GOP questions Biden's cancer diagnosis and Valley fever cases on the rise: Morning Rundown

GOP questions Biden's cancer diagnosis and Valley fever cases on the rise: Morning Rundown

Trump and other Republicans' well wishes to Biden shift to accusations of a cancer cover-up. A federal judge in Texas issues a novel order in the ongoing Alien Enemies Act legal saga. And cases of Valley fever are on the rise in one state. Here's what to know today. In the day after former President Joe Biden announced he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, Republicans' reactions have shifted from sympathy to an onslaught of accusations that his inner circle masked his condition while he was in office. Among the more prominent voices was President Donald Trump, who on Sunday wished Biden a speedy recovery. And then yesterday, Trump posted on social media: "Everyone was in on the coverup! Who was running the country? We need accountability!" The assertion from Trump and others, including Vice President JD Vance, comes as fresh reporting suggests Biden's decline was more pronounced than previously known. Now, the cancer diagnosis —coupled with the damage to Biden world's credibility when it comes to his fitness — are tinder for unfounded speculation that Biden, 82, knew he was sick and concealed it anyway. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin called the timing of Biden's announcement "interesting." On the other side of the aisle, former Rep. Dean Phillips, who ran against Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary, also suggested Biden held off in revealing his diagnosis for strategic reasons. Given the care and attention Biden received as president, the advanced state of the illness left some medical experts surprised. According to multiple oncologists, most cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed at an early stage. But in around 8% of cases, the cancer has already metastasized by the time it's diagnosed — and at that point, the patient has most likely had prostate cancer for several years to a decade.However, there are some exceptions. One former Biden aide said the former president would be better served if he answered a few pressing questions: Why was the cancer detected late? Did doctors test for it earlier? And what are the prospects for recovery? Biden took to social media to thank well-wishers for their "love and support," and a Biden spokesperson said yesterday there was no additional information outside of Sunday's announcement. Read the full story here. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.is set to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committeeabout Trump's budget request for the agency — though after last week's contentious congressional hearings, Kennedy's vaccine skepticism and support of fluoride bans is bound to come up. There was little sign of a breakthroughin peace negotiations after Trump's phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as Trump called for direct talks between the warring countries. Kash Patel and Dan Bongino have spent years accusing "deep state" actors of weaponizing the FBI against Trump. Now that they lead the FBI, they find themselves in an awkward position —and some Trump supporters are calling them out. The death of George Floyd almost gave momentum to the effort to reform "qualified immunity," which can protect police officers even when they have violated the Constitution. But as one scholar and critic of the legal defense put it,"Nothing, I mean nothing, has happened." The Trump administration has until tomorrow afternoon to facilitate contact between a Venezuelan man deported to a notorious El Salvador prison and the man's lawyers, a federal judge in Texas said yesterday. It's the first such court order in the mounting legal saga surrounding President Donald Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of men suspected of being members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. The Trump administration is expected to appeal. At the center of the case is Widmer Josneyder Agelviz Sanguino, a 24-year-old who traveled to the U.S. in September as part of a refugee resettlement program, which involves extensive vetting and background checks. Agelviz was detained at the airport in Houston, and two weeks before the immigration court case was set to be resolved, he was deported without warning or court hearings to El Salvador. Documents show that Agelviz was detained because of a forearm tattoo and that he had no criminal record and there was no additional evidence linking him to the gang. Agelviz's mother, who also resettled in the U.S. with his two younger brothers, spoke about the case to NBC News' David Noriega.Read the full story here. The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration tomove forward with revoking special legal protectionsfor almost 350,000 Venezuelan immigrants. The Justice Department said it filed charges against Democratic New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver in an incident at an ICE facility in Newark,alleging she assaulted law enforcementduring a May 9 visit that involved a protest. Meanwhile, acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced that all charges have been dropped against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested and charged with trespassing. Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student who has been detained since March,released a new video of Khalilthat they say contradicts the federal government's claims about him. California is on track for another record-breaking year of Valley fever, according to early data, which shows more than 3,000 confirmed cases already logged this year. That's more than there were at the same time last year and nearly double what cases were this time in 2023. And the cases aren't appearing only in hot and dry areas like Kern County. Cities along California's central coast are also becoming Valley fever hot spots. The increase in cases has been so dramatic, in fact, that the Golden State is closing the gap with Arizona for the most Valley fever cases annually. But Arizona is also seeing more hot spots emerge in areas that are historically colder and wetter. Other places in the U.S. could see more Valley fever cases, too, as climate change creates drier soils that allow the range of the fungi to expand. Making matters more complicated: Valley fever is tricky to diagnose because its symptoms overlap with other respiratory illnesses such as Covid, the flu and pneumonia.Read the full story here. The bombing at a fertility clinic in Californiashould be a wake-up call, especially as reproductive issues are becoming increasingly politicized, security experts and women's health advocates said. A fourth inmate in the group of 10 that escaped from a New Orleans jail last weekhas been captured. A hearing that could lead to freedom for brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, convicted in their parents' 1989 murders, has beenpushed back more than two months. A former personal assistant for Sean "Diddy" Combs sobbed on the witness stand, and Casandra Ventura's former best friend testified that she witnessed Combs assault Ventura twice.Here's what else happenedyesterday in Combs' federal trial. Two of England's worst-performing soccer teams have made it to the high-stakes Europa League final.But how? This is the best it's been for Knicks fans since the turn of the century. From 2001 to 2021, the Knicks had the fourth-fewest playoff wins in the NBA and the only teams with fewer didn't even exist for 20 years. It was bleak. There were so many attempts at turning around the franchise that went bust that fans could be excused for losing faith. But in the past few years, a series of smart moves (none better than bringing on Jalen Brunson) has brought the team back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. Knicks fans — from celebs courtside like Spike Lee, Fat Joe and Timothée Chalamet, to the ones sitting in the last row of the upper sections —are thrilled. Madison Square Garden will be electric this week as they "welcome" the rival Indiana Pacers. Let's Go Knicks!—Tim Perone, managing editor for news When Tawanda Scott Sambou was assigned to find a story commemorating the 75th anniversary of World War II, the first thing she asked herself was, "What role did Black women play in the war?" She thought she was coming to a dead end in her search until she came across the 6888th battalion, an all-women, majority-Black unit that traveled to Europe to sort through a massive mail backlog so that soldiers would receive letters from home. "I was so intrigued," said Sambou, a senior producer at NBC News. "I just thought, 'Wow, people don't know about this troop, this unit. I would really love to share their story.'" See howSambou's reporting brought a new level of recognition to the Six Triple Eight unit, from a Congressional Gold Medal to a Netflix film starring Kerry Washington and directed by Tyler Perry. NBCU Academyis a free, award-winning education program for developing new skills and advancing careers in journalism, media and tech. Memorial Day is rolling in, and NBC Select has a list ofthe best early dealsto check out right now, with discounts on items from Apple, Brooklinen, Shark and more. Plus, we've got the intel oneverything you should buy or skipthis time around. Sign up to The Selectionnewsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 20, 2025

GOP questions Biden's cancer diagnosis and Valley fever cases on the rise: Morning Rundown

GOP questions Biden's cancer diagnosis and Valley fever cases on the rise: Morning Rundown Trump and other Republicans' well wishes ...

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Analysis-With US and EU deals, Britain embarks on high-risk balancing act

Analysis-With US and EU deals, Britain embarks on high-risk balancing act

By Kate Holton, Andrew MacAskill and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's pursuit of trade deals with the European Union and United States, while courting China, has made it a test case for navigating U.S. President Donald Trump's unpredictable new world order. A historically open nation, reliant on global commerce, Britain has secured several trade accords since Trump's sweeping tariffs unleashed a trade war. It negotiated a free trade deal with India, tariff relief from Washington and repositioned itself closer to the European Union on defence, energy and agriculture. The approach has tested the patience of the United States, China and the EU, three major trade powers that make up two-thirds of Britain's trade, and any limited economic benefits are likely to take time to emerge, analysts say. Martin Donnelly, formerly the chief civil servant in Britain's trade ministry, said there were no "easy or cheap wins" in the current environment and the government risked "being shut out by the three big trade blocs" if it gets the strategy wrong. In a fragmented world, trade analysts said Britain had accepted its role as a satellite in the United States' security and tech orbit, giving Washington oversight of some supply chains and steel ownership that could squeeze out China. It fended off U.S. demands for increased access to its food markets so it could align itself more closely with Brussels, with that deal eased by the EU's desire for tighter military ties with Britain. It is also trying to improve ties with China: to secure inward investment and consumer goods, to sell its financial services to China's elite, while trying to avoid sharing sensitive technologies that could anger the United States. Marco Forgione, head of the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, said some of the 80,000 British businesses that export were already restructuring supply chains to ringfence high-risk sectors, including defence and AI. "They need a strategy that works with all major markets," he said, adding that an approach that deals with the EU, U.S. and China differently across sectors made sense, "but only if our partners see it as coherent and not opportunistic". One trade official, who has worked in London and Brussels, said Britain had extracted concessions from Trump that the U.S. president would be unwilling to give to Europe, and that it had also accepted a satellite status that would likely be anathema to Brussels. The official, who asked not to be named due to his government work, said the challenge ahead was to keep all partners on side. TORTUOUS POST-BREXIT NEGOTIATIONS Britain became an independent trading nation in 2020 after four years of tortuous negotiations following its vote to leave the EU. Advocates of Brexit had said it would free the country to strike trade deals with faster growing economies in Asia. Proponents also wanted it to build on the strong security ties Britain had with the U.S., to incorporate greater trade in food and goods, but that failed to materialise. Britain's budget forecaster believes the post-Brexit weakening of trade will lead to the economy's potential productivity being 4% smaller after 15 years than it would have been if it had remained in the bloc. Weighed down by 2.8 trillion pounds ($3.7 trillion) of debt and with an economy that is struggling to grow, it seeks alliances to deliver growth, and security in a more uncertain world. Paul Drechsler, who is on the board of the UK's business and trade department and has led companies in Britain and abroad, said the recent deals would help to build trust. "It's just such an important time, both in terms of geopolitics, but also in terms of the economy globally, we need to do things that will get trade going," he said. Britain became the first country to get a reduction in U.S. tariffs when it announced a limited deal with Trump to lower levies on cars and steel, but it retained the baseline 10% U.S. tariff, despite having balanced trade with the United States. Janka Oertel, director of the Asia programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that would have angered the EU, Japan and others that wanted a united front against Trump. That U.S. deal could also be a challenge to ties with China, especially given security clauses on steel that give the U.S. the potential to exclude China from the British steel industry. Starmer's government has made improving ties with China one of its main foreign policy goals since it was elected last July, after successive Conservative governments sparred with Beijing over human rights, Hong Kong, investment and security concerns. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London said agreements between countries should not target other nations and that China was prepared to respond "as necessary". Oertel said Britain could find itself in an awkward situation if China goes "very hard on the UK to scare others into not signing on to these agreements". "What the UK has managed to do is kind of make itself the guinea pig," she said, "and I'm not sure that's a comfortable position to be in." ($1 = 0.7479 pounds) (Writing by Kate Holton; editing by Barbara Lewis)

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 20, 2025

Analysis-With US and EU deals, Britain embarks on high-risk balancing act

Analysis-With US and EU deals, Britain embarks on high-risk balancing act By Kate Holton, Andrew MacAskill and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuter...

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Israel is letting a trickle of aid into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months. Here's what to know

Israel is letting a trickle of aid into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months. Here's what to know

Israel has begun allowing a trickle of food and medicineinto the Gaza Stripafter sealing the territory's 2 million Palestinians off from all imports for more than 2 1/2 months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he eased the blockade under pressure from unnamed allies to shore up support forIsrael's latest major offensiveagainst Hamas. Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians in recent days, and the humanitarian crisis is the worst it's been in 19 months of war. United Nations agencies and aid groups, which ran out of food to distribute weeks ago, have welcomed the move but say the promised aid isnowhere near what's needed. Only five trucks have entered Gaza since Monday, the U.N. says, compared to around 600 per day during a ceasefire earlier this year. Experts have warned of famine if the blockade is not lifted and the military operation continues. Nearly half a million Palestinians arefacing possible starvationand 1 million others can barely get enough food, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of hunger crises. The U.K., France and Canada, close allies of Israel,called the aid "wholly inadequate"and threatened "concrete actions," including sanctions, over Israel's actions in Gaza andthe occupied West Bank. Here's a closer look. Why is Israel blocking humanitarian aid? Israel imposed a complete ban on imports on March 2, saying it hoped to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement that was more favorable to Israel than the one the group had signed in January. Two weeks later,Israel shattered the trucewith a wave of airstrikes that killed hundreds. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid and using it to fund its military activities, without providing evidence. The U.N. says there are mechanisms in place that prevent any significant diversion of aid. Israel is also trying to pressure Hamas to releasemore of the hostagesit abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. In that assault, militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage. Israel's ensuing offensive has killed over 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which says women and children make up most of the dead but does not specify how many were fighters or civilians. Hamas has said it will only return the remaining 58 hostages — around a third of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from the territory. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile. Even then, he has vowed tomaintain control over the territoryand facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its Palestinian population. Palestinians, the Arab world and most of the international community have rejected those plans. Human rights experts say they would likely amount tomass expulsion in violation of international law. What impact has the blockade had on Gaza? Gaza's population is almost entirely reliant on international aid, as Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all the territory's food production capabilities and displaced some 90% of the population. Local markets offer only small amounts of vegetables at exorbitant prices. Most people depend on charity kitchens thathave been steadily closingas they run out of food. Thousands gather outside such kitchens each day, jostling with pots for a few ladles of soup, rice or lentils. Many return empty-handed. The U.N. children's agency says over 9,000 children have been treated for malnutrition so far this year. Thousands ofpregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as sick, older, or disabled people who cannot push their way through the crowds, are also at heightened risk. Up to 20% of Gaza's estimated 55,000 pregnant women are malnourished, and half face high-risk pregnancies, according to the United Nations Population Fund. In February and March, at least 20% of newborns were born prematurely or suffered from malnutrition or other complications. Hospitals meanwhile say they are running low on medical supplies, even as they cope with dailymass casualties from Israeli strikes. What is Israel's plan for taking over aid distribution? Netanyahu said this week's easing of the blockade is aimed at bridging the gap before the rollout of a new system for distributing aid that Israel says is aimed at keeping it out of Hamas' hands. A new group supported by the United States, calledthe Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, made up of American security contractors, former government and humanitarian officials and ex-military officers, plans to establish four distribution sites guarded by private security firms. Each would serve 300,000 people, with its total reach covering only around half the population. U.N. agencies and aid groupshave refused to take part in the plan, saying it won't meet local needs and would violate humanitarian principles by letting Israel control who receives aid, rather than delivering it based on need. They have also warned that it will cause new waves of displacement as people are forced to relocate to the hubs being built in southern Gaza. Those groups say there is plenty of aid stockpiled just outside of Gaza and that they can quickly distribute it within the territory if Israel allows them to. ___ Follow AP's war coverage athttps://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 20, 2025

Israel is letting a trickle of aid into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months. Here's what to know

Israel is letting a trickle of aid into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months. Here's what to know Israel has begun allowing a trickle...

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New EU sanctions target Russia's shadow fleet of tankers illicitly transporting oil and gas

New EU sanctions target Russia's shadow fleet of tankers illicitly transporting oil and gas

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesday agreed fresh sanctions to impose on Russia, notably targeting almost 200 ships from the shadow fleet illicitly transporting oil to skirt Western restrictions imposed over the war on Ukraine. The 27-nation bloc targeted 189 ships in all, and imposed asset freezes and travel bans on several officials as well as on a number of Russian companies. The measures were endorsed by EU foreign ministers in Brussels. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that while President Vladimir "Putin feigns interest in peace, more sanctions are in the works. Russia's actions and those who enable Russia face severe consequences." Russia uses its "shadow fleet" of ships to transport oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. The EU has now targeted almost 350 of the ships in total.

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 20, 2025

New EU sanctions target Russia's shadow fleet of tankers illicitly transporting oil and gas

New EU sanctions target Russia's shadow fleet of tankers illicitly transporting oil and gas BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesda...

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Some athletes skip Washington's pride events, wary of welcome in Trump's US

Some athletes skip Washington's pride events, wary of welcome in Trump's US

By Vanessa Balintec and Zoe Law TORONTO (Reuters) -Ry Shissler, a 40-year old cartographer who swims the backstroke, was planning to compete internationally for the first time during the WorldPride celebrations that start this month in Washington, D.C. But the trans athlete and their team, Toronto's Purple Fins, made the difficult decision to skip the games and the Pride events in the U.S. entirely, worried about their treatment at the border and beyond. A self-described "gender free" swim club, the Purple Fins is one of several aquatics teams with bi, non-binary or transgender athletes whose members told Reuters they are not comfortable visiting the United States right now. "Are my rights gonna be respected? Can my teams' rights be respected? Are we going to be assaulted and have the authorities defend us, instead of the attacker? Those are all questions we couldn't definitively say yes to," said Shissler, who identifies as a "trans person of unspecified gender." It was a tough call for the Canadian team, said Shissler, a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen who grew up in Michigan. "We want to just be able to be ourselves and go swim and have a good time and maybe win a medal... But to say no, it's not safe for us to go have fun? That's really hard." Washington is the site of the 2025 WorldPride celebrations, a biennial flurry of cultural and sporting events, capped by a parade and, this year, a Shakira concert. Chosen before the last presidential election, organizers hoped Washington might match New York's 2019 celebrations that drew some four million visitors. But a cascade of policy changes by President Donald Trump and new laws in some U.S. states have put a chill on the events, say some. The Trump administration says it is only recognizing two unchangeable sexes, male and female, has rolled back orders combating discrimination against gay and transgender people, and is working to discharge thousands of transgender troops from the U.S. military. The White House referred questions about fears around safety and border entry to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. The agency declined to make an official available, but said in a statement beliefs about sexuality don't make a foreign person inadmissible. The "World LGBTQIA+ Aquatics Championship" Shissler hoped to join have drawn somewhere between 800 and 1,000 swimmers and water polo players in the past, former and current organizers recall. Not this year. "We are definitely not seeing the numbers that we usually see, and that's unfortunate," said Rozalynd McCree, co-president of the board of IGLA+, which oversees the games. McCree says while IGLA+ is doing all it can to ensure participants' safety, it can't make any guarantees. "The athletes who do come and the athletes who are in the United States are going to show up and speak up, and we are going to fight for our community because it's important to us," she said. "We won't sit down and be quiet." But the current political climate, especially in the nation's capital, has sapped some of the expected joy from would-be participants. Stefania Bereznai, a 51-year-old who has played for the Toronto Triggerfish Water Polo team for 15 years, initially wanted to attend the IGLA+ tournament. But the U.S. has lost its appeal, said Bereznai, who identifies as non-binary. "I don't feel like I stand out as being non-binary. So, I don't worry so much about my physical safety," said Bereznai. "But I don't really want to go somewhere where other people aren't feeling comfortable, and where, on some level, I'm also absorbing the fact that I'm not welcomed as my whole self." (Reporting by Vanessa Balintec, Zoe Law and Kyaw Soe Oo in Toronto; Additional reporting by Nathan Frandino and Ted Hesson in Washington, DC; Writing by Heather Timmons; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

byDaniel Coleman

in

May 20, 2025

Some athletes skip Washington's pride events, wary of welcome in Trump's US

Some athletes skip Washington's pride events, wary of welcome in Trump's US By Vanessa Balintec and Zoe Law TORONTO (Reuters) -Ry Sh...

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