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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · 8d

""The Trump Administration terminated Dr. Marrazzo for her advocacy on behalf of critical health research and for her support of the overwhelming body of evidence that shows vaccines are safe and effective," Ms. Katz said." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/h...

Kennedy Fires N.I.H. Scientist Who Filed Whistle-Blower Complaint

www.nytimes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · 8d

"Medical and science communities cannot change societies alone. But we can set standards of behaviour and create value systems that resist corrosive social and political forces." www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

The far-right and health: an evolving political crisis

Across Europe and North America, racism, xenophobia, and far-right nationalism have become normalised in public and political discourse, leading many people to feel anxiety and fear of violence, discr...

www.thelancet.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · 22d

Who Makes Decisions About Vaccine Policy Now? www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Who Makes Decisions About Vaccine Policy Now?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has hired longtime vaccine safety skeptics and scientists who are critical of Covid shots and mandates to make immunization policy decisions for Americans.

www.nytimes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · 23d

“Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/o...

Opinion | Charlie Kirk, Jimmy Kimmel and the Future of Free Speech in America

www.nytimes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · 24d

Substantial Number of People Ditch Wegovy Within a Year www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcover...

Substantial Number of People Ditch Wegovy Within a Year

Younger users, men were especially prone to quitting

www.medpagetoday.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · 29d

"As is so often the case with Mr. Trump, however, he has both identified a real problem and enacted a set of policies that will worsen that problem. With public health, the damage could be vast. ... rejecting basic medical knowledge and turning back the clock ..." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/o...

Opinion | Trump’s Policies Are Endangering Your Health

www.nytimes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Sep 12

“The deliberate destruction of nearly $10 million worth of contraceptives, under the blatantly false pretense that they are abortifacients, is an outrageous act of cruelty,” said Beth Schlachter, director of U.S. external relations for MSI Reproductive Choices. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/h...

$10 Million in Contraceptives Have Been Destroyed on Orders From Trump Officials

www.nytimes.com

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Sep 11

Through legal proceedings, Democracy Forward obtained a previously secret grant agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador for holding hundreds of Venezuelans removed under the Alien Enemies Act in CECOT. democracyforward.org/wp-content/u...

democracyforward.org

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Sep 9

The Trump administration has dismantled agencies across the government that sought to protect the integrity of US elections and to combat foreign malign influence at home and abroad.
www.ft.com/content/d31b...

US ends international push to combat fake news from hostile states

Washington terminates agreements with European countries to fight disinformation from Russia, China and Iran

www.ft.com

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Sep 6

Congress should act before this becomes institutionalized. Lawmakers could amend FACA to clarify that any FDA meeting convened to offer regulatory advice — no matter what it’s called — must comply with FACA’s transparency and balance requirements. www.statnews.com/2025/09/05/f...

The FDA’s pivot from ad comms to ‘expert’ panels is bad medicine

G. Caleb Alexander has chaired or served on more than a dozen FDA advisory committees. He’s worried the shift to ‘expert’ panels lacks transparency.

www.statnews.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Sep 4

People take to streets against Trump administration plans to rescind funding for life-saving international programs. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Protesters demand release of HIV funds ‘illegally’ withheld by Trump

People take to streets against Trump administration plans to rescind funding for life-saving international programs

www.theguardian.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Sep 4

“It’s like this country at its worst,” Offit said in an interview, recalling how he witnessed a 9-month-old girl die of rotavirus as a medical resident before the vaccine was invented. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Prominent critic of RFK Jr. blocked from FDA vaccine committee

Paul Offit, a pediatrician and co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, can no longer participate in the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.

www.washingtonpost.com

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Sep 2

"The men and women who have joined the C.D.C. across generations have done so not for prestige or power.....they deserve a health and human services secretary who stands up for health, supports science and has their back. So, too, does our country." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health

www.nytimes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 30

"This amounts to a very dark moment for public health. There is no clear way out other than a new secretary of Health and Human Services — a change that more public health experts and lawmakers are beginning to demand." www.statnews.com/2025/08/28/c...

CDC’s crisis marks a dark moment for public health

“The firing of Susan Monarez, the first Senate-confirmed CDC director in history, was more than just unprecedented,” writes Ashish K. Jha.

www.statnews.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 25

In a connected world, malaria is affecting all
www.gatesnotes.com/work/save-li...

www.gatesnotes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 25

Paul Krugman "Nobody is safe from weaponized government"
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/we-are-all...

We Are All Lisa Cook

Nobody is safe from weaponized government

paulkrugman.substack.com

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 21

American Bar Association Resolution "... opposes any efforts by any government actor to punish or threaten to punish lawyers, law firms, or other organizations for representing or having represented any particular client or cause disfavored by the
government" www.americanbar.org/content/dam/...

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 21

“The compensation fund, if it’s gone, would impact decisions to proceed or not to proceed,” said David Dodd, president and CEO of GeoVax Labs, a biotechnology company developing vaccines and immunotherapies. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Kennedy’s Anti-Vaccine Strategy Risks Forcing Shots Off Market, Manufacturers Warn - KFF Health News

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is targeting the government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, without which manufacturers might cease producing shots.

kffhealthnews.org

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 12

It should not be partisan to say that political violence is wrong, that corrupting science and manipulating data is wrong and that public service is patriotic. Restoring that shared base line is the only way to safeguard [...] the health of our democracy. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/o...

Opinion | A Dangerous Escalation of the Science Wars

www.nytimes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 1

"Sorry, America, but it's not Australia's fault that your healthcare system is failing you"
Donald Trump has blamed 'freeloader' countries like Australia for the high cost of medicines. Unfortunately the grim statistics tell a different story www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Sorry America, but it's not Australia's fault that your healthcare system is failing you | John Quiggin

Donald Trump has blamed ‘freeloader’ countries like Australia for the high cost of medicines. Unfortunately the grim statistics tell a different story

www.theguardian.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 1

"The PBS [Australia] is not up for negotiation," a government spokesperson said. "Our government is getting on with the job of delivering cheaper medicines for Australians." www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Trump accuses foreign nations of ‘freeloading’ on drug prices as Australia insists PBS prices won’t rise

Pharmaceuticals – already covered under existing US free trade agreement – on PBS ‘not up for negotiation’, Labor says

www.theguardian.com

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 1

"Under Ms. Healey’s plan, $200 million would go directly toward supporting research projects at hospitals, universities & independent research institutions. Another $200 million would help cover [..] research, partnerships & joint ventures at public universities." www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/u...

Massachusetts governor proposes $400 million for colleges, citing federal ‘uncertainty.’

www.nytimes.com

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Aug 1

"[...] With ICE, the individuals arguing that they need cover are doing so because of actions taken under orders from the state." www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/s...

The Changing Politics of Masks

www.nytimes.com

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Jul 30

"I now question whether that’s a recommendation I can trust. When the F.D.A. commissioner says he wants to change how the agency approves or rejects new treatments, I no longer feel sure that science is driving those decisions." www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/o...

Opinion | Doctors Have Lost Their Mount Olympus of Medicine

www.nytimes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Jul 24

"Sarah Shaw, Associate Director of Advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices, told Reuters [MSI] had volunteered to pay for the supplies to be repackaged without USAID branding and shipped to countries in need, but the offer was declined by the U.S. government." www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

US-funded contraceptives for poor nations to be burned in France, sources say

U.S.-funded contraceptives worth nearly $10 million are being sent to France from Belgium to be incinerated, after Washington rejected offers from the United Nations and family planning organisations to buy or ship the supplies to poor nations, two sources told Reuters.

www.reuters.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Jul 23

"Just as democracy depends on a free and independent press to hold power accountable, medical progress depends on independent journals to vet, challenge and advance science without political interference." www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | This system is critical to Americans’ health. We must defend it.

Medical progress depends on independent journals to advance science without political interference.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Jul 21

"Robert J. Cindrich, who helped found the group, said the country is not yet in a constitutional crisis but that the strain on the courts is immense.[.] “The judiciary is being put under siege. "https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/21/trump-court-orders-defy-noncompliance-marshals-judges/

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Jul 11

It is imperative that public health professionals, health-care workers, and scientists mobilise in their own communities, raising the alarm .....https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01320-0/fulltext

Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Jul 8

SOS regarding the FDA should not be overlooked: “There are certain norms that are understood, that shape policy discussions,” Sharfstein told me. “If someone decides those norms aren’t applicable anymore, it becomes very difficult to do the work of the agency.” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/m...

Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A.

www.nytimes.com

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Veronika J. Wirtz @verowirtz.bsky.social · Jul 4

"Government should only wage war against foreign enemies, not misperceived domestic enemies. The people are not the enemy of the government. Rather, the government that regards the people as its enemy is itself the enemy of the people." Judge J. Michael Luttig www.telos.news/p/luttig-the...

The Self-Evident Truths of Freedom—and of Tyranny

Twenty-seven truths about America, our Democracy and Rule of Law, and our rights, freedoms, and liberties.

www.telos.news

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