Heather McKay

Listen to @bradleywhitford.bsky.social

The government shutdown is especially tough on men, who are losing $1.00 for every 75¢ a woman loses.

Doing studies to make the proof. Reverse engineering a conclusion is not how science or medicine work

Where are the commanding officers of those sailors in the background. How are they letting this happen?

I can’t believe I’m watching interviews of city mayors talking about how they are coordinating with other mayors to discuss how to protect their residents FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

I know we are “used to it” but it is absolutely insane

Same guy who lied that immigrants were eating pets. Actual statistics show he's lying here, too.

Charlie Kirk’s Legacy Deserves No Mourning The white Christian nationalist provocateur wasn’t a promoter of civil discourse. He preached hate, bigotry, and division

The Nation pulls NO punches, from @espiers.bsky.social

"There's no requirement to take part in this whitewashing campaign. Refusing to join in doesn’t make anyone a bad person. It’s a choice to write an obituary that begins “Joseph Goebbels was a gifted marketer and loving father to six children.”

My quote of the day

Nobody ever thanks you for saving them from the disease they didn't know they were going to get.

William Foege

This should be the lead story in all major national news outlets. Public health people prefer to stay out of the limelight unless there is no other choice. I can’t overstate how bad things have to be for 9 former CDC directors to band together and pen an op-ed in the NYT warning the entire country.

RFK Jr. targets CDC with a ridiculous complaint as chaos grips the agency As Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. targets the CDC with nonsense, a growing number of Senate Democrats are demanding his resignation.

I’m so grateful that I have tenure and the academic freedom to call it like I see it. “Dr. Kathleen Bachynski, a professor of public health at Muhlenberg College, described Kennedy’s comments as “absolute gibberish” and slammed the HHS secretary as a “dangerous buffoon” who is “threatening us all.”

RFK Jr. lackey Vinay Prasad single-handedly decided to restrict access to the COVID19 vaccine.

In part, he used the more restrictive European vaccine guidelines as justification.

But those countries also have nationalized healthcare. Their citizens won’t go broke for a hospital stay.

Oh and we need to amp this up, fire up people to fight now. Don't let a three-day-weekend approaching cool your anger. Channel it, focus it. RFK Jr. needs to go. Make it your mission starting today.

We need well organized, well coordinated mass demonstrations across the land - 20 mil. at a pop
Universal work stoppages
Resistance flags and attire EVERYWHERE
Everyone trolling trump and the GOP like Newsom
All-in from entertainers, artists, athletes, public figures
Unrelenting good trouble

👏👏👏👏

DC statehood is now an imperative. No more dicking around. Next Dem majority, get it done immediately.

I feel horrible for the excellent faculty, staff and students there, not just because their ostensible leadership has sold them out but because their actions will put the university into a death spiral.

What families will pay a fortune to subject their children to a school like this?

In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, one of the Commanders says of women, “Our big mistake was teaching them to read. We won't do that again."

Remember that as the Trump regime dismantles the Department of Education and attacks colleges and universities.

New York City had free college tuition at all CUNY schools for 130 years

Such a dramatic difference

For the life of me I don’t understand going to the effort - time, money, everything - of running for Congress, winning, and then just rolling over. It makes no sense.

The U.S. Is Going Backwards on Vaccines, Very Fast America’s vaccine advisory committee is now taking seriously a baseless anti-vaccine flashpoint.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked vaccine advisory committee has chosen to entertain a classic anti-vaccine talking point; in its first meeting it will show how willing it is to disregard evidence, too. @katherinejwu.com reports:

I love that a politician can say something like “I believe mice naturally spawn out of grain” and the news will now just treat that as a legitimate line of thought

I worry that it’s too much to expect careers military officers to speak up about this, but Jess is right: this is a shocking breach of American traditions. George Washington is rolling in his grave.

Kennedy Removes All C.D.C. Vaccine Panel Experts

Not a doctor. Not a scientist. No. A longtime heroin addict and current steroid enthusiast who perjured himself in confirmation hearings in order to pursue a twisted agenda that will kill more Americans than Osama Bin Laden.

Oh, Canada.

i'm starting to see some scoldy posts pointing out that we are laughing about a fire on the deck of our sinking ship and i have to be honest once the ship started sinking i decided i would take the laughs where i found them

Shout out to all the finance bros who didn’t give a shit about democracy, human rights, racism, homophobia, misogyny, the future of the planet or basic human decency and voted for the conman they thought was gonna be good for the economy. You guys are geniuses.

Dear senators who think you can’t do anything,

Today, Senator Van Hollen - through diplomatic pressure - got a meeting with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. So that thing you’re thinking about doing? DO IT.

~ All of Us

I may be tired and a little hoarse, but as I said again and again on the Senate floor, this is a moment where we cannot afford to be silent, when we must speak up.