And the FDA is kicking off a two day meeting today to
consider whether to let you get birth control pills without a prescription.
If it approves this hr a pharma over the counter birth control pill,
it will be a big first for the US.
Supporters say eliminating the need for a
prescription would make the pill available to nearly
20 million people who may live in areas where they don't typically have access.
But critics are concerned people may misuse this over
the counter pill and end up getting pregnant anyway.
The FDA is expected to make a final decision this summer
and a group of nationally recognized medical experts want women
to start getting breast cancer screenings at 40 years old.
These doctors are part of the US preventive services task force and
their new recommendation is a big change from its previous stance.
It used to recommend starting annual mammograms at 50 years old.
The task force says it's lowering the age because so
many women in their forties are getting breast cancers.
They believe this change could save thousands of lives every year
preventing COVID
and the flu with a single shot.
A new study shows a combination COVID flu vaccine is safe and effective.
Novavax is developing three COVID flu combo vaccines that the company says
all showed strong immune responses in a mid stage study.
Now,
this combo did trigger an immune response similar to what you probably
felt when you got the COVID and or flu shots separately.
And those vaccines, by the way are already approved.
And we have an update in the investigation into that
mass shooting at a Texas outlet mall over the weekend,
Texas officials say now the suspect Mauricio Garcia had no criminal
record but he did have eight guns with him the day.
He allegedly killed eight people
and all those weapons were apparently purchased legally.
The FBI is still combing through his social media and electronic devices,
but they do believe he targeted this location
but not the specific people he allegedly murdered.
This is how the Texas Department of Public Safety's regional director Hank Sy
put it.
Garcia was very random in the people he killed.
He didn't, it didn't matter the age, race or sex.
He just shot people which is horrific in itself.
Texas lawmakers are getting closer to requiring anybody who legally buys a
gun in that state be at least 21 years old right now.
You can be 18 and pick up an AK-47 in this state.
A bill that would raise the minimum age, made it out of a house committee yesterday.
Now it goes to the house for review and then the bill
will go to the Texas Senate which is controlled by Republicans.
Now families of victims in last year's Vivaldi school
shooting have been pushing for this type of legislation.
But Governor Greg Abbott has said he's against it.
And for some sobering perspective here so far this year,
there have been more mass killings in the US than in any other year since 2006.
That's according to information from USA today,
Northeastern University and the Associated Press.
A
mass killing is defined as an incident that leaves at least four people dead.
Not including the assailant
researchers say usually we average six mass killings in public spaces per year,
but we've already reached that number and we're only five months into 2023.
Do you remember that?
US army sergeant who was convicted of murdering
a Black Lives Matter protester in Texas in 2020
his sentencing hearing started today.
Daniel Perry could spend the rest of his life
in prison for killing 28 year old Garrett Foster.
Foster was legally carrying an AK 47 rifle
through downtown Austin when Perry shot him.
This happened during a summer of nationwide protests over racial injustice.
Perry requested a new trial but
it was denied last week.
The US army sergeants sentencing hearing should last two days.
The US government is looking for new ways to
tackle drug overdoses in America for the first time.
The government is funding a study that would measure
whether overdoses can be prevented by safe injection sites.
These sites allow people to use heroin and other illegal drugs freely.
If someone overdoses in these sites,
they are trained professionals who can revive them. The goal here is
to save lives and connect people with addiction and mental health treatment. But
both New York University and Brown University will
get more than $5 million in funding over the
course of four years to run two sites in New York City and one site in Providence,
Rhode
Island.