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Tobacco companies gear up for fight on menthol ban. Tobacco companies are gearing up for a fight over the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to ban menthol flavored cigarettes. “The science today does not support treating them differently from other cigarettes,” tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds said in a statement on the menthol ban. Major cigarette maker Altria, formerly known as Philip Morris, gave the same defense of keeping menthol flavors. “We continue to believe that a total ban on menthol cigarettes or flavored cigars would be an extreme measure not supported by the science and evidence,” the company said. “We expect that establishing product standards on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars will be a multi-year, deliberative process, and we will be fully engaged throughout.” The tobacco lobby contributes millions of dollars to lobbying every election cycle. The industry spent $16.7 million on lobbying this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

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Black advocacy groups cheer FDA’s push to ban menthol cigarettes. Black advocacy groups expressed hope Thursday that their decades-long goal of banning menthol cigarettes is close to fruition as the Food and Drug Administration announced a proposal to ban the products. Implementation of any ban is still years away and will face significant pushback from the tobacco industry, but the news drew applause from black groups. Black health groups have battled menthol cigarettes for years, saying that tobacco companies market the products to black people in an attempt to keep them addicted. “For decades, data have shown that the tobacco industry has successfully and intentionally marketed mentholated cigarettes to African Americans,” said the NAACP in a statement welcoming the proposal. The group added that menthol cigarettes are harder to quit and tobacco use is a major “contributor to heart disease, cancer, and stroke — three leading causes of death among African Americans.” The National Urban League said in a statement on Monday when news of a ban leaked out that the FDA needs to move “with urgency” to implement any ban. The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council also praised the move and called for a swift implementation. “If the FDA truly wants to protect the public health, and we believe this to be the case, then it is imperative that menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars be restricted and recognized as a social injustice, an issue that has a disproportionate impact on poor communities, marginalized groups, and especially communities of color,” the group said in a statement.

Republicans had mixed reactions to the FDA exploring a ban. “If we can make people wear seat belts, we can start talking about whether or not you should have menthol cigarettes,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-N.D., told the Washington Examiner. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued a joint statement with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., praising the FDA’s move to restrict sales of flavored e-cigarette products. “The FDA is finally moving in the right direction by cracking down on the sale of kid-friendly flavors in e-cigarettes and cigars, and improving online age verification for sales of these addictive products,” the senators said. But Republican Sen. Richard Burr, who represents North Carolina, home to R.J. Reynolds’ headquarters, issued a blistering statement after the proposed ban was announced. “This is not the first time the FDA has tried to ban menthol, but these efforts have been unsuccessful in the past,” Burr said in a statement. He added that it is “troubling” that an administration that “pledges to put America first is targeting legal, American-made products instead of focusing its attention on states that flout federal drug laws.”

Murray urged the FDA to go further. “I will be watching closely to see that we don’t miss this critical opportunity to reverse the alarming trend of rising youth tobacco use,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement Thursday. “Today’s announcement is an important step, but too much is at stake to be content.”

More than 12,000 dropped from Arkansas Medicaid after failing to meet work requirements. Another 3,815 people in Arkansas will be removed from Medicaid after failing to meet the state’s work requirement, new state data show, bringing the total to 12,000 people to fall off the program five months since the rule was put into place. Arkansas was the first state to implement the requirements, which require beneficiaries to log their hours online or be taken out of the program.

CDC finds suicide rates increasing among American workers. Suicide rates have jumped by more than a third since 2000 among working Americans. A report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the suicide rate increased 34 percent during 2000 to 2016. The highest suicide rates among men in 2015 were for those who worked in construction and extraction; arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; and installation, maintenance, and repair. For women, the occupational groups with the highest suicide rates were arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; protective service; and healthcare support. The occupational group with the lowest rate of suicide in 2015 was education, training, and library professions for both men and women.

VA rule banning union activity during the day challenged in lawsuit. Unions representing Department of Veterans Affairs employees are suing the agency following its announcement that on-staff medical professionals can no longer engage in union activities during work hours.

The American Federation of Government Employees, along with the National Federation of Federal Employees and the National Association of Government Employees, filed the lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., shortly before the VA was set to put the change in place. In fiscal 2016, the VA reported that taxpayers spent more than $49 million in VA salaries for employees working hours spent on union activities, rather than their day jobs in the healthcare sector.

Bipartisan duo seek to make it easier for veterans to use medical marijuana. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced legislation Wednesday that would make it more acceptable for veterans to be upfront about their medical marijuana use. The legislative package would clarify existing laws about incorporating marijuana into a veteran’s treatment plan. The Department of Veterans Affairs still would not be able to give a medical cannabis recommendation, but the law would ensure that veterans know they will not lose their benefits if they admit to using the drug.

AARP launches campaign to stop change to ‘donut hole’ fix. The AARP launched a new campaign on Thursday to prevent the pharmaceutical industry from rolling back a policy, set in March’s omnibus spending deal, that requires pharma to offer bigger discounts for seniors in Medicare’s “donut hole.” The AARP said that it would release two national TV ads and radio, digital and print ads to prevent pharma from rolling back the change in a spending bill that Congress must pass by Dec. 7 to fund the government. “Despite what the pharmaceutical lobby would like Congress to believe, going back on the deal is not a ‘technical fix.’ It’s time the industry put people over profits,” said Neal LeaMond, AARP’s executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer in a statement.

Melania Trump shrugs off critics. First lady Melania Trump shrugged off those who have criticized her “Be Best” initiative at a conference Thursday on building a culture of responsibility online, saying it motivates her efforts to combat cyberbullying. “As I have said before, it is not news or surprising to me that critics and the media have chosen to ridicule me for speaking out on this issue, and that’s OK. I remain committed to tackling this topic because it will provide a better world for our children,” she said in remarks at the Family Online Safety Institute’s annual conference, held in Washington, D.C.

RUNDOWN

Forbes California clears CVS-Aetna deal after concession to ‘not increase premiums’

ProPublica Trump administration plots costly private-care expansion for veterans

Axios How primary care is changing in America

Politico California’s new governor embodies Democrats’ dilemma on single payer

STAT News A newcomer rises to the defense of pharma and tries to salvage its bruised reputation

MassLive Gov. Charlie Baker will roll out Massachusetts drug pricing plan in January