In the spirit of full disclosure, I feel compelled to make clear some of my core political positions and biases. I oppose cancer. I am against Alzheimer's. I frown upon deadly pandemics. I consider myself an adversary of AIDS. I deplore diabetes. I object to malaria. I detest TB. I disapprove of dangerous viruses. I hold a pretty deep-seated antipathy toward plagues. In general, I can be a bit of a zealot when it comes to my opposition to unnecessarily premature preventable deaths. I know these are particularly controversial and divisive opinions in this era, so to maintain a healthy debate, it's only fair to give voice to the opposing view. NYT (Gift Article): The Disappearing Funds for Health. "In his first months in office, President Trump has slashed funding for medical research, threatening a longstanding alliance between the federal government and universities that helped make the United States the world leader in medical science. Some changes have been starkly visible, but the country’s medical grant-making machinery has also radically transformed outside the public eye." (I'd say these policy choices were the product of a diseased mind, but we cut funding into the research of diseased minds, too.) "The impacts extend far beyond studies on politically disfavored topics and Ivy League universities like Columbia or Harvard. The disruptions are affecting research on Alzheimer’s, cancer and substance use, to name just a few, and studies at public institutions across the country, including in red states that backed Mr. Trump. 'I think people should know that research that they probably would support is being canceled,' said Eden Tanner, a chemist at the University of Mississippi who had been working with a colleague at Ohio State University to develop a novel approach for treating glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer." [Editor's note: I also oppose aggressive brain cancer.) "'I would like to cure brain cancer,' Dr. Tanner said. 'I think that's not particularly controversial.'" (Apparently, Dr. Tanner knows a lot more about brain cancer than political controversies.) 2The Abominable Snow Job"This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination." Elon Musk's brusk blistering break with Trump's big beautiful bill could have come because Elon was removed from the administration, or that he saw his pick for NASA head summarily dropped, or maybe the ketamine just wore off. For others who previously supported the bill, the second thoughts are more straightforward. They didn't read it. NYT: After Muscling Their Bill Through the House, Some Republicans Have Regrets. "It turns out that the sprawling legislation to advance tax and spending cuts and to cement much of President Trump’s domestic agenda included a raft of provisions that drew little notice or debate on the House floor. And now, Republicans who rallied behind the bill are claiming buyer’s remorse about measures they swear they did not know were included." (So now, these GOP officials will have to speak out in favor of a bill they oppose and simultaneously suck up to two party power-players on opposite sides of the debate. But don't worry, they have practice.) 3Real Housewives of The Federalist SocietyLeonard Leo is the mastermind and money behind the conservative remaking of the Supreme Court that has given Trump much of his power. That didn't stop Trump from tiring of Leonard Leo. But LL is cool. He's moved on to remaking American culture. WSJ (Gift Article): This Conservative Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You, After Getting Dumped by Trump. "Leonard Leo has more than $1 billion to back Hollywood blockbusters that shield viewers from diversity and other progressive ideas." According to Leo, "You can make investments in politics and public policy, but ultimately you’re going to be a lot more successful at that game if social and cultural institutions have the right sort of frame of reference, in terms of what life ought to be like in our country." 4To The Last Drop"In the study, researchers followed more than 47,000 female nurses for several decades beginning in the 1970s. Every few years, the women answered detailed questions about their diets, including how much coffee, tea and cola (like Coca-Cola or Pepsi) they typically drank. Then, the scientists looked at how many of the women were still alive and met their definition of 'healthy aging' in 2016." NYT (Gift Article): That Cup of Coffee May Have a Longer-Term Perk. (I guess we can expect the government to defund coffee soon.) 5Extra, ExtraHe Said, He Said: "Trump ... did not say how he reacted to Putin’s promise to respond to Ukraine’s attack, but his post showed none of the frustration that Trump has expressed with his Russian counterpart in recent weeks over his prolonging of the war." Trump says Putin told him that Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on airfields. (Talk about fully embracing one's role as a Putin's spokesperson.) 6Bottom of the News"Two Belgian men have claimed they hid in a bathroom at Munich's Allianz Arena for 27 hours in order to watch last weekend's Champions League final for free." (I hide in a bathroom nearly that long before almost any social interaction.)
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Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Silent But Deadly
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