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Tag: coronavirus

  • Calling the Shots: Tracking RFK Jr. on Vaccines

    It was one of President Donald Trump’s more audacious picks for his Cabinet: anti-vaccine activist and alternative health advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to helm the nation’s health department.

    Kennedy, however, won over the senators needed to confirm him to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, promising not to remove government website statements pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism and to keep current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems intact. Ahead of being tapped by Trump for the role, he said he wouldn’t take vaccines away from those who wanted them while stressing a desire for individual choice.

    Since his confirmation, Kennedy has toed the line between backing vaccination as a preventive public health tool and making statements or overseeing developments that threaten to undermine that tool. His moves have played out against the backdrop of an explosion in vaccine-preventable measles cases in West Texas and an intense flu season that resulted in high rates of hospitalization, along with bird flu outbreaks that have raised the specter of another pandemic.

    Here’s a look at notable vaccine-related moves and remarks made by Kennedy or under his authority since he was sworn in as head of HHS on Feb. 13:

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    • Dec. 16, 2025 – The CDC ended the long-standing recommendation for all newborns to receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth after its revamped committee of outside vaccine experts voted 8-3 to scrap it. The agency now recommends parents consult with a healthcare provider to decide whether infants born to hepatitis B-negative mothers should get the vaccine. “We are restoring the balance of informed consent to parents whose newborns face little risk of contracting hepatitis B,” CDC acting Director Jim O’Neill said in a statement.
    • Nov. 28, 2025 – Dr. Vinay Prasad, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a memo to agency staff that a review “found that at least 10 children have died after and because of receiving COVID-19 vaccination.” In the memo, which was first reported by The New York Times, Prasad said the true number could be higher and accused the agency of ignoring safety concerns. He did not include information like the ages of the kids, whether they had health problems or how the agency staff determined the vaccine-death link. Prasad said he would propose new oversight and review of vaccines.

    • Sept. 18-19, 2025 – The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices held a chaotic meeting where it voted to weaken COVID-19 shot recommendations, saying that individuals should consult with their healthcare provider about whether they should get the shot. They decided against a prescription requirement for the shot in a narrow vote. The panel also voted against recommending a combination jab against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox, or MMRV, for children under the age of 4 and postponed a vote on the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.

    • July 7, 2025 – Several medical groups sued Kennedy and HHS over his changes to federal vaccine policies, including his decision to remove healthy children and pregnant women from the COVID-19 vaccine schedule, which the plaintiffs asked the court to vacate. The lawsuit accuses Kennedy of working “to dismantle the longstanding, Congressionally-authorized, science- and evidence-based vaccine infrastructure that has prevented the deaths of untold millions of Americans.”

    • Aug. 27, 2025 – Kennedy announced that emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 shots were rescinded, instead issuing full marketing authorization for the shots – but only for those who are at “higher risk” of severe COVID-19. The FDA authorization is for adults 65 and older as well as for children and adults with at least one medical condition that puts them at risk of severe illness.

    • July 22, 2025 – Kennedy accepted a recommendation from the CDC’s ACIP to remove the mercury-based preservative thimerosal from all influenza vaccines distributed in the U.S. “Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility,” Kennedy posted on social media. However, many studies have shown that the small amount of thimerosal used in vaccines is harmless. The move is not expected to impact many Americans, as the vast majority of flu vaccines distributed in the U.S. do not contain the preservative.  

    • May 27, 2025 – Kennedy announced via social media that the CDC was no longer recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy pregnant women and children, citing a “lack of clinical data” to support administering repeat shots for those populations. The move came despite the agency listing pregnancy as a health risk factor for developing complications from COVID-19.

    • July 29, 2025 – Democrats on the Senate Health Committee announced that they would investigate Kennedy’s overhaul of the CDC’s ACIP, which makes vaccine recommendations for Americans. “By removing all 17 of ACIP’s members and replacing them with eight individuals handpicked to advance your anti-vaccine agenda, you have put decades of non-partisan, science-backed work – and, as a result, Americans’ lives – at risk,” the Democrats wrote in a letter to Kennedy. 

    • June 25, 2025 – HHS officials missed a self-set deadline to release ethics forms for new members of the committee before a June meeting. Eventually, Kennedy’s conflict-of-interest database was updated with significantly less information on the new members than prior members. 

    • June 11, 2025 – Kennedy announced eight new ACIP members. At least half of the picks had spoken out against vaccination in some way, according to The New York Times. Infectious disease experts accused Kennedy of breaking his pledge not to appoint “ideological anti-vaxxers” to the panel.

    • June 9, 2025 – Kennedy announced that he was removing all 17 members of the CDC’s ACIP, which makes vaccine recommendations for Americans. “A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy said in a statement. The removal went against a promise Kennedy made to GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to gain the senator’s vote for Kennedy’s confirmation. 

    • Nov. 19, 2025 – The CDC revised its long-held stance that vaccines don’t cause autism, now saying on its website that the consensus is “not an evidence-based claim.” It continues: “Studies supporting a link have been ignored by health authorities.” The change sparked outcry from public health groups as well as Cassidy, who voted for Kennedy’s confirmation after gaining several commitments from him, including one to not remove language on the CDC website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism. “What parents need to hear right now is vaccines for measles, polio, hepatitis B and other childhood diseases are safe and effective and will not cause autism,” Cassidy posted on social media after the website was updated. 

    • Sept. 22, 2025 – Kennedy joined Trump at a White House event where the president claimed that vaccines should “be taken separately” rather than as a combined shot and that “it seems when you mix them, there could be a problem.” Trump also promoted claims about vaccines and autism, saying, “I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills that have no autism.” Kennedy added that the Trump administration will be “closely examining” vaccines as it seeks to find the cause of autism, which the HHS secretary had previously promised would come by September. 

    • March 25, 2025 – The Washington Post reported that HHS had hired David Geier to study potential connections between vaccines and autism – a debunked theory he has previously promoted that again drew the spotlight after Kennedy refused to reject the claim during his confirmation hearings. Geier faced disciplinary action from state regulators more than a decade ago for practicing medicine without a license and was listed as a data analyst in the HHS employee directory, according to the Post. 

    • Jan. 5, 2026 – The CDC announced a revamped childhood vaccine schedule that decreased the number of vaccines recommended for children, nixing shots for flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV. Vaccines for those diseases are only recommended now for certain groups deemed high risk. The Trump administration said that all shots would continue to be covered by insurance companies. “This decision protects children, respects families and rebuilds trust in public health,” Kennedy said in a statement. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other public health organizations sued over the move, calling it “harmful and unlawful.”
    • Sept. 9, 2025 – A new MAHA strategy report said that HHS and the White House Domestic Policy Council will develop a framework focused on “ensuring America has the best childhood vaccine schedule.”

    • Feb. 18, 2025 – In his first address to agency staff after taking over as HHS secretary, Kennedy said a commission would investigate the childhood vaccination schedule, questioning whether it was among “possible factors” tied to poor health in the U.S. Kennedy said the Make America Healthy Again commission – created by a Trump order – would convene “representatives of all viewpoints” to examine potential causes behind a “drastic rise in chronic disease,” including some issues that “were formerly taboo and insufficiently scrutinized.” 

    • Aug. 27, 2025 – The White House fired CDC Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her new role after she clashed with Kennedy over vaccine policies. Kennedy reportedly asked Monarez to fire career agency officials and commit to backing his own advisers, which she refused to do. Four high-ranking officials resigned in support of the former director. 

    • July 2025 – Prasad, the FDA’s top vaccine official and Trump’s replacement for Dr. Peter Marks, left the post after less than three months on the job. Prasad “did not want to be a distraction,” an HHS spokesperson said in a statement, adding that he was leaving the role to “spend more time with his family.” But less than two weeks after his ouster, Prasad was rehired to the same role. “At the FDA’s request, Dr. Vinay Prasad is resuming leadership of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said.

    • March 28, 2025 – The Wall Street Journal reported that Marks – the FDA’s former top vaccine official and head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research – submitted his resignation after being forced to either resign or be fired. In a resignation letter, Marks said he’d been “willing to work to address (Kennedy’s) concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency,” but accused the HHS chief of merely wishing for “subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”

    • May 14, 2025 – Kennedy, in his testimony to lawmakers on Trump’s budget proposal that would slash the HHS budget by more than a quarter, said that his “opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.” He added that he doesn’t think “people should be taking medical advice from me.” When Kennedy was questioned about whether he would hypothetically vaccinate a child of his for measles, he said, “probably, for measles.” He wouldn’t answer the same question about vaccines for chicken pox or polio. 

    • April 2025 – Kennedy told CBS News after the second measles death in an unvaccinated child in the U.S. that people should get the measles vaccine but that the “government should not be mandating those.” Despite his endorsement of the vaccine, Kennedy said in the same interview that “we’re always going to have measles, no matter what happens, as the vaccine wanes very quickly.” However, according to the CDC, most people who are vaccinated against measles “will be protected for life.”

    • March 11, 2025 – In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Kennedy said the measles vaccine “does cause deaths every year … so people ought to be able to make that choice for themselves.” According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, no deaths have been found to be related to the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine among healthy people, while “there have been rare cases of deaths from vaccine side effects among children who are immune compromised.” The CDC recommends such individuals not get the MMR vaccine or wait to get it.

    • March 4, 2025 – In an interview with Fox News, Kennedy stressed nutrition and exercise as ways to avoid being severely impacted by measles: “It’s very, very difficult for measles to kill a healthy person.” He said the area in West Texas undergoing a measles outbreak is “kind of a food desert” and that malnutrition “may have been an issue” for a child who died of measles in that outbreak. State health officials said the child, who was not vaccinated, “had no known underlying conditions.”

    • March 2, 2025 – Kennedy wrote in a Fox News op-ed that “studies have found that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality.” He pointed to a CDC recommendation, updated after he took office, supporting the use of vitamin A to treat measles infections. While health experts acknowledge that vitamin A can be beneficial for patients with a measles infection, they’ve also emphasized it is not a replacement for vaccination and warned that it can cause dangerous health complications when given in excess.

    • December 2025 – HHS terminated millions in grant money for the American Academy of Pediatrics because the initiatives “no longer align with the Department’s mission or priorities,” according to an HHS spokesman. The group has criticized the changes Kennedy has made to federal vaccine policies. “The sudden withdrawal of these funds will directly impact and potentially harm infants, children, youth and their families in communities across the United States,” said Mark Del Monte, the academy’s chief executive and executive vice president.
    • Aug. 5, 2025 – HHS announced it will pull contracts and cut funding for 22 vaccine development projects totaling nearly $500 million. “After reviewing the science and consulting top experts at NIH and FDA, HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses,” Kennedy said in a video announcement on social media, referring to the vaccine technology used in COVID-19 and flu shots. But infectious disease experts argued the decision puts the U.S. at risk for future pandemics, crediting mRNA technology for the fast turnaround of the COVID-19 vaccines. 

    • March 2025 – The Trump administration targeted NIH grants aimed at studying vaccine hesitancy and how to improve immunization levels. According to NPR, more than 40 grants related to vaccine hesitancy were canceled. 

    • January 2026 – Kennedy removed at least four members of the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccinations, which reviews issues relating to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The committee suggests which vaccines and what conditions should be covered by the program, which Kennedy plans to revamp.
    • Sept. 9, 2025 – In its MAHA strategy report, the Trump administration said that HHS and NIH will “investigate vaccine injuries with improved data collection and analysis, including through a new vaccine injury research program at the NIH Clinical Center that may expand to centers around the country.”

    • July 28, 2025 – Kennedy posted on social media his plan to revamp the federal system to compensate people harmed by vaccines. Kennedy said that the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program “is broken, and I intend to fix it.” According to Kennedy, the program has paid out $5.4 billion to 12,000 petitioners since its inception in 1986. He accused the program of dismissing cases that have merit and slow-walking others. “I will not allow the VICP to continue to ignore its mandate and fail its mission of quickly and fairly compensating vaccine-injured individuals,” Kennedy said. The program “is a no-fault alternative to the traditional legal system for resolving vaccine injury petitions,” according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. 

    • Aug. 14, 2025 – HHS announced it is reinstating the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines – a panel created by Congress to improve safety and oversight – in a move requested by Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine advocacy group Kennedy previously led. The task force, which was disbanded in 1988, will now work with the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines to produce regular recommendations. The move comes after Children’s Health Defense sued Kennedy in July for failing to establish the task force. 

    – Former U.S. News writer Steven Ross Johnson contributed to this report

    Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder

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  • How to address speech delays in ‘COVID kindergartners’

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Most children born during the COVID pandemic are now in their first year of school, often being referred to as “COVID kindergartners.”

    Research from the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that experiences in early childhood can have long-term impacts on development and growth.

    What You Need To Know

    • The “COVID kindergartener” class refers to children born around the time of the pandemic who are now about halfway done with their first year of school

    • The Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center conducts around 2,500 speech screenings each year across the Carolina region

    • In 2025, in the Charlotte area alone, the failure rate was around 35%, compared to20% prior to the pandemic. A 15% increase just five years later

    • They just launched “Tools for Transformation,” which is a campaign to raise money for essential tools needed to help these kids with their therapy


    Jack, 6, was born right before the start of the pandemic and is part of that “COVID kindergarten” class, which are students now almost halfway done with their first year of school.

    Jack’s mom said that since the pandemic was a huge part of his early years of life, it had impacts on his speech development. 

    “You know, he only saw people outside of the house. When his sister was born, we kind of, like, locked down again, because she was born in 2021, so it was still shaky ground as far as seeing people. Even though I can’t say this is the specific way that he was affected by it, like there’s no way that it didn’t,” said Maggie Patterson, Jack’s mother.

    Seeing speech and language delays in children born around the time of the pandemic isn’t uncommon.

    The Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center conducts around 2,500 speech screenings each year across the Carolina region. In 2025, in the Charlotte area alone, the failure rate was around 35% and before the pandemic, it was 20%. That’s a 15% increase in only five years.

    “We were so shut down that children did not have that exposure to language stimulation they normally would have. Then, on top of that, everyone was wearing a mask. So that’s an important piece for children to develop language is to actually read lips,” said Shannon Tucker, executive director of the Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center.

    The center helps kids from across North Carolina and just launched its “Tools for Transformation” campaign to raise money for essential items needed to help these kids with their therapy.

    “A couple of examples of tools is, tools to build vocabulary. That can even be apps on an iPad that we have to pay for, that can be specialized books that help develop certain types of vocabulary. That could be oral motor tools to stimulate the development of the muscles of the mouth. Those are very specialized tools and are very expensive,” Tucker said.

    Tucker also has some everyday advice for parents to help children with speech development.

    “Read and have a lot of two-way conversation. So, reading a book is great. What’s even better than reading a book is asking questions about that book, engaging in dialog about what you’re seeing. If you don’t have books, you can do it on the bus, on the way to the grocery store. Just talking and talking, we tell all of our parents to be a radio announcer. Just talk about everything you can see and everything you do, and that child’s brain will just soak that up,” Tucker said.

    Jack’s mom says even though he’s still working on communicating, it’s nice to see her son improving. 

    “If it was “R” or “L” heavy, he really had a hard time getting his point across, and as a 5-year-old, that’s infuriating. So it’s just nice to see him be able to communicate what he wants,” Patterson said.

    For more information about the Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center and resources it provides, visit its website here.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

    Arin Cotel-Altman

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  • Florida Congresswoman Accused of Stealing COVID Funds Maintains Innocence

    MIAMI (AP) — U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick reiterated her innocence Monday outside a Miami federal courthouse, where she faces charges of conspiring to steal $5 million in federal COVID-19 disaster funds.

    Cherfilus-McCormick was scheduled to be arraigned, but her attorney requested the proceeding be rescheduled to Jan. 20 so that she could finalize her legal team. Prosecutors didn’t object, and Judge Lisette Reid agreed to the new date. The hearing lasted less than five minutes.

    “I just want to make it very clear that I am innocent,” Cherfilus-McCormick said immediately after leaving court. “In no way did I steal any kind of funds. I’m committed to the people of Florida and my district.”

    Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat, has pleaded not guilty. She is facing 15 federal counts that accuse her of stealing funds that had been overpaid to her family’s health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, in 2021. The company had a contract to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations.

    Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, said the case involves mistakes that generally aren’t even misdemeanors, let alone felonies. He said he believes the case is politically motivated.

    Cherfilus-McCormick was arrested in November and then freed on a $60,000 bond. In addition to bail, the judge said Cherfilus-McCormick must surrender her personal passport, and is allowed to travel only between Florida, Washington, D.C., Maryland and the Eastern District of Virginia.

    She has been allowed to retain her congressional passport so she can perform certain duties for her job.

    According to the federal indictment, prosecutors said that within two months of receiving the funds in 2021, more than $100,000 had been spent on a 3-carat yellow diamond ring for the congresswoman.

    The health care company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick’s family had received payments through a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract, the indictment said. Her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, requested $50,000, but they mistakenly received $5 million and didn’t return the difference.

    Prosecutors said the funds received by Trinity Healthcare were distributed to various accounts, including to friends and relatives who then donated to Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign for Congress.

    Cherfilus-McCormick won a special election in January 2022 to represent Florida’s 20th District, which includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, after Rep. Alcee Hastings died in 2021.

    The charges she faces include theft of government funds; making and receiving straw donor contributions; aiding and assisting a false and fraudulent statement on a tax return; money laundering, as well as conspiracy charges associated with each of those counts.

    According to a previous statement provided by Cherfilus-McCormick’s chief of staff, she doesn’t plan to resign from office. She said she has cooperated with “every lawful request” and will continue to do so until the matter is resolved.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • FDA Commissioner Says Data Showed 10 Child Deaths Due to COVID Shots

    Nov 29 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said on Saturday that data showed 10 children had died because of COVID-19 vaccination shots.

    “There were, it appears, 10 deaths of children from the COVID shots. Now this was data that was accumulated during the Biden administration… we’re going to make that information available that those cases were reviewed,” he told Fox News in an interview.

    The New York Times earlier reported that an internal FDA memo concluded that at least 10 children had likely died because of COVID vaccinations, with myocarditis, or heart inflammation, cited as a possible cause.

    (Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Toronto; Editing by Sergio Non and Toby Chopra)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Reuters

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  • Bolsonaro’s Conviction Brings Vindication for Some Brazilians Who Lost Loved Ones to COVID-19

    SAO PAULO (AP) — Simone Guimarães, a retired 52-year-old teacher in Rio de Janeiro, lost at least five relatives to COVID-19: her husband, sister, two brothers-in-law and the godfather of her grandchild. She also lost friends and neighbors.

    “It’s a small beginning of justice starting to be served,” she said. “Impunity has to end at some point. And in his case, we endured a lot.”

    Social media filled with posts Saturday remembering people lost to COVID-19, which also happened in September when the Supreme Court convicted Bolsonaro, even though the legal case had nothing to do with the former president’s pandemic response.

    Guimarães followed every vote in Bolsonaro’s trial. She was at a hospital with her sister in 2021 when Bolsonaro, who was president at the time, mimicked patients gasping for air.

    “I had my forehead against my sister’s. She said, ‘I can’t breathe,’” Guimarães recalled. Her sister later died. “I can’t even bring myself to say his name.”

    She now feels indirectly vindicated, like many other Brazilians who lost relatives to the disease. They say Bolsonaro’s conviction and imprisonment cleansed their souls without delivering justice for their grief.

    “I’m very afraid that this conviction for crimes related to the coup will lessen the convictions for other crimes committed during the pandemic,” said Diego Orsi, a 41-year-old translator in Sao Paulo, the nation’s largest city. “I feel a bit like the Nuremberg trials had convicted the Nazis for invading Poland, and not for genocide.”


    Growing up and then apart

    Orsi grew up alongside his cousin, Henrique Cavalari. They were like brothers. In old family photos, the two appear together blowing out birthday candles.

    As teenagers, Cavalari introduced Orsi to rock bands. Politically, however, they drifted apart. Orsi considers himself progressive while Cavalari backed Bolsonaro.

    “My uncle always leaned right, and my cousin grew up with that mindset,” Orsi said. “During the pandemic, he became convinced there was nothing to worry about, that social distancing restricted freedom and the priority should be protecting the economy.”

    Cavalari ran a motorcycle repair shop and was a staunch Bolsonaro supporter. He couldn’t afford to close his shop and the far-right leader’s rhetoric resonated with the mechanics, who attended his rallies even during the deadliest months of the pandemic.

    Orsi wasn’t 100% sure if Cavalari was at the motorcycle rally, but said his cousin attended previous similar events.

    “He was newly married, paying rent on his business. He needed the money,” Orsi said, recalling he couldn’t visit Cavalari in the hospital intensive care unit because only immediate family was allowed. “But I was told one of the last things he said was to warn his parents to take care, that the disease was serious.”

    Orsi’s family remains divided, much like the rest of Brazil, and he believes Bolsonaro’s conviction will not change public opinion or reconcile other families.


    Feeling grief and vindication

    Bolsonaro denied wrongdoing during his trial. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected an appeal from his legal team, though another may come this week. Before his arrest Saturday, he had been under house arrest since August.

    “I would have preferred that he was arrested for allowing 700,000 Brazilians to die, many deaths that could have been avoided, perhaps by speeding up the vaccine rollout,” Orsi told The Associated Press. “But since he is being tried and convicted for other crimes, it cleanses our soul. It gives us a sense that justice has been served.”

    There have been more than 700,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Brazil since 2020, the world’s second-highest toll after the United States.

    In 2021, epidemiologists at the Federal University of Pelotas estimated 4 in 5 of those deaths could have been avoided if the Bolsonaro administration had supported containment measures and accelerated vaccine purchases.

    Bolsonaro’s government ignored repeated pleas to sign additional vaccine contracts. He publicly questioned the reliability of shots and mocked contract terms, once suggesting Pfizer recipients would have no legal recourse if they “turned into alligators.” Brazil faced vaccine shortages and doses were released in phases by age and health risk.

    Cavalari died just weeks before he would have been eligible for his first dose, Orsi said.

    The same happened to the father of Fábio de Maria, a 45-year-old teacher in Sao Paulo.

    “When he was admitted to the hospital, he was about 15 days away from being eligible for his first shot,” de Maria said. “That delay was fatal for him and many others.”

    His father died in May 2021 at age 65. De Maria blames Bolsonaro and other officials he believes were complicit, but he said the former president’s conviction doesn’t bring justice.

    “Many people feel vindicated, and I don’t blame them. Bolsonaro provoked a lot of anger in many people, including me,” he said. “But I don’t believe there has been justice for those who died of COVID-19, because that is not why Bolsonaro was convicted.”


    Reaching a political turning point

    The pandemic marked a change in course for Bolsonaro’s popularity. During the 2022 campaign, which he lost to Lula, television ads replayed footage of Bolsonaro mocking patients struggling to breathe, which is a common COVID-19 symptom, and highlighted comments widely seen as dismissive of victims and their families.

    “Bolsonaro lost because of his denialist stance during the pandemic. The margin was very narrow,” said Eduardo Scolese, politics editor at the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper during Bolsonaro’s term and author of “1461 Dias na Trincheira” (”1461 Days in the Trenches”).

    The federal government was expected to coordinate Brazil’s early response, Scolese said, but Bolsonaro consistently downplayed the crisis.

    “No one knew how long it would last. Experts called for distancing, while he joined crowds,” Scolese said.

    As the Brazilian leader resisted public health measures, state and local governments imposed their own. The dispute reached the Supreme Court, which ruled states and municipalities could enact distancing, quarantines and other sanitary rules.

    “That’s when Bolsonaro lost control. He began to believe everyone was against him, especially the Supreme Court,” Scolese said.

    The case sat dormant until September, when Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino ordered police to expand the investigation. The case remains underway and sealed.

    Eléonore Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • What to Know About Florida Congresswoman Charged With Stealing Disaster Funds

    A federal indictment charges U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida with stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds, laundering some of the money through straw donors to her congressional campaign and then conspiring to file a false tax return, the Justice Department announced.

    Federal prosecutors accused the Democrat of stealing Federal Emergency Management Agency overpayments that her family health care company received through a COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract. Cherfilus-McCormick has denied the charges and has no plans to resign, according to a statement shared by her chief of staff.

    “This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment — and I am innocent. The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues,” Cherfilus-McCormick’s statement reads in part. “I look forward to my day in court. Until then, I will continue fighting for my constituents.”


    What’s in the indictment?

    The indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Miami on Wednesday accuses Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants of conspiring to steal $5 million in overpayments to her family’s health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, under a 2021 contract to register people for COVID-19 vaccinations.

    Prosecutors allege the funds were distributed to various accounts, including to friends and relatives who in turn donated to the campaign that got her elected to Congress. A “substantial portion” of the misappropriated funds were used for the campaign or for the “personal benefit” of Cherfilus-McCormick and others accused, prosecutors claim.

    Cherfilus-McCormick maintains her innocence. She also said she’s cooperated with “every lawful request,” and will continue to do so “until this matter is resolved,” according to a statement provided by her chief of staff.

    “Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick is a committed public servant, who is dedicated to her constituents. We will fight to clear her good name,” wrote her attorneys David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss and Melissa Madrigal.

    Cherfilus-McCormick won a special election in January 2022 to represent Florida’s 20th District in parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties after Rep. Alcee Hastings died in 2021.


    What did previous investigations find?

    In December 2024, a Florida state agency sued Trinity Healthcare Services, saying the company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick’s family had overcharged the state by nearly $5.8 million for work done during the pandemic and wouldn’t give the money back.

    The Florida Division of Emergency Management said it discovered the problem after a single $5 million overpayment drew attention. Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of Trinity at the time.

    The House Ethics Committee unanimously voted in July to reauthorize an investigative subcommittee to examine the allegations involving the congresswoman.

    The Office of Congressional Ethics said in a January report that Cherfilus-McCormick’s income in 2021 was more than $6 million higher than in 2020, driven by nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees received from Trinity Healthcare Services.

    The indictment charges Cherfilus-McCormick and her 2021 tax preparer with conspiring to file a false federal tax return by falsely claiming political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions and inflated charitable contributions.

    Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • US Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida Indicted on Charges of Stealing $5M in Disaster Funds

    MIAMI (AP) — U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida has been indicted on charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds and using some of the money to aid her 2021 campaign, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

    The Democrat is accused of stealing Federal Emergency Management Agency overpayments that her family health care company had received through a federally funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract, federal prosecutors said. A portion of the money was then funneled to support her campaign through candidate contributions, prosecutors allege.

    “Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”

    A phone message left at Cherfilus-McCormick’s Washington office was not immediately returned.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell Faces a Hard Reelection Fight Against Progressive Activist Katie Wilson

    SEATTLE (AP) — Democratic Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell faces a tough reelection fight against progressive activist Katie Wilson as voters in the liberal city recoil from President Donald Trump’s second term and question whether the incumbent has done enough to address public safety, homelessness and affordability.

    Harrell, an attorney who previously served three terms on the City Council, was elected mayor in 2021 following the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial justice protests over George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police.

    With crime falling, more police being hired, less visible drug use and many homeless encampments removed from city parks, the business-backed Harrell seemed likely to cruise to re-election at this time last year. He’s been endorsed by Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

    But Trump’s return to office has helped reawaken Seattle’s progressive voters. The lesser-known Wilson, a democratic socialist running a campaign that echoes some of the themes of progressive mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in New York, trounced Harrell by nearly 10 percentage points in the August primary.

    “Voters in places like Seattle are frustrated with the status quo, particularly in the context of Trump’s attacks on blue cities,” said Sandeep Kaushik, a Seattle political consultant who is not involved in the race. “They’re kind of moving back into their progressive bunker and are much more inclined to say, ‘Yeah, we should go our own way with our own bold progressive solutions.’ That all that plays into Katie’s hands.”

    Wilson, 43, studied at Oxford College but did not graduate. She founded the small nonprofit Transit Riders Union in 2011 and has led campaigns for better public transportation, higher minimum wages, stronger renter protections and more affordable housing. She herself is a renter, living in a one-bedroom apartment in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, and says that has shaped her understanding of Seattle’s affordability crisis.

    Wilson has criticized Harrell as doing too little to provide more shelter and said his encampment sweeps have been cosmetic, merely pushing unhoused people around the city. Wilson also paints him as a city hall fixture who bears responsibility for the status quo.

    She has been endorsed by several Democratic organizations as well as by U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

    Harrell, 67, played on the Rose Bowl champion University of Washington football team in 1978 before going to law school. His father, who was Black, came to Seattle from the segregated Jim Crow South, and his mother, a Japanese American, was incarcerated at an internment camp in Minidoka, Idaho, during World War II after officials seized her family’s Seattle flower shop — experiences that fostered his understanding of the importance of civil rights and inclusivity.

    Harrell has said Wilson, who has no traditional management experience, isn’t ready to lead a city with more than 13,000 employees and a budget of nearly $9 billion. He also has criticized her for supporting efforts to slash the city’s police budget amid the 2020 racial justice protests.

    Wilson has said that proposal was based on some fundamental misunderstandings and that she since has learned a lot about how the police department works. She says she supports having a department that is adequately staffed, responsive and accountable to the community.

    Both Harrell and Wilson have touted plans for affordable housing, combatting crime and attempting to Trump-proof the city, which receives about $150 million a year in federal funding. Both want to protect Seattle’s sanctuary city status.

    Wilson has proposed a city-level capital gains tax to help offset federal funding the city might lose and to pay for housing; Harrell says that’s ineffective because a city capital gains tax could easily be avoided by those who would be required to pay it.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Sales Tumble After Government Guidance on the Shots Narrows

    The fall COVID-19 vaccine season is starting slowly for Pfizer, with U.S. sales of its Comirnaty shots sinking 25% after federal regulators narrowed recommendations on who should get them.

    Approval of updated shots also came several weeks later than usual, and Pfizer said Tuesday that hurt sales as well.

    Many Americans get vaccinations in the fall, to get protection from any disease surges in the coming winter. Experts say interest in COVID-19 shots has been declining, and that trend could pick up this fall due to anti-vaccine sentiment and confusion about whether the shots are necessary.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month stopped recommending COVID-19 shots for anyone, instead leaving the choice up to patients. The government agency said it was adopting recommendations made by advisers picked by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    Before this year, U.S. health officials — following the advice of infectious disease experts — recommended annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older. The idea was to update protection as the coronavirus evolves.

    Dr. Amesh Adaja said vaccine rates have been “suboptimal” in recent years even for people considered a high risk for catching a bad case of COVID-19.

    “That’s only going to fall off more this season,” the senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security said recently.

    The shifting guidance caused some confusion in September, once updated shots began arriving at drugstores, the main place Americans go to get vaccinated. Some locations required prescriptions or started asking customers if they had a condition that made them susceptible to a bad case of COVID-19.

    The change also created questions about whether insurance coverage would continue. A major industry group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, has since clarified that its members will cover the shots.

    CVS Health announced earlier this month that it will not require prescriptions at its stores and clinics.

    Independent pharmacy owner Theresa Tolle says this fall has probably been one of the more confusing seasons for her customers. Tolle runs the independent Bay Street Pharmacy in Sebastian, Florida.

    She said her COVID-19 vaccine business has been busy because she has an older patient population. Many still want the shots. But she’s also had more customers tell her this year that they don’t want them.

    “There’s just so many messages out there, they don’t know who to believe,” she said. “I’ve had people tell me they are afraid of it when they’ve had it many times.”

    Pfizer saw U.S. Comirnaty sales drop to $870 million in the recently completed third quarter from $1.16 billion in the same time frame last year. That came after vaccine sales rose the first two quarters of the year.

    Wall Street analysts also expect sales of Spikevax shots from Moderna to tumble about 50% in the third quarter, according to the data firm FactSet.

    Moderna will report its third-quarter results on Thursday.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • New Bat Coronavirus Shares a Feature That Helped Covid-19 Infect Humans

    SARS-CoV-2, the cause of covid-19, isn’t the only coronavirus in the world we should be keeping our eye on. Scientists appear to have just discovered a new branch of coronaviruses in Brazilian bats that could have the tools needed to spill over and infect humans.

    A large team of researchers in Japan and Brazil identified the possible zoonotic threat in a preliminary study released last week. The viral relative appears to be genetically distinct from other coronaviruses yet shares a feature with SARS-CoV-2 that may allow its kind to infect human cells. The findings suggest there are plenty of native bat coronaviruses in the wild with the potential to cause new epidemics in humans.

    “The high diversity of viruses in bats therefore positions them as a key taxonomic group for zoonotic disease surveillance,” the authors wrote in their paper, presented as a preprint on the website bioRxiv.

    A key similarity

    Even prior to the emergence of covid-19 more than five years ago, scientists had been worried about coronaviruses causing the next big pandemic. SARS-CoV-2, its earlier ancestor SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV are coronaviruses that successfully became human pathogens over the past two decades; all three belong to the betacoronavirus genus.

    According to the study researchers, however, almost everything we know about the diversity of this genus is based on data collected from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, with little genetic sequencing of such viruses in the Americas.

    To help remedy this gap in knowledge, the team analyzed gut tissue samples collected from 70 bats in three sites across Brazil between May and August 2019. They found the new virus in a Parnell’s mustached bat (Pteronotus parnellii) and completely sequenced its genome.

    Based on their analysis, the virus—which they coined BRZ batCoV—is different enough genetically to represent a previously unknown subgenus of betacoronavirus. Until now, five subgenera had been identified.

    But the virus also appears to have something important in common with SARS-CoV-2: a functional furin cleavage site (FCS) at the S1/S2 junction of its spike protein. In fact, the FCS in BRZ batCoV is only different by a single amino acid compared to the one in SARS-CoV-2.

    How worried should we be?

    The FCS in SARS-CoV-2 is one of the features that helps it to infect humans. So finding something very similar in this new virus is certainly troubling. The researchers also note that other bat betacoronaviruses are known to have an FCS in the same location, suggesting it’s relatively easy for this feature to pop up in these viruses.

    Another concerning aspect is that since there’s so little surveillance of Brazil and other areas in the Americas, it’s more than possible that BRZ batCoV and similar viruses have been circulating under our noses for quite a while.

    The new research hasn’t been published in a peer-reviewed journal yet, a vital part of vetting any new study. The researchers also point out that they haven’t directly examined the infectivity of BRZ batCoV, a caveat that limits how much we can know about its risk to humans.

    “Hence, although the presence of an FCS is clearly significant, any discussion of the zoonotic potential of this virus should be limited,” they wrote.

    That said, this sort of research should be seen as an early warning signal. While the origins of SARS-CoV-2 are still being debated—even if most virologists are in the natural camp—many human diseases do first start off as zoonotic germs that successfully jump from animals to people (case in point, the original SARS). Bats and the viruses they carry are a prime suspect for causing the next big pandemic, and it’s urgent that we better track what’s out there, the researchers say.

    “Our study provides a broader understanding of the phylogenetic and functional diversity of bat coronaviruses as well as their zoonotic potential,” they wrote.

    Ed Cara

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  • Miguel’s ‘CAOS,’ fueled by anger and angst, is his first studio album in nearly a decade

    NEW YORK (AP) — If you wondered why Miguel didn’t release a studio album for nearly a decade, his response is simple: life.

    This cover image released by ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Record shows “CAOS” by Miguel. (ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Records via AP)

    “I needed to do some growing. I had to get my (expletive) together.”

    Since 2017’s “War & Leisure,” the world has experienced a variety of globally-impactful events: a second Donald Trump presidency, a coronavirus pandemic, an American social justice movement, an ongoing three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, and a two-year Israel-Hamas war that recently entered a ceasefire.

    “We’re just seeing, I think, a big question mark of humanity being asked in real time every day,” Miguel said. “I needed to go away and recalibrate and just get in touch with my anger and figure out how best to move forward with that in a productive way … I’m really glad that I did because it’s what informed this album.”

    “CAOS” is a sharp departure from the superstar’s vibey, sensual sound that made him a hit-making staple in R&B. The singer-songwriter’s fifth studio project, morphed from his 2023-scrapped “Viscera” LP, dropped Thursday, coinciding with his 40th birthday. He wrote on all 12 tracks and handled the bulk of production with Ray Brady. The lone feature belongs to the legendary George Clinton of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honorees Parliament-Funkadelic.


    Led by the singles “RIP,” “New Martyrs (Ride 4 U),” “El Pleito,” and “Angel’s Song,” the album radiates his trendsetting fusion of alternative rock, R&B and electronic sounds, but in unfamiliar, darker tones. The music evokes feelings of urgency, protest and rebellion.

    “ This album is the most angsty, angry album I’ve ever made. But I think underlying and underwriting the message and the themes is this core need to express discontentment in a healthy way that creates the feeling and the future that I want.”

    The thief of joy

    Miguel poses for a portrait in New York on Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Gerard Hamilton)

    Miguel poses for a portrait in New York on Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Gerard Hamilton)

    Miguel also faced internal plights: divorce, family death and industry disillusionment.

    “The value of my work became about outside appreciation as opposed to internal gratitude,” said the artist who’s earned four top 20 tracks on the Billboard 100. The admission comes from a Grammy winner who’s created new-day classics such as “Adorn,” and “Sure Thing” and fan favorite mood-setters like “All I Want is You” and “Skywalker.”

    “When you see something in culture be really successful … you can start comparing … and it’s such a slippery slope,” said Miguel, who released bits of music during his hiatus, like the EPs “Te Lo Dije” and “Art Dealer Chic 4,” and songs “Don’t Forget My Love” with Diplo in 2022 and “Sweet Dreams” with BTS’s J-Hope earlier this year. “It’s about connecting more deeply and having a deeper conversation with my audience, as opposed to wanting to make the big song.”

    Not a sure thing

    During his hiatus, Miguel and Nazanin Mandi divorced. The singer began dating Mandi at 19 years old before marrying in 2018. They divorced four years later.


    “It was a painful thing to go through” said Miguel, who wrote “Always Time” to address the breakup. “Some things you do have to let go, if you really, really love it, and I think that was a good indication that I needed to take some time for myself.”

    Last month, in celebration of his son’s first birthday, Miguel publicly revealed he was a first-time father with filmmaker and former Vogue China editor Margaret Zhang. “Angel’s Song” is dedicated to his child.

    Spanish-language songs

    “CAOS,” Spanish for chaos, also features another turn from the genre-bending artist: Spanish-language songs. While 2019’s “Te Lo Dije” featured Spanish recordings of previous songs, this project contains original tracks like “El Pleito” and “Perderme.”

    “It was always floated as ‘You should lean into Latin as a marketing (tactic).’ … It just didn’t feel natural,” said Miguel, whose mother is African American and father is Mexican American. “Here I am now, and it’s more about my identity and who I am and who am proud to be.”


    Back to the future

    Miguel, serving as this year’s scholar-in-residence at NYU’s Steinhardt School, is also focusing on his S1C venture geared toward providing Black, Mexican and Latino creators with development and financial support. He also appreciates the futuristic-R&B sound that swelled during his absence, which he’s largely credited with helping to introduce.

    “I love that I can hear my influence in some of the music today,” said Miguel, who gained younger fans in 2023 after “Sure Thing” went viral on TikTok and Instagram more than a decade after its release. “You’re like, OK, we were in the right place.”


    Despite grappling with staying true to yourself and your music, not being captive to the charts, Miguel feels appreciated by his fans, and centers himself in gratitude.

    “I’m so lucky to have found a core audience who really rides with me through all of my evolutions,” he said. “I do think that I’ve been appreciated. And I think that there’s opportunity for it to be more, and more importantly, deeper.”

    ___

    Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.

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  • Miguel’s ‘CAOS,’ Fueled by Anger and Angst, Is His First Studio Album in Nearly a Decade

    “I needed to do some growing. I had to get my (expletive) together.”

    “We’re just seeing, I think, a big question mark of humanity being asked in real time every day,” Miguel said. “I needed to go away and recalibrate and just get in touch with my anger and figure out how best to move forward with that in a productive way … I’m really glad that I did because it’s what informed this album.”

    “CAOS” is a sharp departure from the superstar’s vibey, sensual sound that made him a hit-making staple in R&B. The singer-songwriter’s fifth studio project, morphed from his 2023-scrapped “Viscera” LP, dropped Thursday, coinciding with his 40th birthday. He wrote on all 12 tracks and handled the bulk of production with Ray Brady. The lone feature belongs to the legendary George Clinton of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honorees Parliament-Funkadelic.

    Led by the singles “RIP,” “New Martyrs (Ride 4 U),” “El Pleito,” and “Angel’s Song,” the album radiates his trendsetting fusion of alternative rock, R&B and electronic sounds, but in unfamiliar, darker tones. The music evokes feelings of urgency, protest and rebellion.

    “ This album is the most angsty, angry album I’ve ever made. But I think underlying and underwriting the message and the themes is this core need to express discontentment in a healthy way that creates the feeling and the future that I want.”

    Miguel also faced internal plights: divorce, family death and industry disillusionment.

    “The value of my work became about outside appreciation as opposed to internal gratitude,” said the artist who’s earned four top 20 tracks on the Billboard 100. The admission comes from a Grammy winner who’s created new-day classics such as “Adorn,” and “Sure Thing” and fan favorite mood-setters like “All I Want is You” and “Skywalker.”

    “When you see something in culture be really successful … you can start comparing … and it’s such a slippery slope,” said Miguel, who released bits of music during his hiatus, like the EPs “Te Lo Dije” and “Art Dealer Chic 4,” and songs “Don’t Forget My Love” with Diplo in 2022 and “Sweet Dreams” with BTS’s J-Hope earlier this year. “It’s about connecting more deeply and having a deeper conversation with my audience, as opposed to wanting to make the big song.”

    During his hiatus, Miguel and Nazanin Mandi divorced. The singer began dating Mandi at 19 years old before marrying in 2018. They divorced four years later.

    “It was a painful thing to go through” said Miguel, who wrote “Always Time” to address the breakup. “Some things you do have to let go, if you really, really love it, and I think that was a good indication that I needed to take some time for myself.”

    Last month, in celebration of his son’s first birthday, Miguel publicly revealed he was a first-time father with filmmaker and former Vogue China editor Margaret Zhang. “Angel’s Song” is dedicated to his child.

    “CAOS,” Spanish for chaos, also features another turn from the genre-bending artist: Spanish-language songs. While 2019’s “Te Lo Dije” featured Spanish recordings of previous songs, this project contains original tracks like “El Pleito” and “Perderme.”

    “It was always floated as ‘You should lean into Latin as a marketing (tactic).’ … It just didn’t feel natural,” said Miguel, whose mother is African American and father is Mexican American. “Here I am now, and it’s more about my identity and who I am and who am proud to be.”

    Miguel, serving as this year’s scholar-in-residence at NYU’s Steinhardt School, is also focusing on his S1C venture geared toward providing Black, Mexican and Latino creators with development and financial support. He also appreciates the futuristic-R&B sound that swelled during his absence, which he’s largely credited with helping to introduce.

    “I love that I can hear my influence in some of the music today,” said Miguel, who gained younger fans in 2023 after “Sure Thing” went viral on TikTok and Instagram more than a decade after its release. “You’re like, OK, we were in the right place.”

    Despite grappling with staying true to yourself and your music, not being captive to the charts, Miguel feels appreciated by his fans, and centers himself in gratitude.

    “I’m so lucky to have found a core audience who really rides with me through all of my evolutions,” he said. “I do think that I’ve been appreciated. And I think that there’s opportunity for it to be more, and more importantly, deeper.”

    Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • COVID-19 vaccines may help some cancer patients fight tumors

    WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — The most widely used COVID-19 vaccines may offer a surprise benefit for some cancer patients – revving up their immune systems to help fight tumors.

    People with advanced lung or skin cancer who were taking certain immunotherapy drugs lived substantially longer if they also got a Pfizer or Moderna shot within 100 days of starting treatment, according to preliminary research being reported Wednesday in the journal Nature.

    And it had nothing to do with virus infections.

    Instead, the molecule that powers those specific vaccines, mRNA, appears to help the immune system respond better to the cutting-edge cancer treatment, concluded researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Florida.

    The vaccine “acts like a siren to activate immune cells throughout the body,” said lead researcher Dr. Adam Grippin of MD Anderson. “We’re sensitizing immune-resistant tumors to immune therapy.”

    Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has raised skepticism about mRNA vaccines, cutting $500 million in funding for some uses of the technology.

    But this research team found its results so promising that it is preparing a more rigorous study to see if mRNA coronavirus vaccines should be paired with cancer drugs called checkpoint inhibitors — an interim step while it designs new mRNA vaccines for use in cancer.

    A healthy immune system often kills cancer cells before they become a threat. But some tumors evolve to hide from immune attack. Checkpoint inhibitors remove that cloak. It’s a powerful treatment – when it works. Some people’s immune cells still don’t recognize the tumor.

    Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is naturally found in every cell and it contains genetic instructions for our bodies to make proteins. While best known as the Nobel Prize-winning technology behind COVID-19 vaccines, scientists have long been trying to create personalized mRNA “treatment vaccines” that train immune cells to spot unique features of a patient’s tumor.

    The new research offers “a very good clue” that maybe an off-the-shelf approach could work, said Dr. Jeff Coller, an mRNA specialist at Johns Hopkins University who wasn’t involved with the work. “What it shows is that mRNA medicines are continuing to surprise us in how beneficial they can be to human health.”

    Grippin and his Florida colleagues had been developing personalized mRNA cancer vaccines when they realized that even one created without a specific target appeared to spur similar immune activity against cancer.

    Grippin wondered if the already widely available mRNA coronavirus shots might also have some effect, too.

    So the team analyzed records of nearly 1,000 advanced cancer patients undergoing checkpoint inhibitor treatment at MD Anderson – comparing those who happened to get a Pfizer or Moderna shot with those who didn’t.

    Vaccinated lung cancer patients were nearly twice as likely to be alive three years after beginning cancer treatment as the unvaccinated patients. Among melanoma patients, median survival was significantly longer for vaccinated patients – but exactly how much isn’t clear, as some of that group were still alive when the data was analyzed.

    Non-mRNA vaccines such as flu shots didn’t make a difference, he said.

    —-

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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  • Chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky is remembered as a leader in the game’s online surge

    Daniel Naroditsky, a 29-year-old standard-bearer in the world of competitive speed chess that flourished in the COVID-19 pandemic, died over the weekend and leaves behind a legacy as one of the greats of the game who helped usher in its digital era.

    The American grandmaster won several championships and amassed hundreds of thousands of subscribers on YouTube, Twitch and other platforms, where he would livestream matches and explain strategy in real time. But he also struggled with the cyberspace he helped build.

    High-speed games became wildly popular online during the pandemic, creating a chess community that was soon rife with cheating allegations as players gained access to sophisticated computer programs that could give them an unfair advantage.

    Naroditsky’s untimely death has shined a spotlight on the dark underbelly of the game that fellow pros say brought undue hostility upon the chess star in his final months.

    Naroditsky had been accused of cheating, and the allegations, never proven, had taken a toll. Ukrainian grandmaster Oleksandr Bortnyk, a competitor and friend of Naroditsky, was concerned and went to check on him Sunday. He and a friend found Naroditsky, known to many as Danya, unresponsive on a couch in his North Carolina home, Bortnyk recounted during an emotional livestream Monday.

    The cause of death has not been made public.

    “Danya was not only a brilliant grandmaster, but also a tireless ambassador for chess, and above all — a kind, compassionate and truly good person,” said Arkady Dvorkovich, president of the International Chess Federation.

    The unsubstantiated claims of cheating came from from Russian grandmaster and former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik, whom Naroditsky had called one of the “heroes” he looked up to as a kid.

    Naroditsky had denied the claims as he excelled at blitz and bullet chess, where players have mere minutes to finish intense matches.

    “Ever since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions,” Naroditsky said Saturday in the last livestream he filmed before his death. “The issue is just the lingering effect of it.”

    He ruminated about his legacy and hoped other top players would trust that he played with integrity.

    Chess pros from around the world have since praised Naroditsky as an honorable player who used his online platform to make chess more accessible. His family said in a statement that they hope he will be remembered for the joy and inspiration he brought people.

    Meanwhile, grandmasters have slammed Kramnik on social media for how he treated Naroditsky. American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura went on an expletive-laden rant on his latest livestream, and Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin accused the Russian pro of trying to destroy Naroditsky’s life in a post on X.

    Kramnik continued to post about Naroditsky on the day his death was announced, calling it a tragedy and speculating about the cause.

    Naroditsky became a grandmaster, the highest title in chess aside from World Chess Champion, at the age of 18. He was consistently ranked in the top 200 worldwide for traditional chess and was a top 25 blitz player, winning the U.S. National Blitz Championship in August. He spent much of his time training young players.

    “Daniel was an incredible teacher and explainer of chess and concepts and ideas,” said Daniel Weissbarth, a renowned chess instructor and the co-owner of Silver Knights Chess Academy in Virginia.

    Many pros this week called for an end to the constant finger-pointing that seemed to follow players like Naroditsky who thrived in fast-paced play.

    Kenneth Regan, a chess international master and computer science professor at the University at Buffalo, said the opportunity to cheat has exploded as the cerebral sport has shifted online. There are ways to police the game online, but Regan said they are intrusive.

    “The rate of cheating online is 100 to 200 times higher than the rate over the board,” Regan said. “From my point of view, there are five to 10 cases per year over the board.”

    The popular internet chess server Chess.com shut down Kramnik’s blog on the site in 2023, saying he had used it to spread baseless cheating allegations about “many dozens of players.” At the time, the platform warned of “Kramnik’s escalating attacks” against some of the most respected members of the chess community and some promising young talents.

    The speedy style of play popularized in chess’ digital arena is somewhat reliant on the honor system.

    Top talents analyze the board so quickly and move with such precision that cheating allegations have become common. Bullet chess is so fast, Regan said, that it’s essentially “playing chess entirely with your gut.”

    Last week, Naroditsky posted a video in his popular Speedrun series on YouTube, telling viewers he was “back, better than ever” after a short “creative break.” His videos, in which he gave tips and discussed strategy, were great tools for chess players of various abilities, said Benjamin Balas, a psychology professor at North Dakota State.

    “He would tell you ‘This is the kind of mistake you’re going to see at this level,’ and he would make mistakes, too, and talk to you how to manage them,” Balas said.

    Nakamura and five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen are also using social media to take chess to a wider audience, increasing its popularity around the world.

    “People, they see Daniel or other streamers and they start to play online chess,” said John Hartmann, editor of Chess Life magazine. “The streaming personalities, they lead people into the chess world.”

    Carlsen credited Naroditsky for his work in the streaming space, saying he was “such a resource to the chess community.”

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  • New US COVID Guidelines Add Confusion, Complications for Americans Seeking Shots

    NEW YORK (Reuters) -Americans headed to pharmacies for COVID-19 vaccines are running into roadblocks and confusion due to new U.S. guidance that abandoned broad support for the shots, contributing to the lowest vaccination rates since they were introduced.

    For the four-week period ended October 3, COVID immunizations were down about 25% nationally, according to IQVIA data in analysts’ research notes. 

    Steven Thompson, a 41-year-old financial professional from Salt Lake City, routinely gets the COVID shot through employer-sponsored health insurance. In September, he was told at a Walgreens pharmacy he needed a prescription. Utah, Georgia and Louisiana had been requiring prescriptions while awaiting U.S. CDC guidance on who should get the shot.

    Thompson’s children’s pediatrician just sent prescriptions to Walgreens. His doctor required a visit.

    “I hate going to the doctor or doing any activity where I don’t know how much it’ll cost,” said Thompson, who now doesn’t plan to get a shot unless local infection rates rise.

    Utah authorized pharmacists to provide the shot in late September without prescriptions, while Georgia and Louisiana dropped the requirement early this month. A Walgreens spokesperson said patients no longer need a prescription.

    Since their mid-pandemic introduction, COVID shots have been recommended for anyone in the U.S. who wanted one. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention withdrew that broad support, calling for consultation with a healthcare provider first.

    The move came after the FDA approved updated shots only for people aged 65 and over and those at risk of severe disease. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA and CDC, is now led by longtime anti-vaccine campaigner Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    Nadia Hicks, a 31-year-old communications manager from Atlanta, was surprised to learn she needed a prescription to receive the vaccine last month at a Publix pharmacy. Hicks, who has asthma, consulted her doctor for one. 

    “It’s causing a lot of anxiety because I think the less information we have, the harder it is to know… is it necessary to get the vaccine now?” she said, adding she did not receive the usual immunization notice from her healthcare system.

    A Publix spokesperson said its pharmacies can now give COVID shots in Georgia without a prescription. 

    Health insurers rely on CDC guidelines, informed by recommendations from its outside expert advisers, to set their vaccine coverage terms.

    Kennedy gutted that advisory group and replaced it with hand-picked members, many of whom share his controversial vaccine views. As a result, some states said they now questioned the scientific basis for CDC guidance and began setting their own policies. Major insurers have said they will provide coverage for the vaccine through 2026.

    “People hear about the FDA, the CDC, their health department; there’s lots of different discussions about what is actually the recommendation,” said Dr. Aaron Milstone, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore.

    US VACCINATION RATES HIGHER THAN OTHER WEALTHY NATIONS

    In most European countries, Canada and Australia, COVID vaccine guidance was already limited to older adults and those at high risk of severe COVID.

    The midpoint of vaccination rates for adults over 60 in the 21 European Union countries was 8.7% from August 2024 to March 2025, according to the European CDC, well below the 2024 U.S. rate among adults of around 23%, according to CDC data.

    COVID hospitalizations continue to present a burden on health systems, said Jodie Guest, an epidemiology professor at Emory University.

    “The science shows us very clearly how important these vaccines are to keep you individually safe, but also those around you who are in the very high-risk groups,” she said.

    CVS Health Chief Medical Officer Amy Compton-Phillips said in an interview that demand for COVID and flu shots has been lower than last year.

    “It’s a little challenging at the moment, because consumers are looking for organizations they can trust,” she said.

    The company, which operates one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, said it is providing the shots nationwide without a prescription. 

    Pfizer, with German partner BioNTech, and Moderna make COVID shots based on messenger RNA technology, the safety of which Kennedy and allies have questioned, contrary to scientific evidence. Novavax and French partner Sanofi sell a more traditional vaccine.

    The delay in official CDC guidance on updated shots following the FDA’s more limited approval created confusion among consumers and independent pharmacies, which make up about one-third of U.S. pharmacies. 

    Roger Paganelli, a pharmacist at Mt. Carmel Pharmacy in New York City, said many pharmacists are wary of promoting vaccines for patients not approved by the FDA, and that some worry insurers may refuse to cover them.

    Others are concerned they would lose legal protection that shields them from patient lawsuits, said Paganelli, a past president at Pharmacists Society of the State of New York who plans to continue offering the vaccine.

    Three pharmacy experts said CDC guidance to consult with patients acts as a barrier to uptake, especially for low-income populations in underserved areas who rely on walk-in immunizations where counseling is impractical.

    “As far as the mass clinics, pharmacies are only offering the influenza vaccine,” said Dr. Allison Hill, a director at the American Pharmacists Association, “because over the past weeks we’ve gone back and forth with COVID-19 policy.” 

    (Reporting by Amina Niasse in New York; Additional reporting by Jayla Whitfield-Anderson in Atlanta, Michael Erman and Michele Gershberg in New York and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Reuters

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  • Bob Ross paintings to be auctioned to support public TV stations after federal cuts

    LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Thirty paintings created by the bushy-haired, soft-spoken Bob Ross will soon be up for auction to defray the costs of programming for small and rural public television stations suffering under cuts in federal funding.

    Ross, a public television stalwart in the 1980s and ’90s, “dedicated his life to making art accessible to everyone,” said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc. “This auction ensures his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought his joy and creativity into American homes for decades.”

    Bonhams in Los Angeles will auction three of Ross’ paintings on Nov. 11. Other auctions will follow in London, New York, Boston and online. All profits are pledged to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television.

    The idea is to help stations in need with licensing fees that allow them to show popular programs that include “The Best of Joy of Painting,” based on Ross’ show, “America’s Test Kitchen,” “Julia Child’s French Chef Classics” and “This Old House.”

    As desired by President Donald Trump, Congress has eliminated $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, leaving about 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations to find alternative funding sources. Many launched emergency fund drives. Some have been forced to lay off staff and make programming cuts.

    The beloved Ross died in 1995 of complications from cancer after 11 years in production with “The Joy of Painting.” His how-to program was shown on stations around the U.S. and around the world. The former Air Force drill sergeant known for his calm demeanor and encouraging words enjoyed a resurgence in popularity during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Ross spoke often as he worked on air about painting happy little clouds and trees, and making no mistakes, only “happy accidents.”

    The thirty paintings to be auctioned span Ross’ career and include landscapes depicting serene mountain vistas and lake scenes, his signature aesthetic. He created most of the 30 on-air, each in under 30 minutes, which was the span of a single episode.

    Bonhams sold two early 1990s mountain-and-lake scenes of Ross in August for $114,800 and $95,750. The auctions of the 30 paintings soon to be sold have an estimated total value of $850,000 to $1.4 million, Bonhams said.

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  • CDC recommends patients consult a health care provider for Covid-19 vaccination

    By Brenda Goodman, Katherine Dillinger, CNN

    The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on a recommendation that patients must consult a health care provider to get a Covid-19 vaccine, although they don’t necessarily need a prescription.

    The recommendations shifted away from a broader push most people to get a Covid-19 vaccine and was made by a new panel of vaccine advisers chosen by US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. CDC’s OK makes the recommendations final and US vaccine schedules will be updated, HHS said on Tuesday.

    CNN.com

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  • New Mexico governor signs bills to counter federal cuts

    SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a package of bills Friday aimed at shoring up food assistance, rural health care and public broadcasting in response to recently enacted federal cuts.

    The new legislation responds to President Donald Trump’s big bill as well as fear that health insurance rates will rise with the expiration of COVID-era subsidies to the Affordable Care Act exchange in New Mexico. Exchange subsidies are a major point of contention in the Washington budget standoff and related federal government shutdown.

    New Mexico would set aside $17 million to backfill the federal credits if they are not renewed, under legislation signed by the governor.

    The Democratic-led Legislature met on Wednesday and Thursday to approved $162 million in state spending on rural health care, food assistance, restocking food banks, public broadcast and more.

    Starting this year, New Mexico expects to lose about $200 million annually because of new federal tax cuts. But the state still has a large budget surplus thanks to booming oil production.

    “When federal support falls short, New Mexico steps up,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

    Many federal health care changes under Trump’s big bill don’t kick in until 2027 or later, and Democratic legislators in New Mexico acknowledged that their bills are only a temporary bandage.

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  • New Mexico Governor Signs Bills to Counter Federal Cuts, Support Health Care and Food Assistance

    SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a package of bills Friday aimed at shoring up food assistance, rural health care and public broadcasting in response to recently enacted federal cuts.

    The new legislation responds to President Donald Trump’s big bill as well as fear that health insurance rates will rise with the expiration of COVID-era subsidies to the Affordable Care Act exchange in New Mexico. Exchange subsidies are a major point of contention in the Washington budget standoff and related federal government shutdown.

    New Mexico would set aside $17 million to backfill the federal credits if they are not renewed, under legislation signed by the governor.

    The Democratic-led Legislature met on Wednesday and Thursday to approved $162 million in state spending on rural health care, food assistance, restocking food banks, public broadcast and more.

    Starting this year, New Mexico expects to lose about $200 million annually because of new federal tax cuts. But the state still has a large budget surplus thanks to booming oil production.

    “When federal support falls short, New Mexico steps up,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

    Many federal health care changes under Trump’s big bill don’t kick in until 2027 or later, and Democratic legislators in New Mexico acknowledged that their bills are only a temporary bandage.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Sept. 2025

    Associated Press

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  • India and China to resume direct flights after a 5-year suspension

    BEIJING — BEIJING (AP) — India and China plan to resume direct flights between some of their cities after a five-year suspension as the relations between the two countries begin to thaw, Indian authorities announced Thursday.

    Direct flights between the two countries were suspended during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and did not resume as Beijing and New Delhi engaged in prolonged border tensions.

    Flights between designated cities will resume by late October subject to commercial carriers’ decisions, India’s embassy to China said in a post on social media platform WeChat.

    The resumption is part of the Indian government’s “approach towards gradual normalization of relations between India and China,” the embassy added.

    India’s largest carrier IndiGo announced Thursday it would resume flights from Kolkata, India, to Guangzhou, China, beginning Oct. 26.

    The resumption comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China last month for the first time in seven years to attend a regional security forum, which was part of efforts by the two countries to normalize ties.

    Relations between China and India plummeted in 2020 after security forces clashed along a disputed border in the Himalayan mountains. Four Chinese soldiers and 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the worst violence in decades, freezing high-level political engagements.

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