NBC News: 'On The Move': Biden Urges Congress To Turn 'Crisis' Into 'Opportunity'
President Joe Biden painted a nation on the mend, recovering from the pandemic but still in need of a boost from the federal government, in his first address to Congress on Wednesday as he seeks to shift his focus beyond the coronavirus pandemic nearly 100 days into his administration. Biden said he was there to speak to Congress not just about "crisis" but also about "opportunity," pitching $4 trillion of ambitious investments in the economy and social safety net programs that he argued were necessary to compete on the global stage and said would reduce deficits in the long run. (Egan, 4/29)

AP: Biden's Declaration: America's Democracy 'Is Rising Anew'
While the ceremonial setting of the Capitol was the same as usual, the visual images were unlike any previous presidential address. Members of Congress wore masks and were seated apart because of pandemic restrictions. Outside the grounds were still surrounded by fencing after insurrectionists in January protesting Biden’s election stormed to the doors of the House chamber where he gave his address. “America is ready for takeoff. We are working again. Dreaming again. Discovering again. Leading the world again. We have shown each other and the world: There is no quit in America,” Biden said. (LeMire and Boak, 4/29)

The Hill: Biden Vows US Will Be 'Arsenal Of Vaccination' For Other Countries 
President Biden on Wednesday vowed that the United States will become an "arsenal of vaccination" for the rest of the world to fight COVID-19."As our own vaccine supply grows to meet our needs — and we are meeting them — we will become an arsenal of vaccines for other countries, just as America was the arsenal of democracy in World War 2," Biden said in a speech before a joint session of Congress. But Biden said that won't happen until "every American" has access to a vaccine. (Weixel, 4/28

Stat: Biden Pitches A New Health Agency To Help 'End Cancer As We Know It'
In one of the most emotional moments of his first major address to Congress, President Biden on Wednesday called on lawmakers to help him “end cancer as we know it.” The bold pledge came after Biden gave a high-profile endorsement of his administration’s proposal to create a new biomedical research agency aimed at developing “breakthrough” treatments for conditions including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. (Facher, 4/28)

CNBC: Biden Wants To Permanently Extend Enhanced Obamacare Premium Subsidies
A temporary federal policy aimed at making health insurance more affordable for tens of millions of Americans could become permanent. Under President Joe Biden’s $1.8 trillion plan to help families and children, which he will propose to Congress on Wednesday night, he would permanently extend recently expanded premium subsidies available for private health insurance through the public marketplace. The $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill enacted in March made the subsidies more generous for two years and expanded who can qualify for them. (O'Brien, 4/28)

CNBC: Biden American Families Plan Excludes Medicare Expansion, Drug Price Cuts
President Joe Biden’s new plan to boost the social safety net would not expand Medicare coverage, an omission that could irk dozens of Democratic lawmakers who urged him to extend the program to more Americans. The White House on Wednesday outlined the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, the second piece of the president’s more than $4 trillion economic recovery program. It calls to expand paid leave and free pre-K, make child care and higher education more affordable, and extend tax credits for families passed as part of the coronavirus relief bill this year. (Pramuk, 4/28)

The New York Times: Biden Proposes Free Community College For All Americans 
Proponents of the idea say it will relieve some of the burdens saddling low-income and working-class college students, many of whom struggle to cover tuition costs while at the same time paying for rent, food and other basic needs. Juan Salgado, chancellor of the 70,000-student City Colleges of Chicago system, said that by providing some free secondary education, Mr. Biden’s plan would bring education into the 21st century. (Saul and Goldstein, 4/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Pushes Broad Economic Agenda In Speech To Congress
The president also called for Congress to back a slew of Democratic priorities, including raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, closing the gender pay gap and strengthening worker bargaining rights. He called for expanding access to healthcare and reducing prescription drug prices. (Lucey and Siddiqui, 4/28)

CBS News: Tim Scott Dismisses Biden's Infrastructure Plan As "Big Government Waste" In Republican Response
Republican Senator Tim Scott delivered a speech responding to President Joe Biden's first address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening. The response provides an opportunity for Scott, a rising star in the Republican Party, to outline an alternative to the president's ambitious legislative agenda. Scott began his speech by saying that Mr. Biden "seems like a good man," but argued that his policies were divisive. "Our president seems like a good man. His speech was full of good words. But President Biden promised you a specific kind of leadership," Scott said. "Our nation is starving for more than empty platitudes. We need policies and progress that bring us closer together. But three months in, the actions of the president and his party are pulling us further and further apart." (Segers, 4/28)

USA Today: Amid Infighting, Republicans Unite To Bash Joe Biden's Speech
Taking a break from infighting over Donald Trump, Republican leaders found something to agree on Wednesday: bashing President Joe Biden and the massive economic program he outlined in his prime-time speech to Congress. GOP leaders denounced Biden's plans to spend trillions on COVID-19 and economic relief, and to increase taxes on the wealthy to help pay for them. Republicans also hit Biden's border polices and accused the new president of spending his first 100 days in thrall to the left wing of the Democratic Party. (Jackson, 4/29)

The Hill: White House Provides ASL Interpretation Of President's Joint Address For First Time 
The White House livestream of President Biden’s joint address to Congress on Wednesday evening included an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, the first time in history an administration has provided ASL interpretation for such a congressional address. Prior to his address on Wednesday, Biden announced on Twitter that the White House livestream would include ASL interpretation to make the speech “accessible for all Americans.” (Schnell, 4/28)

The New York Times: Biden’s Speech To Congress: Full Transcript
President Biden delivered an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Because of the pandemic, Mr. Biden spoke to a socially distanced audience of less than 200 lawmakers and officials, a small fraction of the packed audience that typically attends such an address. The following is a transcript of his remarks. (4/29)

AP: Some Californians Can't Get Vaccine Despite Surge In Supply
California, swimming in vaccine, is in far better shape than just weeks ago when scoring an appointment was cause for celebration. Today, Los Angeles, San Diego and other populous counties are advertising that anyone can walk in for a shot, and the state is texting reminders that plenty of appointments are available. ... But that doesn’t mean everyone in California who wants a vaccine can get one — as some of Dr. Roland’s patients can attest. (Har, 4/29)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego County Passes 1 Million Fully Vaccinated 
On Wednesday, San Diego’s vaccination counter rolled past 1 million residents fully vaccinated, meaning that nearly a third of the county’s population has now received both vaccine doses or just a single Johnson & Johnson shot. Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County’s public health director, called the milestone Herculean during her weekly COVID-19 briefing Wednesday. She noted that it has taken the work of thousands to get to the point where about one out of every three of the region’s 3.3 million residents has now received a full measure of protection against the virus that has killed more than 570,000 in the United States, including 3,698 in San Diego. (Sisson, 4/28)

Sacramento Bee: COVID Vaccine: Sacramento County Injects Millionth Dose 
As it marches toward having half of its total population at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19, California next week is scheduled to receive more than 2 million doses, including a resumption in shipments of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. Federal allocation data released Tuesday shows the Golden State will receive about 1.94 million total first and second doses of Pfizer and Moderna’s two-dose vaccines, plus 87,800 shots of J&J. (McGough, 4/28)

Los Angeles Daily News: LA County Officials Push Plummeting Coronavirus Rate At Nursing Homes As Reason To Get Vaccinated 
Again pointing to plummeting COVID-19 case numbers among skilled nursing facility residents and staff — who were among the hardest hit in the early days of the pandemic and then were the first to get vaccinated — Los Angeles County health officials said on Wednesday, April 28, that the facilities are a case study on the effectiveness of the inoculations. “Where we see high rates of vaccination, we are seeing transmission of COVID-19 plummet,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Each person that is vaccinated has the best protection against COVID-19. (4/28)

Southern California News Group: San Mateo County Re-Starting Mass Vaccine Site Thursday Amid Supply Increase
With COVID-19 vaccine supplies increasing across the Bay Area and President Joe Biden pushing hard for everyone to get inoculated, San Mateo County will reopen its drive-through mass vaccination site at the fairgrounds on Thursday. In an announcement Wednesday, county officials said they plan to administer about 4,000 daily doses two or three times a week at the San Mateo County Event Center parking lot. (Toledo, 4/28)

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Sonoma County Launches Vaccine Standby List
Sonoma County recently has launched a standby list for coronavirus vaccination appointments. Residents who register for the list will be notified when vaccination appointments at local clinics become available because of extra doses or unfilled appointments, said Matt Brown, a county spokesman. (Chudwin, 4/28)

The Bakersfield Californian: Get Vaccinated And Enjoy A Cinco De Mayo Surprise At Shafter Event On Thursday 
The Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force is hosting a special vaccination clinic Thursday and offering participants a special Cinco de Mayo treat. The clinic will take place from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, at Shafter High School located at 526 Mannel Ave. Although walk-ins will be welcomed, appointments are recommended. Appointments can be made by calling 661-526-5900. (4/28)

Orange County Register: UCI Health Partners With Anaheim High Schools To Get 16-And-Olders Vaccinated 
The health clinic is partnering with the Anaheim Union High School District to offer vaccinations to older students and their families, now that the state allows everyone 16 and older to be inoculated. (No COVID-19 vaccine has yet been approved for kids under 16 in the U.S.) UCI Health Family Health Centers Executive Director Dr. Jose Mayorga said working with the school district was a natural extension of serving the community where UCI has had a clinic since 1977. (Robinson, 4/28)

Southern California News Group: Which Is Better For Developing Immunity: COVID-19 Vaccine Or Natural Infection?
Debate has raged over which provides better protection against COVID-19 — natural infection or vaccine injection? A large-scale study by UC Irvine researchers may definitively settle this debate. They found that, yes, natural infection provides protection, but mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna kick natural immunity’s butt in protecting against COVID-19. (Sforza, 4/29)

CalMatters: Inside California's Stunning COVID Reversal
How the tables have turned for California. The state’s seven-day coronavirus positivity rate fell to 1.2% on Tuesday, the lowest rate in the country. Just four months ago, California’s positivity rate was a staggering 17.1% and hospitalizations were surging to record levels, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a regional stay-at-home order. Contrast that with Tuesday, when another four counties moved into less restrictive reopening tiers and Newsom eased the state’s mask mandate to exempt fully vaccinated Californians from wearing a mask outdoors in accordance with revised guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. (Hoeven, 4/28)

Bay Area News Group: California Has Lowest COVID-19 Rate In America: Here’s Why 
After a winter of misery during the worst pandemic in a century, California is now seeing a major surge of hope this spring. Buoyed by a steady pace of vaccinations and the immunity of people who already have had the disease, California now has the lowest rate of COVID-19 cases anywhere in the United States. “The worst of it is behind us,” said Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at UC San Francisco. (Rogers, 4/28)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento, Placer COVID Rates Among Highest In California 
California has made a comeback in the pandemic, boasting one of the nation’s lowest infection rates in recent weeks. But its capital region is struggling. The Sacramento region has seen coronavirus activity stagnate above statewide levels, even as hundreds of thousands of local residents have been vaccinated in recent months. Sacramento County’s top health official says there appear to be “multiple factors” contributing to the plateau of virus activity. (McGough and Bizjak, 4/28)

Orange County Register: Coronavirus: Orange County Reported 73 New Cases And Five New Deaths As Of April 28 
The OC Health Care Agency reported 73 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, April 28, increasing the cumulative total in the county to 253,737 cases since tracking began. There have been 1,045 new infections reported in the last 14 days.Five new deaths were reported Wednesday – the total number of COVID-19 fatalities there have been in the county is at 4,944. (Goertzen, 4/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Residents With Close Ties To India Grapple With Suffering Of Loved Ones In Pandemic-Ravaged Nation
Images and reports from the ground in India are devastating: entire neighborhoods falling ill, people collapsed on the street in front of hospitals that have run out of beds, bodies lined up for cremation. Though the crisis is unfolding 10,000 miles from the Bay Area, it hits close to home for the roughly 300,000 residents with close ties to India. Adult children worry about parents and grandparents for whom just stepping outside is a grave risk. They fret over being unable to keep loved ones safe from so far away. (Allday, 4/28)

Bay Area News Group: Poll: Californians Like How Governor Handled School Closures
Despite concerns about students falling behind and not returning to classrooms full time in the fall, a poll out Wednesday found a majority of Californians like how Gov. Gavin Newsom has handled school closures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Policy Institute of California poll showing 57% of adults and 64% of public school parents approve of Newsom’s handling of K-12 education comes as the Democratic governor prepares  to face a recall election this fall, driven in part by frustration with school closures. (Woolfolk, 4/28)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Reopening Boosts Economy As COVID-19 Cases Plummet 
Los Angeles County is poised to potentially reopen its economy to an extent that would have been unthinkable in the not-too-distant past. The possible move to the yellow tier — the most lenient of California’s four-category color-coded reopening system — could happen next week as the coronavirus continues to recede throughout the region. It’s a remarkable achievement for a county that just three months ago was considered in some corners to be the national epicenter of COVID-19, with hundreds dying each week and hospitals pushed to the brink. (Money and Lin II, 4/28)

San Diego Union-Tribune: St. Paul's PACE Releases Butterflies To Honor Those Lost To COVID-19 
After more than a year of loss and sadness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Paul’s PACE Nemeth in El Cajon and Silverado Hospice joined together Wednesday to release 25 painted lady butterflies in honor of those who have died from the virus. Administrators wanted to help staff and program participants heal from the coronavirus losses they experienced in their personal lives, as well as those who have died from the PACE program, said Preston Choctaw, center director for St. Paul’s PACE Nemeth. (Mapp, 4/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: A Boy With COVID Died On A Family Trip To Hawaii. Should Parents Be Worried?
A young boy traveling in Hawaii with his family died after contracting COVID-19 — the state’s first pediatric fatality from the coronavirus. The child reportedly had an underlying medical condition and was traveling with his parents, both fully vaccinated, according to Hawaii News Now. The boy’s age was not disclosed, but UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong said he was likely under 5 years old, since individuals over the age of 5 are tested upon arrival in Hawaii, per travel protocol. (Vainshtein, 4/28)

Los Angeles Times: One-Third Of Mexicans Were Exposed To Coronavirus Last Year 
As many as one-third of Mexicans may have been exposed to the coronavirus by the end of 2020, according to a study of random blood samples taken between February and December of last year. Antibodies were found in 33.5% of samples from Mexican blood banks and medical laboratory tests unrelated to COVID-19. The levels varied according to regions; the highest exposure rate was in the northwest, from Baja California to Chihuahua, at 40.7%. The lowest was in western states, at 26.6%. In general, areas along the U.S. border had higher rates. (4/29)

The Bakersfield Californian: VA Awards Contract To San Diego Firm To Build New Veterans Health Care Clinic 
Progress toward the construction of a new veterans health care clinic in Bakersfield passed another milestone this week. According to a notice from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the agency awarded a lease contract Monday to San Diego-based SASD Development Group LLC to build a new VA community-based outpatient clinic in Bakersfield. The new clinic, which is slated to be constructed near Olive and Knudsen drives, has been a long time in coming after several false starts and on again-off again announcements. (Mayer, 4/28)

Napa Valley Register: Napa Hospital Workers Protest Layoffs; Hospital Says COVID Caused Cuts 
Protesting layoffs at Napa’s Queen of the Valley Medical Center, a group of workers and supporters gathered Wednesday for a one-day picket in front of the hospital. “Keep our heroes stop layoffs” read one sign held by a staffer. “Honk to support our heroes” and “Our community deserves better,” read other signs. (Huffman, 4/28)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Pfizer Acquires Fungus-Fighting San Diego Biotech 
American pharma giant Pfizer announced Wednesday that it has acquired Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego biotech developing treatments against microbes that wreak havoc on people with compromised immune systems. Pfizer announced in a press release that it will continue to test Amplyx’s leading experimental drug, fosmanogepix, an antifungal drug currently in a phase 2 clinical trial, as well as other earlier-stage therapies. The company did not disclose the financial details of the deal. (Wosen, 4/28)

Sacramento Bee: Candy-Color Magnets Ripping Open Kids’ Bowels, Doctors Warn 
Increasingly, children are being sent to emergency rooms after swallowing multiple, tiny rare-earth magnets that then exert formidable force to bend, stretch and even tear intestinal walls in an effort to connect, UC Davis Health pediatricians warn. Dr. Sunpreet Kaur, a pediatric gastroenterologist at UC Davis Health, said that, on average, the Sacramento-based teaching hospital is getting about one case a month. She recalled treating both a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old who accidentally ingested rare-earth magnets they were playing with in their mouths. (Anderson 4/28)

KQED: Artificial Food Coloring Triggers Hyperactivity In Some Kids, California Report Finds 
A recent state assessment of research conducted on products with synthetic food dyes, like Red 40 or Yellow 6, has found they may increase or contribute to hyperactivity in kids. Scientists in the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that levels of the artificial food coloring determined to be safe by the Food and Drug Administration are too high for children. The scientists reviewed 27 human clinical trials, as well as animal and cell studies to shed light on how food dyes impact human health. (McClurg, 4/28)

Sacramento Bee: Domestic Violence is on the Rise in Sacramento. How to Spot it and Where to Go for Help
In the Sacramento region, domestic violence incidents have increased both in numbers and in intensity. According to authorities, homicides increased from two incidents in 2019, to eight incidents in 2020. The region has also seen a rise in attempted strangulations by 58%, which increases the likelihood that abuse in a relationship will one day turn lethal. (Hajigurban, 4/29)

Sacramento Bee: Placer: Child Abuse Reports Drop, Domestic Violence Rise 
Child abuse and neglect reports across Placer County dropped more than 8% last year, according to data from the county’s Child Welfare Services. The drop in cases, a trend also seen throughout California, was expected because the county’s children had historically few interactions with mandated reporters and people beyond their immediate family last year, Placer officials said. The combination of distance learning, pandemic restrictions and isolation created difficult situations for families. (Sullivan, 4/28)

KCRA: Latinos, Hispanics In CA Unable To Receive Mental Health Services
New data shows nearly 4 million Hispanic and Latino people across the country are not receiving the mental health care services that they need, and some say it's even become a luxury. Of that roughly 3.8 million, nearly 1 million of them are in California. Hispanics and Latinos have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in California, accounting for the highest number of positive cases and deaths. (De La Cruz, 4/27)

Los Angeles Times: Outrage At Alameda Police Over Mario Gonzalez's Death 
In a case drawing comparisons to the killing of George Floyd, authorities in the Bay Area city of Alameda are facing growing outrage after a body-camera video showed a police officer appearing to put a knee on the back of a 26-year-old Latino man for more than four minutes as he gasped for breath and eventually died. The incident has drawn scrutiny in part because the man who died, Mario Gonzalez, appeared to pose no imminent threat to the officers when they arrived at a local park on April 19 after calls about an intoxicated man and a possible theft. (Winton and Seidman, 4/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Celebrated Turning Hotel Into Permanent Homeless Housing. But Transition Has Been 'Bumpy'
The single-room-occupancy hotel is one of the city’s newest permanent supportive housing projects and a lifeline for nearly 70 people who have struggled to get a roof over their heads. Such hotels have long been part of the city’s strategy to house the homeless, but with an influx of local, state and federal dollars, the city might expand the strategy, which can come with challenges. The mostly empty Granada was home to 80 tenants — some of whom settled a lawsuit with the longtime building owner around the time the city took over — who have mixed reactions to the change. (Moench, 4/29)