Carolyn Barber, MD
@cbarbermd.bsky.social
15K followers 470 following 2.8K posts
Medical & science writer. Contributor @Fortune @TIME @SciAm 25-yr Emergency Medicine physician. Book: Runaway Medicine. Pls send tips! https://www.carolynbarbermd.com/
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cbarbermd.bsky.social
FRIDAY NIGHT MASSACRE: Late Friday, the Trump admin laid off dozens of CDC staff — from outbreak “disease detectives” to chronic disease scientists — even shuttering the team behind the famed MMWR. Public health just took a major hit. #BlueSky #MedSky #EMSky #NurseSky #PedsSky #SciSky #IDSky
Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials
www.nytimes.com
cbarbermd.bsky.social
4,200 federal workers laid off. $28B in infrastructure frozen. Day 10 of the shutdown and no end in sight. This isn’t governance — it’s hostage politics. #DoYourJob www.reuters.com/world/us/us-... #BlueSky #NewsSky
www.reuters.com
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Blackhawk helicopters descended. Doors smashed. Children zip-tied. U.S. citizens detained.

Gov. Pritzker says ICE raided a Chicago building like a war zone — 130+ people terrorized, many with every right to be here. #AbolishICE #PoliceState #BlueSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Happy Halloween 🎃
King Donald’s 👑 latest trick:
a 100% tariff on all goods from China starting Nov 1.

No treat for American consumers. 🍬💸 #tariffs #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
They’re treating us like pawns — dehumanizing and traumatizing us.” 💔
Trump’s team shut it down. Now they’re laying people off. Likely illegal. Definitely cruel. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202... #BlueSky #NewsSky
Trump administration begins laying off federal workers amid shutdown
White House budget director Russell Vought said reductions in force were underway.
www.washingtonpost.com
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Trump cozies up to Qatar at every turn: building a golf course there, taking a $400M luxury jet as a “gift,” watching his son-in-law pocket $1.5B from Gulf regimes, and surrounding himself with officials on Qatar’s payroll. And now they’re building a Qatari air base in Idaho. #BlueSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Families are already drowning in medical bills — and Republicans want to make it worse. Their plan could jack up your health costs by hundreds or even over $1,000 a year while ripping coverage from millions. This is a direct attack on working people. #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky #NurseSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
“Multiple Chicago schools went on lockdown today because of ICE, including my son’s and the one I’m on the council of. Spent the last two hours standing outside, trying to make sure nothing happens to these kids. This is horrible.”--r/t Mike Nelson
#BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
🇺🇸 This is how ICE operates: Agents tackled a 79-year-old U.S. citizen in an LA raid — leaving him with broken ribs, chest trauma, elbow injuries & TBI (traumatic brain injury).

His “crime”? Trying to show papers proving his workers were legal.
shorturl.at/PEAhK #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
JUST IN: “A WGN-TV video editor and producer, Debbie Brockman was detained by two Border Patrol agents during a rush-hour enforcement in Chicago this morning.

Witnesses say the agents—wearing masks and tactical vests—pinned the journalist to the ground.”-r/t Lucas Sanders. #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
BREAKING: “Federal judge rules federal agents must wear visible identification, can’t use riot weapons against peaceful protestors. Ruling follows agents pepper spraying and tear gassing journalists and a priest in Chicago.”—@JudiciaryDems #BlueSky #NewsSky #MedSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
#NurseSky #IDSky #EMSky
#PedsSky #ObSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
💉 NEW: Annual COVID boosters save lives — even if you’ve had the virus before. A new NEJM study shows updated shots cut ER visits by 29%, hospitalizations by 39%, and deaths by 64% — in all age groups, with or without risk factors. Protection is protection. #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky
#SciSky 🧪
Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows
A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination
shorturl.at
cbarbermd.bsky.social
BREAKING: Judge blocks Trump’s National Guard move in Chicago — calling it unconstitutional and political retribution.

She says she’s “found no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion in Illinois.”

Translation: The threat was made up. shorturl.at/rmS8n #BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky
Judge temporarily blocks National Guard deployment in Chicago, saying it violates Constitution
A federal judge granted a request to temporarily block a National Guard deployment in Chicago, saying the move violates the U.S. Constitution.
shorturl.at
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Enough said.
#BlueSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Remarkably, the President of the United States is actively endorsing his own website: GetTrumpWatches.com #BlueSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Japan has declared a nationwide flu epidemic after 4,030 cases were reported in just one week — up nearly 1,000 from the week before.

🏫 135 schools have closed with experts warning the virus is evolving and spreading faster than ever #BlueSky #MedSky #IDSky #SciSky #NewsSky #MedSky #NurseSky #EMSky
Nationwide epidemic declared in Japan as flu season hits early
The government has declared a nationwide flu epidemic, prompting calls for vaccinations and heightened vigilance.
shorturl.at
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Robot dogs. Humanoid helpers. Dark factories with no humans.China installed 300,000 robots last year — 10x the U.S. — and now humanoids cost under $6K. With hardware, supply chains & policy on its side, Beijing is poised to dominate. 🤖#AI #Tech #BlueSky #NewsSky #Robosky #TechSky #MedSky
Opinion | The Chinese robots are coming
China is miles ahead in the race to dominate a technology that could define the 21st century.
wapo.st
cbarbermd.bsky.social
NEW: Ceasefire. Hostages to be freed. Troops to withdraw in stages. Aid to flow.

After 67,000 Palestinian deaths, Israel and Hamas strike a deal — the most significant step toward ending the Gaza war. #Ceasefire #Gaza www.reuters.com/world/middle... #BlueSky #NewsSky
www.reuters.com
cbarbermd.bsky.social
A 60-year-old in Chicago making $65K will see premiums jump from $5.5K to $10.2K if ACA subsidies expire.
That’s not fiscal responsibility — it’s cruelty disguised as policy.
— Jim Cohen, economist running in IL-9 #BlueSky #Medasky #NewsSky #NurseSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Red states will pay the price.
If Republicans kill ACA subsidies, premiums in places like Texas (+289%), Alabama (+284%), and the Dakotas (+230%+) will explode. Top 10 states hit hardest: every single one is red. 🔥 #BlueSky #MedSky #NurseSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
“You wouldn’t want the head of the military to drop out of basic training.” Trump’s Surgeon General pick never finished residency — then sold wellness tests & supplements, questioned vaccines, and made $500K as an influencer. #BlueSky #Medasky #SciSky #SurgSky #NewsSky #NurseSky #EMSky
She left the medical mainstream and rose to be RFK Jr.’s surgeon general pick
Casey Means, the surgeon general nominee, has criticized the medical establishment. She could be put in position to change it.
www.washingtonpost.com
cbarbermd.bsky.social
ICE agents smashed a car window & dragged 2 DACA sisters out — right in front of an elementary school in Chicago.
13 masked agents. Children screaming “It’s ICE!” as they ran in fear.
The sisters were released after proving their legal status.
#DemsUnited #Immigration
#BlueSky #NewsSky
cbarbermd.bsky.social
Rep. Thomas Massie claims he has a list of 20 high-profile suspected Epstein clients — from politics, finance, entertainment, and even royalty. But FBI Dir. Kash Patel says: there is no list. 🧷🔍”
#EpsteinFiles #CoverUp
#BlueSky #MedSky #NewsSky