Beth Marie Mole

Dog autism? 37% of US dog owners buy into anti-vaccine nonsense For the bazillionth time, vaccines do not cause autism—and dog autism is not a thing.

And if "dog autism" is new to you, here's an @arstechnica.com story from 2023 arstechnica.com/health/2023/...

RFK Jr. defends $500M cut for mRNA vaccines with pseudoscience gobbledygook He clearly has no idea what antigenic shift means.

Another stellar piece from @bethmariem.bsky.social, this time breaking down why RFK, Jr.'s defunding of mRNA-based vaccine research this week is so utterly idiotic and ill-informed.

arstechnica.com/health/2025/...

As more journalists are driven out of their jobs, I keep hearing this drumbeat of "it's ok -- they can start their own newsletter or publication." Some can. But becoming your own business is a huge job, and will eliminate many talented reporters from the public sphere. Here's why. (1/5)

And then there's this nonsense. WE CANNOT SUBSTITUTE ANIMAL TRIALS WITH AI. We don't even know some of the basics of the immune system bc it's so fricking complicated. AI is based on what we know. Man, I was happier on the plane without wifi. Utter nonsense.

you know shit's serious when NYT is using the actual words to describe what's happening

Kulldorff calls for the establishment of a CDC work group examining whether or not children today get too many vaccines and cumulative harms of that. This is explicitly anti-vaccine propaganda and senseless. When new vaccines are evaluated in prelicensure clinical trials, you do not...

Kulldorff opens by talking about how extremely fired he is (by both Harvard & FDA +CDC vaccine working groups), says it was pro-vax of him to oppose the J&J pause before reviewing safety data. Fwiw, doesn't disclose his work as an expert witness against Gardasil vax & is incorrectly listed as an MD.

This whole exchange between Rep. Schrier (a pediatrician) and RFK Jr is worth a watch. It starts with her schooling him on the horrors of vaccine-preventable diseases and ends with him claiming he never made a deal w/ Sen. Cassidy not to change ACIP (CDC vaccine panel)
www.c-span.org/clip/house-c...

RFK Jr. just told a congressional committee that Bill Cassidy lied when Cassidy said,

“If confirmed, he [RFK Jr.] will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) without changes".

RFK Jr. says he never agreed to that.

Despite Cassidy calling for delay, ACIP meeting tomorrow going forward with agenda featuring an anti-vaccine crank

Actual physician priorities for the US:
-health insurance for all
-increase physical activity
-housing
-secure access to good nutrition
-vaccination
-cancer screening
-substance abuse treatment

Not on the list:
-wearables 🤦🏻‍♂️

Antivaxxer, Lyn Redwood, who will present at the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee meeting believes autism is worse than measles infection, says parents should give their children measles infections instead of vaccines, and thinks antivaxxers being told they’re wrong is “like Stalin’s Soviet Union”

ACIP

A tweet from Sen. Bill Cassidy saying: Although the appointees to ACIP have scientific credentials, many do not have significant experience studying microbiology, epidemiology or immunology. In particular, some lack experience studying new technologies such as mRNA vaccines, and may even have a preconceived bias against them. Robust and transparent scientific discussion is important, so long as it is rooted in evidence and understanding. Wednesday's meeting should not proceed with a relatively small panel, and no CDC Director in place to approve the panel's recommendations. The meeting should be delayed until the panel is fully staffed with more robust and balanced representation—as required by law—including those with more direct relevant expertise. Otherwise, ACIP’s recommendations could be viewed with skepticism, which will work against the success of this Administration's efforts.

RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory In his 2021 book vilifying Anthony Fauci, RFK Jr. lays out support for an alternate theory.

Your periodic reminder that RFK Junior, America's top health official actually rejects germ theory.

This is not hyperbole, he wrote this in a book. Excellent report by @bethmariem.bsky.social arstechnica.com/health/2025/...

I'll point out that Nicole Verdun is a highly accomplished Black woman who has almost the same academic credentials as Vinay Prasad (both hematologists-oncologists (she's peds), both went to UChicago med).
So he couldn't mansplain her, and that threatened him.
And firing her on Juneteenth

If you'd like a discussion about RFK jr's fondness for miasma theory without a dose of "well, he might have a point here", may I recommend this from @bethmariem.bsky.social ?

“Kulldorff is also listed as an expert witness in a similar case pending against Merck in Los Angeles state court…
Under ACIP’s rules, committee members cannot serve as a "paid litigation consultant or expert witness in litigation involving a vaccine manufacturer" during their tenure on the panel.”

Exclusive: Kennedy's new vaccine adviser was expert witness against Merck vaccine One of the new vaccine advisers picked by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has earned thousands of dollars as an expert witness in litigation against Merck’s Gardasil vaccine, court records show.

“Kulldorff recently served as an expert witness for plaintiffs who accused Merck of concealing the risks of Gardasil, a vaccine for the prevention of cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). In March, a federal judge in North Carolina ruled in favor of Merck in one of those cases”

Exclusive: Kennedy's new vaccine adviser was expert witness against Merck vaccine One of the new vaccine advisers picked by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has earned thousands of dollars as an expert witness in litigation against Merck’s Gardasil vaccine, court records show.

Exclusive: One of the new vaccine advisers picked by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has earned thousands of dollars as an expert witness in litigation against Merck’s Gardasil vaccine, court records show reut.rs/4mYupNX

Opinion | RFK Jr. Conducts His Vaccine Purge His claims about conflicts of interest proved to be nothing.

“His claims about conflicts of interest proved to be nothing.”

www.wsj.com/opinion/rfk-...

Great work by NOTUS.

Reminds me of that time RFK Jr and his anti-vaxx group published a book falsely claiming that COVID shots were killing kids. On the cover, they slapped photo of a boy who tragically died--a boy who never got the shot.

This is who RFK Jr. is.

apnews.com/article/rfk-...

RFK Jr. rejects cornerstone of health science: Germ theory In his 2021 book vilifying Anthony Fauci, RFK Jr. lays out support for an alternate theory.

Rejecting actual science for debunked, fringe conspiracies is actually anti-science. This is good journalism:

@bethmariem.bsky.social does incredible work at @arstechnica.com

That New Yorker article is astonishing and embarrassing

Fluoride, fluoride, it's so great! Do you know the fluoridation level in your state? 👇
nccd.cdc.gov/DOH_MWF/Defa...

Ok, yes, you can check whether the water is fluoridated by *system*, not just for the overall state, but bear with us for the sake of a silly rhyme 🎵🦷

I just left a comment.

If you are concerned that RFK Jr.'s FDA chief Marty Makary is limiting the Novavax COVID booster to those over 65 or with underlying conditions, and may do the same for Pfizer/Moderna as well, consider leaving a comment as well.

Legal, Process Problems May Plague New US FDA COVID-19 Vaccine Policy The FDA may have violated laws and regulations along with many norms in how it released its planned changes for COVID-19 vaccine approvals.

Possible APA, Good Guidance, and FDA approval standards violations in the agency's new COVID vax policy.. plus lots of norm breaking.

insights.citeline.com/pink-sheet/v...