Biden's Skin Cancer; 'Butt Lift' Deaths Continue; Arrest Warrant for TB Patient

— Health news and commentary from around the Web gathered by MedPage Today staff

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President Biden's doctor, Kevin O'Connor, DO, said the skin lesion removed from the president's chest was a basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer. (AP)

The White House called efforts to block pharmacies from dispensing mifepristone "dangerous and unacceptable," following news that Walgreens decided not to dispense the abortion pill in more than 20 Republican-led states where attorneys general threatened legal action. (Politico)

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) plans to sign a measure to ban abortion clinics in the state. (ABC News)

Meanwhile, North Carolina has become a safe haven for people from nearby states seeking abortions. (New York Times)

The Department of Justice ducked a chance to weigh in on whether the 13th amendment still protects abortion. (The Hill)

Headaches, fatigue, and breathing problems reported by residents following the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio may be psychosomatic symptoms related to smells from the chemical spill. (ABC News)

In South Florida, people are still dying from Brazilian butt lifts despite stricter regulations. (KHN)

The FDA said it has found no signs that contaminated cough syrups linked with dozens of deaths of children in Gambia have entered the U.S. supply chain. (Reuters)

As of Monday at 8:00 a.m. ET, the unofficial COVID toll in the U.S. reached 103,647,493 cases and 1,122,164 deaths, increases of 272,629 cases and 2,604 deaths since this time a week ago.

With the COVID public health emergency winding down, California, Washington, and Oregon plan to lift mask mandates in healthcare settings. (Los Angeles Times, AP)

Cardiovascular and pulmonary risks in people with post-COVID conditions persist for over a year after infection, a case-control study found. (JAMA Health Forum)

In other COVID news, the World Health Organization said it's continuing to investigate the origins of the pandemic, though lawmakers here say finding the truth is impossible given the Chinese government's unwillingness to cooperate. (Reuters, Politico)

Norovirus cases are at a 12-month high, according to CDC data. (NBC News)

Three quarters of Montana schools that tested for it found lead in at least one fountain or faucet, but many lack funds to fix the problem. (KHN)

Elon Musk wants to bring an electronic brain implant to market, but the billionaire has competition. (Washington Post)

Could artificial intelligence (AI) software detect cancer better than a radiologist? (New York Times)

The FDA is warning about possible false negative results and the risk for anaphylaxis with food-allergy skin tests.

VillageMD, a clinical network owned by Walgreens, just bought a large medical practice with 30 locations in Connecticut. (Healthcare Dive)

Disability rights activist Judith Heumann, who worked under two U.S. presidents, died at age 75. (The Hill)

In the wake of new limits and bans on transgender medical treatment, one AP reporter asked how often patients actually regret their transgender surgeries.

Most intercepted drug shipments in the U.S. contained generic sildenafil (Viagra) instead of opioids, as feared. (KHN)

In Washington state, an arrest warrant has been issued for a woman with an active case of tuberculosis (TB) who has declined treatment and refused to isolate for over a year. (Washington Post)

A Pennsylvania doctor has been arrested for allegedly writing fraudulent drug prescriptions. (WTAJ)

In India, three employees of Marion Biotech -- a drug company whose contaminated cough syrup has been linked to deaths in Uzbekistan -- were arrested, and an alert may soon be issued by government officials on foreign exports. (Reuters)

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    Shannon Firth has been reporting on health policy as MedPage Today's Washington correspondent since 2014. She is also a member of the site's Enterprise & Investigative Reporting team. Follow