@gregfolkers.bsky.social
Washington, D.C.
Boston Globe: Boston built a global biotech empire. Now the talent is quietly drifting away
Kay Lazar et al
archive.li/LrKYo @bostonglobe.com
MSKCC: In Early-Phase Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trial, Investigational mRNA Vaccine Induces Sustained Immune Activity in Small Patient Group
@mskcc.bsky.social
www.mskcc.org/news/can-mrn...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Politico: A year of upheaval: RFK Jr. in Trump's Cabinet
by Carmen Paun, Grace Yarrow, Sophie Gardner, Lauren Gardner, Tim Röhn
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
STAT: Exit of CDC’s acting director highlights agency’s lack of leader
The CDC has had a Senate-confirmed director for just 28 days of Trump’s term
by @helenbranswell.bsky.social @statnews.com
bit.ly/4aAWBRK
“It’s like going to battle with half your generals in place.” Of the 27 institutes and centers that make up NIH, 16 were missing permanent directors as of Friday, when staff received news of the latest departure. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
15.02.2026 15:11 — 👍 40 🔁 21 💬 0 📌 3
Health Policy Watch: Want to Become the Next WHO Director-General? Get in Line
@healthpolicywatch.bsky.social
bit.ly/4rYxsaJ
WSJ: Top FDA Scientist Explains Why He Quit After Getting a Promotion From RFK Jr.
By Liz Essley Whyte @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social @wsj.com
on.wsj.com/4tEwNwq gift link
Diabetes Metab Res Rev: Long-Term Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Population-Based Study in British Columbia, Canada
Héctor Alexander Velásquez García et al
bit.ly/46F0hk0
The Bulwark: This Is What Destroying the Vaccine Market Looks Like
bit.ly/3My7fAr
by Jonathan Cohn @citizencohn.bsky.social @thebulwark.com
CNN: Trump promised RFK Jr. would ‘restore faith in American health care.’ A year in, trust has plummeted
by Meg Tirrell @cnn.com @megtirrell.bsky.social
cnn.it/3ZzXPHR
CDC EID journal: Life-Threatening SARS-CoV-2–Associated Encephalopathy and Multiorgan Failure in Children, Asia and Oceania, 2022–2024
Mariko Kasai et al
bit.ly/4azDI1g
All children were unvaccinated (except one whose vaccination status was unknown)
Atlantic: This Is How a Child Dies of Measles /When your family becomes a data point in an outbreak
by Elizabeth Breunig bit.ly/3Mc2Nrf
@theatlantic.com
Reuters: Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
by Jonathan Landay, Douglas Gillison @reuters.com
reut.rs/4rmjijJ
WHO Disease Outbreak News: Mpox: recombinant virus with genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb - Global
bit.ly/3MJddyz
Reuters: Doctors bear the burden as ‘medical freedom’ fuels worst US measles outbreak in 30 years
by Chad Terhune, Julie Steenhuysen
reut.rs/462e3gw
It's important to put this in context of one of the first things Taubenberger did when he took over as the director of NIAID - he canceled the premier pandemic preparedness network ("CREID" - which we were part of) because it was deemed "unsafe for Americans".
Cc. @maxkozlov.bsky.social.
Doctors say that vaccines protect children from dangerous diseases. A nepo baby who barbecues dogs and snorts cocaine off toilet seats says that vaccines make children vulnerable to 5G radiation. For busy parents, it can be hard to know who to trust.
14.02.2026 03:39 — 👍 4242 🔁 1058 💬 46 📌 20
NEW-
Our interview with Dr. Rick Pazdur on why he left FDA less than a month after his promotion to lead its drugs division
And his concerns about the agency's future
“This wall between the commissioner’s office and the review staff has been breached" www.wsj.com/health/healt...
Next pandemic is gonna be lit 🔥
We’ll all be chugging protein drinks and swallowing deworming tablets and talking about “that which cannot be named” while our social media feeds tell us that anyone who died did not do enough push-ups…
My #ScienceUnderSiege co-author @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social & I join @philippmarkolin.bsky.social for the inaugural episode of the #ScienceCounterpunch podcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4PF...
13.02.2026 20:55 — 👍 57 🔁 28 💬 1 📌 3
Rolling Stone: The Senator Who Has Made It Her Mission to Stop RFK Jr.
bit.ly/4aqJ1BD
by @katherineeban.bsky.social @rollingstone.com
Scoop: The NIH infectious-diseases institute (NIAID) will soon scrub “pandemic preparedness” and “biodefense” from its web pages, according to e-mails I obtained.
The directive is the start of a broader shake-up at NIAID, which has long been attacked by Republicans.
From the memory hole: A rebuttal to NIH leadership's screed against pandemic preparedness.
bit.ly/47KZ0ck by @angierasmussen.bsky.social @jeremyfaust.bsky.social NIAID @maxkozlov.bsky.social
Today's CDC SARS-CoV-2 genomics update
Rise of NB.1.8.1 (aka Nimbus); no new concerning variants
Exclusive: To mark Secretary Kennedy's first year in office, I interviewed @alsobrooks.senate.gov, the Maryland senator intent on bringing him down. Calling it "a matter of life and death," she details her quest for @rollingstone.com. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
13.02.2026 16:35 — 👍 106 🔁 29 💬 2 📌 1
ALSOBROOKS AND WYDEN UPDATE REPORT CHRONICLING HARMFUL ACTIONS RFK JR. HAS TAKEN IN LAST 365 DAYS bit.ly/3Mo8mTs
13.02.2026 16:28 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
In the Pipeline: An mRNA Refusal to File
bit.ly/4sadI43
by Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social
NYT: Kennedy Allies Target States to Overturn Vaccine Mandates for Schoolchildren
By Christina Jewett @nytimes.com @by-cjewett.bsky.social RFK Jr
nyti.ms/4sacC8r
AP: RFK Jr. Promised to Restore Trust in Health Agencies. One Year Later, It's Eroding.
bit.ly/3O7wAls
Inside Health Policy: NIH Will Not Renew Criswell’s Term As NIAMS Director, Adding To Leadership Vacancies
bit.ly/46AF5M2
nih, Jay bhattacharya
