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Thirty minutes after Diana Silva, a vendor at the Filipino festival in Vancouver, left the party Saturday night, she heard that a car had plowed into the crowd at the event. Silva said she immediately began thinking of how to help.

It’s one example of how Filipino Canadians in the area’s tight-knit community have been participating in vigils, planning fundraisers for victims and providing meals to locals immediately after the attack.

TJ Conwi, a Filipino Canadian chef who has lived in the area for about 30 years, said the immediate acts of communal care reflect the concept of “kapwa,” a Tagalog word that means the interconnectedness and togetherness in the Filipino community. 

“When you say ‘we’re kapwa,’ you’re talking about a whole community. You’re talking about how we all fall together and all rise together, whatever it is that we go through. And it’s just so powerful to see that at the vigil yesterday,” said Conwi, 48, who attended the festival with family members the morning of the tragedy. “It’s automatic, it’s given, it’s not even earned.”

The attack killed 11 people and injured more than two dozen others. The victims were 5 to 65 years old, officials said at a news conference Sunday, adding that the death toll could rise. So far, law enforcement has sidestepped discussing a motive, but it has ruled out terrorism as a possibility.

Officials said the suspect, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, who has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, had a history of mental illness and was known to police.

Filipino Canadians in the area say they are shaken. The ethnic group is the third-largest Asian immigrant population in the country, behind Indians and Chinese, at roughly 957,355 people as of the 2021 census. While the largest community is in the greater Toronto area, Vancouver is also home to a significant population, with roughly 141,230 people of Filipino descent, making up 5.4% of the metro area. 

Filipinos began sustained immigration to Canada in the 1960s as a deteriorating economy in the Philippines coincided with a Canadian labor shortage. Many went to the country for jobs in nursing and patient services, as well as to fill other gaps in the country’s labor market. By 2016, Filipinos held just under a third of those roles. And for decades, the community has flourished to include small-business owners, leaders and other prominent figures. 

Locals said the festival that was attacked is one of the largest Filipino celebrations of the year, honoring the 16th century Filipino chieftain Datu Lapu-Lapu, who defeated Spanish forces and remains a symbol of resistance against colonialism. The event was a rare chance for Filipinos across the lower mainland to gather in one place, many said. 

Conwi, who leads a group of Filipino chefs who provide meals to charities in the area, said that though Filipino Canadian locals are still in shock, the crash hasn’t stopped them from pitching in to uplift one another. Conwi said the weekend was filled with Zoom calls and coordination from community organizations to ensure that counseling, food and other resources were taken care of. He and other chefs in his collective have been cooking and distributing meals to families and grieving residents, as well. 

“In less than five, 10 hours, people woke up with purpose like you wouldn’t believe. People didn’t even have time to process this, but people are already coming together,” Conwi said. “It just all came about organically. It’s so quick.” 

Silva, owner of the Filipino bakery Cake It Easy Desserts, said she has been selling cupcakes, with 100% of the proceeds going to fundraisers for the victims. She said it has been difficult to come to terms with the tragedy.  

“It’s such a different feeling knowing that you were there just before it happened,” Silva, 41, said of the chilling experience. “I have a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old, and they were running around two blocks away from where it actually happened.” 

Silva said that during a vigil for the victims, community members didn’t hesitate to start brainstorming ideas to help. It’s almost reflective of the occasion they were supposed to celebrate, she said. 

“Lapu-Lapu is all about resilience, and he stood up for the Philippines,” Silva said. “I think that’s what our community is doing now.”

Celine Bacani, a Filipino Canadian who owns Lee’s Donuts in the city, said it has also been heartening to see those outside the community support Filipinos on what was supposed to be a joyous weekend. Leaders from across Canada spoke out, Bacani said, which “spoke volumes.” 

Filipinos abroad also offered their solidarity with the local Vancouver community. 

Bacani, 42, who was born and raised in Vancouver, said the community has a long road of healing ahead. 

“Filipinos, by nature, are really caring and nurturing people. We are here to always help others,” she said.  

Former government health officials fear the Trump administration is moving to slow-walk vaccine approvals, including by imposing new regulatory hurdles on drugmakers, such as changing the requirements for approval or seeking additional clinical trial data. 

The Food and Drug Administration confirmed Monday it was requiring drugmaker Novavax to run another clinical trial as part of the approval process for its Covid vaccine, which has been available under emergency use authorization since 2022. Dr. Marty Makary, the FDA’s commissioner, said the company is asking the agency to approve “a new product” based on old data. 

Novavax’s shot uses traditional protein-based vaccine technology and is the only alternative to the mRNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna. The drugmaker’s application to the FDA was based on a 30,000-person randomized clinical trial conducted in 2021 in the U.S. and Mexico.  

The agency missed an April 1 deadline decision, prompting concerns among investors that it wouldn’t be approved.  

On Saturday, Makary suggested in a post on X that Novavax was seeking approval for a “new” vaccine because the strain used in its trial has since been updated to target a more recent  Covid variant called JN.1. 

“Under this administration, we are prioritizing the Gold Standard of Science–not what saves pharma companies ‘tens of millions of dollars,’” Makary said.  

Novavax declined to comment on Makary’s remark. In a release issued Monday, Novavax said it responded to an earlier FDA request to commit to providing more data on the vaccine if approved — a standard practice.   

Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, criticized the administration’s move, pointing out that the seasonal flu vaccines are updated each year with new strains without the need for new clinical trials. The mRNA Covid vaccines have been similarly updated each year to target the most current strain. 

“I mean, how exactly does he propose they do this?” said Offit, who also serves on an independent vaccine advisory committee for the FDA. “It just worries me that it’s part of an overall general strategy to weaken vaccine efforts.” 

The FDA directs all media inquiries to the Department of Health and Human Services. In a written statement, an HHS spokesperson said the Biden administration waived clinical trial requirements for new Covid vaccines “using the COVID pandemic as an eternal justification for blanket approvals.” 

Under Makary, the spokesperson said, trials from four years ago “no longer suffice.” 

“With Novavax seeking authorization for a new formulation targeting the JN.1 variant, the public deserves clear answers about its efficacy and if its benefits outweigh the risks,” the spokesperson said. 

The Wall Street Journal first reported the FDA’s request for a new clinical trial.  

Other vaccine approvals possibly at risk  

Novavax’s shot isn’t the only Covid vaccine that officials say may be at risk. 

Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, who was announced as a special adviser to Makary earlier this month, has called for more scrutiny of vaccines, telling FDA staff and high-ranking officials in a meeting outlining priorities that the agency would be doing fewer vaccine approvals going forward, according to three former government officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. 

Høeg, a sports medicine physician, rose to prominence during the pandemic as a vocal critic of the Covid vaccines, particularly for children.   

Her appointment added another anti-Covid-vaccine voice to the Trump administration. In 2021, HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described the Covid vaccine as the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” In 2023, Makary and Høeg co-wrote an editorial for the New York Post criticizing the Biden administration’s recommendation of the Covid shot in children. 

It’s unclear what role — if any — Høeg played in the FDA imposing an additional requirement for Novavax’s Covid vaccine approval. Høeg did not respond to multiple requests for comment.  

There are also concerns about several upcoming FDA deadlines related to Pfizer’s mRNA Covid vaccine, including a decision for the full approval for the shot in children under 11, according to two of the former officials. The vaccine currently has an emergency use authorization for ages 11 and under.  

The mRNA vaccines are a particular target among anti-vaccine activists. The vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are the first-ever approved using mRNA technology, which has led some to claim they pose a unique threat. Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has railed against mRNA vaccines, alleging they could possibly alter a person’s DNA. Several states have introduced legislation that would ban mRNA vaccines. The CDC says the mRNA Covid vaccines are safe and do not alter DNA; the technology had been studied for decades before its first approval in the U.S. in late 2020. 

Last week, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the discussions, that Kennedy is considering pulling the Covid vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of recommended immunizations for children, a move that could affect insurance coverage and influence some pediatricians’ consideration of whether to administer them. NBC News has not independently confirmed the reporting. 

Dorit Reiss, a vaccine policy expert at the University of California Law San Francisco, said that while Covid vaccine uptake in children is low, it’s important for parents to have the option available.   

That’s especially true for children with underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to severe illness and death from the virus, she said. 

Experts also worry that a possible bird flu vaccine for people could be at risk. One of the former officials said the FDA previously planned to use an emergency use authorization pathway in case health officials needed to quickly greenlight a shot, but it’s now unclear whether the Trump administration would do the same. 

Dr. Ofer Levy, director of the precision vaccines program at Boston Children’s Hospital, who has advised the FDA, said it’ll be important for public health experts to advocate for vaccines, including the Covid shots.  

“It’ll be important to have some sort of updated antiviral and Covid vaccine this fall available, and that’s particularly important for the most vulnerable individuals,” Levy said.  

Levy — who said he would not prejudge the administration’s potential examination of vaccines — also said common respiratory viruses like the flu and Covid still spread widely, and the public will need vaccines.  

“Winter viruses, respiratory viruses, are killing tens of thousands of Americans a year, still,” he said. “I’m hoping the FDA will continue to consider the mRNA vaccines as one of the platforms.”  

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Season 2, Episode 3 of “The Last of Us,” which aired April 27.

The lives of the “The Last of Us” characters will never be the same following Joel’s death.

Pedro Pascal’s character took his last breath in the second episode, the people of Jackson, including Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), are still reeling from his loss (not to mention the show’s bereft fans).

“Whenever you have that type of abrupt shift in your family dynamic, it changes your life,” Gabriel Luna told TODAY.com at a special screening of the show’s third episode hosted by Max and Complex.

Luna said that from now on, there is “an absolute, seismic shift in the way the rest of the family interacts with each other.”

While Ellie is set on a path of revenge, Tommy, Joel’s brother, is figuring out his next steps, including caring for Ellie.

The third episode begins with Tommy looking at Joel’s bloody body, before he starts to wipe his arm clean with a rag.

“Give Sarah my love,” Tommy tells his dead brother, referencing Joel’s late daughter, who dies in the show’s premiere.

Three months go by and Ellie is adamant about finding Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who killed Joel. She hopes to gather the town’s support.

However, Tommy tells Ellie that if they are going to assemble a group to help her in her quest, they have to assemble a council meeting and vote on it.

Unfortunately for her, Ellie’s request is voted down. Undeterred, she and Dina (Isabel Merced) forge forward with her plan to go to find Abby in Seattle.

Luna shared in a post-screening Q&A that Tommy “absolutely” voted yes to assemble a group to go to Seattle, adding, “I already told her I got her back.”

Tommy’s intentions for the rest of the season

So where does Tommy go from here? Luna said his character feels an even bigger sense of responsibility to protect Ellie.

“She’s mine now. She’s my responsibility The weight of of all that, the weight of the burden that she’s taken on, her pursuit of ‘justice’ and revenge is one that she doesn’t go on alone,” Luna said. “I can’t let her.”

Does Tommy know Joel killed all the Fireflies?

Luna believes that the question, “Who is the villain?” in the show is one that may be left unanswered so that the audience can address it for themselves.

“It’s always a matter of perspective. At some point, I’m the villain in the eyes of whoever may encounter me at any given point,” he said.

However, in Tommy’s eyes, he said, “It’s hard to say, because I never met those who brought my brother’s demise upon us.”

Luna believes that Tommy doesn’t know Joel killed the Fireflies in an attempt to save Ellie’s life.

“And that’s what’s tragic about it, because the fact that Joel kept that with him ‘til his death, and that Ellie is the only one on Earth to live with that is probably why most of these decisions end up being made,” he said.

Luna said he loves the ‘realism’ of the show

“We make choices and we pay the price. That’s just it. That’s just the whole nature of the whole story,” he said.

When it comes down to Joel’s ultimate death, Luna said “to take your main character and end that part of the story” is a “powerful” decision to make.

It’s also one that will propel the narrative forward.

“That’s life. People die. That’s the truth,” he said. “I love how unyielding our show is about that, and how brutally honest our show is about the way life unfolds for us sometimes, and how abrupt it can be, the shifts, the changes.”

A Texas mortuary owner is accused of conducting gruesome experiments on corpses, chopping off “heads, arms and spines” to test the impact of embalming fluids, officials said.

Adeline Ngan-Binh Bui, the 50-year-old operator of Capital Mortuary Services, was charged with abuse of corpse and tampering with government records, Austin police said.

An investigation began after an embalmer took the accusations to regulators with the Texas Funeral Commission, court documents showed.

Officials said Bui told investigators about the experiments.

“Bui also confirmed she had directed her employees to conduct experiments on bodies to study the effects of embalming fluid, with and without formaldehyde, which included cutting heads, arms, and spines from remains sent to her facility while acting in the licensed capacity as a mortuary,” Austin police Detective Brice Bishop wrote in an April 17 affidavit supporting charges against Bui.

“She approximated up to 15 bodies had been mutilated and subject to experimentation.”

Bui’s attorney, Jessica Huynh, urged the public not to jump to any hasty conclusions about the woman, who is free on bail.

“Our criminal justice system is based on the presumption of innocence and a careful, critical evaluation of the evidence, facts, and their sources,” Huynh said in a statement to NBC News.

“This case involves complexities that are not immediately apparent and should not be sensationalized. Our legal team remains fully committed to defending and advocating for our client, Adeline Bui, with the expectation of fairness and due process.”

The two leaders sat in a large, mostly empty room at the Vatican, their armchairs pulled in close as they leaned toward each other and spoke intently.

In a Truth Social post after their meeting, Trump described the Ukraine conflict as a “mess that was left to me by Obama and Biden, and what a mess it is.” 

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along,” Trump wrote, hinting economic sanctions could follow.  

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for his part, warned earlier this month that the White House was prepared to “move on” and walk away from talks if Ukraine and Russia did not make significant progress toward ending the conflict.

Zelenskyy has rejected some of the possible concessions, including Trump’s statement in Time magazine that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” referring to the strategic peninsula that Putin illegally annexed in 2014.

Trump’s efforts on Ukraine come as he rapidly remakes the international order on other key fronts. He has launched a sweeping trade war with China, gutted U.S. aid to the developing world and repeatedly mused about acquiring both Greenland and Canada.

He has so far failed to permanently stop another conflict raging in the Middle East. After he helped broker a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, that fragile peace fell apart and fighting has resumed.

In an interview with The Atlantic published Monday, Trump said: “I’m trying to save a lot of lives in the world. You know, Ukraine and Russia — it’s not our lives, but it could end up in a Third World War.” 

The president, who has long admired what he views as Putin’s strength and advocated for closer ties between the U.S. and Russia, went into his second presidency seeking to shift decades of U.S. foreign policy and bipartisan hawkishness on Russia. Republicans are increasingly behind Trump, as the MAGA political coalition sours on interventionism and views U.S. support for Kyiv as a waste of taxpayer dollars. 

Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, framed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in stark moral terms and attempted to rally the U.S. behind Kyiv. Trump’s approach has been far more transactional, with a focus on payback for American support in the form of a proposed deal giving U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals.

Trump has adopted some of Putin’s falsehoods about the war, including the idea that Ukraine started the conflict. In their tense Oval Office meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance castigated Zelenskyy in front of television cameras, thrilling American populists who favor a sharp turn away from internationalism. 

Yet as the conflict rages on, Trump has also increasingly publicly chastised Putin. He posted on Truth Social last week that he was “not happy” with Russia’s strikes on Kyiv and made a direct appeal to Putin: “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!” 

The two sides are at an impasse on other crucial issues. Zelenskyy has sought entrance into NATO, which would bring Ukraine into a mutual defense pact with other Western powers. Russia staunchly opposes that bid, characterizing it as a provocation from a nation it barely considers legitimate. Trump has so far been largely unsupportive of Ukraine joining NATO.

In the same Time magazine interview, Trump appeared to chafe at the idea that he was running behind schedule on securing peace in Eastern Europe, saying in part: “The war has been raging for three years. I just got here, and you say, ‘What’s taken so long?’” He made similar remarks about the war between Israel and Hamas. 

In a statement to The Associated Press, White House National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt said Trump is still committed to getting a Russia-Ukraine deal completed and  is “closer to that objective than at any point during Joe Biden’s presidency.” 

“Within 100 days, President Trump has gotten both Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table with the aim to bring this horrific war to a peaceful resolution,” Hewitt said. “It is no longer a question of if this war will end but when.” 

On Monday, Putin announced a brief ceasefire, starting at midnight local time May 8 and ending at midnight May 11, to coincide with Russia’s celebration of its triumph over the Nazis in World War II. (Putin has likened Ukraine’s government to Nazi Germany.) 

Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to the announcement by calling on Russia to “cease fire immediately” if it “truly wants peace.” 

“Why wait until May 8th?” Sybiha asked Monday in a post on X.

More than 170,000 bottles of apple juice are being voluntarily recalled by S. Martinelli & Company in 28 states for potential contamination with toxic substances, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The company, based in Watsonville, California, issued the recall on March 18 for more than 7,200 cases of the product, each containing 24 bottles per case.

“In 2024, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) routine testing indicated that one lot of 10-ounce Martinelli’s Apple Juice glass bottles (in 4-packs only) produced in December 2023 may contain elevated levels of Patulin, a naturally occurring substance produced by molds that can grow in apples,” the statement read.

The amount of patulin in apple products is typically viewed as a measure of the quality of the apples used, according to the National Library of Medicine.

“At S. Martinelli & Company, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of excellence, and the health and safety of our customers remains our greatest priority,” the company said.

No health issues related to the recall have been reported yet, the company stated in a press release.

The affected products were distributed throughout the U.S. in the following 28 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Deleware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Martinelli stated that the company worked with retailers that received the recalled product, and any remaining affected items in inventory have been removed.

The recalled product has a “best by” date of Dec. 5, 2026, and is identified by the UPC number 0 41244 04102 2, located below the product’s barcode.

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