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.
The Supreme Court ruled it would allow the Biden administration to regulate so-called ghost guns, or those untraceable homemade weapons, and also barred two Texas-based manufacturers from selling products that can be turned into ghost guns.
The Commerce Department on Tuesday updated and broadened its export controls to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and the equipment to manufacture them.
And in a surprise move, President Joe Biden has joined former President Trump's Truth social platform.
The Supreme Court ruled it would allow the Biden administration to regulate so-called ghost guns, or those untraceable homemade weapons, and also barred two Texas-based manufacturers from selling products that can be turned into ghost guns.
Former President Donald Trump returned to a New York City courtroom Tuesday to watch the civil fraud trial that threatens to disrupt his real estate empire, renewing his claims that the case is a baseless and politically targeted distraction from his 2024 campaign.
Over 30 people were arrested outside of the White House Monday during a protest against the Israel-Hamas war.
President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support and a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt.
The Pentagon has sent “prepare to deploy” orders to about 2,000 U.S. troops to be ready to respond to the Israel-Hamas war, two U.S. officials said on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that has not been announced yet.
The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service has taken responsibility for not warning of the bloody Oct. 7 Hamas rampage that killed over 1,400 Israelis.
Republicans rejected Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker on a first ballot Tuesday, as an unexpectedly numerous 20 holdouts denied the hard-charging ally of Donald Trump the GOP majority needed to seize the gavel.
