Abortion predictably loomed large over Tuesday's presidential debate, with Vice President Kamala Harris asserting that former President Trump would sign a national abortion ban and Trump taking a leave-it-to-the-states posture.
The big picture: Trump continued to waffle on abortion, at one point appearing to contradict GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance's recent claim that the former president would veto a national ban.
A class-action complaint claims Aetna violated federal non-discrimination law by denying coverage of certain gender-affirming surgeries.
Why it matters: The lawsuit filed Tuesday cites civil rights protections in the Affordable Care Act that are currently being challenged by conservative-led states.
Half of U.S. counties don't have a hospital that provides obstetric care and more than a third lack a single obstetric clinician, according to a new report by March of Dimes.
Why it matters: Access to care is getting worse even as America's maternal mortality rate is more than double that of some other high-income countries, and the infant mortality rate recently rose for the first time in two decades.
Over and over at last night's presidential debate, Kamala Harris set traps surgically designed to provoke, rattle and enrage Donald Trump.
And over and over, Trump stepped right into them.
Why it matters: With just eight weeks until the election, Harris delivered for Democrats on the biggest possible stage — the type of national stage that ended President Biden's political career less than three months ago.
Apple is giving its Apple Watch a tool to detect sleep apnea and its AirPods the ability to both test and treat hearing loss, the company announced this week.
Why it matters: With the new features, Apple is enabling its popular, readily obtainable devices to identify conditions that are widespread but often undetected.
Former President Trump doubled down on taking credit for overturning Roe v. Wade during Tuesday's presidential debate, while also claiming he wouldn't sign a national abortion ban.
The big picture: Trump has flip-flopped on his abortionstance while Vice President Kamala Harris has made it a defining issue in her campaign.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),who's long been skeptical of changing the rules that require 60 votes for legislation to pass the Senate, is willing to carve out an exception for abortion rights, he told us.
Why it matters: This is a huge win for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who now appears to have the votes to pass abortion rights legislation — if Democrats can hold the majority.
Bipartisan attorneys general in 42 states and D.C. support a federal effort to add a surgeon general warning to social media platforms for risks to youth wellbeing, they said in a letter on Tuesday.
Why it matters: This demand shows mounting support for U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's plea to Congress.
Prosecutors in Michigan and Georgia used tools that have long existed to hold parents accountable for actions that allegedly contributed to a school shooting.
The big picture: The parents' alleged negligence was central to charges in school shooting cases in both states, but it's unclear whether a precedent is now set for future mass shootings.
Candid Therapeutics, a San Diego-based biotech focused on T cell engagers, raised $370 million co-led by Venrock, Fairmount, TCGX, and venBio Partners.
Why it matters This is a big bet that bispecifics are superior to cell therapy when it comes to treating autoimmune disease, by an entrepreneur who sold his last startup for over $4 billion.
Blinking every 20 minutes and then looking at a point 20 feet away for 20 seconds can protect your eyes during long periods of screen time.
Why it matters: Data suggests we're spending more than 18 years of our adult lives online — and that's not great news for our eyeballs.
How it works: When we stare at a screen, we forget to blink and our eyes dry out. The 20-20-20 rule relaxes eye muscles and encourages hydrating blinks.
"It affects us every decade of our life that we age more because the amount of tears we produce decreases," says Raj Maturi, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and ophthalmologist at Midwest Eye Institute in Indianapolis.
A fightis brewing between drug giantsand pharmacy compounders that have seized on the consumer demand for blockbuster obesity drugs.
Why it matters: The clash is testing the boundaries of Food and Drug Administration policy that allows pharmacies to make versions of drugs — including Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy — that are otherwise protected by patents when there are shortages.
About one in five U.S. COVID deaths during the Delta wave were because of overwhelmed hospital capacity, an analysis of data from 620 facilities showed.
Why it matters: The findings in Annals of Internal Medicine reinforce the need to minimize surges of patients during future health emergencies or staffing crises.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump are set to face off in their first presidential debate on Tuesday, giving voters a chance to finally compare the them side-by-side.
Why it matters: This is the only presidential debate scheduled between Harris and Trump so far, making it a high-stakes opportunity for both candidates to lay out their priorities as voters begin casting ballots.
For Vice President Harris, tonight's debate against Donald Trump is a high-risk, high-reward moment that will test whether her re-introduction to voters can carry her to the White House.
Why it matters: Most voters already know how they feel about Trump, but fewer know how they feel about Harris.
