Category: Politics and Regulation

RFK Jr. declares MAHA war against the FDA
In a post on X/Twitter, antivaxxer turned Trump supporter Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. declared MAHA war on the FDA, should Trump be elected. What would this actually mean in practice?

Antivaxxers easily see through the misdirection of RFK Jr.’s MAHA
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been antivax for two decades. His fellow travelers are not happy about his leaving out vaccines in his "Make America Healthy Again." To them it's an obvious misdirection, and they are turning on him.

The NCCIH embraces the quackery that is “functional medicine”
The process of "integrating" quackery with medicine continues apace as the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health embraces the quackery that is "functional medicine."

Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s assault on public health in Florida: Will it be coming to the federal government next year?
The Florida Department of Health, run by Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, just released guidance on COVID-19 vaccines based on antivax tropes. Is the federal government next?

RFK Jr.’s MAHA manifesto: How not to “make America healthy again”
Shortly after endorsing Donald Trump for President, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed he and Trump will "make America healthy again." His proposals to do that range from semi-reasonable to outright quackery.

The Biopolitics of Quackademic Medicine in Iran
The problem of quackademic medicine in a place we in the US don't often consider.

How conspiracy theories like COVID-19 “lab leak” harm science and public health
Ever since COVID-19 first emerged in 2020, evidence-free claims that it had arisen due to a "lab leak" have proliferated. A recent paper argues that this conspiracy theory has been very harmful to science. I argue that it's more than just lab leak that is harmful.

Donald Trump bragged that “right-to-try” has saved thousands of lives. It hasn’t.
Former President Donald Trump bragged in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention that "right-to-try" had saved "thousands of lives"? What's the real story? (Hint: Nowhere near that.)

Heritage Covid Commission Wants China Accountable… What About Trump?
The Heritage Foundation’s COVID-19 Commission Calls for Chinese “Accountability” for US Pandemic Damage
Hopkins Business School to Platform COVID-19 Contrarians at Health Policy Symposium
Drs. Jay Bhattacharya, Scott Atlas, and Marty Makary are also set to speak at Stanford next month