Journalism is a public good, as are public health, education, & good governance. Grateful to everyone continuing the work in whatever ways we can in hard times & hope it may lead us through to better times Thinking of everyone affected from USAID a year ago to the Washington Post today

Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning. Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.

“What concerns me is maybe we get rid of some people & then say ‘oh good enough’ The bottom line is our democracy was not working well for at least 40 years This is our moment to rebuild it in a fairer, more economically just way Or we will lose this moment & it will crop up again way too soon”

Alex Pretti's coworkers taking a moment of silence in his memory this morning

January is almost over and there have only been 3 homicides in Minneapolis so far this year 2 of them were committed by ICE agents.

Minnesota is standing up together. We can try to protect each other. We can witness and alert you. But this is the federal govt. This is a national issue. We need YOU to stand up with us. Read @naomikritzer.bsky.social. Act with compassion & immense urgency. naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/h...

Tomorrow is #MaternalHealthAwarenessDay Our new Alameda County report mark progress & a need to keep up the work, especially on inequities acphd-web-media.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media/data-r... @publichealthac.bsky.social

Grateful to Lisa Cook for leading research on distributional aspects of the economy & implications for the economy as a whole From the importance of women’s economic inclusion in Rwanda to how racial discrimination harms the economy, much appreciate her work m.youtube.com/watch?v=D7ft... #EconSky

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Grateful for his legacy & words that inspire us May we keep up the work to shape a more just, equitable, joyful country that brings people together

I grew up in Minnesota Right now nearly every person I know there is doing all they can to support their community This is who we are in the United States as much or more so than the violence in headlines May our leaders lead on an alternative future where we lean into the best of ourselves

Panel behind new dietary guidelines had financial ties to beef, dairy industries, via @statnews.com

“We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism” Thank you @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social for leading on better May we stand together on better — from ourselves, from our government, for each of us & our communities Happy 2026 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/n...

Happy new year! Before kids head back to school is a good time to get flu vaccines for kids who don’t have them yet Flu hospitalizations trending up for all, & kids <5 especially at risk Home flu tests also help with rapid detection to start Tamiflu & to reduce spread gis.cdc.gov/GRASP/Fluvie...

If the US invested in child care and had national policies like paid leave comparable to other industrialized countries, we would generate $775 billion of economic activity a year. The question should not be, “how can we afford to do this?” The question is, “how can we afford not to?” Let’s do this.

Excellent piece by @sarahd1.bsky.social on costs of “medical freedom” “No state has ever completely eliminated vaccine requirements… Policymakers… can look to research that has shown that areas with greater numbers of exemptions to vaccine requirements do see more disease.”

“I have never met an infectious diseases physician who wasn’t also an advocate The nature of the work demands it bc pathogens do not exist in a vacuum, & neither do the people they affect.” Grateful to learn from @boghuma.bsky.social & ID physicians, patients, & epidemiologists

Did you know? CDC has an RSV dashboard As we roll out monoclonal antibodies for infant RSV, the rate of infant hospitalizations is under 10% what it was 2 years ago & 34% vs last year Many more kids home & healthy for the holidays Still early but hope it continues www.cdc.gov/resp-net/das...

A story that stays with me A child nearly survived his cancer But he contracted chickenpox & died This is far less common after the chickenpox vaccine reduced the chance of individuals having severe disease & reduced community spread Thanks for sharing @drjoshs.bsky.social & @sanders.senate.gov

“This action contradicts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is framed inside the FXB Building and handed to every HSPH graduate at Commencement.”

Thinking about everyone affected by rising health insurance premiums that compound high grocery & gift costs this holiday season The family in this story will pay an additional $1300 per month May we aspire to policies that support universal economic security & access to health care

“Dr. Bassett, a distinguished public health physician recruited to Harvard specifically to direct the FXB Center… will remain as Professor But this summary dismissal from her leadership position as center director continues a pattern at Harvard With grave implications for academic freedom”

What direction will we take the future of our field of public health? We are at a crossroads Dr. Mary Bassett represents the best of us, and I hope will continue to be supported in leading the way forward Heartened to see much support for her on this petition docs.google.com/document/d/e...

It's difficult to convey the magnitude of appreciation I have for Dr. Mary Bassett's principled leadership and contributions to public health, but This video from her last day as the New York City Department of Health Commissioner comes close fb.watch/DVGL9J9Ew1/?...

"We don't have to have all the answers to call for change...We just need courage." Dr. Mary Bassett, "Why your doctor should care about social justice," TEDMED 2015. www.ted.com/talks/mary_b...

For the first time this century, the number of children worldwide who die before their fifth birthday is projected to rise, according to a new study published by the Gates Foundation.

How has ACIP changed as an institution? How does it align with the ACIP charter? I learned a lot from this comment letter by @democracyforward.org & @nhelp.bsky.social democracyforward.org/wp-content/u...

Evidence-based child vaccine recommendations are about more than individual decisions A baby too young to be vaccinated contracted measles & recently died in childhood of a complication Vaccines protect kids who receive them — & babies & others in their communities www.latimes.com/science/stor...

Did you know? 190 countries have infant immunization schedules that include the Hep B vaccine 115 countries recommend a universal birth-dose of the Hep B vaccine, one of the key actions WHO recommends to reduce Hep B prevalence Read more in the WHO Hep B Report ➡️ iris.who.int/server/api/c...

Did you know? Kids can be affected by “horizontal transmission” of Hep B without likely exposure to blood or sexual contact Most US articles on horizontal transmission are 30 years old Why? The perinatal dose of the Hep B vaccine — These cases declined after it was recommended by ACIP in 1991

Minnesota’s Somali community is needed and wanted. They enrich Minnesota and America. I am glad our Somali community is part of my community.

Today is the 70th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest. Six myths: 1) She wasn't old or tired. 42 years old that day, she had a "life history of being rebellious" & had spent two decades helping to turn the Montgomery NAACP into a more activist branch alongside ED Nixon and Johnnie Carr.

This World AIDS Day, I am grateful to those who spoke up, worked to make a difference, & improved the lives of millions Who inspire us to keep speaking & persisting in reducing HIV & inequities & in supporting people living with HIV — & each other more broadly Keep going www.actuporalhistory.org

A stretch of family businesses offer beautiful items for the home — and the workbench. Plus, take a break at one of Oakland’s best beer gardens.

There’s much precedent for ignoring HIV/AIDS It tragically allowed the epidemic to grow worse & take more lives May we learn from history & speak to the importance of supporting continued progress against HIV in the US & around the world www.history.com/articles/aid...

Did you know? 190 countries have infant immunization schedules that include the Hep B vaccine 115 countries recommend a universal birth-dose of the Hep B vaccine, one of the key actions WHO recommends to reduce Hep B prevalence Read more in the WHO Hep B Report ➡️ iris.who.int/server/api/c...

Did you know? Kids can be affected by “horizontal transmission” of Hep B without likely exposure to blood or sexual contact Most US articles on horizontal transmission are 30 years old Why? The perinatal dose of the Hep B vaccine — These cases declined after it was recommended by ACIP in 1991

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." -FDR, 1937

Proposals from Senators Scott and Cassidy to convert ACA premium tax credits into health accounts present trade-offs that benefit healthy people at the expense of sick people. Senator Scott's proposal, in particular, would destabilize the insurance market in some states. www.kff.org/affordable-c...

With the federal government stripping away vaccine infrastructure, states are on the hook to protect the health and safety of their residents. CAP's @jillrose.bsky.social explains 6 ways states can protect access to vaccines: https://ampr.gs/3X83W4Q

The US has had measles “elimination status” for 25 years. It may be about to lose this status. Measles can severely and fatally impact children, including infants under 1 year old who are too young to be vaccinated. Increasing — and not further decreasing — child vaccination rates is essential.

Ahead of the upcoming ACIP meeting on the child immunization schedule, it’s important to remember immunizations are about more than individual decisions — immunizations affect communities, including babies too young to be vaccinated

Evidence-based child vaccine recommendations are about more than individual decisions A baby too young to be vaccinated contracted measles & recently died in childhood of a complication Vaccines protect kids who receive them — & babies & others in their communities www.latimes.com/science/stor...

“The idea Congress can shut down the govt over affordable health care, delay action on extending these subsidies & maybe not extend them at all shows how far we have drifted from the basic principle that health care should be stable & not subject to political cycles” - @ucheblackstockmd.bsky.social

Information underpins democracy and the BBC is a key part of that. We need to protect our institutions open.substack.com/pub/christin...

Public news is an essential public good The threats are substantial — it has been sad & serious to see cuts to NPR & PBS in the US May leaders in the UK & around the world speak up for the BBC

What can policy-oriented social scientists do in this moment? POTUS has remade the GOP coalition anew in his image. Lines of conflict & opposition coalitions are scrambled. He's taking apart long-standing institutions & conventions, making the future is more fluid than ever in my lifetime....

Zohran Mamdani represents the future of the Democratic party | Robert Reich

Mamdani shows: Supporting economic security & minority/human rights goes hand in hand & is a compelling set of values (& campaign message) May we see more of this 💕

JUST IN: Courts ordered SNAP payments to restart, and the Trump administration said Monday the food benefits would be half the normal payment. About 1 in 8 U.S. residents get an average of $187 a month per person on SNAP.

Why should you 🫵🏿 care about SNAP? SNAP recipients saw: - Improved life expectancy - Lower chance of incarceration - Lowers chance of poverty - Lived in better neighborhoods - Higher human capital SNAP keeps our neighbors fed, communities safer, and kids educated. Also people are HUNGRY. DUH!