Note to readers: The Trump administration is directly threatening freedom of speech and freedom of the press. I know that I am a minor figure with a small audience but I will continue to speak out against the destruction of the cornerstones of our democracy as long as I am able. The ability to do that in Trump’s America can no longer be taken for granted. The situation is deteriorating rapidly and I fear that difficult times for all of us lie ahead.
Watching the Congressional hearings with the former CDC director ousted by RFK Jr. was a stark example of how much damage the Trump administration is doing to the American people, especially the most vulnerable.
Kennedy’s baseless crusade against childhood vaccines is already killing children and the toll will grow exponentially if he is allowed to continue to wreak havoc on our health system.
Make no mistake about it — those at risk are you, your children, and your grandchildren.
Vaccines save lives; the science is clear and irrefutable. But the controversies surrounding the Covid vaccines during the pandemic have allowed conspiracy theorists like Kennedy to sit up unfounded fears among parents who do not understand science and have fallen victim to anecdotal reports of adverse effects among a few children.
Those who would exploit those fears now hold almost complete political power in America.
There’s a lot to be worried about: Trump’s fake “emergencies” to justify sending National Guard troops into cities; Trump’s vicious mass deportations of peaceful, hard-working migrants; Trump’s threats to terrorize his political opponents and destroy freedom of speech; Trump’s meddling with the Fed and tariff-driven assault on our economy; Trump’s deregulation of the environment, and many, many more threats to our democracy.
So at least when it comes to the health of the most vulnerable among us. we must not remain silent. To contact your own Congressional representatives about protecting childhood vaccines, click on these links for your personal contacts in the House or the Senate.
HEADLINES:
ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Off Air for Charlie Kirk Comments (NYT)
‘Censoring you in real time’: suspension of Jimmy Kimmel show sparks shock and fears for free speech (Guardian)
An Escalation in Every Way (Atlantic)
Autocracy Anyone? (Mark Fiore)
Trump Threatens ABC Reporter Who Asked About DOJ Criminalizing Free Speech (Democracy Now)
Team Trump launches 'biggest assault on the First Amendment' in modern US history (Alternet)
In Charlie Kirk’s name: Trump officials signal move to limit free speech (Financial Times)
Ex-US health official warns of RFK Jr’s risk to public health: ‘We’re going to see kids dying of vaccine-preventable diseases’ (Guardian)
Trump Administration Live Updates: Ex-Officials at C.D.C. Tell Senators How Kennedy Is Risking Public Health (NYT)
RFK Jr. 'wanted blanket approval' for changes at CDC, fired director testifies (NPR)
Ousted CDC director says Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to change childhood vaccine schedule (MSNBC)
Monarez: I tried to hold ‘the line on scientific integrity’ (Politico)
Fed approves quarter-point interest rate cut and sees two more coming this year (CNBC)
The Limits of Political Neutrality in a Divided Nation (NYT)
Trump asks the Supreme Court to give him total control over the US economy (Vox)
Sales of heavy trucks are falling like the U.S. is headed for a recession (CNBC)
Trump’s mass deportations bring a new wave of family separations (WP)
Federal judge overturns part of Florida’s book ban law, drawing on nearly 100 years of precedent protecting First Amendment (The Conversation)
Prosecutors say alleged Charlie Kirk gunman wrote: ‘I had enough of his hatred’ (WP)
Foreign disinformation about Charlie Kirk’s killing seeks to widen US divisions (AP)
Top congressional Democrats rejected a short-term Republican plan to fund the government until November, raising fears in the U.S. Capitol about a costly government shutdown ahead of a funding deadline at the end of the month. [HuffPost]
Israel's closure of crossing to Gaza's famine-struck north prompts aid group warning (Reuters)
Navalny’s widow says new lab evidence proves he was poisoned in prison (WP)
120 land and environmental defenders killed or disappeared in Latin America last year, report finds (AP)
‘I have to do it’: Why one of the world’s most brilliant AI scientists left the US for China (Guardian)
Why AI Cheats: The Deep Psychology Behind Deep Learning (Psychology Today)
Tom Cruise Buys Fitbit To Help Him Get 10,000 Daily Stunts (The Onion)
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