By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is eyeing Hollywood for his next round of tariffs, threatening to levy all films produced outside the U.S. at a steep rate of 100%.

Over the weekend, Trump accused other countries of “stealing the movie-making capabilities” of the U.S. and said that he had authorized the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of implementing this new import tax on all foreign-made films. But further specifics or dates weren’t provided. And the White House confirmed that no final decisions had been made as of Monday.

Trump later said that he would meet with industry executives about the proposal but a lot remains unclear about how an import tax on complex, international productions could even be implemented.

If imposed, experts warn that such a tariff would dramatically hike the costs of making movies today. That uncertainty could put filmmakers in limbo, much like other industries that have recently been caught in the crosshairs of today’s ongoing trade wars.

Unlike other sectors that have recently been targeted by tariffs, however, movies go beyond physical goods, bringing larger intellectual property ramifications into question. Here’s what we know.

Why is Trump threatening this steep movie tariff?

Trump is citing national security concerns, a justification he’s similarly used to impose import taxes on certain countries and a range of sector-specific goods.

In a Sunday night post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that the American movie industry is “DYING to a very fast death” as other countries offer “all sorts of incentives” to draw filmmaking away from the U.S.

Trump has previously voiced concern about movie production moving overseas. And in recent years, U.S. film and television production has been hampered between setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hollywood guild strikes of 2023 and the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Incentive programs have also long-influenced where movies are shot both abroad and within the U.S., with more production leaving California to states like Georgia and New Mexico — as well as countries like Canada.

But unlike other sectors targeted by Trump’s recently-imposed tariffs, the American film industry currently holds a trade deficit that’s in the U.S.’s favor.

In movie theaters, American-produced movies overwhelmingly dominate the domestic marketplace. Data from the Motion Picture Association also shows that American films made $22.6 billion in exports and $15.3 billion in trade surplus in 2023 — with a recent report noting that these films “generated a positive balance of trade in every major market in the world” for the U.S.

Last year, international markets accounted for over 70% of Hollywood’s total box office revenue, notes Heeyon Kim, an assistant professor of strategy at Cornell University. She warns that tariffs and potential retaliation from other countries impacting this industry could result in billions of dollars in lost earnings and thousands of jobs.

“To me, (this) makes just no sense,” she said, adding that such tariffs could “undermine otherwise a thriving part of the U.S. economy.”

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents behind-the-scenes entertainment workers across the U.S. and Canada, said in a statement Monday that Trump had “correctly recognized” the “urgent threat from international competition” that the American film and television industry faces today. But the union said it instead recommended the administration implement a federal production tax incentive and other provisions to “level the playing field” while not harming the industry overall.

How could a tax on foreign-made movies work?

That’s anyone’s guess.

“Traditional tariffs apply to physical imports crossing borders, but film production primarily involves digital services — shooting, editing and post-production work that happens electronically,” notes Ann Koppuzha, a lawyer and business law lecturer at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.

Koppuzha said that film production is more like an applied service that can be taxed, not tariffed. But taxes require Congressional approval, which could be a challenge even with a Republican majority.

Making a movie is also an incredibly complex — and international — process. It’s common for both large and small films to include production in the U.S. and in other countries. Big-budget movies like the upcoming “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” for instance, are shot around the world.

U.S. studios frequently shoot abroad because tax incentives can aid production costs. But a blanket tariff across the board could discourage that or limit options, Kim said — hurting both Hollywood films and the global industry that helps create them.

“When you make these sort of blanket rules, you’re missing some of the nuance of how production works,” added Steven Schiffman, a longtime industry veteran and adjunct professor at Georgetown University. “Sometimes you just need to go to the location, because frankly it’s way too expensive just to try to create in a soundstage”

Schiffman points to popular titles filmed outside the U.S. — such as Warner Bros’ “Harry Potter” series, which was almost entirely shot in the U.K. “The cost to have done that would have like literally double to produce those movies under this proposed tariff,” he said.

Could movie tariffs have repercussions on other intellectual property?

Overall, experts warn that the prospect of tariffing foreign-made movies ventures into uncharted waters.

“There’s simply no precedent or sense for applying tariffs to these types of creative services,” Koppuzha said. And while the Trump administration could extend similar threats to other forms of intellectual property, like music, “they’d encounter the same practical hurdles.”

But if successful, some also warn of potential retaliation. Kim points to “quotas” that some countries have had to help boost their domestic films by ensuring they get a portion of theater screens, for example. Many have reduced or suspended such quotas over the years in the name of open trade — but if the U.S. places a sweeping tariff on all foreign-made films, these kinds of quotas could come back, “which would hurt Hollywood film or any of the U.S.-made intellectual property,” Kim said.

And while U.S. dominance in film means “there are fewer substitutes” for retaliation, Schiffman notes that other forms of entertainment — like game development — could see related impacts down the road.

Others stress the potential consequences of hampering international collaboration overall.

“Creative content distribution requires thoughtful economic approaches that recognize how modern storytelling flows across borders,” notes Frank Albarella, U.S. media and telecommunications sector leader at KPMG. “The question hanging over every screen: Might we better nurture American storytelling through smart, targeted incentives, or could we inadvertently force audiences to pay more for what could become a narrower creative landscape?”

AP Writers Jake Coyle and Jill Colvin in New York, Aamer Madhani in Palm Beach, Florida and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

In July, 32 communities will begin paying more for county assessments, which are used to calculate property taxes.

The rates will rise each year on July 1 over three years. By 2028, those cities and townships could be paying more than double the current rate for county assessment services.

The county commission approved the increase during an unusually contentious meeting last week.

The county has provided assessment services for more than 50 years at varying rates. The commission vote standardizes rates for contracts.

Nearly half of the county’s 62 cities, villages and townships have their own assessing departments. The 19 cities and 13 townships with county contracts pay a per-parcel rate, which ranges from $15.88 in Royal Oak Township to $28.64 in the City of Orchard Lake Village. By 2028 all 32 communities with assessment contracts will pay $41.55 per parcel.

For Royal Oak Township, that’s a 260% increase. Orchard Lake’s costs will rise by nearly 150%. And Pontiac, which paid $474,171 this year, and will see a 230% increase to more than $1.1 million.

Pleasant Ridge Mayor Bret Scott said cities like his are almost done with their annual budget planning and said the county didn’t follow a responsible process. Pleasant Ridge’s costs will rise by more than 250%, from $22,243 this year to 32,586 starting July 1 and$ $56,963 by July 1, 2028.

“This is like you’re lobbing a grenade at us and asking us not to throw it back at you,” he said, asking the board to slow the annual increases. He praised county assessors and said concerns about the contract costs are no reflection on their work.

Pleasant Ridge City Manager James Breuckman called the timing and the manner in which Oakland County made the change disappointing. He said the city is looking at other assessment options.

A bipartisan group of county commissioners voted to delay a decision until June 11 to give communities more time to negotiate rates. But Commission Chairman Dave Woodward recessed the meeting to lobby for more support.

Commissioner Mike Spisz, an Oxford Republican and the minority caucus chair, said reviving the measure for a second vote during the meeting was an egregious violation of board policies. He and other Republicans said the county risks losing assessment contracts.

Woodward, a Royal Oak Democrat, said the county subsidizes the contracts. The 2025 subsidy was $2.5 million, he said.

Communities are allowed by state law to collect 1% of property taxes to pay for assessment costs, but not all do.

Oxford Township’s treasurer, Joseph Ferrari, was among local officials who asked the commission for a slower transition to higher rates. The township paid $17.97 to assess each of its 8,903 parcels this year, more than $160,000. By 2028, the cost rises by 230% to $369,905.

“Five months of our (fiscal year has) already been burned,” Ferrari said. “It’s gonna be hard for us to come up with that money.”

He later told The Oakland Press the township board hasn’t met to discuss the issue. He said the board will likely use from the general fund or from savings, to cover the cost of the first year.

Ferrari wants to negotiate the next two years’ costs. He objects to the way the county compiled the full cost of the contract, because in addition to a county assessor’s salary and benefits, the contract price includes depreciation for the assessors’ county building.

“Their building will depreciate whether we have a contract or not,” he said. “You don’t eat at a restaurant and get a bill that charges you for using your fork.”

Oxford Township doesn’t charge residents the 1% allowed by the state for assessment costs.

“I’ve never recommended that because it’s a tax to collect a tax,” Ferrari said. But that may be an option for the township, he said, because it could raise an estimated $494,000.

Meanwhile, the township is checking to see what private companies charge for the same services. Ferrari said the county’s assessment work is specialized and the service is excellent.

No one disputed the need for communities to pay the full assessing cost. But many commissioners supported helping the communities adapt to the full prices.

Commissioner Michael Gingell, a Lake Orion Republican, said the unintended consequences of a triple-digit increase would force communities to look for alternative services. County contracts would have to be increased significantly after that for fewer communities or county assessing employees would lose their jobs, he said.

He represents Orion Township, which paid $298,626 for this year’s assessment services and will see increases totaling more than $387,000 over the next three years, from $160,016 this year to $690,325 in 2028.

Gingell’s amendment to slow the increases failed. He said last year’s controversy over sheriff’s contract increases led to an understanding that the county would provide advance notice of rate increases for the sake of timing, communication and fairness.

Democrats Charlie Cavell of Ferndale and Kristen Nelson of Waterford added their support for a slower timeline.

Contracts for law enforcement services from the sheriff’s office are paid by local millages, Cavell said. Assessment costs are paid from a community’s general fund, which is money from property taxes, state revenue sharing and a community’s service fees.

“Your budget is how you state values in a community. It’s spent on potholes and schools, maintaining parks … clean water and making sure sewage doesn’t back up into your basement,” Cavell said.

He said communities may be faced with cutting essential services or jobs to meet the new assessment costs.

“For Huntington Woods to go from paying $40,000 to $82,000 in 60 days is not a small increase. That $40,000 is someone’s annual salary,” he said.

Communities were notified on March 3 about impending increases, Woodward said.

“The county has made the costs as manageable as possible to maintain the highest-quality staff and deliver the highest-quality product and most-accurate rate for communities,” Woodward said, adding that he’s confident communities will not look for services that cost less.

The commission agreed to create an assessment study group, to include representatives from the commission, administration, assessment office and cities, villages and townships with county contracts. The proposal initially failed with three Democrats voting no with Republicans. Woodward asked for the board to reconsider the vote. Smith Charles said she would, adding that the group should have been formed last year to give communities a greater say in the contract rates.

Nelson asked that the group be formed as an ad hoc committee so members would be required to meet open meetings standards. Woodward rejected her suggestion.

The commission’s next scheduled meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday, May 22, in the commission auditorium at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac.

By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvard University will receive no new federal grants until it meets a series of demands from President Donald Trump’s administration, the Education Department announced Monday.

The action was laid out in a letter to Harvard’s president and amounts to a major escalation of Trump’s battle with the Ivy League school. The administration previously froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard, and Trump is pushing to strip the school of its tax-exempt status.

In a press call, an Education Department official said Harvard will receive no new federal grants until it “demonstrates responsible management of the university” and satisfies federal demands on a range of subjects. It applies to federal research grants and not federal financial aid students receive to help cover tuition and fees.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the decision on a call with reporters.

The official accused Harvard of “serious failures” in four areas: antisemitism, racial discrimination, abandonment of rigor and viewpoint diversity. To become eligible for new grants, Harvard would need to enter negotiations with the federal government and prove it has satisfied the administration’s demands.

Harvard’s president has previously said he will not bend to government’s demands. The university sued to halt its funding freeze last month.

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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told business leaders Monday the private sector needs to be part of the solution to increase funding for local roads.

Whitmer made the pitch at the annual Governor’s Luncheon staged by the Macomb County Chamber, held this year at The Palazzo Grande in Shelby Township, attended by about 430 people, including a plethora of Macomb County politicians and business leaders.

While Whitmer noted the celebratory mood in the county over securing a new fighter-jet mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base last week, she brought up a renewed focus in the state to increase funding for local roads now that most of the $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan Plan for state highways and bridges has been completed.

“As we celebrate the big win of last week, the lesson that’s sticking with me is one that everyone in this room knows very well in Macomb County: The best way to get things done is by doing them together,” she said. “From local government officials to business leaders, the willingness to work across the aisle and across sectors has played a key role in making Macomb County an economic powerhouse.”

Business owners must up their ante and contribute more to fix the roads “that we all drive on every day,” she said.

“We can’t put all this on the backs of hard-working Michiganders,” she said. “Businesses also benefit from strong, reliable roads. And we all need to be part of the solution. It’s a simple equation: Fewer potholes means fewer delays, means safer roads, means more predictability and certainty in a world that feels very uncertain in many ways.”

Business owners and operators must set an example in supporting more road funding because they serve as role models in the community, the govenror said. People view them as “no-nonsense folks who have a finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the community,” she said. “As a swing county, you helped define the direction of our state. You elected me twice as governor, but I need your help once again.

“We can’t afford to risk losing all of the progress we have made here in Macomb. If we compromise, I’m confident we can deliver a strong roads deal and keep winning key manufacturing investments.

A road plan will have to include spending cuts along with “new, fairer sources of revenue,” she said.

“We’ve got to be able to do both,” she added.

In comments after her talk, she said she hopes a new road-funding plan will be passed this year as part of the 2026 budget, hopefully by the end of June.

Also in comments to the media, the governor expressed grave concerns about the potential impact of Medicaid cuts by the Republican-controlled Congress after she was asked whether she supports reviving tax credits to the movie industry. The credits, approved under former Democratic governor Jennifer Granholm, were nixed during the tenure of GOP governor Rick Snyder.

She said when she was a lawmaker she “always supported” credits to the film industry to encourage filmmakers to produce their creations here, but said the timing isn’t right. The possibility of “major cuts” in Medicaid that would close some hospitals “will make it a lot harder to justify any additional spending with the Legislature.

“I’m just being very pragmatic about that,” she said.

Democratic governor called on GOP U.S. Rep. John James, who represents most of the county, to vote against Medicaid cuts, noting the amount of Medicaid spending here represents 40% of the state budget.

“I’m hopeful that congressman James, who is running for my job, understands that that’s 40% of the state budget, devastating the state of Michigan,” she said. “So I’m hoping that he will vote no and I’m hoping a handful of other Republican congress people will as well because it will be absolutely devastating.

“We can’t afford to offset 40% of our budget. That will mean hospitals will close in Michigan, if all of that comes to fruition. There are hospitals that have 70% of their patients (on) Medicaid. They could not survive that. That is a very real possibility.”

James, who represents the 10th District, has announced he is running for governor to succeed the term-limited Whitmer.

James responded with a written statement: “Republicans are working with President Trump to protect Social Security and Medicaid from insolvency to ensure those who’ve rightfully paid into their benefits and our most vulnerable can access these essential programs. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to sow fear and mass hysteria and confusion to hide from the fact that they’ve spent years burdening a system that will allow for its collapse. My first bill in Congress sought to protect these vital benefits. Republicans WILL ALWAYS protect Social Security and Medicaid.”

Last month, Whitmer signed an executive order directing the state Department of Health and Human Services to study and report on “potential scenarios related to the impact” of Medicaid cuts.

Some 2.6 million people in Michigan are enrolled in Medicaid following its 2014 expansion, including one million children, 300,000 people living with disabilities and 168,000 senior citizens, according to the state.

Also while speaking to reporters, Whitmer addressed criticism she received for meeting with the divisive Republican president particulary in the Oval Office when she covered her face during a surprise press conference on actions she opposed, something she said she regrets doing. In addition to arguing for Selfridge’s additional mission, she lobbied for a federal emergency declaration for the late-March ice storm that caused severe damage across a swath of northern Michigan.

“I was there for the people of northern Michigan because we don’t yet have a federal declaration,” she said. “I am continuing to try to get the Trump Administration to give us federal dollars for the recovery from the ice storm in northern Michigan. Those are the two items I was there on. I can mark one of them off of my list but trust that I am going to add more things to my list. I am gong to keep working on that.”

Whitmer said the state has been granted an extension to submit its request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that was requested April 21.

University of Michigan students are left surprised after a sudden shake-up to leadership.

Watch the story in the video player below: University of Michigan President Santa Ono announces decision to step down

Santa Ono, the current president of the University of Michigan, has announced plans to step down after becoming the sole finalist for the same position at the University of Florida.

Related Story: U-M President Santa Ono announces decision to step down U-M President Santa Ono announces decision to step down

It would make Ono's tenure as president the shortest in Michigan's history. He would transition to the University of Florida later this summer.

The announcement caught many off guard at the Ann Arbor campus.

"It was pretty surprising. Especially after graduation, he gave a speech, seemed pretty excited about Michigan, and then the next day he said he was going to UF," said Liza Miller, a recent graduate from University of Michigan.

"We did not expect it at all. He hasn't been here for a long time," said Aurora Husic, another recent graduate.

In his letter to the university community, Ono reflected on accomplishments during his time at Michigan, including investments made on campus and improvements to access and affordability.

"Serving as your president over these past three academic years has been a distinct honor. Every day, I have been inspired beyond words by the vibrancy, brilliance, and dedication of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni," Ono wrote.

Some students give Ono credit for his contributions to the university during his tenure.

"I think he did a good job and he was a good president," said Miller.

However, Ono's presidency wasn't without challenges. His time at Michigan included campus protests related to Israel and Gaza, as well as the decision to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

"We're making these demands for you, and if you're not responding to your student-body, it shows pretty clearly," said Ahmad Sheikh-Khalil, a student at the university.

Students and alumni expressed high expectations for whoever will lead the university next.

"It's going to be interesting to see who they put in the office next because that person's going to need to be making all these critical decisions that are going to be influencing student life in the coming years," said Andre Borde, a recent graduate.

Ono has stated he will work with the Board of Regents to ensure a smooth transition.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Let the year’s biggest fashion party begin! A rainy Met Gala got underway Monday with a tuxedoed choir and a trend true to the menswear theme: Emma Chamberlain and other women in pinstripe gowns.

Chamberlain and Zuri Hall were among those who wore sleek, sexy gowns that play on men’s suiting in pinstripes and other details.

“I expect this to be a frequent thing tonight, women wanting to maintain a traditionally feminine dress silhouette while still respecting the theme,” said William Dingle, director of style for blackmenswear.com, a cultural impact agency that focuses on uplifting Black men.

The suggested dress code, “Tailored for You,” is inspired by Black dandyism. Teyana Taylor went for a stunning Zoot Suit look with a red, feather-adorned top hat and a huge matching cape dripping with flowers and bling.

The Zoot was popularized in Harlem in the 1940s.

Colman Domingo, one of the evening’s hosts, wore a pleated, gold adorned cape over a gray and black suit, his jacket a pearled windowpane design with a huge dotted black flower. His look, including his cape and a dotted black scarf at his neck, evoked the late André Leon Talley, the fashion icon who made history as a rare Black editor at Vogue.

Domingo arrived with Vogue’s Anna Wintour, dressed in a baby blue coat over a shimmery white gown. Fellow co-chair Lewis Hamilton donned a jaunty ivory tuxedo with a cropped jacket and matching beret.

Pharrell Williams, another co-host, was demure in a double-breasted, beaded evening jacket and dark trousers. He kept his dark shades on while posing for the cameras. Williams walked with his wife, Helen Lasichanh, in a black bodysuit and matching jacket.

Pharrell’s jacket consists of 15,000 pearls and took 400 hours to construct, his representative said.

Monica L. Miller, whose book inspired the evening, wore a bejeweled cropped cape over a dress adorned with cowrie shells by Grace Wales Bonner. It’s a direct connection to a piece in the gala’s companion Metropolitan Museum of Art spring exhibit that Miller guest curated.

NEW YORK (AP) — Pharrell Williams has high hopes for the Met Gala, the first to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme.

“I want it to feel like the most epic night of power, a reflection of Black resiliency in a world that continues to be colonized, by which I mean policies and legislation that are nothing short of that,” he recently told Vogue.

“It’s our turn.”

Indeed. And welcome to the first Monday in May.

How to watch the 2025 Met Gala

Vogue will livestream the gala starting at 6 p.m. Eastern on Vogue.com, its YouTube channel and across its other digital platforms. Teyana Taylor, La La Anthony and Ego Nwodim will host the stream. Emma Chamberlain will also do interviews on the carpet.

The Associated Press will stream the gala carpet on delay beginning at 6:30 p.m. The feeds will be available on YouTube and APNews.com.

E! will begin live coverage at 6 p.m. on TV. The livestream will be available on Peacock, E! Online and YouTube, along with the network’s other social media feeds.

By Arthur Allen, KFF Health News

The Trump administration’s unprecedented $500 million grant for a broadly protective flu shot has confounded vaccine and pandemic preparedness experts, who said the project was in early stages, relied on old technology and was just one of more than 200 such efforts.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shifted the money from a pandemic preparedness fund to a vaccine development program led by two scientists whom the administration recently named to senior positions at the National Institutes of Health.

While some experts were pleased that Kennedy had supported any vaccine project, they said the May 1 announcement contravened sound scientific policy, appeared arbitrary, and raised the kinds of questions about conflicts of interest that have dogged many of President Donald Trump’s actions.

Focusing vast resources on a single vaccine candidate “is a little like going to the Kentucky Derby and putting all your money on one horse,” said William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University professor and past president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “In science we normally put money on a number of different horses because we can’t be entirely sure who’s going to win.”

Others were mystified by the decision, since the candidate vaccine uses technology that was largely abandoned in the 1970s and eschews techniques developed in recent decades through funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Defense Department.

“This is not a next-generation vaccine,” said Rick Bright, who led HHS’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, in the first Trump administration. “It’s so last-generation, or first-generation, it’s mind-blowing.”

The vaccine is being developed at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases by Jeffery Taubenberger, whom Trump named as acting chief of the institute in late April, and his colleague Matthew Memoli, a critic of U.S. COVID-19 policy whom Trump picked to lead the NIH until April 1, when Jay Bhattacharya took office. Bhattacharya named Memoli his principal deputy.

Taubenberger gained fame as an Armed Forces Institute of Pathology scientist in 1997 when his lab sequenced the genome of the 1918 pandemic influenza virus, using tissue samples from U.S. troops who died in that plague. He joined the NIH in 2006.

In a May 1 news release, HHS called the Taubenberger-Memoli vaccine initiative “Generation Gold Standard,” saying it represented “a decisive shift toward transparency, effectiveness, and comprehensive preparedness.” Bhattacharya said it represented a “paradigm shift.”

But the NIH vaccine-makers’ goal of creating a shot that protects against multiple or all strains of influenza — currently vaccines must be given each year to account for shifts in the virus — is not new.

Then-NIAID Director Anthony Fauci launched a network of academic researchers in pursuit of a broadly protective flu vaccine in 2019. In addition to that NIH-led consortium, more than 200 flu vaccines are under development in the U.S. and other countries.

Many use newer technologies, and some are at more advanced stages of human testing than the Taubenberger vaccine, whose approach appears basically the same as the one used in flu vaccines starting in 1944, Bright said.

In the news release, HHS described the vaccine as “in advanced trials” and said it would induce “robust” responses and “long-lasting protection.” But Taubenberger and his colleagues haven’t published a complete human study of the vaccine yet. A study showing the vaccine protected mice from the flu appeared in 2022.

For Operation Warp Speed, which led to the creation of the COVID vaccine during Trump’s first term, government scientists reviewed detailed plans and data from academic and commercial laboratories vying for federal money, said Greg Poland, a flu expert and president of the Atria Health Academy of Science and Medicine. “If that’s happening here, it’s opaque to me,” he said.

When asked what data beyond its press release supported the decision, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon pointed to the agency’s one-page statement. Asked whether the decision would curtail funding for the Fauci-created consortium or other universal vaccine approaches, Nixon did not specifically respond. “Generation Gold Standard is the most promising,” he said in an email.

Taubenberger did not respond to a request for comment. Nixon and NIH spokesperson Amanda Fine did not respond to requests for an interview with Taubenberger or Memoli.

The HHS statement stressed that by developing the vaccine in-house, the government “ensures radical transparency, public accountability, and freedom from commercial conflicts of interest.” While any vaccine would eventually have to be made commercially, NIH involvement through more stages of development could give the government greater influence on any vaccine’s eventual price, Schaffner said.

If the mRNA-based COVID shots produced by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech represented the cutting edge of vaccine technology, applying ultra-sophisticated approaches never before seen in an inoculation, the approach by Taubenberger and Memoli represents a blast from the past.

Their vaccine is made by inactivating influenza viruses with a carcinogenic chemical called beta-propiolactone. Scientists have used the chemical to neutralize viruses since at least the 1950s. This whole-virus inactivation method, mostly using other chemicals, was the standard way to make flu vaccines into the 1970s, when it was modified, partly because whole-virus vaccines caused high fevers or even seizures in children.

The limited published data from the Taubenberger vaccine, from an initial safety trial involving 45 patients, showed no major side effects. The scientists are testing the vaccine as a regular shot and as an intranasal spray with the idea of stopping the virus in the respiratory tract before it causes a broad infection.

“The notion of a universal influenza A pandemic vaccine is a good one,” said Poland, who called Taubenberger an excellent scientist. But he added: “I’m not so sure about the platform, and the dollar amount is a puzzler. This vaccine’s in very early development.”

Paul Friedrichs, a retired Air Force general who led the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy in President Joe Biden’s White House, said that “giving $500 million upfront with very little data to support it is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

“The technology for developing vaccines has tremendously evolved over many decades,” Friedrichs said. “Why would we go back to an approach historically associated with greater or more frequent adverse events?”

The government appeared to be transferring the money for the Taubenberger vaccine development from an existing $1.3 billion vaccine fund at Project NextGen, a mostly COVID-focused program at BARDA, Friedrichs said. Most of that money was earmarked to support advanced research on COVID and other viral vaccines, including those protecting against emerging diseases.

It is “very concerning that we’re de-emphasizing COVID, which we may live to regret,” Poland said. “It assumes we won’t have a COVID variant that escapes the current moderately high levels of COVID immunity.”

Nixon said Project NextGen, for which some funds were earmarked for mRNA research, is under review. Kennedy is critical of mRNA vaccines, once claiming, falsely, that they are the deadliest vaccines in history.

Ted Ross, director of global vaccine development at the Cleveland Clinic, said he was “happy to see them investing in respiratory vaccines, including a universal flu vaccine, with all the programs they’ve been cutting.”

“But I don’t think this is the only approach,” Ross said. “Other universal flu vaccines are in progress, and their success and failure are not known yet.”

His team, part of the NIAID-funded flu vaccine consortium, is using artificial intelligence and computer modeling to design vaccines that produce the broadest immunity to influenza, including seasonal and pandemic strains.

As interim director, Memoli oversaw the start of the administration’s massive cuts at the NIH, with the elimination of some 800 agency grants worth over $2 billion. More than 1,200 NIH employees have been fired, and many researchers, including Ross, are in limbo.

His lab is close to testing a candidate vaccine on people, Ross said, while waiting to find out about its NIH funding. “I’m not sure whether my contract is on the chopping block,” he said.

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©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The post Detroit Evening Report: Ono steps down as U-M president after accepting same role at University of Florida appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

Three people were found dead and nine others were missing after a panga overturned in the waters off Torrey Pines State Beach in California Monday morning, according to authorities.

The San Diego County Sheriffs Office said several agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, responded to the area just after 6:30 a.m. due to a report of a capsized boat.

WATCH: Scripps News Group team coverage with the initial details on this crash

Panga boat overturns off Torrey Pines State Beach; 3 dead, 9 missing

According to a Coast Guard official, three people were killed in the crash, four people were located and needed medical assistance, and nine others were considered unaccounted for. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office says the people who died were all men.

First responders told Scripps News Group they found 17 lifejackets on the boat; however, that's not an official word for how many people may have been on the panga. A City of Del Mar official told Scripps News Group that the four people that were rescued were taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital for treatment.

Although the Coast Guard has referred to the missing people as "aliens" in some of its communication with Scripps News Group, this incident has not been confirmed as a human smuggling operation as of 11:30 a.m.

The following agencies responded to search for any survivors:

U.S. Coast Guard San Diego County Sheriff's Office U.S. Border Patrol Del Mar Fire Department Encinitas Fire Department Department of Homeland Security

Border Patrol and DHS agents were seen searching the streets in the area to see if anybody who may have survived ran into the neighborhoods near the crash site.

This story was originally published by

Jermaine Ong

with the Scripps News Group.This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Farmington Public Schools is accepting applications for an anticipated board opening.

David Turner, who was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Zach Rich after he moved out of the district, agreed to serve through June 2025.

The individual selected will serve the remainder of his term through December 2026.

“We encourage all individuals with a passion for children and a commitment to community service to apply,” said Terri Weems, board president. “In addition, this applicant pool may be considered for any other vacancies that may arise through the end of 2025, allowing the board to act swiftly in identifying successors if needed due to life events or other transitions.”

Applications will be accepted until Friday, May 16.

Application link: https://bit.ly/BoardApplication2025

Interviews are expected to take place between June 2-16, with the exact schedule announced following the close of the application window.

“Thank you for your interest in serving our community and supporting the future of our students,” added Weems.

All inquiries regarding the process should be directed to Weems at terri.weems@fpsk12.net .

By ALAN SUDERMAN

In the crypto world, meme coins are mostly just jokes with no intrinsic value. But the Trump family is parlaying the president’s meme coin into two valuable commodities: serious cash and access to the president.

Since the coin was launched earlier this year, it has generated more than $320 million in fees for its creators, according to the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. And on Monday, Trump promoted a dinner he’s set to attend on May 22nd that’s open to almost anyone who buys enough of the coins.

According to the contest’s rules, the top 220 holders of the meme coin will get to go to the dinner at Trump’s Washington-area golf club. The top 25 holders will also get to attend a reception where they can rub shoulders with Trump beforehand.

“Let the President know how many $TRUMP coins YOU own!” the meme coin said on its website promoting the dinner.

Trading activity in the meme coin jumped after the dinner was first announced and the price rose as well. But the Trumps don’t need to sell any coins to make money.

How Trump makes money off the meme coin

Decentralization is foundational to cryptocurrency. Bitcoin, the world’s most popular crypto, was born in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis as a digital currency meant to be uncontrolled by banks or governments.

Trump meme coins can be traded on a decentralized exchange, which is essentially a place where traders can swap goods without a middleman.

Instead of matching buyers and sellers one by one, decentralized exchanges use something called a liquidity pool to ensure trades can happen easily and instantly. Liquidity pools are essentially an automated pot of funds that pair meme coins like $TRUMP with more popular types of crypto that can be easily traded.

When the Trump meme coin was first launched, its creators initially released 20% of the planned 1 billion total coins. Half of that 20% was put up for public sale while the other half was put into a liquidity pool. CIC Digital, an affiliate of the Trump Organization, and another company receive “trading revenue derived from trading activities” of the Trump meme coins, according to its website.

Through the liquidity pool, the creators of Trump’s meme coins make money by charging tiny fees on each trade.

“You don’t really care about what happens to the price. You only care that there is continuous volume,” said Nicolai Søndergaard, a research analyst at the blockchain analytics firm Nansen. “Because the more volume there is, that means more trades and therefore more fees for you.”

Since cryptocurrency blockchains are public, it’s possible to track how much in trading fees has been paid. Chainalysis said Trump meme coin creators made more than $1.3 million in trading fees in the week after the dinner was first announced. The value of the meme coin jumped from about $9 to around $14 just after the announcement. It was trading around $11 on Monday afternoon.

Trump downplays profits

Launched just before he took office, Trump’s meme coin has become one of the most high-profile ways the norm-breaking president has mixed politics and his personal finances.

The remaining 80% of Trump’s meme coins, which are still under a lock-up, have been allocated to CIC Digital and another company. An ethics agreement prohibits Trump from “day-to-day” decision making at the Trump Organization when he’s president and limits the financial information about the business that can be shared with him.

During an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press over the weekend, Trump said he didn’t follow the price swings of his meme coin and dismissed the idea that he was profiting from the presidency. He also rejected a suggestion that he would forgo any profits made from his crypto endeavors.

“Should I contribute all of my real estate that I’ve owned for many years if it goes up a little bit because I’m president and doing a good job? I don’t think so,” Trump said.

Heavy promotion

The team behind Trump’s meme coins has been aggressively trying to promote the chance to eat with the president.

“Good News! President Trump is allowing one more person to attend Dinner with Trump,” the meme coin’s official account on X said last week, encouraging people to reply with memes featuring Trump. “Our favorite $TRUMP memes will be shown to President Trump and we will pick 1 person who gets to come to the dinner on May 22nd!”

The creators have also tried to up the ante by offering $100,000 Trump-themed watches to the top four holders of Trump’s meme coins.

Unknown guests

On Monday night, Trump is hosting a “Crypto & AI Innovators Dinner” fundraiser sponsored by his Maga, Inc. super PAC at his golf club outside Washington. An invitation to the event that circulated online instructs those invited to pay $1.5 million per person to attend. The super PAC will be required to list donors in its regular public disclosures.

But whether the public will ever know who bought their way into the meme coin dinner with the president is unclear. Unlike political donations that must be publicly reported, there’s no disclosure requirement for meme coin buyers. The White House did not immediately respond to a question about whether it would share details of the dinner’s attendees.

Critics of Trump’s foray into meme coins, which includes several Democrats, say the pseudonymous nature of cryptocurrency gives bad actors the opportunity to try and unduly influence the president through purchasing his digital assets.

The Trump meme coin website assures those who register for the contest that their full legal name and contact information will “never be publicly shown.”

Instead, registrants pick a username that’s displayed on the website’s leaderboard. The ranking is dependent not just on how many Trump meme coins someone holds, but also on how long.

After No. 220, the board has a note of encouragement for those just below the cut to buy more of the meme coins.

“You’re so close. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT for your $TRUMP dinner.”

Associated Press reporter Will Weissert contributed.

An Oakland School administrator has been elected to the Michigan School Business Officials board of directors.

The three-year term for Teri Les, assistant superintendent of finance and operations at Oakland Schools, began May 1.

“I am truly honored to be elected to the MSBO Board of Directors,” said Teri Les. “It’s a privilege to serve alongside such dedicated colleagues across the state. I look forward to working together to support Michigan’s school business professionals and help ensure our students have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.”

The organization provides professional development, leadership, and advocacy for school business officials statewide.

Under the Capitol dome in Lansing, earmarks have been a long-held tradition that few lawmakers wanted to talk about but almost every lawmaker wanted to seek.

The way it worked was: wed find out what (the earmark) was about a year later when (reporters) told us, Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, said last month.

Watch our report in the video player below: Lansing lawmakers seek billions in earmarks as budget season begins

Known as pork-barrel spending or pet projects, earmarks are often tucked into spending bills just hours before lawmakers are asked to vote on them, creating the opportunity for abuse and allegations of favoritism.

But for the first time, lawmakers in the Michigan House are being required to disclose their earmark wishlist weeks before final budget approvals. It was a major change made under Hall, the new House speaker.

Were not making an exception, Hall said during a recent press conference. Youve got to get a sponsor, theyve got to put their name on it, they need to tell us what the public purpose is, they need to describe what the moneys for and when it will be complete or else were not doing it.

The result was nearly 800 requests received, totaling about about $4 billion.

The grant requests run the gamut, from $1 million for a community pool in the Village of Shelby for swim lessons and water aerobics, to $10 million for the Parade Company in Detroit to help build a new studio for the nonprofit.

Some of the requests are massive, like $60 million for a full bridge replacement on West Road in Trenton. Others were much smaller, like almost $200,000 for new shower stalls at the Branch County Fair.

No lawmaker sought more earmarks than Rep. Karen Whitsett of Detroit, at 41 requests. On the Republican side, Rep. John Roth of Interlochen requested 29.

While Republicans are taking credit for the new disclosure requirements, Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, said that it was her party that first required lawmakers names to be attached to any earmarks in the 2023 senate budget.

We are very excited that the speaker has decided to join us in trying to find additional ways to find transparency, Anthony said.

But so far, the Senate has not put on display all of the earmarks being sought, like they have in the House.

Anthony says she's not necessarily opposed to the idea but pointed out that while earmarks have historically garnered a bad reputation over time, the individual projects are usually quite popular.

You see that lawmakers are going back to their districts and taking credit for fire stations and road projects, things that they can be proud of going back to their communities and saying I was the champion behind that investment," she said.

Of the approximately 800 earmarks, 419 came from Republicans and 367 came from Democrats.

Hall says he doesnt expect most will find their way into the budget, and that the GOP budget will aim for about $100 million in earmarks.

Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.

White Lake Township supervisor Rik Kowall gave 7 News Detroit a tour around the new civic center construction site.

Watch our report in the video player below: Future of historic Flat Rock Dam

He said the former cornfield is turning into an area where people will be able to gather and hopefully have a nice sense of community.

Right now, crews are working on the construction of the foundations for the new township hall and the adjacent public safety department.

The $47 million project is moving forward after a cyberattack compromised the funding last fall, causing the project to stall.

"Well, we had to sell bonds. We had to bring bonds to the market and the bonds were sold and the race is on," he said.

It's the race to replace the current township hall, which was built in the 1930s.

As in any typical community thats growing, we need the space and the ability to serve our public better and this has always been a dream of White Lake township," he explained.

Kowall added, "previous boards and the current board, weve worked together as a team very well to formulate this particular project.

Oxbow Lake Baptist Church has a front row seat to the development from across the road.

I think a lot of people in our church are excited about it, too. We talk about it a lot, ya know, on Sunday mornings, and people are always asking, 'Whats happening? Whats happening?' Assistant Pastor Josh Alexander said. And then hearing that its for our police and our firefighters, were very connected with them. Ya know, wed love for them to have a good place."

Resident Shannon Fiore, who was out for a walk with her baby boy in a stroller, said she's already pleased with the new sidewalks.

I like that we can walk to these locations from my house," she said.

Fiore explained, White Lakes not very walkable. So, anything that adds more walking paths for me and my family is great. We love pickleball, so, I like to hear that they might do that.

Shes referring to the Stanley Park development. It's a separate project Kowall told 7 News Detroit about, and it's taking place next to the civic center development along Brendal Lake.

Now were going to have a two-lane road that goes down. Itll be completely paved, all the way down. Therell be some picnic areas (and) some other amenities that were working on," Kowall said.

It's all perfect timing for resident Anna Goedert, who just bought a home here.

Moving here felt like it was a little industrial and business-y. So, its nice that theyre putting efforts into the parks and walking trails and stuff like that, she explained.

Kowall said, Hopefully, the investment that were making here is going to attract other investment and improvements. Weve always got some interest and some things are moving forward. So, we'll see what pans out.

If all continues to go to plan, Kowall said he anticipates the project will be complete by the fall of 2026.

A civilian worker for the Illinois National Guard has filed a complaint against the Trump administration's rules that bar transgender federal employees from using restrooms that align with their gender.

The complaint, filed Monday by the ACLU to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Office on behalf of LeAnne Withrow, says that the ban violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"In filing this class complaint, Ms. Withrow seeks to serve as the agent of a class of all transgender and/or intersex employees of the federal government, including but not limited to civilian employees of the National Guard Bureau, the U.S. Army, and the Department of Defense," the complaint reads.

The new filing challenges an executive order signed on Jan. 20, which alleges that certain Supreme Court decisions that were previously interpreted to permit "gender identity-based access to single-sex spaces" under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act are "legally untenable."

RELATED STORY | Trump admin asks Supreme Court to allow ban on transgender individuals in military

The order is part of a broad effort to limit federal support and protection for transgender individuals that began when President Trump took office.

Other executive orders end support from federal insurance programs for gender transitions for those under 19, and prohibit people who were assigned male at birth from participating in womens sports.

In April, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of its ban on transgender individuals from serving in the military.

A popular Southwest Detroit music venue called El Club closed down Saturday to avoid what its general manager described as “police intimidation.” The closure comes one year after Detroit police were heavily criticized for swarming businesses participating in the city’s Cinco de Mayo festival and threatening attendees with arrests if they didn’t disperse.

As the weather warms up, many of us are spending more time outside. But with sunshine comes a real danger skin cancer the most common cancer in the U.S.

Watch Dr. Nandi provide information for Melanoma Monday in the video player below: Raising awareness for skin cancer on Melanoma Monday

Melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer. But the good news is its highly treatable when found early. So, Melanoma Monday is a great reminder to check your skin, using the ABCDEs:

A is for asymmetryone half doesnt match the other. B is for borderwatch for uneven or jagged edges. C is for colorlook for different shades, not just one. D is for diametermelanomas are often the size of a pencil eraser, but can be smaller. E is for evolvingany spot thats changing, itching, bleeding, or not healing.

Now, patients often ask how often they should do a skin check. I recommend it once a month. And be sure to look everywhere because melanoma can show up in places youd wouldnt expect.

Just because you dont burn doesnt mean youre safe. UV rays even on cloudy days can still damage skin cells and raise your cancer risk. And thats true for all skin tones. In fact, melanoma is often found later in Black and Brown communities, when its harder to treat. Thats why everyone needs to take it seriously.

Now, when it comes to sunscreen, the best kind is the one youll actually use. It should be broad-spectrum, water-resistant, and at least SPF 30. As for the spray, it does work. But most people dont apply enough, and a lot of it gets lost in the air.

I prefer a lotion or cream. And recommend two finger-length amounts for your face and neck, and about two tablespoons for your body. But if you prefer the spray kind, hold the nozzle close to the skin. Spray until your skin glistens and then rub it in. Always read the label first.

For us here in Michigan, we love our hot summer days. But, a lot of skin cancers could be prevented with better protection. So wear long sleeves, a wide-brimmed hat, and UV-protected sunglasses when you can.

Skin checks should be a lifelong habit. If you notice something new or different, talk to your doctor. Finding it early can save your life.