This is one of dozens of examples of political officials censoring federal scientists and controlling the scientific information that’s communicated publicly from US health agencies. RFK Jr. is betraying his agency’s mission and putting all of us in danger.
Bhattacharya delayed the report over his disagreements with the report’s method, despite that method’s robust history. Instead, he’s advocating for a method being used in a US-funded study that’s been paused pending an ethical review because it doesn’t adequately meet the standard of “do no harm.”
At the same time, acting CDC Director Bhattacharya delayed a scientific report on vaccines. The report, which should have been published weeks ago, shows that COVID vaccines greatly reduced the chance of ER and hospital visits last year.
This week, HHS published a new charter, changing the standards for members’ expertise and even re-defining “expertise” in ways that favor anti-vaxx activists. Kennedy is rewriting the rules to make it easier to continue his anti-science overhaul of vaccine policy.
Recently, a court ruled that the new member composition of ACIP did not meet requirements set by law: many new members lack “meaningful expertise in vaccines.” Technical committees like ACIP need objective experts to help inform public health policy & keep everyone safe from preventable illnesses.
Over the last yr, Sec Kennedy has repeatedly attacked CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—before he stacked the committee with anti-vaxx conflicts of interest. The committee’s new anti-science recommendations have caused delays in vaccine releases & confusion around access.
It’s been a hard week for evidence-informed vaccine policies. Two recent, alarming actions from HHS & CDC advance fringe anti-vaxx positions at the expense of public health. These decisions add to a long string of anti-science actions at US health agencies since Jan 2025. 🧵👇
According to the Climate Prediction Center, there's about a 40% chance of a "strong" or "very strong" El Nino at the end of this year...
Trifold poster sits on a table. The title reads "Who's responsible for climate change?" The Union of Concerned Scientists logo is in the upper left corner. Below the title are three text boxes superimposed over an image of a fire burning a building. Below the text boxes is a timeline. In front of the poster sits a collection of several books and handouts. Visible are "The Climate Book" by Greta Thunberg, "The Serviceberry" by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and "Miseducation" by Katie Worth.
New @ucs.org public library displays for Earth Month 🌎highlighting the outsized role of fossil fuels companies in causing the climate crisis, and the need for #ClimateAccountability
Check out the poster and recommended reading list for adults & kids: www.ucs.org/resources/in...
How can you know who to trust and how to prepare when it comes to extreme weather?
Join fellow survivors and trusted experts like @zoyamiddleton.bsky.social and
@rothschildmd.bsky.social as we break down the science of extreme weather and get your ?s answered.
RSVP at bit.ly/survivorsforchange
There is a bipartisan bill in Congress that could protect NOAA’s GOMO program. Please let Reps Amo (AmoOffice@mail.house.gov) and Franklin (franklin.house.gov/contact/) know that you appreciate this—especially if you’re a constituent.
For more information on what the AMOC is, what’s causing its collapse, and what could happen to the Earth’s weather patterns if it does collapse, check out @marc-alessi.bsky.social blog on the AMOC circulation:
Effects of a weakened AMOC would spread worldwide. E.g., accelerated sea level rise on the E. US coast & changing monsoon patterns in the tropics—with vast human impacts. This is not something to take our eyes off, no matter how much the Trump admin & its fossil-fueled agenda want us to look away.
The study used data made possible by NOAA’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing (GOMO) program, which faced large threatened cuts under the President’s budget last year. Congress kept the program intact, but the threats of cuts continue.
A new study released in @science.org found that the AMOC is weakening due to fossil fuel-caused climate change, according to mooring observations in the Atlantic Ocean.
"Visual of the AMOC, which is an ocean circulation that transports warm, fresh water from the Equator to the North Atlantic and cold, salty water from the North Atlantic to the Equatorial region."
New science is out on one of Earth's critical "tipping points": the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which brings warm Gulf Stream water toward Europe and helps make the mild climate of northern Europe possible. (🧵⬇️)
"We already have a very privatized transportation system—an expensive, privately-funded system of car ownership that is to blame for transportation being the US’s second-highest household expense, costing households over $13,000 per year.
Public transit ensures we have another option..."
UCS's Dave Reichmuth explains EVs, efficiency, and alternatives to driving are saving Californians money—a lot of it.
1. Last month was the hottest March on record for the contiguous US with alarmingly high temperatures across a large swath of the country that would have been nearly impossible without human-caused climate change.
DHS Sec Mullin's 1st official trip to check on Hurricane Helene recovery in North Carolina made it clear he’ll continue President Trump's destructive agenda to restructure FEMA including continuing to place the burden of disaster response & recovery onto states and local gov’s. bit.ly/4tuWhvp
Graphic with a quote of Julian Reyes, Chief of Staff at UCS. The graphic includes the image of Smokey the Bear: “My own experience as a civil servant at USDA working directly with Forest Service R&D scientists tells me this relocation is bad for the American people, bad for American producers and foresters, and bad for rural communities.
In his blog, UCS’s Julian Reyes explains how Forest Service restructuring is irreversibly damaging the federal scientific enterprise. It leaves the nation facing growing climate threats with fewer experts to manage wildfires just as risks are surging across the US.
🔗 act.ucsusa.org/4sqD11s
To all public health workers out there, thank you! We see you, we appreciate you, and we need you, now more than ever! 💙
Authoritarianism – which is on the rise in the US– threatens scientific progress and harms public health. Register for this free webinar on April 9 to learn about the role of public health in defeating authoritarianism.
This week we celebrate the folks who work to improve the health of populations through education, research, and hands-on service. Sometimes their work is hidden, since our public health infrastructure serves as an invisible shield against threats like infectious disease and unsafe environments.
Despite pressure from politicians and powerful industries, the science of public health continues to advance and offer us evidence-based solutions.
Public health work improves the health of communities and populations through education, policy, research, and prevention. It moves us toward a more just and equitable quality of life by reducing barriers and improving access to health care and health-promoting activities.
It’s National Public Health Week, and this year’s theme is Ready. Set. Action! Check out these resources from @apha.org with ways to celebrate, elevate, and contribute your work!
Last week’s monthly wildland fire outlook shows that the US wildfire season is already off to an above-normal start. UCS’s Rachel Cleetus breaks down the risks and impacts of climate change-driven heat across the country, pointing to the lack of policy response from the Trump administration.
Statement by Dr. Tara Drozdenko, director of the Global Security Program at UCS". “Threats of indiscriminate violence are unacceptable, whether they come from nuclear or conventional weapons,” said Dr. Drozdenko. “As scientists, as members of our communities, and as Americans, we must join together to express our collective outrage and demand our elected officials step in to constrain the dangerous and illegal actions of the Trump administration.”
President Trump’s & his administration’s escalating threats against Iran, including alluding to first-use of nuclear weapons, have reached a breaking point. To ensure the safety of the US & the world, Congress must act today to prevent further escalation of this conflict.
🔗 act.ucsusa.org/4ctMd06
