Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 21h

Her website was recently updated:

“She has been criticized for being an ‘influencer,’ and widely labeled as such as a response to having sponsors which support her newsletter and for whom she has shared marketing links.”

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

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

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 21h

In a statement, the Department of Health and Human Services called Means a “world-class physician and scientist whose nomination as Surgeon General reflects her deep understanding of modern metabolic health and her fierce commitment to evidence-based care.”

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 21h

Several medical and scientific experts are concerned she may use the surgeon general’s bully pulpit to amplify policy recommendations that are not grounded in evidence.

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 21h

Seven years ago, she was on a path to finishing up a highly competitive residency and becoming a well-paid surgeon.

But she resigned, becoming a health products entrepreneur and popular online personality who has suggested that Americans should question their doctors

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 21h

Learn more about the company concept she floated “Labracadabra” as well as the over half a million she received from partnerships/sponsorships with companies her ethics forms described as selling “teas, supplements, and elixirs” and other products

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 21h

She left the medical mainstream and rose to be RFK Jr.'s surgeon general pick

Read my and @rachelroubein.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com deep dive on Casey Means

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

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

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 14d

Kennedy has disclosed he gave the stake to an adult family member who is licensed to practice law in California. One of Kennedy’s sons, Conor Kennedy, is listed as working at Wisner Baum in its Los Angeles office.

Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 14d

During Kennedy’s confirmation hearings, he faced immense pressure to divest from a financial stake he initially said he would keep in cases he referred to Wisner Baum before becoming secretary.

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 14d

“I did not get into the Tylenol autism case, not because I didn’t think it had merit or because it was a solid case,” he said. But after looking at the science, he said, “I didn’t want to pursue it.”

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 14d

However, on an April 2024 podcast, the firm’s managing partner, R. Brent Wisner, said he chose not to get involved in the Tylenol class-action lawsuit.

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 14d

The call-out for plaintiffs was listed on the Wisner Baum website from at least the end of January 2023 through part of May this year, at one point with the words “AWARD-WINNING ATTORNEYS PURSUING TYLENOL LAWSUIT COMPENSATION FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES.”

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 14d

Research tying Tylenol to autism lost in court. Then it won Trump’s ear

Take a read to learn more about how Wisner Baum, the personal injury firm RFK Jr. consulted for, took an early interest

w/ Dan Gilbert, @arianaec.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Research tying Tylenol to autism lost in court. Then it won Trump’s ear.

Kenvue had gained the upper hand in litigation alleging acetaminophen use during pregnancy can cause autism. Now the Trump administration has breathed new life into research rejected by a federal judg...

www.washingtonpost.com

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 24d

Read the whole story for more data and parents discussing the decline in trust in childhood vaccines since the pandemic among the broader public.

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Why 1 in 6 U.S. parents are rejecting vaccine recommendations

A wide-ranging Washington Post-KFF poll details who tends to reject vaccine recommendations and their reasoning.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 24d

The vast majority of American parents still support immunizations, as well as vaccine mandates for school.

But this poll shows the "slight cracks we’re starting to see in confidence among younger parents" Liz Hamel said.

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 24d

As Kennedy and his allies reorient national vaccine policy, few embrace their false claims about vaccines causing autism or chronic disease. But at least 4 in 10 parents say they don’t know enough to say whether those claims are true or false.

A chart describing RFK Jr.'s false claims

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 24d

To better understand the poll's findings, we talked to 40 parents about why they chose to skip or delay or vaccinate. Some of them said that RFK Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who is now the nation's top health official, has given them a voice.

Others said they didn't trust him

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 24d

“Delaying or spreading out vaccine doses leaves your child unprotected during the time when they need vaccine protection the most,” the CDC writes on its website.

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 24d

Pediatricians, the CDC and medical experts say that recommended vaccines are proven to be safe and effective through extensive research and monitoring.

Despite this, many American parents still worry about side effects.

A chart detailing why parents skip or delay vaccination

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 24d

The poll — the most detailed recent look at the childhood vaccination practices and opinions of American parents — shows that 1 in 6 parents have delayed or skipped some vaccines for their children, excluding for coronavirus or flu

Me, @sfcpoll.bsky.social @emgusk.bsky.social @lenasun.bsky.social

A chart of the 1 and 6 parents who have skipped or delayed vaccination

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 24d

Meet the parents skipping or delaying vaccination: Our @washingtonpost.com @kff.org poll found they are more likely to home-school their children, be White and very religious, identify as Republican or be under 35

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Why 1 in 6 U.S. parents are rejecting vaccine recommendations

A wide-ranging Washington Post-KFF poll details who tends to reject vaccine recommendations and their reasoning.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 28d

this was the same study that Sen. Ron Johnson said was " a high quality study" and organized a Senate hearing around, as he said it showed vaccinated children are more likely to have chronic conditions.

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 28d

Here are the flaws in the study, according to Henry Ford Health

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 28d

The spokesperson said the institution was not given the opportunity by Congress to weigh in or testify.

"In the end, this report was not published because it did not even come close to meeting the rigorous scientific standards we demand—not because of the results."

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 28d

A spokesperson told me that "an initial peer review of the draft revealed immediate and significant concerns due to serious data flaws" and that the institution "was unaware this long-rejected and unvalidated draft was being talked about or had somehow been shared."

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Lauren Weber @laurenweberhp.bsky.social · 28d

On Tuesday on the hill, Sen. Ron Johnson touted results from an unpublished study commissioned by an anti-vaccine group as showing the risk of childhood vaccines.

I asked why the study hadn't been published of Henry Ford Health, where the author who did not testify worked.

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