These States Are Watching for Potential Hantavirus Cases

 

Some people who may have been exposed to a hantavirus that can transmit from human to human returned to the U.S. before the outbreak aboard a cruise ship was known.

This includes seven Americans who disembarked the ship on the remote island of St. Helena on April 24. MedPage Today broke that story last week.

It also includes at least nine Americans who were on the same plane from St. Helena to Johannesburg as the widow of the first cruise ship passenger who died. That woman was symptomatic during the flight, and died not long after landing in South Africa.

State health officials have contacted these people and have advised them to quarantine as best they can, with home monitoring and daily symptom and fever checks. According to CDC's interim guidance, they are all high risk, as they were either on the ship as of April 6, when the first patient died, or were seated close to the symptomatic passenger on the plane.

They've been asked to delay nonessential medical care, skip travel plans, and work from home.

There are also 18 passengers from the ship who were recently repatriated; 16 of them are at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, while two were flown to a biocontainment unit at Emory University in Atlanta after one developed symptoms. That person has since tested negative for the disease. The other person was their partner.

Of the 16 people who remain in Nebraska, one tested positive for the virus. That person was an oncologist who helped manage sick passengers on board after the ship's doctor became sick. He is now in the facility's biocontainment unit, where he remains asymptomatic.

The other 15 passengers are in Nebraska's quarantine unit, where they will be assessed, and eventually they will have the choice about where to quarantine -- either at the facility or at home, if it's determined that can be done safely.

Unfortunately, the quarantine period is 42 days, which is thought to be the upper limit of the incubation period for the Andes virus, the strain of hantavirus involved in the outbreak. That can seem like a long time to spend in a quarantine facility, but it does guarantee access to the nation's top experts in outbreak response and treatment.

"If I was exposed to this and I had the option to stay in a quarantine unit proximate to that care, I would definitely take that, because you're putting yourself in a position, if you were to turn positive, to take advantage of all those things that will give you the best chance of survival," said Michael Wadman, MD, an emergency physician and medical director of Nebraska's quarantine unit.

Here's where patients are being monitored:

Arizona: one passenger

California: one passenger; one air travel

Georgia: four passengers

Kansas: three air travel

Maryland: two air travel

Minnesota: one air travel

New Jersey: two air travel

Nebraska: 16 passengers; one tested positive

Texas: two passengers

Virginia: one passenger

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/publichealth/121244

'AP: NYU Hospital Subpoenaed Over Gender-Affirming Care in Minors'

 A New York hospital system says it received a grand jury subpoena from federal prosecutors in Texas seeking information about children who received gender-affirming care and the medical providers who administered it.

NYU Langone is the first hospital system to publicly acknowledge receiving a subpoena for such records as part of a federal criminal investigation. But the institution said in its statement Tuesday it was one of several that received a subpoena out of the Northern District of Texas on May 7. It said it was deciding on how to respond.

NYU Langone Health includes seven inpatient facilities and more than 300 locations in the New York City area and Florida. The hospital system said prosecutors want information on patients under 18 who received gender-affirming care from 2020 to 2026, as well as the names of the providers.

It is the latest move in the Trump administration's efforts to block care for transgender youths. NYU Langone had already announced earlier this year that it was ending such treatment for transgender kids amid funding threats from the federal government.

Last July, the Justice Department sent more than 20 civil subpoenas to doctors and clinics that provide gender care to minors, saying it was investigating "healthcare fraud, false statements, and more." Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department was holding accountable "medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology."

A federal judge in the Northern District of Texas recently sided with the Justice Department that Rhode Island Hospital in Providence must comply with one of those subpoenas, seeking records surrounding gender-affirming care provided to children.

The NYU Langone subpoena came up several times Tuesday during a federal court hearing in Providence on those records. An attorney for the Justice Department declined to disclose when exactly the grand jury had convened, saying that they could only speak to what had been publicly reported.

U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy then ordered the Justice Department to provide the attorneys in the Rhode Island case with the affidavit related to the grand jury because it was now public.

Since the Justice Department issued the civil subpoenas last year, court documents show that at least seven federal courts have agreed to quash or limit the expansive subpoenas, which demanded that providers hand over the birth dates, Social Security numbers, and addresses of patients who received transgender care.

As doctors and hospitals grapple with those subpoenas, 11 families this week filed a class-action lawsuit seeking to block the Justice Department from obtaining the documents. The lawsuit, filed in Maryland's federal court, is backed by families who have transgender children who have received care from hospitals across the U.S.

The Justice Department said Tuesday that it does not comment on grand jury investigations.

NYU Langone and the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of Texas did not immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday.

LGBTQ+ groups condemned the latest federal requests for gender care information.

"We will not allow anti-trans extremists to turn our hospitals into hunting grounds," Tyler Hack, executive director of the transgender rights group the Christopher Street Project in New York, said in a statement. "Playing political games to weaponize Americans' private healthcare information is not just an attack on trans people -- it is an attack on every single American who benefits from basic patient-provider privacy."

https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/121241

Gaza board said to seek to enact plan in parts of strip

 The Gaza Peace Board wants to start carrying out the process of establishing a new rule of Gaza in parts of the strip not controlled by Hamas, Barak Ravid of Israel's Channel 12 and Axios reported on Wednesday.

According to an organization official and two other people familiar with the matter, the board decided to implement what was described as Plan B after Hamas failed to hand over its heavy weaponry, despite that being mentioned as one of the terms of the ceasefire with Israel. Hamas was reported as refusing to give up its arms until Israel honors some of its truce commitments. Thus, the board opted to implement US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan where possible.

A source added that the US told Israel that it disagrees that the resumption of the armed conflict in Gaza would contribute to the negotiations.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Gaza-board-said-to-seek-to-enact-plan-in-parts-of-strip/66289364

'ICE may be at World Cup matches in U.S.'

Federal officers and agents who arrest immigrants as part of their work with ICE may be at FIFA World Cup matches when the international tournament gets underway in the U.S. next month, according to two Department of Homeland Security officials.

The agency is offering its personnel to local police departments and federal agencies to provide extra security around the perimeters of games, similar to Homeland Security’s role at the Super Bowl and the Kentucky Derby, the officials said.



So far, it’s unclear whether any departments or agencies are taking ICE up on the offer. But ICE officers and agents providing security won’t be checking spectators or employees for immigration status, the officials said.

“Our agents and officers are going to provide security when asked, but they will not be screening people for immigration status,” one of the officials said, adding that whether the ICE officers wear uniforms would depend on each location.

A spokesperson for DHS said in a statement that the department “will work with our local and federal partners to secure 2026 FIFA World Cup — in line with federal law the U.S. Constitution — as we do with every major sporting event, while showcasing American greatness to the entire world.”

The DHS spokesperson said international visitors legally in the U.S. for the games “have nothing to worry about.”

"What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether or not they are illegally in the U.S. — full stop,” the spokesperson said.

Still, visitors coming for games from other countries should work on travel plans and documents ahead of time for smoother travel, the spokesperson said.
But ICE personnel haven’t been expressly prohibited from making arrests at World Cup matches, the officials said.

No guidance has gone out inside the agency instructing ICE officers engaged in immigration enforcement to steer clear of World Cup stadiums, they said.

FIFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

FIFA is staging its largest-ever World Cup in North America, with 48 soccer teams playing in 16 cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19; the opener is in Mexico City, and the final is July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the games.

The presence of ICE could make some spectators avoid the games. Earlier this year, ICE personnel patrolled security lines at airports amid a shortage of TSA workers during the government shutdown of DHS.

Their presence raised criticism from immigration advocacy and civil liberties organizations, who argued that ICE would intimidate travelers who feared they would be targeted for arrest.

ICE agents were also stationed outside graduation events this year for the nation’s newest Marines at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina. While the agents didn’t make arrests, some recruits graduated without their parents in attendance over immigration fears.

Those fears follow a yearlong immigration crackdown by the Trump administration to make good on President Donald Trump’s campaign promise of mass deportations.

Newly installed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has pushed to rebrand the agency, focusing instead on its arrests of violent criminals and its humanitarian mission, even referring to it as “NICE."

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/ice-may-world-cup-matches-us-rcna344797

FDA Commissioner resignation sparks Replimune 21% surge on RP1 approval hopes

 

• Replimune’s stock rose ~20.9% on May 13, 2026, extending gains from an ~9% move on May 12 when Makary’s exit was announced/confirmed.
• Makary oversaw or defended two FDA Complete Response Letters rejecting RP1 (vusolimogene oderparepvec) + nivolumab for advanced melanoma (initial 2025 CRL and second in April 2026), citing insufficient evidence from the single-arm IGNYTE trial.
• The rejections triggered sharp prior declines (50–60% plunges), layoffs, and manufacturing scale-backs at Replimune; WSJ editorials heavily criticized the decisions as overly rigid.
• Traders and biotech investors view Makary’s departure (effective around May 12–13, via resignation per President Trump statements) as opening the door for new FDA leadership potentially more open to re-review, additional data, or accelerated approval pathways.
• High short interest (around 50% previously noted in context) amplified the move via short covering, alongside elevated volume and retail/forum momentum in small-cap biotech names.
• Broader sector lift was seen in related biotech stocks (e.g., QURE); no new Replimune-specific clinical data or company announcement drove the exact day’s move.
• Replimune has ASCO 2026 oral presentations scheduled for late May on RP1 melanoma data, providing additional context for renewed optimism.

https://finviz.com/quote?t=REPL&p=d

Ireland Convicts 78-Year-Old Preacher For Preaching Near Abortion Clinic

 by Jonathan Turley,

Ireland is finally safe.

Clive Johnston has been convicted and can no longer menace the public.

Johnson, 78, is a retired pastor who committed the heinous offense of preaching near the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.

That was considered within the “safe access zone” under Northern Ireland’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act.

The Act prohibits “influencing,” “preventing or impeding access,” or “causing harassment, alarm or distress” to a protected person within 100 meters (about 328 feet) of facilities where abortions are performed.

So Johnson was found guilty of “influencing” inside the protected zone and fined 450 pounds (about $614).

Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service told Fox News Digital, “The defendant was found guilty and convicted by the court of doing an act in a safe access zone with the intent of or being reckless as to whether it had the effect of influencing a protected person attending the premises; and failing to comply with a direction to leave a safe access zone.”

The language of the law is absurdly vague and abusively broad. What constitutes an “influence” is undefined and could include any religious, political, or social exchange. Would it include encouragements to have abortions?

It is equally perverse to treat praying or preaching the same as blocking or impeding access to a clinic. Finally, a hospital engages in a wide array of activities that raise religious or political issues that can be the subject of free speech.

We previously saw several cases in the United Kingdom where people were arrested for silently praying near abortion clinics.

For its part, Ireland has been a leader in censorship and the criminalization of speech. As the leader of the Irish Green Party proclaimed, “We are restricting freedom for the public good.”

By the way, his offense was reading John 3:16, including “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

What could perish in Ireland and the United Kingdom is free expression as speech regulators target bad influences under time, place, and manner laws.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ireland-convicts-78-year-old-preacher-preaching-near-abortion-clinic

'Bezos family donates $100M to charity funding NYC preschool education'

 The Bezos Family Foundation will pump as much as $150 million into an anti-poverty charity to help fund early childhood education in New York — as Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushes his ambitious universal free child-care agenda.

The charity, Robin Hood, unveiled a $1 billion endowment campaign on Monday aimed at cementing its longstanding anti-poverty mission, anchored by a $100 million donation from the Bezos family to create the Jackie Bezos Endowment for Early Childhood, according to a press release.

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The Bezos Family Foundation will pump as much as $150 million into an anti-poverty charity to help fund early childhood education in New York.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

The family also pledged an additional $25 million, subject to a match, for a total contribution of $150 million for the endowment named after billionaire Jeff Bezos’s late mother.

The gift positions Robin Hood, which has already invested $3 billion to fight poverty in the Big Apple, as a major player in the city’s escalating fight over affordable childcare.

“My mother saw the innate potential in every child and never stopped working to ensure that potential was met,” Mark Bezos said of his mother, Jackie, who served for a decade on the organization’s board.

“This gift honors her legacy and makes permanent the work she helped build at Robin Hood,” Bezos added.

Robin Hood CEO Richard Buery Jr. added in an interview with the New York Times that the money will be spent in the near term to drive an “immediate impact” in stabilizing the city’s strained child-care system.

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Robin Hood CEO Richard Buery Jr. added in an interview with the New York Times that the money provides an “immediate impact” in stabilizing the city’s strained child-care system.Getty Images for StartCare

“In a world where it’s so hard to break through the noise, where even people who should be able to agree on facts can’t agree on facts, I think this is a place where we have a set of facts all aligning and pointing in one direction,” Buery told the outlet.

The endowment is already 70% funded and will not focus solely on early childhood education, he said.

The announcement comes as Mamdani has made universal, free childcare one of the core promises of his socialist administration.

Hizzoner is hoping to raise $20 million for a “childcare action fund” within the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City — and has raised $3.5 million for this fund thus far, the Times reported.

Robin Hood typically prefers to distribute its own money, but some of its funds still do flow into city programs, the outlet reported.

Jenna Lyle, a spokeswoman for Mamdani, told the Times in a statement that the city was “proud” to see Robin Hood’s commitment to expanding childcare.

“To deliver free, universal childcare across all five boroughs, it is going to take a citywide effort — government, providers, working families, labor, philanthropy, and New Yorkers in all five boroughs,” she said.

City Hall did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Mamdani skipped Robin Hood’s star-studded annual gala at the Javits Center on Monday night, where the donation was announced, according to the report.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos sat near the stage while former Mayor Mike Bloomberg mingled with celebrity guests. Gov. Kathy Hochul also attended the black-tie event, which raised $73 million for Robin Hood’s poverty-fighting programs, the publication reported.

Chair of the Robin Hood Board of Directors, Kenneth Tropin, called the new endowment campaign critical to ensuring the organization can continue responding to crises “for generations to come.”

“Robin Hood has become essential to the fabric of New York City and is an organization so critical to those in need in New York City. We need to ensure that for decades to come, our mission of supporting New Yorkers’ most vulnerable is sustained,”  Tropin said in a statement.

“Since the beginning, we have stood with New Yorkers in their darkest hours — after 9/11, Superstorm Sandy, and during COVID-19 — and in the quiet, daily work of building pathways out of poverty. This campaign ensures Robin Hood will be here to support New Yorkers for generations to come,” Tropin said.

https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/us-news/bezos-family-donates-100m-to-charity-funding-nyc-preschool-education/