Vaccines don’t cause autism.
Neither do random “toxic chemicals” that RFK Jr, David Geier, and others claim.

The biggest predictor of autism?
GENETICS.

We have millions of data points across decades that show this.

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CDC’s top laboratory on sexually transmitted diseases is shut by Trump administration — STAT At a time when the world is down to a single drug that can reliably cure gonorrhea, the U.S. government has shuttered the country’s premier sexually transmitted diseases laboratory, leaving experts ag...

This is insane.

apple.news/AR4UocpprS6G...

Graduate student admissions paused and cut back as universities react to Trump orders on research In response to Trump science policies, universities are accepting fewer graduate students than normal and freezing positions, STAT has learned.

If this goes on for a few years, we lose a generation of scientists.

The NIH Memo That Undercut Universities Came Directly From Trump Officials — The Atlantic Health NIH officials said they were given no advance warning and less than an hour to post the memo publicly. February 19, 2025 On the afternoon of Friday, February 7, as staff members were getting re...

Anyone at all familiar with NIH grants knows a 15% indirect cost rate is unsustainable unless you plan to conduct your research at home in your garage. This is either a product of malice toward medical science or incredible stupidity.

apple.news/A27QFcdb3R5S...

Well, the news dump for NIH this weekend was a Saturday evening news dump.

We are hearing about scores of talented scientists and staff being fired via email tonight.

Doing great 👍

Got word that several NIH employees in a group working on cancer clinical trials got terminated via email this evening.

“The [cancer research] trials will literally not be able to function without us.”

Trump and Musk are killing cancer research. 🧪

bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Hey, @doctortox.bsky.social, you and other leaders in research need to take a stand…especially you retired docs because you’ve got nothing to lose! WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
or there won’t be ANY and our systems will all be broken, gone.

Donald Trump to review CDC scientific papers before publication: Report — Newsweek The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is withdrawing all of its papers under consideration for journal publishing so that they can be reviewed by the Donald Trump administration.

Trump .. read .. a .. scientific paper … Who are they kidding?

apple.news/A2HQnppVYQIy...

So will federal research grants automatically be increased to cover the extra costs from tariffs or are investigators just expected to scale back their studies? Bet I know the answer.

CDC Web Pages and Data Vanish Following Trump’s DEI and Gender Orders Vague federal directives have led to frantic action, and perhaps overreaction, before a Friday deadline.

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/h...

RFK Jr claims fluoride in water is toxic, doesn’t improve dental health, and causing many health issues.

[We have 75+ years of data showing the opposite.]

Yet he sold bottled water with twice the level of fluoride our public water systems contain.

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Antidepressants harder to quit than heroin? Fact-checking RFK Jr. Fact checking RFK Jr.: No, antidepressants are not harder to quit than heroin.

Fact checking RFK Jr.: No, antidepressants are not harder to quit than heroin.

The npr fact check is of course correct. If RFK Jr is confirmed as head of DHHS, what actual health expert will want to work there? Don’t worry, there will be plenty of replacements with the right qualifications — GED, clean MAGA hat and a grade of “c” or better in high school health class.

The madness of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The depth of his extremism has not been fully conveyed to the public.

The hearing yesterday did not fully convey how bonkers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can be. There can be more of that. See this piece.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

I see two Trump strategies to remove objective science from two important public health agencies. With DHHS, it’s wacky incompetence at the head and with the EPA it’s quiet, ruthless determination. Both will result in loss or silencing of much needed expertise. But that’s the goal, isn’t it?

Bernie Corners RFK Jr.: Did COVID Vaccine Save Lives? The senator also called out Kennedy’s “very troubling response” to a “simple question” about vaccines and autism.

Bernie Sanders was less than impressed with RFK Jr. responding "I don't know" when pressed on whether the COVID vaccine saved lives.

Associated Press Headline: Trump fires heads of TSA, Coast Guard and guts key aviation safety advisory committee.

Exactly one week ago.

I served on EPA advisory panels on several topics and two terms on the Science Advisory Board. You may not like all the decisions that EPA has made, but I can attest from my experience that they work hard to avail themselves of the best, unbiased scientific information. Sadly, no more.