MAHA Summit urges emphasis on early detection, preventive action in healthcare

WASHINGTON — Alex Hardy spent seven years battling chronic sinus disease, undergoing five surgeries and taking 10 rounds of antibiotics. But the experience that ultimately drew him into the Make America Healthy Again movement, he told a Washington conference Tuesday, was what happened when he stopped looking to conventional medicine for an answer.

Hardy, CEO of MAHA Holdings, quit his technology job, moved to Costa Rica and changed his diet and lifestyle. Within three months, he said, his health dramatically improved.

“That experience radicalized me,” Hardy told hundreds of attendees at the second annual MAHA Summit at the Waldorf Astoria hotel Tuesday. “I shouldn’t have had to leave our country to get healthy.”

Hardy’s story offered a personal distillation of the philosophy underlying the daylong conference — that an American healthcare system built largely around treating illness after it develops should put far more emphasis on preventing chronic disease through nutrition, lifestyle and environmental changes.

—Baltimore Sun

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, under fire for criticism of Israel, unveils plan to battle antisemitism

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani, facing criticism over views on Israel seen as fostering antisemitism, is unveiling a plan that would expand educational efforts and beef up security at synagogues as part of a new “Strategy to Combat Antisemitism” report released by City Hall Tuesday.

The report’s release is slated to be accompanied by a video on social media outlining the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism’s efforts — which includes new funding streams, educational outreach like more school field trips to the Museum of Jewish Heritage and an allocation of $1 million towards extra security measures for synagogues and nonprofits.

“Our administration’s Strategy to Combat Antisemitism makes historic investments in securing Jewish cultural institutions and synagogues, increasing educational opportunities for young New Yorkers, and improving public awareness of Jewish history,” Mayor Mamdani said in a statement.

“Together, we will root out the scourge of rising antisemitism and build a city where Jewish New Yorkers are not only safe but celebrated.” The issue of antisemitism has been fraught for the mayor. Mamdani’s vocal pro-Palestine stance is central to his political identity, but he’s faced intense criticism for his approach.

—New York Daily News

University of Michigan pauses no-grades freshmen plan after pushback

DETROIT — The University of Michigan is pausing its proposed pilot program that would "cover" first-semester grades of freshmen in the university's College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts, the Ann Arbor university said.

"The first-semester grade covering pilot program in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts has been paused," the University of Michigan said in a Sept. 28 statement posted to its website.

"University leadership requested the pause to allow for further input, analysis, and discussion. The pilot was initially scheduled to begin in fall 2027. College of LSA Dean Rosario Ceballo and her leadership team remain committed to continuing to work with the LSA community to help first-year students establish early academic momentum, support their well-being, and inspire their intellectual curiosity."

The pilot met significant pushback from critics who said it didn't allow students to prepare for the rest of their time at college or the workforce after graduation. The pilot was first announced by Ceballo in a 2025 address and was expected to be implemented in fall 2027.

—Miami Herald

Quebec separatists near power with plan for vote on breaking up Canada

The likely return to power of a separatist political party in Quebec is set to create a new challenge for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, just as he tries to hold the country together in the midst of a trade war with the U.S.

Residents of the French-speaking region will vote on Oct. 5, and surveys show they’re poised to choose the Parti Québécois, or PQ. It would return a secessionist party to power for the first time in more than a decade in a province that represents more than 20% of Canada’s economy — the heartland of industries such as jet manufacturing and aluminum.

PQ governments have twice held referendums on breaking away from Canada, with the separatist side narrowly losing the second vote in 1995. If the PQ wins next week, leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will become Quebec’s premier, and he wants to give secession a third try.

A Leger Marketing poll conducted for Quebecor Inc.’s media outlets after a televised debate last week put the PQ at 30% support, followed by the Liberals at 26%. Premier Christine Fréchette’s party, the Coalition Avenir Québec, is on course for a brutal loss — its support has collapsed to 16%, according to the polling firm.

—Bloomberg News