Sign in

Isabella Cueto

@isabellacueto.bsky.social
2.1K followers 201 following 196 posts

Reporter covering chronic disease, MAHA and more for STAT. 🔗 www.statnews.com/staff/isabella-cue…

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Inside today's MAHA Summit — and why some MAHA activists are appalled by it w/ @isabellacueto.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/09/29/m...
statnews.com
At MAHA Summit, a grassroots movement goes corporate
Federal officials and health care executives rubbed elbows at the ritzy MAHA Summit, causing some supporters to question what MAHA has become.
077
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. returned to his roots today at the Children's Health Defense conference — both via his public embrace of the group, and in his remarks, which leaned hard into anti-vaccine rhetoric. www.statnews.com/2026/09/17/r...
statnews.com
Kennedy renews attacks on vaccines at Children’s Health Defense conference
Health secretary RFK Jr. returned to his roots in a keynote address at a conference hosted by the Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine nonprofit he helped start.
002
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
At the FDA, "hundreds of prospective new employees are stuck in pre-onboarding limbo and routine administrative tasks, like purchase approvals and travel payments, have fallen by the wayside," @margaretmanto.bsky.social reports. DOGE cuts coming back to bite. www.statnews.com/2026/09/17/f...
statnews.com
The FDA’s rebuilding effort is running into a new challenge
The FDA's plan to hire thousands of new workers is being slowed by an overwhelmed HR center.
000
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
NEW: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will deliver a keynote address at event held by Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group he once led. Via @isabellacueto.bsky.social @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/09/14/r...
statnews.com
Kennedy to deliver keynote for anti-vaccine group he once led
RFK Jr. worked to distance himself from Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group he once led. Now, he's delivering a keynote at CHD's conference.
032
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Important story from my colleague @danielpayne.bsky.social: Even with an infusion of cash from the Trump administration, rural health care leaders are not feeling optimistic right now. www.statnews.com/2026/09/14/r...
statnews.com
The GOP’s $50 billion rural health fund is coming up short, hospital leaders say
Hospital leaders were excited about the Rural Health Transformation Fund until they saw the fine print.
052
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Medicaid work requirements update! www.statnews.com/2026/09/11/m...
statnews.com
Medicaid will let states use ‘tiers’ to determine medical frailty
New Medicaid rules use allow use of tiers to determine work exemptions. Advocates fear complex guidelines could cause patients to lose insurance.
032
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild @pacnwguild.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild is shocked and disappointed by McClatchy’s decision to lay off 33% of its unionized workers at the Idaho Statesman, The News Tribune (Tacoma), Tri-City Herald, The Olympian and Bellingham Herald. This includes 10 journalists in Idaho, and seven across Washington
514471
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
James Nalton @jdnalton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Laying off your soccer reporter when Lionel Messi is playing in your city is a sorry state of affairs.
261175256
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“The Miami Herald will no longer have a Miami beat” is the state of local journalism in a nutshell. Really, really bad.
352512636
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Caitlin McGlade @caitmcglade.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I, the only data reporter at the Charlotte Observer, am among the McClatchy layoffs in the bloodbath today. The HR person asked me not to talk about it! AMA. Anyway, here’s a link to one of my most important stories this year. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...
charlotteobserver.com
A Black teen found hanged near Charlotte church was a suicide, police say. Questions remain
In May, 16-year-old Juliana Nzita was found dead in a Charlotte churchyard. CMPD called it a suicide. Her family isn’t so sure.
612158853
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Michael Deibert @michaeldeibert.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
McClatchy is a subsidiary of the hedge fund Chatham Asset Management, which seems determined to eviscerate local reporting in the United States. The idea that the Miami Herald will no longer have a city of Miami or city of Miami Beach reporter is unconscionable. www.poynter.org/business-wor...
poynter.org
McClatchy cuts more than 90 staff in its most severe layoffs in years - Poynter
At least 13 papers — including The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee and The Kansas City Star — lost reporters
03118
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
elizabethcooney.bsky.social @elizabethcooney.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Don't miss this one, from @isabellacueto.bsky.social and Lauren Chan: www.statnews.com/2026/09/01/m...
statnews.com
As MAHA champions nutrition, it’s ignoring the experts, dietitians say
A key aspect of the Make America Healthy Again agenda could be hampered by a shrinking and underpaid workforce of registered dietitians.
031
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"The loan cap policy comes as the dietetics pipeline is already in decline. Enrollment across accredited dietetics programs fell 39% in the past decade, and undergraduate degrees in the field peaked in 2014. In 2023 and 2024, more internship slots were empty than not. 

The money issue is driving people into higher-paying dietitian jobs in private practice or outpatient clinics, or into other fields, like nursing, said Jason Fee. 

As a result, fewer dietitians in the U.S. are working in clinical settings, leaving hospitals understaffed to care for the sickest patients. “That is where the highest need for the credential is,” said Fee, who before starting a private practice in central Florida, was for months the lone dietitian at his hospital."
021
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
MAHA wants to use nutrition to prevent and cure disease. That's dietitians' bread & butter. But the field is facing a litany of old and new problems that could derail the whole food-as-medicine endeavor. NEW w/ Lauren Chan: www.statnews.com/2026/09/01/m...
statnews.com
As MAHA champions nutrition, it’s ignoring the experts, dietitians say
A key aspect of the Make America Healthy Again agenda could be hampered by a shrinking and underpaid workforce of registered dietitians.
040
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
After 14 years, there are new migraine prevention guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology. They feature many new treatments that have become available for people with 4+ migraine days per month – many of whom go without prophylactic treatment! www.statnews.com/2026/08/31/m...
statnews.com
New guidelines on migraine prevention reflect increasing options for patients
“There has been a wealth of new treatment available” for migraine prevention, said a co-author of new guidelines released Monday.
0165
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
New documents raise questions about whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lied to Congress about his 2019 trip to Samoa, which he claimed had nothing to do with vaccines. www.statnews.com/2026/08/27/k...
statnews.com
RFK Jr. said a Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines. New documents refute that
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said a Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines. New documents obtained by The Associated Press and The Guardian refute that testimony.
020
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Federal government asks for public comment on a proposal that could upend science. Then, it quietly removes some comments. @aniloza.bsky.social scoop: www.statnews.com/2026/08/25/r...
statnews.com
Comments on OMB research rule mysteriously removed from federal website
Some comments on a proposed OMB research rule have been mysteriously removed from a public-facing government webpage.
045
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
tiny! 5-year-old! brains! by @mmolteni.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/08/19/b...
statnews.com
Brain organoids, kept alive more than five years, matured like human brains
Brain organoids kept alive more than five years continued to develop and mature, and showed molecular and genetic signatures like those of human brains.
120
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
How Heidi Overton became Trump's pick to lead the FDA (And what industry leaders, senators, and MAHA activists are saying about the possibility of her leading the agency) w/ @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social @isabellacueto.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/08/19/h...
statnews.com
How Trump loyalist Heidi Overton became the president’s pick to run the FDA
If she wins confirmation as FDA commissioner, Heidi Overton will face plenty of big challenges.
021
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Exclusive: The American Cancer Society has cancelled its alcohol industry fundraiser, a luxe gala in NYC which was scheduled for the fall. The event came under scrutiny earlier this summer after STAT reported the details of it for the first time. www.statnews.com/2026/08/19/c...
statnews.com
American Cancer Society cancels alcohol industry fundraiser
The American Cancer Society had an optics problem: its annual Wine and Spirits Industry's Gala. It decided to do something about it.
033
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine sued the federal government today over how it rewrote dietary guidelines, including its quickly assembled panel of researchers w/ ties to beef, dairy, and other industries. New: www.statnews.com/2026/08/19/p...
statnews.com
Physician group sues Trump administration over dietary guidelines process
The suit, brought by a nonprofit that advocates for plant-based diets, claims HHS and the USDA used a “secret panel” of scientists to flip the food pyramid.
11611
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Extraordinary scenes at the White House today as the president takes the vaccine schedule into his own hands with an executive order. Via @danielpayne.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/08/10/t...
075
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
reposting this story because .... www.statnews.com/2025/09/26/t...
statnews.com
3 burning questions about the MMR vaccine, answered
President Trump has said the MMR vaccine should be broken up. But experts see no medical benefit in separating one shot into three.
22514
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
FDA is announcing new GRAS reforms today, which would give consumers insight into the chemical additives in their foods – some, for the first time. More deets, and reactions from some of the top players in this field, including David Kessler, here: www.statnews.com/2026/08/10/r...
statnews.com
FDA to require notice of additives in food supply for the first time
RFK Jr. is claiming a win with a new proposal on the food industry's GRAS loophole; nutrition advocates give mixed reviews.
052
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Sarah Todd @sarah-todd.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Medicaid work rules are sowing confusion over who's sick enough to get health coverage, @isabellacueto.bsky.social reports: www.statnews.com/2026/07/30/m...
statnews.com
Chronically ill people face confusion over new Medicaid work rules and ‘medically frail’ exemption
Patients, advocates, and experts fear the difficulty in documenting a frailty exemption to Medicaid work requirements will lead to millions losing coverage.
023
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
STAT @statnews.com · 30/07/2026
In win for RFK Jr., Senate committee sends nominations of Erica Schwartz for CDC director and Sean Kaufman for ASPR to full Senate. www.statnews.com/2026/07/30/s...
statnews.com
Key Senate panel backs Trump’s picks for CDC, pandemic preparedness
In win for RFK Jr., Senate committee sends nominations of Erica Schwartz for CDC director and Sean Kaufman for ASPR to full Senate.
045
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
For years, Red Bull funded research that showed consuming energy drinks and alcohol together is no more harmful than booze alone. That science became a policy backbone across the globe. The vast majority of independent studies disagree. Worth a read: www.statnews.com/2026/07/30/r...
statnews.com
Is it safe to drink Red Bull and alcohol? Questionable research tied to energy drink giant has shaped policy
Studies tied to Red Bull helped block warning labels about drinking alcohol along with energy drinks. Independent studies report risks in mixing the two.
031
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
In Nebraska, the earliest adopter of Medicaid work reqs, low-income people are confused & scrambling to figure out what chronic diseases make them "medically frail," and how to prove they are too sick to work. Millions of Americans face the same situation come Jan. www.statnews.com/2026/07/30/m...
statnews.com
Chronically ill people face confusion over new Medicaid work rules and ‘medically frail’ exemption
Patients, advocates, and experts fear the difficulty in documenting a frailty exemption to Medicaid work requirements will lead to millions losing coverage.
000
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
STAT is hiring a Washington D.C. correspondent! Join our bureau in the nation's capital to cover health policy, the Trump administration, and the money shaping health care. globe.rec.pro.ukg.net/BOS1501BGMP/...
globe.rec.pro.ukg.net
034
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Join us next Weds (7/29) to talk about the US's alcohol problem and how to solve it: www.statnews.com/event/deadli...
statnews.com
Office Hours with Isabella Cueto and Lev Facher
Join the journalists behind STAT’s series 'The Deadliest Drug' at 1 p.m. on July 29 for a discussion on a public health epidemic, alcohol, hiding in plain sight.
040
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
😭
000
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
People with diabetes are struggling to find refills on a popular long-acting insulin pen as others go off the market: www.statnews.com/2026/07/23/s...
statnews.com
Popular insulin product enters shortage as other pens leave market
The Lantus Solostar insulin pen isn't in official FDA shortage, but patients are having a tough time finding it.
000
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Bob Herman @bobjherman.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
An increasing number of adults hate their jobs but are keeping them solely for the health insurance. Job lock is as bad as ever. An indictment of the labor market and health care costs. www.statnews.com/2026/07/22/g...
statnews.com
More workers hate their jobs, but keep them for the health insurance
A new survey reveals 24% of U.S. workers stay in unwanted jobs to keep health insurance. Experts call it 'job lock.'
02510
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
A study of locals' health after the Maui wildfires has unexpectedly turned into an innovative model for rural health care. But its future is uncertain. www.statnews.com/2026/07/22/m...
statnews.com
As Maui recovers from devastating fires, a study offers vision for new rural health model
A study of the long-term health impact of the Lahaina wildfires is inspiring a new model for disaster recovery and support.
000
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
What's with all the THC drinks everywhere?? @sarah-todd.bsky.social with another banger on the wild west of hemp beverages: www.statnews.com/2026/07/21/t...
statnews.com
THC drinks are sold beside sodas, iced tea, and even chocolate milk, often in violation of state laws
THC drinks, which have exploded in popularity in recent years, are sold in retail stores beside sodas, iced tea, and even chocolate milk, often in violation of state laws.
1146
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Telehealth company LifeMD has become a go-to for GLP-1s. But ex-employees, including the former COO, say it rushes through basics and skips clinical oversight once patients get on the powerful drugs. Some shocking details in this by @elaineywchen.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2026/07/20/l...
statnews.com
Telemedicine company touted by Novo Nordisk stressed profits over patient safety, ex-workers say
LifeMD, a popular telehealth company, has been accused by former employees of pressing clinicians to mete out prescriptions more rapidly without sufficient screening and follow-up.
030
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Hate having to re-up this story every year...Please don't go outside if you don't have to while air quality is bad. www.statnews.com/2023/06/07/t...
statnews.com
The Canada wildfires are exposing the harmful effects — and health inequities — of air pollution
"People that have to work outside all day and they already have underlying conditions, or people that cannot protect themselves, these are the ones that have the higher risk."
021
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The nominees for #CDC director & #ASPR head faced tough questioning from the Senate #HELP committee today. Chair Bill Cassidy, who's out of a job next Jan., was especially blunt with the pair, suggesting Erica Schwartz (CDC) spent the hearing trying not to answer Qs. www.statnews.com/2026/07/15/b...
statnews.com
Cassidy grills Trump nominee on past vaccine comments in heated exchange
Sean Kaufman, Trump's pick for a key pandemic preparedness role, has questioned vaccines and criticized the CDC.
24115
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Huh. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
subscriber.politicopro.com
POLITICO Pro: Pesticide lobbying group hosts Calley Means at tony ag soiree
The senior White House adviser has blamed pesticides for Americans' rising rates of chronic illness.
020
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
RFK Jr. asked the National Institute of Health to dedicate $5 billion (!) to finding a link between vaccines and autism. "That would have dedicated more than a tenth of the NIH’s annual budget to investigating a hypothesis already refuted by scientists worldwide."
reuters.com
Inside RFK Jr.’s push to dismantle decades of U.S. vaccine policy
Insider accounts reveal the scale of the health secretary's ambitions to curb childhood immunizations and unearth a link between vaccines and autism.
28139341495
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Our series, "The Deadliest Drug," captured the American drinking problem. Today we turn to solutions. Here are a dozen ways the U.S. can start addressing excessive drinking and its many harms. (No paywall!) www.statnews.com/2026/07/14/a...
statnews.com
12 ideas for tackling the U.S. alcohol epidemic
The U.S. can save lives from excess alcohol use without taking drastic measures. Here are 12 steps that can help.
068
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
At a time when so much attention is given to the crisis of boys and men, here's a joyously normal snapshot: Kids hang out, play, learn together at a city boys' club. With sweet photos to boot! www.statnews.com/2026/07/10/b...
statnews.com
New York boys club has a time-tested recipe to protect members’ mental health
At a time when attention is deservedly being turned to the mental health crisis in boys, the Boys' Club of New York is a shelter from the storm for many of its members.
002
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
NEW: A Puerto Rico Government Agency Exposed 1 Million Social Security Numbers, w/ partner @cpipr.bsky.social
propublica.org
A Puerto Rico Government Agency Exposed 1 Million Social Security Numbers
A cybersecurity loophole in an official government mapping service left private data easily accessible, Centro de Periodismo Investigativo and ProPublica learned.
01114
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 06/07/2026
CDC's 14-year ad campaign called Tips From Former Smokers was highly memorable/highly effective in motivating people to quit. Last year, as tobacco companies gave millions to political organizations related to Trump, the campaign went dark. By Christina Jewett www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/u...
nytimes.com
Efforts to Help Smokers Quit Stall Under Trump
215271
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
STAT's new multi-part investigation, "The Deadliest Drug," is out. @levfacher.bsky.social and I have spent months examining the country's unchecked epidemic of injuries, diseases and deaths caused by excessive alcohol, and why the U.S. is ignoring its biggest substance use problem. @statnews.com
Several glasses in the background, and one in the foreground with a golden liquid spilled next to it. Text over the image reads: "A STAT Series: The Deadliest Drug," and "Alcohol kills more Americans each year than all other drugs combined. Why does the U.S. ignore its most harmful substance use crisis?"
81412
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Trump officials have so far deprioritized alcohol, which many public health experts say is low-hanging fruit for addressing America's chronic health problems and eliminating unnecessary deaths. Once again: Alcohol causes more deaths each year in the US than at any point in the opioid crisis.
"To date, the administration’s most noteworthy actions on alcohol have consisted of burying a report that concluded light drinking poses risks; eliminating over half the staff at a federal agency focused on substance use; closing the alcohol program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and altering dietary guidelines to eliminate suggested drinking limits. That erasure is rippling through government: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism removed information about the health risks of moderate drinking from its website in January, according to archived versions of the page."
044
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"Trump, while personally a teetotaler, has also built a notably alcohol-infused business portfolio. The Trump family has a financial stake in some of the largest alcohol companies in the world, including Brown-Forman, Constellation Brands, Diageo, and Molson Coors, according to 2025 financial disclosures.

At the pink-marbled Trump Tower in New York City, a gift shop sells Trump-branded flasks, shot glasses, and wine stoppers. A glass decanter set etched with the numbers 45 and 47, and priced at $290, sits on a high shelf.

Upstairs, the 45 Wine & Whiskey Bar serves a combo called the “Forty Five 45” — two beef sliders with ketchup, a Diet Coke, and an old fashioned. On rotation, too, are over a half-dozen wines from Trump Winery, the largest vineyard (by acreage) on the East Coast."
000
Isabella Cueto @isabellacueto.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Some of the alcohol industry's top lobbyists are mega GOP fundraisers with deep Trump connections. Where's their public health opposition? Pretty much nowhere to be found.
"The alcohol industry is hoping drink’s special place in American society will help it weather significant business challenges, but it is leaving nothing to chance: In the first quarter of 2026, Anheuser-Busch, the largest brewer in the U.S., had no fewer than 30 lobbyists from 10 firms pushing its interests on Capitol Hill, disclosures show. In major election years, the company hires even more. (By comparison, the leading advocacy group pushing for alcohol control measures, the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance, has one full-time employee.)"
010
Reposted by Isabella Cueto
dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
NEW: The ICE office that customarily probes employee misconduct is being refocused to investigate ICE critics, opening hundreds of "doxing and threat" cases and subpoenaing tech companies to unmask anonymous posters. Detention facility inspections, meanwhile, are plummeting. by @regret.bsky.social
wired.com
ICE’s Internal Watchdog Is Now Investigating Online Critics
The Office of Professional Responsibility has opened more than 100 cases over what ICE officials call “incidents of doxing and threats” against ICE employees.
5919801176