On Monday, federal health officials rolled back recommendations for some childhood vaccines, including those that protect against influenza, COVID-19 and hepatitis B.

The decision memorandum signed by Jim O’Neill, deputy secretary of Health and Human Services and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breaks the childhood vaccine recommendations into three groups: recommended for all children, recommended for high-risk groups and “immunizations based on shared clinical decision-making.”

It’s a change that Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, says “will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children.”

“Keep in mind that close to 300 children died from influenza during the 2024-25 season,” Osterholm said in a statement. “This wildly irresponsible decision will sow further doubt and confusion among parents and put children’s lives at risk.”

The vaccinations that the federal government continues to recommend for all children prevent against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV) and varicella (chickenpox).

However, immunizations against the following diseases are now only recommended for high-risk groups or when “physicians and parents … decide based on individual characteristics,” per an HHS fact sheet:

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Dengue
Rotavirus
COVID-19
Influenza
Meningococcal disease

The change responds to a Dec. 5 memorandum from President Donald Trump, instructing HHS Secretary Ronald F. Kennedy, Jr. and O’Neill to “update the United States core childhood vaccine schedule” to resemble other nations’ practices.

The decision memorandum does not change Minnesota law, which requires that children receive certain routine immunizations in order to enroll in school or child care, unless they receive an exemption.

Private and public health insurance will still cover vaccinations in all three categories, federal officials said.

“All vaccines currently recommended by CDC will remain covered by insurance without cost sharing,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said in a statement. “No family will lose access.”

In a statement, Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham said the federal government’s “unilateral decision” to change its childhood vaccine guidance is “highly concerning.”

“The previous CDC childhood immunization schedule had been supported by decades of rigorous scientific evidence showing it works to protect our young ones from diseases that can make them very sick,” Cunningham said. “The confusion and impacts of this decision will take some time to sort through, but I can say the Minnesota Department of Health unequivocally continues to support immunization as a life-saving public health measure.”

In September 2025, MDH recommended that all Minnesotans age 6 months and older receive the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine, breaking from the guidance issued by the federal government. A few days later, Mayo Clinic offered similar guidance.

“Vaccinations are an important step in preventing and reducing the effects of infectious diseases,” Mayo Clinic said in a statement in response to the CDC change. “Scheduling and maintaining childhood vaccinations helps reduce infections and can save lives. Parents should speak with their child’s care provider to address any questions they have to make informed decisions regarding care.”

In a statement, the Minnesota Medical Association, an organization that represents the state’s physicians and medical students, said it is “deeply concerned” by the CDC’s decision.

“The changes add unnecessary confusion and uncertainty around vaccines that have been shown to be both safe and effective,” the statement reads. “The MMA urges parents and families to talk directly with their physicians about the critical role that childhood vaccines play in preventing serious disease and death, and in protecting the most vulnerable members or our communities.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A year after twin infernos tore across opposite ends of Los Angeles County, the scars are still visible. Thousands of homes were reduced to rubble, with rebuilding slow, and the death toll showed how a wildfire under extreme weather conditions can turn catastrophic.

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The Palisades and Eaton fires exploded in size within hours of each other on Jan. 7, 2025. These figures show how fast the disaster unfolded and the toll it left behind:

90 miles per hour

The speed of predicted wind gusts in mountain areas, equivalent to 145 kilometers per hour. Red Flag warnings were issued Jan. 6 for severe wildfire danger as Southern California was buffeted by the region’s notorious Santa Ana winds. Grass and brush were tinder dry after months with little or no rain. The National Weather Service warned it could be a life-threatening wind event. Firefighting assets were pre-positioned in areas deemed to be at especially high risk for fires.

4 hours

FILE – A lone sunbather sits and watches a large plume of smoke from a wildfire rise over the Pacific Palisades, in Santa Monica, Calif., Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

How long it took for a small wildfire to explode in size. At 10:30 a.m. reports began coming in about a small blaze on a ridge in LA’s upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, in the same area where crews had responded to a fire on New Year’s Day. Before long, a large plume of dark smoke was visible from miles away. Shortly after 11 a.m. on Jan. 7, the revived fire was reported to be about 10 acres (4 hectares), located near Palisades Drive on the coastal neighborhood’s western edge.

Over the next two hours, roads were jammed with motorists trying to flee as flames roared down streets and decimated homes. Officials issued an evacuation order for the Palisades while warning residents of surrounding areas that they should also get ready to leave. Within hours, the blaze had rapidly grown.

FILE – A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File)

As firefighting resources were focused on the Palisades, another blaze was sparked about 30 miles to the east in Altadena, on the other end of Los Angeles County. The Eaton Fire started at 6:17 p.m. and all firefighting aircraft in the county were soon grounded because of high winds. By 8 p.m. it had doubled in size.

59 square miles

FILE – The Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a residence in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)

The amount of land charred by the two infernos, equivalent to 155 square kilometers. That’s roughly the size of the entire city of San Francisco.

31 lives

The number of people who died — 19 in the Eaton Fire and 12 in the Palisades Fire.

31 days

How long the Palisades Fire burned before it was extinguished. Investigators determined the 37-square-mile blaze had actually grown out of the earlier fire that started on Jan. 1.

25 days

FILE – Melissa Young, center right, gets a hug from a well-wisher at her fire-ravaged home in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

The number of days it took for the Eaton Fire to be extinguished. It burned 22 square miles.

$33.9 billion

The amount of federal disaster aid requested by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Trump administration and Congress have yet to approve it.

45 years in prison

The maximum sentence faced by a 29-year-old man charged with sparking the Palisades Fire. He has pleaded not guilty. The cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation.

16,246 structures

FILE – A bus sits among burned out homes, Jan. 9, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

The number of structures destroyed in both blazes, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. In Altadena, 9,413 homes, businesses and other buildings were razed. In Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas including Malibu, 6,833 buildings, mostly homes, were gone.

10 houses

The number of homes rebuilt so far, according to city and county data. Most are in the Altadena area, with one in Pasadena and two in Pacific Palisades. None are finished in Malibu. Hundreds more are under construction across the region.

$970 million

The total charitable commitments to LA fire relief is between at least $860 million to $970 million, according to a study by the Milken Institute. Most was raised in the first month after the fires, and individual donations through GoFundMe brought in $265 million.

This story has been updated to correct the date the two fires erupted to Jan. 7, 2025, not Jan. 6, 2024.

WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames, who betrayed Western intelligence assets to the Soviet Union and Russia in one of the most damaging intelligence breaches in U.S. history, has died in a Maryland prison. He was 84.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons confirmed Ames died Monday.

Ames admitted being paid $2.5 million by Moscow for U.S. secrets from 1985 until his arrest in 1994. He admitted disclosing the identities of 10 Russian officials and one East European who were spying for the United States or Great Britain. His betrayals are blamed for the executions of Western agents working behind the Iron Curtain and were a major setback to the CIA.

He pleaded guilty without a trial to espionage and tax evasion and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors said he deprived the United States of valuable intelligence material for years.

He professed “profound shame and guilt” for “this betrayal of trust, done for the basest motives,” money to pay debts. But he downplayed the damage he caused, telling the court he did not believe he had “noticeably damaged” the United States or “noticeably aided” Moscow.

“These spy wars are a sideshow which have had no real impact on our significant security interests over the years,” he told the court in a matter-of-fact tone.

In a jailhouse interview with The Washington Post the day before he was sentenced, Ames said he was motivated to spy by “financial troubles, immediate and continuing.”

In what has been called a “heartbreaking” loss, Jett, the former St. Paul police horse, has died.

“In true police form, he fought hard his last few weeks with us. He beat every medical challenge that came his way. His passing was unexpected, and heartbreaking to watch,” wrote Jen Mink on a GoFundMe page set up to help with veterinary bills.

She said an emergency veterinarian euthanized Jett on Christmas Day after he was unable to get on his feet, even with assistance.

Mink was partnered with Jett for about four years when she was a St. Paul police officer, and she owned and cared for him after he retired from duty in 2018. The police department opted to disband its mounted unit in 2019.

“If Jett was a person, he would be receiving a funeral or service with honors. I know it probably sounds silly, but to me, he would have given his life to help others,” Mink wrote. “He lived an honorable life. He was in the small percentage of horses that are courageous and brave. I wish he knew how important he was. Even after retirement, he still served and helped others. He had a big blue heart. And now he is gone, like he and his life weren’t a big deal.”

In mid-December, Jett, an appendix quarter horse, was battling a fever and had been eating and drinking minimally. As veterinarians sought a diagnosis amid evidence of a bowel impaction, Mink created the GoFundMe and asked for the public’s help with expenses.

She said that with the money raised, she knows that everything possible was done to prolong Jett’s life as long as possible.

“My heart hurts so bad right now … but I have moments of comfort, knowing there was nothing left for me or the vet to do. There are no ‘what-if’s’ or ‘if only’s.’ I have all of you to thank for that,” she wrote.

Jett was estimated to be in his late 20s, which is old for a horse.

Mink, who left policing in 2021, now teaches basic horsemanship skills to children through adults with three other retired St. Paul police horses, including Moose, her partner after Jett.

She said she is now turning to having Jett cremated and planning a memorial service consistent with his law enforcement service.

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