When retired FDNY Deputy Chief Richard Alles and Michael Barasch, one of the lead lawyers fighting for the 9/11 community, learned they had cancer they werent surprised.

"It's not a question of if but when you're going to get sick. It's a guarantee. I never had any doubt, Alles told Scripps News Group.

Both Alles and Barasch were at or close to Ground Zero the day of the attacks. Both men now have prostate cancer, a disease that people like them are 25% more likely of being diagnosed with compared to the general population.

My cancer had no symptoms yet was picked up on a simple blood test, Alles said.

That test had been administered through the World Trade Center Health program, a federal program that provides first responders and survivors with free annual health exams and treatment for 9/11-related health conditions.

However, as of February, the program's future remains unclear. Major cuts carried out by Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) threaten to interrupt life-saving care for more than 130,000 people across the country who are enrolled in the program. Advocates like Alles and Barasch, along with other first responders and survivors are fighting to keep the program alive.

The program, which is run by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lost hundreds of employees as part of the cuts, including its administrator, Dr James Howard, who was appointed during President Donald Trumps first term in office. Howard was reinstated after bipartisan backlash, but that reversal did not include other employees.

"This health program saves lives and by reducing and cutting the great doctors and nurses who work for this health program, you're going cause great delays in getting an appointment," Barasch said.

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Barash, whose office is still two blocks from the World Trade Center, has been fighting for programs geared to supporting the 9/11 community. Years after his client James Zadroga, an NYPD officer, died of a respiratory illness that was found linked to the 9/11 attack, the James Zadroga ACT was signed into law, creating the WTC Health Program.

Thousands of people like Zadroga had been exposed to toxins that swirled in the air, Barasch said. Doctors at the WTC Health Program have linked those toxins to at least 69 cancers and other medical conditions. Currently, more people have died from illnesses linked to 9/11 than those who died during the attacks.

"Altogether, there were 500,000 people exposed to the dust, not just on 9/11, but in the eight months that followed when they were still doing the recovery efforts and cleaning up, dust was spewing everywhere," said Barasch, who also has skin cancer.

But both Barasch and Alles told Scripps News Group many civilians are not aware of their potential exposure or treatment they could receive.

"There's a few hundred thousand people that were exposed, may not even be with us anymore and had no idea that this law or these programs exist, Alles said.

While over 85% of 100,000 responders are enrolled in this free nationwide health program, less than 10% of the civilians are enrolled," Barasch added. The most common reasons I hear why people didn't call me earlier is they think the program is just for firefighters and cops. Or they feel guilty, and they don't want to take away from first responders."

The two men travel the country sharing information about the program. They worry that cuts would deter 9/11 survivors from getting the help they may not know they need.

I'm all in favor of cutting waste. I think these budget cuts, when they are deserved, they should be cut. But not on the backs of the 9-11 community," Barasch said.

While the federal health program had one of its biggest breakthroughs in 2015, when former President Barack Obama reauthorized it until 2090, both Barasch and Alles have continued to make countless trips to Washington, urging Congress to approve additional funding. They are pushing for legislation that would ensure long-term funding and a reversal of DOGE cuts.

We have a program that's in effect that took a long time to pass that works, is benefiting Americans. Let's continue the program, Alles said.

After President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on China, Chinese factories on TikTok "seized" an opportunity to reach US consumers directly.

"What these creators are saying now is that they can get even lower prices by going directly to the factories in China. So instead of maybe paying $10 for an item on a platform like Temu or Shein, they would pay $2," Sky Canaves, principal analyst for retail and e-commerce at E-Marketer, told Scripps News Group.

The viral videos gained traction and millions of views after President Trump imposed a 145% tariff on all goods from China, and the country responded by increasing its levies on US imports to 125%.

Content creators urge discount-hungry shoppers to "cut out the middleman" meaning e-commerce sites like Temu, Shein, Alibaba and Amazon and "buy direct" from their warehouses. But experts warn it's not that simple.

"It's questionable how that item would make it to the US. There would still be tariffs on it, but they seem to be suggesting that even with the 145% tariff, it would still be cheaper than what they could get elsewhere," Canaves said.

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While many creators are promoting products that range from laundry pods, makeup, and shoes to furniture, tk and tiny homes, others are pushing luxury brands.

"They're sharing that they're spilling the tea or revealing the secrets of luxury brands and name brands and how much their items actually cost to produce in China," Canaves said.

In one video, which has racked up more than 13 million views, a Chinese factory influencer claims to make and sell Lululemon products for as little as five dollars from China.

"Lululemon does not work with the manufacturers identified in the online videos and we urge consumers to be aware of potentially counterfeit products and misinformation," a company spokesperson told Scripps News Group in an emailed statement.

Some creators outwardly promote dupes of popular brands, receiving positive reactions from TikTok users willing to purchase a luxury look-alike.

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"The dupes have always been out there, and they've been a big part of shopping and online shopping, especially from Chinese e-commerce companies for some time. Even on TikTok shop, there have been a lot of dupe players," Canaves said.

Shopping directly from Chinese warehouses isn't new. Wholesale sites like DHgate are gaining popularity in the US, particularly among GenZ shoppers, according to a 2024 eMarketer survey.

However, some of the sites being promoted by content creators are obscure.

"Some of them encourage you to scan a QR code or join a WhatsApp group to make these purchases and they're all promising unbelievably low prices," Canaves said. "These are websites that might be only in the Chinese language, and they're encouraging users to use Google Translate, for example. They might not be able to take payments from a credit card. And they might not be equipped to send individual items because if they're factories, they're typically in the wholesale business and dependent on large orders."

"There are a lot of other hurdles in terms of product quality, the shipping, the delivery, payments, and customer service," Canaves added. "If there's any problem with the product, it wouldn't be easy to return and get your money back."

Public health advocates on Tuesday warned a House subcommittee against a 'chaotic, rapid retreat' by the U.S. from a flagship global HIV/AIDS initiative a program that has saved over 25 million lives.

We have the opportunity to have not only the legacy of the past 20 years but a tremendous diplomatic, national security, and economic success, said the Center for Global Health Practice and Impacts Mark Dybul, who testified before a House Appropriations Committee subcommittee Tuesday morning.

Dybul and one other witness testified in support of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that was launched by former President George W. Bush in 2003 to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic and is currently under review by the Trump administration. While PEPFAR has largely enjoyed bipartisan support, recent controversy and a significant scale back in foreign aid has put the life-saving program in jeopardy for the first time in two decades.

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I think all of us here would agree that PEPFAR was never meant to go forever, Republican Rep. Mario Daz-Balart said during opening statements of Tuesday's hearing.

In addition to concerns about PEPFARs end game, Daz-Balart referred to a recent violation made by one of the programs partner organizations in Mozambique.

Under the Biden administration's watch, the PEPFAR program violated the Helms Amendment and used taxpayers' funds to pay for abortions for the very first time, Daz-Balart said, referring to a federal policy prohibiting the use of federal funding for abortions. I was obviously outraged, to say the least, to learn of this shocking betrayal funds provided by Congress to save lives were instead used to end lives.

The violation had been discovered by U.S. officials last year after PEPFAR-funded nurses performed more than 20 abortions in three years. The nurses hadnt received training in accordance with the Helms Amendment. In reconciliation for the violation, about $4,000 of the nurses salaries were reimbursed to PEPFAR by the Mozambique government.

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It was an isolated incident, Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel said. This represents a tiny, tiny fraction of the PEPFAR $6.5 billion annual budget.

Still, the violation resulted in Congress revoking PEPFARs usual five-year reauthorization and instead reauthorized the program for one year until March 25, 2025. While the Trump administration halted federal aid programs under its 90-day review, PEPFAR received a limited waiver to continue certain services.

Dybul, who led the implementation of PEPFAR, said he agreed with Congressman Daz-Balart that the program would not exist forever.

Africans want a transition; they are not looking for this to continue forever, he said, adding that a proper transition would maintain gains.

We do want to transition from financing over time, but we want to transition to stronger economic national security diplomatic partners, he said. We have an opportunity to have a massive win for the United States.

Dybul offered that tangible, accountable benchmarks" for PEPFAR could make for a smooth transition to domestic funding in as little as two years for countries like South Africa.

PEPFAR currently supports more than 20 million people through HIV prevention and treatment services primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa; has partners in more than 50 countries; and has prevented 7.8 million babies from being born with HIV. The program has cost over $100 billion in funding since 2003.

As the Trump administration cut nearly $60 billion in foreign aid and grants, many critical health programs across the world came to a complete halt. Public health advocates told Scripps News the chaotic pullout from countries has led to disastrous effects.

Catherine Connors, vice president of public policy and advocacy at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the second witness at Tuesdays hearing said that while PEPFAR received a limited waiver to continue its services, many were still disrupted. Connors also referred to a new report about the potential impact of an abrupt end to PEPFAR programs.

According to the analysis from the medical journal Lancet, nearly 500,000 children could die from AIDS-related causes by 2030 without stable PEPFAR programmes.

The authors of the analysis recommend a five-year transition plan to avoid new pediatric HIV infections and deaths that could be prevented.

Malaria is rare in the US for now.

"Malaria is a peculiar disease, says Dr. Michael Adekunle Charles, CEO of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria. It's a disease that is preventable, that is treatable, that is curable.

Yet, the travel-related disease strikes more than 200 million people a year. Nearly 600,000 of those infections are fatal.

While malaria was declared largely eradicated in the U.S. decades ago, public health experts warn that federal funding cuts to life-saving programs could bring the fight against malaria back to the U.S.

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More than 2,000 malaria cases are reported annually in the U.S. and most are travel related. But there have been several cases among people who did not travel and malaria had been transmitted through mosquitoes, according to the CDC. Recent cases in the U.S. included an NFL player who traveled to Nigeria, a country that accounts for a quarter of malaria cases worldwide, and a national guardsman who did not leave the U.S.

Most malaria deaths occur in Africa, where children account for more than 75% of deaths in the region, according to the World Health Organization.

If a child under five gets malaria, if he or she does not have access to health facilities, if he or she does not have access to treatment, we can see an innocent child die within two or three days, said Charles.

Although this is a problem mainly on the African continent, with traveling, with mosquitoes going up and down everywhere, there is still the possibility that if we're not careful and if we don't curtail it at source, it could potentially spread, he added.

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Malaria prevention largely focuses on mosquito control and antimalarial medicine. Charles says a lag in funding means falling behind in the fight against an ever-evolving opponent.

The mosquito is so smart that it continues to mutate, and the longer it mutates, the harder it is to fight," he said.

We're seeing new vectors, disease vectors, like different kinds of mosquitoes coming into the U.S. and losing the ability to gain expertise and understanding of how to control these diseases is problematic, says Joseph Amon, director of the Center for Public Health and Human Rights at John Hopkins.

Last month, the Trump administration terminated the contracts of thousands of global health projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). After a six-week review of USAID programs, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced more than 80% of them are canceled, saying those contracts did not serve the core national interests of the United States.

But Amon says those programs greatly impact U.S. public health.

I don't think we should be thinking that we're somehow insulated from infections that don't have any need to get a visa and a passport to come into the U.S., Amon says.

The damage is huge, and it's going to be seen in increasing fatalities because of global health threats both in the U.S. and massively overseas, he added. We're going to see a resurgence of a number of diseases that we've started to get a lot of control over.

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Charles says RBM Partnership, which was launched by the WHO, UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank in 1998, had received a lot of funding from the U.S. government in the past.

We don't want all the gains that has been made to to go away just like that, he added.

The organization recently received a letter reversing its contract termination, according to Charles, but he told Scripps News that funding hasnt restarted.

We thank again that the U.S. government, for the consideration for us to continue the good work that we do, and we will definitely ensure that that money, as we've always done, continues to be put to good use for the benefits of not only Africa, but for the benefit of the globe.

While the surviving 18% of USAID programs will now be run by the State Department, there is no indication these programs have had funding restored.

Tariffs on Mexico and Canada took effect today ahead of President Donald Trump's address at a joint session of Congress.

This comes with the backdrop of economic uncertainty as Americans brace for higher costs on everything from produce to electronics.

All three countries have since announced retaliatory tariffs.

"Uncertainty is really spread across businesses and households because we don't know how much things are going to cost in the future," said Caleb Silver, editor-in-chief of Investopedia. "So when you have pricing uncertainty, but you know that prices are going to rise, that causes the pullback in spending across the board."

Silver said the stock market has been selling off for the last couple of weeks with the announcement of tariffs. Now that they're in place, as well as retaliatory tariffs, there was another sell off.

"Investors don't like uncertainty. And tariffs bring inflation and uncertainty with them," said Silver.

Adding to growing concerns about inflation, major retailers Target and Best Buy announced price increases likely to begin in the coming weeks, citing the increased costs of products that come from Mexico, China and Canada.

"Supply chains are very long term, somewhat brittle things to manage. And so companies make a lot of long term assumptions around where they're going to source raw materials and supply," said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US, a non-profit that creates data, transparency and standards for supply chains globally.

Carpenter said companies are thinking through their options to adjust their supply chains and running scenarios to find what the costs are to change and if they're worth it.

"It's very hard to pivot because, again, these are relationships that have gone back decades for many industries," Carpenter said.

Carpenter said a lot of the conversation now is about near-shoring keeping supplies near their destinations.

"But some of the challenges around near shoring is really the constraints and infrastructure," he said. "These are massive changes in infrastructure that have big risk and don't happen overnight."

Carpenter said one of the effects could be less options for consumers. Manufacturers may stop making certain products, similar to what happened during the pandemic. It was more affordable for manufacturers to consolidate demand into fewer products.

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Meanwhile, President Trump's economic approval ratings are sliding. He ran on an economic platform, promising to lower the cost of living. A promise most Americans don't feel he's keeping.

According to a February Gallup poll 54% of Americans disapprove of the president's economic stewardship and a Reuters/Ipsos poll last week shows only 30% of people think the national economy is going in the right direction.

The United States is set to impose new tariffs of 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday, while also doubling its existing 10% tariff on imports from China, as confirmed by President Trump.

These tariffs could have significant repercussions for American farmers, who rely heavily on imported fertilizers. In 2023, American farmers spent nearly $36 billion on fertilizers, with a substantial portion dedicated to potash, a key ingredient primarily imported from Canada.

"I'm not stopping the tariffs, no, no," President Trump said, affirming his stance on the tariff increases.

Colin Grabow, a tariffs and trade expert from the Cato Institute, warned, "The majority will be felt on the American side. When we look at past tariffs that have been imposed, say, for example, under the first Trump administration, most studies found that there was substantial, if not complete pass through of the tariffs on to the consumer."

The reliance on Canadian imports is particularly pronounced for potash, with the U.S. importing 80 percent of its supply from Canada. This dependency highlights the potential impact of the new tariffs on American agriculture.

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On social media platform X, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation urged President Trump to seek alternatives to imposing tariffs, emphasizing the financial strain on farm families.

President Trump acknowledged the likely agricultural effects of the tariffs on Monday in a post on his social media site Truth Social.

"To the Great Farmers of the United States: Get ready to start making a lot of agricultural product to be sold INSIDE of the United States. Tariffs will go on external product on April 2nd."

"Have fun!" the president said.

As the new tariffs take effect, American consumers and farmers alike may soon feel the financial impact, with potential increases in consumer prices and agricultural costs looming on the horizon.

According to an analysis by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, tariffs against major trading partners like Canada, Mexico, and China could cost the average U.S. household over $1,200 annually.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

President Donald Trump has threatened to place tariffs on multiple countries, including close trading partners Mexico and Canada.

But experts worry about how these hefty tariffs which are taxes paid by importing companies, not foreign nations will impact the average US online shopper.

Personal finance expert Matt Schulz at LendingTree says US consumers have come to increasingly rely on e-commerce.

So many people did most if not all of their holiday shopping online, said Schulz. So, it's a really significant thing in this country no question about it.

While tariffs against Mexico and Canada have been delayed for at least a month, levies on China are set to go into effect Tuesday.

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The tariffs include the suspension of a trade loophole known as de minimis, which allows foreign companies to ship packages worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty-free. The loophole has helped low-cost Chinese e-commerce companies like Temu and Shein, as well as the largest online retailer Amazon, to ship bargain priced items directly to customers.

Without this loophole experts say companies will have to find ways to offset rising costs, which includes raising prices for consumers.

We're going to see higher prices for consumers, period, Maggie Barnet, CEO of LVK, a third-party logistics company, told Scripps News. That's going to happen. That's the easiest way to solve this issue for those brands.

Barnett said the tariffs will also significantly change how U.S. consumers shop online.

I think people are going to start to see that it's not great to be consuming this much and maybe it'll help them think twice, Barnett said, Like, hey, I would spend $8 for that, but not $18. And maybe the consumption will go down. However, that's a hard trend to change.

The Trump Administration saw its first legislative win Wednesday with the signing of the Laken Riley Act, the new law requiring all unauthorized immigrants accused of theft or violent crimes to be detained before theyve been convicted. But not all of President Donald Trumps efforts are on their way to swift victories.

One of Trumps most controversial executive orders is facing major legal challenges. The presidents repeal of birthright citizenship for the children of unauthorized immigrants, a right enshrined in the 14th amendment to all born on U.S. soil, has been temporarily blocked by a judge who called it blatantly unconstitutional.

Andrew Cherkasky, a former federal prosecutor, believes this issue will go all the way to the highest court in the nation.

It's something that the Supreme Court has not specifically spoken on in light of the idea that

the parents of a child born on U.S. soil are illegal immigrants.

Another move facing legal backlash, the administrations federal grant freeze.

The order sparked chaos and confusion about programs like Medicaid and HeadStart. It has resulted in two lawsuits and was temporarily blocked just moments before it was set to go into effect.

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Trumps ban on transgender service members also faces legal roadblocks. The executive order banning trans servicemember from the military is a revival of efforts Trump accomplished during his first term but was reversed by former President Joe Biden. The president's most recent attempt at this ban has resulted in a lawsuit filed by six transgender service members.

Cherkasky said these challenges are something the Trump administration prepared for.

It's very common for presidents when they come into office to issue many new executive orders that are consistent with their viewpoints, said Cherkasky. You naturally get pushback on that. And one of the ways to fight against those actions of the president is to file lawsuits and then the judiciary gets to make those decisions.

The fate of these actions, ultimately not in Trump's hands, but also not expected to end without a fight.

He is going

to vigorously fight and defend the positions that he has on these things, said Cherkasky. Unquestionably.

These issues could be resolved sooner than some would think.

The pace at which it goes through the court system can actually be quite rapid, said Cherkasky. Especially for sensitive cases that have immediate impacts, like the immigration issues, like the birthright citizenship issue, like certain questions regarding military orders or actions. All of those things have very high priority in the Supreme Court and can be answered in as little as 6 months to a year.

The challenges against Tumps birthright citizenship ban and federal grant freeze that resulted in temporary blocks are scheduled for hearings next week.

Congress is working to nail down funding for President Donald Trumps promised immigration policies.

We have to figure out ways to get funds, resources, to accomplish what those executive orders laid out, Ohio representative Jim Jordan told Scripps News.

There are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Those millions could now face heightened immigration enforcement as President Trump works to fulfill his promise of mass deportations a promise that could cost the government billions.

Michael Clemens, a fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the U.S. is already spending massive amounts on immigration.

If you put together the budgets of all the other federal law enforcement agencies combined, the whole budget of the FBI, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Secret Service, everything combined isn't even a fraction of the amount that we have already been spending on immigration enforcement, said Clemens. It is a vast component of the U.S. budget, and it is clearly going to scale up by multiples.

While the exact costs are still unclear, Rep. Jordan told Scripps News Trumps border czar Tom Honan puts that number in the billions.

I think Mr. Homan has indicated he needs about $80 billion for agents, for flights, for detention space, detention beds, said Jordan. All the things you need to do what we told the American people were going to do.

The American Immigration Council puts that number a bit higher, estimating a longer-term deportation operation to cost $88 billion to deport 1 million people per year.

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A detailed list from the House Budget Committee published by the New York Times includes a host of options, like cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, eliminating credit for child or dependent care, and increasing certain tariffs on China.

For the potential impact Trumps immigration policies could have on the average American, Clemens pointed to Secure Communities, a mass deportation program that began at the end of the Bush administration and was carried out during the Obama administration. The program is estimated to have resulted in about half a million deportations, according to Clemens.

There's absolutely no reason to think that that's the fundamental economic effects of mass deportation under the Obama administration will be different from this time, except that they'll be magnified, Clemens old Scripps News.

So, Americans can expect fewer job opportunities, higher prices for a range of goods, he continued. They can expect less new home construction. They can expect higher rates of institutionalization for the elderly, and they can expect no change in the crime rate.

In addition to funding, the presidents mass deportation operation may have to clear several other hurdles. Immigration and law experts say those could include legal challenges from civil rights groups, pushback from certain cities and local law enforcement, as well as concerns about economic instability.

President Donald Trump is reversing course on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies.

The order by the Office of Personnel Management directs department heads to notify DEIA employees that they would be placed on paid administrative leave.

The federal government is now joining a growing list of companies that have pulled back on DEI initiatives.

Dee C. Marshall, CEO of consulting firm Diverse & Engaged, says companies started dialing back on DEI programs after two Supreme Court decisions.

"The first part of this was overturning Roe v. Wade, and then the second was overturning affirmative action," Marshall said. "Many corporations begin immediately, you know, rolling back, and they took that as a welcome mat."

David Glasgow of NYU says most organizations are still doing DEI work but not necessarily calling it DEI.

"Anti-DEI activists over the past few years have really tried to weaponize that acronym of DEI and make it into a bogeyman of some kind," Glasgow said.

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The Biden administration's DEI orders were intended to address inequalities among numerous groups.

Trump has referred to these programs as "discrimination" and insists on restoring strictly "merit-based" hiring.

Some experts warn of the repercussions of not prioritizing inclusivity.

"I would just encourage every leader, every CEO, every people leader to focus on and reprioritize safety," Marshall said.

"I think any organization that wants to succeed, wants to make sure that they're looking for talent wherever it lies," Glasgow said.