GOP’s PLAYBOOK AGAINST TRANS YOUTH HEALTH CARE — A rash of bills introduced in at least 20 states would limit trans youth’s access to gender-affirming care — and opponents say they echo past arguments anti-abortion groups put forth about women’s safety as they attempted to shut down clinics, Joanne Kenen writes. The tensions over trans rights — which swirl around restrictions on bathroom use, participation in school sports and health care — have intensified even as the courts and society have grown generally more accepting of LGBTQ rights. Most of the bills stalled this year, but supporters plan to reintroduce many of them in 2022 — a year when the conservative Supreme Court will decide a landmark Mississippi abortion case that could overturn or curtail Roe v Wade and when the November congressional elections will determine whether President Joe Biden will retain a Democratic majority in Congress. “It’s egregious,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine, the nation's highest-ranking openly trans public official and a pediatrician who specializes in adolescent medicine. Organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association oppose the state bills, many of which would penalize doctors who prescribe puberty blockers, which prevent the patient from undergoing physical changes that don’t fit with the individual’s gender identity. “What health problems are they trying to solve?” asked Alphonso David, a civil rights lawyer who is president of the Human Rights Campaign. “They are looking to devalue and demonize trans people. They are shifting strategies from the bathroom issues to sports and medical issues.” ZEKE EMANUEL FLOATED FOR FDA CHIEF — Biden officials in recent weeks have discussed University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel as a candidate to lead the Food and Drug Administration, according to four people with knowledge of deliberations surrounding the long-running vacancy. But he’s one of several people under consideration, and the White House has yet to formally approach him about the job, the people with knowledge of the deliberations said, cautioning that the process is still in its early stages. Emanuel told PULSE that he hasn’t been approached, but didn’t rule it out. The Obamacare architect has solid support within the administration, including Biden’s chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci, who has backed his inclusion as a candidate to run the FDA, according to three people with knowledge of the deliberations. And yet: In response to a request for comment, the White House said in a statement that “we have strong acting leadership in place that is playing an important role in our Covid-19 response and beyond, and look forward to sharing a nominee with the requisite expertise and leadership for this job.” But hours after POLITICO’s article published, the White House denied that he was under consideration. “Dr. Emanuel is not in the running for this position,” spokesperson Kevin Munoz said. JUDGE SIDES WITH CRUISE LINE ON VAX PASSPORTS — A federal judge on Sunday night sided with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in a high-profile fight with Florida over vaccine passports, granting the cruise line’s request for a preliminary injunction that blocks a state law barring businesses from requiring proof of vaccination. In a nearly 60-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams stated that Florida “fails to provide a valid evidentiary, factual, or legal predicate” for its prohibition on vaccine passports. This is just one of the lawsuits the governor is currently fighting over cruise ships. Florida is in another legal battle with the CDC over its cruise directive. Background: Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has consistently fought against coronavirus restrictions such as mandates for face masks, in April signed an executive order barring vaccine passports. The Florida Legislature also approved a measure blessing the order and fining companies that violate the ban. FAUCI URGES TESTING TO TRACK BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS — Biden’s chief medical advisor on Sunday pressed for more coronavirus testing be done among vaccinated people to understand the span of breakthrough Covid-19 infections, Shayna Greene reported. Early on in the pandemic, the protocol was to test people who had been in contact with others who were infected with Covid-19 or symptomatic. Now, Fauci said on NBC’s "Meet the Press, "It’s very clear you have to go beyond that." COLLINS CONDEMNS VACCINE POLITICS —National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins on Sunday lamented the politicization of vaccines amid the nation's ongoing surge of Covid cases. "We never should have let that happen. Come on, America, we can separate these. We don't need to be polarized about a virus that's killing people,” NIH Director Francis Collins said on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos.” | 
