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Today’s headlines
FDA panel begins review of clinical trial data today Decide whether to approve MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, as a drug to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Some trial participants described the treatment as transformative. But the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, a nonprofit group that evaluates clinical trials, found “significant concerns” about the validity of the study’s findings.
MDMA studies have shown it can be effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but there’s no guarantee the treatment will be approved.
Washington Post via Getty Images
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Washington Post via Getty Images
MDMA studies have shown it can be effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but there’s no guarantee the treatment will be approved.
Washington Post via Getty Images
- 🎧 NPR’s Will Stone tells first up There have been claims that some therapists and investigators may have forced patients Report good results and overlooked adverse events. Another big question is whether participants can tell whether they’re taking ecstasy or a placebo. Drugmaker Lykos Therapeutics, which funded the study, said it supported the findings.
President Biden expected to issue executive order Outlining actions his administration will take to address the large number of asylum seekers at the U.S. southern border. He invited several mayors from border cities to meet with him at the White House.
- 🎧 President expected to invoke part of Immigration and Nationality Act NPR’s Sergio MartÃnez-Beltrán reports that gives him the power to restrict immigration and prevent non-immigrant visitors from entering the United States to protect the country’s interests. The provision would allow Biden to suspend entry once the number of unauthorized border crossings reaches a certain threshold. “This may be the most impactful border management policy of this administration yet,” Martinez-Beltran said.
After six weeks of voting by India’s nearly one billion eligible voters, the counting of votes is underway. Preliminary results suggest that Bharatiya Janata Party Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win a third term. If he is confirmed, he will become the only prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru, the founder of modern India, to win three terms.
- 🎧 But NPR’s Diaa Hadid said the mood outside the BJP’s campaign headquarters in New Delhi was somber. That’s because the party has yet to reach the absolute majority Modi promised, according to tallies so far. Hadid said this would make it “harder for Modi and his party to continue to reshape India into a country that privileges the Hindu majority over other citizens”.
from our hosts
A scene from Elberton Medical Center in Elberton, Georgia, a clinic serving a rural population.
Claire Harbach/NPR
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Claire Harbach/NPR
The author of this article is To MartinezMorning Edition and host of Up First
What does it mean to want quality health care in the United States?
For many, this means worry Whether they can afford the care they need. I recently traveled to Georgia to hear about three key issues: cost, access and Medicaid expansion.
Elberton is a small town of less than 5,000 residents located a few hours east of Atlanta. Rural health clinics are one of the only local options for basic care. But when patients’ needs exceed what a clinic can provide, they often must travel at least 45 minutes to seek care.
Georgia has not expanded Medicaid. So Amy Wilson has a brain tumor and cancer, and she’s struggling to afford the care she needs because her income exceeds the Medicaid eligibility threshold by $30. I saw the artistic director of the Atlanta Philharmonic strapping the conductor’s baton to her palm before rehearsal because she couldn’t hold it for much longer.
copays, prescriptions, surgeries, physical therapy, Taking time off for appointments and transportation to medical appointments are part of getting health care, which worries Georgia patients and their providers.
The upcoming presidential election may involve two people: Joe Biden and Donald Trump. They have very different ideas about what health care should look like. People I spoke to were more worried about how the election results would change the care they already had. Nearly every doctor and patient I talked to said they will keep all this in mind when they vote in November.
Listened to it today
Artist Scott Kildall waves his small microcontroller from a Joshua tree in Arthur B. Ripley Desert Glades State Park in Fairmont, California. Otherworldly music.
NPR’s Carlos Jaramillo
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NPR’s Carlos Jaramillo
Plants are green because they absorb red and blue light and reflect green light back to our eyes. They also reflect other wavelengths, such as near-infrared light. Although humans can’t see it, artist Scott Kildall uses infrared sensors to convert near-infrared light into sound. He uses his equipment to transform California’s Joshua trees into a musical instrument.
🎧 Hear sparkling, otherworldly sounds Listen to the music of Joshua trees and learn how scientists analyze near-infrared light to assess plant health.
3 things you need to know before you go
Customers wait in line at a Costco food court in Hawthorne, California.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
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Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
- Costco hot dog fans rejoice! The $1.50 dog meat and soda combo isn’t going up any time soon. Despite inflation, prices have remained stable since the package first appeared in the mid-1980s. Costco does this.
- It is widely believed that rat fleas spread the Black Death; Also known as the Black Death, it spread from rodents to humans. A new study suggests that human lice may facilitate the spread of the disease.
- The AI-generated “All eyes are on Rafa” image has been shared approximately 50 million times on Instagram and other platforms. Two artists claim to have created the image.
This newsletter is sponsored by Olivia Hampton.
