California Republicans sue to stop Newsom, Democrats from pushing redistricting

 California Republicans are urging the state's Supreme Court to stop Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats from quickly moving forward with their push to redraw congressional districts to add up to five left-leaning seats in the heavily blue state.

Four GOP state lawmakers filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in California's Supreme Court to stop the Democrat-dominated state legislature from holding a vote by the end of this week to advance the redistricting push.

"Today I joined my colleagues in filing a lawsuit challenging the rushed redistricting process. California’s Constitution requires bills to be in print for 30 days, but that safeguard was ignored. By bypassing this provision, Sacramento has effectively shut voters out of engaging in their own legislative process," Republican state assembly member Tri Ta wrote in a social media post.

The move by the GOP lawmakers is the latest development in the high-stakes battle between Republicans and Democrats in California and in Texas over congressional redistricting ahead of next year's midterm elections.

Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher speaks in opposition to Democrats' plan to advance a partisan effort to redraw California congressional map at a press conference on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Tran Nguyen)

In Austin, Texas, the GOP-dominated state House of Representatives on Wednesday resumed meeting amid a second straight special session called by conservative Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

As they return to work, they're expected to pass a GOP-crafted redistricting map that would create up to five Republican-leaning congressional districts at the expense of currently Democrat-controlled seats in the red state.

"Please pass this Map, ASAP. THANK YOU TEXAS," President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post on Monday.

The Republican push in Texas, which comes at Trump's urging, is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to pad their razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows strikes the gavel as the House calls a Special Session with a quorum, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo - Eric Gay)

Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats stormed back to grab the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

Republicans in Texas enjoy a supermajority in the legislature and the state Senate passed the new congressional maps last week, during the first special legislative session.

But Republicans in the Texas House were prevented from holding votes on the new map for two weeks, as dozens of Democratic state representatives fled the state to deny the GOP a quorum in the Texas House.

Democratic lawmakers in Texas pledge to take their fight to court after the maps are passed by the legislature and signed into law by Abbott, which is expected in the coming days.



Supporters of the returning Texas Democrats chant as members enter the house at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephen Spillman)

While the Republican push in Texas to upend the current congressional maps doesn't face constitutional constraints, the path for Newsom and Democrats in California is much more complicated.

The governor is moving to hold a special election this year, to obtain voter approval to undo the constitutional amendments that created the non-partisan redistricting commission.

A two-thirds majority vote in the Democrat-dominated California legislature would be needed to hold the referendum, and Democrats in Sacramento on Monday unveiled a bill to move forward with the referendum.

But the emergency petition filed on Tuesday by the state Republican lawmakers argues that the California Constitution prevents the legislature from acting on redistricting bills until next month, because a 30-day review period is needed for new legislation.

The lawsuit was filed as the California Assembly Elections Committee held a hearing Tuesday on the push for the referendum. GOP lawmakers on the committee and Republicans who submitted comments to the panel heavily criticized the Democrats' redistricting effort.

The state Republican Party, which hosted the lawsuit news conference, said that "Californians voted to put redistricting in the hands of the people, not politicians. What Democrats are doing is a blatant power grab, and the California Republican Party will fight it at every opportunity to protect voters’ voices."

"Their scheme would tear apart communities, silence public input, and erase the transparency that voters demanded when they created the Citizens Redistricting Commission," California Republican Party chairwoman Corrin Rankin added in a statement to Fox News.



Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California speaks during a congressional redistricting event on Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli )

But Newsom this week argued that "California and Californians have been uniquely targeted by the Trump Administration, and we are not going to sit idle while they command Texas and other states to rig the next election to keep power — pursuing more extreme and unpopular policies."

And last week, at an event unveiling the Democrats' redistricting push in California, Newsom charged, "Here we are in open and plain sight before one vote is cast in the 2026 midterm election and here [Trump] is once again trying to rig the system.

Newsom is considered a likely contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, and the California GOP claimed that "Newsom is kicking off his shadow presidential campaign by trying to rig and steal California’s independent, bipartisan citizen redistricting process."

Last week's event by Newsom also served as a fundraising kickoff to raise massive amounts of campaign cash needed to sell the redistricting push statewide in California.

The non-partisan redistricting commission, created over 15 years ago, remains popular with most Californians, according to public opinion polling.

That's why Newsom and California Democratic lawmakers are promising not to scrap the commission entirely, but rather replace it temporarily by the legislature for the next three election cycles.

The proposed map was submitted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

And Republican former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who represented a congressional district in California's Central Valley for 17 years, argued in an appearance on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that "when you think about how they drew these lines, there wasn't one hearing. There is no debate. There's no input. Even the legislature in California doesn't have input. The DCCC is just ending it. That is why we need to stop Newsom's power grab."

McCarthy, who is helping to lead the GOP fundraising effort to counter Newsom and California Democrats leading up to the likely referendum this autumn, said that "November 4th will be the election that people could actually have a say," as he pointed to polls showing strong support for the current non-partisan redistricting commission.

The push to temporarily replace the commission is also being opposed by other high-profile Republicans. Among the most visible is former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last Republican elected governor in Democrat-dominated California.

The longtime Hollywood action star says he's mobilizing to oppose the push by Newsom to temporarily scrap the state's nonpartisan redistricting commission.



Hollywood movie star and former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California opposes the push to temporarily replace the Golden State's non-partisan redistricting commission. (Tristar Media/WireImage)

"I’m getting ready for the gerrymandering battle," Schwarzenegger wrote in a social media post Friday, which included a photo of the former professional bodybuilding champion lifting weights.

Schwarzenegger, who rose to worldwide fame as the star of the film "The Terminator" four decades ago, wore a T-shirt in the photo that said "terminate gerrymandering."

Schwarzenegger, during his tenure as governor, had a starring role in the passage of constitutional amendments in California in 2008 and 2010 that took the power to draw state legislative and congressional districts away from politicians and placed them in the hands of an independent commission.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-republicans-file-lawsuit-stop-newsom-democrats-from-pushing-redistricting-plan

Over 100 lithium-ion batteries catch fire in cellar of Queens home

 Lithium-ion batteries are to blame after a home business went up in flames in Queens, the FDNY says.

Firefighters responded to the home on Pidgeon Meadow Road around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

They discovered about 100 lithium-ion batteries burning in the cellar of the home. Police said the owner was operating an illegal lithium-ion battery repair business in the basement.

The resident in the home has denied that he was running an e-bike repair shop. He says all of the e-bikes are just a hobby.

Multiple e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries were found in various states of disassembly and disrepair.

FDNY Haz Mat units removed and overpacked about 600 individual battery cells from the location.

Fire officials found power cords dangling from the ceiling, bicycles, scooters, e-bikes and hundreds of batteries.

Investigators say e-bikes were found in various states of disassembly and disrepair.

"We actually were able to recover about 700 individual lithium battery cells that we packaged there. So there's evidence of some type of a workshop inside the location. So we believe the homeowner was either building or repairing their own batteries, which is incredibly dangerous," FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said.

The homeowner was issued a criminal court summons for illegal storage of e-bikes along with summonses for multiple fire code violations.

Since 2023, 18 people have died from a lithium-battery fire.

That number has steadily decreased to just one death so far this year.

But this year, there have been more structural fires caused by lithium-ion batteries.

"That's our highest number year to date that we've recorded in the history of recording this data. So these fires are not going away," Flynn said.

https://abc7ny.com/post/queens-fire-100-lithium-ion-batteries-caught-flames-nyc-home-cellar/17584880/

'American Academy of Pediatrics publishes its own childhood immunization schedule'

 Citing concerns over Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s replacement of federal vaccine advisors, the American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday released its own immunization schedule for infants, children and adolescents.

The AAP describes its recommendations (PDF) on routine immunizations against 18 diseases—including influenza, measles and COVID-19—as a formal continuation of its evidence-based advocacy.

“The AAP will continue to provide recommendations for immunizations that are rooted in science and are in the best interest of the health of infants, children and adolescents,” AAP President Susan J. Kressly, M.D., said in a release. “Pediatricians know how important routine childhood immunizations are in keeping children, families and their communities healthy and thriving.”

The group noted that its recommendations differ somewhat from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a panel of experts that traditionally shapes guidelines on routine vaccinations. In early June, RFK Jr. ousted all 17 members of the ACIP and replaced them with advisors who major medical organizations and public health experts warned had previously expressed inaccurate and anti-vaccine views.

Notably, a meeting of the revamped ACIP held later that month—which was boycotted by the AAP—included a recommendation to remove the long-used preservative thimerosal from flu shots. Anti-vaccine activists have claimed thimerosal, which contains mercury, can cause autism, though multiple studies, including one by the CDC in 2010, have shown that there is no link.

The ACIP has also booted major professional groups like the American Medical Association from its working groups, which prepare evidence for review by the committee. More recent days have seen the restoration of an HHS’s Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines, which was disbanded in 1998.

Critics of RFK Jr. have cast these and other moves as a continuation of his crusade against vaccines, during which he has spread falsehoods about their safety and links to autism both before and after taking on the nation’s top health role.

Promising “radical transparency,” the secretary and his supporters have described the country’s public health apparatus and leading medical groups as compromised by industry interests and willing to cover up vaccine-related harm. However, conflicts of interest among members of the ACIP were at a “historic low” at the time of RKF Jr.’s overhaul, according to a peer-reviewed research letter published this week.

The AAP is the country’s largest independent professional association of pediatricians, and was among the several healthcare practitioner groups that loudly condemned RFK Jr.’s actions.

Its new recommendations include updates for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, influenza, COVID-19, meningococcal disease and Human Papilloma Virus, as well as the removal of a hepatitis vaccine.

The group’s immunization schedule was published in its clinical guidebook for infectious diseases prevention and treatment, the AAP Red Book Online. Individual recommendations concerning different diseases have been published online ahead of print in the group’s journal, Pediatrics, with plans for a “parent-friendly” version of the schedule to be published on its consumer-facing HealthyChildren.org webpage.

Aside from questions on its trustworthiness, changes to the ACIP and its vaccine recommendations can affect insurance coverage obligations under private health insurance, Medicaid and Medicare Part D, as well as what is included in the safety net Vaccines for Children program. The AAP wants its immunization recommendations to serve as payers’ guidebook the revamped panel’s recommendations improperly loosen those requirements.

“The AAP urges every insurer to cover all the vaccines that are included in this immunization schedule,” Kressly said. “AAP is committed to working with our partners at the local, state and federal levels to make sure every child, in every community has access to vaccines.”

The AAP isn’t alone in pursuing an alternative to federal immunization advisories. In April the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) launched the Vaccine Integrity Project, a so-far exploratory effort aiming to develop and disseminate robust evidence for immunization recommendations and clinical considerations for providers. The group has called for information campaigns and tailored education initiatives, and is conducting “contingency planning” with state groups and industry partners focused on maintaining national vaccination infrastructure.

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/providers/american-academy-pediatrics-publishes-its-own-childhood-immunization-schedule-further

Malfunctioning Insulin Pumps Recalled After Multiple Injuries

 by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

San Diego-based Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. agreed to voluntarily recall insulin pumps used to manage blood sugar, the company said in an Aug. 12 announcement by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in White Oak, Md., on June 5, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Insulin pumps are wearable devices that deliver insulin at predetermined doses at specific times. Such devices can feature alarm functions to alert users about various situations, such as issues with insulin delivery.

The recalled product, the t:slim X2 insulin pump, is being withdrawn to “address a potential speaker-related issue that can trigger an error resulting in a discontinuation of insulin delivery,” the announcement reads.

“The error, which appears as a Malfunction 16 alarm to the user, will stop insulin delivery and terminate communication between the insulin pump and the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device,” it reads.

Continuous glucose monitoring devices constantly track a user’s glucose levels, sending the information to devices such as cell phones, allowing for real-time monitoring of glucose levels.

The malfunction could result in hyperglycemia—high blood sugar—due to the insulin delivery being discontinued and other factors, the company said.

According to the announcement, Tandem has already received 700 confirmed adverse event reports involving high blood sugar and situations that required users to seek medical intervention. Although no deaths have been reported, there have been 59 injuries, it said.

Tandem said it has already informed impacted U.S. customers about the issue through a notice sent between July 22 and July 24.

The notice listed several actions users can take to deal with the malfunction, including preparing a backup method of insulin delivery. It asked users to regularly check their blood sugar levels to ensure they do not have any unexpected high or low readings.

In the Aug. 12 announcement, Tandem said that it will be “releasing a software update designed to enhance early detection of speaker failure.”

“This update will also introduce persistent vibration alerts to help reduce potential safety risk,” it stated.

“Tandem will notify all pump users when the software update becomes available, and to request pump users complete the update of their insulin pump.”

Users can verify whether their insulin pump is included in the recall by entering the device’s serial number on the Tandem website.

Customers with queries can contact the company at 877-801-6901.

Tandem did not respond to a request for comment.

350,000 Insulin Pump Users

Tandem had issued a separate recall of its t:slim X2 insulin pump in February this year, according to FDA data.

That recall was tied to a software defect that could lead to insulin being under-delivered or over-delivered, thus resulting in “severe cases of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia,” the FDA said.

The recall status is still listed as “open,” according to the agency, indicating the company has not corrected or removed all faulty products.

According to a June 2022 study, there are an estimated 350,000 insulin pump users in the United States. However, they account for only a small portion of people with diabetes.

About 38 million American adults are estimated to have diabetes, and one out of five people are unaware that they have it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a May 2024 post.

“In the United States, about 1 in 3 adults has prediabetes. More than 8 in 10 people with prediabetes don’t know they have it,” it said.

“With prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Prediabetes raises your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke,” the CDC stated.

“Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes can be prevented with lifestyle changes. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes.”

According to the agency, diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death and the No. 1 cause of adult blindness, lower-limb amputations, and kidney failure.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/malfunctioning-insulin-pumps-recalled-after-multiple-injuries

ChatGPT in Your Clinic: Who’s the Expert Now

 Patients arriving at appointments with researched information is not new, but artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT are changing the dynamics.

Their confident presentation can leave physicians feeling that their expertise is challenged. Kumara Raja Sundar, MD, a family medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente Burien Medical Center in Burien, Washington, highlighted this trend in a recent article published in JAMA.

A patient visited Sundar’s clinic reporting dizziness and described her symptoms with unusual precision: “It’s not vertigo, but more like a presyncope feeling.” She then suggested that the tilt table test might be useful for diagnosis.

Occasionally, patient questions reveal subtle familiarity with medical jargon. This may indicate that they either have relevant training or have studied the subject extensively. 

Curious, Sundar asked if she worked in the healthcare sector. She replied that she had consulted ChatGPT, which recommended the tilt table test.

For years, patients have brought newspaper clippings, internet research, and advice from friends and relatives to consultations.

Suggestions shared in WhatsApp groups have become a regular part of clinical discussions. Sundar noted that this particular encounter was different.

The patient’s tone and level of detail conveyed competence, and the confidence with which she presented the information subtly challenged his clinical judgment and treatment plans.

Clinical Practice

It is not surprising that large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are appealing. Recent studies have confirmed their remarkable strengths in logical reasoning and interpersonal communication.

However, a direct comparison between LLMs and physicians is unfair. Clinicians often face immense pressure, including constrained consultation times, overflowing inboxes, and a healthcare system that demands productivity and efficiency.

Even skilled professionals struggle to perform optimally under adverse conditions.

In contrast, generative AI is functionally limitless. This imbalance creates an unrealistic benchmark; however, this is today’s reality.

Patients want clear answers; more importantly, they want to feel heard, understood, and reassured.

Patients value accurate information but also want to feel recognized, reassured, and heard. “Unfortunately, under the weight of competing demands, which is what often slips for me not just because of systemic constraints but also because I am merely human,” Sundar wrote.

Despite the capabilities of generative AI, patients still visit doctors. Though these tools deliver confidently worded suggestions, they inevitably conclude: “Consult a healthcare professional.”

The ultimate responsibility for liability, diagnostics, prescriptions, and sick notes remains with physicians.

Patient Interaction

In practice, this means dealing with requests, such as a tilt table test for intermittent vertigo, a procedure that is not uncommon but often inappropriate.

“I find myself explaining concepts such as overdiagnosis, false positives, or other risks of unnecessary testing. At best, the patient understands the ideas, which may not resonate when one is experiencing symptoms. At worst, I sound dismissive. There is no function that tells ChatGPT that clinicians lack routine access to tilt-table testing or that echocardiogram appointments are delayed because of staff shortages. I have to carry those constraints into the examination room while still trying to preserve trust,” Sundar emphasized in his article.

When I speak with medical students, I notice a different kind of paternalism creeping in. And I have caught it in my inner monologue, even if I do not say it aloud. The old line, “They probably WebMD’d it and think they have cancer,” has morphed into the newer, just-as-dismissive line, “They probably ChatGPT’d it and are going to tell us what to order.” 

It often reflects defensiveness from clinicians rather than genuine engagement and carries an implicit message: We still know the best. “It is an attitude that risks eroding sacred and fragile trust between clinicians and patients. It reinforces the feeling that we are not ‘in it’ with our patients and are truly gatekeeping rather than partnering. Ironically, that is often why I hear patients turn to LLMs in the first place,” Sundar concluded.

Patient Advocacy

One patient said plainly, “This is how I can advocate for myself better.” The word “advocate” struck Sundar, capturing the effort required to persuade someone with more authority. Although clinicians still control access to tests, referrals, and treatment plans, the term conveys a sense of preparing for a fight.

When patients feel unheard, gathering knowledge becomes a strategy to be taken seriously.

In such situations, the usual approach of explaining false-positive test results, overdiagnosis, and test characteristics is often ineffective. From the patient’s perspective, this sounds more like, “I still know more than you, no matter what tool you used, and I’m going to overwhelm you with things you don’t understand.”

Physician Role

The role of physicians is constantly evolving. The transition from physician-as-authority to physician-as-advisor is intensifying. Patients increasingly present with expectations shaped by nonevidence-based sources, often misaligned with the clinical reality. As Sundar observed, “They arm themselves with knowledge to be heard.” This necessitates a professional duty to respond with understanding rather than resistance.

His approach centers on emotional acknowledgment before clinical discussion: “I say, ‘We’ll discuss diagnostic options together. But first, I want to express my condolences. I can hardly imagine how you feel. I want to tackle this with you and develop a plan.’” He emphasized, “This acknowledgment was the real door opener.”

Global Trend

What began as a US trend observed by Sundar has now spread worldwide, with patients increasingly arriving at consultations armed with medical knowledge from tools like ChatGPT rather than just “Dr Google.”

Clinicians across health systems have reported that digitally informed patients now comprise the majority.

In a forum discussion, physicians from various disciplines shared their experiences, highlighting how previously informed patients are now the norm. Inquiries often focus on specific laboratory values, particularly vitamin D or hormone tests. In gynecologic consultations, Internet research on menstrual disorders has become a routine part of patient interactions, with an overwhelming range of answers available online.

‘Chanice,’ a Coliquio user who’s a gynecologist, shared, “The answers range from, ‘It’s normal; it can happen’ to ‘You won’t live long.’” “It’s also common to Google medication side effects, and usually, women end up experiencing pretty much every side effect, even though they didn’t have them before.”

How should doctors respond to this trend? Opinions are clear: openness, education, and transparency are essential and ideally delivered in a structured manner.

“Get the patients on board; educate them. In writing! Each and every one of them. Once it’s put into words, it’s no longer a job. Invest time in educating patients to correct misleading promises made by health insurance companies and politicians,” commented another user, Jörg Christian Nast, a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics.

The presence of digitally informed patients is increasingly seen not only as a challenge but also as an opportunity. Conversations with these patients can be constructive, but they can also generate unrealistic demands or heated debates.

Thus, a professional, calm, and explanatory approach remains crucial, and at times, a dose of humor can help. Another user who specializes in internal medicine added, “The term ‘online consultation’ takes on a whole new meaning.”

The full forum discussion, “The Most Frequently Asked ‘Dr. Google’ Questions,” can be found here.

Find out what young physicians think about AI and the evolving doctor-patient relationship in our interview with Christian Becker, MD, MHBA, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany, and a spokesperson for the Young German Society for Internal Medicine.

Read the full interview here.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/chatgpt-your-clinic-whos-expert-now-2025a1000lqt

Periodontitis treatment and progression of carotid intima-media thickness: a randomized trial

 Marco Orlandi , Stefano Masi , Ersilia Lucenteforte , Devina Bhowruth , Marco A Malanima , Ulpee Darbar , Kalpesh Patel , Chong Lim , Chiara Curra , Tay Shiehfung 

https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf555

Abstract

Background and Aims

Intensive periodontal treatment (IPT) improves endothelial function in patients with periodontitis (PD). However, whether these changes can slow the progression of structural vascular remodelling remains unclear. This randomized clinical trial evaluated the impact of IPT on carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) over 2 years (NCT03072342). Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), blood pressure and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were assessed as secondary outcomes, while markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolomics were explanatory outcomes.

Methods

135 consecutive, otherwise healthy participants with PD, were enrolled in a single-blind, single-centre, controlled trial, and randomized to IPT (n = 68; including scaling, root planning, and, when appropriate, surgical corrective therapy) or control periodontal treatment (CPT, n = 67; including supra-gingival scaling and polishing). cIMT was assessed at baseline, 12 and 24 months post-therapy. Blood pressure, FMD, PWV, markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolomics were assessed at baseline and at 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months post-intervention.

Results

After 24 months, cIMT was lower in the IPT vs the CPT group (−0.023 mm, 95% confidence interval −0.030.019 to −0.0227, P < 0.0001). FMD improved within 2 months in the IPT group and remained consistently higher than the CPT group throughout the study (P < 0.0001) correlating with the improved periodontal measurements at the same time points. No substantial differences were observed between groups in adverse events, anthropometric, blood pressure, PWV, or metabolomic markers. Among inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, glycoprotein acetyl was reduced in IPT compared with the CPT group participants (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

IPT led to favourable structural changes in the vascular phenotype, underscoring the impact of PD on cardiovascular health and further highlighting the potential role of treating PD to improve cardiovascular outcomes.

https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf555/8237946