Trump news at a glance: How Robert F Kennedy Jr is cancelling medical science
That war appeared to enter a new phase in the aftermath of a recent supreme court decision that empowered health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent vaccine sceptic, and other agency leaders, to implement mass firings – effectively greenlighting the politicization of science.
Kennedy abruptly cancelled a scheduled meeting of a key health care advisory panel, the US Preventive Services Task Force, earlier this month. That, combined with his recent removal of a panel of more than a dozen vaccine advisers, signals that his dismantling of science-based policymaking is likely far from over.
'Do you enjoy getting sick from preventable diseases?' Arwa Madhawi asks in her Week in Patriarchy column. 'Do you have a hankering to make once-declining viruses great again? If so, why not pop over to the US where the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, and his anti-vaccine cronies are making a valiant effort to overturn decades of progress in modern medicine.'
Measles cases are at their highest rate in 33 years in the US, and while not entirely to blame, Trump's officials don't seem bothered. RFK Jr has downplayed the numbers. Kennedy has announced that the federal CDC will stop recommending Covid-19 booster shots for healthy children and pregnant women. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said in a statement: 'It is very clear that Covid-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability'. Leading medical associations are suing the Trump administration as a result.
Two new surveys, published as a research letter in Jama Network Open, have found that only 35% to 40% of US pregnant women and parents of young children say they intend to fully vaccinate their child. That means the majority of pregnant women and parents don't plan to accept all recommended kids' vaccines.
Read the full story
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday it is eliminating its office of research and development (ORD) and cutting thousands of staff. One union leader said the moves 'will devastate public health' by removing 'the heart and brain of the EPA'. The ORD's work underpins the EPA's mission to protect the environment and human health.
The agency is replacing it with a new office of applied science and environmental solutions that will allow it to focus on research and science 'more than ever before'. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin – inevitably, a close Trump ally – said the changes would ensure the agency 'is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment, while powering the Great American Comeback'.
Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, the top Democrat on the House science committee, called the elimination of the research office 'a travesty'. 'The Trump administration is firing hardworking scientists while employing political appointees whose job it is to lie incessantly to Congress and to the American people. The obliteration of ORD will have generational impacts on Americans' health and safety.'
Read the full story
Ten more hostages will be released from Gaza 'very shortly', Donald Trump said at the White House. The news comes as the president continues to push for a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
'We're going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly,' Trump said during a dinner with Republican senators. The current Israel-Hamas ceasefire proposal includes terms calling for the return of 10 hostages, and the remains of 18 others. In exchange, Israel would be required to release an unspecified number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Read the full story
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has reportedly stripped eight of Brazil's 11 supreme court judges of their US visas as the White House escalates its campaign to help the country's former president Jair Bolsonaro avoid justice over his alleged attempt to seize power with a murderous military coup. In support of the far-right Bolsonaro, Trump has also placed tariffs on Brazil – appalling millions of Brazilians who want to see their former leader held to account.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won the presidency from Bolsonaro, denounced what he called 'another arbitrary and completely groundless measure from the US government'. While the Bolsonaros have hailed Trump's actions, they also appear to have grasped how the announcement of tariffs has backfired, allowing Lula to pose as a nationalist defender of Brazilian interests and paint the Bolsonaro clan as self-serving 'traitors'. Even influential rightwing voices in Brazil have criticised Trump's meddling in one of the world's most populous democracies.
Read the full story
The White House is trying to drive out the Federal Reserve chair who is refusing to do the president's bidding and cut interests rates, as the Fed waits to see how prices respond to Trump's tariffs. Critics warn deposing Jerome Powell would be a costly bid to pass the buck, Callum Jones writes.
In post-2024 election polling, defense of democracy was a top issue for Democrats but way down the list for those who voted for Donald Trump: their top concerns were inflation and the economy. Democrats lost the popular vote. If they are to win back voters who abandoned them in the last election, their messaging needs to change, writes Joan C Williams.
Catching up? Here's what happened on 18 July.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump news at a glance: How Robert F Kennedy Jr is cancelling medical science
'The current administration is waging a war on science,' warned Celine Gounder, a professor of medicine and an infectious disease expert at New York University in a keynote talk in May to graduates of Harvard's School of Public Health. That war appeared to enter a new phase in the aftermath of a recent supreme court decision that empowered health and human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent vaccine sceptic, and other agency leaders, to implement mass firings – effectively greenlighting the politicization of science. Kennedy abruptly cancelled a scheduled meeting of a key health care advisory panel, the US Preventive Services Task Force, earlier this month. That, combined with his recent removal of a panel of more than a dozen vaccine advisers, signals that his dismantling of science-based policymaking is likely far from over. 'Do you enjoy getting sick from preventable diseases?' Arwa Madhawi asks in her Week in Patriarchy column. 'Do you have a hankering to make once-declining viruses great again? If so, why not pop over to the US where the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, and his anti-vaccine cronies are making a valiant effort to overturn decades of progress in modern medicine.' Measles cases are at their highest rate in 33 years in the US, and while not entirely to blame, Trump's officials don't seem bothered. RFK Jr has downplayed the numbers. Kennedy has announced that the federal CDC will stop recommending Covid-19 booster shots for healthy children and pregnant women. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said in a statement: 'It is very clear that Covid-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability'. Leading medical associations are suing the Trump administration as a result. Two new surveys, published as a research letter in Jama Network Open, have found that only 35% to 40% of US pregnant women and parents of young children say they intend to fully vaccinate their child. That means the majority of pregnant women and parents don't plan to accept all recommended kids' vaccines. Read the full story The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday it is eliminating its office of research and development (ORD) and cutting thousands of staff. One union leader said the moves 'will devastate public health' by removing 'the heart and brain of the EPA'. The ORD's work underpins the EPA's mission to protect the environment and human health. The agency is replacing it with a new office of applied science and environmental solutions that will allow it to focus on research and science 'more than ever before'. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin – inevitably, a close Trump ally – said the changes would ensure the agency 'is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment, while powering the Great American Comeback'. Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, the top Democrat on the House science committee, called the elimination of the research office 'a travesty'. 'The Trump administration is firing hardworking scientists while employing political appointees whose job it is to lie incessantly to Congress and to the American people. The obliteration of ORD will have generational impacts on Americans' health and safety.' Read the full story Ten more hostages will be released from Gaza 'very shortly', Donald Trump said at the White House. The news comes as the president continues to push for a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. 'We're going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly,' Trump said during a dinner with Republican senators. The current Israel-Hamas ceasefire proposal includes terms calling for the return of 10 hostages, and the remains of 18 others. In exchange, Israel would be required to release an unspecified number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Read the full story The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has reportedly stripped eight of Brazil's 11 supreme court judges of their US visas as the White House escalates its campaign to help the country's former president Jair Bolsonaro avoid justice over his alleged attempt to seize power with a murderous military coup. In support of the far-right Bolsonaro, Trump has also placed tariffs on Brazil – appalling millions of Brazilians who want to see their former leader held to account. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won the presidency from Bolsonaro, denounced what he called 'another arbitrary and completely groundless measure from the US government'. While the Bolsonaros have hailed Trump's actions, they also appear to have grasped how the announcement of tariffs has backfired, allowing Lula to pose as a nationalist defender of Brazilian interests and paint the Bolsonaro clan as self-serving 'traitors'. Even influential rightwing voices in Brazil have criticised Trump's meddling in one of the world's most populous democracies. Read the full story The White House is trying to drive out the Federal Reserve chair who is refusing to do the president's bidding and cut interests rates, as the Fed waits to see how prices respond to Trump's tariffs. Critics warn deposing Jerome Powell would be a costly bid to pass the buck, Callum Jones writes. In post-2024 election polling, defense of democracy was a top issue for Democrats but way down the list for those who voted for Donald Trump: their top concerns were inflation and the economy. Democrats lost the popular vote. If they are to win back voters who abandoned them in the last election, their messaging needs to change, writes Joan C Williams. Catching up? Here's what happened on 18 July.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Man, 61, dies after being sucked into medical imaging machine by his metallic necklace
A man died after he was sucked into an MRI machine by his necklace. The 61-year-old, identified as Keith McAllister, succumbed to his injuries a day after the freak accident at a clinic in Westbury, New York, on Wednesday. Police said the man was dragged into the medical machine by his 'large metal chain' after reportedly defying orders to stay out of the room. The Nassau County Police Department said the man walked into the MRI room at the Nassau County Open MRI facility while a scan was in progress and was pulled into the machine. One witness told CBS News he had defied orders to stay out of the room after he heard his relative screaming from inside and got concerned. His wife, Adrienne Jones-McAllister, had just completed an MRI on her knee and asked a technician to bring her husband in to help her off the table. When McAllister entered the room - still wearing the 20lb metal chain his wife said he 'used for weight training' - the machine's powerful magnetic force suddenly pulled him in. 'I saw him walk toward the table and then the machine just snatched him,' Jones-McAllister recalled to News 12 Long Island. 'He went limp in my arms - and this is still pulsating in my brain.' She alleged that the technician allowed her husband into the room despite the visible chain, which had been worn on previous visits to the same facility. 'That was not the first time that guy had seen that chain. They'd had a conversation about it before,' she said. After the incident, McAllister suffered multiple heart attacks and later died from his injuries, she said. McAllister's stepdaughter, Samantha Bodden, echoed her mother's sentiment, blaming the technician for her stepfather's premature death. 'While my mother was laying on the table, the technician left the room to get her husband to help her off the table. 'He forgot to inform him to take the chain he was wearing from around his neck off when the magnet sucked him in,' Bodden wrote on Facebook Friday. She also pushed back against claims reported by 'several news stations' that McAllister was not authorized to be in the room. 'Several news stations are saying he wasn't authorized to be in the room, when in fact he was because the technician went and brought him into the room,' she wrote on a GoFundMe page organized to help cover burial expenses. Jones-McAllister told News 12 that she had called out to her husband after asking the technician to get him. She said the technician summoned him into the room, despite his wearing the heavy chain - an item they had even joked about on a previous visit, saying things like: 'Ooooooh, that's a big chain!' When he got close to her, she said, 'at that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in, and he hit the MRI.' 'I said: "Could you turn off the machine, call 911, do something - turn this damn thing off!"' she recalled, as tears ran down her face. 'He went limp in my arms.' She added that the technician tried to help her pull McAllister off the machine, but it was impossible. An investigation is continuing, but police have said there is no criminality involved and it appears to have been an accident. An official cause of death has yet to be released in the incident, but one staff doctor at North Shore University Hospital speculated on a potential cause. Dr Payal Sud told CBS: 'If this was a chain that was wrapped around the neck, I could imagine any kind of strangulation injuries that could happen. Asphyxiation, cervical spine injuries.' When undergoing an MRI procedure, patients are generally asked to remove all jewelry and piercings to remain safe. The machine generates strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed internal images of the human body. The magnetic pull is so strong that it is capable of throwing a wheelchair across a room, according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. When undergoing an MRI procedure, patients are generally asked to remove all jewelry and piercings to remain safe. Injuries and deaths from MRI machines, while rare, have happened in the past. In 2001, a six-year-old boy was killed at Westchester Medical Center in New York when an metal oxygen tank was pulled into the machine while he was being scanned. And in 2018 a man died in India when he entered an MRI room holding an oxygen tank.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
The seven-minute home workout that doesn't require any fancy kit
Can you get fit in seven minutes a day? As a mother of two with a busy job and an ingrained aversion to working out, I would love to believe it. I coasted through my twenties and thirties avoiding exercise. Now 44, I'm increasingly aware of the impact of my sedentary lifestyle on bone density and muscle mass – and how important those things are going to become as I get older. Could this seven-minute workout, with no specialist equipment required, only a chair and a wall (or in my case, chair and a tree), be my saviour? I came across the impressive-sounding 'exercise physiologist' Chris Jordan on my trawl for a workout that wouldn't completely floor me. Unlike other workouts which promise results, but never seem that convincing (and look terrifying), I was drawn to this one, as it seemed to have some decent science behind. Studies have shown noticeable cardiovascular and strength benefits which can be achieved with just seven minutes, assuming you're pushing yourself hard in that time. Plus the only bit of kit you need was a pair of trainers. Jordan devised the seven-minute workout over 10 years ago, at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando with the results published in the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal. It soon become a phenomenon across the world introducing millions, who lacked time, but sought a fitness boost, to the benefits of brief bursts of exercise – and routines have been modelled on it ever since. The enticing subhead alone drew me in: 'Maximum Results With Minimal Investment'. Comprising 12 exercises, the idea is to do 30 seconds of each, with five seconds to move between exercises, totalling seven minutes. I turn to a local expert to put me through my paces. 'The exercises are familiar but the problem is they're often done incorrectly,' says Laura Wilson, specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist and director of The Swiss Touch clinic. 'The key is to slow down, and pay close attention to your alignment. If you do this religiously you'll notice improvement in muscle strength, bone density, posture and balance.' Personal trainer Louisa Drake agrees, but adds that the order of the exercises is also important, as it allows each muscle group to rest while another is worked. 'It's a great example of using your own bodyweight to do a full-body workout, promising effective fitness 'in your pyjamas'' she says. But, of course, when it comes to the reality of actually focussing on these exercises as intensely as the experts suggest, it's not that simple. I quickly discover when I try the routine out (in my pyjamas); exercises like jumping jacks and running on the spot don't work for me without a proper sports bra. Not only that, but reading the small print of the study suggests that optimum results are achieved by doing three rounds of the workout, totalling 21 minutes – admittedly still not a huge time commitment, but quite different to the seven-minute headline. The trouble is, she explains, people often give up when a seemingly-easy routine doesn't work for them. 'Someone with dodgy knees shouldn't feel defeated because they can't do jumping jacks,' she says. 'And someone managing hormonal fluctuations needs modifications, not a rigid prescription.' Drake argues that the pros (accessibility, convenience, very little time needed) outweigh any cons. 'If it all starts with seven minutes in your living room, then brilliant.' Plus all the exercises can be adapted to suit different needs and dodgy knees. For me, getting out for a run, or to a class, often feels impossible to fit in, whereas seven minutes in my living room – or garden – is always doable. First thing in the morning is an excellent start to the day; certainly better than seven minutes spent doom-scrolling with my cup of tea. Here are the 12 exercises, with expert support on how to get the most out of them – plus variations to make them easier. 1. Jumping Jacks 'An excellent cardiovascular exercise, engaging multiple muscle groups while rapidly elevating heart rate,' says Drake. 'The high-impact nature of it can stress joints, and is particularly problematic for women with pelvic floor issues. In these cases, a step-touch version (step one foot out, bring it back, repeat on other side) provides similar cardiovascular benefits with significantly less impact and bouncing.' 2. Wall Sit Wilson says this deceptively simple exercise is good for building strength in your thighs and glutes, while challenging your postural control. 'Have your knees at roughly 90 degrees, keeping your back straight and your weight in your heels,' she says. 'Once you've got the hang of it, you can add a small ball between your knees to activate your inner quadricep muscles; a great exercise for knee pain.' 3. Push-ups 'It's a brilliant compound exercise simultaneously targeting chest, shoulders, triceps and core, but it can be problematic for anyone with wrist issues, lymphoedema concerns or limited upper body strength,' says Drake. 'A good starting point is wall push-ups (hands against wall, lean in and push back), moving onto incline push-ups using a chair or bench. If wrist-loading is tolerable, try modified knee push-ups.' 4. Abdominal Crunches 'I see this performed incorrectly all the time,' says Drake. 'It's also problematic for many women, particularly post-pregnancy, as they can worsen diastasis recti (abdominal separation).' If you don't have these issues, then Wilson says the key is to move from the rib cage, rather than pulling on your neck. 'Keep your chin slightly tucked, and imagine peeling each vertebra off the floor one at a time.' If you're struggling, come up only very slightly, or support your head. Drake prefers dead bugs, where you lie on your back with arms and legs raised, then slowly lower opposite arm and leg. 5. Step-ups 'These mimic real-life movements like climbing stairs, so are excellent for building functional strength and stability,' says Wilson. 'Step up with control, pressing through the front heel and keeping your hips level. Avoid using momentum or pushing off the back leg. You can make them easier by lowering the step height, or harder by holding dumbbells and slowing down the movement.' 6. Squats A classic for a reason, squats are a fabulous functional exercise. 'They strengthen the hips, thighs and core,' says Wilson. 'Start by thinking of sitting back into a chair; keep your chest lifted, knees tracking over the toes, and spine neutral. Avoid collapsing your chest or letting your knees drop inward.' If you're a beginner, use a chair behind you, and just touch it lightly with your bum before standing up again. More advanced? Make it harder by holding a weight, or adding a band around your knees. 7. Triceps Dips 'These are great for targeting the backs of the arms,' says Wilson, which is music to my bingo wings. 'But they can be tough on the shoulders if not done carefully. Keep your chest open, shoulder blades back and down, and elbows pointing straight behind you, not out to the sides. Move within a comfortable range and avoid sinking too low.' You can make them easier by bending your knees and keeping your feet close; or make them harder by straightening your legs or slowing the tempo. 8. Plank Another one that looks easy, but needs attention to detail to be effective. 'Planks strengthen the shoulders, glutes, postural muscles and core,' says Wilson. 'The goal is to hold a long line from head to heels without dropping your hips or arching your lower back. Keep your belly gently drawn in, glutes engaged, and shoulders strong.' 9. High Knees This one is easily adaptable; you can run on the spot, or march, to reduce the impact on your joints. 'Whether you're running or marching, this combines cardio with core activation in one powerful movement,' says Wilson. 'Stay tall and avoid leaning back or collapsing through your middle. Drive the knees up with energy and use your arms to help create rhythm. To increase intensity, focus on speed and lift while keeping movement crisp and light.' 10. Lunges 'This unilateral exercise builds leg strength while challenging balance and coordination,' says Drake. 'At first, you could hold onto a wall or chair for balance support, and start with stationary lunges before progressing to walking lunges.' 11. Push-up & Rotation 'It builds upper body strength while also training the core and improving spinal mobility,' says Wilson. 'The key is to rotate from the upper back, not the lower spine, and keep the hips steady. You can modify it by performing the push-up from your knees, or reducing the rotation if balance is tricky.' 12. Side Plank 'This one targets the often-neglected lateral core muscles, which are crucial for spine stability,' says Drake. 'If you need a modification, try lying on your side with knees bent – it's much easier. And side-lying leg lifts target similar muscles, if the plank position just isn't happening for you.' My verdict As a way of getting back into exercise, if you haven't done it regularly for ages, this is a brilliant way to start. Even by doing just seven minutes I noticed they were easier to do by the end of the week. Some of my favourite moves include the jumping jacks (especially the step-touch version, a saviour for the pelvic floor) which are fun and easy to do on a sunny day, as are the wall sits, with my garden tree standing in perfectly for the wall. I was dreading the push-ups, having always struggled with upper body strength. I also had a mastectomy with axillary lymph node clearance in 2021 and, since then, have been warned against putting my weight on my wrists, because of lymphoedema (swelling). But luckily, there are lots of modifications like the knee version, which I found a lot easier. I thought a push-up with rotation was the most difficult exercise on this list, but then I realised this one is just a pimped-up push-up. While intimidating at first, it's a highly effective movement. I might swap out the ab crunches for the 'dead bug' movement, as recommended by my trainer. All in all, I can fit these exercises into a quick routine that slots easily into my life – and with no loud, blaring gyms or heavy weights required. I am a convert, sign me up.
