If you don’t want to dwell on the nearby threat, you can always dwell on the one that’s further away!

Happening in the World: North Korea has conducted its largest missile launch since 2017. A ballistic missile launched by the country reached altitudes of 1,240 miles and a distance of 500 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan. Countries such as the US, Japan, and South Korea have all condemned the launch which is prohibited by the UN. (BBC)

Happening in the US: Two nurses from Long Island have been accused of selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. According to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office, nurses Julie DeVuono and Melissa Urraro made $1.5 million by selling the forged cards and entering false information in New York State’s immunization database. Both women have been charged with one count of second-degree forgery. (NYT)

Happening in NYC: Thousands of police officers, family members, and friends gathered at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Friday morning to honor Police Officer Jason Rivera. Rivera and fellow officer Wilbert Mora were shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call. During the service at the cathedral, Rivera’s widow denounced District Attorney Alvin Bragg for his decision not to prosecute cases of resisting arrest. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Sign up for “Disaster Medicine: Equitable Health Care in a Changing Climate”, a webinar taking place this Tuesday, February 1. This talk, led by experts in fields ranging from emergency medicine to environmental engineering will discuss the health inequities that arise in the aftermath of natural disasters and how we can better prevent them.

Definitely not the North Korean missile via Wikimedia Commons