This week, Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson tackle the cyclospora outbreak. With over 7,000 suspected cases and 200+ hospitalizations nationwide, with CDC numbers lagging far behind what state health departments are reporting. A Taylor Farms lettuce facility was initially flagged as the source, then quietly cleared after the company’s CEO visited the White House. It isn’t hard to connect the dots to RFK Jr.’s decision last year to suspend mandatory parasite tracking, which may have made this outbreak harder to trace.
Next, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, an OB-GYN, invoked “the doctor in me” to defend continued involvement in Iran, days after American service members were killed. Miles and Rob point out that Kansas has more rural hospitals at risk of closure than any other state, and Marshall voted for Medicaid cuts that make that worse.
We also cover new reporting that RFK Jr. floated spending $5 billion (10% of the NIH’s budget) investigating a disproven vaccine-autism link, a plan reportedly shelved after internal pushback. Meanwhile, HHS has quietly canceled dozens of active health studies on telehealth, nutrition, antibiotic resistance, and long COVID, despite funding already committed and researchers hired.
Finally, they dig into Pete Hegseth’s new policy mandating annual testosterone testing for troops 30 and older. Miles and Rob explain why medical experts say testosterone treatment should be based on symptoms, not a number, and why mass screening carries real risks like infertility and heart problems. Just another story highlighting this administration’s fixation on masculinity and virility.
LINKS
CDC Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis webpage (with interactive map)
The Washington Post: Mexico says no evidence yet it was source of outbreak, despite U.S. finding
NC Health News: Parasitic infections likely linked to farming practices, not restaurants
Local 3 News: “It’s cut business in half”: self-serve salad restaurant owners says possible closure amid Cyclospora outbreak
The Hill: Ossoff slams RFK Jr. for terminating FoodNet, drawing link to cyclospora outbreak
Aaran Rupar’s tweet with video of Sen. Marshall defending Trump’s war
Reuters: Inside RFK Jr.’s push to dismantle decades of U.S. vaccine policy
Roll Call: HHS research agency ends funding for dozens of health studies
FactCheck.org: RFK Jr.’s Flawed Claims About Sperm Count and Fertility
The Hill: Hegseth’s testosterone mandate carries risks, raises questions
Reuters: Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon plan for testosterone screening
TIME: What Urologists Think of the Military’s New Testosterone Testing Policy
American Urology Association’s “Evaluation and Management of Testosterone Deficiency” guidelines
BBC: US military to start screening for testosterone deficiency, Hegseth says
The Guardian: Pete Hegseth wants testosterone for his soldiers. Finally, some gender-affirming care
Courthouse News Service: ‘Sounds like gender-affirming care’: Lawmakers react to Pentagon’s testosterone treatments for troops
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