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Today's top stories
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices starts meeting today to discuss vaccine recommendations. The committee's decisions have a significant influence on who will have access to COVID vaccines this fall and whether babies get vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Many health and medical experts are paying close attention to what comes from the meeting because the Trump administration recently changed all of the committee members. Here's a look at how they could affect policy.
- 🎧 The three items on the agenda are COVID vaccines, Hepatitis B vaccines for children and the MMRV vaccine, which covers measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox, NPR's Pien Huang tells Up First. Health experts are worried that when the committee votes, they could recommend limits that would make it harder for people to receive the COVID shots. The Hepatitis B and MMRV vaccines have been given to children for years, and questions about them seemed to be settled. But the committee has raised concerns about them. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, a former CDC vaccine official, says, "This is established science that they're attacking."
- ➡️ Yesterday, former CDC director Susan Monarez testified that she was fired for resisting pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to pre-approve vaccine recommendations for the public and fire career scientists. Here's what else she said in her testimony.
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates yesterday by a quarter percentage point. The decision should make it a bit cheaper to get a car loan or carry a balance on your credit card. The move comes as Fed policymakers face continued pressure from the White House to lower the interest rates.
- 🎧 The Fed is concerned that people who have lost their jobs are having a hard time finding work. This could, over time, push the unemployment rate higher. Lower interest rates are a way to combat what Fed officials fear could happen with the job market, says NPR's Scott Horsley. However, it is still a balancing act as inflation, which the central bank typically fights with higher interest rates, remains higher than the Fed would like.
ABC announced yesterday that it's indefinitely suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air. The decision follows backlash against Kimmel for comments he made this week about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The network took the sudden action after the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission threatened federal action against the stations that carry the show.
- 🎧 Kimmel's monologue on Monday took jabs at President Trump, making fun of his seemingly indifferent response to a reporter's questions about Kirk's killing. What really upset people was what he said before that, says NPR's Mandalit del Barco. Kimmel stated that MAGA was trying to characterize the suspect in the case as anything other than one of them and was doing anything to score political points. On social media, Trump congratulated ABC on removing the Kimmel show and urged NBC to cancel Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers' late-night shows.
- ➡️ Why was Kirk killed? The shooting has unleashed a frenzy of finger-pointing. But the suspect's politics may be less clear than some say. Here's the complicated picture the evidence paints.
Today's listen
After performing at NPR's Tiny Desk, Ed Sheeran shared with Morning Edition host A Martínez the international inspirations behind his new record, Play. The British singer said he tours a lot in India, and he hangs out with many musicians in the area. He eventually decided to lean into that sound for some of the songs on the album. Sheeran says he can't base his career solely on what will appeal to the American market, and his music is about what a song means to him. Listen to snippets of Sheeran's new music and its different influences or read the interview's transcript here. Watch his Tiny Desk performance and read more about how this album differs from his previous ones.
Deep dive
Telehealth comes with a sense of ease for those who use it: You can schedule appointments within hours of needing care and can talk to a doctor from the comfort of your home. It can also be beneficial for people living in rural areas without nearby medical services. But there can be some drawbacks. Telehealth appointments come with unexpected costs. For medical conditions that aren't straightforward, there could be more benefits to seeking an in-person doctor. If you are considering trying online doctors, here are some things to keep in mind:
- 🩺 Video visits can be a helpful way to evaluate sick children and skin and nail infections. But these visits can be complicated for people who are not as technologically savvy.
- 🩺 Telehealth doesn't work for conditions that require physical exams, like joint pain, or procedures such as receiving vaccinations.
- 🩺 If you don't have a clear diagnosis, it is often worth it to meet with a doctor in person. Real-life visits can be more thorough, and doctors can learn about your condition by observation and a physical exam.
- 🩺 Many telehealth providers offer specialized care for sensitive issues, such as hormone therapy for menopause. If your regular doctor isn't comfortable treating something like this, some telehealth experts can provide you with quick access.
3 things to know before you go
- The Latin Grammy nominations were announced yesterday morning, and Bad Bunny is the top contender for golden gramophones this year.
- Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, announced this week in a public letter that he has resigned from the ice cream company because he was being "silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting" its parent company, Unilever.
- If you love cats, you are in luck today! This week's Far-Flung Postcard takes you to the American University of Beirut, where over 1,000 of them roam the campus.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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