Bri A

Never has this quote from a Trump aide felt more apt:

"Some people seem to think Trump's playing chess, when most of the time the staff are just trying to stop him from eating the pieces."

Good morning.

Today is the 80th day that the U.S. President is running a backdoor bribery scheme in which any CEO or foreign oligarch can send him money secretly through his crypto coin scam in exchange for favors.

It's the biggest scandal in the history of the Presidency.

Many medical supplies are manufactured outside of the US. I would buy additional KN95, N95 and KF94 masks now, as well as any medical supplies you regularly rely on. Even basics like bandages, Aquaphor, medicated lotion and pimple patches. Order that stuff asap.

House Rs just passed the budget resolution, the first step in their process to enact a bill that'd kick millions off Medicaid & cut SNAP down to just $1.60 per person per meal on avg while cutting taxes for the top 0.1% by $278k - all while increasing the debt

🧵on what's to come and WHERE TO FIGHT

Every House Republican just voted to defund Medicaid. Reminder: there are no moderate Republicans in Congress, and stop pretending there are.

Two Planes, in Washington and Chicago, Abort Landings to Avoid Collisions The near misses on Tuesday came after a string of aviation disasters, including the midair collision between an Army helicopter and a passenger jet last month that killed 67 people.

Within the span of 90 minutes on Tuesday morning, two airplanes, at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport and at Chicago’s Midway International Airport, were forced to abort landings to avoid collisions, federal aviation officials said.

Look at this leader. Lift her up.

House Republicans just voted to gut Medicaid, which covers 1 in 5 Americans overall, including 41% of births and 63% of nursing home care.

They also just voted to gut SNAP, on which 41 million food insecure Americans rely.

This won’t just harm people. This will kill people.

They own this.

I'm looking to see if the cuts & chaos at CDC and NIH have affected any clinical trials or research for drugs for the treatment of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or other serious diseases. If you know anything, please contact me at DavidCorn.99 at Signal.

Or if you have any other good stories.

El Capitan displays a massive American flag upside down—the traditional signal of distress or extreme emergency.

Studies show that funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contributed to 354 of 356 drugs (99.4%) approved by the FDA from 2010 to 2019. Recklessly slashing NIH funding will mean that patients will be waiting much longer for life-saving treatments.

CDC Shutters PRAMS Program on Maternal and Infant Health The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a federal data collection...

CDC shutters the PRAMS Program on maternal and Infant health. PRAMS is a federal data collection system designed to identify groups of women and infants at high risk for health problems that has been running since 1988 #ReproSky 🩺 🛟

A CDC vaccine committee meeting, the first of Kennedy's tenure at HHS, gets postponed An HHS spokesperson didn’t say when the meeting would be rescheduled.

This is how ‘Dr.’ Death is going destroy vaccine programs and make vaccines unaffordable to most.

“Insurance companies are mandated to cover recommended vaccines; however, if the CDC and ACIP don't make a recommendation for a new vaccine, insurers have the autonomy to decide whether to cover them.”

Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread - KFF Health News Health officials expect a measles outbreak in West Texas to exceed 100 cases because of low vaccination rates and undetected infections. Vaccine misinformation and new laws may make such situations mo...

🚨Texas measles outbreak nears 100 cases, w/16 hospitalizations. Officials suspect it's spilled just across the border to New Mexico.

Low vax rates+undetected infections mean it will grow.

“This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better”

My latest kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

National Academies is altering pending reports to appease Trump administration, some members say Words such as “health equity” are being replacing with vaguer terms, and 100 members sent a letter of protest to NASEM leaders.

SCOOP: The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, arguably the nation's most powerful scientific organization, is bending to political pressure and removing terms like "health equity" from pending reports. Members are not happy. Story by me: www.statnews.com/2025/02/20/n...

COALITION OF MAYORS ACROSS U.S. FILE AMICUS BRIEF IN OPPOSITION TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S DRASTIC CUTS TO FEDERAL RESEARCH FUNDING Led by the City of Boston, MA, City of Cleveland, OH, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, TN, the Mayor of Gainesville, FL, and the Mayor of Salt Lake City, UT, over 40 mayors, cities, and counties argue that NIH cuts will cause job losses, economic disruption, and undermine U.S. competitiveness BOSTON - Thursday, February 20, 2025 - Late yesterday, Mayor Michelle Wu co-led a coalition of Mayors from across the United States in writing and filing an amicus brief in federal district court in Boston to stop the Trump Administration's drastic and illegal cuts to federal research funding and immediate job losses in cities nationwide. Over 40 mayors, cities, and counties from across the country joined the brief. These cities are home to universities and hospitals that employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in cutting edge medical and scientific research, and the federally-funded research in these communities has made the United States the global leader in scientific discovery. The brief seeks a temporary restraining order against the Trump Administration, alongside the research universities, medical schools, hospitals, and 22 states that are plaintiffs in the three cases filed last week in federal district court. “For decades, Congress has made a clear choice to use federally-funded research to invest in cities, build a broadly-distributed infrastructure for scientific discovery, create jobs, and drive economic growth in communities across the United States,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We join with cities across the country – in red states, purple states, and blue states – to stop this illegal action that will cause layoffs, lab closures, and undermine scientific progress in American cities. I thank Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell for her leadership on behalf of the research institutions of Boston.”

This amicus brief is in response to the abrupt February 7, 2025 announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of an immediate reduction in funding for scientific and medical research institutions across the country. Under the NIH’s new policy, which temporarily went into effect on Monday, February 10, payments for indirect costs reimbursed to research universities would be capped at 15%, down from 30-70%. The brief makes clear that NIH funding cuts would devastate research institutions in cities across the county, cause job losses, create severe economic disruption, and undermine a critical pillar of strength and civic pride in cities across the United States. The cuts would also undermine critical medical and scientific research that residents are counting on, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, and jeopardize the cities’ and country’s position of global leadership on scientific advancement. “The Gainesville community depends on this highly efficient, dependable investment of our tax dollars back into our city’s innovation economy,” said Harvey L. Ward, Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida. “I’m glad to join other mayors in highlighting the vital role NIH funding plays in the lives of everyday hardworking American families.” “The breadth and diversity of this coalition highlights the devastating and widespread impact of these NIH funding changes, from Alzheimer’s research to cancer clinical trials,” said Jill Habig, Founder and CEO of Public Rights Project. “We’re proud to partner with mayors, cities, and counties in opposing this threat to critical federal funding and the health and vitality of our communities.” On Monday, February 10th, twenty two states and associations of medical schools, hospitals, and universities, filed three related cases, and secured a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump Administration from slashing the reimbursement rates. That initial order will be revisited this week in a hearing scheduled for Feb. 21.

The Public Rights Project served as amici counsel. The full list of mayors, cities and counties who joined the brief is below. Local Governments and Mayors City of Boston, Massachusetts City of Cleveland, Ohio Harvey L. Ward, Mayor, City of Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, City of Salt Lake City, Utah City of Alameda, California City of Albuquerque, New Mexico Allegheny County, Pennsylvania City of Baltimore, Maryland Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Mayor, City of Burlington, Vermont Township of Canton, Michigan Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina City of Chicago, Illinois Sandra Welch, Mayor, City of Coconut Creek, Florida City of Columbus, Ohio City of Easthampton, Massachusetts Daniel Biss, Mayor, City of Evanston, Illinois City of Fairfax, Virginia Harris County, Texas Ravinder S. Bhalla, Mayor, City of Hoboken, New Jersey Quinton Lucas, Mayor, Kansas City, Missouri Indya Kincannon, Mayor, City of Knoxville, Tennessee City of Madison, Wisconsin Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor, City of Millcreek, Utah Anissa Welch, Mayor, City of Milton, Wisconsin Montgomery County, Maryland City of New Haven, Connecticut Dontae Payne, Mayor, City of Olympia, Washington Adrian O. Mapp, Mayor, City of Plainfield, New Jersey Sue Noack, Mayor, City of Pleasant Hill, California City of Pittsburgh and Ed Gainey, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania City of Providence, Rhode Island John Clark, Mayor, Town of Ridgway, Colorado City of Rochester, New York City of Sacramento, California City and County of San Francisco, California City of Santa Monica, California Constantine H. Kutteh, Mayor, City of Statesville, North Carolina Lisa Brown, Mayor, City of Spokane, Washington Tishaura O. Jones, Mayor, City of St. Louis, Missouri City of St. Paul, Minnesota Dennis R. McBride, Mayor, City of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

The City of Boston is leading 40+ mayors, cities, and counties in an amicus brief against the Trump Administration's drastic and illegal cuts to federal research funding—cuts that will lead to immediate job losses nationwide.

Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared. ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas’ abortion ban.

NEW: Pregnancy became far more dangerous in Texas after the state banned abortion, according to ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis, which found the sepsis rate for women hospitalized as they miscarried in the 2nd trimester shot up by more than 50%.

https://propub.li/43487Tj

There are two people in Congress-the chairs of the Senate & House Appropriations Committees-who have enormous power over the illegal impoundment of funds appropriated by Congress, which is sowing chaos across the US. They need to be relentlessly contacted at their offices, in person and by phone. 1/

I’m not sure the rest of the country fully grasps the panic and anger building in DC, MD, and VA.

The entire economy of this area is about to collapse. Paychecks are stopping. Careers are ruined. Taxes are about to plummet. Yet no one seems able to stop this madness.

Unreal.

Hundreds of FAA probationary workers fired by Trump administration, union says | CNN Politics The Trump administration has started firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration probationary employees who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, according to their union.

Despite recent crashes, DOGE is firing 100s of workers who maintain air traffic control.

🚨One worker said AI is identifying the wrong people for firing. It searches for the term “probationary” thinking it’s just a label for new staff. It’s not. It also applies to newly promoted, experienced staff.

Termination notices going out this afternoon to more than 300 employees of the National Cancer Institute. Access likely ends today. Four weeks paid leave and that’s it.

Strong power move for Team Cancer.

ACT UP’s Radical Activism Saved Lives During the AIDS Epidemic The movement stood up to the president, pharmaceutical companies, and the CDC.

This is a very heavy day for us.

To those who lost their jobs, we are with you and will work with you again.

To those struggling to see a future for our work, do not give up.

Real change in public health has always been a battle. Now it’s a war.

We will win it.

This is our country. #RISEUP

Outbreak of Blastomycosis Among Paper Mill Workers... This report describes an outbreak of blastomycosis among workers at a paper mill in Michigan.

One example (of thousands) where EIS was invaluable:

2023, a rare fungal outbreak at a paper mill infected workers

CDC EIS helped trace the source, stop the outbreak, and informed future prevention efforts

Now multiply that by 100+ responses every year #PublicHealth

🔗 www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...

At the direction of RFK Jr., America’s newly confirmed secretary of Health and Human Services, the CDC has suddenly fired nearly 1,300 employees in a single day. 10% of America’s vital team of health experts — considered global leaders in disease control — have been axed.

Although HHS…

Here's what the entire federal workforce actually looks like. It's mostly doctors, nurses and healthcare workers in VA hospitals, the military, and then everything else.

Layoffs to hit IRS as DOGE targets tax collections Several people briefed on the matter said cuts to the IRS cuts numbering in the thousands. One target is tax collections.

🚨NEWS: Massive layoffs are about to hit the IRS -- around 10,000 employees -- potentially in the middle of filing season.

Of particular interest to the DOGE: Cutting IRS enforcement capabilities.

-- with @jeffstein.bsky.social + Hannah Natanson

USAID Lifesaving Aid Remains Halted Despite Rubio’s Promise A new directive puts further exemptions on hold. Aid workers also say the U.S. government has made it impossible to pay partners around the world.

Top USAID officials are trying to create a false narrative that life-saving aid has continued despite Trump’s blanket halt to foreign aid. Our @nytimes.com reporting shows the exact opposite. USAID even issued an internal email to stop applications for waivers: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/u...

RFK Jr. is NOT a “vaccine skeptic.” He’s been a hardcore antivax conspiracy theorist for at least two decades.