HEALTH

A growing online conspiracy theory is using the tagline “died suddenly” to baselessly claim that COVID-19 vaccines are killing people.

The first drug to show that it slows Alzheimer’s is on sale, but treatment for most patients is still several months away.

A year ago, President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to push top Democratic priorities that were sure to face a battle in the narrowly divided Congress — tough asks like an assault weapons ban.

California won’t make children get the coronavirus vaccine to attend schools.

A cyberattack caused a nearly daylong outage of the nation’s new 988 mental health helpline late last year, federal officials tell The Associated Press.

U.S. Agriculture officials have proposed new nutrition standards for school meals, including the first limits on added sugars.

If you love to get your nails done and love to do it often, here’s what you need to know if you are choosing gel nail polish.

A former University of Mississippi chancellor says Republican Gov. Tate Reeves spoke privately with him years ago about the benefits of expanding Medicaid to people in low-wage jobs.

The Biden administration on Thursday said 15 Native American tribes will get a total of $580 million this year to fund settlements that ensure access to water that's legally theirs.

U.S. health officials say a company is recalling its over-the-counter eye drops that have been linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant infections.

Growing numbers of people are flocking to U.S. churches that center their practice around a psychedelic tea known as ayahuasca.

Africa’s public health agency says countries with deadly cholera outbreaks on the continent have no “immediate access” to vaccines amid a global supply shortage.

President Joe Biden is playing host to former President Bill Clinton to mark the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Cosmetic lasers can be used for wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, and hair removal.

The Federal Trade Commission has imposed a $1.5 million penalty on telehealth and prescription drug discount provider GoodRx Holdings Inc. for sharing users’ personal health data with Facebook, Google and other third parties without their consent.

Attorneys general in 20 conservative-led states are warning CVS and Walgreens that they could face legal consequences if they sell abortion pills by mail in those states.

A judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday filed by a former Houston Methodist doctor.

House Republicans have begun their promised aggressive oversight of the Biden administration.

Emboldened anti-abortion activists are looking to the next presidential election as an opportunity to solidify their influence over the Republican Party.

Hong Kong has banned CBD as a “dangerous drug” and imposed harsh penalties for its possession, forcing fledging businesses to shut down or revamp.

January is cervical cancer awareness month.

The declaration of a COVID-19 public health emergency three years ago changed the lives of millions of Americans by offering increased health care coverage, beefed-up food assistance and universal access to coronavirus vaccines and tests.

Gov. Tim Walz has enshrined the right to abortion and other reproductive health care into Minnesota statutes.

Jason Jitoboh won’t step foot onto a basketball court without his glasses.

The head of the Food and Drug Administration has announced an overhaul of the agency's food safety and nutrition division.

Indiana’s high court says it will not immediately consider a challenge to the state’s abortion ban that is based on the argument that the law violates some people’s religious freedoms, leaving that decision to an appeals court, at least for now.

Dry January is a time when people try abstaining from alcohol for the month.

The Biden administration is estimating that it could collect as much as $4.7 billion from insurance companies with newer and tougher penalties for submitting improper charges on the taxpayers’ tab for Medicare Advantage care.

President Joe Biden has informed Congress that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared.

When 75-year-old Jerome Happ experienced a sudden heart attack at his home in November, his grandson, Christopher Giles, quickly sprang into action.

Two men fitted a stone from an airborne bucket at a housing site in Littleborough.

Russia’s embassy in North Korea says the country has eased stringent epidemic controls in capital Pyongyang that were placed during the past five days to slow the spread of respiratory illnesses.

Access has improved across the U.S. to a rescue drug that reverses opioid overdoses, but advocates say naloxone — commonly known by its brand name Narcan — still isn't getting to everyone who needs it.

The top Air Force general in charge of the nation’s air- and ground-launched nuclear missiles has requested an official investigation into the number of airmen who are reporting blood cancer diagnoses after serving at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

The team at Memorial Hermann can help you reach your goals with a medical weight management program called NewStart.

Groups representing social workers and women say they have succeeded in forcing a small Ohio city to significantly narrow its abortion ban and dropped their lawsuit.

The U.S. plans to make it easier for gay and bisexual men to give blood.

Hong Kong will ban CBD starting Wednesday, labeling it a “dangerous drug.”.

Tornadoes never cease to amaze how destructive they can be to one home while leaving others untouched. We see that happening now in areas hit by Tuesday’s tornadoes.

A newly released report from the Mississippi State Department of Health finds that an increasing number of mothers in the state have died in recent years due to pregnancy complications.

A group of Texas death row inmates have filed a federal lawsuit against the state’s prison system over its policy of mandatory and indefinite solitary confinement for all prisoners who are awaiting execution.

The U.S. is poised to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like a yearly flu shot.

The federal government will allow Medicaid dollars to treat some people in prisons, jails or juvenile detention centers for the first time ever.

Stroke is the number five cause of death in the U.S. - but did you know that 80-percent of strokes are preventable? The acronym "B.E. F.A.S.T." can help you remember the warning signs.

A proposed settlement between New Jersey and the current owner of a notoriously polluted industrial site is drawing fire from residents of Toms River, where memories of children getting cancer at elevated rates are still a fresh source of pain.

The South Dakota Senate has suspended a Republican state senator in a rare move that stripped her of legislative power while keeping the allegations against her a secret.

Attorney General Merrick Garland and other U.S. officials say the FBI and international partners have at least temporarily disrupted the network of a prolific ransomware gang they infiltrated last year.

A Democratic-led Virginia Senate panel has defeated several bills that would have restricted abortion access in the state.

A central Illinois man has been charged with setting fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic earlier this month.

A state lawmaker in Oregon is using thousands of pages of redacted documents he sought for more than a year to launch legislation demanding more accountability and oversight of a primate research facility with a long history of complaints.

The former president opened up the Soviet Union but failed to prevent its collapse in 1991.

The White House officially declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the United States last week. More than 7,500 cases of the virus have been confirmed since it began spreading across the country in May. Today's show: Health reporter Pien Huang on how the outbreak began, how it gathered steam and whether monkeypox is on track to become an endemic disease in the United States.Check out more of NPR's reporting on monkeypox:- Monkeypox: The myths, misconceptions — and facts — about how you catch it- He discovered the origin of the monkeypox outbreak — and tried to warn the world- How we talk about monkeypox matters. Experts offer ways to reduce stigma

Reader feels isolated and annoyed at the presumption that the pandemic will end one day. Is it responsible to keep hopes up?

Several viewers got in touch to say they thought they had seen a lump under Shirley Ballas's arm.

The field’s future lies in reclaiming parts of its past that it willingly abandoned.

First day rituals old and new marked CPS's first full day back to school.

Gardaí are investigating reports of abusive calls to Ireland's chief medical officer and his deputy.

“They are sacrificing themselves, their time, their physical health to care for all of these patients.”

The mice aren’t just causing chaos in homes, farms and hospitals.

Intelligence agencies have long pored over what little information escapes North Korea for hints of life inside the Hermit Kingdom.

While public opinion of the medical care system has improved, a survey found opinion of local health departments and federal agencies has declined.

As of April 25, about 5% — or 570,399 — of Texans who had received the first dose were 43 days or more past due for their second dose.

Should I take a vaccine selfie? Can I ask someone else if they've been vaccinated? How do I talk to family members about the shots? Vaccines bring new etiquette questions.

CDC pleads with Americans to take precautions amid rise in COVID cases Health officials are pleading with Americans to follow protective measures as coronavirus cases rise across the nation. As Mola Lenghi shows us, new infections are up 10% and hospitalizations are trending in the wrong direction. Then, Dr. Uzma Syed, an infectious disease specialist, joins CBSN's Elaine Quijano with more.

Health officials warn of potential spring break COVID surge as Americans travel Health officials are warning of a potential surge of COVID-19 cases around spring break. The warning comes as more than a million Americans traveled through U.S. airports on Monday. CBS News reporter Alex Tin joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" anchor Elaine Quijano with more on the variant that's expected to become dominant by April, as well as the latest on a new vaccine trial involving children as young as 6 months old.

Health experts fear COVID-19 surge as states lift restrictions Health officials are urging Texas residents to keep wearing masks and social distance even as restrictions are lifted. Janet Shamlian has more.

Sweeping COVID restriction rollbacks worry health experts Health officials are urging caution as states begin some of the biggest rollbacks in restrictions since the pandemic began. Nikki Battiste reports.

U.S. confirms first case of U.K. COVID-19 variant as cases and deaths rise Health officials in Colorado have identified the first case of a new coronavirus variant first detected in the U.K. CBS News correspondent Meg Oliver reports on the surge in infections already happening across the country, and Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, internal medicine physician at California Pacific Medical Center, joined CBSN to discuss what we know about the new variant and the challenges hospitals are facing.

“In my view, health and safety is a mandatory subject of bargaining which may not be disregarded by the provisions of 4.5, especially in light of the fact that it is unlikely in my view that the General Assembly, when contemplating 4.5, envisioned the situation we now find ourselves in,” Sered said. “It is undisputed that the Chicago Board of Education has announced a date certain to bring children and teachers back to in-person learning without bargaining that decision with the CTU. Further, as we are literally dealing with life and death issues, I find this to be irreparable harm.”

"This is the worst outbreak that we've had of a respiratory-borne illness that we've had in 102 years. You can't run away from the data. It's incomprehensible to me how people are not seeing that," Fauci said during a livestream interview. He said the U.S. needs uniform public health measures to suppress the virus' spread instead of a piecemeal approach taken by different states and counties. Meanwhile, other states have taken a less-severe approach to their growing coronavirus outbreaks in an effort to keep businesses open.

“We have seen the positive effects on Lake County’s health when being diligent in mask wearing, but it does take all of us participating to see the positive effects again,” Purdue University Northwest Nursing Professor Jodi Allen said. “I am hopeful that the mask mandate will improve our county’s influenza numbers at the start of the flu season this year which will be immensely helpful to our area’s health care system as we continue to deal with Covid cases.”

The government continues to ease the lockdown which was set to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the country. Duterte made the televised announcement hours after the Department of Health reported a single-day spike of 539 infections, more than 60% of them in the congested capital. The Health Ministry's new figures on Friday show India now has 165,799 cases with 4,706 deaths, which both now exceed China. The figures announced by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brought national totals to 11,402 infections and 269 deaths. China on Friday again reported no new daily increase in cases of coronavirus and no new deaths.

She is one of Californias two elected members of the Republican National Committee, and shes a co-chair of Women for Trump that is part of the presidents reelection campaign. She chaired the city's Republican Party before winning election as vice chair of the state GOP in 2013. The governor's policies and the policies of counties are falling more heavily on Democrats than Republicans because there are more Democrats than Republicans in the state, Dhillon said. Dhillon represented the California Republican Party in a successful challenge last year to a law aimed at requiring Trump to release his tax returns to be on the California ballot. In fact its reinforcing the bad image of the Republican Party," he said of Dhillon's recent lawsuits.

In this May 27, 2020, photo, health care worker Tonya Wilkes adjusts her mask while working at a Lowndes County coronavirus testing site in Hayneville, Ala. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)HAYNEVILLE, Ala. Sparsely populated Lowndes County, deep in Alabama's old plantation country, has the sad distinction of having both the states highest rate of COVID-19 cases and its worst unemployment rate. Lowndes and nearby poor, mostly black counties in rural Alabama are facing an increase in confirmed infections. I worry about Lowndes County, said Thomas. Dr. Scott Harris, the state health officer, said the state saw its highest number of new cases since the pandemic began in recent days.

South Africa has backlog of nearly 100,000 unprocessed tests. ___JOHANNESBURG South Africa says it has a backlog of nearly 100,000 unprocessed tests for the new coronavirus. The ministry says one of the latest people to die in South Africa was an employee with the National Health Laboratory Services. Indonesia had recorded more than 24,500 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with nearly 1,500 deaths, the most fatalities in Southeast Asia. Thailand has had just single-digit increases in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases for most of May.

FILE - In this Oct.23, 2019 file photo, tourists wait to see Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa, at the Louvre museum, in Paris. Iconic sites that are among some of France's biggest tourist draws won't reopen when the country lifts most of its coronavirus restrictions next week. Neither the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower nor the Versailles Palace will be reopening next week when France lifts many of its remaining coronavirus lockdown restrictions. None of France's three most iconic tourist sites will reopen when the country lifts most of its remaining coronavirus lockdown restrictions next week. About 20%-30% of the museums rooms might be closed but of course the Mona Lisa will be open," Sacristin said.

MADRID Spanish soccer matches could have the look of a video game when the competition resumes next month. The league is contemplating adding virtual crowds to the television broadcast of matches that will be played in empty stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic. Tebas said the Bundesliga, which resumed recently in Germany, was successful using virtual sound during its matches, and the Spanish league wants to go a step further by using the virtual fans. The biggest challenge for the virtual crowd the Spanish league wants to use is to make sure it will work properly when superimposed during the live event. Tebas said the league is expected to finish on July 19, with the next season starting on Sept. 12.

Well be announcing what were doing tomorrow with respect to China and we are not happy with China," Trump told reporters at an unrelated event Thursday, referring mainly to COVID-19. Pompeo's determination opened the door to possible sanctions and the loss of special perks Hong Kong has received from the United States. The officials could not say how many people could ultimately be expelled, although they said it would be only a fraction of the Chinese students in the country. Overall, there were 369,548 students from China, accounting for 33.7% of international students who contributed nearly $15 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018. But the timing of a potential announcement could come at a time of increasingly heated rhetoric about the imposition of national security laws on Hong Hong in violation of the Sino-British accord.

There are still few places where our homeless can go," Salvation Army Major David Yardley said at the group's downtown center. Blistering temperatures can endanger health, and can lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even death. The daily high temperatures in Phoenix were forecast to hit 110 degrees (43C) or very close to it during the extreme heat warning in effect through Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters said. The cooling stations in metro Phoenix open when the weather service declares extreme heat warnings They were also open for a string of days during an extreme heat warning in late April. In metro Las Vegas, where an excessive heat warning is in effect until Friday evening, four heat relief stations were open.

The latest job-loss figures from the U.S. Labor Department bring to 41 million the running total of Americans who have filed for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus shutdowns took hold in mid-March. In New Zealand, health authorities have not found any new virus cases for a week. That increased the overall death toll to more than 1,300 and the number of cases to over 64,000. And first-time applications for unemployment benefits have fallen for eight straight weeks, as states gradually let stores, restaurants and other businesses reopen and the auto industry starts up factories again. Worldwide, the virus has infected more than 5.8 million people and killed about 360,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

This microscope image made available by the National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research in 2015 shows human colon cancer cells with the nuclei stained red. Carroll jumped at the chance to help test a newer drug taken as a daily pill, AstraZenecas Tagrisso. A big drawback: It and other newer drugs are extremely expensive $150,000 or more a year. PROSTATE CANCERMen with advanced prostate cancer often are treated with medicines to suppress male hormones that can help the cancer grow. After a year, 55% on Keytruda were alive without worsening cancer versus 37% on chemo.

RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolina's top health official asked Friday for more details on how GOP leaders will protect attendees of a Republican National Convention this summer during the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump has threatened to move his formal renomination elsewhere if he does not soon get guarantees of being able to hold a large-scale event. The GOP's letter Thursday did not mention such a request, but Cohen said it had been discussed by phone. The state continues to support the hosting of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte if it can be done safelty, Cohen wrote to Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and convention CEO Marcia Lee Kelly. Cooper is seeking reelection this fall in a state Trump won in 2016.

(Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)BRUSSELS The European Union criticized China on Friday for asserting more control over Hong Kong and suggested the move would have an impact on China-EU relations, but the 27-nation bloc ruled out taking any action against its major trading partner. We express our grave concern at the steps taken by China," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after chairing a video meeting of the foreign ministers. This risks to seriously undermine the one country, two systems principle and the high degree of autonomy of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong." The national security law approved in Beijing could severely restrict opposition political activity and civil society in Hong Kong, where the pro-democracy opposition sees the move as an assault on the territorys autonomy. The U.K. government warned that it would extend the visas and possibly provide a path to citizenship for some British passport holders from Hong Kong.

The Fed's Main Street Lending is geared toward medium-sized companies that are too large for the government's small business lending program and too small to sell bonds or stock to the public. Powell noted that the complexity of the program goes far beyond the Fed's usual lending efforts, which typically involve buying bonds. It is far and away the biggest challenge of the 11 facilities we have set up, Powell said. It has also announced 11 separate lending programs that are intended to support borrowing by businesses, banks and households. Still, Powell has previously said the unemployment rate is likely to peak at between 20% and 25% in May or June.

The Falcon 9, with the Crew Dragon spacecraft on top of the rocket, is scheduled to liftoff from Launch Pad 39-A Saturday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX pressed ahead with its second attempt to launch astronauts for NASA a historic first for a private company but more stormy weather threatened more delays. Elon Musks company came within 17 minutes Wednesday of launching a pair of NASA astronauts for the first time in nearly a decade from the U.S., before the threat of lightning forced a delay. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said managers were debating whether to bump the next launch attempt from Saturday to Sunday to take advantage of a slightly improved forecast at Kennedy Space Center. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex reopened Thursday, after a 2 1/2-month shutdown, and within a few hours, all 4,000 tickets were snapped up for Saturdays launch attempt.

The Food and Drug Administration said late Thursday that several batches of the drug metformin tested positive for unsafe levels of a chemical called N-Nitrosodimethylamine. Metformin tablets are a staple of diabetes care, reducing excess sugar in the blood. People with Type 2 diabetes use metformin alone or with other drugs to help control their blood sugar levels. Patients should continue taking metformin drugs until their doctor can prescribe a replacement, the FDA said in a statement, noting the risks of discontinuing. Drugmaker Apotex Corp. recalled its extended-release metformin distributed in the U.S. earlier this week after the FDA found contamination in one lot.

Civil protection workers move boxes of ventilators at the customs post in the Bosnia capital Sarajevo, Thursday, April 30, 2020. (AP Photo)SARAJEVO Bosnian authorities have detained two high-ranking state officials and the owner of a private company which imported 100 ventilators from China that were found to be useless for COVID-19 patients. The three are being investigated for money laundering, fraud, embezzlement of state funds and other crimes, the prosecutors were quoted as saying. The company owner has rejected accusations that he imported the ventilators at highly inflated prices. Bosnia, which went through a bloody civil war in the 1990s, is composed of the Muslim-Croat federation and a Serb entity.

Missouri Administrative Hearing Commissioner Sreenivasa Rao Dandamudis decision means Missouri will not become the first state without a functioning abortion clinic since 1974, the year after the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision. Therefore, Planned Parenthood is entitled to renewal of its abortion facility license, Dandamudi wrote. A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood said the organization will have comment later Friday. William Koebel, director of the section of the health department responsible for abortion clinic licensing, testified that the clinic failed to provide a "complication report." That led the health department to launch an investigation of other instances where women underwent multiple procedures to complete an abortion, Koebel said.

France is reopening its restaurants, bars and cafes starting next week as the country eases most restrictions amid the coronavirus crisis. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)PARIS Frances national health agency reported a sudden jump in new virus infections -- just an hour after the prime minister announced a sweeping national reopening plan. Its good news, but not good enough for everything to return to normal.Statistics released Friday showed 96 virus clusters have emerged around France since the government started easing confinement measures May 11. Overall COVID-19 is receding in France, with the number of virus patients in intensive care dropping every day since April 8 and now at 1,429. It is now testing more than 200,000 people a week, according to the health agency.

By modeling, parents can give kids a framework to help set their little ones up healthy eating habits as they mature. But in trying to coerce kids into eating healthy foods such as whole grains or vegetables, parents could inadvertently make their children overeat. To try and kickstart healthy eating behaviors in their kids, many parents find themselves offering rewards or incentives to kids who keep eating, even if it's past the point of fullness. Incorporate healthy foods into things they already like: You can pair healthy foods with more delectable ones. Along with eating healthy foods, the AHA's dietary recommendations also suggest being physically active for at least 60 minutes per day.

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)CVS Health will try delivering prescriptions with self-driving vehicles in a test that begins next month. Customers will have to confirm their identity in order to unlock their delivery after the vehicle arrives. Nuro has previously started partnerships to test the delivery of pizzas for Dominos or groceries for Kroger, also in the Houston area. Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS Health Corp. said that for the Houston test, customers can chose the Nuro delivery option when they fill their prescriptions online. Earlier this year, federal regulators gave Nuro temporary approval to run autonomous delivery vehicles on public roads for the first time without human occupants.

Health officials warned that the resurgence is getting harder to track and social distancing and other steps need to be taken. India, home to more than 1.3 billion people, reported more than 6,500 new infections Thursday as cases continued to rapidly rise. South Korean health officials warned the resurgence is getting harder to track and social distancing and other steps need to be taken. New Zealand has reported no new cases for six days and has just eight active cases remaining. Early on, President Donald Trump downplayed the severity of the virus, likening it to the flu, and predicted the U.S. wouldnt reach 100,000 deaths.

Igor Loparic prepares packages of aid for people in need for help in Pula, Croatia, Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Enter Igor Loparic, and Our Dream Their Smile -- a charity Loparic established a decade ago, and has refocused to help people living on the Adriatic Sea cope with the pandemic. Many have turned to Loparics group for help with food, other necessities or legal advice. It is important to approach everyone individually and it is important that no one feels bad about getting help." Jetis Bajrami, a community representative and former national boxing team member, says Loparics charity has made a difference.

AUSTIN, Texas Joe Biden will close out Texas Democrats' virtual convention next month that was moved online over fears of the coronavirus. The announcement Thursday rounds out an unusual slate of big names that Texas Democrats have rounded up for their state convention. A major target for them is the Texas House, where Democrats need to flip just nine seats to reclaim a majority for the first time in nearly 20 years. The Texas Democratic Party convention begins Monday. Biden is also speaking via video at other state Democratic conventions.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)DETROIT A Michigan court on Thursday ordered a barber to close his shop and stop defying the state's coronavirus restrictions, though he vowed to keep cutting hair. The Michigan appeals court overturned a decision by a Shiawassee County judge and ordered him to sign an injunction sought by state regulators. Gretchen Whitmer has kept barbershops and hair salons closed for weeks, citing a high risk of virus transmission as stylists cut hair and people wait for their turn. Separate from the court case, he's had his shop and barber's licenses suspended. Texas hair salon owner Shelley Luther, who was briefly jailed for opening her shop, appeared at a rally outside Manke's business.

A family watches a movie from the back of their car at a drive-in movie theater where drivers must leave one space empty between them amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Brasilia, Brazil, Saturday, May 23, 2020. The drive-in is 47 years old and one of the only such open-air facilities in operation in Brazil. Every car must respect the distance, leaving a free parking space between you, he tells each of them. It offers three shows per day, with a movie for children at 6 p.m. followed by two features for adults. The drive-in is 47 years old and one of the only such open-air facilities in operation in Brazil.

(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)MOSCOW Health officials in Moscow updated their figures on coronavirus deaths Thursday, seeking to dispel doubts about Russia's comparatively low COVID-19 death toll. On top of 636 deaths in April directly caused by COVID-19 reported earlier, the Moscow Health Department added the deaths of 756 people who tested positive for the virus but died of other causes. The health department also factored in 169 deaths of people who tested negative but autopsies showed likely succumbed to the virus. Earlier this month, the Moscow Health Department acknowledged that the 639 coronavirus deaths it reported for April represented about 40% of the people who died in the city after testing positive for the virus. If only the deaths directly caused by the coronavirus are taken into account, Moscow's virus mortality index last month would stand at 1.4%, the health department said.

HARTFORD, Conn. A Connecticut policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in girls sports violates the civil rights of female athletes, the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has ruled. The office said in a 45-page letter that it may seek to withhold federal funding over the policy, which allows transgender athletes to participate as the gender with which they identify. It said the policy is a violation of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that guarantees equal education opportunities for women, including in athletics. They were also seeking to erase all records set by the transgender athletes. Several other states have polices barring the participation of transgender athletes and Idaho recently became the first state to pass a law banning transgender women from competing in womens sports.

Like dozens of other veteran spellers in their final year of eligibility, Anson Cook had big plans for this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, which was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The SpellPundit bee, with spellers competing from their homes over Zoom, concludes Thursday night, the same time the Scripps winner would have been decided. The champion receives $2,500, a pittance compared to the National Spelling Bees first prize of $50,000, but worth a middle-schoolers time and effort all the same. Most of the spellers who would have been favorites at the national bee quickly signed up, including the top three still-eligible finishers from last year. Yes, eight: Last year's Scripps bee ended in an eight-way tie when organizers ran out of words difficult enough to challenge the best spellers.