- RFK Jr. and Trump deliver multiple anti-scientific rants about Tylenol and vaccines in connection to autism. After promising to find the “cause” for autism by September, HHS’s RFK Jr. delivered a series of unhinged press conferences about the dangers of Tylenol. He cited a small and since debunked study that found a slight correlation between Tylenol-use during pregnancy and autism rates of children.
The study was later thrown out— doctors noted an already known risk factor to fetal development is the activation of the maternal immune system. Given that pregnant women’s Tylenol use would overlap with illness, it would be difficult to parse these variables. Later, a much larger sibling study found no correlation between Tylenol use and autism rates.
The latest rants are dangerous and cruel, given that Tylenol is one of the only approved medications for pain and fever relief during pregnancy. Fever during pregnancy is another risk factor for birth defects and other fetal harm. They’re also a grift– one supposed “cure” for the reversal of autism RFK suggests is a B vitamin-derivative supplement, a popular version that comes from a competitor to Tylenol’s parent company, iHerb, of which Dr. Oz is an investor. Oz had previously said he would divest from the company when appointed to his Medicare position, but whether he did is unclear. The FDA reasserted on Twitter/X that only a prescription form of the product is recommended for certain patients following a blood test, but that hasn’t stopped the explosion of promotion and sales across MAHA platforms.
Trump and MAHA also took aim at the administration of Hepatitis B shots, as well as Vitamin K shots, to infants, suggesting the former should be held off until tweendom due to the sexually transmitted nature of the disease. However, victims of permanent liver damage from Hepatitis B are overwhelmingly infants, and Vitamin K prevents brain hemorrhage and death in newborns. Vitamin K does not cross the placenta or into breastmilk efficiently; death from Vitamin K deficiency bleeding is 81 times less likely in those infants who receive the shot. - Republicans leave DC to avoid negotiation on healthcare subsidies, triggering government shutdown. Congress was set to negotiate on a budget bill, but Speaker Johnson sent the Republicans home instead. Democrats had said they would not pass the bill as is, requesting that healthcare subsidies be extended to offset rising costs. Healthcare subsidies not only help people to purchase insurance in the marketplace, but this infusion of money into the system protects everyone from the closure of clinics and hospitals who rely on Medicaid/care and insurance dollars.
The shutdown furloughs many government workers, with others performing essential functions without pay. Experts worry that a prolonged shutdown could also harm the distribution of life-saving services like WIC supplemental nutrition. The last government shutdown was in 2018, also under Trump. - Despite ACIP’s recommendations, several states are still blocking access to covid vaccines without a prescription. Missouri, Georgia, and Louisiana are still preventing people from getting covid vaccines without a prescription, despite recommendations out of the CDC’s immunization committee.
Experts speculate this is because no CDC director has signed off on the recommendations, since Trump fired the CDC director. However, none of the state laws stipulate a CDC signature must be in place for the recommendations to be adopted. - Congress fails to pass extensions–Medicare’s coverage for telehealth speech therapy and audiology services has ended. These services were essential for families especially in rural areas where they may otherwise face multi-hour drives and long waitlists.
- The First Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the Department of Education is allowed to fire half its’ Civil Rights Department staff. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) inside DoED exists specifically to protect students facing discrimination or those who have experienced sexual assault, and the process of filing a complaint can, in many places, already take years.
Halving the staff essentially removes consequences for perpetrators of racism, ableism, sexism, sexual abuse, and the intersections thereof, and will be devastating to the equitable education and safety of marginalized students. - Department of Education partners with Turning Point, Moms for Liberty to create new “patriotic” history and civics curriculum.
DoEd announced an initiative to create a new history and civics curriculum lead by far-right extremist organizations. The curriculum will likely continue propagate racist erasures of US history and anti-DEIA book bans, two pet projects of the involved groups.
Previously, DoEd was not involved in creating specific curriculum–this decision was left up to individual states and districts.
Public comment on the initiative is now open until October 17. - Good News: Some mental health grants for schools have been restored. McMahon’s Department of Education had previously cut a billion dollars worth of grants geared toward student mental health, but, due to backlash, recently restored $270 million. The restored grants focus on school psychologists, only, and leave out counselors and social workers, but they do serve as proof that backlash and public comment can still be effective.
What to Do:
Get your vaccinations up to date as soon as possible, and ask your state to join a state-level public health collaborative if they haven’t yet.
Hit the streets if you are able. March, attend a town hall, school board meeting, or other local action. Go, but don’t RSVP, to a protest! Consider purchasing a reusable respirator (gas mask) if attending a mass protest, due to recent escalations in use of tear gas and other “less lethal” force at actions.
Protect your neighbors. Warn and record in the presence of ICE. Push your local officials not to collaborate. Write to Apple to tell them their blocking of the ICE Block app is unacceptable capitulation.
Call your representatives and especially your local officials to ensure special education gaps are being filled in your district.
Leave a public comment saying no to forced Turning Point history curriculum in public schools.
Donate to your local food pantry, library, clinics, cash bail funds, or other mutual aid if you can. Or volunteer your time.
Make a plan to vote in upcoming local elections, in person when possible. Down ballot elections matter more than ever.
Move to (more) secure encrypted apps when possible. Think about ways to spread information offline. Make flyers and stickers. Make art.
Tag: government shutdown
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Week 36 + 37 Updates