🚨 Axios PM: STD alarm

Plus: William's new village | Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Morgan Stanley   Axios PM By Mike Allen · Sep 20, 2022 Today's PM — edited by Justin Green — is 454 words, a 2-minute read.     1 big thing: STD alarm Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   Going backward: Nearly five times more babies were born with syphilis in 2021 than in 2000, according to preliminary CDC data released today. Zoom out: Sexually transmitted infections hit a record high for the second straight year in 2021, Axios' Shawna Chen reports. The CDC is pointing to a reduction in local STD screening and treatment, plus more needle sharing from drug use and a decrease in condom usage. The statistics have health experts warning that the U.S. must invest significantly more funding in prevention efforts, especially as the nation continues to battle COVID-19 and monkeypox. The grim outlook for public health: Syphilis rates rose 26% in 2021. HIV cases rose 16%. Gonorrhea rose 2.8%. Chlamydia rose 3%. The bottom line: "It is imperative that we ... work to rebuild, innovate, and expand (STD) prevention in the U.S.," said Leandro Mena, director of the CDC's Division of STD Prevention, per AP.     2. First glimpses of Fiona's aftermath Flooded homes on Salinas Beach after the passing of Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico. Photo: Alejandro Granadillo/AP Puerto Rico got nearly 3 feet of rain from Hurricane Fiona, which made landfall last night on the Dominican Republic, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports. The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph as of 3:15 p.m. ET, is churning near the Turks and Caicos Islands, and it may come perilously close to Bermuda later this week as a Category 4 storm. Below are photos of the aftermath, compiled by Axios visuals editor Aïda Amer. Photo: Erika Santelices/AFP via Getty Images Civil defense personnel remove fallen trees from the highway in the Dominican Republic. Photo: Carla Bernhardt/AFP via Getty Images Cars are piled on top of each other on the island of Guadeloupe. Photo: AFP via Getty Images A person cooks in the dark in San Juan, Puerto Rico.     A message from Morgan Stanley Why municipal bonds are emerging as a key ESG investment     Muni bonds offer an opportunity to build portfolios around ESG principles without paying a premium. That's because relative to macroeconomic variables, ESG factors have little influence on market pricing. Get the insights from Morgan Stanley.     3. Catch up quick Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images Above: Former President Clinton speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky via a video link during the Clinton Global Initiative 2022 meeting today in New York City. The Kremlin paved the way for referendums, described by Ukraine as "sham" votes, in separatist territories controlled by Russia that could lead to the annexation of nearly 15% of Ukraine. Go deeper. The Human Rights Campaign — America's largest LGBTQ advocacy group — announced Kelley Robinson as its next president. Robinson is the first Black, queer woman president in the group's history. Go deeper. Europe turns on China: The EU and its member states are adopting a cascade of new measures that bring their policies closer in line with those of the U.S., Axios China author Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian reports.     4. Parting shot: William's new village Poundbury in England. Photo: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images A little village called Poundbury is among Prince William's inheritance as he becomes the biggest private landowner in Britain. Poundbury — whose low-rise streetscape was a pet project of then-Prince Charles — is scheduled for completion in 2025 and is located on the outskirts of Dorchester, England.     A message from Morgan Stanley Why municipal bonds are emerging as a key ESG investment     Muni bonds offer an opportunity to build portfolios around ESG principles without paying a premium. That's because relative to macroeconomic variables, ESG factors have little influence on market pricing. Get the insights from Morgan Stanley.   Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing today's newsletter. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: