Enjoying this newsletter? Why not share it with a friend? Covid-19 is definitely increasing in some pockets of the U.S. and ticks are still thriving. Also, is a sugar cane in Coke really better? A landmark study on aluminum in vaccines, a quiet federal rollback of multilingual services, and a few things worth celebrating, including increased use of the 988 crisis line. Plus: a quick explainer on what the heck is going on with all these federal budget cuts: reconciliation, rescissions, and appropriations. Here’s your deep dive into the public health news you can use. But first: announcementsCalling Californians! Come help shape YLE. Following the success of the YLE New York edition and hearing from tens of thousands of you about more state editions, we’ll launch a YLE newsletter dedicated to California starting in August. More on that soon… For now, we’re looking for California residents to join us in shaping the conversation. What issues matter most in your communities? What do you want to see more (or less) of? Your input is invaluable. If you’d like to participate in a live, virtual small group conversation, submit your info here. We’re hiring! We’re also growing our team and are looking for a Community Engagement Manager. If this sounds like you or someone you know, apply here. COVID Disease “weather” reportA summer Covid-19 wave is underway in the South and West. All three early indicators—wastewater data, test positivity rates, and ER visits—are rising. Texas and Florida, for example, are already into a wave, aligning with summer 2023 trends.
Source: CDC; Annotated by Your Local Epidemiologist This isn’t being driven by a dramatic new variant, but rather by small changes in circulating strains, humid weather prompting people to stay indoors, and waning immunity from infection among those who haven’t had Covid-19 in a while.
Ticks are still tickin’ with emergency room visits remaining high (higher than in the past eight Julys) with the Northeast and Midwest seeing the biggest uptick.
Source: CDC; annotated by YLE Why the bad year? Annual variation, as well as ticks slowly migrating to more populated areas, climate change, and increased awareness. Here’s all you need to know, including yes, falsehoods, on these bite-sized threats. What does this mean for you?
Reconciliation vs. Rescission vs. Appropriations. Whattt is happening with the budget?Feeling confused? You’re not alone. Last Friday, a rescission package was passed, which pulled back $9 billion in previously approved funding, primarily from foreign aid ($8 billion) and public broadcasting ($1.1 billion). While Congress controls the budget, the executive branch can request these kinds of cuts through the 1974 Impoundment Act. That’s exactly what Trump did. Congress agreed, retroactively canceling funds that had been approved but not yet spent. This is separate from two other major budget moves:
Table by Chelsea Cipriano for Your Local Epidemiologist What does this mean for you? Your voice still matters (and in fact, had an impact on the rescission bill—see Bright Spots below). October’s appropriations season is critical. Keep showing up for the programs you care about. Relationships with your representatives are more important than ever. Cane sugar vs. HFCS: Does it matter?MAHA is celebrating food industry announcements about switching from high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to cane sugar. So… should you buy the cane sugar version? From a health perspective, it doesn’t matter. There’s certainly a taste difference. And, while both sweeteners consist of glucose and fructose, there are also slight differences in the ratios:
This means that HFCS is metabolized differently by the liver; however, strong research that has pooled study after study indicates that there are no meaningful differences between the two sweeteners in terms of health outcomes. What’s really at play here is the appeal to nature fallacy that we, humans, love to gravitate towards—the idea that something “natural” (like cane sugar) must be healthier than something “processed” (like HFCS). But both are sugar. Both are processed. And both, in excess, increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. We covered this fallacy in detail a few months ago, in anticipation of RFK Jr.’s Health Secretary position:
What policy would make a difference in the health of Americans? Really anything that takes the time, money, and energy going into this and puts it toward effective actions, including:
New study: Aluminum in vaccines isn’t driving chronic illnessA major study from Denmark has just been released, offering reassuring news: aluminum salts used in childhood vaccines are not linked to chronic diseases. Here’s the background:
The new study included over 1.2 million people, tracked over a 24-year period. Scientists leveraged Denmark’s robust national health data system (which the U.S. lacks). They found that aluminum-adjuvated vaccines are not linked to:
A few critics are not convinced, and that’s okay. Science should be scrutinized. But the truth is we’ll never test every possible scenario in every individual. Evidence builds over time, not from one study alone, and this new study aligns with decades of safety data across billions of doses. What does this mean for you? If you’re asking good-faith questions about vaccine safety, this study offers strong reassurance. Aluminum in vaccines is not causing a wave of chronic illness, such as asthma. Multilingual resources in the federal governmentLast week, federal agencies received a quiet but consequential directive: begin implementing an Executive Order that declares English the official language of the United States. This order, signed in March, revokes a Clinton-era Executive Order that required federal agencies to improve access to services for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). The policy shift introduces uncertainty and raises concerns for emergency response, healthcare (like Medicaid), and public services (like SNAP food benefits). One in five U.S. residents speaks a language other than English at home. Language is key to equitable health access, informed consent, and health empowerment. But language access is still the law. This isn’t the end of federally supported translation services. Rather, multilingual services may no longer be actively prioritized or expanded at the federal level. What does this mean for you? For health professionals, community organizations, and anyone working to reach diverse populations:
Languages are beautiful. This wall in Paris says “I love you” in 311 languages. Source: Hannah’s camera roll. Bright spots
That’s it for now. Have a wonderful week! Love, YLE Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is a public health newsletter that reaches over 380,000 people in more than 132 countries, with one goal: to translate the ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below |
July 21 — LETTER FROM THE D.A.
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ARTIFICIAL BASEBALL
WPCNR VIEW FROM THE UPPER DECK. By “Bull” Allen July 21:
Hello there, everybody! This is Bull Allen, greeting you from the Mel Allen Voice of the Yankees Broadcast Booth in the mezzanine behind home plate in the Big Ball Park in Da Bronx where everything was big.
Big outfield. Big Upper Deck with a 45 degrees rake jutting fans out to field edge.
Big bullpens visible from every seat in the park where you could see the mopUP men warming up to take over for a starter that did not have it. Mopup men then had to pitch into the ninth inning and get out guys without walks.
Big Closers who usually warmed up alone– the reliables the Money Pitchers who did not start innings, they came in with tying and winning runs on the bases and were expected to “put out the fire” throw a double play ball or throw both smoke and strikes. I remember them: Joe Page,Luis Arroyo, Bud Byerly, Bob Grim, Ryne Durin, Sparky Lyle, Tommy Byrne. Steve Hamilton.
Big starters.
They gave you 7 innings a start, if not all 9 innings: The Big Train, Gomez, Ruffing, Reynolds, Turley, Hoyt, Spahnie, Koufax, Feller, Lemon, Wynn, Lary. Pierce, Donovan, Pascual, Ramos (No first names, because you know them. The Starting Pitchers were big. They were marquee names that fans would go to see….because they were good.
Big plays. Lots of them because the outfield was big. Big plays you remember if you saw them. In the Big Ball Park the catches were legendary:
Wes Covington running into the left field corner from left center and gloving back-handed in full stride spearing Bobby Shantz’s liner to left in Game 2 of the Series in 1957. Sandy Amoros racing deep into the left corner in the 7th game of the 1955 series and robbing Yogi Berra of a double that would have tied the game: Wikipedia describes the action:
The first two batters in the inning reached base and Yogi Berra came to the plate. Berra, notorious for swinging at pitches outside the strike zone, hit an opposite-field shot toward the left field corner that looked to be a sure double, as the Brooklyn outfield had just shifted to the right. Amorós seemingly came out of nowhere, extended his gloved right hand to basket-catch the ball and immediately skidded to a halt to avoid crashing into the fence near Yankee Stadium‘s 301 distance marker in the left field corner.
Amoros wheeled around then threw to the relay man, shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who in turn threw to first baseman Gil Hodges, doubling Gil McDougald off first; DOUBLE PLAY! Hank Bauer grounded out to end the inning.
How about that! A catch-em and throw em out 7-6-3 Double Play. Perhaps the most incredible catch and save the game catch ever.
The essence of baseball is ever present tension, striving,never giving up on a ball or a feared hitter. You always think you can get to the ball so you go all out. Reach back for that EXTRA SOMETHING EXTRA and brain, body and mind coordinate to make you run faster than ever, see the ball, YOU ONLY SEE THE BALL into the webbing of your glove and – your legs and body precisely knowing aware you’re about to crash into the wall you automatically dig your spikes into the running track to stop yourself, spin, whirl and hit the cutoff man and you become immortal in the sun for eternity. Never tp be forgotten.
Or if you’re a pitcher in the pinch against a great hitter, throwing a pitch like the Twentieth Century Limited right on the outside corner at the knees, you save the game. Like Devin Williams did on Opening Day this year.
Ahh, memories in the sun.
Kurt Gibson’s 3 run pinch hit homer, off Dennis Eckersley against the great Oakland A’s in 1988 leading the Dodgers to a World Series victory. It was Gibson’s only at bat in that series, and it was a mightY drive unbelievably deep in the right field stands in the setting sun, prompting Jack Buck to yell into the microphone “I can’t believe what I just saw!”
The ground ball going through Bill Buckner’s legs in the 1986 World Series 6th game turning the Mets fortunes around.
Luis Gonzalez blooping a single to left off Mariano Rivera with 2 out to drive in the winning runs in the 7th game in 2001 to give the Diamondbacks the World Championship.
You can replay them wonder in your mind and they come right back. The joy. The pain all comes back.
Nothing artificial about them. They were wrenching heart-breaking and ecstatic miracles that you never forget.
Where am I going with this?
Baseball is the only place you can see miracles: miracle plays.
I told myself after the All Star Game I was not going to talk about using a home run derby hit-off to decide the All Star Game.
But I was talking to the old Dutchman Larry Shapiro down in North Carolina about the All Star Game. I said, “of course they used real major league pitchers during the Home Run Derby to test the homer hitters?”
The Dutchman said “NO they were the batting practice pitchers they used during the home run derby Monday night.”
“I said, you’ve got to be kidding? They decided the game with batting practice?”
It is one more example of how baseball and the people who run it have no respect for their game and its great uniqueness.
The great appeal of baseball is the extraordinary play. The miracle homerun. The bloop single by Gonzalez.
The reason this homerun derby decided the game: “to avoid running out of pitchers.” How stupid is that. If you are not going to test the All Star managers by making them use the pitching staff they have wisely when they are under pressure to use everybody—but wisely, then they shouldn’t play the game, or make it a full week (no game on Friday. That gives every pitcher 3 days rest.
I’d take the top three pitchers and pitch them 3 innings each—so you see how they do against the full lineups.If they get in trouble, bring in relievers (the Aaron Boone school of pitching management).
And you go to real extra innings.
Really a Home Derby to avoid running out of pitchers mocks the game.
The players play hard they want to win. And when you decide a game by seeing how many hit homers off pitches right down the pipe well that is batting practice. That is disrespecting the fan. It is disrespecting the players. They should least use the stupid ghost runner on second in the 10th inning.
What disturbs me is the true believers in the current state of Artificial Baseball: 20 seconds to pitch, 9 seconds to get in the batter’s box, no shifts, the awful runner on 2nd to start the 10th inning, every relief pitcher has to pitch to three hitters (which turns matchups upside down) already plays havoc with bullpens. Writers are waxing eloquent about the pitching clock, the speeding up of the game, the hitting, and how the games are not as long.
But some of them are longer than others: “Unwatchable,” especially if you broadcast Yankee games.
And the umpiring! I watched a 1920s kinescope of a Giants-Cubs game on YouTube and I saw something incredible umpires running to anticipate a play after an initial play. You do not see that in major league umping today. Now this is not the fault of the umpires. It is the effect of the challenge rule. If your call is going to be decided by non three dimensional replays (which do not show depth of field), you have tendency to feel you have back up. It doesn’t matter what my call is. It is only natural.
Now those very same writers are praising the excitement of home run derby and how it is more fun for the players and suggesting it replace extra innings.
Are they out of their minds? Talk about a gift to gambling from Major League Baseball this would bring a lucrative opportunity to bet on who would win home derby if the game ended in a tie.
They should not do that.
They should bring back the donnybrook extra innings of old, play until somebody wins.
Fans love it.
Only sportscasters, sportswriters and networks hate it.
July 21 — Senator Gillebrand Introduces Bill to keep Police Departments Staffed by providing child care to aid law enforcement families
TODAY IN POUGHKEEPSIE: AS NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENTS FACE STAFFING SHORTAGES, GILLIBRAND TO ANNOUNCE BILL TO KEEP NEW YORKERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT FAMILIES SAFE
Poughkeepsie, NY – TODAY, Monday, July 21, 2025, at 12:00pm at the City of Poughkeepsie City Hall (Common Council Chambers) at 62 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will call for the passage of the Providing Child Care for Police Officers Act. The bipartisan bill would provide $24 million in federal funding for each of the next 5 fiscal years to establish a pilot child care services program to support law enforcement families.