LAist 89.3: Conflicting Rulings on Abortion Pills Create Confusion, What Happens Now?
Access to the most commonly used method of abortion in the U.S. plunged into uncertainty Friday following conflicting court rulings over the legality of the abortion medication mifepristone that has been widely available for more than 20 years. For now, the drug the Food and Drug Administration approved in 2000 appeared to remain at least immediately available in the wake of two separate rulings that were issued in quick succession by federal judges in Texas and Washington. The issue will likely be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court, which last year repealed Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision that had established a constitutional right to abortions. (4/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: Listen: What's next after the Texas judge's ruling on medical abortions?
There will be court battles before we know if mifepristone will be outlawed, but abortion rights advocates say they have to convince people how much it matters. (4/11)

AP: Justice Department Appeals Texas Abortion Pill Order
The Justice Department on Monday appealed a Texas court ruling that would halt approval of a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the U.S., calling the decision “extraordinary and unprecedented. ”If allowed to stand, the order issued last week by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk could restrict access to the abortion medication mifepristone as early as Friday, unsettling abortion providers less than a year after the reversal of Roe v. Wade already dramatically curtailed abortion access. (Weber, 4/10)

The New York Times: Pfizer CEO And Other Drug Company Leaders Condemn Texas Abortion Pill Ruling
The pharmaceutical industry plunged into a legal showdown over the abortion pill mifepristone on Monday, issuing a scorching condemnation of a ruling by a federal judge that invalidated the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug and calling for the decision to be reversed. The statement was signed by more than 400 leaders of some of the drug and biotech industry’s most prominent investment firms and companies, none of which make mifepristone, the first pill in the two-drug medication abortion regimen. It shows that the reach of this case stretches far beyond abortion. Unlike Roe v. Wade and other past landmark abortion lawsuits, this one could challenge the foundation of the regulatory system for all medicines in the United States. (Belluck and Jewett, 4/10)

Politico: White House Says Ignoring Judge's Abortion Pill Ruling Would Set 'Dangerous Precedent' 
The White House said on Monday that it would be a “dangerous precedent” for the administration to ignore a federal judge’s decision last week blocking the sale of an abortion pill. “But I’ll say this, you know, as a dangerous precedent is set for the court to set aside the FDA’s and expert judgment regarding a drug’s safety and efficiency, it will also set a dangerous precedent for this administration to disregard a binding decision,” White House press secretary Jean-Pierre said at her briefing on Monday. “We are ready to fight this. This is going to be a long fight. We understand this. We stand by FDA approval of mifepristone.” (Frazier, 4/10)

Bloomberg: Abortion Pill Still on Market Despite Judge’s Ruling to Pull It
Pharmacies are pushing ahead with sales of the abortion pill even after a judge’s decision threatens to restrict access to the drug nationwide as soon as Friday. (Rutherford, 4/10)

CalMatters: The California mask mandate is gone. Now some patients fear for their health.
For months California disability and labor advocates have been attempting to preserve statewide masking requirements in health care settings. But with the sunset of one of the last remaining COVID-19 mandates, they say people who are the most vulnerable to severe illness now have to make an “impossible choice” — risk getting the virus at a doctor’s office, or avoid necessary health care. (Hwang, 4/11)

The Washington Post: White House Launches $5B Program To Speed Covid Vaccine Development 
The Biden administration is launching a $5 billion-plus program to accelerate development of new coronavirus vaccines and treatments, seeking to better protect against a still-mutating virus, as well as other coronaviruses that might threaten us in the future. “Project Next Gen” — the long-anticipated follow-up to “Operation Warp Speed,” the Trump-era program that sped coronavirus vaccines to patients in 2020 — would take a similar approach to partnering with private-sector companies to expedite development of vaccines and therapies. Scientists, public heath experts and politicians have called for the initiative, warning that existing therapies have steadily lost their effectiveness and that new ones are needed. (Diamond, 4/10)

CNN: Biden Signs Bill Ending Covid-19 National Emergency
President Joe Biden signed legislation Monday to end the national emergency for Covid-19, the White House said, in a move that will not affect the end of the separate public health emergency scheduled for May 11.A White House official downplayed the impact of the bill, saying the termination of the emergency “does not impact our ability to wind down authorities in an orderly way.” The bill to end the national emergency cleared the Senate last month in a bipartisan 68-23 vote and passed the House earlier this year with 11 Democrats crossing party lines to vote for the joint resolution. (Carvajal, 4/10)

Fortune: ‘Arcturus,’ A Highly Transmissible COVID Variant Eyed By The WHO, Appears To Have A New Symptom. Here's What You Need To Know 
A new COVID variant the World Health Organization has its eye on seems to be causing a new symptom in children rarely caused by other Omicron spawn: “Itchy” conjunctivitis—or pink eye—without pus, but with “sticky eyes." (Prater, 4/10)

Capital & Main: Working Sick: Americans With Long COVID Struggle To Make A Living
Last year the CDC estimated that 7.5% of the adult U.S. population, or about 19 million people, had long COVID, and that 20% of adults 18-64 who recovered from their initial COVID infection have experienced at least one health condition that may be attributable to long COVID. Long COVID was recognized as a disability by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2021. But specific help for sufferers, or “long haulers,” in the workplace — including flexible hours, sick leave and the ability to work from home — depends on the generosity of the employer. And nearly half of workers with long COVID say their employers either didn’t offer paid sick leave or weren’t making workplace accommodations for their illness, according to a report released last year. Without policies like paid time off for illness, American workers face a financial burden to the tune of more than $500 billion, according to a report by the Solve Long Covid Initiative. (Buhl, 4/10)

Sacramento Bee: California Bill Requiring School Staff To Out Transgender Students To Parents Effectively Dead 
A California bill that would require school employees to out transgender students to their parents will not get a committee hearing, meaning the legislation is effectively dead. Assembly Bill AB 1314, by Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Riverside, was assigned to the Assembly Education Committee, which is chaired by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance. (Sheeler, 4/10)

Times Of San Diego: New California Law Decriminalizing Loitering Led To 'Explosion' In Prostitution 
The pimps in California thought Senate Bill 357 was going to legalize prostitution in the state. “That was their perception” said Stephany Powell, director of law enforcement training at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in Washington. She claims passage of the controversial legislation, even before the governor’s signature, has led to an increase in pimping and pandering on the streets of California. (August, 4/10)

Times Of San Diego: South Bay Plastic Surgeon Pleads Not Guilty To Murder In Patient's Death
A South Bay plastic surgeon already facing criminal charges stemming from the death of a patient pleaded not guilty Monday to a newly filed murder charge. Dr. Carlos Chacon, 48, was charged along with one of his nurses in late 2021 with involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the death of Megan Espinoza, a 36-year-old mother of two who died more than a month after undergoing a breast augmentation operation on Dec. 19, 2018. (Ireland, 4/10)

The Washington Post: Black Man Awaiting Kidney Transplant Alleges Racial Bias 
An African American man is seeking millions of dollars in damages and a better position on the kidney transplant waiting list in a lawsuit that claims an algorithm used in determining priority for organs is biased against Black people. Anthony Randall last week sued an affiliate of the Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, where he is listed as a transplant patient, and the United Network for Organ Sharing, the nonprofit organization that operates the U.S. transplant system. (Bernstein, 4/10)

AP: AMA's First Gay President To Take Over At Tumultuous Time
The first openly gay person to lead the American Medical Association takes the reins at a fractious time for U.S. health care. Transgender patients and those seeking abortion care face restrictions in many places. The medical judgment of physicians is being overridden by state laws. Disinformation is rampant. And the nation isn’t finished with COVID-19. In the two decades since Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld first got involved with the AMA as young medical resident, the nation’s largest physicians’ group has tried to shed its image as a conservative self-interested trade association. While physician pocketbook issues remain a big focus, the AMA is also a powerful lobbying force for a range of public health issues. (Tanner, 4/9)

CNBC: Moderna Hopes To Offer New Vaccines For Cancer, Heart Disease By 2030
Moderna hopes to offer a new set of life-saving vaccines targeting cancer, heart disease and other conditions by 2030, a spokesperson for the company told CNBC on Monday. The spokesperson confirmed remarks Moderna’s chief medical officer, Dr. Paul Burton, made to the Guardian on Saturday. Burton said he’s confident those jabs will be ready by the end of the decade, adding that Moderna could possibly offer them in as little as five years. (Constantino, 4/10)

Bloomberg: Elizabeth Holmes Loses Bid To Remain Free During Appeal 
Elizabeth Holmes must report to prison as scheduled later this month, a judge ruled, rejecting her request to remain free on bail as she appeals her fraud conviction. The decision Monday by US District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California, is likely his last in the case which he’s handled since Holmes was indicted in 2018. Davila presided over the Theranos Inc. founder’s four-month trial in 2021 and sentenced her in November to serve 11 1/4 years of incarceration for deceiving investors in her blood-testing startup. (Rosenblatt, 4/11)

The Washington Post: GOP Eyes New Work Requirements For Millions On Medicaid, Food Stamps 
House Republicans are eyeing new work requirements for millions of low-income Americans who receive health insurance, money to buy food and other financial aid from the federal government, reprising the party’s historic crusade against welfare as some lawmakers seek new ways to slash spending. In recent weeks, the GOP has focused its attention on two anti-poverty programs: Medicaid, which enrolls the poorest families in health insurance, and food stamps, which provide grocery benefits to those in need. Top lawmakers including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have publicly endorsed rules that could force some enrollees to find a job and work longer hours — or risk losing the government’s help entirely. (Romm and Roubein, 4/11)

Orange County Register: Newsom, Bonta Strike Back At Huntington Beach Decisions To Reject Housing Plan 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are seeking a court order punishing Huntington Beach for its two-time vote rejecting a state-required housing plan, calling for the suspension of the city’s authority to issue building permits and a court order giving the city four months to adopt a housing plan. (Collins and Mcrea, 4/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland Evicts Last Residents Of Wood Street Homeless Encampment
Oakland began removing the last 60 residents from what was once the largest encampment in Northern California on Monday, a month after a federal judge approved the long-awaited clearance. (Ravani, 4/10)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Homeless Advocates Protest Proposed San Diego Encampment Ban As Harmful 
Students from San Diego State University and UC San Diego were among a group gathered outside City Hall on Monday to protest a proposed ordinance banning homeless encampments in the city, an action they said would be harmful to people living without shelter. (Warth, 4/10)

CapRadio: Unhoused Residents At Sacramento’s 'Camp Resolution' Reach First-Of-Its-Kind Lease To Remain On City-Owned Property 
Residents at a large Sacramento homeless encampment called Camp Resolution are celebrating a first-of-its-kind lease that allows them to remain on a city-owned property until all have obtained permanent housing. (Nichols, 4/10)

The Desert Sun: Martha's Village Proposing "Emergency Homeless Navigation Center" In Palm Springs
During a Palm Springs City Council meeting Monday, Martha’s Village and Kitchen CEO Scott Hollenbeck said the vision calls for 95 shelter beds. (Albani-Burgio, 4/10)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Lifted Eviction Ban. What's Next For Tenants? 
The last day of March marked the end of Los Angeles County’s pandemic-era eviction protections. Even before then, evictions had been on the rise. In the last year, eviction filings across the county have returned to pre-pandemic levels of more than 3,000 per month, according to Kyle Nelson, a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA. (Esquivel, 4/10)

Los Angeles Times: Fentanyl-Laced Pills Kept Killing Even After Feds Knew Of Threat
There was the teenager from Texas. The father from San Diego. The runner from Indiana. They went for a day trip. Or a wedding. Or a winter vacation. But they all died after taking counterfeit pain pills purchased at drugstores in Mexico. And they all got those medications in the more than three years between the time the federal government learned of the threat and officials finally warned the public. (Blakinger and Sheets, 4/10)

Pasadena Star News: Fake Food Deliveries, Drones And Lax Security: How Drugs Get Into L.A. County’s Juvenile Halls 
Two Los Angeles County juvenile facilities have such lax security that illicit substances and other contraband are thrown over fences, dropped by drones and even delivered by fake DoorDash drivers and others who walk through security without ever being searched, according to a new report by the county’s watchdog office. (Henry, 4/10)

Roll Call: DEA Proposal Sparks Concerns About Access To Telehealth
Members of Congress and advocates worry a proposed rule from the Biden administration will make it harder for people to access a medication commonly used to treat opioid use disorder. The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing limiting telehealth prescriptions for buprenorphine to an initial 30-day supply until the patient can be seen in person by a physician. (Hellmann, 4/10)

Scientific American: How Over-The-Counter Narcan Can Help Reverse Opioid Overdoses
A recent Food and Drug Administration decision that makes naloxone available without a prescription may increase the drug’s accessibility. But cost could be a barrier. (Bartels, 4/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco must improve disability access at Main Library, other facilities, court rules
San Francisco needs to make its main library and two other city facilities more accessible to people who use wheelchairs or have other physical disabilities, and a judge must examine other possible disability barriers at 10 recreational centers and the city’s Botanical Garden, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. A lawsuit initially filed by a disabled woman in 2007, and now a class action on behalf of at least 21,000 residents, said San Francisco was violating federal law at its facilities with steep entrance ramps and parkways, restrooms without grab bars and other equipment enabling full use, and a lack of fully accessible indoor seating. (Egelko, 4/10)

Sacramento Bee: Exclusive: Sacramento County Foster Kids Have Been Living In Cells For 6 Months 
Sacramento County officials have for six months housed foster children in cells in a former juvenile detention facility, in violation of state law. A state agency in February sent the county a letter, obtained by The Sacramento Bee, requiring them to remove the children from the Rosemont “jail-like” unlicensed facility. ... “The physical space of the facility and the facility environment has potential to retraumatize or trigger youth, leaving children to feel physically and psychologically unsafe,” a Sept. 26 letter to the county from the California Department of Social Services Foster Care ombudsperson Larry Fluharty stated. (Clift, 4/10)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Public Health Officials Say Don’t Snooze On The Importance Of Sleep 
Lack of sleep is keeping local public health officials up at night. At a news conference that began with science and ended in Sanskrit, Kern County public health authorities took an opportunity Monday to address the benefits of getting enough shuteye. (Donegan, 4/10)