Megan Molteni
@mmolteni.bsky.social
Writing about CRISPR, synthetic bio, reprotech and neuroscience for @statnews. Ex-WIRED. Berkeley journalism alum.
Signal: mmolteni.13
✉️ [email protected]
https://www.statnews.com/
Signal: mmolteni.13
✉️ [email protected]
https://www.statnews.com/
Pinned
Megan Molteni
@mmolteni.bsky.social
· Apr 1
Are you affected by the HHS cuts and restructuring?
HHS is set to cut 10,000 jobs and consolidate divisions — have you been affected? @statnews would like to hear from you.
www.statnews.com
10,000 employees of HHS and its agencies — CDC, FDA, NIH, etc — are being fired. STAT wants to give the public a closer look at what is being cut and what will be lost.
If you're one of these workers, please tell us:
www.statnews.com/2025/03/27/h...
If you're one of these workers, please tell us:
www.statnews.com/2025/03/27/h...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
NEW: a contractor is paying random people $300 to physically track immigrants for ICE. They're given addresses, vehicles, told to monitor the target. That information then goes back up to ICE. These are not licensed private investigators; members of the public
www.404media.co/contractor-p...
www.404media.co/contractor-p...
Contractor Paying Random People $300 to Physically Track Immigrants for ICE
“The more I listened to it, the more I’m like, something doesn’t sound right,” a person who was briefed on the pilot plans told 404 Media.
www.404media.co
November 18, 2025 at 4:10 PM
NEW: a contractor is paying random people $300 to physically track immigrants for ICE. They're given addresses, vehicles, told to monitor the target. That information then goes back up to ICE. These are not licensed private investigators; members of the public
www.404media.co/contractor-p...
www.404media.co/contractor-p...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
Trump trade war costs US Italian pasta: “Exporters say import and antidumping duties totaling 107% on their pasta brands will make doing business in America too costly and are preparing to pull out of U.S. stores as soon as January.” Via WSJ
Italian Pasta Is Poised to Disappear From American Grocery Shelves — The Wall Street Journal
Trump administration is set to impose duties of 107% on Italian pasta imports, among most punitive of tariffs it has levied
apple.news
November 10, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Trump trade war costs US Italian pasta: “Exporters say import and antidumping duties totaling 107% on their pasta brands will make doing business in America too costly and are preparing to pull out of U.S. stores as soon as January.” Via WSJ
Reposted by Megan Molteni
NEW from @theresagaff.bsky.social and @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social: FDA reverses decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause
www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/f...
FDA reverses decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause
The FDA is reversing a 2003 decision that put a stringent warning on hormone therapy products for menopausal women, saying that the treatments offer heart, brain, and bone health benefits.
www.statnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:07 PM
NEW from @theresagaff.bsky.social and @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social: FDA reverses decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause
www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/f...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
As expected, Canada has lost its measles-free status because of the long-running outbreak there. With it goes the #measles elimination status of the entire zone of the Americas, the only division of the #WHO to ever have achieved measles elimination. www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/m...
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.
www.statnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
As expected, Canada has lost its measles-free status because of the long-running outbreak there. With it goes the #measles elimination status of the entire zone of the Americas, the only division of the #WHO to ever have achieved measles elimination. www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/m...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
JUST IN: The Trump administration late Saturday directed states that they must "immediately undo" any actions they have made to provide benefits to low-income families via SNAP.
Trump tells states to 'immediately undo' steps to fund November SNAP benefits
The Trump administration late Saturday directed states that they must "immediately undo" any actions they have made to provide benefits to low-income families via SNAP.
n.pr
November 9, 2025 at 5:34 PM
JUST IN: The Trump administration late Saturday directed states that they must "immediately undo" any actions they have made to provide benefits to low-income families via SNAP.
Reposted by Megan Molteni
Incredible reporting from @carolinehaskins.bsky.social about a school Mark Zuckerberg opened on his Palo Alto compound and operated for years with no permits, permissions, anything at all
Mark Zuckerberg Opened an Illegal School at His Palo Alto Compound. His Neighbors Revolted
Neighbors complained about noise, security guards, and hordes of traffic. An unlicensed school named after the Zuckerbergs’ pet chicken tipped them over the edge.
www.wired.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Incredible reporting from @carolinehaskins.bsky.social about a school Mark Zuckerberg opened on his Palo Alto compound and operated for years with no permits, permissions, anything at all
Reposted by Megan Molteni
The FBI has subpoenaed the domain registrar of archive.today, demanding information about the owner.
FBI Tries to Unmask Owner of Infamous Archive.is Site
The FBI has subpoenaed the domain registrar of archive.today, demanding information about the owner.
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 3:24 PM
The FBI has subpoenaed the domain registrar of archive.today, demanding information about the owner.
Reposted by Megan Molteni
Trump announces deal with Lilly, Novo to expand access to weight loss drugs, cut prices
Details here:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/06/t...
Details here:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/06/t...
Trump announces deal with Lilly, Novo to expand access to weight loss drugs, cut prices
Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, Eli Lilly's Zepbound to be sold at discounted prices on TrumpRx, covered by Medicare.
www.statnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Trump announces deal with Lilly, Novo to expand access to weight loss drugs, cut prices
Details here:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/06/t...
Details here:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/06/t...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
November 6, 2025 at 5:49 PM
New: Conde Nast fired four employees who were among a group that confronted the company's head of human resources on Wednesday over the decision to fold Teen Vogue into Vogue/recent cuts. Employees who were fired included journalists from the New Yorker, Wired, and Bon Appétit.
Scoop from STAT’s Allison DeAngelis and @jasonmast.bsky.social
Arena BioWorks, the buzzy research institute that launched nearly two years ago with $500 million to support a decade of scientific R&D, is abruptly shutting down.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/a...
Arena BioWorks, the buzzy research institute that launched nearly two years ago with $500 million to support a decade of scientific R&D, is abruptly shutting down.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/a...
Arena BioWorks, an ambitious biomedical institute backed by billionaires, abruptly shuts down
Exclusive: Arena Bioworks, the buzzy research institute that launched with $500 million to support a decade of scientific R&D, is abruptly shutting down, STAT has learned.
www.statnews.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Scoop from STAT’s Allison DeAngelis and @jasonmast.bsky.social
Arena BioWorks, the buzzy research institute that launched nearly two years ago with $500 million to support a decade of scientific R&D, is abruptly shutting down.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/a...
Arena BioWorks, the buzzy research institute that launched nearly two years ago with $500 million to support a decade of scientific R&D, is abruptly shutting down.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/a...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
“We are witnessing nothing less than a clown show at #FDA right now.” People who worked at or rely on the US drug regulator see dysfunctional leadership & soap opera-ish behavior at a key federal agency, @matthewherper.bsky.social & @lizzylawrence.bsky.social report. www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
Experts worry FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and 'soap opera'
Experts worry that the FDA’s credibility is being shredded by scandal and "soap opera."
www.statnews.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:50 PM
“We are witnessing nothing less than a clown show at #FDA right now.” People who worked at or rely on the US drug regulator see dysfunctional leadership & soap opera-ish behavior at a key federal agency, @matthewherper.bsky.social & @lizzylawrence.bsky.social report. www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/f...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
Microdosing GLP-1 drugs? Right now, there's no robust clinical evidence doing so provides benefits.
Benefits for the companies *selling* the treatments, however, are definitely confirmed.
Via @katiepalmer.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/m...
Benefits for the companies *selling* the treatments, however, are definitely confirmed.
Via @katiepalmer.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/m...
Microdosing aims to extend the lifespan of the GLP-1 compounding market
Despite no strong evidence of clinical benefit, microdosing GLP-1s will likely continue as a strategy for some to profit off of the popular drug class.
www.statnews.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Microdosing GLP-1 drugs? Right now, there's no robust clinical evidence doing so provides benefits.
Benefits for the companies *selling* the treatments, however, are definitely confirmed.
Via @katiepalmer.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/m...
Benefits for the companies *selling* the treatments, however, are definitely confirmed.
Via @katiepalmer.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/11/04/m...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
November 3, 2025 at 7:52 PM
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
Reposted by Megan Molteni
US citizen shot from behind as he warned ICE agents children would be coming to get bus, lawyers say
U.S. citizen shot from behind as he warned ICE agents about children gathering at bus stop, lawyers say
Lawyers for Carlos Jimenez said he was in fear after an agent threatened him with chemical spray, then pointed a gun at him.
www.latimes.com
November 2, 2025 at 11:25 PM
US citizen shot from behind as he warned ICE agents children would be coming to get bus, lawyers say
Reposted by Megan Molteni
BREAKING: FDA’s top drug regulator George Tidmarsh has been placed on leave after being accused of abusing his regulatory authority - but also after he questioned the commissioner's plan to speed approvals, and clashed with Vinay Prasad. More here:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/f...
FDA’s top drug regulator placed on leave amid investigation
George Tidmarsh, the FDA's top drug regulator, has been placed on leave after being accused of abusing his regulatory authority, STAT has learned.
www.statnews.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:11 PM
BREAKING: FDA’s top drug regulator George Tidmarsh has been placed on leave after being accused of abusing his regulatory authority - but also after he questioned the commissioner's plan to speed approvals, and clashed with Vinay Prasad. More here:
www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/f...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/f...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
Experts warn this aggressive approach will likely fuel greater abuses of civil and human rights, heighten public anger and lead to more warrantless arrests, straying far from the previous stated focus on “the worst of the worst.” “Spectacle, not security.” www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/02/b...
November 2, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Experts warn this aggressive approach will likely fuel greater abuses of civil and human rights, heighten public anger and lead to more warrantless arrests, straying far from the previous stated focus on “the worst of the worst.” “Spectacle, not security.” www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/02/b...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
1. Looking for weekend reads? Can't do better than these by my uber-talented @statnews.com colleagues @jasonmast.bsky.social & @lizzylawrence.bsky.social.
First, Jason's indepth look at #Moderna's transition from pandemic savior to company with significant problems. www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/m...
First, Jason's indepth look at #Moderna's transition from pandemic savior to company with significant problems. www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/m...
How Moderna, the company that helped save the world, unraveled
Exclusive: The inside story of why Moderna now faces a crisis unlike any in its 15-year-history.
www.statnews.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:42 PM
1. Looking for weekend reads? Can't do better than these by my uber-talented @statnews.com colleagues @jasonmast.bsky.social & @lizzylawrence.bsky.social.
First, Jason's indepth look at #Moderna's transition from pandemic savior to company with significant problems. www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/m...
First, Jason's indepth look at #Moderna's transition from pandemic savior to company with significant problems. www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/m...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
NEW: DHS plans to collect driver’s license data from states.
It’s the latest step in an unprecedented initiative to pool confidential data the Trump administration claims will help identify noncitizens on voter rolls and tighten immigration enforcement.
With @texastribune.org
It’s the latest step in an unprecedented initiative to pool confidential data the Trump administration claims will help identify noncitizens on voter rolls and tighten immigration enforcement.
With @texastribune.org
DHS Wants States to Hand Over Driver’s License Data for Citizenship Checks
It’s the latest step in an unprecedented initiative to pool confidential data that the Trump administration claims will help identify noncitizens on voter rolls and tighten immigration enforcement.
www.propublica.org
October 31, 2025 at 7:50 PM
NEW: DHS plans to collect driver’s license data from states.
It’s the latest step in an unprecedented initiative to pool confidential data the Trump administration claims will help identify noncitizens on voter rolls and tighten immigration enforcement.
With @texastribune.org
It’s the latest step in an unprecedented initiative to pool confidential data the Trump administration claims will help identify noncitizens on voter rolls and tighten immigration enforcement.
With @texastribune.org
Reposted by Megan Molteni
🚨 BREAKING: A federal judge in Rhode Island rules from the bench that the Trump admin **must** pay SNAP benefits.
"The court is orally ordering that USDA must distribute the contingency money timely or as soon as possible for the November 1 payments to be made."
Story to come.
"The court is orally ordering that USDA must distribute the contingency money timely or as soon as possible for the November 1 payments to be made."
Story to come.
This directly puts the ball in the Trump administration's court.
There's no longer a question of "can they issue SNAP benefits." They now **must** issue the payments.
So will they? And if so, how much?
These are now policy (and political) questions solely for the Trump administration.
There's no longer a question of "can they issue SNAP benefits." They now **must** issue the payments.
So will they? And if so, how much?
These are now policy (and political) questions solely for the Trump administration.
‼️ On SNAP, very significant here:
A federal judge rules that the Trump admin is "required" to spend the $5.5 billion in contingency funds to pay SNAP benefits.
But there will still be a gap in benefits; she gave the admin until Nov. 3 to share if/how they will issue payments.
A federal judge rules that the Trump admin is "required" to spend the $5.5 billion in contingency funds to pay SNAP benefits.
But there will still be a gap in benefits; she gave the admin until Nov. 3 to share if/how they will issue payments.
October 31, 2025 at 6:08 PM
🚨 BREAKING: A federal judge in Rhode Island rules from the bench that the Trump admin **must** pay SNAP benefits.
"The court is orally ordering that USDA must distribute the contingency money timely or as soon as possible for the November 1 payments to be made."
Story to come.
"The court is orally ordering that USDA must distribute the contingency money timely or as soon as possible for the November 1 payments to be made."
Story to come.
Another great story today by @aniloza.bsky.social about the publication of a study on health impacts of structural racism led by scientists at the NIH. The same NIH whose director has in recent months discredited such research as “ideological” and “unscientific.”
www.statnews.com/2025/10/31/s...
www.statnews.com/2025/10/31/s...
Amid attacks on such work, NIH-led research links structural racism to increased heart disease
NIH-led research on structural racism was published Friday, even as the Trump administration has cancelled and discredited such work
www.statnews.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Another great story today by @aniloza.bsky.social about the publication of a study on health impacts of structural racism led by scientists at the NIH. The same NIH whose director has in recent months discredited such research as “ideological” and “unscientific.”
www.statnews.com/2025/10/31/s...
www.statnews.com/2025/10/31/s...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
Absolutely chilling story by @aniloza.bsky.social on censorship in grant titles at NIH and how researchers are complying and sometimes fighting back. "They are trying to make people afraid to use the word equity," said one program officer. "It's highly effective." www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
Scientists had to change more than 700 grant titles to receive NIH funding. Health disparities researchers fear what’s next
The titles of more than 700 multi-year NIH grants have been changed this year, according to an analysis by Jeremy Berg, a former agency official
www.statnews.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Absolutely chilling story by @aniloza.bsky.social on censorship in grant titles at NIH and how researchers are complying and sometimes fighting back. "They are trying to make people afraid to use the word equity," said one program officer. "It's highly effective." www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
Goodbye, SAMHSA?
After the Trump administration's latest layoffs at the federal agency for mental health and addiction treatment, the agency is in shambles.
On the sacking of SAMHSA and what it means for the country's behavioral health, w/ @levfacher.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/s...
After the Trump administration's latest layoffs at the federal agency for mental health and addiction treatment, the agency is in shambles.
On the sacking of SAMHSA and what it means for the country's behavioral health, w/ @levfacher.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/s...
Trump cuts have decimated the federal addiction and mental health agency
The Trump administration has dismantled big chunks of the federal agency focused on mental health and addiction treatment, reducing its staff by more than half
www.statnews.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Goodbye, SAMHSA?
After the Trump administration's latest layoffs at the federal agency for mental health and addiction treatment, the agency is in shambles.
On the sacking of SAMHSA and what it means for the country's behavioral health, w/ @levfacher.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/s...
After the Trump administration's latest layoffs at the federal agency for mental health and addiction treatment, the agency is in shambles.
On the sacking of SAMHSA and what it means for the country's behavioral health, w/ @levfacher.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/10/30/s...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
New: Videos show ICE/CBP agents are scanning peoples' faces on the street to verify citizenship. ICE has tool to instantly look up unprecedented number of databases with just a photo
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
ICE and CBP Agents Are Scanning Peoples’ Faces on the Street To Verify Citizenship
Videos on social media show officers from ICE and CBP using facial recognition technology on people in the field. One expert described the practice as “pure dystopian creep.”
www.404media.co
October 29, 2025 at 2:42 PM
New: Videos show ICE/CBP agents are scanning peoples' faces on the street to verify citizenship. ICE has tool to instantly look up unprecedented number of databases with just a photo
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
SCOOP
The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered
The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”
I got the memo laying it all out
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered
The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”
I got the memo laying it all out
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
Citing Trump Order on “Biological Truth,” VA Makes It Harder for Male Veterans With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage
A Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica erects new roadblocks to care for veterans with the rare but deadly cancer. The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive orde...
www.propublica.org
October 29, 2025 at 11:15 AM
SCOOP
The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered
The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”
I got the memo laying it all out
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
The admin is making it harder for male vets w/ breast cancer to get their care covered
The admin cites Trump order: “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government”
I got the memo laying it all out
www.propublica.org/article/vete...
Reposted by Megan Molteni
There's been endless talk about an AI bubble, but less about exactly how, why, and how much it's a bubble. So I turned to the framework put forward by scholars Brent Goldfarb and David A. Kirsch, authors of "Bubbles and Crashes," for assessing tech bubbles.
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
AI Is the Bubble to Burst Them All
I talked to the scholars who literally wrote the book on tech bubbles—and applied their test.
www.wired.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:58 PM
There's been endless talk about an AI bubble, but less about exactly how, why, and how much it's a bubble. So I turned to the framework put forward by scholars Brent Goldfarb and David A. Kirsch, authors of "Bubbles and Crashes," for assessing tech bubbles.
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8