National

As bird flu outbreaks in dairy cattle are raising concerns about potential human infections, the Biden administration announced Friday nearly $200 million in funding to help contain the spread.

Why it matters: The virus has been detected in cows in in at least nine states this spring. The CDC has said the general public health risk is low, but the government and scientists are closely watching for changes in the virus.

Only one known person exposed to dairy cattle in Texas has been infected in the U.S., but some researchers have suggested other cases could be unaccounted for.

What's inside: Under the new funding plan, dairy farmers may be compensated for lost milk supply from infected cattle as well as veterinary costs and safe disposal of milk from infected cows.

Farmers were incentivized to provide personal protective equipment to employees and to participate in a workplace study through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The administration will spend $98 million to provide up to $28,000 per farm to take protective measures and cover for losses, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Zoom in: The new funding includes $101 million to continue mitigating risk and testing, preventing and treating the virus, known as Type A H5N1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human services announced Friday.

The CDC has found additional funding to bolster its current response and increase testing and laboratory capacity, surveillance of potential exposures, genomic sequencing, and wastewater monitoring.  

What they're saying: "If we institute the countermeasures now, and reduce the spread of the virus ... we're much less likely to see a mutation that jumps to humans for which we're ill-prepared," FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said during a Senate committee hearing this week. 

The National Milk Producers Federation thanked Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement, saying the measures "offer necessary assistance for dairy farmers as they meet the challenges of H5N1 in dairy cattle."

"Care for farm workers and animals is critical for milk producers, as is protecting against potential human health risks and reassuring the public," the trade group representing dairy farmers said.

Between the lines: Dairy farmers have been hesitant to allow health officials on farms to test potentially infected cattle out of concern for how it could affect their businesses, AP reported.

Farmworkers, including migrant workers, reportedly have been avoiding testing out of fear they would miss work or get tracked by the government.

The big picture: Up to 75% of new and emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals, and most of those can be traced back to wildlife, Axios' Alison Snyder previously reported.

The highly contagious and often deadly bird flu has been spreading globally among mammals in recent years.

Go deeper: Charted: Where bird flu has been detected in wild mammals

Charted: Where bird flu has been detected in wild mammals

Biden admin will pay dairy farmers for help containing bird flu

The virus has been detected in cows in in at least nine states this spring.

Cows graze in a field at a dairy farm on April 26, 2024 in Petaluma, California.

Cows graze in a field at a dairy farm in Petaluma, California. Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

Public health

As <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="bird flu outbreaks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/04/bird-flu-wildlife-mammals" data-vars-content-id="206aa46f-21a5-4001-b475-6a26b14dac48" data-vars-headline="Biden admin will pay dairy farmers for help containing bird flu" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/04/bird-flu-wildlife-mammals" target="_self">bird flu outbreaks</a> in dairy cattle are raising concerns about potential human infections, the Biden administration <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="announced" data-vars-click-url="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/05/10/fact-sheet-usda-hhs-announce-new-actions-reduce-impact-spread-h5n1.html" data-vars-content-id="206aa46f-21a5-4001-b475-6a26b14dac48" data-vars-headline="Biden admin will pay dairy farmers for help containing bird flu" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/05/10/fact-sheet-usda-hhs-announce-new-actions-reduce-impact-spread-h5n1.html" target="_blank">announced</a> Friday nearly $200 million in funding to help contain the spread.Why it matters: The virus has been detected in cows in in at least <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nine states" data-vars-click-url="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock" data-vars-content-id="206aa46f-21a5-4001-b475-6a26b14dac48" data-vars-headline="Biden admin will pay dairy farmers for help containing bird flu" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock" target="_blank">nine states</a> this spring. The CDC has said the general public health risk is low, but the government and scientists are closely watching for changes in the virus.

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher, played a key role in quashing negative press coverage for former President Trump, Michael Cohen testified at Trump's criminal hush money trial Monday.

Why it matters: The influential tabloid media figure is accused by prosecutors of conspiring to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Pecker was the first witness in the trial that started in April. He told jurors last month how he would suppress stories critical of  Trump — referred to as a "catch and kill" scheme — and encourage stories targeting his rivals during the 2016 election.

Pecker, a longtime friend of Trump, served as CEO of National Enquirer parent company American Media Inc., now A360 Media, from 1999 to 2020.

During his testimony, Pecker told the jury he refused to pay for a story about an affair between Trump and adult film star Stormy Daniels, AP reported.

Already $180,000 in the hole, he said he told former Trump fixer Michael Cohen: "I didn't want to be involved in this."

He said he had already participated in two other catch-and-kill deals: $150,000 paid to Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep quiet about an affair with Trump and another payout to a former Trump Tower doorman.

Pecker also testified that Trump hosted a "thank you" dinner for him in 2017 at the White House.

Cohen, Trump's onetime fixer, testified Monday about the role Pecker and his American Media Inc. (AMI) played in suppressing negative coverage of Trump, CNN reported.

During a 2015 meeting with Trump, Pecker promised to keep an eye out for negative coverage of Trump, according to Cohen.

Pecker "would be able to help us to know in advance what was coming out and try to stop it from coming out," Cohen testified.

Zoom in: Cohen also testified that he had been in communication with Pecker about preventing former Playboy model Karen McDougal's story from coming out via a "catch and kill" operation.

Cohen testified that during a phone call between Trump and Pecker, the latter said he "had this under control, and we'll take care of this," per CNN.

Cohen added that he learned the news directly from Pecker when the McDougal deal was finalized.

Prosecutors alleged in the indictment against the former president that Pecker met with Trump in 2015, agreed to help his campaign and publish negative stories about his competitors.

Pecker allegedly helped orchestrate "catch and kill" deals in which he'd buy exclusive rights to negative stories about Trump and then prevent them from becoming public during the 2016 presidential campaign. This includes deals with two women who claimed to have past affairs with Trump.

Pecker was granted immunity from prosecution by the DOJ in 2018 for providing information to federal prosecutors about the hush money payments.

The media titan was among dozens investigated by the House Judiciary Committee in 2019 as part of a sweeping probe of Trump and his inner circle.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo, delivering opening statements for the prosecution's side Monday, argued that Pecker was acting as "eyes and ears" for the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.

Colangelo used the phrase multiple times to describe how Pecker used his media empire, America Media, to help Trump's campaign.

Pecker testified Tuesday that he was asked in 2015 how he and his magazines could help Trump. Ultimately, they reached a "mutually beneficial" arrangement that helped increase ad sales of the Enquirer. 

"I said I would run positive stories about Trump and I would publish negative stories about his opponent," he said. "I said I would also be your eyes and ears because I know that the Trump Organization had a very small staff." 

Prosecutors say Pecker helped carry out a "catch and kill" scheme to bury bad news about Trump.

Go deeper: Prosecutor in Trump hush money case zeroes in on "election fraud"

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new developments from Michael Cohen's testimony and additional details.

Prosecutor in Trump hush money case zeroes in on "election fraud"

What to know about David Pecker, key figure in Trump's trial

The influential tabloid media figure is accused by prosecutors of conspiring to influence the 2016 presidential election.

David Pecker at the 'Shape France' Magazine cocktail launch at Hotel Talleyrand on January 19, 2012 in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)

David Pecker in Paris in 2012. Photo: Francois Durand/Getty Images

National Enquirer

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="David Pecker" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/08/22/national-enquirer-david-pecker-merger" data-vars-content-id="3662e1cd-12ad-41ad-a619-584de539187a" data-vars-headline="What to know about David Pecker, key figure in Trump&#x27;s trial" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/08/22/national-enquirer-david-pecker-merger" target="_self">David Pecker</a>, the former National Enquirer publisher, played a key role in quashing negative press coverage for former President Trump, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Michael Cohen" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/13/michael-cohen-stormy-daniels-trump-trial" data-vars-content-id="3662e1cd-12ad-41ad-a619-584de539187a" data-vars-headline="What to know about David Pecker, key figure in Trump&#x27;s trial" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/13/michael-cohen-stormy-daniels-trump-trial" target="_self">Michael Cohen</a> testified at Trump&#x27;s criminal <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="hush money trial" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/22/trump-hush-money-trial-what-to-expect-opening-statements" data-vars-content-id="3662e1cd-12ad-41ad-a619-584de539187a" data-vars-headline="What to know about David Pecker, key figure in Trump&#x27;s trial" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/22/trump-hush-money-trial-what-to-expect-opening-statements" target="_self">hush money trial</a> Monday.Why it matters: The influential tabloid media figure is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="accused" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/22/trump-new-york-criminal-trial-hush-money" data-vars-content-id="3662e1cd-12ad-41ad-a619-584de539187a" data-vars-headline="What to know about David Pecker, key figure in Trump&#x27;s trial" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/04/22/trump-new-york-criminal-trial-hush-money" target="_self">accused</a> by prosecutors of conspiring to influence the 2016 presidential election.

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Former President Trump began the fourth day of his historic criminal trial in New York like the other three: angry, railing against the case and people associated with it, and furious with the city where he built his empire.

Why it matters: With Trump's three other criminal trial timelines in limbo, the New York hush money trial is the only one on track to conclude before the election.

Just as Friday's jury selection was wrapping up, a man set himself on fire outside of the Manhattan courthouse where the proceedings were taking place, dramatically punctuating the day's events.

"I'm not allowed to speak," Trump said Friday outside the worn Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, railing again over the partial gag order that prosecutors say he should be fined for allegedly breaking.

"New York is going down as a very corrupt place to do business," Trump told reporters, per a pool report. "A lot of people are not going to [be] moving to New York." 

The first week of trial, where Trump is required to appear daily besides Wednesdays, took off with jury selection Monday and moved at a surprisingly swift pace. With the full jury selected, Judge Juan Merchan has said opening arguments will start Monday.

Catch up quick: Throughout the week, Trump's Truth Social account was far from mum. He was mocked for appearing to doze off during proceedings, which were not televised per state law.

And a pool of journalists on a Google distribution list chronicled the day-to-day nuances of court, from its temperature ("chilly," Merchan, Trump and reporters agreed) to the defendant's outfit ("Red tie with small white stripes"). 

The former president faces 34 felony counts in the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Who's on the jury for Trump's criminal trial?

This week's proceedings concluded with seating of the 12-person jury and six alternates. 

The 12-person jury is comprised of seven men and five women. They vary across ages and professions and include a corporate lawyer, a teacher, a speech therapist, and a retired wealth manager, per NBC News.

Between the lines: Dozens of potential jurors were dismissed this week after claiming they could not be impartial in the former president's trial. 

Two initially selected jurors were dismissed by end of Thursday.

Other potential jurors voiced fears of being publicly identified, as Axios' Erin Doherty reported.

Court reporters have live-blogged broad descriptions of potential jurors' physical appearances and brief biographies, including recent employment, where in Manhattan they live and where they get their news. 

As one pool report on a potential alternate juror read on Friday: "On his daily walk he typically listens to Fox News and NPR to get both sides. He said they are 'remarkably different.'"

Trump hasn't merely raged to the press about the gag order Merchan imposed on him last month — according to prosecutors, he's continuously violated it.

Merchan has set a hearing for Tuesday over the prosecution's request to hold him in contempt for criticizing two potential witnesses, Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen.

Zoom out: The gag order prohibited Trump from commenting on witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in the case, with the exception of Bragg who is an elected official. 

Merchan further expanded the order earlier this month, barring Trump from attacking family members of those involved in the case.

The intrigue: Prosecutors added to their case Thursday, accusing Trump of violating the gag order seven more times since the start of the week and asking that some of Trump's recent social media posts be included in the hearing.

Trump's lawyer countered that the posts didn't "establish any willful violations" of the gag order, which he added was riddled with ambiguities.

Trump's long-awaited courtroom and campaign collision was on display this week. 

Merchan rejected his request to attend Supreme Court oral arguments on Thursday over his claims of presidential immunity that could impact special counsel Jack Smith's federal Jan. 6 charges.

Meanwhile, Trump's lawyers cited the fast-moving New York trial in a request to delay deadlines in the federal classified documents case against him.

Go deeper: Trump hush money case: Meet the key players involved

Trump hush money case: Meet the key players involved

The judge, the jury and sleepy Don: Trump's first week in criminal court

As Friday's jury selection was wrapping up, a man set himself on fire outside of the Manhattan courthouse.

Donald Trump

Pringle Crocs and snoafers: Ugly shoes are hot

New Balances' penny loafers fall into a bigger lineage of confounding shoe design.

Side-by-side photos of New Balance "snoafers" and the biggest red boots you have ever seen in your life

Photos courtesy New Balance and Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Image

Fashion

New Balance&#x27;s forthcoming sneaker-loafers — or &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="snoafers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wsj.com/style/fashion/new-balance-1906l-loafer-sneaker-5fc95d0a" data-vars-content-id="aad26c14-305e-4e52-a7ea-b9f5b2334c8e" data-vars-headline="Pringle Crocs and snoafers: Ugly shoes are hot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wsj.com/style/fashion/new-balance-1906l-loafer-sneaker-5fc95d0a" target="_blank">snoafers</a>&quot; — are the latest in a new lineage of fashion shoes that raise eyebrows and viral attention mainly for looking offbeat.Why it matters: Memes can be good for the brand, and shoe designers are toppling over one another to come up with the most puzzling — and thus shareable —looks.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Training to run 26.2 miles is a vigorous mental, physical and emotional test. Yet more people young and old are going for it. 

Why it matters: Long-distance running, which experienced a pandemic-era boom, is becoming a more democratized sport. Marathon participants in their 20s are even embracing the race as a life milestone. 

"A theme that I see a lot is people are using running as a way to get through something," New York Road Runners CEO Rob Simmelkjaer tells Axios. It could be grief over a loss or the everyday stress of raising kids.

Training for a marathon demands structure, discipline and commitment.

"Everybody who trains for a marathon has moments of challenge, moments of pain, moments where they wonder how it's going to go," Simmelkjaer said.

The intrigue: Young people are posting about marathon training on TikTok as their "quarter-life crisis."

The prospect of running the race "promises a profound sense of control that may be especially appealing to those coming into adulthood," The Atlantic recently reported.

Rather than traditional markers of "adulthood" — marriage, homeownership, children — running an intense race might do.

State of play: Participation in the Boston Marathon has ticked upward across the race's more than century-long history. About 30,000 runners signed up this year for the April race, compared with only 140 men in 1924. 

Finish times have also increased, suggesting people who are older, less fit and less experienced are still securing a bib, despite the race's qualifying time requirement.

The New York City Marathon, which will take place in November, has seen turnout of 20-somethings jump in the last five years. 

The number of runners in this group increased by 21% from 2019 to 2023 — from roughly 8,230 to nearly 10,000 participants.

Between the lines: Running a marathon can offer a sense of purpose, responsibility, self-esteem and identity formation, according to Kevin Masters, a University of Colorado, Denver professor who's researched marathon participants for decades.

It offers community, the satisfaction of reaching a goal, and lessons about your body and health. (And the chance of injury, so don't overdo it.)

While running, people also think — and it can lead them to solve tricky work problems, or remember people they miss and decide to reach out, Masters said.

It can force participants to reorganize their lives.

"Even eating becomes interesting because you can't really slam down a big burger and then go out and run 10 miles," Masters said.

NYRR lists more than 250 running clubs on its website for a range of identity groups, including Black, Latino, Asian, LGBTQ+ and faith communities.

Those groups might fill holes reflected in young people's shift away from more organized groups, including religion. 

Reality check: Running is free and doesn't require a gym membership, but training for a long race poses some economic barriers. 

Training requires time, access to trainers and good shoes, and park or track options for long runs, Simmelkjaer said.

My thought bubble: I'm 30 and running my first marathon in Philadelphia this fall. I'd initially planned to run the New York Marathon in 2021 through NYRR's 9+1 program in 2020, but I'm bored with that foiled story.

I've been inspired reading Haruki Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" and adapting to a lifestyle with no alcohol and restorative rest. 

Building out a training plan, which often varies from 16 to 20 weeks, is also a fun way to map out the rest of the year and connect with marathon runners in my life. 

Scheduled runs marked "AYF" suggest going as you feel — whatever pace works.

The bottom line: Making it to the marathon starting line is an accomplishment, the culmination of much perseverance and resilience. 

"I want to say to all of you, congratulations," Simmelkjaer told runners at the starting line in Staten Island at the 2023 New York City Marathon. 

"The actual day of the race is more of a celebration than it is the hard part."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to note New York Road Runners lists local running clubs it engages with on its website.

Axios Finish Line: Why more people are running marathons

For some young people, marathon training marks their "quarter life crisis."

Animated illustration of a runner's bib increasing from 0 to 999.

Exercise

Training to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="run" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/03/24/running-groups-clubs" data-vars-content-id="f1baf207-93b4-4700-a66b-fc52b17f83ca" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Why more people are running marathons" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/03/24/running-groups-clubs" target="_self">run</a> 26.2 miles is a vigorous mental, physical and emotional test. Yet more people young and old are going for it. Why it matters: Long-distance running, which experienced a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pandemic-era boom" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/sports/running-exercise-coronavirus.html" data-vars-content-id="f1baf207-93b4-4700-a66b-fc52b17f83ca" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Why more people are running marathons" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/sports/running-exercise-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">pandemic-era boom</a>, is becoming a more democratized sport. Marathon participants in their 20s are even embracing the race as a life milestone.

Natalie Daher

Stories

What to know about David Pecker, key figure in Trump's trial

Biden admin will pay dairy farmers for help containing bird flu

Axios Finish Line: Why more people are running marathons

Pringle Crocs and snoafers: Ugly shoes are hot

The judge, the jury and sleepy Don: Trump's first week in criminal court