Health & Safety

Protesters stand outside of the Senate chamber at the Indiana Statehouse on Feb. 22, 2023, in Indianapolis.

A federal judge has blocked much of Indiana's ban on gender-affirming care for minors

11:28pm June 16, 2023

by The Associated Press

The judge issued an order Friday stopping an Indiana ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors from taking effect as scheduled July 1.

Flames burn on a natural gas-burning stove in Chicago on Jan. 12. New research from Stanford University show gas stoves emit benzene, which is linked to cancer.

Gas stoves pollute homes with benzene, which is linked to cancer

6:29pm June 16, 2023

by Jeff Brady

Benzene is among the pollutants gas stoves emit into homes, Stanford University researchers show. The toxin is linked to a higher risk of leukemia and other blood cell cancers.

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A gull picks up a discarded protective face mask from the shoreline in the marina on August 11, 2020 in Dover, England.

Health & Safety

Are masks for the birds? We field reader queries about this new stage of the pandemic

2:45pm June 16, 2023

The official emergency is over but COVID is still here. And that means ... lots of questions. We asked our readers what's on their mind and then called on experts for advice.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, will replace outgoing CDC director Rochelle Walensky.

Health & Safety

Biden taps Mandy Cohen — former North Carolina health secretary — to lead CDC

1:39pm June 16, 2023

by Pien Huang

President Biden's pick for the next director of the CDC is Dr. Mandy Cohen, an internal medicine physician with experience in state and federal government.

Health & Safety

Former North Carolina health official is picked to be new CDC director

12:38pm June 16, 2023

by Mike Stobbe, Associated Press

Dr. Mandy Cohen, a former North Carolina official, will be the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the White House announced Friday.

The FDA cautions that prescription testosterone is only approved for men who have low testosterone due to certain medical conditions.

Testosterone is probably safe for your heart. But it can't stop 'manopause'

11:52am June 16, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

A new study finds men with low T who used a gel to increase the hormone did not have a higher rate of heart attacks than men on a placebo. But the anti-aging benefits are iffy.

Health & Safety

A dangerous horse tranquilizer is being laced into U.S. street drugs

7:18am June 16, 2023

Xylazine is the latest toxic street drug to spread across America. Experts say the country is flying blind without public health data.

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Morning news brief

6:55am June 16, 2023

A boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Greece. Another round of smoke from Canadian wildfires is drifting south. A dangerous horse tranquilizer is being laced into U.S. street drugs.

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Public art in Altoona, Penn., one of many cities hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Marianne Sinisi organized the installation after her son died of an overdose. State and local governments have received about $3 billion so far out of $50 billion total in settlements from national lawsuits.

Opioid settlement payouts are now public — and we know how much local governments got

5:30am June 16, 2023

by Aneri Pattani

KFF Health News obtained documents showing the exact dollar amounts — down to the cent — that local governments have been paid in 2022 and 2023 in lawsuit settlements from the opioid crisis.

Yes, the big news is Trump. Test your knowledge of everything else in NPR's news quiz

5:00am June 16, 2023

by Holly J. Morris

Who won the week? The Tonys? Jack Smith? UPS delivery persons? Generative AI? Joe Biden's dentist? Or YOU ... if you've been paying attention.