CNN: Heat Wave Scorching California May Be The Worst In Its History And Now An Offshore Hurricane Threatens To Fan Already Raging Wildfires 
As Californians endure what could be the worst heat wave in state history, a rare hurricane offshore is poised to extend extreme temperatures already threatening rotating power outages and also deliver powerful winds that could fan raging wildfires. ... Parts of Southern California will see dangerously hot conditions on Thursday and Friday, as Kay causes strong, hot and dry winds to blow toward the Pacific coast from inland desert regions -- similar to Santa Ana Winds, according to meteorologists. That hot air gets compressed as it moves through the mountains, causing temperatures to rise. As a result, Los Angeles will push triple-digit heat Thursday and Friday, with temperatures between 100 and 112 -- with overnight temperatures set to fall only to the mid-70s to mid-80s. San Diego is under an excessive heat warning, with temperatures up to 97 degrees forecast. (Salahieh and Andone, 9/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: End Of California's Heat Wave Brings Other Weather Event To S.F. Bay Area: Bad Air Quality
After nine days of record-breaking hot temperatures across the state, Thursday signals the slow withering away of the ridge of high pressure that’s been causing this heat wave. Short-range weather models like the high-res rapid refresh (HRRR) are picking up on signals that the sea breeze is very likely to win its tug-of-war with the collapsing heat dome for the first time in over a week. (Diaz, 9/8)

Sacramento Bee: Jackson Junior High School Students Ate Lunch Outdoors In Heat 
Two staff members at a Northern California junior high school have been placed on administrative leave after students there were sent outside to eat lunch Tuesday as a lengthy heat wave created dangerous conditions throughout the region. The Amador County Unified School District learned late Tuesday afternoon that students at Jackson Junior High School were directed to eat their lunch outdoors, according to a letter to parents from Superintendent Torie Gibson. (Ahumada, 9/7)

Los Angeles Times: Hot, Angry L.A. Parents Demand Playground Shade In Heat Wave
At 95 degrees, it was too hot for children to go outside to play at Lorena Street Elementary School in Boyle Heights on Wednesday morning. So frustrated parents took their place instead, standing outside the schoolyard as part of their ongoing demands that L.A. Unified act more quickly to protect children from heat by creating more climate-friendly campuses. Reclaim Our Schools Los Angeles — a coalition of organizations that includes United Teachers Los Angeles and represents parents and community members — said the teachers union’s Beyond Recovery bargaining platform, which includes green space demands, was presented to the district in May. UTLA is bargaining over its next full contract with the district. (Reyes-Velarde, 9/7)

CapRadio: With Sacramento Cooling Centers Near-Empty, Volunteers Step In To Help Unhoused Amid Record-Setting Heatwave
A half dozen tents and RVs lined Front Street south of downtown early Tuesday afternoon, with Sacramento’s temperature well on its way to a record-breaking 116 degrees. Residents at the small homeless encampment had no nearby option to seek relief at a cooling center and most remained out of sight during the scorching heat of the midday sun. But they received something just as critical: Bottles of water distributed by volunteers. (Nichols and Lam, 9/7)

Sacramento Bee: California Fires Cause Poor Air Quality In Sierra Foothills 
The Mosquito Fire burning in the Tahoe National Forest near Foresthill is causing poor air quality throughout much of the Placer County foothills. (9/7)

Bay Area News Group: Health Officials Fear Complacency As New Omicron COVID Boosters Roll Out
For Megan Wong of San Jose, there never was much question in her mind whether she’d get the new omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine booster when it became available. The human resources worker has trips planned across the country to New Orleans, Nashville and Tampa, and feels like earlier shots have protected her. (Woolfolk, 9/7)

Modesto Bee: Stanislaus-Area Drugstores Start To Give New COVID Boosters
Pharmacy chains are setting appointments for people to get the updated booster shots for COVID-19, and major healthcare providers in the region will start administering the shots as supply allows. CVS and Walgreens are offering the vaccine boosters at pharmacies in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, including locations in Modesto, according to their websites. (Carlson, 9/7)

Los Angeles Times: Where To Get The New Omicron Booster In Southern California 
The L.A. County Department of Public Health said the updated booster was available as early as Wednesday at hundreds of sites countywide, including 12 operated by the agency, more than 700 mobile vaccine clinics and nearly 250 community, pharmacy and clinic sites. L.A. County residents can look up locations at VaccinateLACounty.com. Residents can also call (833) 540-0473 between 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week. (Lin II and Money, 9/7)

Palm Springs Desert Sun: COVID-19: Week-Over-Week Case Totals Decrease In Coachella Valley
Week-over-week COVID-19 case counts in Riverside County and the Coachella Valley have been steadily decreasing for the past month, and the trend continued this past week. (Sasic, 9/7)

The Times of Israel: Two Antibodies Identified In Israel Can Fight All Known COVID Strains, Study Finds 
Israeli scientists say they have identified antibodies that are so powerful in neutralizing the coronavirus that they could eliminate the need for more vaccine boosters. A research team at Tel Aviv University experimented with numerous antibodies and found that two in particular neutralize all known strains of the coronavirus, including Delta and Omicron, in a lab setting. (Jeffay, 9/7)

The Wall Street Journal: A Key To Long Covid Is Virus Lingering In The Body, Scientists Say 
The virus that causes Covid-19 can remain in some people’s bodies for a long time.  A growing number of scientists think that lingering virus is a root cause of long Covid. New research has found the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the blood of long Covid patients up to a year after infection but not in people who have fully recovered from Covid. Virus has also been found in tissues including the brain, lungs, and lining of the gut, according to scientists and studies. (Reddy, 9/8)

Los Angeles Times: New Research Initiative Will Focus On Root Causes Of Long COVID
A new research initiative will explore whether the persistence of coronavirus in the body plays a role in the development of long COVID, a poorly understood syndrome in which symptoms can last for months or even years following an infection. The Long COVID Research Initiative will try to determine if SARS-CoV-2 is still present in those with long-haul symptoms and, if so, how it might be contributing to their ailments. (Money, 9/7)

AP: GOP Gives Thumbs Down To Biden's $47B Emergency Request
President Joe Biden’s request for more than $47 billion in emergency funding to help Ukraine and tackle COVID-19, monkeypox and natural disasters is encountering deep skepticism from Senate Republicans, signaling a showdown ahead. The early resistance on the size and scope of the spending request points to the fraught negotiations to come as Congress labors to pass a stopgap spending bill that would keep the federal government running past Oct. 1 or risk a federal shutdown. (Freking and Mascaro, 9/7)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Journalism Advisor Faces Discipline After Refusing To Edit Story
In November, the student-run news website of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Lake Balboa published a story naming a faculty member who had refused to comply with the district’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The piece from the Pearl Post — an award-winning student publication at a school named after a slain U.S. journalist — was well-reported, accurate and important to the school community, the students and 1st Amendment experts said. But it has led to a battle over censorship as the Los Angeles Unified School District seeks to take disciplinary action against the students’ journalism advisor. (Martinez, 9/8)

The Bakersfield Californian: More Monkeypox Vaccination Clinics Set 
Kern County Public Health Services is holding several monkeypox vaccine clinics, and also laid out eligibility for the vaccine. (9/7)

San Diego Union-Tribune: UCSD To Participate In New Monkeypox Trial That Could Stretch Vaccine Supply 
A new trial is getting underway in San Diego and across the nation that aims to further stretch the supply of monkeypox vaccine as demand continues to outstrip supply. (Sisson, 9/7)

CNBC: U.S. Monkeypox Outbreak Is Slowing As Vaccines Become More Accessible, Health Officials Say
The U.S. monkeypox outbreak is slowing as vaccines have become more available and there’s broader public awareness about what actions individuals can take to lower their risk of infection, according to White House health officials. (Kimball, 9/7)

AP: Monkeypox Cases Dropping, But Racial Disparities Growing 
The White House said Wednesday it’s optimistic about a decline in monkeypox cases and an uptick in vaccinations against the infectious virus, despite worsening racial disparities in reported cases. Promising to ramp up vaccination offerings at LGBTQ Pride festivals around the country in the coming weeks, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy coordinator of the White House national monkeypox response, said more than 460,000 doses have been given. An end to the virus’ spread, however, is not in sight. (Seitz, 9/8)

Bloomberg: Monkeypox: Senate Health Committee Sets Schedule For Hearings On Response
Heads of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Health and Human Services Department’s preparedness office are slated to testify Sept. 14 at 10 a.m., according to a statement from the office of Senator Patty Murray of Washington state, who chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Bloomberg reported last month that the hearing was planned for mid-September. (Muller, 9/7)

BuzzFeed: Monkeypox Is Leaving Working-Class People In Financial Ruin
More than 20,000 Americans have been diagnosed with monkeypox, the virus that’s been declared a national public health emergency, during this ongoing outbreak. The CDC has advised those who contract it to isolate for the duration of symptoms, which typically last two to four weeks. But with little to no laws guaranteeing workplace sick leave in the US, this lengthy quarantine period can put people who catch monkeypox in a precarious financial position long after their lesions heal. For some, it’s meant being unable to earn an income and turning to GoFundMe to survive. (Reinstein, 9/7)

The New York Times: Texas Judge’s Ruling Puts Free Preventive Care In Jeopardy 
A federal judge in Texas ruled Wednesday that the Affordable Care Act’s process for determining what kinds of preventive care must be fully covered by private health insurance is unconstitutional, ramping up yet another legal battle over the 12-year-old law. The ruling, by Judge Reed O’Connor of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, could jeopardize millions of Americans’ access to preventive services, including cancer screenings, alcohol abuse counseling and drugs that prevent H.I.V. infection. It does not take effect immediately, however, and legal experts said the Biden administration would almost certainly appeal. (Stolberg, 9/7)

Roll Call: Federal Judge Rules HIV Drug Mandate Violates Religious Freedom
In the case at hand, Braidwood Management Inc. et al. v. Becerra, six individuals and two businesses challenged the legality of the preventive care mandates under the Constitution and Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The latter prohibits any government agency from substantially burdening an individual’s religious practice. Braidwood provides health insurance to employees but objected to coverage for PrEP because the plaintiff believes the Bible is “the authoritative and inerrant word of God." The company argued that providing coverage of PrEP drugs "facilitates and encourages homosexual behavior, intravenous drug use, and sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman." (Cohen, 9/7)

Reuters: Texas Judge Deems Obamacare HIV Prevention Drug Mandate Unlawful
The legal challenge argued that the free pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, requirement, as well as free coverage requirements for contraceptives and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, requires business owners to pay for services that "encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity and intravenous drug use" despite their religious beliefs. (Pierson, 9/7)

AP: Judge Rules Against Required Coverage Of HIV Prevention Drug 
The ruling was handed down by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, whose courtroom in Fort Worth is a favored venue for conservative opponents of the federal health care law that’s also known as “Obamacare.” He ruled in 2018 that the entire law is invalid but was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. ... O’Connor also ruled that a federal task force that recommends coverage of preventive treatments, which is made up of volunteer members, violates the appointment clause of the U.S. Constitution. (Weber, 9/7)

Stat: Judge Invalidates Parts Of The ACA That Mandate Health Coverage Of Many Preventive Services And Drugs
Under the ACA, health insurers are required to cover an array of preventive health services — like cancer screenings and vaccines — at no cost. In particular, any service or drug that gets an “A” or “B” rating from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force must automatically be added to that list of free services. ... The list price of brand-name PrEP drugs also is more than $22,000 annually. But O’Connor argued the government does “not show a compelling interest in forcing private, religious corporations to cover PrEP drugs with no cost-sharing and no religious exemptions.” (Herman, 9/7)

The Hill: Biden Administration ‘Reviewing’ Texas Judge’s Decision On HIV Drug Coverage
The Biden administration announced Wednesday night it was reviewing a Texas judge’s ruling that declared a part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requiring that health care employers provide HIV preventive drugs unconstitutional. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted the administration was reviewing the decision because the ACA “has been the law of the land for over 10 years.” (Dress, 9/7)

The Bakersfield Californian: Bakersfield Heart Cites Pandemic In Laying Off 114 
Bakersfield Heart Hospital gave layoff notices this week to 114 employees as part of an effort to "right-size" its operation after losing business and money during the pandemic. Positions were cut in divisions throughout the organization such that no departments will have to close, thereby avoiding planning scenarios that had involved closing the hospital's emergency room. (Cox, 9/7)

CalMatters: Mental Health Workers: Why California Faces A Shortage
The need for therapists, social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists is greater than ever. Under relentless pressure from the pandemic and inflation, wildfires and gun violence, racism and war, Californians are crying out for help. But that doesn’t mean they can get it. (Wiener, 9/8)

Reuters: Walmart, UnitedHealth To Offer Preventive Healthcare Program For Seniors 
Walmart and healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group are planning to team up to provide preventive care for people aged 65 and up, and virtual healthcare services for all age groups, the companies said on Wednesday. (McLymore, 9/7)

CalMatters: ‘Operating Under Water’: Families Trying To Place Loved Ones In Medi-Cal Assisted Living Program Wait Years
Former grad school classmates Kelsey McQuaid-Craig and Chelsea Oruche have recently bonded over a similar struggle — trying to place loved ones in assisted living. McQuaid-Craig and her husband, Brandon, are looking to place his mother, Mary, 67, who has dementia and is deteriorating quickly, in a memory care program in Sacramento County. They are currently expecting their first child, and caring for Mary full time while juggling their careers has become overwhelming. (Ibarra, 9/7)

Los Angeles Times: Reality Of Legal Weed In California: Illegal Grows, Deaths
At sunset from atop Haystack Butte, the desert floor below shimmers with a thousand lights. Illegal cannabis farms. At this hour and distance, serene hues cloak the rugged enclave of Mount Shasta Vista, a tense collective of seasonal camps guarded by guns and dogs where the daily runs of water trucks are interrupted by police raids, armed robberies and, sometimes, death. So many hoop houses pack this valley near the Oregon border that last year it had the capacity to supply half of California’s entire legal cannabis market. (St. John, 9/8)

KVPR: Smoke From Ag Burning Contributes To Long-Term Health Effects For Valley Latino Residents
Norma Vargas spends a lot of time thinking about breathing. At age 27, she manages chronic lung disease by juggling multiple medications, routine visits with doctors and by limiting physical activity. “I’m pretty sure a lot of young people aren’t really thinking about their air intake and how the air quality will affect said air intake,” Vargas said. If she can’t get to her refrigerated medication on a bad air day, symptoms of asthma “would probably land me somewhere in the emergency room.” (Vaughan and Klein, 9/6)

CalMatters: California Homeless: How Will CARE Courts Work?
In the next two years, California’s 58 counties will be tasked with setting up new court systems to address the needs of people with severe mental illness who often languish on the streets. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court proposal swept through the state Legislature with resounding approval from Democrats and Republicans in both houses on Aug. 30 — only two of the state’s 120 legislators voted against it — and is expected to be signed into law by the governor any day. The proposal was authored by Democratic Sens. Tom Umberg of Garden Grove and Susan Talamantes Eggman of Stockton through Senate Bill 1338. (Tobias and Wiener, 9/8)

Los Angeles Daily News: LA County Homeless Count To Be Revealed Sept. 8 Will Ripple Through Nonprofits, Political Races And Government
When the results of the 2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count are released on Thursday, Sept. 8, it will mean more than just a number to nonprofits in the trenches, politicians on the stump and affordable housing advocates. (Scauzillo, 9/7)

San Francisco Chronicle: How California Is Rethinking Homeless Shelters
As mayor of San Francisco, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that "shelters don't solve homelessness." But the state has continued to rely on shelters as stopgap solutions, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. (9/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: New Data Shows This East Bay City Nearly Doubled Its Homeless Population
Richmond had one of the biggest jumps in its homeless populations of any city in Contra Costa County with a 90% spike over three years, according to recently released data. Richmond saw a jump from 333 unhoused people in 2019 to 632 people in 2022. The data comes from the point-in-time count conducted in late February. The county released a summary of its findings on Aug. 31 and plans to release the full report in a few weeks. (Ravani, Fagan and Whiting, 9/7)

Stat: In Reversal, FDA Advisers Vote To Support Approval Of Amylyx's Drug For ALS
At the end of an unusual and dramatic meeting on Wednesday, an independent panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration recommended the approval of a new drug to treat people with ALS developed by Amylyx Pharmaceuticals. (Feuerstein, 9/7)

AP: FDA Panel Backs Much-Debated ALS Drug In Rare, 2nd Review 
The Food and Drug Administration advisers voted 7-2 that data from Amylyx Pharma warranted approval, despite hours of debate about the strength and reliability of the company’s lone study. The FDA is not required to follow the group’s advice, but its positive recommendation suggests an approval is likely later this month. The FDA has approved only two therapies for the disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which destroys nerve cells needed for basic functions like walking, talking and swallowing. (Perrone, 9/7)

USA Today: Western Diet, Sedentary Lifestyle Likely Factors In Global Rise In Cancer For Adults 50 And Under
Cancer is on the rise among adults under the age of 50, new research suggests. Early onset cases of cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver, and pancreas are among those that have risen worldwide since about 1990, according to a study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology. (Snider, 9/7)

New York Post: Kids Born From Frozen Embryos May Have Increased Cancer Risk: Study
New research out of Sweden suggests that babies born from frozen embryos were more at risk to develop cancer than those born through other methods. The findings, which were published in peer-reviewed journal PLOS Medicine, were based on a study of almost 8 million children from four European countries.“[There is] a higher risk of cancer in children born after frozen-thawed embryo transfer in assistant reproduction, a large study from Nordic countries found,” said co-author Ulla-Britt Wennerholm of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. (Fleming, 9/6)

Stat: Gilead Drug Prolongs Survival Of Women With Form Of Breast Cancer
Gilead Sciences said Wednesday that its cancer drug Trodelvy prolonged the survival of women with the most common form of breast cancer by just under 30% — a clinical trial result that could lead to a better treatment option for patients with advanced disease and strengthen the drug’s commercial outlook. (Feuerstein, 9/7)

AP: Biden To Channel Kennedy In His Push For A Cancer 'Moonshot'
President Joe Biden next week will highlight his plans for drastically reducing cancer deaths and boosting treatments for the disease in what he has called “this generation’s moonshot,” the White House announced Wednesday. Biden’s speech at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston on Monday will come on the 60th anniversary of his predecessor’s speech outlining his vision for putting the first man on the moon. The White House said Biden will outline what his administration is doing to “end cancer as we know it.” (9/7)