Beth Bourdeau Duke

I was completely unprepared for what his standing still face looks like, omg

Bhattacharya wants a “Silicon Valley Culture” at NIH, as reported by @maaisha.bsky.social.

Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break things” mantra does not belong at a place dealing in human health and lives. Because those are the things you end up breaking.

insidehealthpolicy.com/share/153444

Worth noting: literally any US born politician could get some of that Mamdani glow by siding with people over billionaires every single time.

Just love your neighbors more than money and fight for them relentlessly!

(And have years of coalition building and great communication skills, etc.)

Trump administration drops appeal of court order blocking $1.2-billion UCLA settlement The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a major higher education case in which a federal judge blocked its $1.2-billion settlement proposal to UCLA over alleged civil rights violations. It will...

This is a genuinely huge, sweeping victory today for the University of California—or rather, for us, its faculty, acting through our faculty associations, while the UC itself maintained a strict policy of deer-in-headlights silence.

The Trump admin has given up its appeal of a powerful injunction:

Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.

Not preparing for the next pandemic doesn't prevent pandemic from happening.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

@noamross.net

The TRO doesn't seem to be blocking termination notifications 🤔

Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.

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.

Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...

there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time

"Moderna's CEO announced the company will no longer invest in new Phase 3 vaccine trials for infectious diseases: 'You cannot make a return on investment if you don't have access to the U.S. market. Vaccines for Epstein-Barr virus, herpes, and shingles have been shelved.” 9:12 AM Feb 12, 2026 604.8K Views

In terms of what cures are being lost:

- Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis
- herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis
- shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease

When Ds are back in charge, they have to change everything. No moderate half-measures. Just relentless razing of the corrupt institutions that enriched the worst people in the world and propped up fascism.

A few suggestions...

NEW: Another NIH institute director hasn't been renewed — the director of NIAMS (arthritis, musculoskeletal and skin diseases institute).

That leaves a whopping 15 of 27 institutes and centers without a permanent director.

NIH, CDC, HHS, and all of US cancer research and public health needed and still needs protection from Russell Vought and the P2025 White House.

The defining feature of 2025 at NIH was not merely grant changes.
It was unprecedented levels of presidential interference with NIH decision-making.
1/

‘Sanctuary’ States Get Judge to Pause Trump’s Public Health Cuts A Trump administration plan to cut over $600 million in public health grants to four states led by Democrats was paused by a federal judge as litigation over the funds plays out.

Huge sigh of relief, though we're far from done.

news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-a...

Hoping the courts see this for what it is ...

Four states sue Trump administration over cuts to public health funding Four Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday that seeks to block the Trump administration from terminating $600 million in public health funding.

Four states sue Trump administration over cuts to public health funding reut.rs/4afW7S8

Here's How Many Jobs HHS Has Lost Since RFK Jr. Took Over See the totals from NIH, FDA, CDC, and CMS, too

4,049 people gone from NIH compared to 2024, an 18% loss in staff.

www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...

SF health programs face millions in federal cuts Plan to slash aid to Democratic-led states hits city.

As I was saying ...

An unidentified spokesperson told the outlet that the programs in those states receiving funding were “inconsistent with agency priorities.”

www.sfexaminer.com/news/public-...

“Cut ICE’s budget to restore federal health care funding” is an extremely popular message www.politico.com/f/?id=000001...

Thanks to Grant Witness and @noamross.net for making this public so we can advocate for our work.
grant-witness.us/posts/2026-0...

Ok, yesterday we learned our work to reduce loneliness in older adults is in jeopardy. Today, we find out our project to enable people with HIV to receive their medication injections at home is also threatened with imminent termination. This makes no sense outside of punishing blue states.

Florida has reversed funding cuts for HIV medication — but only until it can go through the formal rule-making process.

https://mrf.lu/3CxW

FDA declines to review Moderna's mRNA flu shot Under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Food and Drug Administration has taken an aggressive stance against mRNA technology.

I genuinely cannot believe the degree to which we are pissing away this generational breakthrough, even given the fuckmuppets who are involved www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination and 4-Year All-Cause Mortality Among Adults in France This cohort study uses the data from all adults aged 18 to 59 years living in France on November 1, 2021, to evaluate whether there is an association of receipt of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine with long-t...

RFK Jr.'s claim that COVID vaccines are deadly? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. In this new extraordinarily large study, vaccinated individuals had a 74% lower risk of death from severe COVID-19 and a 25% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those unvaccinated. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Trump Administration to Cut $600 Million in Health Funding From Four States

After a year of close calls and sleepless nights, after losing all of our federal collaborators ... They are getting rid of our program to help older LGBTQ adults, many estranged from family, feel less lonely and isolated. I'm heartbroken.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...

HIV justice is racial justice

HIV justice is racial justice! 🗣️

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a day to recognize how HIV disproportionately impacts Black communities—AND to act against the barriers to health equity. (1/3)

one of the greatest human triumphs of my lifetime is the relentless, unceasing, heroic effort by DECADES' worth of doctors and scientists to find a cure for a disease much of the world didn't take seriously for years because it predominantly affected a community they thought kinda deserved it

It will be important to watch how this rule affects staff at NIH. People are already afraid to speak up inside NIH. This policy works against the academic freedom the administration claims to value.

Swear to god, ICE could just announce they're leaving a city but not leave and the media will just stop covering that city completely even though ICE never left.

It's what ICE and the media did with LA and they're doing it with Minneapolis too

The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.

The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.

https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3