Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data. That includes counties in states that are battling outbreaks this year. The Johns Hopkins University study was published in JAMA this week. It illustrates where more vulnerable communities are located. The results mirror trends established at state and national levels: Routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping. Most of the measles cases in the U.S. this year — 1,088 nationally as of Friday — are in unvaccinated people. Three people have died.

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Will AI be a tool or a danger in the future?

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Smoke from wildfires burning in three Canadian provinces covered about a third of the U.S. on Wednesday, forecasters said, but had little effect on air quality except in New England and parts of New York state and the Midwest. The haze, which brought hazardous levels of particulate pollution to Minnesota a day earlier, stretched from the Dakotas through the Ohio Valley, into the Northeast and as far south as Georgia, according to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. It was especially thick in New York and New England. "Much of the smoke is aloft in the upper atmosphere, so in a lot of areas there aren't air quality issues," said the National Weather Service's Marc Chenard. "But there are air quality issues as far south as New York and Connecticut where it's thicker and in the lower atmosphere." Scores of wildfires have spread across Canada since the start of May. More than 212 active fires were burning in the country as of Tuesday afternoon, half of which were out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. So far, 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) have burned. Most of the fires were in the west-central provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Yang Liu, a professor of environmental health at Emory University in Atlanta, said infants, the elderly and other frail people were most susceptible to the smoke, but emphasized that everyone is at risk. "It will affect everyone at some level, all walks of life," Liu said. "It's bad." He said the smoke is comprised of small particles, some of them toxic, that are smaller than 1/40th of the width of a human hair and can get into the lungs and even dissolve into the bloodstream. One of the worst spots for air quality in the U.S. Northeast on Wednesday morning was Williamstown, Massachusetts, near the state's borders with Vermont and New York. It registered a "very unhealthy" reading of 228, according to IQAir, a website that monitors air quality around the world. An air quality rating of below 50 is considered to be "good," and readings between 100 and 300 are deemed "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy," while higher than that is considered "hazardous," according to the website. The ratings in other parts of the U.S. Northeast were much lower, with New York City's standing at 56 on Wednesday morning and Washington's registering at 55. Air quality levels in some parts of the Midwest had also improved on Wednesday morning. Ely, near Minnesota's border with Manitoba, registered a "moderate" reading of 65, down from 336 on Tuesday. Minneapolis, which had ranked as third-worst city in the world for air quality on Tuesday, with a 168 reading, was registering at 96.

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Federal authorities arrested a suspect overnight in connection with last month's deadly bombing at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, according to law enforcement officials on Wednesday. The suspect, Daniel Park, a 32-year-old man from Washington state, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the officials said. He will make an initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday afternoon and eventually face charges in California. Park had been detained in Poland and deported by Polish authorities. U.S. officials were not clear why he had traveled to Poland and said he was not in southern California on the day of the bombing. Officials alleged that Park secured 270 pounds of aluminum nitrate for Guy Bartkus, the primary suspect in the bombing. Aluminum nitrate, a fertilizer, is also a material commonly used to construct homemade bombs, they said. The officials charged Park with providing and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist. Bartkus, 25, died in the blast. A bomb detonated shortly before 11 a.m. local time on May 17 in or near a car parked outside the fertility clinic, operated by American Reproductive Center. In addition to the death of the primary suspect, several other people were injured, according to authorities. Bartkus had "nihilistic ideations," FBI officials said at the time, adding that they were investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. On Wednesday law enforcement officials said that Park shared those views and had posted them on Internet forums.

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The number of victims in a firebombing attack in a Boulder park has climbed from 12 to 15, plus a dog. Boulder County officials announced the update Wednesday, but didn't immediately respond to questions about the new victims. Authorities say Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned to kill all of the roughly 20 participants demonstrating Sunday for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. They say he threw two Molotov cocktails during the attack in which he yelled “Free Palestine.” Soliman is an Egyptian national who has been living in the U.S. illegally. He faces federal hate crime and state attempted murder charges. Federal officials say his wife and children have been taken into custody.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Trump that he would have to respond to high-profile Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's nuclear-capable bomber fleet and a deadly bridge bombing that Moscow blamed on Kyiv.

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What's the situation with the Iran Nuclear Deal?

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Why Are We Still Having The Boys In Girls Sports Debate?

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The Democrats Are In Full Crisis Mode

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U.S. President Donald Trump hiked nearly all of his tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to a punishing 50% on Wednesday in a move that's set to hammer businesses from automakers to home builders, and likely push up prices for consumers even further. Foreign-made steel and aluminum is used in household products like soup cans and paper clips, as well as big-ticket items like a stainless-steel refrigerators and cars. Economists warn that such heightened levies could significantly squeeze the wallets of both companies and shoppers alike. But Trump argues that his latest import taxes are necessary to protect U.S. industries. The 50% tariffs went into effect just after the clock struck midnight on Wednesday. The two metals had previously faced 25% tariffs worldwide since mid-March, when Trump’s order to remove steel exemptions and raise aluminum’s levy from his previously-imposed 2018 import taxes went into effect. Steel and aluminum from the U.K. is the exception. British imports of these metals are still levied at 25%, per a proclamation issued by Trump on Tuesday afternoon, which pointed to a recent trade deal reached between the two countries.

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Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has a book out this fall that promises a close look at President Biden's decision not to run for reelection and calls for thinking beyond the two-party system. Jean-Pierre herself has switched her affiliation to independent after working in two Democratic administrations, according to Legacy Lit, a Hachette Book Group imprint that will publish “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines” on Oct. 21. “Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the President of the United States," Jean-Pierre, the first Black woman and openly gay person to hold the position of White House press secretary, said in a statement released Wednesday. “At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country. I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically.” Jean-Pierre, 50, succeeded Jen Psaki as press secretary in 2022 after previously serving as deputy press secretary and also working as a senior adviser during Biden's victorious 2020 campaign. During President Barack Obama's first term, she was a regional political director. Jean-Pierre was criticized at times for being evasive about Biden's physical condition. Wednesday's announcement from Legacy Lit says that she will take readers “through the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision.” “She presents clear arguments and provocative evidence as an insider about the importance of dismantling the torrent of disinformation and misinformation that has been rampant in recent elections and provides passionate insight for moving forward,” the announcement said.

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Elon Musk has made it clear he opposes the "Big Beautiful Bill," as Trump and Musk ready to square off.

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President Donald Trump on Wednesday redoubled his calls for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates, noting that payroll processing firm ADP reported that job creation slowed in May. "ADP number out. 'Too Late' Powell must now lower the rate. He is unbelievable. Europe has lowered nine times," Trump said in a Truth Social post. ADP reported on Wednesday that U.S. private payrolls increased far less than expected in May, increasing by only 37,000 jobs last month after a 60,000 rise in April that was revised downward. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast private employment increasing 110,000 following a previously reported gain of 62,000 in April. Wednesday's ADP data came ahead of a more comprehensive employment report that will be released on Friday by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump, a Republican, has hammered Powell for months in often personal attacks, with his calls for the Fed chair's resignation weighing on U.S. stocks and financial markets. Trump's repeated attacks have raised questions about the continued independence of the U.S. central bank under the Trump administration, although the U.S. president last month said he would not remove the Fed chair before his term ends in May 2026.

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Heavy rains caused flash flooding in the Wichita area of south-central Kansas, forcing firefighters to rescue dozens of people, including stranded motorists. Sedgwick County's emergency management director, Julie Stimson, said at a briefing Tuesday night that the county had received anywhere from 1 1/2 inches to 7 inches (4 centimeters to 18 centimeters) of rain since Monday. She warned motorists who run into flooded areas not to drive around barricades or emergency vehicles, and to turn around instead. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a disaster emergency declaration to enable state agencies to provide assistance. The Wichita Fire Department used boats to rescue several motorists trapped in their cars. While the water sometimes reached windshield height, some people still attempted to drive through it. “We have to put ourselves in danger with our life jackets and our boats to get them into a life jacket and into a boat to get them out of the water,” Fire Capt. Lance Diffenbaugh told KSN-TV. “So there’s no sense in it if they can just turn around and wait 10 minutes for the water to go down.” A few roads remained closed Wednesday morning, according to the county's interactive map. About 30 miles (48 kilometers) east, the torrential rainfall caused the Walnut River to overflow, flooding several streets in Dorado and sending people scrambling for safety. “By the time we got most of the stuff out of there and were going to get the last few things, it was already up to our waist, and we were pretty much swimming to get out,” resident Michelle Yerge told KAKE-TV. Severe storms also slammed the Kansas City area on Tuesday, with high winds toppling a tractor-trailer on Interstate 435, overturning portable toilets and barriers at the stadium where the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals play, and downing trees. The National Weather Service warned of a tornado and urged people to take cover as rain battered the area. No major damage was reported. Severe weather on Tuesday also disrupted the Indiana Pacers' travel plans to the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City, where heavy rain and wind interrupted airport arrivals and departures. The team’s charter was first diverted to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The plane then took a scenic route around another band of weather before finally landing in Oklahoma City about 3 1/2 hours behind schedule. Wednesday's forecast for Kansas called for dry conditions, but more storms were forecast for Thursday. Officials warned that the soil in the area is saturated and even an inch or two of rainfall could lead to localized flooding.

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Lara Trump shares how her father-in-law has saved the steel industry in America.

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An attack occurred in Boulder, Colorado on Jews.

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A Washington, D.C., judge has dismissed the Democratic Party’s lawsuit accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of violating federal election law by trying to assert control over the independent Federal Election Commission.

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President Trump has a chance to fundamentally change the American economy forever.

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Elon Musk went on X and said Trump's spending bill is an "abomination". Why Would Musk do this? Is this a strategy from the Trump Admin to get changes made to the Bill? Or is there a rift between President Trump and Musk?

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Elon Musk went on X and said Trump's spending bill is an "abomination". Why Would Musk do this? Is this a strategy from the Trump Admin to get changes made to the Bill? Or is there a rift between President Trump and Musk?

Read More...

Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data. That includes counties in states that are battling outbreaks this year. The Johns Hopkins University study was published in JAMA this week. It illustrates where more vulnerable communities are located. The results mirror trends established at state and national levels: Routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping. Most of the measles cases in the U.S. this year — 1,088 nationally as of Friday — are in unvaccinated people. Three people have died.

Read More...

Will AI be a tool or a danger in the future?

Read More...

Smoke from wildfires burning in three Canadian provinces covered about a third of the U.S. on Wednesday, forecasters said, but had little effect on air quality except in New England and parts of New York state and the Midwest. The haze, which brought hazardous levels of particulate pollution to Minnesota a day earlier, stretched from the Dakotas through the Ohio Valley, into the Northeast and as far south as Georgia, according to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. It was especially thick in New York and New England. "Much of the smoke is aloft in the upper atmosphere, so in a lot of areas there aren't air quality issues," said the National Weather Service's Marc Chenard. "But there are air quality issues as far south as New York and Connecticut where it's thicker and in the lower atmosphere." Scores of wildfires have spread across Canada since the start of May. More than 212 active fires were burning in the country as of Tuesday afternoon, half of which were out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. So far, 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) have burned. Most of the fires were in the west-central provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Yang Liu, a professor of environmental health at Emory University in Atlanta, said infants, the elderly and other frail people were most susceptible to the smoke, but emphasized that everyone is at risk. "It will affect everyone at some level, all walks of life," Liu said. "It's bad." He said the smoke is comprised of small particles, some of them toxic, that are smaller than 1/40th of the width of a human hair and can get into the lungs and even dissolve into the bloodstream. One of the worst spots for air quality in the U.S. Northeast on Wednesday morning was Williamstown, Massachusetts, near the state's borders with Vermont and New York. It registered a "very unhealthy" reading of 228, according to IQAir, a website that monitors air quality around the world. An air quality rating of below 50 is considered to be "good," and readings between 100 and 300 are deemed "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy," while higher than that is considered "hazardous," according to the website. The ratings in other parts of the U.S. Northeast were much lower, with New York City's standing at 56 on Wednesday morning and Washington's registering at 55. Air quality levels in some parts of the Midwest had also improved on Wednesday morning. Ely, near Minnesota's border with Manitoba, registered a "moderate" reading of 65, down from 336 on Tuesday. Minneapolis, which had ranked as third-worst city in the world for air quality on Tuesday, with a 168 reading, was registering at 96.

Read More...

Federal authorities arrested a suspect overnight in connection with last month's deadly bombing at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, according to law enforcement officials on Wednesday. The suspect, Daniel Park, a 32-year-old man from Washington state, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the officials said. He will make an initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday afternoon and eventually face charges in California. Park had been detained in Poland and deported by Polish authorities. U.S. officials were not clear why he had traveled to Poland and said he was not in southern California on the day of the bombing. Officials alleged that Park secured 270 pounds of aluminum nitrate for Guy Bartkus, the primary suspect in the bombing. Aluminum nitrate, a fertilizer, is also a material commonly used to construct homemade bombs, they said. The officials charged Park with providing and attempting to provide material support to a terrorist. Bartkus, 25, died in the blast. A bomb detonated shortly before 11 a.m. local time on May 17 in or near a car parked outside the fertility clinic, operated by American Reproductive Center. In addition to the death of the primary suspect, several other people were injured, according to authorities. Bartkus had "nihilistic ideations," FBI officials said at the time, adding that they were investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. On Wednesday law enforcement officials said that Park shared those views and had posted them on Internet forums.

Read More...

The number of victims in a firebombing attack in a Boulder park has climbed from 12 to 15, plus a dog. Boulder County officials announced the update Wednesday, but didn't immediately respond to questions about the new victims. Authorities say Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned to kill all of the roughly 20 participants demonstrating Sunday for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. They say he threw two Molotov cocktails during the attack in which he yelled “Free Palestine.” Soliman is an Egyptian national who has been living in the U.S. illegally. He faces federal hate crime and state attempted murder charges. Federal officials say his wife and children have been taken into custody.

Read More...

Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Trump that he would have to respond to high-profile Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's nuclear-capable bomber fleet and a deadly bridge bombing that Moscow blamed on Kyiv.

Read More...

What's the situation with the Iran Nuclear Deal?

Read More...

Why Are We Still Having The Boys In Girls Sports Debate?

Read More...

The Democrats Are In Full Crisis Mode

Read More...

U.S. President Donald Trump hiked nearly all of his tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to a punishing 50% on Wednesday in a move that's set to hammer businesses from automakers to home builders, and likely push up prices for consumers even further. Foreign-made steel and aluminum is used in household products like soup cans and paper clips, as well as big-ticket items like a stainless-steel refrigerators and cars. Economists warn that such heightened levies could significantly squeeze the wallets of both companies and shoppers alike. But Trump argues that his latest import taxes are necessary to protect U.S. industries. The 50% tariffs went into effect just after the clock struck midnight on Wednesday. The two metals had previously faced 25% tariffs worldwide since mid-March, when Trump’s order to remove steel exemptions and raise aluminum’s levy from his previously-imposed 2018 import taxes went into effect. Steel and aluminum from the U.K. is the exception. British imports of these metals are still levied at 25%, per a proclamation issued by Trump on Tuesday afternoon, which pointed to a recent trade deal reached between the two countries.

Read More...

Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has a book out this fall that promises a close look at President Biden's decision not to run for reelection and calls for thinking beyond the two-party system. Jean-Pierre herself has switched her affiliation to independent after working in two Democratic administrations, according to Legacy Lit, a Hachette Book Group imprint that will publish “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines” on Oct. 21. “Until January 20, I was responsible for speaking on behalf of the President of the United States," Jean-Pierre, the first Black woman and openly gay person to hold the position of White House press secretary, said in a statement released Wednesday. “At noon on that day, I became a private citizen who, like all Americans and many of our allies around the world, had to contend with what was to come next for our country. I determined that the danger we face as a country requires freeing ourselves of boxes. We need to be willing to exercise the ability to think creatively and plan strategically.” Jean-Pierre, 50, succeeded Jen Psaki as press secretary in 2022 after previously serving as deputy press secretary and also working as a senior adviser during Biden's victorious 2020 campaign. During President Barack Obama's first term, she was a regional political director. Jean-Pierre was criticized at times for being evasive about Biden's physical condition. Wednesday's announcement from Legacy Lit says that she will take readers “through the three weeks that led to Biden’s abandoning his bid for a second term and the betrayal by the Democratic Party that led to his decision.” “She presents clear arguments and provocative evidence as an insider about the importance of dismantling the torrent of disinformation and misinformation that has been rampant in recent elections and provides passionate insight for moving forward,” the announcement said.

Read More...

Elon Musk has made it clear he opposes the "Big Beautiful Bill," as Trump and Musk ready to square off.

Read More...

President Donald Trump on Wednesday redoubled his calls for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates, noting that payroll processing firm ADP reported that job creation slowed in May. "ADP number out. 'Too Late' Powell must now lower the rate. He is unbelievable. Europe has lowered nine times," Trump said in a Truth Social post. ADP reported on Wednesday that U.S. private payrolls increased far less than expected in May, increasing by only 37,000 jobs last month after a 60,000 rise in April that was revised downward. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast private employment increasing 110,000 following a previously reported gain of 62,000 in April. Wednesday's ADP data came ahead of a more comprehensive employment report that will be released on Friday by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump, a Republican, has hammered Powell for months in often personal attacks, with his calls for the Fed chair's resignation weighing on U.S. stocks and financial markets. Trump's repeated attacks have raised questions about the continued independence of the U.S. central bank under the Trump administration, although the U.S. president last month said he would not remove the Fed chair before his term ends in May 2026.

Read More...

Heavy rains caused flash flooding in the Wichita area of south-central Kansas, forcing firefighters to rescue dozens of people, including stranded motorists. Sedgwick County's emergency management director, Julie Stimson, said at a briefing Tuesday night that the county had received anywhere from 1 1/2 inches to 7 inches (4 centimeters to 18 centimeters) of rain since Monday. She warned motorists who run into flooded areas not to drive around barricades or emergency vehicles, and to turn around instead. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a disaster emergency declaration to enable state agencies to provide assistance. The Wichita Fire Department used boats to rescue several motorists trapped in their cars. While the water sometimes reached windshield height, some people still attempted to drive through it. “We have to put ourselves in danger with our life jackets and our boats to get them into a life jacket and into a boat to get them out of the water,” Fire Capt. Lance Diffenbaugh told KSN-TV. “So there’s no sense in it if they can just turn around and wait 10 minutes for the water to go down.” A few roads remained closed Wednesday morning, according to the county's interactive map. About 30 miles (48 kilometers) east, the torrential rainfall caused the Walnut River to overflow, flooding several streets in Dorado and sending people scrambling for safety. “By the time we got most of the stuff out of there and were going to get the last few things, it was already up to our waist, and we were pretty much swimming to get out,” resident Michelle Yerge told KAKE-TV. Severe storms also slammed the Kansas City area on Tuesday, with high winds toppling a tractor-trailer on Interstate 435, overturning portable toilets and barriers at the stadium where the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals play, and downing trees. The National Weather Service warned of a tornado and urged people to take cover as rain battered the area. No major damage was reported. Severe weather on Tuesday also disrupted the Indiana Pacers' travel plans to the NBA Finals in Oklahoma City, where heavy rain and wind interrupted airport arrivals and departures. The team’s charter was first diverted to Tulsa, Oklahoma. The plane then took a scenic route around another band of weather before finally landing in Oklahoma City about 3 1/2 hours behind schedule. Wednesday's forecast for Kansas called for dry conditions, but more storms were forecast for Thursday. Officials warned that the soil in the area is saturated and even an inch or two of rainfall could lead to localized flooding.

Read More...

Lara Trump shares how her father-in-law has saved the steel industry in America.

Read More...

An attack occurred in Boulder, Colorado on Jews.

Read More...

A Washington, D.C., judge has dismissed the Democratic Party’s lawsuit accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of violating federal election law by trying to assert control over the independent Federal Election Commission.

Read More...

President Trump has a chance to fundamentally change the American economy forever.

Read More...

Elon Musk went on X and said Trump's spending bill is an "abomination". Why Would Musk do this? Is this a strategy from the Trump Admin to get changes made to the Bill? Or is there a rift between President Trump and Musk?

Read More...

Elon Musk went on X and said Trump's spending bill is an "abomination". Why Would Musk do this? Is this a strategy from the Trump Admin to get changes made to the Bill? Or is there a rift between President Trump and Musk?

Read More...