The district court injunction that prevented NIH from capping indirects at 15% was upheld today on appeal! www.reuters.com/world/trump-...

In Trump’s unhinged rant yesterday praising the roll back of childhood vaccines, he thanked 4 men by name RFK Jr Jay Bhattacharya Marty Makary Jim O’Neill These men will have a special place in the history of the US anti-vaccine movement RFK Jr’s wildest dreams are coming true, each & every day

This brings us sadness. And shines a light on the truth of the current state of NIH.

Big news! The ruling was 4-1. The court consists of 3 women and 2 men. Three were appointed by the current governor who supported and signed the law. The sole dissenter was Kari Gray who was appointed by the former Governor. www.wyocourts.gov/supreme-cour...

Here is a statement from the California Attorney General's office about the settlement with NIH over grant applications being pulled from review (part of the same trial as the APHA/ACLU suit) I posted about earlier. oag.ca.gov/news/press-r...

Trump & RFK Jr.'s coterie of bootlicking doctors are real pieces of shit, we argue in the British Medical Journal, essentially. Link: www.bmj.com/content/392/...

Good morning. Five years ago today, Jan 6, 2021, insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power. Lincoln warned that government “of the people, by the people, for the people” must not perish. @hcrichardson.bsky.social's article is worth a full read today.

This year’s flu has caused the most doctors’ visits in almost 30 years. It’s not too late to get vaccinated.

NIH staff are trying to parse guidance for annual evaluations (aka, PMAPs). Like all of the “efficiency” added to our plates last year, self-assessments have been requested with tight deadlines. Rumor has it that very few will be given superior ratings for 2025.

Children will die with RFK Jr.'s new vaccine recommendations. We're NOT doing the "experts disagree" game. The US vaccine schedule was painstakingly constructed through a deep & thorough process by experts with unquestionable expertise. This is policy by fiat. It is pre-meditated murder. 1/

The thing that drives me crazy all the time is that we live in a world where you can walk out your back door and see Jupiter. A planet. Just hanging there in the sky like a jewel. Why do people want to make up lies when the truth is amazing and magical.

Ah yes. Those diseases are in such high demand. I’m so glad we rescued measles from being eliminated. It was so unjust. Clearly it deserved to go on murdering and disabling children.

CDC eliminated 6 more childhood vaccines recs today, which will result in preventable deaths. For the 6.6% of us who are immunocompromised, this is an attack on herd immunity (the community protection we depend on to survive). MAHA is a eugenics project. I break down what this means ⤵️

Hey State Department - we did you a solid and reviewed this for DEI wokeness. You’re welcome.

#WednesdayWalkoutsforHealth This week, we stand out for: ⭐️ #CareNotCuts - Protecting the #ACA ⭐️ TRUTH and #SCIENCE guiding #PublicHealth Policy - #VaccinesSaveLives #LynnMA: mobilize.us/s/BNqy16 #CambridgeMA: mobilize.us/s/4k11c7 Or join us from wherever you are!

As always, you can find a great overview of the proposed congressional science funding bills from @alesszimm.bsky.social - updated today with the final bills for science funding for nsf, nasa, noaa, and some other agencies.

Just a couple shots protect you from having to bury your child. THIS ISN’T HARD. VACCINATE!

It’s Meningitis Monday! Meningitis for all! Do you see a pale house? And his name that sat on him was Death. Robert F Kennedy Jr has just decided that our children should not be immunized against several diseases, among them meningitis. Meningitis spreads FAST and kills 1 in 6.

On the theme of international press coverage of US public health, here’s Canada’s take. They’re not wrong. If disinformation spreads like a virus, Canada may want to mask up. Or at least wash its hands frequently. Too bad there’s not a vaccine to protect against malicious policies…

Lung cancer patients who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine within a few months of immunotherapy lived nearly twice as long as unvaccinated patients. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cancer-immunotherapy-mrna-covid-vaccines

The approval of Wegovy pills for weight loss is getting considerable attention. There is an important pharmacological aspect of this drug which is not (in my view) getting as much attention as it deserves. GLP-1 is a modified 30 amino acid peptide! Yet it is orally active. 1/5

The Trump administration has dramatically slashed the childhood vaccine schedule. Medical experts have called the changes "dangerous and unnecessary." Read our analysis of the news and what it means for public health: www.statnews.com/2026/01/05/c...

As someone commented on one of my posts a few weeks ago, RFK Jr. has essentially stolen the official letterhead from the CDC and is using it to amplify catastrophic disinformation.

InFURiating that we all have to write/think/talk about vaccines this much, outside of celebrating new successes (HPV vax largely *eliminating* cervical cancer, my god), this shit was settled as one of the great scientific and public health triumphs EVER and now these dipshits are trying to ruin it

Good morning! We’re back to our usual schedule for 2026. We hope y’all got some peace where you could find it over the holidays. We are relaxed (mostly), motivated (kinda) and ready to bring you important public health information, news hot takes, and our special blend of sass and snark.

We've been focused on childhood vaccination lately due to RFK Jr.'s crusade against them, but vaccines given in adulthood are crucial too. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/h...

I see people lecturing others that @schumer.senate.gov & @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social cannot do much in the minority. But leadership doesn't end in what you can get through Congress. It's their refusal, inability to speak clearly about what is happening, defaulting to poll-tested messages that irk.

Here’s that speech from Raskin. Everyone should watch it. And especially every scientist should watch it, given the posture of the Roberts Court on administrative law principles that create the foundation on which #NIH and NSF are built. @altnih4science.bsky.social

I’ve read a couple of books written by Dr. Peter Hotez — 👍🏼👍🏼

Absolutely!

A thread from an #AltCitizen. It’s not like Jayanta ever says anything different. It’s been the same shtick since day one. It might be nice if JAYANTA actually listened to staff and extramural scientists.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK JFC FUCK FUCK FUCK www.cnn.com/2026/01/03/a...

My quote of the day War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace. Thomas Mann

Some good things happened in 2025. Some highlights! 1. Huntington's disease has a treatment. 🧪2. FDA approval of antiviral drug Lenacapavir to prevent HIV 3. Brazil reduces deforestation by 32% 4. Columbia declares that the Amazon is off limits 5. India increases its tiger & lion population

🧪More good news on science advances in 2025: 1. A small clinical trial harnessing gene therapy caused a 75% decline in Huntington's disease progression. 2. The ozone layer may be healing. Scientists at MIT & Cal Tech confirmed this retrospectively. 3. We are close to removing forever chemicals.

An interesting read, most especially if you can’t accept that SARS-CoV-2 was a natural spillover event. I am pretty sure that @jimalwine.bsky.social wrote a piece about the increased tempo of pandemics at one point.

If RFKJ truly wanted gold standard science and innovation, he would use the power of the govt to end the pay-to-play scientific publishing. Go ahead Bobby. We dare you. #aaronsw

Up until this year, the US invested $10bn in mRNA technology. HHS canceled $500m (22 projects) on mRNA research. The advent of the Covid vaccine was just the beginning of next gen vaccines. It will be expanded to HIV & cancer. Life goes on while leaving us behind. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Genuinely beside myself that @microbetv.bsky.social thought it would be a good idea to do a show with me ranting about my dim view of most things Danish...but, as always, he was right! If you want to see more of me over at MicrobeTV, take a look & let us know what you think. Thank you, Vincent!❤️

Let’s hear it for some of the heroes of 2025!!! www.motherjones.com/politics/202...)

Love it. A must-read from @joho.bsky.social, reminding Prasad, Bhattacharya, Makary et al., reminding us that the U.S. is facing several disease outbreaks, so they have a great opportunity to show the rest of us how their way is “better”. We’re waiting…

My quote of the day My belief is in the chaos of the world and that you have to find your peace within the chaos and that you still have to find some sort of mission. Ta-Nehisi Coates

BTW, we tried launching Science Fight Club on our own, months ago...It's still around, it's not on Substack. It's $5 a month. You'll get a weekly newsletter and other content emailed to you. We also have a great free blog on the site. Fewer than 100 people signed up for SFC in 2025.

We made a group of photos to showcase the great work we did this past year. We’re looking forward to a strong 2026 and happy to look ahead! Posting the text thread below ❤️❤️ thanks for a great year 🧵🧵🧵🧵

This Monday marked one year since the loss of Jimmy Carter, who established #FEMA in 1979. Carter was explicit about his intent. One of his founding promises was to ensure FEMA “would not become part of a larger agency.” 1/9

As we enter 2026, we’re grateful for the people across academic medicine who continue to advance health, education, and discovery. Wishing our community a healthy, hopeful, and impactful New Year!

My quote of the day Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress. Charles F. Kettering