Western states issue their own vaccine recommendations
(NYT) — Four Democratic-controlled Western states on Wednesday issued their own recommendations on who should get three common seasonal vaccines, a sharp rejection of efforts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to upend vaccine policy at the federal level.
The so-called West Coast Health Alliance — which includes health officials in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii — recommended that every resident 6 months and older receive the flu vaccine this fall. They also recommended that broad swaths of the population receive a COVID-19 shot, including pregnant women and all children from 6 months to 2 years old, and that RSV vaccines be given to infants under 8 months and adults over 75, as well as to others with certain risk factors.
The guidance generally mirrors clinical recommendations that have been made by the federal government and by national medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
But it diverges in some ways from those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under Kennedy, which no longer recommends the COVID vaccine for healthy pregnant women and which says that healthy children should only receive it in consultation with a doctor. It has not taken major action to change recommendations around flu vaccines, and it has not yet weighed in on the RSV vaccines.
This week, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is set to meet to review, and potentially change, recommendations for several vaccines, including those for COVID, hepatitis B and measles. This summer, Kennedy fired all the members of the committee and replaced them. His new picks included people who have long been skeptical about the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
In drawing up the guidelines, the health officials of the four states — all of whom are medical doctors — said they consulted top medical organizations and subject matter experts. They said the new recommendations were also intended to help prevent strain on hospitals this winter by reducing community transmission and cases of serious illness in the states.
Thieves steal $700,000 in gold from Paris museum
(NYT) — Thieves broke into a gallery at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris overnight Monday and stole nuggets of raw gold worth about $700,000, officials said Wednesday.
The theft occurred in the geology and mineralogy gallery, the museum said in a statement. The gallery includes meteorites, giant crystals, rocks, minerals and other specimens relevant to the history of the Earth and the solar system, the museum said.
The stolen pieces were taken from a display of unrefined gold, the museum said. The theft was detected by the museum’s security personnel and is under investigation by the police.
“The theft involved several specimens of native gold from the national collections,” the statement said. It gave no further details.
Emmanuel Skoulios, the museum’s director, told BFM TV, a French news broadcaster, that he viewed the stolen pieces as “invaluable” because of their historical and scientific significance.
“We are dealing with an extremely professional team, perfectly aware of where they needed to go and with professional equipment,” Skoulios said in the interview.
The news agency Agence France-Presse reported that the thieves had used a blow torch and grinder to gain access.
Trump to prioritize ‘patriotic education’ discretionary grants
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said on Wednesday it will prioritize giving grant money to programs that focus on “patriotic education,” which critics say could undermine acknowledgment of critical phases of American history.
“Patriotic education presents American history in a way that is accurate, honest, and inspiring,” the Education Department said in a statement.
“To truly understand American values, the tireless work it has taken to live up to them, and this country’s exceptional place in world history is the best way to inspire an informed patriotism and love of country.”
Civil rights advocates have been critical of recent actions by the Trump administration around education that they say curtail free speech and undermine critical parts of U.S. history through attempts to revamp museums and public spaces and pressure educational institutions.
The White House said in August that Trump signed an executive order to tighten federal grant approvals, with grant award decisions to now undergo evaluation by Trump’s political appointees.
The Education Department said on Wednesday it was launching a civics education coalition that included over 40 partner groups aligned with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
Trump suggested last month he will pressure the Smithsonian Institution – a premier museum, education and research complex for U.S. history and culture — just like he has pressured universities by threatening to cut federal funding.
In a social media post on August 19, Trump complained about what he called excessive focus on “how bad Slavery was.” The U.S. Interior Department said on Tuesday all interpretive signage in national parks was under review.