Michael Osterholm, a former Biden adviser on COVID-19, said Wednesday that “Florida’s going to become a hotbed of transmission” after Sunshine State officials announced they will seek to make the state the first in the U.S. lacking school vaccine mandates.
“I would have to tell you, as a parent or a grandparent, I wouldn’t want my kids to go into Florida in the years ahead, to go to Walt Disney World, or any place like that, because Florida’s going to become a hotbed of transmission by eliminating this particular mandate, and I think — unfortunately timely for that to be true,” Osterholm told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on his show.
On Wednesday, Florida officials said they will attempt to make the state the first in the country to not have any vaccine mandates for children to attend schools. Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo likened the requirements to slavery.
“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo, a long-time skeptic of vaccines, said of vaccine mandates.
“Who am I to tell you what your child should put in their body? I don’t have that right. Your body is a gift from God,” he added.
The Florida announcement comes as vaccine policy at the national scale is in turmoil amid Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stewardship at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, last week forced out the leader of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, a move that was followed by other CDC resignations.
He was the subject of tough questioning from members of both parties at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Thursday.
“Robert Kennedy was unfit to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services before he was on the job, which is why every Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee opposed his nomination,” the members said.
The Hill has reached out to the Florida Department of Health for comment.
Tottenham’s European trophy success last season came against the backdrop of a difficult Premier League campaign in which the team finished 17th under head coach Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked in the summer and replaced by Thomas Frank.
There were a number of protests aimed at Levy last season, with prominent banners at the home defeat by Leicester in January carrying the messages “Our game is about glory, Levy’s game is about greed” and “24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy – time for change”.
There were also regular chants of “Levy out” during the campaign.
During his tenure, Levy oversaw the switch from White Hart Lane to the £1bn state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which the club made their new home in 2019.
Spurs also reached the Champions League final under former manager Mauricio Pochettino in 2019 but missed out on the trophy following a 2-0 defeat by Liverpool.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has described Tottenham as the “most profitable club in Premier League history” because of the money their new stadium generates, a historically lower wage structure and a “degree of caution” on transfer spending.
This summer, according to FootballTransfers.com, Spurs have spent about £181m on signings who have included attacking midfielders Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus.
Tottenham have been making key appointments in recent months. Before Frank’s arrival, the club named Vinai Venkatesham as their new chief executive in April.
Peter Charrington becomes non-executive chairman, a new role, following Levy’s exit.
Charrington, is a director of Tottenham’s owners Enic, a vehicle for running the club owned by the Tavistock Group, which in turn is owned by the Lewis family. He was appointed to the Spurs board in March as a non-executive director.
Levy and his family hold a stake in Enic.
In announcing Levy’s departure, the club said: “Tottenham Hotspur has been transformed over the last quarter of a century.
“It has played in European competitions in the last 18 of 20 seasons, becoming one of the world’s most recognised football clubs, consistently investing in its academy, players and facilities, including a new, world-class stadium and state-of-the-art training centre.
“The club has also competed regularly at the highest level, enjoying a number of fantastic on-field successes, including the recent Europa League cup win.”
Tottenham said there would be “no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure”.
Charrington thanked Levy for his service and added: “This is a new era of leadership for the club, on and off the pitch. I do recognise there has been a lot of change in recent months as we put in place new foundations for the future.
“We are now fully focused on stability and empowering our talented people across the club, led by Vinai and his executive team.”
The change of leadership comes with the club sitting fourth in the Premier League after three games of the 2025-26 season.
President Trump took his fight to fire Federal Trade Commission (FTC) leaders without cause to the Supreme Court on Thursday, a move that could prompt the justices to overrule a key precedent blessing removal protections at the agency for decades.
Trump’s bid to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a Democrat appointed to the FTC in 2018, comes as part of the administration’s broader effort to eviscerate restrictions that provide certain agencies with a degree of independence from the White House.
Lower courts reinstated Slaughter under the Supreme Court’s 1935 decision, Humphrey’s Executor v. U.S., that has long served as legal justification for the removal protections.
The precedent’s future, however, has increasingly come into question under recent decisions from the court’s conservative majority. Adding to the doubts, the justices have sided with Trumptwice already in his firings at other independent agencies.
Unlike those cases, the FTC was the very agency at issue in Humphrey’s Executor. So on Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 2-1 that despite the recent developments, Trump still couldn’t fire Slaughter at will because the precedent remains on the books.
The administration now wants the Supreme Court to issue an emergency order that immediately permits the firing and also take up the case in full during their upcoming term to settle the issue.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer asserted that the justices don’t necessarily have to overrule the 90-year-old precedent and can instead strike down the FTC removal protections in response to the agency’s expanded authority over the ensuing decades.
“The modern FTC exercises far more substantial powers than the 1935 FTC,” Sauer wrote in court filings.
If the justices disagree, Sauer invited the court to overrule the precedent after full briefing and argument.
Jeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.
Dan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.
Sep 4, 2025, 06:10 AM ET
Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is finally here, and league insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano are breaking down the biggest questions, latest news and notable buzz heading into the season opener.
The top story of the past week was the Cowboys trading star edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Packers last Thursday. Now that the dust has settled a bit, where does that leave Dallas? Jeremy and Dan checked in with sources around the league.
But they have more ahead of Week 1. Our insiders also made picks for under-the-radar teams that could make the playoffs, predicted which players could break out in Week 1, pointed out coaching situations that need fast starts and even gave some fantasy football advice based on what they are hearing. It’s all here, as Dan and Jeremy answer big questions and empty their reporting notebooks with the latest heading into Week 1.
What are people in the league saying about the ceiling for this Parsons-less Dallas team in 2025?
Graziano: I think the offense is expected to be good as long as quarterback Dak Prescott stays healthy. The addition of wide receiver George Pickens makes the Cowboys potentially explosive in the passing game, and while their running back room might be uninspiring, they’ll run effectively if the offensive line performs.
There’s obviously curiosity about whether the Cowboys can generate a consistent pass rush post-Parsons, but Dallas coaches would point out that they had already begun building their defense without him in training camp, as he didn’t participate. The Cowboys believe their defense is in a good place in terms of learning the scheme. There’s skepticism around the league, but I don’t think anyone is writing them off completely. When Prescott has been healthy, they’ve generally been a playoff team.
Fowler: People inside the league are not as down on Dallas as fans and media seem to be right now. The loss of Parsons hurts, but the Cowboys have been a sneaky good drafting team over the past decade and have three former Day 2 edge rusher picks — Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland and Donovan Ezeiruaku — ready to go. The roster has talent. And the Pickens addition received attention around the league. Evaluators know how good he can be in 2025 in a contract year with a proven quarterback. Despite all that, Philadelphia and Washington are considered a cut above in the division, which seems right.
Graziano: And that’s fair. But it has been 21 years since a team repeated as NFC East champion, so that takes Philly out of the mix! And if Washington takes a step back, who knows? This could be one of those NFC East seasons where you don’t need 12 or 13 wins to take the title, which sets up well for the Cowboys.
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2:16
Why Stephen A. is still baffled Jerry Jones let Micah Parsons leave
Stephen A. Smith details why the Micah Parsons trade was an egregious deal.
Who’s your pick for an under-the-radar team that will make the playoffs?
Fowler:New England Patriots. Mike Vrabel’s presence has already paid off. Quarterback Drake Maye is poised for a Year 2 jump. The defensive tackle duo of Christian Barmore and Milton Williams has a chance to be special. Two of their AFC East rivals (Dolphins and Jets) appear to be in transition. Running back TreVeyon Henderson has the explosiveness to break off big runs. And Josh McDaniels is a proven playcaller.
Offensive line and wide receiver remain concerns, but New England has made efforts to address both spots. The Patriots haven’t produced a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019. For this to work, someone — paging Stefon Diggs — needs to break that streak. A wild-card spot feels attainable.
Graziano:Arizona Cardinals. The NFC West teams could finish the season in any order and it wouldn’t surprise me. Arizona is in Year 3 with Jonathan Gannon as head coach and Drew Petzing as offensive coordinator, and the fact that they didn’t change any offensive personnel in the offseason indicates they believe they’re on track there. Quarterback Kyler Murray is another year removed from his knee injury and has one more offseason working in Petzing’s system. So if it doesn’t hum this season, you must wonder how long ownership will stick with the plan.
Defensively, they made some aggressive additions, signing away edge rusher Josh Sweat from the Super Bowl champs, using a second-round pick on cornerback Will Johnson (who slipped in the draft because of injury concerns) and bringing back the ageless Calais Campbell. It’s time for Arizona to show it can move beyond being a team that hovers around .500 and fades in December.
Which player is going to come out of nowhere in Week 1 — and make an impact all season?
Graziano: It could be Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten. I don’t know how the Jaguars’ running back room will shake out, and I’m not sure they do yet, either. Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby are the incumbents, but the Jags drafted Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen Jr., who profiles as a third-down back, in the seventh. The veterans might get the first shot, but the new front office and coaching staff drafted Tuten and Allen and have plans for them.
Tuten is the most explosive of the group — a “home run hitter” in the Jaguars’ eyes. If he’s able to pick up the offense and acclimate to the NFL quickly, that explosiveness could lead to greater opportunities sooner rather than later.
Fowler: Great pick. I’ll go with 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. The 49ers’ receiver room has been decimated by injury, with Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from last season’s knee injury and Jauan Jennings (calf) potentially needing time to ramp up after recently returning to the lineup. And word out of San Francisco is that Pearsall is poised for a Year 2 jump. The 49ers have been a top-five passing offense during Brock Purdy‘s two full seasons as starting quarterback, so chances at chunk yardage will be there. Kyle Shanahan will make it so.
Another player to watch is rookie Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He might be Washington’s RB4 right now, but every time I asked somebody there about their backfield plans, Croskey-Merritt was mentioned early and often. The Commanders are very high on him.
Graziano: I’m also curious to see what the Browns have planned for third-round rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. A ludicrously productive tight end in college, Fannin was used in a variety of ways at Bowling Green and the Browns say they believe they can deploy him all over the formation. He’s likely to team with David Njoku in the two-TE formations coach Kevin Stefanski loves to use. Fannin probably will stay on the field if he shows he can handle blocking responsibilities. And if he can consistently get open, that probably will earn him more targets from Joe Flacco or whomever else ends up playing QB for the Browns this season.
Fowler: Here’s a deep-cut sleeper for you … Cardinals edge rusher Jordan Burch. His name came up a few times when I’ve asked scouts for Rookie of the Year candidates, so don’t be surprised if the third-round pick makes an early impact. Arizona has some sneaky-good talent, so it’s up to some of the recent draft picks to flash greatness.
Which head coach most needs a strong start in September?
Fowler: The Giants’ Brian Daboll. Any coach with a 19-33-1 record through three seasons could use early momentum. Ownership has been patient with the Giants’ rebuild, and this was Daboll’s first offseason with a high-pedigree rookie quarterback to develop. The early returns on Jaxson Dart are very good, so I’m not labeling September some sort of win-this-month-or-else scenario.
But the schedule is tough. The first four opponents — Commanders, Cowboys, Chiefs and Chargers — won a combined 45 games last season. Setting a tone against that gauntlet would be useful. The Giants’ roster has improved, and the team has a defensive line good enough to dictate terms of victory.
Graziano: Hot-seat talk in early September is dicey, so I’ll start with the disclaimer that I have no inside information to make me think these guys are in any immediate trouble. But given the Bengals’ aspirations and their history of poor September starts under Zac Taylor, he could use a strong start if only for his own sanity.
Fowler: For sure, a fast start would take the pressure off in Cincy. I’d also argue that Colts coach Shane Steichen fits the mold. Picking Daniel Jones over Anthony Richardson Sr. at quarterback was a bold move, considering the franchise’s investment in Richardson as the No. 4 pick in 2023. But Steichen believes Jones gives the Colts the best chance to win. Proving that to be correct early would ease tension.
Graziano: One more. This team gives coaches a lot of runway, but the Cowboys’ hiring of Brian Schottenheimer was widely criticized outside of the building. It was well-received inside the building, where Schottenheimer is well-liked and respected. People are excited to see him get his chance. But to the extent that the Cowboys care about outside opinions, a Thursday night upset in Philadelphia and a fast start would go a long way toward making the Schottenheimer move look good.
What is one thing you heard this preseason that could help fantasy managers win their leagues?
Graziano: I’m drafting Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka everywhere I can. The Bucs loved him before picking in the first round in April, and they’ve grown to covet him even more since. They believe he can play any of the wide receiver positions in their offense, which is a good thing because Chris Godwin Jr. still isn’t back from last year’s gruesome season-ending injury and Jalen McMillan is out for a while because of a neck injury.
Expect the Bucs to use Egbuka in the slot and on the outside as needed. Given how mature and polished a player they already believe him to be, he could get a ton of targets in one of the league’s top offenses and hold onto a starting role even when Tampa’s receiver corps is back to full strength.
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1:13
Will Emeka Egbuka be a top-25 fantasy WR this season?
Daniel Dopp breaks down Emeka Egbuka’s chances of becoming a top-25 fantasy WR.
Fowler: Rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden should get a lot of targets, too. The Packers’ first-round pick has greatly impressed coaches so far. “Phenomenal,” one Packers source told me of Golden’s presence. “Makes a wow play every day.” Golden is listed as a starter already and the Packers aren’t hiding their affection for him. It’s not like one of those situations where you hear, “Oh, he’s a rookie, he’s coming along.” It’s, “No, this guy can play.” The Packers will utilize two-TE sets often and Romeo Doubs is still a prime option, but Golden’s talent looks undeniable.
Also, Panthers receiver Xavier Legette, a first-rounder from 2024, will be a factor in Carolina. Teammate Jaycee Horn told me Legette reminds him of A.J. Brown with his combination of physicality and speed.
What else are you hearing this week?
Graziano’s notes:
Based on everything I’ve been told this week, I would be shocked if Parsons doesn’t play in some fashion for the Packers against the Lions on Sunday. It’s too soon for Parsons to know the entire defense, and he probably isn’t in football shape yet since he didn’t practice in training camp. But the Packers should be able to draw up a play package that maximizes Parsons’ impact as an edge rusher in key situations, then continue ramping him up during the early weeks of the season.
The Chiefs are very excited by how rookie left tackle Josh Simmons has performed this summer. One person I spoke to mentioned Simmons’ ability to recover mid-play when he’s beaten off the snap. Coaches say he doesn’t make the same mistake twice, and though some growing pains should be expected, the Chiefs have a high degree of trust in their first-round pick’s ability to protect Patrick Mahomes‘ blind side. With 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia moving inside to left guard, the Chiefs consider themselves more solid on the offensive line than they were last season, when they ended up having to play veteran guard Joe Thuney at left tackle during the postseason and were exposed against the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
One unresolved under-the-radar contract situation to watch is that of Steelers veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward. Heyward adjusted his contract last year, and as a result his 2025 salary of $13.25 million is about half of what the top defensive tackles in the league earn. He has been practicing but also made it clear he wants a raise. This could get resolved before Sunday’s opener, and the relationship between the team and their 14-year veteran mainstay is strong enough that it’s hard to imagine him sitting out the game. But as with any player, his leverage only increases if he forces the team to confront life without him — especially with rookie first-rounder Derrick Harmon set to sit out Sunday’s game because of an injury. The Steelers probably could resolve this by adding some cash and reachable incentives. Until then, it’s worth keeping an eye on.
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1:05
J.J. Watt to McAfee: Anticipation is building around Steelers
J.J. Watt tells Pat McAfee there’s growing anticipation around the Steelers’ offense and Aaron Rodgers.
If both offensive coordinators have their way, the Steelers-Jets game could be over in less than 2½ hours. Both teams want to run the ball and keep the other team’s offense off the field. The Steelers are putting an offense together around a young line and a 41-year-old quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who signed in June. It could take some time for it to come together. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith probably will design a conservative game plan against the tough Jets defense to put Rodgers in do-no-harm situations in an attempt to steal a road win.
As for the Jets, my understanding is that the offense plans to employ a run-heavy, keep-away style leaning on running backs Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, along with quarterback Justin Fields‘ running ability. The Jets hope to get early leads and lean on their strengths. At some point, Fields will have to make plays from the pocket in big third-down spots. If his ability to do that surpasses expectations, the Jets could maybe expand their offense from there. But in the meantime, expect them to run, run and run some more.
We mentioned above that the Cardinals’ offense remains mostly intact from what it was entering last season. The one new guy is right guard Isaiah Adams, who started the final five games of last season. But there was one key departure that people around the league noticed — offensive line coach Klayton Adams, who was hired as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator. Adams had a significant role in the design and implementation of the Cardinals’ run game the past two seasons; only the Ravens and Eagles have rushed for more yards in that span than Arizona. It also thinks highly of new offensive line coach Justin Frye, who held the same role for Ohio State last season, but this is Frye’s first NFL job after 18 years as a college assistant. The Cardinals did retain assistant offensive line coach Chris Cook, who came in with Gannon and Petzing in 2023, so there’s some continuity. But working with Jeff Saturday for the past half-decade or so has drilled into my mind the importance of the offensive line coach, so I have half an eye on this situation.
With no sense of when Joe Mixonmight return from his injury, the Texans are piecing things together at running back. They kept five backs — Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, British Brooks and fourth-round rookie Woody Marks. Chubb seems to be the starter for now, but he hasn’t shown the same explosiveness post-injury that he had earlier in his career, which could open the door for Pierce or Marks to take on a larger role. It’ll be interesting to see how many of these guys are active on game days, since Brooks and Pierce are too valuable on special teams to be inactive. But until someone steps up and shows more than they have so far, expect the Texans to use the run game to set up a passing game they believe will be more dynamic in C.J. Stroud‘s third year than it was in a disappointing 2024 that led to the firing of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
Fowler’s notes:
Week 1 can create urgency for contract extensions that teams or players slow-played over the past four months. That happened in Tampa Bay on Tuesday, when the Bucs reached agreement on a four-year, $90 million extension with right tackle Luke Goedeke. The Bucs identified Goedeke as a player they’d like to keep long term, and a recent comp — the Packers’ Zach Tom at four years, $88 million — informed the right tackle market. With Goedeke extended, here are a handful of candidates I’m keeping my eye on: Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, Cowboys guard Tyler Smith, Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor, Rams safety Quentin Lake and Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Hutchinson will capitalize on the ballooning pass-rush market, and the Lions have begun discussions with him. Dallas wants to allocate some of the money saved by the Parsons trade for Smith, arguably the league’s best guard. Taylor and Lake are ascending defensive backs their teams value beyond this season. There’s a chance Las Vegas and Meyers, the Raiders’ de facto No. 1 receiver coming off a 1,000-yard season despite uneven quarterback play, could come to an agreement despite Meyers recently asking for a trade. And while cornerback Trent McDuffie and the Chiefs won’t reach a new deal by Week 1, via our Nate Taylor, McDuffie is the type of cornerstone player Kansas City would like to keep. This one has challenges — McDuffie is considered small as an outside corner — but many league evaluators consider him a top-five cornerback, and players of that caliber usually get paid.
The Anthony Richardson situation is one I will watch closely throughout the season. Richardson’s agent, Deiric Jackson — who publicly questioned trust in the Colts to our Stephen Holder after Richardson lost the QB battle to Jones — met in person last week with Colts general manager Chris Ballard to clear the air. Jackson called the meeting “very constructive,” and just a chance for sides to “let feelings be known.” Though a trade was not requested, the topic was broached in this meeting. Ballard reinforced that Indy has no plans to trade Richardson and still believes in the quarterback.
Richardson isn’t making any waves — he will remain professional, backing up Jones and maintaining his readiness. But part of his camp’s frustration is that all parties acknowledge patience would be required when Richardson was drafted. He entered the league with one year as a full-time high school starter and one year as a starter at Florida. He has admitted publicly that his leadership and maturity were not up to par in 2024, which contributed to his in-season benching. But despite that, Richardson is 8-7 as an NFL starter, including two fourth-quarter comebacks late last season. He also worked on improving his regimen, leadership, mechanics, diet and ability to layer short-to-intermediate throws, resulting in improvement in camp that ultimately wasn’t enough to win the job. But the Colts know Richardson has a chance to play this season. This situation feels far from settled — and raises questions about how franchises fail young quarterbacks along the way.
A few notes from the Parsons fallout. One team that inquired about Parsons’ availability but ultimately didn’t pursue aggressively was Carolina. The Panthers made a call but did not formally offer a trade package to Dallas. Carolina would have made sense because the Cowboys were looking for a premier defensive tackle, which Carolina has in Derrick Brown. … In our reporting, multiple team execs believed that Parsons was intrigued by several teams in the process, including the Ravens and Chiefs. This was moot — the Cowboys were focused on getting the best deal they could. And the Chiefs were never in it. But it’s noteworthy nonetheless. … Also, don’t be surprised if Green Bay eventually moves former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness inside in certain packages as Parsons gets acclimated. Van Ness’ frame (6-foot-5, 272 pounds) gives him some positional flexibility.
Chargers running back Najee Harris (eye) has jumped right back into the fray upon returning from his injury. He has practiced fully since returning to the lineup and was cleared for contact this past Friday. The Chargers have been pleased with his progress and the Chiefs have prepared with the assumption Harris will be in the lineup Friday. Rookie Omarion Hampton has impressed this camp, and I’m expecting enough carries to go around for both in Greg Roman’s offense.
Regarding the Chiefs, don’t be surprised if familiar faces Isiah Pacheco and JuJu Smith-Schuster are factors in Brazil. Pacheco looks healthy and is running hard. And with Rashee Ricesuspended for six games, the Chiefs trust Smith-Schuster in their three-receiver sets. Not sure how many targets he’ll get, but he’ll be a factor. And Mahomes looks ready to fire off some explosive plays. He is coming off one of his better camps, playing “fast, fun and free” as one team source said, and getting back to creatively trying difficult plays that only he can make. Perhaps that’s an experimental practice thing, but Kansas City believes Mahomes is close to hitting those explosive plays on a regular basis again.
Now that we’re past the preseason, watch for the Bears to flash some creativity to maximize quarterback Caleb Williams. My sense from people in Chicago is that while head coach Ben Johnson would coach Williams relentlessly on the basics throughout camp, they would eventually play to Williams’ strengths, utilizing his mobility and off-platform throwing as an off-script playmaker. Bears fans could see more of that in the regular season.
Expect the Bengals’ offense to be ultra-aggressive to start Sunday’s game against the Browns. Despite a maligned defense, Taylor has challenged his offense to get off to faster starts so that the defense can aggressively pursue the quarterback while holding a lead. Quarterback Joe Burrow has taken to that sentiment, setting the tone with one of his best — and healthiest — training camps. Cincinnati also believes its defense will be better than fans and media do. The Bengals have worked on shoring up tackling issues and playing more as a unit.
Alice CuddySenior international reporter, in Lisbon
Reuters
There is a palpable sense of shock on the faces of people gathering at the site of a major funicular crash in the Portuguese capital as they hear of how a three-year-old German boy was pulled alive from the wreckage.
He is a lucky survivor of Wednesday’s terrible crash which killed 16 people, including his father.
His mother is among more than 20 other people who were injured, including many foreign nationals.
It is still unclear what caused the crash. The capital’s public transport operator, Carris, said all funiculars would be inspected and that it had launched an independent probe into the incident. Police and prosecutors are also investigating.
One local resident told the BBC she was “still processing” what had happened as she walked past the site of the crash, where the wreckage of the funicular that had derailed and crashed into a building lay on the ground.
“It’s very, very sad,” she said.
Others gathered and took photos of the wreckage, or stood silently watching. Two tourists from Singapore said they had been scheduled to ride the funicular on Wednesday but had changed their plans at the last minute.
“It’s scary… Who knows, we might have been on this one,” one said. “It changes your perspective on life. You just don’t expect something like this to happen.”
‘People started to jump from the windows’
Tour guide Mariana Figueiredo was among those at the scene of the crash on Wednesday evening. She said she had been traumatised by what she had witnessed.
Ms Figueiredo said she heard a large crash and rushed to the scene, close to where her TukTuk was parked.
“In five seconds I was there,” she said. “People started to jump from the windows inside the funicular at the bottom of the hill. Then I saw another one [further up] that was already crushed.
“I started to climb the hill to help the people but when I got there the only thing I could hear was silence.”
Ms Figueiredo said that when she and others started to pull the roof off of the funicular, they saw dead bodies inside.
She said she witnessed children being rescued, and tried to help people with broken bones and to calm those in distress.
“A lot of people were crying around me. They were very frightened. I was trying to calm them down.”
A man, who was on another funicular at the bottom of the hill at the time of the crash, told reporters that he thought he was going to die.
“No matter how many more years I live, I’ll never take the funicular again,” he said.
Watch: BBC correspondent Alison Roberts at scene of Lisbon funicular crash
Police have not officially named any of the dead or injured, but said at a news conference on Thursday that they believed two Canadians, one German and one Ukrainian national were thought to be among the dead.
This followed from an earlier update in which police said they believed five Portuguese, two South Korean and one Swiss national had been identified.
The Portuguese transport union said funicular brake guard André Jorge Gonçalves Marques was among those killed.
Charity Santa Casa da Misericórdia, whose employees used the funicular for their work commute, confirmed that four of their workers were killed in the accident.
One employee, Valdemar Bastos, told the BBC that staff at the charity, located on top of a steep hill, often used the funicular along with tourists and elderly people.
“I have always felt safe,” he said. “I never thought this could happen.”
Reuters
On Thursday, the head of Lisbon’s public transport operator, Carris, said that all funiculars in the city would be closed until technical inspections had been carried out.
Pedro Gonçalo de Brito Aleixo Bogas told reporters that the Gloria line would reopen in the future with a new carriage.
He said the company had increased its spending on maintaining funiculars – which had operated correctly since 2007 – but added that the cost of maintaining them had more than doubled over the past 10 years.
The findings from the investigation would be released soon, Dr De Brito Bogas said, but declined to say when this would happen.
Footage shared on social media showed the crumpled yellow funicular overturned on the cobblestone street and people running from the area as smoke filled the air.
Several passengers trapped in the wreckage had to be freed by emergency responders, local authorities said.
Officials in Lisbon had initially put the death toll at 17, however that number was later revised down to 16 after they discovered a person who died in hospital overnight had been counted twice.
A funicular is a type of railway system that allows travel up and down steep slopes, and in Lisbon they are a crucial means of navigating the city’s steep, cobbled streets.
The city’s funicular railways – Glória, Lavra, Bica and Graça – are a popular tourist attraction, as the bright yellow tram-like vehicles snake through the often-narrow, hilly streets.
Glória was opened in 1885 and electrified three decades later.
It travels some 275m (900ft) from Restauradores, a central city square, up to the picturesque streets of Bairro Alto. The journey takes just three minutes.
The two carriages on the Glória route are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, which is pulled by electric motors.
As one carriage travels downhill, its weight lifts the other, allowing them to ascend and descend simultaneously, reducing the energy needed to transport them.
The second, intact carriage could be seen just metres from the wreckage at the bottom of the hill.
Hawaii is joining a coalition of West Coast, Democratic-led states forming a new public health alliance in opposition to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
California, Oregon, and Washington announced the alliance on Wednesday, which officials say will provide “evidence-based immunization guidance” rooted in “safety, efficacy, and transparency” to ensure residents receive “credible information free from political interference,” according to a statement from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green, an emergency room physician, said islanders understand how critical it is to protect communities from preventable diseases.
“By joining the West Coast Health, we’re giving Hawaii’s people the same consistent, evidence-based guidance they can trust to keep their families and neighbors safe,” Green said in a statement.
“This approach is critical as we all go forward into an era with severe threats from infectious diseases.”
The alliance was formed in response to Secretary Kennedy’s overhaul of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including the recent ousting of top agency officials.
Kennedy forced former CDC Director Susan Monarez out of the position after the two butted heads over federal vaccine policy. Four top agency leaders resigned shortly after Monarez was let go, claiming that Kennedy’s leadership was getting in the way of the CDC’s mission to protect public health.
Monarez said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that she was fired after she refused to preapprove recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel filled with “people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric.” Kennedy denied these claims during a Senate Finance Committee hearing held on Thursday.
“Since its founding, the CDC has been central to protecting Americans from disease. But recent leadership changes, reduced transparency, and the sidelining of long-trusted advisory bodies have impaired the agency’s capacity to prepare the nation for respiratory virus season and other public health challenges,” the governors said in a joint statement.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon criticized Democratic-led states, blaming their COVID-19 pandemic policies for Americans’ distrust in public health agencies.
“Democrat-run states that pushed unscientific school lockdowns, toddler mask mandates, and draconian vaccine passports during the COVID era completely eroded the American people’s trust in public health agencies,” Nixon wrote to The Hill.
“ACIP remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country, and HHS will ensure policy is based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One person has died and at least six others have been injured in a mass stabbing attack that took place at a remote indigenous community in Canada, police say.
The suspect also died in Thursday’s attack in a First Nations community in the province of Manitoba, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The incident, described by police as a “mass casualty” event, took place in Hollow Water First Nation, about 200km (124 miles) north-east of the city of Winnipeg.
Eight people were transported by either air or ambulance to local hospitals, Shared Health, the provincial health authority, told the BBC. They arrived with varying injuries, a spokesman said.
Stars air ambulance confirmed that it responded to an emergency on the Hollow Water First Nation on Thursday morning and flew two patients to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.
Few details on the incident are currently available. The RCMP will hold a news conference at 14:00 local time (19:00 GMT).
Manitoba RCMP warned Hollow Water First Nation residents on Thursday morning that they should expect a heavy police presence in the community throughout the day.
It said there was no current risk to public safety.
“Our sincere condolences to everyone within the community of Hollow Water First Nation and to everyone who has been affected by this senseless act of violence,” the RCMP said.
The RCMP major crimes unit will the lead the investigation.
In a letter to residents posted online, the Hollow River chief and council offered their condolences those “affected by this tragedy”.
The Anishinaabe community has a small population of a few hundred people.
One of those injured in the attack was identified by family members as Michael Raven, according to CBC News.
His children said that he was stabbed in the lung by someone who broke into his home and attacked him in his sleep.
“The community is all shaken up from it. It is not something that happens in Hollow Water,” his daughter Christy Williams, told CBC.
The attack happened on the third anniversary of a mass stabbing in James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby village of Weldon, in the province of Saskatchewan, in which 11 people were killed and many more injured.
The suspect in that stabbing died shortly after police arrested him following a three-day manhunt.
