By Amanda Seitz

Washington (AP) -The Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary of President Donald Trump on Thursday and provided the outstanding vaccine skeptic of 1.7 trillion US dollars in federal expenditure, vaccine recommendations and food safety in addition to medical insurance programs for Rau of the country .

Almost all Republicans found themselves regardless of the hesitation of Kennedy views on vaccines behind Trump and voted 52-48 to extend the sprout of one of the hired political and democratic families of America to the secretary of the health and human service. Democrats were unanimous against Kennedy.

The Senator of Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, who had as a toddler Polio, was the one “no” amongst Republicans and reflected his stands against Trump's suggestions for the Pentagon boss and director of the National Secret Service.

“I am a survivor of the childhood policy. In my life I saw how vaccines save millions of human life from devastating diseases all over America and all over the world, ”said McConnell in a subsequent explanation. “I will not tolerate the revival of proven healing, and even millions of Americans who owe their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”

However, the remaining of the GOP has adopted Kennedy's vision with a suggestion for public health authorities to give attention to chronic diseases reminiscent of obesity.

“We have to get involved in making America well again,” said Senator Mike Crapo, R-Idaho and added that Kennedy will bring a “new perspective” to the office.

Kennedy, 71, whose name and families have brought him into the national highlight since childhood, has earned an enormous followers along with his populist and sometimes extreme have a look at food, chemicals and vaccines.

His audience only grew in the course of the Covid 19 pandemic, when Kennedy devoted a big a part of his time to a non-profit organization, sued vaccination and used social media campaigns to undermine trust in vaccines and the federal government authorities that promote them.

With Trump's support, Kennedy insisted that he was “uniquely positioned” to revive the trust in these public health authorities, which include the Food and Drug Administration, the centers for the control and prevention of illnesses and the national institutes of health.

Last week Senator Thom Tillis said Rn.C. Before he agreed to support Kennedy, a health care provider who headed the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Employment, Labor and Pension Committee, needed to be the peace of mind that Kennedy doesn’t make any changes the present vaccine recommendations.

During the Senate's hearings, the Democrats tried to refuse Kennedy to refuse an extended -employed theory that causes vaccines. Some legislators also triggered alarms via Kennedy, which profit financially from the change within the vaccination guidelines or the weakening of the protection of the federal government against vaccines.

Last 12 months, Kennedy achieved greater than 850,000 US dollars from an agreement on the order of a law firm that sued the manufacturers of Gardasil, a human papillomavirus vaccine that protects against cervical cancer. When he was confirmed as a health secretary, he promised to remove the fees for his son raised by the agreement.

Kennedy will take over the agency in the course of an enormous shock of the federal government, led by billionaire Elon Musk, who – albeit temporarily – has closed billions of taxpayers' dollars in public health financing, and 1000’s of federal staff leave their work unsafe.

On Friday, the NIH announced that medical research is utilized in billions of dollars at universities and cancer to develop treatments for diseases reminiscent of cancer and Alzheimer's.

Kennedy also called for a personnel overhaul at NIH, FDA and CDC. Last 12 months he promised to alleviate 600 employees on the NIH, the biggest biomedical research within the country.

Originally published: February 13, 2025 at 9:42 a.m. PST

policy

Washington (AP) -The Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary of President Donald Trump on Thursday and provided the outstanding vaccine skeptic of 1.7 trillion US dollars in federal expenditure, vaccine recommendations and food safety in addition to medical insurance programs for Rau of the country .

Despite the hesitation of Kennedy views, the Republicans went to vaccines behind Trump and voted 52-48 to extend the sprout of one of the crucial famous political and democratic and democratic families in America to the Department of Health and Human Services. The Senator of Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, who had as a toddler Polio, was the one “no” amongst Republicans and reflected his stands against Trump's suggestions for the Pentagon boss and director of the National Secret Service. All Democrats rejected Kennedy.

The GOP has largely assumed Kennedy's vision of “making healthy again” by instructing the general public health authorities to give attention to chronic diseases resembling obesity.

Kennedy, 71, whose name and families have brought him into the national highlight since childhood, has earned an enormous followers along with his populist and sometimes extreme take a look at food, chemicals and vaccines.

His audience only grew through the Covid 19 pandemic, when Kennedy devoted a big a part of his time to a non-profit organization, sued vaccination and used social media campaigns to undermine trust in vaccines and the federal government authorities that promote them.

With Trump's support, Kennedy insisted that he was “uniquely positioned” to revive the trust in these public health authorities, which include the Food and Drug Administration, the centers for the control and prevention of illnesses and the national institutes of health.

Last week Senator Thom Tillis said Rn.C. Before he agreed to support Kennedy, a physician who headed the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Employment, Labor and Pension Committee, needed to be the reassurance that Kennedy doesn’t make any changes the present vaccine recommendations.

During the Senate's hearings, the Democrats tried to refuse Kennedy to refuse an extended -employed theory that causes vaccines. Some legislators also triggered alarms via Kennedy, which profit financially from the change within the vaccination guidelines or the weakening of the protection of the federal government against vaccines.

Last 12 months, Kennedy achieved greater than 850,000 US dollars from an agreement on the order of a law firm that sued the manufacturers of Gardasil, a human papillomavirus vaccine that protects against cervical cancer. When he was confirmed as a health secretary, he promised to remove the fees for his son raised by the agreement.

Kennedy will take over the agency in the course of an enormous shock of the federal government, led by billionaire Elon Musk, who – albeit temporarily – has closed billions of taxpayers' dollars in public health financing, and 1000’s of federal employees leave their work unsafe.

On Friday, the NIH announced that medical research is utilized in billions of dollars at universities and cancer to develop treatments for diseases resembling cancer and Alzheimer's.

Kennedy also called for a personnel overhaul at NIH, FDA and CDC. Last 12 months he promised to alleviate 600 employees on the NIH, the biggest biomedical research within the country.

Musk influence

The award-winning Napa Rose-Restaurant from Disneyland-known for its Wine Country thematic meal, exhibition kitchen with a cooking switch and impressive wine cellar is about to realize an extreme revision.

The Napa Rose Restaurant within the Grand California Hotel in Disney can be temporarily closed in spring and resumed in autumn after an in depth renovation.

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The Napa Rose transformation extends to the menu, while the wine collection maintains 1,500 label. The smile tigers' salad for the fan stays after the makeover of the menu.

The renovation will maintain the Californian handicrafts in California and the country elegance of the restaurant and at the identical time recovered French oak floors and columns, hand -packed handicraft metals and a chandelier inspired by cars.

The exhibition kitchen and the cooking switches are expanded in addition to the skin terrace with two latest fireplaces.

Chef Andrew Sutton, who acts as a culinary director of Signature Dining in Disneyland Resort, monitors Napa Rose and Carthay Circle within the Disney California Adventure and within the private club 33 in Disneyland.

From the earliest days, Napa Rose, obsessed by Wine, encouraged every worker from the hostesses and buses to chefs and grocery runner sommelier training.

The current evening menu includes Beijing Partridge, braised wild boar, winter goose cake and Colorado Lamb -Lenden.

With the six-course prix fixe menu of the Vintner table paired with a wine flight, you might be reset $ 293.

A final date has not yet been announced. According to the Disneyland website, Napa Rose reservations are still available by the top of March.

Originally published: January 24, 2025 at 8:44 a.m. PST

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania's prime minister said Saturday the federal government will close video service TikTok for a yr, blaming it for inciting violence and bullying, especially amongst children.

Albanian authorities held 1,300 meetings with teachers and fogeys after an adolescent was stabbed by one other teenager in mid-November after an argument began on TikTok.

Prime Minister Edi Rama said in a gathering with teachers and fogeys that TikTok would “remain completely closed to everyone.”…There will likely be no TikTok within the Republic of Albania.” Rama said the shutdown would begin sometime next year.

It was not immediately clear whether TikTok has a contact in Albania.

In an email response Saturday to a request for comment, TikTok asked for “urgent clarity from the Albanian government” in the case of the stabbed teenager. The company said it found “no evidence that the perpetrator or victim had TikTok accounts, and actually, multiple reports have confirmed that videos resulting in this incident were posted on one other platform and never TikTok.” “

According to local researchers, Albanian children make up the largest group of TikTok users in the country.

Albanian parents are increasingly concerned after reports of children taking knives and other objects to school to use in arguments or bullying cases, promoted through stories they saw on TikTok.

TikTok's activities in China, where the parent company is based, are different and “promote how to learn better, how to protect nature… and so on,” said Rama.

Albania is too small a country to force TikTok to change its algorithm so that it does not “encourage the reproduction of the endless hell of the language of hate, violence, bullying, etc.,” Rama's office wrote in an email response The Associated Press seeks comment. Rama's office said TikTok in China “prevents children from being sucked into this abyss.”

Rama said Albania would monitor how the company and other countries react to the year-long closure before deciding whether to allow the company to resume operations in Albania.

Not everyone agreed with Rama's decision to shut down TikTok.

“The dictatorial decision to close the social media platform TikTok … is a serious act against freedom of expression and democracy,” said Ina Zhupa, a lawmaker from the fundamental opposition Democratic Party. “It is a purely electoral act and an abuse of power to suppress freedoms.”

Parliamentary elections will happen in Albania next yr.

BIG SUR – Highway 1 can be completely closed in Rocky Creek to accommodate heavy equipment as a part of repairs to the roadway where a slide occurred earlier this yr.

Caltrans plans to completely close Highway 1 in Rocky Creek for twenty-four hours starting at 10 p.m. Friday and reopen the road to through traffic at 10 p.m. Saturday

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The 24-hour road closures are obligatory to permit work crews to put in nine precast concrete beams as construction progresses on a viaduct to exchange a bit of the southbound lane that was lost on account of a slip in March.

During girder installation, two heavy cranes can be in use at either end of the project area and vehicles won’t be permitted to travel through the positioning.

The schedule for this 24-hour closure is weather dependent, based on Caltrans. Updates can be provided to verify or announce changes to this schedule. If the weather makes it obligatory to postpone the assembly of the girders, the primary alternative date for this work could be Saturday, 10 p.m. to Sunday, 10 p.m

But work on the roadway because the problem began has paved the best way for the following phase of repair efforts.

“Immediately following the March 30 slide, crews worked for several weeks to stabilize the remaining portion of the southbound lane,” said Caltrans District 5 spokesman Kevin Drabinski. “Once stabilization is achieved, crews will begin work planning emergency repairs aimed at returning the roadway to two full lanes. The design calls for the construction of a viaduct, a feature relatively common along Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast. Viaducts are often used to bridge routes where the grade may naturally slope and support beneath the roadway is required.”

Rocky Creek is 12 miles south of Carmel. The slide occurred south of the Rocky Creek Bridge on Highway 1 – after mile 60 – and resulted within the undermining of the southbound lane. Caltrans crews' emergency stabilization measures were implemented and 24-hour one-way traffic control was established with signals to permit traffic to flow freely south toward Big Sur businesses.

The emergency project continues with construction of a viaduct to support the roadway and repairs to a concrete embankment at the bottom of the cliff.

Teams have made significant progress during a construction phase that involved drilling and casting reinforced concrete columns to support the burden of the viaduct structure.

“The design of this viaduct includes support at both ends and two support columns in the middle,” Drabinski said. “The two middle supports ensure a three-span construction. Three beams are placed across the three spans. In total, nine precast concrete beams ranging from 45 to 65 feet in length will be installed throughout the 24-hour closure.”

Drabinski added that over the past few months, crews have been drilling holes, lowering rebar cages inside and pouring the concrete to create these support columns, amongst quite a few other construction-related tasks. The concrete beams function a supporting structure for the southern carriageway of the viaduct bridge deck.

The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Alamo. The estimated price tag for the Rocky Creek Slip-out repair work is $21 million.

Highway 1 stays closed at Regent's Slide, 40 miles south of Carmel, on account of the Regent's Slide – after mile 27.8 – which occurred March 9 and commenced April 30 with the removal of slide material from top to bottom was began by the crews.

Difficult conditions related to the positioning's extreme slope and ongoing slide activity have prolonged the reopening date, but nearly all of Big Sur's coastline stays accessible and open.

Road information and updates will also be found on Caltrans District 5's social media platforms: X/Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5), and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.

Originally published: December 10, 2024 at 7:55 am PST

Disneyland will close three attractions for seasonal renovations through the busy winter holidays, just as the vacation season is in full swing at Anaheim theme parks.

Storybook Land Canal Boats, Casey Jr. Circus Train and nighttime spectacle “Fantasmic” will temporarily close in December as a part of the usual recovery plan at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

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The three latest attraction closures include Little Mermaid – Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pixie Hollow and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, which were already closed for renovations.

The Storybook Land Canal Boats and Casey Jr. Circus Train attractions, that are connected at Fantasyland at Disneyland, will each be closed for lower than per week in early December.

The Storybook Land Canal Boats will undergo a seasonal renovation December 2-5, while the Casey Jr. Circus Train will probably be closed December 2-6.

“Fantastic“The Rivers of America at Disneyland will be dark on weekdays in December except Christmas week.

Dark dates for “Fantasmic” include: June 2-5. December, ninth – twelfth December, Sixteenth-Nineteenth December and December thirty first.

The Little Mermaid – Ariel's Undersea Adventure Dark Ride at Disney California Adventure reopens on Saturday, November thirtieth after a month-long renovation.

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Frontierland's Big Thunder Mountain mining coaster, offering the wildest ride within the wilderness, will reopen on December thirteenth after a month-long renovation.

Fantasyland's Pixie Hollow meet-and-greet area, where visitors shrink to the scale of a fairy to go to Tinker Bell, has been closed since September and isn’t expected to return until early January.

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“Walt Disney – A Magical Life“will initially run on its own when the new animatronic show premieres in 2025, then alternate with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” at Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House.

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The Hyperion Theater at DCA's Hollywood Land, at Disneyland Fantasyland Theater and the Magic Eye Theater in Tomorrowland will remain dark as there aren’t any upcoming shows within the works.

Disneyland is Use of the Fantasyland Theater for character meet-and-greets, cookie decorating, crafts and storytelling through the holiday season, which runs through January sixth.

Originally published: November 26, 2024 at 5:11 am PST

Disneyland will close five attractions for seasonal renovations throughout the busy winter holiday season, just as Thanksgiving and Christmas crowds flock to Anaheim's theme parks.

“Fantasmic,” “Big Thunder Mountain,” “Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure,” “Columbia Sailing Ship” and “Dumbo the Flying Elephant” will temporarily close in November as part of normal renovation plans at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

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The five recent attraction closures include Splash Mountain, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, It's a Small World and Pixie Hollow, which were already closed for renovations.

Frontierland's Big Thunder Mountain mining roller coaster, which offers the wildest ride within the wilderness, will close Nov. 18 for a seasonal renovation that may last at the least through early December.

“Fantasmic” at Disneyland’s Rivers of America will likely be dark on weekdays in November and December, except for Thanksgiving week, because the nighttime spectacle moves to a post-summer schedule.

Dark dates for “Fantasmic” include: June 4-7. November, Eleventh-14th November, 18th-Twenty first November, 2nd – fifth December, ninth – twelfth December and Sixteenth-Nineteenth December.

Fantasmic's dining package calendar only extends through December twenty third – and doesn't show the Christmas week show schedule.

Due to the seasonal shift within the “Fantasmic” schedule, the sailing ship Columbia may even be out of service on chosen dates.

The Columbia — which serves as a pirate ship in “Fantasmic” — will likely be closed Nov. 4-7, based on the Disneyland website.

The Dumbo the Flying Elephant spinning children's ride at Fantasyland will likely be closed for a single day on November Nineteenth.

Fantasyland's Pixie Hollow meet-and-greet area, where visitors shrink to the dimensions of a fairy to go to Tinker Bell, will return November 17 after an in depth seasonal renovation.

It's a Small World will remain closed until November 14th because the Fantasyland cruise undergoes annual remodeling for the winter holiday season and seasonal maintenance.

Disneyland's recent Tiana's Bayou Adventure is delightful, exciting, and still plenty wet

The Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show led to April and is not going to return until early 2025 as a part of Disneyland's seventieth anniversary celebration.

“Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will run standalone when the brand new animatronic show first launches in 2025, then alternate with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” at Disneyland’s Main Street Opera House.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure will premiere November fifteenth in the brand new Bayou Country-themed land following a year-long remodel of the Splash Mountain log ride.

Disneyland is currently hosting previews for Annual Passholders and Cast Members of Tiana's Bayou Adventure through November twelfth.

The Hyperion Theater at DCA's Hollywood Land, the Fantasyland Theater at Disneyland and the Magic Eye Theater at Tomorrowland remain dark with no upcoming show within the works.

Disneyland will use the Fantasyland Theater for character meet-and-greets, cookie decorating, crafts and storytelling throughout the Christmas holiday season starting November fifteenth.

Originally published: November 5, 2024 at 10:25 am PST

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