Crescent Martin
@crescentmartin.bsky.social
Cmartin2 over at the Bad Place
Reposted by Crescent Martin
RFK Jr's HHS had a press call to announce they were — based on no new data — overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule. Senior officials at HHS answered questions but refused to go on the record, saying we could only attribute the quotes to "officials." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
U.S. overhauls childhood vaccine schedule, recommends fewer shots
The U.S. no longer broadly recommends vaccines for flu, hepatitis A and B, and RSV. Health officials say the guidance aligns with that of peer countries.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:48 PM
RFK Jr's HHS had a press call to announce they were — based on no new data — overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule. Senior officials at HHS answered questions but refused to go on the record, saying we could only attribute the quotes to "officials." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
Reposted by Crescent Martin
The Post interviewed almost 100 sources for this comprehensive, revelatory account of how RFK Jr. has disrupted public health in America.
It's the capstone to a year of extensive reporting by @rachelroubein.bsky.social, @lenasun.bsky.social & @laurenweberhp.bsky.social.
Gift link: wapo.st/48YSPC1
It's the capstone to a year of extensive reporting by @rachelroubein.bsky.social, @lenasun.bsky.social & @laurenweberhp.bsky.social.
Gift link: wapo.st/48YSPC1
Inside RFK Jr.’s reshaping of public health in Trump’s first year
Interviews with almost 100 people reveal how Kennedy, as health secretary, has reshaped the vaccine and broader public health infrastructure in less than a year.
wapo.st
December 30, 2025 at 1:13 PM
The Post interviewed almost 100 sources for this comprehensive, revelatory account of how RFK Jr. has disrupted public health in America.
It's the capstone to a year of extensive reporting by @rachelroubein.bsky.social, @lenasun.bsky.social & @laurenweberhp.bsky.social.
Gift link: wapo.st/48YSPC1
It's the capstone to a year of extensive reporting by @rachelroubein.bsky.social, @lenasun.bsky.social & @laurenweberhp.bsky.social.
Gift link: wapo.st/48YSPC1
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Detailed, thorough, consequential, and of course...
"Cassidy’s office declined repeated requests for a formal interview."
🎁
wapo.st/48YSPC1
"Cassidy’s office declined repeated requests for a formal interview."
🎁
wapo.st/48YSPC1
How RFK Jr. upended the public health system
Interviews with almost 100 people reveal how Kennedy, as health secretary, has reshaped the vaccine and broader public health infrastructure in less than a year.
wapo.st
December 30, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Detailed, thorough, consequential, and of course...
"Cassidy’s office declined repeated requests for a formal interview."
🎁
wapo.st/48YSPC1
"Cassidy’s office declined repeated requests for a formal interview."
🎁
wapo.st/48YSPC1
Reposted by Crescent Martin
The US is not Denmark. Denmark is not the US. The Danish immunization schedule is not adapted for the realities of the American Healthcare system and population.
Let me explain.
This is a long thread so buckle up 🧵
Let me explain.
This is a long thread so buckle up 🧵
December 21, 2025 at 2:38 PM
The US is not Denmark. Denmark is not the US. The Danish immunization schedule is not adapted for the realities of the American Healthcare system and population.
Let me explain.
This is a long thread so buckle up 🧵
Let me explain.
This is a long thread so buckle up 🧵
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Read @boghuma.bsky.social’s piece on RFK Jr’s HBV vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau. bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
How Unethical Research Seeds Medical Mistrust
The absence of equipoise can turn research into harm
bktitanji.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Read @boghuma.bsky.social’s piece on RFK Jr’s HBV vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau. bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
Reposted by Crescent Martin
This is the best piece I’ve read so far on why the Guinea-Bissau RCT, in which a proven life-saving vaccine will be deliberately WITHHELD, is unethical
“When benefit is established, withholding an intervention is no longer neutral experimentation it becomes premeditated harm”
“When benefit is established, withholding an intervention is no longer neutral experimentation it becomes premeditated harm”
The planned hepatitis B birth-dose trial in Guinea-Bissau raises serious ethical concerns. Withholding a proven, life-saving vaccine from newborns to answer speculative questions is an absence of equipoise with real downstream harms for trust in vaccines.
bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
How Unethical Research Seeds Medical Mistrust
The absence of equipoise can turn research into harm
bktitanji.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:06 PM
This is the best piece I’ve read so far on why the Guinea-Bissau RCT, in which a proven life-saving vaccine will be deliberately WITHHELD, is unethical
“When benefit is established, withholding an intervention is no longer neutral experimentation it becomes premeditated harm”
“When benefit is established, withholding an intervention is no longer neutral experimentation it becomes premeditated harm”
Reposted by Crescent Martin
The planned hepatitis B birth-dose trial in Guinea-Bissau raises serious ethical concerns. Withholding a proven, life-saving vaccine from newborns to answer speculative questions is an absence of equipoise with real downstream harms for trust in vaccines.
bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
How Unethical Research Seeds Medical Mistrust
The absence of equipoise can turn research into harm
bktitanji.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:18 PM
The planned hepatitis B birth-dose trial in Guinea-Bissau raises serious ethical concerns. Withholding a proven, life-saving vaccine from newborns to answer speculative questions is an absence of equipoise with real downstream harms for trust in vaccines.
bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi...
Reposted by Crescent Martin
The media needs to stop writing headlines like “The CDC changes course on vaccines and autism” and “The CDC defends measles response”.
NONE of this is coming from legitimate scientists at the CDC.
ALL of it is coming from RFK Jr.
Every such headline is causing further harm to public health.
NONE of this is coming from legitimate scientists at the CDC.
ALL of it is coming from RFK Jr.
Every such headline is causing further harm to public health.
December 17, 2025 at 1:49 AM
The media needs to stop writing headlines like “The CDC changes course on vaccines and autism” and “The CDC defends measles response”.
NONE of this is coming from legitimate scientists at the CDC.
ALL of it is coming from RFK Jr.
Every such headline is causing further harm to public health.
NONE of this is coming from legitimate scientists at the CDC.
ALL of it is coming from RFK Jr.
Every such headline is causing further harm to public health.
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Birthright citizenship under the common law, a thread:
I have done this many times on social media, in print, and in media interviews, but not to be accused of taking others’ not seriously enough, by plainly stating the law and history of birthright citizenship, I’m taking the time here:
I have done this many times on social media, in print, and in media interviews, but not to be accused of taking others’ not seriously enough, by plainly stating the law and history of birthright citizenship, I’m taking the time here:
December 12, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Birthright citizenship under the common law, a thread:
I have done this many times on social media, in print, and in media interviews, but not to be accused of taking others’ not seriously enough, by plainly stating the law and history of birthright citizenship, I’m taking the time here:
I have done this many times on social media, in print, and in media interviews, but not to be accused of taking others’ not seriously enough, by plainly stating the law and history of birthright citizenship, I’m taking the time here:
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Covid vaccines released last fall sharply decreased the risk of ER and urgent care visits in children, according to new data released by the CDC — providing a striking counterpoint to Trump administration rhetoric about the shots
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/h...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/h...
Covid Vaccines Reduced Children’s Likelihood of E.R. and Urgent Care Visits, the C.D.C. Reported
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Covid vaccines released last fall sharply decreased the risk of ER and urgent care visits in children, according to new data released by the CDC — providing a striking counterpoint to Trump administration rhetoric about the shots
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/h...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/h...
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat, Reykjavik — Magnús Tómasson, 1994
November 26, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat, Reykjavik — Magnús Tómasson, 1994
Reposted by Crescent Martin
We have an exciting offer thanks to researcher, author, and Autonomy News subscriber @gretchensisson.bsky.social: Sign up for a new annual subscription before December 31 and you will receive a free, signed copy of Gretchen’s book Relinquished, as long as supplies last!
Autonomy News
A worker-owned reproductive rights and justice publication.
www.autonomynews.co
December 8, 2025 at 11:34 PM
We have an exciting offer thanks to researcher, author, and Autonomy News subscriber @gretchensisson.bsky.social: Sign up for a new annual subscription before December 31 and you will receive a free, signed copy of Gretchen’s book Relinquished, as long as supplies last!
Reposted by Crescent Martin
The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downgrade its recommendations to protect infants from hepatitis B is a dangerous move that will harm children.
Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT
Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT
December 5, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downgrade its recommendations to protect infants from hepatitis B is a dangerous move that will harm children.
Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT
Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT
Reposted by Crescent Martin
THIS is how you do health journalism—including the highly responsible title that gets immediately to the real story
Thank goodness for journalists like @melodyschreiber.com & columnists like @lisamjarvis.bsky.social at Bloomberg, who are covering the dangerous shenanigans of the MAHA crew so well
Thank goodness for journalists like @melodyschreiber.com & columnists like @lisamjarvis.bsky.social at Bloomberg, who are covering the dangerous shenanigans of the MAHA crew so well
America’s top vaccines official promised, in a long and argumentative memo to staff, to revamp vaccine regulation after claiming 10 children died from Covid vaccines. But Vinay Prasad offered no evidence for that allegation and scant details on the new approach.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘Never seen anything like this’: alarm at memo from top US vaccine official
Vinay Prasad memo said at least 10 children had died from Covid vaccination – but offered scant evidence for claim
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:58 PM
THIS is how you do health journalism—including the highly responsible title that gets immediately to the real story
Thank goodness for journalists like @melodyschreiber.com & columnists like @lisamjarvis.bsky.social at Bloomberg, who are covering the dangerous shenanigans of the MAHA crew so well
Thank goodness for journalists like @melodyschreiber.com & columnists like @lisamjarvis.bsky.social at Bloomberg, who are covering the dangerous shenanigans of the MAHA crew so well
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Hoping this is #FrontPage and context for all journalists and editors writing about the demolition of the FDA and CDC by antiscience.
A Threat to Evidence-Based Vaccine Policy and Public Health Security at the FDA: former FDA commissioners call out Dr. Prasad's departure from previous standards in @nejm.org www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
A Threat to Evidence-Based Vaccine Policy and Public Health Security at the FDA | NEJM
Twelve former commissioners of the FDA express concern that the agency’s recent moves will undermine a regulatory model designed to ensure vaccine safety, effectiveness, and availability.
www.nejm.org
December 4, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Hoping this is #FrontPage and context for all journalists and editors writing about the demolition of the FDA and CDC by antiscience.
Reposted by Crescent Martin
The BLS continues to produce high quality employment estimates. I understand where this comes from, but part of how Trump undermines institutions is by generating mistrust of legitimate institutions.
The only reliable data we are going to get on this stuff now comes from the private sector. bsky.app/profile/atru...
🚨 CNBC on latest jobs numbers: "A big miss on ADP payrolls. The private payroll company saying private payrolls shed 32,000 workers in Nov. That's the 4th negative number in past 6 months. The estimate was for +40,000, so the street was off ... this may be coming from being hammered by the tariffs"
December 3, 2025 at 2:21 PM
The BLS continues to produce high quality employment estimates. I understand where this comes from, but part of how Trump undermines institutions is by generating mistrust of legitimate institutions.
Reposted by Crescent Martin
It's very concerning that the ACIP may vote to delay hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines for children, as reported by
@reuters.com
Here's why. 🧵
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
@reuters.com
Here's why. 🧵
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
December 2, 2025 at 8:32 PM
It's very concerning that the ACIP may vote to delay hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines for children, as reported by
@reuters.com
Here's why. 🧵
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
@reuters.com
Here's why. 🧵
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
Reposted by Crescent Martin
One of my absolute favorite expert virologists (who is also one of the editors of the journal Vaccine) tells it like it is
“Prasad can heap suffering on CBER staff all he likes, but it always must be in the service of Kennedy’s MAHA agenda. What Kennedy asks, Prasad will deliver.”
“Prasad can heap suffering on CBER staff all he likes, but it always must be in the service of Kennedy’s MAHA agenda. What Kennedy asks, Prasad will deliver.”
This REALLY annoyed me yesterday. Mostly because I know what the intended impact is on vaccination (stripping access), but also because it is not evidence-based. Prasad & Høeg provided no data to support their position besides "it's VAERS."
bsky.app/profile/angi...
bsky.app/profile/angi...
Vinay Prasad sent Tracey Høeg dumpster diving in VAERS for pretext to block access to flu vaccines, alter safety standards, end combo vaccines, & hold clinical trials to impossible standards.
CBER is supposed to regulate vaccines, not withhold them. FDA is as broken as CDC.
CBER is supposed to regulate vaccines, not withhold them. FDA is as broken as CDC.
November 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM
One of my absolute favorite expert virologists (who is also one of the editors of the journal Vaccine) tells it like it is
“Prasad can heap suffering on CBER staff all he likes, but it always must be in the service of Kennedy’s MAHA agenda. What Kennedy asks, Prasad will deliver.”
“Prasad can heap suffering on CBER staff all he likes, but it always must be in the service of Kennedy’s MAHA agenda. What Kennedy asks, Prasad will deliver.”
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Dr. Prasad send an email to CBER suggesting changes to the approval for respiratory vaccines based, apparently, on the conclusion of an unpublished investigation into VAERS report by unknown people. A few thoughts beyond what was already reported, based on the full email: 1/n
November 29, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Dr. Prasad send an email to CBER suggesting changes to the approval for respiratory vaccines based, apparently, on the conclusion of an unpublished investigation into VAERS report by unknown people. A few thoughts beyond what was already reported, based on the full email: 1/n
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Media need to report on this as they report on other baseless claims of the antivax movement, bc the lunatics are running the asylum at the FDA.
The institution is compromised. Make it clear who made this decision and how little work they showed *in the headline*. Don’t confuse the public further.
The institution is compromised. Make it clear who made this decision and how little work they showed *in the headline*. Don’t confuse the public further.
News media has to do better with headlines that present false and unverified public health claims.
November 30, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Media need to report on this as they report on other baseless claims of the antivax movement, bc the lunatics are running the asylum at the FDA.
The institution is compromised. Make it clear who made this decision and how little work they showed *in the headline*. Don’t confuse the public further.
The institution is compromised. Make it clear who made this decision and how little work they showed *in the headline*. Don’t confuse the public further.
Reposted by Crescent Martin
👇 Been doing this for 15 years and taught me soooo much.
Dr. Prasad send an email to CBER suggesting changes to the approval for respiratory vaccines based, apparently, on the conclusion of an unpublished investigation into VAERS report by unknown people. A few thoughts beyond what was already reported, based on the full email: 1/n
November 29, 2025 at 6:36 PM
👇 Been doing this for 15 years and taught me soooo much.
Reposted by Crescent Martin
A🧵
This is profoundly irresponsible by AGSulzberger’s NYT, @by-cjewett.bsky.social +eds.
The normalization, “view-from-nowhere”, “born-yesterday”, stenography, “both-sides”, irresponsible headline are disgraceful.
THE story is the CDC&FDA are being destroyed by antiscience & Americans will die.
1/n
This is profoundly irresponsible by AGSulzberger’s NYT, @by-cjewett.bsky.social +eds.
The normalization, “view-from-nowhere”, “born-yesterday”, stenography, “both-sides”, irresponsible headline are disgraceful.
THE story is the CDC&FDA are being destroyed by antiscience & Americans will die.
1/n
November 29, 2025 at 5:40 PM
A🧵
This is profoundly irresponsible by AGSulzberger’s NYT, @by-cjewett.bsky.social +eds.
The normalization, “view-from-nowhere”, “born-yesterday”, stenography, “both-sides”, irresponsible headline are disgraceful.
THE story is the CDC&FDA are being destroyed by antiscience & Americans will die.
1/n
This is profoundly irresponsible by AGSulzberger’s NYT, @by-cjewett.bsky.social +eds.
The normalization, “view-from-nowhere”, “born-yesterday”, stenography, “both-sides”, irresponsible headline are disgraceful.
THE story is the CDC&FDA are being destroyed by antiscience & Americans will die.
1/n
Reposted by Crescent Martin
Headlines like this are extremely dangerous. Because moms of young kids are the people who make the bulk of the vaccine decisions for famillies. And for a lot of them, "reading the news" looks like scrolling past headlines on social media in the spare moments of the chaos of caring for kids.
November 29, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Headlines like this are extremely dangerous. Because moms of young kids are the people who make the bulk of the vaccine decisions for famillies. And for a lot of them, "reading the news" looks like scrolling past headlines on social media in the spare moments of the chaos of caring for kids.
Reposted by Crescent Martin
THIS THIS THIS. COVID-19 killed kids. The current group of people in charge of vaccine policy are wielding their medical credentials to undermine our ability to protect children from harm.
🔔 Reminder: Covid-19 was a leading case of death among US children and young people during the pandemic with 821 deaths in the year from August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022 @jamanetworkopen.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
COVID-19 as the Underlying Cause of Death Among Individuals Aged 0 to 19 Years in the US
This cross-sectional study evaluates whether COVID-19 is among the top 10 causes of death in children and young people aged 0 to 19 years in the US.
jamanetwork.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:16 PM
THIS THIS THIS. COVID-19 killed kids. The current group of people in charge of vaccine policy are wielding their medical credentials to undermine our ability to protect children from harm.
Reposted by Crescent Martin
🔔 Reminder: Covid-19 was a leading case of death among US children and young people during the pandemic with 821 deaths in the year from August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022 @jamanetworkopen.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
COVID-19 as the Underlying Cause of Death Among Individuals Aged 0 to 19 Years in the US
This cross-sectional study evaluates whether COVID-19 is among the top 10 causes of death in children and young people aged 0 to 19 years in the US.
jamanetwork.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:30 AM
🔔 Reminder: Covid-19 was a leading case of death among US children and young people during the pandemic with 821 deaths in the year from August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022 @jamanetworkopen.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...