As states roll out coronavirus vaccination plans, confronting skepticism in the hardest-hit communities is a top priority for local officials.
Among those spreading the word that the vaccine is safe and effective is Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y. 13th District), who represents Harlem and much of Upper Manhattan.
"Certainly there's been an ugly history of vaccines in America," Espaillat told Cheddar. "Many folks were used as guinea pigs."
The representative referred to unethical clinical studies from the past such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, in which the U.S. government promised hundreds of African-American sharecroppers free health care despite never actually administering treatment.
Now Espaillat is reaching out to constituents in his district to make the case that a lot has changed since those injustices took place.
"I ask everyone to save themselves and their families by taking this vaccine," he said. "This is not like the 1930s or the late 40s or when these experiments were happening in our communities."
Yet, elected officials still have a wide chasm to bridge in communities of color.
An Associated Press poll found that just 24 percent of Black respondents said they would get the COVID-19 vaccine, while 40 percent said they would not be getting it. Hispanics were close behind with 34 percent saying they would, and 26 percent saying they would not.
This compares with 53 percent of white respondents who said they would get the vaccine and just 25 percent who said they would not.
Espaillat explained that government response to the virus so far — which has been marked by moments of inconsistency from national leaders — has led to some of the uncertainty around the vaccine as well.
"Too many people have died in our communities, and I think it's smart and important to protect yourself and your families," he said.
An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child.
Israel bombarded Gaza early Friday, hitting areas in the south where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and it began evacuating a sizable Israeli town in the north near the Lebanese border, the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.
The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations that it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.
Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has made his case for major U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that inflation remains too high and that bringing it down to the Fed's target level will likely require a slower-growing economy and job market.
Despite deepening opposition, Rep. Jim Jordan is expected to try a third vote to become House speaker, even as his Republican colleagues are explicitly warning the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump that no more threats or promises can win over their support.
Donald Trump is winning over swing state voters including in several states even leaning toward President Joe Biden, according to a recent poll by Bloomberg and Morning Consult.
A Russian-American journalist working for a U.S. government-funded media company has been detained in Russia and charged with failing to register as a “foreign agent,” her employer said Thursday.
Lawyer Sidney Powell pleaded guilty to reduced charges Thursday over efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia, becoming the second defendant in the sprawling case to reach a deal with prosecutors.
