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Harassment toward Somali businesses surges after viral video
As national attention focused on Minnesota’s Somali community over allegations of day care fraud, business owners from the community say they’re seeing a rise in threats.
Point72 strategy executive James Malick has left the hedge fund
James Malick, Point72's chief strategy officer, departed the hedge fund this week. It has recently expanded into private markets and other areas.
Scientists find new clues to why female fertility declines with age
New studies are shedding light on one of the biggest mysteries of human reproduction: Why do chromosomal abnormalities become common in eggs?
Analysis: JD Vance just sharply undercut the Trump team’s ICE shooting narrative
Mere hours after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent killed a woman Wednesday in Minneapolis, the Trump administration staked out a maximalist position.
House passes bill extending health care subsidies, bucking GOP leaders
Prospects for passage in the Senate are unclear. The enhanced subsidies expired at the end of 2025, driving costs up for millions.
House passes bill extending health care subsidies, bucking GOP leaders
Prospects for passage in the Senate are unclear. The enhanced subsidies expired at the end of 2025, driving costs up for millions.
Ontario Christian, Sierra Canyon, JSerra top Southland girls' basketball rankings
Unbeaten Ontario Christian is ranked No. 1 in girls basketball rankings
WellSpan Health Announces Comprehensive Migration of Technology Portfolio to AWS
Add to FavoritesWellSpan Health, the leading health care system serving Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland, today announced plans for a comprehensive cloud migration of its full technology infrastructure. Together with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its preferred cloud provider, WellSpan will transition its applications, data and environments from traditional data centers to AWS. This migration will establish the foundation for delivering next-generation, AI-enabled health care solutions that reduce administrative burden and improve outcomes for patients across the region and beyond. Supercharging Innovation, Efficiency and Patient Outcomes WellSpan's migration of systems and clinical applications, which serve 1.2 million patients across nine hospitals and 250+ facilities, is expected to be complete by April 2026, one of the fastest full-scale migrations in the health care industry. This transformation enables WellSpan to unify disparate data systems for care teams and patients alike, achieving operational efficiencies and care improvements that fragmented systems are unable to deliver. “Our comprehensive migration to the cloud accelerates our ability to deploy new clinical capabilities that transform patient care while advancing our overall innovation strategy,” said Roxanna Gapstur, Ph.D., R.N., president and CEO, WellSpan Health. “When a physician can access complete patient imaging in seconds instead of hours, we're not just modernizing technology—we're improving patient outcomes. Our new cloud infrastructure also enables us to quickly implement solutions that will free our clinicians from thousands of hours of administrative work annually so they can focus on what they do best: caring for our communities.” The transition allows WellSpan to move away from a data center-based model and enables the rapid deployment and scale of AI technology. WellSpan’s strategic partner, General Catalyst’s Health Assurance Transformation Company (HATCo), facilitated the collaboration with AWS to support the migration. WellSpan’s transformation journey benefits from HATCo’s specialized technology solutions, as well as General Catalyst and AWS’s significant partnership to improve patient outcomes, which was announced in January 2025. “Our decision to go all-in on AWS will enable insights and innovations impossible in traditional siloed environments,” said Kasey Paulus, executive vice president and chief operating officer, WellSpan Health. “This is the largest health care technology transformation in our region's history, and it positions WellSpan to be a premier partner for technology leaders across the country.” “WellSpan is building a foundation with AWS that will improve care and outcomes for patients across their health system by bringing data together into standardized formats that are optimized for AI applications,” said Dan Sheeran, vice president and general manager, Healthcare and Life Science, AWS. “To do this, it is essential to have the most secure and compliant cloud when handling patient data, along with AWS’s built-in AI governance and responsible AI frameworks that follow the industry’s highest standards to protect patient information. We look forward to continuing to work alongside WellSpan as they unlock the cloud and AI’s full potential to deliver exceptional care to their patients.” Key Benefits of the AWS Collaboration Full Portfolio Migration: WellSpan will transition its applications and data from on-premises data centers to AWS, including full IT environments and specialized applications for functions such as nursing, cardiology, pharmacy and the company’s supply chain systems. This represents approximately 7.5 petabytes of clinical and non-clinical data and more than 300 applications—the most comprehensive health system cloud migration in the Mid-Atlantic region. Approved Architectures: AWS will deliver secure, WellSpan-specific architectures tailored to each build, ensuring compliance and reliability across the health system. Unified, AI-Ready Data: Migrating to AWS enables WellSpan to harmonize data across separate systems, transforming unstructured clinical notes and multi-modal datasets into standardized, AI-ready formats. Accelerated Results and Improved Outcomes: Automated data normalization and processing will enable the deployment of applications that reduce turnaround times for items such as analyzing medical imaging or patient records from days to minutes, helping clinicians get patient results faster and improving overall health outcomes. Reduced Administrative Burden: The transition to AWS will enable swift deployment of AI-powered solutions that reclaim thousands of hours for WellSpan’s clinical and corporate teams, allowing them to focus on patient care rather than paperwork. Elastic Infrastructure: Cloud architecture will enable WellSpan to scale computing resources dynamically, supporting seasonal demand fluctuations without infrastructure investments, as well as the rapid deployment of new services across multiple locations simultaneously. Most Secure, Compliant Cloud: AWS offers the highest network availability of any cloud provider, with more than 166 HIPAA-eligible services and certifications for global compliance standards, including HITRUST CSF. Built-in AI governance and responsible AI frameworks ensure that WellSpan’s data is protected under the industry’s most rigorous standards. Tags:News releaseInnovation and partnerships
Rep. Steny Hoyer to retire, ending storied career in elected office
Maryland’s longest serving member of Congress won’t seek reelection after having spent two decades as the No. 2 House Democrat.
EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood Legend Jeff Bridges Lists Malibu Land for $4.4 Million—After Beloved Family Home Burned in Wildfires
Bridges' longtime Malibu home, which was passed to him by his parents, was destroyed in the California wildfires.
The soaring price of youth sports: $50 to try out, $3,000 to play
Parents are struggling to keep up as costs and luxury options rise. Investors see an opportunity.
CDC staff ‘blindsided’ as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled
The Trump administration took unprecedented steps to recommend fewer vaccines for children without extensive consultations with career scientists.
Trump administration to release dietary guidelines promoting whole foods
The recommendations will emphasize eating whole foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and caution Americans to be mindful of eating highly processed foods.
Opinion | 10 health stories that could define 2026
The year ahead promises new health care innovations alongside major changes to public health policy.
The data center rebellion is here, and it’s reshaping the political landscape
Backlash over the proliferation of data centers has entered the national political conversation and could affect voters of all political persuasions in this year’s midterm elections.
Fifth anniversary of Jan. 6 brings fresh division to the Capitol
On the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, there is no official event to memorialize what happened that day
Military action in Venezuela emerges as an issue in a closely watched GOP primary in Kentucky
President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela has emerged as a flash point in a closely watched Republican primary campaign in Kentucky
Another Democrat — this one the son of Somali immigrants — is running for Utah’s new left-leaning congressional seat
Liban Mohamed joined a crowded field of candidates vying for a Democratic-leaning district in Utah's new congressional maps. Mohamed, who is the son of Somali immigrants, is young, Black and Muslim, and says he can bring new voices to the political process.
Democrats look primed to win the House but a wave may be harder
Gerrymandering and longer-term trends in polarization have left fewer competitive House seats in next year’s midterm elections.
LG brought back the Wallpaper TV for CES and ditched the companion sound bar
The OLED evo W6 from LG makes a glorious return with an even more minimalist design.
Trump amplifies conspiracies on killing of Minnesota lawmaker
Trump shared a video baselessly linking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to conspiracies over brazen political killings in the state this summer.
Trump tests appetite for regime change ahead of midterms
Democrats immediately argued that U.S. military action in Venezuela was an abandonment of the president’s promise to focus on improving lives at home.
3 science-backed tips for making New Year’s resolutions more fun
You may think that you just need to work harder to reach your goals — but research shows you’re more likely to stick with good habits if they’re enjoyable.
Vang: Somali women entrepreneurs are revving up Minnesota’s economy
They run child care centers, health care agencies, salons, restaurants, consulting firms and retail shops. Many work two jobs while also managing households, Ka Vang writes.
Thousands of mail-in ballots could be discounted under new post office policy
The Postal Service is no longer guaranteeing when it will postmark mail, which could jeopardize some ballots that arrive after Election Day.
Tim Walz was a Democratic hopeful. Now, he’s a Republican punching bag.
The Minnesota governor is seeking a third term amid a welfare probe in his state that has sparked unwanted national attention.
When did humanity take its first step? Scientists say they now know.
A new analysis of fossils uncovered in Central Africa offers additional evidence that a human ancestor walked upright 7 million years ago.
Surging left-wing party challenges politics-as-usual in Germany
The rise of the nationalist far right has alarmed many Germans, but “The Left” party is most popular with young voters, posing a challenge to the centrist establishment.
In Mamdani’s New York, Muslims become a political and demographic force
Muslim New Yorkers formed the backbone of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral election victory, ushering in a new era for New York and the city’s changing demographics.
Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor at historic subway station
Zohran Mamdani is the new mayor of New York City
What’s new, what’s not: Parsing the rhetoric around the Minnesota child care fraud firestorm
A conservative influencer’s viral video alleging widespread fraud at taxpayer-funded child care centers in Minnesota’s Somali community kicked off a political firestorm that was years in the making.
Longtime MAGA ally Boebert lashes out at Trump over veto
The Colorado Republican said she hopes Trump’s action on a water infrastructure bill benefiting her district “has nothing to do with political retaliation.”
Review | 3 utterly brilliant science fiction novels
New books by William Alexander, Claire North and qntm examine new technologies and unexplored worlds with verve.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: House GOP whip calls for revoking citizenship over Minnesota fraud
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.
As rumors swirl after political killings, this GOP lawmaker draws a line
Minnesota state senator Julia Coleman knew both Charlie Kirk and Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. She is fed up with the conspiracy theories around their deaths.
New Year’s Eve concert is latest cancellation at the Kennedy Center
Jazz supergroup the Cookers have canceled two New Year’s Eve performances at the Kennedy Center, days after a Christmas Eve jazz concert was also canceled.
At UN, Somalia slams Israel’s Somaliland recognition as ‘threat’ to peace
Somalia says it is concerned the recognition serves as a pretext for the forced relocation of Palestinians.
Trump says he might sue Fed Chair Jerome Powell for ‘gross incompetence’
It isn’t clear what specific claims could be brought against Powell or when.
Mali v Comoros
Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Mali vs Comoros in the CAF World Cup Qualifiers
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted US political parties because they were 'in charge,' memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol told investigators after his arrest that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen
Packers Week 17 Winners and Losers vs. the Ravens
The best and worst from the Malik Willis show in the Green Bay Packers’ final home game of the season.
Packers pull off feat that no NFL team has ever done: Green Bay hits historical low
The Packer are officially on the wrong side of NFL history
Ravens vs. Packers prediction, odds, time, spread: NFL Week 17 Saturday picks by proven model
SportsLine's model reveals its Green Bay vs. Baltimore best bets for Saturday's matchup
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland slammed across world capitals
Regional blocs join nations in condemning Israel's move to formally recognise breakaway Somali region as independent.
Pablo Torre pushes buttons — and boundaries — to expose sports secrets
With scoops from the NFL, NBA and beyond, Torre’s hit show — and the way he makes it — is ruffling feathers across the sports landscape.
Feuding physicists and the bitter battle over the swirls in ‘The Starry Night’
A team of scientists sparked a heated debate over whether Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night depicts turbulence, a complex physical phenomenon.
House Oversight Committee widens scope on Somali-led health contractor
Gateway Community Financial denies wrongdoing despite having its Medicaid payments from a Maine state agency shut off
Israel becomes first country to recognise Somaliland
Breakaway region achieves diplomatic breakthrough after more than 30 years without international recognition.
Lamar Jackson doubtful for Saturday's critical Packers-Ravens game; Jordan Love, Malik Willis both questionable
There's more bad news for a Baltimore Ravens team that's fighting for its playoff life.
5 tips from ‘super agers’ on how to live a healthy life
This year, we learned a lot from people in their 80s, 90s and 100s (and the scientists who study them).
Trump warns against infiltration by a 'bad Santa,' defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids
President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by chatting with children about their holiday wishes
Against Iran’s politics of exclusion, pluralism is the point
There is a cruel ritual in Iranian opposition politics: some voices abroad constantly interrogate the “purity” of activists inside—why they did not speak more sharply or endorse maximalist slogans, why survival itself looks insufficiently heroic.
How Trump’s attacks on ‘climate alarmism’ have already transformed U.S. science
Experts say the cuts to the federal workforce and climate science funding could cause decades of loss in human knowledge and discovery.
Supreme Court hands Trump a major defeat on National Guard deployment
The Supreme Court holds that the president’s authority to deploy the National Guard for law enforcement purposes likely only applies in “exceptional” circumstances.
Republican former senator Ben Sasse says he has terminal cancer
The 53-year-old — who was one of a handful of Republicans to speak out against Trump during his first term — said in a lengthy social media post he has Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and suggested he doesn’t have long to live.
Economic growth surges in late summer, the highest in two years
“This was the strongest six months of growth since late in 2023, but it certainly didn’t feel that way for most people,” one analyst said.
The disunity of science is a feature, not a bug
Mathematical models wield miraculous power, but mistaking them for reality has trapped science in a destructive quest for a “Theory of Everything.” Physicist and philosopher Ragner Fjelland argues that this leads to bloated, Frankenstein theories kept alive by clumsy, ad-hoc amendments, which reduce rather than boost science’s power. Fjelland calls for a radical shift in our attitude: we must reorientate towards creating entirely new theories, celebrating rather than lamenting disunity and diversity in science. Science, from the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century to the present day, has more or less developed in a “reductionist” way. The fundamental assumption is that all sciences may be ordered in a hierarchy that can be represented as an upside-down pyramid. At the top we find the human sciences, and at the bottom physics. Strong (or “ontological”) reductionism maintains that all theories at one level can be completely reduced to the lower level, all the way down to theories of atoms and elementary particles, or whatever is “at the bottom.” In the end, all diversity in the world can be unified in one fundamental theory. Hence it is called a final theory, or a Theory of Everything.One of the central figures in developing the idea of a Theory of Everything is the Dutch theoretical physicist Gerard 't Hooft, who received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1999 for his work. He emphasizes the non-empirical status of the theory:There exists no closely resembling alternative theory. This means that any slight change brought about in the rules would make the theory unlikely or inelegant. The theory will be a "package deal": take it, or leave it. This should hold both for the local laws and for the boundary conditions.This endeavor is not new. On the contrary, it goes all the way back to the birth of Western philosophy 2,500 years ago. The Babylonians made regular astronomical observations during a period of 600 years, from 747 BCE until 150 ACE. They developed mathematical techniques to predict astronomical phenomena, but they made no attempts at explaining them. However, the Greeks developed models, both material and theoretical, to explain the observed phenomena.The best example is Plato’s late dialogue Timaeus. Here he introduces a divine craftsman, the Demiurge, who has constructed the universe according to an original plan. Plato seems to have thought that the original plan is what is actually real, while the material world is merely an imperfect realization of it. He therefore does not, in the Timaeus, reconstruct the material universe, but the original plan, which can then be used to explain the material universe.Plato’s aim in producing a theoretical model is to reconstruct the original plan. That is what he carries out in Timaeus—and some modern physicists have embarked on the same project. For example, Einstein’s basic attitude is reflected in the title of Abraham Pais’ biography: “Subtle is the Lord...,” echoing Einstein’s comment, “Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not.” In an interview Einstein compared our situation to a child who enters a huge library. The child knows that someone has written the books, but he does not know the languages in which they are written. He suspects that there is a mysterious order, but he does not know what it is.___“We have all been working in what Husserl called the Galilean style; that is, we have all been making abstract mathematical models of the universe to which at least the physicists give a higher degree of reality than they accord the ordinary world of sensation.”Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics (1979)___This Platonist view is contrary to a widespread impression of science, symbolized by the picture of the “father” of modern science, Galileo Galilei, with his telescope. According to this impression, Galileo liberated himself from the dominating metaphysics of his day—basically Aristotelian philosophy—and constructed a telescope that he directed towards the sky, showing that Jupiter has four moons. He also performed experiments with bronze balls rolling down inclined planes and found the law of freely falling bodies.However, in other cases Galileo emphasized the unreliability of our senses. It is easy to see why. He defended Copernicus’ heliocentric hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, we are not at rest at the center of the universe, but moving at a tremendous speed through space. Why don’t we observe this motion? Galileo praises Copernicus because “with reason as his guide he resolutely continued to affirm what sensible experience seemed to contradict.” In other places he directly refers to Plato. SUGGESTED VIEWING The quest for a final theory With Michio Kaku Galileo’s Platonism goes back to his early writings. In The Assayer, published as early as 1623, Galileo compared the universe to a grand book that is written in the language of mathematics, and “its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it.” Therefore, things that cannot be described by mathematics—for example, colors, smells and odors—are not real. They are merely subjective.This division into subjective and objective, advocated by Galileo and his younger contemporary René Descartes, is normally associated with a mechanistic world view, which is regarded as the opposite of Platonism. When we reduce something to, for example, molecules and atoms, we move “downwards.” In contrast, the Platonist moves “upwards,” to abstract entities. However, it only shows that when we address fundamental questions, we should be careful in applying everyday spatial metaphors like “up” and “down.”___Nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world.___The endeavor of finding a Theory of Everything has been heavily criticized. In 2006, the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin published “The Crisis in Fundamental Physics.” He argued that one of the most fundamental principles of science is that we should only regard theories as scientific if we have the possibility to show that they are false by experiments. Although he did not refer to Karl Popper, other critics have referred to Popper and argued that a theory is not scientific if it cannot be falsified (see for example Ellis & Silk 2014).These were not the first physicists to be anti-reductionists. In 1972, the journal Science published an article by the physicist Philip Anderson with the title “More Is Different.” This is the kind of article a scientist would normally write only after he has won a Nobel Prize. However, Anderson won the Nobel Prize for physics five years later, in 1977. The article is amazing, not primarily because it argues in favor of anti-reductionism in general, but because it argues for anti-reductionism within physics itself. Anderson’s conclusion was:At each stage entirely new laws, concepts, and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one. Psychology is not applied biology, nor is biology applied chemistry.We may say that Plato started the “unity of science movement,” based on Euclidean geometry as the model of all knowledge. A distinguishing mark of geometry is that all possible constructions can be reduced to a few fundamental principles. We have to acknowledge that this approach has limitations. In general, we can easily model technological systems. In addition, we may construct simplified and idealized models that capture important aspects of systems, from various perspectives and for various purposes. But nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world. In a complex system, each level has its distinct, emergent, properties that are characteristic of this level. Therefore, a complex system should be investigated at different levels and from different perspectives. Instead of exclusively pursuing a scientific ideal based on the unity of science, we should acknowledge the diversity—or even the disunity—of science.
Democratic Rep. Crockett says Vance used ‘racist tropes’ in comments about her
Two Black Democrats, Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh, criticized comments the vice president made about them during his weekend speech at a Turning Point gathering.
As insurers retreat from Obamacare, a working family is caught in the squeeze
With covid-era subsidies set to end, insurers that offer Obamacare have retreated from some regions, leaving consumers with higher prices and few options.
Column | Republican women shrinking their ranks in Congress
Retirements, resignations and tough elections could cut into their growing numbers from recent elections.
8 Google Docs add-ons you didn't know existed but will change how you work
Google Docs is way more powerful than you think
This Tool Can Tell You If Your Home Network Has Been Compromised
If you think your router is being used to conduct malicious activity, try using IP Check, which alerts you if your IP address has been observed scanning the internet as part of a botnet or residential proxy network.
Rep. Elise Stefanik ends her campaign for New York governor and won't seek reelection to House
Rep. Elise Stefanik says she is suspending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek reelection to Congress
Column | Feeling wonder every day improves our health. Here’s how to do it.
Research has established the power of awe. I experienced it myself in a way I never thought I could.
D.C. auditor finds advisory neighborhood commissioner misused public funds
The auditor found that Salim Adofo, the ANC 8C chair who ran for D.C. Council twice, used government funds for politics and referred the case to the D.C. attorney general.
Column | Trump tweets, White House staff disruptions trigger 2017 déjà vu
GOP lawmakers are battling the same distractions as in Trump’s first term despite talk of stability in the West Wing.
Trump to address the nation amid economic pressure, tensions with Venezuela
The president is expected to tout his economic accomplishments during his first year back in office.
Trump attempts domestic reset with White House address Wednesday evening
The president’s approval ratings reached their lowest numbers in late November. Even some supporters say he has done too little to improve their lives.
Rebuking a Trump climate report, study shows U.S. sea-level rise is accelerating
“It’s not politics. That’s what the data say,” said the study’s author, who examined 70 tide gauges around the country.
Outstanding Seniors in the College of Science: Gamaliel Luna Ahumada
The College of Science is proud to recognize 10 outstanding seniors who went above and beyond during their time as Wildcats. Gamaliel Luna Ahumada is this semester's recipient from Neuroscience.
Trump adds 5 more countries to travel ban, imposes new limits on others
The Trump administration announced it was adding Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria to the list
Analysis | What the end of Trump’s first year looks like
Prices and deportations are going up, while polls regularly show a majority disapproves of his presidency and that most of his major policies are unpopular.
Critical Amazon Kindle Hack Confirmed — What You Need To Know
A hacker found a way to access Amazon accounts using a malicious book downloaded to a Kindle. What you need to know about the ebook attack.
Long-awaited jobs report to give snapshot of labor market strength
The Labor Department’s jobs report will provide insight into the labor market’s direction, amid concerns of a potential downturn.
Poll shows Americans’ growing concern over influence of sports gambling
Overall, 36 percent of Americans say the increasing number of states allowing people to bet on sports is “a bad thing” — up from 23 percent in 2022.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says ICE agents pulled over her son
Somali-born Minnesota representative says her son was let go once he produced his ID
MAGA leaders warn Trump the base is checking out. Will he listen?
President Donald Trump is taking criticism from supporters for not addressing cost-of-living issues while focusing too much on foreign policy and billionaires.
Hassett says Federal Reserve can reject Trump's views if he is chair
A leading candidate to be President Donald Trump’s choice for Federal Reserve chair says he would present the president’s views to Fed officials for their consideration but they could reject them if they chose when making decisions on interest rates
Analysis | Rank-and-file Republicans feel heat from constituents on health care
As efforts to address expiring Obamacare subsidies stall in Congress, members of Trump’s party say it’s time to find a way to help millions afford health insurance.
Analysis | Rank-and-file Republicans feel heat from constituents on health care
As efforts to address expiring Obamacare subsidies stall in Congress, members of Trump’s party say it’s time to find a way to help millions afford health insurance.
Crowd rallies in Lewiston in support of Somalis
Speakers at the Lewiston rally pushed back against Trump’s recent comments about Somalis: “We are Americans. We are citizens, right? He should respect us and protect us and serve us like any other American.”
Trump moves on D.C. golf courses with a default notice to nonprofit
The administration puts the National Links Trust on the clock in a bid to take control of the city’s three public golf courses.
Dr. Oz took over Medicare. It hasn’t been the disaster his critics feared.
The former TV doctor running the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Washington’s wonky health agency, has garnered positive reviews — even from some Democrats.
VA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs
Strains on the system could grow with the elimination of as many as 35,000 mostly unfilled health care positions, including doctors, nurses and support staff.
Twin Cities Latino, Somali businesses struggling amid ICE's Operation Metro Surge: "What did we do?"
Distrust of Trump, fear of China propel new political force in Taiwan
The Kuomintang party’s new leader, Cheng Li-wun, is pushing much closer ties with China, reflecting growing fears Washington would not help in a war over Taiwan.
House votes to nullify Trump order and restore bargaining rights for federal workers
The House voted to repeal President Donald Trump’s executive order from earlier this year that aimed to remove collective bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal employees
Senate poised to reject extension of health care subsidies as costs rise for many
The Senate is poised to reject legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits for millions of Americans
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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