Sign in

Margaret Manto

@margaretmanto.bsky.social
1.1K followers 106 following 125 posts

Soon: Washington Correspondent @STATnews.com. Previously @NOTUS.com @ajijournalism.bsky.social @MIT.edu. Signal me margaretmanto.61

PostsRepliesMedia
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Heidi Overton was a young aspiring surgeon from rural New Mexico. Then the pandemic happened. Now she could become FDA commissioner. Read my full profile here: www.statnews.com/2026/09/24/h...
statnews.com
How a young doctor rose from rural New Mexico to FDA commissioner nominee
What to know about Dr. Heidi Overton, Trump's pick to run the FDA, including her medical background and career trajectory.
052
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Exclusive: Heidi Overton plans to tell Senators that as FDA commissioner, she would focus on speeding up clinical trials to compete with China. More on her opening statement for tomorrow's hearing here: www.statnews.com/2026/09/23/h...
statnews.com
Nominee to lead FDA aims to speed up medical research, combat China’s rise
Exclusive: Heidi Overton plans to tell senators she will speed up biomedical research, working with FDA staff.
113
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The FDA’s post-DOGE hiring push is short-staffed due to DOGE cuts Newly centralized HR offices are struggling to keep up with efforts to hire 2k personnel New from me for @statnews.com: 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.
001
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
New: Sen. Bill Cassidy released a report this morning criticizing the FDA for not tightening restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone. My latest (and first!) story for @statnews.com: www.statnews.com/2026/08/27/b...
statnews.com
Cassidy criticizes FDA oversight of abortion pill manufacturers in new report
The report raises a high-profile issue for Heidi Overton as she faces confirmation as FDA commissioner.
000
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Today is my first day as a Washington Correspondent covering the FDA for STAT News! Add me to your email lists, let’s get coffee etc: margaret.manto@statnews.com
020
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I’m very excited to be joining STAT News as a Washington Correspondent later this month. www.statnews.com/new-trust-in...
statnews.com
STAT announces pioneering new trust-in-science reporter, new D.C. reporter
BOSTON, Aug. 17 — STAT, the leading media company focused on health and medicine, today announced the selection of two new reporters: Nicholas Florko and
2143
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
There's something in small-town West Virginia that's really good at getting kids vaccinated. My latest, as part of the @womenjournos.bsky.social Health Journalism Fellowship: www.notus.org/healthcare/w...
notus.org
An Antidote to the Anti-Vaccine Movement Lives in Rural West Virginia
Growing distrust in the medical establishment is spelling trouble for public health. An answer may be in the very kind of care that’s growing more obsolete.
053
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
NEWS: RFK Jr. will visit CDC headquarters tomorrow, per an email to agency staff. Kennedy will participate in a ceremony commemorating the officer killed in a shooting at CDC last year, David Rose. He’ll also do a fireside chat with Jay Bhattacharya.
211
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Exclusive: Sen. Rand Paul published Anthony Fauci's diary entries without redacting the names or medical details of over 20 people, including people with cancer, Ebola or HIV. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Rand Paul’s Fauci Diary Dump Exposed Peoples’ Medical Histories
The Republican senator’s office published over 20 individuals’ health information without redaction.
2218091
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Exclusive: Katie Miller has called for Anthony Fauci to be jailed. But since-redacted excerpts from his diary suggest the two had a close relationship in 2020. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Redacted Fauci Diary Entries Depict Him Personally Helping Katie Miller
Katie Miller, who has since called for infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci to be jailed, has said Fauci’s diary entries are self-aggrandizing.
23316
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
New: Fauci is invoking the Fifth, says Rand Paul has an "unhinged obsession" with jailing him. My dispatch from the ongoing hearing: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Fauci Repeatedly Invokes the Fifth at Rand Paul’s COVID Hearing
In his opening statement, Fauci told the committee that he believed Paul had an “unhinged obsession” with jailing him.
091
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Scoop: The FDA's "Simple Reform" reorg has been officially approved by the administration. Changes to the agency's inspectorate and administrative staff will go into effect on October 1, 2026. More here: www.notus.org/agencies/fda...
notus.org
The FDA Is Officially Codifying DOGE-Era Changes
The agency will stop specializing its field inspectors starting in October.
01413
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
There is now one person working in the WH Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. I talked to former health officials about how much a single person can get done: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The White House Is Back in the Pandemic Preparedness Game. Barely.
“You can’t run an Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy as an army of one,” a former White House official said.
097
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
New: The CDC updated its webpage on vaccines and autism this week, winning Sen. Bill Cassidy's support for the CDC director nominee. But it didn't remove a reference to a study linking the hep B vaccine and autism that was retracted in May. More: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The CDC’s Website Still Cites a Retracted Study Linking Vaccines and Autism
The CDC recently updated its webpage, winning over Sen. Bill Cassidy’s support for agency director nominee Erica Schwartz.
002
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
MAHA is attempting to claim Erling Haaland because he drinks raw milk
000
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Erica Schwartz, Trump's third nominee to lead the CDC, told senators this morning that she will "never betray the science." But she also said she didn't think the Trump administration would ever implement unscientific policies. More here: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Senators Look to Trump’s CDC Director Nominee for Assurances on Vaccines
Erica Schwartz is Trump’s third nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
142
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
I went to the Great American State Fair on MAHA Monday looking for MAHA. Here’s what I found instead: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The Great American State Fair’s ‘MAHA Monday’ Is Lacking in MAHA
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s signature alternative health movement branding was elusive.
056
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
“We found it offensive that they tried to say that this was a MAHA-backed initiative, because it absolutely was not." The cotton industry attempted to MAHA itself. Did it work? New on NOTUS: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
How an Industry That Runs on Pesticides Won Over RFK Jr.
The health secretary is all in on the cotton industry’s “Plant Not Plastic” campaign. MAHA is furious.
096
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
“The assumptions here are just really implausible and outright ignore the evidence." The HHS policy research office wrote a brief in support of Medicaid work requirements. @emilyykennard and I talked to the researchers they cited. NEW on NOTUS: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Scientists Say HHS Is Spinning Their Data to Push Medicaid Work Requirements
A government report ignored evidence and misinterpreted research.
066
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Tulsi Gabbard is claiming that she has "new evidence" of the US funding bioweapons research in Ukraine. Much of her evidence was already publicly available www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
DNI Tulsi Gabbard Ends Her Tenure Spreading a Bioweapons Conspiracy
Gabbard resurfaced long-disproven claims about the U.S. funding research labs in Ukraine.
2133
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
NEW: Did Meta just take a swing at RFK Jr.? www.notus.org/technology/d...
notus.org
Did Meta Just Take a Swing at RFK Jr.?
Meta’s lawyer said the surgeon general’s screen time advisory lacked “trustworthiness” because of RFK Jr.’s involvement.
052
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
New: As news of the hantavirus outbreak swept social media and cable news, some wondered: Why didn’t the administration publicly say what it was doing in response to hantavirus sooner?
notus.org
How the CDC’s Hantavirus Response Became a PR Crisis
State health officials say communications with the federal government on tracking the outbreak have been normal.
0148
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
NEW: Infectious disease experts are concerned the CDC and NIH aren’t doing enough to respond the hantavirus outbreak. “This, to me, not overstating it, is a travesty,” one said. More here: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Why Experts Are Worried About the U.S. Response to Hantavirus
While it’s unlikely the virus could become a pandemic, health experts say the CDC isn’t doing enough.
1017573
Reposted by Margaret Manto
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 05/05/2026
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is on “thin ice” with the White House. www.notus.org/health-science/fda-ch…
notus.org
FDA Chief Marty Makary Is on ‘Thin Ice’ With the White House
Top concerns include Makary’s ability to respond quickly to the White House desires.
187
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
New: RFK Jr. has encouraged the CDC to study whether antidepressants “contribute to mass violence.” At an event hosted by the MAHA Institute, he unveiled a plan to reduce how often they’re prescribed. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
RFK Jr. Unveils His Plan to Reduce Americans’ Reliance on Antidepressants
The department is encouraging clinicians to “de-prescribe” Medicare patients.
2116
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
NEW: Trump's new nominee for Surgeon General, Nicole Saphier, has criticized vaccine and mask mandates. "It’s time to ‘let’ anyone who wants to move on from the pandemic do so," she wrote in 2022. More on Saphier's nomination here: www.notus.org/healthcare/t...
notus.org
Trump’s New Surgeon General Nominee Is a Doctor and Vaccine Mandate Critic
Casey Means is out. Trump’s new pick: Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and Fox News contributor.
185
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
“You suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign, but somehow you’re spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock." RFK Jr. is back on the hill -- read our coverage here (and @paigecunningham.bsky.social's first NOTUS byline!!): www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
0116
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
West Virginia has some of the strongest vaccine laws in the country. Can MAHA change that? New from me on @notus.com, in partnership with the JAWS Health Journalism Fellowship: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
MAHA’s Anti-Vaccine Agenda Is Struggling to Stick in West Virginia
Deep-red West Virginia has some of the strictest vaccine requirements in the nation, despite recent efforts to target them.
1109
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Shocking news: This year's World Vaccine Congress had a Weird Vibe www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The Vaccine Industry Is Troubleshooting Its Future Existence
Pharmaceutical executives are asking each other: How do they survive MAHA?
23115
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
“On the vaccine issue, I know we see things differently. I’m totally fine with putting that on the shelf and working on this together.’” New from me on how medical societies are collaborating (or not) with MAHA: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
To Sue or to Woo? The Medical Establishment Is Divided on MAHA
Major medical societies are trying to figure out how to respond to Trump’s health agenda promoting healthy living alongside vaccine misinformation.
075
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
NEWS: In a meeting with CDC staff, Jay Bhattacharya said he and RFK Jr. have disagreed on "scientific matters" and that the new CDC director nominee will be announced tomorrow:
notus.org
CDC Acting Director Tells Staff He’s Had ‘Scientific’ Disagreements With RFK Jr.
In an internal meeting, Jay Bhattacharya spoke candidly about his relationship with Kennedy, expressed support for the measles vaccine and said his replacement is coming soon.
22714
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
PSA from a health policy reporter: If you work at any of the health agencies -- including CDC, FDA, NIH -- I want to hear your stories and can keep your identity a secret. Signal me anytime at margaretmanto.61. Here's a picture from before I went into journalism:
020
Reposted by Margaret Manto
Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Between his lengthy speech to House Republicans and subsequent news conference yesterday, President Trump didn’t use the word war once. Instead, he referred to the conflict in Iran as “a little excursion.” www.notus.org/defense/trum...
notus.org
Trump Tries to Rebrand His War With Iran as a ‘Little Excursion’
The president notably omitted the word “war” from his remarks, despite having described the conflict with Iran that way for more than a week.
021
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
“The childhood vaccination schedule needs to be eliminated." “The flu shot has given 1,900,000 Americans Alzheimer’s." “Vaccines are causing autism." Inside an afternoon with the MAHA Institute:
notus.org
RFK Jr.'s MAHA Allies Call to Eliminate All Childhood Vaccine Recommendations
Inside the MAHA movement’s Washington meetup.
0179
Reposted by Margaret Manto
Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
"Anyone's better than that dog murderer." FEMA staff are rejoicing at Kristi Noem's ouster. I've had folks asking me for months if I knew when she might get fired. That day is finally here, and they are delighted.
notus.org
FEMA Staff Are Happy to See Kristi Noem Go
“Anyone is better than that dog murderer,” a longtime FEMA employee said.
22410
Reposted by Margaret Manto
Dave Levinthal @davelevinthal.com · 05/03/2026
Some corporate donors didn’t actually donate. Others did, but didn’t disclose as lobbying law required. The law, one government watchdog said, is “inadequate to the task.” @notus.com cracks open the black boxes that are presidential libraries: www.notus.org/money/presid...
notus.org
Presidential Libraries Are Black Boxes — And Not Just Trump’s
Funding disclosure for these institutions is sometimes inconsistent, incomplete or inaccurate, leaving the public in the dark.
066
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
NEW: The NIH says it will no longer recognize a union of early-career researchers because it does not believe they are "employees" who are "employed in an agency." "The NIH/UAW bargaining unit should never have been certified," NIH HR wrote. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
NIH Says It Will No Longer Recognize the Research Fellows’ Union
NIH leadership said the union “should never have been certified,” in an email to the union’s leadership.
024
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Angie Farella, a Texas-based pediatrician, has called the RSV vaccine an "utter failure" and said the COVID-19 vaccine is "not safe nor is it effective.” On Friday, RFK Jr. appointed her to the CDC's vaccine recommendation committee. New from me: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
RFK Jr.’s New Vaccine Committee Appointee Has Called to ‘#StopTheShots’
Angelina Farella, a Texas-based pediatrician, has also called the RSV vaccine an “utter failure.”
167
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
NEW: HHS tells its employees to stop using Anthropic's AI tool, Claude www.notus.org/trump-white-...
notus.org
HHS Tells Employees to Stop Using Anthropic’s Claude
“This decision, if confirmed, will basically wipe out 18 months of efforts,” one FDA employee said.
011
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
"I am not here to complicate the issue on vaccines, " surgeon general nominee Casey Means told senators in her confirmation hearing this morning. Read more: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means Sidesteps Vaccine Questions
Senators grilled Means about her positions on vaccines during her confirmation hearing. She said vaccines have “not been part of my message.”
021
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
“No one’s told me at this point, ‘We’re getting out of flu, getting out of vaccines,’ but people are certainly concerned about what this means.” Pharma is on the lookout for new guidance from the FDA on flu shots — new from me: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
FDA’s Vaccine Upheaval Has Pharma Worried About the Flu Shot
The FDA is set to release new guidance on flu shot clinical trials.
021
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
HHS keeps citing an unreviewed paper that proposes some... interesting ways to re-test vaccines. We asked scientists to review it: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
'Not Reliable': HHS Keeps Citing Unreviewed Vaccine Trial Proposals in Its Call for 'Better Science'
Leading vaccine researchers tell NOTUS that the proposed vaccine trials could lead to unreliable conclusions on already-approved vaccines.
0118
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
TrumpRx is live: www.notus.org/healthcare/t...
notus.org
TrumpRx Is Live. It Has 43 Medications on It.
The website has been touted by the Trump administration as a key part of its plan to lower drug costs.
000
Reposted by Margaret Manto
Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
We found so many examples of missing federal government data that we couldn’t put them all in this story. “The status quo was, the federal government is going to collect and disseminate data. That is no longer a reasonable assumption.”
notus.org
Federal Data Is Disappearing
The Trump administration has disrupted data collection on everything from homeland security, maternal mortality, hunger, drug use, education, disaster preparation and the economy.
26243
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
New: Pharmaceutical companies spent big on weight loss drug lobbying last year, as the federal government scrutinized their prices. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Pharmaceutical Companies Are Spending Big Money on Weight-Loss Drug Lobbying
The federal government pushed makers of GLP-1 medications to lower their prices this year.
011
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
NEWS: The Ministry of Health of Guinea-Bissau has suspended a CDC-backed trial on the hepatitis B vaccine, pending further review. www.notus.org/healthcare/g...
notus.org
Guinea-Bissau Suspends U.S.-Backed Hepatitis B Vaccine Trial Pending Review
The Trump administration has previously said the trial would continue despite the Africa CDC saying it was canceled, calling it a “fake” organization.
053
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Some personal news - I'm a 2026 Health Journalism Fellow with the Journalism and Women Symposium. My project focuses on how changing immunization recommendations impact kids in West Virginia, esp those who rely on federally funded vaccines. More to come! www.jaws.org/news/eight-r...
jaws.org
Eight Reporters Named as JAWS 2026 Health Journalism Fellows — JAWS
Grandville, MI, January 08, 2026 – Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS), the premier not-for-profit organization dedicated to professional growth and empowerment of women journalists, has awarded th...
120
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Researchers leading a controversial CDC-backed study on the Hepatitis B vaccine met with the WHO and UNICEF this week. While the study was meant to begin this month, one researcher told NOTUS they “didn’t have an idea yet when we will start.” www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
U.S.-Backed West African Vaccine Study Draws Scrutiny From WHO, UNICEF
Researchers said news reports about the study sparked concerns among international public health groups. “I’m not doing political research,” one researcher told NOTUS.
021
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
NEWS: The WHO and UNICEF are scrutinizing a CDC-backed study on the effects of the hepatitis B vaccine in Africa, researchers running the study told NOTUS. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
U.S.-Backed West African Vaccine Study Draws Scrutiny From WHO, UNICEF
Researchers said news reports about the study sparked concerns among international public health groups. “I’m not doing political research,” one researcher told NOTUS.
054
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
The CDC will no longer explicitly recommend children get vaccinated for rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, reducing the number of diseases covered by the childhood immunization schedule from 17 to 11. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The CDC Is Cutting the Vaccine Schedule for Kids
The government will no longer include vaccines for rotavirus, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, COVID-19 or the flu on the standard schedule for children.
077