Trump quits WHO like it's just a club. 💵 Corporate greed always stands in the way of public health & progress.
Trump administration hides critical health and safety information from the public.
Trump quits the US from WHO like he’s cancelling his country club membership.
Trump orders US exit from World Health Organization By Patrick Wingrove, Jennifer Rigby and Emma Farge January 21, 2025 The U.S. departure is likely to put at risk programs across the organization, according to several experts both inside and outside the WHO, notably those tackling tuberculosis, the world’s biggest infectious disease killer, as well as HIV/AIDS and other health emergencies. "This is the darkest day for global health I’ve ever experienced," said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health at Georgetown University in Washington and director of the WHO Collaborating Center on National and Global Health Law. "Trump could be sowing the seeds for the next pandemic."
I think the people in charge now are so used to their fancy-people lives that they don’t understand that membership in the WHO isn’t like giving to some sketch non-profit charity in order to get tax favour. This is a public safety issue.
NPR - Trump declares U.S. will withdraw from the World Health Organization January 20, 2025 By Gabrielle Emanuel The U.S. would lose easy access to critical data on outbreaks and a seat at the table when health standards are set and disease responses are decided. "This is the most cataclysmic decision," says Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health law at Georgetown University and director of WHO's Center on Global Health Law.
My letter to reps:
Who voted for leaving the WHO? I didn't. And what are you going to do to make up for this in public safety measures? The WHO did a lot for us. Fancy people seem to think it was just like a country club membership. Now it's up to you to fill that gap with robust domestic public health programs because our lives are at stake.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.
When I submitted this to my representatives, I put it under national security or infrastructure or disaster response, because it’s not just about healthcare.
🗞️ In the news
NPR - Biden pardons Fauci, Milley and members of Jan. 6 panel Updated January 20, 2025 Tamara Keith Biden said "exceptional circumstances" had prompted the pardons. "Even when individuals have done nothing wrong — and in fact have done the right thing — and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage reputations and finances," he said.
Medpage Today - Will the Trump Administration Be a Dangerous Ally to the Wellness Industry? — Several nominees may pose a threat to evidence-based public health by Andrea Love, PhD, and Katie Suleta, DHSc, MPH, MS January 3, 2025 Among these nominees are people who do more than just dabble in pseudoscience and conspiracies -- they are, arguably, its creators. We believe they are a threat to science-based public health and the very institutions designed to protect people from predatory, profit-driven wellness schemes.
PYOK - American Airlines Flight Attendants Now Face Being Terminated If They Catch COVID-19 Under Harsh New Attendance Rules by Mateusz Maszczynski - 15th January 2025 For most of the pandemic and up until January 15, however, American Airlines would not issue attendance points to flight attendants who were able to prove that they had been sickened by COVID-19. That policy had now been rescinded. From now on, flight attendants will only be able to avoid having attendance points issued against them for going sick with COVID-19 if they successfully apply for a medical leave of absence or if the Family and Medical Leave Act applies. A positive COVID-19 test will not, however, be enough evidence to apply for a leave of absence, and flight attendants will need to seek out a professional certificate from a healthcare provider.
CIDRAP - Almost a third of preteens, teens with long COVID still not recovered at 2 years, study shows - Stephanie Soucheray, MA December 4, 2024 Among the participants, 943 had tested positive when first approached and completed surveys through 24 months. At 3 months, 233 met the research definition of long COVID. After 6 months, 135 continued to meet the definition, and by 12 months that number dropped to 94 participants.
Yahoo Finance - Moderna Stock Jumps as Biotech Gets $590M From US To Develop Bird-Flu Vaccine - Bill McColl - Tue, January 21, 2025 at 10:55 AM EST Moderna explained that it began Phase 1/2 testing of mRNA-1018 in 2023 in healthy adults aged 18 and up, including candidates against the H5 and H7 avian influenza viruses. It noted that based on positive preliminary results, it was launching a Phase 3 study.
Trump administration hides critical health and safety information from the public.
Reuters Trump officials ask US health agencies to pause external communications, Washington Post reports By Reuters January 21, 2025 The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed federal health agencies to pause all external communications, such as health advisories, weekly scientific reports, updates to websites and social media posts, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing a dozen current and former officials and sources. The instructions were delivered on Tuesday to staff at agencies inside the Department of Health and Human Services, including officials at the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health, the newspaper reported.
My letter to reps:
Why is the Trump administration locking down public safety information from the federal health agencies? Is there an emergency underway that is being covered up already?
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.
Trump administration RTO – taking modern workplaces back to the Dark Ages.
‘Return to in-Person Work’ Directive Thin on Details - Published: January 21, 2025 By: FEDweek Staff It reads in its entirety: “Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary. This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law.”
Mother Jones - January 2, 2025 - Eugenics Isn’t Dead—It’s Thriving in Tech - A new book takes on the throughline from the rise of 20th-century eugenics to Silicon Valley. - Julia Métraux Elon Musk’s calls for a so-called “efficient” US government—including wanting to end the already endangered right to work from home, a disability accommodation for many—are less surprising when you view him as a techno-eugenicist.
My letter to reps:
Maximum Telework for government workers and the private sector should continue for our future, in order to promote disability accessibility, stop infectious disease spread, and prioritize our move away from squandering fossil fuel energy on pointless and unhealthy commutes. It’s gross insult to all the workers who HAVE been "showing up" and doing important work from home - successfully, safely, efficiently, VERY productively, and with improved work life balance, both since the beginning of the pandemic, and in some cases years prior to the pandemic. Working from home works. Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been working remotely from Mar-a-lago resort for months, not from the office. Telework is going to need to work even more if we want a functional future and the job positions in the government and other essential roles filled. Prioritize and promote telework for all where at all possible, now, and going forward.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.
Online communities centered around products, services, or investments are a threat to money, time, and social networks.
I recommend watching this youtube documentary about Bed Bath & Beyond memestock community it’s sad and fascinating and unfortunately all too familiar because this type of thing seems to be widespread. A lot of what’s pushed as public health is not, and you will see stuff like this on some level almost everywhere - though hopefully not to this extent.
Ending comments:
The Cult of the Dead Stock. James Jani Sep 28, 2024 Hannah: “when people watch documentaries like this or hear people talk about conspiracy theories often there's a part of their brain that goes I would never fall for that – everyone of any background any educational level intelligence level – you are susceptible to this – so if anyone learns any lesson from this I want it to be never assume it can't be you” James: “and as I watch these people spending months or even years of their lives looking for a sign…”
The FTC under the Biden administration’s Lina Khan was cracking down on advertising disguised as testimonials online, but that’s unlikely to continue under a Trump administration. We’re more likely to see a rise in MLM proliferation, unsafe product marketing, and every profiteer draining Americans of every penny they can, mostly because consumer protections are not considered appropriate by tech tycoons and business executives who are doing their own numbers on all of us. Meanwhile so many trusted professionals have hopped merrily on the bandwagon of hype and we cannot expect elite movers and shakers to save us.
My letter to reps:
I’m tired of wading through fake reviews and inauthentic testimonials for products and services polluting every online space. It happens not just in shopping websites, but also in message boards, forums, and even sometimes in groups where admins allow it likely for financial compensation, sometimes without disclosing that. It needs to be curtailed and disclosure of conflicts of interest should be mandatory.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.
Corporate greed always stands in the way of public health & progress.
The New Republic - Charlotte Kilpatrick/ November 29, 2024 Big Pharma Is the Only Reason Anyone Still Dies From HIV We have the means to eradicate AIDS as a threat to human life. Greed is keeping this from happening. Mandela’s battle against Big Pharma was only a small part of an ongoing war to provide equitable access to HIV medication. In the decades since his court case, taxpayer-funded research has contributed enormously to the development of new HIV treatments. New drugs can now allow people living with HIV to enjoy normal life spans, and completely reduce the risk of new transmissions. Used widely, medications should allow the complete eradication of HIV from the planet. The only obstacle the world is now facing is the same one Mandela stared down: corporate greed which prioritizes profits over human life.
Letter to reps:
People should be prioritized over profits when it comes to medicine. Drug prices need to be reigned in by regulation.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.
Who is working to protect healthcare workers & public health advocates from the threats of anti-vaxxers?
My letter to reps:
What are you doing to protect doctors, healthcare workers, and public health officials and disabled and senior advocates from violent anti-vaxxers? There have been openly stated plans that county officials are planning to deputize anti-vaxxers to go after people with “swatting raids” and livestream the events. This doesn’t sound legal to me, but we already have seen anti-vaxxers attacking or even killing their own family members because they got vaccinated.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose the contents of my letter for your own letters to reps.
Right-wing voices intent on spreading bird flu & misinformation. Wat3rm370n tumblr Jan 5th, 2025
ABC 25 WPBF News 911 caller: Lake Worth man accused of killing father over vaccination a ‘delusional conspiracy theorist' Feb 6, 2024 Caleb Califano
Are they really planning an anti-vax military retiree interahamwe in America? Chloe Humbert May 28, 2024
Quote:
“Your right to speak through a medium is more directly connected to your ownership of that medium than to the First Amendment. When it comes to speech, most of us are mere tenants.” – Matt Pearce