Good morning, it’s Thursday.
I am deathly afraid of needles and of doctors in general. Some might find this surprising, given how many tattoos I have – a collection I have continued to add to long past the age when most people stop acquiring ink. I can’t explain this contradiction. Tattoos definitely require needles and they definitely involve pain, which are two things I otherwise avoid like the plague.
When I was a kid, I fought tooth and nail trips to the doctor’s office. I particularly disliked immunizations and blood draws, because, well, needles. But these things were nonnegotiable in my family, in part because I attended public schools, which required a full slate of vaccines, and because we were a household that believed in the power of preventative medicine.
PSA: If you are a member of the anti-vaccine set, now would be a good time to go somewhere else.
The truth is, that despite the current rhetoric being espoused from on high in D.C. by RFK Jr. & Co., vaccines work and their risk is statistically low.
To be clear, like any other form of medicine, they can and do cause side effects, which can be serious or even life-threatening, but these occurrences are rare, and the benefit of preventing potentially deadly childhood diseases – in my mind – vastly outweighs the potential for harm.
As of 2023, there were more than 30 vaccine-preventable diseases, according to the CDC, which, miraculously, has not (yet?) had its websites scrubbed of vaccine-related information and recommendations. These include but are not limited to mumps, rubella, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, and, of course, measles.
I’m not sure if you saw the headline yesterday (if you’re a diligent reader of this morning missive, you most certainly have no excuse for missing it) that the measles surge in the Southwest is now the largest single outbreak of the highly contagious disease since the U.S. declared it eradicated – thanks to herd immunity made possible by VACCINES, mind you – in 2000.
The last major measles outbreaks took place right here in New York in 2019, with 1,249 cases reported, making it the largest outbreak since 1992. The illnesses occurred mostly in under-vaccinated Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City and elsewhere in the state, and were considered separate outbreaks by epidemiologists, though they occurred at the same time.
A fight over the current measles outbreak narrative is taking place between public health experts who are encouraging vaccination and vaccine skeptics – led by the chief skeptic himself, RFK Jr. – who are spreading fear and misinformation.
I’m not going to tell you how to live your life. I’m not a doctor nor a public health expert, nor do I play either of those on TV. There are religious exemptions available for those who truly have convictions that prevent them from getting themselves or their offspring vaccinated. (For a state-by-state breakdown on that, click here).
But perhaps the best thing I can suggest is that if you want to learn about vaccines – their benefits and their drawbacks – do some reading. Talk to a doctor, or a nurse, or an epidemiologist, if you happen to know one. Today, by the way, marks the start of World Immunization Week, which, per the WHO “aims to highlight the collective action needed and to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.”
Also: “The ultimate goal of World Immunization Week is for more people – and their communities – to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.” All I can say is, Amen. It’s endlessly ironic to me that people in disadvantaged countries are desperate for access to life-saving vaccines, while we are so privileged that we can fight over whether people should have to get them.
It’s going to be another banner weather day, with a mix of sun and clouds and temperatures soaring almost into the EIGHTIES!!! Summer, here we come!
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump sought to tamp down a trade war with China, appearing to be optimistic that he can strike a deal to calm nerves in the U.S. markets.
Trump took aim at the college accreditation process with a new executive order Wednesday, his latest move to exact control over America’s higher education institutions.
The order targets the federal government’s process for deciding what colleges and universities can access billions of dollars in federal student loans and Pell grants – a significant source of indirect revenue for many of those institutions.
Russia launched a wave of deadly attacks against Kyiv early this morning, hours after Trump accused his Ukrainian counterpart of harming peace talks in a fresh tirade against Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump and his top aides demanded that Ukraine accede to an American-designed proposal that would essentially grant Russia all the territory it has gained in the war, while offering Kyiv only vague security assurances.
Trump is set to visit Michigan to hold a rally and celebrate his first 100 days back in office. It will be his first trip to the battleground state since he won it in the 2024 presidential election.
“President Trump is excited to return to the great state of Michigan next Tuesday, where he will rally in Macomb County to celebrate the FIRST 100 DAYS!” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared in a post on X.
Trump’s job approval rating has fallen steadily during his first three months in office, according to a New York Times average of polling.
In an escalation of the Trump family’s efforts to profit from crypto, a website promoting $TRUMP, a so-called memecoin, announced the coin’s largest buyers would be invited to meet him at his private Virginia golf club, followed by a White House tour.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly had the commercial messaging app Signal set up on a computer in his office at the Pentagon so that he could send and receive instant messages in a space where personal cellphones are not permitted.
Illinois Sen. Richard J. Durbin, 80, the No. 2 Senate Democrat for two decades and a leading liberal voice on Capitol Hill, won’t seek re-election, ending a 44-year congressional career focused on immigration, the federal justice system and anti-smoking initiatives.
Durbin’s decision was widely expected and will touch off a crowded competition for a rare Senate vacancy in his solidly blue state. It also intensifies a generational shift in the chamber as he becomes the fifth 65+ sitting senator to announce retirement.
Durbin’s retirement is setting off a once-in-a-decade leadership fight for Senate Democrats, potentially exposing the party’s deep divide on whether to elect a moderate — or a progressive — to help them return to power.
New York is one of a dozen states suing to block the tariffs announced by the Trump administration in recent weeks, the state’s top Democrats said, charging that the levies amount to an illegal “tax hike” on Americans.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James joined their counterparts from 11 other states to file the action in the United States Court of International Trade, located in New York City.
“President Trump’s reckless tariffs have skyrocketed costs for consumers and unleashed economic chaos across the country. New York is standing up to fight back against the largest federal tax hike in American history,” Hochul said.
Uncertainty surrounding the policy priorities of a new federal administration in Washington, D.C., could threaten New York’s goal of reaching a “zero overdose generation,” the state’s top health officials said.
A federal judge ruled that Linda Sun, a former gubernatorial aide who is accused of acting as an unregistered agent of China, will go on trial this summer.
Lawmakers stood with leaders of the union representing state troopers to push for legislation that would provide more time off for State Police members who are involved in fatal shootings or other incidents that can trigger an emotional toll.
As Trump’s administration rounds up hundreds of immigrants it claims are gang members and expels them to a notorious Salvadoran prison, New York state is quietly feeding federal authorities gang intelligence that could fuel the deportation machine.
Las Vegas Sands will no longer pursue a $6 billion plan to build a casino resort at the Nassau Coliseum, citing market forces including the threat that online gambling poses to in-person table games and the U.S. economic climate.
The company cited the threat that online gambling posed to its profits in its decision to bow out of the competition for one of three casino licenses around New York City.
Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker vying to become the first female mayor of New York City, received the backing of three major unions, shaking up a Democratic contest two months before the primary.
DC37 made its endorsement official in a press conference alongside state Attorney General James, CWA Local 1180, which represents communications professionals, and UNITE HERE Local 100, which covers the food-service industry.
“At a time when we are dealing with bullies in Washington, we need a mayor who puts people first and individuals who can speak loudly about the challenges facing our city and the attacks on our residents, our neighbors,” said James.
“She’s stepping up at a time of chaos and confusion,” James said of the speaker. “Not out of political motivation or political revenge or even redemption, but a commitment to proudly state and proudly defend, out loud, this city.”
Mayor Eric Adams alleged that Speaker Adams has fought him on several policy issues as a springboard to run for his job, despite her showing scant interest in the role prior to several months ago.
Mayor Adams visited a longtime ally’s legal cannabis dispensary, hoping to raise campaign cash from a constituency that has benefited from his administration’s closure of illegal weed shops. But the owners once ran an illegal operation themselves.
Michael Mulgrew, the head of New York City’s powerful teachers union, slammed Mayor Adams’ plans to expand his signature math curriculum to middle schools.
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who won attention for a series of online campaign videos, is the first candidate to launch a broadcast ad in the Democratic primary race.
The 30-second video, which will air during the New York Knicks playoff game today, has two goals: attacking the race’s front-runner, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and introducing Mamdani and his populist ideas to a broader audience.
Mamdani was accused of using artificial intelligence to fake his Spanish-language prowess for a campaign ad — but the Democratic socialist laughed off the claims as totally loco.
Mamdani laughed off the accusation, and provided a two-minute “Spanish Ad Blooper Reel” of him practicing and mangling the language as he tried to get his lines right.
A Big Apple mayoral candidate forum turned ugly for Cuomo last night when a mob of angry protesters ambushed the stage and chanted, “Cuomo lies, people die.”
With more than 900,000 students, New York’s public school system is the biggest in the United States, but it has received scant attention from candidates for mayor.
About a third of young people who age out of New York City’s foster care system are being forced to stay longer in the city’s care because they can’t find affordable places to live, according to a new report.
Five years after Manhattan prosecutors persuaded a jury to convict one of Hollywood’s most powerful men of sexually abusing women, they stood before a different group of 12 New Yorkers and methodically began to rebuild a now-familiar case.
The deadly crash of a sightseeing helicopter in New York City on April 10 has left many people wondering how safe such tours are, as they can operate under less rigorous safety requirements than other commercial aircraft.
Budget-conscious Long Islanders are flocking to the pet supply retailer’s location in Commack, New York, which has started selling egg-laying female chicks as part of a “pilot program” for those looking to procure their own eggs amid soaring costs.
Cornell University dropped popular R&B singer Kehlani, who has been an outspoken opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, from its annual campus concert over what the school’s president said were antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments she had espoused.
Jimmer Fredette, the former Glens Falls High School star who went on to college basketball stardom at Brigham Young University before a professional career with stops in the NBA and overseas, is retiring from basketball.
Colonie Planning Board officials approved a new Chick-fil-A restaurant near busy Latham Farms, a project that had previously been met with concerns about traffic jams due to its location.
A trooper shot a Kingsbury man wanted in Washington County after, State Police said, he refused to drop a shotgun.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
