Tara C. Smith
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aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith
@aetiology.bsky.social
33K followers 2.8K following 5.2K posts

Collector of social media sites. Infectious disease epidemiologist. Writes about vaccine hesitancy, science misinfo, zombies. Probably somewhere on a trail. Views own etc.

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The Smith special counsel investigation was a special counsel investigation that was opened by U.S. attorney general Merrick Garland on November 18, 2022, three days after Donald Trump announced his campaign for the 2024 United States presidential election. The investigation was created to continue two investigations initiated by the Justice Department (DOJ) regarding former U.S. president Donald Trump. Garland appointed Jack Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor, to lead the independent investigations. Smith was tasked with investigating Trump's role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack and Trump's mishandling of government records, including classified documents. .. more

Political science 39%
Economics 19%
Posts Replies Media Videos

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 2h
Ugh haven't read that yet.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 4h
Mint hot chocolate is the only drink I get at coffee shops.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 4h
Yep. Indefinitely.

Reposted by Smith

chuckwendig.bsky.social
Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 4h
Listen I’m just saying if you need some signed and personalized and stickery books of mine for the holidays AND you want to support a truly excellent indie bookstore, then hey psst look, PS tell your friends
Merry Happy Wendigmas
HEYYYY so every year, I tend to get Very Cool People who decide to buy my books as holiday gifts for friends, loved ones, cherished foes, or, y’know, themselves. And I like to offer the oppor…
terribleminds.com

Reposted by Smith, Richard M. Carpiano

solnatamd.medsky.social
🦋Dr. Natalia🕊🌻🪬 @solnatamd.medsky.social · 4h
More attack on vaccine from RFK Jr.
CDC Quietly Turned Off Its Vaccine Search Tool. It’s Not Clear When It’s Coming Back.
“I have heard that they are planning to ‘update it’ and shudder to think what that will mean,” Demetre Daskalakis, a former member of CDC leadership, told NOTUS.
www.notus.org

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 6h
I know there are many of you on here who've dealt with this.
virginiagewin.bsky.social Virginia Gewin @virginiagewin.bsky.social · 6h
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.)

RTs appreciated.

Reposted by Smith

warnock.senate.gov
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock @warnock.senate.gov · 6h
We’re experiencing the worst measles outbreak in years. And it’s in no small part because Sec. Kennedy is casting doubt on vaccines.

This kind of reckless rhetoric has consequences.

Especially when it’s coming from the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Lisa W. Fazio, Gavin A. Schmidt , and 7 more

virginiagewin.bsky.social
Virginia Gewin @virginiagewin.bsky.social · 6h
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.)

RTs appreciated.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 8h
I'm so sorry.

Reposted by Smith, Robert Wolfe

medpagetoday.com
MedPage Today @medpagetoday.com · 9h
BREAKING via @jeremyfaust.bsky.social: The CDC's internal email server now lists Louisiana physician Ralph Lee Abraham, MD, as the agency's principal deputy director -- "an irresponsible choice," according to one public health expert.
www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/faus...
Opinion | Top Ivermectin Prescriber Now in CDC's Second Highest Position
Ralph Lee Abraham, MD, has a questionable public health track record
www.medpagetoday.com

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 10h
Kennedy's eugenics influence.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10h
Markwayne Mullin on healthcare: "What the president would like to do is say, hey, if you take care of yourself -- you don't smoke, you don't dip, you're not drinking, you're not overweight, you're working out -- then you should pay less than the guy that obviously is not taking care of himself."

Reposted by Smith, Richard M. Carpiano, Simon Lester

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10h
Markwayne Mullin on healthcare: "What the president would like to do is say, hey, if you take care of yourself -- you don't smoke, you don't dip, you're not drinking, you're not overweight, you're working out -- then you should pay less than the guy that obviously is not taking care of himself."

Reposted by Smith

doritreiss.bsky.social
Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 11h
Cheryl Hines, in the past, used to speak up against preventable diseases and harm to children from them.

lnkd.in/gWMns9h5

Important reminder as a third (unvaccinated) baby in Kentucky died from whooping cough this year.
1/2
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 12h
And Louisiana is a hotspot but the country writ large is also a mess. We need real leadership here, not antivax sycophants.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 12h
I love this book but do have to mention it's historical fiction. Very good at telling the tale but some liberties are taken.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 12h
Gotcha. Have no cats here so am not familiar with those. Dogs get flu vaccines but not yet this year and no idea what they received last time--I'd have to check their records.

Reposted by Smith, Alan Richardson, Lisa Diedrich , and 1 more

melodyschreiber.com
Melody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 12h
Olivia Nuzzi wrote an entire story based on unnamed sources about Biden's decline, reinvigorating calls for him to leave the race -- and the whole time, she was working on RFK Jr.'s behalf, according to her ex-fiance. newrepublic.com/article/2035...
Olivia Nuzzi’s Real Victims
More than her fiancé, or fellow female journalists, the public will pay the price for these misdeeds. RFK Jr. will see to that.
newrepublic.com

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 12h
Since this guy came on board, Louisiana has had a record pertussis year, with 2 infant deaths in the state. Now RFK Jr gave him a promotion up to the CDC.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 12h
Andrew Wehrman is a great follow on this topic. He also has a recent book on it. bsky.app/profile/prof...
profwehrman.bsky.social Andrew Wehrman @profwehrman.bsky.social · 5d
Ken Burns’ documentary did mention Washington’s decision to inoculate the troops, but it missed a tremendous opportunity to talk about how inoculation, and public health generally, was being discussed as both a duty of government and a right of the people. It wasn’t just a smart tactical move.
profwehrman.bsky.social Andrew Wehrman @profwehrman.bsky.social · 13d
George Washington’s surgeon general Dr. John Morgan wrote in his 1776 “Recommendation of Inoculation” that denying inoculation was a “violation of the natural rights of mankind” and every government has a duty to “provide for the safety of its members by rendering [it] as universal as possible.”

Reposted by Smith

joho.bsky.social
Jonathan Howard @joho.bsky.social · 12h
Yes. Reading the old accounts reveal that nothing is new.

wellcomecollection.org/works/z4442m...

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 12h
Yes I'm aware. I see it daily in antivax groups.

Reposted by Smith, David Darmofal

crampell.bsky.social
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 13h
CDC’s new top deputy had ordered his state health department to stop promoting mass vaccinations amid a flu surge www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Louisiana health official who halted state vaccine campaign tapped as CDC’s No. 2
Ralph Abraham, a Louisiana health official who stopped promoting mass vaccination vaccines, has been appointed as the CDC's principal deputy director
www.washingtonpost.com

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 13h
I'm lucky and never had to deal with that but have heard so many horror stories.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 13h
Is there a high uptake of those? I thought they were rare for pet vaccines as of now. (To my knowledge my dogs have never received an mRNA vax and they get vaxxed for everything).

Reposted by Smith

tom.medsky.social
Tom Turkey [redacted] DO 🦃 @tom.medsky.social · 14h
The other thing, infants usually spend most of their early life with their mothers. If they get pertussis, they often get it from them.

Reposted by Jonathan A. Eisen, Gavin A. Schmidt, Tom Shakespeare , and 2 more

altcdc.altgov.info
Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 14h
1/ ⚠️ Breaking: At CDC, we've been told the US Government will not officially commemorate World AIDS Day this year. No explanation given.
Photograph of a printed guidance memo stating that the U.S. Government will not be commemorating World AIDS Day this year. Key points include: USG funds should not be used for related events, personnel should refrain from public promotion via social media or other channels, and CDC and other USG staff may attend local events but cannot speak or promote attendance. The memo notes this guidance supersedes previous blanket approval and may require adjustments to planned activities.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 18h
Adorable. Have you checked out @gparents4vaccines.bsky.social ?

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 18h
Yes, especially under 2 months they are fully vulnerable, hence maternal vaccination. 0 of 3 had that. Unclear ages so can't know if they were eligible for their own yet.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 19h
They've the ones who suffer though. Except COVID, flu etc, parents were usually vaccinated as children.

aetiology.bsky.social
Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 19h
It's awful. A friend broke ribs when she had it.