Good morning, it’s Thursday and almost the weekend.
The countdown to fall is on.
I’m sorry to keep harping on this and harshing on your end-of-summer experience, but no one can stop time, so we’d best accept reality and get on board. The back-to-school flurry has already begun – I even spotted Halloween decorations at my local Walgreens the other day, which, despite what I just said about embracing the changing of the seasons, struck even me as a hair too soon.
I distinctly remember the deep dread I felt when I heard my mom making my annual pre-school appointment to see the pediatrician. That could only mean one thing: A shot – perhaps more than one – was likely in my future.
I was deeply afraid of needles as a child. I still don’t love them in the medical context, though I keep adding to my tattoo collection and I have willingly signed up for IV infusions, so my tolerance has certainly built up over time.
My parents were definitely on the vaccine train, which, of course, was necessary since they were also staunch supporters of public education, which required that kids be inoculated against contagious diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella, (among others), before setting foot in the classroom.
I internalized this trust in science and am routinely inoculated against the flu, RSV, and now, thanks to my advanced age, shingles. I not only willingly, but gladly, took the COVID shot, though I have since abandoned that yearly ritual.
I believe in the power of herd immunity and also in the research that vaccines do more good than harm. I do not dispute that there are instances where that is not the case and I am well aware that people feel very strongly about that. I have engaged with a lot of activists, advocates, and protestors in my life, but rarely have I encountered people as virulently angry, in-your-face, and combative as the anti-vax crowd. Their presence in the halls and chambers of the state Capitol, as well as on the sidewalks outside it, can be downright intimidating.
The anti-vax movement continues to grow and move from the fringes into the mainstream. That’s thanks in no small part to the rise to power of one of its most recognizable leaders, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr., under whose leadership measles, a childhood illness once thought to be all-but eliminated in the U.S., though not outright eradicated, has surged.
Across the nation, routine vaccination rates have steadily declined, while non-medical vaccine exemptions have reached an all-time high.If this doesn’t scare you, I don’t know what will. If you click on that link, you’ll see that a fairly high percentage of children continue to be vaccinated, comparatively speaking, but only 10 states had MMR coverage above the 95 percentage rate that experts deem necessary to provide transmission of the measles virus.
Measles, by the way, is nothing to fool with. It can be deadly, killing between one and three of every 1,000 children who contract it. And it is HIGHLY PREVENTABLE. You know how? Once more now for the people in the back who might not have gotten the message: Through vaccination.
And in case you think New York, being as progressive as it is and all that, is (ahem) immune from this trend, think again. So far in 2026, there have been six confirmed cases of measles in New York City and nine outside the city, according to the state Health Department. Last year, there were 20 confirmed cases in New York City and 28 outside the city.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, an annual observance to raise awareness about the benefits of vaccines. I have done my part in the small corner of the world where I am lucky enough to have a platform to make my voice heard. Hopefully, others will do the same.
It will be partly cloudy this morning with the chance of thunderstorms growing as the day progresses. Temperatures will top out in the mid-80s.
Addendum: After I completed drafting this post, the Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz, President Trump’s nominee for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, filling a vacancy that was created nearly a year ago when the last person to permanently hold the post resigned over a clash with RFK Jr. over…wait for it…vaccine policy.
Also, a measles-infected individuals spent hours at a California theme park last weekend, sparking fears of an outbreak.
ALSO, some positive news: The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved the U.S.’ first flu shot that uses mRNA technology: mFlusiva, from drugmaker Moderna.
In the headlines…
Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic primary for Senate raises the prospect of a rare new addition to the upper chamber: a progressive doctor — albeit one who doesn’t practice medicine.
President Trump panned Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed in a social media post, calling the progressive Democrat a “Communist, who is not liked in Detroit,” while alleging without evidence rampant voter fraud in the state.
Republicans are seeing red after Democrats grew their army of “Mini Zohran Mamdanis” to take into battle for control of Congress in November.
The Mamdani wing of the Democratic Party is celebrating after Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens in a contentious race for U.S. Senate, dealing a defeat to the pro-Israel lobby.
Mamdani accused House Speaker Mike Johnson of being “deeply out of touch” on Wednesday after the Republican warned that America risked being overrun by “mini Mamdanis” following progressive Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has told allies that it is considering a major financial campaign to support the Republican Senate nominee in the Michigan general election this fall, after it failed its biggest test of the primary season on Tuesday.
In an unusual primary upset, Trump’s favored candidate for a battleground House district in central Michigan lost to a little-known Republican who had suspended his own campaign, never filed a campaign finance report and had even endorsed someone else.
A military helicopter carrying President Trump came less than a mile from a passenger jet above Washington on Tuesday after garbled communications with Ronald Reagan National Airport’s tower delayed air traffic controllers from clearing nearby air traffic.
Before taking off, the crew of Marine One made three attempts to warn controllers in the National Airport tower that they were three minutes away from taking off. The communications appeared not to have been heard by the controller, and the helicopter advanced.
The incident, which appears to be a violation of new safety procedures, is now under investigation by the FAA.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent downplayed the impact of inflation on lower-income Americans, declaring this week that the “K-shaped” economy — shorthand for the divergent fortunes of the rich and poor — is a thing of the past.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first mRNA flu vaccine, enabling use of a technology that will make it easier to rapidly target a widely prevalent or particularly virulent strain of the virus.
The approval of the vaccine, called mFLUSIVA, which is manufactured by Moderna, follows a series of blows to mRNA research directed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz, a physician who has repeatedly affirmed the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines, as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency’s first full-time leader in nearly a year.
Here’s one thing you don’t see in the New York campaign for governor this summer: A splurge of political ads by Gov. Kathy Hochul blasting her opponent – a noticeable difference from 2022.
Hochul announced that the Trump Administration’s controversial plan to end Medicare Part D subsidies will raise prescription drug costs for around 1.3 million seniors across New York State, according to policy analyst estimates.
Hochul signed new legislation to strengthen inspections on cooling towers in New York City, requiring twice yearly certifications, faster remediation and stiffer penalties for violations.
Hochul announced that the state will distribute $9 million to fund more than 150 cybersecurity projects tied to the state’s water infrastructure.
Just over a year ago, Hochul unveiled plans to add at least 1 gigawatt of advanced nuclear power in upstate New York. The opening of such a new facility is still years away. But the project continues to advance through the early stages.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman was critical of the Hochul administration’s move to sue the prediction market website Kalshi, calling it “hypocritical” of the governor to try and ban the website.
A Democratic district leader is urging state ethics officials to investigate presumptive Queens Assemblyman-elect Brian Romero for posting a GoFundMe that urged the public to help pay his rent and other living expenses before he takes office.
Spending on lobbying in New York surged to a record high of $213 million for the first half of this year, with stakeholders in the ride-share, gambling and healthcare industries leading the way when it came to trying to influence state government policy.
One week after a teenager was killed while riding an illegal e-bike, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the city will crack down on illegal e-bike retailers with legal action.
Mamdani’s promise of cheaper food staples at five city-owned grocery stores is expected to require straight tax dollar payments to achieve the promised 30% discount on staples.
As New Yorkers contend with rising utility bills, battling those costs is becoming a focus for Mamdani as his administration prioritizes tenant protection and affordability.
Blakeman said that attendees at this year’s Sept. 11 memorial ceremony should turn their backs on Mamdani if he attends.
The Mamdani administration left scores of questions unanswered about the mayor’s plan to open five city-owned grocery stores — exposing major gaps in the taxpayer-backed undertaking.
The development of a skyscraper in New York City that will house Ken Griffin’s Citadel is moving forward despite his feud with Mamdani.
A group hoping to bring open primaries to New York City is taking the city clerk and the city’s Board of Elections to court after they thwarted the group’s effort to bring the issue to voters.
New York could finally lift a decades-old ban that shuttered the city’s gay bathhouses and other adult establishments during the height of the AIDS epidemic.
New York lawmakers have introduced legislation that would repeal the state’s existing prohibitions on adult saunas and pave the way for licensing and operating these spaces.
A Brooklyn man faces a federal arson charge in a blaze that tore through a historic Bushwick church in June, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York.
Reported rat sightings are on track to hit their lowest numbers since the pandemic for the first half of 2026 — as major anti-rodent measures first taken under the Adams administration are seeing positive results, city data shows.
Contractors are ripping up the sidewalks and boarding up the windows of the former Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in the northeastern Adirondacks.
In the aftermath of a gas pump explosion that critically injured a DGS supervisor and a senior fire department official, a union that represents some workers in the department is questioning why the agency has not hired a full-time safety coordinator.
Former Gov. George Pataki was honored during an opening ceremony for the Pataki Center on Spring Street in Albany. The center, which features mementos and legislation from his time in office, is housed in a building behind state GOP headquarters.
The nation is in a “blood supply crisis” this summer after blood donations fell to a four-year low, the American Red Cross said.
A 5-megawatt, grid-scale battery storage project planned for the town of New Scotland is facing fierce opposition from town residents wary of the safety and environmental risks of the project.
A previously unusable boat launch at a park along the Mohawk River in Rotterdam received a long-planned, major facelift that has made the waterfront area more accessible for people of all abilities.
Schenectady City Council President Carl Williams wants to halt long-term legislative absences, with an option to expel council members who violate it in an effort to ensure that city business isn’t held up.
Albany Law School suspended its digital infrastructure after the campus experienced an issue earlier this week, a spokesman confirmed Wednesday.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
