Anti-vax other right-wing voices are trying to deflect blame from the Trump administration and RFK Jr. over the epidemic of explosive diarrhea gripping the country. www.importantcontext.news/p/trump-alli...

Trump Allies Deflect From Explosive Diarrhea Epidemic

“The real epidemic here is the relentless legacy media effort to attack Trump and Kennedy on public health issues.”

importantcontext.news

NEW: An unprecedented assault on American nonprofits is underway, and it all started when the Trump admin convened a slate of anti-trans activists for a workshop on gender-affirming care. Important investigation by @billiejsweeney.bsky.social for Assigned and @accountabilityji.bsky.social.

MAGA Attacks Nonprofits. It Took Lessons From Authoritarians. - Assigned Media

The right wing has gone all in on assaulting nonprofits, following the playbooks of authoritarian regimes the world over.

assignedmedia.org

Support independent media, @assignedmedia.org and @accountabilityji.bsky.social

This is what happens when anti-vaccine groups turn tragedy into propaganda before the facts are known. Read the full story from our investigative newsroom ⬇️ www.importantcontext.news/p/plaintiff-...

Plaintiff in Children’s Health Defense Lawsuit Charged With Murder

A mother who blamed vaccines for the deaths of her toddler twins and joined the anti-vax group’s lawsuit against the American Academy of Pediatrics has been charged with murdering her children.

importantcontext.news

The Trump administration’s attack on nonprofits more than culture war noise. It’s an authoritarian playbook: isolate civil society, punish dissent, and make institutions afraid to defend the people they serve. New from Billie Jean Sweeney: www.importantcontext.news/p/maga-attac...

MAGA Attacks Nonprofits. It Took Lessons From Authoritarians.

“The Trump administration is really the first to all-out attack nonprofits.”

importantcontext.news

Help science fight back! Subscribe to the AJI newsletter for our latest investigations, science policy updates, and notes from our Scientific Advisory Board. www.accountabilityjournalism.org

The problem w accurate reporting, like that of @accountabilityji.bsky.social & @walkerbragman.bsky.social, is that sometimes you learn things that burst your bubble! Alas, we know it’s better to be aware & as @coopspeak.bsky.social jokingly says in this epi, maybe LIAM needs to be “taken” 😝:

Experts are sounding the alarm on a deeply flawed new paper promoting ivermectin for cancer, co-authored by the head of the President’s Cancer Panel. ✍️ @walkerbragman.bsky.social www.importantcontext.news/p/chair-of-p...

Chair of President’s Cancer Panel Co-Authors Ivermectin Cancer Study Backed By Supplements Company

“It’s marketing disguised as science.”

importantcontext.news

Hantavirus is rare. Its pandemic potential is low. But that hasn’t stopped public health opponents from using the outbreak to spread conspiracies, attack institutions, and push unsupported treatments. www.importantcontext.news/p/public-hea...

Public Health Opponents Leverage Hantavirus Outbreak to Spread Conspiracies and Misinformation

Many familiar faces from the COVID-19 pandemic are back.

importantcontext.news

NEW: With the departure of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and CDER Director Tracy Beth Høeg last week—which follow the exit of CBER Director Vinay Prasad last month—the list of Robert Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vax allies in high-ranking roles at HHS has shrunk considerably. Our report.

MAHA Officials Out At FDA

Kennedy vaccine skeptical allies are dropping fast as the White House prepares for midterms.

importantcontext.news

NEW from Important Context: @origgio.bsky.social reports how right-wing and anti-vaccine groups and talking heads are using the hantavirus outbreak to undermine public health. Peddling conspiracy theories and stoking fears of COVID-era mitigations. www.importantcontext.news/p/public-hea...

Public Health Opponents Leverage Hantavirus Outbreak to Spread Conspiracies and Misinformation

Many familiar faces from the COVID-19 pandemic are back.

importantcontext.news

MAHA is crumbling. Early on in the administration, @derekberes.bsky.social wrote a piece for @accountabilityji.bsky.social in which he noted the inherent contradiction at the heart of the movement: its emphasis on industry deregulation and its promise to impose higher standards for drug/vax approval

A major shakeup at FDA could signal the White House is getting nervous about RFK Jr.’s vaccine politics. But the anti-vaccine agenda isn’t going away. www.importantcontext.news/p/maha-offic...

MAHA Officials Out At FDA

Kennedy vaccine skeptical allies are dropping fast as the White House prepares for midterms.

importantcontext.news

#ImportContext @accountabilityji.bsky.social The Heritage Foundation is gearing up to attack the vulnerable people who most need protection from the radical right - #ProudBlue #Pinks #DV1 open.substack.com/pub/importan...

The Heritage Foundation Has a Radical New Project

The rights of women, people of color, gay people, disabled people and trans people—a vast majority of the country—are being targeted by a billionaire-funded network.

open.substack.com

The Heritage Foundation’s new “family” document gives the game away. This isn’t just about abortion. It’s about enforcing a narrow vision of who gets rights, who gets care, and who gets to live freely. www.importantcontext.news/p/heritage-f...

The Heritage Foundation Has a Radical New Project

The rights of women, people of color, gay people, disabled people and trans people—a vast majority of the country—are being targeted by a billionaire-funded network.

importantcontext.news

This is what institutional capture looks like in real time. RFK Jr. has added anti-vaccine-aligned groups as liaisons to ACIP, the CDC committee that helps shape vaccine recommendations open.substack.com/pub/importan...

Anti-Vaccine Groups Given Unprecedented Access to CDC Vaccine Panel

Robert Kennedy Jr. has added new liaisons to ACIP, tapping old allies from the anti-vaccine movement.

open.substack.com

Scientific mis- and disinformation is among the greatest threats to our society.

‘Staggering’ number of people believe unproven claims about vaccines, raw milk and more

Survey results suggest a rise in questioning of scientific evidence

scientificamerican.com

The leading candidate to run the FDA's vaccine office is a MAHA-aligned ophthalmologist who views mRNA shots as "experimental" & mask mandates as "religious" extremism. A deep dive into Dr. Houman David Hemmati & the total overhaul of U.S. public health. 🧬🧪 www.importantcontext.news/p/fda-vaccin...

FDA Vaccine Chief Front-Runner Called mRNA Vaccines “Experimental Genetic Technology,” Compared Pandemic Response to Iranian Rule

Dr. Houman David Hemmati is closely aligned with the MAHA movement.

importantcontext.news

NEW: As Donald Trump’s HHS messages about restoring “gold standard science” and combating politicization of public health, top officials from the department are embracing right-wing political advocacy. Last month, a number of them even appeared at CPAC. www.importantcontext.news/p/as-hhs-rai...

As HHS Rails Against Science Politicization, Leading Agency Officials Embrace Right-Wing Political Action

The suprising number of public health officials at CPAC earlier this month highlights what critics say is a disturbing trend.

importantcontext.news

Thanks to Editor & Publisher for the feature on AJI. We started this work to go beyond debunking falsehoods and expose the people, money, and networks behind them. www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/insi...

Inside AJI’s fight against disinformation - Editor and Publisher

Investigative journalist Walker Bragman isn’t interested in simply debunking misinformation. He wants to identify the people funding it, the networks spreading it and the political forces benefiting f...

editorandpublisher.com

We got profiled in Editor & Publisher! Give this a read and follow @accountabilityji.bsky.social www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/insi...

An early-career NIH researcher says he was told to “rewrite all of your woke science” to keep funding alive. His work on discrimination in health care was already approved. Now he says politics are overruling science. @walkerbragman.bsky.social has the story open.substack.com/pub/importan...

“Rewrite All of Your Woke Science”: Early-Career Researcher Says NIH’s Anti-DEI Agenda is Undermining Agency’s Mission

Dr. Michael D. Green says his work is being censored to fit an “amorphous political agenda.”

open.substack.com

We are proud to welcome Billy Jean Sweeney to our Board of Directors! www.marketwatch.com/press-releas...

NEW: In January the Trump administration released new dietary guidelines that prompted the consumption of red meat and full-fat dairy products. Federal lobbying disclosures reveal that the meat and dairy industries spent big money lobbying USDA and HHS, which were responsible for the guidelines.

Meat and Dairy Industries Spent Big Money Lobbying Ahead of Trump Dietary Guideline Changes

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize red meat and dairy.

importantcontext.news

The Trump administration says its new dietary guidelines reject corporate influence.Lobbying disclosures tell a different story. Meat and dairy interests spent heavily ahead of major changes to federal nutrition advice. New from @walkerbragman.bsky.social www.importantcontext.news/p/meat-and-d...

Meat and Dairy Industries Spent Big Money Lobbying Ahead of Trump Dietary Guideline Changes

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize red meat and dairy.

importantcontext.news

To support our enterprise journalism, please subscribe to Important Context or donate to @accountabilityji.bsky.social.

How did an ousted vaccine skeptic get his job back at the FDA in just two weeks? Inside the growing turf war between RFK Jr. and Laura Loomer over the nation's public health agencies: www.importantcontext.news/p/vinay-pras...

Vinay Prasad Returns to FDA

Within two weeks of his unceremonious departure, the COVID vaccine skeptic is back as the nation’s top vaccine regulator.

importantcontext.news

Prasad allegedly left to spend more time with his family. But Makary came to his aid and got him back two weeks later. Enough family time! www.importantcontext.news/p/vinay-pras...

Vinay Prasad Returns to FDA

Within two weeks of his unceremonious departure, the COVID vaccine skeptic is back as the nation’s top vaccine regulator.

importantcontext.news

Jay Bhattacharya is now acting CDC director— and his record raises major questions about where vaccine policy is headed next. Read the latest reporting from @walkerbragman.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/importan...

NEW from me in Important Context: NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya is now the acting CDC director. Bhattacharya has long cast doubt on vaccine safety, and his appointment may signal more changes to the childhood and adolescent immunization schedule. www.importantcontext.news/p/new-cdc-di...

New CDC Director Has Questioned Vaccine Safety

Jay Bhattacharya’s recent new appointment may suggest more changes to the vaccine schedule.

importantcontext.news