Category: Science and Medicine

RFK Jr. and Donald Trump's health picks vs. vaccination

Antivaxxers, grifters, and quacks: RFK Jr.’s MAHA takes over federal health agencies

President-Elect Donald Trump has now announced most of picks to lead critical federal health agencies. These picks predictably prioritize grift, quackery, and antivax ideology.

/ November 25, 2024

Laptop Class Doctors Think Doctors Who Treat Patients Are Lazy, Dumb, Cowardly, Sheep

Had laptop class doctors been willing to listen to doctors who worked on COVID units, they wouldn't have said so many absurd things.

/ November 22, 2024
A black-and-white photo of a person dressed in an elaborate costume, standing and holding a skull in one hand. The backdrop has a cloudy sky. The style suggests a theatrical setting.

A New DC Degree. What the World Needs Now.

Perhaps the neck manipulation was a bit too aggressive.

/ November 19, 2024
National Institutes of Health (NIH).

RFK Jr. vs. the NIH: Say goodbye to the greatest engine of biomedical research ever created

President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated antivaccine activist and anti-pharma conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. I've written about the damage he will do, if confirmed, to the CDC and FDA, but what about NIH, the greatest engine of biomedical research ever?

/ November 18, 2024

What Does it Mean to Own the Next 4 Years?

It means pertussis and measles outbreaks will be happening under your watch and you'll be held responsible while your boss is an anti-vaxx crank. Enjoy!

/ November 16, 2024

If You Sanewashed RFK Jr., Or If You Sanewashed Doctors Who Did, You Own the Next 4 Years

When RFK Jr. does to the U.S. what he did to Samoa, doctors will say they are horrified, that they love vaccines, blah blah blah. But it will be too late.

/ November 15, 2024
Trump at Madison Square Garden

Donald Trump won. Now what for science-based federal health policy?

Last week, Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris and will return to the White House in January. What does this mean for science-based federal health policy? Hint: Nothing good. Just like the rest of the government, the worst people are likely to be in charge of health and science policy.

/ November 11, 2024

Dr. Vinay Prasad: “I Don’t Believe in Forgiveness Because in My Opinion These Pieces of Shit Are Still Lying.”

Mass purges and prosecutions of scientists have happened before. We shouldn't pretend they can't happen here.

/ November 10, 2024
A grayscale image of a man wearing glasses and a suit, speaking into a microphone against a black background.

Bhattacharya for the CDC?

The Stanford health economist turned right-wing pandemic star could help take down academia and scientific institutions in a second Trump administration

/ November 3, 2024

If RFK Jr. Turns the CDC Into An Anti-Vaxx Propaganda Outfit, I Don’t Want To Hear a Peep From Some “Respectable” Doctors

Any doctor who is unabashedly pro-vaccine has already spoken up about the normalization of anti-vaxx quackery within our ranks.

/ November 1, 2024