Category: Lifestyle
Meditation’s Benefits Stretch Beyond the Person Who Meditates
Meditation’s Benefits Stretch Beyond the Person Who Meditates Often framed as a boon for personal wellness, meditation helps us connect with and support others, too By Mariah G. Schug edited by Daisy Yuhas Listening to the daily news, with stories of war and conflict, can be disheartening. Unsurprisingly, data suggest that a majority of Americans…
RFK Jr.’s picks for CDC vaccine advisers meet this week amid controversy
Pien Huang An influential committee that helps craft federal vaccine policy and recommendations for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention begins a two-day meeting in Atlanta Wednesday. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, often meets in obscurity, but was thrown into the spotlight two weeks ago when Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy,…
How to Keep Your Home Cool in Extreme Heat
How to Keep Your Home Cool in Extreme Heat When extreme heat arrives, here are science-based tips to keep your home cool, from the most efficient way to use air conditioning to strategic uses of fans By Andrea Thompson edited by Dean Visser This summer’s first extreme heat wave in North America—the result of a…
Home sales just posted their slowest May in 16 years
Laurel Wamsley The home sales slump in the U.S. continues: Last month was the slowest May for existing home sales since 2009. Existing home sales in May fell 0.7% compared to the same month last year. Measured monthly, sales were up slightly, 0.8%, from the month before — but that marks an increase from the…
What children in poverty could lose from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
Cory Turner Low-income children and families would be among the groups hit hardest by Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. While the bill would be a boon to wealthy Americans, it would scale back resources for the nation’s poorest households, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned in a recent letter to lawmakers. In an…
When Wildfire Smoke Arrived from Canada, Federal Safety Experts Were Gone
When Wildfire Smoke Arrived from Canada, Federal Safety Experts Were Gone Health specialists were put on leave, and a report on how to protect 20 million workers from wildfire smoke has stalled By Ariel Wittenberg & E&E News Buildings as smoke from Canada wildfires creates haze in Chicago, Illinois, on June 27, 2023. CLIMATEWIRE |…
Planning to be outside on a hot day? Take these precautions
Clare Marie Schneider The first significant heat wave of the summer is expected to hit much of the United States this weekend, impacting regions from the Midwest to the East Coast. Temperatures are forecasted to be well into the 90s, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. So if you’re planning to be outside,…
Supreme Court Skrmetti Decision Permits Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Children
How Supreme Court Trans Health Care Ruling Will Affect Kids The Supreme Court has decided to uphold a state ban on gender-affirming care for minors in U.S. v. Skrmetti By Allison Parshall edited by Dean Visser Hundreds of trans people, activists and supporters rally outside of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington,…
Air-Conditioning Can Help the Power Grid instead of Overloading It
Air-Conditioning Can Surprisingly Help the Power Grid during Extreme Heat Switching on air-conditioning during extreme heat doesn’t have to make us feel guilty—it can actually boost power grid reliability and help bring more renewable energy online By Johanna Mathieu & The Conversation US The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online…
RFK Jr. overhauled the CDC’s vaccine panel. Here’s what it does and why it matters
Maria Godoy Until this week, it’s likely many people hadn’t heard much about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel. But the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, plays a key role in determining which vaccines children and adults receive, what gets covered by insurance and which shots are made available…
Planned NIH Cuts Threaten Americans’ Health, Senators Charge in Tense Hearing
Planned NIH Cuts Threaten Americans’ Health, Senators Charge in Tense Hearing Senators grilled NIH director Jayanta Bhattacharya the day after more than 300 NIH staff members sent him a fiery letter protesting the cancellation of thousands of research projects By Max Kozlov & Nature magazine U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jayanta (Jay) Bhattacharya…
Drug deaths plummet among young Americans as fentanyl carnage eases
Brian Mann When Justin Carlyle, 23, began experimenting with drugs a decade ago, he found himself part of a generation of young Americans caught in the devastating wave of harm caused by fentanyl addiction and overdose. “I use fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, yeah, all of it,” Carlyle said, speaking to NPR on the streets of…
NIH scientists call on director to protect biomedical research
Rob Stein Hundreds of scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a call for action they dubbed the Bethesda Declaration on Monday to push back against cutbacks and changes at the biomedical research agency. Organizers say more than 340 staffers on the NIH’s sprawling campus in Bethesda, Md., just outside Washington, D.C., sent…
What Will Happen to Opioid and Drug Overdose Deaths after CDC Cuts?
Inside the Collapse of America’s Overdose Prevention Program Layoffs and funding freezes have gutted the CDC’s response to the opioid crisis—just as harm reduction was beginning to work By Lois Parshley edited by Lauren J. Young A worker checks on a patient at an overdose prevention center in New York City on February 8, 2022.…
Recovery Failure: Why we struggle to rebuild for the next storm
Laura Sullivan This is the first of two episodes from NPR’s The Sunday Story from Up First. You can listen to both episodes here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Loading… When Shalana Jordan finally arrived at her parents’ trailer home in Swannanoa, N.C., alongside the river, she paused and let out a long sigh. The building was…
‘The US was our El Dorado’: Africans on Trump’s travel bans and taxes
Already affected by US aid cuts, many Africans now face limits on travel to US and looming remittance tax When Essi Farida Geraldo, a Lomé-based architect, heard about partial restrictions on travel to the US from Togo as part of the travel bans announced by Donald Trump on Thursday, she lamented losing access to what…
Trump’s travel ban includes Afghanistan, where thousands await U.S. resettlement
By Greg Myre , Megan Pratz President Trump enacted a travel ban on citizens from a dozen countries Wednesday, including Afghanistan, where U.S. troops were stationed for nearly two decades. Even though the president’s travel ban applies to Afghanistan, it does include an exception. Afghans who served with the U.S. during the war can still…
Venezuela says being in US is ‘great risk’ as countries respond to Trump travel ban
Caracas describes US government as fascist, Somalia vows to address security and Iranian Americans express regret US politics live – latest updates Venezuela has hit back over the Trump administration’s travel ban by warning that the US is a dangerous place, while Somalia immediately vowed to work with Washington on security concerns. The mixed responses…
Trump issues new travel ban covering a dozen countries
By NPR Washington Desk , Asma Khalid President Trump on Wednesday signed a proclamation banning travelers from 12 countries and partially restricting travelers from seven others, starting on Monday, June 9. The White House said the action was needed to protect the United States from terrorist attacks and other national security threats, and said the…
Vietnam ends its longstanding 2-child policy
By Nga Pham HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam has scrapped a policy that limited couples to have up to two children, as it addresses a declining birth rate and a shrinking working-age population. Vietnamese lawmakers on Tuesday passed new amendments to the Population Law, leaving it up to families to decide how many children they are…
Home Office accused of ‘racist crackdown’ on Nigerians after denial of visit visa
Officials refused entry to man who runs top security firm in Nigeria and his family to spend holiday with his sister The Home Office has been accused of a “racist crackdown on Nigerians” after refusing a visa to a man who runs one of the west African country’s top security firms for a holiday to…
Researchers say the true cost of prisons and jails is higher than many realize
Meg Anderson Dorothy Gaines knows firsthand the burdens prison can put on a family. She was in federal prison for seven years with three children at home. “My oldest daughter was 18,” she says. “She had to come out of college, and try to take care of them. So it was a lot of stress…
The World Isn’t Ready for the Mental Health Toll of Extreme Heat
The World Isn’t Ready for the Mental Health Toll of Extreme Heat Temperatures are rising, and so are mental health risks By Madhusree Mukerjee edited by Dean Visser A man walks with an umbrella to protect himself from the heat as a yellow alert is issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) due to…
South Korean Haenyeo Divers’ Extreme Lifestyle Is Shaping Their Genetics
These ‘Real-Life Mermaid’ Divers Have Remarkable Underwater Abilities—and Genetics The Haenyeo, an all-female group of divers on South Korea’s Jeju Island, spend much of their lives underwater without equipment—a “superpower” that may be written into their DNA By Gayoung Lee edited by Lauren J. Young Haenyeo women, famous for diving into their eighties and holding…
These researchers think the sludge in your home may help save the planet
Ari Daniel There are places where the Earth’s inner rumblings burble to the surface — like Iron Spring, located just outside the bustling town of Manitou Springs in central Colorado. Every few seconds, a burst of water surges out of a narrow pipe, splashing into a concrete basin that’s partly dyed a bright orange. Henriksen…
How a Los Angeles camp made space to let kids be kids after the wildfires
Emma Bowman Not long after the Eaton fire displaced her family from their Los Angeles home, 10-year-old Emory Stumme broke down. The tears came during a family dinner, and she struggled to catch her breath. “You just were like, ‘I can’t pick up this fork, it’s too heavy,’ ” Emory’s mother, Becca, told her, recounting…
Google and Home Depot drop Pride Toronto sponsorship amid Trump’s DEI war
Organizer points to president’s anti-diversity push as companies join Adidas and Clorox in withdrawing support In another blow to one of the largest celebrations of LGTBQ+ people in North America, Pride Toronto has unexpectedly lost two more major corporate sponsors, just weeks before the festival in a setback the festival’s organizer says is direct result…
CDC recommends parents talk to a doctor about getting COVID-19 shots for kids
By Pien Huang , Rob Stein The federal government has removed the recommendation that children and pregnant women get routine COVID-19 vaccines. The change, reflected in new vaccine schedules posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 30, results from a directive announced on May 27 by Health and Human Services Secretary…
Former ambassador calls on UK to advise citizens against travel to Egypt
John Casson says Cairo ‘fobbing us off’ by refusing to release British-Egyptian national Alaa Abd el-Fattah The former British ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, has urged the UK to advise its citizens against travelling to Egypt, in response to Cairo’s refusal to release dual British Egyptian national Alaa Abd el-Fattah. A UN panel found on…
White House acknowledges problems in RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report
By The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The White House will fix errors in a much-anticipated federal government report spearheaded by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which decried America’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs. Kennedy’s wide-ranging “Make America Healthy Again” report, released last week, cited hundreds of studies, but a…
In a county that backed Trump, people dependent on Medicaid are conflicted about cuts
By Noam Levey In an Arizona county that voted for Trump 2-to-1, many people rely on Medicaid, would hate to lose it, and are persuaded that there is fraud that can be cut from the program. MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Gila County, Arizona, went big for Donald Trump and backed the president 2 to 1…
Medicaid Cuts Will Make Older People Sicker
The Very Real Health Implications of Medicaid Cuts for Older People For people aged 65 and older, Medicaid can provide vital health care—and losing coverage makes people sicker By Jane Tavares, Marc Cohen & The Conversation US Medicaid provides health insurance coverage for more than 82 million Americans. The following essay is reprinted with permission…
5 years after anti-police protests, initiatives for officer mental health have traction
By Katja Ridderbusch ATLANTA — A day rarely goes by when Officer Jonnie Moeller-Reed’s eyes don’t fall on a small, framed photograph on the bookshelf in her office. It shows two smiling young men in casual, colorful shirts and shorts. Both died by suicide in the past few years. Looking at the photo of her late…
Mahmoud Khalil told a judge his deportation could be a death sentence. Here’s why
Adrian Florido JENA, La. — The immigration judge was looking out over her courtroom. Mahmoud Khalil was sitting at a table next to his lawyers as they tried to convince her not to order him deported to the Middle East. “His life is at stake, your honor,” one of them, Marc Van Der Hout, told…
COVID Vaccines Face Potential New Limits from Trump Administration
What FDA’s Planned Limits on COVID Vaccinations Mean for Health Despite the fact that vaccines against COVID have already undergone strict safety reviews and that people continue to die from the disease, Trump’s FDA is moving to reduce access to annual COVID boosters for healthy Americans By Stephanie Armour & KFF Health News Larry Saltzman…
A Public Health Researcher and Her Engineer Husband Found How Diseases Can Spread through Air Decades before the COVID Pandemic
Mildred Weeks Wells’s Work on Airborne Transmission Could Have Saved Many Lives—If the Scientific Establishment Listened Mildred Weeks Wells and her husband figured out that disease-causing pathogens can spread through the air like smoke By Carol Sutton Lewis, Luca Evans & The Lost Women of Science Initiative LISTEN TO THE PODCAST If you’re enjoying this…
Vitamin D May Slow Cells’ Aging by Protecting DNA
Vitamin D May Slow Cells’ Aging Vitamin D supplements may help prevent the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences that shrink with aging, a large study shows. But the health effects aren’t yet clear By Stephanie Pappas edited by Jeanna Bryner A new study suggests vitamin D supplements might slow cellular aging by protecting telomeres. Vitamin…
Getting Enough Sleep is Critical for Weight Loss and Maintenance
Sleep Plays an Important Role in Sustainable Weight Loss A sleep medicine specialist explains how restless nights lead to consuming more calories and how you can use sleep as a tool for weight loss By Tammy Worth This Nature Outlook is editorially independent, produced with financial support from Avadel. A healthy diet and regular exercise…
Southwest Airlines will require passengers to keep chargers visible due to fire risk
By Joe Hernandez Passengers flying on Southwest Airlines will soon be required to keep battery packs and other portable charging devices visible if they’re using them during a flight. The airline announced in an emailed statement on Wednesday that this “first-in-industry” policy will take effect on May 28. It is intended as a safety measure…
El Salvador arrest prominent human rights lawyer
Eyder Peralta López has been an outspoken critic of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. She and her organization have documented human rights abuses in El Salvador — including inhumane conditions in jails and the extended state of emergency, during which the government has suspended many constitutional rights and imprisoned tens of thousands of suspected gang members…
For the first time, the U.S. is absent from WHO’s annual assembly. What’s the impact?
By Jonathan Lambert It’s the biggest global health meeting of the year. And the United States won’t be taking a seat at the table. This week, representatives from the 194 countries of the World Health Organization — minus the U.S. — are gathering in Geneva to discuss and vote on policies that will shape global…
What Are AI Chatbot Companions Doing to Our Mental Health?
What Are AI Chatbot Companions Doing to Our Mental Health? AI chatbot companions may not be real, but the feelings users form for them are. Some scientists worry about long-term dependency By David Adam & Nature magazine “My heart is broken,” said Mike, when he lost his friend Anne. “I feel like I’m losing the…
UnitedHealth Group abruptly replaces CEO Andrew Witty, deepening a terrible year
By Maria Aspan UnitedHealth Group abruptly replaced CEO Andrew Witty on Tuesday, as the sweeping problems facing the company and industry deepened. Witty resigned “for personal reasons,” UnitedHealth said. He was replaced, effective immediately, by the company’s former CEO and current chairman, Stephen J. Hemsley. A UnitedHealth spokesperson declined to comment further. Shares in UnitedHealth…
Ways To Cope When Your Child Gets A Life-Altering Diagnosis
Opinion The Science of ParentingMondays Ways To Cope When Your Child Gets A Life-Altering Diagnosis Parents often struggle with the news that their child has a major health issue. Learning how to manage new routines and expectations is key to everyone’s happiness By Beth S. Russell Cut through the claims: Get email alerts for The…
VA says its job cuts will limit doctor, nurse resignations
By Katya Mendoza , Quil Lawrence Data that employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs have shared with NPR shows that 11,273 agency employees nationwide have applied for deferred resignation, which the Trump administration is offering as part of its DOGE initiative to cut the VA’s workforce by 15%. The top positions across all networks…
Trump Aims to Cut Hospital Disaster Preparedness Program
Trump Aims to Cuts Program Used to Help Hospitals Evacuate During Disasters The Hospital Preparedness Program helps hospitals and emergency managers save lives in wildfires, tornadoes, pandemics and other mass-casualty events. The Trump administration has proposed cutting it By Ariel Wittenberg & E&E News The damaged interior of Monette Manor nursing home on Dec. 12,…
HIV Testing and Prevention Efforts Gutted as Trump Funding Cuts Sweep U.S. South
HIV Testing and Prevention Efforts Gutted as Trump Funding Cuts Sweep U.S. South A disruption in federal funds has jeopardized HIV testing and outreach in the U.S. South, and researchers warn of a resurgence of the epidemic in the region By Amy Maxmen & KFF Health News JACKSON, Miss. — Storm clouds hung low above…
IVF Treatment Faces Threats from ‘Fetal Personhood’ Laws That Would Grant Fetuses Legal Rights
The Push to Grant Fetuses and Embryos Legal Rights Is Threatening IVF Treatment In the new book Personhood, historian and law professor Mary Ziegler explores how the push to grant embryos and fetuses full legal rights is reshaping U.S. reproductive health care, research and policy By Lucy Tu edited by Lauren J. Young President Donald…
Trump EPA Reorganization Signals End to Climate Work
EPA Reorganization Signals End to Climate Work Under President Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate offices that track greenhouse gas emissions and regulate air pollution By Jean Chemnick & E&E News EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin aims to eliminate the Office of Atmospheric Protection and Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. CLIMATEWIRE |…
Trump restricts funding for ‘gain-of-function’ research — calling it dangerous
Rob Stein President Trump issued an executive order Monday restricting federal funding for research that involves a controversial field of scientific study known as “gain-of-function” research. The research, which is also known as “dual-use” research, involves experimenting with viruses and other pathogens that have the potential to trigger a pandemic. Those studies could discover how…
A Maryland town backed Trump’s cost-cutting pledge. Now it’s a target
Frank Langfitt EMMITSBURG, Md. — Frank Davis saw a lot of waste during his decades in the federal government. In November, he voted for Donald Trump to get rid of it. So far, Davis likes a lot of what he’s seen. “I’m probably gonna get shot for this, but he is doing what he said…
The Trump administration says it will cut EPA staffing to Reagan-era levels
By Alejandra Borunda The Trump administration announced plans for a significant reorganization of the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday, and signaled major cuts in staffing to come – especially for the agency’s scientific research arm. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said the EPA expects to cut staff to levels similar to the 1980s, when President Ronald…
Health care for transgender children questioned in 400-page Trump administration report
Selena Simmons-Duffin On Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services published a 400-page document entitled “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices.” The review’s authors are not being named by HHS. According to a press release, the names “are not initially being made public in order to help maintain the…
Education Department stops $1 billion in funding for school mental health
Cory Turner The Trump administration says it will stop paying out $1 billion in federal grants that school districts across the country have been using to hire mental health professionals, including counselors and social workers. The U.S. Department of Education is telling impacted districts that the Biden administration, in awarding the grants, violated “the letter…
Trump’s VA strands thousands of veterans by ending a key mortgage program
By Chris Arnold , Quil Lawrence The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as of Thursday, has ended a new mortgage-rescue program that so far has helped about 20,000 veterans avoid foreclosure and keep their homes. The move leaves millions of military veterans with far worse options than most other American homeowners if they run into…
Fears for health of Alaa Abd el-Fattah and mother as hunger strikes take toll
Activist jailed in Egypt receives medical treatment and family worry his mother Laila Soueif is ‘dying in slow motion’ The family of the imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah say they fear for his health along with that of his mother, Laila Soueif, as both continued their hunger strikes to demand his freedom. Relatives of…
Homes destroyed and 1,500 detained in Kashmir as India cracks down following attacks
By Bilal Kuchay , Omkar Khandekar PULWAMA, India — Indian authorities have detained at least 1,500 people in India-administered Kashmir after a militant attack killed 26 people last week, a top police officer told NPR. Several homes linked to alleged militants were also destroyed. India accused Pakistan of having a connection to the attack —…
Child Asthma Will Worsen with Trump’s Pollution Rollbacks and RFK, Jr.’s CDC Cuts
Childhood Asthma Will Worsen with Pollution Rollbacks and CDC Cuts President Trump has ordered agencies to act “urgently” to curb asthma—a goal at odds with moves to roll back air pollution limits and with RFK, Jr., cutting CDC experts By Ariel Wittenberg & E&E News CLIMATEWIRE | When EPA announced its intent to roll back…
Ukrainian families divided by Russian occupation hang on and hope to be reunited
Eleanor Beardsley ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — On a recent Saturday morning, several dozen volunteers at a youth center are weaving strips of cloth to make camouflage netting for the Ukrainian army. They are in the capital of Ukraine’s southeastern province of Zaporizhzhia, about two-thirds of which is controlled by Russian forces. The front line is 25…
In a reversal, the Trump administration restores funding for women’s health study
Rob Stein The Trump administration is restoring financial support for a landmark study of women’s health, an official said Thursday, reversing a defunding decision that shocked medical researchers. “These studies represent critical contributions to our better understanding of women’s health,” said a statement from Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human…
Air pollution still plagues nearly half of Americans. That does a number on our health
By Alejandra Borunda Air in the U.S. has gotten cleaner for decades, adding years to people’s lives and preventing millions of asthma attacks, but nearly half of Americans still live with unhealthy air pollution, a new report finds. The report comes as the Trump administration is considering rolling back some key air quality regulations. Air…
‘I hope I’ll one day be at peace’: civilians seek mental health help in war-ravaged eastern DRC
People traumatised by conflict have queued outside the Saint Vincent de Paul neuropsychiatric hospital in Goma each day since free scheme launched On a sunny morning in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where fighting between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese army raged earlier this year, men and…
The time NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli came face-to-face with Pope Francis
Sylvia Poggioli Reporting for NPR from Rome, I covered the last three popes. My first encounter with Pope John Paul II was in 1983, when I was a budding radio reporter. It was a ceremonial event welcoming journalists. When he walked by me, I pulled out my microphone, broke the no-question protocol and asked, “When…
Lifesaving Alzheimer’s Research Delayed by Trump Funding Cuts
Lifesaving Alzheimer’s Research Delayed by Trump Funding Cuts The Trump administration is freezing, delaying and revoking funding for dementia research, setting back discoveries of potential future treatments By Allison Parshall edited by Jeanna Bryner On Monday, March 24, Charles DeCarli received an order from the federal government to stop work on his nationwide study of…
5 takeaways from the week: Nearing a constitutional crisis?
Domenico Montanaro The week was dominated by news about President Trump and the continued struggle over the narrative around Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was illegally deported to El Salvador. But there was also continued concern around Trump’s tariffs — with the Federal Reserve chair saying they’re likely to lead to higher prices…
Move over, Med diet – plantains and cassava can be as healthy as tomatoes and olive oil, say researchers
Findings from Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro region indicate traditional eating habits in rural Africa can boost the immune system and reduce inflammation Plantains, cassava and fermented banana drink should be added to global healthy eating guidelines alongside the olive oil, tomatoes and red wine of the Mediterranean diet, say researchers who found the traditional diet of people…
Earth Month: How we’re keeping the ocean healthy
Editor’s note: April is Earth Month, when we honor humanity’s shared responsibility for nature and the climate. At Conservation International, this responsibility drives us — and in honor of Earth Month, Conservation News is highlighting stories of our impact. We hope that this inspires you to carry the spirit of Earth Month throughout the year.…
RFK pushes to find ‘environmental’ cause of autism, calls rising rates an ‘epidemic’
By Rob Stein , Carmel Wroth Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wednesday declared that autism is a rapidly growing “epidemic” in the U.S. and vowed to identify the “environmental toxin” he says is to blame. He noted that autism incidence in the U.S. has increased from 1 in 36 children in…
‘Homegrowns are next:’ Trump hopes to deport and jail U.S. citizens abroad
Brian Mann President Trump says his administration is actively exploring a proposal to detain U.S. citizens and send them to prisons in El Salvador. Speaking Monday, minutes before a press briefing alongside El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, Trump could be heard embracing the concept. “The homegrowns are next, the homegrowns. You’ve got to build about…
Federal funding freeze halts key infrastructure projects in tribal communities
By Nate Perez The Tebughna Foundation threw a big celebration in February after the Environmental Protection Agency awarded the nonprofit $20 million to renovate or replace 20 homes contaminated with asbestos and lead for the Native Village of Tyonek in Alaska. The project, which would also connect the homes to solar panels, aimed to upgrade…
White House doctor says Trump is ‘fully fit’ in medical report
Luke Garrett President Trump “exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit,” according to White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella. The White House released Trump’s three-page medical report Sunday morning following the president’s annual physical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday. Trump, 78, is the oldest president to take…
‘I cannot guarantee complete confidentiality,’ VA therapists ordered to tell veterans
By Katia Riddle Panic, fear, uncertainty, and anger. Those are the emotions mental health clinicians who work for the US Department of Veterans Affairs describe as they prepare for the VA’s mandatory return-to-office directive. Some are being summoned to offices as soon as Monday, April 14. Representatives from the VA say they are planning to…
HIV, Trans Health, and Covid Research Targeted by Trump Cuts to NIH
The Science Fields and State Hit Hardest by Trump NIH Cuts, in 4 Charts An analysis reveals which fields of science and U.S. states are being hit hardest by National Institutes of Health grant terminations By Max Kozlov, Chris Ryan & Nature magazine Scientists and others have been protesting the massive cuts to research at…
Health secretary RFK Jr. endorses the MMR vaccine — stoking fury among his supporters
Geoff Brumfiel An endorsement of the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has provoked an angry outcry from anti-vaccine activists. “The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy said in the third paragraph of a lengthy post on…
Colon cancer survivors who exercise regularly live longer
Maria Godoy Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide, and it’s on the rise among younger adults in the U.S. But research recently published in the journal Cancer, finds regular exercise can help survivors live longer — in some cases, even longer than people who’ve never had colon cancer. “I…
Second child dies from measles-related causes in West Texas, where cases near 500
By The Associated Press A second school-aged child in West Texas has died from a measles-related illness, a hospital spokesman confirmed Sunday, as the outbreak continues to swell. Aaron Davis, a spokesperson for UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas, said that the child was “receiving treatment for complications of measles while hospitalized” and was not…
Utah’s Decision to Ban Fluoride Is a Bad Move for Kids
Opinion Cross CurrentsFridays Utah’s Decision to Ban Fluoride Is a Bad Move for Kids Becoming the first state to ban fluoride is going to cost Utah, both financially and dentally By Megha Satyanarayana Keep in touch with Cross Current: Get email alerts for this weekly column by Megha Satyanarayana Utah has just become the first…
Don’t overthink the torpedo bats
Linda Holmes On Monday, March 31, at the Philadelphia Phillies’ home opener at Citizens Bank Park, with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, with the count at one ball and one strike, Phillies slugger Bryce Harper smacked the ball, hard. You could hear it — smack. And that home crowd (which I…
What does gender have to do with conservation?
In a remote, arid region of southwest Madagascar, the main source of local income is women’s work. In this case, it’s octopus fishing. Each day, as the men of the community set sail at dawn to fish in deep waters, women wait for the tide to recede. Joined by their children and armed with well-used…
As Happened in Texas, Ignoring EPA Science Will Allow Pollution and Cancer to Fester
Opinion As Happened in Texas, Ignoring EPA Science Will Allow Pollution and Cancer to Fester Trump administration plans to destroy EPA science will leave the air we breathe and the water we drink more polluted By Jennifer Sass Cows graze near the Oak Grove Power Plant in Robertson County, Texas, subject to EPA (Environmental Protection…
A midwife says of the aid cuts in Afghanistan: ‘No one prioritizes women’s lives.’
By Diaa Hadid , Khwaga Ghani An Afghan midwife describes how a woman died in childbirth, along with her baby. She was snowed into her village and couldn’t reach a hospital. Just weeks before, the health clinic in her village had closed. If it was open, a midwife could have helped her. Other midwives, based…
As Measles Continues to Rise, CDC Muffles Vaccine Messaging
As Measles Continues to Rise, CDC Muffles Vaccine Messaging By burying an assessment with updates and recommendations about the U.S.’s current measles outbreaks, the CDC has signaled an alarming shift in its public messaging By Jen Schwartz edited by Jeanna Bryner A health worker prepares a dose of the measles vaccine at a health center…
Charity-seekers from all over Pakistan flock to Karachi at Ramadan to collect alms
By Betsy Joles KARACHI, Pakistan — On a recent Monday afternoon, 61-year-old Sayani Soomar, a widow, sits on a curb in a busy Karachi commercial area with a paper sign asking for help. She holds in her lap packages with pills for high blood pressure, her husband’s death certificate and an electricity bill — evidence…
Amid Trump Cuts, Climate Researchers Wait for the Ax to Fall
Climate Researchers Wait for the Ax to Fall Climate experts whose research is funded by federal grants hide, whisper and wait for their jobs to disappear By Ariel Wittenberg, Chelsea Harvey & E&E News The Trump administration has slashed jobs and funding at the National Institutes of Health. CLIMATEWIRE | The National Institutes of Health…
What green card and visa holders should know before traveling abroad
Juliana Kim Traveling or returning to the U.S. from abroad has become increasingly risky for some — even for people with valid visas and green cards. In recent weeks, international tourists, visa holders and lawful permanent residents — also known as green card holders — have been facing tougher scrutiny at airports and border crossings.…
Long wait for a rushed doctor’s visit? Maybe you’ll get more with a ‘membership’ fee
From By Karen Brown Michele Andrews had been seeing her internist in Northampton, Massachusetts for about 10 years. She was happy with the care, although she did start to notice it was harder to get an appointment. This story was produced in partnership with KFF Health News. “You’d call and you’re talking about weeks to a…
Fat Doesn’t Deserve Its Bad Rap
Opinion Fat Doesn’t Deserve Its Bad Rap Fat is one of the most active, dynamic organs we have. Why can’t we learn to love it? By Bethany Brookshire We starve it. Sweat it off. Freeze or carve it out. We claim that two thirds of Americans have too much of it, and then we take…
The Trump administration restructures federal health agencies, cuts 20,000 jobs
By Selena Simmons-Duffin , Diane Webber The Trump administration Thursday announced a major restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that will cut 20,000 full-time jobs. The cuts include employees who have taken the Trump administration’s Fork in the Road offer and early retirement, plus an additional reduction in force of 10,000…
Exhibit takes visitors inside the annex where Anne Frank lived
By Sarah Ventre NEW YORK — The rooms are small and cramped, but they’re full of the details that would make a house into a home: colorful rugs, neatly made beds, a board game on the table and even pictures of the British royal family on the wall. But this isn’t exactly a home —…
HHS’s Long COVID Office Is Closing. What Will This Mean for Future Research and Treatments?
HHS’s Long COVID Office Is Closing. What Will This Mean for Future Research and Treatments? The Office for Long COVID Research and Practice was instrumental in coordinating the U.S. government’s initiatives to treat, diagnose and prevent the mysterious postviral condition that affects millions of people today By Lauren J. Young edited by Dean Visser Under…
What’s soil blocking? This seeding method helps gardeners use less plastic and peat
Neda Ulaby Spring means it’s time for gardeners to think about seedlings, those little baby plants all ready to get plunked into the ground. And a hands-on technique for growing them, called “soil blocking,” is capturing the attention of serious gardeners. Among them is Christopher Hallett. He’s a farm manager at Growing Hope Urban Farm,…
Reporter’s Notebook: Eight theories why fentanyl deaths are plummeting
Brian Mann The last six months I’ve been tracking something really cool and mysterious happening on American streets. For the first time in thirty years, drug deaths are plunging at a rate that addiction experts say is hopeful — but also baffling. In the past, even the most ambitious, well-funded efforts to slow drug deaths…
RFK, Jr., Wants to Make Baby Formula Safer, but Trump Budget Cuts Imperil That Effort
RFK, Jr., Wants to Make Baby Formula Safer, but Trump Budget Cuts Imperil That Effort A new Trump administration health initiative called Operation Stork Speed aims to improve the safety of infant formula and reduce contamination risk, but budget and staffing cuts may hinder that By Tanya Lewis edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Earlier this week…
South African ambassador expelled from US welcomed home by supporters
Ebrahim Rasool, declared persona non grata by Washington, was surrounded by crowds at Cape Town airport The South African ambassador who was expelled from the US and declared persona non grata by the Trump administration was welcomed home on Sunday by hundreds of supporters who sang songs praising him. Crowds at Cape Town International airport…
Flights resume at London Heathrow after a daylong closure sparked travel chaos
By The Associated Press LONDON — London Heathrow Airport said it was “fully operational” on Saturday, after an almost daylong closure sparked by an electrical substation fire. But airlines warned that severe disruption will last for days as they scramble to relocate planes and crews and get travelers to their destinations. The airport’s boss said…
Homeland Security makes cuts to civil rights and immigration oversight offices
Ximena Bustillo The Department of Homeland Security is cutting jobs in the oversight divisions focused on civil rights as a part of a broader reduction in force effort across the federal government. The affected offices, confirmed by DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, are the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the…
USAID Funding Saved Millions of Children’s Lives. Recent Cuts Put It in Jeopardy
USAID Funding Saved Millions of Children’s Lives. Recent Cuts Put It in Jeopardy USAID investments significantly reduced deaths among children under age five and women of reproductive age, studies show By Tanya Lewis edited by Dean Visser Tigray people, fled due to conflicts and taking shelter in Mekelle city of the Tigray region, in northern…
Tren de Aragua — all you need to know about the Venezuelan gang
By John Otis BOGOTA, Colombia — The Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang that President Trump is targeting in his latest wave of deportations, formed in a Venezuelan prison but has branched out to become a multinational crime organization that has pulled off brazen attacks in places ranging from New York City to Santiago, Chile.…
After al-Assad’s Ouster, Many Syrians Struggle With Returning Home
Syria After Civil War Syria’s interim president has said that millions would return after President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, but many houses and other buildings were destroyed in 13 years of civil war. Syria’s interim president has said that millions would return after President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, but many houses and other buildings were destroyed in…
What we know about the search for a U.S. student missing in the Dominican Republic
By Ayana Archie A person of interest has been named in the investigation of a missing 20-year-old U.S. college student who disappeared last week in the Dominican Republic while on spring break with friends. The missing woman, Sudiksha Konanki, traveled to Punta Cana with five other people last Monday, according to the Dominican Republic’s national…