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Big Tech to work with Trump administration to build digital health ecosystem

Big Tech to work with Trump administration to build digital health ecosystem

TechCrunch7 days ago
In Brief
The Trump administration said on Wednesday that it secured commitments from Google, OpenAI, Amazon, Anthropic, and Apple to start building a digital health ecosystem.
The efforts will focus on two areas: creating a framework for patients and providers to easily share information, and creating more personal tools so patients can access resources needed to stay informed about their health. Such tools include apps to manage diabetes and obesity, using artificial intelligence as assistants to perform tasks like checking symptoms and scheduling appointments, and finding ways to reduce the amount of paperwork associated with medical appointments by digitizing some tasks.
Democrats and Republicans have tried before to make data sharing in the U.S. health system a more seamless experience, Bloomberg reports, though the technology was never quite up to par. Over 60 companies have said they will work on the new health effort and results are expected in early 2026.
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"Never Has America Been More Vulnerable" — People Are Horrified After RFK Jr. Announced He's Cutting $500 Million In Funding For mRNA Vaccines
"Never Has America Been More Vulnerable" — People Are Horrified After RFK Jr. Announced He's Cutting $500 Million In Funding For mRNA Vaccines

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"Never Has America Been More Vulnerable" — People Are Horrified After RFK Jr. Announced He's Cutting $500 Million In Funding For mRNA Vaccines

I'm not sure if you've heard, but everyone's least favorite Health and Human Services Secretary, RFK Jr., recently announced that he's cancelling $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine development. mRNA vaccines, which stand for messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA), are "highly effective" and "safe," according to the National Council on Aging, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of older adults in the US. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the mRNA vaccine helps teach your body to fight infectious diseases. More specifically, mRNA technology is utilized in the COVID-19 vaccine, which infectious disease experts say is what helped to slow the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in the US. In a now-viral X video, RFK Jr. tried to explain the funding cuts saying, "HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses." Twitter: @SecKennedy According to CBS News, RFK Jr. reiterated that "HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them." Related: In response to the news, Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations, recently said, "I don't think I've seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business." Following these vaccine funding cuts, millions have expressed deep concern for the future of medicine, as well as the impact of future pandemics in the US. Here's how medical professionals, lawmakers, and citizens are reacting: Commonly, people threw some personal digs at RFK Jr., with one person calling him a "despicable quack." ...and a pediatric MD calling him an "anti-vaxx weirdo." Related: While other medical professionals directly contradicted RFK Jr.'s claims about the mRNA vaccine, calling them "simply false." And called out RFK Jr.'s "fundamental misunderstanding of immunology." Another infectious disease doctor argued that RFK Jr.'s decision came from "ideology" and "online anti vax talking points." Related: And this medical professional and health writer called mRNA vaccines "one of the most important tools we have for preventing future pandemics." Another person expressed their anger about "throwing away" years of research: Even politicians have weighed in, with Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock calling the funding cuts a "tragedy." Related: "Whatever your reason for not voting or voting 3rd party, I promise it wasn't worth destroying our country over," this person wrote. And this person made a scary observation, writing: "A diseased population is easier to control..." And finally, this Reddit user summed up what many are feeling: "Imagine being so privileged to have lived in a tiny slice of human history when MILLIONS of people have been spared from pyrogens at the hands of vaccines……only to be somehow convinced the answer to the threat humanity faces going forward is to stop researching the most proven and effective medicine mankind has ever known." What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:

Columbia University Libraries Modernize Library Infrastructure with EBSCO FOLIO
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Columbia University Libraries Modernize Library Infrastructure with EBSCO FOLIO

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‘Going To Cost Lives': Former Surgeon General Shocked By RFK's Latest Move
‘Going To Cost Lives': Former Surgeon General Shocked By RFK's Latest Move

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‘Going To Cost Lives': Former Surgeon General Shocked By RFK's Latest Move

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s shock decision to cancel nearly half a billion dollars' worth of research projects because they're based on mRNA technology horrified vaccine experts Tuesday, among them President Donald Trump's own former surgeon general. Jerome Adams, who served as the nation's 20th surgeon general during Trump's first term, warned on social media that the decision will have very real negative consequences. 'I've tried to be objective & non-alarmist in response to current HHS actions – but quite frankly this move is going to cost lives,' he wrote. 'mRNA technology has uses that go far beyond vaccines… and the vaccine they helped develop in record time is credited with saving millions.' Adams ended the missive with the 'head exploding' emoji. I've tried to be objective & non-alarmist in response to current HHS actions – but quite frankly this move is going to cost lives. mRNA technology has uses that go far beyond vaccines… and the vaccine they helped develop in record time is credited with saving millions. 🤯 — Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) August 6, 2025 In another thread, Adams blamed politicized messaging around vaccination during the coronavirus pandemic for leading to a widespread public misunderstanding of what vaccines actually accomplish. People believed that 'if you get this vaccine you won't get COVID,' said Adams, when the real aim was to prevent severe cases of the disease. Messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology has potential far beyond COVID. At Emory University, for instance, researchers are looking into using mRNA technology to train the immune system to cure cancer and chronic infections, thanks to a $24.8 million federal grant. The three-year program was funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, which Kennedy merged with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, in March — only to announce Tuesday he'd be pulling the funding for BARDA's mRNA investments. The inaugural director of ARPA-H, Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, was fired by the Trump administration in February amid mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tiba Biotech, another research company that saw its HHS contracts terminated Tuesday, is investigating using mRNA to combat tick-borne diseases. Thanks to climate change, more ticks are surviving through warmer winters, leading to a sharp increase in tick-borne illnesses. Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations, told The Associated Press the decision on mRNA research is a historically bad one. 'I don't think I've seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,' he said. Related... RFK Jr. Cancels $500 Million In Funding For Vaccine Development 800,000 Vaccine Doses The U.S. Pledged To Send To Africa Are About To Expire Instead RFK Jr.'s Stunning Claim About Black People And Vaccines Sparks Concern From Medical Experts RFK Jr. Keeps Telling A Flat-Out Lie About Childhood Vaccines — And Doctors Are Sick Of It

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