CDC on vaccine link to autism; Mamdani to meet Trump : NPR

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Today's top news

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website now says a link between vaccines and autism cannot be ruled out. This is a departure from the agency's long-standing position that there is no connection. This is the message agrees with Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that vaccines are dangerous.

• 🎧 CDC scientists say they haven't changed their websiteand the Department of Health and Human Services has not disclosed who ordered the wording changes, NPR's Pien Huang reports. Up first. Eat there is no new scientific evidence to support this claim links between vaccines and autism. Huang notes that it is interesting that the headline on the CDC webpage still states that vaccines do not cause autism. However, there is an asterisk next to that statement, which explains that the agency will not remove it because of an agreement with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who provided the key vote to confirm Kennedy as HHS secretary.

President Trump's chief negotiator presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with a new 28-point peace plan. International observers are encouraged that Trump has not abandoned peace between Ukraine and Russia, but the proposal requires major territorial concessions from Ukraine, which the country has repeatedly rejected.

• 🎧 The Trump administration continues to offer these concessions because the president is focused on winning a positive response to his plan.says NPR's Franco Ordonez. Russian analyst Sam Charap notes that for Trump, the details don't matter much. He just wants the fighting to stop, unlike the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, who more attention to detail. Russia wants more strategic territory, while Ukraine has been adamant about security guarantees from Washington and its Western allies to ensure such an incursion does not happen again.

Today, Trump will meet with New York City Mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House. This will be the first time these two meet face to face. Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, became a national figure after winning the primary election earlier this year. The President called Mamdani a “communist” on social media and repeatedly tried to portray him as too radical for the city that elected him mayor.

• 🎧 This meeting is a reminder of the changes Mamdani must make as he takes on his new role.says NPR's Elena Moore. The elected mayor has activist experience, but today will a test for him in balancing his political priorities and maintaining political diplomacy. Let's remember that, according to Moore, the president promised to cut federal funding for New York if Mamdani wins the election, so the stakes at the meeting are real.

Representatives of both major political parties at the state and local level are actively preparing for possible intervention by the Trump administration. in the midterm elections, which are less than a year away. The President has continually spread false claims about voting in the United States. In the spring, he issued an executive order aimed at making significant changes to electoral systems. While the courts have largely blocked the order, it has hinted at the possibility of other executive action. The voting community is concerned that Trump plans to tightly control their processes next year. Here a few things election officials keep an eye on.

Deep Dive

According to the World Meteorological Organization, the planet has warmed by about 1.3 degrees Celsius. Communities are already experiencing more severe storms, flooding and heat waves. Scientists warn that when the planet's temperature rises above 1.5 degrees, widespread, self-reinforcing changes could occur that could have devastating consequences for the entire world. These changes are sometimes called climate tipping points. They can develop over decades or centuries and may be partially reversible. But they all have huge and long-term consequences for life on Earth. Here are some of the most important and well-studied changes:

• 💧Coral reefs are dying out all over the globe. They are very heat sensitive and their loss would destabilize many countries. Many people rely on them for food, income and livelihoods. The marine life found only on these reefs will become endangered.
• 💧 Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica could melt, causing sea levels to rise around the world.
• 💧 Permafrost soil in the Arctic is thawing, which can lead to land subsidence, resulting in cracks in building foundations, buckling of roads and twisting of pipelines.

Stay up to date with the latest news with COP30, UN climate meetings in Brazil, with this exclusive playlist with stories for the application.

Weekend selection

See what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿Movies: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will return to the big screen this weekend. Evil: For good. The sequel will feature more songs, magic and extravagant decorations. But does it live up to the hype generated by the first film? Here Verdict by NPR's Aisha Harris.

📺TV: IN The beast in meA writer struggles to find a topic for her next book until a nefarious real estate tycoon moves in next door. He is suspected of murdering his first wife, although the incident was ruled a suicide. As they get to know each other, she strives to uncover the truth.

📚Books: Three new poetry collections explore identity, suffering and hope, reflecting the shape of shared experience and the inner life of a country experiencing deep pain and uncertainty.

🎵Music: Cabin in the Sky is the first full-length release from hip-hop group De La Soul since founding member Trugoy the Dove died in 2023. It included 20 songs featuring Black Thought, Killer Mike, Q-Tip and Nas.

🎮 Games: Kirby returns to racing game Kirby Air Riderswhich competes with Mario Kart World, says NPR correspondent James Perkins Mastromarino. The game has simple controls and deep customization.

🍗 Food: Thanksgiving is less than a week away, but there's still time to prepare the perfect meal. Check it out roast turkey recipe and a guide to TikTok Chef Tiny viral mac and cheese.

❓ Quiz: I received a “decent” rating of seven out of 10. I'll do better next time. At this time, how about you try this?

3 things you need to know before your trip

1. Health officials are warning that a recalled ByHeart Whole Nutrition formula linked to an outbreak of botulism in more than two dozen infants in 15 states. may still be on the shelves of some stores.
2. A late Labor Department report found that the U.S. employers added 119,000 jobs in Septemberand the unemployment rate increased to 4.4%.
3. New research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences determines how much plastic a marine animal needs swallow it so it's fatal. The Atlantic Puffin requires less than three cubes of plastic.

This newsletter has been edited Suzanne Nuyen.