Bay Area Reporter: New House Speaker Johnson Once Equated LGBTQs To Pedophiles
A three-week leadership battle in the United States House of Representatives ended October 25 with Congressmember Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) selected as the body's 56th speaker. But Johnson has already come under criticism for his hardline, conservative stance on LGBTQ people. "The MAGA House majority has selected the most anti-equality speaker in U.S. history by elevating Mike Johnson — this is a choice that will be a stain on the record of everyone who voted for him," stated Kelley Robinson, a queer Black woman who is president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ rights organization. "Johnson is someone who doesn't hesitate to express his disdain for the LGTBQ+ community from the rooftops and then introduces legislation that seeks to erase us from society." (Ferrannini, 10/25)

Los Angeles Blade: Far-Right Anti-LGBTQ & Pro-Life Republican Is New House Speaker
Rep. Johnson previously served as a senior attorney and spokesperson for the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and continues to act as an ADF allied attorney in Congress. The ADF is a self-labeled “legal alliance of Christian attorneys” with a history of funding and representing cases targeting LGBTQ people, youth and protections. It is listed as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which also notes ADF’s efforts against abortion access. (Levesque, 10/25)

ABC News: How New House Speaker Mike Johnson Spent Years Fighting Against Gay Rights
An ABC News examination of public records, news reports and documents shows the extent to which Johnson dedicated earlier phases of his career to limiting gay rights, including same-sex marriage and health care access, and through anti-gay activism on college campuses. In comments from over fifteen years ago, long before he became a lawmaker and while acting as an attorney and spokesman for the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Christian advocacy group, Johnson described homosexuals as "sinful" and "destructive" and argued support for homosexuality could lead to support for pedophilia. He also authored op-eds that argued for criminalizing gay sex. "There is clearly no 'right to sodomy' in the Constitution," Johnson wrote in a 2003 column in a Louisiana newspaper. (Steakin, 10/25)

CNN: Speaker Of The House Mike Johnson Once Wrote In Support Of The Criminalization Of Gay Sex 
“States have many legitimate grounds to proscribe same-sex deviate sexual intercourse,” Johnson wrote in a July 2003 op-ed, calling it a public health concern. “By closing these bedroom doors, they have opened a Pandora’s box,” he added. (Kaczynski and Gordon, 10/25)

Common Dreams and Truthout: New House Speaker Had Proposed Trillions In Cuts To Social Security And Medicare
The newly elected Republican speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives has previously proposed trillions of dollars in cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and suggested that slashing the programs should be the top priority of Congress. During his tenure as chair of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) between 2019 and 2021, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) helped craft budget resolutions that called for roughly $2 trillion in Medicare cuts, $3 trillion in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act cuts, and $750 billion in Social Security Cuts, noted Bobby Kogan of the Center for American Progress. (Johnson, 10/25)

The New Republic: New House Speaker Once Blamed Abortions For Social Security, Medicare Cuts 
In a clip that surfaced Tuesday, Mike Johnson put the onus of Republican cuts to essential programs on unborn children, claiming that if American women were producing more bodies to churn the economy then Republicans wouldn’t have to cut essential social programs like Medicare and Medicaid. (Houghtaling, 10/25)

CBS News: What Is New House Speaker Mike Johnson's Record And Views On Abortion? 
House Republicans on Wednesday chose the previously unknown conservative Rep. Mike Johnson to be the next speaker, with Democrats already pushing forward with attack ads on Johnson's record on the issue. In Jan. 2022, the congressman from Louisiana said "a child in the womb" is a "unique human being with unique DNA" from the moment of conception and he called for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade long before the Dobbs decision in June 2022. Ahead of Wednesday's speakership vote, House Judiciary Democrats posted a video on X of Johnson saying "Roe v Wade gave constitutional cover to the elected killing of unborn children in America, period. You think about the implications of that on the economy. We're all struggling here to cover the bases of social security and medicare and medicaid and all the rest. If we had all those able bodied workers in the economy, we wouldn't be going upside down and toppling over like this." (Mizelle, 10/25)

Politico: Mike Johnson On The Issues: Where The New Speaker Stands On Abortion, Transgender Care, And Other Policies 
Since being elected to Congress in 2016, Johnson has been a vocal advocate for spending cuts and enacting new restrictions on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the country’s largest program feeding low-income Americans. While he voted for the last farm bill in 2018, he criticized the legislation for failing to make deeper cuts to SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, which he dubbed “our nation’s most broken and bloated welfare program.” (10/25)

AP: Billions For Life-Saving AIDS Program Need To Continue, George W. Bush Institute Tells Congress
As billions of dollars for a global HIV/AIDS program credited with saving millions of lives remains in limbo, the George W. Bush Institute is urging the U.S. Congress to keep money flowing for it. In a letter sent to Congress on Wednesday, the former Republican president’s institute pleaded with Congress to keep funding the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. The program works with nonprofit groups to provide HIV/AIDS medication to millions around the world, fund orphanages and support health systems around the world. (Seitz, 10/25)

AP: Mpox Vaccinations Should Be Recommended For High-Risk Men, Even After Outbreak Ends, Advisers Say
Gay and bisexual men at high risk for mpox infection should get vaccinated for the virus even after the current outbreak ends, government health advisers said Wednesday. The committee’s recommendation now goes to the director to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and — if she signs off on it — is sent out as guidance to U.S. doctors. (Stobbe, 10/25)

Los Angeles Daily News: LA City Officials Consider Lifting COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate For Employees 
Los Angeles city officials are considering rescinding a 2-year-old COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city employees. (Tat, 10/25)

The Mercury News: Just Seeing A Sick Person Can Trigger Your Immune System, California Professor Finds
As cold, flu and COVID season sets in, we chatted with Chapman University’s Patricia Lopes, an assistant professor of biology, who studies how sick individuals impact those around them. It’s not as clear-cut as it may seem. Turns out that simply observing a sick individual triggers not only that familiar behavioral response — get away! — but a complex biological response as well. “The really interesting aspect is, it also changes your physiology,” she said. (Sforza, 10/25)

Stat: The Adult Vaccine Delivery Process Is Becoming A Mess
Alison Buttenheim was floored by a sign she saw in her doctor’s office when she went to get the first jab of the two-dose shingles vaccine to protect her against painful flare-ups of varicella zoster. “Medicare patients cannot receive Tdap or zoster vaccines here. They need to obtain [them] at their pharmacy. If they receive it here, they need to pay out of pocket,” the notice read. (Branswell, 10/25)

CIDRAP: Severe Mental Illness Linked To 50% Increase In COVID-Related Death 
People with severe mental illness (SMI) are at a 50% increased risk of death from all causes following COVID-19 infections, according to a study today in The British Journal of Psychiatry. (Soucheray, 10/25)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: JD Vance’s Anti-Mask Amendment Passes The U.S. Senate 
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a proposal introduced by Ohio’s JD Vance that would block the Department of Transportation from using any federal money to enforce mask mandates in response to COVID-19 through the current fiscal year. The Cincinnati Republican’s amendment to a transportation spending bill was approved by a 59 to 38 margin. (Eaton, 10/25)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Startup Partnership Gives Sharp HealthCare A First Look At Next-Generation Medical Technology 
Sharp HealthCare is partnering with local incubator EvoNexus to help evaluate cutting-edge medical technology coming from San Diego’s startups, the nonprofit announced Wednesday. Sharp gets a first look at the latest technology, while the EvoNexus startups get to fine-tune their products alongside medical professionals. (Rocha, 10/25)

Axios: Biden Admin Rolls Out Cybersecurity Toolkit For Health Care
The Biden administration is ramping up efforts to harden defenses around the U.S. health care infrastructure, releasing an updated cyber "toolkit" to help the sector better defend against hackers. Health care is a high-value, target-rich industry facing increasing attacks, and the problem is increasingly being recognized as a threat to patient safety when providers are forced to divert or shut down care. (Reed, 10/26)

Axios: Health Care Unaffordable Even For Insured Americans: Survey
As health care costs continue to rise, more than half of working-age Americans said they've struggled to afford care this year, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey. The survey is the latest evidence of how people with insurance are struggling to pay medical bills, forcing them to forgo or delay needed care. (Goldman, 10/26)

The Washington Post: Hunger Worsened Among U.S. Households In 2022, Report Finds
More than 44.2 million Americans lived in households that struggled with hunger in 2022, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Wednesday — an increase of 10.3 million over the previous year. The new figures, from the agency’s Economic Research Service, show an end to a nearly decade-long decrease in the number of families reporting food insecurity, at a time when food prices remain elevated because of inflation. (Reiley, 10/25)

Military.com: Veterans Who Are Younger, Female And LGBTQ Are Reporting More Mental Health Issues, Study Finds. 
Veterans who are female, LGBTQ and served after 9/11 are more likely to have experienced recent serious psychological distress compared to other veteran groups, according to a report released this week. But while younger veterans are more likely to experience that distress, they're also more inclined to proactively seek out mental health services and drug or alcohol abuse treatment, according to the report. These post 9/11 vets are part of a generation that is more racially and ethnically diverse than prior groups of vets. (Baker, 10/25)

Bay Area News Group: Horizon Air Cockpit Scare Revives Pilot Mental Health Concerns
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot’s alleged midair sabotage attempt of a Horizon Air flight from Seattle to San Francisco on Sunday — and the pilot’s later admission that he had been depressed — highlights the major concerns that pilot mental health poses to the airline industry. (Woolfolk, 10/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F.’s Housing Approval Process Takes 10 Months Longer Than Anywhere Else In California, State Says
San Francisco’s convoluted and lengthy housing approval process takes 10 months longer than any other city in the state and violates a slew of housing laws, according to a yearlong investigation by state housing officials into the city’s notoriously fickle and, often, frustrating residential development process. (Dineen, 10/25)

Berkeleyside: Evictions Proceeding Slowly In Berkeley Since Moratorium Ended
Just under 200 eviction notices have been filed with the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board since the city’s eviction moratorium expired almost two months ago, and only 12 have led to court filings. The city’s eviction moratorium ended on Sept. 1, making Berkeley tenants responsible for all rental payments after that date. Tenants cannot be evicted for any back payment owed from the COVID-19 pandemic, but landlords can file small claims against them to retrieve money. (Yelimeli, 10/25)

The Mercury News: Santa Clara County To Investigate Own Role In 3-Month-Old's Fentanyl Death
Less than a week after a father was charged in the fentanyl overdose death of his 3-month old daughter, Santa Clara County officials on Wednesday called for the state to investigate how the county’s own child protective services agency may also have failed the baby named Phoenix. “No stone will be left unturned as we seek to understand everything that could have been done to prevent Phoenix’s tragic death,” the county said in a statement late Wednesday. (Nickerson and Sulek, 10/26)

AP: Bagged, Precut Onions Linked To Salmonella Outbreak That Has Sickened 73 People In 22 States
An outbreak of salmonella poisoning linked to bagged, precut onions has sickened at least 73 people in 22 states, including 15 who were hospitalized, U.S. health officials said Tuesday. Gills Onions of Oxnard, California, has recalled packages of diced yellow onions, red onions, onions and celery and a mix of onions, celery and carrots, known as mirepoix. The products recalled had use-by dates in August 2023. They are no longer for sale in stores, but consumers may have them — or foods made with them — in freezers. Consumers should not eat, sell or serve the onions for foods made with them, health officials said. (Aleccia, 10/24)

USA Today: 13 Cases Of E. Coli Linked To San Diego Restaurant, Health Dept. Says
The San Diego Health Department has confirmed an outbreak of 13 confirmed or probable cases of Shiga-toxin-producing E. Coli linked to a restaurant in San Diego, California. ... According to the health department, seven cases were hospitalized, and at least one case developed a more severe complication, hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can affect a person's kidneys and blood clotting functions. (DeLetter, 10/25)

The Press-Enterprise: Big California Corporations Will Have To Say How Much They Pollute 
Airborne emissions linked to climate change and health problems aren’t always easy to see. A new California law seeks to make those pollutants — and the companies emitting them — more visible to the public. (Horseman, 10/25)

The Oaklandside: ‘This Is An Emergency Alert,’ But For English Speakers Only
When hazy air spread across the San Francisco Bay Area in mid-September, county officials began the process of sending out emergency alerts to thousands of cell phones, landlines, and emails kept on record. They informed residents that air quality reached hazardous levels for people with respiratory diseases, but thousands of Bay Area residents who don’t speak English at home did not receive alerts in their native language for days. The Bay Area is one of the most diverse regions in California. More than 3.2 million people speak a language other than English at home, according to an El Tímpano analysis of U.S. Census data. Yet our analysis found that at least 27% of them do not have access to emergency alerts in their native language. (Aguilera, 10/25)

Capital & Main: Californians Of Color Disproportionately Suffer From Late Detection Of Dementia
Family physician Mukund Premkumar sees patients right in their community — on the second floor of a San Francisco strip mall with free parking. Premkumar treats many Asian Americans, who, according to a 2021 study of California Medicare records published in JAMA Neurology, were the least likely to receive an early diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment, when treatment options can enable a patient to continue to perform daily tasks and live independently longer. They were also the least likely to be referred to a specialist, such as a neurologist, or to be referred for laboratory tests, the study found. (Sanchez-Tello, 20/24)

The Desert Sun: SoCal Adaptive Sports Strives To Make Athletics More Inclusive For All
All was quiet one September morning at the Alzheimer's Coachella Valley center in Palm Desert. Suddenly, the thunderous sound of 30 or so basketballs bouncing around filled the space, followed by roaring laughter. (Sasic, 10/25)

The Washington Post: Flu Shots May Protect Against The Risk Of Alzheimer’s, Related Dementias
There are many good reasons to get a flu shot this fall, but here’s one that might surprise you: It could protect your brain. Recent research suggests that regular vaccinations against influenza and other infectious diseases such as shingles, pneumococcal pneumonia, and tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. (Cimons, 10/25)

The Washington Post: Adult ADHD Is Associated With A Higher Risk For Dementia 
Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often misunderstood, and people who struggle with it are often viewed as quirky, disorganized, creative or forgetful. Many people go a lifetime without receiving a diagnosis or treatment. ... Now, new research is showing that adult ADHD may take a toll on the brain and is linked to a higher likelihood of developing dementia. A study published in JAMA Network Open reported that being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult is associated with a 2.77-fold increased risk of dementia. (Sima, 10/26)

Stat: Biogen's Alzheimer's Drug Slows Cognitive Decline In Early Study
An experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s disease that removes a toxic protein called tau from brain cells showed “favorable trends” across several measures of cognition and function in a small study — results that offer some hope for an emerging drug class that has failed to deliver benefits in the past. The drug, called BIIB080, is being developed by Biogen. (Feuerstein, 10/25)

Fierce Biotech: Araclon Vaccine Appears To Slow Alzheimer's In Phase 2 Analysis
Araclon Biotech has provided early evidence that its Alzheimer’s disease vaccine is effective, linking the candidate to a 38% slowdown in disease progression compared to placebo in an exploratory analysis of phase 2 data. (Taylor, 10/25)

Time: Early Cognitive Decline Is Underdiagnosed 
Ninety-nine percent of doctors miss mild cognitive impairment, a dementia precursor in older adults. (Weiss, 10/24)