January 28, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.
HEALTH
- Trump funding freeze could disrupt education, housing, disaster aid (Reuters)
- Nonprofits Sue Trump Administration Over Federal Grants Freeze (Democracy Docket)
- How are H5N9 and H5N1 different? What to know after California bird flu outbreak (CBS News)
- FDA recommends pet food companies revisit safety plans amid bird flu outbreak (NBC)
- CDC staff ordered to cut off communication with WHO (CBS News)
- Travel, grant and funding cuts ‘stifling’ US health agencies in new Trump era (Guardian)
- Norovirus cases are surging. A doctor explains what to look for (CNN)
- Wall Street Journal labels RFK Jr. ‘dangerous to public health’ ahead of hearings (The Hill)
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Meta and Amazon axe diversity initiatives joining US corporate rollback (BBC)
U.S. probes hacking campaign that targeted climate activists (NPR)
The internet is forever. Or is it? (NPR)
Trump says Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok (BBC)
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
HEALTH
Trump funding freeze could disrupt education, housing, disaster aid (Reuters)
President Donald Trump's White House ordered a pause in all federal grants and loans starting on Tuesday, a sweeping decision that could disrupt education, health care and poverty programs, housing assistance, disaster relief and a host of other initiatives that depend on trillions of federal dollars. The freeze followed Trump's suspension of foreign aid last week, a move that began cutting off the supply of lifesaving medicines on Tuesday to countries around the world that depend on U.S. development assistance.
Nonprofits Sue Trump Administration Over Federal Grants Freeze (Democracy Docket)
A coalition of nonprofits, public health organizations and small businesses filed a lawsuit to block the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo instructing a pause on all agency grants and loans.
How are H5N9 and H5N1 different? What to know after California bird flu outbreak (CBS News)
California duck farm made headlines this week after the World Organization of Animal Health published a report by U.S. authorities that a strain of bird flu that scientists call H5N9 had been found among sick birds in the flock.
FDA recommends pet food companies revisit safety plans amid bird flu outbreak (NBC)
Cats appear to be especially vulnerable to the H5N1 virus. Since the current outbreak of H5N1 began in 2022, dozens of domestic and feral cats have been infected. Some farm cats got sick from drinking raw milk. Others died after eating raw pet food contaminated with the bird flu virus.
CDC staff ordered to cut off communication with WHO (CBS News)
The directive to the CDC to halt communications with the World Health Organization was imposed to comply with President Trump's executive order last week... Former health officials tell CBS News they worry the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO could endanger efforts to respond to diseases, both undermining the U.N. agency and also making it harder for American officials to prepare. The first way U.S. officials would sometimes hear about worrying outbreaks was through the WHO, especially in countries wary of working with American authorities.
Travel, grant and funding cuts ‘stifling’ US health agencies in new Trump era (Guardian)
Halts to external communications, publishing reports and reviewing and approving research a ‘dramatic shift’
Norovirus cases are surging. A doctor explains what to look for (CNN)
A common stomach bug is surging, according to new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the week of December 5, there were 91 outbreaks of norovirus reported...
Wall Street Journal labels RFK Jr. ‘dangerous to public health’ ahead of hearings (The Hill)
... “Most troubling is his long record of anti-vaccine advocacy,” the Journal wrote, noting the former presidential candidate has “tried to soften his vaccine skepticism since being nominated, and he now says he won’t take away anyone’s vaccines.” The Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet mentioned that Kennedy’s financial disclosures show he has “received millions of dollars from referring clients to Wisner Baum and Morgan & Morgan, law firms that have sued vaccine and drug makers. The risk is high that Mr. Kennedy will use his power and pulpit at HHS to enrich his trial-lawyer friends at the expense of public health and medical innovation,” the editorial board wrote.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Meta and Amazon axe diversity initiatives joining US corporate rollback (BBC)
Meta and Amazon are axing their diversity programmes, joining firms across corporate America that are rolling back hiring and training initiatives criticised by conservatives, citing legal and political risks. The move comes just days after Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said it was ending a fact-checking programme criticised by President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans.
U.S. probes hacking campaign that targeted climate activists (NPR)
A yearslong U.S. Justice Department investigation of a global hacking campaign that targeted prominent American climate activists took a turn in a London court this week amid an allegation that the hacking was ordered by a lobbying firm working for ExxonMobil.
The internet is forever. Or is it? (NPR)
NPR - There's a concept known as digital decay, which refers to online media just kind of disappearing for a variety of reasons. Pew recently did a study showing that about 40% of websites since about 2013 have just vanished. They are inaccessible. There's a maze of dead links that go nowhere.
Trump says Microsoft in talks to buy TikTok (BBC)
US President Donald Trump has said Microsoft is in discussions to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a "bidding war" over the sale of the social media app. Both Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden have been trying for years to force TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations on national security grounds. It comes as Trump signed an executive order last week to delay a Biden Administration ban on TikTok that briefly took the app offline for its 170m users in the United States.