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August 29, 2025
CDC Leader Drops Bombshell RFK Jr. Admission
(Daily Beast) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has never actually been briefed by CDC experts before making major public health decisions, according to a departing top official at the agency. The bombshell claim from Dr. Demetre Daskalakis came in a Thursday night CNN interview after the ousting of the newly appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control left the agency in chaos. He gave further details in an interview with the Daily Beast. Daskalakis resigned from his position as director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases on Wednesday in response to the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, who was appointed to the role by President Donald Trump. He is one of four top officials to quit in protest.
Go to discussionCDC Turmoil: White House Reportedly Taps New Director Amid Staffer Walkout
(Forbes) The White House selected Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill as the next acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to The Washington Post, tapping the technology investor for the role as former CDC leadership protested against the Trump administration and its contested firing of ex-CDC Director Susan Monarez.
Go to discussionEuropean Leader Calls Trump a 'Russian Asset'
(Daily Beast) Portugal’s president has branded President Donald Trump a “Russian asset,” blasting him for his tepid response to Moscow while Ukraine struggles against Russia’s invasion. Trump has wavered heavily in his public stance on the war that started when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale assault on Ukraine over three years ago. While Trump has threatened Putin with higher sanctions and “severe consequences” if he presses on with the war, he has declined to follow through, often lashing out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky instead.
Go to discussionRepublican Storms Out of Back Door After Being Laughed At During Town Hall
(Daily Beast) A Republican congressman left a heated town hall via the back door after he was relentlessly laughed at and heckled while trying to defend President Trump. Rep. Barry Moore was hammered with tough queries—and more than a few heckles—during a raucous town hall in Daphne, Alabama. The tense showdown was captured in a 40-minute video from the advocacy group Indivisible Baldwin County. It shows Moore squirming under relentless questioning about Medicaid cuts, the closure of rural hospitals, Trump-era tariffs, immigration crackdowns, abortion bans, and even the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C..
Go to discussion'Stop lying!' Another House Republican town hall devolves into angry shouting
(Raw Story) Another Republican town hall went off the rails this week, with videos emerging of angry constituents accusing Rep. Ashley Hinson of lying during a Wednesday gathering in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. Hinson was booed at the Worth County meeting as constituents expressed fierce disapproval and jeered while Hinson tried to defend her support for President Donald Trump's policies, particularly his marquee "Big, Beautiful Bill." Attendees confronted her about economic concerns, including wages and the cost of living.
Go to discussionChild with stage 4 cancer deported by ICE despite being US citizen, lawsuit says
(Sac Bee) A 4-year-old boy’s ongoing care for stage 4 kidney cancer was interrupted when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers illegally deported him, his sister and mother “without even a semblance of due process,” attorneys for the family say. Though they are U.S. citizens and were born in Louisiana, the boy and his 7-year-old sister were deported to Honduras along with their 25-year-old mother, who is a Honduran citizen, on April 25, according to a federal lawsuit filed in the Middle District of Louisiana on July 31.
Go to discussionCore inflation rose to 2.9% in July, as expected, key Fed measure shows
(CNBC) Inflation edged higher in July, according to the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, indicating that President Donald Trump’s tariffs are working their way through the U.S. economy. The personal consumption expenditures price index showed that core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, ran at a 2.9% seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to a Commerce Department report Friday. That was up 0.1 percentage point from the June level but in line with the Dow Jones consensus forecast.
Go to discussionFor Those Of You Who Don't Speak Anti-Vaccer, I'll Translate: Why Does Bobby Jr. Even KNOW The Word 'Mitochondria?'
I haven't worked on vaccines for 30 years. So, perhaps some of the other people with more current knowledge can fill in the gaps. But as a former vaccinologist, my ears perk up whenever I hear an anti-vaccer start talking about mitochondria. Here's the story, and here's the only reason why an amateur like Bobby Kennedy Jr. even knows the word 'mitochondria.'
Go to discussionUS military academies are banning books and eliminating majors to align with Hegseth 'warrior' ideology
(The Independent) Former faculty at the U.S. military’s prestigious service academies say they faced de facto book bans, shuttered courses and majors, and academic censorship in the face of political pressure from the Trump administration. In the early days of the administration, the president signed an executive order that the academies, such as West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy, were barred from “promoting, advancing or otherwise inculcating” ideas deemed “un-American” including “gender ideology” and the idea that “America’s founding documents are racist or sexist.”
Go to discussionFederal judge says Kari Lake can't fire Voice of America director
(NPR) A federal judge ruled on Thursday that Trump administration official Kari Lake can't unilaterally fire the director of Voice of America, saying she's breaking the law in trying to do so. Instead, by law, Lake must have the explicit backing of an advisory panel set up by Congress to help insulate the international broadcaster and its sister networks from political pressure. As President Trump dismissed six of the seven members of the panel shortly after taking office and has not named their replacements to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Lake cannot take such an action.
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