NYC NOW - November 15, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: November 15, 2024

Governor Hochul's revised congestion pricing plan has at least one critic: President-elect Donald Trump. Plus, a wildfire raging on the New York-New Jersey border is roughly 70% contained. It's already burned some 5,000 acres. Plus, a look at how public health policy might shift under the next Trump Administration.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Friday, November 15th. Here's the midday news from Alec Hamilton. President-elect Trump is making clear again he opposes New York's new congestion pricing plan. Trump says the $9 toll on drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street will hurt New York City's comeback. But MTA, CEO, Jena Lieber says, the people who work in Trump's office buildings will benefit from the new fees for drivers.

If there is less congestion, people who have to drive for whatever reason or choose to drive for whatever reason will spend less time wasted in traffic. I think Donald Trump may understand those issues as a New Yorker. Governor Hokel unveiled the new toll yesterday. She had blocked a $15 toll plan in June. Officials say the massive Jennings Creek wildfire on the border of New York and New Jersey reached a critical turning point last night. State officials on both sides say the fire is about 70% contained after it burned more than 5,000 acres. Hundreds of firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze, and a crew of 20 specialized firefighters from Montana are expected to arrive today to help as well. Military helicopters are also dropping thousands of gallons of water on the fire from above.

Authorities are urging residents to avoid roads near any hotspots. And the Brooklyn Nets used to play in New Jersey. now they have, well, a new jersey. It's one of the NBA's City Edition uniforms designed to evoke the style and swagger of the cities where the teams play. For this year, the Nets are partnering with Brooklyn Artist Cause, known for his signature cartoony images with the X-Dout eyes.

That X motif is featured on the waistband of the shorts. The Nets will wear the City Edition look for select games throughout the season. Sunny today, with a high near 57 degrees, tonight clear with a low around 43, and a sunny weekend ahead with highs in the low 60s. Stay close. There's more after the break. Some public health experts are expressing concern that President-elect Trump

could undermine vaccination efforts when he takes office next year. Guardrails are in place to protect against wholesale changes, but some health care providers in New York City say they are bracing for a potential shift in federal guidance. My colleague Michael Hill spoke with WNYC health care reporter Caroline Lewis to find out more about what's at stake, locally and nationally. Caroline first, let's talk about why public health experts are raising concerns in the first place. What has set off the alarm bells? Well, I think it's something that people have been hearing a lot about, you know, the biggest thing is that Trump is to give a prominent role in his administration to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. You know, he's spoken frequently about his skepticism about vaccine safety and has even, at times, spread misinformation about vaccines.

And policy experts I spoke to said there are a lot of ways that someone in that position could influence vaccine access and attitudes. But there are also limits to what the president and his appointees could do. And states also have a role in determining vaccine policy. How much role do they have as opposed to the federal government? Well, states are responsible for deciding whether to mandate vaccines in schools, which is a big thing. And actually all 50 states and Washington, D.C. do have school vaccination requirements. And states can also decide whether to allow personal or religious exemptions. New York is one of just a few states that allow neither.

And states also have set their own policies on COVID vaccine mandates, for instance. I would say state and local officials also help set the. tone when it comes to PSAs and reminders about getting vaccinated. And in New York, there's regular messaging from health officials and city and state leaders about the importance of vaccines to combat, you know, a range of different diseases, whether it's COVID or MPox or the flu. You know, that's both to make sure people don't get really sick themselves and also to reduce transmission and protect the people that are most at risk. So I think New York officials would likely fight back against any attempt to scale back access or cast doubt on vaccination.

But the federal government also, you know, has a lot of power over vaccines. Caroline, let's talk about that power. What are some ways the federal government could flex that power to influence vaccine access? Well, for starters, it's up to the FDA to approve new vaccines. But of course, that's supposed to happen after careful review of the scientific evidence. you know, one policy expert told me it's likely any attempt to reverse existing FDA approvals would be met with swift legal action. You know, we're talking about the pharmaceutical industry also being involved, which obviously is very powerful. The CDC also has a lot of influence, though. The CDC is responsible for issuing guidance around who should get vaccinated and when.

You know, that's the agency that sets the schedule for childhood vaccination that's followed across the country. And it's important to note that federal requirements around which vaccines have to be covered by insurance are tied to the CDC's recommendations. So changes to CDC guidance could have downstream effects. And again, there's a panel of experts who make these decisions. But I think there's just some concern about whether a Trump appointee could have some influence. And then finally, you know, the federal government can also provide funding for vaccines. and help procure doses for health care providers. That can happen during public health emergencies like it did during COVID.

But it also happens every day through the Vaccines for Children program, which provides vaccines to kids all over the country, including in New York. Caroline, just a few seconds left here. A lot of talk about vaccines, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Trump administration. What do we know so far about what is actually on Trump's agenda for vaccines? I'd say we know very little. You know, Trump's own messaging has been very mixed. You know, he took credit for the rapid development of the first COVID vaccines, you know, which was a big accomplishment, you know, that he helped accelerate. But he didn't really make that a central focus of his latest presidential campaign. You know, he has made various claims about what he will do during his administration. I think it's still unclear. Kennedy, for his part, recently said he won't take away people's vaccines. But he's also said, he thinks there are huge deficits in the science that he wants to try to address. That's Caroline Lewis, WNIC's health reporter talking about vaccines and what could happen

with the Trump administration and what doctors and providers here are bracing for in New York. Caroline, thank you. Thanks. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Check us out for updates every weekday three times a day for the latest news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you. get your podcast. We'll be back this evening.