It was a strange weekend for employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to say the least. On Friday, hundreds of workers at the agency, many of whom have been furloughed since the federal government shut down on October 1, found out they were being fired as part of widespread layoffs across federal agencies. Less than a day later, a curt follow-up email landed in many of their inboxes informing them that they weren’t being let go after all. No explanation, no apology.

Today at 9:30 a.m., Air Force One made a low pass over Tel Aviv on its way into Ben Gurion Airport. The flight had more in common with an astronomical portent—a medieval comet, say, and all the swings in mood that might entail among the public—than a mere act of aviation. Israelis had stayed up for days in hopes that hostages would be released. The sight of the 747 meant: This is really happening. Within a few hours, it had happened.

In the predawn hours of July 4, a small, blue house just outside Binghamton, New York, caught fire. James Sitek, chief of the West Colesville Fire Company, was one of the firefighters who responded to the blaze. Shortly after emerging from the building, he went into cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at the hospital later that day.
The following week, more than 200 people attended Sitek’s funeral.

Seven years ago, I took a bet from one of the most controversial figures in the scientific world. Charles Murray, the political scientist who—along with the late psychologist Richard Herrnstein—wrote The Bell Curve in 1994, wagered that one of his core ideas about genetics and intelligence would be proved true by 2025.

One day recently, my son had two long, back-to-back doctor appointments, which meant he was in the car and in waiting rooms for much of the afternoon. His lunch and snack would not have earned me a healthy-mom award: peanut-butter puffs, a grape-jelly Uncrustables sandwich, and a package of mixed-berry oat bites. All ultra-processed foods, the new boogeyman of public health.
I have many years of experience as a health reporter, and I understand the importance of healthy eating.

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Donald Trump is preparing to visit the Middle East after helping broker what could be a historic peace agreement between Israel and Hamas that would end the war in Gaza.