Orange County Register: ‘Let’s Finish The Job’: While Mourning In Monterey Park, Biden Pleads With Congress On Gun Laws 
It was a somber day in Monterey Park, with rain and fog descending, as President Joe Biden mourned with a community still reeling in the aftermath of a mass shooting that claimed 11 lives not quite two months ago. But it was also an emphatic day, one where a president with a reputation as a “comforter in chief” implored his administration and federal lawmakers alike to do more gun violence prevention. (Schallhorn, 3/14)

Politico: Biden Mourns With Families Of California Shooting Victims And Moves To Close Gun Loophole 
A solemn President Joe Biden signed an executive order to close gun registration loopholes as he delivered what amounted to a eulogy for 11 people shot to death as they celebrated the Lunar New Year in a Southern California suburb. Biden recited names of the mostly immigrant victims, recalling the love of family and community that brought them to the dance hall in January, as well as the pain that will linger with their families and made the small city another in a long line of places made infamous by violence. (Nieves and Ward, 3/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Issues Executive Order To Strengthen Gun Background Checks
Mr. Biden said his executive actions are designed to move the U.S. as close to universal background checks as possible without the passage of legislation in Congress, where partisan divides have left most gun-safety legislation stalled. The president, in his Tuesday remarks, said his executive order isn’t a substitute for congressional action. “Enough,” Mr. Biden said, directing his remarks to lawmakers. “Do something. Do something big.” (Siddiqui and Restuccia, 3/14)

The New York Times: Biden Issues Executive Order To Strengthen Background Checks For Guns 
He repeated the assault weapons demand on Tuesday, noting that he had advanced the effort in the Senate in 1993 to pass a ban, which expired amid political disagreement a decade later. ... Mr. Biden’s new executive order is far more modest than that kind of lofty ambition. It directs the attorney general to make sure gun dealers are complying with existing background check laws. It seeks to improve reporting of guns and ammunition that are lost or stolen while in transit. It calls for better transparency about gun dealers who are cited for firearms violations. And it directs agencies to work with the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network to improve the quality of investigations into gun crimes. (Shear, 3/14)

The Washington Post: Biden Announces New Order On Gun Violence, But Options Are Limited 
In addition to the background checks, Biden’s executive order directs his Cabinet to develop a proposal on how the federal government can better assist communities after a mass killing, aiming to mobilize resources for human-caused disasters in the way that Washington already does for natural disasters. Biden is also urging the Federal Trade Commission to issue a public report that would analyze how gun manufacturers market firearms to minors. Together, the actions amount to the president’s latest attempt to use his executive authority to crack down on gun violence, efforts that necessarily are narrower in scope than measures urged by gun-control activists that would require congressional approval. (Viser, 3/14)

VC Star: Ventura County Nurses Demand Better Pay, Work Conditions
Dozens of nurses told the Ventura County Board of Supervisors Tuesday it’s not enough to be praised for their work on hospital front lines. (Kisken, 3/14)

Bay Area News Group: Bay Area Health Care Worker Stole Patient's Medical Records, Posted About Her STD On Phony Social Media Page, Hospital Says
A healthcare contractor at an East Bay county hospital stole medical records and used them to impersonate the patient on social media, according to records and hospital officials. (Mercader, 3/14)

Modern Healthcare: Google Search Update Aims To Ease Medicaid Redeterminations
Google is helping people navigate Medicaid redeterminations with the latest update to its search product, the tech giant said Tuesday morning. Google announced several new healthcare initiatives at its annual Check Up event on Tuesday. The updates were related to search, artificial intelligence and interoperability. (Turner, 3/14)

Bloomberg: Google To Integrate Artificial Intelligence Into Health-Care Services, Products
Alphabet Inc.’s Google unveiled plans to integrate artificial intelligence into health-related initiatives, including an update on the use of language-generating technology in medical exams and AI-assisted research, ways to help consumers find information faster via internet searches, and tools to help developers build health apps around the world. (Alba and Love, 3/14)

Axios: Google Flexes Its Health Care AI Muscle
Google showed off an array of new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven health care tools on Tuesday, from a souped-up chatbot that can shed light on your medical symptoms to enhanced search features that tell you if a doctor takes Medicaid. (Kingson, 3/15)

Los Angeles Daily News: Pasadena Aligns With New California COVID-19 Guidelines 
Pasadena has rescinded some local orders related to COVID-19 isolation, quarantine and masking in public settings, opting to align with state coronavirus mandates, interim city Health Officer Eric G. Handler announced on Monday, March 13. (Valdes, 3/14)

CNBC: FDA Authorizes Pfizer's Covid Omicron Booster As Fourth Shot For Kids Under 5
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized Pfizer’s omicron booster shot for kids under five years old who were previously vaccinated with three doses of the company’s original vaccine.  Children six months through four years old who completed their three-dose primary series with Pfizer and BioNTech’s original monovalent shots more than two months ago are now eligible to receive a single booster dose of the updated shot. The new shot is bivalent, meaning it targets the original Covid strain as well as omicron BA.4 and BA.5. (Constantino, 3/14)

Axios: FDA: Paxlovid Not Associated With COVID Rebound
Paxlovid isn't associated with COVID rebound, in which patients test positive or have symptoms days after a course of the drug is completed, Food and Drug Administration staff said in briefing documents released Tuesday. (Moreno, 3/14)

CNBC: FDA Staff: Pfizer's Covid Treatment Paxlovid Appears Effective To Use In High-Risk Adults
U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff on Tuesday said Pfizer’s clinical trial results on its Covid antiviral pill Paxlovid support the drug’s use in adults at high risk of progressing to severe disease. The FDA staff made the conclusion in briefing documents ahead of a meeting on Thursday, when external advisors on the agency’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee will discuss whether to recommend full approval of Paxlovid for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid in high-risk adults. (Constantino, 3/14)

Reuters: Pfizer's COVID Drug Data Supports Use In High-Risk Patients - FDA Staff
The U.S. health regulator's staff reviewers said on Tuesday data from Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 drug trials support its use in adults at high risk of progressing to severe disease, bringing the pill closer to a full approval. The Food and Drug Administration made its assessment in briefing documents ahead of a meeting of the agency's external advisers on Thursday to discuss full approval to use Pfizer's oral pill for high-risk COVID-19 patients exhibiting mild to moderate symptoms. (Mandowara and Leo, 3/14)

San Diego Union-Tribune: County Agrees To Fund New App To Connect Homeless People With Available Housing 
Homeless outreach workers, paramedics, law enforcement officers and other professionals will be able to match homeless people on the street with available and appropriate shelter beds within minutes using an app the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to fund Tuesday. (Warth, 3/14)

Los Angeles Times: Former Supervisor Gloria Molina Says She Has Terminal Cancer 
Gloria Molina, a trailblazing politician who made history as the first Latina elected to the state Assembly, the Los Angeles City Council and the county Board of Supervisors, said Tuesday she is suffering from terminal cancer. In a Facebook post, Molina, 74, wrote that the cancer, which she said she has been living with for three years, is “very aggressive.” She said she is being treated at City of Hope, a cancer center, and said she feels fortunate to have lived a “long, fulfilling and beautiful life.” (Ellis, 3/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Major Social Media Companies Face Lawsuit From Bay Area Schools Over Skyrocketing Teen Mental Health Crisis
 A Bay Area county school board has sued the world’s social media giants, claiming the companies unlawfully created “provocative and toxic” content to addict and entrap young people, leaving schools to address a destructive and growing youth mental health crisis. (Tucker, 3/14)

USA Today: AIDS Program Saved 25 Million Lives Since 2004, CDC Report Finds
A new report shows a U.S. federal program transformed the AIDS epidemic worldwide and saved an estimated 25 million lives since 2004. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, increased the number of people receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy from just over 66,000 people in 2004 to more than 20 million people in 2022, according to the report published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PEPFAR was launched by former President George W. Bush. (Rodriguez, 3/14)

The New York Times: The U.S. Program That Brought H.I.V. Treatment To 20 Million People 
In the 20 years since its inception, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has delivered lifesaving treatment to more than 20 million people in 54 countries, the most successful global health campaign of its kind, according to a report released on Tuesday. The $7.5 billion program, housed in the State Department, is due for reauthorization by Congress this year. In the past, it has received strong bipartisan support. (Mandavilli, 3/14)

Stat: Novo Nordisk To Lower Insulin Prices By Up To 75% Amid Pressure
Under mounting pressure, Novo Nordisk plans to cut U.S. list prices for several insulin products by up to 75%, the latest big drugmaker to take such a step in response to a years-long outcry over the cost of the diabetes treatments. (Silverman, 3/14)

Stat: Biden Admin To Fine Drug Makers For Price Hikes
The Biden administration will fine drugmakers who hiked prices faster than the rate of inflation on 27 medications administered in physicians’ offices, the agency said Wednesday. Pfizer had the most drugs on the list of any manufacturer, with five. Seagen’s bladder cancer drug Padcev, which also garnered penalties, will likely soon be in Pfizer’s portfolio, too, after the pharma giant completes its $43 billion acquisition of the Washington state company. (Cohrs, 3/15)

Stat: PhRMA Chief Dings Health Insurers Over Drug Prices
The head of the brand drug lobby used an in-person health insurance industry conference to blame insurers for making people pay too much for drugs. America’s Health Insurance Plans CEO Matt Eyles, interviewing PhRMA President Stephen Ubl, asked for examples of policies that would benefit both industries. Ubl responded by suggesting that insurers lower cost sharing for drugs. (Wilkerson, 3/14)

CNN: What To Watch For At Wednesday's Hearing In Medication Abortion Lawsuit
A federal judge in Texas will consider at a high-stakes hearing on Wednesday whether he should block the US government’s approval of the drug used for medication abortions. The case, brought by anti-abortion doctors and medical associations, is arguably the most significant legal dispute concerning abortion since the Supreme Court ended nationwide abortion protections with its overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer. Depending on how US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk handles the medication abortion lawsuit, access could be cut off nationwide to the most common method of abortion in the United States. (Sneed, 3/15)

The Washington Post: Texas Judge To Question Lawyers In Abortion Pill Mifepristone Case 
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is expected to question lawyers in the case that seeks to restrict access to mifepristone, the medication first approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago. The high-stakes hearing, for which the judge has allotted up to four hours, will be the first time the judge engages directly with lawyers for the Justice Department, representing the FDA; the company that manufactures and distributes the drug; and the antiabortion group challenging the medication. Kacsmaryk could rule at any time following the hearing, potentially disrupting access to the widely used drug, including in states where abortion is legal. (Stein, Kitchener and Marimow, 3/15)

AP: Abortion Pill Access Case: Judge Wants 'Less Advertisement'
A federal judge overseeing a high-stakes case that could threaten access to medication abortion across the nation asked lawyers for the “courtesy” of not publicizing upcoming arguments, according to a court record released Tuesday that reveals new details of a move experts say is outside the norm for the U.S. judicial system. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk — who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and is known for conservative views — told attorneys during a status conference by telephone on Friday that because the case has prompted death threats and protests, “less advertisement of this hearing is better,” according to a transcript of the meeting. (Murphy and Bleiberg, 3/14)

CNN: Matthew Kacsmaryk: The Trump-Appointed Judge Overseeing The Blockbuster Medication Abortion Case
The federal judge overseeing a high-profile challenge to the FDA’s two-decade-old approval of certain drugs used to terminate a pregnancy is a deeply conservative jurist with a proclivity for siding with plaintiffs looking to roll back reproductive and LGBTQ rights or block key Biden administration policies. (Cole, 3/15)

Stat: EPA Proposes Limits For ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Drinking Water
The Environmental Protection Agency for the first time on Tuesday proposed enforceable regulations for “forever chemicals,” also called PFAS, in Americans’ drinking water. The six PFAS are the first new contaminants to be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act’s 1996 amendments. (Trang, 3/14)