1/ Why the confusion over COVID vaccines now?

What’s changed isn’t the science. It’s the process.

Policy is increasingly announced by officials online & outside the usual evidence review, creating mixed messages for families.

on @CBSMornings with @edokeefe @TheKellyOGrady 2/ Normally, FDA reviews products, then CDC’s vaccine advisers (ACIP) publicly weigh evidence & vote.

CDC adopts guidance, which insurers & programs like Medicaid, the Children's Vaccine Program (CHIP), & Vaccines for Children follow.

That process has been corrupted.

1/ It’s been a chaotic week at the CDC.

The director was fired less than a month into her tenure, four senior leaders resigned in protest, & the agency is still reeling from a shooting at its Atlanta HQ.

on @CBSNews @FaceTheNation with @EdOKeefe 2/ These aren’t just headlines about “palace intrigue.”

What’s unraveling is the basic machinery that keeps Americans safe: vaccines, outbreak detection, lab guidance, and expert support for state health departments.

1/ After the shooting at CDC earlier this month, employees sent a blunt letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

They said that instead of standing with them, RFK Jr. is spreading conspiracy theories about the CDC & their work.

on @CBSEveningNews with @jdickerson 2/ They called this dangerous & made 3 requests:
🔹Stop spreading inaccurate health info
🔹Affirm CDC’s scientific integrity
🔹Guarantee safety of the HHS workforce

savehhs.org/letter/hhs-sta…

1/ For the first time in decades, US pediatricians have released their own vaccine schedule, separate from the CDC.

Why? Because they no longer trust the government’s process.

Here’s what parents need to know. 🧵
on @CBSEveningNews with @jdickerson 2/ Earlier this year, the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee was overhauled.

All 17 experts were dismissed & replaced with just 7 appointees—several with a history of spreading vaccine misinformation or skepticism.

1/ New CDC data show just how much ultra-processed foods dominate U.S. diets.

Americans get ~55% of daily calories from UPFs.

Almost 2/3 of what kids & teens eat is ultra-processed.

on @CBSEveningNews with @TheKellyOGrady 2/ The biggest sources?

Sandwiches, sweet bakery goods, packaged snacks, & sugary drinks. 🥪🍩🥤

1/@DeionSanders’ bladder cancer diagnosis was caught by chance, during a CT scan for an unrelated issue.

with @nateburleson @vladduthiersCBS @AdrianaDiaz on @CBSMornings 2/ Most bladder cancers are found when people notice blood🩸 in their urine, the hallmark symptom.

But early cancers can be silent, as in Sanders’ case.

1/ FDA Commissioner Makary joined @CBSNews' @margbrennan on @FaceTheNation this morning: cbsnews.com/video/fda-comm…

Full transcript here:
cbsnews.com/news/marty-mak… 2/ Brennan: "...you with the HHS Secretary in this video announcement on Tuesday where Secretary Kennedy said the CDC was removing the COVID vaccine for healthy children & healthy pregnant women from its recommended immunization schedule"

1/ Trump Administration's MAHA report is being called out for fabricated citations, AI-generated errors & misattributed authorship.

on @CBSNews with @Alexander_Tin & @MajorGarrett6cbsnews.com/video/white-ho… 2/ What makes this especially troubling is the report’s claim to be “evidence-based” & “gold-standard.”

Misrepresenting science while claiming to elevate it is not transparency—it’s Orwellian double-speak for sloppy, dangerous pseudo-science.

1/ Very concerning news from HHS today:
CDC is no longer recommending the COVID vaccine for healthy children & healthy pregnant women.

Why does this have me worried?

https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1927368440811008138

2/ Healthy infants may not die from COVID, but they’re at higher risk for ER visits and hospitalizations… both scary & costly.

1/ What’s fueling the surge in childhood chronic illness in the US?

The MAHA Commission blames ultra-processed foods (UPFs)—& their assessment offers a sweeping critique of America’s food system. 2/ Nearly 70% of American children's calories now come from UPFs—foods high in added sugars, refined grains & industrial fats, but low in nutrients.

The MAHA report links this to obesity, diabetes, even behavioral health.

1/ A new study from South Korea suggests the shingles vaccine may do more than just prevent shingles—it might also protect your heart 🫀.
on @CBSMornings with @GayleKing @vladduthiersCBS @nateburleson 2/ Researchers followed over 2 million adults for a decade.

Those who got Zostavax—the older, live shingles vaccine—had a 23% lower risk of heart disease, including heart attacks, strokes & heart failure.

1/ My colleague @DrLaPook's interview with @HHSGov @SecKennedy raised critical questions about public health, vaccines & government responsibility.

on @CBSMornings 2/ RFK Jr, a longtime vaccine skeptic, now recommends the measles vaccine during an outbreak.

This is a significant shift, but his statements on vaccine safety testing need clarification.

1/ Billions of dollars in @NIH medical research at risk amid Trump cuts
with @jdickerson on @CBSEveningNews
cbsnews.com/video/billions… 2/ The total @NIH budget is $48.6B.

It's hard to say how much will be cut in total as the cuts are still in progress, but BILLIONS of dollars will be cut.

1/ A lesser-known fact about measles is how the virus can damage the immune system, leaving someone at greater risk of other infections even after a person has recovered.
with @nateburleson @GayleKing @AdrianaDiaz on @CBSMornings

It's called MEASLES IMMUNE AMNESIA.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC85… 2/ Let’s say you have 2 babies.

As they grow, their immune systems mature & they both gain immunity to different infections – as represented by the different colored marbles.

1/ I explain how RFK Jr's plans could affect Americans' health.

He is known for falsely claiming that vaccines cause autism & other health issues.

cbsnews.com/video/doctor-e… 2/ RFK Jr: "The problem with the measles vaccine is that it's a leaky vaccine. It doesn't provide sterilizing immunity."

It's true that the measles vaccine doesn't prevent ALL infections.

It's ~97% effective after 2 doses.

1/ RFK Jr. to lead @HHSGov US Dept of Health & Human Services

with @AdrianaDiaz & @tonydokoupil on @CBSMornings 2/ Kennedy has criticized multiple public health agencies he could now lead.

He's said the @US_FDA's "war on public health is about to end," claiming the agency suppresses anything that "advances human health & can't be patented" by pharmaceutical companies.

1/ A new report from the American Association for Cancer Research @AACR finds that excessive alcohol use is a risk factor for at least 6 cancers.

with @GayleKing @vladduthiersCBS @tonydokoupil 2/ Heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of:
🔹head & neck cancer
🔹esophageal cancer
🔹stomach cancer
🔹liver cancer
🔹colorectal cancer
🔹breast cancer

1/ Yesterday, the @WHO declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

This is the 2nd time in 2 years that the WHO has declared a PHEIC for mpox.

with @vladduthiersCBS on @CBSMornings 2/ There have already been more than 17K cases in Africa so far this year – more than the total for all of last year.

1/ COVID study shows mask and vaccine mandates saved lives

with @CBSNews' @LanaZak cbsnews.com/video/covid-st…
2/ A new study published in the JAMA Health Forum yesterday found that:
🔹mask requirements & vaccine mandates were associated with ⬇️ deaths
🔹prohibitions on vaccine or mask mandates were associated with ⬆️death rates

jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-…

1/ New Hope Against Dementia: study says singles vaccine also appears to delay onset of dementia
with @CBSMornings' @tonydokoupil @AdrianaDiaz @nateburleson 2/ A study published yesterday in Nature Medicine found that the new Shingrix vaccine was more protective than the old Zostavax vaccine in delaying dementia.

The Zostavax shingles vaccine was discontinued after the Shingrix vaccine was approved.

nature.com/articles/s4159…

1/ Why are People Promoting Raw Milk?
by @elizabethics for @RollingStone


If you drink unpasteurized milk, you don't just risk getting #H5N1 bird flu.rollingstone.com/culture/cultur… 2/