Ivory Coast announces cholera outbreak after 7 deaths
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast announced a cholera outbreak on Thursday, confirming seven deaths from the disease.
Daniel Kouadio Ekra, head of the National Institute of Public Hygiene, confirmed the epidemic, saying stool sample analyses conducted by the Pasteur Institute of Côte d'Ivoire, detected 'cholera vibrio.'
'On May 25, 2025, the Port-Bouët-Vridi health district reported five deaths in the village of Vridi Akobrate,' he said.
So far, 45 cases have been recorded in Vridi Akobrate, in the outskirts of Abidjan, the capital, including the seven fatalities. All of the deaths occurred within the community in the first two days.
Ivory Coast has experienced several major cholera epidemics since the 1990s.
The World Health Organization calls cholera a disease of poverty, as it thrives where there is poor sanitation and a lack of clean water. Africa has had eight times as many deaths this year as the Middle East, the second-most affected region.
Historically vulnerable, Africa is even more at risk as it faces the worst impacts of climate change as well as the effect of the El Niño weather phenomenon, health experts say. In what's become a perfect storm, there's also a global shortage of cholera vaccines, which are needed only in poorer countries.
'The government calls on the population to remain vigilant, namely to consume safe drinking water, avoid street water bags, and wash their hands regularly," Kouadio Ekra said on Thursday. ____
Follow AP's Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
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Republican senators to watch in the maneuvering over Trump's big bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has set an ambitious timeline for passing President Donald Trump's sweeping legislation to cut taxes and spending. But getting it on the Republican president's desk by July 4 will require some big decisions, and soon. Republican senators are airing concerns about different parts of the legislation, including cuts to Medicaid, changes to food aid and the impact on the deficit. To push the bill to passage, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and other negotiators will need to find a compromise that satisfies both ends of their conference — and that can still satisfy the House, which passed the bill last month by only one vote. A look at some of the groups and senators who leaders will have to convince as they work to push Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill toward a Senate vote: Rural state lawmakers Every Republican senator represents a state with a rural constituency — and some of their states are among the most rural in the country. Many in those less-populated areas rely heavily on Medicaid for health care, leading several of them to warn that the changes to the program in the bill could be devastating to communities that are already struggling. Of particular concern is a freeze on a so-called provider tax that some states use to help pay for large portions of their Medicaid programs. The extra tax often leads to higher payments from the federal government, which critics say is a loophole that allows states to inflate their budgets. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and several others have argued that freezing that tax revenue would hurt rural hospitals, in particular. 'Hospitals will close,' Hawley said last month. 'It's that simple. And that pattern will replicate in states across the country.' Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said Thursday that provider taxes in his state are 'the money we use for Medicaid.' 'You start cutting that out, we've got big problems,' Tuberville said. Eliminating those taxes 'might lose some folks.' At the same time, Republican senators have little interest in a House-passed provision that spends more money by raising a cap on state and local tax deductions, known as SALT. The higher cap traditionally benefits more urban areas in states with high taxes, such as New York and California. The House included the new cap after New York Republicans threatened to oppose the bill, but Senate Republicans uniformly dislike it. 'I think there's going to have to be some adjustment' on the SALT provision, Thune said Wednesday, noting that 'senators are just in a very different place' from the House. Former (and maybe future) governors The House-passed bill would also shift some Medicaid and food stamp costs to states, a change that has the former governors in the Senate, in particular, worried. West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice, who was governor of his state for eight years before his election to the Senate last year, said he favors many aspects of the bill. He supports the new work requirements for Medicaid and food stamp recipients, the restrictions on benefits for immigrants who are in the country illegally and the efforts to cut down on fraud. 'There's real savings there,' Justice said. 'But then we ought to stop.' 'We're on our way to cannibalizing ourselves,' Justice said. 'We don't want to hurt kids and hurt our families.' The provision stirring the most unease would shift 5% of administrative costs to the state for administering food stamps — known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. States that have high error rates in the program would have to take on an even higher percentage of federal costs. North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, also a former governor, said senators are working to get feedback from current governors and may propose some 'incentive-oriented ideas' instead of a penalty for the high error rates. 'We don't know if the states have really looked at the impacts of some of this yet,' Hoeven said. Tuberville, who is running for governor of Alabama next year, said the program should be reformed instead of shifting costs. 'I know what our budget is and what we can afford, and we can't start a federal program and then say, 'Oh, let's, let's send it back to the states and let them take a big hunk of it,'' Tuberville said. 'I mean, that's not the way we do it.' The moderates Thune needs to bring Republican moderates on board with the bill, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Both have reservations with the Medicaid cuts, among other things. Collins said she wants to review how the SNAP changes will affect her state. 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'The truth is, there are a lot of good things in this bill that I absolutely support. I want it to succeed.' Mary Clare Jalonick, The Associated Press Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Associated Press
an hour ago
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Republican senators to watch in the maneuvering over Trump's big bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has set an ambitious timeline for passing President Donald Trump's sweeping legislation to cut taxes and spending. But getting it on the Republican president's desk by July 4 will require some big decisions, and soon. Republican senators are airing concerns about different parts of the legislation, including cuts to Medicaid, changes to food aid and the impact on the deficit. To push the bill to passage, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and other negotiators will need to find a compromise that satisfies both ends of their conference — and that can still satisfy the House, which passed the bill last month by only one vote. A look at some of the groups and senators who leaders will have to convince as they work to push Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill toward a Senate vote: Rural state lawmakers Every Republican senator represents a state with a rural constituency — and some of their states are among the most rural in the country. Many in those less-populated areas rely heavily on Medicaid for health care, leading several of them to warn that the changes to the program in the bill could be devastating to communities that are already struggling. Of particular concern is a freeze on a so-called provider tax that some states use to help pay for large portions of their Medicaid programs. The extra tax often leads to higher payments from the federal government, which critics say is a loophole that allows states to inflate their budgets. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri and several others have argued that freezing that tax revenue would hurt rural hospitals, in particular. 'Hospitals will close,' Hawley said last month. 'It's that simple. And that pattern will replicate in states across the country.' Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville said Thursday that provider taxes in his state are 'the money we use for Medicaid.' 'You start cutting that out, we've got big problems,' Tuberville said. Eliminating those taxes 'might lose some folks.' At the same time, Republican senators have little interest in a House-passed provision that spends more money by raising a cap on state and local tax deductions, known as SALT. The higher cap traditionally benefits more urban areas in states with high taxes, such as New York and California. The House included the new cap after New York Republicans threatened to oppose the bill, but Senate Republicans uniformly dislike it. 'I think there's going to have to be some adjustment' on the SALT provision, Thune said Wednesday, noting that 'senators are just in a very different place' from the House. Former (and maybe future) governors The House-passed bill would also shift some Medicaid and food stamp costs to states, a change that has the former governors in the Senate, in particular, worried. West Virginia Sen. 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'The truth is, there are a lot of good things in this bill that I absolutely support. I want it to succeed.'
San Francisco Chronicle
21 hours ago
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Palestinians say Israeli fire kills 5 near aid sites. Israel says it fired warning shots
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Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces fired on them at a roundabout around a kilometer (half-mile) from a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in nearby Rafah. Israel's military said it fired warning shots at 'suspects' who had advanced toward its forces and ignored warnings to turn away. It said the shooting occurred in an area that is considered an active combat zone at night. Al-Awda Hospital said it received the body of a 42-year-old man and 29 people who were wounded near another GHF aid distribution point in central Gaza. The military said it fired warning shots in the area at around 6:40 a.m. but did not see any casualties. A GHF official said there was no violence in or around its distribution sites, all three of which delivered aid on Sunday. The group closed them temporarily last week to discuss safety measures with Israel's military and has warned people to stay on designated access routes. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Witnesses fear for their safety Witnesses said the shooting in southern Gaza occurred at around 6 a.m., when they were told the site would open. Many headed toward it early, seeking desperately needed food before the crowds arrived. Adham Dahman, who was at Nasser Hospital with a bandage on his chin, said a tank fired toward them. 'We didn't know how to escape," he said. "This is trap for us, not aid.' Zahed Ben Hassan said someone next to him was shot in the head. He said he and others pulled the body from the scene. 'They said it was a safe area from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. ... So why did they start shooting at us?' he said. 'There was light out, and they have their cameras and can clearly see us.' The military announced on Friday that the sites would be open during those hours, and that the area would be a closed military zone the rest of the time. Children cried over their father's body at the hospital. 'I can't see you like this, Dad!' one girl said. 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Experts warned earlier this year that Gaza was at critical risk of famine if Israel did not lift its blockade and halt its military campaign. Both were renewed in March. Israeli officials have said the offensive will continue until all hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Talks mediated by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been deadlocked for months. Hamas started the war with its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. They still hold 55 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel has recovered dozens of bodies, including three in recent days, and rescued eight living hostages during the war. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead but does not say how many civilians or combatants were killed. Israel says it has killed over 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population. ___
