Reposted by Micah BermanMark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 24/09/2026It's almost as if...universities have no plan at all for 1/4-1/6 of their funding suddenly disappearing (👇) due to federal budget cuts & foreign student restrictions, & perhaps chancellors & presidents should have done loud, public collective action on this 1.5 years ago bsky.app/profile/mcop... 812428
Reposted by Micah BermanElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 14/08/2026The NIH just released a proposal that will apparently hide peer reviewers’ impact scores and percentiles from the research team, their institution, and NIH program officers. All the better to obscure how funding decisions will be made primarily via political review, I’m guessing.grants.nih.govNOT-OD-26-088: Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer ReviewNIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review NOT-OD-26-088. NIH 17390212
Reposted by Micah BermanHeidi Kitrosser @heidikitrosser.bsky.social · 13/08/2026A really good and important read from Masha Gessen: What’s Happening in Kansas Should Alarm Us Allnytimes.comOpinion | What’s Happening in Kansas Should Alarm Us All (Gift Article)Is Kansas just the beginning? 19845
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 11/08/2026In a rational world, people would want to know whether measures designed to address health problems actually work. 621077
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 11/08/2026"President Trump . . . presented a new, skeptical government approach to vaccines, making extraordinary claims without evidence..." Better & more direct phrasing than most. Still, not just "without evidence," but clearly contradicted by the evidence. www.statnews.com/2026/08/10/t...statnews.comTrump returns to controversial vaccine policy with order questioning childhood scheduleThe Trump administration, which had recently avoided public discussions of vaccine policy because of concern around the political repercussions, is changing course. 062
Reposted by Micah Bermanpublic health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 24/07/2026been in the cards for awhile, but it’s confirmed now: “For the first time in a quarter century, the U.S. no longer meets a main criterion for having eliminated measles as a public health threat.” 13324132
Reposted by Micah BermanPaul Bleicher @pbleic.bsky.social · 24/07/2026Astonishing. RFK Jr. adds 8 members to a 6 member FDA advisory panel. 6 of them were sellers of peptides, and the 7th a compounding pharmacist. In an 8-6 vote with all 8 votes coming from these new panel members, the panel approved 4 peptides against the objections of FDA scientists.nytimes.comFDA Panel Supports Lifting Restrictions on Four Peptides (Gift Article)In an all-day hearing, the agency’s scientists argued against allowing broad access to unproven drugs that the agency had banned three years ago. 16328291508
Reposted by Micah BermanDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Once you understand that this is a model of science written by non-scientists who hate universities but love venture capital and redirecting money to political allies, everything makes a lot more sense. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/u...nytimes.comTrump’s Plan for Science: More Money for A.I., Less for UniversitiesMichael Kratsios, President Trump’s science adviser, proposed overhauling how the government funds research. Democrats said Mr. Trump’s actions had weakened science. 372278966
Reposted by Micah BermanSasha Chavkin @sashachavkin.bsky.social · 14/07/2026“Fundamentally, we did not do a proper assessment” Former FDA scientist says the agency approved Zyn nicotine pouches without knowing what was in them - which could include microplastics New from @mattchapman.bsky.social Kathryn Kranhold @theexamination.orgtheexamination.orgFDA approved Zyn nicotine pouches for sale without knowing what they were made of, says former agency scientistA toxicologist says the agency’s failure to consider whether the pouch material could shed microplastics shows it’s not doing enough to protect public health. 032
Reposted by Micah BermanElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 13/07/2026Comments close at 11:59 PM tonight. For handy toolkit of how you can submit a comment, hit this link.defendpublichealth.orgCritical action needed: Stop OMB's political review of federal grants | Defend Public HealthA proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) seeks to take expert review of federal grants out of the hands of experts and put it into the hands of political appointees. This rule co... 29463
Reposted by Micah BermanIan Weissman, DO @drianweissman.bsky.social · 27/08/2025The CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses. As of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...nbcnews.comThe CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnessesAs of July 1, a critical surveillance program is monitoring for only two pathogens instead of the usual eight. 55489294
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 08/07/2026An important and powerful decision: "Forcing an official government line—in a college classroom of all places—is exactly the 'pall of orthodoxy' that the First Amendment will not tolerate." www.politico.com/news/2026/07...politico.com‘Breathtaking assertion of power’: Appeals court slams door on Florida ‘Stop Woke’ law championed by DeSantisThe decision from a divided 2-1 panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit is a devastating, possibly final blow to the so-called Stop WOKE act touted by the DeSantis administration. 010
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Some things never change... www.theexamination.org/articles/ame...theexamination.orgHow the global network of America’s largest business lobby opens doors for tobacco companiesAmerican Chambers of Commerce opposed a vaping ban in Bulgaria, praised a cigarette factory in Serbia and hosted tobacco executives and government officials in Ukraine. 100
Reposted by Micah BermanDorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 30/06/2026"The Trump administration is moving religious freedom to the forefront of its health policies, ... likely affect[ing] reproductive health, LGBTQ+healthcare, and vaccine policy." via HHS restructuring and a DOJ report, via @melodyschreiber.com @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...theguardian.comTrump administration puts religious freedom at heart of US health policyCritics say the new focus could reshape LGBTQ+ healthcare, abortion access and vaccine policy 024
Reposted by Micah BermanSeth D. Michaels @sethdmichaels.bsky.social · 22/06/2026to the Trump DOJ, if an ally of the administration breaks the law and the administration decides not to do anything to stop them, they can also prevent anyone else from making sure the law is enforced, regardless of the law’s explicit language. An open invitation to corruption. 221180
Reposted by Micah BermanWalker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 17/06/2026NEW from Important Context: All eyes have been on the Trump slush fund settlement, but a week earlier, the DOJ settled a Biden-era censorship lawsuit brought by anti-vax writer Alex Berenson, which was on appeal from a federal court dismissal. According to Berenson, it included a 6-figure payout.importantcontext.newsTrump DOJ Settles Lawsuit By Vaccine Skeptic Despite Winning in CourtAnti-mRNA vaccine writer Alex Berenson said he received a six-figure payout from the case. 11210120
Reposted by Micah BermanElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Science is built on a foundation of hundreds of papers. If the removal of a single paper from that foundation completely upsets your hypothesis, it often means you’re sciencing incorrectly. He has so little evidence for his claims that he has to cling to this paper and fight tooth and nail. 333262
Reposted by Micah BermanCarl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 06/06/2026Remember the current NIH director going on about protecting researchers from government censorship? Today his people called the police in to forcibly remove my colleagues from their own society meeting for sharing an editorial published in their flagship journal that was critical of him. Gift linknytimes.comPolice Remove Diabetes Experts From Conference for Distributing Critique of Trump Administration 5629151465
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 04/06/2026I fear the lesson still has not been learned, but there needs to be strong and consistent pushback from the leadership of every R1 university against this. No minimizing where this would take us. 021
Reposted by Micah BermanDavid DeWitt @daviddewitt.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Commentary: “My parents understood something that Ohio’s voucher advocates seem to have forgotten: a commitment to your own children’s education doesn’t require defunding someone else’s,” writes The Rev. Ben Huelskamp ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/06/02/i...ohiocapitaljournal.comI went to Catholic school for 13 years. I still oppose Ohio's private school voucher program • Ohio Capital Journal“My parents understood something that Ohio’s voucher advocates seem to have forgotten: a commitment to your own children’s education doesn’t require defunding someone else’s,” writes The Rev. Ben… 1101
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 02/06/2026“[Rotavirus] vaccines were so effective that Dr. Hofto could recall treating only four or five children with rotavirus in the past decade. Now, she said she had treated about that many already this year, and none of them were vaccinated.” www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/w...nytimes.comHospitals See Diseases Resurge as Vaccinations Decline 000
Reposted by Micah BermanMark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 28/05/2026This is the destruction of federal funding for scientific research & universities as we know it. A total, comprehensive politicization of the process & an end run around Congress. 13470219
Reposted by Micah BermanElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 23/05/2026In normal times, the fact that government officials at HHS blatantly lied to the public and got caught would be a scandal of unusual size. Everyone involved in this disinformation scheme against the people of the United States should be held accountable.nbcnews.comNo child deaths definitively linked to Covid shots, FDA saysThe agency’s analysis contradicts claims made by former vaccine chief Dr. Vinay Prasad. 2224221007
Reposted by Micah BermanNatasha Loder @natashaloder.bsky.social · 23/05/2026The weakening infrastructure for responding to health emergencies 031
Reposted by Micah BermanChris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Here's how the corruption works: Thursday: RJ Reynolds donates $5M to Trump Saturday: Trump invites RJR execs to Mar a Lago; execs ask to loosen regs on flavored vapes; Trump calls up RFK Jr. and tells him to change it Friday: FDA changes the policynytimes.comTrump Administration Live Updates: President’s Ballroom and New Fund Face Test in Congress 25352402421
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 20/05/2026Only surprise is that this didn’t happen sooner, but more bad news out of HHS. news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-a...news.bloomberglaw.comRFK Jr. Fires Leaders of Preventative Services Advisory PanelUS Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. terminated the appointments of two vice-chairs of a key advisory committee that helps determine free preventive coverage under the Affordable Care Act. 010
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 13/05/2026"The president has developed a close relationship with tobacco companies including Altria and Reynolds American, which have donated millions of dollars to his political groups and projects, including his proposed White House ballroom." www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/u...nytimes.comWith a Friend in Trump, the Tobacco Industry Secures a Lucrative Win 001
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 05/05/2026Not how this process is supposed to work… www.wsj.com/politics/pol...wsj.comTrump Pressures FDA Commissioner to Approve Flavored VapesPresident Trump upbraided Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary for not moving quickly enough to approve flavored vapes and nicotine products. 000
Reposted by Micah Bermanpublic health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 20/04/2026nearly all of these MAHA influencers are being compensated by tobacco companies, and very few disclose it. in many cases, they are marketing to children. nicotine pouches harm child brain development. 13416144
Reposted by Micah BermanMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20/04/2026'Texas A&M philosophy professor Martin Peterson is leaving the university after administrators told him in January that he couldn’t teach Plato’s Symposium in his philosophy class; they said the ancient Greek philosopher’s work violated the system’s restrictions on gender and sexuality content.' 1/3insidehighered.comFaculty Defect From Texas Publics, Citing CensorshipFed up with the state’s censoring of Plato, Joan of Arc and Romeo and Juliet, humanities professors are leaving Texas public institutions in pursuit of academic freedom. 14332801277
Reposted by Micah BermanElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 09/04/2026The leadership at HHS has an agenda, and that is to deprive the United States of vaccines, most especially COVID19 vaccines. These people have no problem making claims about their belief that COVID19 vaccines are harmful without any data at all. Now they are hiding data showing the benefits.washingtonpost.comCDC delays publishing report showing covid vaccine benefitsThe acting CDC director cited concerns with the methodology, but the design has long been used to test vaccine effectiveness. 716062
Reposted by Micah BermanAaron Clauset @aaronclauset.bsky.social · 31/03/2026tl;dr: NIH is running at about 60% of pre-Trump levels and NSF is running at about 20% of pre-Trump levels of funding-outlays (some directorates far below even that). Utterly catastrophic. An unforced disaster for U.S. society, and the world 12729341
Reposted by Micah BermanMark Histed @markhisted.org · 30/03/2026This is the definition of the Merchants of Doubt strategy: Amplifying 3% of experts with fringe opinions to make it look like the debate is a 50/50 proposition. 19325
Reposted by Micah BermanTim Ackermann @timack.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Well, this is awful. www.404media.co/this-company... via @404media.co It relies on the "books.google.com" Author's Guild case as to why it can scrape & play other's presentations w/o consent [theoretically 'opt-out']. Further article here: cyberalberta.ca/zooming-out-...404media.coThis Company Is Secretly Turning Your Zoom Meetings into AI PodcastsWebinarTV hosts 200,000 “webinars.” A Zoom call you may thought was private might be one of them. 033
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Big legal/public health news. Punitive damages judgment still to come. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/t...nytimes.comMeta and YouTube Found Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Case 053
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026"It could take 20 years before birth defects from rubella become common again. Unvaccinated children have to grow old enough to become pregnant. The long lag time can give a false sense of security." www.propublica.org/article/rfk-...propublica.orgHow Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Vaccine Agenda Risks a Resurgence of Deadly Childhood PlaguesThe health secretary is spreading doubts about vaccine safety and considering changes that could prompt manufacturers to flee the U.S. market. History has shown how plagues from the past can roar back... 095
Reposted by Micah BermanMiranda Yaver @mirandayaver.bsky.social · 03/03/2026I got irritated with reading another assertion that AI can outperform social scientists at our jobs. I find these arguments reveal both an intellectual laziness and a lack of appreciation for good writing, which is the heart of our work. I had thoughts. mirandayaver.substack.com/p/in-defense...mirandayaver.substack.comIn Defense of Good Writing"Knowledge is Good" 04213
Reposted by Micah BermanAaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · 20/02/2026State of Florida's new mandate for public college Intro Sociology curriculum: "The following should not be included in any course content... "Discussions arguing a causal association between institutional sexism and unequal outcomes between men and women" Indoctrination, not education nor science 14359146
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 18/02/2026Yes, all this and more, including the wonton destruction of CDC's Office of Smoking and Health. 001
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 14/02/2026I fear this is being treated as background noise rather than the 5 alarm emergency it is. Absolutely terrifying. Kennedy Allies Target States to Overturn Vaccine Mandates for Schoolchildren www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/h...nytimes.comKennedy Allies Target States to Overturn Vaccine Mandates for Schoolchildren 8188100
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 08/02/2026Spot on, from @petridishes.bsky.social: "For a while...we, as a nation, thought to ourselves: Life is too short for everyone to inspect their own food. Let the government handle this. But then along came the Trump administration to wonder: What if we didn’t?" www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...theatlantic.comI Tried to Be the Government. It Did Not Go Well.My five-month quest to monitor the weather, track inflation, and inspect milk for harmful microorganisms 011034
Reposted by Micah BermanElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 27/01/2026ICE observers recording with phones are heroes, and are the reason we know the truth about the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. In public health, we make observations by collecting and analyzing data. But RFK Jr. is taking the equivalent of our “phone”. Without data, he can lie with abandon.independent.co.ukNearly half of CDC surveillance databases have stopped updating‘The consequences will be dire,’ former NIAID director Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo warns 13319117
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 25/01/2026So sad that Bill Foege saw the US formally withdraw from the WHO in his final days. 0126
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 25/01/2026A public health icon and a national hero. William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...nytimes.comWilliam H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89 170
Reposted by Micah BermanTechnology Connections @techconnectify.bsky.social · 25/01/2026This is, quite literally, our collective duty. 71928418
Reposted by Micah BermanNHMRC CRE on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame @cretobacco.bsky.social · 22/01/2026📣 Join us for our next #TobaccoEndgame CRE #Webinar on FDA regulation and nicotine reduction! Prof Micah Berman will present 'Taking the Nicotine Out of Cigarettes: Lessons from the US FDA's Attempt'. 📆02 February ⏰1pm AEST 🔗 tobacco-endgame.centre.uq.edu.au/event/sessio... @micahberman.bsky.social 022
Micah Berman @micahberman.bsky.social · 23/01/2026New annual tobacco prevention spending report from @tobaccofreekids.bsky.social. www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/u... #Ohio now ranked 43rd, spending $6 million on tobacco prevention & cessation annually. This is less than the tobacco industry spends on marketing in Ohio in a WEEK.tobaccofreekids.orgBroken Promises to Our ChildrenThis year’s report finds, once again, that most states continue to shortchange programs that prevent kids from using tobacco products and help people quit… 030
Reposted by Micah BermanSam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · 15/01/2026Read the details here. RFK’s Hep B vax “trial” in Guinea-Bissau is not just a Tuskegee-level ethical travesty. It’s also skewed to make the vax (which has been proven to save lives) look unsafe and ineffective. And it funnels money to RFK cronies. open.substack.com/pub/insideme...open.substack.comScoop: The leaked protocol of the CDC-funded Hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau. “This is another Tuskegee.”The protocol reveals that the trial will withhold the Hepatitis B birth dose from thousands—without placebos, without universal maternal screening, and with endpoints critics call indefensible. 313180