@mmolteni.bsky.social of @statnews.com with the scoop on #Epstein and Harvard geneticist George Church. "Thirteen years later, the whereabouts of the sex offender’s skin cells are a mystery." www.statnews.com/2026/02/24/e...

Have been listening in to today's hearing. So far, she's dodged questions on vaccines and Tammy Baldwin noted Means made $325K shilling supplements over the last 2 years. But sure, vaccine advocates are the one making bank. 🙃

Who will be the first reporter to ask Trump for a comment? Lawrence Summers Will Resign From Harvard After Epstein Revelations www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/u...

New from @katherineeban.bsky.social in @rollingstone.com: CDC appointees bypassed the agency’s scientists to rush-fund a study questioning the hep B birth dose. The ethics committee president says his name was used on the approval without his knowledge. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

it’s very difficult for me to reread old pieces of mine, but I am sharing this for the Olympics, for nostalgia, for Asian American women of a certain age, for little Asian girls everywhere gift link:

The $100 whole human genome sequence finally reached! www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/19/s...

Hilarious

This is perhaps the most tragic of the consequences of the attack by Trump and colleagues on NIH. Gutting the next generation of American science 🧪

@lataco.bsky.social is raising money to launch a dedicated investigative news desk. If you've relied on their immigration coverage this year like I have, you know this is a worthy cause to support. givebutter.com/la-taco-inve...

This is the agency that is charged by law with preventing sexual assault in the workplace

Very strong "Al Capone arrested and in custody on suspicion of tax evasion" vibes.

ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings. www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...

If you're an environmental journalist in the UK or Europe, the biggest gathering of ocean scientists in the world is happening in Glasgow next week, and you should consider coming to cover some of the most important findings about our life support system. #OSM26

A lot of institutions looks mighty foolish and boy is the damage already done. Have principles.

"I’m gratified that such a prestigious award can help this important, heartrending story find an even wider audience,” says editor in chief Ross McCammon. https://www.texasmonthly.com/press-room/texas-monthly-contributor-elliott-woods-wins-polk-award/

So proud of my niece, @lizzylawrence.bsky.social, an intrepid FDA reporter @statnews.com who has won a Polk award. A few months ago I sent her off in an Uber after dinner, then a half-hour later saw her name on a news alert. "Did you write that in the *car?*" I asked, amazed. But of course she did.😂

I believe O’Neill would be the second director in NSF history without a PhD, and the first without any sort of research background. (Eric Bloch, director from 1984-1990, was an engineer who worked at IBM.)

BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide. This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.

STAT has won a prestigious George Polk Award for documenting the Trump administration’s shakeup of the FDA, scientific research, and public health. www.statnews.com/2026/02/18/s...

just renewed my stat subscription (and congrats to all the polk winners today!)

So thrilled @lizzylawrence.bsky.social and @statnews.com have won a Polk Award for our coverage of the Trump Administration assault on science+health. I couldn’t be prouder of our powerful coverage and the many stories we were first on. What a team. www.statnews.com/american-sci...

The FDA reversed course and told Moderna it would review its application for a new flu vaccine, the company announced Wednesday. www.statnews.com/2026/02/18/f...

It's been a year since Kennedy became health secretary. What has he accomplished? We updated our tracker: www.statnews.com/2025/09/10/r...

”The information ecosystem is massively polluted, people are pickled in propaganda.” @laurahelmuth.bsky.social on misinformation and low public trust in science @aaas.org. “We‘re fighting an unfair fight.”

For a panel this morning at the #aaasmtg, the other speakers and I will share ideas and examples for improving trust in science. Here are a few I'll mention if I get a chance (we have a LOT to talk about). I'd love to hear yours. (1/7)

“Safe care is equitable care,“ said @shaziamsiddique.bsky.social at our @aaas.org panel on removing harmful racial algorithms from medicine. “Think racism not race,” advised Joseph Wright. “There is complexity and the need for humility here,” said @helenburstinmd.medsky.social

“I was used to being discriminated against on the basis of race … all the sudden I had new ism.” The legend Shirley Malcolm speaks @aaas.org about confronting #sexism and #racism as she left the South for college and made her way through her science education.

SCOOP: ICE is asking Social Security for peoples' in-person appointment dates and times, and SSA staff are being told to give it to them. From me + @leahfeiger.bsky.social + @zoeschiffer.bsky.social @wired.com wired.com/story/social...

after a full day of oral arguments over the legality of changes to ACIP & the childhood vax schedule, federal judge decided not to make a ruling from the bench — asking for a response from DOJ lawyers to new info by next Wednesday www.statnews.com/2026/02/13/r...

Great piece out today in Physics Today on historical origins, contemporary relevance, & fundamental irreplaceability of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which remains at imminent risk of dismantling for partisan political reasons.

Wirecutter | Five toilet seats you’d be proud to snort cocaine off of.

“We fund sequencing instead of remediation.” Powerful speech by @kstsosie.bsky.social @aaas.org on how science needs to focus not on speed but on perseverance and accountability. We can learn so much from Indigenous scientists like Dr. Tsosie. We need more of them.

The danger of adopting a Danish-style vax schedule: "When we remove a vaccine like the meningococcal shot from the routine schedule, we aren’t just changing a line on a chart. We are inviting previously well-controlled diseases back into our high schools & colleges." www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/d...

In brief, this maneuver: - effectively converts employee status to "at-will" (meaning they can be fired for any--or no--reason), - redirects whistleblower complaints to internal agency counsel, & takes away these civil servants' rights to appeal adverse personnel actions.

Hims and other telehealth platforms are pushing multi-cancer detection tests before evidence of benefit. Important and timely story via @katiepalmer.bsky.social for @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/02/06/t...

The late Shirley Raines poured herself into bringing compassion to unhoused communities in California and Nevada, giving hygiene products and food to as many people as possible day after day. She showed millions the difference one can make by providing a neighbor with a meal, a makeover, and care.

JOB ALERT: Some great reporting positions (for veteran reporters too) covering the environment along the Mississippi River, and others in the Mountain West. agwaterdesk.org/2026/01/22/r...

Never forget

Don't wait — early-bird registration for Health Journalism 2026 in Minneapolis ends on March 13! Learn more: healthjournalism.org/training-eve...

The cost of Zepbound out of pocket/sans insurance for 2.5 mg is literally the same as it is on Trump Rx. How did they not even get this right on GLP-1s? trumprx.gov/p/zepbound

I'm much more accustomed to writing about media layoffs than experiencing them. But yesterday I was among the 300 journalists let go from the @washingtonpost. I have been so lucky for so long in this industry. -1-

Oh boy. “The University of Florida and the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County are investigating potential measles exposure in two UF classes following two confirmed cases in the county. Health officials have begun contacting individuals who may have been exposed.” @aetiology.bsky.social

One reason Minneapolis remains in the world's eye is we have one of the most robust & independent media ecosystems remaining in the country. You all need this...and more! @mprnews.org @startribune.com @sahanjournal.bsky.social @minnesotareformer.com @minnpost.bsky.social @racketmn.com etc.

Well it seems AI maybe got it right this time...

The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions! This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...

Or perhaps someone else can buy this paper from Bezos—since he seems to view it as an albatross—and donate it to a foundation established to run it as a nonprofit. Bezos gets a capital loss, the buyer/donor is a hero, the rest of us get a world class newspaper. The Knight Institute is ready to help.

🚨Jeff Bezos' wedding last summer cost about $50M. That, alone, could have saved all 300 positions cut today at The Washington Post for a year. Actually, he could have ensured there were no staff cuts for the next decade and he'd still have net worth of 249B. Thank you Lizzie Johnson.

I don't see how Will Lewis can effectively lead WaPo. Lewis did not save Bezos from himself on opinion pages. (375K+ cancelations) His innovations did not stem enough red ink. And he has not taken any ownership of the devastating ensuing cuts. He's making Murray own it alone.

People often disparage the press — and we often get it wrong — but almost everything you know about this administration is not because pundits go on tv or social media and pontificate but because of relentless reporting from real journalists at institutions that give them resources to do so.

A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."