Sen. Bill Cassidy, who cast the deciding vote to confirm RFK Jr. as health and human services secretary, disapproves of what Kennedy's handpicked panel has done to limit access to hep B vaccines.

CDC panel recommends delaying birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine The CDC's ACIP panel voted to recommend delaying the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, ending a policy that has reined in the virus.

And just like that, the incredibly successful universal birth-dose vaccination policy against hep B is heading to an end in the U.S.. "The change is likely to increase the number of people who develop chronic infections & liver cancer." via @statnews.com
www.statnews.com/2025/12/05/c... #acip #hepB

In sweeping presentation, vaccine critic set to urge government advisers to rethink childhood shots WASHINGTON — The future of children’s vaccines is on the agenda at today’s meeting of federal vaccine advisers, who are reviewing the childhood schedule.

“What we’re seeing is the decades-long anti-vaccine playbook dressed up and delivered from one of the most consequential health committees in the United States,” Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist [told] STAT…. “When the process devolves into this kind of spectacle, kids are the ones who get hurt.”

Vaccine Advisory Panel Again Postpones Vote on Hepatitis B Shot for Newborns

"Outside experts castigated the meeting’s disorder and what they saw as an inappropriate focus on the theoretical harm of vaccines over proven benefits." Via @apoorvanyt.bsky.social

How Zone Zero, designed to protect California homes from wildfire, became plagued with controversy and delays California needs new rules to help future wildfires from destroying homes and businesses. But Zone Zero regulations, a key tenet of the state's plans, have roiled homeowners.

Excellent reporting on the challenge of implementing the state's Zone Zero law by @nohaggerty.bsky.social. A exceptionally thorny political knot, complicated by well irrigated hedges appearing to help buffer homes from fire in some cases.

www.latimes.com/environment/...

Days before Palisades inferno, firefighters were ordered to leave smoldering burn site Texts between three firefighters and a third party reveal previously undisclosed details about the Los Angeles Fire Department's handling of a Pacific Palisades burn site.

ICYMI... Days before Palisades inferno, firefighters were ordered to leave smoldering burn site www.latimes.com/california/s...

Trump claimed ​wind farms kill whales—and then quietly axed research into the issue Programs that tracked the beloved marine mammals near offshore wind sites are now like "a body without a pulse."

The Trump administration has repeatedly blamed offshore wind farms for whale deaths, contrary to scientific evidence.

Now the administration is quietly abandoning key research programs meant to protect marine mammals living in an increasingly busy ocean.

The state's wildfire policy long overlooked SoCal. Now it's course correcting State leaders have long understood Northern California's wildfire crisis and are investing resources to solve it. But in Southern California, the problem is more confounding.

"How to prevent devastating fires differs. The forest thinning and careful reintroduction of intentional “good” fire in the Sierra don’t exactly translate to the Santa Monica Mountains." SoCal's coastal chaparral requires a different approach

A New Paradigm for Protecting Homes from Disastrous Fires Scientists have identified more than fifty ways that houses can ignite. It’s possible to defend against all of them—but it’s arduous, and homeowners can’t do it alone.

A new story I've published: Some inconvenient truths about what it will take for residential communities to survive #wildfire. From the perspective of #NIST fire protection engineer Alex Maranghides #CalFire #Firewise #FirePrevention #LAFires #Firesafe #HomeHardening

Today, 23rd October is Mole Day – which might put you in mind of small, furry, burrowing animals. However, they don’t even seem to have a commemorative day of any kind; we’re actually talking about the mole in chemistry, a concept that makes it easier to talk about the amounts of substances involved in chemical reactions. This is a fundamental concept and one that all chemists utilize.

Happy Mole Day to all who celebrate.

www.compoundchem.com/2014/10/23/m... 🧪

Update: On Saturday Governor Newsom issued a notification that he was vetoing SB 326 by Senator Josh Becker (D Menlo Park). In his veto message he said the required planning would cost too much money.

Thank you for the shoutout!

Reposting one of the above screen grabs that got cut off

More details from @kffhealthnews.org on the #ACIP's discussion of #hepB birth dose vaccination policy at its 9/19 meeting kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Sea Otters Don't Give a Shell | Sea Otter Awareness Week 2025 YouTube video by Monterey Bay Aquarium

Happy sea otter awareness week, to those who celebrate. 🦦https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wEIBgyO-XM #ラッコ #seaotters

Wildfire smoke will kill nearly 1.4m each year by end of century if emissions not curbed – study Separate research found that at the current rate of global heating, more than 70,000 people will die in the US by 2050

"Over 71,000 people are expected to die annually in the [U.S.] by 2050 due to wildfire smoke on current warming trends. California, scene of many huge fires including current blazes that threaten the state’s storied sequoia trees, will bear the brunt" www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

A Cancer-Causing Virus Hiding in Millions of Americans Why does hepatitis B, which can lead to liver cancer, often go undetected, even though tests exist?

Chronic #hepatitisB has left a traumatic wake across generations in many families, as the story of the Doan family sadly illustrates
www.newyorker.com/science/anna...

Dying from any preventable infectious disease is a tragedy. But death by chronic #hepatitisB infection is its own special category--it can silently foment liver cancer decades later. Without the universal birth dose #HBV vaccine, the virus is easily transmitted from infected mother to baby at birth

'We are rookies': Day 2 of CDC vaccine meeting opens with a reversal and a surprise RFK Jr.'s reshaped ACIP vaccine panel re-did a vote from yesterday on the MMRV vaccine and scrapped plans for another vote on the hepatitis B birth dose.

"Although some on the committee seemed enthusiastic about pushing the first dose recommendation for #hepatitisB later in life, after some discussion, there was a revolt against tackling the issue at all."
www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Are We Taking A.I. Seriously Enough? There’s no longer any scenario in which A.I. fades into irrelevance. We urgently need voices from outside the industry to help shape its future.

Right now, feels like we have little time to consider the AI transformation about to engulf us. "But if we don’t attend to it, the people creating the technology will be single-handedly in charge of how it changes our lives"
www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/are-we-taking-ai-seriously-enough

The CDC Has Been Gutted Thousands of CDC employees who worked on things like preventing HIV and lead poisoning have been told they were subject to a reduction in force. Experts say people will die.

"Dozens of other programs throughout the CDC’s ... centers for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion; HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, & Tuberculosis Prevention; Environmental Health; Immunization & Respiratory Diseases; & the Global Health center were also impacted"
www.wired.com/story/cdc-gu...

Today is a very dark day. More destruction of the backbone of our country's health.
#StandUpforScience

Wrapping up with a Big Bang Rob Irion, longtime UC Santa Cruz senior lecturer and former Science Communication Program director, wrapped up 25 years of teaching this past fall, capping a career that helped create the leading …

Delighted to have been able to contribute some comments to this wonderful tribute to Rob Irion, director emeritus @ucscscicomm.bsky.social
magazine.ucsc.edu/2025/02/wrap...

Renowned scientific integrity investigator endows fund to support fellow sleuths Microbiologist Elisabeth Bik donates $200,000 to support training, travel

Thrilled to announce the creation of the @elisabethbik.bsky.social Science Integrity Fund to provide "funding for training programs, grants, or awards for science integrity advocates."

Thanks to @science.org for covering this.

Help us grow the fund with a tax-deductible donation.

USAID Lifesaving Aid Remains Halted Despite Rubio’s Promise A new directive puts further exemptions on hold. Aid workers also say the U.S. government has made it impossible to pay partners around the world.

Top USAID officials are trying to create a false narrative that life-saving aid has continued despite Trump’s blanket halt to foreign aid. Our @nytimes.com reporting shows the exact opposite. USAID even issued an internal email to stop applications for waivers: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/u...

Texas measles outbreak rises to 48 cases. It's the state's worst in nearly 30 years The ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas has doubled in size to 48 cases, mostly in children and teens, making it the state's worst in nearly 30 years.

And while politicians are decimating our nation’s public health infrastructure, meanwhile: “The ongoing measles outbreak in West Texas has doubled in size to 48 cases, mostly in children and teens, making it the state’s worst in nearly 30 years… Thirteen people have been hospitalized.”

Major storm to bring high risk of debris flows in SoCal wildfire zones, with some flood risk elsewhere - Weather West California's extraordinary precipitation dipole has persisted into mid-Feb with only slight attenuation Well, it has finally rained in Southern California this winter. But nearly the entire region remains woefully behind average. And the much-discussed north-south precipitation dipole has persisted all the way through mid-February, with NorCal remaining exceptionally wet (with some locations in the northeast

New Weather West post out: Major storm to bring high risk of debris flows in SoCal wildfire zones, with some flood risk elsewhere. This will be "textbook" mid-latitude storm, complete w/rapidly deepening low pressure center & warm atmospheric river. #CAwx weatherwest.com/arch...

Opinion | The Pharmaceutical Industry Heads Into Elon Musk’s Wood Chipper Who needs N.I.H. grants? A lot of red-state universities, for one.

Slashing NIH's funding for "indirect" research costs "doesn’t make even cynical political sense. It’s a decision that would endanger Americans’ health... and could torch one of the nation’s most astounding, productive and envied industries."
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/o...

Weather and climate office hour 02/11/2025: Upcoming heavy SoCal rain & post-fire debris flow risk - YouTube The latest in a recurring series of live, virtual, & interactive "office hours" hosted by Dr. Daniel Swain on various topics related to extreme weather and c...

I'll have a livestream on Tuesday, Feb 11 at 4pm PT to discuss the major storm inbound to Southern California, which will likely bring a period of very heavy rain capable of producing significant/dangerous debris flows in/near recent wildfire areas. #CAwx youtube.com/live/RPe...

The End of “END RACISM” in the End Zone In the same week it was revealed that the slogan would be missing from the field at the Super Bowl, the N.F.L. commissioner defended the league’s diversity efforts.

“Racism has ended! Have you heard? Or maybe ending racism has ended,” @louisathomas.bsky.social writes in her Sporting Scene column this week. www.newyorker.com/sports/sport...