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Healthcare

What are the possible effects of changing the childhood vaccine schedule on public health and families?

President Trump issued an executive order Monday calling for fewer childhood vaccinations, splitting the childhood MMR vaccine into three shots and delivering vaccines at separate medical visits. Why it matters: Controversial vaccine policy changes appear to be roaring back ahead of the midterms. The executive order states that "the combined MMR vaccine should be administered in three separate single-disease shots once such products are domestically available and that, to the maximum extent feasible, all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits." The big picture: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s handpicked vaccine advisers last fall called for splitting up the MMR shot and overhauling a central component of childhood immunizations. But the White House urged Kennedy to back off of such contentious policymaking earlier this year. And yet, President Trump has recently questioned Kennedy about the lack of momentum on childhood vaccine policy, per the Wall Street Journal, signaling his continued strong personal interest in the topic. What he's saying: "You have the MMR. We want it in three separate vaccinations, given at separate times," Trump said at an Oval Office signing event. He suggested the MMR vaccine could be "quite lethal" when administered all at once, and likened the volume to "a bottle of soda." Reality check: The CDC says there's "no published scientific evidence [that] shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots." It says there can be a "very small risk" of febrile seizures and extremely rare cases of serious allergic reactions, but that getting the MMR vaccine "is much safer than getting measles, mumps, or rubella."In addition, vaccine safety experts at CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree the MMR shot is not responsible for recent increases in autism diagnoses. "I'm a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make the

United Kingdom
Environment

How should the government support farmers facing challenges from climate change?

France has recorded its hottest summer on record this year as the country battled heatwaves, drought and massive wildfires. The extreme weather has continued into September, with France's national weather service placing five departments on orange alert for several days. Temperatures are expected to reach 40°C in some areas. France's agriculture minister also announced a plan to unlock over 1 billion euros in aid to the agriculture sector, which has been severely affected by the extreme weather

France
Geopolitics

What impact could the meetings between U.S. envoys and Russian leaders have on peace efforts in Ukraine?

A Russian government-operated news outlet reported that President Donald Trump’s special envoys will hold a meeting at the Kremlin before their planned arrival in Ukraine this weekend. Tass claimed in a Friday article that special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff “expect to arrive in Moscow and then Kyiv on September 5-6,” citing an unnamed […]

Global
Culture

My excellent Conversation with Chase Koch

Here is the audio, video, and transcript. Here is part of the episode summary: Chase and Tyler discuss if any of his father’s lessons never stuck, the guilt-trip letter his grandfather wrote three months after Charles was born, why Chase started throwing tennis matches, what Rafa’s grit taught him about stoicism, who he admired most […] The post My excellent Conversation with Chase Koch appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsIn reply to DjFul. More like egg rolling. by MHanging out wi...

United States