum staffing rule for nursing homes. The researchers said fully implementing the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services' staffing rule would result in 12,945 fewer deaths yearly. (Alltucker, 7/20)

The Hill: Rep. Jackson, Former White House Physician, Shares Trump Gunshot Wound Update  
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a former White House physician, shared an update on former President Trump’s gunshot wound in a Saturday memo. ... “I have been with President Trump since that time, and I have evaluated and treated his wound daily,” Jackson said in his memo. ... “The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear,” Jackson continued. (Suter, 7/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Are Guns To Blame? Trump’s Shooting Ignites More Debate
Assassination attempts against U.S. presidents have led to major gun laws, but the July 13 shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump appears unlikely to be a pivotal moment in the divisive U.S. gun debate. In the days since Trump narrowly escaped a bullet fired from a would-be assassin’s rifle, the two sides in America’s argument over gun rights remain at odds over whether firearms are the major problem leading to such violence. (McWhirter and Elinson, 7/21)

The Guardian: Republicans Are Silent On Gun Control A Week After Trump Rally Shooting
More than a week after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump with an assault weapon, his political supporters and fellow members of the Republican party have remained silent on the issue of tightening America’s notoriously lax gun control laws. That intransigence plays out against the backdrop of a US election that was already deeply marred by fears of political violence and the possibility of civil unrest before a 20-year-old gunman fired a AR-15-style rifle at the former president, injuring him and two others and killing one rally-goer at an event in Pennsylvania. (Berger, 7/21)

Jacobin: Trump Was Shot With A Gun PA Republicans Refused To Ban
n the months before Saturday’s assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, the state’s legislature blocked a bill banning the sale of the type of assault rifle allegedly used in the attack. Prior to that, at the federal level, nearly all of Pennsylvania’s Republican congressional delegation voted against a bill to reinstate a nationwide assault weapons ban, and the US Senate GOP blocked the legislation. (Santoro, 7/19)

The Washington Post: ATF Traced Trump Rally Shooter’s Gun Using Records Opposed By Some In GOP
The search used sale records from an out-of-business gun store that the government is required to collect — but that Republican lawmakers and the gun lobby would like to place off-limits. (Stein, 7/21)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Last-Minute Deal Fails, Rady Children’s Two-Day Strike To Start Monday Morning 
Rady Children’s Hospital nurses Sunday evening rejected a last-minute contract offer that would have increased average pay by an estimated 25 percent over three years, opting instead to form picket lines, starting at 6:30 a.m. Monday. (Sisson, 7/21)

Becker's Hospital Review: 2,000 Workers At Sharp's San Diego Campus Vote To Unionize
Healthcare employees across Sharp Metropolitan Campus in San Diego have voted to join SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. The election, which took place July 16-18, covers more than 2,000 front-line workers at Sharp Memorial Hospital, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, Sharp Allison deRose Rehabilitation Center, and James S. Brown Pavilion, according to the union. (Gooch, 7/19)

Modern Healthcare: Rural Hospital CEOs Risk Cuts Unless Medicare, Medcaid Pay Grows
Three rural hospital operators in Washington, California and Arkansas discuss policy changes that could stave off additional service reductions.  (Kacik, 7/22)

San Francisco Chronicle: Vital San Jose Hospital Reverses Course On Trauma Center Closure
Regional Medical Center, which operates one of just three adult trauma centers in Santa Clara County, has reversed course on its previous plans to close its trauma center on Aug. 12, and will instead remain open — but with fewer services than before. (Ho, 7/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: AI Helps Save Lives At UC San Diego Health
UC San Diego Health is on the forefront of integrating artificial intelligence into clinical and operational processes, and it's beginning to save lives. The health system uses an AI algorithm called COMPOSER to predict sepsis before clinical manifestations, according to a study published in January. Patients who check into the emergency department are continuously monitored for more than 150 variables that could be linked to sepsis, including lab results, vital signs, medications and more. When patients are at risk, the AI algorithm notifies nursing staff through the EHR. (Dyrda, 7/19)

Axios: Health System's Tech Vulnerabilities Exposed Again
The CrowdStrike internet meltdown that wrecked havoc with some health systems' procedures and billing on Friday could be a harbinger of future threats and disruptions to medical facilities, experts said. (Goldman, 7/22)

Oaklandside: Wood Street Closure Signals Big Change To Oakland Homeless Policy
“All persons must immediately vacate the work zone,” a police officer announced through a loudspeaker Monday morning. “Any person who refuses to comply for any reason will be subject to arrest.” The zone in question was on Wood Street, between 26th Street and West Grand Avenue, in West Oakland. About 10 people had been living on the street there, in vehicles and tiny houses they’d built or bought. This week, a crew of city workers erected tall fences around the area, demolishing structures and scooping trash. Forty police officers stood guard around them. The unhoused residents were living in front of two city-run “community cabin” shelters, and the private property owner the city leases the land from had said the camp couldn’t stay, according to the city. (Orenstein, 7/19)

inewsource: San Diego's New Homeless Shelter Options Are Mostly Tents
One year after pushing through a controversial public camping ban, San Diego officials are preparing to tout efforts to expand shelter capacity by 40% in the face of a worsening homelessness crisis. But more than half of the city’s new shelter options don’t actually qualify as shelter under federal guidelines — they’re tents pitched at two city-sanctioned campsites tucked away in Balboa Park. (Dulaney, 7/22)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego’s Rocky Road On Homelessness Hits A Particularly Rough Patch 
Turning the tide on growing homelessness has never been easy, but San Diego’s efforts to do so have hit a tough stretch lately. On Monday, the San Diego City Council is expected to discuss a proposed 30-year lease for Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed 1,000-bed shelter at Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street just east of San Diego International Airport. (Smolens, 7/21)

Times of San Diego: Mayoral Candidate Larry Turner Demands Reassessment Of Proposed Shelter Lease After City Attorney's Report
Larry Turner, mayoral candidate for San Diego, has called for an urgent reevaluation of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed 30-year lease for a 1,000-bed homeless shelter at Kettner and Vine, after a critical report from the San Diego City Attorney’s Office. Gloria’s plan includes the lease of a 65,000-square foot warehouse at Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street, with capacity to eventually house up to 1,000 homeless individuals. Operating the shelter would cost roughly $30 million per year, according to the mayor’s office. (Bradley, 7/21)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Nonprofits Give Foil, Pipes To Fentanyl Users. Is It A Good Idea?
Glide Foundation’s center in the Tenderloin helps keep Angelina Pacheco fed and warm, supplying her with hot meals and hand warmers. She appreciates the friendly staff and the fact that the location feels like it’s right in her backyard. Another reason the 41-year-old returns to the nonprofit on a regular basis is to get free pieces of aluminum foil that she uses to smoke fentanyl. (Stein, 7/20)

Los Angeles Times: A Toddler Died Of A Fentanyl Overdose. DCFS Trusted His Mom's Friend To Keep Him Safe
Secret Daniel was supposed to keep the bubbly toddler safe. As a monitor approved by the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services, she was responsible for supervising the Feb. 18 visit between Justin Bulley, who was just starting to talk at 17 months, and his mother, who had struggled with substance abuse throughout his short life. DCFS had placed Justin and his two older siblings with a foster mother the previous year, after his mother’s boyfriend fatally overdosed on fentanyl with the kids at home. Around 6:15 p.m., Justin’s mother called 911. The toddler had stopped breathing. (Ellis, 7,22)

The Desert Sun: It's An Odd Side Effect Of Opioid Abuse: Why Are Fentanyl Users Bent Over. Here's Why
It’s become one of the most startling signs of the fentanyl crisis happening across California: Seemingly zombified drug users slumped over in awkward positions. Alternately called "the fentanyl fold” or "the fentanyl bend over," videos and photos of people reportedly using the drug have spread through social media. If you have ever witnessed what looks like seemingly intoxicated people bent over or frozen in place on sidewalks or in parks, you might be seeing someone in the throes of opioid use. (Ward, 7/19)

Stat: Trans Adults Face 'Shocking' Risk Of Alcohol-Driven Cirrhosis
People under 45 have been driving an increase in liver-related deaths, especially those caused by alcohol. But a sliver of that young adult population is being hit disproportionately hard by alcohol-associated liver disease: transgender people. (Cueto, 7/22)

Los Angeles Times: FLiRT Wave: California COVID Wastewater Levels Worse Than Last Summer
Coronavirus levels in California’s wastewater now exceed last summer’s peak, an indication of the rapid spread of the super-contagious new FLiRT strains. California has “very high” coronavirus levels in its wastewater, according to estimates published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means about 155 million people — nearly half of America’s population — live in areas with “very high” coronavirus levels in sewage. ... Coronavirus levels in wastewater are also surging in Los Angeles County — and the rate of increase has been accelerating. The county also has seen notable jumps this month in newly confirmed infections, coronavirus-positive hospitalizations and the share of emergency room visits attributable to COVID-19. (Lin II, 7/22)

Marin Independent Journal: Golden Gate Bridge Suicides Drastically Decline After Barrier Installation
There has been an annual average of about 30 confirmed suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge over the last 20 years, but since the installation of a lifesaving barrier, that rate has significantly declined, officials said. (Rodriguez, 7/22)

Bay Area News Group: California Bill Aims To Pave Way For Farmworker Housing
The housing shortage is reflected in the dire conditions of many farmworkers. Interviews with several advocates throughout Santa Clara County revealed a wide range of desperate living conditions beyond crowded housing — with farmworkers living in abandoned buildings, shipping containers, sheds — or simply left unsheltered. In all of these situations, the farmworkers, many of whom live on the farms where they work, refused to be interviewed for fear of being fired or losing their housing. (Zambrano, 7/22)

Orange County Register: What Is Project 2025, And How Does It Target California?
A lengthy “governing agenda” for the next conservative president is becoming a growing matter of contention in the 2024 election cycle — and it specifically targets California. ... The document takes aim at California, from education and climate policies to access to reproductive health care. It also suggests there could be a home in the state for a Space Force academy. (Schallhorn, 7/21)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: West Nile Virus Detected In Lake County Mosquitoes 
Lake County is now one of at least 25 California counties to report evidence of the potentially fatal mosquito-borne virus in 2024. Many of the cases have been in central and southern parts of the state, according to the California Department of Public Health. So far no human cases have been reported. (Callahan, 7/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: Drinkable Exhaust Makes A Splash As Hydrogen-Powered Ferry Premieres On S.F. Bay
Cookie Huss and Ed Simon boarded the 10:30 Sunday morning ferry at Fisherman’s Wharf and went straight to the back of the cabin, nearest the water fountain. They wanted to drink the cool, pure exhaust from the world’s first hydrogen cell commercial passenger ferry. “It tastes very good,” said Huss, who had to drink fast because it was only a 15-minute ride to San Francisco’s ferry terminal, on an existing route called the Pier 41 Short Hop. Huss and Simon had come all the way from Roseville, east of Sacramento, for the novelty. (Whiting, 7/21)

NPR: FDA Misses Deadline To Propose Ban On Formaldehyde From Hair Relaxers
The Food and Drug Administration’s proposal to ban the use of formaldehyde as an ingredient in hair relaxers and hair straighteners on the market in the U.S. has been pushed back yet again. The deadline for the agency's proposal, at this time, still remains unclear. The FDA's proposed rule takes a large step in shedding light on the potential harm that formaldehyde — a highly toxic, colorless gas — can cause to the many Black women and other women of color who typically use straightening products. (Franklin, 7/20)