Author: Press Room

In a first test of the Trump administration’s ability to respond to an infectious disease emergency, its top health official has shied away from one of the government’s most important tools, experts said on Sunday: loudly and directly encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated.Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, was widely criticized as minimizing the measles outbreak in West Texas at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. In a social media post on Friday, he took a new tact, saying that the outbreak was a “top priority” for his department, Health and Human Services.He noted various ways in which…

On a recent weekday morning in La Mirada, a suburb outside Los Angeles, Steve Olive, 58, walked among hundreds of carpet rolls in red, green and lavender in a white, sun-drenched, 36,000-square-foot warehouse.Laid out on the floor was a 150-foot stretch of rug, delivered by truck from Georgia a few days before, in the custom shade of Academy Red that is only available for the Oscars.Mr. Olive himself may not be famous, but celebrities have strolled the plush craftsmanship of his carpet for nearly three decades.His company, Event Carpet Pros, has supplied carpets for the Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys and…

When “Moby Dick” opens at the Metropolitan Opera this week, audiences will experience a deeply American story of unchecked ambition, fomented grievances and a self-destructive desire for revenge.Based on Herman Melville’s 1851 novel, the opera delivers an economical and resolute retelling of the fateful tale of the Pequod, a ship in pursuit of a vengeful white whale. The libretto, by Gene Scheer, hits the book’s main conflicts without losing track of the action. The score, by Jake Heggie, is graceful and propulsive. The opera’s ending is certain and clear.It’s probably fair to say that more people know the story of…

Riley Gaines, a former NCAA All-American swimmer who has championed fairness in women’s sports, delivered the pre-race invocation on Sunday before the NASCAR Cup Series’ EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.Gaines said a prayer before “The Boys” actor Jack Quaid gave drivers the go-ahead to start their engines. Drivers round turn 16 during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Austin. (Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)”Dear heavenly Father, we gather today with gratitude for your mercy that…

FRANCE – 2025/01/20: In this photo illustration, Trump Meme , Trump the Crypto president, is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Romain Doucelin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Romain Doucelin | Getty ImagesCryptocurrencies rallied on Sunday after President Donald Trump announced the creation of a strategic crypto reserve for the United States that will include bitcoin and ether, as well as XRP,  Solana’s SOL token and Cardano’s ADA.”A U.S. Crypto Reserve will elevate this critical industry after years of corrupt attacks by the Biden Administration, which is why my Executive Order on Digital Assets directed the Presidential Working Group…

“Rely less on the airline to just offer you a good deal,” Mr. Leff said. “Often you want two cards: one that earns multiple points in the category where you spend the most, and one that pairs in the same ecosystem from the same bank that earns 1.5 or two points per dollar.” This means using two cards from the same bank — for example, pairing Chase’s Sapphire Preferred with its Freedom Unlimited card to pool their earned points.This flexibility proves crucial as sweet spots move between programs. Virgin Atlantic, for instance, charges just 90,000 miles for ANA first-class flights…

Aussie music legend and former politician Peter Garrett has come under fire after encouraging festivalgoers to “pretend they’re dancing on Gina Rinehart’s grave”.The former Midnight Oil frontman took to the stage at Perth Festival with his other band The Alter Egos on Friday night.The 71-year-old told the audience to “pretend they’re dancing on Gina Rinehart’s grave” in a major dig at the billionaire mining magnate, while also slamming Woodside and US President Donald Trump, Perth Now reported.Camera IconPeter Garrett told festivalgoers to pretend they were dancing on the grave of billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinheart. NewsWire/Dean Sewell Credit: News Corp…

A NEW ERA OF TECHNO-IMPERIALISM The move exposes a new reality: Musk’s proximity to the US president, known for his transactional approach to foreign policy, is impacting how countries are writing regulations – and in ways that stand to further enrich the billionaire. Musk’s pseudo-government role is already causing consternation in Washington over a slew of potential conflicts of interest. Vietnam’s change of heart reveals how this new era of techno-imperialism is quietly reshaping policy in developing countries. Vietnam isn’t alone in its efforts to court the world’s wealthiest man and his political clout. Bangladesh’s interim leader recently invited Musk…

Israel on Sunday announced that it would stop all goods and humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, a draconian move that disrupted the existing, agreed-upon framework for negotiating a permanent end to the war.The decision came a day after the end of the first phase of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. Here’s what to know:What has Israel said?Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced the halt to the flow of humanitarian assistance and goods hours after his government proposed a seven-week extension of the temporary cease-fire, at the start of which it said that Hamas would have to release…

The rapid reduction of illegal crossings at the U.S. southern border calls into question a key Democratic talking point during the 2024 campaign, when party leaders blamed then-former President Donald Trump for helping kill bipartisan border legislation that they argued was the only way to secure the border.”President Trump’s fast and successful border security proves Biden’s false claim of needing the Senate’s border insecurity bill was nothing more than Biden’s attempted power grab to codify his open border tools and hamstring a future president who wanted to enforce the law,” Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and…