“Vocal Supporter” of Vaccines Nominated to Be CDC Director
On Apr. 17, 2026, the Trump administration nominated retired Coast Guard rear admiral and former deputy surgeon general Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH to be the next director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Dr. Schwartz would succeed Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD who has been […]
Former Top CDC Officials Hired by California to Invalidate CDC’s New Public Health Policies
Governor Gavin Newsom of California has hired two former senior officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help launch California’s Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX).1 California, which has partnered with the states of Washington and Oregon, has introduced an alliance that will write public health guidance and issue vaccine […]
Senate Confirms Susan Monarez as Director of the CDC
(photo courtesy ARPA-H) On July 30, 2025, the U.S. Senate voted 51 to 47 to confirm the nomination of Susan Monarez, PhD to be director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The vote, along party lines, came three weeks after the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) decision […]
Bird Flu Outbreak in Oregon Leads to Mass Euthanization of Poultry
In November 2023, Oregon’s commercial poultry farm businesses experienced the first avian (bird) influenza outbreak in the state. In response to the outbreak, the state’s Department of Agriculture reported that approximately 800,000 chickens were euthanized.1 The two commercial poultry operations affected by bird flu were located in Linn and Marion counties in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. […]
China Had 1.87 Million Excess Deaths After Ending “Zero COVID” Policy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, China implemented a “zero COVID” policy that focused on the idea of keeping numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections as close to zero as possible. To try to achieve that target, the Chinese government implemented stringent social distancing measures, such as ordering strict citywide lockdowns, mass testing and mandatory quarantining of sick people […]
CDC Gives More Than $3 Billion to Local and State Health Departments
Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that they are distributing $3.2 billion to state, local, and territorial health departments across the United States in what they describe as an attempt to “strengthen” public health initiatives. CDC director Rochelle Walensky, MD said the money will give local agencies critical funding […]