Leigh Turner
@leighturner.bsky.social
Professor, Department of Health, Society, & Behavior, School of Population & Public Health & Director, Center for Health Ethics at UCI | bioethics | public health ethics | research ethics
“The truth is that the sentence wasn’t inaccurate – it was removed because of legal fears. And that’s exactly the concern my lecture raises: when institutions start censoring themselves out of fear of those in power.” www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Reith lecturer accuses BBC of cowardice for censoring his remarks on Trump
Dutch writer Rutger Bregman says claim that Trump was ‘most openly corrupt president in US history’ was removed
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:59 AM
“The truth is that the sentence wasn’t inaccurate – it was removed because of legal fears. And that’s exactly the concern my lecture raises: when institutions start censoring themselves out of fear of those in power.” www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
NEW: When Propecy Fails is one of the most famous social psychology books of all time, a look at a small group of UFO believers when the “spacemen” failed to land. I wrote about a new study from an independent researcher who says the book is not what it seems. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
It’s one of the most influential social psychology studies ever. Was it all a lie?
A classic book on UFO believers and their "cognitive dissonance" after aliens failed to land is called into question.
www.motherjones.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:36 PM
NEW: When Propecy Fails is one of the most famous social psychology books of all time, a look at a small group of UFO believers when the “spacemen” failed to land. I wrote about a new study from an independent researcher who says the book is not what it seems. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
“If Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance is right, reappraisal of the value of When Prophecy Fails may be slow.” 🤔
NEW: When Propecy Fails is one of the most famous social psychology books of all time, a look at a small group of UFO believers when the “spacemen” failed to land. I wrote about a new study from an independent researcher who says the book is not what it seems. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
It’s one of the most influential social psychology studies ever. Was it all a lie?
A classic book on UFO believers and their "cognitive dissonance" after aliens failed to land is called into question.
www.motherjones.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:02 AM
“If Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance is right, reappraisal of the value of When Prophecy Fails may be slow.” 🤔
Reposted by Leigh Turner
We're hiring at McGill! Tenure track, funded position, cross-appointed to Philosophy, and to Equity, Ethics, and Policy. Please share widely! mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/mcgill...
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Department of Equity, Ethics, and Policy and Department of Philosophy (L000088)
Please refer to the How to Apply for a Job (for External Candidates) job aid for instructions on how to apply. If you are an active McGill employee (ie: currently in an active contract or position at ...
mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
We're hiring at McGill! Tenure track, funded position, cross-appointed to Philosophy, and to Equity, Ethics, and Policy. Please share widely! mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/mcgill...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
In an email to staff filled with unsupported accusations about the quality of the center’s research, CBER Director Vinay Prasad said no resources or time should be spent on ongoing projects started before he joined the FDA until discussed with him. #healthpolicy
CBER Poised for Research Shakeup As Prasad Makes Unproven Claims About ‘Polluted Science’
In an email to staff filled with unsupported accusations about the quality of the center’s research, CBER Director Vinay Prasad said no resources or time should be spent on ongoing projects started be...
insights.citeline.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:30 PM
In an email to staff filled with unsupported accusations about the quality of the center’s research, CBER Director Vinay Prasad said no resources or time should be spent on ongoing projects started before he joined the FDA until discussed with him. #healthpolicy
"At many schools, children were either missing or rattled. One wore a tag that read 'I’m a U.S. citizen'; another carried an American passport to elementary school. Two kindergartners showed up to class with whistles around their necks to blow if they saw immigration agents."
More than 20 percent of students stayed home from school in Charlotte as President Trump’s immigration crackdown hit the city.
One wore a tag that read “I’m a U.S. citizen”; another carried an American passport to elementary school.
One wore a tag that read “I’m a U.S. citizen”; another carried an American passport to elementary school.
In cities targeted by ICE, empty desks and school disruptions follow
One in five students in Charlotte missed school after a recent ICE crackdown began. It’s the latest city where schools felt the impact of Trump’s deportation effort.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:02 PM
"At many schools, children were either missing or rattled. One wore a tag that read 'I’m a U.S. citizen'; another carried an American passport to elementary school. Two kindergartners showed up to class with whistles around their necks to blow if they saw immigration agents."
Reposted by Leigh Turner
"As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others, I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines" www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
A Battle with My Blood
When I was diagnosed with leukemia, my first thought was that this couldn’t be happening to me, to my family.
www.newyorker.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:56 PM
"As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others, I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines" www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
"This administration is making good on its determination to silence dissent in all forms, creating a culture of fear, silence and intimidation."
November 22, 2025 at 7:40 PM
"This administration is making good on its determination to silence dissent in all forms, creating a culture of fear, silence and intimidation."
Reposted by Leigh Turner
Breaking news: In the past 10 months, the Trump administration has pushed for lethal strikes on Western Hemisphere drug traffickers and repeatedly steamrolled or sidestepped government lawyers who questioned whether the provocative policy was legal.
White House blew past legal concerns in deadly strikes on drug boats
The Trump administration sidestepped skeptical lawyers across national security agencies as it pursued a military campaign against alleged narcotraffickers, officials say.
wapo.st
November 22, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Breaking news: In the past 10 months, the Trump administration has pushed for lethal strikes on Western Hemisphere drug traffickers and repeatedly steamrolled or sidestepped government lawyers who questioned whether the provocative policy was legal.
Reposted by Leigh Turner
New from me: I talked to CDC staffers about the new vaccines and autism page. They said things like:
“The best way I can put it is it feels like we’re on a hijacked airplane.”
“I think people are starting to see that we can’t fulfill our mission here.”
“The best way I can put it is it feels like we’re on a hijacked airplane.”
“I think people are starting to see that we can’t fulfill our mission here.”
“Embarrassing” and “horrifying”: CDC workers describe the new vaccines and autism page
"The best way I can put it is it feels like we're on a hijacked airplane."
www.motherjones.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:41 PM
New from me: I talked to CDC staffers about the new vaccines and autism page. They said things like:
“The best way I can put it is it feels like we’re on a hijacked airplane.”
“I think people are starting to see that we can’t fulfill our mission here.”
“The best way I can put it is it feels like we’re on a hijacked airplane.”
“I think people are starting to see that we can’t fulfill our mission here.”
Reposted by Leigh Turner
“It’s the latest decision in a head-spinning saga that federal workers with disabilities and temporary health needs say has hindered their job performance and weakened their faith that the federal government is a place for them.”
CDC moves to end telework for employees, including those with medical needs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ended full-time telework agreements for reasonable accommodations, employees say.
www.statnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:25 PM
“It’s the latest decision in a head-spinning saga that federal workers with disabilities and temporary health needs say has hindered their job performance and weakened their faith that the federal government is a place for them.”
Reposted by Leigh Turner
After the Trump admin. sued to end in-state tuition for undocumented California students, those who receive it tell me they worry about their educational future.
Here’s the story of Sara, an undocumented student at East Los Angeles College: www.latimes.com/california/s...
Here’s the story of Sara, an undocumented student at East Los Angeles College: www.latimes.com/california/s...
The college dreams of 80,000 undocumented California students threatened by Trump suit
Trump sues California alleging in-state tuition and financial aid programs for undocumented students are illegal, threatening the education of some 80,000 such students.
www.latimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
After the Trump admin. sued to end in-state tuition for undocumented California students, those who receive it tell me they worry about their educational future.
Here’s the story of Sara, an undocumented student at East Los Angeles College: www.latimes.com/california/s...
Here’s the story of Sara, an undocumented student at East Los Angeles College: www.latimes.com/california/s...
"The newly installed top U.S. drug regulator has raised concerns about the legality and pace of initiatives to expedite drug decisions, arguing they could threaten Americans’ safety..." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Top FDA drug regulator raises alarms about expediting approvals
Richard Pazdur, who assumed his new role this month, has warned that new Trump administration initiatives could be illegal and pose a risk to public health.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:15 AM
"The newly installed top U.S. drug regulator has raised concerns about the legality and pace of initiatives to expedite drug decisions, arguing they could threaten Americans’ safety..." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
“There is overwhelming evidence that vaccines do not cause autism but do save lives.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/u...
Kennedy Says He Told C.D.C. to Change Website’s Language on Autism and Vaccines
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:41 AM
“There is overwhelming evidence that vaccines do not cause autism but do save lives.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/u...
Reposted by Leigh Turner
In an ironic and possibly predictable turn of events, the conference has received “an unusually large proportion” of off-topic abstracts that show signs of being written by generative AI.
Research integrity conference hit with AI-generated abstracts
The first of three themes for next year’s World Conference on Research Integrity will be the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence for research integrity. In an ironic and possibly predicta…
retractionwatch.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:06 PM
In an ironic and possibly predictable turn of events, the conference has received “an unusually large proportion” of off-topic abstracts that show signs of being written by generative AI.
"Trump’s dismissive language offered the highest-level confirmation yet that Mohammed will face few consequences for the killing, as the crown prince makes his first visit to Washington since Khashoggi was dismembered in a Saudi consulate in Turkey."
“Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but [Mohammed] knew nothing about it,” said President Trump about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of Washington Post opinion columnist Jamal Khashoggi. https://wapo.st/4igmwkX
November 19, 2025 at 2:26 AM
"Trump’s dismissive language offered the highest-level confirmation yet that Mohammed will face few consequences for the killing, as the crown prince makes his first visit to Washington since Khashoggi was dismembered in a Saudi consulate in Turkey."
"The discussion over Makary’s position comes as former and current FDA officials say uncertainty has plagued the agency following job cuts, a government shutdown and turnover in the leadership ranks." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Exclusive | RFK Jr. Discussed Curbing FDA Head’s Role After Complaints About Management Style
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. considered installing a new leader to manage the agency on a day-to-day basis.
www.wsj.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:21 AM
"The discussion over Makary’s position comes as former and current FDA officials say uncertainty has plagued the agency following job cuts, a government shutdown and turnover in the leadership ranks." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
"There are brief mentions of systemic barriers — redlining, bad schools, lack of internet access — but the unspoken message is that there are winners and then there are people who just need to try a little harder." www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Review | The $500 million American Dream museum near the White House: Should you go?
The new Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, created by the Wall Street “junk bond king,” offers Washington an optimistic, high-tech temple of capitalism.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:06 PM
"There are brief mentions of systemic barriers — redlining, bad schools, lack of internet access — but the unspoken message is that there are winners and then there are people who just need to try a little harder." www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
"Cancer survivors increasingly have turned to crowdfunding campaigns for help with medical and living expenses, raising over $500 million over a 2-year period, but still falling far short of needs, data from a popular campaign site showed." www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyon...
Crowdfunding Campaigns for Cancer Survivors Mostly Fall Short of Goals
Campaigns raised $506 million over 2 years, still just a fraction of out-of-pocket expenditures
www.medpagetoday.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"Cancer survivors increasingly have turned to crowdfunding campaigns for help with medical and living expenses, raising over $500 million over a 2-year period, but still falling far short of needs, data from a popular campaign site showed." www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyon...
“Numerous U.C. faculty & staff have submitted declarations describing how defendants’ actions have already chilled speech throughout the U.C. system...These are classic, predictable First Amendment harms, and exactly what defendants publicly said that they intended.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
Judge Orders Trump Not to Threaten University of California’s Funding
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:09 PM
“Numerous U.C. faculty & staff have submitted declarations describing how defendants’ actions have already chilled speech throughout the U.C. system...These are classic, predictable First Amendment harms, and exactly what defendants publicly said that they intended.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
"But now, six months after the Trump administration canceled virtually all grants approved during the Biden administration, the nation’s largest public funder of the humanities appears to be transforming into a vehicle narrowly tailored to the president’s agenda." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/a...
Fired Scholars and Big Grants to Favored Projects: Inside Trump’s N.E.H.
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:25 PM
"But now, six months after the Trump administration canceled virtually all grants approved during the Biden administration, the nation’s largest public funder of the humanities appears to be transforming into a vehicle narrowly tailored to the president’s agenda." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/a...
“I was not given a reason for being put on leave, but I strongly suspect it is because I have been speaking up in my personal capacity about the harms that I’ve been witnessing inside the National Institutes of Health.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
N.I.H. Worker Who Criticized Trump Health Policies Says She Is on Administrative Leave
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:59 PM
“I was not given a reason for being put on leave, but I strongly suspect it is because I have been speaking up in my personal capacity about the harms that I’ve been witnessing inside the National Institutes of Health.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
"A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday not to coerce the University of California by threatening its research funding in defiance of the First Amendment, an extraordinary rebuke to the federal government’s pressure campaign against elite schools." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
Judge Orders Trump Not to Threaten University of California’s Funding
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:53 PM
"A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday not to coerce the University of California by threatening its research funding in defiance of the First Amendment, an extraordinary rebuke to the federal government’s pressure campaign against elite schools." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/u...
"The FDA has developed careful and relatively uncontroversial processes over the decades for evaluating drugs, biologics and medical devices. 'But now, everything is up for grabs,' Lurie said. 'Suddenly, we have people who can get their drug reviewed in a one-day meeting.'”
November 15, 2025 at 6:37 PM
"The FDA has developed careful and relatively uncontroversial processes over the decades for evaluating drugs, biologics and medical devices. 'But now, everything is up for grabs,' Lurie said. 'Suddenly, we have people who can get their drug reviewed in a one-day meeting.'”
Reposted by Leigh Turner
Research in Canada on air and water quality, human health, and more is being disrupted as US collaborators have their funding cut and lose their jobs. My story for @universityaffairs.bsky.social 🧪
universityaffairs.ca/features/fea...
universityaffairs.ca/features/fea...
Science interrupted - University Affairs
How the Trump administration’s cuts to U.S. science are derailing Canadian research
universityaffairs.ca
November 13, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Research in Canada on air and water quality, human health, and more is being disrupted as US collaborators have their funding cut and lose their jobs. My story for @universityaffairs.bsky.social 🧪
universityaffairs.ca/features/fea...
universityaffairs.ca/features/fea...