Sportswear company Adidas and Mexican-American designer Willie Chavalia apologized after Mexico accused them of cultural appropriation over the design of their new shoes.
The “Oaxaca Slip-On” was billed as a collaboration between Chavalia and Adidas Originals and featured a woven leather surface, open heels and a thick rubber sole.
Officials in Mexico’s Oaxaca state last week accused Adidas of copying “huarache” handmade sandals from the Oaxacan community in Villa Hidalgo Yararag.
Since then, adidas and Chavalia have confirmed that it was inspired by the state’s design and have issued a formal apology for it.
“We provide a public apology and reaffirm our commitment to working with Yalálag in a respectful dialogue that respects their cultural heritage,” Adidas said in a statement to CNN on Monday.
“I am deeply sorry that the shoes have been allocated to this design and not developed in a direct and meaningful partnership with the Oaxacan community,” Chavalia said individually.
The designer, known for defending Mexican-American culture and incorporating it into his fashion work, added that his intention was to honor the culture and artistry of Oaxaca and its community.
This design caused a fuss all over Mexico. That’s why President Claudia Sheinbaum was moved to comment.
“In many cases, large businesses are taking products, ideas and designs from our country’s Indigenous communities,” she said Friday, adding that her government will tackle new laws that ensure “indigenous creativity is not taken away.”
The country previously passed laws that punished the misuse of indigenous cultural expressions that sentenced fines and sentences. It passed after companies like Zara, Anthropologie and Patowl faced similar backlash against designs and motifs that were perceived to resemble traditional works.
Adidas and the Oaxaca government were expected to hold consultations focused on compensation for indigenous communities, Marina Nunez Vesparova, Mexico’s Deputy Director of Cultural Development, said on Friday.
“Adidas has already contacted the Oaxaca government and consultations will begin with support through the Ministry of Culture (National Copyright Institute), in response to the request of the Heritage Act,” she said.
President Donald Trump built hopes for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he wanted to “feel” the leader’s willingness to end the Ukrainian war.
Zelenskyy rejects Trump’s Ukrainian land swap proposal
President Zelensky rejects Trump’s proposal to exchange Ukrainian land with Russia ahead of the Alaska peace talks.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has again raised the idea of “land exchange” to see Ukraine give up on territory to Russia after the previous proposals were furious from European leaders and rejected by the Ukrainian president.
Trump said he was “a bit troubled” by Ukraine’s Voldimi Zelenkie’s claim over the weekend that Russia would violate his country’s constitution by giving Russia’s territory arrested for an unprovoked invasion.
“He’s approved to join the war and kill everyone, but is there any approval required to make the land exchange? Because the land exchange will take place. Through Russia and through conversations with everyone, Trump told reporters at a press conference on August 11th.
He said some moves are good for Ukraine, but some will be bad.
“You have very uneven lines, so it’s very complicated,” Trump declared. “There are some exchanges. They have some changes in the land, and the word they use is that they make changes. We change the lines, the battle lines.”
Trump made his comments this week when he decided his expectations for a summit with Vladimir Putin. So he said he “feels” the Russian leaders’ willingness to reach an agreement to end the war.
The conflict began in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine.
The administration has not shared any additional details regarding the format of Putin and Trump’s summit, beyond the fact that it is a schedule for August 15th, US territory purchased from Russia in 1867.
“It’s a really pleasant meeting, and President Putin invited me,” Trump told reporters.
Trump said he plans to call Zelensky, who is not expected to attend, and calls European leaders shortly after the meeting to share what Putin has provided.
“I’m not going to trade. It’s not up to me to trade,” Trump declared.
Trump says he will push Putin to end the Ukrainian war
The sanctions Trump said he would administer Putin if the deal was not reached by August 8th appeared to be pending as leaders prepare for their in-person meeting. Trump hiked 50% tariffs on the country’s products to buy Russian oil ahead of the sanctions deadline, and set an example from India.
Trump admitted at a press conference that he had been disappointed in Putin in the past, but said he felt an obligation to settle the war.
The president said he thought Putin’s coming to the United States was “respect” rather than holding summits in Russia or other countries. “I think there’s a constructive conversation,” Trump said.
Trump suggested that the simple act of facing President Putin could persuade Russian leaders, and repeated his argument that if he was president when it began, the war would not have started.
“I’m going to talk to Vladimir Putin, and I’m going to tell him, ‘You have to end this war, you have to end it,'” Trump said. “He had no intention of ruining me. This war would never have happened.”
Trump hinted at his previous claim that Ukrane might have prevented him from violating President Putin, saying, “I’ll get along with Zelensky, but I know I don’t agree with what he did.
Trump said Putin and Zelensky would probably want to meet him next. However, he also said that if he believes there is no hope for a reconciliation, he can move away from the war after talking to Putin.
“I’m going to look at the parameters. Now I’m leaving and wishing good luck. That’s going to be the end.
Trump said at the White House event on August 8th, there will be “exchanges of parts of the territory.” “We’re looking at the exchange. We’re going to get some back,” he said.
Zelenskyy said in X’s thread the following day that the war could not be ended without Ukraine’s approval.
It is important to choose the right size luggage for your trip.
The issue has been resolved, review
Overtourism has forced travelers to avoid popular destinations due to tense infrastructure and exhausted resources.
Crowded destinations can pose safety risks due to political tensions, environmental challenges and crime.
Experts advise against visiting overcrowded areas such as the Thai Islands, Dubrovnik, Santorini and the major European capitals.
When there is a cruise ship in Dubrovnik, Croatia, or when there is a fountain in Rome, Trevi, on a hot day, do you really need to show you a photo to prove that your trip is not as busy as this summer?
Probably not. A recent survey by Global Rescue found that 73% of travelers are concerned about overtourism, with over half actively eschewing popular destinations such as France, Spain, Italy and Thailand.
Check outElliott Confidentiala newsletter the travel industry doesn’t want you to read. Each issue is filled with breaking news, deep insights and exclusive strategies to become a better traveler. But don’t tell anyone!
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the world,” said Dun Richards, CEO of Global Rescue. “Whether it’s a natural disaster or a surge in crime, we’ll remain insufficient to handle the crisis.”
But are overcrowded destinations dangerous? And which places to avoid – or do not have avoid?
Are destinations more dangerous for busy summer trips?
Traveling to popular, overcrowded destinations is dangerous. Frank Harrison, director of Regional Security for the Americas for World Travel Protection, said that a combination of political tensions, environmental challenges and crime concerns requires tourists to be more diligent.
“Many destinations once considered relatively safe face multiple mutually linked issues that increase the risk to travelers,” he added. “Traveling is certainly more complicated.”
Even with all the crowds, you may be completely safe. But that doesn’t mean you have a positive experience. You may feel unwelcome as there is a growing backlash against popular tourism at some destinations.
“This backlash brings new restrictions on tourism and a less welcoming atmosphere for travelers,” explained John Rose, chief risk officer at Altour, a global corporate travel management company. “It makes some traditionally popular destinations less appealing and more difficult to navigate.”
One way to avoid confusion is to seek advice from an expert. A competent travel advisor will help you ensure you don’t have long queues this summer. But what does your travel advisor know that you don’t?
I’ll have to skip this summer
Some destinations are literally and figurically too hot to deal with this summer. This is where experts say you should think carefully before making an appointment.
◾Thailand: Thailand’s tropical islands have long been magnets for travelers looking for sun, sand and affordable prices. But now there are too many tourists. Experts advise clients to avoid places like Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi and more. “Prices are expanding, pollution is rising, and the quality of life for local people is declining,” said Alonso Marly, travel advisor at Skylux Travel.
Alternative: Try Chiang Mai in the northern part of Thailand. This is a great place to try Bangkok, where there is less touristy and more space and is a better shopping experience.
◾Croatia: Due to his starring role in “Game of Thrones” and his popularity among cruise passengers, Dubrovnik has become one of Europe’s most overcrowded cities. With only 41,000 residents, they are struggling to handle the influx of tourists. Tourists caused traffic congestion and on busy days the city was almost completely inaccessible.
Alternative: Also check out Split, which has an impressive historic city center (with fewer walls) or head to Zagreb.
◾ Greece: The glorious white houses and blue churches of Santorini have made it a bucket list destination. However, with over 3.4 million visitors each year, the island is buckled under pressure. Locals are protesting a massive influx of tourists. Other Greek islands, including Mykonos and Corfu, are also being attacked violently.
Alternative: Athens and Thessaloniki are always safe bets. They can be busy throughout the summer, but they’re a little less insane than the Greek islands.
◾European tourist capital: You know what I’m talking about: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Venice. These European cities tackle anti-tourist sentiment driven by rising housing costs and overcrowding. Adding a record-breaking heat wave, there are recipes for a disastrous travel.
Alternative:Down a beaten path even a little – even a little – and you can have many Sana experiences. I spent my time in Berlin last July and was impressed by how uncrowded it was. I also spent some time in Helsinki and northern Sweden, managed to escape the crowds. Even August in Stockholm isn’t that bad, as many residents leave town for a month.
This is by no means a complete list. If you want to go to a popular place, it may be too much. For example, if you are thinking of visiting Rome this summer, don’t forget that it is the year of Jubilee.
Safer bet: Where to go instead
So where should you go? The safest destinations are those marked as Level 1 or Level 2 in the US Department of State Travel Advisory System, said John Gobbels, chief operating officer of the air medical transport and travel security program Medjet.
“But still beware,” he added. “Beware where you go and who you trust. Study the safest and safest parts of town. You should probably not walk alone to all towns at night.”
Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) releases annual reporting of the safest destinations and is widely considered the gold standard for travel safety. BHTP research is based on factors such as terrorism, environmental issues, flight delays and more. This year’s list: Iceland, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand.
“After years of conducting this research, patterns emerged, with certain countries and cities like Switzerland and Singapore becoming the mainstay,” said Carol Mueller, Head of Marketing at BHTP.
However, you don’t need to be a security expert to know that some locations are more risky than others. I have traveled the world for years and the BHTP list is looking for safe and relatively uncrowded places, even during the summer.
why? Well, for a variety of reasons. For example, in Australia and New Zealand it is winter. This means it’s low season unless you’re skiing on the South Island. Switzerland and Singapore are too expensive to attract the kinds of popular tourism in Barcelona and Santorini. Iceland is beautiful, but isolated.
Become a paradox this summer
Takeout is the same. Paradoxical if you want to avoid overcrowded destinations this summer. When everyone else goes north, they head south. They get lost from their beaten paths when they flock to popular destinations.
And yes, I’m in Europe this summer, but my itinerary takes me where fewer tourists go. Home to my ancestors in Munich, Luxembourg, Prague, Prague, Reykjavik and the Amikls of Greece. It’s close to chaos, but not Too much close. Maybe I’ll meet you there.
Christopher Elliott Author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He established Elliot’s defense, A non-profit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidentialtravel newsletter, Elliot Reporta news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer issue, Contact him here Or email him at chris@elliott.org.
Ocean researchers exploring extreme depths say they have discovered an incredible deep-sea ecosystem of chemically synthesized life fueled to gases that escape fractures in the ocean floor. The expedition uncovered methane-producing microbes and marine invertebrates that make homes in a state of mercilessness that cannot reach the sun’s rays.
Geochemist Mengrand Du was left for 30 minutes on her diving mission when she decided to explore the groove of one of the last trenches between Russia and Alaska. She said she began to notice “amazing creatures” that contain a variety of clams and tube worms that have never been recorded deeply on the surface.
What I happened to meet was a stretch of about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) what her team says. DU is the co-lead author of the study, explaining the findings published in Nature on July 30th..
The Hadal Zone is primarily composed of ocean trenches and troughs. At these depths, “life needs tricks to survive and thrive there,” explained DU, a professor and researcher at the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
One of these tricks is bacteria that have evolved to live in clams and tube worms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Bacteria convert methane and hydrogen sulfide from cold penetration – cracks in the seabed that leak these compounds as liquids – into energy and food that host animals can use, Allows living creatures to liveUnder zero sun light conditions.
The findings suggest that these communities may also be present in other Hadal Trenches, Du said, opening up opportunities for further studies of how deeply these animals can survive.
After analyzing sediment samples collected from the expedition, DU and her team said they detected high concentrations of methane. The discovery was surprising as deep sea deposits usually contain very low concentrations of compounds.
Scientists have assumed that microorganisms in the ecosystem convert the organic matter of sediment into carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide to methane. This is something the researchers didn’t know that microorganisms could form. Bacteria that live in clams and tubeworm species use this methane to survive for chemical synthesis.
There was another revelation. Scientists previously believed that chemical synthesis communities rely on organic matter such as dead creatures that fell from the surface of the sea to the floor and drifting particles of living species. However, the findings reveal that these methane-producing microorganisms produce local sources of organic molecules that large organisms such as clams can use for food and energy.
Methane, as a carbon-containing compound, is part of the carbon cycle. Therefore, this finding also shows that Hadal’s groove plays a more important role in the cycle than previously thought, Du explained.
Scientists have long understood that methane is stored as a compressed liquid deep within the subduction zone. There, tectonic plates come across under the seabed and are eventually released through “cold penetration” at the bottom of the trench of Hadal. Now that Du’s team has discovered chemical bonds at such depths, they assume that the Hadal trench acts not only as a reservoir, but also as a methane recycling centre.
This said, “a large amount of carbon remained in the sediments and was recycled by microorganisms.” In fact, scientists have recently estimated that Hadal Zone deposits can sequester 70 times more organic carbon than the surrounding seabed. These so-called carbon sinks are important to our planet, given that methane and carbon dioxide are two major greenhouse gases that promote global warming in the atmosphere.
The chemical synthesis community itself is not used to science. Johanna Weston, a deep-sea ecologist at the Woods Hole Marine Research Institute in Massachusetts, who was not involved in the new study, said previous research suggested that they could thrive in such depths. However, she was impressed by the extent of her recent discoveries, she told CNN.
In an era of widespread biodiversity loss, the discovery highlights the importance of new technologies that can withstand high pressures in deep-sea environments to document undiscovered organisms, said Weston, part of a team actively exploring deep-sea offshores from Argentina.
The Hadal Trench is remote but not completely isolated, she added. Weston and her colleagues discovered a new species in 2020 in a Mariana trench named Eurythenes PlasticusFor microplastic fibers detected in the intestine. And near Puerto Rico, Weston has identified a new isopod that exclusively eats salgasm, an Atlantic rich seaweed that can sink to the seabed in just 40 hours. “The deep seas are very connected to what’s going on on the surface,” she said.
Research on deep-sea ecosystems is decades old, and technologies for new discoveries are improving. However, Du added that it is important for various countries and scientific disciplines to cooperate on future efforts. The Global Hadal Exploration Program, co-led by UNESCO and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aims to do just that by creating a network of deep sea scientists from multiple countries.
Du hopes that she and her team will be able to learn more about the Hadal Trench ecosystem by studying how these species adapted to such extreme depths.
“We see the Hadal trench as a very extreme environment, but the least popular environment (chemical synthetic organisms) can live happily there,” Du said.
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Zaxbys’ first Arizona location is set this week as the chain expands its new western footprint.
This is part of the Zaxbys plan, which will open dozens of locations nationwide this year, and will be Zaxbys, the second in the West of the United States, following the chain’s first Las Vegas location that launched in April.
The location is scheduled to open in the Phoenix area on Wednesday, August 13th. Later in the celebration on August 19, the restaurant has promised six months of free menu items to its first 100 guests, Zaxbys said in a news release.
Known for its chicken bids and special sauces, Zacks has a major southeastern presence in states such as Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi. However, the chain is looking to expand, aiming to open its 1,000th new location in 2025, including its first restaurant in Nevada and Arizona.
read more: Fried chicken chain Zaxbys finally opens its first AZ location. When is this
Other openings for 2025
The Phoenix Area opening is the latest addition to the 2025 New Zacks location list. The states where New Zacks locations opened this year include South Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Kansas, Virginia and Mississippi.
Zaxbys: The fast food chain is set to open more than 50 new locations in 2025.
Where is Zaxbys open in Arizona?
The new location, which will open on August 13th, will be at 37756 N. Ganzel Road in Santa Valley, a suburb of Phoenix.
The new location spans 3,000 square feet and has 56 seats for dining guests, but in addition to dual drive-thru and curb pickup doors, the service is fast.
Sharlene Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Zaxbys, thanked the owner of the latest location in the press release.
“Thanks to the dedication of our franchise partners Brian and Jessica Nelson, we are accelerating growth in the West and continuing to introduce Zacks’ famous fingers and signature sauce to new fans around the country,” Smith said.
On August 19th, almost a week after the restaurant’s opening, Smith will be attending a ribbon cutting ceremony at the location.
Saleen Martin is a reporter for the USA Today Now team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – 757. Email her to sdmartin@usatoday.com.
Donald Trump installs diet cola buttons in an oval office
From Diet Coke buttons to Andrew Jackson’s portrait, take a look inside Donald Trump’s oval office decorations.
The official portrait of former President Barack Obama has been moved from the White House entrance to an area not open to the public.
The move was confirmed by White House officials in USA Today.
Tensions between the former president and the current president have skyrocketed in recent weeks. Last month, Obama fought back against a report released by the National Intelligence Director, which claimed that the former president and top aides had “manufactured and politicized intelligence” against Trump after beating Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Obama’s office in the statement dismissed the Trump administration’s claims as “nonsense and misinformation.” Trump also accused Obama of “treason” at an oval office meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, calling him “the ringleader” and his actions.
Trump has a long history of chasing Obama, starting with a birth conspiracy theory.
The Obama portrait, now painted by Robert McCurdy and released in September 2022, has been moved to the top of the spectacular White House staircase upon landing at the entrance to the president’s private residence. The area is open to the public during a White House tour.
This is the second time Obama’s portrait has been moved. The 44th President enjoys the highest favorable review among all living presidents.
In April they bumped into the country to make space for portraits to film an assassination attempt in Trump in Balter, Pennsylvania.
“Some new artwork at the White House,” the official White House account posted on social media platform X.
Obama’s portrait has been moved throughout the foyer.
The White House Historical Society has acquired and commissioned official portraits of the President and First Lady since 1965. They hang in the White House after portraits are presented to the public during the presentation ceremony.
It is customary to include two newest presidential portraits in the White House Grand Foyer. The portrait of former President Joe Biden is not yet complete.
The Trump White House also moved portraits of former presidents George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush into the stairs area. Neither former presidents approved Trump when they ran for the White House in 2016 or in subsequent elections.
These aren’t the only decoration changes that Trump has made.. He chose frames and portraits for the cabinet room, overseeing a massive golden overhaul of the oval office, reconstructing Rose Graydon and building a Grand Ballroom in the East Wing.
“It’s a natural instinct, so I do it part-time,” he said at an August 11 press conference at the White House.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA Today.x You can follow her at @swapnavenugopal
Jelly Roll-On “Tulsa King”: Watching Singer meet Slice Loan’s Gang
Even though the Sylvester Stallone gangster calls him Jelly Fish, check out Jelly Roll, excited to film a scene from his favorite show, “Tulsa King.”
Jelly Roll hopes to be suitable for the field.
In a video shared by the NFL’s Tennessee Titans to X, the 40-year-old country music star revealed that he lost a considerable amount of weight. Speaking to the players and staff rooms, the rapper casually said, “I lost 200 pounds.”
“I can’t get on the field,” he joked, but added that he was “close.”
“I lost 200 pounds. If I lose another 50, I told my coach I had a contract,” the singer, Jason Deford, told the sound of applause.
Jerry Roll says he’s more depressed 180 pounds on a weight loss journey with huge goals
Jerry Roll’s revelation follows another series of comments in April, where the musician shows the Pittsburgh crowd that he is working towards a dream date with his wife.
“I started this morning at 357 pounds, 540 pounds, baby,” he said at the time. “I’m losing another 100 pounds and going skydiving with my Swedish wife.”
The Tennessee-born country star had visited Titan to give a motivational speech before a group led by quarterback Cameron Ward and coach Brian Callahan. Tour musicians provided insight into how to build bonds from the field (or stage) that audiences translate when they watch.
“Today, I want to talk to y’all about road life,” the “Wild Ones” singer said. “I think it was a good time to tell you that it took about 300 days a year instead of here.”
“Bus, trains, planes, cars, walking, you gave it a name you did it,” he continued. “I learned early where it was magic. That’s the magical place for us. I saw what was going on that path between me and the boys and I started translating onto the stage.
“We learned that it wasn’t 23 hours that we were connecting,” he added, advised players to look for friends and communities. He insisted that deepening the connection from the field would improve the game.
“When I started to become a better husband, I started to become a better songwriter,” he explained. “When I started to become a better person, I started to become a better performer.”
After the Trump administration’s upset turmoil, the Center for Disease Control and Preventive Workers, which has returned to work, says they’re stuck on budget, politics and expert boundaries.
Their work includes priorities of key institutions such as HIV testing and surveillance, as well as work in one of the nation’s leading STIs. Also, many projects have been cancelled or stalled as funds disappear or delayed while employees return.
“For a while, work was staring at a blank screen,” said the HIV scientist. “We had a few projects before. We’re about to resume them.”
“I don’t know what’s going on or what to do,” said the fired HIV prevention researcher.
These employees expressed deep concern about the agency’s future and its work regarding the HIV and other threats. Unprecedented downsizing can lead to loss of life and increased spending on healthcare, they say. Their uncertain employment situation is sluggishing morale. Many people are worried about the future of public health.
On August 8th, a gunman was identified by Georgia authorities as Patrick Joseph White fired fire at the CDC building in Atlanta. DeCalb County Police Officer David Rose, the first responder on the scene, was killed. News reports show that White, who was found dead, may have been motivated by his views on the vaccine.
The attack added another level of anxiety to agent workers.
“We feel threatened from within, and obviously, now from the outside,” lab scientists said on August 10. “Trauma runs very differently for us all.
HealthBeat interviewed 11 CDC workers. All but one were fired and then returned their work. Most have worked on HIV-related projects for at least a few years. All spoke about the state of anonymity, citing fears of retaliation.
They fear employment, on the condition of HIV scientists, of being “on unstable ground.”
An HIV epidemiologist said, “There’s chaos and I’m worried about losing HIV prevention based on HIV prevention, and it’s been reduced from reducing layoffs for local public health workers based on HIV prevention. “It feels like a pawn on a chessboard.”
HHS spokesman Emily Hilliard responded to the question in this statement.
“Under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, the country’s key public health functions remain unharmed and effective. The Trump administration is committed to supporting coal miners and firefighters through Niosh, protecting public health through lead prevention or supporting critical services, whether researching and tracking the most common communicable diseases. A top priority.”
The workers received positive news on July 31 when a Senate committee voted to maintain CDC funding at more than $9 billion near current levels. “It’s very encouraging, but it’s just one step in the spending process,” said the HIV researcher.
Still, under the Trump administration’s budget demands, the CDC’s program on HIV faces uncertainty. John Brooks, who retired last year as chief medical officer of CDC’s HIV prevention, expressed concern about the end of the HIV epidemic initiative. “It breathed new life into HIV prevention,” Brooks said, released during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The success of the end of the HIV epidemic initiative is at risk by management plans to reduce HIV prevention efforts, Brooks said. This includes the potential elimination of the CDC division of HIV prevention. It funds the state health department and other groups for testing and prevention, implements HIV surveillance and surveillance, researches HIV prevention and care, and supports training and education of health professionals.
“There is no way to achieve EHE goals without maintaining the national prevention infrastructure that it relies on,” Brooks said. “There are all sorts of reasons why we are actually worried about a new HIV infection rising again.”
Under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Department of Health and Human Services conducted extensive layoffs in early April at the CDC and other health agencies. These mass shooting lawsuits are being played out in federal court.
The administration’s budget blueprint, according to HealthBeat, says that CDC HIV work, many employees hire many employees and move to a healthy American administration, according to those interviewed.
Medical surveillance projects tracking outcomes, quality and gaps in HIV treatment are set to be victims under Trump’s restructuring plan, HIV preventive doctors said.
HHS officials have not communicated with Rank and Files about the reorganization, several CDC workers said.
“It was cricket,” said the HIV scientist.
The White House’s proposed CDC budget for the next fiscal year includes a cut of over 50%, plummeting from $9.2 billion in 2025 to about $4.2 billion. With an overwhelming vote, the Senate committee injected billions of dollars into the agency’s budget and refused to raise funds for the AHA.
Sen. John Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, thanked the committee for “rejecting unacceptable efforts to refund most of the CDC.”
“The budget request from the White House included a 56% reduction to the world’s outstanding epidemiological institutions,” Ossoff said. He also criticized the “systemic disruption of morale at the CDC, the dissolution of the entire institution focused on CDC’s maternal health and neonatal health and disease prevention.”
If the White House is widespread and prevention programs are eliminated, “we see that most states don’t have funds for HIV prevention,” said Emily Schreiber, senior director of policy and legislative affairs for the National Alliance of National and Territorial AIDS Directors. “This means that most states cannot provide HIV testing, referrals to care, and/or referrals to preventive services such as PREP,” or pre-exposure prevention, a drug that can prevent HIV infection.
“That means the state cannot help people access drug therapy,” she said.
“We’ll definitely see layoffs at the CDC, and we’ll probably see them in the state’s health department and community-based organizations,” she added.
According to a statement emailed to HealthBeat, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recently fired or relocated dozens of HIV workers due to fundraising issues.
“We fear that all HIV prevention work will disappear forever,” the HIV prevention researcher said. “This administration does not want to do HIV prevention work by the federal government.”
According to the latest AIDSVU data, Georgia is leading US states with a rate of new HIV infections. CDC workers also said they are concerned that vulnerable communities of colour and LGBTQ+ communities will be deeply hurt by cuts in funding.
In Georgia and other states, medical surveillance projects will disappear information about access to care, HIV doctors said. Information on prevention and treatment will decline for disadvantaged people, including those with substance abuse problems and mental illness, transgender people and those living in poverty, he said.
“There is a lot of anger and sadness among people over the end of the project,” the doctor said. “There’s been a lot of enthusiasm.”
Patrick Sullivan, the lead scientist on the Tokemehome project and professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, said the effective home testing program for HIV will be closing this fall. In a notice to cancel funds for the project, the CDC said there is no longer a staff member to oversee it. The Emory-based project has provided over 900,000 free home test kits to people across the country through integration with easy-to-use websites and dating apps.
More than 100 HIV workers were brought back by more than 450 CDC staff, according to an employee interviewed by HealthBeat. Some cited media coverage, support in Congress, and advocates for reinstatement by patient groups and pharmaceutical companies. “Council members are going to hit it for HIV,” the epidemiologist said.
Some have been closely watching lawsuits filed by 20 Democrat Attorney Generals, and are about to suspend agency restructuring plans announced by Kennedy in March. They are also paying attention to lawsuits filed in California that challenge the shooting.
A few people whose jobs have recovered have either retired or moved to other jobs. “Some people don’t believe we’ll stay, so they’re leaving,” said the HIV prevention researcher.
At Atlanta’s CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Disease Lab, work is also slowing down due to staff reductions and new spending restrictions on supplies, lab scientists said.
Restored lab workers focus on high-priority areas such as syphilis and go disease, while others have been put on the back burner, the scientists said, adding, “A lot of what we were doing is going ahead of the next pathogen, and we feel our time and effort are now limited.”
“We all know what public health is,” the scientist said. “We just want to get the job done and protect the American people.”
HealthBeat is a non-profit newsroom covering public health Civic News Company and KFF Health News. Sign up for our National Newsletter here.
When the ceasefire in Gaza took hold in January, Anas al-Sharif began removing protective gear live on television.
Almost seven months later, Israel killed an Al Jazeera journalist and four colleagues on a strike in Gaza city.
One of Gaza’s most famous Palestinian journalists, one of the dozens killed by Israel during the war – Al-Sharif’s death calls for international condemnation and accountability.
The 28-year-old has become well-known as the face of Gaza’s tales by millions, while Israel blocked international media from accessing territory. Little known before the war, he quickly became famous in the Arab world due to his daily coverage of conflict and its humanitarian sacrifice.
His report provided a first-hand account of key moments in the conflict, including a short-lived ceasefire on the territory, the release of Israeli hostages, and the tragic tales of starvation that shocked the world.
Al Jazeera recruited Al Sharif in December 2023 after social media footage of the Israeli strike in her hometown of Jabariya went viral. The professional photographer was then initially reluctant to appear in the air, but was persuaded by a colleague to draw his report to the front.
“It never even appeared on local channels, let alone international channels,” he was quoted as saying at Sotoll Media Outlet in February. “The happiest person was my late father.” His father was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabaria, shortly after Al Sharif began appearing in Al Jazeera.
The father of two has appeared on the channel almost every day since he began working.
“We (the journalists) slept in hospitals, streets, vehicles, ambulances, shelters, warehouses, shelters. I slept in 30-40 different places,” he told the outlet.
After he took off his protective gear in the air in January, the crowd lifted him up on his shoulder in celebration.
“This armor has been removed from my tired helmet and has become an extension of my body,” he said live at Al Jazeera, paying homage to his colleague who was killed and injured in an Israeli strike in Gaza.
He allegedly warned him to stop his work for Al Jazeera, a network that has already lost several staff members to Israeli actions in Gaza, including Ismail Al Ghur and Hosam Shabbat, who were killed last year.
“Finally, the (Israel army) sent me a voice memo about my whatsapp number… The intelligence officer told me… “You’ll have time to leave where you are and go south and stop reporting for Al Jazeera”… I was reporting from a live hospital.”
“A few minutes later, the room I was reporting was hit,” he said.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Israel first accused Al-Sharif of linking with Hamas 10 months ago. It is unclear why he decided to target him.
In a statement confirming his targeted killing, the IDF accused Al-Sharif of leading Hamassel in Gaza, coordinating “rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces.”
In October 2024, Israeli military released documents claiming it had nominated five Al Jazeer Journalists who presented “clear evidence” of their relationship with Hamas with Al Sharif and described them as part of an extremist group. An Israeli Army spokesman said in a video for X that Al-Sharif joined Hamas Battalion in 2013 and injured in training in 2017.
“I reaffirm. I, Anas Al Sharif, is a journalist with no political affiliation. My only mission is to report the truth from the ground. “When fatal hunger is destroying Gaza, speaking the truth has become a threat to the eyes of occupation.”
Following the murder of the journalist, an IDF Arabic spokesman has released several photos of Yahya Sinwar and Al-Sharif, the late Hamas leaders who masterminded the October 7, 2023 attack. Israel killed Singhwar in October 2024.
According to the hospital’s director Dr Mohamad Abu Salmiyah, Al Sharif was in a tent with other journalists near the entrance to Al Shifa Hospital when he was killed on Sunday.
The tent had a “press” sign, Abu Salmiyah told CNN. The strike killed at least seven people, Salmiya added.
Al Jazeera said correspondent Mohamed Kreike and photojournalists Ibrahim Al Tar and Moammen Aliwa were also killed on strike.
The murder of Al Sharif prompted criticism from rights groups and officials. The committee protecting journalists said it was “crowding,” adding that Israel “has “a long-standing documented pattern of journalists accusing them of being terrorists without providing credible evidence.”
The CPJ added that 192 journalists have been killed since the start of the war almost two years ago, and that “184 of these journalists have been killed by Palestinians by Israel.”
Since the start of the war, Israel has not allowed international journalists to enter Gaza to report independently.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said foreign journalists would be allowed to enter Gaza hours before the strike that killed Al Sharif and his colleagues, but he said that just accompanied Israeli military approval, the same embedded policy has been in place since the start of the war.
Al-Sharif was buried in Gaza on Monday, captivating a crowd of Palestinian mourners.
Anticipating his own death, Al Sharif wrote the will to be released by his colleagues after he was killed.
“I suffered from all the details, and I had experienced many pains and losses, but I never once had the hesitation to tell the truth without distortion or tampering.
“Don’t forget Gaza…and do not forget me in your sincere prayers.
Young drivers learn the importance of buying a car in a difficult way, says a Tiktok video.
As affordable options disappear, the prices of used cars will skyrocket
Used car prices have skyrocketed 41% since 2019. Discover why $15,000 cars are disappearing so quickly.
The young driver purchased a high-profile Ford Escape for over $6,000 from a used car dealer.
Young drivers have tried to replace their SUV and learn why they should do more research before deciding to buy.
Buying a used car without due diligence can lead to major problems.
One teenager learned about a used car buying a hardway when he tried to trade a recently purchased Ford Escape SUV. Additionally, they learned why the fair market value of a vehicle should always be determined before purchasing it or registering it in a payment plan.
What happens when it funds the vehicle for much more than its value? You will be trapped in an auto loan for a car you may not want anymore.
Young drivers cost too much for a Ford Escape at Alabama Dealer
The popular Tiktoc Account Truck Center recently posted a video detailing the interactions with customers with a young driver (ages 18-19) who purchased the 2010 Ford Escape for 185,000 miles. For context, escape SUVs have been accumulated in the lifecycle of such vehicles, which have accumulated many miles living past its best years.
According to the video, the owner still owed $4,200 to the old explorer. This is surprising as the car is over 10 years old and has mileage to prove it.
According to the Kelley Blue Book, the fair purchase price for the 2010 Explorer is $4,427. So the idea of a teen driver who will pay an additional $4,200 for an SUV after paying for money ($1,500-$2,000) is discouraging to say the least.
Thetruckcenter described the Ford Escape as a vehicle that ranges from $500 to $1,000. So young drivers pay for cars that are virtually not traded with used car dealers who are trying to trade fair due to their age, mileage and current market value. They are stuck in old SUVs with little value and are depreciated by miles.
How to avoid overpaying a used car
The young driver described in the ticutok above made one major mistake. If a car salesman is very persuasive, how can you avoid overpaying a used car?
The short answer is research. It’s helpful to know your current market value before agreeing to buy a used car. Otherwise, you can pay thousands of dollars, a vehicle worth significantly less money and has mechanical problems in the near future.
The best way to conduct a market value survey is to look at the year of interest, create, and examine the model. Furthermore, if you want to avoid mechanical problems, newer models under 50,000 miles tend not to have early problems.
If a young driver examined the fair market value of the 2010 Ford Explorer using tools such as the Kelley Blue Book pricing tool, it could have avoided negative experiences entirely. Transportation is necessary, but jumping in a used car without proper research can prove to be a costly and frustrating mistake.
How to know which used car you’ll buy
If you’re in the market for a used car, truck or SUV and don’t know where to start or where you don’t like, the ranking list can serve as a great guide. Searching for the best cars, trucks or SUVs of a particular year will give you results showing models with excellent reviews from experts.
For example, US News & World Report has compiled a list of the best cars for 2020 money. The list mentions the 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2020 Kia Sorento and 2020 Honda CR-V as notable SUVs. American car buyers can determine fair market value by looking at a particular year, production and model from the ranking list.
Ultimately, there is a huge amount of subjectivity when it comes to choosing a used car, but the market value is specific and there is no opinion. Before making a decision to buy a used car, make sure you know exactly what your vehicle is worth.
President Trump will deploy DC police to federal government to federal government
President Donald Trump has announced he is controlling the Washington, DC police and deploying the National Guard.
President Donald Trump teased that the federal government has made an aggressive plan to take over law enforcement in Washington, and that the same force may come to other cities across the country.
Joining the top management officers, including Attorney General Pam Bondy and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, the president announced that the National Guard will be deployed in the country’s capital and local police will be under federal control.
“This is an emergency,” Trump said. “This is a tragic emergency.”
The president painted a dark portrait of the city through an August 11 press conference, explaining that his administration is overrun by homeless people, drug addicts and other “bloodthirsty criminals” who say his administration no longer tolerate.
Many residents and activists have long resisted these characterizations as false and racially motivated attacks on the city.
Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back the president’s claims of rising crime over the weekend, saying residents “have not experienced a surge in crime.” She highlighted the need for DC state needs at another press conference on August 11th after Trump’s comments.
“We are American citizens. Our families go to war, pay taxes and support citizenship responsibility,” Bowser said. “And while this behavior today is uncertain and unprecedented, given some of the rhetoric of the past, we are not entirely surprised.”
But Trump and his allies were keen to highlight individual violent crimes against reporters, White House aides and Congressional staff.
Democrats and other critics pointed out that the murder rate in Washington has fallen 32% since the start of the year, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. They called Trump’s move another abuse of his enforcement agency.
This is an important takeaway from Trump’s press conference.
Trump administration takes over DC police
Trump has signed two executive orders. This was the first invocation of the 1973 Home Rules Act.
Such acquisitions can be extended with Congressional approval, but requests of more than 30 days must be passed to the law.
In another order, Trump ordered Hegses to deploy National Guard troops in Washington. This also allowed security guards to work with governors of other states.
Currently, key officials within the administration are tasked with overseeing DC law enforcement agencies, including Bondi, who commands the local metropolitan police station. Terry Cole, the administrator of drug enforcement agencies who was sworn last month, will serve as interim federal director of the police department.
The White House is shining the spotlight on Doge staff and other crime victims
At a press conference, Trump was scattered across many cases of violent crimes that he claimed to have justified his takeover, including the May 21 fatal shooting of two embassies at the Israeli Embassy outside the Downtown Museum.
At the very top of my mind was the attacks of Edward Coristine, who worked as a staff member of government efficiency. An August 3 police report obtained by USA Today said officers observed a group of about 10 boys surrounding Coristine’s car and attacked him around 3am.
“He was dripping in blood,” Trump said. “I thought he was dead from a nose and a concussion. I can’t believe he’s alive. He can’t believe it.”
The president also evoked Phillip Todd, former aide to Senator Rand Paul of R-Kentucky, who was stabbed in 2023.
In his August profile of the Washington Post, Todd, the son of a Christian missionary, said he was forgiven Neil and reconsidering his views on crime and punishment.
Chicago and other cities can see federal surveillance, Trump warns
While ticking individual cases, Trump noted that his Washington acquisition could be brought to cities including Chicago. Baltimore; Los Angeles and Oakland, California.
Trump said these democratically controlled cities and states have adopted left-leaning policies, including “no cash bail” rules that blamed violent crimes.
“This issue has a direct impact on the functioning of the federal government and is a threat to America,” he said. “It’s a threat to our country. We have bad, very bad cities too.”
Chicago appeared in the news earlier this summer about a historic decline in crimes that Trump spoke to during a press conference, which mayor Brandon Johnson promoted.
“This reduction in hate crimes and violence is generally testament to what is possible when we invest overall in the safety of our people and our communities,” Johnson said in a July 18 statement that “strategic, constitutional police force” and “people in jobs for young people, access to mental health, and housing can afford.”
A similar trend has occurred in Baltimore, with murders down 24% and non-fatal shootings down 18%, according to Mayor Brandon Scott.
In a statement to USA Today, the Democratic mayoral association said there was no need for federal intervention and argued that the president was trying to create a “political charade” to divert voters.
“Let’s be clear. Crime is declining in most major cities, including Washington, D.C., despite Donald Trump, not for him,” the group said. “If Trump had been concerned about actually reducing crime, he wouldn’t have made unprecedented cuts to the public safety program he actually works for.”
Congress’s Washington acquisition could come next
Further changes to home rules status, particularly may follow, following Trump’s crackdown in Washington. This is often the favorite punch bag for Congressional Republicans.
Prior to the president’s press conference, Senator R-Utah declared that now is the time for lawmakers to control the city.
“We should pass the Bowser Act in September and bring full control of Washington back to Congress,” Lee said in an August 11 post on X.
The bill, called “Surveying Washington and Safety for All Residents,” was introduced earlier this year and was named after Bowser as a criticism of alleged crime and corruption in the city.
Lee co-hosted the measure with R-Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, citing an ongoing scandal involving Washington Police Commander, who allegedly changed crime statistics in July. He also pointed out that in several news reports, local residents said they were afraid to talk about crime.
Trump appeared to imply Oglesley’s proposal to withdraw the home rules. “We’re trying to change the image. Democrats are vulnerable to crime, so we need Republicans to vote,” he said.
Democrats turn their fingers to DC, others focusing on Trump
National Democrats took some swings in Trump’s declaration and cast it as a political ploy more than a fight to improve public safety.
“The most violent cities are in Republican states, and there are no takeovers there,” Senator D-Connecticut, the 2028 presidential candidate, said in a post on X.
Let’s be completely clear. Trump’s decision to take over DC police is not about public safety. The most violent cities are in Republican states – and there are no takeovers happening there.
This is another attempt to distract Trump from corruption and restrain the opposition. pic.twitter.com/a87kpyk0h4
Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, a former Democratic vice presidential candidate, said it was announced in Trump’s harsh words, saying “the path to authoritarianism is scattered across people who say you’re overreacting.”
However, some Democrats said four years ago, Joe Biden was still president and failed to protect Washington when they ran Congress.
“Trump is going to federate DC,” D-California Rep. Eric Swalwell said in an August 11 post on X.
“When we came to power, Senate Dem might have stopped this,” he added.
Erin, a tropical storm in the East Atlantic, could eventually develop into a “major hurricane,” federal forecasters said.
The most deadly hurricane in US history
The final death toll from Hurricane Helen is still unknown, but the number has risen to over 200.
Tropical storm Erin is formed in the East Atlantic Ocean and is on track to become the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, meteorologists said.
Miami’s National Hurricane Center announced on Monday, August 11 that Erin developed from tropical waves when she was cornered west of the Cabo Verde Islands, an archipelago on Africa’s west coast.
As of 11am, the storm had moved west at 20 mph and maintained a wind of 45 mph, the Hurricane Center said. The storm was located 280 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and over 2,300 miles from the Leeward Islands.
The storm is expected to continue to be strengthened as it soaks the barrels west for the next few days. The Hurricane Centre states that several regional models “indicating that Erin has become a major hurricane.” This means that there will be winds above 110 mph for storms in Category 3 or below.
Erin is one of three obstructions that meteorologists have been tracking in the Atlantic, and poses the greatest threat. It’s still early, and there’s a high level of uncertainty in the long-term tracks of the storm. Still, experts are urging people interested in the Caribbean and the East Coast of the US to monitor its development.
Warm Atlantic waters to fuel Erin’s development into hurricanes
As Tropical Storm Erin heads west, it encounters very warm waters and can promote its development into a major hurricane, says Alex Dasilva, lead hurricane expert at Accuweather.
In his online outlook, Dasilva said water temperatures across much of the Atlantic Ocean were “warm enough to support tropical development and rapid strengthening.”
He added that there are several factors that could affect where the storm will ultimately land, including the strength of the cold front that moves off the US east coast.
If the cold front is fast and strong, it could push the storm into the ocean and leave the US, Dasilva said. If it’s slow and weak, the storm can push it right away, posing a threat to the East Coast. Other factors include the shearing of the wind and the location of the “Bermuda High,” a high pressure area that could pilot the hurricane. So far, it’s too early to know where the storm is going.
Storm Tracker: Storm Tracking in the Atlantic Ocean
Tropical Storm Erin’s Spaghetti Model
This predicted track shows the most likely pathway in the center of the storm. The full width of the storm or its impact is not shown, and the storm center can move out of the cone for up to 33% of the time.
Forecasters track two other obstructions in the Atlantic
Apart from tropical storm Erin, meteorologists are tracking two systems in the Atlantic.
In the Central Atlantic, low-pressure, weak troughs with low potential for development are expected to drift north. The obstruction “just creates limited showers and thunderstorm activity,” the Hurricane Centre said.
Meanwhile, a system of moving north across the warm waters of the Gulf Rivers was tracked hundreds of miles from the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. By mid-week, forecasters say the system will encounter cooler waters, “ending the possibility of further tropical development.”
According to the National Hurricane Centre, both systems are 10% likely to develop over the next week.
What’s going on in the Pacific Ocean?
Located north of Hawaii, Hurricane Henriet is predicted to remain a hurricane for several more days before it vanishes into the storm before it lands, according to the National Hurricane Centre and Central Pacific Hurricane Centre.
IVO, a tropical depression located west of Mexico, is also expected to dissipate by Tuesday, August 12th, before making landfall.
Storm Tracker: Tracking Pacific Storms
When did the 2025 hurricane season begin?
Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1st and continues until the end of November.
Aggressive hurricane weather usually peaks between mid-August and mid-October.
How do hurricanes form?
Hurricanes originate in the tropical regions above warm waters. Thunderstorm clusters can develop across the ocean when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If conditions are correct, clusters are swirling into tropical waves and storms known as tropical depression.
Tropical depression becomes a named tropical storm when its sustained wind speed reaches 39 mph. When the wind reaches 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane.
Get ready for a hurricane now
Potentially delaying preparations for salvation can mean waiting until it’s too late. “Get disaster supply while the shelves are still in stock and flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period, so get that insurance inspection early,” NOAA recommends.
Get ready for a hurricane now: This is what you need to do to stay safe before the storm arrives
Establish an evacuation plan: If you are at risk of a hurricane, you will need an evacuation plan. Now is the time to plan where you will go and how you will get there.
Assemble disaster supply: Whether you’re evacuated or not, you’ll need supplies not only to get through the storm, but also for the potentially long aftermath, NOAA said.
Get an insurance inspection and document your property: Contact your insurance company or agent now to ask for an insurance inspection and make sure you have sufficient insurance to repair or replace your home or belongings. Remember that home insurance and tenant insurance don’t cover floods, so you need a separate policy. Flood insurance is available through your company, agent, or through your national flood insurance program. Flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period, so take action now.
Create a family communication plan: NOAA said he took the time to write down your hurricane plan and share it with your family. Determine where family gatherings are to be located and include out-of-town locations in the event of evacuation.
It strengthens your home: Now is the time to improve your home’s ability to withstand the effects of a hurricane. Trim the wood; attach storm shutters, accordion shutters, and/or impact glass. Seal the wall opening.
Contributor: Cheryl McLeod, USA Today Network -Florida
Julia is a trend reporter for USA Today. Connect with her LinkedIn, x, Instagram and TiktokPlease email: @juliamariegz or jgomez @gannett.com
Editor’s Note: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicide thoughts or mental health issues. In the US, Call or Text 988, The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Globally: International Suicide Prevention Associations and beFrienders for Befrienders worldwide have contact information for crisis centres around the world.
The gunman in a fatal attack on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took his own life after trying to leave the building from where he fired fire, according to law enforcement agencies with first-hand knowledge of the investigation.
Investigators believe 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White ran out of some of his ammunition as he tried to leave the CVS drugstore across from the CDC’s main entrance, but the door was locked and not opened after firing several rounds.
Police previously said White was shot and died on the second floor of the CVS store after a tense lockdown stretched over the night. Investigators had not said whether the shooting came from the officer or the gunman himself.
At one point during the lockdown, officers from the Emory University police station fired fire at him using an issued .45 caliber handgun, but sources say it is not clear whether White was injured.
US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the CDC office in Atlanta on Monday.
The secretary investigated the damages to the CDC headquarters and met with the agency’s staff, security and law enforcement agencies, sources said.
The attack was targeted and intentional, CDC leader told staff
Over the weekend, about 800 rattle staff at the CDC joined the massive, rushing Zoom call, with over 40 bullets shaking through the office windows and trying to understand the trauma they endured as they stumbled through at least four buildings wandering just above the cubicle walls.
But Friday’s episode of violence is the latest unsettling new chapter in a turbulent era for the CDC. Authorities have not announced the motive for the shooting, but law enforcement sources say the suspect may have targeted the CDC more than the health concerns that condemned the Covid-19 vaccine.
One of the world’s leading health organizations, the CDC is tasked with protecting the health of Americans. But it fired during the Second Trump administration as conspiracy theory continues to plague vaccines that are believed to have stopped the spread of the global pandemic.
The attack on the CDC office was targeted and intentional, a CDC leader told staff over the phone. Staff may hear that their work has been targeted as a possible motivation for the shooter, leadership added.
Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s Chief Medical Officer, admitted that the terrorist staff who had experienced it had, saying “this happened” whether they were in the building or not.
He told leaders that many people work at the government agency’s National Center for Vaccination and Respiratory Diseases. The attack was carried out by a shooter who had been reaching out to help with mental health for weeks prior to the incident.
It is unclear who the suspect, identified as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, was reaching out to. Investigations are underway that led to the shooting.
Filming began just before 5pm at Emory Point CVS Drugstore on Clifton Road, directly from the CDC’s main entrance.
Gunman – What appeared to be a surgical mask and armed with two backpacks filled with two handguns, a rifle, a shotgun and ammunition, was fired at at least four CDC buildings.
There were at least 40 bulletsThe CDC leader said in a call Saturday with holes in two buildings and several holes in the third building. The building has many of the CDC’s non-love work.
“This wasn’t a floating bullet,” one leader said over the phone, sharing an update from the authorities. CNN obtained copies of staff notes from meetings shared in a large employee group chat.
A CDC employee said he felt like a “sitting duck” on a Saturday phone call.
Photos viewed by CNN, taken from inside one CDC building, depict a bullet hole in a window and a crushed glass in the floor. The image shows a round of ammunition flying just above the cubicle in the office where employees sit.
DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose pulled up when the gunman fired at the CDC complex. According to law enforcement sources, the shooter directed his purpose from the CDC complex to officers.
Rose, 33, was shot and killed and later died in hospital. He was two married fathers, the other father, and Rose would have been working for a year next month.
At the CDC office, employees said the situation could have been much worse.
“It’s a miracle that no one was killed here,” a CDC employee told CNN.
Aliki Pappas Weakland, who works for CDC, recalled the kind of attack that began on a social media post on Saturday night.
“When the shooting began, I fell to the floor. The horror that grabbed me as the shooting continued in the stable stream for an endless 15 minutes,” she wrote. “My knees are rubbing and I’m raw across the floor with my colleagues while I scramble to find shelter.”
Weakland is the Associate Director of Policy, Planning and Communications in the CDC’s Preparation and Response Office, and coordinates the US preparation and response to public health emergencies such as natural disasters and pandemics.
She denounced what she called “the year of slanderous 2018 in American politics,” but she and her colleagues vowed to continue their work.
“I’m struggling. I’m struggling with words. I’m struggling with emotions. I’m struggling with understanding. But in my struggle, I’m full of pride,” she said. “After raw the floor with pride and fear, I’m once again taller with friends and colleagues doing everything we can for greater benefits.”
The shooting took place amid a slash of vaccine misinformation and CDC funds
After talking to the suspect’s family, police are operating under the hypothesis that they condemned the Covid-19 vaccine illness, believing he was ill or believed he was ill, law enforcement officials told CNN.
White’s neighbor told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that he “looked like a good guy,” but regularly raised distrust about the Covid-19 vaccine in the conversation.
“He was very unstable and I had a very deep belief that the vaccine was hurting him and hurting other people,” Nancy Hallst told the Atlanta Newspaper. “He emphasized that.”
However, Horst said she never believed White was violent. “I never thought he would take it out at the CDC,” she told the paper.
Investigators discovered drug therapy used for schizophrenia at White’s home after a warrant was provided after Friday’s shooting, a law enforcement source told CNN on Monday. Research shows that most schizophrenia patients are not prone to violence.
The shooting occurred the same week as US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It is a longtime critic of Covid vaccination with a history of spreading vaccine misinformation, and announced the cancellation of a $5 billion investment in mRNA projects.
HHS said it would cancel federal funding for nearly 20 mRNA vaccine projects.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic shooting at the CDC’s Atlanta campus that took the life of Officer David Rose,” Kennedy said Saturday. “No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.”
“Public health workers show up with purpose every day, even in moments of sadness and uncertainty,” the health secretary continued. “We respect their service. We stand with them, and we continue to unite our mission to protect and improve the health of all Americans.”
When asked on Saturday’s phone call if Kennedy spoke to Kennedy about plans to deal with the shooting, CDC director Dr. Susan Monares said he was in contact with his office, according to a staff memo obtained by CNN.
Monares was also asked what the agency is going to do to deal with the disinformation, but the agency leader on the phone did not respond directly.
Monales informed CDC staff via email that it would operate remotely on Monday while the “security assessment” was being conducted. Employee support personnel are now available to workers, she said.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said that CDC employees have “made a lot of progress over the past year,” referring to the “uncertainty” about the employment of CDC staff.
The agency has lost nearly a quarter of its staff since January. The 2026 Trump administration’s proposed budget would cut institutional funds by more than half.
Under the proposed reorganization, the CDC will lose additional programs. Some people will be transferred to a new administration for a healthy America, while others such as the National Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion Center will be completely eliminated.
“My heart is directed towards you,” Dickens said. “We’re with you. We’re standing with you. We’re doing everything we can to make sure we bring determination to the situation.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
Makeup artists and enthusiasts are taking part in new trends, using yarn glue and spools to create a strange look.
She is “Los Angeles 10” but “Chicago 7”. “New York 9” but “Miami 5”
While that may seem pointless, these taglines are part of Tiktok’s growing “unrecognized makeup” trend, and the look of the make-up is very transformative, ensuring that the wearer looks like a completely different person.
Tiktok Creator @LottiestArrs is leading the “LA 10” trend. In the video, which has nearly 60 million viewings, she turns from pink hair to a nude face and a blonde bombshell, her weak eyes transformed into a smoky upward appearance with her heart-shaped lips. She “I was bored overnight” and in another video with 22 million views, she transformed herself into “LA 10.” Not only does it look unrecognizable from previous clips, it’s completely different from the other “unrecognizable makeup” look.
Praise flooded her comment section. “I stood and praised,” another said.
Other creators have jumped on the trend, including Nigeria-based beauty content creator Marylyn Chukwuekezie. She recreated the famous makeup looks from SZA to Sabrina Carpenter (a favorite look to date), turning it into “LA 10” using wigs, contours, blushing and eye makeup.
The debate about makeup and “undetectable plastic surgery” has already emerged on social media. Last year, Lindsay Lohan and Christina Aguilera shocked fans with their fresh looks. Make-up is currently taking part in conversation.
In July, “Bridgerton” Netflix star Chalitra Chandran stole Andrew Garfield’s spotlight at Wimbledon after the video sitting behind him went viral. However, when the internet began picking up Chandran’s appearance, posting photos of her side by side with or without makeup, calling her a “mid,” and accusing her of doing plastic surgery with filler, it quickly turned sour.
Some people get mad at these unrecognizable looks. But others argue that it’s all fun and that we shouldn’t take everything on the internet that seriously.
Makeup is “strengthening” and “art.”
The problematic joke of “swimming her on your first date” has been around for nearly a decade. They are tossed by men who claim that early looking at women without makeup is the only way to avoid dating “bamboo stuffed” as unattractive.
In 2021, actress Sidney Sweeney has often been praised for her looks (and recently the subject of a fierce debate over American Eagle ads) – cried live on Instagram on X (at the time Twitter) as she trended the trend for “ugh.” In October 2024, Sweeney was photographed with a brunette curly wig, baggy clothes and an obviously unmakeup set. She was then featured in X-thread in 11 million views entitled “Catfish of the Year,” comparing photos of the red carpet with candid shots of paparazzi.
Another user came to her defense: “‘Sidney Sweeney is a catfish’ Sir ‘If the blonde woman wakes up with jet’s black eyelashes and can’t recognize that she’s not awake with the sparkle of her face, then you might be too stupid to reach.”
Many women oppose criticism of makeup, claiming that makeup is an “art” rather than a “false form.”
“The beautiful woman we were taught is naturally beautiful, with no visible effort on her side,” Leora Tanenbaum, author of “Sexy Selfie Nation,” previously told USA Today. “But we all know that it is impossible to comply with our ideals of social beauty without effort.”
Chukwuekezie likes how she looks without makeup, but wearing it gives her confidence.
“It’s not that pretty when you’re not wearing makeup, but when you’re wearing makeup it actually feels even more beautiful,” she says. “It doesn’t affect the way I see myself. It’s like reinforcement. It’s an art form for me, and I just love putting on makeup.”
When criticism goes too far
Chukwuekezie says people are upset with the trends in easygoing makeup.
“Makeup enhances your functionality, but it doesn’t change your functionality,” she says. “That doesn’t mean someone wearing makeup is wearing makeup because she feels ugly.”
Even in her praise in the comments section, she acknowledges that there are always people who say, “You’re not doing it right.”
Others speculate that she uses makeup to emulate Euro-centric features. “I don’t understand that at all,” she says. “I have to be like, ‘restly calm.’ ”
“I had a comment, ‘La 10 Girls is Skinny, White and and Blonde or Brunette,” she continues. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think this has anything to do with makeup.”
More and more countries are pledging to recognize Palestinian states, and more than 145 countries are currently participating in calls for international recognition.
Most countries that recognized the Palestinian state did so following the 1988 Declaration of the Palestinian National Council (PNC). Many other non-Western states followed the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
In the spring of 2024, more European countries and the Caribbean countries recognized Palestinian states such as Barbados, Ireland, Jamaica, Norway and Spain. At the time, Ireland Prime Minister Simon Harris called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “listen to the world and stop the humanitarian catastrophe we are watching in Gaza.”
Most recently, Australia, Canada and France have announced plans to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. Meanwhile, the UK has conditionally stated that it will recognize the Palestinian state if Israel fails to meet the criteria that includes agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
These recent announcements leave the United States increasingly isolated about some of the closest allies on Israeli issues and how it implemented military campaigns and aid restrictions.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry “rejects” the recent calls for recognition in Europe, calling it a “reward to Hamas” that undermines efforts to reach a ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump also denounced the call for recognition.
It comes amid an increase in condemnation of Gaza’s starvation crisis caused by the blockade of humanitarian aid in Israel, which has been widely criticized by UN agencies and humanitarian groups.
This Toyota Hybrid offers great value for money. You can lease it at an incredibly affordable price.
Video First Drive: 2026 Toyota BZ Gets a Big Makeover
Significant increases in power and range, new features, and Toyota’s name change make SUV changes a key player in a small SUV.
Toyota’s medium-sized hybrid sedan is competitive in its segment.
The new national sales event makes popular hybrids particularly affordable for leasing.
Not all drivers want to commit to the vehicle for 10 years.
Leasing your car is a great way to experience everything you have to offer in the short term. This will allow Lease to drive new car models for several years and switch vehicles or buy a vehicle at the end of the semester.
For a limited period, Toyota is leasing one of its most dynamic new hybrids for under $300 a month. Below is the cost of leasing your vehicle and how much drivers will ultimately spend.
Toyota leases Camry for less than $300 a month
The 2025 Toyota Camry is a standard hybrid medium-sized car model with extensive fuel economy. After the company cancelled production of the Gas Camry, it has attracted a lot of attention in the automotive world as it is Toyota’s latest hybrid-only nameplate.
For 36 months, Toyota has lease the 2025 Camry for $289 a month, lowering $3,999 as part of a national sales event. This totals $14,403 for three years (before the extra charge) on the Camry. The transaction limits drivers to 10,000 miles per year.
The 2025 Toyota Camry’s first MSRP is $28,700. Kelley Blue Book lists the Camry as one of the best midsize cars of 2025.
2025 Toyota Camry Specifications and Standard Features
The Camry uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and two electric motors to produce 225 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. It reaches 53 miles per gallon in the city and 50 miles per gallon on the highway. The Camry comes standard with front-wheel drive, but Toyota offers all-wheel drive for more traction and power.
Camry Le comes with exceptional standard features from the base model. The driver can be upgraded to the top trim level for more standard technology and better cabin materials.
Do I need to lease my 2025 Toyota Camry?
The new hybrid-only sedan is a larger upgrade than the previous gas model. It boasts decent power for its segments and incredible efficiency. The 2025 Camry will have a 13.0 gallon gas tank. You can travel over 663 miles with a full tank of gas.
Toyota’s medium-sized hybrid sedan comes in “better technology than before” and “a superior standard safety suite.” It is “space-sleek and refined” and has a history of reliability, says Kelly Blue Book.
Toyota’s nationwide sales event allows for affordable leasing of Camrys for many American drivers. This is an attractive lease offer for drivers with efficiency and advanced standard technology.
Things you need to know about Toyota’s nationwide sales events
Toyota’s nationwide sales event will end on September 2nd. The company’s website highlights three specific lease transactions: the Camry, the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck and the Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Hybrid Midsize three-row hybrid SUV.
Drivers can lease the 2025 Tundra for 36 months for $499 a month, and spend $3,999 (10,000 miles/year). The 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid can be lease for 36 months for $519 per month, with $3,999 scheduled for signing (10,000 miles).
In 2024, the DEA proposed rules to move marijuana to Schedule III. The changes to that rule have been pending since March 2025.
President Trump will deploy DC police to federal government to federal government
President Donald Trump has announced he is controlling the Washington, DC police and deploying the National Guard.
President Donald Trump said his administration is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
“We are considering reclassification and will build resolve over the next few weeks,” Trump said at an August 11 press conference.
Although 45 states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, the federal government still classifies it as a Schedule I drug.
In 2022, then-President Joe Biden asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Agency to review how marijuana is scheduled. In 2023, Health and Human Services recommended that marijuana be moved to Schedule III. In 2024, the DEA proposed rules to move marijuana to Schedule III. The changes to that rule have been pending since March 2025.
The reclassification of marijuana is the biggest change in the federal government’s marijuana policy since the drug was first banned, but it does not legalize recreational use under federal law.
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Marijuana is a Schedule I drug that has been defined as being extremely dangerous, addictive and unmedical use since the Controlled Substances Act was signed in 1970.
When rescheduled as Schedule III, marijuana is treated in the same way as drugs like Tylenol with codeine and anabolic steroids.
Trump said the decision is complicated and will weigh the benefits of marijuana use for medical reasons against potential social impacts.
“Some people like it, some people don’t like it. Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana,” he said.
Multiple people were injured in an explosion at a steel factory in Claireton, Pennsylvania, officials said Monday.
Allegheny County police said in a social media statement shortly after midday local time that several agencies said Steelclairton Cokes was at work in the United States “following reports of the explosion.”
The Associated Press reported that the first responders were trying to save those trapped in the tile rub, adding that the number of injured people was dozens.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said in a social media statement that his administration is in contact with local officials.
“The scene is still active and people nearby should follow the direction of the local government,” Shapiro said.
Claireton is about 20 miles south of Pittsburgh. The Clairton plant is the country’s largest coke manufacturing facility and serves the commercial coke market and the US steel manufacturing facility, according to US Steel.
The factory operates 10 cola oven batteries and produces more than 4 million tons of coke each year. This is a kind of fuel used in American steel in the steel manufacturing process.
Caulking plants are used to turn coal into cola and use it to make steel in blast furnaces. The coal softens, liquefies, and resolves into cola. Coal in caulking plants is heated to temperatures up to 1,125 degrees Fahrenheit without oxygen, removing its impurities. The resulting cola is a porous carbon-rich material.
Are you too busy to go to the gym? Don’t worry – you can stay healthy by incorporating at least 15 minutes of fast walking into your daily routine,New research suggests.
In general, people recommend committing to moderate activity for 150 minutes a week to see adequate health benefits, said study author Dr. Wei Zheng. However, if 150 minutes of management is too difficult, a minimum of 15 minutes of high-speed walking every day has the same health benefits.
Zheng and his team of researchers recruited participants primarily low-income and black research from 2002 to 2009, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Nearly 85,000 participants were given a comprehensive questionnaire about exercise habits, average time spent on exercise, walking speed and health. After that, participants completed the survey about 16 years later, and the analysis began in 2023.
We know that “fast walking is better than slow walking,” but Zheng, director of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, has not been much researched about how fast walking should be spent on fast walking on average.
On average, participants in study walked at least 15 minutes each day.Premature deaths have decreased by nearly 20%Compared to a 4% decrease in participants who walked slowly for more than three hours in total.
“We know that walking speed actually correlates with the outcome for a long time. That means the faster you walk, the faster you get. And that certainly makes sense. People who are really in bad shape probably won’t be able to walk quickly. He wasn’t involved in the research.
Walking has health benefits, including managing weight and sugar intake, reducing the risk of cancer, relieving joint pain, and improving immune function.
Health experts know that when people exercise regularly, their blood vessels relax and get a little better. And because we know exercise is very good for cholesterol, it seems to lower cholesterol and overall it reduces the risk of cancer and people hurting people,” Freeman said.
Recent research shows that walking daily can reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive function.
Engaging in daily physical activities such as walking improves sleep and improves brain structure, according to Piedmont Medical Center in South Carolina.
“I would like to emphasize that these exercises are slow and fast, but they want to see all the benefits,” Zheng said. “But what we found was to see the proven benefits of walking fast, about 15 minutes a day.”
Fast walks have been found to have certain benefits, including the risk of heart failure, Arrythmias, and type 2 diabetes.
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According to the UK National Health Service, in general, you can say that you can speak but don’t sing and walk fast.
Alternatively, a July survey shows you can increase your walking pace in several steps and track it with a metronome.
“I usually recommend that they wake up before work. They go for active walks, bike or swim, or they do high-intensity interval training, even if they are interested,” Freeman said. People can go “go to the Rec Center or go outside if it’s safe and whatever it is, just weave in on their day.”
Following a good walking style, such as carrying your shoulders and waving your arms tall, standing tall, waving your arms, prevents the rear, helps you breathe easily, and helps you maintain balance.
“Walking is a full body movement. It’s not just your lower body. It’s not just a step ahead of one foot,” said Dana Santas, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mindbody coach in former professional sports.article.
“Your arm swing is a big part of what’s involved in the dynamics of walking. So you want to have your leg movements and your adjusted arm swing, so that’s the opposite,” she added.
Want to raise the notch? Try practicing conscious or nasal breathing when doing any form of exercise. This is inhaled through the nose and exhale through the mouth. According to Santa, this helps regulate blood pressure and can prevent high blood pressure.
Sign up for CNN fitness, but a better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide will help you facilitate a healthy routine that is supported by experts.
Washington, DC is a district, not a state. There is a mayor, but it is still largely controlled by the federal government.
Trump sends federal agents to DC amid youth crime concerns
President Donald Trump deployed federal agents to DC and called for minors to be prosecuted as adults amid criminal concerns in his administration.
President Donald Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to Washington and bring the Washington State Police Department directly under federal control is due to the unique status of the city as a district rather than a state.
Trump made the announcement at a press conference on August 11, saying the move was intended to defeat the city. Crime statistics from the Metropolitan Police Station released on August 11 show that violent crime in the city has fallen 26% since 2024.
Why can’t Washington have a governor like the state?
Washington is a district, not a state, so there is no governor. For most of its history, it had no control over its own budget or issues. Instead, both the US Congress and the President play part in the role of governing the districts in which the governor does so.
In 1973, Congress gave local people the powers of the District of Columbia Home Rules Act.
However, the council still reviews all laws passed by the council before it became law and has power over the district’s budget. The president appoints district judges and citizens cannot vote in the House of Representatives, not representatives.
Trump cited section 740 of the Home Rules Act when he controlled the police department.
Who is Mayor Muriel Cowser?
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser is the district’s seventh elected mayor. She was elected in 2015 after serving as a commissioner for the Advisory Bureau from 2004 to 2006 and as a member of the DC Council from 2007 to 2015.
Bowser and Trump clashed in his first term, but so far, his second term has had a heartfelt relationship.
more: Trump sends National Guard to Washington, DC to take over police: Live Update
On August 8, she pushed back Trump’s claim that the rise in crime ensured the federal government took over the city’s law enforcement, but admitted he could.
“We haven’t experienced a surge in crime,” she said on MSNBC’s “weekend.” “The President is very aware of our efforts. He has set up a task force. Our police departments and agencies support us with information and what they want from us.
