Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Los Angeles Times @latimes.com · Sep 6

California joins firefighting compact with a dozen Northwest states and Canadian provinces

The Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact facilitates sharing of firefighting resources and technology amongst U.S. and Canadian members — now including California — during emergencies.

www.latimes.com

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · Aug 28

Worth a read

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Aug 28

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

My resignation letter from CDC.

Dear Dr. Houry,

I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested.

This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough.

While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.

It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc.

I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information.

The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed.

For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision.

Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically.

Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Aug 28

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

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Ploy Achakulwisut, PhD @ploya.bsky.social · Aug 24

🚨 OUT NOW! Our new @science.org study led by @kohrathefog.bsky.social is the first to comprehensively quantify the health impacts of and inequities in outdoor air pollution exposure across all stages of the US oil and gas lifecycle: extraction ➡️ transport/storage ➡️ refining/processing ➡️ end-use. 🧵

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Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · Apr 15

As someone directly affected by this, let me be clear:

I'd rather lose my job because Harvard chose to fight than keep my job and see a generation of white supremacists parade its corpse around like a war trophy.

STAT @statnews.com · Apr 15

Researchers at Harvard and its affiliates appreciate that the university resisted the Trump Administration's demands, but worry about what happens next.

At Harvard, scientists worry over the consequences of resisting the Trump administration: $2.2B in grants frozen

Researchers at Harvard and its affiliates appreciate that the university resisted the Trump Administration's demands, but worry about what happens next.

buff.ly

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The Monica @mclemoremr.bsky.social · Apr 18

Haven’t gotten one for Health Equity Journal yet but expecting one. Medical Journals Get Letters From DOJ www.medpagetoday.com/special-repo...

Medical Journals Get Letters From DOJ

At least three journals received letters from a U.S. Attorney asking about 'competing viewpoints'

www.medpagetoday.com

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · Apr 22

Hey, are you a university president? Or scholarly society?

The number of your colleagues joining this "solidarity" letter, via @aacu.org and AAAS, goes up by the hour. (Around 180 this morning. Around 240 now.)

Keep it going. It's not too late to sign on.

www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...

A Call for Constructive Engagement | AAC&U

A Call for Constructive Engagement

www.aacu.org

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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · Apr 24

And, just like that, the top journal in the field of Environmental Health, published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a part of the NIH, goes dark...

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · Apr 24

"Using scope 1 and 3 emissions data from major fossil fuel companies, peer-reviewed attribution methods and advances in empirical climate economics, we illustrate the trillions in economic losses attributable to the extreme heat caused by emissions from individual companies."

Carbon majors and the scientific case for climate liability - Nature

A transparent and reproducible scientific framework is introduced to formalize how trillions in economic losses are attributable to the extreme heat caused by emissions from fossil fuel companies, whi...

www.nature.com

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · May 1

Breaking news: The House voted Thursday to block California from enforcing a rule that would ban sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035.

House votes to block California from banning sales of gas cars by 2035

Both the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office have concluded that Congress lacks authority to block California’s climate policy.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · May 1

Four months after the most devastating wildfires in L.A. history, Mayor Karen Bass wants to shut down the city's climate emergency office to save $700,000.

It's not hard to figure out that climate action isn't a high priority for Bass. My latest column: www.latimes.com/environment/...

Commentary: Climate change is cooking Los Angeles. Does Karen Bass care?

The L.A. mayor wants to eliminate a city office that protects people from deadly extreme heat.

www.latimes.com

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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · May 10

Imagine failing 5th grade geography... in Congress.

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NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

A thread: NIH Fellows United is committed to showing up, even when leadership won’t. 🧪

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Neil Lewis, Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social · Jun 6

"Hopkins...is implementing a hiring freeze and pausing annual pay increases...The university added that it will reduce the number of research projects and cut back on spending on expenses, including travel, food, supplies, and professional services."

www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/ne...

Johns Hopkins University pauses pay increases, reduces spending due to funding uncertainty

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore is implementing a hiring freeze and pausing annual pay increases due to the uncertainty of funding sources, the school confirmed.

www.cbsnews.com

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · Jun 6

Just like most other universities in the US 👇

Neil Lewis, Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social · Jun 6

"Hopkins...is implementing a hiring freeze and pausing annual pay increases...The university added that it will reduce the number of research projects and cut back on spending on expenses, including travel, food, supplies, and professional services."

www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/ne...

Johns Hopkins University pauses pay increases, reduces spending due to funding uncertainty

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore is implementing a hiring freeze and pausing annual pay increases due to the uncertainty of funding sources, the school confirmed.

www.cbsnews.com

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 14

Preschooler describing to me how hot rain that is very strong can burn up and break the snow (through all the layers) and boy am I teaching her climate change right 🔥

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 10

💪💪💪❤️

NIH Fellows United @nihfellowsunited.bsky.social · May 9

A thread: NIH Fellows United is committed to showing up, even when leadership won’t. 🧪

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 10

Meditate they say
Just breath, stay calm
Problem is dealing with
These foreign countries like Guam

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · May 10

Imagine failing 5th grade geography... in Congress.

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 10

2025 is going great
There’s no system glitch
Yeah, let’s go ahead with
The “Theranos-like pitch”

Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 9

The NIH F31 (pre-doc training award) announcement expired yesterday, and nothing has replaced it.

Difficult to advise students to work on these grants for an August submission with this level of uncertainty. The system is truly gummed up.

F31 does not appear as an "Active Opportunity"

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Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · May 6

🚨🚨 Deranged letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard’s president, cutting off federal funding for any new grants.

Worth reading in full. It is NUTS.

THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
WASHINGTON, DC 20202
May 5, 2025
Dr. Alan Garber
Office of the President
Harvard University
Massachusetts Hall
Cambridge, MA 02138
Dr. Garber,
The Federal Government has a sacred responsibility to be a wise and important steward of American taxpayer dollars. Harvard University, despite amassing a largely tax-free $53.2 billion dollar endowment (larger than the GDP of 100 countries), receives billions of dollars of taxpayer largess each year. Receiving such taxpayer funds is a privilege, not a right. Yet instead of using these funds to advance the education of its students, Harvard is engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law. Where do many of these "students" come from, who are they, how do they get into Harvard, or even into our country—and why is there so much HATE? These are questions that must be answered, among many more, but the biggest question of all is, why will Harvard not give straightforward answers to the American public?
Harvard University has made a mockery of this country's higher education system. It has invited foreign students, who engage in violent behavior and show contempt for the United States of America, to its campus. In every way, Harvard has failed to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and fiduciary duties, its transparency responsibilities, and any semblance of academic rigor. It had scrapped standardized testing requirements and a normalized grading system. This year Harvard was forced to adopt an embarrassing "remedial math" program for undergraduates.
Why is it, we ask, that Harvard has to teach simple and basic mathematics, when it is supposedly so hard to get into this "acclaimed university"? Who is getting in under such a low standard when others, with fabulous grades and a great understanding of the highest levels of mathematics, are being rejected?
Harvard has even been embroiled in humiliating plagiarism scandals, exposed clearly and plainly in the media, with respect to your then…

$running the institution in a totally chaotic way. Harvard alumnus and highly successful hedge fund manager Bill Ackman noted that, under her leadership, Harvard has become "a political advocacy organization for one party." Ackman has called for the resignation of Pritzker, concluding that the "[t)he mismanagement here is Penny Pritzker" and noting that any serious corporation would have removed her after a litany of recent failings and the fact that, incredibly, "Harvard is not in a good financial position." According to Ackman, one of the world's foremost finance experts, Harvard's so-called S53 billion endowment is "massively overstated as far as what it's really worth," and Harvard has irresponsibly taken out $8 billion in debt. If this is true, it is concerning evidence of Harvard's disastrous mismanagement, indicating an urgent need for massive reform-not continued taxpayer investment. If Harvard prefers not to change, then Harvard should have no problem using its overflowing endowment to fund its bloated bureaucracy. At its best, a university should fulfill the highest ideals of our Nation, and enlighten the thousands of hopeful students who walk through its magnificent gates. But Harvard has betrayed this ideal. Perhaps most alarmingly, Harvard has failed to abide by the United States Supreme Court's ruling demanding that it end its racial preferencing, and continues to engage in ugly racism in its undergraduate and graduate schools, and even within the Harvard Law Review itself. Our universities should be bastions of merit that reward and celebrate excellence and achievement. They should not be incubators of discrimination that encourage resentment and instill grievance and racism into our wonderful young Americans. The above concerns are only a fraction of the long list of Harvard's consistent violations of its own legal duties. Given these and other concerning allegations, this letter is to inform you that Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the fede…$

Federal Agencies. The Administration's priorities have not changed and today's letter marks the end of new grants for the University.
These requests will advance the best interests of Harvard University, so it can reclaim its status as a respected educational institution for the future leaders of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Sincerely,
Linda E. McMahon
Secretary of Education

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 5

⚡️Younger children and non-Hispanic Black children had highest incidence of CO poisoning

publications.aap.org/pediatrics/a...

Power Outages and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Children

10.1542/6370191222112Video AbstractPEDS-VA_2024-0682136370191222112INTRODUCTION. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and nonirritating gas that can result in health impacts ranging from mil...

publications.aap.org

Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 5

New paper on health risks related to power outages led by Alex Northrop @upenn.bsky.social

⚡️Risk of CO poisoning increased with power outage exposure: biggest impact on same-day and two days following the outage

⚡️2% of total CO poisoning cases in NY attributed to power outages between 2017–2020

Power Outages and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Children

10.1542/6370191222112Video AbstractPEDS-VA_2024-0682136370191222112INTRODUCTION. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and nonirritating gas that can result in health impacts ranging from mil...

publications.aap.org

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 1

I'm sad about a lot, but the chopping of MOSAIC, diversity F31s, and diversity supplements may top the list. 😔

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Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 1

I can do this all day: absolutely horrific health policy

Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · May 1

Four months after the most devastating wildfires in L.A. history, Mayor Karen Bass wants to shut down the city's climate emergency office to save $700,000.

It's not hard to figure out that climate action isn't a high priority for Bass. My latest column: www.latimes.com/environment/...

Commentary: Climate change is cooking Los Angeles. Does Karen Bass care?

The L.A. mayor wants to eliminate a city office that protects people from deadly extreme heat.

www.latimes.com

Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · May 1

Absolutely horrific health policy

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · May 1

Breaking news: The House voted Thursday to block California from enforcing a rule that would ban sales of new gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035.

House votes to block California from banning sales of gas cars by 2035

Both the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office have concluded that Congress lacks authority to block California’s climate policy.

www.washingtonpost.com

Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · Apr 30

Disproportionate exposure in communities with a higher proportion of American Indian and Alaska Native people

Communities most exposed to all three hazards simultaneously 🥵 + 🔥 💨 + 🔥 burn zones disproportionately consisted of people of older age, with disabilities, and living in poverty

Joan Casey @joancasey.bsky.social · Apr 30

Extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and wildfire burn zones in the Western US, 2006-2020

We see increases over the study period in:
Extreme heat 🥵
Wildfire smoke 🔥 💨
🥵 + 🔥 💨

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Coexposure to extreme heat, wildfire burn zones, and wildfire smoke in the Western US from 2006 to 2020

Extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and their coexposure increased during 2006–2020 in the Western US.

www.science.org

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Elizabeth Wrigley-Field @wrigleyfield.bsky.social · Apr 30

The biggest project I've worked on for the last chunk of years was just published. It asks, how big are US Black-white lifespan differences?

This might seem like a narrow question. I hope to convince you by the end that there are answers you didn't anticipate. And I hope some of them will move you.

Three Ways of Looking at Black–White Mortality Differences in the United States | Annual Reviews

Everyone agrees that US Black deaths happen earlier than white deaths on average, but it is surprisingly challenging to find the best ways to summarize, quantify, and compare this gap. This review arg...

www.annualreviews.org

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Maya Emmons-Bell @maya-emmonsbell.bsky.social · Apr 30

But there's a catch - if you normalize these data to the total number of R01s and F31s awarded in 2023, the story changes: a greater *percentage* of the trainee awards have been cancelled as compared to non-trainee awards.

a bar plot showing that a greater percentage of F31 awards have been cancelled as compared to R01 awards.

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