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IndieEpi

@stasialb.bsky.social
253 followers 159 following 16 posts

Infectious disease epidemiologist. Educator, mentor, mom. All opinions are my own. She/her. I trust science.

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Reposted by IndieEpi
Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 19/08/2026
🌍 Today is World Humanitarian Day. Aid workers deserve protection. Attacking them is a violation of international law. This poignant post from Mutual Aid Sudan is a powerful reminder of what’s at stake—and why protecting humanitarian workers matters. 🔗 www.instagram.com/p/DcOYtLAiPC...
instagram.com
Instagram
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
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IndieEpi @stasialb.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Agree with the authors, these results are not surprising but infuriating nonetheless.
pnas.org
How the 2025 NIH grant terminations varied by researchers’ demographic groups | PNAS
In early 2025, the NIH unexpectedly terminated 2,291 active research grants, withdrawing $2.45 billion and disrupting thousands of projects. While ...
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 11/03/2026
Officer David Rose, 33, a former Marine and DeKalb County officer, has been added to CDC’s memorial plaque, honoring those who gave their lives in service of public health. He died protecting our CDC campus, staff, and contractors during a 2025 act of domestic terrorism fueled by misinformation.
Photo of the CDC memorial honoring employees who gave their lives in the service of public health. The memorial features a curved, perforated metal surface with a raised CDC logo in the center. Attached nameplates include ‘Diane Berry Caves,’ ‘George Flowers,’ ‘Roger Dublingon,’ and ‘Officer David Rose.’ In the background, a dark wall displays the inscription: ‘In Honor of Those Employees of CDC Who Gave Their Lives in the Service of the Public’s Health.’
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 26/02/2026
ALERT!!! Because of popular demand we are now launching SUFS pop-up protests. Pick a busy street corner, make some signs, bring your friends, protest! Learn more and register a site here! : standupforscience.net/march7
standupforscience.net
Stand Up for Science: March 7th, 2026 — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 26/02/2026
1/3 🛑 Hospitals in South Carolina aren’t required to report measles-related admissions. This is dangerous for patients and communities. Doctors and public health officials can’t see how severe the outbreak is and can’t plan care properly. @propublica.org @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social 🙏
propublica.org
South Carolina Hospitals Aren’t Required to Disclose Measles-Related Admissions. That Leaves Doctors in the Dark.
Physicians across South Carolina, home to the largest measles outbreak in decades, are advising patients without the benefit of real-time data on hospitalizations due to measles-related pneumonia, brain swelling and other serious complications.
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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
"EPA rescinds key finding that enabled federal greenhouse gas regulation" | I discussed with @wbur.org / @npr.org #HereAndNow: www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
wbur.org
EPA rescinds key finding that enabled federal greenhouse gas regulation
Starting Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency will no longer regulate pollutants from fossil fuels, such as methane and carbon dioxide, under the Clean Air Act.
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
My interview this week with @npr.org @wbur.org On Point www.wbur.org/onpoint/2026...
wbur.org
What if the polio vaccine becomes optional?
The head of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel recently said he thinks vaccines for polio and measles should be optional. A fact-check of the Trump administration’s latest moves against mass vaccination...
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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
1 minute of vagus nerve stimulation per day was recently FDA approved as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. A new Ground Truths podcast with Kevin J. Tracey who pioneered this field erictopol.substack.com/p/vagus-nerv...
erictopol.substack.com
Vagus Nerve Stimulation and the Immune System
Kevin Tracey, the pioneering neurosurgeon who discovered the connection, talks about the recent FDA approval for rheumatoid arthritis and where this is headed
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
And some wonder how a hard-to-transmit camel cold virus keeps popping up in humans in the Arabian Peninsula. A picture tells a thousand words.
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Rose Broderick @rosebroderick.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
News: HHS is stacking a key federal committee on autism with members who align with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism. The group met Thursday, despite no prior public notice about the gathering. www.statnews.com/2026/01/23/k...
statnews.com
Key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy's vaccine agenda, researchers and advocates fear
Researchers and advocates fear a key autism committee is being reshaped to support Kennedy's vaccine agenda.
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Our new article in @jama.com led by @nathanlo.bsky.social @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com
Trends in County-Level Childhood Vaccination Exemptions in the US
This study examines US county-level trends in nonmedical and medical exemptions to childhood vaccination requirements.
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Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
🧪IMPORTANT! This graphic explains how science all over the US is funded. Congress approved a 2% increase in the #NIH budget for FY 26. Buried in the bill- Shift of ~40% of grants to MYF. This will still result in a 35% DECREASE in the NUMBER of grants funded per yr. Russel Vought is behind this.
Graphic helps visualize how MYF funds FEWER grants despite the increase in budget approval by Congress.

https://www.researchamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/ACT-for-NIH-Multi-Year-Funding-One-Pager_October-2025.pdf
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
www.bakerinstitute.org/research/rea...
MAHA
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 21/01/2026
This is for all the menopausal & perimenopausal folks: As estrogen levels ⬇️, bone density ⬇️, meaning ⬆️ risk of fractures & other injuries. Fluctuating hormones cause other symptoms like fatigue & 🧠 fog. Strength & cardio training (🏋️, 🏃‍♀️, 🚶‍♀️, 🚴‍♂️) can help. Keep reading for the science behind this!
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Fired but Fighting (National Public Health Coalition) @firedbutfighting.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
The CDC Data Project (out of National Public Health Coalition) will be featured in the webinar below. Register if you are interested.
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 15/01/2026
Well, this is awkward... guess someone changed their mind about cutting funding: rollcall.com/2026/01/14/h... Good news to end the night! Sleep tight 💚
rollcall.com
White House reverses $2 billion cut to mental health, addiction grants
Many of the affected grant programs had bipartisan support and President Donald Trump has supported them in the past.
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 15/01/2026
So what *is* occupational epidemiology (besides the thing our revived NIOSH colleagues do)? It's how we know that workers who make stone countertops can get silicosis, an incurable respiratory disease, just by doing their jobs: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Deadly Countertops: An Urgent Need to Eliminate Silicosis among Engineered Stone Workers
An official website of the United States government
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Fired but Fighting (National Public Health Coalition) @firedbutfighting.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Keep calling representatives and making noise about this. The study is now currently on HOLD. Note, RFK Jr and his political appointees pushed through this study. CDC scientists were sidelined and blindsided by the announcement of this study.
theguardian.com
Controversial US study on hepatitis B vaccines in Africa is cancelled
$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 15/01/2026
🎉 Baby Tuskegee 2.0 is CANCELLED This unethical U.S.-funded Hep B study in Africa is cancelled. Our outrage worked. SPEAKING UP MAKES A DIFFERENCE. Now let’s put the funding to good use: vaccinate every baby there at birth and actually save lives. 💉👶
theguardian.com
Controversial US study on hepatitis B vaccines in Africa is cancelled
$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 15/01/2026
Always a good idea to check our your state or local health department's data dashboards! They're a great resource for what's happening in your community We 💚 our Washington State and Seattle King County pals!
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Pestilence @pestilence4all.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
The more you know. We are all chimeras at a very small level. You likely have cells in your body from your mother and your siblings that were born before you. How this chimerism influences your immune system is beginning to be unraveled. #Science #ScienceSunday
nature.com
Some of your cells are not genetically yours — what can they tell us about life and death?
A tiny population of cells that are passed across the placenta between mother and baby challenge basic tenets of human immunology.
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Peter Head @peterheadcbe.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
The rate of global mean sea level rise has increased from ~2.1 mm/year in 1993 to ~4.5 mm/year in 2023. www.nature.com/articles/s43...
nature.com
The rate of global sea level rise doubled during the past three decades - Communications Earth & Environment
Global mean sea level rise amounted to 4.5 mm per year as a result of warming oceans and melting land ice, more than twice the rate of 2.1 mm/year observed at the start of satellite data in 1993, base...
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
journals.plos.org/plosntds/art...
Venezuela
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Fired but Fighting (National Public Health Coalition) @firedbutfighting.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Appreciate people remembering that the CDC's wild to mild vaccination ad campaign was stopped by RFK Jr and this administration.
a flu vaccine can take flu from wile to mild.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Is there more flu in Australia and New Zealand than normal for Christmas? Hell Yes! Remember blogs and reading stuff? This is that!🤪 virologydownunder.com?p=13178
virologydownunder.com
Is there more flu in Australia and New Zealand than normal for Christmas? Hell Yes!
Happy FluMas, ya filthy animals! With a new flu variant - subclade K - dominant, Australia and New Zealand are seeing a very unusual bout of seasonal influenza (flu) as we head towards the end
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Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
This is not the first time RFK Jr or his fellow anti-vax travelers conducted a study they knew would harm or kill children in low-income countries. It is a dehumanizing, colonialist model of manufacturing evidence: sacrificing foreign kids for political pseudoscience. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
CDC to Fund Controversial Study in West Africa on Infant Hepatitis B Vaccines
The study prompted swift outcry from scientists in the U.S. who say it’s “unethical.”
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
My in depth interview with @nbcnews.com @meetthepress.com www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-pre...
nbcnews.com
Pediatrician says HHS grant cuts ‘clearly detrimental to the health of America's children’
Dr. Peter Hotez joins Meet the Press NOW to explain how grant cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services could impact millions of American children and their parents. NBC News Medical Reporte...
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 16/12/2025
1/7 What if there were a simple, safe tool to prevent deadly brain bleeds in newborn babies? There is. It’s vitamin K! Babies are born low in it, and a single shot at birth nearly eliminated related deadly bleeding. A new JAMA study shows this protection is slipping 🩺👶
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Fired but Fighting (National Public Health Coalition) @firedbutfighting.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
New #CDC data confirm what science has shown all along: COVID-19 vaccines protect children from severe illness, hospitalization, & death. Findings in last week’s #MMWR reinforce vaccination keeps kids safe.
cdc.gov
Effectiveness of 2024–2025 COVID-19 Vaccines in Children...
This report describes COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among children ages 9 months to 17 years.
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Fired but Fighting (National Public Health Coalition) @firedbutfighting.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
It doesn’t have to be this way. This is what happens when vaccination rates drop. If you traveled to theses areas recently, please watch for signs of measles. Talk to a doctor as needed. If you have plans to travel to these areas, please protect yourself and family. Vaccines save lives.
abcnews.go.com
Hundreds are quarantined in South Carolina as measles spreads in 2 US outbreaks
Measles outbreaks in South Carolina and on the Arizona-Utah border are growing
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Fired but Fighting (National Public Health Coalition) @firedbutfighting.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
National Public Health Coalition released new data showing impacts of illegal firings across CDC since Jan 2025. CDC has lost one-third of its civil-service workforce & over 150 programs. Explore an interactive dashboard. See how cuts are undermining public health nationwide. CDCDataProject.org 1/2
The National Public Health Coalition (NPHC) released new data revealing that since January 2025, CDC has lost one-third of its workforce.
 CDCDataProject.org
The dashboard details the impact on 150 CDC programs, threatening outbreak responses, disease prevention efforts, and community health funding to name a few. NPHC warns these cuts severely harm public health nationwide.
press release Oct 30, 2025
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
> @samsteindc.bsky.social
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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
La Nina is here and the global cool-down is well underway (global mean sea surface temps are lowest since March 2023). Remember it's not the individual ups & downs that matter, it's the steady warming trend, which will continue until we reach zero carbon emissions. #Urgency #StayFocused #COP30
source: https://pulse.climate.copernicus.eu/source: https://pulse.climate.copernicus.eu/
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Sue Poncin @sueponcin.com · 15/11/2025
More hope for Long Covid🌈 from Stellenbosch University; “identified the most predictive biomarker combinations, enhancing diagnostic reliability and paving the way for personalized medicine approaches. www.su.ac.za/en/faculties...
su.ac.za
Scientists reveal another piece in Long COVID puzzle
New study reveals a structural association between circulating microclots and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in patients with Long COVID. When dysregulated, this interaction may become pathogen...
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BC Reality @bcreality.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Sure....why not.... www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Tuberculosis outbreak declared in inner-city Edmonton: Primary Care Alberta | CBC News
Provincial health officials have declared an outbreak of tuberculosis in Edmonton's core, after lab tests confirmed two inner-city residents had the same strain of the infectious disease.
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 11/11/2025
🧵There is an outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart Inc Whole Nutrition Formula resulting in 15 cases across 12 states 🍼Do not use recalled infant formula 🧼Clean any exposed items/surfaces 🏥Seek immediate medical care if your infant consumed ByHeart and is sick www.cdc.gov/botulism/out...
cdc.gov
Infant Botulism Outbreak Linked to Infant Formula, November 2025
Details on an outbreak of infant botulism linked to infant formula, November 2025.
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STAT @statnews.com · 11/11/2025
RFK Jr. and many top deputies are scheduled to speak alongside industry executives and health activists at a daylong MAHA event on Wednesday that has not been publicly disclosed by administration officials or event organizers. www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/m...
statnews.com
At ‘hush-hush’ MAHA summit, RFK Jr. and deputies to mix with biotech leaders
A who's who of MAHA federal officials will be speaking at an event, stacked with industry executives and activists, organized largely in secrecy.
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Ian Weissman, DO @drianweissman.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
A black box warning has been in place more than 20 years. An Ob/gyn society and the National Menopause Foundation welcomes the move. The FDA is also approving new drugs to treat menopause symptoms. www.reuters.com/business/hea...
reuters.com
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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 11/11/2025
If you’re wondering, this is exactly how we federal workers feel We’ve been fighting for this country since Jan 20th. Leadership needs to fight too "We went into this shutdown knowing we would suffer but it would be worth it for the country. This deal is a slap in the face to every federal worker"
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Patrickthebiosteamist @patbiosteamist.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
WastewaterSCAN is terminating sites from their program again. Now they are down to 147 active sites. Most recent loss from their Mendhall, Juneau, AK facility.
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Ian Weissman, DO @drianweissman.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Canada’s loss of measles elimination status has reverberations for the Americas, the only region of the WHO that has ever achieved measles-elimination status. When even one country in a region loses measles-elimination status, the entire region loses it. www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/m...
statnews.com
Canada loses measles elimination status — as does the entire Americas region
Canada has formally lost its measles elimination status, the country’s public health agency announced, triggering the loss of that status throughout all of the Americas.
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Ian Weissman, DO @drianweissman.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
The laws have put doctors under increasing pressure, complicating the standard medical treatments for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature membrane rupture, and other pregnancy problems. These laws are driving much-needed doctors from certain states. www.npr.org/sections/sho...
npr.org
Iowa doesn't have enough OB-GYNs. Is the state's abortion ban part of the problem?
Iowa ranks last among states for the number of OB-GYNS per capita. State legislators are trying to recruit more, but some doctors say the state's strict abortion ban is partially to blame.
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Jake Scott, MD @jakescottmd.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
www.politifact.com/article/2025... Another great fact-checking piece by @madisonczopek.bsky.social
politifact.com
Why the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is combined
In the U.S., the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is offered only as a combination vaccine. That was done to make it easier for people to get vaccinated, which ultimately increases overall vaccinati...
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Jake Scott, MD @jakescottmd.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
My @cidrap.bsky.social Op-Ed: "Vaccine effectiveness and safety: What the numbers truly mean in 2025" Our review provides extensive data on Covid-19, RSV, and flu, though interpreting these numbers requires understanding the distinct context surrounding each. www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cid...
urldefense.com
CIDRAP Op-Ed: Vaccine effectiveness and safety: What the numbers truly mean in 2025
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Dr. Genevieve Eastabrook, MD FRCSC (she/her) @placentadoc.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of 3-Year-Old Children Exposed to Maternal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection in Utero I hate to say “I told you so…” but nevertheless: I told you so.
journals.lww.com
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Newsom: The New Testament and Old Testament have one dominant thing in common—Matthew, Isaiah, Luke, Proverbs, go down the list—it’s about food, about serving those who are hungry. It’s not a suggestion; it’s core and essential to what it means to align with God’s will.
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Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Measles is back Whooping cough is back Now, diphtheria is staging a return with large outbreaks now in Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Chad — countries with civil wars or large populations of refugees where vaccination coverage is low... www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/h... @stephanienolen.bsky.social
nytimes.com
Diphtheria, a Once Vanquished Killer of Children, Is Resurgent
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 27/10/2025
Walz: "They are paying contractors to pay down the East Wing but they're not putting money into the food bank. So if there's a sense of frustration in America, it's very real ... when the White House press secretary said their top priority is the ballroom, we could not disagree more."
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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
"Viewpoint diversity" about whether human activity is warming the planet, or whether vaccines work, is like "viewpoint diversity" about whether the sky is blue or whether the Earth is round. It falls outside the range of good faith scientific and academic discourse. #ScienceUnderSiege
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