The full ruling explaining why NIH grant cuts are illegal came out today. It's just as blistering as the judge's oral remarks. And it uncovers fresh details in DOGE's role orchestrating the cuts — and on the cuts at Columbia. Here are my top highlights from the 103-page ruling. 🧵

“No children are dying on my watch,” said Rubio. It's blatantly false. Credible estimates count 190K deaths so far. In Kenya, I am seeing devastating impact, incl this child's starvation & many deaths directly caused by Rubio’s actions. More in my @msnbc.com clip. www.instagram.com/atul.gawande...

Together with leading science organizations, ASM filed an amicus brief calling for immediate restoration of NIH grants supporting early-career scientists. Read the press release: asm.org/press-releas...

ASM strongly opposes the proposed cuts in the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request to federal departments and agencies that fund science, research and public health programs. Read our statement: asm.org/articles/pol...

IDSA urges Congress to reject President Trump's proposed cuts and instead safeguard the well-being of the American people. Our statement: bit.ly/44PljMH

SaveNSF is a coalition of concerned scientists and allies who are working to save funding for scientific grants through the NSF. The mission is to support and advocate for the continuation of vital research and innovation. Join: www.savensf.com

Towards Dx preparedness for H5N1 (bird flu): can rapid antigen and point-of-care molecular tests for influenza A detect 2024 U.S. H5N1 strains? See answer in this preprint: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... #IDSky #clinmicro

New preprint assessing the ability of existing influenza A tests (rapid antigen and point-of-care molecular) to detect 2024 U.S. H5N1 strains in contrived nasal swab specimens #IDSky #clinmicro www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

A small piece of good news in #publichealth www.science.org/content/arti...

Two excellent articles on the NIH cuts and in government public health agencies in general. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/o... www.statnews.com/2025/04/11/h...

I just attended a conference in the US. We had one speaker detained and two others turned away at the border.

When you get rid of most of the people whose work fuels the day-to-day operations of an agency like #NIH, can the agency still function? Scientists & public health experts working at NIH, #CDC & #FDA fear the answer is no, & that they're about to find out. www.statnews.com/2025/04/11/h...

🚨My latest: Trump's deportation tactics are undermining the bird flu response, outreach workers say. Detecting cases is key but farmworkers at highest risk - mainly immigrants - are afraid to leave home for care. @kffhealthnews.org / ABC kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

The massive staff cuts at #HHS hit many of the folks who kept HHS running, leaving #NIH labs hoarding dwindling supplies & trying to decide whether further demanded cuts should affect critical people or critical equipment. Destruction, not restructuring. www.statnews.com/2025/04/11/h...

NEW: Thousands of CDC employees who worked on things like preventing HIV and lead poisoning have been told they were subject to a reduction in force. Experts say people will die.

Hearing from all corners of HHS this morning about a total bloodletting — firings of scientists, analysts and many more as delayed RIFs take effect. Many folks didn’t see early AM email and showed up, only to be turned away when badges didn’t work. Was sent this photo of long lines at one HHS site.

More soon but the impact of cuts across HHS are devastating for the nation's health, well-being & economy. Firing experts will destroy programs, hurt communities, and diminish our ability to innovate. Who benefits? Ask your representative: what are they doing to stop it? 🎁 link: wapo.st/3EaLQZW

Peter Marks’s resignation letter. Everyone should read this.

Working with an interdisciplinary team, we have developed a website to communicate how the White House's proposed cuts to health research would cause losses of $16B and 68,500 jobs. Find out how your community may be impacted. Explore more at SCIMaP: scienceimpacts.org a 🧵

A huge loss at FDA. Peter Marks originated rhe Operation Warp Speed Covid vaccine idea and has overseen so many essential biotech programs such as genome editing cures www.wsj.com/politics/top...

Columbia University has failed to defend academic freedom & freedom of speech & allowed a great institution to be bullied & extorted into submission by an administration hellbent on contorting higher education to their will. The AAUP condemns this capitulation. We can & must fight back.

I know there's a lot happening but this week several grenades were thrown to decimate domestic HIV treatment and prevention research. I know more colleagues with canceled grants than not. Our patients will die or get worse care as a direct result. www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...

From 2010 to 2016 (latest data I have ), NIH research contributed to EVERY drug approved by the FDA

Elon Musk says that no one has died because he slashed humanitarian aid. I went to South Sudan to check if that's true. It's not. Meet Peter, Achol and Evan, ages 10, 8 and 5. The reckless actions of the world's richest men are killing the world's poorest kids www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

How Foreign Aid Cuts Are Setting the Stage for Disease Outbreaks Organizations funded by the United States helped keep dangerous pathogens in check around the world. Now many safeguards are gone, and Americans may pay the price. Not terrifying at all! 🙈 www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/h...

TB cases are rising in the US. Public health laboratories are on the front lines, detecting and stopping the spread. Learn more in our latest blog: https://www.aphlblog.org/tuberculosis-cases-are-rising-in-the-us-how-public-health-laboratories-are-stopping-the-spread/ #tuberculosis #publichealth

Free speech no longer exists in the US government. For @theatlantic.com I spoke with 12+ federal workers in 6 agencies who said the Trump administration’s actions have led to pervasive self-censorship, even on issues some view as critical to national security. 1/ www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

We are crowd sourcing reductions in graduate admissions and hiring freezes across biomedical research and higher ed in response to pauses in NIH funding and EO’s. If you have information if you could add to this spreadsheet, it would be greatly appreciated!: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

For decades, the US government has painstakingly kept American science #1 globally—and every facet of American life has improved because of it. The internet? Flu shot? Ozempic? All grew out of federally-funded research. Now all that's being dismantled. 1/ www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/21/1...

🛟 That last-ditch chemo trial your family member was hoping to be in 🥙 The investigation of a food-borne illness outbreak in the next town over 🧠The study looking for preventable causes of Alzheimer’s 🧪The assurance that TAXPAYER-PAID-FOR studies & data collection see the light of day

📣 Medical editors call for #action against the decisions being taken in the #USA undermining #medicine and #science, and international #coordination to preserve what has been built across borders. #IDSky #Clinmicro #MedSky #Episky #publichealth #vaccines www.cmi-comms.com/article/S295...

The removal of #HIV- and #LGBTQ-related resources from the websites of CDC and other health agencies is deeply concerning. Access to this information is crucial for ID and HIV health care professionals. Our full statement: https://buff.ly/42AO8LI

Flagging this important CDC advisory so we can all plan accordingly. Influenza A subtyping is not routine in all clinical labs and many will need to make a plan. #clinmicro #IDSky www.cdc.gov/han/2025/han...

Almost a month after joining the site, we have over 90 clinical microbiologists in the "Clinical Microbiology" starter pack! While not quite the atmospheric rise of the #IDSky group, we'll keep recruiting! Please share and let your #clinmicro colleagues know how to find us when they arrive!

Happy to see more #clinmicro colleagues joining us here-- @loganpatterson.bsky.social can you please add them to your clinmicro starter pack (and perhaps repost the link to it?): @zfreeman.bsky.social @burnhambugdoc.bsky.social @nicolepecora.bsky.social @amcadamclinmicro.bsky.social

Useful upcoming ASM-APHL webinar on arboviral infections (with great speakers!), including focus on Dx testing: asm.org/Webinars/ASM... Dec 18th #ClinMicro

From @helenbranswell.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2024/12/02/b... #IDSky #EpiSky

#IDSky #MicroSky I set up a new feed for those interested specifically in ID diagnostics--development, implementation, evaluation, stewardship. All pathogens and all Dx formats (in-lab, POC) included. Use tag #clinmicro ("IDDx" didn't work!) bsky.app/profile/did:... please try it out

This was bound to happen and is very concerning. #H5N1 #avianflu virus found in raw milk sold in California. At the states request, Raw Farm, LLC has issued a recall for quart and half-gallon sized milk products set to expire Nov 27 2024.

Hi, #IDSky and #micro I set up a new feed for those interested specifically in ID diagnostics--development, implementation, evaluation, stewardship. All pathogens and all Dx formats (in-lab, POC) included. Use tag #clinmicro ("IDDx" was bringing in unrelated content). bsky.app/profile/did:...

I’m thinking we need a #clinmicro feed and starter pack for those focused on ID diagnostics and clinical microbiology (like me!). ID Dx /clin micro colleagues, I’m looking for you! #IDsky #microsky #micro #infectiousdiseases

INBOX: CDC confirms first pediatric case of bird flu in US: ◾ Child had mild symptoms, received antivirals, is recovering ◾ Family members tested negative ◾ No evidence of human-to-human spread ◾ CA officials looking into child’s exposure ◾ National surveillance caught case #IDSky #Medsky

The preliminary sequence from the H5N1 human case in British Columbia has been posted and it is not good news. The virus potentially has a quasispecies at HA residue 226 (H3 numbering). This is bad news because we know that mutations at residue 226 can increase binding to human receptors. 1/

I would like to see more scientists, journals, and scientific societies here. We need a critical mass—and we need a new home for rapid scientific communication to allow us to share information and (re)build public trust in science. Infectious diseases/diagnostics colleagues—I’m looking for you!