KQED: Lawmakers Push For National Heat-Related Worker Protections Amid Scorching Temperatures
California Sen. Alex Padilla announced new legislation Wednesday that would expedite new rules to protect workers toiling in scorching temperatures across the U.S. Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., and the danger has increased in recent years, particularly in industries such as agriculture and construction, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (Romero, 7/28)

CalMatters: The Hidden Cost Of California’s Hot Workplaces: 20,000 Job Injuries A Year 
With more heat waves expected this summer, California officials are trying to assess the long-term economic impact on workers and businesses — and what more can be done to protect workers bearing the brunt of extreme temperatures. (Foy, 7/27)

Politico: Humans ‘Never Experienced A World So Hot In Modern History,’ Scientists Say 
July is on track to become the world’s hottest month on record — with some scientists saying the planet may be experiencing its warmest period in about 120,000 years.  The finding, announced by the World Meteorological Organization and the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on Thursday, comes as G20 climate ministers travel to India for talks on how to curb planet-warming emissions. (Weise, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Extreme Heat And Pollution Can Double The Risk Of A Heart Attack
Exposure to extreme temperatures combined with suffocating air pollution can double the risk of dying from a heart attack, according to Chinese researchers who analyzed more than 200,000 cardiac deaths in China between 2015 and 2020. Experts, who already believe that prolonged heat waves, cold snaps and polluted air are bad for the heart, said the study, published Monday in the journal Circulation, further strengthens the relationship by connecting it to the risk of cardiac death. (Cimons, 7/27)

Side Effects Public Media: Heat Waves Aren't Just An Inconvenience. They're A Threat To Public Health
The Midwest is experiencing rising temperatures this week, as heat waves become more frequent and deadly across the U.S. Experts studying the connection between climate change and health say that extreme heat is not just an inconvenience. “The biggest challenge in this country is making sure that people are aware that extreme heat is a life-or-death issue,” said Vijay Limaye, an epidemiologist at Natural Resources Defense Council. (Li, 7/27)

AP and Grist: In The US, A Hotter Climate Is Helping A Fungal Disease Spread Fast
In the years since the discovery, New York has become an epicenter for C. auris infections. Now, as the illness spreads across the U.S., a prominent theory for its sudden explosion has emerged: climate change. As temperatures rise, fungi can develop tolerance for warmer environments — including the bodies of humans and other mammals, whose naturally high temperatures typically keep most fungal pathogens at bay. Over time, humans may lose resistance to these climate-adapting fungi and become more vulnerable to infections. Some researchers think this is what is happening with C. auris.  (Fassett, 7/27)

WUSF Public Media: Is Climate Change Leading To An Increase In Mosquito-Borne Illnesses?
While organizations like the World Health Organization have cautioned that climate change could lead to more global cases and deaths from malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, experts say it's too soon to tell if the local transmission the past two months in Sarasota County has any connection to extreme heat or flooding. "We don't have any reason to think that climate change has contributed to these particular cases," said Ben Beard, deputy director of the CDC's division of vector-borne diseases and deputy incident manager for this year's local malaria response. (Colombini, 7/27)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Tri-City Medical Center Board Approves Suspension Of Labor And Delivery Services For First Time In Hospital's History 
With no discussion and somber expressions, Tri-City Medical Center trustees voted Thursday night to indefinitely suspend women and newborn services for the first time in the hospital’s 62-year history, a change that is likely to take effect on Oct. 1. (Sisson, 7/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: How The COVID Pandemic Is Changing Bay Area Public Health Schools
Months into the COVID-19 pandemic and amid the national reckoning over the murder of George Floyd, Andrea Jacobo underwent a transformation. Then a master’s student at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, Jacobo began to look critically at why a disproportionate number of Black, Latino and Indigenous people were being hospitalized and dying from the coronavirus, and how to address those disparities. (Castro-Root, 7/28)

CalMatters: California Forbids Plans To Unmask Workers At In-N-Out — And Most Other Workplaces
For at least another year and a half, California employers won’t be able to follow In-N-Out’s lead in banning workers from wearing masks on the job. (Ibarra, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Doctors Who Put Lives At Risk With Covid Misinformation Rarely Punished
Across the country, doctors who jeopardized patients’ lives by pushing medical misinformation during the pandemic and its aftermath have faced few repercussions, according to a Washington Post analysis of disciplinary records from medical boards in all 50 states. (Sun, Weber and Godfrey, 7/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Facebook Bowed To White House Pressure, Removed Covid Posts 
Facebook removed content related to Covid-19 in response to pressure from the Biden administration, including posts claiming the virus was man-made, according to internal company communications viewed by The Wall Street Journal. The emails show Facebook executives discussing how they managed users’ posts about the origins of a pandemic that the administration was seeking to control. “Can someone quickly remind me why we were removing—rather than demoting/labeling—claims that Covid is man made,” asked Nick Clegg, the company’s president of global affairs, in a July 2021 email to colleagues. (Tracy, 7/28)

Axios: Abortion, Spending Fights Snag FDA Spending Bill
The first health-related spending bill to go through the House this year was pulled from the floor schedule on Thursday amid disputes over spending levels and a contentious abortion pill policy rider. Lawmakers are heading home for the August recess, meaning work on the Agriculture-FDA appropriations package will be put off until after they return in September. (Knight, 7/28)

The Hill: Biden: Tuberville Military Holds, GOP Silence Causing ‘Growing Cascade Of Damage And Disruption’ 
President Biden on Thursday said Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) hold on military nominations — as well the Senate Republicans who have refused to stop it — is causing “a growing cascade of damage and disruption.” ... “A growing cascade of damage and disruption all because one senator from Alabama—and 48 Republicans who refuse to stand up to him — to lift a blockade over a Pentagon policy offering servicemen and women, their families access to reproductive health care rights they deserve if they’re stationed in states that deny it,” the president said. (Gangitano, 7/27)

Politico: Abortion Fight Clouds AIDS-Fighting Program’s Future
Democrats’ efforts to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief are floundering in the face of GOP opposition. A bid by Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to amend the defense policy bill that’s on the Senate floor this week to reauthorize PEPFAR for five years failed when Republican members objected. (Ollstein, 7/27)

NBC News: A New Bipartisan Bill Aims To Increase Access To Fentanyl Test Strips Amid Overdose Deaths
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to address the staggering number of opioid overdoses nationwide, as two-thirds of drug overdose deaths last year were caused by synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Tsirkin, 7/27)

Stat: Mental Illness, Drug Addiction Must Be Tackled Together, Top U.S. Official Says
At a House oversight hearing Thursday, the Biden administration’s top drug policy official emphasized the need to address both mental illness and drug addiction simultaneously to reduce fentanyl deaths. According to a 2021 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, over nine million adults in the U.S. have this co-occuring disorder. (Bajaj, 7/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: Following Confusion Over Vote, Feinstein To Return To California For August Recess
Sen. Dianne Feinstein plans to return to California for the first time in nearly three months, her spokesperson told The Chronicle. She has remained in Washington, D.C., since her reappearance in May after having shingles. Feinstein’s actions and whereabouts have drawn increased scrutiny since her return, including an incident Thursday in which she appeared confused during a vote. (Stein, 7/27)

Stat: Mitch McConnell Episode Has Important Public Health Takeaway
The handling of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s abrupt medical issue this week is raising concerns among medical experts that the event sent a potentially dangerous public-health message — that when someone experiences an episode with symptoms like McConnell’s, they can simply return to work as though nothing had happened. (Merelli, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Senate Passes Pentagon Policy Bill, Teeing Up Partisan Clash With House
In the weeks to come, the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-controlled House must reconcile their sharpest differences — deciding, for example, whether the final bill will include hard-right provisions to roll back Pentagon policies on abortion access and gender-affirming care — or risk failing to pass a National Defense Authorization Act for the first time in more than six decades. (Hauslohner, 7/27)

Stat: Lawmakers Circle Parents’ Rights In Gender-Affirming Care Hearing
Republicans on Thursday sought to turn around transgender advocates’ arguments that gender-affirming care is a personal health care decision. The LGBTQ+ community has long pressed Democrats to frame their defense of transgender rights, and particularly gender-affirming care for minors, as a basic right for a person to pursue with their medical providers — and that conservative bans on access represent hypocrisy from traditionally small-government Republicans. (Owermohle, 7/27)

Roll Call: Health Deadlines Pile Up As Congress Adjourns For August
Lawmakers leave town at the end of this week with a lengthy to-do list, several health programs expiring Sept. 30 and very few work days left. The Senate is expected to return from its August recess on Sept. 5, while the House is not slated back until Sept. 12. That leaves only 11 legislative days with both chambers in session before the end of the fiscal year — a tight turnaround for a number of fairly complicated legislative priorities. (Clason, Cohen, Hellmann and Raman, 7/27)

Stat: Key Republicans Nix Idea To Give FDA New Power To Regulate CBD
The Food and Drug Administration says it needs Congress to give it more power to regulate CBD. Two powerful congressional Republicans made clear Thursday that they aren’t willing to do that. (Florko, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Don’t Let People Buy Pot With Debit Cards, Mastercard Tells Banks
Mastercard has told U.S. banks to stop allowing marijuana purchases with its debit cards, highlighting the legal and financial gray area the industry exists within even as more states legalize the drug. Large banks and credit card companies have generally restricted cannabis purchases because marijuana is illegal under federal law, leaving few payment options for buyers in places where it is legal. Thirty-eight states, two territories and D.C. allow medical use for some conditions, and 23 states, two territories and the D.C. have legalized recreational use. (Vinall, 7/27)

Axios: Biden Admin Launches Precision Cancer Surgery Effort
The Biden administration on Thursday launched an effort under its new science agency ARPA-H to help surgeons better remove cancerous tumors without damaging nerves, blood vessels and other healthy tissue. It's the first cancer program for the multi-billion-dollar Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health and is paired with the "cancer moonshot" as part of President Biden's "unity agenda" aimed at cutting the cancer death rate in half over 25 years. (Bettelheim, 7/27)

Bay Area News Group: Richmond Chemical Plant Fined $1.15 Million For Years-Long Air Pollution Violations
Since at least 2014, Chemtrade underreported sulfur dioxide emissions after failing to properly calibrate, operate and maintain its continuous monitoring system, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. (Lauer, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Tick-Linked Meat Allergy May Be Far More Common Than Previously Known
Up to 450,000 people in the United States may have developed a rare and potentially life-threatening tick-associated allergic condition that is triggered when eating red meat, according to federal health data released Thursday. Alpha-gal syndrome, sometimes known as red-meat allergy, is caused when a tick bites a person and injects a sugar molecule found in its saliva. (Sun, 7/27)

Los Angeles Daily News: USC’s Bronny James Discharged From Hospital, Returns Home After Cardiac Arrest 
USC men’s basketball player Bronny James was discharged from the hospital and returned home after collapsing and suffering a cardiac arrest during a practice Monday, Cedars-Sinai Medical Group doctor Merije Chukumerije announced in a statement Thursday afternoon. (Price, 7/27)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom's Plan To Transform San Quentin Prison Lacks Details But Is Moving Ahead
Tucked in the back corner of San Quentin State Prison’s sprawling campus here sits a dilapidated warehouse, a humdrum building that’s fallen into disrepair since the days it was used as an office furniture factory. It’s also ground zero for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious $380-million plan to transform the state’s oldest prison into a sweeping rehabilitation center modeled on the Scandinavian approach to incarceration, which focuses less on severe punishment and more on preparing individuals for life after prison. (Wiley, 7/27)

San Diego Union-Times: Jailed La Mesa Man Gets Delayed Surgery To Remove Lung Tumor 
A La Mesa man who was sent to San Diego County jail weeks before he was scheduled to have a cancerous tumor removed from his lung underwent a successful surgery this week — days after his case was profiled in The San Diego Union-Tribune. (McDonald, 7/26)

Voice of OC: An Uphill Hike
A disabled girl and her family show that outdoor camping adventures are possible for everyone with a bit of creativity and teamwork, also spurring questions about disabled access to state and county parks. (Duran, 7/28)

Los Angeles Times: Why Older Adults Are So Vulnerable To Extreme Heat From Climate Change
Scorching temperatures have put millions of Americans in danger this summer, with heat extremes stretching across the Southern U.S. Phoenix hit 110 degrees or higher every day for three weeks in July. Other major cities, from Las Vegas to Miami, experienced relentless high temperatures, which residents described as “hell on earth.” (Deborah Carr, Giacomo Falchetta and Ian Sue Wing, 7/25)

East Bay Times: Judge Talks About His Anxiety To Reduce Mental Health Stigmas
Judges have the fourth-most stressful job in the country, according to a ranking by the The Occupational Information Network. There’s a reason for that, and it’s got a lot to do with a relatively unknown aspect of the job: the secondary (or bystander) trauma trial court judges experience daily. (Tim Fall, 7/25)

Fresno Bee: Higher Drug Costs Are Hurting Latinos In Fresno County And The State
The Hispanic community has had an enormous impact on California, and at 39 percent of the population, it’s fair to say there is no California without Latinos. We’ve helped shape the state’s history, economy, politics, and culture — no doubt our legacy runs deep. (Adriana Prado, 7/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: What Drug Addiction Does To People’s Brains — And How To Help Them
Sadly, they are called “frequent flyers” — severely ill patients with serious medical conditions who routinely cycle in and out of hospital emergency departments. On any given day, their affliction could be an overwhelming infection, festering wounds or even a coma. Sometimes they require a ventilator and ICU care. (William Andereck, David Smith and Steve Heilig, 7/23)

San Francisco Chronicle: What Taylor Swift And Doctors Like Me Have In Common
Taylor Swift is finally coming to the Bay Area this weekend for her Eras Tour, after disastrous initial ticket sales via Ticketmaster where scalpers descended on the site to profit off a huge demand to see the singer. When I read that resellers are asking thousands of dollars for last-minute tickets, I realized that I — an urgent care doctor in Palo Alto with dubious musical talents — have something in common with Taylor Swift. Everyone is lining up to see both Swift and doctors like me, but websites that are supposed to be helpful — Ticketmaster for Taylor Swift fans and health information websites for patients — are making that nearly impossible. (Jason Bae, 7/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Who Cares For Caregivers’ Families While They’re Caring For Us?
In March 2020, when Congress enacted the country’s first federal paid sick time and child care leave policy, it carved millions of people out of the law’s guarantees, including one group that the nation was simultaneously hailing as heroes: health care workers. (Vicki Shabo, 7/25)