Axios

The U.S. will ramp up bird flu testing in dairy cows amid growing concern about spread of the virus among livestock.

Why it matters: While U.S. health officials say the risk to humans remains low, there are indications the outbreak may be more widespread among cows than known.

Xaira Therapeutics, an AI drug discovery startup, has launched with more than $1 billion in funding co-led by Arch Venture Partners and Foresite Capital.

Why it matters: Xaira is the landing spot for CEO Marc Tessier-Lavigne, the former Genentech chief scientific officer and Denali Therapeutics co-founder who last year resigned as Stanford University president after findings of research manipulation in his lab.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will consider whether a federal law requiring hospitals to provide emergency care overrides Idaho's strict abortion ban.

Why it matters: The case justices will hear focuses on a key Biden administration effort to preserve abortion access and puts a spotlight on stories of pregnant patients who have been denied abortions in medical emergencies since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Federal regulators vastly under-enforced antitrust laws in the hospital sector in the last two decades, a new study finds.

Why it matters: Unchecked mergers during a period of rapid consolidation represent a significant factor in rising health costs, according to the study in the American Economic Review.

The Federal Trade Commission's vote on Tuesday to ban noncompete agreements could be a big deal for the health care workforce.

Why it matters: While the agreements are often thought of as a concern for senior executives and lower-income workers, sizable shares of doctors and nurses face employer restrictions on switching jobs.

Move over, flavored seltzer: The cola wars are back as young consumers reach for pretty cans of soda in oddball flavors.

Why it matters: Startups are trying to disrupt the "big three" soda makers, which dominate the $110 billion market for soft drinks purchased in supermarkets and convenience stores.

President Biden mocked former President Trump Tuesday over his infamous suggestion — delivered at a White House briefing exactly four years ago — that COVID could be treated with an "injection" of disinfectant.

• "Don't inject bleach. And don't vote for the guy who told you to inject bleach," Biden tweeted.

Why it matters: The Biden campaign sees the viral moment as a perfect encapsulation of the chaos and uncertainty that surrounded the Trump presidency in the early days of the pandemic.

The death toll among incarcerated people in the U.S. increased at a rate more than three times higher than among the general population during the worst phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers say.

Why it matters: Although it's long been clear that prisons struggled to contain COVID outbreaks, there's still no official pandemic prison death toll — leaving the work up to a "patchwork of research groups and reporters," per a new report from the Marshall Project, a nonprofit criminal justice news outlet that analyzed the findings.

COVID-era disruptions to daily life led to "modest" delays in reaching developmental milestones among young kids, a new JAMA Pediatrics study found.

Why it matters: The largest study yet of the pandemic's impact on early childhood development validates some parents' concerns about COVID restrictions, but the study's authors said their findings also offer a reason for "cautious optimism."