The Washington Post: ‘My Kid Has Seen This. Now What?’: Parents Reel As Charlie Kirk Video Goes Viral
Alissa Wright’s 13-year-old daughter arrived home from her Los Angeles school Wednesday with an announcement: Charlie Kirk was dead, and she had watched a video of it happening. Wright’s stomach dropped, she said. The 47-year-old stay-at-home mom had seen the gory video of the conservative commentator’s killing at a Utah speaking event earlier that day as it spread on TikTok and Reddit. Her daughter said that a boy in her class had sneaked around the school’s phone ban and discovered the video on TikTok. (Hunter and Oremus, 9/12)

Los Angeles Times: NFL, UFC Athletes Use Ibogaine Psychedelic To Treat Brain Injury
As awareness grows around the dangers of head trauma in sports, a small number of professional fighters and football players are turning to a psychedelic called ibogaine for treatment. Ibogaine, which is derived from a West African shrub, is a Schedule 1 drug in America with no legal medical uses, and experts urge caution because of the need for further studies. But the results, several athletes say, are “game-changing.” (Harter, 9/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: Medi-Cal Changes Will Tighten Access, Add New Costs
Impending changes to California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, are expected to make it harder for adults — especially undocumented adults — to retain, enroll in and qualify for Medi-Cal coverage, and to afford coverage and care. Most of the federal changes under HR 1, commonly referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” apply to adults on Medi-Cal, the joint federal-state health insurance plan for low-income Californians. They enact new work requirements, more frequent renewal rules, and new copayments. (Ho, 9/11)

NPR: Health Care Costs Are Soaring. Blame Insurers, Drug Companies — And Your Employer
The United States has the most expensive health care in the developed world. Now it's about to get even more expensive. Some 154 million people get health insurance through their employer — and many could see their paycheck deductions surge next year, by 6% to 7% on average. Some will likely also see their out-of-pocket costs rise as employers pass along the spiking costs of care. (Aspan, 9/12)

Los Angeles Times: California Legislature Passes Bill To Protect Medical Data Of Transgender People
California lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would expand the state’s protections of transgender people by shielding their medical data from being shared with Republican-led states and law enforcement. Authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Senate Bill 497 builds on California’s “Transgender State of Refuge” law — also by Wiener — that passed in 2022 and guards transgender people from persecution from outside state laws and policies. (Smith, 9/11)

The Bay Area Reporter: CA Legislators Adopt Various LGBTQ Bills
Legislation strengthening California’s status as a transgender refuge state and addressing suicide among LGBTQ youth are among those headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Another bill passed out of the state Legislature addresses homelessness among LGBTQ individuals. Newsom has until October 13 to either sign the bills into law or veto them. He has already pledged to enact Assembly Bill 727 authored by gay Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles). (Bajko, 9/11)

Bay Area News Group: California Leads Opposition To Proposal That Would End Monitoring Of LGBTQ+ Harassment And Bullying
California is leading a multistate coalition in opposition to proposed federal changes that would halt the collection of data on bullying and harassment of transgender and nonbinary students. (Gibbs, 9/12)

The Bay Area Reporter: HIV Care Bills Sent To CA Governor Newsom
As AIDS advocates fight funding cuts and various policy decisions by the Trump administration, California lawmakers have passed several bills aimed at improving HIV care and prevention in the Golden State. Governor Gavin Newsom will have until October 13 to either sign them into law or veto them. Assembly Bill 554 authored by gay Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles) would prevent health care plans and insurance companies from requiring prior authorization or step therapy for antiretroviral drugs, devices, or products that are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for PrEP, or preexposure prophylaxis, and PEP, or postexposure prophylaxis, both of which prevent the transmission of HIV. (Bajko, 9/11)

CBS News: California Bill To Ban "Forever Chemicals" In Cookware Pits Celebrity Chefs Against Environmental Advocates
California lawmakers are weighing whether to ban a group of chemicals known as PFAS, which are often called "forever chemicals," in cookware. The move has pulled in celebrity chefs on one side and environmentalists, including actor Mark Ruffalo, on the other. The proposal, Senate Bill 682, would prohibit PFAS in cookware, cleaning products, dental floss, ski wax, food packaging and certain children's products. (Metz, 9/11)

Voice Of San Diego: Under Pressure, Rady Children’s Hospital Strikes Shaky Middle Ground On Trans Care
Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego’s gender-transition clinic is lying low as hospitals across the country kill their transgender medicine programs to avoid the Trump administration’s wrath. Rady has deactivated the webpage of its high-profile Center for Gender-Affirming Care, and visitors now land on a page that says, “You seem to be lost.” (Dotinga, 9/11)

Bay Area News Group: Insurance Company Repeatedly Denied Concord Woman's Medical Claim, Then AI Delivered Victory
Health insurance giant Anthem wanted $1,800 from Lauren Gonzalves for hospital nursery services after the birth of her son. But it had been two years since the Concord mother gave birth, she had already paid her out-of-pocket maximum and she believed her policy covered the care for which Anthem repeatedly sought payment. (Baron, 9/12)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Mira Mesa Care Facility Owner Charged With Elder Abuse
A 62-year-old woman who owns an elder care home in Mira Mesa was arrested on suspicion of elder abuse after she was accused of understaffing her facility and leaving residents in soiled diapers for extended periods of time, state prosecutors said Tuesday. (Lunetta, 9/11)

Modern Healthcare: AMA's CPT Codes For Remote Monitoring, AI Updated For 2026
Efforts to include artificial intelligence and remote monitoring services in standard billing codes are gaining traction. The American Medical Association released nearly 300 new Current Procedural Terminology billing codes Thursday as part of its proposed 2026 code set. (Hudson, 9/11)

Bloomberg: LA Homes Still Pose Health Risks From Wildfire Smoke
Months after the smoke from California’s destructive fires cleared from LA skies, residents are still reckoning with a toxic stew of smoke pollutants whose effects on human health are poorly understood. Without federal and local standards on how to deal with contaminants like arsenic and the carcinogen benzene, dozens of researchers and private specialists are combing through yards and homes, work that goes beyond authorities' post-fire testing. (Court, 9/11)

Capital & Main: A/C Saves Lives During Heat Waves. Will Los Angeles Require It For Rentals?
When the temperature spikes in Los Angeles — usually around Labor Day — thousands of renters swelter in homes with little relief. Mostly, they wait for it to end. But climate change driven by burning fossil fuels is prolonging the extreme heat. The number of days from September to November hotter than a temperature baseline have trended upward since 1970, resulting in nine additional days above normal temperatures, according to data compiled by Climate Central. (Cantú, 9/11)

The Desert Sun: Jenny Stanton Helps New Mothers Find Their Way
"At Mama's House we see lives being transformed every day," says Maurae Quigley, president of Mama's House Ministries. "Pregnant mothers who once felt alone are finding hope, strength and community here, and their children are being welcomed into the world surrounded by love and support. (Zuckerman, 9/12)

The Hill: Scientists Reveal PFAS Impact On Liver Function
Toxic “forever chemicals” are altering human liver function at a fundamental level by triggering both fat accumulation and cancer-linked cell damage, a new study has found. Several of these compounds, also known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), interrupt liver cell signaling and immune functions but do so via unique mechanisms, scientists observed in the study, published in Environment International. ... “These chemicals change our bodies,” said senior author Ana Maretti-Mira, an assistant professor of research medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. (Udasin, 9/11)

Oaklandside: How A Food Designed For Astronauts Came To Fuel New Moms
While leading NASA’s food system for the International Space Station, one of the projects Ryan Dowdy worked on was developing a balanced meal for astronauts that was efficient, convenient, and compact. It was from this project that Dowdy came up with the idea for READYBAR, a bar that serves as an entire meal. But, instead of feeding astronauts, it is marketed to first responders and others who need a quick, balanced meal on the go. (Taub, 9/11)

Bloomberg: Apple Watch Hypertension Detection Coming Next Week After FDA Nod
Apple Inc. said its hypertension detection system for its smart watch will arrive next week after receiving clearance Thursday from the US Food and Drug Administration. The feature, which was announced at Apple’s most recent product launch event in early September, will be available in 150 countries and regions, including the US, Hong Kong and the European Union. The company previously said it was waiting for approval from the FDA and other regulators. (Kelly, 9/12)

Bloomberg: Shutdown Risk Grows As GOP Rebuffs Schumer Health-Care Demands
Republicans are moving forward with a plan to fund the government past an Oct. 1 deadline without making concessions to Democrats demanding health-care policy changes, setting up a standoff that risks a chaotic shutdown. The gambit to brush off Democrats, whose votes are needed in the Senate to pass the funding legislation, also lowers the chances of a deal to avert a large increase in Obamacare premiums that will affect millions of Americans starting Jan. 1. (Wasson and Dennis, 9/11)

The New York Times: Breaking Precedent, G.O.P. Changes Rules On Nominees 
Senate Republicans on Thursday bulldozed past Senate precedents and changed the rules to break a Democratic blockade of President Trump’s nominees, in an extraordinary move that is likely to undercut Congress’s future role in vetting executive branch officials. The change, pushed through along party lines, lowered the existing 60-vote threshold for considering a group of presidential nominees to a simple majority, weakening the ability of individual senators to block nominees they find objectionable. It was the latest step in a yearslong back-and-forth between the two parties that has eroded the filibuster, a once-potent Senate tool to protect the rights of the minority and force consensus. (Gold, 9/11)

The Bay Area Reporter: CDC Chaos A Chance For New Ideas
It’s clear that public health is just not a priority for the Trump administration. And we will all pay the price for that, either through resurgence of diseases such as measles, drastically reduced funding for HIV/AIDS and many other diseases, and just a general disdain for public health employees that MAGA has been amplifying through social media and in conservative outlets. There was a time when the public actually listened to public health officials; not anymore. That can change, however, a few states at a time. And it can start with this new West Coast Health Alliance that the four Democratic governors have formed. (9/10)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Now Has The NRA Standing Up For Trans Rights
Given the tsunami of news demanding your attention you might have missed an interesting trial balloon launched by the Department of Justice last week. Officials briefed reporters on preliminary discussions among the department’s top brass to ban transgender people from buying guns. This was in the wake of last month’s horrendous Minneapolis church shooting by a deranged killer who identified as trans and who murdered two children and injured at least 17 others. (Jonah Goldberg, 9/9)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: How Community Colleges Can Address State’s Nursing Shortage 
The road to becoming a nurse in California has been paved with roadblocks, sharp turns and bottlenecks. Where that education is offered has a lot to do with it. (Betty Limon, 9/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: Wave Of Panic Hits S.F.'s Hispanic Community As Supreme Court Ruling Allows Racial Profiling
In a city where more than 133,000 residents are Hispanic, the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday that allows immigration agents to stop individuals based solely on their appearance, accent or attire has resulted in a wave of panic for our community. (Carlos Solorzano-Cuadra, 9/12)

East Bay Times: Masquerading As Green, State Bill Would Unleash Toxins Into Poor Neighborhoods
As executive director of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, I’ve spent decades pushing recyclers like Radius to be better neighbors. But a new bill, drafted by the metal shredding industry and facing an imminent vote in the California Assembly, would gut oversight of these dangerous facilities and lead to more toxic pollution in West Oakland and across California. (Brian Beveridge, 9/10)