This Friday marks the first observation of the International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, following a declaration last year by the UN General Assembly.
The UN Security Council is meeting on Friday morning to discuss the situation in Ukraine amid mounting concerns over the intensifying hostilities and growing humanitarian needs. Senior UN political affairs and humanitarian officials are expected to brief the Council. Follow our live coverage from UN News, in coordination with UN Meetings Coverage, for updates from the chamber. UN News App users can follow here.
Read the full story, “SECURITY COUNCIL LIVE: Situation in Ukraine”, on globalissues.org →
(CNN) — Millions of dollars have been pulled from state and local vaccination programs with no explanation, after a review of the funding agreements by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Affected programs say they will probably have to cut staffers and services because of the shortfall, and they worry that vaccination rates will also drop as they lose the ability to assist people who are low-income or uninsured.
Immunization programs across the country are already struggling to address an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases. These include pertussis – also known as whooping cough – which has sickened more than 10,000 Americans and killed five children this year, as well as a smoldering outbreak of measles that has killed three people in the US and threatens to end the country’s elimination status.
“That’s the baffling part,” said one policy expert who spoke to CNN on the condition that they not be named for fear of government retaliation. “Why anyone would create this disruption in the midst of the worst measles outbreak in 30 years.”
Most money spent by states on vaccination comes from the federal government.
The grant money, which is appropriated by Congress under Section 317 of the Public Health Services Act, enables states, territories and some large cities to collect data on vaccination, as well as provide shots to underserved children and adults. The funds also help monitor the safety of vaccines and fight misinformation. The money is doled out in five-year grants overseen by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the most recent awards were due to states on July 1.
This year, however, HHS conducted lengthy reviews of the awards, which delayed their arrival in some cases.
HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon said the reviews were part of agency cost-cutting efforts.
“The Defend the Spend initiative is a department-wide effort to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used effectively, transparently, and in alignment with this administration,” Nixon said in a statement to CNN. “As part of this oversight, grant recipients may be asked to provide additional information, which is essential to preventing waste, fraud, and abuse. HHS is committed to working all grantees to resolve outstanding issues as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest standards of accountability.”
Public health advocates say the latest funding cuts appear to be part of a larger pattern of efforts by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to disrupt and dismantle the America’s vaccination infrastructure.
“Millions of children missed their routine vaccinations during the pandemic,” and never caught back up said Dr. Caitlin Rivers, director of the Center for Response Outbreak Innovation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Vaccine hesitancy has also increased, driven by a deluge of misinformation, some of it now coming from official channels.
As a result, vaccination rates have dropped, and some communities are no longer protected by herd immunity, the threshold of vaccination required to prevent certain infectious diseases from easily spreading.
If state vaccination programs are not adequately resourced, “we’re just going to continue to fall further and further behind, and that sets the stage for things like measles and pertussis outbreaks, which we’re seeing,” Rivers said.
Public health programs often become victims of their own success, she said.
“When there is a large public health emergency … there are huge investments made in public health, because we can see very clearly what the consequences are of having inadequate resourcing and inadequate infrastructure. But over time, those investments begin to work, and the threats recede, and we start to forget why it’s so important to maintain those defenses,” Rivers said.
“And I think now, five years out of Covid, we’re very clearly in the neglect cycle, and we’re seeing a lot of the investments we made during the pandemic be pulled back,” she added.
Of 66 jurisdictions awarded federal immunization funding this year, about 40 received awards lower than their funding targets. And more than a dozen states and cities received lower awards this year than they did in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic began, the last time these awards were offered through the CDC, according to a CNN analysis of federal data.
Massachusetts, New York, Indiana, California and Arizona were among those awarded less this year than in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
“That’s really, really unbelievable to us,” said one public health advocate who asked not to be named for fear of political retaliation for speaking out against the cuts. “How could we come out of a pandemic with half of states being less prepared?”
Other states found that their awards were far lower than they’d been told to expect.
In January 2025, the CDC sent out a Notice of Funding Opportunity – essentially an invitation – to states, territories and certain large cities. It came with a funding target: the amount they could expect if their grant proposals were accepted.
Washington, for example, was told it could expect about $9.5 million, so the Department of Health planned for that amount for the 2026 fiscal year. When the state got its Notice of Award on July 1, however, it was for $7.8 million, an 18% reduction.
Massachusetts was told it could expect $7.7 million for the upcoming fiscal year, already a 20% reduction from its 2025 budget. When the award arrived, it was $1 million under the targeted amount, at $6.7 million, which means the department expects to operate with about 30% less funding next year than it has this year.
Colorado received almost $500,000 less than it expected, a decrease of about 5% from the amount it budgeted for, according to federal data
California, Illinois, Michigan and New York also received lower-than-expected funding awards, according to a CNN analysis of federal data.
Sometimes, the delays and errors in funding caused chaos: At least one state, Idaho, furloughed its immunization program staff with no notice after the money didn’t arrive when expected. When the award did come through a day later, they were put back to work, but medical providers who reached out in the interim to submit their regular data updates had no one to help them and didn’t know when services would be restored.
The cuts didn’t just affect state health departments. The city of New Haven, Connecticut, had to lay off immunization positions that were supported by subawards it receives from the state grant. When the grant didn’t arrive in time, the state directed the city not to incur any more expenses, and when the federal money did come through, it was 20% less than anticipated.
Chicago is also preparing to lay off immunization workers, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the city’s plans, who asked not to be named because they feared retaliation by the Trump administration.
Not all awardees saw reductions, however. About two dozen jurisdictions, including Alabama, Idaho and Wyoming and Montana, got significant funding increases over their award targets for this year.
State officials who spoke to CNN for this story say they were given no explanation for why the awards were reduced or increased this cycle.
The cuts come on top of the loss of billions in unspent Covid relief funding that was being used by states, in part, to help staff immunization programs. In late March, HHS directed the CDC to roll back about $11.4 billion in Covid-era funding granted to state and local health departments. Another $1 billion was reclaimed from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
A survey conducted by the Association of Immunization Managers found that the Covid money clawback alone has led to the elimination 579 staff positions in state vaccination programs.
After the new grant cuts, some jurisdictions said they would probably need to lay off even more workers but were trying to assess the changes that would be needed. Some programs said they hoped state funding could help fill the gaps.
In the past, the funding amounts that jurisdictions were told they could expect have been determined by a relatively simple formula that primarily relied on an area’s population.
This year, however, federal officials deployed a more complicated formula that took into account population levels as well as how much of a state was rural and how many providers participate in the Vaccines for Children program compared with the overall population, according to a public health advocate familiar with the awards who asked not to be named for fear of political retaliation.
Immunization programs were told they could expect about $418 million in funding. All told, what they were awarded totaled roughly $398 million.
Changes to the funding formula don’t appear to account for the reductions, however. The formula was applied to the target amounts that were distributed in January.
Instead, changes to the awards came after the HHS review, which in some cases delayed the release of the money and left programs hanging.
Hawaii, for example, received authorization to borrow up to $100,000 from the state government to pay salaries and cover operational expenses until its award came through, about two weeks late.
Public health advocates blasted the funding decision.
“Stripping 317 waiver funds combined with other losses is starving state and local public health budgets and is not just short-sighted, it’s reckless,” said Dr. Brian Castrucci, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit deBeaumont Foundation, which advocates for the public health workforce.
“We’re watching the deliberate dismantling of the public health safety net in real time,” Castrucci said.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — U.S. Postal Service wants your input on the re-release of its next stamp.
One of 25 stamps will be released again, in honor of the organization’s 250th anniversary. Which one depends on whatever stamp get the most votes.
The Postal Service says stamp options are some of the bestselling and most popular stamps. They include Mickey Mouse, Wonder Woman, Mr. Rogers, Bugs Bunny and many more.
Voting is open through Sept. 30, both online and by mail. USPS says you can view the official rules and vote online at stampsforever.com/vote, or print a paper ballot from the website and mail it in.
USPS says it plans to announce the winning stamp design in May 2026 at the Boston 2026 World Expo to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Another hot and humid day today. We will see some spotty showers and thunderstorms develop across parts of the state. More storms heading into the weekend along with high heat and humidity.
We had high temperatures in the lower ’90s yesterday with feels like temperatures maxing out across parts of Indiana into the 110 range. The heat and humidity will not be as intense as yesterday across parts of the state but it is still going to feel incredibly uncomfortable.
TODAY: Heat Advisory in place for Central and Southern sections of Indiana. Northern parts of the state will not reach the Heat Advisory criteria. Heat indices today for Central and Southern sections of Indiana around 100 to 105. Northern sections of Indiana will be into the mid and upper 90s. Look for partly cloudy skies today with some showers and thunderstorms possible into the afternoon. Some of the thunderstorms could contain some gusty winds and some moderate to heavy rain as well. High temperatures today will climb into the lower 90s.
TONIGHT: A few spotty showers and thunderstorms will be possible overnight otherwise mostly cloudy. Mild and muggy lows around 74.
TOMORROW: A busy weekend across parts of Indianapolis. We will look for partly cloudy skies on Saturday scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms possible. Highs in the upper ’80s near 90 with feels like temperatures into the mid and upper 90s.
7 DAY EXTENDED FORECAST: More scattered rain showers possible on Sunday under partly cloudy skies. And will be hot and humid with highs near 90 feels like temperatures into the mid and upper 90s.
Next week it is going to be incredibly hot and humid. On Monday mostly sunny and a chance of an afternoon shower or storm. Highs near 93 but feels like temperatures into the triple digits. This will continue into Tuesday as well with highs in the lower 90s. Eventually we will see this pattern break by the end of the week. It looks like we will see lower temperatures and lower humidity as we begin August.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a bill Thursday canceling about $9 billion that had been approved for public broadcasting and foreign aid as Republicans look to lock in cuts to programs targeted by the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The bulk of the spending being clawed back is for foreign assistance programs. About $1.1 billion was destined for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which finances NPR and PBS, though most of that money is distributed to more than 1,500 local public radio and television stations around the country.
The White House had billed the legislation as a test case for Congress and said more such rescission packages would be on the way.
Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the cuts, yet supported them anyway, wary of crossing Trump or upsetting his agenda. Democrats unanimously rejected the cuts but were powerless to stop them.
The White House says the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense. Conservatives particularly directed their ire at NPR and PBS. Lawmakers with large rural constituencies voiced grave concern about what the cuts to public broadcasting could mean for some local public stations in their state. Some stations will have to close, they warned.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the stations are “not just your news — it is your tsunami alert, it is your landslide alert, it is your volcano alert.”
On the foreign aid cuts, the White House argued that they would incentivize other nations to step up and do more to respond to humanitarian crises and that the rescissions best served the American taxpayer.
Democrats argued that the Republican administration’s animus toward foreign aid programs would hurt America’s standing in the world and create a vacuum for China to fill. They also expressed concerns that the cuts would have deadly consequences for many of the world’s most impoverished people.
“With these cuts, we will cause death, spread disease and deepen starvation across the planet,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An extensive search of the Eagle Creek Reservoir led to the discovery of a missing woman’s body, the Indianapolis Fire Department said.
Crews from IFD, Pike Township, Wayne Township, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resource spent several hours Thursday looking for the woman, who disappeared after diving from a sailboat.
Search efforts were centered around the area near 4200 Dandy Trail, behind Rick’s Boatyard Cafe.
Initial search efforts were called off at 7:11 p.m., at which point Indiana DNR took over the operation. DNR located the woman’s body underwater around 10:20 p.m., Indianapolis firefighters said on Facebook.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office will share the woman’s name once her family has been notified.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Pacers signed guard Taelon Peter to a two-way contract.
The Pacers drafted Peter out of Liberty with the No. 54 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Peter averaged 9.5 points per game while shooting 57.1% from the field and 26.7% from three-point range in four games in the Summer League.
He averaged 13.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season at Liberty. Peter shot 57.8% from the floor and 45.3% from three. He also shot 75.6% from two-point range, the highest mark in Conference USA.
Prior to playing at Liberty, Peter played three seasons at Arkansas Tech (Division 2) and one season at Tennessee Tech.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — If you stopped in Cicero and bought a ticket for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, you might want to check your numbers.
Hoosier Lottery says a winning ticket worth $50,000 was purchased at Speedway #8034, located at 1005 S. Peru.
The winning numbers for Wednesday, July 23 are: 2-18-19-25-35 with the Powerball of 25.
Players can check their tickets with the free Hoosier Lottery mobile app or by visiting hoosierlottery.com.
The ticketholder should make sure their ticket is in a safe place, consider meeting with a financial advisor, and contact Hoosier Lottery customer service at 1-800-955-6886.
With no winner on Wednesday, the Powerball jackpot for Saturday is an estimated $350 million.
Indiana had the first Powerball jackpot winner in 1992 and leads the nation in Powerball jackpot wins with 39.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man found shot inside a car on the south side of Indianapolis died at the hospital and police are looking for the person responsible.
Around 12:45 a.m. Friday, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were alerted by an iPhone notification of a crash on Griffin Road. That’s a residential area just off of U.S. 31 near the Baxter YMCA.
IMPD says investigators called the iPhone back, but no one answered.
Officers arrived and found a wounded man inside a car at the Griffin Street address. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition but did not survive.
No arrests have been made and IMPD did not identify any possible suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to contact IMPD or Crime Stoppers.
