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Today's top stories
In a Senate hearing yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced calls to resign from Democrats and criticism from Republicans. For decades, Kennedy has established a reputation as an anti-vaccine activist. However, when President Trump was considering him for the HHS secretary role, Kennedy made promises not to prevent people from obtaining vaccines. In the hearing, he was asked to explain his recent actions regarding vaccines. This included how he went back on his vow not to touch the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee on immunization practices. He fired all 17 members of the committee and replaced them with people with a history of anti-vaccine activism.
- 🎧 Kennedy insisted that anybody who wants to receive the shot can and got angry when he was pressed on the topic, NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin tells Up First. This year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the COVID booster, but only for people with certain conditions and those over 65. This decision has caused confusion among doctors, patients and insurance companies. Simmons-Duffins says it's still unknown what the CDC's advisory committee on immunization practices plans to do about vaccinations. The panel is set to review routine childhood vaccines, including the one for measles, mumps and rubella, and Hepatitis B.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, stating that the deployment of the National Guard in the nation's capital is illegal. For the past three weeks, National Guard troops have been patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., following Trump's declaration of a "crime emergency" in the city. The president's claim came as D.C. reported a 30-year low for violent crimes. Schwalb says the military shouldn't be involved in domestic law enforcement, and they are untrained in policing.
- 🎧 Since troops were deployed to Washington, estimates indicate that crime overall has decreased, says Alex Koma of NPR network station WAMU. Troops are not authorized to make arrests, but can inform police of a crime. This makes it hard to evaluate if they have any direct correlation with the decline in crime, according to Koma. D.C. has asked a judge to remove the National Guard troops from the area immediately. The lawsuit comes two days after a federal judge ruled that Trump broke the law when he sent National Guard troops into Los Angeles during the protests against immigration raids. This case is being closely monitored by cities like Chicago and Baltimore, where Trump threatened to deploy federal forces.
- ➡️ On Tuesday, the White House said that 1,669 people have been arrested since Trump's takeover of the D.C. police. NPR combed through court records and other data. Here's a breakdown of who has been arrested and what charges they're facing.
Europe announced yesterday that it had finalized a plan to guarantee Ukraine's peace and security after the war with Russia ends. The proposal would include troops on the ground in Ukraine from several countries from a group known as the coalition of the willing. The coalition currently includes 35 countries that gathered in Paris, physically and by video. Representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada also attended.
- 🎧 Russian President Vladimir Putin warned this morning that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be a target. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley says his response to the news isn't surprising. It is also why French President Emmanuel Macron, says the backbone of Ukraine's post-war security is a strong Ukrainian army. Macron stated that this is the reason they won't be accepting restrictions on the Ukrainian army's size and shape.
Living better
Living Better is a special series about what it takes to stay healthy in America.
Creatine supplements have gained popularity among social media influencers who say they can help with muscle growth, improve athletic performance and even enhance brain function. The compound is made from three amino acids that serve as a source of energy for your muscles. While your body naturally produces some creatine, can maximizing on it really deliver the benefits influencers are claiming? Here's what the evidence shows:
- 🥛 Creatine does work for adding lean muscle mass, but you have to work out to benefit from its effects.
- 🥛 Men who combined the supplements with resistance training added around two to three pounds of lean body mass, according to a review of 35 studies. This could be significant for older men, who tend to lose muscle mass as they age.
- 🥛 Initial evidence indicates that benefits like regulating blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes and improving memory are not strongly supported, according to Jose Antonio, an exercise and sports science professor at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
- 🥛 Vegans and vegetarians are more likely to see the benefits from taking creatine, as they probably don't get much or any of it in their diet. Creatine comes from red meat, chicken or fish.
Weekend picks
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: In The Thursday Murder Club a group of retirees gather to research cold cases to pass the time — until a real murder and a plucky new member show up on their doorstep.
📺 TV: Daniel Dae Kim stars in Butterfly as a former U.S. government spy who comes out of hiding to save his long-lost daughter from her life as an assassin.
📚 Books: To the Moon and Back follows Steph Harper, who aspires to become NASA's first Cherokee astronaut. Before she can achieve her dreams, she must escape an abusive parent and navigate her youth spent on a reservation while experiencing a queer coming of age.
🎵 Music: Artist Nourished by Time's new album, The Passionate Ones, is a not-so-quiet, yearning and romantic expression that nothing can stand in the way of pursuing love.
❓ Quiz: I have been bested this week. I got seven out of the 11 questions right. I know you can do better! Test your memory.
3 things to know before you go
- American Amanda Anisimova defeated Naomi Osaka of Japan early today in the U.S. Open semifinals. She is expected to compete in her first U.S. Open finals tomorrow.
- Giorgio Armani, the founder of the Italian luxury fashion house Armani, died yesterday in Milan at age 91. His designs had a goal of highlighting the body as a work of art.
- Susan Stamberg, one of NPR's "founding mothers," is retiring after over 50 years behind the mic. Morning Edition shares a tribute to her legacy.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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