This wasn't a hearing, it was a witch hunt. I could only take a few minutes of the grilling and badgering. No wonder Dr Fauci took the Fifth -- nothing he could ever say would satisfied those who hold him somehow personally responsible for a killer pandemic that came from China!
I remember how you couldn't even blame China, because the politically correct would attack you for being a racist. So instead of investigating properly, it seemed easier for these lawmakers to hold Dr. Fauci responsible for everything that happened.
The lockdown was a desperate measure when millions were dying and there was no other way to prevent more millions from catching it. And many Americans refused to protect themselves during COVID by wearing masks and getting vaccinated when the vaccine was introduced in 2021. A lot of them simply didn't want to be told what to do, even if it was for the public good. (We still see this with measles)
The real investigation of COVID-19 ought to be done by scientists and medical experts, and not by politicians at all.
Besides
the illness and death, the disruption and the loneliness, Americans
remember the pandemic for its vitriol. The handling of Covid divided the
parties, the states, families and neighbors and it’s taken years, in
many cases, to repair the damage.
Former Covid czar Anthony Fauci’s appearance on Capitol Hill Wednesday brought it all back.
Rather than an evaluation of what went wrong and right, or how to do better next time, the rage stood out.
“Here I am sitting in front of you six years later, saying: Who the fuck do you think you were for doing that?” Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno
asked Fauci after recounting the story of a family arrested at a
football game for refusing to wear masks. Many states imposed mask
mandates after Fauci and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended them.
Moreno’s
question at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee was rhetorical and the F bomb the sort of language
almost never heard in Senate proceedings. When Moreno later asked Fauci
if he would apologize, he responded as he did to every question, by
exercising his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination by
declining to answer.
Earlier in the hearing, Fauci vented his own rage, accusing the committee chair, Rand Paul,
of “an obvious obsession” and “repeated slanderous comments.” He
explained that he wasn’t going to talk because the Kentucky Republican
had made it plain he wanted him imprisoned for his role in leading the
nation’s Covid response and was setting a perjury trap for him.
The hearing underscored that, as Moreno
said, six years since the start of the pandemic, the rage over whether
mitigations like lockdowns, school closures and mask and vaccine
mandates were effective and justified, and over whether Fauci misled the public about the virus’ origins, are still simmering below the surface.
Republicans said it was about accountability; Democrats a vendetta.
Republicans joined Moreno in decrying the Covid response, saying the measures Fauci
encouraged had unnecessarily damaged Americans’ mental health and
children’s education, and made families miss funerals and other pivotal
moments in their lives.
“You forced people to watch their loved ones die alone over the phone. It’s disgusting,” said Rick Scott, a Florida Republican who blamed Fauci for hospital restrictions that barred relatives from visiting family members.
Democrats
defended the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, thanking him for his decades-long service and for
saving lives with the strictures he recommended. They accused
Republicans of calling the hearing to distract from their own health
policies, which they called disastrous.
The
nasty divide, which historians have said tracks that of prior
pandemics, underscores the challenge in hoping to do better when the
next pandemic hits.
Republicans on the panel blamed Fauci,
now 85 and retired for more than three years from a
more-than-half-century career in government. They accused the former
NIAID director of destroying trust in America’s public health
institutions by pushing for measures that were ineffective and that left
Americans deeply scarred.
Moreno
recounted how a mother in his state and her family were dragged out of a
football stadium and arrested because they didn’t wear masks, despite
sitting away from other people.
“Those
policies were put in place because you had moronic politicians that
listened to the words of a megalomaniac who was more interested in
having met a Kardashian than the suffering of the American people, and
that is you,” Moreno told Fauci, referencing passages in Fauci’s diary that showed he reveled in the celebrity attention his role managing the pandemic had brought him.
Paul released that diary last week. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his team found it on Health Department servers. Fauci in his opening statement said the release was “aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me.”
Moreno
said the arrests at the football game were what prompted him to first
run for Senate in 2022. He promised to use Democrats’ defense of Fauci in political ads against them in the upcoming midterm elections.
New Hampshire’s Maggie Hassan was among the Democrats to passionately defend Fauci. She decried Kennedy’s
management of public health, citing the ongoing measles outbreak and
the spread of the foodborne parasite cyclospora, and Republican
lawmakers’ lack of interest in investigating it.
“We are here in an attempt to entrap you because you had a distinguished career trying to put Americans’ public health first,” Hassan told Fauci.
By contrast, she called Kennedy “the most unqualified secretary of Health and Human Services this country has ever seen.”
Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, also criticized the Republicans’ targeting of Fauci, saying it would discourage people who want to work in government in the future.
“There is nothing perfect, no perfect clarity when it comes to pandemics, when it comes to crises,” he said.
Paul, who’s feuded with Fauci since the early days of the pandemic, gave no ground.
He told reporters he expects his committee to approve a resolution holding Fauci in contempt of Congress next week.
If the panel does, the resolution would then proceed to a Senate floor vote. Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Wednesday he’d consider holding one.
“I think that’s an option that ought to be available to us,” he said.
Here are the stories of some of the 2,977 victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and their still-grieving families. This 25th anniversary commemoration should be all about them, and not about the selfishness of Mamdani.
By Rich Calder, Chris Nesi, Larry Celona, Carl Campanile
The movement to ban Mayor Zohran Mamdani from this year’s 9/11
memorial ceremony at Ground Zero — marking the 25th anniversary of New
York City’s darkest day — is mounting.
In less than three weeks, more than 66,000 people have signed the Change.org petition demanding Hizzoner skip the solemn event.
The mayor’s past remarks and associations with people openly hostile
to the U.S. or scornful of the worst terror attack in American history
has made his planned attendance a lightning rod for criticism, but he’s
so far brushed off the growing chorus and pledges to be there.
Mayor
Zohran Mamdani’s eyebrow-raising associations, including with
unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Siraj
Wahhaj, has some 9/11 families asking him to stay home for the 25th
remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero. X/ZohranKMamdani
The petition lists many reasons for wanting to exclude Mamdani,
including his long reluctance to condemn the phrase “globalize the
intifada,” and his associations with individuals like his chief counsel,
Ramzi Kassem, who previously represented an al-Qaeda tanker-bombing
pilot.
“This anniversary is one of remembrance grounded in shared American
values: respect for the victims, recognition of the gravity of the
attacks, and a clear rejection of the ideologies that contributed to
such violence,” the petition reads.
The Post first reported on the skyrocketing number of signatories last weekend. Organizer Giovanni Galante this week estimated that thousands of family members of the 2,977 innocents killed on Sept. 11, 2001, have signed on.
If Mamdani shows up at the ceremony, he should expect many 9/11
family members to turn their backs on him in protest, warned Galante,
whose 29-year-old wife Grace was killed in the attack.
“They don’t want to look at him,” he said.
Mamdani has so far brushed off the criticism by 9/11 families and says he plans to attend the memorial.
“A lot of people are signing,” said Angie Pesce of Staten Island,
whose 34-year-old brother, Danny, was one of 658 Cantor Fitzgerald
employees who lost their lives in the Twin Towers. “And it’s not only
the family – it’s friends of family, too. . . . It’s getting circulated
and growing every day.”
Charles G. Wolf, whose 40-year-old wife Katherine Wolf was killed
only two weeks into her job at Marsh & McLennan, said the
Ugandan-born socialist mayor has alienated too many family members of
9/11 victims by pushing an anti-American agenda and associating with
terrorist sympathizers like left-wing influencer Hasan Piker — who once said “America deserved” the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
“He doesn’t want the United States to exist as it does today,”
alleged Wolf, whose compensation fight for 9/11 victims’ families was
told in the 2020 Netflix film “Worth”
with Emmy-winner Stanley Tucci playing him. “He wants to turn it into a
third-world government … and continue the work that the 9/11 hijackers
were doing.”
Giovanni
Galante, whose 29-year-old wife Grace Catherine Galante was killed in
the attack, started a Change.org petition urging Mamdani not to attend
the ceremony. Zak Bennett for NY Post
An FDNY captain said the petition is circulating widely in the
department, which suffered the loss of 343 firefighters that day. Tom
Van Essen, the city fire commissioner during and after 9/11,
enthusiastically signed, and said he’d delight in delivering the mayor
an icy surprise.
“Yes I signed it — I can’t wait to hit him with a snowball in his phony face!”
First responders in other agencies also weighed in.
John Ryan, a retired Port Authority chief of department who helmed
the rescue operation for nine months after the attack, wants Mamdani to
stay away.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, in which 2,977 innocent people were killed. Tamara Beckwith/NY Post
“I did sign the petition. Where was the mayor for the previous 9/11s?
I have been there every year, and I’ve seen a steady parade of
politicians come and go, who say they support the families and then you
never hear from them again,” he said. “Words are shallow, actions are
what counts.”
Others did not sign, but shared their discomfort.
Retired NYPD cop Jim Smith, whose wife, Moira Smith, was one of two
female police officers who died on 9/11, said, “I didn’t sign the
petition because Sept. 11 should not be about politicians. It should be
about the people that we lost that day and continue to lose — and their
families.
Firefighters work beneath the collapsed World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. AP
“Petitions like this just take away from those heroes. The honorable
thing would be for people who are distractions not to show up.”
Mamdani apologists have criticized the petition’s creators and
alleged The Post overestimated the number of victims’ families who don’t
want Hizzoner at the solemn remembrance.
The Post in the last week contacted more than 150 families shattered by 9/11. A handful said they disagree with the petition.
Dozens of relatives said they support the petition but declined to go
on the record. They said they feared reprisals, including those with
city jobs.
The vast majority of the family members said they signed the petititon, or intend to sign. Here are some of their stories:
==================
Maureen Santora’s son Christopher Santora, 23, Engine 54 firefighter — South Tower
Maureen Santora, 81, (left) and her late son Christopher Santora (right), 23 — Engine 54 firefighter, South Tower.
A probie and the youngest firefighter to die on 9/11, Christopher
Santora played stickball and basketball growing up in Long Island City,
Queens, and was a rare Toronto Blue Jays fan living in NYC. After
graduating from Queens College and briefly working as a substitute
teacher, he followed his father, Deputy Chief Al Santora, into the FDNY.
Young Santora’s shift had ended that day, but when the WTC alarm came
in that morning, he didn’t hesitate to jump on the back of a fire truck.
His mother still grieves and is not happy that Mayor Mamdani plans to
be at the 25th anniversary remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero. “He has
never supported the 9/11 community – ever,” Maureen Santora said. “And I
just feel his presence is detrimental to the purpose of why we gather
together: to honor the people who died on September 11th and to remember
them in a respectful, dignified … way. This is not a political day.
He’s a divisive individual as well – and has made comments against many,
many different groups.. . . That is not a person that should be present
at a somber ceremony to remember people who were murdered by
terrorists.”
Charles G. Wolf’s wife Katherine Wolf, 40, Marsh & McLennan executive assistant — 97th floor of the North Tower
Charles
G. Wolf, 72, (left) and his late wife Katherine Wolf (right), 40 —
Marsh & McLennan executive assistant, 97th floor of the North Tower
Katherine — who was born in Swansea, Wales, and was a classical
pianist who graduated from Royal College of Music in London — began
working at the insurance brokerage just two weeks before the terror
attacks. “I kissed her goodbye at 8:06 a.m, and never heard from her
again,” recalled Charles G. Wolf, a licensed pilot, adding he could hear
the roar of the hijacked Boeing 767 airplane flying low over their
Greenwich Village apartment seconds before it slammed into the WTC. Wolf
— whose fight for compensation for 9/11 victims’ families was told in
the 2021 Netflix film “Worth” with Emmy winner Stanley Tucci playing him
— said Mamdani doesn’t belong at the ceremony because “he brings pain”
and has “no respect” for the United States. “He does not have our
interest at heart, and he does not care about the families. The memorial
observation is for 9/11 family members and . . . public officials
who’ve supported us all along the way after 9/11,” including former Gov.
George Pataki.
Louis Massari’s wife Patricia Ann Cimaroli Massari, 25, accounting department at Marsh McLennan — 98th floor North Tower
Patricia Ann Cimaroli Massari, 25 — accounting department at Marsh McLennan, 98th floor North Tower. Courtesy of Louis Massari
The last words Louis Massari, 50, heard his wife Patricia utter were
“Oh my god,” after the first plane struck the Twin Towers. The two had
been on the phone after learning just that morning that Patricia was
pregnant. They had been teenage friends whose friendship slowly turned
into a love story. “She definitely lit up a room any place she went to. .
. . We knew her as somebody that had the most beautiful smile, and it’s
not being biased as her husband,” Massari said. For Mamdani to be at
the memorial services, the widower said after signing the petition,
would stir up additional emotions that already emotional families would
want to avoid. He believes the mayor should bow out to help
“de-escalate.”
Angela Pesce’s brother Danny Pesce, 34, Cantor Fitzgerald ticket worker — 105th floor of the North Tower
Angela
Pesce, 60, (left) and her late brother Danny Pesce (right), 34 — Cantor
Fitzgerald ticket worker, 105th floor of the North Tower.
Danny Pesce was a quiet, hard-working man who had a girlfriend in
Tennessee and planned to move there, said his sister, who spoke to him
at his desk twice after a hijacked plane slammed into the side of the
skyscraper. With his office floor in flames, Danny called Angela to ask
her if she knew what happened. Angela turned on the TV and told him a
plane just hit the building and urged him to leave. Danny screamed to
his co-workers, “A plane just hit the building! Our building.” She
called back soon after, and Danny said the office was starting to fill
with smoke. Angela could hear “desk draws slamming” as Danny and
co-workers were frantically preparing an evacuation. Then the line went
dead. “That conversation will be in my mind forever,” Angela said. After
his death, Danny’s 1988 Mercury Cougar sat in his family’s driveway on
Staten Island for 23 years. Family members are in the process of trying
to fix it. Angela said she signed the petition because Mamdani “doesn’t
care about our families” and is all about scoring political points. “I’m
really afraid for this year,” she said. “What’s gonna happen if he does
show up? Everybody’s angry. It’s a place for mourning, and it’s gonna
be the 25th anniversary. I want to go there and mourn my brother. I
don’t want any . . . craziness. So he should look at that petition and
say, ‘Wow, I’m gonna upset these families. I’m staying home today.’”
Jeannette Puccio-Pick’s father Joseph Pick, 40, vice president of Fiduciary Trust International — 94th Floor South Tower
Jeannette
Puccio-Pick (left) and her late father Joseph Pick, 40 — vice president
of Fiduciary Trust International, 94th Floor South Tower Stefano Giovannini for NY Post
Joseph Pick was a staff sergeant in the Air Force before going to
work for Fiduciary Trust International. His daughter watched the
building where he worked collapse. “I was in school when it happened. I
was 9 years old. I went to school in Hoboken, right across the water,
and I watched my dad’s building go down right in front of me,”
Jeannette, 34, told The Post. Her final memory of her dad was of
watching TV on the couch. “I saw him on September 9th at night. One of
the last things we did was watch the premier of the Cartoon Network show
‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force.’ I still watch that because it reminds me of
him.” She feels the mayor should skip the 25th anniversary ceremony
because of his association with radicals like Twitch streamer Hasan
Piker. He “said in 2019 that America deserved 9/11. Are you kidding me?”
she said, adding this message for Mamdani: “I don’t understand. It’s
like, “Dude we don’t want you there. What don’t you get? The families
just want one day to themselves. Shouldn’t we – the loved ones – get to
choose who we want or don’t want there?'”
Denise Matuza’s husband and Walter P. Matuza’s father Walter Matuza Jr., 39, analyst for Carr Futures — 92nd Floor of North Tower
Denise
Matuza, 59, (left) and her late husband Walter Matuza Jr. (right), 39 —
analyst for Carr Futures, 92nd Floor of North Tower Courtesy of Denise Matuza
When the first plane hit, Walter Matuza Jr. was on the phone with his
wife. He tried to quell her fears and it would be the last time the
two spoke. His death emotionally and physically traumatized the family.
“My oldest son was 10 at the time, and from the stress of losing his
father, he went blind and he lost his eyesight,” Denise said. She sees
no reason why Mamdani should attend the 25th anniversary event. “He
should not be able to speak. It’s all about the families, the names of
the [people] who perished there. . . . This is our gravesite for our
husbands and wives.” Eldest son Walter agreed: “I don’t mind that
[politicians] come as long as they’re respectful. I just think it is
disrespectful if he comes because of the people that he’s associated
with.”
Monica Iken-Murphy’s husband Michael Iken, 37, bond broker for Euro Brokers — 84th floor of the South Tower
Monica
Iken-Murphy, 56, (left) and her late husband Michael Iken (right), 37 —
bond broker for Euro Brokers, 84th floor of the South Tower
The couple had been married for only 11 months and were trying to
have a baby, recalled Monica Iken-Murphy, a leading advocate in the
creation of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. “His dream was to be a dad .
. . . because he was adopted and never knew his father. He got robbed
of being a father.” Iken-Murphy said Mamdani’s politics wasn’t why she
signed the petition. Only politicians involved in the healing “process
from the start” — such as ex-NYC Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudy
Giuliani — should join 9/11 family members in attending “this pivotal
25th anniversary ceremony,” she said. “I don’t want families to feel
uncomfortable. Others can come a different day, but let the families
have their time.”
Nicolas Haros Jr.’s mother Frances Haros, 76, receptionist at Keefe Bruyette & Woods — 89th floor of the South Tower
Nicolas
Haros Jr., 72, (left) and his late mother Frances Haros (right), 76 —
receptionist at Keefe Bruyette & Woods, 89th floor of the South
Tower
Even after a grueling recovery from eye surgery, the beloved mother
and grandmother was determined to return to her job, just months before
9/11, at the securities brokerage and investment bank where she was a
beloved figure. After her husband’s death she returned to work as a
receptionist, where she had a front row seat to a hive of activity. “She
saw everyone come and go. The young men shared their stories with her
and got advice. She was the office mom – she loved it,” said son Nic
Haros Jr. “I kept asking my mom to retire. It was a long daily commute,
but she loved her work friends.” But on this solemn anniversary, the
controversial mayor, a “poster child for the DSA,” would be “worse than a
slap on the face” to grieving loved ones, he said. “Ban him — he will
only anger the families. He should skip it as he did the Israel Day
parade.”
Lori Schertzer Brody’s brother Scott Schertzer, 28, human resources at Cantor Fitzgerald — 101st floor of North Tower
Lori
Schertzer Brody, 55, (left) and her late brother Scott Shertzer
(right), 28 — human resources at Cantor Fitzgerald, 101st floor of North
Tower.
Lori Brody was an assistant vice president at Deutsche Bank who had
gotten her little brother Scott a job at Cantor Fitzgerald. They both
worked in the North Tower. “The irony is, I told him to stay [at the
investment firm] because I found out he was going to get a promotion
which he didn’t know about,” Lori Brody said. “I told him, ‘No, no, just
wait, just wait till December. It’s going to be great, I promise you.”
Lori Brody made it out alive, but her brother perished in the collapse.
Mayor Mamdani “just makes things worse,” she said. “I am Jewish, I find
him to be very antisemitic. I find him to incite violence wherever he
goes. He thrives on division. I find that he has proven over and over
again where his loyalty on September 11th stands — his loyalty stands
with the terrorists. He could do the proper thing and bow out. He won’t
because he likes to inflict pain on those he can.”
Cathy Cava’s sister and Giovanni Galante’s wife Grace Catherine Galante, 29, Cantor Fitzgerald — 105th floor of the North Tower
Giovanni
Galante, 55, (left) and his late wife Grace Catherine Galante (right),
29 — Cantor Fitzgerald, 105th floor of the North Tower
Cathy Cava (left) with her sister Grace Catherine Galante (right), 29, in an undated photo. Courtesy of Cathy Cava.
Grace was a “beautiful, kind person” who was great at “reading
people” and was loved by many of her 657 co-workers who perished that
day. Giovanni Galante, who is the lead organizer of the petition drive,
branded Mamdani an apologist for Islamic terror whose presence would be
an insult to the memories of nearly 3,000 people murdered on 9/11. “Our
objection is based on his public record — his failure to meaningfully
acknowledge the horror of that day, and his employment of, support for,
or association with individuals who have minimized 9/11, defended
terrorists, or even suggested America ‘deserved’ the attacks,” he said.
“This day is sacred to us. It is not political, and it is not a platform
for those connected to such views. His presence would be deeply hurtful
and inappropriate.” Grace’s sister Cathy Cava, 60, said, “It would be
totally disrespectful for [Mamdani] to be there. He hasn’t shown any
support” for the 9/11 family community. She described Grace as “smart,
gregarious and loving.” “People gravitated to her,” Cava said. “The
world lost a beautiful person, and it should not have happened.”
Cheri Sparacio’s husband Thomas Sparacio, 35, currency trader for Eurobrokers — 84th floor of the South Tower
Cheri
Sparacio (left) and her late husband Thomas Sparacio (right), 35 —
currency trader for Eurobrokers, 84th floor of the South Tower.
The couple shared twin sons, Eric and Jonathan, who were just 2 years
old when Thomas died. Cheri Sparacio, one of the petition’s organizers,
said there are “so many other examples” why it’s “disrespectful” for
Mamdani to attend the ceremony that “we couldn’t fit them on” the
petition, which cites many examples of what they believe show the mayor
is a longtime terror apologist. If the mayor attends, “it doesn’t show
respect for the families and it doesn’t show any understanding of the
tragedy of that day if you’re going to excuse it in various ways,” she
said.
Patty Coughlin’s husband John Coughlin, 43, NYPD sergeant — South Tower
John Coughlin, 43 — NYPD sergeant, South Tower
Marine Corps veteran and NYPD Sgt. John Coughlin was last seen
entering the South Tower attempting to save others. His last radio
transmission showed that he was on the 20th floor of the building before
communication went dark. But before he perished, he ran into a high
school friend in the burning building and told the person to run; that
person survived. Public service was important to Coughlin, and he was
also a volunteer firefighter in his Rockland County hometown of Pomona.
He left behind three daughters, Erin, Tara, and Kayla. His wife Patty,
67, who signed the petition to keep Mamdani out, said, the “mayor is
anti-American. He doesn’t care about the people who died on 9/11 and
those that have died since. He has never shown his support. . . . He
doesn’t deserve to be there.”
Maggie McDonnell-Tiberio’s husband Brian McDonnell, 38, NYPD sergeant — South Tower
Maggie McDonnell-Tiberio, 62, (left) and her late husband Brian McDonnell (right), 38 — NYPD sergeant, South Tower
McDonnell was a cop’s cop — known for wearing his brass-buttoned
formal uniform and swinging his police baton while out on the beat.
Prior to his 15 years on the force, McDonnell served as an elite Army
paratrooper. On Sept. 11, 2001, he sprung to action as part of Emergency
Service Unit’s Squad 1 and was last seen entering the South Tower in an
heroic attempt to save lives. His widow Maggie McDonnel-Tiberio signed
the petition because she feels Mamdani’s presence would be salt in the
wound. “The mayor stands for everything that made 9/11 happen. He
doesn’t support the victims and their families. He has never said
anything publicly or done anything to show his support,” she said.
Jennifer Nilsen’s husband Troy Nilsen, 33, network engineer for Cantor Fitzgerald — 103rd floor North Tower
Jennifer
Nilsen, 57, (left) and her late husband Troy Nilsen (right), 33 —
network engineer for Cantor Fitzgerald, 103rd floor North Tower Courtesy of Jennifer Nilsen
Jennifer Nilsen was married to Troy for four years and thought they
would grow old together. She loved his humor and how attentive he was to
their oldest son, Scott, who has autism. “My kids miss him daily . . .
my older son, he understands. . . . [He] was 5 and the youngest one was
almost 3” on that dark day. Her signing the petition had nothing to do
with politics or religion, she said, but a way to keep the day focused
on the families who lost loved ones. “We don’t want it to turn into a
circus and people getting arrested or whatever. We don’t want that. We
want it nice and calm. Let us remember our loved ones that day.”
Patricia Martin Nilsen’s sister Anne Marie Martino-Cramer, 47, Fiduciary Trust tax specialist — 90th floor of the South Tower
Anne Marie Martino-Cramer, 47 — Fiduciary Trust tax specialist, 90th floor of the South Tower
Anne Marie Martino-Cramer worked at Fiduciary Trust for nearly her
entire adult life, having joined the firm soon after graduating high
school and only leaving for a brief stint at Bank of New York. She was
famous for her work ethic, and in fact, had a vacation scheduled for
September 11, 2001, but decided to push it back to October. She was
already hard at work early that morning when Flight 11 knifed into the
North Tower. Anne Marie calmly explained on the phone to her mom, with
whom she lived on Staten Island, that she was alright. A modest leader,
it was her character to calm and comfort others before herself. “She
just picked up and would just keep going. That’s just the way she was,”
her sister Patricia, 79, said in Anne Marie’s obituary. Even though she
was seven years older than Anne Marie, Patricia looked up to her younger
sister, and she’s taken offense to the idea of Mamdani attending this
year’s memorial. She is one of the original organizers of the petition.
“His association alone with Hasan Piker, the man who said ‘we deserved’
[9/11’ – I think that’s what put me over the edge to get a petition
started,” she told The Post. Her sister’s remains were never recovered,
and the thought of people like Mamdani attending the 25th anniversary,
she said, “turns my stomach.”
Richard York’s brother Raymond R. York, 45, Engine 285 firefighter — Ground Zero command post
Richard York, 65, (left) and his late brother Raymond R. York (right), 45 — Engine 285 firefighter, Ground Zero command post Courtesy of RIchard York
The oldest of eight siblings, Raymond R. York was a born leader who
served valiantly with the FDNY for nearly 20 years until a shoulder
injury put him on light duty. Then he taught fire safety at Rockefeller
Center’s The Fire Zone, where children affectionately called him
“Fireman Ray.” When he learned of the 9/11 attacks from a TV crew
covering The Fire Zone, he refused to leave his brothers behind. He
hopped on the closest firetruck heading downtown and then transferred to
an ambulance when it got stuck in traffic, ultimately reaching the FDNY
command post at Ground Zero. His brother Richard, then a construction
worker in Times Square, hoped Raymond had gone home, but knew in his
heart that nothing would stop him from trying to help. “I’m praying to
myself. I went to bed [that night] . . . saying he probably did make it
down there [but] I’m saying to myself I hope he’s in the hospital,” he
told The Post. Raymond’s widow, Joan, was notified the following morning
that he didn’t make it. Richard said his brother would be disgusted by
the idea of Mamdani attending the 25th anniversary memorial. Richard,
who retired and lives in Florida, said he and his wife are so distraught
by Mamdani’s attendance that they may skip the event altogether. “The
way the city is, it feels like we’re not welcome,” he said.
Karen Ciaccio, 58, (left) and her late brother Jeffrey Walz (right), 37 — FDNY lieutenant, North Tower Coutretsy of Karen Ciaccio
Waltz was among 10 firefighters at Ladder 9 in the East Village who
responded to the terror attacks and perished (another four weren’t
inside the North Tower and survived). The Staten Island native was the
son of a retired firefighter and left behind a wife, Rani Walz, and a
3-year-old son, Bradley. “He loved his job,” said Ciaccio. “He was known
as a gentle giant. He was not a man of many words, but he always
listened to what you were saying. When he was taken away from us, my
family was never the same again. It’s been 25 years, but it still feels
like it happened yesterday.” Ciaccio also said she signed the petition
because she doesn’t believe any politicians should be attending the
memorial ceremony. “It’s a day for the families, for us to mourn our
loved ones who were innocently murdered,” she said.
Morton Weinberg’s son Michael Thomas Weinberg, 34, Engine 1 firefighter — Ground Zero
Michael Thomas Weinberg, 34 — Engine 1 firefighter, Ground Zero
Professional baseball player, boxer, golfer, model, actor, Michael
Thomas Weinberg did it all, but his highest calling was helping others
as an FDNY firefighter. He was on vacation on 9/11 waiting for his tee
time at Forest Park Golf Course in Queens when he heard the World Trade
Center was attacked. He rushed to the scene to rescue his sister
Patricia, who worked for Morgan Stanley on the 72nd floor of Two World
Trade Center. She managed to escape, but when the towers collapsed,
Michael was killed instantly as he sheltered behind a fire truck.
“Michael was the best of the best. . . . He used to help people he was
very, very good with people. . . . To this day, my heart is broken,
that’s all I can say,” said his father, Morton, 89, a retired
firefighter. Too infirm to sign the petition, he added, “I don’t like
Mamdani, he’s screwing up the city.”
Dennis Warchola’s brother Michael Warchola, 51, firefighter with Ladder 5 — North Tower
Michael Warchola, 51 — firefighter with Ladder 5, North Tower NYFD
“Mike was a student of history, now he’s part of it,” said his
brother Dennis, a retired firefighter. His brother was a beloved father,
world traveler and amateur artist, and just two days from retiring when
the terrorists struck NYC. He planned to go to Australia to scuba dive
in the Great Barrier Reef. He rushed with ladder company into the North
Tower. The building collapsed on them as they frantically tried to carry
a wheelchair bound woman down the stairs. “I was there when they found
his body, I got to put my hand on his arm,” Dennis said. Though he
originally liked Mamdani’s economic policies, Dennis was disgusted to
learn of Mamdani’s radical statements and associations. “I got no use
for someone who supports terrorism, forget him.” But he will not sign
the petition because he doesn’t believe in silencing people.
Suzanne Oelsclager‘s husband Douglas Oelschlager, 36, firefighter Ladder 15 — South Tower
Suzanne Oelsclager, 63, (left) and her late husband Douglas Oelschlager, 36 — firefighter Ladder 15, South Tower Courtesy of Suzanne Oelsclager
Suzanne Oelsclager, 63, called her husband Douglas her soulmate. She
recalled how hands-on he was with his two young daughters, even filling
in as a Girl Scout leader for their troop. Suzanne told The Post that
becoming a firefighter was a calling for her husband, who was a
volunteer firefighter for nearly 20 years before joining the FDNY. “He
always wanted to be a New York City fireman. So he set out to do that
journey, and unfortunately, it was one of his last journeys in his
life,” Suzanne said. She said she signed the petition because Mamdani’s
presence would “take away” from the day. “He is just being a political
figure. And it’s not a day about political figures.”
Meryl Mayo-Marshall‘s husband Robert J. Mayo, 46, deputy fire safety director at the WTC — North Tower
Robert J. Mayo, 46 — deputy fire safety director at the WTC, North Tower Courtesy of Mertyl Mayo-Marshall
Robert J. Mayo could easily have escaped the 9/11 attacks with his
life but he was determined to save as many other people as possible. As
deputy fire safety director in WTC’s building 4, it was his job to
evacuate people in an emergency. “I called him twice that day begging
him to leave. He could have easily run out to the boats that were
waiting by the West Side Highway the way a lot of other people did, but
he said, ‘This is what I’m trained to do. I need to save as many people
as I can,’” his widow Meryl, 67, recalled. She said her husband would be
livid if he knew Mayor Mamdani would be at the memorial. “It’s so
distasteful. He surrounds himself with people who make inflammatory
statements about 9/11, he disparages law enforcement and the NYPD and
supports terrorists,” she said. Meryl will stay home if he attends. “The
idea of reading names and looking over and seeing him is nauseating.”
Sari Weatherwax’s friends and co-workers of United Airlines Flight 175 crew — South Tower
Amy King and Michael Tarrou, flight attendants on United Airlines Flight 175.
Weatherwax, 82, a retired United Airlines flight attendant, lost 16
friends — some of whom she had worked with for 35 years — on Flights 175
and 93 on 9/11. Five Islamic terrorists took control of Flight 175 out
of Logan Airport in Boston between 8:42 a.m. and 8:46 a.m., using
knives, pepper spray and the threat of a bomb. “We weren’t ready for
that when it happened,” she said. “We didn’t know what an Islamist was.”
When the hijackers flew the screeching jet into the South Tower at 9:03
a.m. some of the first to die would be her friends — Capt. Victor
Saracini, 51, First Officer Michael Horrocks, 38, and flight attendants
Amy King, 29; Michael Tarrou, 38; Robert Fangman, 33; Amy Jarret, 28;
Kathryn LaBorie, 42, and Alicia Titus, 28. She recalled “Amy and Michael
were from Connecticut and they were just darling and they were engaged
to be married. “Dying together, for their parents it was just awful.”
Weatherwax, who now serves as a docent and artifacts specialist at the
National September 11 Memorial & Museum, signed the petition against
Mamdani. “We’re just furious that he’s going to be there,” she said. “I
don’t want him to be there. If Mamdani didn’t come nothing would
happen. Especially on the 25th Anniversary. I don’t want him to be
there.”
Jennifer Eppolito’s father Robert Crawford, 63, chief’s aide Battalion 1 – 4th floor South Tower
Jennifer Eppolito and Robert Crawford Courtesy of Jennifer Eppolito
Robert Crawford was a firefighter for 32 years and was planning to
retire. “He had just bought his first brand new car ever, and he got to
enjoy it for about a month,” recalled his daughter Jennifer Eppolito,
56. Her parents had also bought a house up in Maine in preparation for
their new life. As a child her father would go sailing up north and
loved the Pine Tree State. “There’s not enough time,” Eppolito told The
Post when asked what type of man her father was. “It didn’t matter who
you were, if you needed help he would help you. He was just the friend
that everyone would have wanted to have. I was just very fortunate to
have him in my life for 31 years.” He was a man of faith, involved in
charitable work, and a wonderful grandfather. Eppolito signed the
petition. “That might sound harsh, but he’s not welcome
at Ground Zero. He shouldn’t even come there. . . His policies and
everything he is talking about [would be] disgraceful to people who were
killed during September 11th.”
Jamie Gartenberg Pila, 24, daughter of James Gartenberg, 35,
commercial real estate investor at Julien J. Studley – 86th floor,
North Tower
Jamie Pila. She lost her father Jim Gartenberg on 9/11. She wears a locket with his photo. Tamara Beckwith/NY Post
Sept. 11, 2001 was supposed to be James Gartenberg’s last day on the
job, as he had taken another role at the firm. The married dad already
had a 2-year-old daughter, Nicole, and was expecting another daughter,
Jamie, in six months. Though she never had a chance to meet him, Jamie
feels a deep connection to her dad. The tragedy inspired her to move to
Israel six years ago where she would become a lone soldier in the Israel
Defense Forces fighting the “same” ideology that struck the US on 9/11.
“The loss of my father on 9/11 has motivated me to work towards
building a better world than the one I was born into,” she told The
Post. “It has taught me to educate myself and listen to people on all
sides in order to collectively build a better, safer future.” She
believes the mayor should stay home. “Mamdani has downplayed the fact
that this was an act of terrorism against the United States and
democracy,” she said, noting his 2017 rap song glorifying the “Holy Land
5” who were convicted of providing material support to Hamas. “This is
one occurrence that makes me feel his presence at the ceremony would be
disrespectful to the victims and their families.”
Family vignettes were reported and written by Rich
Calder, Caitlin Nolan, Shane Galvin, David Spector, Doree Lewak, Trista
Panagakos, Nick Labbat, Larry Celona, Carl Campanile and Chris Nesi.
This is an excellent interview. Note the final paragraphs of Dr Osterholm's response. We have the COVID vaccine, yet people don't take advantage of it, and that's really selfish and self-defeating.
It’s been three years since the World Health Organization
declared an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency, but COVID still
circulates worldwide. Does that mean the pandemic is still going on,
just in a non-emergency phase? Or has COVID become an endemic virus,
like the flu?
CIDRAP News talked with Center for
Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) Director Michael
Osterholm, PhD, MPH, to understand what defines a pandemic, if we’re
still in one, and what gives a pathogen pandemic potential.
CIDRAP News: What exactly is a pandemic?
Michael Osterholm:
There’s no magic answer to that question. From my perspective, I
usually say the only examples we have in modern history are viral
infections that are transmitted via the respiratory route, like the flu
and COVID, because the dynamics of transmission make it a worldwide
threat, and “worldwide threat” is important in defining a pandemic. A
pandemic is not just something that happens in one localized area.
Plagues weren’t viruses, but, in the modern world, a pandemic is almost always a viral infection.
CIDRAP News: Why?
Michael Osterholm:
Antibiotics could be an important part of why bacterial viruses aren't
as big of a threat today. But what’s really at the heart of it is what
flu and COVID represent today in terms of risk—that is, slight changes
in the virus result in increased susceptibility. And when there's a
major change in the virus, you virtually have no protection.
For
a good example, look at influenza. Each flu pandemic was caused when
there was a major shift in the genetics of the virus, so virtually no
one was immune. If you look at COVID, it was very much the same thing.
CIDRAP News: Why were SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) not pandemics?
Michael Osterholm:
Because they are not readily transmitted. We were able to bring them
under control, basically with standard control measures that you would
use for respiratory illness. And that's good news because the
case-fatality rate for SARS and MERS is between 15% and 35%. For COVID,
the case-fatality rate was 1% to 1.5%.
CIDRAP News: So pandemics have less to do with severity and more to do with how transmissible a virus is?
Michael Osterholm: Both how transmissible it is and
risk are important. For example, if you have a common cold virus for
which we have no previous immunity suddenly spread around the world,
most of us would not consider that a pandemic in the sense that it's not
a severe illness. So there’s an implied status of severe illness.
CIDRAP News: What’sthe difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?
Michael Osterholm:
Epidemic relates back to the issue of transmission. For example, we
have a major epidemic of Ebola going on right now, which surely has a
high case-fatality rate. It's a very serious illness, but it's not
readily transmitted via the respiratory route.
CIDRAP News: When does a pandemic start and end?
Michael Osterholm: The start of a pandemic is much easier to declare because it’s like a suddenly emerging out-of-control forest fire.
When
you get to the point where you have these isolated fires all over the
place, but they're not really burning too much, you can say that's when
the pandemic is over. And that's a much harder one to call.
CIDRAP News: Is the COVID pandemic still going on?
Michael Osterholm:
No, I think we can safely say that we are now adjusting into a more
routine cycle of infection. And you can argue that in several ways.
First of all, there's a much greater stability to the virus that we see
now with so much background immunity in the population.
It’s
similar to previous influenza pandemics, which were the hallmark
pandemics we had prior to COVID. Clearly, they were situations where
once a large portion of the population either got infected and died or
got infected and recovered, there was a level of protection that, over
time, basically won out over the virus itself.
That's
why you still see the virus circulating, but in a way that,
genetically, our body's immune systems are largely able to take on. So
again, if you look at the flu pandemics of the past, in every instance
they just kind of faded away over time and became a background endemic
disease.
And today we are in a much more steady-state
existence with COVID because of our preexisting immunity and the
relative lack of genetic change to the virus. We haven't watched it go
from the ancestral strain to Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, or Omicron, like
we did in those first four years.
CIDRAP
News: I’m thinking about some of the notable pandemics that preceded
the COVID pandemic. Is the AIDS pandemic still going on?
Michael Osterholm:
AIDS is an unusual one in that it has its foot in both the pandemic and
non-pandemic camps—and what I mean by that is that not everyone was at
risk for HIV. If you didn’t have a sex partner who was infected, you did
not have blood exposure, then you weren't at risk for this.
So
if 80% of the world is immune to it or not likely to be exposed, is
that going to be a pandemic? But it still is widespread within each
geographic region of the world, so it gets a little cloudier there.
So
there are those who say HIV is not a pandemic, and those who say it is,
or it was, a pandemic, and I agree with those who say it is. But you
could claim either one.
CIDRAP News: What gives a pathogen pandemic potential, and what future pandemics are experts most worried about?
Michael Osterholm:
A virus with respiratory transmission potential for which, upon a
genetic change, could mean many, if not almost all, the population is
susceptible. That's why I coined the term “angel” or “virus with wings,”
because basically the virus has to be in that mode to rise to the level
of a pandemic.
Many other diseases surely can be a problem, but only that defines dynamic transmission in the community.
Also,
it's got to be a disease that is sustainable around the world. Take
cholera, for example. In some places, cholera can be a very serious
epidemic. But it's not going to ever be a problem in Minneapolis-St.
Paul [Minnesota].
CIDRAP News: What public health or preparedness lessons can we take away from the COVID pandemic?
Michael Osterholm:
How poorly prepared we are for a future pandemic. There was no official
review following up after COVID, so I feel like we've learned very
little from the pandemic. And we're hurting badly in terms of vaccine
protection and preparedness.
And the one advance we have is mRNA technology, yet we see a large segment of the population refuses to accept that vaccine.
The frightening news footage of 60,000 illegal aliens -- NOT "migrants" -- storming into that Spanish enclave could have been America, had we not elected Donald Trump and closed our borders.
From what I could see, these were mostly men of military age, just like what we had to contend with.
If Spain is smart, they will deport all of these invaders immediately, unless they want their crime rate to explode, have their own citizens live in fear, and are forced to pay for the usual "free stuff" that unwelcome illegals feel entitled to.
Just watch the video. If the Democrat Socialists should win the White House in 2028, this is our future.
CEUTA, Spain -- About
60,000 migrants have entered Spain’s Ceuta from Morocco in the past 24
hours, Ceuta's president said on Friday. That is equivalent to 70% of
the city's regular population.
At least 34 migrants have died attempting the crossing.
“The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,” Juan Jesús Vivas told journalists.
Spain's Prime
Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday and condemned the border
breach which he described as “a violation of Spain's territorial
integrity.”
Sánchez
blamed human smugglers for the crisis, saying they “deceive so many
young people, and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths — whether
in the ocean or, as in this case, at Spain’s border in the autonomous
city of Ceuta.”
Spain’s
interior ministry, which had initially refused to share estimates from
the border, released its own figures shortly after Vivas’ spoke,
estimating that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco since
Thursday. It added that half had already returned to Morocco, and shared
footage of migrants walking back through a border fence door.
The border crisis boiled over with security forces clashing with migrants on the Moroccan side of the border.
Video
footage of the border early on Friday showed hundreds of migrants
gathered on a hill overlooking Ceuta being dispersed with tear gas by
Moroccan forces, while others continued to swim to the Spanish
territory.
Rachid
Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard
officers, described the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis,”
saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were
left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, while others roamed the streets
aimlessly. “It’s chaotic.”
Morocco’s
Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment
on the migrant figures released by the Spanish authorities.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the “images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable.”
“We
cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,”
she said in an online statement on Friday. “Dangerous crossings must
stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns
must be swift, as our rules allow.”
Some
of the 34 people who died had drowned, Sbihi said, but some were also
killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, an
urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco. The waters near the
border fence were littered with buoys, shoes and other belongings left
behind.
I just have to say that I find it disgraceful that Dr Fauci has become the scapegoat for the COVID pandemic, thanks to years of attacks by Rand Paul.
A reminder: COVID came from China. It was a novel virus, and there were no vaccines in 2020 to prevent it. . Millions of people died horribly because COVID is an airborne disease. Nobody could have known how to prevent it
Desperate times call for desperate measures. I thought the lockdown was a good idea in order to keep people from infecting one another and spreading the disease even further. Wearing masks was also a good idea, as were measures like social distancing. What was the alternative? To keep going as if nothing were happening and as if nobody were dying?
Fortunately, the COVID vaccine was ready in 2021 as a major accomplishment through Operation Warp Speed. By getting everyone vaccinated, we could lower the risks of getting and spreading COVID.
And as you plainly see today, COVID is at very low levels because so many people now have the immunity we lacked in 2020.
How Dr Fauci can be blamed for trying every possible option during a medical emergency is a mystery to me. This vendetta has got to stop.
Well, folks, it sure feels like we’ve entered a new phase of health status in the U.S.
It’s hard to keep track of what food is safe to eat and where. (It’s also expensive to eat, and 4 million Americans
are losing access to food.) We also just hit a measles record, which
means more medical bills are piling up and more kids are missing school.
The milestone is prompting a whole lot of great questions on Twitter,
from whether this is caused by illegal immigrants to what would have
happened if Kamala Harris was president.
But there
is good news: There are things we can do. From individual actions, like
the first people volunteering for an Ebola vaccine clinical trial just
because they care, to the effort of many public health workers to slow down the explosive diarrhea outbreak.
Here’s your “disease weather report” and what it means for you.
Foodborne illness summer may be slowing
Cyclosporiasis cases
keep adding up, with states tallying over 14,000 suspected cases. This
is an insane number of cases compared to previous years, when we would
see 3,000-4,000 cases annually. (But still lower risk compared to other
bugs that give you diarrhea, like norovirus).
FDA is investigating six outbreaks.
They haven’t said why they know all these outbreaks are separate, but
my hunch is genetic testing. Through DNA, you can tell if parasites are
related or not. This is what we know:
By far, the biggest outbreak is tied to iceberg lettuce. This has confirmed cases across 9 states, but the recall covers 28 states after checking shipments.
The other Cyclospora
outbreaks are much murkier. FDA is doing traceback analyses (looking at
receipts, etc.) to figure out what food is causing it and where. We
don’t know anything other than one outbreak has at least 72 confirmed
cases. I would expect more recalls.
North Carolina has racked up 561 cyclosporiasis cases. State officials sayparsley and cilantro (and lettuce) keep showing up in patient interviews, but haven’t recalled anything yet.
I believe we are going to see a national downtrend soon. The
largest outbreak is being caused by lettuce. And there’s only so long
that lettuce is good for. It’s hard to see where we are in the outbreak,
though, because data are imperfect. Case data are very sensitive to who
is testing and how. For example, there are so many cases in Michigan
that some hospital systems have run out of testing supplies. This has
created a backlog, so several hospitals are now only testing the most
high-risk patients who are hospitalized or have weak immune systems so
they can get treatment.
But, lab test positivity rates are
falling even though testing is still focused on high-risk people—which
should be positivity keeping rates high—so the real decline may be even
bigger than the numbers suggest. This is still preliminary data, but a
hopeful sign we are turning a corner.
Test positivity rate for gastrointestinal pathogens. Source: Biofire annotated by Your Local Epidemiologist
What this means for you: We
aren’t out of the woods yet. If you’re in the 27 states (see map below
because it’s almost impossible to keep track), continue to avoid iceberg
lettuce. There may be more recalls soon as answers hopefully come with
the other outbreaks.
There’s also a Salmonella outbreak tied to more than 19 million white and brown cage-free eggs. Nearly 100 people are sick, and 26 hospitalized. Midwest Poultry Services recalled
more than a million cartons sold at Kroger, Brookshire’s, and smaller
grocery stores in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and
New Mexico.
What this means for you:If you are in one of these states,check your fridge. Toss any carton with plant code P-1950 or 0840962 and a Julian date between 157 and 184 (best-by dates July 20 through Aug. 17).
Figure by Your Local Epidemiologist using Claude.
Covid-19 cases are very low, but rising
We
are slipping into a summer Covid-19 wave. Levels are still very low in
absolute terms, but they’re climbing across all metrics. The West is the
leader, but emergency department rates are climbing almost everywhere.
For
the last two summers, the summer Covid-19 wave has outpaced the winter
one. Given how small this past winter’s bump was, that bar won’t be hard
to clear again. Whether Covid is becoming a summer virus is a
fascinating, still-unanswered question.
Percentages of tests positive for Covid-19 in the U.S. Figure from EPIC.
In
the spring, an external FDA committee recommended a new 2026-2027
vaccine formulation for the Covid-19 vaccine. It’s supposed to be
available as early as mid-August. News around this has been surprisingly
quiet.
What this means for you:
If you’re over 65 and never got your spring Covid-19 vaccine, the time
is now. I wouldn’t wait for the updated fall vaccine. You can get this
before the winter wave, which is usually in November.
Measles hits a 35-year record
The
U.S. reached 2,318 cases this year, which is a 35-year record, with
five months still left to go in the year. This total has been driven by
35 separate outbreaks (defined as 3 or more cases), but most cases come
from a spillover outbreak from last year in South Carolina as well as
ongoing spread in Utah this year.
Sure,
compared to other countries, this case count isn’t that bad. Canada and
Mexico’s tallies are much higher. And, thankfully, no one has died this
year in the U.S. (which is lucky, as we would have expected 2-3 deaths
by now). But health isn’t just about life and death.
All of this is preventable. This signal measles is sending us is big: the U.S. is moving backward in health, not forward.
What this means for you: If you’re up to date on vaccines, you are very well protected. Ninety-three percent of cases are among the unvaccinated.
Spotlight: Measles questions
I
posted about measles on Twitter yesterday, and got so many hot
questions. Some are hostile, some are genuinely curious, and some (I
think most) are a mix. Here are the top three questions answered,
because you’re likely seeing them (or curious about them) too:
Wouldn’t we have the same number of measles cases right now if Kamala Harris was president? Yes,
I think so. The unvaccinated people getting infected right now made
their decisions to not vaccinate years ago, not because RFK is the
Health Secretary. But in the next couple of years, it will matter.
Isn’t this due to illegal immigrants? This
is a common perception, but data show us that 3 in 4 index measles
cases are U.S. citizens who travel abroad and bring it back to their
community, and then it spreads like wildfire. Those pockets are getting
bigger. Here’s a previous YLE deep dive on that.
If you really cared about this, you’d be trying to understand why measles is rising around the world, not just in the U.S. I actually spend a lot of time thinking about this.
I think it’s due to the combination of general amnesia (vaccines are a
victim of their own success), low trust in institutions and governments,
the information landscape, increasing income disparities, and many
other factors.
Question grab bag: Wildfire smoke
“Did
the wildfire smoke (which got up to the hazardous category) harm the
greens in our garden? Are they still edible? Sure would like your
advice!”
Wildfire smoke is mostly
particulates; the gases don’t linger. So the real concern is deposition
onto garden greens, which washes off fairly easily. Since Canada’s
wildfire was pure wildfire smoke, it didn’t stick around.
Urban
wildfires are a different story, though, like the one in Los Angeles
last year. Those burn buildings, cars, and other materials, so the smoke
carries heavy metals. Studies after the L.A. fires actually found the
soil enriched with metals, which can then be taken up by plants.
Good news
First person gets new experimental vaccine for Ebola.A
group of 50 healthy volunteers is testing the new Ebola vaccine being
developed in the U.K. The strain causing the outbreak in the D.R.C. is
resistant to previously developed vaccines and treatments, so new
versions are quickly being created to try to stop the outbreak.
The first person to participate in this trial told BBC what motivated him: “I
had wanted to volunteer for the Covid vaccine trial but was unable to
because of work commitments. After seeing news from DR Congo I thought
I’d like to do my bit.” Which just makes me smile.
El Salvador eliminates trachoma as a public health problem. Trachoma
is the most common cause of infectious blindness, and it is heavily
associated with poverty and lack of access to basic health services. El
Salvador is the first country in Central America and the second country
in the Americas to eliminate it. (WHO)
Bottom line
We
may be entering a new phase for health in the U.S., which is extremely
disappointing, but there are things each of us can do to keep ourselves,
our family, and our community healthy.
Love, YLE
Your Local Epidemiologist
(YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to
immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with
one goal: to “translate” ever-evolving public health science so that
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