Today’s Big Story

The Vax War

The U.S. is headed toward two very different vaccination realities

Turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and states’ beginning to take more control of their own vaccine decisions threaten to fracture the once-national consensus around immunization, setting the stage for a reorganization of the way vaccination recommendations work across the United States.

The moves together point toward an increasingly stark divide emerging in America around vaccinations, with some Republican-led states starting to roll back or eliminate mandates while Democrat-led states split from the CDC to come up with their own vaccination guidance.

On Wednesday, California, Oregon and Washington announced they are forming a public health alliance to provide “credible information” about vaccine safety in response to the recent firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, the resignations of top scientists that followed her ousting and the Food and Drug Administration’s new controversial guidelines for who should get COVID shots. At the same time, Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates, a longtime cornerstone of public health policy for keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases.

The Hill reports that President Donald Trump is facing a quandary over his legacy and political outlook in the face of the CDC’s vaccine shakeup. Trump has aligned himself closely with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, and with them a swath of vaccine skeptics. But strategists and officials close to the White House told The Hill that if the administration unwinds vaccine approvals or makes effective shots more difficult to get, it will lead to not only potential public health crises, but political backlash with some voters.

Later today, RFK Jr. will head to Capitol Hill to face questioning from senators including Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who played a key role in his confirmation but has recently criticized the secretary's decisions.

Trump’s Legal Wrangling

Trump administration cannot withhold federal funding from Harvard, judge rules

A federal judge on Wednesday gave Harvard University a landmark victory in its fight against the Trump administration, siding with the Ivy League school in its effort to restore more than $2 billion in federal funding for research frozen by the White House. The decision from U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs rejects the administration’s argument that it was targeting the university due to antisemitism on the school’s campus.

According to the Washington Post, Trump’s attempts to force change at Harvard reflect the administration’s desire to increase the amount of control the federal government can exert over colleges—while also jeopardizing grants funding ambitious scientific research.

Of course, this isn’t the president’s only legal battle. Trump has asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that found many of his sweeping tariffs were illegal. In a petition filed late on Wednesday, the administration asked the justices to quickly intervene to rule that the president has the power to impose such import taxes on foreign nations. A divided appeals court last week ruled 7-4 that the tariffs Trump brought in through an emergency economic powers act did not fall within the president's mandate and that setting levies was “a core Congressional power.” The BBC reports that the case could upend Trump's economic and foreign policy agenda and force the U.S. to refund billions in tariffs.

Should You Take a ‘Skillcation’?

Learn to cook in Italy or Scuba dive in Fiji … your brain will thank you

It’s never too late to pick up a new skill, and more travelers are seeking opportunities for personal growth while stepping away from their daily routines. Have you heard of “skillcations”? These immersive experiences continue to shape the travel landscape as more and more travelers prioritize such offerings over traditional sightseeing. As a result, hotels that offer enriching, hands-on learning experiences are seeing a surge in popularity.

Consulting agency Future Partners found that 39% of travelers are drawn to such trips, which are for all ages and levels of physical ability, and can be low-key and contemplative, or active and high-energy. No matter the flavor, the distinguishing factor of a skillcation is its slew of mental-health benefits. Dr. Rebecca Mannis, a Manhattan-based learning specialist, told Thrillist that these include brain maintenance, or the ability to sustain our thinking skills by reinforcement or the introduction of novelty, and cognitive reserve, which protects functions of the brain that naturally decline over time.

Forbes points out that these trips offer a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in new environments, explore diverse cultures and acquire practical skills through hands-on experience. From learning ukulele chords or identifying native bird calls, guests return home from these trips with unforgettable memories, but also with new skills.

Changes Coming to Amazon Prime

The e-commerce giant is ending a beloved perk

If there’s one thing that digital platforms really don’t want, it’s you giving login details to people outside of your household. The past few years have seen Netflix, Disney and HBO Max—to name a few—crack down on password sharing with anyone who doesn’t live under your roof. Now, Amazon has joined them.

Prime members will no longer be able to share the free two-day shipping benefit with people outside of their household, as spotted by the Associated Press. Previously, the Prime Invitee Program let Prime members share with one other adult, even if they had a different home address. But that's being replaced by a program called Amazon Family which only extends Prime membership benefits to people sharing the same home address, according to a notice on the Amazon site.

Adding insult to injury, the change takes effect on Oct. 1, just before the holiday shopping season begins. Mashable points out that the move will allow Amazon to sell more Prime memberships. People who previously received free, fast shipping from a friend or family member through the Invitee program will now need to pay. Prime memberships and other subscription fees account for about 7% of Amazon’s sales, amounting to more than $12 billion in the last quarter alone.

Fight Flakes

‘Don’t let an itchy scalp and dandruff cramp your style

Be brave.