Drug overdose deaths are at a record high. Here's what the White House plans to do Harm reduction is one of four policies the Biden administration says must be immediately implemented in order to address the record high number of overdose deaths. Martha Bebinger
More than 137 million Americans live in areas with poor air quality, report finds The rising number of fires hamper decades of environmental efforts, and over 40% of Americans — more than 137 million people — live in places with poor air quality, a new report says. Dustin Jones
The latest on Covid-19 in Washington state Covid-19 cases are once again rising in Washington state. But levels rema Kim Malcolm
The DOJ will appeal the recent mask ruling by a federal judge This decision to appeal comes just two days after U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled against the federal mask mandate. Jaclyn Diaz
One man's struggle to get heart surgery shows how hard it is to find care in Gaza The story of a 70-year-old Palestinian man's effort to get heart surgery illustrates the difficulties getting medical care in Gaza — or getting approval to go through Israel to seek it elsewhere. Daniel Estrin
JAMA appoints new editor-in-chief NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo about assuming her new role as editor-in-chief at JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Megan Lim
Conflicting mask policies in Philadelphia are leaving many confusion and concerned The day after Philadelphia became the first U.S. city to reinstate an indoor mask mandate, its transit agency announced it would drop its mandate in accordance with TSA guidelines. Nina Feldman
A look at how much authority the CDC actually has In public health circles, there's growing concern that the CDC is being hamstrung in ways that are hurting the pandemic response and that could limit the agency's tools in the future. Pien Huang
DOJ may appeal mandate ruling, if the CDC says masks are still needed Commuters and travelers react to a judge tossing a mask mandate. NPR's Steve Inskeep asks Lindsay Wiley, professor of public health law at UCLA, about how the ruling could affect other emergencies.
A 4-year-old can run errands alone ... and not just on reality TV A Japanese TV show now on Netflix, 'Old Enough!,' has sparked much debate about the wisdom of allowing very young kids to be very independent. Risky? Beneficial? Child development experts weigh in. Michaeleen Doucleff