Science, Policy, and Other News that Caught My Eye
Or blew my mind the week of June 8th - 14th
Greetings, SciLight readers,
A lot happening this week. From Trump’s military parade to the nationwide NO KINGS protests (here, here). Millions turnout for the latter. Not so much for the former. Lost in the hubbub of the past two days is another news item that blew my mind – one that flies in the face of precedent and has alarmed the public health and medical establishment. It got a lot of coverage; here are just some of the articles:
• RFK Jr. ousts entire 17-person CDC vaccine advisory committee | PBS News
• RFK Jr. purges CDC's vaccine advisory committee that recommends shots - The Washington Post
• RFK's reckless firing of CDC vaccine advisors not supported by evidence
• How Kennedy’s Purge of Advisers Could Disrupt U.S. Vaccinations - The New York Times
• The ACIP Purge: Science vs. Ideology
So now we’ll have a vaccine skeptic with no medical or public health expertise or credentials appointing a new committee. Frightening! Here’s are his picks. Some have track records of opposing public health guidance on vaccines.
• RFK Jr. names 8 vaccine committee replacements
• RFK Jr. names some vaccine critics to key CDC committee after ousting entire panel
• RFK Jr. picks new members of influential vaccine committee after purge - The Washington Post
And, per usual, below is a smattering of other news items that caught my attention or disrupted my equanimity this past week. What caught your eye? Tell us in the comments. And be sure to scroll down for some fun news. Because we can all use some levity in these challenging times.
• What to Know About 'No Kings' Protests Against Trump's Policies on Saturday and more here, here, here
• Army parade and anti-Trump protests energize clashing visions of America - The Washington Post
• Opinion | I'm an undocumented Milford student in fear of ICE– written by a high school student from my hometown.
• Planned NIH Cuts Threaten Americans’ Health, Senators Charge in Tense Hearing | Scientific American
• NIH staff speak out against Trump administration in ‘Bethesda declaration’ - The Washington Post – 90 NIH scientists protest Trump administration policies they say are harming people’s health.
• And more from The Atlantic: An Uproar at the NIH: 'We're Just Becoming a Weapon of the State' - The Atlantic
• Reinstated CDC workers return as public health programs remain gutted - EHN
• EPA Says Power Plant Carbon Emissions Are Not Dangerous. We Asked 30 Scientists. Here’s What They Say. Short version here.
• Trump EPA Announces Climate Regulation Rollback but Faces Legal Hurdles | Scientific American EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Wednesday that his agency would repeal two 2024 power sector standards: one to limit climate pollution and another to curb mercury pollution
• Department of Justice Gives Trump Go-Ahead to Eliminate National Monuments - Inside Climate News but Across the Country, Locals Rally to Protect National Monuments Threatened by the Trump Administration - Inside Climate News
• What it takes to get a Trump pardon: Loyalty, connections or the pardon czar. President Trump’s reshaped clemency process fuels efforts to access him - The Washington Post
• State DOGEs’ next frontiers could preempt local authority - Route Fifty
• Food additive titanium dioxide likely has more toxic effects than thought, study finds | US news | The Guardian. “Controversial additive may be in as many as 11,000 US products and could lead to diabetes and obesity.”
• Scientific Integrity Under Fire: How Evidence Was Misrepresented in HHS's COVID Vaccine Policy Reversal: An analysis of cherry-picked studies, flawed citations, and bypassed scientific processes in a controversial health policy decision.
GOOD NEWS
• Brain Implant Lets Man with ALS Speak and Sing with His ‘Real Voice’ | Scientific American
AND JUST FOR FUN OR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
• Why making music is good for your brain, even if you aren’t good at it - The Washington Post
• Animals Expend 76,000 Gigajoules of Energy Sculpting Our Planet Every Year | Scientific American
• 1953 wedding photo found in library book: ‘lost & found love story’ - The Washington Post
That’s it for today - Thank you so much for reading SciLight!
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