Lead Stories:
- Merck, the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical powerhouse, says it'll seek FDA emergency use authorization for its experimental COVID-19 pill. Merck says molnupiravir is the first effective anti-viral pill to fight COVID. A clinical trial shows it cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 50%. It works by targeting the enzyme that makes copies of the virus, introducing errors. Infectious disease experts say the pill could offer a powerful new weapon in the war on COVID-19.
- The State of California Is in Line to Get More Federal Taxpayer Money. More Than $28 Billion in Disaster Relief Is on the Way to Improve Wildfire Prevention and Combat Drought. $175 Million Will Go to the U.S. Forest Service for Forest Management and More Than $200 Million Will Go to Improve California’s Water Infrastructure.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom is signing several controversial bills dealing with police use of force. With the stroke of a pen, the Democrat raised the minimum age of service for police officers from 18 to 21, starting next year. The new law also sets up potential new requirements for officers to have at least some college education by 2025. Another measure set statewide rules for use of tear gas and rubber bullets, and police will now be banned from using transportation and restraint techniques that might choke a suspect.
- Caltrans says they will clean up midtown homeless encampments in Sacramento. The encampments are under the Cap City Freeway on 29th Street between F and H Streets. Amy Gardner and other parents at Sutter Middle School said they had safety concerns because the encampments were on a route students took to get to school. Caltrans spokeswoman Angela DaPrato said the area is a priority because of the "excessive amount of trash, debris...human waste and used needles." The work is set to begin on October 4th.
Extra Links:
- Senator Rand Paul urges Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to Apologize to Covid Survivors at HELP Hearing.
- Parents of Marine imprisoned for criticizing Afghan crisis weigh in.
- Facebook Inc.’s global head of safety, Antigone Davis, testified at a Senate hearing on Thursday about its products’ effects on young people’s mental health.