In brief: Science backs vaccination, White House says
Washington – Amid the measles outbreak stemming from California, the White House is telling parents that science indicates they should vaccinate their children.
President Barack Obama’s spokesman, Josh Earnest, said Friday that decisions about vaccinations should be left to parents, but the science on vaccinations “is really clear.” Some parents continue to believe debunked research linking vaccines to autism and refuse to vaccinate their children.
“I’m not going to stand up here and dispense medical advice,” Earnest said when asked whether the president supports parents who choose not to vaccinate. “But I am going to suggest that the president’s view is that people should evaluate this for themselves, with a bias toward good science and toward the advice of our public health professionals, who are trained to offer us exactly this kind of advice.”
About 100 cases of the measles have been reported in the U.S. since last month in the second-biggest outbreak in at least 15 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is 97 percent effective at preventing measles.
N.Y. Assembly speaker quits amid charges
Albany, N.Y. – New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced his resignation as two lawmakers jockeyed for his position Friday following federal charges that the longtime leader took nearly $4 million in kickbacks.
The Manhattan Democrat filed a letter with the clerk of the Assembly making his resignation effective Monday. Silver, who has said he expects to be exonerated, intends to keep his Assembly seat.
Democrats in the Assembly said they were ready to oust Silver if he had not resigned, and they have already begun the process of picking his successor.
On Friday, Majority Leader Joseph Morelle dropped out of the race and threw his support to Assemblyman Carl Heastie of the Bronx, who appears to have the job locked up. Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan of Queens remains the only other candidate.
Lawmakers had initially planned to wait for two weeks to pick a successor to Silver, who became speaker in 1994. But with Heastie emerging as the clear front-runner, it’s possible the vote could occur as early as Tuesday.
Executions delayed during injection review
Columbus, Ohio – Six men sitting on death row in Ohio will see their executions delayed until 2016 as the state continues to try to implement new lethal injection protocols after a convicted killer writhed for 10 minutes before dying during an execution last year.
Ohio’s Department of Rehabilitation and Correction announced the delays in a statement released Friday, citing a need for more time to implement and test the use of thiopental sodium in its lethal injection cocktail.
The drug had been used in state executions from 1999 to 2011, officials said. The previous cocktail, which included midazolam and hydromorphone, was shelved last year after the January 2014 execution of convicted killer Dennis McGuire.
Witnesses to the execution said McGuire was “struggling and gasping loudly for air,” and made choking sounds for nearly 10 minutes after the cocktail was administered.