Author: Lance Garrison
The outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza among U.S. dairy cows, first reported on March 25, has now spread to at least 33 herds in eight states. On Wednesday, genetic evidence of the virus turned up in commercially available milk. Federal authorities say the milk supply is safe, but this latest development raises troubling questions about how widespread the outbreak really is.So far there is only one confirmed human case. Rick Bright, an expert on the H5N1 virus who served on President Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, told me this is the crucial moment. “There’s a fine line between one person and…
If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer and are among the 1 in 5 Americans who live in a rural area, you may face challenges in getting the care you need because of where you live.The first step is to work with your primary care doctor to find specialists with experience in treating your type of cancer at the stage at which it was diagnosed.Once you know who could treat your cancer, then come other considerations:How you will get to appointmentsWhere you will stay when you’re at a cancer facility for treatmentHow you will ensure you get proper follow-up care and…
Put yourself in the steel-toed boots of a worker at Volkswagen’s auto assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. Let’s say you vote Republican — not a stretch, since Donald Trump got 60.7 percent of the popular vote in Tennessee in 2020, versus 46.9 percent nationally.There’s a vote on whether to join the United Automobile Workers union, giving organized labor its first factorywide foothold at a major foreign automaker in the South. Are you a yes or a no?We know now that the pro-union side won with nearly three-quarters of the vote in an election that ended on Friday. And while there’s…
When you get chemotherapy for breast cancer, you’ll very likely run low on white blood cells called neutrophils. Doctors call this neutropenia. It’s a normal part of going through chemo.With neutropenia, you’re more likely to get infections and fever. That’s because neutrophils are part of your body’s front-line immune response. So with fewer of them available to fight off threats, you’re more vulnerable.Keep in mind that neutropenia is a temporary side effect of chemo – and you can take simple precautions to help avoid catching an infection.Do these things to help protect yourself:Get all your vaccinations that your doctor recommends.…
The Supreme Court’s decision to hear oral arguments in Donald Trump’s immunity-appeal case on Thursday may appear to advance the rule of law. After all, few, if anyone, thinks that a majority of the court will conclude that a former president is completely immune from federal criminal liability.But the court’s decision to review the immunity case actually undermines core democratic values.The Supreme Court often has an institutional interest in cases of presidential power. But the court’s insistence on putting its own stamp on this case — despite the widespread assumption that it will not change the application of immunity to…
Americans love to dream of miracle drugs, but hardly anything ever seems to fill the bill. True, semaglutide has arrived with real questions trailing like bunting: Much of the weight loss is from lean muscle mass, which isn’t ideal, and there are reasons to worry over the possibility of thyroid problems, loss of bone density and sarcopenia, a weakness disorder associated with aging. There are potentially other serious long-term side effects, though millions of Americans have been taking Ozempic for Type 2 diabetes for years without serious issues. (Some of them do report more familiar side effects, like nausea.) The…
To the Editor:Re “How Joe Biden Lost His Way in Gaza,” by Nicholas Kristof (column, April 21):The masterful, balanced and well-reasoned column by Mr. Kristof, written not in anger but in deep sorrow, should serve as a warning to President Biden.In standing by Israel’s atrocious conduct of the war and letting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poke a finger in America’s eye, Mr. Biden not only cedes his moral standing but also risks destroying the unity of the Democratic Party; the possibility of a turbulent convention; and the loss of Michigan and the election to Donald Trump.One only hopes that he…
When LJ Ingram was taking care of her aging parents, she thought about what she and her wife wanted for their future. “We prefer to enjoy our senior years with less worry” and with fewer concerns for their children to shoulder, says Ingram, 69. Millions of American families can relate. By 2030, all baby boomers will be over age 65 and 1 in 5 Americans will be considered an older adult, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Not far behind them, the oldest Gen Xers turn 59 this year. And with aging often come decisions about where to live.Something else is…
At the State and Federal Levels: Privacy Protections and Better EvaluationA complaint I heard from many public school parents who responded to my March 27 questionnaire and wanted a lower-tech environment for their kids is that they’re concerned about their children’s privacy. They couldn’t opt out of things like Google Classroom, they said, because in many cases, all of their children’s homework assignments were posted there. Molnar has a radical but elegant solution for this problem: “All data gathered must be destroyed after its intended purpose has been accomplished.” So if the intended purpose of a platform or application is…
This month, President Biden threw one of the most lavish state dinners in Washington’s recent memory. Celebrities and billionaires flocked to the White House to dine in honor of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, posing for photos in front of an elaborate display of Japanese fans. Jeff Bezos dropped by; Paul Simon provided the entertainment.The spectacle was part of a carefully orchestrated series of events to showcase the renewed U.S.-Japan relationship — and the notable transformation of the United States’ security alliances in Asia. The next day, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines was also in the U.S.…