I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at this — NPR has always been a news source for comfortable liberals who want soft voices and current events delivered gently, without any trace of alarm. They’ve got tote bags to give away and coffee table books to sell! They’ve responded to the incoming wave of ignorance with a puff-piece about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that doesn’t use the word “unqualified” even once.
Trump has threatened to appoint RFK Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He doesn’t have any expertise in public health, medicine, or science, but he has a slogan, “Make America Healthy Again,” and that’s good enough.
Another word NPR doesn’t use is “conspiracy theorist.” They acknowledge that he has a few wacky ideas, but hey, he wants to stop the chronic disease epidemic in the USA, isn’t that a good thing?
Kennedy’s baseless claims have included that Wi-Fi causes cancer and “leaky brain”; that school shootings are attributable to antidepressants; that chemicals in water can lead to children becoming transgender; and that AIDS may not be caused by HIV. He’s also long said that vaccines cause autism and fail to protect people from diseases.
NPR never questions whether Kennedy’s policies would actually work, or for that matter, what his policies are. We’ve got a real health problem — obesity, diabetes, narcotics, etc. — but they don’t address his solutions, if any. What he has done is tap into MAGA paranoia.
He knit together an unlikely coalition — some from the left and some MAGA supporters — eager to take on the establishment.
“Bobby Kennedy and Trump have bonded over tying the core of MAGA — which is a distrust of institutions and getting corruption out of institutions — to our health care industries,” says Calley Means, an adviser to Kennedy and the Trump transition team, who spoke with NPR before Kennedy’s nomination.
What corruption? Be specific. The corruption I see is that there are an awful lot of quacks getting rich writing pop-sci diet books, and pharma MBAs leading their companies to immense profits at the cost of every day Americans’ health. You’re not going to fix that by hounding doctors and scientists and imposing bogus health treatments on the public.
By the way, Calley Means is a Harvard MBA with connections to the Heritage Foundation but no medical background who wrote pop-sci book about nutrition. I imagine that RFK Jr has the “wrote a book about dieting” demographic solidly locked up.
Means — himself a former lobbyist for the food and drug industry — has emerged as one of the leading voices in the MAHA orbit. He and his sister, Dr. Casey Means, catapulted into the political sphere after publishing a bestseller on metabolic health. Both have business ventures in the health and wellness industry.
But have no fear! Means and RFK Jr have a simple plan to fix everything.
Means says a key to their plan is eliminating conflicts of interest.
See above reference to Means’ own interests.
When the article does cite critics of RFK Jr, it’s always with qualifications and padding, and never goes into much depth.
“There are some things that RFK Jr. gets right,” says former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden. “We do have a chronic disease crisis in this country, but we need to avoid simplistic solutions and stick with the science.”
Great — we have a “chronic disease crisis,” but what’s the solution? It never says. Is it “drink raw milk” (Kennedy has endorsed that)? Is it “end all vaccinations” (he thinks they cause autism, and change children’s gender identity)? Is it “tear down cell phone towers” (he thinks 5G is used for mind control)? Is it “take anti-depressants off the market” (he claims they cause mass shootings)? Is it “replace COVID vaccines with ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine” (he thinks those are effective)? Or maybe it would help to insert more racism in science policy.
“COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese,” he continued, adding, “We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted or not but there are papers out there that show the racial or ethnic differential and impact.”
Reading NPR’s article, you might come away with the impression that Kennedy is a grounded, qualified person trying to fix a real problem in how we let pharmaceutical companies run rampant — which I think is a genuine issue that resonates with the public — but it completely neglects to point out that Kennedy is an unhinged conspiracy theorist who will make everything worse. But that’s NPR for you.
If you’d like a more accurate perspective on the consequences of Kennedy running the bioscientific and medical establishment, read Science magazine.
Public health researchers are alarmed, especially given Kennedy’s opposition to vaccines. “I can’t imagine anyone who would be more damaging to vaccines and the use of vaccines than RFK,” University of Minnesota epidemiologist Michael Osterholm told CNN.
Numerous critics of Kennedy have weighed in with concerns. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia vaccine expert Paul Offit told CNN Kennedy is a “science denialist.” Even Jerome Adams, who was surgeon general during Trump’s presidency, said at a meeting this week that if Kennedy discourages people from getting vaccines, “I am worried about the impact that could have on our nation’s health,” economy, and security.
“We’re all in a state of panic,” this person added. “The damage that he can do is enormous. I don’t know anybody who isn’t worried about this.”
But then, Science isn’t in the business of spooning comforting pablum into the mouths of the well-off.
I’m waiting to see what the first epidemic Trump and RFK jr. will enable. We already have an outbreak of whooping cough in the USA again. It’s already killed people. This has been happening often in the last few decades.
It should take a few years for the new epidemics to get going.
Measles cases have been rising for a few years in the USA.
Avian bird flu cases in animals and humans are rising.
Mpox is still around at low levels.
Covid-19 virus is endemic and often circulates at high levels.
Then there is the X factor.
We could have an outbreak of a new or old infectious disease that we never thought of or never even saw before.
The entire guidelines to be for any government program except defense will be to severely limit the costs to the government so as to make more funds available for endless tax cuts to the wealthy. If people die because of the lack of effective vaccines or other medical treatments that might cost money, too bad. Perhaps they should have selected their parents with a little more caution.
And if you die make sure to include the wealthy in your will, it makes it so much easier on them.
Would be nice if that kook actually took on”Big Pharma”. If Dumpf and his fellow fascists would quickly hurt the profits of other billionairs, it might lead to pushback he can’t easily ignore.
“We do have a chronic disease crisis in this country, but we need to avoid simplistic solutions and stick with the science.”
Yeah, we’re gonna describe a problem in the vaguest, most simplistic and over-generalized way possible, but we don’t want simplistic solutions, nosireebob!
We could have an outbreak of a new or old infectious disease that we never thought of or never even saw before.
Have no fear, there’s nothing new or old that our new leaders won’t be ready to blame the Chinese for! And maybe Fauci!
The next step for the Anti-Vaxxers is to be Anit-antibiotic. Eventually the only way to treat a disease is with prayer. It works on bullets.
Dr. Wilson highlights RFK Jr clown car batshit here including the BS claim connection of poppers to AIDS:
Deeper dive on RFK Jr and HIV/AIDS denial:
How can anyone trot out the canard of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) with a straight face in light of the multiple threats represented by Trump’s appointments, including to public health in the case of RFK Jr? If he messes with vaccine availability people will die. Children will die from preventable disease after spreading it to immune compromised adults.
My limited understanding is that though I boosted with MMR in 2019, a good part of my protection from measles still relies upon herd immunity which reduces my exposure from others. Vaccination isn’t 100%. There needs to be widespread buy-in or even those who are vaccinated may still contract the disease though with milder consequences. Social responsibility has gone out the window.
Well, “anti-antibiotic” will solve the problem of supergerms, wouldn’t it?
sigh…not much of a comfort, that.
We are seeing the ever more massive manifestation of an anti-intellectual movement of drooling rtwingnut xtian terrorist imbeciles trying to push us all into the New Dark Ages.
Next they will probably say that the thesaurus was the biggest dinosaur. But, only if you accept that it lived 5,000 years ago, was the product of intelligent design and was hunted by men.
For years we have referred to NPR as standing for Nothing Pertinent Reported. It is part of PBS, the Perpetually Begging Stations.
— Sarcasm, the breakfast food of champions
This is true.
It will be mostly children.
The Trump voters don’t care.
The Trump response to the Covid-19 virus pandemic was so inept that it lead to the unnecessary deaths of something like 400,000 people. Many of them were Covid-19 virus deniers and antivaxxers.
He still got reelected and the election wasn’t even that close.
Red states always have shorter average life spans than Blue states.
NOT a fan of JFK Jr. at all, but:
Kennedy’s baseless claims have included that ……… that chemicals in water can lead to children becoming transgender
With an increasing body of evidence that plastics disrupt hormonal systems, including sexual physiology, I find myself wondering whether the increasing heavy load of plastics we all ingest may in some people (every person’s physiology is different with some more susceptible to certain chemicals than others, ie. side effects from medications) may contribute to the increased number of people with gender dysmorphia? I will not be shocked to see some research on this published in the future.
Endocrine disrupters are a thing, but unlikely to account for the trans phenomenon. Don’t confuse trans with intersex.
There’s no evidence there are more trans people, simply evidence that more people identify as such. 40 years ago a trans person had very few examples of people who were publicly trans to compare themselves with, and the reasons why people felt the need to transition weren’t really discussed.
And don’t forget quite a few people these days say NPR stands for Nice Polite Republicans.
… RFK Jr…..
… RFK Jr…..
RFK, Jr — America’s very own Trofim Lysenko. It’s probably not a coincidence that each gained their position by impressing a narcissistic dictator who had no grasp of the life sciences and who placed ideology above humanity.
How many ‘enemies of the people’ do you think Kennedy will denounce?
If you’re lucky, Trump’s presidency will cost thousands of lives. If you’re not lucky, it will be millions. And that’s just in the US. The rest of the world will also suffer, probably more in some places. (Not that the current and previous administrations did not cause suffering around the world by the actions and inactions…)
And here in Canada, we should start thinking about restrictions on letting people from the US cross the border. I don’t think it will happen (especially if we get Poilievre in the next election) but that would be the safer way to keep our population from being infected by the current and future diseases. (We do have our own growing antivax problem so we’re probably fucked too.)
More likely, billions. Trump is a climate denialist, who will give the fossil fuel and agribusiness lobbies everything they want. I reckon the likelihood of civilizational collapse this century went from more-likely-than-not to damn-near-certain with his election. His election will also act as a boost to fascists everywhere, while his policies on Ukraine and the Middle East will ramp up international tensions – and these effects raise the medium-term probability of nuclear andor biological war (I don’t expect Trump to start one other than by crass stupidity).
In the news:
Well this is going to be interesting, in a train-crash sort of way.
It pleases me not at all to write this, but the stupidity of the general public (in the US and elewhere) has reached the point where the only antidote can be only one: suffering.
A tall stack of dead bodies due to these demented health policies might do it. Or… maybe not, but that’s what we’ll see.
What’s certain is, no one sane will derive an ounce of pleasure from watching that.
@11. When I was a kid, there were no trans people and no gay people either. Supposedly. The “official” fraction of gay people was something like 1 percent. Then AIDS hit and there were gay people everywhere. By 1985, the press admitted to about 3%. By 1995, it was 7%. Now the numbers are 8%-10% with perhaps another 10%-15% who are bi and fell under the radar because most bi people marry someone of the opposite sex because the statistics for meeting someone are better.
Still, must be something in the water.
Why NPR is intimidated:
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/17/nx-s1-5193064/fcc-chair-brendan-carr-trump
RFK Jr. is going to prevent the sapping and impurification of our precious bodily fluids. And, yes, that means RFK Jr. IS going after fluoride in water.
The crackpottery of the modern age certainly looks a lot like the crackpottery of long ago. I’m not sure what to do except feel exasperated and defeated. Which sucks because they’re so blightingly ignorant! They shouldn’t be winning!
In the news:
@11 Gotta love seeing comments where you are framed as a societal problem first and foremost. You don’t even know what the rate of being trans is, let alone whether it is increasing and you are already looking to reduce our problematic numbers.
frankensteen: You do understand, I hope, that RFKook’s blithering about “chemicals in water” making kids trans is nothing more than a con-man pandering to the bigotry of his own supporters, right? That’s all any of those claims are based on — there’s no valid concern or actual evidence underlying any of it.
Hey, @20 &@25 John Morales, are you trying to cheer us up. /S
You pointing out all these factual disasters in the making just makes me more despondent. You are (relatively) lucky you don’t live in this crumbling country ruled by anti-intellectual zealots.
@26 crimsonsage wrote: You don’t even know what the rate of being trans is, let alone whether it is increasing and you are already looking to reduce our problematic numbers.
I reply: It shouldn’t matter whether you are straight, gay or trans. What should matter is the quality of your character. But, that doesn’t seem to be a consideration in this deteriorating society. It is pitiful that some are so obsessed with statistics on people’s sex and gender. Your numbers should not be problematic and no one should be so bigoted that they are trying to eradicate anyone based on sex or gender.
It boils down to the fact that people and life are not binary. To use a maligned ‘trigger word’: life and people are a rainbow.
shermanj, it’s best to remain informed.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Etc.
—
But yes, it’s a bit depressing.
Like watching a slow-motion trainwreck.
Almost tragicomic.
FWIW, I’m hopeful that your system will cope and this is a faddish political phase.
Thanks for the responses to my apparently unclearly written post, seems I’m less knowledgeable about the trans issue than others posting here. I’ve been on the losing side (ie. the only one taking a contra position) of several arguments with conservative family and friends in support of gay and trans people being able to live equally in our society and am always looking for more ways to bolster my arguments in support the rights of those marginalized in our society.
#22: I know historically there have always been gay people who stayed under the radar out of fear for their safety or of social shunning. I’m in my 60s and there were definitely gay people when I was young, including my uncle who was cruelly shunned by many in the family. I have a trans cousin who is being similarly marginalized by his family as well. Where did you get your statistics? Are there similar statistics for the percentage of trans people in the general population? Is that percentage changing and if so because more people are coming out, or because the numbers are increasing organically for reasons not yet identified…?
#26: I’ve never framed either as “a societal problem,” and as a health professional I treat many trans patients, each of them as respectfully and honorably as any other person. , So, back off buddies.
I will however thank you for your comments that are making me think more deeply about this.
For now I’ll trust PZ’s assumption that endocrine disruptors “are unlikely to account for the trans phenomenon” because I honestly don’t know (and b/c PZ is a damn smart fellow), but would rather see some hard science to support such a claim. There is apparently indirect evidence that plastics can cause cancer, but the science is to date inconclusive. My comment was along that line – plastics toxicity can cause disruption of physiologic systems on many levels, is it out of the question that it could play a role in “the transgender phenomenon” as PZ calls it?
Plastics are of course NOT just in the water, but in the air we breath, the clothes we wear, etc. etc. Freaks me out some, I will admit.
frankensteen, I think that the basis is not as important as the circumstance, and the causative factor(s) aren’t as important as the reality.
Thing is, when you use expressions such as “the trans phenomenon”, it appears you see it as some sort of oddity. It’s just part of reality.
Hateful, ahole bigots everwhere:
https://mockpaperscissors.com/2024/11/19/nancy-mace-heather-always-said/
The incendiary politics of transgender rights are getting very personal very quickly in the House: Yesterday, Rep. NANCY MACE (R-S.C.) announced she was filing legislation that would ban people from using restrooms in the Capitol or House office buildings that do not correspond to their biological gender. That was a not-so-veiled provocation aimed at Rep.-elect SARAH McBRIDE (D-Del.), who will be the first transgender member of Congress.
Always look for the grift angle. I think that RFK’s apptointment will usher in more favorable regulations for health care adjacent things. Similar to how supplements were largely excluded from serious regulation (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4330859/ ), RFK will enable the hucksters to make billions more by promoting nonsense as “healthy”.