Today in the news: A change in leadership at the CDC, a summary of yesterday’s extremely long cabinet meeting, reorganization at Cornell, and an update on COVID vaccines.
The Washington Post is reporting that Dr. Susan Monarez, who was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention back in July, seems to no longer have the job.
The NYT is reporting that this may be due to disagreements with HHS Director RFK Jr over vaccine policy. The Washington Post is also reporting that several senior leaders at the CDC have resigned today, explicitly citing the politicization of the agency.
Immediately before I hit send on this e-mail, there’s this update: It looks like Dr. Monarez has hired legal representation and is refusing to resign.
Dr. Monarez was actually the President’s second choice to lead the CDC. Former congressperson - and avid promotor of the scientifically debunked idea that vaccines cause autism - Dave Weldon’s nomination was withdrawn hours before his confirmation hearing was set to begin.
The President and his Cabinet held an interminable public meeting yesterday.
A recording is available, with the focus on HHS Director RFK Jr. and Department of Education Director Linda McMahon starting at around the 49-minute mark.
Director Kennedy criticized wind power, told the President he was saving the whales, and re-stated that the results of his agency’s investigation into the cause of autism will be announced next month. The President’s final remark to Director Kennedy was, “I think we maybe know the reason”.
The President opened his conversation with Director McMahon by restating that he wants “nothing less than $500 million” as a settlement from Harvard University. He then encouraged her not to negotiate.
As announced by HHS Director RFK Jr on X this morning, the FDA has officially rescinded emergency use authorizations for the COVID-19 vaccines.
Similar to what has happened at NIH and other agencies, staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) posted an open letter of dissent on Monday. The public signers have now been placed on administrative leave.
Last week, Cornell University became the latest institution to announce a restructuring of its operations and workforce. Over a billion dollars in federal research funding to Cornell was frozen back in April and the university appears close to paying a $100 million dollar settlement.
A new report out of Massachusetts provides some insight into how the federal funding cuts are affecting the broader biotech industry. Stat has some additional reporting. Massachusetts is third behind California and New York in terms of receiving NIH funding.
In happier news, the shortlist for the Natural History Museum’s wildlife photographer of the year competition have been released. Among them is a gorgeous aerial photo of the South Bay salt ponds. I was just there, on the ground, taking much worse photos over the weekend, but I prefer the sloth anyway.
Obstructed view of South Bay salt ponds, taken with my new (well, new to me) Canon EOS 100D.