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California on Wednesday became the first state in the U.S. to ban ultra-processed food in school lunches — including soda, energy drinks and other foods high in sugar or salt and low in nutrients. The new law, AB1264, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and authored by Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, will define “particularly harmful” ultra-processed foods by 2028, require schools to begin phasing them out of breakfasts and lunches by 2029, and ban them altogether by 2035. (Ho, 10/8)

On Medicaid cuts, hunger, and research funding —

It could cost the state an additional $67 million next year to ensure Missouri complies with new federal work requirements for Medicaid recipients under rules brought forth this summer by President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” (Erickson, 10/8)

States are ratcheting down Medicaid reimbursement rates, squeezing providers already bracing for short- and long-term cuts from state and federal governments. Idaho and North Carolina have lowered Medicaid payments amid rising healthcare costs and budget pressures. Other states are expected to follow suit to offset budget shortfalls that are set to deepen when federal Medicaid funding declines under the new tax law. (Kacik, 10/8)

Gloria Simmons has spent the last decade fighting hunger in a county where nearly one in two children lack or have uncertain access to adequate food. Rural Hancock County, about 100 miles southeast of Atlanta, has the highest estimated rate of childhood food insecurity in the nation — about 47%, according to Feeding America’s latest report tracking data from 2023. (Groves, 10/8)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: University Of California Researchers, Patients Wary Of Trump Cuts Even As Some Dollars Flow Again
In August, an 80-year-old woman walked into the emergency room at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. She was lucid but experiencing a stroke. Within minutes, doctors asked for permission to pull out the stroke-causing clot before any more brain damage could occur. She hesitated. The procedure was part of a clinical trial, and she’d heard about a federal freeze on research grants to UCLA. She wanted to know: Would this study be at risk, potentially affecting her care? (Mai-Duc, 10/9)

In mental health news —

A Gallup poll found that one in four American men under 35 feels lonely. A growing men's group with chapters across the country, including in Colorado, is hoping to encourage men to connect and serve their communities, amid the so-called "male loneliness epidemic." Wednesday and Friday mornings, a group of men gather in a Castle Pines park for a workout that they say strengthens so much more than their bodies. (Young, 10/8)

New survey data finds that nearly 1 in 5 high schoolers say they or someone they know has had a romantic relationship with artificial intelligence. And 42% of students surveyed say they or someone they know have used AI for companionship. That's according to new research from the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), a nonprofit that advocates for civil rights, civil liberties and responsible use of data and technology. (Gaines, 10/8)

Outbreaks and health threats across the U.S. —

Officials in Monterey County are urging pet owners to ensure their animals are up to date on rabies vaccinations, after a bat in an unincorporated area tested positive for the virus. In a statement Tuesday, officials said the positive case involves a Mexican free-tailed bat that was found in the Cachagua area on Sep. 29. Hitchcock Road Animal Services investigated the incident and determined there was exposure to pets. (Fang, 10/8)

A recent measles outbreak in South Carolina has grown by two cases, according to health officials in the state, as the US outbreak total has reached 1,563 cases, the most in decades. Seven measles cases have been reported in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, since Sept. 25, and the state has had 10 total cases this year. The current outbreak has no identified source, which suggests measles is circulating in the community. (Soucheray, 10/8)

After two decades, malaria made an unexpected return to the United States, catching health officials off guard and revealing how a warming world can breathe new life into old threats. Between May and December 2023, ten people across Florida, Texas, Maryland and Arkansas contracted the serious disease from local mosquito bites rather than through international travel, according to new research. (Notarantonio, 10/8)

More precooked pasta meals have been recalled because of possible links to a sprawling listeria outbreak that has led to four deaths. The outbreak, which was announced in June, has led to a wave of recalls of ready-to-eat pasta meals that use pasta from food supplier Nate’s Fine Foods, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Some of the meals were distributed by FreshRealm, a food service company. Others were sold at major supermarket chains. (Ozcan, Miller and Fattah, 10/8)