Good morning. You may have heard a saying along the lines that \u201cwhen the US sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold\u201d. So when the US health department announced plans to cut half a billion dollars in vaccine research funding on Wednesday, the world took notice.<\/p>\n
The US is the world\u2019s largest funder of biomedical research<\/a>, but this position has become more precarious with the appointment of Robert F Kennedy Jr, a longtime vaccine sceptic, as US health secretary.<\/p>\n This week, Kennedy has announced plans to terminate 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccines<\/a>, casting doubt on the safety of a technology widely credited with helping end the Covid-19 pandemic and saving millions of lives.<\/p>\n In total the affected projects are worth nearly $500m (\u00a3376m), according to the health agency. As for Kennedy, he said: \u201cWe reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted.\u201d<\/p>\n The only problem? The scientific community in the US and around the world has overwhelmingly condemned the decision. To understand why, for today\u2019s newsletter I spoke to Michael Head<\/strong>, a global health researcher at the University of Southampton. That\u2019s after the headlines.<\/p>\n Five big stories<\/p>\n Israel-Gaza war <\/strong>| Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s office said his security cabinet had approved a plan to take over Gaza City<\/a> after the prime minister earlier said Israel planned to take full control of the Palestinian territory. The decision early on Friday marks another escalation of Israel\u2019s offensive in Gaza. Follow developments live<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ukraine <\/strong>| Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of an expected meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin that Europe must participate in the peace process<\/a> between Ukraine and Russia. As the Kremlin refused a three-way meeting with Zelenskyy and Trump, the Ukrainian president said: \u201cUkraine is not afraid of meetings and expects the same brave approach from the Russian side.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Economy <\/strong>| The chancellor and prime minister will begin to foreshadow tax rises and reforms from September to prepare the country for a difficult budget that could be held in November, the Guardian has been told. A rise in gambling levies \u2013 advocated by Gordon Brown <\/a>\u2013 is thought to be near-guaranteed as part of the package of tax rises.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n UK news <\/strong>| Amnesty International has warned the Met police against<\/a> arresting participants protesting this Saturday in London in support of Palestine Action.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Labour <\/strong>| The UK homelessness minister, Rushanara Ali, resigned<\/a> after it emerged she evicted tenants from her east London property before increasing the rent by almost \u00a3700 a month.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n In depth: \u2018The mRNA vaccines saved about 20 million lives\u2019Vaccines were developed rapidly at the height of the Covid pandemic. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod\/The Guardian<\/p>\n The first thing to understand is that mRNA vaccines work differently from traditional ones. The latter generally introduce a weakened or inactivated part of a virus to train the immune system to recognise and fight it in the future; whereas mRNA vaccines use a molecule that tells our cells how to make a viral protein, which triggers the body\u2019s immune responses.<\/p>\n This technology is a scientific gamechanger, to the extent the researchers behind it won the Nobel prize in 2023. But since rising to prominence during the Covid pandemic, mRNA vaccines have been dogged by misinformation (this analysis by my colleague Nicola Davis<\/a> is well worth a read.)<\/p>\n Michael Head tells me that mRNA technology offers a very effective and adaptable approach to developing vaccines. \u201cIt\u2019s often described as plug-and-play because you can adapt constituents of the vaccine with, for example, the latest Covid variant.\u201d<\/p>\n For something like a flu vaccine, researchers need to incubate the virus and grow it, which takes weeks, Head explains. \u201cThat\u2019s fine to an extent when it comes to producing an annual vaccine like we do for seasonal influenza, but the advantage to mRNA technology is that it can be updated so quickly that it allows us to produce new vaccines or update existing vaccines quicker, which can hopefully then reduce the threat of whatever infectious disease is present.\u201d<\/p>\n This is crucial during a pandemic such as Covid. \u201cThe mRNA vaccines saved about 20 million lives globally in the first year of their rollout,\u201d Head says.<\/p>\n Why is Kennedy doing this?<\/strong><\/p>\n Kennedy once described mRNA Covid vaccines as \u201cthe deadliest vaccine ever made\u201d. On Wednesday, he justified the health agency\u2019s decision to terminate research by claiming that data shows mRNA vaccines \u201cfail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like Covid and flu\u201d.<\/p>\n Kennedy offered no scientific evidence to support this \u2013 and Head said Kennedy has been spreading vaccine misinformation for years. \u201cHe has on at least one or two occasions compared vaccines to being like the Holocaust, a common anti-vaccine trope.\u201d<\/p>\n He has also recently falsely claimed vaccines such as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab contain \u201caborted foetus debris<\/a>\u201d; ordered a sweeping new study on the long-debunked link between vaccines and autism; and dismissed a panel of government vaccine experts, replacing them with his own appointees \u2013 who then voted to ban a longstanding vaccine preservative that has been a frequent target of the anti-vaccine movement despite its strong safety record.<\/p>\n Kennedy claims he is shutting down research on mRNA vaccines and instead shifting funding to \u201csafer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate\u201d, and that mRNA vaccines \u201cencourage new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics\u201d.<\/p>\n It\u2019s just not true, though. Head says variants actually tend to emerge in the absence of vaccinations, and in people with long-term infections \u2013 often those who are immunocompromised and can\u2019t get over the virus quickly. That gives the virus more chances to multiply and mutate.<\/p>\n \u201cVaccines reduce the risk of transmission and infection,\u201d Head says, which means fewer opportunities for the virus to mutate. \u201cSo vaccines will have a protective effect against new variants emerging, rather than as Kennedy suggests.\u201d<\/p>\n What impact will this have?<\/strong><\/p>\n The question of the next pandemic is not if, but when. History shows pandemics happen, Head says, pointing to the 1918 flu pandemic, swine flu, Sars, and of course Covid.<\/p>\n Head says this is especially true in our era of globalisation and human encroachment into new environments. \u201cIf you create enough opportunities, a new virus will enter human beings. There might be a scenario where it runs out of control like we saw with Covid. Or, it might be a bit more like Sars, where we were able to get it under control within a couple of months.<\/p>\n \u201cBut again, globalisation and the mixing of people and animals makes things more challenging. And so a pandemic will happen at some point. We just don\u2019t know when.\u201d<\/p>\n Technologies like mRNA vaccines, then, are vital. Head added that the potential applications go far beyond infectious disease.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s quite promising research on skin cancer and the potential for this technology to be applied across different areas of health,\u201d Head says. That is another reason Kennedy\u2019s decision is so damaging, he adds.<\/p>\n One of Head\u2019s research areas focuses on how funding decisions impact science such as cancer research. \u201cIt\u2019s very early days, but we are starting to see a slightly alarming picture. It\u2019ll be very hard for the rest of the world to fill the cancer research gaps that the US is likely to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n Is this a worrying time for the scientific community?<\/strong><\/p>\n There is no way to sugarcoat it; this is a particularly alarming moment for scientists. The World Health Organization coined the term \u201cinfodemic\u201d during the pandemic to describe the overwhelming amount of misinformation that spreads during a public health crisis, Head says. Even before Covid, in 2019 the WHO listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 global health threats<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI have huge concerns that if a pandemic happened again tomorrow, whether populations in the UK, US, and around the world would trust public health decision making that would be vital to mitigate the impacts of any new pandemic. So the role of misinformation is significant and it can be very severe,\u201d Head warned.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does not help that some of the most powerful people, like US president Donald Trump and Robert F Kennedy Jr<\/a>, are making poor quality comments on vaccination because that does have an impact on population level decision making.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of Head\u2019s research has looked into vaccine uptake in Ghana<\/a> during the pandemic. The study found that political views played a big role in whether someone agreed to receive a Covid vaccine.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200b\u200bThe government was saying, go and get vaccinated, please, but there was a fair amount of anti-government sentiment at the time. And hesitancy was greater if you voted for the opposition and therefore trusted the government messaging less. So there are lessons to be learned on who delivers the messaging to get your vaccine, and how to address that lack of trust in governance,\u201d Head said.<\/p>\n For now, the world holds its breath \u2026 and hopes no one sneezes.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n What else we\u2019ve been readingA small white butterfly in London this summer. Photograph: Butterfly Conservation\/PA<\/p>\n Patrick Barkham\u2019s piece<\/a> about the recent hopeful surge of some wildlife<\/strong> is both a joyous celebration of animals\u2019 resilience and a call for us to give them a helping hand. Lucinda Everett, newsletters<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n I love this ranking<\/a> of Daniel Day-Lewis<\/strong> films, and to learn that the triple Oscar winner has retired from acting, and returned twice. Aamna<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n We asked our readers<\/strong> to share the strangest things<\/a> they\u2019ve found in a new home, and they didn\u2019t disappoint. Forgotten placenta, anyone? Lucinda<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n This story<\/a> by my colleague Mark Townsend is extraordinary: it pieces together, using intelligence reports and witness testimony, how the RSF paramilitary began a massacre described as \u201cgenocidal\u201d in Zamzam refugee camp<\/strong>. Aamna<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Daniel Boffey examines<\/a> how David Lammy<\/strong> is wooing JD Vance, from inviting the US vice-president to pray with him, to shedding tears over his memoir. Lucinda<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n SportEmma Raducanu said she is \u2018excited to have aboard so much experience\u2019 after taking on Francisco Roig as her coach. Photograph: Robert Prange\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Tennis <\/strong>| Ahead of the Cincinnati Open, Emma Raducanu told Tumaini Carayol in an exclusive interview<\/a> that she believes her new coaching partnership with Francisco Roig can help to take her game to the next level.<\/p>\n Football <\/strong>| Liverpool have agreed a fee of \u00a346.3m plus add-ons with Al-Hilal for Darwin N\u00fa\u00f1ez. The Uruguay international is expected to complete a move<\/a> to the Saudi Pro League once personal terms have been finalised.<\/p>\n Cricket <\/strong>| The leader of the Tech Titans consortium that has bought 49% of London Spirit believes the Hundred will become a multibillion-dollar competition<\/a> to rival the Indian Premier League.<\/p>\n The front pages<\/p>\n The Guardian<\/strong> print edition reports \u201cNetanyahu defies warnings over taking military control of all Gaza\u201d. \u201cMinister resigns over rental \u2018hypocrisy\u201d \u2013 that\u2019s the Telegraph<\/strong> while the i paper <\/strong>expands on that: \u201cUK\u2019s minister for homelessness quits after she\u2019s caught ejecting tenants and hiking rent\u201d. \u201cMinister for hypocrisy is forced to quit\u201d the Mail<\/strong> delights. \u201cSingle-sex spaces \u2018off limits to trans women\u2019\u201d says the Times<\/strong>. <\/strong>\u201cWeight loss pill \u2018on NHS\u2019\u201d and \u201cPill for weight loss on NHS\u201d \u2013 the Mirror<\/strong> and Express<\/strong> both says it\u2019s a possibility. Deep breath needed before reading the FT\u2019s<\/strong> headline aloud: \u201cBoE lowers rates but tight vote forces investors to rein in bets on more cuts\u201d. \u201cHe\u2019s our brave little miracle\u201d reports the Metro<\/strong>, about a lifesaving \u201cworld-first operation\u201d on a little boy.<\/p>\n Something for the weekend<\/p>\n Our critics\u2019 roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now<\/p>\n Deliriously in love with wealth and celebrity \u2026Amaarae. Photograph: Salome\u0301 Gomis-Trezise<\/p>\n Music TV<\/strong> Film Games<\/strong> Today in FocusA textile worker in Datang subdistrict, Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. Photograph: Go Nakamura\/Reuters<\/p>\n Inside China\u2019s fast-fashion factories as a US trade war looms<\/strong><\/p>\n The Guardian\u2019s senior China correspondent, Amy Hawkins, visits factories threatened by US tariffs<\/a> in Guangzhou, south China, as the deadline for a US-China trade agreement approaches with no deal yet in sight.<\/p>\n Cartoon of the day | Martin Rowson Illustration: Martin Rowson\/The GuardianThe Upside<\/p>\n A bit of good news to remind you that the world\u2019s not all bad<\/p>\n Experts say the return of the lynx would bring many advantages, including hunting overly large populations of deer. Photograph: Ben Birchall\/PA<\/p>\n Lynx \u2013 shy wild cats no bigger than a Labrador \u2013 became extinct in Britain 1,300 years ago thanks to hunting and habitat loss. But a paper published in the Journal of Environmental Management says the animals could thrive in Northumberland\u2019s Kielder<\/a> Forest area. The paper found that releasing 20 lynx over several years would eventually create a healthy population of about 50 animals, bringing benefits like helping to curb the overpopulation of deer in woodlands. According to the researchers, Kielder Forest is the only area of England and Wales with enough woodland for lynx to thrive. But thankfully locals are keen on the plan, with 72% of people in the project area supporting reintroduction.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/strong>Amaarae: Black Star <\/strong>| \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606
<\/strong>Weaving elements of house, trance and EDM into Afrobeats rhythms and spiky rap cadences, the Ghanaian-American singer\u2019s slick take on a club record is deliriously in love with wealth, celebrity and all the power it affords. But there is a difference between Amaarae and the other stars fixated on such topics: for her, glamour is a side quest and love is the motive. Shaad D\u2019Souza<\/strong><\/p>\n
Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?<\/strong> | \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/strong>
Neonatal nurse Lucy Letby became, in tabloid parlance, \u201cBritain\u2019s worst child serial killer\u201d when she was convicted in 2023 of seven murders and seven attempted murders of infants in her care. This brilliantly cogent documentary, which forces sentiment aside and unpacks the science and statistics around the most contested pieces of evidence, covers more ground more meticulously in an hour than any documentary I\u2019ve seen in recent years, and perhaps ever. Lucy Mangan<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/strong>The Kingdom<\/strong> | \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>
Lesia, a moody 15-year-old, is sent to her mob boss father\u2019s luxurious and fortified family compound , and she is thrilled when she quickly becomes lieutenant. There are fierce and overwhelmingly authentic performances from first-time actors in Julien Colonna\u2019s intensely atmospheric, absorbing and exciting drama. Peter Bradshaw<\/strong><\/p>\n
Time Flies<\/strong> | \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/strong>
This perception-warping bug puzzler reimagines the inevitably short lifespan of a housefly as an absurd tragedy \u2013 by providing the soon-to-perish pest with a bucket list. Over the course of roughly a minute, players buzz around minimalist 2D environments trying to make those last wishes come true. By blending this thinky thesis with playful mechanics, it supplies a lighthearted canvas for players to engage with existentialism for an hour or two. Sarah Thwaites<\/strong><\/p>\n