Back in 2024, after a reporting trip for a whiskey magazine, I got tired of drinking. Perhaps it was the sluggishness I felt each morning, or maybe it was the podcast I'd heard while traveling, which shared the news that one or two glasses of red wine was not, as we had long been told, healthy. Whatever the reason, I tossed in the daily drinking towel after that trip, figuring that going forward, I might only have a drink or two every now and again.
Currently, Amazon is putting all workers, site visitors, and the local and wider communities at risk of exposure to a serious infectious disease.
It all comes amid a massive bloom of aptly named death cap mushrooms, which has been fueled by potent storm systems in October and December and has left health officials pleading with foragers to stop collecting wild mushrooms altogether. "Since death cap mushrooms are easily confused for safe-to-eat, lookalike mushrooms, all mushroom foraging should be avoided," the health department warned Wednesday.
The California Department of Public Health reported 35 people between the ages of 19 months and 67 years have been sickened in the outbreak since November. That number is far higher than the average number of mushroom poisonings in California, which is around five per year. Three adult deaths in the state have been linked to ingesting poisonous mushrooms, and another three people have undergone liver transplants.
"I find that the views [Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough," he wrote in a resignation letter he shared publicly on social media. He said he was leaving because the CDC, the once-premier public health agency tasked with protecting the health of people in the U.S., had been transformed into a political instrument, with its scientific mission subverted, vulnerable populations erased, and evidence distorted. The agency, he wrote, had submitted to "radical non-transparency" and "unskilled manipulation of data."
Stone said his vote is influenced by a letter the council received last month from the Santa Clara County Medical Association, which represents more than 4,000 local health professionals. The letter outlined doctors' concerns about the health impacts of synthetic fields, and recommended the council vote against turf. "When our county doctors are telling us that a proposed solution may do harm and offer an alternative, I believe we have the responsibility to choose that safer path even when it's harder," Stone said.
When it comes to safe travel destinations, the Netherlands consistently ranks at the top, especially for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ travelers. Its progressive values, strong social systems, and long-standing reputation for peace create an environment where visitors feel welcome and secure. That sense of safety and inclusion is more than anecdotal. It's reflected in how travelers recently rated the country.
The National Football League Alumni Association (NFL Alumni) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control have expanded the "GEAR UP Against Cancer" campaign to Dallas and several other markets across the country. The initiative aims to increase public awareness of lung cancer's impact, emphasize the importance of regular screenings for adults at high risk for developing lung cancer, and create a deeper understanding of the unique needs of cancer survivors.
An in-depth discussion was needed to come up with a respectful, and meaningful response that would help to repair the harm that has been done to the Jewish community. The refusal of the majority of the City Council, including the mayor, to do so was a significant failure of leadership. They refused to see how incitement of hatred against Jews leads to violence and the destruction of a pluralistic democracy.
Well, there are also new alcohol guidelines to go along with it. The new guidelines remove the previous recommendation that men limit their alcohol intake to two drinks or less per day and women to one or less. Now, the guideline simply advises, "Limit alcohol consumption for better overall health."
Nearly every day, city workers huddle at a street corner in the Mission District, usually outside of the Gubbio Project at 15th Street and Julian Avenue. It's their meetup before going out for another day of dealing with the homelessness, addiction and mental health crisis on the streets of the neighborhood. This " Swiss Army knife " team of teams has been working together for nearly a year now, under the coordination of Santiago Lerma, former District 9 legislative aide, current Mission street team lead for the Department of Emergency Management. They represent three city departments and two contracted groups: the Department of Public Health, Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Department of Emergency Management, and city contractors Urban Alchemy and Ahsing Solutions.
When new forms of gambling appear, the rate of savings go down, then you see the rate of credit card defaults going up. And you see the rate of mortgage defaults going up. So these are long-term financial and societal costs with broad implications,
Photo via Getty Images The impending introduction of three new casinos in New York has come with promises of increased tourism, tax revenue, permanent job creation, affordable housing, and public green space. And while all of this seems beneficial and may very well come to fruition, one threat that cannot go unaddressed is the further enablement of gambling addiction. The State must start directing more resources to meet New York's growing addiction problem before these casinos open.
Long-term Gallup research compiled in 2023 showed the share of adults younger than 35 who said they drink alcohol at all had steadily declined, from 72% in 2001-2003 to 62% in 2021-2023. A Gallup survey conducted in July 2025 found that figure dropped further to 50% and that just 54% of Americans of legal drinking age reported consuming alcohol at all, the lowest level Gallup has recorded in 90 years.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller danced to "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife appeared as guests of honor; Trump auctioned off a gigantic portrait of Jesus Christ for $2.7 million; and MAGA's demon couple (Stephen and Katie Miller) announced they've spawned for the fourth time.
Robyn's mother, Yvonne Ford, had shown no signs of illness in the months after returning from her holiday in Morocco in February. She had spoken highly of the country and its people, and recommended it for future getaways. She had not realised that a seemingly harmless interaction with a puppy while sitting in the sun would cause so much damage.
