Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
With Sexually Transmitted Infections Off the Charts, California Pushes At-Home Tests
A new law makes California the first state to require that health insurance plans, including Medicaid, cover home STI tests. But some details still need to be worked out. (Rachel Bluth, )
Laws Shield Hospitals From Families Who Believe Loved Ones Contracted Covid as Patients
Families who believe their loved ones contracted covid-19 while hospitalized are finding they have little recourse following a wave of liability shield legislation pushed by business interests. (Lauren Weber and Christina Jewett, )
Few ICU Beds Are Available Across California: Only 22% of California’s staffed adult intensive care unit beds were available Monday, according to the California Department of Public Health. California had a total of 1,329 ICU patients with confirmed and suspected covid-19. There were 1,765 ICU beds available Monday. Read more from The Sacramento Bee. Plus, this chart shows how many ICU beds are left at your nearest hospital. Scroll down for complete coverage of the covid surge.
All LAUSD Students, Staff Must Take Covid Tests: All Los Angeles Unified School District students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, will have to show proof of a negative covid-19 test before they can return to campuses when school resumes next week, the district announced on Monday. Read more from the Press Telegram and Los Angeles Times.
In related news –
Newsom promised 6 million COVID tests for students. Only half have arrived
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco Now Has 3rd Highest COVID Transmission Rate In California
San Francisco now has the third-highest coronavirus transmission rate in California, with a daily average case rate of about 104 per 100,000 residents. The county recorded a seven-day average of 896 cases per day on Dec. 30, the most recent available data. That is more than double the previous peak of 388 cases, a seven-day average recorded on Jan. 12 last year. (Vaziri, 1/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento County Sets All-Time COVID Case Rate Record
Sacramento County’s case rate for COVID-19 has exploded to the highest point of the pandemic, nearly tripling in one week as the extremely contagious omicron variant takes over. The county’s latest seven-day case rate is 72 per 100,000, soaring well past the previous record of 64 set in December 2020 and with no sign of slowing. The local health office in a Monday update to its data dashboard, including four days of data due to the New Year’s holiday, reported more than 6,500 new cases. (McGough, 1/3)
Fresno Bee:
COVID-19: Cases, Rates Are Rising Across Fresno Region
The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Fresno County last week was almost double what it was a week earlier, rising to its highest point in weeks. The most recent update from the Fresno County Department of Public Health on Friday reflected 1,900 cases for the week, with no reports on Saturday, Sunday or Monday. That’s up from 989 in the week ending Dec. 25 – a 92% increase. (Sheehan, 1/3)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID Hospitalizations Top Summer Surge In L.A.
The number of coronavirus-positive patients has spiked dramatically across Southern California since Christmas — but some health officials are noting important differences in how the latest surge is playing out in hospitals compared with last winter’s devastating wave. In Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, the coronavirus-positive patient count has more than doubled in the last nine days. And in L.A. and San Bernardino counties, the daily hospital census has surpassed the peak seen during last summer’s spike. (Money, Lin II and Alpert Reyes, 1/4)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego County ERs Hit Hard By COVID-19. 'Capacity Is Exhausted'
When their emergency departments get really busy, hospitals often go on diversion, a term that means they are significantly reducing their ambulance traffic to buy a little time to handle a crush of patients already sitting in their waiting rooms. But, as the number of patients arriving for care continued to increase Monday, the situation reached a point where almost all emergency rooms were on diversion, a rare situation where sending ambulances elsewhere no longer made sense. Nobody had any extra capacity. (Sisson, 1/3)
Orange County Register:
OC’s COVID-19 Cases Up, Hospitals Busy – But We’re In Better Shape Than Earlier Surges, Experts Say
New COVID-19 infections in Orange County and nationwide have shot up since mid-December, and the number of people in area hospitals with the disease is higher than it’s been in months – but health professionals say a number of changes since the major surge a year ago make today’s situation much less concerning. Although daily cases rates in the U.S. are the highest they’ve been in the course of the nearly two-year pandemic, far fewer people who get infected now are progressing to severe illness that requires hospital care. (Robinson, 1/3)
East Bay Times:
Santa Cruz County Sees Near Doubling Of Active COVID Cases, Increased Hospitalization Rates
One week after Christmas, Santa Cruz County watched its COVID-19 case numbers skyrocket on the Health Services Agency coronavirus data dashboard. It’s likely, county officials have warned in recent days, that the case counts are higher than the dashboard indicates due to the alternative of at-home testing. As of Monday, county epidemiologists recorded 755 active COVID-19cases. Before the most recent four-day round up, the agency knew of a total of 893 active cases. This means that of the 875 new cases marked on the dashboard, 92% were new and 8% were backlogged. (Hartman, 1/4)
KPBS:
Record COVID Infections Force San Diego Fire-Rescue To Shut Down Units
The latest COVID-19 wave fueled by the omicron variant is taking down even the bravest. San Diego Fire-Rescue on Monday reported over 100 firefighters and more than a dozen lifeguards in isolation, meaning they tested positive for COVID-19.Chief Colin Stowell said this is unprecedented. (Alvarado, 1/3)
Daily Pilot:
Kelly Ernby, O.C. GOP Activist And Prosecutor, Dies Of COVID-19
Kelly Ernby, a political newcomer who ran for an Orange County state Assembly seat two years ago as a Republican, died this week of COVID-19. In addition to political activism, she worked for 10 years as an O.C. deputy district attorney. Ernby, a Huntington Beach resident, was 46. (San Roman, 1/3)
Modesto Bee:
CDC COVID Isolation Rules: Fauci Says Testing Could Be Added
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering adding a testing requirement to its new COVID-19 isolation guidelines. The rules have recently been a point of criticism as the new omicron variant spreads in the United States. The CDC on Dec. 27 said people who are infected with the coronavirus now need to isolate for 5 days instead of 10 if they are asymptomatic or if their symptoms are “resolving.” The isolation period should be followed by five days of wearing a face mask around others. A negative COVID-19 test is not required to end isolation. (Aldridge, 1/4)
Fresno Bee:
Demand Is Rising At COVID-19 Testing Sites In Fresno
While the at-home test kits are few and far between, there is an abundance of sites available throughout the county where people can go to have a more conventional PCR test to detect whether they have a COVID-19 infection. While the PCR tests – which are sent off to laboratories for analysis with results in two to three days – lack the convenience and speed of the at-home kits, they are generally considered far more reliable than the rapid kits with fewer false-positive or false-negative results. (Sheehan, 1/4)
CBS News:
The Unlikely Place To Find COVID-19 Tests
Some savvy consumers have discovered that at-home COVID-19 tests are available from an unlikely source: Telemedicine company Ro. At its inception in 2017, under the name Roman, the company billed itself as a men's health care company providing discreet treatments for conditions including erectile disfunction and hair loss. (Cerullo, 1/3)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego County Created A COVID-19 Warning System. Is It Paying Attention To The Danger Signs?
In June of 2020, San Diego County’s public health department adopted a set of 13 triggers designed to signal that the coronavirus pandemic was worsening and additional measures were necessary to bring viral transmission back under control. Eighteen months later, six of those indicators are in the red, enough to trigger modification of existing health orders. But there are no signs that anyone in county government intends to make any changes, even as the region posts record numbers of new cases and emergency rooms are flooded with coronavirus positive patients. (Sisson, 1/2)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Health Officials Recommend Upgrading From Cloth Masks
Californians looking to comply with the statewide indoor masking order should consider upgrading their masks, according to state guidelines. The California Department of Public Health recommends avoiding a cloth mask, and instead using a surgical mask or higher-level respirators instead. (Sheeler, 1/3)
Reuters:
Virus Leaves Antibodies That May Attack Healthy Tissues
Months after recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection, survivors have elevated levels of antibodies that can mistakenly attack their own organs and tissues, even if they had not been severely ill, according to new findings. Among 177 healthcare workers who had recovered from confirmed coronavirus infections contracted before the availability of vaccines, all had persistent autoantibodies, including ones that can cause chronic inflammation and injury of the joints, skin and nervous system. (Lapid, 1/4)
Reveal:
Viral Lies
From anti-vaxxers to QAnon, we look at how misinformation spreads online – and the lives it disrupts. Reporter and guest host Ike Sriskandarajah looks into one reason people aren’t getting the COVID-19 vaccine: conspiracy theories. The World Health Organization calls it “an infodemic,” where dangerous medical misinformation sows chaos and mistrust. So how do conspiracy theories spread? Sriskandarajah unravels the history of the lie that there is a tiny microchip in each vial of the COVID-19 vaccine. (1/1)
AP:
FDA Expands Pfizer Boosters For More Teens As Omicron Surges
The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12.Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds once enough time has passed since their last dose. ... The FDA also said everyone 12 and older who’s eligible for a Pfizer booster can get one as early as five months after their last dose rather than six months. (Neergaard, 1/3)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus Prepares For COVID-19 Boosters For Kids 12 To 15
The U.S. is expanding COVID-19 boosters as it confronts the omicron surge, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing extra Pfizer shots for children as young as 12. Boosters already are recommended for everyone 16 and older, and federal regulators on Monday decided they’re also warranted for 12- to 15-year-olds once enough time has passed since their last dose. But the move, coming as classes restart after the holidays, isn’t the final step. A panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to decide Wednesday whether to recommend boosters for the younger teens with a final decision by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director. (Neergaard and Holland, 1/3)
Orange County Register:
Staff Are Attacked At Tustin Vaccination Site By Man Claiming Pandemic Is A Hoax; Suspect Arrested
Staff at Families Together of Orange County Community Health Center have made it their mission to help combat coronavirus, the medical provider’s Mobile Operations Manager, Parsia Jahanbani, said. That made them a target for those who deny the grim toll of the pandemic and believe the crisis was manufactured. The medical group’s vaccination and COVID-19 screening facilities have been repeatedly picketed by protesters who accused them of making people sick. Some resentful patients — who say they are only getting the jab because their employer is forcing them to — often cite online articles suggesting health care workers are participating in a hoax. Staff receive threatening messages on a near-daily basis, Cassie Rossel, a spokeswoman for the care provider, said. (Licas, 1/3)
Modesto Bee:
Can You Get A Coronavirus Vaccine While COVID Positive?
The COVID-19 pandemic feels like the world’s longest dodgeball game, ducking left and right to escape coronavirus infections thrown our way. And similar to the rules of the real game, if you get smacked with a positive test right before your scheduled vaccination, then you’re out — at least until you recover. So, no, you should not receive your first, second or third COVID-19 vaccine dose if you are infected with the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, because you don’t want to sicken health care workers or others during your vaccination process. (Camero, 1/3)
Modesto Bee:
When Should You Get A COVID Vaccine If You’re Pregnant?
Health officials recommend COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding and trying to become or planning on getting pregnant. The guidance is based on studies that show risks of severe disease are high among the group. Now, a new study of more than 1,300 pregnant patients reveals how timing of coronavirus vaccination influences antibody levels at the time of delivery. (Camero, 1/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
These Bay Area Restaurants And Bars Are Requiring Booster Shots To Eat Indoors
As the omicron variant continues to surge through the Bay Area, some restaurants are taking an additional precaution to stay open and keep their employees healthy: requiring proof of the COVID-19 booster shot to dine indoors. These businesses are hoping to avoid a re-emerging trend: A rapidly growing number of Bay Area restaurants that are temporarily shutting down due to staff infections and exposures, or preventative concern about the highly contagious variant. As they reopen, more booster mandates could be announced. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, which represents hundreds of restaurants in San Francisco, has strongly urged all restaurant workers to get the booster shot for additional protection against omicron. (Kadvany and Bitker, 1/3)
The Hill:
Pence Group Files SCOTUS Brief Opposing Biden Vaccine Mandate
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday announced his advocacy group has filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to reject the Biden administration's attempt to require large businesses to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for its workers or require frequent testing. Pence filed the brief, which was shared with The Hill, through his political advocacy group Advancing American Freedom. (Samuels, 1/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Starbucks Imposes Covid-19 Vaccine, Testing Requirements For U.S. Workers
Starbucks Corp. is requiring its U.S. employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 or submit to regular testing, one of the first large restaurant chains to take such a step ahead of potential federal vaccination mandates for large employers. Starbucks said Monday that workers in its U.S. cafes, offices and manufacturing plants must be vaccinated by Feb. 9 or get tested weekly. (Haddon, 1/3)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Judge Says Navy Violates Rights Of SEALs In Denying Religious Waivers On Vaccines
A Texas U.S. District Court judge issued a temporary injunction Monday in one of the ongoing federal lawsuits brought by service members challenging the Pentagon’s coronavirus vaccine mandate, preventing the service from disciplining 35 sailors for refusing the vaccine. The case, brought by religious-liberty focused law firm the First Liberty Institute, includes 35 Naval Special Warfare sailors, several of whom are based in Southern California. San Diego is home to the Naval Special Warfare Command, including several Navy SEAL teams, special warfare combatant-craft crewmen and explosive ordnance disposal technicians. (Dyer, 1/3)
The New York Times:
Federal Judge Blocks The Defense Dept. From Punishing Navy Forces Who Refuse The Vaccine.
A federal judge on Monday granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Defense from taking “any adverse action” against 35 Navy sailors who have refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, arguing that it violated their religious freedoms. The service members — including Navy SEALs and members of the Naval Special Warfare Command — had filed suit against the Biden administration arguing that their “sincerely held religious beliefs forbid each of them from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for a variety of reasons based upon their Christian faith.” The Pentagon had mandated that all active-duty troops receive the vaccine. (Albeck-Ripka, 1/4)
The Washington Post:
USS Milwaukee Covid Outbreak: Navy Ship Returns To Sea With Coronavirus-Positive Sailors Isolated On Board
The U.S. Navy combat ship that was sidelined by a coronavirus outbreak among its crew last month has returned to sea, even as some sailors on board remain positive for the virus, officials said on Monday. The USS Milwaukee, a littoral combat ship with a crew of 105 plus a detachment of Coast Guard personnel and an aviation unit, had been at port in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, since Dec. 20, after stopping at the U.S. military base there to refuel. The Associated Press reported that about 25 percent of the ship’s sailors had tested positive. (Thebault and deGrandpre, 1/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Thousands Of Bay Area Students Returned To Schools Monday Amid Omicron Surge. Here’s How It Went
As many Bay Area districts reopened Monday after a two-week winter break, some schools saw a jump in staff and student absences amid skyrocketing coronavirus cases as omicron continued to rage through the region. Districts scrambled to get students and staff tested over the weekend and into Monday but amid overwhelming demand, teachers and parents in some districts said the efforts came up short. (Vainshtein and Whiting, 1/3)
The New York Times:
For Millions In California, School Reopening Hinges On Testing
With the Omicron variant raging across California, millions of schoolchildren returned to classrooms on Monday, ending the holiday break as many had spent it — masked, distanced, apprehensive and in long lines with their parents, scrambling for coronavirus tests. Few schools were closed in a state whose Covid-19 precautions have been among the most aggressive in the nation. California has managed to maintain comparatively low rates of virus-related deaths and hospitalizations. (Hubler, 1/3)
Sacramento Bee:
500 At Sacramento Schools Test COVID-Positive During Break
Roughly 500 students and staff tested positive for COVID-19 during the winter break, according to Sacramento City Unified School District officials Monday. The district received about 38,000 at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits in December from the California Department of Public Health. The kits were distributed to thousands of students and staff before the winter break in the hopes of facilitating a safe return to school in January, said Al Goldberg, a district spokesman. (Yoon-Hendricks, 1/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Free At-Home COVID Tests For Sacramento Students
At-home COVID-19 test kits were supposed to be distributed to California public school students so they could get tested before returning from winter break. But many students returned to school Monday, and districts in Sacramento County have yet to receive kits. By Monday afternoon, the office in charge of distributing the tests across the county said it had only a partial shipment from the state. (Truong, 1/3)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Receives COVID Testing Kits For Schools
Kern County Superintendent of Schools spokesman Robert Meszaros confirmed that hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 rapid tests are being delivered this week, after KCSOS received a shipment Monday, as expected. “At-home tests are often hard to come by, so having access to this supply is great news for our school communities,” Meszaros said in a statement to The Californian last week, ahead of the anticipated delivery. “The tests provide another tool to help mitigate the spread of the virus, with the goal of keeping students in the classroom where they learn best.” (1/3)
EdSource:
Hit Hard By Covid, California High School Seniors Struggling Toward Graduation
California high school seniors were in 10th grade when the Covid-19 pandemic closed schools and sent them home to learn. This year, many seniors are either struggling to earn enough credits to graduate or, because of a new state law, are graduating with fewer credits and requirements than classes before them. Assembly Bill 104, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in July, allowed parents to request that D’s and F’s earned in the 2020-21 school year be changed to pass or no-pass grades. It also gave last year’s juniors and seniors the option to graduate with the state’s minimum requirements, made up of 13 courses totaling about 130 credits. Students also can take a fifth year of high school if needed. (Lambert, 1/4)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Community Colleges Switch To Remote Operations As COVID-19 Cases Surge Anew
In light of recent increases in COVID-19 cases, community colleges across San Diego County have announced that their intersession classes and services will switch to remote operations. And several are discussing whether to move classes online for the spring semester. The winter intersession for most institutions began Monday or starts Tuesday and lasts for four weeks. Spring semester follows right after through the end of May. (Murga and Warth, 1/3)
Los Angeles Times:
It's March 2020 COVID-19 Deja Vu For College Students
The start of 2022 at the University of California feels like March 2020 deja vu for some students. Most campuses started the winter quarter Monday with two weeks of remote classes — a decision announced days before Christmas as Omicron cases prompted new warnings for caution from health experts and public officials. But the online reality has reminded students of March 2020 when a two-week shutdown turned into campus shutdowns that sundered their traditional college experience. With coronavirus cases rapidly surging, driven largely by younger adults, many students are already wondering if the delay to in-person classes will expand. (Shalby, 1/4)
inewsource:
Advocates Worry About Drop In San Diego's Homeless Student Count
Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in California have reported a significant drop in the number of students identified as experiencing homelessness. But those “self-reported” student counts by school districts are drastically undercounting the number of homeless students, advocates say, resulting in fewer resources available to assist students now and in the future. (Wynne, 1/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Jury Finds Theranos Ex-CEO Holmes Guilty Of 4 Of 11 Fraud Charges
A jury found Elizabeth Holmes, the ambitious Silicon Valley wunderkind who went from the lauded head of a $9 billion blood-testing startup to the defendant in a San Jose courtroom, guilty of four fraud charges against investors on Monday. The jury found Holmes not guilty of four fraud charges, including against patients, and was unable to reach a unanimous decision on three of the 11 charges involving investors: wire fraud against Alan Eisenman, Black Diamond’s Chris Lucas and Hall Group’s Bryant Tolbert. (Said and Li, 1/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Elizabeth Holmes Verdict: Theranos Founder Is Guilty On Four Of 11 Charges In Fraud Trial
A federal jury convicted Elizabeth Holmes, the startup founder who claimed to revolutionize blood testing, on four of 11 charges that she conducted a yearslong fraud scheme against investors while running Theranos Inc., which ended up as one of Silicon Valley’s most notorious implosions. The verdict caps a steep fall for the former Silicon Valley star who once graced magazine covers with headlines such as “This CEO is Out for Blood” and emulated Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs by wearing black turtlenecks. (Randazzo, Somerville and Weaver, 1/3)
Bay Area News Group:
Here's How The Jury Found On The 11 Charges Against Elizabeth Holmes
Here’s how the jury found on each of the counts against Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Each fraud charge carries up to 20 years in prison. (Baron, 1/3)
Bay Area News Group:
Theranos Trial: Is Prison Next For Elizabeth Holmes?
The Blockbuster Elizabeth Holmes trial reached its much-anticipated climax Monday when jurors found the Theranos founder guilty of four counts of fraud. But the saga is far from over. Holmes still has to contend with sentencing, a potential appeal, and three additional charges the jurors didn’t reach a verdict on. So what happens now? Here’s a look at the next steps. (Kendall, Baron and Green, 1/3)
The New York Times:
What Happens Next To Elizabeth Holmes
After the verdict was read, defense and prosecution lawyers discussed plans for Ms. Holmes’s sentencing, the status of her release and the fate of the three hung charges. Judge Edward J. Davila of the Northern District of California, who oversaw the case, said he planned to declare a mistrial on those charges, which the government could choose to retry. The parties agreed that Ms. Holmes would not be taken into custody on Monday. A sentencing date is expected to be set at a hearing on the three hung charges next week. (Woo, 1/3)
AP:
What Will Silicon Valley Learn From Holmes' Conviction?
The fraud conviction of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes could offer Silicon Valley’s culture of hubris and hype some valuable lessons. Will anyone in the tech industry actually take this moment to heart? Don’t count on it. (Liedtke, 1/4)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County See Delays In 911 Ambulance Calls
Los Angeles County is beginning to see delays in ambulance response to 911 calls, as more employees are unable to work due to COVID-related illnesses and ambulances are forced to wait to offload patients at hospitals, health officials said Monday. “People should reach out to their physicians for suggestions to treat mild COVID symptoms,” the county Department of Health Services said in a statement to The Times. “Do not seek COVID testing at emergency departments but at established sites.” (Lin II, Money, Blume and Alpert Reyes, 1/3)
AP:
More Beaches Reopen After Southern California Sewage Spill
More Southern California beaches have been reopening after a large sewage spill shut off large segment of the coastline before New Year’s Day. Orange County’s health care agency on Monday lifted closures for Seal Beach and Sunset Beach once testing showed the water quality was acceptable, said Julie MacDonald, an agency spokesperson. (1/4)
NBC News:
California Twins, Born 15 Minutes Apart, Arrive In Different Years
Twins in California might have been born just 15 minutes apart, but they were born in different years. Alfredo Antonio Trujillo came at 11:45 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2021. He was followed by his twin sister, Aylin Yolanda Trujillo, who arrived at 12 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2022, making her the first baby to be born this year at Natividad Medical Center and in Monterey County, the hospital said in a statement. ... "What makes their birth so rare is that they were born on different days, months and years," the hospital said.
The chance of twins' being born in different years is estimated to be 1 in 2 million, the statement said. (Fieldstadt, 1/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden Promotes Plan Aimed At Tackling Meat Prices
The Biden administration on Monday outlined tighter regulations for U.S. meatpackers, accusing the industry of inflating Americans’ food bills, as meat companies say they are experiencing persistent supply chain problems and labor shortages as the economy recovers from the pandemic. President Biden’s push to tackle meat prices comes as his administration seeks to ease inflation, which hit a nearly four-decade high in November. Inflation has emerged as a pressing concern for American voters, a Wall Street Journal poll released last month found, and Republicans have been criticizing Mr. Biden over high prices for months. (Thomas and Lucey, 1/3)
AP:
Biden: More Competition In Meat Industry Can Ease Food Costs
President Joe Biden met virtually with independent farmers and ranchers Monday to discuss initiatives to reduce food prices by increasing competition within the meat industry, part of a broader effort to show his administration is trying to combat inflation. “Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism — it’s exploitation,” Biden said. (Boak and Superville, 1/3)