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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 10h

trying to look on the bright side

a tux cat passed out with her head resting in a tiny sliver of sunny spot

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Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 4h

so gov pritzker has talked a very good game but its time to step up and protect his people like he said he would

Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 5h

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 4h

oh wow look it's the exact thing every single person who works in public health ethics said was a risk with wastewater surveillance especially when we took it to the point where we had researchers trying to identify individual chronic infections using social media and crowdsourcing

David Wallace-Wells @dwallacewells.bsky.social · 4h

"Senior officials at the EPA directed a team of scientists over the summer to assess whether the government could develop methods for detecting traces of abortion pills in wastewater." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

Under Trump, E.P.A. Explored if Abortion Pills Could Be Detected in Wastewater

www.nytimes.com

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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 5h

Russell Vought has announced that "mass firings [RIFs] have begun."

Lawless. The RIFs in the spring were illegal, as Judge Illston outlined. Yes, the conservative SCOTUS supermajority lawlessly signed off. But the Calvinball Court is not doing law.

Congress can stop this. A thread: 1/

'RIFs have begun.' Vought announces start of mass firings during government shutdown

The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.

www.pbs.org

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HELLody SchreiBOO @melodyschreiber.com · 5h

AFGE, the largest union representing federal employees, calls the RIFs during the government shutdown "illegal" and points out that this has never happened before during a shutdown

AFGE President Everett Kelley Condemns Trump Administration Illegal Mass firings
Largest federal employee union demands Congress end the government shutdown immediately

WASHINGTON – Today, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing more than 800,000 federal and D.C. government employees condemned the Trump administration’s decision to illegally fire thousands of federal employees during the government shutdown.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley issued the following statement:

“It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country.

“These workers show up every day to serve the American people, and for the past nine months have been met with nothing but cruelty and viciousness from President Trump. Every single American citizen should be outraged.

“Federal workers are tired of being used as pawns for the political and personal gains of the elected and un-elected leaders. It’s time for Congress to do their jobs and negotiate an end to this shutdown immediately.

“In AFGE’s 93 years of existence under several presidential administrations – including during Trump’s first term – no president has ever decided to fire thousands of furloughed workers during a government shutdown.

“AFGE is currently challenging President Trump’s illegal, unprecedented, abuse of power and we will not stop fighting until every reduction-in-force notice is rescinded.”

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Meredith Shiner @meredithshiner.com · 8h

But JB did such a cute video for Jimmy Kimmel last night

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 9h

Several Illinois state troopers out here now with pepper ball launchers of their own.

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 5h

Eighty-five percent of parents said they trust their child’s pediatrician on vaccine information — a level of confidence that cuts across political divides, including among MAGA Republicans, according to a Washington Post-KFF poll.

In an age of vaccine skepticism, parents trust pediatricians most

A Washington Post-KFF poll finds that pediatricians are the most trusted source for vaccine information and that confidence in them is a strong predictor of vaccination.

www.washingtonpost.com

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 5h

project 2025

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 5h

EPA officials directed scientists to assess whether the government could develop methods for detecting abortion pills in wastewater — a practice sought by the anti-abortion movement. The request appears to have originated from a letter sent from GOP members to Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator.

Under Trump, E.P.A. Explored if Abortion Pills Could Be Detected in Wastewater

Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency found that they could develop methods to identify traces of the medication if necessary — a practice long sought by the anti-abortion movement.

nyti.ms

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 5h

Yes, we argue vociferously, backed by empirical research, that patients’ wellbeing and health outcomes will suffer from the Trump administration’s push to end DEI policies at US medical schools

The BMJ @bmj.com · 5h

The Trump administration and its allies have taken several steps to ensure that medical schools in the US dismantle all diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

It is patients who will be the victims of this, write @gavinyamey.bsky.social and @michaeldgreen.com
www.bmj.com/content/391/...

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Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 5h

sounds crimey

More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 6h

BREAKING: Trump’s budget chief Russ Vought says that “reduction in force,” or mass firings of federal workers, have begun — a move that is likely illegal.

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Geoff Garin @geoffgarin.bsky.social · 5h

Only 33% of Americans support mass firings of federal workers, with declining support among Republican voters, per the new Reuters/IPSOS poll. These actions by Trump - a continuation of what happened earlier with Musk and DOGE - will create more blowback against Republicans in the shutdown fight.

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Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 6h

The CDC's website was updated sometime in the past week, signaling the meeting date is now "TBD."

Childhood vaccines safe for a little longer as CDC cancels advisory meeting

The committee aims to take on the entire childhood vaccine schedule.

arstechnica.com

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

Three key points:
1) The admin has been planning mass firings to begin in October since February
2) The work necessary to carry out mass firings is illegal during a shutdown, violating the Antideficiency Act, which carries a criminal penalty
3) This harms America, ridding us of talent and expertise

Russ Vought v @russvought
The RIFs have begun.
12:27 PM • 10/10/25 • 15K Views

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 6h

more high art on today’s morning walk

peanuts skeletons in a wooded hilly yard, including snoopy on his dog house and a psychiatry stand

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Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 7h

The biggest issue facing early career researchers in the US, says @ianlmorgan.bsky.social in this superb piece, is "recent actions by NIH leadership that—on his [Jay Bhattacharya's] watch—have thrown biomedical research in the United States into chaos"

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 11h

Thoughtful and well-informed op-ed from @ianlmorgan.bsky.social

Definitely worth a read!

www.the-scientist.com/nih-leadersh...

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NIH Leadership Is Failing Early Career Researchers

Halted training programs, funding chaos, and hiring freezes jeopardize advancement options for early career researchers.

www.the-scientist.com

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 8h

the jump was as comically expressive as possible

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 8h

nope

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 8h

you can see the exact moment the possum’s ghost rises

the ghostly free frame of the candy stealing possum jumping up from the table after being scared by the witch decoration

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 9h

i’m not even going to ask

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 10h

coming out of my cage and i’ve been doing just fine

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 10h

trying to look on the bright side

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Corel Gallery Clipart @clipart.bsky.social · Aug 24

CHICAGO.BMF

The Chicago skyline at night, the buildings aglow with lights and power. An airplane is silhouetted against the dark blue sky, one wing eclipsing a brilliant full moon. The view is stunning, a testament to humanity and its glorious achievements. This will be the last full night of electricity. This will be the last plane to land safely at O’Hare. Or anywhere, for that matter. The passengers will disembark, jockey for a good spot at the luggage carousel, call their Ubers, and it will be the last time for all of it.

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 20h

no shit

RFK Jr. to Congress: "I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me'

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21h

One way of thinking about the Trump administration is that the worst people in American government are pushing out the best people in American government
www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...

Their interview, described in a federal lawsuit filed last week by Mr. Driscoll and two other recently fired senior FBI officials, began with benign questions about the gravest threats to the nation and possible adjustments to the FBI's structure, but then took a swerve: Who had Mr. Driscoll voted for? When did he start supporting President Donald J. Trump? And had he voted for a Democrat in the past five elections? He declined to answer those three, noting to the 29-year-old attorney and former podcaster that the questions were inappropriate and potentially violative of the Hatch Act.

Mr. Ingrassia asked another question that would in the ensuing weeks take on greater significance: Did Mr. Driscoll think the FBI agents who had "stormed" Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 should be held accountable? Mr. Driscoll said no, since they had been executing legal search warrants.

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 21h

“The uptick in H5N1 activity signals that the avian influenza season is fully under way… Over the last 30 days, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in 38 flocks, including 24 commercial flocks and 14 in backyard locations.” @jackiantonovich.bsky.social

Flurry of H5N1 activity noted in commercial poultry, wild birds

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has noted several new H5N1 outbreaks and detections in commercial poultry flocks, backyard flocks, and wild migrating birds.

www.cidrap.umn.edu

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