The 2025 measles outbreak is largest in three decades The CDC says cases have reached nearly 1,300, the most since 1992.

This morning in CDC news:

– This year, the U.S. officially has the most measles cases on record 1992: www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

– The HELP committee voted to advance the nomination of Susan Monarez, Trump’s CDC director pick: www.politico.com/live-updates...

The pool's open. Trump's laid off the team that helps protect swimmers. The loss of the CDC's drowning-prevention unit is one that water safety advocates fear will have a direct impact on children’s safety.

Memorial Day marks the start of the swimming season. But this year, layoffs at HHS mean the federal team that works on water safety and drowning data analysis is gone.

Story here: www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

RFK Jr., DOGE gutted legally required offices. Courts may undo it all. Federal workers, Democratic lawmakers, state officials and independent legal experts say keeping offices afloat in name only – with minimal or no staff – is an unconstitutional power grab.

The Trump administration gutted dozens of congressionally mandated programs — including ones that screened coal miners for black lung and tracked cancer rates in firefighters — and knew they would face legal risks doing so.

Latest with @alicemiranda.bsky.social

www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

Trump transforms congressionally mandated health offices into ghost towns Federal workers, Democratic lawmakers, state officials and independent legal experts say keeping offices afloat in name only – with minimal or no staff – is an unconstitutional power grab.

NEW: We got our hands on a DOGE memo listing which CDC programs are required by law and warning of a "litigation risk" to cutting them. Dozens of those programs, tracking everything from IVF to cancer, have since been halted by layoffs.
www.politico.com/news/2025/05... @sophiegardner.bsky.social

The U.S. has hit 1000 confirmed measles cases in 2025, according to the CDC. That's the second time in the past 30 years we've hit that number.

Story here: www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

Trump admin asks laid-off firefighter and coal mining safety research staff back temporarily An HHS spokesperson said the reprieve could become permanent.

The White House called our last story on cuts to firefighter health/safety programs a "hoax." A few hours later, HHS, a Republican senator and a national firefighters union confirmed today that they're reversing some of those very cuts...but only until June 2.

www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

‘A gut punch’: Trump admin cuts wipe out firefighter health and safety programs People in and out of government told POLITICO that they fear the cuts will lead to major backsliding on understanding firefighters' health risks.

The HHS reduction in force meant steep cuts to the CDC team that researches health risks to firefighters.

Current and former CDC employees, along with several firefighters, told @alicemiranda.bsky.social and I that years of progress could be lost.

Full story: www.politico.com/news/2025/04...

A cancer registry, projects to protect firefighters from inhaling diesel fumes while they eat and sleep, screenings for survivors of 9/11 — all wiped out by RFK Jr.

It's a "gut punch" for a sector that overwhelmingly supported Trump.

www.politico.com/news/2025/04... w/ @sophiegardner.bsky.social