Joshua Weitz
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joshuasweitz.bsky.social
Joshua Weitz
@joshuasweitz.bsky.social

Professor of Biology & Institute for Health Computing, U of Maryland; explores how viruses impact human & environmental health;

'Asymptomatic' (JHU Press - https://bit.ly/asymptomatic_book)
&
'Science Matters' (https://substack.com/@joshuasweitz) .. more

Joshua S. Weitz is an American biologist. He is both a professor of biology and the Clark Leadership Chair in Data Analytics at the University of Maryland. Previously, he was a professor at Georgia Tech, where he was the founding director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences. In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. .. more

Biology 28%
Environmental science 26%
Pinned
New from #SCIMaP - analysis of the White House’s Proposed FY 2026 National Science Foundation Budget.

Take-home: Slashing NSF by >50% will lead to ~$11 billion in economic loss and extensive job loss and reduced training opportunities in communities nationwide.

Report: osf.io/e8rnc

a 🧵

"This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set
interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions, or
whether instead, monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation."

A summary if/then/else that applies broadly across science, policy, and rule of law.
This is the sort of statement that was expected from every university president and law firm partner over the last year. That those statements weren’t made played a huge part in where we are now and people will remember.
Jerome Powell: "This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation."
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com

Straight from his 'charitable foundation'...

"For the third year in a row, Elon Musk’s charitable foundation did not give away enough of its money.

And it did not miss the mark by a small amount."

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/12/u...
Musk’s Foundation Gave Away Less Money Than Required in 2023 (Published 2024)
www.nytimes.com
This is so incredibly heart-breaking. To Jay Bhattacharya and Matthew Memoli at NIH--you have betrayed the entire scientific community. Deeply committed staff are leaving in droves--because you are destroying the institution. Shame on you. www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n...
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
“We can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,” write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.
www.statnews.com
Powerful piece in STAT this morning from some NIH staff members who have resigned

www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n...

1/3
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
“We can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,” write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.
www.statnews.com

“If they don’t believe in the strength of one part of the data, and there are other compelling factors that say that the U.S. has lost elimination, it means that the U.S. has lost elimination.” @drdemetre.bsky.social

In the title, for "US" replace with "RFK Jr and co."

www.cnn.com/2026/01/09/h...
US builds case to retain measles elimination status as infections mount | CNN
U.S. officials are building a case that ongoing measles outbreaks in South Carolina and other states are unrelated to last year’s major outbreak in Texas, as it tries to retain its status of having el...
www.cnn.com
more americans than ever say that ICE should be abolished www.gelliottmorris.com/p/support-fo...
Support for abolishing ICE hits a a new high
Americans have turned sharply against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and say it too often resorts to violence
www.gelliottmorris.com

And I am glad for all concerned that she did not fly her own plane, but she did forecast the weather from a hot-air balloon and flip flies at a JHU lab. With a diminished federal government, it takes great citizens like @petridishes.bsky.social to step up and fill the gaps!

Glad @petridishes.bsky.social is back

"You can’t worry only about buying the groceries; you must also worry about whether those groceries are radioactive. You don’t just have to make sure the kids are dressed for the weather; you must also forecast the weather."

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
I Tried to Be the Government. It Did Not Go Well.
My five-month quest to monitor the weather, track inflation, and inspect milk for harmful microorganisms
www.theatlantic.com
House passes minibus bill to fund science agencies www.politico.com/news/2026/01... headed to Senate next
House passes three-bill spending package with weeks left to avoid a shutdown
The Senate is expected to take up the so-called “minibus” next week.
www.politico.com

Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com

You can get 1 free article without paying; I got access to read this one, that's quite enough for me. For the record, the list of vaccines removed include flu, COVID-19, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or meningococcal meningitis.

What Oster views as 'less common and usually less serious' (!)

Yup. Ironically Oster writes in NYT OpEd:

Public health changes "have medical experts concerned (just this week: changes to the childhood vaccine schedule). However, the new nutrition advice is, dare I say it, overall very sensible."

Implication: not a medical expert, yet giving medical advice.

If you are reading Oster's NYT OpEd on nutrition guidelines, then you missed this take on vaccine schedules:

"The vaccines removed from the schedule are generally those for diseases that are less common and usually less serious."

*Hepatitis B is a serious disease*

parentdata.org/what-changed...
What Changed in the Childhood Vaccine Schedule? | ParentData by Emily Oster
The CDC has changed the childhood vaccine schedule. What changed, what didn’t, and what it means for parents—without panic, and without misinformation.
parentdata.org

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

We’re setting up a national call to discuss the killing and lawlessness by ICE in Minneapolis. We’ll be joined by leaders who will provide concrete next steps for a national response. We hope you can join us: www.mobilize.us/indivisible/...
We’re hosting a national rapid response call tomorrow night to go over concrete next steps. Please circulate - we need a national response. More details to come. www.mobilize.us/indivisible/...
Rapid Response Call: ICE Killing and Lawlessness in Minneapolis · Indivisible
Join us tomorrow, Thursday, January 8th, at 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT to discuss the killing and lawlessness by ICE in Minneapolis. We will talk with leaders and provide concrete next steps on how you...
www.mobilize.us

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

ANOTHER NIH leader resigns—John Beigel—over 'a flu study dustup'

A Beigel supporter within NIH "called the flu study dustup a 'pseudomanufactured concern' that was meant to force him out, so officials could bring in a researcher who has strongly supported Trump"🙄

www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH official resigns after flap over risks of seasonal flu virus study
Agency may be expanding list of pathogens subject to dangerous “gain-of-function” regulations
www.science.org

(A day of multi-threading...)

Talk today on 'Heterogeneity and its impacts on disease dynamics' by Jeremy Harris (Spelman, Math) w/@jdushoff.bsky.social, @beckettstephen.bsky.social + more, part of Math-Epi special session at #JMM2026:

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Remember: Federal officials do not enjoy categorical, absolute immunity from state-level prosecutions. They are entitled to removal to federal court. But conduct that is unreasonable or unnecessary for the execution of their law enforcement duties is susceptible to criminal prosecution.

Got it. I plan to attend and take in the perspectives. More dialogue needed between science and policy folks - but that's on us (scientists) too to organize in the gaps.

Nerdy but next time consider going much nerdier. Invite scientists. Ones trying to run a group, make discoveries, and speak out against the intentional dismantling of American leadership. Unfortunately more and more options. Think tank folks (esp Brookings) have may (intentional) blinders on.

Still catching up Jan 6 essays and reflections including the warning from @raskin.house.gov of the symbolism of a plaque honoring heroism of officers defending the Capitol left unhung.

Also symbolic, this was not published in the Washington Post.

🎁
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/o...
Opinion | Jamie Raskin: Jan. 6 Never Ended
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

Trump told health officials to align the U.S. vaccination schedule with "peer" countries. They did the opposite.

Other high-income countries are “moving towards more protection,” and we were the leaders, @jakescottmd.bsky.social told me. Now we're lagging behind.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘Astounding’ vaccine change puts US behind peer countries, experts warn
Scientists predict increased disease outbreaks after Trump officials no longer recommend third of childhood vaccines
www.theguardian.com

Reporting emphasizes procedure or lack thereof, e.g., a physician from Colorado-Anschutz noted that HHS failed "to model or even consider the preventable harm that would result from lower vaccination coverage."

What value is evidence when RFK Jr & co have ideology to guide them?

🎁
wapo.st/4juIdhF
CDC staff ‘blindsided’ as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled
The Trump administration took unprecedented steps to recommend fewer vaccines for children without extensive consultations with career scientists.
wapo.st

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz

SCOOP: CDC vaccine experts were blindsided by RFKJr top deputy’s decision to unilaterally overhaul child schedule. Also, previously undisclosed CDC presentation refutes Trump admin narrative that US is outlier on vaccine policy. My story @Washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
CDC staff ‘blindsided’ as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled
The Trump administration took unprecedented steps to recommend fewer vaccines for children without extensive consultations with career scientists.
www.washingtonpost.com
“[P]utting data into GISAID is like dropping it in a mail slot in an unmarked building,” says @colincarlson.bsky.social. “It’s wonderful that there’s so much cool stuff in that building. It would be great if we knew who owned it, or who paid for it, or what they plan to do with it.”
#IDsky 🧪
Fresh conflicts erupt around giant database for flu and COVID-19 sequences
Critics say “autocratic” behavior by GISAID could hamper response to a future pandemic
www.science.org